Vote
Mark Barber
Independent parliamentary candidate
for Lewisham East
in the 2019 General Election.
Your protest vote brought to life.
I believe every vote matters.
THAT'S WHY I'M STANDING FOR ELECTION - TO MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT!
If you don’t want to support any of the mainstream party candidates but want to make your voice heard
VOTE MARK BARBER
If you support changing the election process to ensure that EVERY vote counts in a general election (not just those in marginal seats)
VOTE MARK BARBER
If you favour a more centrist and collaborative approach to UK politics that puts the needs of the people ahead of those of the political parties
VOTE MARK BARBER
(image source: theresident.co.uk)
Make your vote count
In the 2017 general election almost 21,000 people living in Lewisham East chose not to vote. As I speak to local residents about the forthcoming general election, I get a sense this figure could be even higher as people struggle to find a party that truly represents their views.
To many, it feels like our democracy is in crisis.
The major political parties are leaving the centre ground and taking up ever more extreme positions. Political debate has become more about scoring points than helping people to understand the real issues facing our country and how they can best be resolved. Many politicians seem very comfortable saying one thing and doing another. Even worse, some are quite prepared to lie openly and shamelessly to “win” the argument. No wonder that people feel confused and left out by the increasingly adversarial nature of politics.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We need to show the powers that be that the current situation is not acceptable and needs to change.
I believe that every vote matters. That’s why I’m standing for election - to make your vote count!
I am an independent candidate offering Lewisham East residents an opportunity to give their frustration with the current political environment a louder voice. I will be the physical embodiment of your protest vote, and will ensure that the people in power are aware of what your vote represents. Should I not be successful in my election campaign I aim to meet with the winning candidate to discuss the implications for them of every vote I receive.
Just imagine how powerful the message will be if all of the 21,000 people who didn’t vote in 2017 joined our cause.
(image source: buttress.net)
Where I stand on key policy issues
BREXIT: I believe we should remain in the EU. So much has changed since the 2016 referendum that the only way to resolve this democratically is a people’s vote on the agreed deal vs. the option to remain.
HEALTH: We need to increase investment per capita to take our growing population into account.
EDUCATION: our education system needs greater funding to become the envy of the world, helping to create the workforce of the future and promote social mobility.
ENVIRONMENT: as one of the world’s leading economies we should be a torchbearer for addressing climate change, filling the vacuum created by the current USA administration.
TRANSPORT: our public transport infrastructure is suffering from years of underinvestment which needs to be reversed. I am an enthusiastic supporter of the Bakerloo line extension.
HOUSING: we need to keep living in Lewisham affordable for all by investing in more social housing and stopping the social cleansing of London boroughs by unscrupulous property developers.
TAX: to fund the above, I propose an increase in corporation tax and increasing the higher rate of tax back up to 50%. We will all benefit from a better social environment.
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION: to make everyone’s vote count and encourage a more collaborative approach to politics in future, I propose a switch to Proportional Representation away from the current First Past The Post, winner-takes-all, system.