Paul Gray: Your Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Havant

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Paul Gray, I’m the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Havant and I’m asking you to ask yourself if you want to stop the madness. If you do, you agree with me.

vote paul gray text

But why the Liberal Democrats?

I am sure many of you have been torn between voting for the Liberal Democrats or Labour. Many of you will have been torn between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. I get that. Over the years I have known many good, sensible supporters of both parties. And now I am privileged to find many of those people joining or supporting the Liberal Democrats as they see the two old parties lurk further to the extremes.

Jeremy Corbyn has long wanted to leave the EU. His position in 2019 is almost identical to the Labour Party position of the 1970’s. Many voters who put their faith in Corbyn in 2017 now feel he has been a disappointment.

Meanwhile, Johnson, Rees-Mogg, Redwood and the like continue to drag the Conservatives into Brexit destruction. Johnson talks of “getting Brexit done” but Brexit, if it goes ahead, will be consuming British politics for years to come, preventing us from dealing with the day to day business of good government.

The Conservatives are traditionally strong here. It’s not a place where Labour can ever really have a surge. Here in Havant, liberals have history though. WE’VE HAD had LIBERAL MP’S IN HAVANT BEFORE.

And with the Conservatives now faltering, we really do have a chance of victory. It is, admittedly, just a small window of opportunity open to us. But we can do this. To do this though I need your support.

I need each and every one of you to get out and vote for me, your Liberal Democrat candidate. Please don’t leave it to someone else. In the end, we get the government we deserve. Get out, vote, fight for the government you deserve.

It’s time we took back control.

It’s our future.

It’s your future.

So please, vote for me, your Liberal Democrat candidate, on December the 12th. Together, we can bring an end to the chaos.

Lib Dems to invest £500 million in youth services to help tackle knife crime

The Liberal Democrats have set out ambitious plans to tackle soaring levels of knife crime, by investing £500 million in youth services and adopting a public health approach to youth violence.

knife in hand
Source: Pixabay

A Liberal Democrat government would
create a £500 million ring-fenced fund for Local Authorities in England to spend on youth services.

This would provide young people with positive, safe and healthy opportunities to prevent them being drawn into youth violence and gang-related crime. The party would also make local youth services a statutory service, protecting them from future cuts.

The Liberal Democrats would take a public health approach to tackling youth violence, modelled on the successful approach taken by Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit. This would involve identifying risk factors and treating them early on, with youth workers, police, teachers, health professionals and social services all working closely together to prevent young people falling into gangs and violence.

Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson said:

“We are in a knife crime epidemic, but successive Governments have taken the wrong approach to dealing with it.

“For 25 years, Conservative and Labour Governments have been competing to seem tough on crime, without doing enough to actually prevent crime.

“Liberal Democrats will build a brighter future for young people by investing £500 million a year in youth services and taking a public health approach to youth violence.

“With a Liberal Democrat government, young people will have the support and opportunities they deserve, our communities will be stronger and people will feel safer.”

BREXIT PARTY STANDING DOWN IN HAVANT SHOWS FARAGE WORRIED ABOUT LIB DEMS STOPPING BREXIT

Responding to the news that Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party will not be standing a candidate in Havant, Liberal Democrat candidate, Paul Gray said:

“Nigel Farage’s comments show he is running scared of the Liberal Democrats as the strongest Remain party in areas like Havant. He knows that we are the only party at this election that can take seats like Havant from the Conservatives and stop Brexit.

Nigel Farage looking startled
Source: Libdemvoice.org

“Boris Johnson’s Conservatives and the Brexit party are now one and the same. Both want to see an extreme Brexit that will damage our local economy, public services and limit opportunities for our children and grandchildren.

“Voters in Havant have a historic opportunity at this election to elect a Liberal Democrat MP, stop Brexit and build a brighter future for our country.”

Police Cuts – Paul Gray Speaks Out

A PETITION signed by more than 1,600 residents has failed to keep a neighbourhood police officer stationed in their area.

PC Debra Surridge will now operate from Havant Police Station as part of Hampshire Constabulary’s new Havant and Emsworth team.

The announcement made by county police comes after more than 1,600 residents backed a petition to keep PC Surridge in a role dedicated to Hayling Island amid alleged force cuts.

 

Despite the move, police assured signees PC Surridge would continue to serve the area as part of Havant’s district team of 15 neighbourhood constables.

