Michael Sparling

Had a very encouraging day today. There are now numerous red billboards strategically placed on all the trunk roads in out and out of Tavistock. I have the splinters to prove it. So refreshing to see some red alongside the blue and yellow we are so used to down here. That said, the Lib Dems seem to be distinctly lacking a roadside presence. Overbearing pink boards for that other party seem to have taken their place.

So heartening to get thumbs up and general support from local people. There really is a base of support here for what we are trying to do.

At a time when people are losing their homes and jobs, expenses are still at the top of the agenda of course..

Like most people I talk to, I’m shocked and disgusted by many of our MPs over their expenses. A few people have asked me if I get expenses as a prospective candidate. The answer is no, I don’t. As a young candidate I know there’s a whole generation of candidates for whom using expenses for duck houses and moats just isn’t acceptable. Some expense mistakes are genuine but many are simply outrageous. Once again, the danger is of support drifting to fringe parties, which will only serve to harm those who need help most, not actually the politicans. I must say I am absolutely shocked at the hypocrisy of UKIP - Nigel Farare's boasting this week of his £2 million MEP expenses!

The expenses fiasco effects all parties in equal measure. That means that on really important issues such as law and order, there are still choices to be made between the parties. Take a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBe6J4O_NFo  Go Jack!

Tomorrow I will be in Plymouth campaigning, firstly in Stonehouse, then at the anti BNP Hope Not Hatred event at the sundial in association with University of Plymouth Students' Union President Darren Jones who is also the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Torridge & West Devon. I will then be in South West Devon in the afternoon with Luke Pollard, the Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for that constituency.

Good job the sun is shining!

PUBLISHED AT http://raincoatoptimism.wordpress.com/

There are many things I believe need to be done to confront this latest, dramatic crisis over faith in British politics.

Firstly let me say that it is sad that the anger directed at Westminster has had such a negative impact on those at a local level who are out there doing their best for their communities in difficult circumstances. Certainly, Members of Parliament, the institution of Parliament itself and also the party machines have a lot to answer for.

Now is not the time for appealing to the status-quo, so here are some of my thoughts on what can be done.

Labour were bold in the early years of this government, particularly in the area of constitutional reform. This process needs to be taken further now. If the events of recent weeks don't serve as a catalyst for further reform, then the government's constitutional reform agenda can credibly be called into question. I believe that the Jenkins Report needs to be revisited urgently. Electoral reform at Westminster is still outstanding. House of Lords reform too must  be prioritised. The change initiated in the early years of this government was decisive, necessary and long, long overdue. That said, the current settlement is a half-baked job that further undermines Parliamentary authority and any remaining faith the public have in the institution. I believe that there should be fewer Members of Parliament. Almost countless millions have just voted in India and yet they have fewer Parliamentary reporesentatives. This could be managed effectively by introducing border changes resulting in 50 fewer returns over the course of the next three Parliaments. This will not be a popular one, but I believe that Members of Parliament need to be reimbursed adequately in the form of their salaries. At the same time I believe the allowances system must be culled and the new transparent arrangements managed by an external, independent auditor.

Ultimately, whether those who are angry like it or not, we need politics. The dangers of protest votes and knee-jerk reactions in this election are, as I have stated in previous postings, all too clear. Those families who need help the most are the ones who will ultimately suffer if those elected in local communities and to Europe do not have the capacity to govern or represent fringe sentiments - not the politicians whose wrath such protest votes are aimed at.

 "Never before has voting Labour mattered so much for West Devon"

In these tough economic times it is important that we do all we can to support local businesses in our own community. Voting Labour has never mattered so much here in Devon because only Labour are steadfast in this resolve. Labour acted to prevent the collapse of the banks to stop businesses closing and thousands of people losing their jobs.

David Cameron has committed the Tories to massive cuts that would threaten key local services like transport, police and school in local communities over the next few years. Tory cuts here in the South West would mean

    * fewer bobbies on the beat
    * school rebuilding projects stopped
    * motorway, transport and environmental management schemes shelved

Meanwhile, the Lib Dems have repeatedly voted against Labour's measures for tougher punishments and penalties for offenders and want to remove the possibility of a custodial sentence for juveniles convicted of breaching an ASBO

Real help for Devon means that if you or someone you care about loses their job, there is support from day 1. New training places to maximise your chances of getting a new job; a Mortgage Protection Scheme so mortgage payments can be changed to make paying the bills easier if families suffer a temporary fall in income; financial help for hard up local businesses with assistance securing finance; every 16-18 year old in Devon having a guaranteed place in college, training or an apprenticeship so they can make the best of themselves in the coming years.

Had the 'do nothing' Tories taken the action we are taking now at the beginning of the last recession, 300,000 fewer jobs could have been lost from local communities across the country.

Your local LABOUR candidate for Tavistock: MICHAEL SPARLING

MICHAEL SPARLING, 26, lives near Tavistock, West Devon, alongside his family who have lived in this area for four generations.

One of the main reasons Michael joined the Labour Party was his belief in the guiding principles of fairness and equality and having recently lived in Manchester and London, Michael has seen at first hand the benefits local Labour representation brings.

He has an Honours degree in Philosophy and Politics, was elected to the executive National Committee of the British Universities North America Club, has worked for a Labour Member of Parliament and is working towards a postgraduate Masters degree in politics, specialising in global development and middle eastern affairs.

"I am standing for Labour in West Devon because I believe Labour offers the best chance for our community, our county and our country."

