New Year Message from Lib Dem PPC for Exeter, Graham Oakes

12.00.00pm GMT Wed 30th Dec 2009

At New Year many of us reflect upon the year that's passed and the one to come. Looking back on 2009 I would describe it as a year of missed opportunities coming at the end of a decade of disappointment. I describe it as a decade of disappointment because the Labour government chose not to solve some long standing problems when it had record receipts in the Treasury. It could have solved the pension problems for emergency services. It could have funded the building of tidal ponds in the Severn, generating electricity without damaging the estuary's unique environment instead of building a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. It could have electrified the railway lines to London from the South West. It could have further increased the grants to support insulation of our homes, preventing hundreds of older people dying unnecessarily each winter - instead it spent the money fighting an illegal war in Iraq.

2009 will largely be remembered for the debacle of MPs expenses, from duck houses to bell towers and moats to manure. Whilst there were many silly things that were revealed about our representatives' expenses claims, whether it be for sanitary towels or mints, an impression was created that all our MPs were essentially morally corrupt and in a few cases possibly actually corrupt. Whilst I was angry that a handful of MPs were flipping the status of their first and second home or even forgetting that they had paid off their mortgage I was also saddened.

I have been actively involved in politics for 32 years, delivering thousands of leaflets and knocking on countless doors. Over the years a few people have greeted me with "you politicians are all the same, just in it for what you can get" and I have defended the MPs as being hard working, decent people, even if I disagreed with their views. So I was saddened to learn of the way that some MPs manipulated the system for their own benefit and that many, even now, still think they have done nothing wrong. If you go to a cash point machine and request £30 pounds and it gives you £300 you know its not really your money - our MPs forgot it was our money they were taking.

So what of 2010?

We will have a General Election and in Exeter it looks to be the closest contest ever. Since the last time we elected someone to represent our city the electoral boundaries have changed along with the political landscape. The new boundaries saw a lot of traditional Tory voters being moved into the East Devon constituency. The political fortunes of the three main parties have also changed considerably since 2005. Nationally the Conservatives have built a significant lead over Labour but locally they have bucked the trend and have had a series of disappointing local election results over the past 4 years. Labour's support has collapsed since 2005 and our now in 3rd place on the City council. Meanwhile the Lib Dems are the largest party and have taken control of the City Council, building their support steadily across the city. The General Election in Exeter looks to very interesting and having a Labour and Tory candidate who are both centre right should help the Lib Dems.

I will continue to try to offer positive reasons why local people should vote Liberal Democrat. Despite facing record levels of government debt we must start creating a fairer society - the recession can not be used as an excuse for avoiding reform. Clearly we must reform the way our political system operates. From the way we elect MPs to the length of time they serve. We need to restore the power of parliament over the executive, reducing the power of the Whips and, of course, create a totally elected second chamber to replace the House of Lords. We need an MP who will actively support change rather than just pay it lip service to gain votes at election time.

Whilst reform of the political system is necessary, reform of our society is even more important. We need to support people who want to work but who are caught in the benefits trap. A simple change of lifting the staring point at which everyone pays income tax to £10,000 will lift 4 million people out of paying. This can be funded in several ways including by redistributing wealth - taxing the rich. Only the Lib Dems are committed to helping these people build better lives for them and their families.

Our other priority has to be education. We must reduce class sizes in our primary schools, ensuring that during the golden years of education when children really want to learn, they can. We also need to phase out Tuition Fees in our universities - a tax on learning hinders our economic recovery and is plain wrong.

Finally can I challenge to my opponents to a series of debates on all the major topics. The debates should be held in various locations around the city and should each focus on one or two topics, including health, education, tax, crime and Europe. Lets move politics on from the era of spin and sound bites.

Happy New Year to you all.