Plymouth Liberal Democrats

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATES - 2018 PCC ELECTIONS

GEORGE MAUNDER - PEVERELL

My name is George Maunder and I am a son of this great city. I went to school at Montpelier Primary and Devonport High School for boys. I have roamed its streets, climbed its trees, swum in its pools and played in its parks. I have lived in most of the UK's major cities and yet my heart has always drawn me back to Plymouth. I have grown up here during a period of change matched only by its resurgence after WW2.

On Saturday 14th April, Fleur Ball, the Lib Dem candidate for Devonport, met other campaigners at an event in the city centre to help launch the People's Vote. There was a day of action across the UK and a cross-party event held in London with MPs coming together with other campaigners and public figures to launch the campaign for the public to have a 'People's Vote' on Brexit.

Plymouth Liberal Democrats are fielding a full slate of candidates in the Plymouth City Council elections for the first time in many years. This reflects the overall growth in the party and the level of enthusiasm from its members.

There has been a consistent increase in the turnout of Lib Dem candidates since the all-time low of the 2014 local elections when only four stood. This increased to 13 in 2005, 17 in 2016 and now there are candidates in every ward.

Plymouth Liberal Democrats are urging the city's "almost 5,000" EU residents to back the party in the elections to the city council in May. The election, on Thursday 3rd May, is the last scheduled set of elections before the planned date for Brexit, in March next year.

Almost 5,000 nationals of other EU member states are registered to vote for the city's local councillors, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Over 1,000 live in the St Peter & the Waterfront ward, with more than 500 in both Devonport ward and Sutton & Mount Gould ward. Drake and Stoke wards each have over 300.

Sima Davarian and Hugh Janes were among a number of Plymouth Liberal Democrats who supported the South Hams local party's annual dinner to hear Sir Ed Davey MP, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Sir Ed was upbeat about the current position for green energy and had signed a number of contracts before leaving office that meant the good work of the LibDems in Coalition could continue. Offshore windfarms have exceeded expectations in the energy they provide and it's low cost. At current rates, electricity from wind is about half the price of that predicted from Hinckley C Nuclear Power Station. As the life of wind turbines has increased dramatically this great source of energy is going to be supplying us with power for some time. Gratitude for Sir Ed's far-sightedness as a Minister was widely expressed.

Stuart Bonar, a former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in the city, was in Downing Street earlier this month to hand in a petition signed by over 36,000 people. The petition calls on the Prime Minister to negotiate the right for British people to keep their EU citizenship after Brexit, if they want to.

LibDem Chair Hugh Janes joined other Greenpeace volunteers on Sunday helping clean up the Hoe foreshore. Over 20 bags of litter, including many plastic and glass bottles that could have been recycled, were collected as well as sundry other discarded items. Greenpeace currently has a major campaign to stop the proliferation of plastics in the oceans.

Plymouth extended a very warm welcome to our new leader on his first visit to members and supporters outside London on Friday 21st July. Members had travelled from as far afield as St Ives and North Devon to question Vince on his views, policies and outlook for the future of the party.

Brexit was a major issue - engendering much discussion.

Brexit means Brexit.

Or so we are led to believe. I have heard this so many times in the past year that I would be forgiven for believing it was true. But was the Brexit we voted for the same as the Brexit we are now facing?

Categorically not!

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to vent my frustrations on a Plymouth edition of BBC One's Question Time recently. The electorate on the other hand, vented at the polling stations. Theresa May's approach was overwhelmingly rejected, leaving her with no mandate whatsoever for her hard Brexit.