Sound Reason to Oppose Change

FREQUENT readers will have no doubt already read coverage of the Plymouth Labour Party campaign to keep Moorview in Plymouth. But for those who haven’t I’ll provide a very quick background.

The current government decided to reduce the number of MPs (the number being deemed to be too expensive, which I find oxymoronic as, at the same time, the same government is advocating reform of the House of Lords and, if successful, will pay all of them a £60k salary where at the moment they’re volunteers with expenses) and it has decided to do this by reshaping the constituencies that MPs represent across the country. Therefore, constituencies that were deemed to be too small (such as Plymouth) have been enlarged.

The problem that comes, however, is that constituencies like Plymouth are shaped the way they are for a purpose – this purpose being obvious to people who live here, namely that once you’re outside of Plymouth you hit Dartmoor, the South Hams or Cornwall; all of which are very different in nature, culture and geography compared to Plymouth.

Sadly, the guys with the coloured pens in London have failed to realise this and have extended Plymouth into the South Hams in the South and chopped out Moorview in the North. Moorview will now be part of the Okehampton constituency.

This move was deemed to be better than crossing the Tamar and forming a cross Cornwall-Devon constituency, which they have done in the North West of the county chopping off the top half of the current Torridge & West Devon constituency.

I should, as always, declare my interest as an active member of the Labour Party and as the former Labour parliamentary candidate for Torridge & West Devon. I should also add that the points I’m about to raise are based on my knowledge and experience in the area and not on party politics.

Look, it’s obvious that the Labour Party want Moorview to stay in Plymouth because, quite frankly, it has lots of votes there and doesn’t in Wembury.

I do find it a little odd that politicians find it hard to be honest with people on this because, as I say, it just makes political sense and – if my assumption that you’re not stupid is correct – it’s obvious.

However, there is a legitimate argument about keeping Moorview in Plymouth too. I know that the issues faced by people in Moorview are very different to those faced by people in Okehampton or Holsworthy or the various villages scattered around Dartmoor.

Moorview contains a high number of businesses – especially manufacturing – houses Derriford hospital, a university, a defunct airport and so much more.

The issues faced by people in Moorview are more in line with the issues faced by people within the City of Plymouth and so it makes logical sense to have an MP representing a shared theme of concerns, hopes and aspirations as opposed to one who has to represent the significantly differing needs of industrial business and urban city types compared to farmers and village types.

When I stood in the last general election I spent most of my time in Tavistock and Bideford. Getting between the two took two hours in my car and there was no train or bus. A taxi would have cost a small fortune.

I have the right to see my MP but if I don’t have a car, and there’s no public transport, and I don’t want to spend 50 quid on a cab, how on earth am I going to get to somewhere on the other side of Dartmoor for an MP surgery?

And, quite frankly, what MP is going to have the time to hold surgeries frequently enough over such a geography to be able to have an impact?

The whole thing is a shambles and it’s not just a Labour Party problem. Geoffrey Cox and Garry Streeter have now got their own problems in their constituencies and I have no doubt their local Conservative Associations are against the changes locally too.

So, what can you do to help? You can submit your concerns to the Boundary Commission and the more people who do, the more they are likely to listen. But there is a real sense of urgency as you only have one week left.

One week I say! So google “boundary commission for England consultation” and get to it.