Talk with Pride Extract thanks to "Lincolnshire Pride"

Talk with Pride Extract thanks to "Lincolnshire Pride"
Each month Lincolnshire Pride looks into the lives of Lincolnshire People
A New Force in
Politics?
Marianne Overton,
for Lincolnshire Independents


This month, a new model in politics has emerged in the form of Lincolnshire Independents... meet the group of county councillors aiming to put Lincolnshire first as we ask if that's really feasible in a Whitehall-centric administration...


For obvious reasons, politicians often talk of parliament as resembling a Village', where everybody knows everybody else, with the area of London from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square as a 'bubble' in which a clique of representatives in a tiny part of the country make decisions affecting the rest of us.


If that's true, the clique of politicians deciding Lincolnshire's fate are hundreds of miles away from us geographically and a million miles away from us ideologically, but one group of politicians in Lincolnshire aims to change that, by decentralising politics and, as their slogan states, Put Lincolnshire First.


On 18th July this year, following embargoed releases to the media prior to the announcement and having geared up for a huge launch at the Lincolnshire County Council offices, five of the county's independent county councillors joined together to create Lincolnshire Independents, promising to represent local people directly and set local priorities ahead of national agendas or set party policies. The group contends that with representatives at local levels affiliated with the three main political parties, Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem politicians are whipped to maintain a consistent party line. Conversely, the Lincolnshire Independents like any other independent politicians are free of this forced consensus.


"We've no 'default' politics." Says Marianne Overton, Chairperson of the new party. "We're fundamentally different in that we represent people; we've no pre-arranged agenda so we can represent Lincolnshire by presenting policies that are in line with local people's needs."
"Our approach will create a freer, fairer local democracy best representing the people across the whole of Lincolnshire."


Uniquely, the party also has a representative in each of the county's districts with Marianne herself representing the Branston and Navenby wards of North Kesteven, Treasurer Richard Austin representing Boston South, Secretary Chris Brewis representing Sutton Elloe in South Holland and both Campaign Manager Mark Horn and Mike Williams ensuring South Kesteven is represented, alongside West Lindsey's Alan Caine and East Lindsey's Daniel Simpson. The politicians will represent the party at Chairperson level within each district, and are currently hoping to recruit more party members from each of their districts' wards.


A compromise between the monolithic dominance of the three main parties and the comparative weakness of independent candidates, Marianne and the rest of the party believe it's a great new approach to politics which will benefit everyone in Lincolnshire.


"Independent parties gained 30% of the vote where they stood in the last general election yet this gained them just three seats out of 77." She says. "Our approach will create a freer, fairer local democracy best representing the people of Lincolnshire."


Among the policies of the new group, Marianne believes that special consideration must be given to preserving services and amenities in rural areas such as libraries, post offices & village shops, and maintaining better transport links and ensuring the county's roads are fit for purpose, even in rural areas. Originating from a farming background (like several of her colleagues including Secretary Chris Brewer), she also believes that caring for the environment and supporting local farmers go hand in hand. Such policies demonstrate an understanding of Lincolnshire that's certain to appeal to an already politically-savvy electorate, but the group is also keen to bring the traditionally apolitical into politics too.


As Campaign Director Mark Horn says;
"We want to represent local people directly; the old political parties are failing because they don't represent the people of Lincolnshire. We need to bring more people into politics - people from the private sector, young people, and people from all backgrounds. We need new perspectives, fresh ways of looking at things and we need to ensure that our politics reflects the energy and vibrancy of our diverse community. Lincolnshire Independents will put Lincolnshire first."
It's a sentiment echoed by Chris Brewis and Richard Austin who state that "Politics, to be meaningful, must be local, and the old parties, Conservative, Labour and the Lib Dems simply do not answer to local people - they fail to deliver practical policies that help people, and Lincolnshire deserves better."


The party says that they don't answer to London, to Regional Party Advisors or to a Party whip, but develop policy by open discussion, and vigorous debate, stating that this is the basis of a true democracy. If those ideals hold true, and the party gains the members it needs and exposure its ideals suggest it should gain, Lincolnshire could be a breeding ground for a whole new model of politics, collective but independent, powerful but locally grounded.


For more information on Lincolnshire Independents, www.independentvoice.org.uk