I know however many well intentioned people voted Lib Dem because they thought they would offer the change, and stood for progressive politics. In Hornsey & Wood Green where I live people voted for a Lib Dem MP believing it would keep Cameron out. I know it Witney many did so too – but sadly that vote, those millions of vote have now helped Cameron get his hands on the keys to no.10.

If you were one of them, if you stand for progressive values, for social justice and you regret your vote helping Cameron get into power – it would be great to hear from you – and let me know how you feel.

Please email me at stopcameron@googlemail.com and I will post your statements here.

The fight goes on.

An apology that our electronic campaign was not as intensive as one might have liked but it seems clear from the post-election analysis that this was very much a TV and street campaign.

Personally I am delighted to have seen the turnout go up across the country – and in Witney itself. I have felt warm by the reception we have received on the streets in the towns and villages of West Oxfordshire, and I am inspired by the youth of our communities – who give me hope for the future of our country.

Sadly the local Tories didn’t let candidates speak which meant I didn’t get the opportunity to say thank you’s in public so here goes.
My thanks go to Duncan my agent, Chris and Jane Johnson, Duncan Enright, Andrew Coles, John and Alfreyth Gittings, Gina Burrows, Rob Evans, Mick Enright, David Hayes, and all the people who helped out.

As we enter the next few days – we are imminently approaching a coalition – and it seems that the message vote Lib Dem – get Tory might have only been too close to the bone after all.

If so this will deny us a progressive response to the economic crisis – and to future of our public services.

During the hustings Mr.Cameron said “We are all in this together”. Now is the time to prove it. This site will be maintained to scrutinize his decisions. Equally anyone who wants to continue the Stop Cameron blog – please feel free to get in touch.

Should we have saved the bank? No, then yes, umm maybe – whatever he says. Car scrappage scheme – just a gimmick. Cuts in VAT – no difference, apart from their old mate Ken Clarke said it was, but can’t make up his mind whether he ever said that or not. Big government – BOOO to that they say – umm…unless that’s the big government that saved their banker friends jobs.

With Dave and George in charge we would have seen bank failures, savings wiped out, the economy in free fall – really, they just don’t have a clue. It’s no joke. It goes without saying the economy is pretty serious stuff at the end of the day. You can’t just make it up as you go along, and things don’t just happen anyway. We simply can’t afford to risk it here. Its our homes, and our savings that are on the line here.

Polls show that people in Witney barely fear repossessions or losing their job compared to this time last year. Thats the kind of confidence we need. We musn’t risk it for a lightweight party, with lightweight policies, that can’t even make their sums add up.

Now as we see our economy return to growth, albeit mild, the question will be about the deficit and how we manage it. Yes we need to tackle the deficit, but Cameron’s plans are simply dangerous. For all the talk of debt, we need to remember the level of borrowing is still lower than France, lower than Germany, and lower than the US, and his promise to slash the deficit in half in two rather than four years, is the kind of dangerous policy that could put us back into recession. The kind of sums we are talking about are simply staggering. We are talking the equivalent of slashing the national education budget by a half or raising VAT to 23%.

It is all too easy to believe we need change, but if ever there was a case to be careful what you wish for – now is that time. Apart from not wanting that sort of VAT rise or that sort of attack on education, I fear the kind of economic impact that would have on each and every family here in West Oxfordshire.

We just need to look at the unemployment figures today compared to the unemployment figures when Cameron himself was Special Adviser to Norman Lamont. For those of us who remember – and I do – there’s a reason why that recession felt worse – its because in the real economy it was. Because the Tories did nothing – just as Cameron said he would do this time – nothing.

A look at unemployment figures in 1992 compared with today tells us everything we need to know about what happens when the likes of Cameron are allowed to get their hands on the economy. In 1992, in West Oxfordshire there were 2,722 people unemployed, today there are 1014. That’s a staggering 63% lower, or 1708 people. That’s 1,708 more people with a job, a livelihood, and security for their home. In other parts of the country the difference is tens of thousands.

That’s why we need to Stop Cameron – because he’s bad for Britain, bad for Witney, and bad for West Oxfordshire. Come on Mr.Cameron – look your constituents in the eyes and tell them you did better in the past and could do better in the future. The numbers just don’t stack up.

Seriously though the figures should give people in West Oxfordshire reason for optimism and reason to reject David Cameron’s claims we are a  ’broken society’. Burglaries down 8%; offences against  vehicles down 20%; robbery down 9%; criminal damage down 11%; other thefts down 5%; drug Offences down 4% ; knife related offences down 12%.

Critically the risk of being a victim of crime has now reached its lowest recorded level and people’s perception is that the level of anti-social behaviour has declined also.

What does this mean locally? Well this is anecdotal, but when Jack Straw came to speak in Witney before Xmas, he said when Douglas Hurd represented our constituency he used to complain bitterly about the level of unruliness in Witney itself. Now I haven’t yet been able to find where he said this, but the point is that when I chat to people on the doorstep, they do comment on how over the past decade Witney has been on the up, and that streets have got safer.

So where’s the beef? Well here it is. Firstly, it is a mistake to think these things happen by accident, and happen anyway. They happen because of investment, and they happen because of policy. The Lib Dems are soft on crime, and put the rights of criminals above the rights of the law abiding citizen. David Cameron himself however has another charge to answer – and that is how his deficit reduction plan will impact on local police numbers.

