Weekly News- letter published

The following letter was published this week in the Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News:

"I have followed with interest the recent letters from Frank Harasiwka and subsequent related correspondence.

Underneath the usual Lib Dem tactics of trying to be all things to all men and misleading the electorate on the positions of their opponents, there lurks a more corrosive message. Mr Harasiwka’s references to the “Burlington Club” and George Osborne not having had a “proper job” are an attempt to smear my Conservative colleagues, and to turn the next election into a class war. Labour got its fingers burnt just down the M6 last year when it tried to run a by-election campaign in Crewe against “Tory toffs”; you would think politicians would have more faith in the British people than to think they would fall for this nonsense.

In Britain we care about where people are going, not where they are from. This great country of ours is a place where someone from any background can rise to the height of their chosen field. Forget political differences; the fact that John Prescot could make the journey from ship steward to Deputy Prime Minister is a tribute to our country and the fairness of our values. In the same way, David Cameron and George Osborne shouldn’t have their school or their background held against them.

For my part, I went to my local state schools in Rainhill and St Helens. I was the first person in my family to go to University, and I live in London now because that’s where my wife and I work. I hope when Halton’s voters come to cast their vote at the general election, they will vote for candidates because of their values, their commitment to local people, and their plans for tackling the issues that matter.

Over the next few months, I hope that we will hear more from candidates about their ideas and values, not their prejudices."

Yours sincerely,
Ben Jones
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Halton