Category Archives: Hugo Swire

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10 Oct 2019

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Accountability, General Election, Hugo Swire, Neil Parish

“MP Neil Parish wants to hear from you”

Isn’t it strange that, just before elections, our MPs want to know what we think and the rest of the time they barely give us a thought!

Meanwhile, departing MP Hugo Swire has never really cared what we thought anyway and cares even less now so don’t expect any of thissort of electioneering from him!

“MP for Tiverton and Honiton, Neil Parish, is asking the members of his constituency to share their views on a number of topics – including the impending Brexit deal.

It’s a chance for the people of Honiton to voice their opinions on what is currently taking place within government and what roll-on effect this could potentially have on lives and businesses.

Neil Parish said: “As your local Member of Parliament I am keen to hear your views on the issues that matter to you, so I can continue campaigning to get a good deal for you.

“I am proud of all the work our local Conservative team has done so far. But there is more work to do.

“Please complete this survey so that you can have your say and make sure your interests are protected now and in the future.”

https://honiton.nub.news/n/mp-neil-parish-wants-to-hear-from-you-1570624544

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6 Oct 2019

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Accountability, Hugo Swire

Swire: nothing to say about East Devon now

Questions in the House of Commons:
2 October 2019

Will my right hon. Friend update the House on the Rohingya situation and tell us what discussions he has had with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government in Dhaka about the situation in Cox’s Bazar?

Facebook
2 October2019

Concerning reports North Korea may have fired missile from a submarine in last 24 hours. I asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab about this at PMQs, who reiterated need for DPRK to deescalate tensions ahead of US nuclear talks.

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2 Oct 2019

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Accountability, Claire Wright, Hugo Swire, NHS (local)

Swire making promises he can’t keep before he exits

Swire says the only community beds in his constituency that have closed may have a brighter future ahead.

This comes from a speech made by the Health Secretary at the Tory Party Conference about ALL community hospital beds in England, not just the one in his constituency. It was a very vague statement about cons “no further cuts”.

That’s as much as Owl will report on this except to say: seeing is believing, don’t believe any promises made at any party conference just before a possible election – and especially don’t take any notice of Swire, whose only job now is to sabotage the (excellent) chance of Claire Wright replacing him …

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26 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Claire Wright, Democracy, East Devon Tories, Hugo Swire, Neil Parish, Tories

How do you purge Parliament of the spreaders of hatred (and muck)?

If you found the language and behaviour used by Boris Johnson and his cronies objectionable, how do you object? How do you change things?

You can’t write to MPs Swire (retiring) or Parish as they will stick up for him.

You can’t write to most local, regional or national newspapers because they are his sycophantic mouthpieces. And the people who need to know it is objectionable and why don’t read newspapers critical of him.

You can demonstrate, but those demonstrations will be ignored or misrepresented.

Just one thing left – get a decent (and I mean decent) candidate to oppose him, make it a STRAIGHT fight between him and that candidate in his constituency and make every effort to persuade the voters there to

VOTE HIM OUT

Use the democratic processes he scorns and despises to oust him.

The same way a Tory candidate should be in a straight fight with Claire Wright in East Devon and even (hope beyond hope here) against Parish in Tiverton and Honiton.

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26 Sep 2019

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Accountability, East Devon Tories, Hugo Swire, Tories

Ed Milliband nails tonight’d disgusting performance from Boris Johnson

So, so shocked at Johnson’s behaviour in Parliament this evening, particularly his disdain for the late Jo Cox, MP. Surely no-one can think he and his equally reprehensible cronies are fit to govern this country.

What we saw tonight was a sociopathic narcissist man-child, cornered. A deeply disturbing sight.

Waiting to see what Hugo Swire and East Devon Tories have to say.

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16 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire, Voting

“How an Independent Devon councillor [Claire Wright] could hold the fate of the COUNTRY in her hands”

“Devon County Councillor Claire Wright could hold the fate of the country in her hands, bookmakers Ladbrokes are suggesting.

