For my
entire voting life, bar three years attending university in London and one year
working in Crawley, I have lived in the constituency of East Worthing and
Shoreham (and its previous incarnations). Over the 20 years that the
constituency has existed it has elected a Conservative MP with a reasonable
majority, and that MP has been Tim Loughton.
Stopping
short of stating exactly who I’ve placed a cross against in general elections,
let’s just say that I’m not totally convinced my views and interests as a
resident of East Worthing and Shoreham have been represented in Westminster;
although I’m not convinced it would be much different had the colour of the
rosette of the successful candidate been a different one during that time.
The version
of democracy we have in the UK means that people vote for a constituency
candidate who best represents their interests in Westminster. Despite the
messages coming out from the Conservative election machine, the only people who
can vote for Theresa May are those registered to vote in Maidenhead; therefore
the people of East Worthing and Shoreham must vote for a candidate who looks
after and shares their interests and not one who prioritises the interests of his
or her political party. I don’t know about you but I want my Member of
Parliament to be a resident of the constituency, and therefore more likely to
have the best interests of the constituency at heart, experiencing the same
day-to-day issues that those who vote for (and don’t vote for) them experience.
I am tired
of half-truths from politicians of all parties, editing out the uncomfortable
consequences of policy to suit the party’s message; check out recent policy
announcements on the NHS and school funding to see that what the parties state
and the reality rarely meet.
I am tired
of manipulated data from politicians of all parties, skewing the findings to
fit a desired political message. As a mathematics teacher, this is very
frustrating, not to mention insulting.
I am tired
of sitting in a traffic jam after every working day, wondering why investment
in the infrastructure of the constituency is so meekly requested by its
representatives in Westminster.
My aim
during this campaign is to keep all the candidates honest. I would like to represent
the overall interests of the people of East Worthing and Shoreham, rather than
represent the policies of a national political party who happen to have had
their candidate gain a majority in the previous general election.
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