From The Doorstep
Posted by Richard | Filed under Bedford & Kempston
In the first week of talking with voters on the doorstep in Bedford and Kempston here are some of the reactions and issues that stuck in my mind. First and foremost, people want change. Bedford and Kempston have not been well served by Labour these past 13 years, and people here know that the government of Mr Brown has had its day. They want change.
People are worried about the recession – no surprises there – but interestingly, people are very curious to know more details of what a Labour or Conservative government will actually do – to promote growth, to nurture the recovery, to protect jobs and key services. People understand that there are savings that can be made in our public services – and people want those savings to be made. They trust the Conservatives to do it and they want to know the details.
The issue of immigration is often mentioned. The discussion quickly turns to the impact on our infrastructure – the schools, hospitals and roads – where the impact of a rising population is being felt. Labour have let us all down with their lack of control on immigration for many years. The annual total of net immigration – well over a hundred thousand a year for each of the past ten years – has exacerbated people’s concerns. David Cameron has rightly called for an annual cap on net immigration and that the annual figure should be measured in the tens of thousands not the hundreds of thousands each year as it has been under the Labour government. Bedford is proudly a diverse community and a peaceful and harmonious community. Conservative policies on immigration will help us all focus on the positive contributions being made by all our citizens.
Getting more local jobs resonates. I have met many families where one member has been made redundant, or where someone is looking for training and is not able to find a programme that they qualify for. When I am asked what I can bring to the town as the MP, my answer is straightforward: leadership in the task of attracting more business and more jobs back to our town. I cannot guarantee success, I can guarantee that I will try.
Finally, people know that we are all in this together and they want to know that we are all pulling our weight. People want our benefits system to be simpler – less means-testing, fewer forms to fill – and to be more targeted – with more encouragement to help those who can contribute to get them off benefits and back in to work.