The Independent councillor for the Otter Valley ward has twice stood for election to Parliament and on both occasions came second behind the Conservatives.

But following Sir Hugo Swire announcing last week that he will be stepping down from his role as the MP for East Devon at the next election, Cllr Wright has declared that she will once again be standing. She is now the favourite to take over from Sir Hugo.

Flavible Politics, making projections based on a ComRes poll from September 12 have her winning the East Devon seat in their latest election predictions.

New Statesman political correspondent Patrick Maguire, had also said that apart from North Down, East Devon is just about the only seat in the UK that could plausibly be won by an independent.

Ladbrokes have set the odds on who will have the most seats after the next election at 10/11 for both a coalition of the Conservatives, DUP and the Brexit Party and a coalition of the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and the Social Democratic and Labour Party, any elected Independents could determine who the next Prime Minister is.

Posting on Twitter, Ladbrokes said: “It looks like Jason Zadrozny and Claire Wright will get to choose who the next PM is.”

Cllr Jadrozny is the leader of Ashfield District Council, currently run by the Ashfield Independents.

Cllr Wright said on Twitter that she could handle the pressure and that if there is an election soon, she hopes to be East Devon’s MP.

She said: “Over the last three years the Conservatives have been focusing on two things. One to save the party from Nigel Farage and to do that they have basically turned the party into the Brexit Party. Secondly, they have been focusing on cutting public services.

“I see the damage that those austerity policies have done in my ward every single week. Party politics does seem to be broken. The two main parties are irretrievably split. The Conservatives in particular seem to be intent on self-destruction and I think Hugo Swire’s resignation is very much part of that.

“East Devon residents deserve someone who is not going to be tied to the party whip, who is not going to be chasing a ministerial career, but someone who is going to have one agenda only, and that is to put their views and needs above everything else.

“If there is an election in the next few weeks, I hope that I can be that MP.”

She said that the announcement that Mr Swire would not stand in the next election was a shock, but that she has been preparing with her team for a year and that they have recently ramped up their preparations.

Predicting a November election she said: “This will be my third election and my team and I are ready to build on the two previous elections.

“The momentum in 2017 and the excitement and energy was incredible – it felt then that I could win, and now we are that much further on.

“I was a serious threat. Brian May backed me before the last election as one of his ‘common decency’ election candidates.

“I think East Devon will be close whoever the Conservatives put forward. This is the Tory heartland. East Devon has been Conservative for 150 years. That’s what I’m up against. It’s a huge challenge.

“This will be my third general election and my manifesto will be based on a survey I carried out at the beginning of this year. Hundreds and hundreds of people filled out the survey and I feel confident I know the issues that people are concerned about in East Devon.

“The Conservatives have just been disastrous for the country – they have gone from one crisis to the next. It’s been like watching a slow car crash – and in the last few weeks it’s turned into absolute meltdown.

“The whole Tory agenda is simply about saving their own skin. The rhetoric seems to be about how they can out-Brexit the Brexit party and turn themselves into the new Brexit party.

“The things they should have been focusing on are public services and the environment. Devon County Council has lost £100m from its budget and all the people in Devon have lost out on services as a result of those cuts.”

Announcing his decision to stand down, Hugo Swire, who has been the MP for the area since 2001, said: “At a meeting earlier of the Executive if the East Devon Conservative Association I announced that I would not be standing for re-election as the Member of Parliament.

“It was my original intention to stand down in 2022, when the next general election was scheduled to be held.”

He continued: “I served in a number of different roles in opposition, including in the shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. In Government I was first appointed as Minister of State in the Northern Ireland Office and then Minister of State in the Foreign Commonwealth Office.

“Whilst I was honoured to have been appointed to these roles, my greatest privilege has been to serve my constituents, regardless of their political allegiance, I am truly grateful for consistently returning me at elections and will continue to serve them to the best of my ability until an election is called.”

Reaffirming his support to Mr Johnson, he added: “We live in challenging political times, but I remain convinced that to bring the country back together we need to deliver on Brexit and I shall continue to support the Prime Minster and the Government in their endeavours.”

