Ealing Lib Dems Launch General Election Campaign

3.53.19pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 7th Apr 2005

The Real Alternative for Ealing - Nigel Bakhai, Cllr Gary Malcolm and Francesco Fruzza

Ealing Liberal Democrat campaigners Nigel Bakhai, Francesco Fruzza and Cllr Gary Malcolm launched their General Election campaigns with rousing acclaim from their members.

Getting the campaign off to a flying start!

The three candidates took the opportunity to spell out their local credentials and focus on key areas of interest, after which Sara Gray from the local Lib Dem Youth and Students spoke on why younger people should get involved in politics.

During the very lively question & answer session many probing questions were asked of the candidates from their stand on Health, Crime and Education to the very local issues of the Tram and Lime trees.

Ealing Southall Lib Dem candidate Nigel Bakhai said, "Throughout the course of this parliament, on many of the issues that matter to voters - opposing student tuition and top-up fees, ID cards, scrapping the unfair Council Tax and, of course, the Iraq war, it has been the Liberal Democrats who have been the main opposition to the Labour Government. The Lib Dems have stuck true to their principles while the Tories have flip-flopped on all the big issues out of sheer political opportunism.

Francesco Fruzza, Lib Dem candidate for Ealing North said, "The Liberal Democrat party is the only party that can be trusted on key issues such as Iraq, protecting the health service, care for the elderly, pensions and tuition fees. The Liberal Democrats are the growing force in Ealing and the outcome of this election will surprise many people… at the last election both the Tories and Labour polled less votes while we increased the number of our votes."

Cllr Gary Malcolm, Lib Dem candidate for Ealing Acton & Shepherds Bush said, "We have seen numbers of GPs falling in recent years and Ealing hospital giving a very poor service. I and the Lib Dems would stand up for the residents in Ealing to demand a better service."

Gary added, "The government has forced our health service to meet so many targets that doctors, nurses and others are not able to spend enough time doing the job they want to do - caring for patients. Lib Dems would cut most of the targets to more allow hospitals to decide what their priorities are."

Young Lib Dem Sara Grey said, "Young people represent the future. And the more Labour and the Tories continue to ignore the needs and opinions of Britain's students, the more it becomes apparent that the future lies with the Liberal Democrats."

The local choice, the real alternative!

All three Lib Dem candidates live in their respective constituencies and have an excellent track record of working hard for residents in Ealing all year round.

Only the Liberal Democrats offer a real alternative to the Labour Government and Labour-run Ealing Council in this General Election.

Only the Liberal Democrats offer a chance for change in Ealing rather than more of the same from the other two parties.

Only the Lib Dems have provided the real opposition on the issues that matter to residents in Ealing like Iraq, student top-up fees, ID cards, and the unfair Council Tax and on many local issues such as the closing of community centres, cuts to train services as well as cuts to elderly care.

Related Link:

Press coverage of the Lib Dem launch event in the Ealing Times.