This post was sent out this week to our mailing list. To join our mailing list, visit https://stophs2.org/mailing-list/216-join-our-e-mail-list
Dear Stop HS2 Supporter
Firstly, we want to say a big thank you to all of you who heeded our call and contacted your MP about the Lords Economics Affairs Report ahead of the debate in Parliament. This is the latest in a long string of reports to show there is no case for HS2.
Just recently, two different polls have shown that among the general public, only 1% of people think that HS2 is the top priority: in one poll, 43% of people said it was the bottom priority.
Unfortunately despite your best efforts, the Government weren’t listening then. The mainstream politicians still aren’t listening which leaves us one option, to vote on May 7th against HS2.
We’ve been reading the manifestos off the main UK political parties to let you know what they have to say on HS2 – full details are on the Stop HS2 website stophs2.org.
Conservatives, Labour, LibDem and the SNP all express support for HS2 in their manifestos.
Political parties that oppose HS2 include the Green Party and UKIP. There are also other parties opposed to HS2 who are doing well, such as the National Health Action Party in Stafford.
On Phase 1 of HS2, of the MPs standing for re-election, only John Bercow and Christopher Pincher have been consistently opposed to HS2. (Dan Byles and Frank Dobson have also been consistently opposed to HS2, but are not seeking re-election. )
On Phase 2, some MPs have been against HS2 from the start.
The expedient reality for many candidates on the route, is that they’d have to bonkers to say they are for HS2. However a number of MPs along the route have spent some time in ministerial roles, during which time they were silent or in favour of HS2, in spite of what they told voters during their 2010 election campaign.
As such it is only voting for candidates in parties who have policies against HS2 that will send the message to whoever forms the next government about what a bad idea this vanity project is.
“NO VOTES FOR YOU WITH HS2”
If you are getting this email, you probably think that HS2 is a big issue!
It would be great if you could get in touch in with all your Parliamentary candidates to express your view of HS2. On twitter, please use the hashtags, #ge2015, #hs2 and any local hashtags.
There are also lots of old-school ways to help our campaign such as talking to people, displaying posters and going to ask questions at any local events that are organised in your constituency. If you do ask a question and get an answer from your candidate, we’d like to hear what they had to say.
Because HS2 is so important to some voters, we have launched the “We won’t vote for any party that supports HS2” campaign. You can download the posters from our website – https://stophs2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/election-all.pdf – and display them in your window.
We know that HS2 is costing the main parties support and displaying these posters will let them know your views. We hope you can make this message as clear as possible to as many people as possible in the next two weeks.
After the election
In two weeks time, we will need to let a new set of MPs know about the problems with HS2. We have some plans for immediately after the election, although exactly what we do will depend on the results. The Stop HS2 website and the @stophs2 twitter account will be updated with our plans when they are ready.
It’s likely that some of the things we do will cost money – whether it is repairs to Nellie the Stop HS2 elephant, or leaflets for new MPs. So we would be very grateful for any financial donations we can have now, so that we can start planning our spending for the first few weeks of the new government. Please see stophs2.org/donate for ways to donate.
Thank you for all your support over the last few years, and please help us get this white elephant of a project cancelled as soon as possible.
On May 7th, use your vote to Stop HS2
Even hairsets being used to create celebrities who alone are of little consequence and parties that cannot deliver success only make believe and Westminster policies that to date have NOT DELIVERED economic success only excess spending and weak control over destructive impacts on the UK and its people. We have more spin than from the wrong kind or leaves and snow. What we do not have is a recovery plan for the UK. Vote for a local candidate you can control not a Boris or a David who have their hairset and mindset but not the skill set for the nation’s current situation. How does the UK get a plan for paying off the loans not building up more debt. Dont squander local advantages, amenities and land for HS2 as currently planned.
Vote for your person not Cameron’s Clegg’s and Miliband’s lobby puppet.
The wastefulness of HS2 needs to be curbed with more local selected people for the next Government.
Time to bring spending and waste down and focus on real economic sustantainable growth not Government spend increases.