As the local and European elections draw near, the Cambridge student political parties have stepped up their speculation and have begun the final campaign push. This comes as the major parties try to stem the rise of UKIP, who are not fielding any candidates in the wards in which Cambridge students will be eligible to vote. However, UKIP will appear on the ballot papers for the European elections, and it is wrong to assume that the anti-EU party does not have a presence in Cambridge.

The Green Party was out in force in Cambridge today. The party’s national leader, Natalie Bennett, visited the city to support the Greens’ leading candidate for the Eastern England region in the European election, Rupert Read. Appearing at the train station, the Greens, supported by their student wing, Cambridge Young Greens, aimed to increase awareness of one of their campaign promises, the renationalisation of the railways. 

Speaking to Varsity in the marketplace this afternoon, Natalie Bennett was confident that there was sufficient support for the Greens in Cambridge to see them make gains at the elections, as Cambridge is “the kind of place where a lot of people are very interested in both environmental issues and social fairness issues.” However, when pushed on whether voters still see the Greens as a single-issue party, Bennett responded that “people are recognising that we have a full suite of policies ranging from making the minimum wage a living wage, renationalising the railways, keeping our NHS public, and, of course, zero tuition fees.” She added that the Greens are looking to capitalise on students’ desires to punish the Liberal Democrats for their failure to block tuition fee increases, adding that “I have met, and know, a lot of students who actively campaigned for the Lib Dems in 2010 and were even excited about it, and felt profoundly disillusioned afterwards. I feel great sympathy for that, and I feel really quite angry at the Lib Dems because of the damage they have done”. 

There is, however, another important consideration – the phrase that has plagued CUSU’s recent elections – student apathy. A spokesperson for the Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats (CSLD) admitted that the party may be hit by students’ “shamefully” poor electoral turnout record, but that these elections “will decide the future of Britain in Europe and the city of Cambridge” and will therefore perhaps elicit greater interest from the student body. CUSU certainly seems to be supportive of the campaign to encourage student voting, as they have organised ‘voter-trains’ for tomorrow which students can join and follow to the polling station. 

The Liberal Democrats, who have held Cambridge City Council for 13 years, are, according to CSLD, “almost certain” to lose that control. They believe that “voting will probably reflect the national nationwide issues in government”, with the Liberal Democrats taking the brunt of any public dissatisfaction with the coalition government. However, CSLD remain fairly positive in their outlook, claiming that as “UKIP are not a major force in Cambridge and nor are the Green Party […] we still hope to retain enough seats to re-elect Julian Huppert [as Cambridge MP] next year.” 

In contrast, the Liberal Democrats’ coalition partner, the Conservatives, are feeling much more optimistic. A spokesperson for the Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) claimed that “we're expecting to surprise our sceptics with a solid performance”. With former CUCA chair James Mottram standing as the Conservative candidate for the local elections in the Arbury ward, it is hoped that his recent decision to withdraw from the CUSU by-election amid allegations of failing to disclose his political allegiances will not impact his performance. CUCA are also hoping that the Conservatives will be able to make gains in the Market ward, where the Liberal Democrats’ longest serving councillor, Colin Rosenstiel, has faced charges of hitting a 7 year-old child. 

The Cambridge Universities Labour Club (CULC) has stepped up its campaign to rally student voters to voice their dissatisfaction with the Coalition parties. CULC chair George Howes stressed the importance of this election for Labour, as it “sets the tone for Cambridge’s post-crisis path. In Europe and here in the city, the Lib Dems have no positive vision. Only Labour's programme tackles inequality". As part of a series of moves to increase student-voters’ awareness of Labour, CULC has arranged for a cardboard cut-out of the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, to appear on the streets of Newnham ward, where 55 per cent of voters are students. CULC are asking student-voters to tweet photos of themselves standing next to the cardboard cut-out to Nick Clegg, whilst holding a message for him written on whiteboards. Labour are now predicting that Cambridge’s political landscape could be very different when the city wakes up on Friday morning after the polls close on Thursday, as all the parties clamour for the elusive student vote.