Positive Politics
“The nation blessed above all nations is she in whom the civic genius of the people does the saving day by day… by speaking, writing, voting reasonably; by smiting corruption swiftly; by good temper between parties; by the people knowing true men when they see them, and preferring them as leaders to rabid partisans or empty quacks.”—William James​
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Vote For Policies - Find Out Which Party Has The Policies You Most Prefer
​“Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
—Winston Churchill
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​Based on the premise that the best politics involves us understanding each other better, this page was originally created during the general election of 2024 to inform parishioners about the candidates for MP in our new constituency of Tiverton & Minehead. It has been adapted to remain relevant & useful.
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Who Represents Us?
Our parish of Langford Budville consists of the villages of Langford Budville and Runnington, and the hamlets of Bindon, Chipley, Ramsey and Wellisford. We have a population of around 500. A parish council consists of unpaid volunteers, elected or co-opted to represent the wellbeing of the citizens of the parish. It is the level government closest to the community, with the district authority above it in the hierarchy. Whilst it has few statutory powers, the parish council is often the first place people will go with concerns or ideas, making it a vital part of the community and a conduit between citizens and higher levels of governance. As ever, the more a community is involved with its parish council, the more enabled that community becomes.
The parish council is responsible for looking after land owned by the parish, often including signage, grass cutting, tree maintenance, and dog bins. As district councils have had their funding cut by past governments parish councils have found themselves expected to fulfil other public services.
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Come to our open and welcoming parish councils meetings, usually on the first Monday of the month, at 6:30pm in the village hall.
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After a decade of austerity, confusion, restructuring, rehiring and reforming, Somerset Unitary Authority is our new local council, conglomerating Taunton Deane, West Somerset, South Somerset, Sedgemoor and Mendip Councils. Like many councils across the country it is torn between providing essential services whilst avoiding bankruptcy. Somerset is currently reducing its workforce by 20% and is asking parish councils to take up what services they can. The Unitary Authority is responsible for all aspects of local services and policy, including planning, transport, roads (except trunk roads and motorways), public rights of way, education, social services and libraries. Most councillors are not paid a salary, but get a basic allowance for the work they do. We are in the ward of Upper Tone and our councillors are Gwil Wren and Dave Mansell, who you can contact here.
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MPs ask questions and look at the work and policies of the UK Government to check that they are serving the people of the UK, help address the issues of people living in our area by holding regular open meetings, known as ‘surgeries’, engage in the making or amending of laws by speaking in debate in the House of Commons or sitting on a committee in UK Parliament. They may ask questions on behalf of consituents. Their key role is to represent us and so they should live and breathe their constituency, finding out what the people in our area think about a particular issue. You can write to Rachel Gilmour here.
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“The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.” —Robert M. Hutchins
Party Manifestos
Conservative
Green
Labour
Liberal Democrats
Reform UK
Key points explained
“Only very slowly and late have men come to realize that unless freedom is universal, it is only extended privilege.”
—Christopher Hill
Further Reading
The South West of the UK has opportunities and challenges that it shares with the nation, as well as some particular to itself. Attached below are a range of reports and documents that our constituents and candidates might bear in mind. If you have a resource that you believe would be of value here, do please contact us.
The National Food Strategy
This independent report on the future of Britain's food, from farm payments and land use to education and the regulation of food marketing, was written by Henry Dimbleby under commission from the Government.
The Independent Review Of Net Zero
This independent report on the future of Britain's energy and the path to net zero, by Chris Skidmore (at the time Conservative MP for Bristol), was published in early 2023 under commission from the Government.
Further Thinking...
Does balance necessitate neutrality? Here are some podcasts, articles and links to the thoughts of others. There is a huge tug of war today between traditional sources of information like the print media and mainstream TV channels, and newer sources such as podcasts and social media. We would love to share a variety of approaches and rationales here and we welcome submissions. All we ask is that submissions take an evidence-based approach, are open in their sources, and welcome critique. The range of views expressed here do not represent those of the parish council but the views that we believe represent society. What do you think?
"Having thought about this a lot, increasingly I take everyone's emotions seriously and very few people's opinions!"
Naomi Alderton