Bruce de Saram, chairman of East Devon Conservatives, said: “East Devon Conservatives would like to thank Hugo for his outstanding work as our MP since 2001 and also his service as a Northern Ireland and Foreign Office Minister, where he developed a passion for the Commonwealth among his many other interests.

“Hugo rose to the challenge of being our MP, winning five general elections. He has continually challenged injustice with great passion and been very visible in the constituency, standing up for local residents.

“We are very sorry to say goodbye to him and wish him well for the future.

“We will now begin a process to select a candidate to build on Hugo’s excellent work.”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/how-independent-devon-councillor-could-3324854

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13 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Claire Wright, Hugo Swire, Tories

“All eyes on Devon independent politician Claire Wright ahead of pending General Election”

Owl says: it would be tragic if other mainstream parties put up candidates against her which might bring a Tory back to power.

“National political pundits are predicting that independent Devon politician Claire Wright could be about to make history.

It comes after last night’s shock announcement that East Devon MP Sir Hugo Swire will not stand in the looming General Election. The Conservative saw his majority dwindle in the 2017 General Election after a serious challenge from independent candidate Ms Wright, who came a close second in the traditional Tory heartland – she gained 36 per cent of the votes with 21,270 votes and Sir Hugo took 48 per cent with 29,306 votes.

New Statesman political correspondent Patrick Maguire, said: “This is fascinating. Apart from North Down, East Devon is just about the only seat in the UK that could plausibly be won by an independent (in this case anti-austerity councillor Clair Wright) at the next General Election.”

Historically very few seats in Parliament have ever been won by candidates with no political party backing.

Although there are currently 31 independents in Parliament, they were all elected as members of different political parties and have later quit.

Today the independent Devon County Councillor for Otter Valley admitted she was shocked when she heard Mr Swire’s announcement that he won’t stand in the upcoming General Election. She said: “I had heard a few rumours but I didn’t believe them. There were no signs – in fact he had been more active in recent weeks.

“I think he knew he would have a stiff challenge.

“I have been preparing with my team for a year and we have recently ramped up our preparations rather swiftly. Now I am excited.”

She has been aware that nationally political pundits have begun to watch her with interest. She said: “It’s always nice to get a tweet from a National journalist. I have noticed on my Twitter feed that national journalists have started following me recently.”

Predicting a November election she said: “This will be my third election and my team and I are ready to build on the two previous elections.

“The momentum in 2017 and the excitement and energy was incredible – it felt then that I could win, and now we are that much further on.

“I was a serious threat. Brian May backed me before the last election as one of his ‘common decency’ election candidates.

“I think East Devon will be close whoever the Conservatives put forward. This is the Tory heartland. East Devon has been Conservative for 150 years. That’s what I’m up against. It’s a huge challenge.

“This will be my third general election and my manifesto will be based on a survey I carried out at the beginning of this year. Hundreds and hundreds of people filled out the survey and I feel confident I know the issues that people are concerned about in East Devon.

“The Conservatives have just been disastrous for the country – they have gone from one crisis to the next. It’s been like watching a slow car crash – and in the last few weeks it’s turned into absolute meltdown.

“The whole Tory agenda is simply about saving their own skin. The rhetoric seems to be about how they can out-Brexit the Brexit party and turn themselves into the new Brexit party.

“The things they should have been focusing on are public services and the environment. Devon County Council has lost £100m from its budget and all the people in Devon have lost out on services as a result of those cuts.”

The anti-austerity councillor is also known for her strong stance on protecting the environment. She said she likes to be totally independent: “I like to plough my own furrow. I don’t want to have to answer to a party and told what my policies are.

Bruce de Saram, chairman of East Devon Conservatives, said: “East Devon Conservatives would like to thank Hugo for his outstanding work as our MP since 2001 and also his service as a Northern Ireland and Foreign Office Minister, where he developed a passion for the Commonwealth among his many other interests.

