We took on a major political figure and achieved a swing of 9.3% which was twice the national average and, although not enough to win the victory we all hoped for, represents a huge achievement.

The list of people who helped is far too long to list here but I do want to pay special tribute to Phil Bailey who took responsibility for our campaign and turned it into a major political operation.  This took extraordinary levels of effort and hard work on his part.  Thanks Phil!

My best wishes go to Margaret Beckett and I’m sure she will continue to serve the constituency with enthusiasm. 

To all the wonderful people I’ve met on this journey, thank you so much for your company and please stay in touch.

Jack

Do you want Gordon Brown’s tired government to stay on with their failed polices and blurred vision for another 5 years?

Or

Do you want a new Government with strong leadership and fresh ideas ready to start work on Friday to clear-up Labour’s mess?

Derby is also asking you to make a choice.

Do you want another 5 years of Margaret Beckett’s remote and tired approach to representing you in parliament?

or

Do you want the modern, dynamic and energetic approach to being your MP that I want to provide?

It is Your Choice – please make your vote count!

Jack

PS: My policies, background and beliefs can all be found at my website www.newderbymp.co.uk

I thought it went well and we had a good chance to talk about the issues.

The DNCC “Newsroom” seemed to agree.  See their twitter feed from the evening below.

Click Here for the link.

We also launch our mobile billboard today (see pic).  Let me know what you think.

Click here to read about how we’re stepping up our efforts in Derby South and how Margaret Beckett suggests that we’re taking this election for granted.  Given that she’s sat in a “safe” seat ignoring the whishes of the poeple for the last 30 years I can’t think of a clearer case of the pot calling the kettle black!

Boz (pictured) is now part of our family and seems to be happily settling into his new life.

As you can see, he’s enjoying the campaign as he gets to meet lots of people and is regularly the centre of attention.

If you see the two of us around the constituency please stop us to say hello.

 
Our manifesto sets out our plans to change Britain:
·         Our school reform plan will raise standards and improve discipline.
·         Our welfare reform plan will make sure that everyone who can work does work.
·         Strong families are the bedrock of a strong society, so we are setting out plans to help make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe.
·         We will cut government waste to stop Labour’s jobs tax, which will kill the recovery.
·         It reaffirms our support for the NHS.
·         It includes the boldest and most ambitious set of green measures ever put before the electorate by a mainstream party.
 
Our manifesto brings together all the work we’ve done over the last five years as we’ve changed into a modern, progressive Conservative Party. The central idea is that we’re all in this together, that working together we can change the country for the better. We’re saying that no government on its own can solve the big problems we face – everyone’s going to have to get involved. That’s why we’ve called it Invitation to join the Government of Britain.

1)      Climate

We recognise that climate change is already hitting some of the poorest people in the world, and urgent action is needed to cut emissions and help protect people from the impact of rising temperatures. David Cameron has made this a personal priority of his. We have signed up to the 10:10 campaign, and committed to cutting UK government emissions by 10% within 12 months of the general election. As we have repeatedly stated, we also support international negotiations on new mechanisms to provide additional funding for this important issue.

2)      Aid

The global downturn has shaken up rich and poor countries alike. For poor countries, it threatens to undermine a decade’s growth and poverty reduction. For rich countries, it puts new pressures on household and government budgets – nowhere more so than in the UK, where Labour’s appalling mismanagement of the economy has saddled us with unprecedented levels of debt. But we should use this opportunity to reaffirm, not abandon, our values – which is why we will continue to increase the level of British aid. We will do so because it is in our national interest, as well as being the right thing to do. A new Conservative government will be fully committed to achieving, by 2013, the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income as aid. We will stick to the rules laid down by the OE CD about what spending counts as aid. We will legislate in the first session of a new Parliament to lock in this level of spending for every year from 2013.

3)      Tax issues

Just as Conservatives believe that aid needs to be more effective and accountable in order for it to have the maximum possible impact on global poverty, so there is no doubt that more needs to be done to increase transparency in tax affairs.  The UK Government has a responsibility to work with other countries, including overseas territories, to ensure that information on the tax position of individuals and companies is exchanged between tax authorities.  This is vital in addressing tax evasion and also money laundering. 

 Ultimately, an international accounting standard on country-by-country reporting may well address many of the problems currently created by a lack of transparency. We need to ensure that any such reporting regime provides the relevant information and does not deter multinationals investing in developing countries.  In the shorter term, the UK Government must continue to press for further exchange of information agreements, greater monitoring of the use of transfer pricing and the use of complex structures and greater transparency.

NOMS has failed in its objectives of creating the effective, end to end management of offenders.  It is a top heavy and bureaucratic agency which has downgraded the probation service.  If elected, we intend to address its efficiency as a matter of urgency. A Conservative Government will set probation officers free to focus on what should be their number one priority – protecting the public from crime.

To restore the health of our seas we must create a sustainable marine environment.  The Conservative Party campaigned for the Marine Act and worked hard to improve the legislation before it became law.

We will take forward the implementation of conservation measures, including Marine Conservation Zones, and will press for wholesale reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, for a sustainable future for both fishermen and fish stocks.

We are firmly opposed to recent suggestions that commercial whaling may be resumed and will do all we can at the forthcoming IWC meeting to ensure that the worldwide moratorium stays in place.

Man-made ocean noises should wherever possible be minimised to avoid damage to sea life  and we support the EU-wide ban on the importation of seal products.

We are extremely disturbed about the reports of a rise in elephant poaching across Africa and India and are concerned that this rise may be linked to the ivory stockpile sales in 2008.  We opposed those sales, which the Government agreed to, and believe that, in the 20^th year since the ivory ban was introduced, we should be taking a strong stand to defend the ban robustly.  A Conservative Government will work with EU and international partners for a binding 20-year moratorium on sales of ivory and will encourage range states to destroy their stockpiles.

We will create a code of practice for domestic online retailers to ensure they are not facilitating the sale of illegal ivory and our new UK Border Police force will take action to combat smuggling and illegal trade of all kinds. We will also work at CITES to ensure a global agreement on internet trade can be reached.  

We are deeply concerned about black market trade in animal parts from endangered species, including tiger skins and rhino horns, and a Conservative government will urge the international community to act.

Conservatives will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act, on a free vote, with a government bill in government time. We appreciate the strong feelings which this issue arouses but do not think this legislation has served to protect wild animals or been an effective piece of legislation. Animal rights activists, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service have expressed concern over the law. The former Executive Director of the League Against Cruel Sports, Jim Barrington, has said ‘the Hunting Act has failed on every level, not least on animal welfare . . . hunting is a positive and vitally important part of wildlife management, provided it is done within proper rules’.

Conservatives have a strong record on animal welfare; we established the Farm Animal Welfare Council and introduced the first UK Biodiversity Action Plan. We called for the Animal Welfare Act and will ensure new powers under the Act are properly enforced.  Our Honest Food Campaign calls for country of origin labelling of meat, so that only meat from animals raised under UK welfare standards can be labelled as British.  And we support a ban on battery cages for egg-laying hens.

Conservatives are committed to protecting animal welfare at home and abroad and have worked closely with IFAW on a range of issues.  For example, in October 2009 the Shadow Environment Secretary, Nick Herbert, visited the Kaziranga National Park in India with IFAW and the Wildlife Trust of India to discuss international conservation efforts.  You can read his speech at:

http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2009/10/Nick_Herbert_Protecting_what_is_valuable.aspx .

We will continue to be passionate advocates for higher animal welfare standards.