"I want to break the corrosive political stalemate in our area and bring a fresh approach to local representation, working hard on local issues for local people, listening and learning and campaigning on the issues that matter."

On June 4 Vote MICHAEL SPARLING - THE LABOUR PARTY CANDIDATE in Tavistock

You are all just 'jealous of me' said Devon Tory squire Anthony Steen who was forced to quit in the expenses row yesterday.

I think the most shocking part of the interview for me was when the Tory grandee unashamedly blamed the Freedom of Information Act for his downfall and insisted that the public has no right to know how he spent taxpayer-funded allowances, maintaining that such disclosures constitute interference in his private life. What a cheek! 

At least most MPs from all sides caught out have put their hands up. This local Tory grandee on the other hand really seems to believe that we owe him everything and he owes us nothing. I'm still wreeling from disbelief.

I hope for their own sake that the Conservatives in Devon are unequivocal in condemnation of MP Anthony Steen for the sentiments he so disgracefully expressed on national radio yesterday.  I will be listening carefully to soundings from local Conservatives here in Devon to see if they really represent the change they claim to. I won't be holding my breath.

If you haven't already heard the interview, then please help yourself -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8062205.stm

MICHAEL SPARLING

I was delighted to have yesterday been accepted by Torridge & West Devon Constituency Labour Party to represent them as their official delegate to the 2009 Labour Party Conference in Brighton this Autumn and am looking forward to attending alongside our Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Darren Jones.

It will surely be an important, challenging Conference and I am in no doubt that delegates from the South West region will make a positive contribution.

Political colours unfurl for county elections

Thursday, 14 May 2009

POLITICAL parties are to the fore in the line up of those contesting seats in the Devon County Council elections.
One of the largest field of candidates is in Tavistock, where six are contesting the seat.

Labour’s standard bearer is Michael Sparling.

Full list of candidates is as follows:
Tavistock —

Alison Clish-Green Liberal Democrat
Roy Connelly Independent
George Mudge UKIP
Debo Sellis Conservative
Ted Sherrell Independent
Michael Sparling Labour

As the County Council election draws nearer I should like to highlight that Labour does not have a pessimistic view that runs Britain's local communities down all the time. This country has never been broken. It is not now. Nor will it be.

Nationally nearly 3,000 Sure Start Children’s Centres are now embedded in the fabric of local communities. Labour is proud of our country: our communities are getting stronger. So we are optimistic about the future. We are not the broken society the Conservatives claim. There is nothing wrong in Britain today that cannot be put right by what is good about our country.

In West Devon, people are rightly concerned about our beautiful local area, the local environment, and the quality of local services. Here too we have a real opportunity to forge an even fairer and more prosperous local community.

Investment and reform has meant that local public services previously neglected by central government now meet decent standards, so power can be devolved to local government with greater confidence.

Labour supporters can be proud that we have reduced poverty, pursued a meaningful equality agenda, reformed and renewed our public services, and cut crime. We should be proud but not satisfied. To achieve our goals and ensure lasting change, Labour must continue the work of reform, enabling Britain to weather the storm of economic turbulence.

And it is because we live in an era of accelerating change that fairness matters more: fair chances for all, so that everyone can share in the new benefits that progress brings; fair rules for all, so that no one feels exploited; a fair say for all, so that people have more power over their local services.

Looking ahead, on other issues such as licensing laws and control over public spaces like parks and our town centres, people should never feel powerless. In our local communities this means empowering local people to hold local services, like policing, to account. Labour’s neighbourhood policing, where we have set clear minimum standards for every local area including in West Devon, will transform the ability of local people to shape policing priorities. Ten years ago investment in localised measures like these were perceived as a real innovation.

New times ask new questions and demand new answers. Only Labour can provide them for all the people of our communities and I am proud that it is against our principles to leave anyone behind. We will seize opportunities with optimism and continue to help build the new Britain everyone in our country deserves.

MICHAEL SPARLING

Torridge and West Devon Constituency Labour Party

Published http://raincoatoptimism.wordpress.com/

Published http://en.wordpress.com/tag/michael-sparling/

I am standing for Labour locally because I believe Labour represents the best chance for this country. Many people will not listen to that at this moment because of what the Parliamentarians have done and that is the tragedy of what has happened. However, I think it is important to focus minds on the fact that this is a local election and it should be about local issues.

The scandals of recent weeks are a matter for all kinds of people, from all sides in the political class, who having assumed that they are honourable have found that they are part of a system that has been dishonourable. That is a warning that all those involved need to take on board.

That said, there are huge issues facing local communities including crime and the economic crisis. Individual voters need to consider what the people they elect will do about these issues. These considerations must take precedence over blind retaliation, or more extreme elements will stand to gain and local people will suffer.

Parliamentarians have not acted responsibly. I have faith that when people go to the polls this June, they will act with more foresight. Local candidates – including those I am standing against – have had absolutely nothing to do with the scandals in Westminster. More to the point, the candidates elected will be making all kinds of important decisions about the lives of local electors.

Whilst there are those who are spurring on others to go and punish the political structure generally on June 4, I am concerned about a much bigger question for local people and that is the life that we have to lead over the next four years.

Michael Sparling is the Labour Party candidate in the Devon County Council elections (Tavistock Division)

MICHAEL SPARLING

Tavistock Labour Party

Torridge and West Devon Constituency Labour Party

The official Labour Party candidate for Tavistock Division - Devon County Council elections

JUNE 04 2009

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