Due to our summer holiday, I will vote by post for the first time, my ballot arrived last week and I will vote today.
I am considered an independent, i am not affiliated to any political party, that not to say I have opinions as outlined in this blog.
What are the crucial issues that will make me decide?
First and foremost, I want government to be effective and has the ability to govern with clear priorities.
Secondly, it must believe in security, both in terms of economic and national security.
Thirdly, strong on social policy, this includes housing and taking action care of those in our society that need help and a NHS that can ensure good health care, removing the fear of illness. Tackling the five evils - Disease, Idleness, Ignorance, Squalor and Want.
It is hard to understand how dire our country has become.
The last 5 years has been extraordinary, 3 Prime Ministers and countless changes of ministers, a parliament riven by scandal, the calls for root and branch reform of government most be central to the next parliament.
The Conservative party are unable to govern, as they are hopelessly split, between the populist right and the old tories, sadly their campaign reminds me of Labour's 1983 campaign, but even Labour didn't have a betting scandal.
In terms of values, I am reminded of East Hill. This was a field that the Conservative Mendip District Council had applied to the government for building not in the Local Plan.
Having lost the 2019 District Council Elections, the Lib Dems were the largest party with the Conservatives and Greens level pegging, with the 4 Independents holding the balance, but with defections the Lib Dems became the majority party.
East Hill, a piece of scrub land by the Asda superstore in Frome, was considered for 70 social housing units, to be fair to the Lib Dems, they had made social housing a priority.
I was a strong supporter of this policy, I was critical that no sites in Shepton were identified. I had worked with the housing officer to identify several sites, sadly to this day no social housing units were built in Shepton. NO SOCIAL HOUSING has been built in Shepton Mallet in 8 years.
Needless to say, this proposal caused a lot of opposition, very few housing developments get public support.
The Greens who delightfully point in opposite directions at the same time, do not believe in develop but want to provide social housing, this folly ruthlessly exposed under the sunlight of East Hill, the people of our area need decent affordable rented homes, but the Greens opposition on principle was telling. As a footnote, one Green councillor said we could build social housing on our car parks, NIMBY comment, but yes, I could see social housing on council land.
The Conservatives were also against the East Hill proposal, it would appear their objections was that this land would be better privately developed, for homes locals could not afford. Amazing to see them contorting, claiming they would use profits to build social housing, interestingly they couldn't say where. They were opposed.
All this opposition from the Greens and Conservatives who principles collided like an eclipse, would have meant nothing if the ruling Lib Dems group stood firm, as the two independents were very supportive, Sadly, they scattered like mice under the pressure of few strong willed local residents. There were notable exceptions Simon Carswell and Barry O Leary who argued for the scheme, however the Lib Dem councillors pulled this rug from beneath their leader.
No homes were built on East Hill and those 70 families have not got their homes.
The moral of this tale is how conservative the Greens and the Tories are, the Lib Dems collectively really does not believe in much. Tuition fees, selling the NHS down the river with the Health and Social Care Act and actually selling off the Post Office prove the Lib Dems will fold for power, but power is for using not appeasing. In my constituency the Lib Dem candidate was a part of the coalition government, so their only claim its them or the Tories rings hollow, Trust in politics has gone, the Lib Dems had their chance to prove a tactical vote could achieve change, they do not believe what I believe, so I cannot vote for them.
This election is not a rerun of 1997, people are fed up today, trust in politics is at a new low, nothing seems to change.
It's hard to remember a time without government deflationary policies, shrinking the state and reforming public services into submission.
Under the coalition government and conservative governments we have seen our national debt spiral, we were told that the credit card was maxed out, this the pretext to slash our public services, the failure to invest in our country has left us all poorer.
In the adjoining constituency Hinkley Point nuclear power station is being built, our government seemingly does not like state intervention in the economy, yet we have the daft situation of Chinese state money funding a French state company are building the facility and we will fund both countries through their profits.
The absolute disaster that is Brexit, was borne from Conservative malfunction, people were lied too, but people wanted simple solutions to complex problems, we have replaced European migration for African migration, yet migration has increased, but we have lost friction free trade and all of these benefits, as a result our economic growth has disappeared.
We need change, but change will take time, there is no magic solution, we have to increase productivity, this will need investment in the economy, changing how industry is getting funded and investing in people, creating wealth is hard, but we have to create wealth to invest in decent public services and protect the weakest in our society, for me only Labour will do this.
I hope that those people who want change will vote for it, The only way change will happen, no election is won before polling day, the only vote that matters is yours, use it for change, Britain needs change and that change is Labour
