VB asked each of the prospective parliamentary candidates to send us a 500 word manifesto to share with VB readers. What you read below is an unedited version of what we received from the candidate. Ed
This is the first time I have been invited to make a direct address on an independent blog site. I am out canvassing on doorsteps, speaking at meetings and events and using traditional media but I welcome the opportunity to speak directly to VentnorBlog readers.
This election is the most important in a generation. With a Conservative Government I can make a real difference for the Island.
Gordon Brown has presided over the longest and deepest recession since records began. A deal between Labour and the LibDems could keep the same team in Downing Street. Like Ken Clarke, I believe this would prove disastrous for Britain. A Lib-Lab pact could cut the vital link between MPs and individual constituencies.
We simply cannot go on with an economy built on debt; anyone who runs a home knows borrowing is only ever a short term solution. Gordon Brown says that cutting public spending takes money out of the economy. He’s wrong. Leaving your money in your pocket is the best way to help Britain recover.
Sustainable jobs are best created by private enterprise not public money. We must create the right environment for business to flourish, cut red-tape and get banks lending again. Locally, only business can improve job prospects. We have some world class restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions and I will do whatever I can to promote our valuable tourism industry.
Our existing manufacturing base must be protected and encouraged to grow. We had great news recently from GKN, but we cannot simply rely on multi-national companies to create new jobs, our experience with Vestas should teach us that. We must help home-grown businesses and entrepreneurs to flourish.
The nation’s health is our top priority, and I know first-hand how important the NHS is in a crisis. I was fortunate to recover well from a stroke in 2006, I do still sometimes struggle to find a word but my brain works just the same – care from the excellent team at St Mary’s enabled my return to work. Not everyone is so lucky!
Pensioners need enough to live on without means-tested benefits and our young people need good education, training and proper jobs. Island families need to feel the Government is on their side, not constantly squeezing them for more tax. Under a Conservative Government council tax need not increase for two years.
Conservatives will cut the number of migrants, from 200,000 each year to tens of thousands and introduce a dedicated border police force. In our cities especially, public services are feeling the strain. The LibDem policy of an amnesty and giving citizenship to those who entered illegally can only encourage more people to come in future. I believe we should have the power to decide the number of both EU and non-EU migrants.
We need freedom from the stifling bureaucracy of the EU – decisions on British laws must be made here – not Brussels.
That is the way we will rebuild our broken economy and our great nation.
Andrew Turner’s leaflets on The Straight Choice
Andrew Turner on My Next MP
