Marple Website Community Calendar
Archive => Archived Boards => Hazel Grove Elections May 2015 => Topic started by: admin on December 24, 2014, 02:52:57 PM
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Liberal Democrat candidate Lisa Smart has provided the following statement for publication on the site:
Thank you for taking the time to read this brief statement detailing why I think I’d be the best person to take over from Sir Andrew Stunell MP next year at the General Election.
I like to get involved with the community; I live in Romiley, I’m a Trustee for the New Horizons Canal Boat for disabled people and their carers and a Director of Stockport Credit Union.
I’ve got the experience to do the job. I started work when I was 14 in a newsagent near my mum and dad’s house and I’ve been working ever since. I worked while completing both of my degrees. I have twelve years experience in business and three as Chief Executive of an international development charity that provides education and resources for children and young people.
I am a member of the Marple Civic Society and the Canal & Riverboat Trust. In my spare evenings I enjoy being a member of the Marple and District Women’s Institute which is great fun.
I graduated from Durham University with a degree in Mathematics and went on to gain an MBA from the London Business School. I am firm believer that if we get education right then we will be on the best track to a fairer, stronger Britain. Through personal experience, 10 years as a school governor and my work with an education charity that belief has only become stronger.
I am working full time to become the new MP for Hazel Grove Constituency in 2015 and have dedicated myself to campaigning on behalf of local people. Andrew’s boots are big ones to fill and I will continue to work tirelessly to deliver for local people, just as he has.
Please feel free to contact me using any of the methods below:
enquiries@lisasmart.org.uk
0161 406 0342
www.lisasmart.org.uk
www.fb.com/LisaSmartLibDem
@Lisa_Smart
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Just a few brief points......
1. "I live in Romiley"..........only since you were selected to fight this constituency.
2. "I am a Trustee for the New Horizons Canal Boat".......only since you were selected to contest this constituency.
3. "I am a Director of Stockport Credit Union".....see above (plus WI)
4. "I have twelve years experience in business"......would you please clarify what this refers to?
Personally, I couldn't care less about the personal backgrounds of individual PPCs. I do, however, object to people pretending they are "local" (presumably in an attempt to confuse or deceive electors) when, in fact, they stood for election, to the London Assembly, as recently as 2012 as a "local" candidate who had been a local school governor for many years in London.
Happy Christmas.
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Interesting post from BG. Re-reading Ms Smart's statement, it carefully avoids any claim that she actually comes from this area, but that is obviously what we are meant to infer.
No doubt this is all part of the (cynical) way the party machine works, so in this season of goodwill, maybe we shouldn't be too hard on her personally.
Btw, this post is not in support of Ms Smart - I haven't decided how to vote yet.
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Just a few brief points......
1. "I live in Romiley"..........only since you were selected to fight this constituency.
Fair point but as I understand it she has lived here a couple of years at least. If I recall the last election correctly one candidate said the same would happen if he were elected to represent this constituency! I know I have certainly heard it in one of the constituencies I have lived in.
Lisa's background should come as no surprise to regular readers here. Whilst I like the idea of a local candidate for local people, people do have to move around for jobs and I'm not sure how long one has to be resident to be able to qualify for the local tag. Whether her non political experience is enough to suggest she is not one of the professional political class, or whether it actually matters if we think she is the best person for this constituency is something we all need to decide for ourselves.
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Just for the record, I completely unintererested in where a particular candidate is from and I certainly don't subscribe to the view that a "local" candidate is, somehow, better than an "incomer". What I personally don't like is deception and spin, which pretty much sums up this statement.
In the (unlikely) event that Lisa Smart is not elected next year, I would hazard a guess that, in three years time, we will, view, via the Interweb, a statement from the Lib Dem candidate for Hereford & South Herefordshire which begins "I live in Hereford"........
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Like Dave, I haven't really made my mind up yet about the parliamentary seat.
However, I can't really see anything deceptive about Lisa's statement. I can't even see the bit where others claim that she claims that she is 'local.' Plus I don't care anyway about that, being local in my eyes counts for nothing on its own.To those who claim that they are born and bred in Maple or Hazel Grove, I SAY that maybe you should have travelled and lived about a bit and you might have a more rounded approach. As long as you're not from Mars, what difference does it make ?
Obviously, Bowden's pronouncements about her are incorrect. I think that she was selected as the candidate at a hustings in Autumn this year and she seems to have been around a bit longer than that. So to say that she moved to Romiley 'after she was selected,' is quite simply false.
Anyway it is all very interesting.
There is one plus for her to already as far as I'm concerned. She's a lone female candidate in an otherwise male line up, but it's all early days yet.
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Perhaps Lisa would like to clear up any confusion as to when she relocated from London to Romiley?
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But Stunell was never local. He only moved into a rented property once selected and it dose not seem to have affected peoples perception as to how he did the job.
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I have just looked through Lisa's tweet history and, yes, she did in fact move to Romiley, and join the Credit Union, before she was selected so I was being rather unfair to her.
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Andrew Stunell was local - as we lived on the same road as him and his family in Romiley for 5 years.
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I entirely agree with Bowden Guy and others for whom being 'local' (whatever that means) doesn't count for anything. My vote will go to whoever reflects best my views as to what's best for the country and for this constituency.
