Independent politics and me

While party politics has a role to play in Parliament, it gets in the way at the local level. Councillors should encourage ordinary people regardless of party affiliation to be directly involved in the management of their own communities.

I believe you and your neighbours know best what the problems are in your own neighbourhoods. You, also, have a good idea what the solutions are. I believe strongly in your right to influence directly what goes on in your community and as your councillor, I will take instructions from you, not political party elites.

Now, you will have noticed I am anti-New Labour; this is because they made such a mess of it all. And, this is because New Labour politicians told a lot of stories while they were making the mess. Please do not, therefore, think I believe the Tories or Libdems have done much for Hastings, either, lately. You and I can do better than the lot of machine politicians.

If you have questioned the abilities or intentions of candidates from the major political parties, you probably had good reason for doing so; if you have attended a public consultation and left it feeling you had been manipulated, you probably were; if you think all political parties are the same, it's because they kind of are ... Some people don't vote for one of the reasons above – but those are the reasons to vote.

The candidates of the major parties will try to tell you an independent councillor will be isolated on the County Council; what they don't say is that they will band together to ensure that is the case. The major parties don't like councillors who trust the intellect of the public. They want the public trusting blindly in them.

Don't be fooled. While the major parties can keep me off committees, they can't keep my nose out of the files of those same committees. I'll know exactly what is going on and I will tell you, something they would not necessarily do. And, of course, they can't take away my vote.