New in from CWF - CWF Chairman Sir Gerald Howarth MP: Join us to campaign for Brexit

You may remember people asking if they could really have a referendum on this and the simple truth.




As one of the grey haired individuals who as a mere youth voted back in 1975 for what I thought was a common market, I have seen what has evolved into the European Union which is progressively reducing us to a satellite with an ever reducing say in what goes on.

I acknowledge that the Prime Minister pledged that we would get a referendum and that is being delivered. I am startled at the tone of alarm coming from Downing Street and various members of the Westminster Bubble who risk losing a convenient scapegoat excuse (we cannot because of the EU).

If this is so dangerous for us why propose the referendum in the first place?

I guess that I have sat on the fence in recent weeks and months as I saught information that could help me make my own decision and have met a good number of people who shared my uncertainty.

I received this email from Gerald Howarth and feel that it sums up key elements that are important for me.

What do you say? Are you thinking what I am thinking? The final quote from Winston Churchill pretty clearly serves to remind us of our own thread of history. Time to add some further chapters outside the EU a sovereign state linked but not combined with our Europe.

I am for out.

Cheers

Geoff

Recvd 16:18   10-5-2016 Dear Geoff, Conservative Way Forward will be campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union because we want to: return control to our Parliament, answerable to the British people, not European bureaucrats; regain control of our borders to stem the flow of EU immigration; and, save the taxpayer £350 million per week which the UK currently pays to Brussels. Whilst in 1975 the British people thought they were voting for a common market in goods and services, and overwhelmingly now feel they were deceived, some of us foresaw the dangers.  We saw the European Economic Community had a president, a flag, an anthem, and a court.  Today, the EEC has now become the European Union, and it has added a currency, a parliament, a foreign minister and a defence identity with publicly-declared ambitions for a Euro-army.  These are the attributes of a sovereign nation state, worse still, a super-state. The Remain camp’s latest panic outburst, suggesting that World War III will break out if we leave, would be laughable were it not so serious.  NATO, not the EU, is the cornerstone of the UK’s, and the continent’s, security, and the continent managed to remain at peace throughout the 28 years before the UK joined the EEC in 1973. As a former Defence Minister, I believe that far from enhancing the UK’s security it is likely to be put at risk by our continued membership of the European Union.  Only last week it emerged that the German government is preparing to publish a white paper calling for a European Union Army with an EU operational HQ which would seriously undermine NATO, undermine the vital transatlantic security cooperation between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and in effect establish a military capability without national democratic oversight. If the British people vote to remain, they will not be voting for the status quo, or for ‘a safe option’; they will be voting for further integration and further change.  The EU’s Eurozone members are poised to undertake massive further integration, i.e. surrender of national sovereignty, which will create further tensions of the kind already experienced in Greece.  Not being a Eurozone member, the UK will be side lined. Furthermore, the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights will confer ever-greater powers on the European Court of Justice to override laws passed by our Parliament. I look forward to working together with Conservative Way Forward activists to ensure that we seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new and exciting future for our country outside the EU. As Sir Winston Churchill said on 11 May 1953, “We have our own dream and our own task.  We are with Europe, but not of it.  We are linked but not combined.  We are interested and associated but not absorbed.  If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea”.Yours sincerely, Sir Gerald Howarth MP Chairman, Conservative Way Forward PS - Conservative Way Forward is supporting the campaign to Vote Leave and Take Control on June 23rd. Click here to sign up to the campaign, and here to check out their events. Forward http://www.conwayfor.org/

Thank you!

Good afternoon folks, 

Thanks ever so much to all of you who took a hand in the campaign over the last four weeks.

Lots of effort by many (worn out a pair of trainers and acquired some interesting blisters in the process).  Sadly whilst we polled 1669 who were thinking what we were thinking and voted. On the day Labour kept the seat with a 248 vote majority and 1917 votes with a turnout of 34.9%.

Can I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our other candidates for your work in other wards across the constituency and wish you all success in future campaigns.

Kind regards

Geoff

Today is Polling Day

Out and about in Pontefract South today is polling day. If you see me say hello.

 Action for Pontefract use your vote today.@ChrisHyomes for Pontefract North, Me for Pontefract South and Allan Doherty for West Yorkshire PCC. Polling stations open until 10pm.

Voting is a right please vote today and help give Pontefract its voice back.

Cheers

Geoff

Your local Conservative team for Normanton Pontefract and Castleford 2016

Today is polling day your turn to have your say.  In addition to PPC candidates you are also likely to have had a variety of candidates of varying political parties turning up on a doorstep near you.

