Looking Forward To 2015

After six months of writing my weekly Crawley Observer column, this week I had a break from writing it and lent it to my colleague Cllr Duncan Peck, who is a councillor for Maidenbower and our Shadow Cabinet Member for Community Engagement. 


PM choice in 2015 of Ed Miliband or David Cameron

Duncan Peck writes - "As I put pen to paper on a cold bright Sunday morning what better time to reflect before the New Year. 2014 brought us many challenges, not only locally but across the UK in general.  People are increasingly focusing on who is right to lead the Country after next May and it is becoming more evident that the Conservatives’ long-term economic plan is working. 

Unlike Labour, we are not dictated to by the unions as to what we do, but rather we are guided by residents, the people who we answer to, the people who want change and the people who do not need anyone telling them what they think is wrong. In forgetting who they serve, Labour wants your vote but not your opinion.

As we get closer to the May elections of 2015 we often see Labour promising things they know they can’t deliver and will not deliver and I ask myself, is this the right way to treat people? I remember only too well what this country was like under a Labour Government and how many hundreds of thousands are still being adversely affected to this day.

Public finances are a serious issue and so when Ed Miliband had a once in a lifetime chance ahead of the election to give his party conference flagship speech of the year, he forgot to mention the most important fundamental issue that our country faces - the deficit. This was more than a Freudian slip and signifies that a Labour Government would bring the country to its knees again. Higher borrowing, higher taxes and higher spending is not a sign that Labour is ready to be responsible or has any financial credibility.

Nearer to home in Crawley, money does not seem to be a strong point for the Labour controlled Council when it was recently reported that the Leader of Crawley Borough Council did not know where the £17,000 of taxpayers money came from for the shambolic Christmas Lights switch on. Concerns are growing that not only is Ed Miliband not ready, our Council is also showing signs of unease."