Open letter to the people of Shrewsbury & Atcham

Dear Resident

I am writing to you personally to introduce myself as your Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Shrewsbury & Atcham.

I am proud to have been born in Shrewsbury, I was educated in the town and I have been lucky enough to have always worked in Shrewsbury. However each day hundreds of residents have to travel out of Shrewsbury to find work at an acceptable salary, because of the lack of jobs in our area.

Hundreds more of our young people have to travel to access higher education services because of the lack of university provision in Shrewsbury.

In my opinion it is the duty of an MP to vigorously promote their constituent’s interests in these areas. Only by fighting for a high skill, high wage economy can we produce the local employment and education opportunities that local residents deserve.

Voters of Shrewsbury at the next General Election have a very difficult decision to make. National issues hog the news but a local MP has very little real power to influence them.

Local issues however, are where the right choice of MP can make a difference to your family’s prosperity. If you want a person to fight for you and who will put Shrewsbury first by trying to get better paid jobs in Shrewsbury, it is vital to elect the right MP.

You cannot afford an MP who is not 100% committed to these aims.

You do not have a choice if you do not vote. To help make sure that your voice is heard;  I enclose a postal vote application form for your convenience.

Yours sincerely

Jon Tandy

Printed promoted and published by Liz Parsons, on behalf of Jon Tandy, both of The Morris Hall, Bellstone, Shrewsbury SY1 1JB

Shrewsbury Lib Dems-Parliamentary History

Local residents with an interest in the political history of Shrewsbury may be interested to know the last Liberal MP to be elected here was called Joseph Sunlight. His term of office only lasted around 10 months, from December 1923 until October 1924. He is best remembered for introducing a Private Member’s Bill on the standardisation of bricks.

Of far more relevance to us in Shrewsbury & Atcham, is to analyse the Lib Dem’s performance in recent local General Elections, and see what trends are revealed. Since 1979 the highest vote the Lib Dems have managed was in 1987 when they polled a total of 16,963 votes. It is worth noting during the same period that the lowest vote recorded by the Tories was 18,674, in 2001. Thus the Lib Dems in Shrewsbury & Atcham have since 1979 been unable to acheive a vote even remotely close to the Tories lowest total vote!

By contrast in 2001 the Labour vote totalled 22,253 as they beat the Tories for the second time and won the seat.

The next time a Lib Dem tells you they are the only party who can beat the Tories in Shrewsbury, ask them to explain exactly how that claim stacks up against the actual votes cast in actual elections here.

You Can Never Trust a Lib Dem

The local Lib Dems will say anything to win an election.

Every General Election the Lib Dems try and mislead the voters of Shrewsbury & Atcham by claiming that it is a two horse race and only they can beat the Tories here. Yet each election their claims are shown to be utterly false. They have never won this seat in modern times, their last victory was in 1923

The last three General Election results show Labour have polled the most votes in Shrewsbury & Atcham-Shrewsbury is not a Tory Town despite what others might say

Only Labour have ever beaten the Tories here. Yet each election the Lib Dems wheel out the same tired old claims-look at what they claimed in the last 3 General Elections and compare these to the actual results.

1997

Lib Dems Claims Vs Actual Results

• Labour WIN Lib   Dems third • Labour  won Shrewsbury for the first time ever

• Labour saved Shrewsbury from the disgraced Tory MP Derek Conway, the father of the MP’s expenses scandal

2001

Lib Dems Claims Vs Actual Results

•Labour WIN Lib Dems third

• Labour increased their majority

and polled over 22,000 votes• Lib Dem vote collapsed to just above 6,000, showing how wrong their claims were

2005

Lib Dems Claims Vs Actual Results

Otis Ferry and Fox Hunting

FOX HUNTING

I received the following question on my Facebook page recently from Otis Ferry, and my reply is as shown below.

Dear Jon
i am a shrewsbury and atcham constituent, and i wanted to know what your position was and if you supported game shooting.
i have already noted you are supporting back the ban, which is an anti hunting group. are you jumping on the labour party line, or do you have a personal reason for supporting this cause?
could you please let me know where you stand?. i look forward to hearing from you
many thanks
yours Otis Ferry

Dear Otis

Thank you very much for your message and I am pleased to answer your question as follows.

Game shooting differs from hunting with dogs in that it does not involve anything like the level of suffering caused to a hunted fox. It does not generally involve the destruction of a wild animal in that the majority of shot lowland game birds have been specifically raised for that purpose. Game shooting is an important rural business enterprise, however there are certain issues with it. The spectacle of almost tame hand reared birds being released, or stories of certain large shoots ploughing shot birds into the ground because there is no market for them for human consumption, worries me. If somebody could do something about getting more shot pheasants into the food chain they would be doing the countryside a great service.

In my opinion at this moment in time there is little case to justify any prohibition of game shooting, so long as shoots are properly run, there are far more important matters to occupy the attention of Parliament.

However, you are quite correct that that I fully support the Back the Ban campaign that seeks to retain the Hunting Act 2004 as law. I am completely opposed to passing legislation allowing specifically foxes to be ripped apart at the teeth of hounds. There are alternative measures for control of foxes as farming pests, such as shooting. I would like to remind you that cock fighting and bull baiting were banned in 1835. I feel it would be a totally backward step to again permit hunting with dogs when as a nation we have a long tradition of caring for and treating animals with respect.

Furthermore in my view it is a complete waste of Parliamentary time to repeal the law on  hunting when there so many other important issues for the country to deal with.

Recent polling by Ipsos-MORI shows that 75% of the public support the ban on fox hunting, 84% support the ban on stag hunting, and 85% on hare hunting and hare coursing. I am proud to be amongst that significant majority.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Jon Tandy

Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Shrewsbury & Atcham

round up of todays queen’s speech

Without waiting to hear what might be in it, Nick Clegg has already told us that it should be cancelled and David Cameron that it will be shamelessly electioneering. Tory Lords told us that they would stop new legislation in its tracks, as if they already had a mandate from the people and didn’t need a General Election.

By contrast, the Queen’s speech set out what Labour will do – action for growth, jobs and restraints on unjustified city bonuses, legislative targets for high standards in education, health and Still committed to eliminating child poverty by 2020.establishment of the beginnings of a National Care Service for elderly and disabled, starting with free social care in the home for those most in need.

These are the measures that this country needs and that the Tories will oppose. Any party which aspires to govern for the whole people and especially one which now represents itself as compassionate and caring, should be finding areas of agreement with Labour in all these areas. But they won’t. Their opposition reveals their real intentions.

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