I've just now adapted your letter to suit my circumstances, Miri, and sent them off to the Green, LibDem, Labour and Reform candidates standing in our constituency. It will be interesting to see if I get any response - and what sort of one!
Excellent letter. I will try and do as Gareth below is doing, but I've tried looking to see who our prospective candidates are and can't find them. What do I do?
Thank you Priscilla, there's a hyperlink in the second paragraph of the introduction (text 'find who they are here'), but I recall you said you lived in Streatham, so I have looked up your candidates and here they are...https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/SW2%203DP/
Thanks, Miri. I'd missed that hyperlink. Actually for our postcode, it's https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/SW16%202SB/ which doesn't even show a Tory candidate, only a Reform one and our existing sitting and safe Labour MP Helen Hayes. I'll try and send each one a suitably adjusted copy of your letter. Thank you again.
Here's the first reply to my letter - from our Reform candidate. The trouble is it has now left me in a bit of a quandary as I had determined not to vote for Reform (I don't trust them, nor do I trust Nigel Farage), but to spoil my ballot paper. What do I do now?!!!
'I agree with you whole-heartedly. One of the reasons I am standing is because I was appalled at how authoritarian the UK Government and HoC behaved during the Covid 'pandemic'. I am a libertarian and I do not support such out of control powers as were handed across to a very select number of people.
Regards to your specific questions;
1. Would you support, or actively oppose, the UK returning to a lockdown situation for any reason, including an alleged pandemic, or for reasons said to be linked to 'climate change'?
- No, not under any circumstances. I opposed lockdowns at the time and even more so now.
2. Would you support, or actively oppose, the imposition of mandates when it comes to health-related behaviours, such as masks, tests and vaccines?
- No. Personal choice is paramount.
3. Would you, in short, support the right of the individual to make autonomous and non-coerced choices about their bodies and how they live, or would you betray democratic and ethical principles by colluding to take away people's freedoms and govern their behaviour by force?
- As for my answer to Q2. Democracy, freedoms and rights should never be betrayed.
The below is an extract from a larger piece I am writing up, that will eventually go online.
Covid
Whilst it is important to have unity at times of crisis, during Covid it was clear that we have one party in the UK, the UniParty. Labour may as well have crossed the floor and joined the Tories over the last few years. Elitist Sir Keir Starmer’s (who values the WEF and Davos, over Westminster and the British people) Labour provided no opposition whatsoever to the extremist legislation and policies forced on the British people, that took us back to before the Magna Carta. Indeed, Labour called for harder lockdowns, sooner and far more extreme than they already were. It was an appalling state of affairs as the British people were used as playthings for politicians across Wales, Scotland, NI and England, and internationally, to see who could out do the other in terms of how hardline they could be.
Lockdowns were an appalling mistake; they were a sledgehammer to smash a fly and were not required or recommended. The impacts of lockdowns will be felt for a long time. The impacts on children’s education and mental health, the destruction of SME businesses, lives and livelihoods, the impact on health as all health issues were cast to one side to focus on a virus with a survivability rate of 99.5%, with the few deaths from just Covid being amongst the very old and frail. We must protect people and ensure they are safe, but we must never again allow such authoritarian madness in the UK to go unchecked.
The pandemic preparedness plan completed in 2011, across all main UK agencies, did not mention lockdowns at all and pointedly mentioned that masks were of no use in the community (see section 4.15 of the PPP), with UK politicians and bureaucrats also clearly stating at the start of the Covid that masks were counter-productive and indeed caused more harms. A stance they radically changed after the SAGE advisory group stated that people weren’t afraid enough and masks would provide a highly visible means to make them afraid. With the emergency legislation, all procurement and contract oversight and scrutiny was thrown aside and the treasury doors thrown open, enabling this government to help themselves to millions if not billions.
Covid exposed a lot for people to see. There were some incredibly strong people and there were also people who exposed themselves as being corrupt and authoritarian and we must launch a Westminster Anti-Corruption Unit.'
I plan to expand my questions to candidates to include asking what their stance is on abortion, euthanasia and ULEZ/LTNs. I’ve sent these last questions to the Reform candidate but he hasn’t been so quick to reply this time round!
Fabulous template you’ve provided there Miri! Thank you. I will take that and tweak it accordingly. Will look forward to hearing your update on this 👍
Thank you Gareth! I still haven't heard from the Labour or Green candidates and very much doubt that I will, which speaks very deafening volumes....
