Local Liberal Democrats have tonight (Sunday January 26th) selected Northenden Councillor Mary Di Mauro to be the Liberal Democrat Candidate in the by-election following the death of Labour MP Paul Goggins.
Mary was a secondary school teacher for ten years. She lives in Northenden village with her husband and two children. Mary has represented Northenden ward on Manchester City Council since 2010.
Mary Di Mauro said: “I am very proud to have been selected to fight Wythenshawe and Sale East for the Liberal Democrats in the by-election. I have lived locally for 20 years and have always stood up for this area on Manchester City Council. I am standing in this by election because I want to be a strong voice for local people in Parliament.”
I’m not backed by big business or trade unions. I am a local person who wants to help the area in which I live. Families around here need someone who understands their concerns and their problems.
Local Manchester MP John Leech said: “I’m delighted that Mary has been selected to be the Lib Dem candidate in this by election. I know what difference a hardworking, local MP can make. I have known Mary for years and she will be a fantastic representative for local people and their families. Wythenshawe and Sale East needs an MP who knows the issues and understands our area.”
People in Wythenshawe need a positive alternative to Labour. Gordon Brown crashed the economy and Ed Miliband has no ideas for sorting it out. In Government the Lib Dems have cut taxes for working families – people in our area have £700 a year off their tax bill thanks to the Lib Dems.
Locally, Labour are getting their priorities all wrong – cutting vital services in Manchester whilst spending millions on refurbishing council buildings and wasting hundreds of thousands on public art in East Manchester.
Despite their hype, UKIP aren’t a safe alternative. All the experts agree that their policies would hit British jobs hard – putting up to 3million British jobs at risk. Even they admit their policies are “nonsense”. Now, just as the economy is starting to recover, is not the time to put this many jobs at risk.
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10 Comments
Interesting choice – we’re not going to win the by-election, and being seen as a loser may affect Mary’s re-election chances in one of the wards in the constituency just a few weeks later, enough to offset the extra publicity gained from the by-election. On the other hand, she is well known in her ward which might bump us up a few places in the by-election.
FWIW, results from 2010 from Wikipedia are below. We nearly beat the Tories into a (still-distant) second back then, but they have more councillors in the constituency and have had fewer distractions such as the Manchester Central by-election and the ongoing campaign to hold Withington.
Paul Goggins Labour 17,987 44.1% -8.0%
Janet Clowes Conservative 10,412 25.6% +3.3%
Martin Eakins Liberal Democrat 9,107 22.3% +0.9%
Bernard Todd BNP 1,572 3.9% N/A
Christopher Cassidy UKIP 1,405 3.4% +0.4%
Lynn Worthington TUSC 268 0.7% -0.3%
Another lamb to the slaughter.
One interesting question about this Election is what Labour are so frightened about. This is a safe Labour seat, why not wait till May 22nd & get a higher turnout ?
Paul Barker – sorry but we shouldn’t be waiting nearly 6 months for a new MP. I do believe that it’s absolutely ridiculous that when there is a need for a by election it doesn’t happen near enough immediately. Why should a constituency be 6 months without an MP? Didn’t Gordon Brown avoid having one before the last election because it was within the 6 month limit? Perhaps there should be a couple of weeks after an MP has died for them to be buried and for other parties to arrange candidates. Then a month long campaign. That should do fine. If we are perhaps a couple of months away from a GE then I can understand that it’s a hassle. But otherwise let’s just get on with it.
@paul barker “One interesting question about this Election is what Labour are so frightened about.”
It might be a fear that a huge vote for UKIP in the European elections will spill over into every election on the same day and would make the result of this by-election less predictable. I suspect that it also suits the Lib Dems and Conservatives to minimise that effect, though obviously it’s a bigger risk for the incumbent Labour party. I expect the local elections on 22 May will show a misleading UKIP advance because of the Euro-vote (though I suppose it could become a real one if it convinces waverers to vote UKIP in 2015).
@Frank Booth
Of course, as you point out it is also the right thing to have a by-election as soon as possible, but that’s much less fun to speculate about 😉
Good luck to Mary Di Mauro and everyone in the Wythenshawe and East Sale team.
The perfect choice, someone who is local and a Councillor. We need as good a result as possible, if for no other reason to wipe the smirk of the faces of the D Mail, pundits etc. We should all do everything we can, donate, phone canvas, visit. Let’s confound the outside political world with a good result. I am also pleased that it is a woman candidate ( I know chosen on merit, BUT , in current climate … ) which also pleases me .
Labour are worried as UKIP are campaigning hard for this seat, they have a decent candidate (local council estate lad turned successful businessman) who has connections in the area. His Dad was a staunch Labour activist ironically.