Another Tory and Lib Dem Attack On Democracy - Two Years On From When We Formed Somerset Independents as a Campaigning Group For Residents

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Somerset Independents was formed in March 2020, at the beginning of the UK Government's and Somerset's councils disastrous response to the Global Covid-19 Pandemic.

It was formed as a campaign group to stand up for Somerset residents, because the Westminster parties - Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Labour - were continuing to let Somerset down.

Since then and over the last two years, some things have changed.

Since then and over the last two years, some things have stayed the same.

Our Aims have stayed the same and when we registered Somerset Independents as Somerset's only dedicated political party, the Aims were written into the Constitution that we submitted to the Electoral Commission.

These Aims were informed by what residents told us, because we are residents too.

The failings of the Westminster parties have continued.

And their latest failure is the forcing of a change to how Somerset is governed by councils. A new, illegitimate Council forced upon Somerset residents against their will.

Who is responsible, residents ask us? Chiefly it has been the Conservative Government and the Conservative councillors on Somerset County Council. 

The Government continues to be so badly led by Boris Johnson and the Somerset County Council also continues to be so badly led by the Conservative Leader of the Council David Fothergill.

These Conservatives do not stand up for Somerset residents. They let Somerset down.

And the so-called "opposition" of Liberal Democrats on the County Council and on the district councils, have been limp in their opposition.

This is because the Liberal Democrats think they can take control of the New Somerset Council at these 2022 elections.

WE HAVE BOYCOTTED THESE ELECTIONS. And we have explained why on this website and in the local media.

We are boycotting these elections because it should be Lib Dems, Tories, Greens and Labour that are held to account by Somerset residents.

To stand candidates at these elections would be to condone the actions of the Conservatives and the inaction of the Lib Dems.

Please remember that we were ready to stand candidates at the County Council elections to make it a Referendum on whether to have the New Somerset Council ... BUT THE TORY COUNTY COUNCILLORS CANCELLED THE ELECTIONS for the County Council and had their friends at Westminster force the new Council upon Somerset instead.

So when this new Council is formed, we ask you to ask the Lib Dems, Labour, Greens and especially the Tories:

1. Why did they ignore the advice of the democracy experts at De Montfort University.?They ignored Somerset residents who voted in 2007 by 82% to 18% to NOT have a unitary authority. So why now?

2. Why did they do it to Somerset when it has been such a failure in Cornwall and Wiltshire and when the West Somerset and Taunton merger was also such a failure that cost a fortune to taxpayers and was another unwanted reorganisation? 

3. Who is going to pay and how many tens (or hundreds?) of millions of pounds of taxpayers money are they going to waste, doing it?

4. What will be the bad debts inherited from the district councils? 

5. Why did they ignore the evidence from De Montfort University's experts on democracy in the FoLGIS Report? 

6. Was this just a way to fix the elections to favour the Westminster parties?

Leader of Somerset Independents, Andrew Pope, says:

Andrew Pope

"Somerset residents are asking a lot of questions, and that needs to continue, despite the attempts by the Westminster parties to ignore them. 

All Somerset residents are going to pay for this attack on democracy to gerrymander Somerset for the benefit of the Westminster parties.

Somerset residents' lives will continue to be ruined by those who put themselves and their party first, instead of residents first.

They don't intend for it to be for the benefit of Somerset residents.

That's why Somerset Independents were the ONLY campaigners who fought for a YES/NO Referendum, but the Lib Dems and Tories didn't want the proper Referendum. And Labour and the Greens were typically lazy and irrelevant.

We were ready to work cross-party and with people in no party like us, but there were insufficient allies to work with - this includes so-called independents who in Somerset seem to mostly be anything but independent - just look at the lists of Parish/Town council candidates - with some so-called independents standing as "Independent" and also standing for the Tories for the New Somerset Council!

In other campaigns, like the successful campaign that I worked on against the Solent Devolution Deal and Elected Mayor in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, there were allies who I was able to work with across the Region. But sadly, not here in Somerset. This process will probably end up with an elected Mayor, just like arch-Tory and anti-democrat Michael Heseltine wants.

There was a Referendum, but it wasn't a YES/NO Referendum - just a choice between two buckets of manure. As we told them when we spoke at their council meetings, we've got enough manure in Somerset, thanks.

It will now be even more difficult for independents to be elected to the Council, and the Westminster parties know this. They have the money - independents do not. 

This is proved by the dearth of candidates, as reported by Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby.

As Mumby reports, out of 337 candidates standing in 55 divisions (2 seats in each division), just "23 standing either as independents or with no affiliation or description."

Even if ALL of these 23 candidates were elected, they would not have a majority. We will leave it to Somerset's voters to decide who to vote for, or whether to vote at all. It will be the usual low turnout.

And the vast majority of those elected will be of the usual low standard and they will continue to leave Somerset residents in the manure.

So residents should not and cannot let them ignore the Westminster parties' atrocious actions, and Somerset Independents will do what it can with its meagre resources and volunteers, to work with Somerset residents and continue to stand up for Somerset residents."