Our local team is backing a very capable Allan Doherty, who is standing against Mark Burns Williamson in the PPC Election. The local candidates who hope to serve as your representatives on Wakefield Metropolitan District Council are :

Geoff Walsh - Pontefract South (that would be me then).
Chris Hyomes - Pontefract North
Anthony Hill - Altofts and Whitwood
Mathew Gilligan - Normanton
Amy Swift - Airedale and Ferry Fryston
Joanne Smart - Castleford and Glasshoughton
Eamonn Mullins - Ferrybridge & Knottingley

As you see us out and about today please say hello.

Please pass this on.  Its time that the people of Five Towns got their voice back.

Cheers

Geoff Walsh

Action for Pontefract - Why vote for Geoff Walsh? I will work for you

Why Vote Walsh for Pontefract South?

    I will work to see that Pontefract has a voice in Wakefield a fair share of resources and action for Pontefract all year round.

    I will support our local economy, jobs, training and apprenticeships to help local businesses grow.

    Too often the big decisions for Pontefract are taken in Wakefield by people who do not understand our needs, challenges or heritage.

Many local residents share my concerns about lack of investment in our town and the dash for more housing without the added infrastructure to support it.

In response to the huge growth of new housing in Pontefract we also need to ensure we have first class education and sufficient school places for all our children, enhanced 7 day a week access to GP services and improved leisure facilities. Improvements that will       make our town a better place to live in.

I will support local businesses and individuals, organise events and, lobby Wakefield to make the best of business rate subsidies.

I will challenge our MPs and the directors of MYHT to move more services back to               Pontefract Hospital.

I have eight years of practical experience as a councillor to offer and a track       record of addressing issues for people across Pontefract.

Given the opportunity to represent you again, I’ll work with individuals and groups across Pontefract to see your issues are taken seriously. If you agree, help me to help you. 

Vote Walsh for Pontefract South on the 5th of May.

25 Jan 2008 I think I just promised to eat my hat... UPDATED

Revisiting a post from 2008 when I promised to eat my hat for charity if WMDC fixed the traffic congestion and air quality issues by October 2008. In fact it took them till 2016 to make a start, to go back to the future (removing the mass of traffic lights that created jams of stationary trucks, buses and cars at peak times or when the A1 closes for repairs or rescues) reinstalling roundabouts at Town End to ease matters. Well they reluctantly dragged their heels until the issues were so significant they had to do something. Eight years later...

There is much to do!

Eight years later we still see collapsing roads, a need to resolve our infrastructure issues, improved road and rail services more school places, GP and Healthcare provision as the Town faces surging growth with up to 4000 additional homes being built around it. Not forgetting the town itself and the need to make the most of our heritage and improve what we have. 

Thursdays local election has real significance. Please cast your vote and a vote for Walsh is a vote for Pontefract. In Pontefract North please vote for my colleague Chris Hyomes.

THE CHARITY EVENT WILL BE IN AID OF TINY TICKERS. 

A Yorkshire based Infant heart research charity

25 Jan 2008

I think I just promised to eat my hat....

Last night, I attended Carleton Neighbourhood Watch's monthly meeting. Always an interesting evening, good mix of people from across the community, if Carleton had a Parish Council it would look like this and do good work.

Anyhoo a member was sharing some information about the proposed traffic survey about Pontefract's traffic problems. This has been wheeled out smartish as our MP and one of the ruling group councillors gave an interview to the local paper saying that they intended in conjunction with senior officers of WMDC to have a summit to find solutions for our problems.

Thing is Yvette was promising something and included Trevor the councillor, she usually does something similar each year with whichever Labour Councillor is up for re-election or to introduce their candidate. In 2006 on election day she was found in a local chip shop at Carleton Park drumming up support from the evening rush to go out and vote for the person announced as the next Deputy Mayor (in this case it seemed not to work 42 more people voted for me than him and the rest is history).

Well this time somebody checked the story by asking a WMDC senior officer in a public meeting what WMDC knew about Yvette's initiative.

Nothing was the reply, more questions were asked and it suddenly starts to look like this was one of Yvette's aspirational press releases. Nobody at Wakefield knew anything. Result piece in paper shortly followed by an embarassed Trevor having to say details not agreed yet.

Then all of a sudden we do get some officers of the council doing a version of a human suggestion box in Pontefract Town Hall to avoid any embarrassment. So after the comment that this was really the consultation to end all consultations and would really get things sorted, I reminded the assembled group that the same exercise happened in 2002, 2004, 2006 and that if any real action resulted that lead to a significant improvement before October this year, I will eat my hat at a charity event organised for the purpose

I have a cunning plan...

Out and About in Pontefract South

The bulk of the last ten days has involved visiting doorsteps across Pontefract South. Catching up with people that I have worked with over the years and meeting new faces. People really appreciate a personal visit and whilst many have said that they do not normally vote in local elections they realise the importance of this one. As a lady in Darrington said "We seldom see a candidate its good to see you getting out to visit, you are very much the exception, thank you". It is a pleasure and doorstep surgeries are a great way to find out developing issues.