Sidmouth Herald report Claire Wright election manifesto launch

Today's Sidmouth Herald website reports -

Independent launches election manifesto

06:22 30 January 2015

David Beasley

Claire Wright launched her manifesto this week. Ref exe 6326-05-15SH. Photo Simon Horn

Archant

Independent parliamentary hopeful Claire Wright revealed this week the policies she hopes will see her voted in as East Devon’s MP in May.

 

Dozens of people gathered at the Exmouth Rugby Club this week as Claire Wright launched her manifesto. Ref exe 6278-05-15SH. Photo Simon Horn

 

At her manifesto launch in Exmouth, she insisted that she would fight against cuts to youth and health services, bus routes, lollipop patrols and residential homes.

Councillor Wright, who currently sits on the district and county councils, called for laws compelling house builders to redevelop ‘brownfield’ sites instead of the greenbelt.

In front of 100 people, she was quizzed on her policies, acknowledging that there was ‘no bottomless pit’ of cash and added: “I feel that they [the Coalition Government] are spending money on the wrong things, and that needs to be changed.”

Responding to concerns over the closure of hospital beds in Ottery St Mary and Budleigh Salterton hospitals, she said: “They say it will save money, but that isn’t the case.

“[At County Hall] We interviewed a GP…and it was revealed that the decision made at [their local hospital] at best would be cost neutral. All it will do is put more pressure on the carers in homes.”
Cllr Wright railed against proposed county cuts to bus services that would leave some ‘isolated communities’ cut off. She said: “If it wasn’t for central government those cuts would not have to be made.

“I’m certainly opposed to those cuts - we need more investment in local rail services.

“They spent £3billion on reorganising the health service. The Health and Social Care Act has been nothing but damaging, privatisation through the back door.”

She branded police and crime commissioners ‘a waste of money’ and added: “Tax breaks for big businesses, why are we doing that? What about helping our local independent businesses which are struggling?”

Mrs Wright painted a picture of a ‘bulldozer-like’ East Devon District Council (EDDC) which didn’t listen to other views.

She responded to Tory plans to stop the subsidy of wind farms and said: “Many are concerned about the landscape impact of wind and solar farms, I understand that.

“Rather than having speculative planning applications coming in - solar farms in particular, which can be very visually intrusive - what we need to do is sit down at the beginning of the Local Plan and work out where those solar farms or wind farms might be best located to minimise the impact on the land. That would hopefully prevent them coming forward speculatively and sporadically.”

Mrs Wright called for more councillors of other political parties to stand at this May’s town and district council elections, adding: “We have a Conservative crime commissioner, a Conservative MP and every council locally is Conservative.”

“The county council...tends to be, fairly progressive, but the district council is...a dinosaur. It has always had a large Conservative majority...getting things through is quite difficult because they block vote, and that can’t be good for democracy.

“People are tired of the old political parties, and May 7 has to be about getting a better balance on EDDC, and [a greater number of] other councillors, especially independents, because they don’t have to toe a party line and can vote with their consciences.”

Watch Claire Wright's election manifesto launch

Watch - A New Voice For East Devon

Claire Wright - East Devon's next MP

On Tuesday 27 January Claire Wright http://www.claire-wright.org/ launched her election manifesto for her bid to become East Devon’s next MP on 7 June.

You can watch Claire Wright’s manifesto launch speech –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRXc6SogpnM

You can read Claire Wright’s manifesto launch speech –

http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/27.1.15ClaireWrightSpeech.doc.

You can read Claire Wright’s manifesto –

http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/CWrightJanFeb2015Leaflet.pdf

It’s time for a change – its Claire Wright’s time!

Betting odds shorten on Claire Wright becoming next East Devon MP

Zorro is not someone who normally has a flutter at the bookies. At best it is a few quid on long odds horses at the Grand National, or maybe the odd team in the World Cup. Certainly Zorro has never previous placed a bet on a general election outcome.

But this coming general election, and in particular the battle for the East Devon seat did grab Zorro’s interest some months ago. With Mrs Zorro’s support a bet was placed at Ladbrokes that Claire Wright http://www.claire-wright.org/ would win. At the time we were pleased to receive the odds that we did but felt that they undervalued the reality of the local political scene.

