I believe people are looking for honest, transparent and hard working people to represent them. I have those qualities but I would say that wouldn’t I? Once I’m elected how would you hold me to account?
I think the answer is simple. We all have contracts with our employers that state what we do, when we do it and how. MPs should be no different. So I have written a contract of employment that I offer to the people of Bournemouth West, Alderney and Branksome East to accept as a condition of my employment as their MP on May 6th. You can see this contract here (Word document) and my declaration of interests here (Word document).
I am standing for election in Bournemouth because I feel a sense of duty. This is the town where I grew up. I’m not standing here because I consider it to be a ‘safe’ seat or an easy win, I’m standing here because it’s where I live and what goes on here affects my family just as much as yours. I went to school here and my boys go to school here. I pay the same council tax, use the same facilities and care about the same beaches and open spaces.
I’ve always wanted to take that concern further. When I was at school, aged 16, I went to my headmistress and asked her if I could set up an Amnesty International group. Our school had a fantastic record of working with local charities such as Leonard Cheshire but I wanted to take that sense of civic duty to another level. The headmistress agreed and I recently went back to Bournemouth School for Girls and found the Amnesty group still going strong. That’s been a personal highlight of my campaign.
I’d like to be your MP because I’d like to develop that sense of local duty and extend it to trying to make all our lives better. Good policy making is at the heart of how we develop as a society and I’m only interested in making policy that works for everyone, not just certain sections or income brackets. That’s why I believe that things like Child Benefit, Winter Fuel Allowance and free bus passes for the over-60s should be given regardless of income. It’s not profligacy, it’s a sense of fairness, a recognition that shared experiences unite communities.
If you believe in fairness, in helping everyone and not just the few and you want a local MP who will proactively work for the best interests of the people of Bournemouth, you should vote for me. A vote for the Labour Party in Bournemouth is not a wasted vote. This will be a unique election. There are no safe seats anymore. We need to show the country that the voters of Bournemouth West, Alderney and Branksome East will dare to be different. Keep it local.
