Election Address for Clr Dr Peter John Hirst

About me
I am 63, married with two daughters presently at university. I was brought up in Oldham and live in Middlewich, Cheshire. I have also resided in Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Kendal, Dewsbury, Bradford, Rotherham, North Wales and Scotland during my education and medical training. I have been a town councillor since 1999. I was the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate in Stroud in 2005 and Congleton in 2010. I was on the Liberal Democrat North West list for the 2009 euro elections. I joined Unlock Democracy Council in 2008 and the Management Board in 2010. I am also a member of the Electoral Reform Society, Friends of the Earth and Amnesty amongst other organisations. I retired in 2004 from the National Health Service to devote more time to politics. I am also a part-time Entrepreneur Coach.

Contact Details
Phone: 01606 737108 Mobile: 07760 203439 Email: peter@hirst51836.fsnet.co.uk Twitter.com/peterhirst9 Facebook.com/peter.hirst3 uk.linkedin.com/in/entrepreneurandmarketingcoach

Why I am standing for re-election

The last few years have been exciting though tinged with disappointment as aims to reform our voting arrangements, the House of Lords, MPs expenses, funding political parties and reforming the lobbying industry have fallen short of what I wanted. We are a body with wide-ranging aims. It is essential we continue to prioritise so that our resources are utilised to maximum effect. Civil Liberties are under attack. I believe we as an organisation should support these including the right to free speech, assembly and lawful disobedience. There should be a strong emphasis in the courts that actions are legal unless specifically forbidden. I think that continuing as a member of the Council of Unlock Democracy I can contribute to these discussions, helping to forge the policies and strategies necessary to maximise our influence in these areas. A free and vibrant press is essential to the health of our democracy. A public interest defence should be allowed under defined circumstances. Investigative journalism should be encouraged though with stringent penalties for exceeding agreed boundaries policed by an independent body. We also need to balance our desire to campaign with the need to increase our membership and improve our fundraising. The support we give to local groups is vital and I will fight to further encourage these, allowing them to decide how close they wish to be to the parent organisation and how they conduct their campaigning. I will encourage working closely with other organisations such as the Electoral Reform Society, Bite the Ballot and Liberty to progress our common agendas. The influence of corporations in our democratic life is increasing and I believe Unlock Democracy must campaign to counter this through strengthening the rules around influence and patronage. To improve participation in our democracy I think we should continue to campaign for incentives to encourage individual donations to political parties while limiting single donations to 10,000. Unlock Democracy must campaign for a vigorous third sector in the political field. Many voluntary organisations come up against the political process in furthering their aims. They contribute massively to civil society and I will argue for them to have as much freedom as possible. I personally support more direct democracy in the form of referenda, petitions and constitutional courts. These must be well financed, their independence from vested interests protected and some means of ensuring equal airing of different views enforced. We need to ensure that our media are involved in educating the public fully and fairly. Unlock Democracy must continue its excellent work in schools, universities and colleges so that younger people understand the contribution of a vibrant democracy to their quality of life. Our work on Vote Match, an electronic database where different Parties views on various issues is linked with an individuals on the same issues prioritised according to their preference in terms of importance, should be increased as resources permit. This improves engagement with the democratic process and allows for individuals to see how closely different manifestos correlate with their own views. I will continue, if elected to promote my views on the importance of a written constitution. This would codify the balance of powers of the executive, legislature and judiciary, defend human rights, protect the democratic process from undue influence and ensure that we are involved in the decisions that govern, influence and direct our lives. Regarding devolution in England, I believe that a flexible federal system is best suited to our present needs. The process would be initiated by a petition. A random sample of those affected would draw up a list of powers wanted within a set menu, draw up a draft constitution and design a timetable. This would be verified by a referendum of the same population with minimal input from vested interests.

want to continue working on your behalf to strengthen our democracy by increasing transparency, accountability, fairness and participation.