Bushell on the ballot box trail

From the archive, first published Friday 17th Jun 2005.

TV pundit Garry Bushell is among eight candidates standing in the postponed South Staffordshire Parliamentary election.

Bushell, whose campaigning successes include having a statue of Benny Hill put up in Southampton, will be representing the English Democrat party on Thursday June 23.

The dominant issue for Kinver and Wombourne is the proposed expansion of Wolverhampton airport with Tory, Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP candidates all opposing the plan.

Sitting Tory MP, Sir Patrick Cormack, said: "What they have in mind would totally destroy this lovely, peaceful part of the country and I am implacably opposed to development on this scale."

Lib Dem, Dr Jo Crotty, said: "The only sure way to stop airfields turning into regional airports is a new law in Parliament.

"If I am elected I will introduce a Control of Regional Airports and Aviation (Staffordshire) Bill to stop this plan and others like it once and for all."

Labour's Paul Kalinauckas said: "If elected I will fight tooth and nail to oppose the expansion of Halfpenny Green airport."

UKIP candidate Malcolm Hurst said: "I am totally opposed to expansion, we launched our campaign at the airport to show the areas that we want preserved."

The candidates are less united in their campaign tactics with UKIP reporting their posters are being covered over or disappearing completely.

Malcolm Hurst said: "We are not pointing the finger at anyone but there are plenty on lampposts to go around, dogs don't have any trouble finding them so why should we."

The delayed election will also include county council elections for the Kinver Division.

Candidates in full.

Joanne Crotty - Liberal Democrat

Paul Kalinauckas - Labour

Sir Patrick Cormack - Conservative

Malcolm William Hurst - UK Independence Party

Katherine Elisabeth Jane Spohrer - Green Party Against Airport Expansion

Adrian Michael Davies - Freedom Party

The Rev David Oswald Braid - Clause 28, Children's Protection Christian Democrats

Garry Bushell - English Democrats

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