National

General election candidates 2017

TonyOX3

With nominations now closed, here are the candidates in the two Oxford constituencies for the General Election on 8 June as reported by BBC South Live. For individual candidates in Oxford East I have where possible added a link to a page with their personal background. [Update 16 May: Chaka Artwell has not provided a personal background but instead has given a campaign statement.]

Oxford East

Currently held by Andrew Smith (Lab, not standing for re-election)

Candidate Party Twitter
 Chaka Artwell Ind Campaign statement
 Suzanne Bartington Con @cllrbartington Personal background
 Anneliese Dodds Lab @AnnelieseDodds Personal background
 Kirsten Johnson LibDem @DrKirstenJ Personal background
 Larry Sanders Green  @Larry4OxEast Personal background

Oxford West & Abingdon

Currently held by Nicola Blackwood (Con)

Candidate Party Twitter
Nicola Blackwood Con @NicolaBlackwood
Alan Harris UKIP
Layla Moran LibDem @LaylaMoran
 Marie Tidball Lab @MarieTidball

Kirsten Johnson (Lib Dem)

TonyOX3

From Kirsten Johnson’s facebook page and the Liberal Democrat’s national website, 7  May 2017.

Born in the United States, Dr Kirsten Johnson received her doctorate in music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She moved to Oxford in 1994 upon marrying her English husband and became a naturalised British Citizen in 2002. She is an international concert pianist and in her professional career she has recorded fourteen albums of solo piano music. Her recordings are played on radio stations around the world.

Kirsten entered politics in 2015 as the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Chesham & Amersham, and in May 2017 she was elected Liberal Democrat councillor for the Wheatley Division of Oxfordshire.

Kirsten wants a fairer, more just society for all, where each person can be free and enabled to pursue their own dreams and aspirations without discrimination or favouritism. Key policy areas for Kirsten are mental health; the integration of health and social care; children’s rights; the environment; and tackling inequality. Kirsten is a Mental Health First Aider and has worked with Norman Lamb MP in developing mental health legislative initiatives. She is currently working on policy development aimed at furthering equality in all parts of society.

She is elder and trustee of St Columba’s United Reformed Church, Oxford, and serves on the Executive of Liberal Democrat Christian Forum. She is keen on inter-faith work and developing inclusive models of belief. Kirsten is on the Board of Directors of The Fragile X Society, a national organisation which supports those with this inherited condition. The aims of the Society are to further awareness of Fragile X; support those living with Fragile X; and to fund research into Fragile X.

Kirsten has three daughters and enjoys walking, reading, art museums and family. She adds: “I have lived in Oxfordshire for over 20 years, and in Headington since 2004. Oxford is my home.”

Kirsten Johnson is on twitter as @DrKirstenJ. The LibDem website gives her email address as kirstenjohnson@outlook.com

Anneliese Dodds (Labour)

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From Anneliese Dodd’s facebook page, 3 May 2017:

Anneliese Dodds was born and brought up in Scotland and moved to the South East of England in 1996, where she has lived ever since.

Before her election as an MEP in 2014, Anneliese was a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Aston University; choosing this institution primarily because of its record on promoting access for local Black and Minority ethnic and working class students. Previous to this Anneliese was Acting Director of the National Institute for Health Research Patient Safety and Service Quality Research Centre at King’s College, London, and before that, an Economic and Social Research Council postgraduate fellow at the London School of Economics.

Anneliese’s research focused on what Britain can learn from other European countries to improve the safety and quality of health care, to combat social exclusion, and to make regulation more effective. She is the author of over twenty peer-reviewed articles and books. Anneliese has served as an invited Professor at universities in formerly war-torn Kosovo, where she has also been engaged in research on electricity supply- essential in a region where extreme energy poverty is normal.

In May 2014 Anneliese was elected as Labour MEP for South East England. She now sits on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, and is a member of the Delegation to Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee. She is also a Substitute to the Committee on Regional Development and the Delegation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee. Anneliese’s position on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs means she is able to campaign for better regulation of the financial markets and making the European economy better for small and medium sized businesses.

Anneliese’s other aims as an MEP are to push for a greater focus on creating jobs and sustainable economic growth, and to fight for a higher level of investment from the EU to the South East. She would particularly like to see more funding for the most deprived areas of her constituency.

When the European Parliament is not in session, Anneliese lives in Oxford, with her partner Ed and their young son, Freddie.

If elected as MP for Oxford East Anneliese must resign her MEP position.

Anneliese is on twitter as @AnnelieseDoddsMEP. Her facebook page gives her email address as contact@anneliesedoddsmep.uk