I’ll look forward to hearing back about the responses and yes it is very telling that those two parties have not replied.
I've just now adapted your letter to suit my circumstances, Miri, and sent them off to the Green, LibDem, Labour and Reform candidates standing in our constituency. It will be interesting to see if I get any response - and what sort of one!
Excellent letter. I will try and do as Gareth below is doing, but I've tried looking to see who our prospective candidates are and can't find them. What do I do?
Thank you Priscilla, there's a hyperlink in the second paragraph of the introduction (text 'find who they are here'), but I recall you said you lived in Streatham, so I have looked up your candidates and here they are...https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/SW2%203DP/
Thanks, Miri. I'd missed that hyperlink. Actually for our postcode, it's https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/SW16%202SB/ which doesn't even show a Tory candidate, only a Reform one and our existing sitting and safe Labour MP Helen Hayes. I'll try and send each one a suitably adjusted copy of your letter. Thank you again.
Here's the first reply to my letter - from our Reform candidate. The trouble is it has now left me in a bit of a quandary as I had determined not to vote for Reform (I don't trust them, nor do I trust Nigel Farage), but to spoil my ballot paper. What do I do now?!!!
'I agree with you whole-heartedly. One of the reasons I am standing is because I was appalled at how authoritarian the UK Government and HoC behaved during the Covid 'pandemic'. I am a libertarian and I do not support such out of control powers as were handed across to a very select number of people.
Regards to your specific questions;
1. Would you support, or actively oppose, the UK returning to a lockdown situation for any reason, including an alleged pandemic, or for reasons said to be linked to 'climate change'?
- No, not under any circumstances. I opposed lockdowns at the time and even more so now.
2. Would you support, or actively oppose, the imposition of mandates when it comes to health-related behaviours, such as masks, tests and vaccines?
- No. Personal choice is paramount.
3. Would you, in short, support the right of the individual to make autonomous and non-coerced choices about their bodies and how they live, or would you betray democratic and ethical principles by colluding to take away people's freedoms and govern their behaviour by force?
- As for my answer to Q2. Democracy, freedoms and rights should never be betrayed.
The below is an extract from a larger piece I am writing up, that will eventually go online.
Covid
Whilst it is important to have unity at times of crisis, during Covid it was clear that we have one party in the UK, the UniParty. Labour may as well have crossed the floor and joined the Tories over the last few years. Elitist Sir Keir Starmer’s (who values the WEF and Davos, over Westminster and the British people) Labour provided no opposition whatsoever to the extremist legislation and policies forced on the British people, that took us back to before the Magna Carta. Indeed, Labour called for harder lockdowns, sooner and far more extreme than they already were. It was an appalling state of affairs as the British people were used as playthings for politicians across Wales, Scotland, NI and England, and internationally, to see who could out do the other in terms of how hardline they could be.
Lockdowns were an appalling mistake; they were a sledgehammer to smash a fly and were not required or recommended. The impacts of lockdowns will be felt for a long time. The impacts on children’s education and mental health, the destruction of SME businesses, lives and livelihoods, the impact on health as all health issues were cast to one side to focus on a virus with a survivability rate of 99.5%, with the few deaths from just Covid being amongst the very old and frail. We must protect people and ensure they are safe, but we must never again allow such authoritarian madness in the UK to go unchecked.
The pandemic preparedness plan completed in 2011, across all main UK agencies, did not mention lockdowns at all and pointedly mentioned that masks were of no use in the community (see section 4.15 of the PPP), with UK politicians and bureaucrats also clearly stating at the start of the Covid that masks were counter-productive and indeed caused more harms. A stance they radically changed after the SAGE advisory group stated that people weren’t afraid enough and masks would provide a highly visible means to make them afraid. With the emergency legislation, all procurement and contract oversight and scrutiny was thrown aside and the treasury doors thrown open, enabling this government to help themselves to millions if not billions.
Covid exposed a lot for people to see. There were some incredibly strong people and there were also people who exposed themselves as being corrupt and authoritarian and we must launch a Westminster Anti-Corruption Unit.'
Sorry, I don't mean to dominate the comments under Miri's letter, but I wonder about the following:
UK election day: taking place on 4th July (4/7), US independence day
US election day: taking place on 5th November (5/11), UK Guy Fawkes' day
Weird or not?!
I plan to expand my questions to candidates to include asking what their stance is on abortion, euthanasia and ULEZ/LTNs. I’ve sent these last questions to the Reform candidate but he hasn’t been so quick to reply this time round!