You certainly can’t accuse Lib Dems in Manchester of shirking in this election campaign.
The party hopes to build on its one councillor, former Withington MP John Leech, who has provided the sole opposition to Labour’s 95 councillors since his election in 2016.
They’ve produced a hard-hitting film highlighting the worst of Labour’s excesses and offering a better way forward for the city.
The film begins with young children watching TV and reacting to various controversial news headlines, including the recent comments made by Withington councillor Chris Paul. The 90-second video also picks at the council’s record on homelessness, refugees and the spending of public money.
It ends with the headline: “Our children are watching.”
Manchester faces all-out elections tomorrow and the Liberal Democrats are hoping build on their current one-man opposition.
Talking about the campaign, the sole opposition councillor John Leech said:
I’m afraid this film is a bleak and chilling reminder of the last two years under a Labour one-party state.
The stark reality of Labour’s decisions in Manchester is one that has condemned and rejected a generation of desperate child refugees, ignored a growing homeless crisis, refused to build a single affordable home and seemingly condoned the promotion of violence against women.
In this election, it is only the Liberal Democrats that offer something new – a city that works together, welcoming the desperate and tackling real problems.
It’s the vision for a Manchester together.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
3 Comments
Go for it team Lib Dem Manchester!
I’m afraid that this is what happens when one party has too much power. When I was living in West Germany in the early 1970’s we had a similar problem with the SDP in Lower Saxony. The solution adopted by a couple of local SPD councillors in the town where I lived was to go and join the FDP. One of the councillors explained his move as being motivated by “zu viel Mehrheitspeck “, which can be roughly translated as “too much majority flab”. If only it could happen sometimes over here. In Lincolnshire’s case for Labour read Tory.
We should not underestimate how important the elections are tomorrow for our party. It could signal some kind of lift off or the need for a new centre force.