That said, Sir Andrew is one of the many (I'm another, as it happens) who came from another part of the country to be a student in Manchester, and never left. So for what it's worth (not much), that probably makes him more 'local' than Ms Smart.
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Same here, Dave - Machester Uni from 77-80. Only difference was I went away, and then came back. Certainly, the centre of Manchester is very different than it was in the 1970s.
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But Stunell was never local. He only moved into a rented property once selected and it dose not seem to have affected peoples perception as to how he did the job.
he lives on hibbert lane
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How can being a member of Marple Civic Society be considered a positive point? (Given that they just try to stop all progress and descant shops.)
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@ringi Maybe she's a progressive voice in the Civic Society? You'll never know unless you read the minutes.
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Same here, Dave - Machester Uni from 77-80. Only difference was I went away, and then came back. Certainly, the centre of Manchester is very different than it was in the 1970s.
I'm another student stayer. I pitched up in the middle of Madchester which made Manchester quite appealing. Then the IRA carried out some radical urban planning and the city never looked back. I'm a committed Stopfordian these days though.
No problems with a non local candidate per-se. I don't see that being local is a pre-requisite for under standing issues. If the candidate is prepared to pitch in and do the work - Mr Stunnell being a good role model there, then I'm satisfied.
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@ringi Maybe she's a progressive voice in the Civic Society? You'll never know unless you read the minutes.
I could be missing something here, but she doesn't appear to have attended any Marple Civic Society meetings in 2014.
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=5AE1C34D7E844FFF&id=5AE1C34D7E844FFF%21705 (https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=5AE1C34D7E844FFF&id=5AE1C34D7E844FFF%21705)
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he lives on hibbert lane
. Are you sure about that thought he lived in Romiley
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he lives on hibbert lane
No he doesn't he lives in Romiley he rented a house on Hibbert Lane when he was selected before that he lived in Chester
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I could be missing something here, but she doesn't appear to have attended any Marple Civic Society meetings in 2014.
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=5AE1C34D7E844FFF&id=5AE1C34D7E844FFF%21705 (https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=5AE1C34D7E844FFF&id=5AE1C34D7E844FFF%21705)
Ms Smart didn't claim to be a committee member, just a member. AFAIK anyone can just pay the subscription and join.
As for why anyone moving to Romiley would join Marple Civic Society - well I think we can all work that out!
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Ms Smart didn't claim to be a committee member, just a member. AFAIK anyone can just pay the subscription and join.
As for why anyone moving to Romiley would join Marple Civic Society - well I think we can all work that out!
Big society?
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... and for the conspiracy theorists - why is there no Romiley Civic society?
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Give the lass a chance, she can't do any worse.
The Winstanley days are long gone but the voters remain stuck in a time warp.
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Anyone else received the ludicrous letter of support for Lisa Smart from the current incumbent? "Over the last few years I have seen the Conservatives coming forward with more and more extreme ideas...". Priceless. Should've gone to SpecSavers in 2010, Sir Andrew!
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But, just remember, she's still a "local' candidate!
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Lisa Smart was on the Politics show today, came over rather well but then again, she was up against the Labour MP for Bolton who was quite appalling
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You won't be getting my vote Lisa Smart.
Lost count of how much paraphernalia your volunteers have put through my door.
Local champion? Utter tosh. You stood in 2012 in the Greater London assembly for the seat of Merton and Wandsworth and got 7.88 % of the turnout.
You and Sir(?) Andrew Stunnell insult the intelligence of the Hazel Grove constituency.
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You won't be getting my vote Lisa Smart.
Lost count of how much paraphernalia your volunteers have put through my door.
Local champion? Utter tosh. You stood in 2012 in the Greater London assembly for the seat of Merton and Wandsworth and got 7.88 % of the turnout.
You and Sir(?) Andrew Stunnell insult the intelligence of the Hazel Grove constituency.
COME ON LISA NEARLY AT THE WINNING POST . [ she also works for a recycling firm had tons from the cons as well ]
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Having heard her at the Marple hustings and read her literature, I'm almost tempted to vote for William Wragg just to keep her out. Probably won't (as the Conservatives under David Cameron are too left wing and liberal and Mr Wragg hasn't repudiated his policies), but any of the candidates would be better that Lisa Smart.
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Having heard her at the Marple hustings and read her literature, I'm almost tempted to vote for William Wragg just to keep her out. Probably won't (as the Conservatives under David Cameron are too left wing and liberal and Mr Wragg hasn't repudiated his policies), but any of the candidates would be better that Lisa Smart.
I don't see that that makes any sense at all, or is in fact a loss to her as you have already said you would never vote LD on the sole issue of abortion.
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I don't see that that makes any sense at all, or is in fact a loss to her as you have already said you would never vote LD on the sole issue of abortion.
That seems a little strange as none of the parties are proposing a change in te abortion law (rightly IMHO)
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I agree Duke indeed many of us would like to see the whole process of getting one made much easier
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On of the main reasons you should vote for Lisa Smart according to the Lib Dem leaflet - She has the endorsement of our outgoing MP Andrew Stunell. Surely this is the clincher!!??
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No ,you are wrong. The clincher is a piece of new playground equipment in Bredbury or was it that pothole that got filled in on Ley Lane.
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The real clincher is of course different for each voter. That's what makes campaigning so difficult.