Jessica Asato, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Norwich North. Picture: Geoff Wilson.
Labour pick Jessica Asato to fight Chloe Smith for Norwich North
Dan Grimmer
Saturday, September 1, 2012
8:44 PM
Labour’s newly-picked candidate to take on Chloe Smith at the next general election has pledged to expose her opponent’s role in what she described as the government’s failed economy policy.
Jessica Asato was selected as Labour’s candidate for Norwich North after a meeting of local members today (Saturday).
And the 31-year-old was quick to attack her Conservative opponent.
She said: “I am elated and I’m ready to expose Chloe Smith’s role in this government, which has attacked some of the most vulnerable people in society.”
She said Norwich North would be a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives, but acknowledged her party needed to regain the trust of the electorate.
She said: “We need to show there is an alternatives to this government’s failed economic policies, in which Chloe Smith, as an economic secretary, has played a very major part.
“We need to give people hope that the Labour party has the vision to build a better society.”
Ms Asato works as an advisor to shadow cabinet minister Tessa Jowell MP and is a Labour councillor in Islington, London.
She is also the vice-chairman of the Fabian Society and a council member of the Electoral Reform Society .
She grew up in Norfolk, living in Gorleston and Rollesby. She attended Flegg High School in Martham, before moving to London.
Labour had an all-women shortlist for the candidacy, with Ms Asato defeating her only challenger - Thorpe Hamlet-born Jo Rust, who lives in King’s Lynn and is Norfolk campaigns organiser for trade union Unison.
Other News Articles
- Gardener is hoping for U-turn by Norwich City Council over threat to remove pots on health and safety grounds
- Photo gallery: Joy as new Norfolk IVF clinic is officially opened
- Photo gallery: King Kong kicks off outdoor art trail celebrations in Norwich
- Norfolk is... wonderful beaches which have a special place in our hearts
- Updated: Business as usual despite fire at Pinocchio’s restaurant in Norwich
- Norwich Lord Mayor helps give boost to domestic violence victims in Norfolk
- Norwich company’s first feature film gets premiere
- Mustard video and poll: Your favourite Blue Peter presenter
- Updated: Road reopens following two-vehicle crash in Sprowston
- Update with full story: Great Yarmouth was the birthplace of Crimestoppers
ADVERTISEMENT
42 comments
Surely the most depressing part of this is that the people of Norwich have been given the "choice" to elect someone to represent their constituency who used to live in Norfolk and has lived in London since she left. She has no understanding of her constituents issues, no long term interest in the area (why leave if she did) and we can't even be sure she was the best candidate for the job, as anyone who happened to be a man was excluded from putting themselves forward due to a party imposed women only shortlist. Like many, I have no allegiance to one party or the other, I just want the best candidate to represent Norwich North and it's views. As a result, I cannot see how I can vote for a candidate chosen in this way.
Report this comment
Chubster
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Peter, your evidence of change for nuLabour can only be seen by those with gullible minds. What politicians say and promise before elections run-ups should be seen for what it is...vote catching propaganda. As for your trotted out savior John Cruddas, he's from the camp of Blair, voted for war with Iraq and lives in nuLabour luvvie land, otherwise know as Notting Hill ...just tbf to the Tories, they're the only party with a former miner in their MP ranks.
Report this comment
nrg
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
@nrg The Labour party is changing.Ed Miliband's speech to the Durham Miners tells us that.Ed has said the Labour government did get in wrong over Iraq and immigration policy.John Cruddas is at the heart of future Labour policies.The peoples' pledge are increasing the pressure for a EU referendum.IMO Labour has rediscovered class and roots.
Report this comment
Peter Watson
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Peter Watson, "the nuLabour are changing" ...not with this choice nulabour luvvie methinks....and the voters are not all daft in forgetting perpetual wars and boom and busted economies.
Report this comment
nrg
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Cyril, be fair to the Icelandic nation, to get a slap on the back from IMF head honchos for handling their banking crises completely different to the UK and others is amazing ...I 'll leave this header from Nobel Prize winner in economics, Professor Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University, also endorsed Iceland’s policy response. “What Iceland did was right. It would have been wrong to burden future generations with the mistakes of the financial system,”
Report this comment
nrg
Monday, September 3, 2012
@no to tory boy.Gender equality in parliamentary representation reflects the make-up of the population the politicians are elected to serve.It's only part of the solution-Mrs Thatcher who "caused more damage to the city than the Luftwaffe" proves that.There is also a significant lack of working class representation too but that of course is far more prevalent in a Tory party whose cabinet remains one of Eton educated millionaire bankers.We need more MPs of the like of brickies and posties as Steve Rotherham and Alan Johnson were respectively.The Labour party is changing for the better.