David Cameron’s budget deficit reduction plan is so drastic (and I will take about the economic impact later) that it would mean slashing the entire nation’s education budget in half. Specifically David Cameron would take 3,500 police officers off the beat.

So when it comes to the next election – and you want to keep our streets safe in the towns and villages across West Oxfordshire – before you vote for Cameron, make sure you get a straight answer from him. What will his cuts mean for the police in West Oxfordshire? How many stations will close? How many police officers will be taken off the streets in our neighbourhood? How much will crime rise?

While 3 in every 4 people back the ban, David Cameron says he will prioritise parliamentary time for a vote to repeal the ban.

I recognise that the numbers against hunting may be smaller here in rural West Oxfordshire but really Mr.Cameron? With all that’s going on in Britain, all that’s going on in Witney – is this really a priority? Get serious. Jobs, the NHS, crime and disorder – and oh yes the economy!!!

This shows not only poor judgment but shows he still represents the interests of the few over the many. If you want a leader who will prioritise the issues that matter and/or you don’t want to see a return to this brutal practice then join the campaign. Tally ho!

I’ve written before about the nasty strain of politics that Cameron (pictured above) has decided to associate himself with in his new extremist grouping in Europe. I know many people have different views on our membership of the European Union, but these ‘headbangers’ really take the biscuit. But I’ll leave others to question this for now – including such fellow ‘left-wingers’ as President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel.

However, news reaches from my friends in the Union movement that Cameron is contemplating giving up our right to 4 weeks paid holiday, because of his membership of this extremist group. Quite simply shocking. Paid holiday is critical to driving work-life balance, and supporting hard-working families – something Mr.Cameron says he is in favour of. So if you had less than 28 days paid holiday, especially if you were part-time, it seems Cameron’s got a very special present in store for you. If you are worried about this, you can join the campaign to protect your holiday here.

Last night Justice Secretary joined us for a fundraiser in Witney to give our campaign a big boost. Speaking at the Plough Inn, Jack explained how his wife was brought up in the area and it seems they come to visit reasonably  regularly. He pointed out how much our towns and villages have changed and improved over the last 12 years of Labour rule.

He was at pains to point out that the visible, phenomenal investment in our schools, hospitals, and police across West Oxfordshire simply would not have happened under the Conservatives.

I said a few words, and pointed out the difference between us and the Tories is that we will always stand on the side of people – to protect their jobs, their homes and their communities. That’s why here the car scrappage scheme – which Cameron opposes – is right for Witney, right for the economy – given the thousands of jobs dependent on the viability of the nearby Cowley plant.

I again called on Cameron, to show leadership – and persuade his local Town Councillors to stop ignoring the thousands of people calling for Witney to be a Fair Trade town and show that there is at least an ounce of compassion in the Conservative party.

Jack finished off by saying it was important we continued to make a stand, to expose the cracks in Cameron’s thin veneer. He related our efforts to his first election in Tonbridge – and said that we needed to keep up the good work to uphold the values of fairness and justice for which we stand. Don’t worry Jack, we will – and a big thanks for all who came, include Mr.Straw himself.

Today saw Labour Chancellor map out the key choice between us and David Cameron. The devil as with all these things is in the detail, and given the depth of the economic crisis we are tackling, we knew today was never going to be full of great news.

But I think the choice for us here in West Oxfordshire is pretty clear. Halve the deficit over 4 years, or go for an aggressive plan of doing it in 2.  Now I know normally it might seem like a good idea to cut debts as quickly as possible. But when you look at the economies that have done this elsewhere, in earlier times, they have suffered a second dip, and in the specific case of Japan, it caused a 10 year period of stagflation and economic decline. That means, here in Witney, less opportunity for growth, less jobs, less trade, less income.

Labour is going to invest for growth by, for example, continuing the Business Payment Support Scheme, which has helped spread payments for over 160,000 businesses in the UK which might have otherwise gone bust; and we need to make sure businesses have the access to the capital they need to grow.
We are also going to make sure the burden of taxation is fairer. Choose between Cameron’s Welfare-for-the-Wealthy programme, which will give enormous tax breaks to the richest 3% in the UK, and our plans to tax the unjust bonuses that caused the crisis. Meanwhile Cameron still has yet to commit to maintain child benefit and Winter Fuel Payments.
Finally and most critically of all we are pledging to protect our frontline services. This is the area we should be most concerned about. Progress has been made over the last 12 years that should not be taken for granted, whatever your political persuasion. The new Minor Injuries Unit in Witney (which I visited), the investment in the John Radcliffe, the Children’s Centre in Chippy, the bus services from Kingham and Charlbury to improve rural transport – all these are at threat under Cameron.

Disturbing revelations which demand clarification from our local MP. At Tory Conference this year George Osborne promised to abolish Child Tax Credits for those on more than £50,000 per year, to save £400 million. But this would only raise £45 million. To raise £400 million they would need to cut it for couples earning as little as £16,000 per year. Ouch – plain wrong, plain unfair.

All this at the same time as promising to give £200,000 to the richest estates through their planned inheritance tax cut. Mr.Cameron owes it to the hard working people of Witney and West Oxfordshire to set the record straight, whether George Osborne’s mistake is down to bad judgement or something more malign, and let the community judge how hard his swingeing cuts will hit people  in the pocket. I will be writing to Mr.Cameron to secure an answer for the people of West Oxfordshire.