Search

Glenda Jackson is the UK Labor party candidate for Hampstead and Highgate, London, England. She is an actress who has twice been awarded an Oscar and is among five female candidates contesting the seat in the 1997 election. The Conservative party candidate, Elizabeth Gibson, teaches in a state school. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Bridget Fox, focuses on local issues. High local taxes could prove a problem for Glenda Jackson, who could lose to the Liberal Democrats because of this issue.

Around 7,000 supporters from the UK Referendum party have met in London, England. Many supporters have come from farming and fishing backgrounds. Fishermen are concerned about European Union quotas on fish and they argue thatFrench and Spanish fishermen break the rules. Most supporters are urban and former members of the Conservative party who object to that party's policies on relations between the UK and European Union. The leader of the party is a billionaire called James Goldsmith.

The UK Conservative party faces gloom in some areas of the UK where it is campaigning for re-election. Some candidates are seeking a clearer statement from John Major rejecting UK membership of planned European monetary union. There is uncertainty even for candidates in some safer seats and many candidates believe that a clearer stance on Europe would help their task. Other candidates find more apparent support for the Conservative party than would be expected from opinion polls.

Sir James Goldsmith, head of the UK's Referendum party, has threatened to sue the BBC unless it is given more airtime during the coming general election campaign. Small parties fielding over 50 candidates are each allowed one five-minute political television broadcast during the campaign. However, Goldsmith says that his Referendum party is putting up 560 candidates and should therefore be given half the broadcast slots given to the traditional parties. The threat of legal action highlights the unclear and 'ad hoc' nature of the rules on allocating party broadcasts.