“Hugo rose to the challenge of being our MP, winning five general elections. He has continually challenged injustice with great passion and been very visible in the constituency, standing up for local residents.

“We are very sorry to say goodbye to him and wish him well for the future.

“We will now begin a process to select a candidate to build on Hugo’s excellent work.”

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/eyes-devon-independent-politician-claire-3316742

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13 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, DCC, EDDC, Hugo Swire, Post-Brexit Adjustments

“No-deal Brexit documents reveal UK councils expect food and medicine shortages and civil unrest”

Is this why Swire is jumping ship?

“Local authorities are bracing themselves for widespread food, fuel and medicine shortages, civil unrest and job losses in the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal at the end of October.

Well over half of 63 local authorities nationwide expect a shortage of basic necessities if the UK leaves the EU without a Brexit deal, according to Freedom of Information requests sent by the People’s Vote campaign.

According to the documents compiled by the campaign:

68% of councils said they expected food shortages.
59% of councils said they were preparing for fuel shortages.
52% expected medicine shortages.
65% are preparing for “civil unrest,” “increased tensions,” and “public disorder.”

https://www.insider.com/no-deal-brexit-documents-reveal-councils-expect-food-shortages-riots-2019-9

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13 Sep 2019

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East Devon Tories, Hugo Swire

Friday competition

Who is this?

“He has continually challenged injustice with great passion and been very visible in the constituency, standing up for local residents.”

“We are very sorry to say goodbye to him and wish him well for the future.

“We will now begin a process to select a candidate to build on Hugo’s excellent work.”

https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/east-devon-conservatives-begin-search-for-election-candidate-1-6268732

Answer – yes, really: Hugo Swire!

The quote is from the (recently very high profile) local Tory Chairman, Bruce de Saram, who has been making his views known on just about everything and anything in East Devon recently.

Coincidence?

Owl says: Swire – justice, visibility, standing up for residents?

Sorry, Mr de Sarum, you’ve confused him with Claire Wright!

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13 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire, Voting

Claire Wright on Swire, politics and East Devon

Looking forward to Swire’s better explanation of his reasons for standing down, given that he adores Boris and supports a hard Brexit.

Was there the suggestion he might be deselected?
Was he frit?
Does Boris have the (formerly safe, but not now) seat for one of his mates?
Is a local Tory polutico ready to make his or her mark?

Come on, Hugo – spill the beans!

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13 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Claire Wright, General Election, Hugo Swire

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Claire Wright responds to Hugo Swire standing down at next election

“Independent parliamentary contender Claire Wright has said tonight she ‘stands ready to take on the issues’ important to people in East Devon after a shock announcement from her long time political opponent East Devon MP Sir Hugo Swire.

In a tweet sent out tonight the MP said he remained a supporter of Boris Johnson but will be standing down at the next General Election.

Nub News contacted Claire Wright, who came a close second in East Devon in the 2017 General Election, for her views on Sir Hugo’s announcement, she said:

“Party Politics is in turmoil. I stand ready to take on the issues that matter to people here in Devon East of health services straining to cope, underfunded schools and the irreparable damage to our environment under the watch of the current Conservative government which lurches from one crisis to another and has put narrow party political interest above the needs of local people.”

https://exmouth.nub.news/n/claire-wright-says-she-stands-ready-as-east-devon-mp-announces-departure?

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11 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Democracy, Hugo Swire

Swire on prorogation – and a constituent’s response

LETTER SENT BY SWIRE TO CONSTITUENT:

“Dear Mr

Thank you for your email about the votes in the House of Commons on stopping a No Deal Brexit and extending the deadline.

I voted with the Government against the bill as I believe it completely undermines the Prime Minister’s attempt to get a deal on Brexit. It is little more than a cynical attempt to delay or revoke the whole process by those who have never accepted the result of the referendum.

The bill will allow the EU to unilaterally impose & dictate the length of a further Brexit extension therefore putting our future in the hands of the EU. It would go against the result of the 2016 referendum which wanted to have the power back into the hands of the UK.

