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Every time the Tories get a bit of power, they rip off all the things I love... The mining industry. Milk.

The global economy is spluttering back into life. The Tories would have left it to choke to death.

I think the Tories are doing - and are intent on doing - damage to things I hold dear.

As the Tories know, the problem with setting yourself up as a shining example for others to follow is that when you get caught out, that proverbial substance really hits the fan.

These are tough times and under this Tory-led government many people in Manchester are suffering and getting left behind. If elected I will use all my energy, skills, experience and knowledge to stand up for our communities and get things done for the better.

When I was a boy during Thatcher, you watched elections and wept in disbelief as the whole country turned blue, Scotland turned red, and we still got the Tories.

I do not want to see, for any reason, the Tories resurgent in any way.

During the last economic slowdown in the 1990s, the Tories slashed infrastructure investment. I am determined not to make that mistake.

As the economy faces such difficulties, more tough questions need to be asked about what the Tories would do if elected. Their ideology of free markets and small government needs challenging. That has to be part of our job.

It's hard to find good teamwork in practice, and I have never thought that we, as a party, were any better at working as a team than the Tories, despite our core values.