Many of you will recall that when Claire Wright last summer announced her intention to stand for parliament Ladbrokes gave her odds of 66/1. Since then we have seen Ladbrokes give Claire Wright odds of 33/1, then 25/1 and excitingly 12/1. Now immediately after she launched her election manifesto the odds have shortened again down to 10/1!

Zorro is not an efficienado of the betting world but nonetheless 10/1 still seems a remarkably good set of odds. As we edge closer to election day we are bound to see the odds for Claire Wright shorten. So, if you are thinking about having a flutter on her get tour money on sooner than later as the odds must surely come down. Interestingly odds on Hugo Swire have lengthed!

Hat tip to East Devon Watch http://eastdevonwatch.org/ for this brief guide to placing an on line bet with Ladbrokes –

“Should you fancy a bet (but, of course, bet responsibly and be over 18) Ladbrokes Online do not make it easy to place one!

First you need to go to the A-Z of betting headings and choose Politics, then General Election and then General Election Constituencies. At this point they make it even harder: in the A-Z of constituencies our district comes under D for Devon East and not E for East Devon!”

Ladbrokes certainly don’t make it easy to place a non sporting online bet! If you have local Labrokes betting office it may be easier just to pop in to place a bet.

99 days to go!

There are just...


days left until the General Election

Claire Wright's manifesto launch

Launched – A New Voice For East Devon

Exmouth yesterday was the site for the launch of http://www.claire-wright.org/ ’s election manifesto. Over 75 supporters from across the East Devon Constituency attended what was an exciting launch.

Claire Wright delivering her manifesto speech

In an atmosphere of great excitement and anticipation Claire Wright outlined her manifesto to become East Devon’s next MP on 7 May. In her speech Claire explained that her manifesto had been created in light of the feedback that she had obtained over the past 6 months of regularly visiting, and revisiting electors and businesses across East Devon. Claire Wright’s speech can be read at - http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/27.1.15ClaireWrightSpeech.doc.

Supporters hearing the manifesto's detail

Those that Claire Wright has engaged with over the past 6 months have helped to shape her manifesto which she is confident reflects the issues that people have told her are most important to them. Claire Wright’s manifesto can be read at - http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/CWrightJanFeb2015Leaflet.pdf.

Councillor Roger Giles & Claire Wright (MP in waiting)

Whilst this post shows some of the photographs taken at Claire Wright’s manifesto launch yesterday, you can read how Claire saw the manifesto launch via her Facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/clairewrightindependent/posts/836663969733994

 Video footage of the manifesto launch to come!

 

It’s time for a change – its Claire Wright’s time!

Claire Wright launches election manifesto - A new voice for East Devon

A New Voice For East Devon

Claire Wright - Free to speak. Free to act

We have known for many months that Councillor Claire Wright was challenging Hugo Swire as the incumbent East Devon MP in the general election on 7 May. Today Claire Wright http://www.claire-wright.org/ has launched the manifesto upon which she will be standing.

Claire Wright should by now be a household name to residents across East Devon. In conjunction with other local Independent Councillors Claire Wright has challenged the worst excesses of the manifestations of our rotten borough which operates, at District Council level, as a one party state. That one party is the East Devon Conservatives.

Claire Wright, whether acting as an Independent Devon County Councillor or as an Independent East Devon District Councillor had shown that she can both lead and challenge in equal measure. Great attributes for an MP.

Claire Wright has also shown great fortitude and resilience as she has endured the ever growing nasty political and personal attacks made against her by her “fellow” EDDC Conservative Councillors. These too are great qualities that we want from an MP.

Why do the EDDC Conservative Councillors keep attacking Claire Wright? They do it because she is thoughtful and effective. These are further great qualities we would expect from an MP.