I believe that not leaving by 31 October could lead to a catastrophic loss of confidence in our political system. The indecision of the last three years and the repeated failure to deliver on the referendum result cannot be allowed to continue.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours sincerely
Hugo Swire”

REPLY BY CONSTITUENT:

“Thank you for your biased reply.

The current Prime Minister is not attempting to get a deal with the EU. This has been confirmed recently by Amber Rudd, EU officials and Leo Varadkar.

I would remind you the 2016 referendum was “ advisory” only. The result has been hijacked by leavers as the “ will of the people “ to leave the EU without a deal.

To state that our future will be in the hands of the EU is incorrect. The UK has always had control over it`s own affairs and always will have. There have been occasions in the past when the UK has chosen not to use those powers. We have never been controlled by the EU without our own consent. The EU does not work like that and you know it. Member states have control over their own affairs and laws.

MPs are at Westminster to have the best interests of their constituents first and foremost in mind. MPs have the resources at hand via advisors and experts to “ save us from ourselves “ and put into action our best interests.This is something you have constantly failed to do.

The naive and gullible who voted to leave the EU in 2016 were encouraged to do so by inveterate liars. Staggeringly, those liars are currently at the very top of Government.

I look forward to the upcoming General Election when we can vote for someone who will at the very least attempt to represent constituents and not just be driven by self interest.”

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8 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Affordable and Social Housing, Barratt Homes, Berkeley, Developers/ Development, Hugo Swire, Land banking, Land Supply, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey

“Property giants pay bosses £63m while ‘exacerbating housing crisis’ by sitting on enough land for 470,000 homes”

“Property giants have been accused of rewarding bosses for “exacerbating the housing crisis” after spending £63.6m on chief executive pay last year while sitting on more than 470,000 unused plots of land.

The chief executives of Britain’s 10 biggest housing developers raked in a combined £63.6m, earning a median sum of £2.1m, according to figures compiled by the High Pay Centre. Four FTSE 100 companies handed £53.2m to their top bosses in total, a median pay packet of £5.7m.

The 10 firms completed and sold 86,685 homes last year, but hold planning permission for 470,068 other plots of land on which homes have not been built. The UK needs an estimated 340,000 new homes a year to meet demand.

Councils have repeatedly complained of developers taking longer to build on sites which have been earmarked for housing, with the Local Government Association calling for powers that would allow local authorities to seize unused land.

The High Pay Centre said its findings raised questions about whether executives “should receive such vast sums of money, particularly given the many criticisms levelled at the big housing developers regarding the extent to which they are exacerbating the housing crisis”.

Luke Hildyard, the think tank’s director, told The Independent: “Homes are a public good and housing companies are charged with quite an important social responsibility. If the housing companies don’t play their part in delivering enough homes then we have real problems.

“There is something particularly unseemly about people who are supposed to be providing a public good raking in millions or even tens of millions.”

The 10 companies, which are all FTSE 350-listed, paid a combined £150m to chief executives and other directors last year. The four FTSE 100 house-builders – Barratt, Berkeley, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey – accounted for £131.1m of that sum.

The average UK construction worker is paid £24,964 a year, 89 times less than the median pay packet of the 10 housebuilders’ chief executives, according to the union Unite.

The pay disparity was greatest at Persimmon, where chief executive Jeff Fairburn earned £39m – equivalent to the average pay of 1,561 construction workers – last year. He was forced out of the firm in late 2018 after a public outcry over his £75m bonus.

The pay ratio between Berkeley’s chief executive and the average construction worker was 331:1, at Taylor Wimpey it was 126:1, and at Barratt it was 113:1.

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Labour MP Siobhan McDonagh, who cited the figures during a debate in parliament on Thursday, said the “vast scale of inequality” showed “the British housebuilding industry is broken”.

She added: “In the midst of a national housing crisis, how can it be right, just or fair, for the top housebuilding CEOs to walk away with such astronomical sums while there are workers are seeing their salaries stagnate?