Report this comment
Peter Watson
Monday, September 3, 2012
nrg, surely the last place anyone would be looking for common sense in banking would be Iceland? Their decision to not bail out their banks was was one of necessity rather than choice. They have a tiny economy based mostly on fishing and smelting aluminium, international banking was a growing part of it but you can bet it will never be again, would you put your money there? So they had effectively no banking future to protect. Why would they borrow billions to support an industry that had lost all credibility? The best of the two hard choices for them to make was to tell the creditors "hard cheese" and go back to concentrating on the industries that they are actually good at.
Report this comment
Cyril the Canary
Monday, September 3, 2012
Its clear from the posts here, that the article had then desired effect, i.e. using party politics that has failed us to deceive by enticing us to regurguitate the same old left right debates. There is no difference between the parties and unless Norfolk people realise that they are just there to justify others to do as they like, NCC makes this very obvious, we will not get back top mandated politics. The only interesting thing in Norwich North is that you will have an Independent candidate to vote for, don't be deceived again.
Report this comment
ingo wagenknecht
Monday, September 3, 2012
P Watson has a short memory The Blair escapade manifested many women Hewitt Jowell Taylor Beckett etc etc who did as they were told and what benefits did All Women short lists actually bring Look at the votes to bomb Iraq Its their class which is the problem Norwich North has two Tories now pretending you can put a case to distinguish them Peas in the same pod
Report this comment
No to tory boy
Monday, September 3, 2012
Does she expect me to vote for her when the comment that the press chooses to highlight is "I am elated 'to be chosen to represent labour now let me rubbish the current imcumbant'" When Jessica gets warmed up I hope she presents some lies which contain something I can vote for.
Report this comment
George Ezekial
Monday, September 3, 2012
Naaridge Labour Naaridge Labour Naa ! Enough you backwoods trolls
Report this comment
PaulH
Sunday, September 2, 2012
@alecto.The incinerator fiasco in West Norfolk shows the kind of shambles a bunch of middle-aged+ men can create.The Turnip Taliban have a lot to answer for.
Report this comment
Peter Watson
Sunday, September 2, 2012
That old B-movie from the 60's -Village of the damned,where all the kids look and act in the same manner....If you look at the UK youth parliament website, you know what will becoming down the pipe in the future years ...worrying times for the UK.
Report this comment
nrg
Sunday, September 2, 2012
alecto, your spot on :-)
Report this comment
nrg
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Cyril, google IMF Says Bailouts Iceland-Style Hold Lessons in Crisis Times for some of your common sense wish on banking.
Report this comment
nrg
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Has anyone noticed that she is a prettier version of La Smith? Is there a sausage machine in Westminster that churns out female candidates, some of which get a Millibabe stamp on them and others a Cameron Cutie sticker. I'm not sure whether people are going to know who to vote for, let's hope the Lib Dems put forward a hefty bloke with a beard.
Report this comment
alecto
Sunday, September 2, 2012
shambles, fair enough point...pre- bubble burst optimism by a rich Tory twit IMO.
Report this comment
nrg
Sunday, September 2, 2012
I don't know ingo, the forum system on here is complete rubbish. Sometimes I post and it appears instantly, sometimes my posts turn up hours later and hence completely out of context, sometimes not at all. Sometimes posts disappear without a moderation notice and sometimes because of "reason other" with apparently no logical reason. I can't decide whether it is just incompetence or censorship. I wonder if you will get to read this post?
Report this comment
Cyril the Canary
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Cyrils short comment was added today, mine's still in the queue, why? More censor by delay?
Report this comment
ingo wagenknecht
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Also remember how in opposition the Conservatives criticised the Labour Government for not pushing deregulation of the banking industry far enough.... Oh how we wish now that common sense about banking had reigned, on all sides, over the past few decades....
Report this comment
Cyril the Canary
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The reaction provoked by this article is exactly what the establishment want, to replace one party politician with another, that way it is ensured of its own continuity. Those who had enough of bussed in candidates and hen fights for entertainment, enough of party politics and where it has got us, there will be at least one Independent local candidate standing. The hankering for leaders and party politics is perpetuating there current system, and until we wake up to the poor service and ignorance from these game players, we will get exactly what they wanted us to ask for.