In an online statement, Waterlooville inspector, Dave Humphries, said: ‘PC Surridge works on the Neighbourhood Policing Team and that is not subject to any cuts in January. What is changing is the line management of Hayling Island.

‘As of the 1st of January 2018, Hayling Island will be managed by Inspector Andy Clinton and Sgt Ross Freemantle as part of the Havant and Emsworth team – this is due to a rebalancing of resources.’

It was Paul Gray – Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Havant – who set up the petition, aimed at the constituency’s MP, Alan Mak.

Read More here:

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/residents-lose-battle-to-keep-their-dedicated-local-police-officer-1-8315168

SAVE HAYLING POLICE – Community Comes Together to Fight Cuts

I’m proud to have spearheaded the campaign to save our island from further police cuts.

In the face of threats to cut vital community policing the community really came together. A public petition was created and made available online and in local shops and businesses on Hayling. The response was overwhelming and in a little over 4 weeks the petition was signed by over 1,600 people.

The comments on the petition explain very clearly how and why the loss of our local Police  is such a important issue at the heart of our community.

They include: 

“With crime increasing on the island it’s not the best time to be cutting the police presence”

“Police presence is vital to keeping Hayling safe and secure, especially with the recent influx of break ins and thefts. Although Havant Police have done a great job apprehending the more violent suspects with crimes including violent knife attacks within the last month, I am 100% positive losing a local police officer would have a far reaching detrimental effect on our small Island.”

“With rising incidents on Hayling and more houses being built, it is essential that we have a dedicated police officer who is part of our community the whole time.”

You can read all the comments on the online petition which is available if you click here.

The petition has been sent to Havant MP, Alan Mak, for the attention of both Alan and all Hayling councillors, with the following letter:

Dear Alan,

Please find enclosed a petition from the people of Hayling Island who wish to protect police funding.

You will appreciate that the petition is intended for you and all Hayling councillors. You will equally appreciate that councillors have shown a reluctance to address this issue, preferring to suggest that police budget issues do not fall under their remit as councillors. The fact remains however that funding solutions require all elected officials to work together, particularly during a period in which the government is increasingly ‘out sourcing’ funding to local authorities and dedicated bodies. In light of this, I urge you to take a joined up approach to finding a solution. The public, ultimately, are not concerned about the bureaucracy underpinning funding, just that funding is provided.

Since launching the petition, communication has been ongoing between a number of locals and relevant representatives of both the police and the council. Whilst these communications have been helpful, they have often provided contradictory information. As it stands then, there is a widespread fear that policing on Hayling is likely to be squeezed even harder in 2018. Having been an island with a fully functioning police station just a few short years ago, it has already been confirmed that Hayling will now fall under the wider Havant and Emsworth unit and this will result in a thinner spread of officers with one much admired officer no longer beginning and ending her day focusing on our island. And whilst there was at one point a suggestion that the only changes which should be anticipated would purely be an issue of standard officer rotations, it has since been confirmed that rotation is not the issue here.

There is a clear and obvious correlation between the decrease in policing and the increase in crime. With the burgeoning costs associated with rising crime figures, it is difficult to argue that funding cuts represent anything other than short term savings but higher long term costs. Good management of the public purse then needs not only a joined up approach but a stronger focus on longer term fiscal management.
So allow me, for the sake of clarity, to reiterate the intention of this petition: to urge you to work with all local representatives and other relevant bodies to save Hayling from policing cuts.

The publicly ultimately judge the actions of any politicians on real life results, not on statements of intent or commitments to make representations. I urge you then to deliver on this.

Should you wish to speak to me directly about this matter, I would, of course, be happy to oblige.

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Gray

IF YOU READ ONE THING BEFORE VOTING, READ THIS

Vote Change

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Paul Gray and I’m the Liberal Democrat candidate for Havant.

Just a few weeks ago, Theresa May called a General Election because she believed she could wipe out one of the fundamental pillars of democracy; namely, opposition. Following the worst political campaign I have ever seen from the Conservatives, with Theresa May coming across as far more ‘weak and wobbly’ than ‘strong and stable,’ we now stand a chance of taking our country in a different direction.

In the polls we’ve seen Theresa May’s huge lead collapse, meaning that we could see a hung parliament. And that means parties will be looking to form alliances and do deals.

