Opinion: Who On Earth Wants To Be In Politics? Do You?

Published on: 8 Sep, 2018
Updated on: 21 Nov, 2018

This is the first in a series of opinion pieces from all the political parties and the Independent councillors who currently form Guildford Borough Council (GBC) in the period between now and next May (2019) when the borough elections will take place.

We are grateful to all the participants for agreeing to take part. Our aim is to allow our readers to hear from local politicians directly and become better informed of the political choice they have before they cast their votes…

By Ciaran Doran

chair, Guildford Liberal Democrats

Who on earth wants to be in politics?  Do you?

Do I?  No, and Yes, in that order.

No, because like everyone I’d prefer to spend time with my family or be out cycling or walking in our lovely countryside.  Yes, because I’m tired and fed up that the people currently running our council and our country seem to be living in a vacuum, furthering their own interests, rather than working for the benefit of the whole community.

I am tired of being an armchair activist and have decided to get up and do something for the town that I love and which I’ve seen driven to extremes since I moved here 35 years ago.

Why is Guildford the most congested town in Britain?

Why is it so difficult for children raised in Guildford to afford to live here once they leave home?

Why, in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK, are there people reliant on food banks?

I ask these questions because I want us to change things in Guildford – don’t you?

I’m new to this game, but to me, politics is the art of making things better for everyone across our community.

Unfortunately, the current majority on Guildford Borough Council / Surrey County Council are making a hash of it – and yes, there’s a huge amount of blame that can be laid at the feet of central government but they’re all Conservative majorities from top to bottom – and they’re all blaming each other.

They’re doing such a bad job that even their own people are leaving, the ones who have the decency to do so.

I joined the Liberal Democrats because the majority of their values match mine. Our aspiration for Guildford and the surrounding areas is to drive a stronger economic hub that enables this area to thrive for homegrown businesses, as well as bringing employers, jobs and visitors to the borough.

We want to create an economy that encourages employers to come to Guildford, rather than leave.  We want a town centre that functions properly with the right level of town centre housing.

We want an integrated, sustainable transit network so that while traffic can navigate easily, the transit connections work for everyone. We have a major transport corridor, the A3, cutting the town in half without easy and safe ways to get from home to work or school.

We want to fix our housing strategy to work for everyone in Guildford.  We don’t have enough affordable or social houses while the very people working in Guildford’s essential services live outside the borough.  Brownfield sites have been “earmarked” for development far too long.

Guildford could and should be a great place for everyone to live and work.  If, like me, you are tired of our town and borough being run with a lack of competence and you want more, and you would like to make Guildford a great place to live again, then come and join me.  Together, let’s demand better for ourselves and for Guildford.

In two week’s time, it will be the turn of an Independent councillor.

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