Thank you
Three years ago I was selected to fight South West Devon for the Labour Party. On the night of my selection over 50 local party members put their trust in me to deliver on my promises to run an active campaign from day one that would be innovative and local in its focus. Three years on, whilst we didn’t get the result I had wanted at the election, we can hold our heads up high and we should be proud of what we achieved together.
Do you think Gary Streeter would have broken his silence about Viridor’s incinerator if it were not for Labour’s campaign. Would Cllr Roger Croad’s conflict of interest have become clear if it were not for Labour highlighting the errors. What of the Plymstock Pool too? Would Cllr Vivien Pengelly have been able to repeat her promise election after election with no delivery without our campaign highlighting her election folly. We helped highlight plans to extend Plymouth’s boundaries by the Tories to include Tory wards in nearby rural areas so they always had a majority on the council. We held fast with our trade union comrades to oppose plans to sell CityBus that has delivered precisely what we warned it would do job losses and route closures. Would the Tories have gotten away with opposing wind turbines in Plymstock if it weren’t for us highlighting their opposition to renewable energy locally. And what of the Plympton Library, the speed humps on Larkham Lane in Plympton and increases in Council Tax?
Whilst the Liberal Democrats did well at election it was clear to me that they didn’t walk the walk between elections. It is disappointing that on polling day the Lib Dems put on votes whilst Labour lost them. Certainly, I doubt very much that they had delivered over 200,000 leaflets to homes over the past three years.
We’ve got to learn from this defeat though and amend our campaign style accordingly. We need to continue our doorstep work, our media focus and the nationally leading social media work that South West Devon is now known for. If a rural Devon constituency can be the national best practice example of how to use YouTube in campaigning then every other Labour party in the country should be using it too.
We’ve got another massive challenge – we have to retake Plymouth Sutton and Devonport from the Tories. There were some superb Tory MPs elected at this election across the country – talented and with politics not too far from our Labour values. I do not believe Oliver Colvile, the new Tory MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, is in this catagory. I believe the new Tory and Lib Dem regime will do damage to Plymouth especially to those who need help from government the most.
That is why I won’t be giving up. I will continue to fight for Labour and for those people who need Labour the most. The local party in SW Devon has been superb. From delivering leaflets in the rain, in the snow and in the sunshine they have been there supporting me from day one and I am very grateful for their honesty, encouragement, energy and determination. Most of all I am humbled by how people gave up their evenings, weekends and spare time to help the campaign. Thank you.
I have learnt an enormous amount during this campaign and with more money and more members than we had before the General Election South West Devon Labour Party is in the best position it has been in quite some time to continue to take the fight to the Tories. I will be there doing just that and I hope you will too.
Polling Day
It has been a few days since polling day and a chance for us all to review and consider what happened. In SW Devon, Gary Streeter extended his majority and the Lib Dems did well. In Plymouth, the Tories narrowly won the new Sutton and Devonport constituency meaning that the excellent Linda Gilroy will no longer be representing the city. I want to pay tribute to Linda – she’s been a superb mentor for me and a good friend throughout the campaign.
I also want to say thank you to all the volunteers from right across SW Devon and indeed the country who helped me in the last few months and over the last three years of me being Labour’s candidate in SW Devon.
Although I didn’t win – the campaign doesn’t stop here. The team in SW Devon will continue to ask where the Plymstock Pool is, will continue to call for a new library in Plympton and will continue to fight plans for an incinerator near Ivybridge. These are important local issues and if it were not for Labour the Tories would not have been held to account on these and other issues. I have long believed that Labour needs to be an effective opposition locally and we will continue to do so.
Finally, I want to say a personal thank you to those people who have supported me over the last three years. We decided to fight SW Devon as if it were a marginal and we did. Thank you to Brendan and John, my two campaign co-ordinators, the local party, campaign volunteers new and old and to all those people who helped fund the campaign. We now have the important task of being an effective opposition both locally and nationally. I genuinely believe the Liberal Democrat/Tory coalition will be bad for our country and our community and I will continue to fight for a fairer Britain, and a fairer Devon. I hope you will too. Thank you.
