Stephen Dorrell on the Election, Climate Change and Public Services

Hello, I am Stephen Dorrell. I was a Conservative Member of Parliament for 36 years. I served in John Major's Cabinet as Health Secretary, and I later chaired the Health Committee of the House of Commons.

I left Parliament in 2015 to pursue a life outside politics. I have recently returned to the forefront of politics because I strongly agree with John Major's view that Brexit is, in his words, "a historic mistake." I joined the Liberal Democrats in 2019 and I am the candidate in Buckingham.

Why is Brexit a mistake?

It's not just economics - trade and jobs - though, goodness knows, those are important.

The European Union is the most successful peace project in history; to leave it is to unlearn the lessons of the twentieth century.

No government has the right to tell us we must do that to our children; after three and half years of argument, only the people can have the final say.

Climate Change

In addition, modern science demonstrates that carbon emissions threaten sustainable life on this planet. The only way we can reverse that is through effective international action. The European Union is at the forefront of action both through the political system and through the world trading system to reverse global warming.

To weaken our position the European Union is threaten the environment we leave to future generations.

Public Services

There's another reason as well.

I believe this country needs a new approach to Public Services. At election time we always hear politicians promising they are going to spend more money on schools or the NHS; they tell us they are going to recruit more doctors, nurses and teachers - and they usually tell us at the same time they are going to spend less on administrators.

What they don't tell us is how they are going to ensure these extra resources are going to deliver better results for citizens.

The Liberal Democrats offer something different. Instead of national posturing we believe that public services should be part of the local community. They should engage with local people and they should reflect their changing needs.

We need sports fields at schools; we need support systems for disabled people; we need extra facilities for our growing elderly population. And we need to listen to the views of the people who use them and rely on them.

So, use your vote on the 12th of December to help the Liberal Democrats deliver a Brighter Future.