Support the Lib Dems on June 4th

A few weeks ago a letter appeared in the local newspapers from Sara Box, one of the English Democrat European candidates, advocating her desire to create an English Parliament.

She is absolutely right in referring to some of the great things that have happened in Scotland over the years which include the abolition of student tuition fees and free personal care for the elderly.

These achievements are not necessarily the result of Scotland having its own Parliament though. Instead, they are a result of Lib Dems being in coalition government – introducing a much fairer society for the Scottish people.

I do not believe that creating an English Parliament, as she does, is going to address some of the key problems that our country faces. The English Democrat idea of creating another layer of government will just result in another set of elections with low turnout and huge amounts of voter apathy.

Instead, what we need is strong and effective local government – where local people feel inspired and enthused to get involved with the democratic process. If we can’t get people to vote in local elections (the layer of government closest to the people) then what benefit will an English Parliament have?

The best thing Sara and the English Democrats can do is support the campaign to create an independent Town Council in Midsomer Norton – as does my party!

The Liberal Democrats have a strong track record of supporting local people in their communities. The South West Lib Dem MEP Graham Watson has worked extremely hard since he was first elected in 1994 for a better, and fairer, deal for the South West.

Instead of supporting a party that wants to create more bureaucracy, residents can vote Lib Dem on June 4th - a party that believes in putting people before politics.