Dear Voter,
You could be forgiven for wondering what is the point of voting in local elections? After all, Manchester is the least politically diverse council in the country, with an overwhelming 94 of its 96 councillors from the Labour Party, a state of affairs of which old Soviet Republics would be proud.
Voting participation rates in Manchester are at just 20% in many areas. That’s 80% of the population who don’t think their vote can make a difference. Yet as recently as the 1990s there was a Conservative group of councillors in Manchester, and Conservative Councillors are now back and making a difference in nearby Salford.
Then there are the Liberal Democrats, who spend all their time cramming leaflets through your door declaring, “Tories Can’t Win Here!” In a desperate plea for your vote. But do you really feel that voting for them will make any real difference to the quality of democracy in Manchester? For many people, they are simply Labour-lite.
To make a real difference in Manchester, we need CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS back in Manchester Town Hall, scrutinizing and challenging the one party state in Manchester and ensuring that true democracy and value for money for your hard-earned council tax payments are delivered.
As Conservatives, we also need to take responsibility for the dire state of local politics in Manchester. For the last 20 years, the Conservatives have not been involved enough with and committed enough to the people of Manchester. That is about to change.
The Didsbury Conservatives are a new group committed to the revival of Conservative fortunes and true democracy in Manchester. We will be meeting every month and actively campaigning and canvassing every weekend. We would like YOUR opinion to be heard and we would like you come along and get involved by joining the Conservative Party and coming along to our meetings or writing to us at didsburyconservatives@gmail.com.
Please don’t give up and succumb to the cynical posturing of a Labour party presumptive that none of their actions in the city - the appalling road congestion, the abysmal record on law and order, the poor quality of many local schools - will ever be challenged or that whatever poor quality candidate they put up will be voted in. And don’t fall for glossy pictures of slick Lib Dem graduates, more interested in advancing their careers down south than forging ties with Manchester.
The Conservatives want to see a Manchester where if your home is broken into, the perpetrators will be prosecuted. We want to ensure you can drive into the centre of town without expecting some ridiculous bus lane fine to be imposed upon you as a stealth tax. We want a city that has sensible planning, an appreciation of both its heritage and communities, that feels attractive and aspirational. Above all, we wish to create a prosperous, forward-thinking city equipped for the next wave of technological change.
If this is the type of city you want to see, then please join us. On May 2 only a Conservative vote can deliver true change and challenge - and the next time you get a patronizing “Conservatives Can’t Win Here” note through your door, please file it in the recycling in the confidence that, from here on, the Conservatives can and will win here.
JOIN US at didsburyconservatives@gmail.com
Damian Flanagan, Candidate for Didsbury East