Andrew Dakers makes 5 pledges to the community at Chamber of Commerce hustings

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Apr 2005

Andrew Dakers speaks at the St Paul's Church hustings meeting organised by the Chamber of Commerce

Twice this week Andrew Dakers, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Brentford & Isleworth Constituency, spoke to hustings meetings in the Brentford & Isleworth constituency. The first on Monday 25th April was organised by Churches Together in Brentford and the second on Wednesday 27th April was organised by Brentford Chamber of Commerce. To the disappointment of many electors Ann Keen, the Labour parliamentary candidate, showed up at neither meeting. Questions put to candidates explored a broad range of issues including: fair trade, local development, immigration and asylum, and free speech.

ANDREW DAKERS' SPEECH IN FULL

Thank you to Tim and Eileen first of all for taking the initiative in organising the hustings. I'm so glad I cancelled a number of pressing engagements to be with you here tonight.

Those of you that take an interest in local political history will know that just around the corner in The Butts is where my Liberal predecessor, the Radical Whig MP John Wilkes spoke at hustings in the 1700s, which makes our location particularly appropriate.

My name is Andrew Dakers and fast-forwarding to 2005 I am the Liberal Democrat's candidate for Brentford and Isleworth.

I want to touch upon three things in the next few minutes:

· The experience I would bring to being your MP

· Some of the issues that I feel particularly strongly about and would campaign for in the years ahead

· And finally how I would be an accessible, local, hard-working MP

EXPERIENCE

I grew up in Brentford, went to nursery in Chiswick and my first school in Isleworth. I have continued to live here for most of my life.

I first became active politically, aged just thirteen trying to save the Old Brentford Baths. It remains a real frustration to me that this was sold off by the Labour Council to commercial developers.

My local campaigning since then has included two years chairing Brentford Community Council. Alongside this I also became an active volunteer in Brentford Recycling Action Group, BRAG.

In my professional life I have worked for the BBC and then locally at GlaxoSmithKline.

My work and studies have taken me overseas as far a field as Uganda and the United States where for a short time I worked for the United Nations.

All this experience I would bring to being your MP.

KEY ISSUES

By far the most rewarding aspect of this campaign has been the opportunity its provided to meet and talk with parents, police officers, teachers, nurses and many others right the way across the community.

For some building a sustainable community may simply mean addressing the urgent challenge that Global Warming now presents but, as I have explained in conversations with many of you, to me it also means renewing our hospitals and schools in ways that we can afford, not borrowing heavily on our future to fund today's needs.

It means giving our police the tools to do the job they care so much about. Why in 2005 do they still not have the up-to-date cars, handheld computers and even bicycles they need?

Beyond this, as our local population grows, we must ensure services from dentists to sewage systems are invested in sufficiently. Developers must be encouraged into the area that have a vision beyond cramming as many people onto a plot of land as possible. As your MP I will champion the constituency becoming a beacon for innovative environment and people-friendly design.

As for worldwide issues, in 2003 I joined many of you who marched against the War in Iraq - a war that has already cost us £3.5billion and countless lives. As your local MP I will challenge public and private organisations in the UK and beyond to scale up treatment and prevention of AIDs/ HIV as well delivering on the promise of debt relief. I have worked on the inside of global organisations as well as on the ground in the developing world. I know there is more that can and must be done.

FINALLY

Let me explain how I would be an accessible, local, hard-working MP as I have been convinced for a long time that the community deserves nothing less.

My suspicions were confirmed earlier this year when an Evening Standard survey ranked Ann Keen 68 out of 73 London MPs.

Three hard-working Liberal Democrats topped the table.

If you elect me I will be just as hard-working as my Lib Dem colleagues. My 5 pledges to YOU and the rest of the community are:

1. I will continue to live in our constituency and have an office open 7 days a week.

2. I will hold frequent advice surgeries. Emails, letters, faxes and telephone calls will all be responded to within 14 working days.

3. I will campaign on a broad range of fronts and I will keep you informed of this work in regular progress reports.

4. I will bring together a Community Forum where statutory agencies, councillors, local residents and press can all raise issues, concerns and hold me accountable at a local level.

5. I would not be living in a Covent Garden flat at your expense and I will NOT claim an MP housing allowance

Next Thursday, May 5, please take all this into consideration and cast your vote for me Andrew Dakers and the Liberal Democrats.