Vote Labour
Tomorrow my three year election campaign comes to an end. I’ve been Labour’s candidate in South West Devon for three years. I am proud to come from Devon and proud to be Labour. I’m proud too of my campaign – locally focussed, innovative in our use of technology and social media and relentless at holding our local Tories to account.
In the last three years we’ve delivered over 150,000 leaflets and nearly 50,000 more in this election campaign alone. We’ve fought on local issues – the incinerator in Ivybridge, the missing swimming pool in Plymstock and the need for a new library in Plympton. We’ve highlighted Tory failures to consult over the incinerator, failure to stick to their manifesto pledge not to sell CityBus or to repair potholes in our roads. We’ve also highlighted what Labour would do differently.
There is a clear choice at the election tomorrow between Labour the Tories. A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for the Tories. David Cameron wants you to vote Lib Dem because he knows if you do, he’ll win. Use your vote wisely tomorrow – please Vote Labour
I just also want to say thank you to my campaign team – each and everyone volunteers – who have worked so hard for three years on my campaign. None of us are paid and we receive no public money.
Polls are open from 7am to 10pm. You don’t need your polling card to vote. If you’re in Plymouth remember you also have local elections. Please use all your votes for Labour.
Alan Johnson visits Plymouth
In the last few weeks Plymouth has been visited by some of Labour’s biggest figures – John Prescott and Harriet Harman have both joined volunteers banging on doors across Plymouth and today Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, visited us.
As well as visiting Leigham in Alison Seabeck’s former constituency, he joined me in a walkabout at Plymouth’s Pannier Market.
Alan Johnson is a personal hero of mine – a real Labour warrior and someone who puts politics in plain english. It was good meeting him today on the campaign trail and good getting a few tips form him about how to take on Gary Streeter.
Fox Hunting: Back the Ban
Before Labour banned fox hunting (and stag hunting and hare coursing) it was legal for a fox to be chased across the countryside and ripped apart by a pack of dogs. It was legal to all but exhaust the fox before it suffered a horrendous death and all this – not for conservation – but for fun – for sport – for the pleasure, excitement and enjoyment of a minority.
I watched the fox hunting protest as a young researcher in Parliament on the day Labour was passing the Hunting Bill to ban fox hunting. My most vivid memory from that day was watching a man in wellies and a barbour jacket throw a champagne bottle at police lines. They wanted to carry on hunting with dogs. Labour wanted to ban hunting and had won an election with a manifesto pledge to ban fox hunting. I backed the ban then and I back the ban now.
At this election voters in SW Devon have a choice:
- Gary Streeter, my Tory opponent, supports repeal of the ban on fox hunting and a return of bloodsports. So do the Conservatives at large. A vote for the Conservatives is a vote for fox hunting.
- I oppose fox hunting and would work to protect the ban. A vote for Labour is a vote to back the ban on fox hunting.
Do you support the ban on fox hunting? If you do, vote for it on Thursday 6 May. The Conservatives would bring back fox hunting. Labour would protect the ban we introduced. Fox hunting – is that the change for the better you want for Britain? You decide and in 7 days you will.
Read my views here as to why I am supporting the ban.
WATCH: Hilary Benn, Labour’s Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, talk about the ban’s anniversary on Boxing Day earlier this year here:
Conservatives apologise for photo-cropping
This morning Gary Streeter, my Tory opponent, apologised for the photo-cropping incident I highlighted yesterday. Mr Streeter claimed that he had not seen the picture saying “it must have been the printers” and claims he had been unaware that I had been cut from his election leaflet promoting cross-party action on the incinerator. Nonetheless, his apology is welcome.
I’m pleased to have had the chance to have a face to face conversation with Mr Streeter about this and hope that now the photo-cropping has been made public and that the Conservatives have made an apology we can move onto talking about policy.
If you didn’t see my blog yesterday about it, Labourmatters have done a photo montage of the original and the edited photo that sums up the edit nicely – you can see the original photo here (better link to this as the montage obscures the UKIP candidate!):
For clarification I have no problem with people using this photo if they’re genuinely trying to promote action against the incinerator but please don’t edit anyone out of the picture. I wouldn’t edit Gary out of the picture (far right) and nor should the Conservatives have edited me out (on the left).
