Wycombe Liberal Democrats

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During the recent District Council campaign, you may have received literature from Wycombe Labour which tried to portray the Liberal Democrats as a small and insignificant force in our area. They called us ‘paper tigers’.

Now that the votes have been counted, we can set the record straight! In the recent election, at total of 17,370 votes were cast for our candidates, compared with only 13,618 votes for Labour candidates. Even if you take into account the fact that we fielded more candidates than Labour, the number of votes cast per candidate still averages out higher for the Lib Dems.

The Liberal Democrats are the party on the march in High Wycombe, while Wycombe Labour are in retreat!

The Liberal Democrats have bucked the trend of Tory advances by taking three seats from them in Wycombe District, while Labour have lost four seats.

In Ryemead, Trevor Snaith and Ray Farmer have won Ryemead with a massive swing from Tory to Liberal Democrats (the defeated Tories chose not to stand on the platform while the result was announced!). This is a testament to the hard work Trevor and Ray have been doing.

In Bourne End, existing Lib Dem councillor, Brian Pollock now has a Lib Dem colleague Simon Fowke. Brian has an excellent reputation in Bourne End, and with Simon’s help will now be able to do even more.

On sad note is that long serving Marlow Councillor Maurice Oram has lost his District Council seat, although he retains his seat on Marlow Town Council.

You can be sure that all of the new Lib Dem team will be working hard to deliver for the people of Wycombe. A big thank you to everyone who voted Lib Dem, and to everyone who worked so hard on the campaign.

Visiting Watford today Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell accused both Labour and the Conservatives of favouring passing fashion over principle. He will urge those wanting a party of principle to vote Liberal Democrat on 3^rd May.

Menzies Campbell will meet with local police officers in Watford to discuss initiatives by the Liberal Democrat-run council to fight crime and anti-social behaviour.

Commenting on the 10 years of the Blair-Brown government Menzies Campbell said:

“People feel more disillusioned than ever about politics. They wonder what happened to the party that promised that politics would change for good.

“And they feel an acute sense of frustration over all the opportunities that the Blair-Brown government has wasted and all the hard-earned taxes it has squandered.

“Ten years of chasing headlines means that many of the real problems that we face have got worse.”

Focusing on crime and the environment, the key themes that the Liberal Democrats have been campaigning on in this election campaign, Menzies Campbell said:

“Labour has presided over a failing criminal justice system. Less than one in 100 crimes are now punished in court, violent crime has risen, and reoffending rates are now at record levels. Because it preferred to talk tough rather than act smart, our prison system has simply become a vastly expensive merry-go-round for criminals.

“Mr Cameron is not prepared to speak plainly about what needs to be done either. But I am.

“We need a new approach to crime. We need to make prison work by rehabilitating prisoners and cutting reoffending. We need more police on the streets. We need to take back our town centres by allowing communities to close the pubs and clubs that cause trouble. We need compulsory work and training to give prisoners the skills and opportunities that make reoffending less likely. We need a Victim Compensation Fund, paid for by prison work. And, to increase public faith in the system, we need honesty in sentencing: sentences should mean what they say.

“In place of tough talk and rising crime, our approach offers real solutions that will protect the public.

“On the environment, Labour’s record is wanting too. Green taxes have fallen since 1997. And transport emissions have risen. So has energy consumption, waste production and the cost of public transport.

“When Britain most needed a green chancellor, Tony Blair gave them a Brown one. The Chancellor’s record on tackling climate change is one of inaction and delay. He could have raised green taxes but he chose not to.”

Menzies Campbell declared that the only way to restore faith in politics was to follow principles not fashion. He said:

“For us concern for the environment is not a passing fashion but a central and longstanding principle.

“That is what our politics is about. An adherence to principles even when the prevailing fashion is ranged against them. That’s why we voted against the Iraq war when the fashion in Parliament and the media was to be for it.

“It’s why nearly two decades ago we adopted radical policy proposals to cut emissions and curb climate change. We didn’t need to wait for a focus group to tell us what to do. The other parties may favour fashion over principle. But we won’t.”

Terriers and Amersham Hill is being fought by former mayor Frances Alexander and environmental campaigner Sam Clements. Follow the link below if you would like to read one of their leaflets:

terriers.pdf

Robert Perkins is our candidate in Booker and Cressex. Follow the link below if you would like to see one of his leaflets:

booker.pdf