Report this comment
ingo wagenknecht
Sunday, September 2, 2012
NRG this from 2007: "A Conservative government would match Labour's projected public spending totals for the next three years, shadow chancellor George Osborne has said. He pledged two years of 2% increases. The final year total would be reviewed." Pure opportunism for the government to now criticise Labour's spending.
Report this comment
omnishambles
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Nice to see a candidate selected with some real world experience... oh, hang on a minute...
Report this comment
LevYashin
Sunday, September 2, 2012
NRG do you remember when the Lib Dems and Tories told us Labour weren't spending enough? How soon they ditched that view and said they spent too much.
Report this comment
omnishambles
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Who in their right mind could even consider voting for either of these candidates? The mess Labour got us in, the no to promised referendum on EU by Cons, the lies told by both parties, it will still go on while any of the three main parties get elected. I would rather not vote at all if it is only these two who are clearly way out of their depth, yes sir no sir three bags full sir, not for me thank you.
Report this comment
Paul Platten
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Nice 1 Cyril, tis true dat, however, the war criminal Blair takes some beating on all fronts...have a look at his bulging bank balances to when he waltzed into 'can only get better' tune ....we now know that tune was not meant for the great British public.
Report this comment
nrg
Sunday, September 2, 2012
nrg, your memory is short, what government in living memory has not been, especially in hindsight, a self-serving fiasco?
Report this comment
Cyril the Canary
Sunday, September 2, 2012
omnishambles....yes I have, dem just as bad as the last shower of shambles...nuLabours last fabian hit boys the war criminal Blair, the one eyed jock and the other chap who loved getting flailed by naked men in Russia..Lord Mandelson are very much the reason why this country is in the brown stuff.
Report this comment
nrg
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Chloe Smith is out of her depth in the treasury, out of her depth on Newsnight, and out of her depth in Norwich.
Report this comment
omnishambles
Saturday, September 1, 2012
NRG, have you not seen this lot in government at the moment?
Report this comment
omnishambles
Saturday, September 1, 2012
nuLabour and their Fabian ideology are so out of touch with your average person in Norfolk.
Report this comment
nrg
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Jess is an experienced political campaigner; Chloe, you can be sure of the fight of your life!
Report this comment
Paul Cunningham
Saturday, September 1, 2012
I look forward to voting for her, time for a change.
Report this comment
stevejo
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Labour pick Jessica Asato to fight Chloe Smith for Norwich North. On with the boxing Gloves. Would pay money to see Chloe knocked out
Report this comment
chebram71
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Most of us despair of anybody from any political party doing anything positive about real problems,it was Blair and Brown hosing money about and lining their own pockets that finished labour for me,and as for chocolate teapot Laurel and Hardy Clegg and Cameron,don't bother. What sickens me as a retired person is that governments of all parties go for pensioners and the disabled, Brown stopping tax credits on share dividends,Osborne whittling away at tax free allowances for the over '65's. The only thing politicians need to remember is to claim as much expenses and you can and treat the electorate with the usual contempt,promise the earth,then conveniently forget them when you win the seat; welcome to the illusion of democracy!
Report this comment
Harry Rabinowitz
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Congratulations to Jessica who will make a fine MP for us in Norwich North.
Report this comment
Peter Watson
Saturday, September 1, 2012
I am not a Tory but I will predict she will not win Norwich North. Has anyone had that teacher knock on their door yet who was going to fight Norwich North as an independant?
Report this comment
NchNthMan
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Congratulations to Jessica who "currently works as an advisor to shadow cabinet member Tessa Jowell".She will make a fine MP to represent us in the north of the city and help rid us of the incompetent,out of touch and arrogant Tory led Coalition.Chloe Smith has more than met her match.
Report this comment
Peter Watson
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Another New Labour clone from London mafia
Report this comment
No to tory boy
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Does she currently have a job? All I could see was what appeared to be a list of hobbies and interests.
Report this comment
kiwidog
Saturday, September 1, 2012
More Labour mumbo jumbo, we had 13 years of that please not again
Report this comment
Sweet cheeks
Saturday, September 1, 2012
"The Song of the Swamp "
Report this comment
Albert Cooper
Saturday, September 1, 2012