Letters to Herald Newspaper 2014
A few weeks ago I was delighted to be a candidate at the
count of votes in the Guildhall in Plymouth. There was a great buzz around
especially as the ballot boxes began to be tipped on the tables and the fierce
counting began. It was also exciting to be watching as each ward was declared
but I noticed something very striking. As the Ward candidates stood waiting to
hear the results one after the other I couldn’t help but notice the
disproportionate number of white, middle aged or elderly men. Yes, ‘male, pale
and stale’ muttered the woman I was standing next to. Yesterday that balance
was redressed when I attended the South West Women’s Manifesto for political
change at Exeter University. Here I witnessed the amazing passion and strength
of women like Finn Mackay from Bristol University and Joanne Kaye from UNISON
arguing the need for a change in our political culture and the need for 50:50
representation in Parliament and on decision making Boards. There were plenty
of powerful women in the room who would do a brilliant job in Parliament and I
came away utterly convinced that we need to continue and push for more all
women shortlists and quotas to ensure these talented and powerful women are
selected. Many argue that these methods are divisive and people don’t like
them. It’s men who don’t like them and women who don’t understand that without
them it will be another hundred years before we have the equality that will
bring about lasting political change.
As Labour’s local candidate in Eggbuckland I would like to
thank the 1,129 people who voted for me in the recent elections. As a first
time candidate it was a great experience for me meeting many interested and
committed voters. It was easy to canvass on behalf of our present Plymouth City
Council because there are so many brilliant and exciting projects planned for
the city, not least the New Deal and of course the most recent History Centre.
I was however, disappointed by the number of people who chose not to vote at
all. Many people I spoke to very honestly told me ‘I don’t know what it’s all
about’. They listened attentively when I explained my view of the ethos behind
the main parties. We need to do a much better job of educating the general
public about why their vote is so important and with better political education
more people would vote. I was also very discouraged by people who placed votes
to ‘teach the main parties a lesson’ or to ‘protest ’. The local elections are
not a classroom exercise where selecting a personality or a single issue cause merely
‘shakes things up’. Our city councillors have a huge (albeit ever decreasing)
budget to spend. We need people who are willing to take the role seriously,
represent everyone within the Ward and collectively help make vital economic
decisions. Of course this is also the case when it comes to electing MPs. I
sincerely hope that before the general election next year the people of
Plymouth will take time to properly evaluate the quality and experience of the
candidate they chose, check their understanding of all pertinent issues both
locally and nationally and crucially their ethos and commitment to equality,
which for me is the most important measure of a party’s worth.
Letters to Herald Newspaper 2014
I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the 1,912
residents of Moor View Ward who voted for me the Labour candidate in the local
Council elections. I’m sorry that more people were persuaded that the
Conservatives will provide better opportunities for our country over the coming
five years. Many of us are feeling worried and immensely unsure about the
future, not least those who rely on benefits because they have children, are in
low paid work, have a disability, or can’t find a job. While I sincerely hope
that our fears are unfounded I can’t help feeling the outlook is bleak because
the last five years have already seen many deaths of sick and vulnerable people
waiting to receive benefits. We have also witnessed immoral and illegal ‘sanctions’ applied to people who have been unable
to defend themselves, leaving them destitute
and forced into food banks and the hands of loan sharks. Many people in Moor View
Constituency have been helped over the last 10 years by the dedication and work
of Alison Seabeck. I know that she has helped many people across the Ward
because I met you on the door steps and you sang her praises. In the hands of
Johnny Mercer now, I hope you will be helped in the same way. However, no one
could have been impressed by his first great error of judgement on polling day.
Agreeing to the illegal plastering of the Moor View Constituency with hundreds
of posters and banners was ill judged and unethical. No doubt he will expect
his residents to uphold the law – what a shame he set such a terrible example
on the day he came to office and hopefully we will hear about the meting out of
justice, ideally within this newspaper which
has so far been silent on this issue.
Politics is Brutal
You can imagine the feelings of the Labour camp in the
Guildhall on the night of the election when Alison Seabeck MP lost her Plymouth
Moorview seat. Only to be followed a few hours later with the devastating news
that Luke had failed to win Plymouth Sutton and Devonport. The next day was
better for Plymouth when we retained all our Council seats bar one. However we
did not win the Moor View ward which I had been fighting. All those weeks and
months of canvassing on the door step and speaking to hundreds of people on the
telephone were for nothing?
However this was all overshadowed by my feelings of sheer
terror and disbelief at the prospect of another five years of Tory rule.
It has been a struggle over the last few weeks to come to
terms with it all. I thought I had done with politics because it was too
bruising, callous and unfair but I guess like everyone I’m getting over the
shock, picking myself up and looking for the next way forward.
They say politics is in the blood and I guess it must be
because why else would activists like myself and so many other hard working,
loyal Labour Party members put themselves through this? The answer I guess is
clear. We have to keep fighting; renew and recharge our vision of a fairer more
equal society and offer an alternative to the mirage that the Tories present.
Here’s hoping that you are feeling incensed and ready to
begin campaigning again and doing everything we can to stop the Tory march to
see the vulnerable and poor in our society back in the workhouse! Come and join
us! We need your energy, belief and help!
