Chorley voters have been writing to me to ask that I pledge support for issues that are of particular concern to them. So that they are on the record for all voters, I am posting my response on some of the key issues here on my blog:
The facts that WaterAid's Manifesto for Water point to - about such a basic necessity as clean water - spell out the huge - and worsening - inequality on our planet:
- 1 in 4 people still don’t have safe water.
- 1 in 2 don’t have a decent toilet where waste is safely managed.
- 2/3 of healthcare facilities in the 46 least developed countries do not have access to basic hand washing facilities.
Water Aid are therefore absolutely right to be calling on the next government's international development agenda to prioritise global access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Sadly, however, given that both main parties have made clear that they are parties that will do the bidding of big business, I fear theirr call will be lost under the financial policies that such a new government will follow.
While the representatives of the world's wealthy protect their interests, large parts of the world face social disintegration. Countries such as, for example, Madagascar are ravaged by drought. Not only lack of access to clean water but hunger, famine and destitution are affecting the neo-colonial world on a scale not experienced previously, contributing to an unprecedented migration crisis which the far-right will also seek to exploit.
If elected as MP, I will certainly speak up on this issue, and against global injustice, but I will also speak out for a more lasting solution and that, in my view, is to change the way our society is run from a capitalist one that benefits the few to a socialist one that benefits the many, one that brings into democratic public ownership the major companies and banks that dominate the economy, so that production and services can be planned to meet the needs of all and to protect the environment, not just in Britain but globally.
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