Andrew George
Promoting the
Politics of Courage
I’m running a positive campaign to restore decency and honesty to our politics. To build a brighter future. To combat those who want us to become more inward-looking, backward-looking, more self-absorbed. I’ll build a campaign for an outward-looking, forward-looking and compassionate country.
We’ve been misled by a privileged clique who’ve irresponsibly played on fears to stoke prejudice. We must get beyond the Brexit chaos they’ve dragged our country into. We must restore the things that matter for the sake of our children’s future – our NHS, our schools and the very sustainability of our planet.
Come and join a growing campaign team. We’re determined to win this seat back this time, to make the difference, to build a brighter future.
Many people say “you politicians are all the same”. That statement has never been more untrue. The choice here is stark:
Andrew George - Standing up for Cornwall
National campaigner, local campaigner, former MP.
Andrew describes his role - "Seeking out the silent voices. Standing up to bullies. Fighting for justice”
Liberal Democrats - Building a brighter future
I am deeply grateful to have been granted a majority in the Cornwall Council election. It will be an honour to represent the people of Heamoor, Ludgvan, Madron, Gulval, Zennor, Morvah, Newmill and surrounding hamlets and moors.
My thanks to previous incumbent of much of the new ward, Conservative Simon Elliott, who was gracious and kind in defeat. Our politics may be diametrically different. But there is no personal animosity and I look forward to working with Simon as a valued Ludgvan Parish Councillor - after all Party politics is largely irrelevant to the vast majority of local matters which require effective resolution.
My gratitude also to retiring Liberal Democrat Councillors Mario Fonk and Helen Hawkins who represented (respectively) the Heamoor & Gulval and the Madron areas of the new ward. Like Simon they were excellent local representatives who have set a high bar for me, in what is a much larger ward! Their wise counsel, support and advice will be much appreciated.
Whatever satisfaction there may be in winning this local contest is more that outweighed by my deep disappointment at witnessing the defeat of so many good people - not just fellow Liberal Democrats but Independents, Greens, MK and Labour. Many whom I could happily have worked in partnership with (as I'm sure would they) to put the best interests of Cornwall above Party politics.
The election result is very bad news for Cornwall. Bad news for our environment, families in need, local families who suffer the consequences of worsening housing injustice, for our health and social care and for our children's future. I will do all I can to seek out the silent voices and to speak up for them, to fight for those who find it difficult to fight for themselves, to combat climate change and environmental damage. The Conservatives want Cornwall as a property speculators', second homers' and developers' paradise. I will do all I can to resist this and to fight for housing justice for local families in need.
When it comes to the handling of practical casework, as I explained to the many people I spoke to, I do not claim to have a magic wand which can resolve the many challenging and in some cases irresolvable problems which local people face. For example, our roads and infrastructure were not designed with the modern day volume and nature of vehicles in mind. Although I would personally prefer to put our residential areas, pedestrians and public health well above cars and lorries and to ensure there's enough space for people to park without creating neighbourhood tension this would involve a major shift in the attitude and priorities of a majority of people who feel they depend on their vehicles.
I will be making further announcements in the coming weeks - about how and where to contact me with casework and Council matters. There will be an induction to the Council process which I must complete hopefully by the end of this month before I'm fully fledged. I hope those who need my assistance will bear with me until I have completed these processes
About 12% of Cornwall's electors (37% of those who actually voted) voted Conservative this week. But the Conservatives took 54% of the seats and therefore 100% of the power to now run the Council for the next 4 years. I do not believe this is what the majority of people think is either right or satisfactory.
More than half the seats the Conservatives won were against a selection of candidates who had more (values) in common with each other than with the Conservative candidate who won.
Something to (more than) reflect on...
Well Done and CONGRATULATIONS, Andrew George. At least we have a good man in the Council, who works for the people, not the Corporates! A most excellent choice of the people in those wards! Let’s continue the good work towards PR!
This result is a result of people not exercising their right to vote ( in which case they have no right to complain @ the outcome) I find it astounding.people dont vote - women died to get the vote for their sisters early in 20th century
Andrew. I live in Dorset but have spent many years listening for your voice on the regional.news programmes a real voice for Cornwall not unlike a certain David P. Glad you are back in an elected office. Dead right what you say about Tories wanting to turn our Counties into second home habitats. Thank you for your detailed post.