“These companies have a land bank of a simply staggering 470,068 plots but completed just 86,685 homes between them. Is that really a record worth rewarding?”

Barratt, Berkeley and Taylor Wimpey all declined to comment.

Persimmon did not respond to a request for comment.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/property-developers-housing-crisis-homebuilding-chief-executive-pay-ftse-100-a9093676.html

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5 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Austerity cuts, Claire Wright, Democracy, General Election, Hugo Swire, Voting

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“Claire Wright is ‘ready for the fight’ if general election called”

“It’s been an extraordinary and unprecedented few weeks in politics.

A man without scruple is now our prime minister, aided and abetted by a reckless adviser and the most hardline rightwing cabinet we have ever seen in this country.

In practice this means selling the soul of our country and the union, by morphing into the Brexit Party.

Expelling 21 moderate Conservatives on Tuesday evening, including Winston Churchill’s grandson and father of the house, Ken Clarke, has meant that the transition of the Conservative Party into the Brexit Party is already complete.

It was clear from the moment he took office that Mr Johnson’s plan was for a general election, to drive through a no deal Brexit, yet to try and dupe the electorate into thinking he wanted an amended withdrawal agreement from the EU.

He already knew his request for removal of the Irish backstop was firmly opposed by both the Irish government and by default the EU on peace grounds.

But more staggering than anything else has been the determination with which this government has lied, duped, schemed and plotted to achieve its nefarious aims.

Boris Johnson seems to be a man without principle. He has one aim. Power.

We also have a chancellor who is claiming austerity is over following a decade of cuts and misery, imposed by his own Conservative government.

£100m stripped from Devon County Council alone, which has hit children, the poorest, elderly and disabled people and those who don’t have a voice more than anyone else. I’ve seen the impacts of austerity on residents in my ward and it’s deeply disturbing.

But now, despite a no deal Brexit firmly on the table and the economic hit the country will take – around five per cent at least and a potential recession – Sajid Javid has launched an opportunistic vote grabbing budget, which implies that the austerity agenda was never more than a decision for a government determined to shrink the welfare state.

East Devon’s MP Hugo Swire is at the very heart of this government, robustly defending every move Mr Johnson makes.

A passionate supporter of a no deal Brexit, Mr Swire is now the epitome of the newly formed hardline rightwing Conservative-Brexit Party.

So a general election looms. Where does this leave me? Well my team and I have been preparing for a year and are on standby for battle.

This will be my third general election in four years, from a platform of over 21,000 votes in 2017.

I’m ready for the fight to come and I’m ready to enter parliament as a new MP, filled with hope and a desire to work to my best ability on behalf of the people of the East Devon constituency.

For me, there will be no party whip, no wish for a highly paid ministerial position. Just working alongside like minded MPs, representing local people on the issues they tell me are most important to them. I can’t wait!”

It’s been an extraordinary and unprecedented few weeks in politics. A man without scruple is now our prime minister, aided and abetted by a reckless adviser and the most hardline rightwing cabinet we have ever seen in this country. In practice this means selling the soul of our country and the union, by morphing into the Brexit Party.

Expelling 21 moderate Conservatives on Tuesday evening, including Winston Churchill’s grandson and father of the house, Ken Clarke, has meant that the transition of the Conservative Party into the Brexit Party is already complete.

It was clear from the moment he took office that Mr Johnson’s plan was for a general election, to drive through a no deal Brexit, yet to try and dupe the electorate into thinking he wanted an amended withdrawal agreement from the EU. He already knew his request for removal of the Irish backstop was firmly opposed by both the Irish government and by default the EU on peace grounds. But more staggering than anything else has been the determination with which this government has lied, duped, schemed and plotted to achieve its nefarious aims.

Boris Johnson seems to be a man without principle. He has one aim. Power. We also have a chancellor who is claiming austerity is over following a decade of cuts and misery, imposed by his own Conservative government.

