Speech given to private party meeting, on 12th November.
m/r 009Speec.dtp. v2.0.
Introduction.
Good evening. I'm Mike Edwards, Chair of the branch. Thank you for inviting me.
Tonight I'm seeking to represent Mapperley Labour Party as its candidate for the third time.
I want to be Councillor for Mapperley for many reasons.
Immediate Reasons.
For immediate reasons.
I live in the ward.
I want to take a Conservative seat.
The present Councillor does not deserve to keep the seat.
Taking safe Tory seats will put the Government under even more pressure.
Fundamental Reason.
But more fundamentally,
a Labour Councillor in a Labour Council,
can act on many matters to improve the lives of many of Mapperley's residents.
By doing this, the values of the Labour Party can be shared;
and the base can be expanded.
Ultimately, to win a General Election, Labour must win seats like Mapperley.
Mapperley reflects Britain.
Mapperley reflects Britain as a whole in so many ways.
Extremes of poverty and wealth exist within the ward; these divisions have grown since 1979.
The majority are Professionals, employers, managers, intermediate and junior non-manual workers;
they live in comfort but have suffered recently through
the slump,
the fall in house prices and
the high interest rates.
Jobs.
Many now fear for their jobs; no other Conservative ward in Notts. has higher unemployment.
(April 1992, 611, 15.4%)
How many more will lose their jobs in shops and supporting services if the pit closures go ahead?
Education.
Our schools too are under threat.
The County Council has provided a popular nursery and continues to keep school standards high.
And yet we must now prepare to oppose any opt-out proposals for Walter Halls and Elliot Durham.
Poverty estates.
Our Labour Councils can congratulate themselves for the action taken over the poverty estates in our ward.
The City Council saw a one-off opportunity to develop Kingsthorpe Close and took it.
The tenants have been moved from Caunton Avenue flats, to both their relief and the relief of the neighbourhood.
Labour must continue to help council tenants.
Communities.
The distinct parts of the ward also have clearly defined needs.
Sherwood needs traffic calming, better management of car parking and action on litter.
The Wells Road estates have no shops and a high level of crime. Here the strongest sense of community has to be developed.
The development of the Hospital grounds has to take account of the neighbourhood's needs.
Mental health.
Mental health is a major issue, not just because of the hospital and its planned closure;
but because so many in our ward are caring for sick relatives;
plans for new homes and units need careful support.
Other issues.
More generally, -
we must address the "exodus" of people from the city;
we need a more popular public transport system to relieve the heavy traffic on our roads;
we must explain and condemn the Council tax, which is still a regressive local tax and still contains elements of the Poll tax.
The campaign.
So there is much to do and much to say, and our campaign will say it.
It will highlight these local issues and
place them in the context of the need for change.
It will promote Labour's values and
involve the members and our supporters.
It will take the opportunities technology and modern media offer
to maximise contact and support amongst the electorate.
We start this campaign with over a thousand known supporters and
it will be the best yet.
Current popularity.
The Tory Government has taken a gamble with [its] popularity over the pit closures and forthcoming public expenditure cuts,
expecting that their 1992 General Election campaign of fear can be repeated in 1997.
We must undermine their strategy by winning safe seats such as Mapperley.
Conclusion.
The battle against the Tories in this city is now in Mapperley.
We have never been more ready to defeat them.
Let's get to it.
[2020 note - that The Wells Road estates has no shops is and was not literally true, but was meant as a prelude that a notion that a supermarket developer might come to use land being released. None did.]
Comments