Jonathan Todd

The hustings in the Shakespeare Centre, Kendal, last night for Christian Aid/SLACC/WDM were much fun. I paste below the speech which I used to kick off my contribution to this really positive event. I departed slightly from this script at points, but not greatly.

I don’t mean to be self-pitying but it’s not always easy being the Labour candidate in Westmorland and Lonsdale.

The local press treat you as a slightly amusing distraction, in spite of representing the party of government.

And today even the Guardian – supposedly a newspaper with some Labour sympathies – put an eight and a half minute video on their website about Westmorland and Lonsdale with not one mention of my candidacy.

At the same time, some constituents have 13 years of frustration with this government that they’d tried to take out on me.

I felt like a bit of a punch bag at the Federation of Small Businesses hustings on Monday night.

And it’s not easy to be a Labour activist, either.

I was talking to one Labour activist, who had been active locally in the 1980s but only recently became active again. She said:

“It was different in the 1980s. No matter where you were in the country, there were causes that kept you active within the Labour Party:

The Miners strike,

Section 28,

The abolition of the GLC,                                                          

The Poll Tax.

Now we don’t have any causes”.

When this activist was taking forward the Labour causes of the 1980s, I was at primary school and Roy Hattersley wrote the words that concisely sum up my political credo better than any others: “the only ends of socialism are justice and equality; everything else is means”.

Now, if we care about justice and equality, as I do, then, we have to care about climate change and development.

These are the great causes of our time; these are the causes that should – and often do – get Labour activists out of bed in the morning.

Some observations on these causes:

1.)  They are not unrelated

2.)  They are international

3.)  But government can’t really solve them on its own

They are interrelated because the biggest losers from the effects of climate change are the poorest people in the developing world.

They are international because the carbon emissions that are driving this don’t respect international borders.

And as they are international, government inherently has a role:

Taking forward the Millennium Development goals;

Fighting for the best deal possible at the Copenhagen conference;

Having a positive role in Europe that enables us to reform European Union environmental policy.

But government can’t really solve all of these problems alone.

Government can force towns to become fair trade, but it would be quicker and more effective if towns took on this status for themselves – and well done to Kendal for being one of the first towns to gain fair trade status.

Government may have to force the kinds of lifestyle changes that climate change requires upon us, but it would, again, be quicker and more effective if we made these changes for ourselves – and well done to the community groups here who are working towards this change.

However, this is not an argument for government to take a backseat; an invitation to every NIMBY and vested interest to take over the government.

This is an argument for intelligent, reforming government; government that makes it easier for households and communities to transition to more sustainable lifestyles.

Let me give you two examples of this kind of government.

First, I’m campaigning to have the size and composition of South Lakeland’s carbon footprint published on an annual basis.

It is the responsibility of government, in this case the District Council, to do this.

Once government fulfils this responsibility, community groups can better target their efforts to live more sustainable lives.

Without this information, the low hanging fruit goes unpicked and community activity remains unfocused.

Second, only government action and regulation will clip the wings of “vulture funds”.

These funds buy up poor countries debt cheaply and, then, often years later, when these countries receive international aid, sue them for these debts, plus interest and damages.

Thanks to a Private Members Bill, introduced by Labour MP, Andrew Gwynne, the UK recently became the first country in the world to stop vulture funds using its courts to profiteer from poverty.

These vulture funds prove that almost 30 years after the Miner’s strike, we’ve discovered that the enemy within is, actually, in the City of London.

If we want justice and equality, we need to stand up to this enemy.

I’m standing up for my beliefs in justice and equality by being the Labour candidate in Westmorland and Lonsdale.

I urge you to vote, not for tactical reasons, but for your beliefs and if you believe in justice and equality, I still believe that means voting for the Labour Party.