Author Archives: Andy Kelly

Andy Kelly writes: Help me spread my message of hope and radicalism to Greater Manchester

By Andy Kelly | Mon 19th August 2019 - 12:30 pm

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:

Reggie is our Lib Dem Hero

By Andy Kelly | Thu 12th May 2016 - 9:54 am

Every knows somebody with a positive story to tell about campaigning. Indeed thousands of Liberal Democrats go beyond the call of duty. I want to tell the story of Reggie Lane. Reggie, 45 is a long standing member of the Liberal Democrats. A full time wheelchair user, Reggie from ‘The Cray’ in Rochdale was an inspiration in the local election campaign in Rochdale. People talk of a Lib Dem Fightback – Reggie never stops fighting. Both personally and politically.

Did you know that during the election, Reggie delivered hundreds of leaflets and target letters to his neighbours. He knocked on hundreds of doors and sat outside a polling station for 12 hours on election day. At the best of times, leafleting is difficult. For Reggie, you can times that by so much more. When he couldn’t get to the letter box – he knocked on!