GE 2017

Evening All,

I’ve received a fair few messages in the last week asking me if I’ll be standing as a candidate in the forthcoming election. Well, I’m not, so I’ve just popped in here to briefly explain why.

First of all, I’m working abroad for most of the campaign. Yes, Theresa May has deliberately and cynically called this election while I’m out of the country! I’m sure Mel Stride (and his vicious little attack dog) will be relieved. And I hope if anyone else stands as an Independent in Central Devon they’re prepared for the hostility and behind-the-scenes bitterness and vitriol I had to face in 2015 from my Conservative opponent and his team.

Secondly, I put myself forward as a candidate in 2015 because I felt nobody was standing up and speaking for those who suffer the most at the sharp end of the Tory austerity agenda – the poor, the marginalised, and those who live on the fringes of society through the lottery of birth, or mental health issues, or just bad luck. I feel, I hope, those people (who exist in their millions btw) may now have a voice at this election.

I joined the Labour Party the day after Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader. My resolve to support him has been galvanised by the organised and targeted attacks against him from the media, the establishment at large, and members of his own party. Jeremy Corbyn is a fundamentally decent man, a good person with integrity who has dedicated his life to the Socialist cause. Yeah I know, shame about his MPs n’that, but Corbyn is the candidate for PM who has most closely represented my views during my adult life, so he gets my support.

Ah but he’s unelectable because he’s a useless leader, right? Look, shut up, ok. I’m not even going to get into that debate here, but he’s only unelectable if you don’t vote Labour. So vote Labour (unless you live in Scotland in which case vote SNP). This unelectable bullshit trope has been driven home every minute of every day by those who have a vested interest in keeping the wheels of Capitalism turning in their favour but they know as well as anyone else that you shouldn’t write Corbyn off yet. We live in post-ideological times where any fucking thing can defy the odds – Trump, Brexit, Corbyn winning 2 leadership elections, Leicester winning the Premiership, Laura Kuenssberg holding down her job…

I think Jeremy could do a lot better in this election than we’re lead to believe despite the nonsense we read and hear on a daily basis. I urge you to reject the avalanche of anti labour propaganda and ask yourself what kind of country do you want to live in – one that is lead by the guy who wants to save the NHS and run the country with the wellbeing and happiness of all the people taken into consideration, or one that is run in favour of corporations and the mega wealthy while public services, decent wages, employment rights, the NHS and everything else gets sold down the river? Short of mounting some sort of revolution that rejects that choice in the first place I’m going to vote for the former.

On the other hand you may be one of those folk who choose to vote against your own self interests and those of your children and return the Tories to power with a thumping majority and contribute to the demise of the Left and every right your ancestors fought for on your behalf. In which case I’ll definitely be back at the next election.

Every cloud, eh?

Yours in Solidarity.

Arthur Price x.