I am over the moon to confirm that you the members have selected me to be your candidate for the Greater Manchester Metro Mayor elections in 2020.
As a Liberal Democrat council leader in the region I know what it takes to fight against the odds, but this time I really feel the tide has changed – This is now OUR time.
The Tories are playing parlour games with people’s lives and Labour are betraying those they profess to represent I felt the need to step up to the plate.
Greater Manchester voters deserve better representation, we need someone who is not afraid to be frank about our future. That person is me.
This year the Liberal Democrats made huge gains in the local elections, with 700+ gains nationally – the party’s best local election results. Many of these gains were in the Greater Manchester region. Three weeks later we gained two members of European parliament in the North West as voters turned away from both Labour and the Conservatives. The two parties don’t deserve to represent us, and the current polling and by-elections shows us that voters agree. They are demanding better.
I am keen to take Burnham on his three years of nothing. My pledges are
To stand up for Remainers:
Our region voted to Remain yet our voices have been ignored by our own Mayor.
To scrap the GMSF:
To find REAL solutions to the housing crisis. To provide the right homes, in the right places; reversing Labour’s local obsession with socially cleansing our community.
To give the police what it needs:
Recent shocking revelations that our police are unable to process criminals due to a new systems failure which has cost us £27million. GMP whistleblowers have come forward stating ‘people will die’ unless it is fixed. We were promised more police officers, better infrastructure and it is plain to see the opposite has happened.
It’s time to ask where these three years have gone.
But I can’t take on these powers alone. I need good old fashioned people power!
If you can give one or two hours a week helping me push our message – a message of hope and radicalism – I believe we can do this.
The ball is in our court – let’s smash it.
Ps – If you can’t give time but want to give your support please donate here.
* Cllr Andy Kelly is Lib Dem Group Leader on Rochdale Borough Council and the Liberal Democrat Greater Manchester Mayoral Candidate
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9 Comments
Note that “scrap the GMSF” is code for “don’t build new houses and keep pricing young people out of home ownership”. There isn’t enough brownfield in Greater Manchester for the housebuilding required, and much of it is urban scrubland used as parks and recreation grounds, which local Lib Dem campaigners and councillors are fighting to protect.
I’m not sure what powers the GM Mayor has to “stand up for Remainers”, but it’s the most deprived parts of the borough which voted to Leave. I’d like to know how the plans to support them and convince them they were lied to about immigration and Brexit.
And is the plan to increase the Mayoral precept to pay for more police? I’m supportive of that but we should be clear what we’re actually proposing.
All in all, this is an unimaginative platform for what is arguably the most powerful non-Government political post in the country. We should Demand Better for Greater Manchester.
The Mayor’s health and social care powers could bypass NHS England and commission Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Greater Manchester to cut new HIV infections in the region. The Mayor’s transport powers could provide more integrated transport and make a stronger case for better bus regulation, including providing more radial rather than axial routes. The Mayor’s policing powers could be used to deprioritise drug possession for personal use, and sex work, concentrating instead on Spice dealers and traffickers.
The headline is writing cheques the article doesn’t cash here, I think. Come on Andy, I know you’ve actually got some radical liberal policies, lets hear about them!
What are you going to do to help protect the village?
What are your transport solutions?
Andy is matched by Jennie,it is Jennie here, who in fact, or at least, in my view anyway, wins the argument.
Lots of words, no policies in any detail. Lots of letters, what is gmsf?
Why is this party better on police and crime than our other Andy, the current mayor, when John Leech might be many good things but cannot claim to be tougher on crime or such issues, if I were in Manchester that tough approach, simplistic maybe, would be wanted, sorry, nothing but the old Blair phrase on crime and causes has ever come near to being convincing.
Acid carrying should come with a minimum sentence. Our spokespeople disagree. If this is the kind of person often, who runs for office , it is why this party loses in cities. Are you of this ilk Andy?
Having watched this television programme by Ed Stafford and been shocked by it, the obvious question is what does Councillor Kelly propose to do about it ? No mention of it in his article. The problem isn’t on the Moon, it’s on the streets of Manchester where homelessness and rough sleeping have increased by 34% in the last twelve months.
60 Days on the Streets review – truly revelatory TV that damns us all …
https://www.theguardian.com/tv…/60-days-on-the-streets-review-truly-revela…
14 Mar 2019 – 60 Days on the Streets review – truly revelatory TV that damns us all. TV review. Homelessness. 60 Days on the Streets review – truly revelatory TV that damns us all. Ed Stafford’s vivid account of sleeping rough humanised the homeless – and exposed the cruelty and pettiness of the general public. Lucy Mangan. @ …
I’m interested in the first line of the second paragraph “As a Liberal Democrat Council Leader in the region……” I wasn’t aware there were any Liberal Democrat Council’s in region. Stockport was the last which was list in 2016.
The problem with Burnham is that he offers nothing but a shallow vacuousness. “I’m Andy Burnham. I’m Northern. I’ve got a Northern accent. I’m into football. I’m an ordinary bloke. We need to do more for ordinary Northern blokes like me who are into football.” He has never had a proper job in his life.
@Neil Derbyshire – well spotted! I noticed that too. It should obviously read “Council Group Leader”. Some proof-checking may have been sensible.
I’d have liked to have seen a pledge to deal with health inequality as between N and S England – see Due North Report 2014
Your first pledge makes interesting reading. You state our region voted to remain in the EU. Really? To which region are you referring? May I remind you that the office to which you seek election covers 10 local authorities of which only 3 (Manchester, Stockport & Trafford) voted to remain in the EU referendum. Within this region the overall vote was 616359 to remain with 708032 to leave. How then do you have the brass neck to claim the region voted remain? I’d also like to remind you that in the referendum your own patch, Rochdale, voted 41217 remain to 62014 leave so it is a bit rich of you to use the word betrayal when you are apparently in favour of ignoring your local (as well as GM regional and national) majorities. If you are going to make statements then at least make sure they are backed up by facts.
As for the boast that the Liberals gained 2 seats in the EU parliament because voters turned away from Lab/Con you forgot to mention how many seats in the region the Brexit party won because of disaffected voters. Would it have been more than 2 by any chance?
You are right, GM voters need better representation and that Burnham (who like you is a remainer) is a waste of space but you cannot be serious in claiming you would be more representative as you clearly demonstrate a willingness to represent your own minority viewpoint and not that of the majority.
As a parting gift, some words of advice. If you are going to use phrases such as socially cleansing our community in your manifesto make sure you give an explantion of what that means, with relevant examples, to show you have some idea (or not) of what you are talking about. Also, tell us what your solutions to the housing & policing problems would be. Don’t simply say we need to find solutions to the housing & policing problems as it makes it sound like you have no ideas (which I suspect is the case). Tell us what your solutions would be so they can be judged accordingly by the electorate.