General Election candidates look for photo opportunities
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Posts
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It is very surprising that Wrexham.com article about Ian Lucas wanting to stand again for being an MP has a photo taken at the Rhosddu Park Family Funday of children posing for a photo with him as he was the Easter Bonnet judge. The event non political yet Mr Lucas has chosen to use a photo of children (probably without their parents consent) as part of the launch of his campaign to retain his parliamentary seat.
It is very low when a politician exploits an innocent photo opportunity completely unconnected with politics as campaigning imagery- shame on him.Wrexham.com should withdraw the photo unless there is evidence that parental consent for all of the children has been gained.
Picture is showing as the top on on the public page: https://www.facebook.com/ian4wrexham/ where the mini statement appeared – and was linked to by Mr Lucas on twitter, and the specific public post also shared by Wrexham Labour https://www.facebook.com/ian4wrexham/posts/1492202687470756
[quote quote=130253]It is very surprising that Wrexham.com article about Ian Lucas wanting to stand again for being an MP has a photo taken at the Rhosddu Park Family Funday of children posing for a photo with him as he was the Easter Bonnet judge. The event non political yet Mr Lucas has chosen to use a photo of children (probably without their parents consent) as part of the launch of his campaign to retain his parliamentary seat.
It is very low when a politician exploits an innocent photo opportunity completely unconnected with politics as campaigning imagery- shame on him.Wrexham.com should withdraw the photo unless there is evidence that parental consent for all of the children has been gained.
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Spefically, under the title of your thread “general election candidate looking for photo opportunities”, you pass comment(and judgement) regarding ONE photograph used by Ian Lucas you say (but clarified by Rob) as part of his election campaign.
However, you conveniently choose not to mention the multitude of self promoted photographs of Atkinson that appear almost on a daily basis, the vast majority of which are not connected with politics in any way, shape or form, but used solely for the purpose of self aggrandisement.
I think the only two photos that we haven’t seen of that man are him combing his hair or having a crap.
At least be objective!
The point I was raising was about the use of a photo from a non political event depicting children who have no choice and whose parents had not been asked if their child could be depicted as part of an electioneering opportunity. This view would be the same irrespective of the Political Party.
Smiley children plus MP (or prospective candidates) looking for electioneering opportunities do not mix and it is a pity that someone who has been involved with politics for so long has taken this approach.I think Atkinson and the Tories have put themselves in a very weak position if they are to allow him to run for both positions.
If he fails to win the council election then he will be viewed as not even good enough to win over voters in a tiny constituency and therefore not fit enough to win over Wrexham as a whole.
If he wins the council election then continues to gun to be an MP then he will be viewed as someone unreliable who can’t finish what they started. i.e. if he is willing to jump ship from his councillor position, which many view as a privileged to be chosen to serve their local community then what’s to say he won’t jump ship as an MP if something better comes along? This is a huge growing trend with MPs, with David Cameron and George Osborne starting off the motions for Brexit but jumping ship to go and earn privately before seeing it through. Tristram Hunt quitting as an MP to run the V&A museum. It’s all very flaky.
Constituency betting odds actually put the Tories slightly in favour over Labour to take the Wrexham seat, so I thought they’d want to parachute in a stronger candidate to finish Lucas off rather than put Atkinson forward again, especially as he hasn’t won anything yet.
Talking of sound-bites and publicity pictures – already on the right-hand side Twitter feed as we type, I can see 1 photo of Lucas with a series of ham baps as part of a hunger project and then a separate tweet about his proposals to make Wrexham part of a 2022 Commonwealth games bid between North West England and North Wales. Seriously Ian? You are going to need to try a lot harder than that there are so many bigger issues afoot in the local community than trying to get some people to throw a few bloody javelins about in Queensway or frustrate international swimmers with the broken lift at Waterworld.
We cannot afford to allow Wrexham and Clwyd South to fall to the Tories, but unless Lucas pulls his fingers out of his backside and gets real it’s going to happen – even with Atkinson in play. As for Susan Elan Jones, well apart from speaking to the Leader (says it all really) about calling the election a cynical U-Turn there’s been nothing from her. The way she spoke in the paper, it sounded like she was annoyed about Parliament being unsettled and didn’t want to be anything more than opposition – not overly confident here, an MP should be confident that they can potentially be in the party that forms government, but oh no Lucas and Jones were too busy unsettling the Labour Party with the leadership challenge which created more damage to the Labour brand than anything else.
What an interesting time we have ahead of us.
Much ado about nothing I would say. Hardly surprising that the various people contesting the election will be seen around the town talking to folk, shaking hands, patting children on the head and looking for photo ops. This is all part and parcel of the process. I would rather judge the people by the enthusiasm that they show when the cameras are not in sight and I have found Ian (Lucas) and Andrew (Atkinson) more than helpful on all occasions
I have spoken to Andrew Atkinson and found him to be both helpful and pleasant. He freely admits holding both positions is not sustainable long term but I think he deserves a chance Ian Lucas I do not feel has done anything for Wrexham so I feel a change may be the best thing and I feel Andrew would fight to get businesses back to Wrexham.
The most important thing though is to use your vote whoever you vote for.I don’t think it’s that he’s not helpful or pleasant but it’s his clamour to be a full time politician at all costs. He stood in 2012 General Election and lost, stood for Assembly and lost and then decides to stand as a Councillor…outside his own ward by the way. The very baffling part is that the Conservatives have parachuted in someone from Penyffordd to stand in Llay?? So my take is that he’s weighed up the competition with Llay and thought…my best chance is Gresford.
So ok….he volunteers for anything that gets exposure, does that make him a good candidate? I understand that a few post discontent with Ian Lucas and ok…if people don’t want him then that will show at the ballot box. But please……not Andrew Atkinson. He Reminds me of Harry Enfields Tory boy.
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