I am today announcing that I have submitted my name for consideration to be the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for the Hitchin & Harpenden constituency. That application was accepted (along with three others) and there will now be an internal selection process decided later this month (March 2018). It is not my intention to stand for election for the experience, or for something to do or even just for the sake of it, no, it is my intention to be the next Member of Parliament for Hitchin & Harpenden. We do not know when the next general election will be, it could be this year, it could be in May 2022, but whenever it takes place it is my intention to fight it and win it.
The question I was asked by Hertfordshire CC Labour Leader Judi Billing a few weeks ago (regarding standing for local elections) was ‘Why do you want to do this!?’ I thought it was a fair question and I will endeavour to answer that now. I’m afraid its a rather long story but do please bear with me and also I am answering the question from both a national and local perspective.
In June 2016 something happened which not only changed my life, it changed Great Britain, in the former case for the better in the latter case, for the worse. For me Brexit was the final straw, I could no longer sit on the sidelines, sending grumpy tweets to @NHDCLibDems, shouting at the TV when question time was on and setting the world to rights in the pub was no longer enough.
I had to stand up and do something about it, so I did the only logical thing – I joined the Liberal Democrats.
I have voted Lib Dem since the mock elections my secondary school held in the 1990’s (we didn’t win) and just over a decade ago I almost joined the party over a local issue, but never did. Indeed my grandmother was a keen supporter of the Lib Dems since it transitioned into being from the SDP-Liberal Alliance. I grew up with a Lib Dem diamond in the window of my parents house!
While I have long liked and argued for the policies of the party, I felt that in 2015 it had let its head drop. The exciting, logical and forward looking party of 2010 seemed to have got lost after the election of 2015. I felt that nationally the party had sort of given up, in many areas it was simply going through the motions. I was vocal about it, I hated it, I felt I had been abandoned by the only party which represented my values. Then came the referendum.
The prospect of leaving the EU was too much to bear, I could not sit on the sidelines any more, I had to step up and do something. I felt that perhaps I could offer something to the party, after all the last time the Hitchin & Harpenden Lib Dems have fielded a candidate who lived in the constituency was in 2005, since then our candidates have come from Welwyn, Hackney and er, Belgium. I felt that my background in both the media and oddly the motor racing industry could be useful, and indeed both have proven to be so.
But why do I want to stand for election? Why do I want to be the next MP for the constituency where I live & the councillor for Hitchin Highbury ward? I have felt for a very long time that we are extremely poorly represented by our elected representatives (with a few exceptions) at both a local and national level. Peter Lilley seemed more interested in far flung oil fields and leaving the European Union than he did in people locally, while Bim Afolami has spent £2,000 of taxpayers money on membership of the Hard-Brexit lobby group the ERG. I simply think that I can do a lot better. I actually care about this area and that is something I feel has been lacking for a long time in the elected Conservatives round here. The brown bin tax, Churchgate and the town hall / museum farce display to me that those who are elected to do the best for our community are either unwilling or incapable of doing so.
I had hoped to change that last year, but missed out on being selected for the snap election. While the selection was not open to the full membership like it is now, I learned a lot from that process and the subsequent campaign. I realised that what we need is a candidate willing to fight constantly on local issues, one who listens to constituents and acts on their concerns, you know – like our MP is meant to.
This is not just a set of empty words. I am already putting them into practice as the candidate for Hitchin Highbury ward in the local elections. I stood for Hitchin North in last May’s County Council elections and doubled the Lib Dem vote in that division, and now I’m fighting to win the Hitchin Higbury ward at district level. From the moment I joined the party it was my intention to fight, and win, elections, and I will not stop until we win. Then the real work starts! Fighting these elections has taught me that not only can we beat the Tories, but that we can combine our traditional campaigning methods and techniques with skilful and innovative use of social media.
My background in the motor racing industry has given me the understanding that hard work, innovation, and a willingness to learn from those with experience can deliver unexpected successes. I want to bring that attitude to the whole parliamentary constituency. If I am selected as the Parliamentary candidate for this constituency, I will be working at grassroots level to really understand the needs of local communities. Armed with this knowledge, I will fight to represent the views of local people at national level and be the powerful voice for change that is needed.
For me being selected as the Parliamentary Candidate is not a step on a political career, it is not about putting on a good show at election time, it is about trying to win, not just the parliamentary seat but also local wards and divisions. I want to be the most accessible, most responsive MP possible.
While winning in Hitchin & Harpenden may look like an impossible dream, I believe that together, with a lot of hard work we can achieve the unexpected. So please if you have the opportunity please vote for me to be the next Lib Dem candidate for Hitchin & Harpenden, the next Councillor for Hitchin Highbury and ultimately the next MP for this constituency. Together I believe we can achieve the unexpected!
#VoteSam
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