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.