Here in East Devon we suffer from an arrogant and out of touch Conservative majority who run EDDC. What they haven’t been used to in the past is challenge from vocal group of independently minded District Councillors and electors railing at the worst excess of the damaging decisions that they make. What they have in Claire Wright is someone who has, and does, stand up for what the electors want. Those are great qualities that we want and need from an MP

Our incumbent MP has demonstrated how detached he is from his Constituency and his constituents. Hugo Swire rarely speaks or acts upon issues that really concern local electors. He has been totally absent from the debate around the future of the Knowle. Indeed, until a few weeks ago it was as if this matter didn’t register on his radar. Odd that he should feel emboldened enough to recently speak out on the issue for the first time as the start gun was being sounded in the general election campaign!  Is it coincidence or deliberate timing?

We need a local MP who understands local matters, recognises what is important to local people, whilst able enough to speak and vote on matters of national importance. Can we really say that Hugo Swire can meet these requirements? Zorro is convinced that many local electors will answer NO to that question.

Claire Wright has ably demonstrated that she understands local matters and recognises what is important to local people. By her actions over recent years Claire Wright has also shown that she has the capability to sensibly and sensitively tackle bigger electoral issues. It’s time for a change!

So, now as we move into the final 100 days, and counting, of the general election campaign it is time for all those local electors who value having an independent, free thinking MP to recognise that on 7 May we have the ability to elect a new voice for East Devon. It is time to elect an MP who is genuinely rooted in our community.

Voting X for Claire Wright as East Devon’s next MP means that we will have someone who is free to speak, fee to act, and to do so without the constraints of an out of touch political party. Claire Wright MP would be free of the dead hand of the East Devon Conservative Party.

In support of the launch of her manifesto, Claire Wright and her supporters are now in the process of delivering thousands of her latest election leaflets across the Constituency. You can access Claire Wright’s latest election leaflet – http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/CWrightJanFeb2015Leaflet.pdf

It’s time for a change – its Claire Wright’s time!

Twissing the knife into EDDC's democracy - voting can change this

Zorro is interested to see the story in the Express and Echo newspaper about an allegation that EDDC has been inconsistent in how it has responded to complaints against some of its Councillors.

In the story a resident has complained to EDDC Chief Executive, Mark Williams, about how the District Council has dealt with complaints against two Councillors who its had been alleged had breached the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. In these matters Councillor Eileen Wragg had been found to have been in breach, whilst Councillor Phil Twiss had not.

Councillor Eileen Wragg’s alleged misdemeanour? She wrote to a local newspaper complaining that EDDC Deputy Chief Executive Richard Cohen was incompetent. Mmmmn!

Councillor Phil Twiss’ alleged misdemeanour? He referred the fact that a member of the public had posted on Councillor Claire Wright’s blog that there should be a cull of Conservative Councillors. Councillor Twiss reported Councillor Claire Wright to Devon and Cornwall Police’s Cyber Crime Unit for this. For the record Devon and Cornwall Police determined that no action was required against Councillor Wright.

So, let this be a lesson for any of you budding EDDC Councillors out there. If you write to the local newspaper criticising senior staff you are in the wrong. If, like Councillor Twiss you report someone to the Police for making an every day, and popular sentiment in many parts of EDDC electorate, on your blog, then that’s all right.

Clearly, EDDC sees nothing wrong in its Councillors playing dirty politics. So, Councillor Twiss was given the green light for trying to damage a political opponent.

Twiss and shout? I should think so! Sad how those elected, and unelected, at the heart of EDDC play fast and loose with our democracy.

Still, 7 May is looming fast. Electors need to remember that there is power in marking X on their ballot papers. New Councillors, new politics, new management of EDDC. All worth voting for!

Read more about this story –

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Resident-writes-East-Devon-District-Council-chief/story-25908640-detail/story.html

UKIP leaflet - says nothing about East Devon issues!

For any of you across East Devon who thought that UKIP were not serious about fighting this seat in this year’s general election, well you were so wrong! UKIP have delivered us its latest election leaflet!

Well, the phrase “delivered” is used in its most loose terminology as it came free with this week’s edition of the Sidmouth Herald. Perhaps UKIP’s local supporters are not as spritely on their feet as they used to be, or perhaps Laurie Brownlee and his coterie of local Kippers are not as numerous as UKIP’s national machine (i.e. Nigel Farage) likes to make out. Hence the reason why the leaflet is paid to be “delivered” via our local press, rather than finding its way through our front doors.