£100m stripped from Devon County Council alone, which has hit children, the poorest, elderly and disabled people and those who don’t have a voice more than anyone else. I’ve seen the impacts of austerity on residents in my ward and it’s deeply disturbing.

But now, despite a no deal Brexit firmly on the table and the economic hit the country will take – around five per cent at least and a potential recession – Sajid Javid has launched an opportunistic vote grabbing budget, which implies that the austerity agenda was never more than a decision for a government determined to shrink the welfare state. East Devon’s MP Hugo Swire is at the very heart of this government, robustly defending every move Mr Johnson makes.

A passionate supporter of a no deal Brexit, Mr Swire is now the epitome of the newly formed hardline rightwing Conservative-Brexit Party. So a general election looms. Where does this leave me? Well my team and I have been preparing for a year and are on standby for battle.

This will be my third general election in four years, from a platform of over 21,000 votes in 2017. I’m ready for the fight to come and I’m ready to enter parliament as a new MP, filled with hope and a desire to work to my best ability on behalf of the people of the East Devon constituency. For me, there will be no party whip, no wish for a highly paid ministerial position. Just working alongside like minded MPs, representing local people on the issues they tell me are most important to them. I can’t wait!”

https://exmouth.nub.news/n/claire-wright-is-ready-for-the-fight-if-general-election-called?fbclid=IwAR3fluSS9OIrKYG-Tc-lp2Ng7KwjZQ-3AbO-Njut_sSgOvyy2Y0b3CfqFj0

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4 Sep 2019

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Accountability, Democracy, Hugo Swire, Neil Parish, Tories, Voting, West Dorset

East Devon MPs and West Dorset MP now on opposite sides – Letwin expelled from Tory Party and now an Independent!

Swire and Parish, of course backed Boris Johnson this evening. However, Sir Oliver Letwin, in the adjoining constituency of West Dorset, who has held the seat for the last 22 years and who has been a Cabinet Minister, has been expelled from the Tory Party tonight for rebelling (along with several former Cabinet Ministers and Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames).

So, Letwin is now an Independent!

Rum old world … wonder what Swire has to say about that!

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30 Aug 2019

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Accountability, Democracy, Hugo Swire, Tories

If you want evidence of the corrupt filthiness of current politics, listen to this from the BBC …

Imagine if DCC suspended its meetings to push through a constitutional change to defund all child and adult care services in two months time …

Imagine if EDDC suspended all its meetings to push through a constitutional change to build a new town and a motorway to it in the middle of the Blackdown Hills with work to start in two months time …

Well, at least Hugo Swire would be fine with that!

More evidence here:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/29/then-and-now-what-senior-tories-say-about-proroguing-parliament?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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28 Aug 2019

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Accountability, Democracy, East Devon Alliance, Hugo Swire, Martin Shaw (Seaton)

Swire backs Johnson on prorogation

No surprise there! Tries to make light of the constitutional crisis in exchange with EDA DCZc Councillor Martin Shaw:

https://mobile.twitter.com/HugoSwire?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

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28 Aug 2019

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Accountability, Democracy, Hugo Swire, Neil Parish, Tories

Top Tory on prorogation of Parliament

Still no view from our MPs Swire and Parish.

Pro-European Micheal Heseltine makes some strong points, whatever your view on Brexit:

“… A government which is frightened of parliament is frightened of democracy. I hope that every member of parliament in feeling this humiliation will use every legal and constitutional weapon to obstruct a government proposing to force on the British people a historic change for which they have long since lost any mandate.

To abandon parliamentary scrutiny is a constitutional affront. My party, the one I have worked for all my life, told the British people about the new role that Britain could play in the world. Britain has helped to change Europe from Fascist and Communist dictatorships to Parliamentary democracies. And now I am told by the leader and the cabinet of that same party that we were all wrong – that we now must become some subordinate vassal state to the United States.

This is outside anything I could ever have believed that the Conservative party would propose, and I hope that large numbers of Conservatives, as well as friends from other political traditions, will join together to resist it. …”