I am sure many of you have been torn between voting for the Liberal Democrats or Labour. Many of you will like Jeremy Corbyn. I get that. There’s a lot I respect about Jeremy Corbyn. I believe he cares a great deal. I believe he has integrity. I believe he wants what’s best for everyone.

But we have to accept that Jeremy Corbyn has consistently voted, throughout his political lifetime, against an EU which 73% of young voters saw as part of their future. Of the main parties, only the Liberal Democrats are fighting for the British people to have the final say on Brexit. Only the Liberal Democrats then are fighting for the 73%. Only the Liberal Democrats are fighting, regardless of how we all voted in the referendum, for the British people to be able to say “thanks but no thanks, we’ll stay in the EU.” Any alliance then is going to need as many Liberal Democrat MP’s as possible.

The Conservatives are traditionally strong here. It’s not a place where Labour can ever really have a surge. Here in Havant, liberals have history though. We’ve had liberal MP’s. And with the Conservatives now faltering, we really do have a chance of victory. There’s no point in pretending it’s anything more than a long shot; the Conservative vote amongst older voters is strong. But there is just a small window of opportunity open to us. We can do this. To do this though I need your support. I need each and every one of you to get out and vote for me, your Liberal Democrat candidate. Please don’t leave it to someone else. In the end, we get the government we deserve. Get out, vote, fight for the government you deserve.

It’s time we took back control. It’s our future. It’s your future. So please vote for me, your Liberal Democrat candidate, on Thursday 8th of June. Together, we can sort this mess out.

NHS in Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area could lose 256 EU staff because of Brexit

The NHS in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area could lose 256 staff from the EU as a result of Theresa May’s extreme version of Brexit, the Liberal Democrats have warned.

42% of nurses and over half of all doctors from the EU are considering leaving because of Brexit, according to recent research. This means in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area, an estimated 256 NHS staff are at risk of leaving including 48 doctors and 151 nurses.

This would create a £1.99m bill to re-hire doctors and nurses from the EU after 2019, due to Theresa May’s plans for a £2000 immigration skills charge for each doctor, nurse and health worker brought in from abroad.

The Liberal Democrats have called for an immediate guarantee that all EU nationals in the UK, including those working in the NHS and social care, can stay after Brexit.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Havant Paul Gray said:

“Hospitals in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area depend on doctors, nurses and other support staff from the EU. But many are now planning to leave because of the uncertainty caused by Brexit.

“We must guarantee their rights to stay here immediately to prevent a damaging exodus of these skilled and hard-working people. Our NHS, and the care we all rely on, would suffer without them.

“The NHS is far too precious to be damaged by Theresa May’s decision to pursue a UKIP-style Brexit.

“The Liberal Democrats stand up to Theresa May’s extreme Brexit and give the people the final say, with the choice to remain in the European Union if they don’t like the deal on offer.”

Lib Dems to launch mock estate agents attacking May’s Dementia Tax for taking 58.4% of average house in Havant

Theresa May & Co
A mock estate agency called “Theresa May and Co” has been launched by the Liberal Democrats today attacking Theresa May’s Dementia Tax.

The Conservative policy would force the sale of family homes to fund care for elderly and vulnerable relatives.

The party has estimated that the Dementia Tax would cost £140,206, for someone receiving ten years of care living in an average-priced home in Havant.

Across Havant, 58.4% of the value of the average home would be wiped out to pay for the Dementia Tax.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Havant Paul Gray, said:
 
“Theresa May wants to force you to sell your house if you need long-term care.

“The effects of this cruel and unfair policy will be massive, and will have a huge people on people across our community.

“Elderly and vulnerable people across Havant face losing over half of their home to fund this ill-conceived policy, with nine out of ten homes potentially at risk.

“This is like a new type of inheritance tax – but one that’s targeted at people of modest means, not the wealthy. The Conservatives want to tax ordinary hardworking families out of their savings and homes if their relative is unfortunate enough to need years of care: it is grotesquely unfair.

“There is a week left in this campaign: if Theresa May fails to come clean to the British public, how can she be trusted?

Come and talk to us!

We have set up a street stall in Mengham Village, Hayling Island this morning.

If you are passing by please come and have a chat. Paul is here to answer any questions you may have about his plans and the the Liberal Democrat vision for Havant and Hayling Island in particular.