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Rotherham & Barnsley Liberal DemocratsThe official website for Liberal Democrat members and supporters across Rotherham & Barnsley |
Catching Up With Old Friends In Barnsley
July 25, 2012 10:20 PM
By Rebecca Taylor, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber
By Rebecca Taylor, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber
On a cold dark winter's night in February 2010, I left work (in a small think-tank in central London) early and caught a train to Barnsley. In the Town Hall, I met with members of Barnsley and Rotherham Liberal Democrats to see if they would be happy for me to be the Parliamentary Candidate for the Labour safe seat of Rotherham. They decided I was acceptable and after a quick bite to eat, I caught a train back to London (had to go to work in the morning!).
I am glad to report that my visit to old friends in the Barnsley and Rotherham local party last week was a bit less rushed. Also, being a sunny evening in July, the stunning Barnsley Town Hall was being shown off in its best light.
I was in Barnsley to visit one of the production sites of Ardagh glass, one of Europe's leading glass manufacturers. Ardagh have a production site in Barnsley where they make glass bottles for companies such as Carlsberg, Diageo and Coca Cola. After discussions with representatives from the company on topics as diverse as EU environmental legislation and the recruitment of young people into the glass industry, I was able to visit one of the production lines. It was fascinating to see materials going into a furnace at one end and red hot wine bottles (they quickly go green..) firing out at the other. It was also very hot in there!
The meeting was organised by Barnsley LibDem stalwart Robert Teal and attended by a small group of local party activists. Those gathered were interested to hear about my first few months as an MEP and how I was adapting to being "on stage" after being "behind the scenes" for so many years.
Discussions then turned to the prospects for the party and campaigning across the region. I recalled regional success stories like Hull, where hard work and clever campaigning resulted in a superb defence (7 out of 12 seats held) against a Labour council that sat on its hands since taking power in 2011. I also pointed out that even where the party was losing seats, there were many cases of seats lost by 1000 votes in 2011, being lost only by 100 votes in 2012.
The idea of the Liberal Democrats making inroads or even gaining power in places like Barnsley and Rotherham might seem impossible, but 15 years ago most people would have laughed at the idea of the LibDems running Hull, Sheffield or Newcastle, but we ran those cities. Labour took back control of those cities in 2011, but still face strong LibDem opposition that isn't going away (Newcastle LibDems held 10/16 seats this year). It is also noticeable that the party did well where we have MPs eg Southport and Portsmouth.
While it is much harder for Liberal Democrats to win at the moment, various success stories show that it isn't impossible, particularly against complacent opponents (apparently the Hull Labour party was shocked the LibDems held any seats this year and had expected to take them all!). Barnsley and Rotherham Liberal Democrats have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others who once faced similar challenges. I wish them well!