Labour Broadheath

Denise was out on the streets of Broadheath over the weekend and it felt great to have the campaign up and running. The response was far better than she could have hoped for and it seems that plenty of local residents are very, very unhappy about the way the Tories are handling the NHS. This has meant that a lot of the people who earlier in the year were unsure which they would vote now declaring their support for Labour. 

The NHS clearly isn’t safe in the hands of the Tories and the thing we heard most about was the fact they felt Cameron had broken his pledge not to re-organise the NHS, which he made before the general election in May 2010. Sadly, there was also a number of residents who complained about issues which we raised with the council during last year’s campaign and which still haven’t been dealt with. 

One of the ironies about politics is that we end up using phrases like “successful afternoon” and “great response” when what this actually means is that there are too many people unhappy with the way they’re being treated by their local Tory council and the Government. If the Tories were doing the job right we’d be saying what a terrible time we were having. 

It was good to see denise engaging with the local residents and listening to the local issues that needed to be dealt with. She’s not yet been elected but she’s already got plenty of casework to be getting on with. This was just the beginning but it was good to be back…

Andrew Leask and his team fought a tremendous campaign last year and, despite being an outsider at the start of the campaign, he very nearly won with a swing of 110%. Sadly a new job, which involves him travelling,  means that he can longer represent Labour in Broadheath. However, we have a brilliant replacement in Denise Western. She’s lived in Broadheath since 1984 and her family has grown up here. In fact Andrew, her son, is also a Labour councillor in Priory ward. She knows the ward inside out and will be a fantastic candidate. 

AMAZING

It may seem odd to use the word “amazing” having lost an election. What we’ve achieved in Broadheath, however, is amazing. When we set out in early February, we were told we had no hope of winning. Well, we came within a whisker of defeating the Tory mayor. In just over 3 months our vibrant campaign team has reduced a majority  over 800 to just 122. We’ve added nearly 1000 votes to our usual total, and we achieved the biggest turnout in Trafford.

But this blog isn’t being written to boast about how big or clever the campaign team has been. It’s being written to show what can be done when politicians treat the people they seek to serve with respect. Councillors should earn the right to serve. They are directly responsible for the welfare of the local residents. It’s councillors that shape decisions taken at the town hall. And those decisions affect what kind of roads you drive on, what kind of services are provided for the young and elderly, and what kind of community we live in.

This not something that should be taken lightly. It’s a huge responsibility, and it’s hard work. A councillor should be prepared to make personal sacrifices. A councillor should be placing their duty to their ward high up in their priorities. A councillor is elected to serve the people , and that should never be forgotten.

We spoke to over 3500 people during our campaign (that’s nearly a 1000 per month). We often heard that people didn’t trust politicians. The mantra of “they’re all the same” was too often repeated for it to be ignored. But we’ve demonstrated that this view can be changed. And it can be changed very simply. It can be changed simply by doing the job better.

People don’t trust politicians because, too often, they’ve been let down. We’ve lost count of the number of times that the people of Broadheath told us that they’d never seen or heard from any local councillors. Many of them hadn’t been visited by the other parties, and a significant number of residents felt neglected.

It’s just not good enough. Politics shouldn’t be an exercise in getting this or that party elected. Politics shouldn’t be an exercise in ego for the candidate. Politics shouldn’t be about empty promises.

Politics is about serving. It’s about providing the day to day services for a succesful society. It’s about the people. A councillor who abandons large areas of a ward doesn’t deserve to be respected. A councillor who does nothing, until forced into action, doesn’t deserve to be elected.

We’ve shown that, by listening and caring for what’s important to the all residents of Broadheath, people actually are interested in politics. They do understand that better services are relevant to their lives. They do care about their neighbours and they do care about their local community.

And so yes, we can use the word amazing. We didn’t win this time, but we did prove that if you care, that if you work hard and that if you respect people, they will work with you to achieve a better world.

We didn’t win this time. But we’re already back at work, and next time we will.

THE SPIRIT OF LABOUR

The local elections are finally here, and last weekend was our final big campaign session before May 5th. We’d been working hard all weekend. Blisters were beginning to appear, and we were all in need of more tea. Just as we were heading towards the end of the day, a woman, who was emptying the car with her husband and young family, dashed across the street. “We’ve just got back off holiday. Can we have a poster?” she asked. We gladly handed one to her, and 5 minutes later it was up in the bedroom window. One of our volunteers turned to Andrew and said “I love the spirit of Labour”.

This campaign has been full of moments such as this, and one of the main themes to emerge is that of “caring”. Firstly, it’s been interesting to note quite how many people have simply been grateful that anyone has bothered to knock on their door. Having visited every house in the ward (we’ve spoken to over 3500 people), we’ve got a fair idea of how local residents feel, and many of you have felt neglected.

Secondly, it’s been very inspiring to have so many people be so supportive of what Andrew is trying to achieve, after he’s explained what it is he believes in. There’s nothing too fancy. There are no outrageous promises that Andrew can’t fulfil. He just has simple, straightforward ideas based around common sense and caring for people. He cares that people have Sure Start centres, he cares that teenagers have something to do and he cares that your money is spent carefully and wisely.

 This campaign has shown the spirit of Labour, and the spirit of the Broadheath people. We’re proud of our little part of the world, we’re a caring people and we simply want Broadheath to be a great place to raise our children, to care for our elderly and to provide an environment that is good to live and work in. If this is what you want too, please vote for Andrew Leask on May 5th.

 To read more about Andrew’s policies click here.  

PLEASE VOTE!

We’ve visited every house in the ward, at least once, and have had some fantastic promises of support. It’s now neck and neck and so it’s vital that you get out and vote…Please see the information at the top of the page to find out where to vote…

BROADHEATH IN THE NEWS

Pat Williams, who provides us with the lovely biscuits and tea before we go out campaigning, is featured in the Messenger today. Click here to view cos Pat is ace!!