Well done Andrew i have every confidence that you and other LD members will punch well above our current weight and sock it to the Tories. In general I would agree that politics should play little part in local politics but I fear it will now the Tories will make it so.
A great result Andrew. Well done.
The outcome of the election proves there is no sense in the Illogan area!
Congratulations Andrew, so pleased and relieved with your win, but gutted by the council majority! We will all have to work hard to resist the Conservatives destructive agenda for Cornwall and to preserve and build up our communities to health and protect the environment.
Huge congratulations Andrew. My rep , Ruth Gripper lost by just 54 votes! So disappointing. You have an uphill struggle, but I know you will do your very best for us and sending you every good wish.
Well done and well said Andrew. We are saddened at the loss of Bert Bisco here in Truro but have Councillors we are hopeful of here in Truro. We need a Council working for the good of Cornwall as you say Politics aside. Commiserations also to Carolyn Rule who served Mullion + St Keverne well for over 3 decades.
Congratulations Andrew, thank heavens common sense has prevailed, wishing you the very best!
Fantastic result Andrew. As you say not every result is good for Cornwall or it’s residents.
Well done. I’m delighted for the residents you will ably represent and work hard for.
Heartiest of congratulations Andrew. Yours is a most welcome light in an otherwise pretty bleak landscape.
Congratulations, and yes you are right, progressive alliance is the way forward
Congratulations, Andrew. So very pleased to see you’re back where you belong (almost!)
Congratulations Andrew. They are very lucky to have you & we remember all the fantastic work you did when you were Member of Parliament for the constituency of St Ives.
Congratulations Andrew. Massive area to represent but I am sure you will do it well. Points well made - some candidates were getting elected with 30% of the vote. Single Transferable Vote needed. Also, 55% of Cornwall’s trade goes to the EU. So we still need an EU presence. The Cornish language is great for the economy of Cornwall. So I hope that these two things are not in fact cut.
Congratulations Andrew, great result on an otherwise bleak day for non-selfservatists. Cornwall needs you. Respect ... and roll on PR!
Congratulations from Test Valley, Hampshire. For a newbie you write a damn good speech! You’ll be fine. Actually, better than fine.
Well done Andrew. I am grateful for your stance on the need for local politics to be about local issues and you certainly hit the mark on the priorities of those issues. Thank you
Very pleased you're on, we need you now more than ever. I'm delighted to be joining you too. I agree entirely that we need to reflect on working together 👍 Ober da
Well done Andrew. I sadly lost my seat by 153 votes on Thursday after twelve years of representing my area on Essex County Council. I am sure you will be a great addition to the Lib Dem team in Cornwall.
Well done! But I'm not the only person baffled by the way Cornwall continues in this masochistic voting behaviour.
Congratulations Andrew,a sensible and honest voice for the people .
A great result! Congratulations Andrew! ⭐️✨
About 12% of Cornwall's electors (37% of those who actually voted) voted Conservative this week. But the Conservatives took 54% of the seats and therefore 100% of the power to now run the Council for the next 4 years.
Happy with that?
More than half the seats the Conservatives won were against a selection of candidates who had more (values) in common with each other than with the Conservative candidate who won.
Something to (more than) reflect on...
I also think it should be labeled clearly that conservative is tory. 4 times when I have gone to vote and been chatting as we wait, the conversation turns to who you voting for.... 4 times! Someone has said conservative because they are stronger and not the torys. Luckily this was before going in to vote and I explained they are the same.
Ellie Brolly bloody voting system!
First Past the Post fails all voters; not just the Cornish. Reality is that with the Tories in power for a seemingly endless future that’s not going to change anytime soon. We have to figure out how to work together in order to amalgamate votes so this doesn’t happen. I know it’s not reality but if one candidate in every area stood against the Tories (rather than 5 or 6) they would have lost far more seats than they gained. The majority of the population doesn’t want them in power at a local or national level but the failure is in the opposition to act in a coordinated way. If they did we would manage to get them out and - finally - have a stab at a decent, informed, referendum on PR.
Disgrace.
It's a reflection of what democracyhas become over the last few years. Also it's important to include the "non voter in the stats.. Add to that the smell of cornwall Council... Rotten, moneysick fraud...
