Vote-OK
Encyclopedia
Vote-OK are a group of political activists which were active in the United Kingdom
general election
of 2005 and have grown into a strong lobby group since then.
The group stands as a single issue lobby group and is a Registered Recognised Third Party, one of only 11 in the country, but this does not make it a Political Party. Its main aim is to galvanise and organise more people to get involved in political campaigning in order to defeat any Members of Parliament which voted in favour of the Hunting Act 2004
. Their tactic was to aid other candidates in any constituency
where the sitting MP supported a ban in order to bring about a government that will repeal the current ban on hunting in favour of workable animal welfare legislation. This usually meant supporting the Conservative Party
candidate. They did not focus efforts in campaigning against the fox hunting ban
itself but provided extra volunteers during the campaigning stage of the election. They became involved in telephone canvassing, leafleting and other activities as required.
Vote-OK is a group of active campaigners co-ordinating support in marginal constituencies. Vote-OK head office consists of half a dozen people supporting Vote-OK Directors allocated to target constituencies. Liaising closely with the local candidate, the Directors role is to organise volunteers in the most effective way.
Vote-OK is independent and are working with Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru
Candidates.
They targeted 139 seats (out of a total of 646 contested in the election).
After the election the group claimed to have helped defeat 29 MPs as well as reducing the majorities
of 21 anti-hunting MPs to under 3%, although anti-hunt groups such as Save Our Wild Animals dismissed this claim as "ludicrous". Members of Parliament who they have claimed to have helped defeat include David Rendel
(Liberal Democrat) of Newbury
, Peter Bradley
(Labour
) of The Wrekin
who was the Parliamentary Private Secretary
of Alun Michael
, the minister in charge of handling the ban, and Helen Clark
(Labour) of Peterborough
. It is difficult, however, to separate out such local swings from the national swing in the election.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
of 2005 and have grown into a strong lobby group since then.
The group stands as a single issue lobby group and is a Registered Recognised Third Party, one of only 11 in the country, but this does not make it a Political Party. Its main aim is to galvanise and organise more people to get involved in political campaigning in order to defeat any Members of Parliament which voted in favour of the Hunting Act 2004
Hunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
. Their tactic was to aid other candidates in any constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
where the sitting MP supported a ban in order to bring about a government that will repeal the current ban on hunting in favour of workable animal welfare legislation. This usually meant supporting the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate. They did not focus efforts in campaigning against the fox hunting ban
Hunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
itself but provided extra volunteers during the campaigning stage of the election. They became involved in telephone canvassing, leafleting and other activities as required.
Vote-OK is a group of active campaigners co-ordinating support in marginal constituencies. Vote-OK head office consists of half a dozen people supporting Vote-OK Directors allocated to target constituencies. Liaising closely with the local candidate, the Directors role is to organise volunteers in the most effective way.
Vote-OK is independent and are working with Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
Candidates.
They targeted 139 seats (out of a total of 646 contested in the election).
After the election the group claimed to have helped defeat 29 MPs as well as reducing the majorities
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of 21 anti-hunting MPs to under 3%, although anti-hunt groups such as Save Our Wild Animals dismissed this claim as "ludicrous". Members of Parliament who they have claimed to have helped defeat include David Rendel
David Rendel
David Digby Rendel is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Newbury from 1993 to 2005. He won the seat at by-election in May 1993 caused by the death of Judith Chaplin, and held it his defeat at the 2005 general election to Conservative candidate Richard...
(Liberal Democrat) of Newbury
Newbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Newbury is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament , elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
, Peter Bradley
Peter Bradley
Peter Charles Stephen Bradley is an English Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for The Wrekin from the 1997 election until the 2005 election, when he lost his seat to Mark Pritchard of the Conservative Party....
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) of The Wrekin
The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)
The Wrekin is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
who was the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
of Alun Michael
Alun Michael
Alun Edward Michael is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth since 1987. He was formerly First Minister of Wales and leader of the Welsh Labour Party from 1999 to 2000.-Education:Michael was born at Bryngwran Anglesey, son of...
, the minister in charge of handling the ban, and Helen Clark
Helen Clark (UK politician)
Helen Rosemary Clark, previously known as Helen Brinton, is a politician in the United Kingdom...
(Labour) of Peterborough
Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past...
. It is difficult, however, to separate out such local swings from the national swing in the election.
External links
- Official website
- http://www.spy.org.uk/nulabour/archives/2005/05/pro_hunting_cam.html
- The Guardian: Hunt lobby in covert bid to oust Labour MPs
- The Guardian: Hunt backers claim scalps of 29 MPs
- http://www.vet-wildlifemanagement.org.uk/
- http://www.themiddlewaygroup.org.uk/