Not for one second suggesting the man might be dead, but over at Live from Blackpool, Zim Flyer has rustled up a fine interview with the Conservative prospective party candidate (PPC) for Blackpool North.
Having unsuccessfully contested Twickenham in 2005, many have their hopes pinned on Cheshire-born Maynard providing that 4.5% swing to boot out Joan “I’m a lame duck, please associate me with something so I can campaign on it” Humble.
Labour have turned their backs on Blackpool. I don’t intend to.
Unlike many elected and prospective democratic representatives, Oxford educated Maynard is able to cut through the rhetoric and accept the serious problems that Blackpool has without resorting to gimmicks and false promises. He realises that the tacky, mid-20th century seaside town has died a death and new, modern, refined features are what people are looking for these days.
As a local MP, it is about providing an excellent service to your constituents, and that means not just regular surgeries, but spending as much time as possible meeting local people and local groups. There is no point getting made patron of a local charity and then never visiting them – as I know has happened with the current pair.
He certainly talks the talk, whilst sticking the boot into Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble which has to be applauded! Most MPs and PPCs will say the same sort of thing, of course, but as Paul accepts, all current MPs are tainted with the scandal over their expenses claims and the framework of rules that permits them to fund a second life on expenses. He hopes to become part of a new blue wave of MP that are in it for the right reasons.
I like the way Paul doesn’t resort to petty party political point scoring and focuses on the core issues at hand. Leave the tittle-tattle to the blogosphere eh, Paul?
I am a Conservative, with my own views and principles. But that doesn’t stop me thinking for myself and weighing up every issue on its own merits.
Paul Maynard, yesterday.
Of course, Paul isn’t a superhero that’s going to fly down, defeat Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble with his laser-eyes and superhuman strength and then turn Blackpool into a utopian playground. No, I’m a firm believer that an MP is only as good as the ideas and suggestions put forward to them by their constituents.
Clearly when you have incumbents like Gordon “It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Cummings” Marsden who never do local surgeries, never spend time in the town (stop calling it a resort for God’s sake) and remain largely anonymous in their tenure as MPs, it’s difficult for anyone to communicate with them never mind push forward any interesting projects that might require the backing of an elected member to get off the ground.
Talking of Marsden for a second, you’d think he’d be packed with ideas given that he lives in Brighton. Nul points.
On the national scale there is the unfortunate notion of party whipping and I would be very interested to see whether Paul Maynard – should he become elected – resists it, because he’d be one of very few that do.
The full interview with Paul Maynard is here, and if you want you can check out his own blog.
Thanks to Zim Flyer for the heads up and interview!
loading…
I think Mr Maynard will make a fantastic MP. I have written comments on his personal blog and he has taken the time to actually personally reply to me, more than you’ll ever get from the current MPs. He is also young and dynamic with the sort of ideas I want to see in action, not this endless obsession with ‘reliving the glory days’, he is a politician who looks to the future. I look forward to seeing what ideas he has for the future.
Also some Labour bigot has been deleting all my comment on the Gasjet this morning. That obnoxious ‘frustrated of blackpool’ made some silly comment ‘Thanks to our MP for the funding for the new university campus’. So then I wrote a comment about how Labour lost the funding for the Central Drive campus and he ignored it and suddenly 3 of my comments have vanished. I know its only circumstantial evidence but it all points to a Labour supporter being the culprit especially as his comments have been untouched.
loading...
Just read the interview and I am very impressed to say the least. I think he is truly a man who believes in Blackpool like I do. I like the way he says Blackpool has potential which is being left untapped. He is spot on in saying a seaside resort cannot survive in the 21st century as a ‘donkey rides and fish n chips resort’ (my words but the general gist is the same). My personal vision is to take a leaf from Brighton’s book. Brighton may not measure up to Blackpool with the amount of attractions it has. But it is no longer seen as candy floss and sandcastles but a modern cosmopolitan vibrant seaside city, with a good university and student life, arenas which host big conferences and big bands and a good music scene. It has even been dubbed ‘London by the sea’. I would like Blackpool to be ‘Manchester by the sea’ and I don’t mean a carbon copy of fabulous Manchester, I just mean in general terms as I mention above like Brighton.
loading...
