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Students who could shape the election
Ben Davies BBC Online
Thursday 21 Apr 2005 Students at the University of East Anglia could decide the fate of one Labour's most prominent politicians at the coming election - at least in theory. Charles Clarke won Norwich South in 2001 with a majority of 8,816, and if the more than 10,000 students able to vote so decided, they could oust the home secretary. Dave Bradshaw holds up some of Labour's campaign posters But the reality is many students will opt to vote in their home constituencies - not least because they did not realise the deadline for registering, according to Dave Bradshaw, president of UEA's Labour students. "So Charles Clarke may be saved by a combination of student apathy and stupidity," he says with a wry smile. Frontbench visit On a trip to UEA, it doesn't take long to realise that it's a far cry from the days of campus sit-ins and radical politics. As one wag joked: "This isn't 1968." In the student union, members of Conservative Future were staffing a stall covered in their election literature, unheckled by their political opponents. Five or six young Tories were joined by their local candidate Anthony Little and Conservative young people's spokesman Charles Hendry on the Norwich leg of a whistlestop tour of universities. As we were talking International Development Minister Hilary Benn came through - he was on site to give a talk about the work of his department. Chris Otrowski, the union's academic officer and a Labour Party member, says there's a real mix of students - those who are simply apathetic, those who are interested in particular issues like Iraq or top-up fees, and people who will vote because of a particular political preference. "I would say that the environment, war and tuition fees are the big issues on the campus but when I've been out canvassing in Norwich only four in 100 voters have mentioned Iraq. I think the war is important among students but it's not as big as Liberal Democrats or Greens think." Otrowski's office is currently being used as a base for Labour's on-campus efforts. Interestingly none of the posters include an image of Tony Blair. Bradshaw says: "Why use Blair when you've got Howard?" Media stereotype? Conversely, downstairs at the Tory stall the literature is covered with pictures of the Labour leader, but not Mr Howard. Rachel Howarth, next year's Conservative Future president at UEA, confesses: "Michael Howard doesn't play particularly well on the doorstep." Like her Labour, Lib Dem and Green counterparts, Howarth and her colleagues have been tramping the streets of Norwich South canvassing and putting leaflets through doors. She says the fact that they are young and Tory surprises people, defying the "media stereotype" of an ageing party. To students they are highlighting plans for tackling crime and scrapping tuition fees (although it says "scraping" on one of their pamphlets) and the issue of trust over Iraq. On their ability to influence the outcome of the Norwich South election, outgoing president of the UEA Tories William Kemp says: "We are telling our members to vote tactically - it's going to be an uphill struggle to win here but it's a definite possibility." Lib Dem activist Sam Webber meanwhile points out that the 3,000 students who live on campus at UEA are automatically registered to vote. Ex-education secretary "We are likely to come a strong second and students could oust Charles Clarke," he claims. He says tuition fees and the war in Iraq are both issues and points out that Mr Clarke, when he was education secretary, was responsible for the fees. Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, who is running as the Lib Dem candidate in Norwich South for the second time, says that student politics can be a "little apathetic at best" these days. But on the day of my visit, the Lib Dems have taken out a full page advert in the student newspaper, with a prominent picture of Charles Clarke and also a picture of Tony Blair with US President George Bush - evidence perhaps of how they see the importance of the student vote. Outside in the sun, politics and philosophy undergraduate Tom Rennells says he plans to vote Lib Dem in the election. "I would never vote Tory and I don't want to vote for Tony Blair - I want the Liberal Democrats to be the main opposition." He says Charles Kennedy seems less stuffy than the other two leaders and cites a poll in which the Lib Dem leader came top - apparently he's the politician people would most like to have a beer with. Katie Cornfield, a second year law student, says she is voting in her home town of Harrogate for the Lib Dems. "I think it will make more difference because I don't think Norwich is a close call." Split? Green support meanwhile is at its most visible in the Golden Triangle part of Norwich - home to many students. English literature undergraduate Elizabeth Kaye says she will vote Green because she doesn't see "any other option". "It's more an anti-vote at a national election - the Lib Dems don't make good leaders and many of their policies are wishy-washy. If Labour or the Tories had better policies then I might vote for them." The Green candidate Adrian Ramsay says that winning Norwich South is a "definite possibility" next time around and adds this time the "odds are in Clarke's favour". "The student vote is very important and can influence the outcome of this election." Labour's Mr Clarke meanwhile issued a statement in which he said: "I am confident that every voter will look at all the policies of all the parties and I hope they will conclude that Labour represents the best future for Norwich." Other candidates in Norwich South include Vandra Ahlstrom of UKIP, Don Barnard for Legalise Cannabis Alliance, Roger Blackwell for the Workers Revolutionary Party and Christine Constable for the English Democrats.
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