An 82p Flapjack and expenses
When Gary apologised he also mentioned that he would like it if I did not repeat the mention in one of my leaflets of the media’s claim that he claimed 82p on a flapjack – because he would like it known that he didn’t actually do this. You can find more about this here and here and here.
The expense scandal hardly did anyone any favours and retorting photo-cropping with a flapjack expense claim is not exactly the debate I’d like to be having in the last nine days of the election campaign. Perhaps today therefore, we can now concentrate on the news that crime is down, that the nationalised banks are returning a profit to the taxpayer and that the action taken by government to address the recession is not only working but was opposed by the Tories every step of the way.
Spot the difference?
Can you spot the difference between these two pictures?
The first photo is a picture taken by me (and including me) at the launch of CAVIL, the cross-party Campaign Against Viridor’s Incinerator that was started after Labour began campaigning against plans for an incinerator and landfill at New England Quarry. The next picture is the same photograph (as taken by me) as it appears in Conservative election literature – but it seems to be missing someone?
(Look for me on the far left).
I have no problem with other people using the picture – I’m a big believer in sharing content – but when it involves cutting your opponent out of the image then that’s a bit naughty – especially when it was that person who took the picture (the self-timer on my camera is a wonderful thing). What’s more disturbing is that the picture is being used as part of an election boast ‘Action on the incinerator’ where my Tory opponent proudly states “Gary called together a cross party taskforce…to fight the proposal.” Hardly cross-party when you borrow the Labour candidate’s picture and then cut it so he doesn’t appear in it is it?
Come on Gary, you’re better than that.
I’ve contacted Gary’s office pointing out the mistake – “it is very sporting of you to let us know” was their answer. No apology as of yet.
800 objections against Ivybridge incinerator
As the deadline for people sending their objections to the Devon County Council against Viridor’s incinerator closed I wondered how many people our campaign would have persuaded to send objections. What would I have been happy with. 200, 300, 500 objections? The figure astounded me and really gave me a boost – all the effort of my campaign team, volunteers and the CAVIL group was worthwhile as more than 800 objections had been formally lodged with the council against Viridor’s plans.
Encouraging 800 people to submit an objection to Viridor’s plans is a real achievement but we should not rest on our laurels. We need to keep pressure on the planning committee to reject Viridor’s planning application and at the same time put pressure on the three Conservative-run Councils to stop their own incinerator search that is looking at New England Quarry as a possible site.
Let’s be very clear about this if the three Tory Councils matched their words with actions then we could sink plans for an incinerator overnight. Considering New England Quarry as a possible site for an incinerator is de facto Tory Party policy because they could sink the waste partnership if they wanted to. They choose not to and because of that the site is still in contention for an incinerator no one wants based on old technology no one would use now.
My Tory opponent Gary Streeter says he opposes the incinerator but he still cannot say why it took him from early 2008 to late 2009 to start campaigning against the incinerator despite having received briefings on the project from Viridor. People should look carefully at this and ask themselves have the Tories doing everything they can to stop the incinerator. Even a brief glance at the facts will show that they haven’t – and I would encourage voters to remember this when they cast their ballot on 6 May. And let’s not forget that the reason Viridor and the Tories are looking at New England Quarry as a possible site for an incinerator is because the then Liberal Democrat-run Devon County Council identified it as such in their Waste Strategy in 2005.
After the general election the cross-party Campaign Against Viridor’s Incinerator and Landfill (CAVIL) will reconvene with a special planning session about how we formalize the group and focus our efforts on Devon County Council’s planning committee and the three Tory Councils running the incinerator search. Rubbish may not feature highly on the national political debate but voters in Plymouth should be asking their local Tories why despite years of supposed reforms and effort Plymouth is still stuck in the bottom 5% of councils for recycling in the entire country and is intent on burning its rubbish ignoring better, more efficient and environmentally friendly technologies. Voters in Ivybridge may ask despite being in the top 5% of recyclers why they are having an incinerator and landfill for Plymouth’s waste proposed on their doorstep too.