If you would like to see what UKIP are saying locally in this election, and you didn’t get your copy of the Sidmouth Herald, then you can see it here -

http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/January2015UKIPLeaflet.pdf

As you can read the UKIP election leaflet, issued on behalf of long standing and esteemed local East Devon resident Andrew Chapman (yes I know I have no idea who he is either!), clearly is just a generic national UKIP leaflet which allows local UKIP candidates to insert their name (handy so that we can remember who he is), photograph (handy so that we know what he looks like) and where UKIP will be delivering its pernicious thoughts on, mainly immigration and Europe.

If there is nothing on tv, and UKIP are holding one its events near to you, why not pop along and get a “selfie” with Andrew Chapman? Zorro is happy to print any “selfies” that he receives.

Try asking UKIP and Andy what their views are on key local issues such as the Local Plan or the relocation of the Knowle because I don’t recall hearing or seeing anything from them on these issues that have dominated local politics for the past couple of years. And look hard at their leaflet and try and find any reference to any local issues. Try as hard as you will but you will be unable to, because UKIP are not a local force in politics and it clearly has no views on what local matters.

If you find out their views on these issues drop Zorro a tweet and I will publish what they say. I won’t hold my breath though!

New blog, same ethos, same objective!

The good folk over at East Devon Alliance have ended their blog. In its place has arisen East Devon Watch! East Devon Alliance will however continue under its, soon to be created, own website. Make sure that you follow East Devon Watch now.

The change is explained at the East Devon Watch blog as -

New Year! NEW BLOG SITE! New Name! 

You will notice, if you have been a regular reader of the old East Devon Alliance blog, that, like the Monty Python Norwegian Blue Parrot, the EDA blog “is no more”, “has ceased to be”, “bereft of life, it rests in peace”!

Shining a light into the darkest corners of East Devon (including our District Council and its potential MP of whatever political persuasion come the elections in May 2015).

Exactly the same ethos, the same (highly irreverent) look at the district and its good, and not-so-good, political characters.  If you have bookmarked the old blog page, please now bookmark THIS page for the future – http://eastdevonwatch.org/.

We remain supporters of, but now totally independent of, East Devon Alliance, which will shortly have its own new website.

Our amicable divorce/conscious uncoupling is now complete!

Contact us at: eastdevonwatch@gmail.com

Solidarité

Solidarité #JeSuisCharlie #JeSuisFlic #JeSuisAhmed

Sidmouth Herald - promoting incumbent MP Hugo Swire?

Zorro is a supporter of the Sidmouth Herald and all other local and regional papers. They alongside other local and regional media outlets play a valuable role in informing people on local matters, both the important and the less important. Indeed they also have a valuable role to play in holding those in positions of power and authority to account.

The Sidmouth Herald usually manages to fulfil this role very well and tries hard to represent the range of views that there might be on any particular issue.

However, today’s edition of the Sidmouth Herald, in carrying a two page promotional piece on incumbent East Devon MP Hugo Swire has, in Zorro’s opinion misjudged matters.

Since the beginning of this New Year the country is very clearly now in the period of electioneering ahead of the 7 May general election. It is therefore very important that the press and media be they national, regional or local play an even handed approach when reporting on candidates.

As the incumbent MP Hugo Swire has a regular slot in the Sidmouth Herald. Zorro can accept that this is a legitimate and proper opportunity for the local MP to report on his activities and thoughts. However, today’s article has overstepped the mark. It is clearly a piece that is designed to promote Hugo Swire at this point in the election campaign.

The question that the Sidmouth Herald now has to answer is will it now allow all election candidates ion East Devon to submit a piece that it will print over two whole pages and support with two large photographs?

Fairness and balance in the run up to the election surely means that the Sidmouth Herald will respond in the affirmative. I look forward to the editor Stefan Gordon confirming that this will be the case.

You can read about Hugo Swire’s exciting life as our MP and a Minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office -

http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/9.1.15SidmouthHeraldHugoSwireArticle.pdf