Ashford Lib Dems

Working hard for you

Nick Chan - invited speaker for Nov 27 at the Elwick 7 pm

Nicholas Chan has a passion for making true to the promise that “No one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity”. He co-founded the Liberal Democrats Friends of Hong Kong. It’s a LibDems-affiliated organisation driving policies to build resilient networks in both private & public sectors to defend the Rules Based International Order. A psychologist, and now in criminal law, he’s focused against modern slavery. Standing up for fair international values transcends to everyday life opportunities just as campaigning for safer roads. We can form stronger industrial strategies for local communities, and the fairer chance for all human rights campaigners by standing firm on inalienable rights.

He campaigns with Medway LibDems, and has recently been looking at the local plan of that part of Kent.

 

Nicholas Chan
Nicholas Chan

Sir Vince Cable: ‘be proud of our achievements in office’

 

 

At a dinner in Maidstone on 29 October 2023, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable, defended the reputation of the coalition government in which he served from 2010 to 2015.

 

Liberal Democrats, he said, should be proud of their record in government. It was, he emphasised, a remarkably stable time in politics when compared to subsequent administrations. He, for example, held the post of Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills for five years, whereas one current minister has held five different ministerial posts in the last year!

 

Sir Vince highlighted three achievements in particular of which he felt Liberal Democrats should be proud: while in coalition, we

    1. prevented David Cameron holding a referendum on the EU
    2. were instrumental in introducing Universal Credit
    3. raised the tax threshold to take lower-paid workers out of the tax system

 

Sir Vince spoke in a relaxed and engaging manner and afterwards provided comprehensive answers to questions ranging from his record in office to his views on rejoining Europe.

 

The dinner was organised by Maidstone’s Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, David Naghi, and was attended by representatives of Ashford, Medway and East Sussex Liberal Democrats as well as members of his own constituency party.

 

Jacquie Stamp

31 October 2023

 

 

Vince Cable speaking at Maidstone dinner
Vince Cable speaking at Maidstone dinner

Adrian Gee-Turner, prospective parliamentary candidate for Ashford, took a turn at the mid-Beds Byelection campaign. Charlie said he completed a "difficult" round of delivering the campaign newspaper. It was pouring here in Ashford. Wonder if they were sloshing around in mid-Beds !

Adrian Gee-Turner at LibDem mid-Beds Campaign office
Adrian at Libdem mid-Bed Campaign office

 

 Mid Bedfordshire has traditionally been a Conservative Stronghold ever since the last Liberal MP lost his seat in 1929, but its most recent MP (the infamous Nadine Dorries) has completely neglected it, with individual and community issues left completely unresolved. This has given us a very rare window of opportunity to overcome such a large majority by getting out to places that haven’t seen serious political campaigning for decades and talking to lifelong Conservative voters who are totally repelled by Suella’s rhetoric and are looking for a serious alternative. All of us here are working hard to make sure to reach as many voters as possible, as a five to ten minute conversation works wonders on the doorstep and it feels like we are cutting through and persuading the many undecided voters that the Lib Dems are the party that will reverse Nadine’s neglect.

Three volunteers from Ashford are driving to mid-Beds on Oct 17 to join Charlie in this By-election campaign. There's room for one more in the car ! To volunteer, contact info@ashfordlibdems.org.uk

Charlie with mid-Beds campaign team

Ashford rep at LibDem National Conference

"The 4 days at Bournemouth was exhilarating. I came away impressed with how the Libdems make policy," says Charlotte Mbali. See a link to her article on policy making with the LibDems as published in Kent and Surrey Bylines

There can be several purposes to a political party conference. Most people who are not active party members probably know of the UK political party conferences only as a season when the media features headlines about the policy of a party, as revealed in its conference press statement. But I am troubled about this policy-making by media projection, and prefer to trust that at least some political parties, notably the LibDems, are sincere in attempting to formulate policy from the bottom up, that is with input from those active locally...to read further click link below

https://kentandsurreybylines.co.uk/politics/policy-making-at-the-libdem-conference/

UK Lib Dem news

Your Ashford LibDem Exec

These are the local LibDems who were elected as the local committee at the AGM last November

Robin Robison - Branch Chairman

Robin Robison is a lawyer who lives on a small holding in Brook

Steve Bowen

Steve Bowen is the branch treasurer. He lives in Tenterden

Charlotte Mbali is Membership Secretary. She lives in central Ashford

Adrian Gee-Turner

Adrian Gee-Turner was Election agent to all the LibDem ward candidates in 2023. He is the Ashford prospective parliamentary candidate

Stuart Medcalf

Stuart Medcalf is a town councillor in Tenterden

Jacqueline Stamp

Jacqueline Stamp lives in central Ashford

Local news

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