This in from Stewart Blackmore, the IW Labour Party’s prospective parliamentary candidate in the recent 2015 Election, in his own words. Ed
May I extend my heartfelt thanks to all those residents who voted for me last Thursday.
I am very proud of the positive campaign we fought and extremely grateful for the help and support of many party members, family and friends who gave their time unstintingly in support of this effort. Though we were not successful in terms of returning a Labour MP, we did increase the Labour vote on the Island and now we must build upon this platform.
Andrew Turner’s victory
It would seem churlish and disrespectful to question the decision of the Island’s electorate to return Andrew Turner to parliament and I would like now – as I did after the declaration last week – to congratulate him on his emphatic victory.
That said, it does however seem bizarre in the extreme that a man who could not command the support of so many of his party’s stalwarts nor even a succession of his own campaign agents somehow managed to convince so many people that he was best able to represent the Island.
Holding Andrew to account
It will now be the duty of me and my Labour colleagues to hold Andrew to account.
He must be a voice for the whole Island, not just a part of it. He must ensure fairness and equality for all and not just the few who have the loudest voices, and the deepest pockets. He must use what influence he has to get a fairer deal for the Island in government. We will be watching.
National picture
Nationally, I fear the Conservative victory will have grim repercussions for those who are not wealthy, of independent means and do not need to rely on the state for support.
David Cameron claims to want to unite the nation, but the election result has pitted the north against the south, urban areas against rural, England against Scotland, the UK against Europe. It does not bode well…
But, disappointing as the election was, this is no time to mope. Those of us who believe in social justice, in fairness and in hope must now, more than ever, fight for things we hold dear.
What we must now do
We must oppose the privatisation of our NHS and the huge and accelerated cuts in welfare, the nature of which were shamefully withheld during the campaign.
We must defend The Human Rights Act and preserve the Union and our position within the EU. #
We must campaign for fair and affordable access to decent housing and perhaps, most importantly of all, we must stand up to Osborne and Cameron as they set about the institutional and ideological destruction of our public services.
A voice for the vulnerable
During the campaign, myself and my Labour colleagues spoke to many people, the hard-working but hard-up, the sick, the young, the unemployed, the elderly, the homeless, the disabled and those with mental health problems.
These members of our community wanted and deserve a voice.
I, and all those within the Labour movement, will be fighting to ensure that voice is heard.
