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Our Next Election

As I’m off on holiday tomorrow, I thought it would be a good opportunity to put down a few thoughts on when the next election will happen and what that might mean for both our country and this constituency.

When Is The Election?

On this question, your guess is as good as mine. The Prime Minister has regained the power to call an early general election through the abolition of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, so in theory Liz Truss could announce a general election today and we would go to the polls in six weeks. For the sake of my holiday I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen, but Ms Truss has certainly shown that unpredictability and irrationality have become more the norm than common sense and pragmatism.

The latest the election could be is early 2025, as a new General Election must be announced by 19 December 2024 and the announcement triggers a six-week election window.

What Does This Mean For Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner

The disadvantage of the uncertainty over the timing of the election is that it is much harder for us to get ready for an election. We are not a rich party funded by ultra-wealthy donors, nor do we have significant union support, so we are going to be limited by the generosity of private supporters in the area who want to see a difference to the country. If you want to help, please consider becoming a member and volunteering some of your time to anything from delivering leaflets or making phone calls to more administrative tasks that don’t involve direct interaction with voters.

If you’re interested in helping out at all, you can find more information on the Hillingdon Liberal Democrats website. Alternatively you can send an email to info@hillingdonlibdems.org.uk or ring me on 020 3916 5973 (when I am back in the country!).

What Does This Mean For The County?

I suspect this is going to be a very interesting time for UK politics as a whole. I have trolled on Twitter to say that this might be the last ever Tory government, and I feel that needs a little expansion.

Other parties in the UK are supporters of Proportional Representation as a basis for electoral reform. In short, this means that parties should have the same proportion of seats in Parliament as the proportion of votes they actually receive, which seems like the only rational outcome of a functioning democracy. The biggest achievement of this movement lately was seeing the Labour party vote to adopt this as an official position for their party at their recent conference. Their leader, Keir Starmer, has so far resisted calls to make this part of his manifesto, but it seems like the writing is on the wall for the current First Past The Post system.

With that diversion aside, we return to my trolling – why do I say this is likely to be the last ever Tory government? This is down to the fact that, under the current system, the party with a majority forms the government. Majorities are usually achieved without a majority of votes, and sometimes without even a plurality, because of the First Past The Post system making voting distribution matter more than actual total support. Under a more proportional electoral system, it is vanishingly unlikely that any party will ever receive an outright majority again, which will therefore force more coalitions going forward.

This means that such a system will encourage discourse and compromise rather than outright power and adversarial – but fairly impotent – opposition. In short, it would mean that the government at any given time will be heavily influenced by current voter preferences but will be able to look beyond the normal five-year term.

Overall, it is very difficult to come up with a reason not to implement this change except for members of the two large parties who do not want to let go of the unfair advantage they have benefited from for a very long time. After all, to loosely paraphrase, “after years of privilege equality feels like discrimination”.

Hazeena A

Ian, thank you once again for your support. It means a lot.

Thank you so much for [creating this petition] and so amazingly quickly!!!

You did a brilliant job on both the blog and petition. Some of the NHS staff were even impressed with the speed at which you addressed this, and I have had varying positive comments from friends who have read your post.

Hazeena A – Ruislip, Northwood & Pinner Resident

Sheena Y

Having worked with Ian I can say that I found him incredibly transparent and honest which I think would be rare and much needed in today political arena. He is also very clever, direct and a great communicator.

Sheena Y, former co-worker

Andy H

Ian is a very smart individual, but more importantly is honest and truly cares about people.

He is an unselfish individual and would absolutely have the public’s best interests at heart.

Andy H, brother

Luca M

I met Ian a few months ago for the first time and straight away I felt confortable with him and I thought: ” Ok I would trust that guy”.

Luca M, fellow speakers’ club member

Francisco V

Throughout the 12 years I have known Ian, he has always demonstrated to be very bright, kind and upright. I’ve seen all of these attributes in his personal life, for instance, in our sport association he volunteered as treasurer where he improved the overall system and costs as well as championing charitable giving & generous donations. He’ll definitely make a difference in a bigger role in politics.

Francisco V, fellow jū jūtsu instructor and friend

Irene H

You have the moral integrity and high standards in all aspects of the requirements of your potential constituents. You will stand up to injustice and defend those deemed to have had injustice against them. You are committed to environmental change and to look after the less well off in society.

Irene H, mother

Graham C

First and foremost, your personal ethos of kindness and care for others is your top qualification. That you are also highly driven with a need to be productive, and understand very complex matters such as financial systems, makes you stand out.

Graham C, fellow jū jūtsu instructor and friend

Anonymous

You are one of the most principled people that I know. You are committed to making changes that support the most vulnerable in our society and you don’t give up when you know you’re fighting for what’s right.

Anonymous

Helen C

Integrity.
Unlike the rest of us who are disillusioned with the lack of honesty, morals, and the unfair and outdated ‘public schoolboy network’ displayed by this government, you have decided to stand up and make a difference.
Your constituents couldn’t have a better candidate.

Helen C, Aunt

Miles H

Having known Ian for a number of years during which we worked closely as Financial Advisers, I am confident that he would make an excellent MP. Ian is an intelligent man who has the ability to absorb, understand and manage complex information quickly; I have, on many occasions, witnessed him do this whilst retaining the ability to explain it, in a manner which is easy to understand.

I have seen Ian display the courage of his convictions on a professional level, where he has put the clients needs before that of the company and have no doubt he would carry this attitude into public life.

Ian and I have disagreed on politics in the past, but he has always listened carefully to any position and taken time to offer a thoughtful response. If he became an MP I am sure his constituents would benefit from an effective and hard working representative.

Miles H, former co-worker

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