If you want to be popular in 2010 do not become a banker or a politician
I have not been an MP yet therefore I am not caught up in the expenses scandal. My career choices to date of teacher, political think tank researcher and mother don't really display a love of gold digging. Not that I have a problem with people earning lots of money; it is just not top of my agenda. I do not get paid as a political candidate. My campaign will be fuelled by hard work, some raised sponsorship and the help of volunteers - not piles of private cash.
I am convinced the British public will give more credit to a party focused on solving the issues rather than demonising Gordon Brown. All of us in the political system – and that includes the media- could re-instil some confidence in our society if we abandon the name calling of playground politics and use energy to solve the problem instead of sensationalising stories, winning arguments and focusing merely on the voting figures. British politics has sunk into a murky quagmire. Please put my name at the top of the list for the long awaited revolution.
A new language is needed in British politics. I believe in the value of dialogue on common ground, acknowledging the good ideas of another party and the hard work of an opposing politician. That does not make me soft nor does it mean I will not challenge the problem or the person. I simply understand the value of consensus and the positive effect of credit to be given to the other side in building up support to solve a problem.
After all, winning is not measured in the polling stations or the debating floor but by the change we see in our nation. I’m a Conservative because I believe they want your vote for real change.
