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.

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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.

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.

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?

Scrapping free school lunches would waste £3million spent upgrading kitchens in Hampshire

Plans by Theresa May to axe free school lunches would waste the £3,055,034 invested in Hampshire to upgrade school kitchens, according to the Liberal Democrats.

It comes after figures revealed 34,059 children in Hampshire are set to lose out under the Conservative proposals.

When in government, the Liberal Democrats invested £160m upgrading school kitchen facilities to enable them to prepare hot lunches, including £3,055,034 in Hampshire.

Liberal Democrat candidate Paul Gray for Havant commented:

“The Liberal Democrats in government invested £160m to give schools the kitchens they needed to ensure that no infant would go hungry, including more than £3million in our county alone.”

“This policy was extremely successful and guaranteed that local children received at least two of their five a day in their school lunch. But now Theresa May is threatening to throw that money down the drain.”

“A Conservative measure designed to save money will waste money. Not only is it heartless, it is bad economics. I challenge my Conservative opponent Alan Mak to say whether, if elected, he would vote against their own party to ensure that children in Havant receive a decent lunch.”

“The Liberal Democrats will protect free school lunches for infants and ensure all primary school children can get a healthy, free lunch a day.”

Paul Gray – Your Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Havant

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Having grown-up on Hayling, and having returned to the island some ten years ago, it is an honour and a privilege to offer my services to the people of my home town and the wider Havant area. I returned to our constituency after university in Manchester and a career in London.

My extensive management experience, gained in both the public and private sectors, would enable me to ensure Havant constituents are fiercely defended against any attempts to force yet more cuts to public services. Ultimately, I got involved in politics because I dearly love our neighbourhood, the people in it and care deeply about the issues which affect us all. I joined the Liberal Democrats as they echo my passionate vision for an open, tolerant, and united community.

Most recently I was involved with the successful relaunch of the Hayling Ferry service and the Save the Tip campaigns (which are happening all over our constituency). I also volunteer for the Queen Alexandra Hospital supporting our local nurses.

Primarily, I want our local area to be represented by someone who grew up here, knows the issues that are most important to local people, and calls this place home. This is in contrast to a career politician dropped into our constituency by Conservative HQ as if we were just a pin on their map.

Hayling Island – Focus on Housing and Infrastructure  

Hayling Island
The ​Hayling Island Infrastructure Review is apparently already underway. The Hayling Island Infrastructure Advisory Committee has identified the main areas of concern. All this, even before the consultation period has ended.

I would like to raise these matters:

Firstly, I believe that the social aspect of infrastructure has to have equal weighting to the economic aspect. There is little point in saving a penny or two if the result is a society that it is difficult to live in.

Secondly,  essential services and  infrastructure must be considered holistically. Infrastructure is not the sum of component parts.  For example, if the review sites transport as the top priority will this mean investment in the transport network but none or diminished investment in health services?

Thirdly, all stakeholders must be consulted. By this  I mean that organisations such as the NHS, HBC, HCC, Highways Agency etc must be heard.

Fourthly, the review should not be seen as an end point. The review should look to growth projections and plan to future proof the Island’s infrastructure.

Fifthly, I am convinced that the terms of reference of the review should give equal weighting to what might be described as intangibles such as  air-quality and environmental impact. Such indirect costs may be tricky to work out but that does not mean they should not be considered. These intangibles are often the most vital elements for the social and economic vitality of a community.

Lastly, the review should consider the long-term sustainability of any infrastructural development.

What does all this mean? Well, it means some progress is being made. It means the issue of housing is now focused on the practical realities of infrastructure, as is correct. It also means however that our local councillors are repeating a familiar routine of  creating a problem through short-term thinking, creating themselves a very limited definition of a successful outcome and then congratulating themselves when they meet those low expectations.