Lib-Dems should ‘opt out’ of General Election

My personal view, not held by many other Liberal Democrats and who consider most of my ideas as “twaddle”, is that we should, in the present political climate and present voting system, opt out of the General Election here in Pendle.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Feb 2015, 06:00 BST
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It is going to be a straightforward contest between Tory and Labour. Those Lib Dems – 9,000 at the 2010 election – need to decide whom they want as their MP.

Never mind the national contest – if they really want to fight for a Liberal victory they can pop over to Burnley where Gordon Birtwistle would welcome all the help he can get.

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What Pendle needs is a return to Liberal values in all areas – finding people prepared to see that every ward has a candidate who is prepared to work and not just talk about making our area a decent place to live.

Candidates are needed at borough and town council level across all wards.

Standing for Parliament may be the glamour activity, but how many Greens or UKIP are prepared to put in the hours needed to run our local borough?

How many letter writers to local or national press complaining about this or that will attempt to join the council and solve our problems in their own neighbourhoods?

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If we did, as I am suggesting, imagine the press activity which would be generated and the political scrabble to pick up those past Liberal Democrat votes. At least any that went to UKIP would prove they were never Lib Dem in the first place.

We believe in a reformed Europe but altered from within, not leaving in some petulant childish way but pocketing money along the way.

In the next five years there is the possibility of electoral reform where the views of all the people will make the 2020 election properly democratic.

Derek Mann

Knotts Lane, Colne

Related topics:PendleBurnleyLabourParliament