Rees rallies party to back campaign
BRISTOL mayoral candidate Marvin Rees has urged the Labour Party to kick the "cynicism" out of politics.
Mr Rees was addressing a rally at the Labour Conference in Manchester, alongside party leader Ed Miliband.
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Labour candidate Marvin Rees and party leader Ed Miliband, inset
Activists were also urged to redouble their efforts to recapture parts of the South West, and told that Bristol's mayor would be "more powerful than any MP".
After Bristol was the only city to vote in favour of a mayor in May's referendum, the November poll in Bristol is a top priority for Labour, with Mr Rees being given a high billing and activists from around the country urged to come to the city and help with his campaign.
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Mr Rees, who will introduce his party leader ahead of tomorrow's question-and-answer session with members, said: "When I came into the Labour Party I didn't come into just join a club, where we sat around a table and talked to each other.
"What I was really looking for, as I have for my whole life, was to be part of something that had a sense of direction and was a movement and this is what we've been talking about so much over recent months. We need to stop the cynicism, there's a lot of cynicism flying around, a lot of criticism, we're putting answers on the table.
"In Bristol... we don't just want to say 'here are ten things we're going to do for you'. We're saying, this is something we want you to be a part of."
Mr Miliband told supporters his Shadow Cabinet had been impressed by Mr Rees, who is the bookies' favourite to win the November 15 vote.
Next to take the stage was former Cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw, who said Mr Rees would be "much more important than me, much more important than any other Labour MP – he's going to have more power than an MP".
And he was cheered after saying the South West NHS pay consortium, which plans to set local pay rates for staff, was a sign of the "contempt" in which the Government held the region.
Comments
by corruptbstard
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 9:50PM
“Candidate for Mayor of Bristol 2012 offers every adult an Unconditional Basic Income of £15,000 a year!!!!!
http://tinyurl.com/8evvjak”
by Marshwalker99
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 5:57PM
“Yawn.”
by SlotBoy
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 5:09PM
“As an Independent I have to pay £500 for the privilege of running in the Mayor race. If I want to be included in the booklet that every household should receive which will include my 'Manifesto' I have to stump up another £750 which is beyond me. Anyone from the mainstream parties are clearly at an instant advantage.
Rich Fisher - Independent
My mayor facebook page is here: http://tinyurl.com/9q8b9w6”
by Paulienash
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 11:16AM
“Marvin is wondering why there is ''cynicism" in the mayor debate.
1, Bristolians voted yes for a mayor not because of the great job previous Lab/Lib Dem councils have done, its because we are fed up with Lab/Lib Dem councils. First thing the Party's do is put up their own candidates - Cynical?
2, A living wage for Bristolians higher the national (legal) minimum wage. Tell us exactly how you would make companies based in Bristol pay over the legal minumum wage? - Cynical?
3, Transport that is cheaper & better connected?, tell us exactly how this would be done - Cynical?
4, More neighbourhood police, again how exactly? - Cynical?
As with the Lib Dem candidate lots on how much money your going to spend, spend, spend but as usual nothing on how you play to pay, pay, pay for it? My guess it's going to be borrowed, borrowed, borrowed. Lots on Marvin's leaflet about how many cuts the 'other' 2 Party's are going to be making and you wonder why Bristolians are cynical about the future Mayor.
I caught a comment from Marvin on how he was going to help small buiness in Bristol, I wrote to Marvin asking exactly what his plans were. Funnily enough still no answer. The usual 'say what you think voters want to hear.
Cynical? I certainly am.”
by november15
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 9:34AM
“We are now less six weeks away from November 15th and Marvin Rees seems to be less in the public eye than he was before he won the Labour candidacy.
At present Mr Rees is the main cause of "cynicism" in politics. No manifesto, no answers and no interaction.”
by PJB_1972
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 9:26AM
“"the November poll in Bristol is a top priority for Labour, with Mr Rees being given a high billing and activists from around the country urged to come to the city and help with his campaign"
Party politics is threatening to swamp the independents. This is not going to be a level playing field which is to the detriment of the people of Bristol.”
by harry12911
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 8:29AM
“If he wants to kick cynicism out of politics, then he need to set out a manifesto of what he plans to do and not simply make broad vague comments.
As it stands, it looks as if he is planning to restart the sell, of off council green spaces - a pretty cynical measure given the local opposition to it.”
by matt234
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 6:15AM
“If he wants to kick the cynicism out of local politics, he needs to start by having a quiet word with his own local Labour party, who appear to be far more content to indulge in partisan bickering than trying to make Bristol a better place.”