I think it is vital that the all the people of Atherton who are entitled to vote make their views known at the forthcoming General and local elections however they vote (even if it's just to spoil the ballot paper), since without people doing so the views of the people will never be genuinely known and they will never really be able to change anything. What we're likely to end up if people stay at home and don't bother voting is more or less more of the same or a worse situation than we have now. I can't see that it will get better without people voting for a change, rather than not voting for anything.
Ordinary people have, can and do make a real difference at the ballot box. Unfortunately, such is the generally accepted cynical view of main party politicians these days that a great many people are becoming increasingly switched off by politics and mainstream politicians. Simply not voting though, well that's just plain daft.
It's also an insult to the struggle of our forebears in places like Atherton who along with other ordinary folk from all over Britain demonstrated in their millions in support of the first People's Charter which called for universal suffrage in the 1830's, as well as to the local women textile workers who were part of Suffragist movement in the Cotton Mills of Lancashire and who fought for the right to vote for women early in the last century alongside the more publicised middle class 'Suffragettes' likely Emily Pankhurst.
The forthcoming General and local elections which will both now take place on Thursday 6th May are being hailed by some 'watershed elections'. But the same billing could equally apply to most General elections. Certainly in the local elections there is a distinct possibility that Labour could lose its near 36 year old stranglehold over Wigan Council which would indeed be something of a watershed were it to occur, and Atherton & Atherleigh Ward voters could have a tremendous bearing on that if they can get down to the polling booth or return their postal vote.
At the General election, which takes places roughly ever five years, there is a fair chance that there could be a change of Government nationally, and voters in the Atherton Ward will certainly have a substantial influence on that too given the nominally relatively small (2000 or less) Labour majority in the new Bolton West Parliamentary Constituency of which it will form a part (approximately an eighth) and given election experts have said that the Constituency as a whole is something of a barometer as to who will win the election nationally. If Labour were to hold the seat (previously held by Ruth Kelly) by a few hundred votes or less then that might mean the entire country ended up with a 'Hung Parliament' in which no particular Party in overall control but the Tories might likely be the largest party rather than Labour. That too would be something that hasn't occurred to for 36 years and an interesting coincidence in terms of when it last happened.
This situation would contrast greatly with the influence Atherton Ward voters had in the last General Election when they were part of Andy Burnham's Leigh Constituency. They could have all voted Tory or even stayed at home and it wouldn't have mattered a Dickie Bird as Andy Burnham would have still got in for Labour. Pity for the voters in the Atherleigh Ward which is still part of the Leigh Constituency, as they will have a similar almost zero impact whoever they vote for this time either. If Labour was to lose Leigh they'd have less than a dozen MP's left in Parliament. There is no indication in the polls despite Labour's self-evident unpopularity that it has reached that level of meltdown in support.
Athertonians could look at the bright side though since whoever gets elected we'll still have two MP's representing our town unless most others in the country even if they're not who we'd like or want.
It is pointless to speculate on the outcome of the General election at this moment since the likelihood is, whatever the result, there's not going to be much of a fundamental difference in terms of the economic outcome for the vast majority of people. This since what we're likely to get one way or another is some combination or other of public service spending cuts and tax hikes for average and lower earners in order to pay down the projected public spending deficit and national debt ALL the main parties agree needs doing, and little done in terms of creating new and defending existing jobs at a time when many are financially hard pressed as well as concerning tackling climate change and in relation to other issues.
Herein lies the problem for ordinary folk - having to make a decision on which do they prefer - a choice similar to one of death by firing squad or death by hanging, the electric chair or lethal injection, since they all have the same unsavoury result.
Politically however, there is slightly more of a differentiation between the main parties with the Conservative Party ploughing a more pro-aspiring middle to fully fledged upper class furrow, and Labour who despite having a similar pro-market, neo-Liberal capitalist economic outlook as both the Tories and the Lib-Dems, orientating themselves, at least in terms of the General election at least, towards slightly lower income groups and the least well off, and still potentially responsive to pressure from the Trades Unions were they to exert any.
Though I am not a member of the Green Party, I'll be personally voting for the Greens in the General election wishing to register and put down a marker in support of a progressive alternative to the political bankruptcy of all the main parties in terms of representing the needs and aspirations of the overwhelming majority, and of which many in the Green Party currently I believe, will form a vital component part in the future. They are similarly urging supporters of the Green Party in Atherton to support me in the locals.