When I first started the campaign against Viridor’s incinerator there were two of us delivering leaflets in the Woodlands area of Ivybridge. To see that 800 people have sent in objections is a really warming and testament to the very real community spirit in our area. Sending in an objection is just the first step though, now we need to keep pressure on because an incinerator at New England Quarry really is only a few committee decisions away – and we’ve got to stop that all costs.
This post is cross-posted from the excellent People’s Republic of South Devon blog where I have a regular column.
Supporting Terrence Higgins Trust’s Campaign
For the past few years I’ve been supporting World Aids Day and the work of the magnificent Terrence Higgins Trust charity in raising awareness of and combatting the rise in sexually transmitted infections. This is an issue I feel very strongly about and especially here in the south west we need to break the silence when it comes to HIV and other STIs and ensure that there is proper prevention, testing and treatment available for all.
Today I’m pleased to be able to sign up to support Terrence Higgins Trust’s pledge to prioritise sexual health if I’m elected as the next MP for South West Devon. The pledge reads:
“I pledge to support better public health in the UK through earlier diagnosis of HIV and sexual ill health and by improving public understanding of the issues.”
In the UK, there are more people living with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections than ever before. It is estimated that new diagnoses of HIV in 2008 alone will go on to cost the government £1.1billion in medication and care. Meanwhile a quarter of the 83,000 people living with HIV in the UK don’t know that they have it because they haven’t tested yet. To protect people’s health we need to test undiagnosed people with HIV so that they get timely treatment to stay healthy and can take steps not to pass on the virus. We also need to make sure people better understand sexually transmitted infection and practise safer sex. Not exactly a catchy paragraph for my leaflets but an important issue nonetheless and one that deserves a much greater focus by politicians.
I’m pleased to support the good work of THT. Have a look here at the session I ran with THT helping people use social media to spread the word about fighting HIV and other STIs.
RSPB Hustings
Yesterday I attended the RSPB Hustings in Tavistock. The more observent will spot that Tavistock is in Torridge and West Devon rather than South West Devon – the reason for me attending was to stand in for my Labour colleague Darren Jones who was unable to attend. He’s a superb PPC and it was a privilige to stand in for him and meet so many Labour supporters in the audience too.
The debate last night was centred on how to address climate change. Since 1997 Labour has invested significant resources in fighting climate change and reducing the UK’s carbon footprint. It is also an area where there is a very real imperative to ‘check against delivery’ in what each party is promising at this election.
The Conservatives’ green credentials is now largely recognised as only being spin-deep. We’ve seen this in SW Devon where in the same week as David Cameron praises wind turbines the local Tories attack a local school for wanting to put up a wind turbine.
In SW Devon my Tory opponent is very skeptical of whether climate change is man made or not but Darren’s Tory opponent doesn’t share Gary Streeter’s views – concurring with my view, he said climate change is real and is happening now. I agree – that is why we need more focus on addressing it – and more support from the Tories for Labour’s efforts to tackle climate change not simply green words and more of the same.
The truth is that tackling climate change is going to require a fundamental change in the way we live, travel, live and work. That means tackling these problems head on. Efforts to increase insulation, cut CO2 emissions and create green jobs here in the UK is a start but we also need to reconfigure the UK’s energy generating capacity, develop new technologies and support a greener and more sustainable form of development around the world. In short, soundbites and spin might win a view votes but it will require fundamental change if we are to tackle climate change properly.
My message to those concerned about climate change (and we all should be) is use your vote wisely at the election. Labour has a record of delivery on tackling climate change and international credibility and leadership to push for co-ordinated global action and the Tories can’t even decide whether they are in favour or against wind turbines. Climate change is serious and we need a government that takes it seriously in policy as well as image.
UPDATE: The Western Morning News covers my tweets about the RSPB Hustings here.
John Prescott visits Plymouth
Former Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, visited Plymouth yesterday to support Labour’s campaigns in the city. John Prescott has a brilliantly unique and individual style and quickly drew a large crowd on an impromptu stump speech in the city centre.
