J K Rowling - "I've never voted Tory before...

"I've never voted Tory before," writes J K Rowling in The Times, "... and they keep on reminding me why."

Fab article - short, cut to the point - brilliant - The Single Mother's Manifesto

EU-Yes!

Last night's hustings event in Lapford - very well attended after good organisation by David Bragg and the Lapford Churches Together Initiative - again saw attacks from the  UKIP candidate and sceptical comments from the Tory candidate regarding this country's membership of the EU.

I said then, what I've said at other hustings events, that it hugely benefits this country to be in the EU.

It is crucial that our Country should be at the centre of things in the EU, as we are now, making sure British business and social interests are at the forefront and that the power of the EU can be directed at global problems like the financial crisis, climate change, poverty, sustainable energy, fighting diseases such as malaria and Aids, opposing extremists.

Here are just a few of the very many highly important reasons why our central involvement in the EU must be maintained  -

What would the media say if...

What would the media say if Labour candidates were driving round in lush liveried vehicles? I've seen the cars of two of the Tory candidates now - styled in similar fashion to promote the visibility of the candidate. Do all the South West candidates of every other party  have the same expensive styling? No.
Why hasn't this splashing of cash been questioned?

Just suppose that after any election there was a system whereby the amounts spent by each party were compared - and the party that spent the most had to give an amount to charity that was equal to how much more they had spent than the next highest spending Party.....?

And the voting paper would have a space where we could name our favourite charity so that the charity that got the most votes nationally would get that money....?

A fantasy of course.
But the reality of vastly unequal party spending power goes on.
It shouldn't be possible for any party to hugely 'spend its way' towards a victory it desires.

I Stand For Children

The NSPCC have asked for my pledge.

But they will not send my pledge message to all their members in Central Devon until they can do so with the pledges of all of Central Devon's candidates.

Fair enough I say - the National Charity has to play carefully by the rules and cannot be seen to favour one or the other of us.

So while I'm waiting and hoping that all candidates do pledge - here's what I said

Tory "Change" hype exposed

When David Cameron and his nasty party say they'll give power to the people beware. What they mean is they'll leave you alone to take the actions you know you need.

That's well and good.... BUT what if sometimes you don't know? What if you need advice? What if one day you need some-one to turn to?

Giving power to people assumes everyone has the power to solve all their own problems themselves. Labour knows that has never been true and never will be. Labour wants a future fair for all, not just the powerful.

What the Tory promise means is that people will be abandoned to their own fate.

Don't be conned by the Tory "Change" mantra. Wise warnings such as "Don't buy a pig in a poke" or  "The grass isn't always greener over the hill" remind us to look closely at what it is we might be giving up without really knowing what we're getting.