However, it is clear to me that many will see that as a wasted vote when the clear choice really in Atherton & Bolton West in terms of who is likely to win will be between Susan Williams the former Tory leader of Trafford Council who currently lives in Hale, and Julie Hilling the Labour candidate who currently lives on the Hag Fold estate in Atherton and who is a full-time trades union official, and who could be loosely termed as 'soft' Left.
Though Julie Hilling has done little to oppose the closure of our town's high school for example, and Susan Williams is promising us support in terms of facilitating our town having one of their Academies instead of no school at all (that's if you can believe the Tories would actually deliver one IF they get elected into Government - something I wouldn't do personally whatever I my criticisms of Labour) in terms of every other political and economic problem and issue facing us as a townsfolk and as a country - I'd personally rather see Labour get into power rather than the Tories.
In my opinion a much weakened Labour Government, or indeed a Hung Parliament would be a better scenario than the Tories getting in, if only in terms of being potentially the least worse option, rather than something we should be all looking forward to.
The reality too is that we can actually retain our town's high school and greatly improve it without a Tory Academy and needing to vote Tory in the General election, as I say, if you are prepared to believe they would deliver such which I am not, to get it.
We can do it by bringing people's power to bear at the local elections and kicking Labour in the ballots there, electing candidate who will vote to overturn the decision to close HFHS in the Council Chamber, something which could be done as early as the first Council meeting after the elections.
As I have repeatedly stated, Labour needs only lose 4 seats on Wigan Council to lose its overall control of the Council and so would be highly vulnerable in such a vote. Plus, if that were not achieved in May, could be attempted again at the local elections in 2011, and 2012 (before our High School is formally scheduled to close) the mere fact of which belies the idea that the fight for a High School in Atherton is in anyway lost as a result of the recent School's Adjudicator decision to confirm the closure of HFHS.
I actually agree with replacing HFHS with something much better rather than losing our town's High School altogether and we can win the fight for that idea and principle at the ballot box in the local elections. Even the proposal that we should have an Academy is an instead of proposal, and not about saving the existing Hesketh Fletcher High School set up.
The ADIOHS campaign is also exploring the possibility of mounting legal challenges to the closure of our town's high school, including under Communities and European Human Rights legislation, so there are potential avenues to success even there, so people shouldn't feel our fight has been any anyway defeated rather that we have merely not won our fight thus far.
People will have a greater choice of candidates than usual with five standing in Atherton and six in Atherleigh and must makes their views known rather that sit at home and do nothing on polling day and simply moaning they're all the same.
I will be standing on a clear set of policies and principles and a vision of Atherton completely unlike that of any of the other candidates, and which will include continuing to fight for the aims of the ADIOHS campaign both inside and outside of the Council Chamber, for the restoration of our former Urban District Council in Atherton, with enhanced powers and appropriate mechanisms which might allow it to manage our own Council homes and run schools, rather than the talking shop with few powers, and which will cost us more in terms of Council tax rather than save us money, which is what the 'Atherton Independents' are supporting, since what I am fighting for would be instead of the current gravy train that is Wigan MBC and would see Atherton people get full control of all of the £19.4 million plus it would otherwise collect in council taxes and business rates and get in pro-rata local Government support grants but which we currently see a fraction of, and even less if our town's High School was to close, since spending on education forms the greater part of most Council spending currently.
Atherton needs an Urban District Council with full local Government powers instead of being what it currently is which is a neglected part of Wigan MBC whose residents seem to have little or no say in much that goes on in their town such as the closure of our baths, youth club, nursery, special needs school, high school, one way system or anything else. The proposed new town council, over which there may be a local referendum, might provide a step towards that, but would be only a step - not what I've been fighting for since 2001 which is the restoration of our old Councils with enhanced powers.
Atherton also needs its own Youth Council and first class youth facilities. - Control of its own Council owned Housing Stock (and other civic buildings) and should build new 'green' ones (at affordable rents) to tackle local homelessness and overcrowding and put local construction workers back to work.
Have a proper 7 days a week transport service including more train carriages at peak times and more regular bus services. Have a new covered Market/Forum in the centre of Atherton with a weekly market which might also double up as an outdoor meeting place and event venue. Have an infrastructure that ensures people's views can be consulted on all major issues and the majority view acted on.
It should also have police station that's open and has somebody in it!? A more thought out one-way/pedestrianised road layout?
Sufficient inward investment to create and sustain hundreds of new decently jobs for local residents at a time of growing unemployment and falling living standards? Also, more accountable Councillors who don't cost us the earth in terms of allowances and expenses.
You can check out the other things I'm standing via my fb group, especially the full Manifesto I'll be standing on the
WIGAN, LEIGH & MAKERFIELD 'PEOPLE'S CHARTER'
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