The Labour Party traditionally doesn't get much of a look in around these parts. I recently received a postcard from the playwright and local resident Alan Bennett in support of my campaign. He quoted the saying in his village that the Tory Party could field a sheep as their candidate and it would still get elected. My in-laws think it’s a lost cause and that I’m insane to take it on. Perhaps they've inadvertently hit the nail on the head. If the cause has been lost, then surely it just needs someone to find it, or at least to remind people what it looked like in the first place.
That's why I'm starting with a box, beautifully crafted by my former woodwork teacher from South Craven school. It fits neatly in a bike trailer and folds out to become a vision from the past, a bunting bestrewed billboard, a message to and from local people. Yes I've painted it red and yes it has a Labour sticker on it. It's not as bad as you might think. The Labour movement began as a quest for a better life for everyday working people. At its roots and at its best, that's still what the party stands for today. You can dislike Gordon Brown, disagree with Ed Balls, or disapprove of Ed Miliband's method of eating bacon sandwiches, but the basic principle of fighting for a fairer world is bigger than all those things.
I sincerely believe that the good people of Skipton & Ripon would rather have a dynamic and compassionate candidate than a sheep for an MP. I want to get on my bike and ride around the constituency with a billboard in a box because I believe politics should be about passion and conviction. These are difficult times and injustice and unfairness can be seen on many a corner. People shrug and think it’s somehow inevitable. It’s not.
The Labour Party is not perfect but it’s asking the right questions and it does have a plan and a vision for a fairer society. This is what I believe in and it’s why I’m getting on my bike.
#ride4fairness
That's why I'm starting with a box, beautifully crafted by my former woodwork teacher from South Craven school. It fits neatly in a bike trailer and folds out to become a vision from the past, a bunting bestrewed billboard, a message to and from local people. Yes I've painted it red and yes it has a Labour sticker on it. It's not as bad as you might think. The Labour movement began as a quest for a better life for everyday working people. At its roots and at its best, that's still what the party stands for today. You can dislike Gordon Brown, disagree with Ed Balls, or disapprove of Ed Miliband's method of eating bacon sandwiches, but the basic principle of fighting for a fairer world is bigger than all those things.
I sincerely believe that the good people of Skipton & Ripon would rather have a dynamic and compassionate candidate than a sheep for an MP. I want to get on my bike and ride around the constituency with a billboard in a box because I believe politics should be about passion and conviction. These are difficult times and injustice and unfairness can be seen on many a corner. People shrug and think it’s somehow inevitable. It’s not.
The Labour Party is not perfect but it’s asking the right questions and it does have a plan and a vision for a fairer society. This is what I believe in and it’s why I’m getting on my bike.
#ride4fairness