The main political parties have picked the candidates they hope will be MP for Hertford and Stortford after the next General Election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated he expects to go to the country “in the second half” of this year. The latest date for a poll is January 28, 2025.
In the meantime, the Indie has invited the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green Party and Reform UK hopefuls to introduce themselves to our readers before the campaign proper begins. Over the coming months, with a column every two or three weeks, they will be trying to connect with the electorate.
Our brief to all five was “not to parrot your party’s national position, but take the opportunity to tell our readers – your voters – about your personal principles” and talk about local, national and international issues. We also included a caution not to ignore “the elephant in the room”, and to address controversies affecting their party openly and honestly.
Dr John Burmicz, prospective parliamentary candidate for Reform UK and a former mayor of Sawbridgeworth, writes...
”Vox Populi, Vox Dei. Ignore the voting public at your peril. These are wise words for anyone involved in any political sphere, locally or nationally.
“I threw in my Conservative Party membership as I did not recognise the Tory party any more.
“Any politician’s duty is to enhance the welfare of this country, not to run it down, and keep our nation and our local communities safe from those who would do us harm.
“When I joined Reform, I was of the impression that most people were disaffected Tories. I was wrong. There are all manner of people in our party who just want a better deal for the United Kingdom and who feel that nobody is listening to what they have to say; people feel disenfranchised.
“This seems to be the case as much locally as it is nationally. Here in Sawbridgeworth, we have badly placed housing developments, no attention to infrastructure, damaged road surfaces and commercial developments that are going to produce headaches for local residents. Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and Ware are sadly in no better standing.
“Residents have to feel good in themselves in order to achieve prosperity. People have to take home more of what they earn, be able to buy somewhere to live, feel comfortable about their future and feel that their children have a future. Local businesses also need to be better supported.
“This is apart from national considerations such as the security of our borders and the dramatic demise of our defence capabilities.
“People fought and died so that we, on this island, could be free of oppression and have a future.
“My father’s generation in the Polish arm of the RAF called this the ‘island of last hope’. We must all have hope; Reform can provide us with the tools to turn hope into reality.”