A Manifesto for Copeland

At 2pm this afternoon there is an "Open Primary" at Calderbridge Village hall to choose the next Conservative parliamentary candidate for Copeland.

The four possible candidates are Simon Baker, Thelma Matuk, Judith Pattinson, and myself.

So here are a few words about myself, my policies, and why I believe I would be a good candidate to fight the enlarged seat.

I lives and work in the Copeland constituency. My family use local schools, roads, and hospital services.

I fought Copeland at the 2005 general election. Both before and since that election I have campaigned for better services in the new Copeland constituency, taking up issues including NHS services, roads, and the TV digital switchover.

I have campaigned to protect local hospital services, including West Cumberland Hospital, Millom Community Hospital, and Mary Hewetson Cottage Hospital in Keswick. My contributions to the "Save Our Services" campaign to protect all our local hospitals, and the "Don't Move our Mums" campaign to stop maternity services being moved from West Cumbria to Carlisle, have been praised by the local press.

Parliamentary candidates of all parties promised at the last election to oppose the downgrading of the A595, but I was the only one who actually gave evidence at the public inquiry.

My policies for Copeland include the following.

● We must fight, fight and fight again for our local hospital services, not just to keep the three hospitals with the services they have today but to bring back the services we have lost.

● Britain needs a balanced energy policy in which a new generation of nuclear power plants has a role, and one of these plants should be in Copeland.

● However, we also need to diversify the local economy, with particular emphasis on the information-based industries of the future. To achieve this we must heavily invest in improved local skills. The new University campus at Westlakes, the new Academy, and our other schools all need support from our MP and the government.

● Copeland’s MP, Councils, and the government must work together to give more support to local business throughout the constituency.

● Where Labour has downgraded our local roads and transport links, a Conservative government must improve them.

● West Cumbria needs a government which understands and supports the countryside, instead of one which has caused havoc to rural interests with politically correct interference and incompetence, and cannot even give farmers the EU’s Single Farm Payment money on time.

● Selling off the radio spectrum after the Digital TV switchover will make hundreds of millions for the treasury. Most of Copeland is included in the first TV area to go through this and we are not getting our fair share of the money the government will make. The support scheme to help the elderly cope with Digital Switchover should be more widely available.

If selected, I will work tirelessly for a better life for residents over the whole of the enlarged Copeland constituency.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Congratulations on your selection. I got the good news from Iain Dale's blog.
Anonymous said…
For a local debate on the Digital switch maybe you would like to contribute to the forum at www.digitaltvcumbria.info
Chris Whiteside said…
Bel, thanks for your kind words.

Anonymous - thanks, I will certainly have a look at that site.

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