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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is The Guardian.
Chapter 2: What is the significance of the Makerfield by-election?
Today, the by-election that could change everything. Even if you consider yourself quite up on your politics, be honest, you probably hadn't heard of Makerfield until about a month ago. I was North of England editor for more than a decade before joining Today in Focus, and even I had never been there. Though it's only in Wigan, the other side of Greater Manchester from where I live.
It's a place that doesn't often make national news.
Chapter 3: Why is Andy Burnham running in Makerfield?
Then this happened.
In the last hour, the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has made his move. The MP for Makerfield, Josh Simons, has agreed to stand aside for him.
Ever since Simons stepped down, Makerfield has been besieged by reporters, pollsters and canvassers. And your favourite daily news podcast. Excuse me. Hiya. We're journalists from The Guardian.
Chapter 4: What are the key issues affecting voters in Makerfield?
Do you know a story about the Bay election? You're like the fifth journalist today. There's just people walking around all the time and then you're seeing the likes of Nigel Farage unwillingly. You can't go into Ashton without getting hounded by them all. Not everyone has made their mind up yet ahead of Thursday's vote.
I'm 50-50 between Andy Byrne and reform. Me and my wife are real atone and it will go down to that last day.
But everyone has an opinion. The stakes could barely be higher. I can't remember a more consequential by-election. If Andy Burnham wins, he will launch a leadership bid to, as he would see it, save the Labour Party.
I think West Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest. So if that is running, I would seek to join it.
But if Reform wins, Nigel Farage will be mentally measuring up the curtains in Downing Street himself.
Are you talking to the next prime minister? I think so, yes.
From The Guardian, I'm Helen Pitt. Today in Focus, on the ground in Makerfield. So we've just arrived in Ashton in Makerfield, which gives this constituency its name. And we are here to talk to people to see how they're feeling about this by-election. Are they already fed up of being vox popped by people like us? Excuse me.
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Chapter 5: How do residents feel about immigration and its impact?
I love your T-shirt. We are beautiful and an idiot at the same time.
Jack Brill.
We're journalists from The Guardian. We're making a podcast about this by-election. Have you heard about it?
Oh, can you not hear about it? I mean, it's ridiculous.
Are you going to vote?
I am going to vote.
Yeah? And have you decided who?
Oh, yeah, I'll be voting Labour. Anything to keep reform out.
Really? OK.
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Chapter 6: What are the differences between Labour and Reform candidates?
And what do you make of Andy Burnham choosing this place? Not just to return to Parliament, but potentially... to get to Downing Street?
I think it is a stepping stone to Downing Street, but then equally I think Burnham actually cares about places like this. He's from places like this, he knows what he's talking about, he's done it before in Leigh, so it kind of makes sense.
Leigh is Andy Burnham's old constituency, the one he represented for 16 years before he left Westminster to become the Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017. It's next door to Makerfield, which is a collection of towns south of Wigan, on the border between Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire. You can live a good life here without earning a fortune.
More than 70% of residents own their homes, and you can buy a four-bed semi for under 300 grand. Almost everyone here, 97%, is white. The constituency in various forms has sent Labour MPs to Parliament for more than 100 years. At the last general election, Josh Simons won a 5,399 majority for Labour.
Reform came second then, fielding local plumber Robert Kenyon, who's standing again in the by-election. This time round, tactical voting is a big thing, with people voting for what they consider the least worst choice. She's got fingers! They want to speak to you about the by-election coming up. Do you know about it? Like this mother and daughter we met walking home from after-school club.
Brace yourself for the best-informed seven-year-old in the north of England. And who are you going to vote for? I think it'll probably be Labour this time around, but it's not necessarily because I overly want to. I think it's just really because it's a two-horse race and I think it comes down to the strategic voting, which I don't like to do. But I think the hands are tied. It's either them or...
The worst scenario. If you were voting just absolutely with your heart, not voting strategically in any way, not tactically voting, which party would it be? It'd probably be Green. Right. It's been Green in the past. It was Green at the last one.
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Chapter 7: How is social media influencing the by-election campaign?
Yeah. I just don't think in this situation, you know, we stand a chance if I'm being honest, unfortunately. Right, so it would feel like a wasted vote, would it? Yeah. So your priority is to stop Nigel Farage? Right, so if you were voting, maybe Labour.
I would go for Green if I had a choice. Same with Mummy.
I don't really like Labour, but if I could vote, since it's kind of a one-horse race and reform sucks, I would probably go for Labour. Reform sucks? Why do you say that? Because they lie all the time. All they want is to be in power. They say that they're going to give hospitals and policemen when really, where's all that money coming from?
Chapter 8: What could a Burnham victory mean for Labour's future?
Eh?
And how do you know so much about politics? Is this at school or do you learn this at home?
No, I learn this at home because I actually want to be Prime Minister when I grow up to help the animals.
In Ashton, we meet a couple, John and Lisa, who are going for lunch with their two-year-old son. John says he's voting Labour. Who do you go for? Labour. Andy Burnham. Really? What about Andy Burnham? Well, actually, he says he's voting for Andy Burnham. He's less sold on the current incarnation of the Labour Party. What about Keir Starmer don't you like?
I just, I feel as though he seems to be focusing on a lot of the wrong things. Like what? Like, you know, he came straight to, like, the... The winter fuel allowance catastrophe with the pensioners. I understand the things, but I feel like there's more important things to focus on.
How easy is it to manage at the moment, financially? We were talking about this last night.
We were literally having this conversation yesterday, weren't we?
Quite lucky.
Yeah, we're quite lucky that I own way above the average salary. And even my money, like I was talking about, when we're taking the mortgage out, take the bills out, take the telly out and all that, it's like there's not a lot left. I don't know how people who aren't on as much as I'm on
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