Who to vote for in Southville?

Here at Simply Southville Towers we’ve been giving great thought who to vote for on 6 May. Of course we are voting both for an MP and a city councillor to represent us.

First of all let’s take a look at the Southville ward and the election to Bristol City Council. Well of all the candidates that are standing for Southville, the only one that actually lives in the ward appears to be Tess Green, the Green Party candidate. The other three live in Brislington (Labour) on the Portway (Conservative) and Cotham (Lib Dem).

It is really a two-horse race between Labour and the Greens. In 2006 the Green candidate won by seven votes from Labour, and in 2007 Labour got the seat by six votes ahead of the Greens. Labour candidate, Barbara Brown, has been quiet on the big issue in the ward - the proposed superstore development at Ashton Gate. Tess Green is firmly against it. So Simply Southville says back Tess Green on 6 May.

As for our MP, Labour’s Dawn Primarolo looks to be pretty safe in the Bristol South constituency. But at Simply Southville we say it is maybe time for a change. Labour nationally looks a spent force, so why not consider one of the two Dr Marks. That’s star gazing Lib Dem candidate, Dr Mark Wright, or the Tories hopeful Dr Mark Lloyd Davies. There are five other candidates standing in Bristol South. More details of the candidates and previous results check out the BBC website for our constituency.

A word of thanks to our outgoing Councillor Charlie Bolton. He's stepped down from the council but is the Green candidate for Bristol South.

So, go Green for Southville and vote for a Dr Mark in Bristol South.

Here’s to you Mr Robinson

Just over the river from Southville tomorrow, the country’s media will descend on Bristol for the second prime ministerial debate. It did seem a little strange tonight to switch on the news and see Nick Robinson (the BBC’s political editor) reporting live from outside the old industrial museum, with the Arnolfini in the background.

For anyone who’s walked past the Arnolfini today they’ll know that the place has been turned into a high security venue. In fact anyone thinking of going into town tomorrow night don’t forget Prince Street Bridge is closed from 7pm to midnight for pedestrians. And road closures around the area start even earlier.

I know Sky is not everyone’s favourite media company, but full marks for them for picking Bristol for this historic event (good job it wasn’t the BBC - it would have picked Bristol and then moved it to Cardiff at the last minute!). So for the next 24 hours Bristol will become the UK’s media focus. What a great opportunity to promote our city, the harbour and of course the Arnolfini itself.

So Simply Southville extends a warm Bristol welcome to Brown, Cameron and Clegg. If any of you fancy a pint and meeting some real voters (who are allowed to speak, cheer and clap) then pop over to North Street and we’ll buy you a pint of Bristol Stout in the Tobacco Factory.

Bolton to bow out in May

Local Green Councillor, Charlie Bolton has announced on his blog that he is stepping down in May at the local elections. Charlie has served the Southville ward for four years. Tess Green will be the Green Party prospective candidate for Southville. She stood last time, and lost to Labour's Sean Beynon by just six votes.

Read more on Charlie's blog.

Ashton superstore on the election agenda.

So the election campaign has kicked off in Southville with a couple of electioneering leaflets stuffed through the letterbox of Simply Southville Towers.

First one on the mat was the Southville Rose the organ of ‘Your Labour Team: working hard in Southville and Ashton’. Is it just us but does ‘Southville Rose’ sound like a hooker you’d find in an old wild west saloon. ‘Howday partner, my name’s Southville Rose, can I show you a good time?’

Our MP Dawn Primarolo is now in favour of the proposed Sainsbury’s development at Ashton Gate describing it as a ‘win-win situation’. So Dawn’s in favour despite not seeing the planning application. Bit of a turnaround from the Tesco application when her silence was deafening for months. Young Sean Benyon says: ‘On the face of it these proposls make much more sense.’

Comedy quote from Southville Rose is Young Sean commenting on the new 20 MPH zone for Southville saying: ’ Locally, Labour have been campaigning for lower speed limits for years.’ So why didn’t you introduce them when Labour was in power in Bristol, preferred to wait until the Lib Dems took over? Please rearrange this quote: ‘on jump bandwagon the’.

Next on the mat was the Bristol Reporter from the Lib Dems, well at least we think it’s the Lib Dems as they’ve decided to put out their four page newsletter with a blue masthead. What’s wrong with your goldy, yellowy, wee in the snow colour? Perhaps you think Tory voters are so stupid that they’ll be tricked into voting for you?

One things for sure you you’ll know that ’councillor’, ’south Bristolian’, ’prospective Lib Dem MP’ , ‘local campaigner‘, ‘south Bristol’s next MP’, ‘astrophysicist’, ‘astronomer’ Mark Wright is standing for parliament for the Lib Dems. There’s even eight, rather cheesy, campaign pictures of Dr Mark so you can see what he looks like.

On the Ashton Gate superstore saga Dr Mark says: ‘The effects of moving Sainsbury’s there will depend on how big the new store is. If it is huge, it would be little different to the Tesco plan. If it is more modest [ed - do you get ‘modest’ superstores?] there might not be any problems.’ Oh come on. It’s going to be bigger than the current Sainsbury’s store (that was just a bit smaller than the proposed Tesco Extra) and will still have the same problems about transport, air quality and being against the Council’s own core strategy.

As for the Tories, nothing from them yet. Will they becoming out to play in Southville? And nothing yet from the Greens, perhaps they are still deciding on whether the environmental impact of producing election leaflets is against their core beliefs?