You are right TB in saying Blackpool has to change its image and fairly quick and it can be done in the North. The example we should look at is Southport who many people would have written of ten years ago has shown what can be done with some drive and a will to do it.
Now as for the conservative candidate it’s hard to make a sound judgement until he is in post. I remember reading some of Marsdens speeches before 1997 and they all did sound promising. He said some of the things Maynard has, like being a independent thinker and focusing on the town of Blackpool and the way to drive it forward. Now we all know what a failure Marsden has been and some would point out that we should have worked out from the beginning that he was a Labour MP and not a Blackpool MP who belongs to the Labour party. You can say Maynard, if you review his past, would be more loyal to the Conservatives then Blackpool for the same reason Marsden is more loyal to the Labour party then to Blackpool. By which I mean I do have my doubts about how good a local MP he would be no matter what he says or how he presents his self.
loading...
I agree Marsden is just a career politician who is committed to the Labour Party he is so committed he doesn’t even live in Blackpool. Marsden is anything but ‘independent’ if you look at his voting record he virtually never rebels on anything. I can’t judge Mr Maynard as an MP until he has been given a chance but I do see where you’re coming from. I agree completely Blackpool needs an image overhaul. It is nice to see many many people love coming here but their views of Blackpool are not always to my liking. If you read some of the comments on sites like Tripadvisor there are plenty of people that love Blackpool but they see it is a ‘guilty pleasure’ or one person once said ‘I love coming to Blackpool for my dose of anti-culture’, so the compliments are a bit backhanded. I would rather people came here because it is seen as a vibrant and fashionable place to come like Brighton or Manchester not a guilty pleasure or ‘anti culture’.
loading...
That’s a very fair comment john, and I think we can apply that argument to almost every MP out there apart from independents.
One could say, “they’ll say anything to get elected,” which must be true, unless you’re Ron Bell.
Paul Maynard has taken one small step already, though, in that he now lives here. Gordon Marsden never did that.
loading...
Well said Phil, I think John’s comment is spot on. You are right Paul Maynard gave up life in London to come and actually live on the Fylde Coast much to the annoyance of Jack Croysdill. If anyone remembers when Mr Maynard was first selected Croysdill like the playground bully he is wrote a load of nasty childish letters into the Gazette attacking Mr Maynard and his background and there was that idiot ‘dustin’ on the Gazette who very unfairly referred to Mr Maynard as the ‘snob from the south’, just because he attended Oxford doesn’t mean he is a snob and he is not southern he was born in Cheshire. Well I say at least he lives on the Fylde Coast and even as a PPC he is doing a damn sight more than the MPs are.
loading...
He will be better than marsden and bumble cos they are the pits
loading...
The total pits, they have had 12 years to sort things out and they have done nothing. It makes me laugh when Labour supporters say they deserve ‘one more chance’, this is one more chance after they lied in 1997, but they got one more chance in 2001 and then lied again and got one more chance in 2005. LABOUR OUT 2010, MARSDEN OUT 2010 HUMBLE OUT 2010 BLACKBURN OUT 2011
loading...
Thanks so much for posting this Phil. I met Paul about four weeks ago following a few email chats we had had following a post I had made on NQH’s site about Open Access Railways.
He is a very honest and open man and is acting more like an MP then some present holders of the position. If anyone contacts him, he will contact you back and is open to ideas about rebuilding Blackpool. He also knows his stuff about Open Access railway companies which impressed me as most people have never heard of the concept never mind have ideas about how it could be used for the benefit of Blackpool.
So I think he deserves a chance of being MP mainly because he is honest and open and won’t be a back seat MP willing to just turn up when a camera is there, he is hungry to achieve things for Blackpool through active participation with everyone who cares for their local community.
loading...
I agree after Marsden and Bumble anything is an improvement.
loading...
http://www.hecklerspray.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/goonies_sloth.jpg
Chunk love sloth.
loading...