Claire Wright challenging Hugo Swire again in East Devon

Yesterday evening Claire Wright claire@claire-wright.org announced that she was again standing as a Parliamentary candidate for East Devon in the forthcoming general election where she will be the incumbent’s main challenger. In the previous general election Claire stood for the first time against Hugo Swire and polled about 25% of the vote, which for a first time and Independent candidate was a terrific achievement!

 

Claire Wright is a Devon County Councillor and in last week’s County Council elections she romped to victory winning the Otter Valley ward seat by polling an amazing 74.6% of the votes. This great result for Claire sees her returning to the County Council chamber. Until 2015 Claire had also been a Councillor on East Devon District Council but graciously she stood aside to allow an East Devon Alliance candidate a clear run at the seat.

 

Over the forthcoming weeks Zorro will publish further postings in support of Claire Wright http://www.claire-wright.org/ the Independent candidate for East Devon.

 

However, in the meantime Zorro felt it would be more helpful to reproduce Claire’s public declaration about her decision to stand in the general election. This can be downloaded -

http://mailchi.mp/f52bfc9c58ba/claire-wright-in-bid-to-become-east-devons-first-independent-mp-on-8-june.

 

If you want to give Claire support in her challenge to Hugo Swire, she needs your assistance in –

 

Funding her campaign: donate at https://www.crowdpac.co.uk/campaigns/2644/claire-wright. Remember, none of Claire’s campaign funding will come from a political party. She will have to raise every penny that she spends. So, please dig deep and give what you can afford!

Delivering leaflets: there is a need over the next few weeks for tens of thousands of leaflets to be delivered across East Devon. If you can help in any way contact lmac266@outlook.com.

Putting up posters: you must have a window, door, fence or an outside space that allows you to promote and show your public support for her candidature. To receive a poster contact lmac266@outlook.com.

Helping her campaign: we all have different ways that we can help Claire’s campaign. Whether it’s knocking on elector’s doors and promoting Claire, stuffing envelopes or making refreshments in her campaign office. If you have time and energy to spare please volunteer to help her campaign by contacting lmac266@outlook.com.

 

Vote Claire Wright! Free to speak. Free to act.

 

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Claire to stand for East Devon seat 

Since the snap election was announced I have been inspired by hundreds of emails and calls urging me to stand and offering help. Following my decisive win in the county council elections, I have decided to say YES to my army of supporters by once again challenging the sitting Conservative MP.

In the 2015 parliamentary election I came second, with a 24 per cent share of the vote - more than Labour and the Lib Dems combined.

People are telling me that they are angry and frustrated with the current government’s policies. East Devon residents are looking for someone different, someone who will work solely for them, without being tied to a political party.

As a direct result of this government’s policies local NHS provision is under threat, education budgets face massive shortfalls, local businesses will suffer hikes in business rates, local council services have diminished under massive government cuts - and national debt has actually increased.

As well as this there are real fears of a damaging hard Brexit if the Conservative government is re-elected with a substantial majority, as is predicted.

In 2015, although a long-standing and hard-working local councillor, I was a parliamentary newcomer.

Now I have a track record that shows how local people are prepared to back me. I am the only candidate who can win this seat from the Conservative MP.

I am calling on everyone in this constituency from the youngest to the oldest voter to join in a campaign based on progressive values and to return me as their MP.

As an Independent MP I would be free from the party whip and I would campaign on the issues that local people tell me are important to them. I would be free to speak and free to act.

If every resident who would like to see change in East Devon votes for me, history can be made in East Devon.

Best wishes

Claire
Claire Wright

 

 

We need your help

We want to get Claire's message out to as many people as possible over the next five weeks and we can't do that without your help. Claire is the only person who can beat the Conservative candidate. What she didn't say above is that she just won a 75 per cent of the vote in the County Council elections. If we want someone to fight for the NHS, education, local businesses and against over-development in East Devon and the East of Exeter, then we need to do our best to help her win!!

As an independent, Claire doesn't have a party machine paying for four page advertising wrap arounds on the Express and Echo  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154700149835817&set=a.119185175816.107186.608860816&type=3&theater  and other local papers. Instead we need good old fashioned legwork (and some nifty up-to-the-minute social media too). There are plenty of different ways you can help to make a difference. You could:

• Display a large poster board 
• Deliver leaflets 
• Help with door knocking
• Donate as much as you can afford
• Write a letter supporting Claire to your local paper.

Read on for details of how to take any of these actions.

 

Poster boards

We need a rash of new posters/boards to go up to demonstrate the strength of Claire's campaign and catch the eyes of those who don't know her. Please tell us if you have, or know of, a suitable site and are willing to display a board. NB: If you still have one of the large A1 poster boards from the Devon County Council election please let us know  lmac266@outlook.com, so that we know where the gaps are.

 

Delivering leaflets / doorknocking   Getting leaflets to everyone in the constituency is a vital part of the campaign - and one that gets easier the more people who do it. We know that many of you may be feeling a bit weary after the council elections, but if you would like to support Claire please make the effort and push leaflets through some more letterboxes. The more volunteers, the smaller the rounds! The same is true for door-knockers. If you're happy to speak to people about Claire's manifesto on the doorstep, we'd like to hear from you. Please let Louise know  lmac266@outlook.com if you can help. Remember to tell us where you can help and whether it's delivering leaflets or knocking on doors.

 

Give what you can Every penny counts in a general election campaign, and without a national party to fundraise we're at a disadvantage compared to other candidates, so please dig in your pockets and give what you can at Crowdpac  https://www.crowdpac.co.uk/campaigns/2644/claire-wright.  And please forward this on to friends or family who you think might be able to help too. All the work of the campaign is done by volunteers, but we still have the costs of printing leaflets, posters and display boards and other publicity material to cover.

 

Write a letter During the 2015 General Election many of Claire's supporters were kind enough to write letters to their local paper mentioning why they were supporting Claire. This was a valuable tactic for getting stories of her achievements as a councillor, and details of her manifesto pledges, to a wider audience. Please do put pen to paper; or fingers to keyboard and write to your local editor. Here's how to contact some of the main papers: Sidmouth Herald: sidmouth.letters@archant.co.uk Pulmans View From News - peter@viewnews.co.uk Express & Echo - echonews@expressandecho.co.uk