SarahYou have used the word "party" four times. Usually our opponents do that in an attempt to wind us up, because we do not consider ourselves to be a political party even if government legislation has effectively compelled us to register as one.We see ourselves as a vehicle through which the everyday public can make itself heard without having to subscribe to a particular political discipline. Anybody who has a commitment to the well-being and enhancement of our community life can join, there are no restrictions as there are with political parties. For instance, were you a paid-up member of the Labour or Conservative party you could still join the ICG. You would of course be thrown out of your party if they found out, but what I am saying is it wouldn't be an issue with us.As councillors we speak for the community at the council, not for the council or a particular political party in the community. As such when a constituent approaches me with an issue I don't have to assess whether or not it conforms to The Official Party Line before I can take it up.An independent MP elected on a community ticket would do the same. He/she would never be a member of the Cabinet nor of the Shadow Cabinet and, like any MP in opposition, would not be in a position to influence government policy. However, like any opposition MP he/she would have a vote and, unlike any opposition MP, would be free to use it as considered fit. The community MP would likewise be free to speak out publicly on any issue and, being something of a novelty, would probably be in a better position to bring publicity to a particular issue than would yer average common or garden backbancher.In short, in a community MP the community would have one of its own, whom it could be confident it could trust because there is clearly no ulterior motive or party political agenda to be purused. The solitary community MP would never be able to progress any higher on the political ladder, and so voters would be reassured that there is no question of him or her simply using them to further a political career. What you see is, self-evidently, what you get.Of course the selected candidate would have views of his/her own on major national or international issues just like anybody else, but he/she will never be in a position to use parliament as a vehicle for pursuing them against the wishes of his/her constituents. Doubtless the politicians will try during the campaign to steer us into a detailed discussion of these major issues which we will never be in a position to influence, in an attempt to portray us as just another political party. But I believe we are far more than that, and that this will become apparent to more and more people during the course of the campaign.This is why I believe you should vote for our candidate. If you wish to be that candidate then you qualify in your capacity as a member of the community, just as a member of (say) the Labour Party would qualify to stand for that party by being a member of that party. The Labour candidate is there for the Labour Party, the community candidate is there for the community. We do, of course, have a close-off point for nominations, which the committee has decided is noon this Thursday. We need to prepare ballot papers and the agenda for the selection meeting. So, if you fancy it....This, then, is why I believe you should vote for your community candidate at the forthcoming general election. There are a number of reasons I could give as to why I think you should not vote for our opponents, but in the spirit of your posting I will try to keep this positive.
Phil Andrews ● 7665d