Despite being heckled – something he dealt with brilliantly – he was clear in his message that Labour has delivered on its promises made in 1997, 2001 and 2005 and that securing Britain’s recovery is safer in Labour’s hands than the Tories. Despite the recent poll bounce for Nick Clegg, the choice at this election is still between a Labour and a Tory government and John made this clear in his own robust way.
After a quick walk round with Linda Gilroy, Labour’s candidate in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, he joined volunteers for fish and chips on the Barbican.
In the evening John Prescott was the guest speaker at a special Labour rally at the Guildhall. We had nearly 100 Labour activists join us for the rally and heard speeches from Alison, Linda and myself as well as a presentation from John on how we can win and why we should go out and take the fight to the Tories in Plymouth.
Tories Poll Lead Cut Again
Here’s the video that John has on his website on the news that the Tories poll lead is the lowest for 2 years. It is game on for this election and anything could happen – let’s get campaigning and make the case as to why public services should be protected, our rights protected and fox hunting never again introduced in this country – vote Labour.
Incinerator: Only a few hours left to get objections in
Devon County Council’s consultation period on the application by Viridor to build an incinerator and landfill at New England Quarry has only got a few hours left until it closes today.
I’ve been campaigning to stop this incinerator solidly for the last six months. We need to ensure that the planning committee of Devon County Council is in no doubt whatsoever that the local community opposes Viridor’s plans – and importantly, opposes them on serious planning grounds.
If you haven’t sent in your objection to their plans it is not too late. Please encourage your friends and family to get their objections in today. This is your last chance!
My Declaration of Interests
Yesterday my agent officially lodged my candidacy with Plymouth City Council and it was accepted. This means I can now officially call myself the Labour Party candidate for South West Devon. In the interests of transparency I want to list all my interests so people can decide upon their vote knowing that I will be a full-time campaigning MP, who pays tax (like everyone else should do) in the UK. Below is my declaration of interest:
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
(a) Other paid jobs and whether I intend to continue to hold them, if elected
Head of Public Affairs at ABTA, the Travel Association. If elected I will resign immediately to concentrate on representing SW Devon.
(b) positions of responsibility in some types of organisation, even if unpaid, and whether I intend to continue to hold them, if elected.
School Governor, Millbank Primary School. If elected I will resign immediately to concentrate on SW Devon. I am also a member of the Fabian Society, the Unite trade union, the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party.
(c)(i) Directorships, and whether I intend to continue to hold them, if elected.
None
(c)(ii) Clients, and whether I intend to continue to advise them, if elected.
None
(c)(iii) Land and property, and whether I intend to continue to hold this, if elected.
I own my home in Plymouth. I will continue to own this property if elected.
(c)(iv) Shareholdings, and whether I intend to continue to hold these, if elected.
None
(d) Tax matters
I pay tax in the UK.
I have never claimed to be, or been treated as not resident, not ordinarily resident or not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes
(e) Any other interests which I consider relevant.
I am a governor of a primary school.
Eddie Izzard says Vote Labour
I normally only post my videos on this site but this video by Eddie Izzard is spot on. An honest and humorous approach to how we should view the general election.
I agree with Eddie…Britain is brilliant – let’s not put it at risk with the Tories.
General Election: 14 April
Today I met up with Linda Gilroy and Alison Seabeck who are my fellow Labour Parliamentary candidates in Plymouth to sign up to the NUS’ Pledge to support students. It is imperative that the voices of students is not lost in the current higher education debate and I’m pleased to back the NUS’ campaign for a fairer funding system.
I have worked advising a major University on political matters for the last few years and having spent so much time in this area know what big differences there are in the rhethoric and policy between the three main parties. It was amusing to be able to remind the Lib Dems that their no-fees policy would mean less people going to University (much to the Lib Dem candidate’s surprise) and to remind the Tories that offering discounts on loans to the richest few means that the poorest are yet again paying for a step up for the richest.
The fees debate is important but we should not lose sight of the fact that we need more skills, not less, in our economy and this means helping people reskill throughout their lives as well as going to University for the first time based on ability to learn not ability to pay.
AUDIOBOO: Listen to my audioboo from today here.
