CCAG Newsletter - 21 April 2005
General Election - let's challenge the politicians!
To: Stuart Agnew (UK Independence Party (UKIP)), Iain Dale (Conservative Party), Philip Harris (Labour Party), Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrats)
On behalf of the Coastal Concern Action Group, I would like to ask if you could provide statements of where you as Parliamentary Candidates stand on the issues surrounding Shoreline Management and the impact it has on coastal communities, and also the positions of your respective parties.
If you were to be elected to represent North Norfolk in Parliament, what would your actions be in this regard on behalf of us, your constituents?
Sooner or later the rest of the country will wake up to what is being done to the coastline all around this nation and the importance of a safe secure coastal environment will be realised. For too many years now our national coastline has been mismanaged, underfunded and sorely neglected. The problems really started in the eighties when the government of the day prefered to spend our money on seemingly anything except the maintenance of coast defences. This was compounded by the government since 1997 who have simply followed the same line.
Clearly this would indicate that no matter which of the two main parties are in power we can expect no common sense to prevail when it comes to defending this nation from the sea. As is crystal clear both Labour and the Conservatives have demonstrated their willingness to see sizable chunks of the UK lost forever to the sea.
We know that some candidates at election time will say anything to get elected then wriggle off the hook later.
What is required by the coastal communities is NOT a commitment to LOOK at the problem, heaven knows governments of both political persuasion have been looking at the problem for years but have done precious little.
This general election gives the party Leaders and Candidates the opportunity to stop waffling and give us a clear, unequivocal answer to the question, will you either defend us and this nation from the sea or will you adequately compensate those you choose not to defend?
Come on you politicians and party leaders tell us in simple clear plain English, you owe that to the electorate.