Telford & Wrekin Council Watch

Written by johnfranklyn

Saturday, 03 January 2009

PRESS STATEMENT FROM TELFORD COUNCIL WATCH & GEORGE ASHCROFT.COM

"Today, my resignation as Deputy Chair of Telford Conservatives was accepted. I wish the Party well.

It now leaves me free to pursue new political projects. I can now speak freely on a whole host of political issues. My status on Telford & Wrekin council remains unchanged - I have been unaligned since December 18th. I will not be taking up Andrew Eade's pathetic demand to resign my seat. I have not changed my views. My instincts are still conservative ones. I will continue to serve the residents of Brookside into the future.

I could not continue with my association with Andrew Eade and his leadership. He is leading Telford Conservatives up a blind alley of ineptitude and towards political defeat in 2011. They know it and yet choose to do nothing. They will have to learn the hard way.

Eade's treatment of Denis Allen has been lamentable. Denis is an honourable and decent man and a staunch conservative. That he has been driven out of the Conservative group is an utter folly and one which they will certainly come to regret.

As for me, I am in close discussion with friends and local residents as to announcing my candidature for the Telford Constituency at the General Election, which pundits predict will take place in the spring of next year. I have asked John Franklyn of Telford Council Watch if he will stand the Wrekin constituency on a joint ticket and I have made approaches to others regarding the formation of a fundraising and campaign team.

Once everything is firmed up, we will hold a meeting in a central location in order to formally launch the campaign. I will be speaking on the current issues surrounding Telford & Wrekin Council and what I would be able to do for the residents of Telford if I were elected to Parliament.

RELEASE ENDS

Meanwhile, here is a post I made on Telford Council Watch, answering a number of questions on a possible Parliamentary campaign.

"On the question of influence locally, I believe that a campaign in the context of a General Election would be of significant influence and benefit.

We would target individual wards that we wished to win at future local elections. Take the Donnington Ward. We would canvass that extensively. John may not win at the General Election but the voters of Donnington will remember him come the local elections. They may be more inclined to vote for an independent at a local election and some will have already voted for him at the General - thus breaking down further the tradition of party voting.

A well-run General Election campaign will frighten the life out of the main parties. In fact, it might frighten the life back IN to them. In my view, the party system is in near terminal decline and the current debate about state funding is testament to that. Whilst we cannot match the main parties on resources, we can match them on spirit, on effort, on personality.

None of the main parties have much in the way of dedicated activists - this I know for certain having just resigned as the deputy chair of the Telford Conservative Association. Telford Conservatives would be in trouble if not for the largesse of Lord Ashcroft (no relation!).

Labour locally is but a shadow of its former self. UKIP is a Tory vote and the Liberals are a minor force. If I may be so bold I would suggest that none of these parties can command activists of the calibre of John Franklyn.

For my part, I bring 16 years of political activity to the table. And there are others, former Labour and Tory members who I am confident would join the campaign committee as agents and spokesmen, not to mention the support of TAWPA - of particular significance in Dawley.

I believe that we could collectively exert a great deal of influence - on the doorstep, in our literature and through a concerted media campaign. The other parties will have to respond - as WE will set the agenda. In many ways, Telford Council Watch already does it.

It may be that we cannot realistically hope to win at the General Election but all of this will set us up nicely for the next round of local elections in 2011 where we will consolidate our efforts with council seats.

I certainly believe that we can poll in excess of 5% across both the Wrekin and Telford constituencies in order to save our deposits and we might well poll far in excess of that.

It may be the case that at Parliamentary elections, folk tend to vote for parties. But let me ask you, as a thinking person, whom you might consider voting for?

If and when we reach other like-minded and thinking individuals, we may be in for something of a surprise on election night."

Comments

RSS

Only registered users can write comments!

Telford Council Watch

3.20 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."