Andrew George People have written to politicians for years, I wrote to Keir Starmer after he got elected to change the voting system. Before the last general election it was obvious the other parties had to get together to stand any chance of winning. That picture looks set for many years now. What is to be done?
It's so frustrating! So much power for so little proportion of the population. However what is also frustrating is the low turnout. At least we have you to represent us in our area, for that I am grateful.
We need a coalition of other parties , it seems the only way to get round the first past the post.
In those votes Mayoral elections, for example, where systems other than first past the post operated. It would be great if it were possible convince the Labour Party of this.
Its madness to think that parts of this and other counties who have a vast increase in the use/need for food banks have voted conservative but Along with PR it should also be compulsory to vote and the ballot paper should have a none of the above box, so that people can make it known that they don’t feel listened too. we should also have better engagement in schools, colleges etc. to encourage younger people to engage and understand politics in general. Another important aspect is the homeless community it could be easier for the homeless to vote by allowing them access to some sort of post box via shelter, church, mishion building, that way everyone would feel their vote counted for something and every party would have to engage properly with everyone, not just a select part of their community.
Well we know what should be done PR but very few people seem to understand it 🙁
The fact that people in poorer areas continue to vote for a party that has declared war on the lower income families proves that this whole country has gone too far down the right wing nationalist path to save, it’s going to get exactly what it deserves and unless something seismic happens to the national mentality we are going to be stuck with the Tory’s at a local and national level for a long time to come.
Not happy at all! We need some form of PR in all elections. I also believe voting should be a condition of citizenship so people have to take some responsibility for their communities. Opting out should not be an option.
The irony here is that had Scotland used this system the SNP would have got even more seats but they use a much fairer system there with part of it being PR.
Andrew George. I think you will find that it's called Democracy. It's a system of government we have had in this country for quite a few generations and it seems to work rather better than most. It's the "first past the post" system which got you into parliament with less than 45% of the votes cast.
We should, as in Australia, make voting mandatory, but we all know that, whilst we have an elitist Conservative government in power that'll never happen; why? Well, you know why. As I mentioned on Friday, watching this election unfold was like watching lemmings voting for a cliff extension.......
I've always been fairly sympathetic to the LDs on the whole coalition fiasco but can't help thinking that Nick Clegg sold us down the river. The LDs had the perfect opportunity to create a better democracy but rolled over on favour of 5 minutes of fame, look where that got them? Almost destroyed the party and all we got was a half arsed referendum on a system that no one understood and was only marginly better that FPTP. Of course it was doomed to fail, and I suppose its wishful thinking that the LDs could have stood their ground and demanded a referendum on PR? I know, I know, the tories would have never in a million years agreed to that because they knew damn well what it would mean 🤔. No disrespect Andrew because as you know I've always supported you and recognised your hard work and dedication, I just feel its time for change and an slightly bitter now about the lost opportunity 😭🤦♀️.
Voted for the CON servetive party for most of my adult life, the last general election I decided it was time to do the right thing and change direction mostly because of the discracefull decision that will ruin our already thought of as a complete Joke country. ( BREXIT ) HAVE ALWAYS HELD ANDREW GEORGE IN HIGH REGARD . Having actually met him the other day my opinion of him only strengend , a down to earth person who actually cares about the issues he talks about. I say it's time to get rid of the Cons and the Commies ( is Labour ) and take a path to do the best for our country. All of Cornwall next time back the people who care!!!!!!!
Grim, we need a progressive alliance.....ASAP!
i hope you use considerable experience for good on the council, not just carry on your bitter rant against the Tories.
It sucks, and it's going to be a damaging period for Cornwall.
In 2015 General Election UKIP had over 4 Million votes (12%) and did not secure a single seat. Didn’t see too many complaints about that 🤷♂️
Electors who don’t vote aren’t counted, because they don’t count.
Very UNhappy
Sensible advice from Adrian Sanders when you go to the polls today.
We must do all we can to stop the Tories - who merely use our police service as a public relations front; and to mismanage and make bizarre and irresponsible calls for gun-totting vigilantes etc.
Use your supplementary vote to support both Liberal Democrats and Labour today.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Prescient words. The Conservative didn't win on first preferences. Had the campaign for second preferences been better coordinated perhaps we could have seen a welcome change? www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/19292902.devon-cornwall-police-commissioner-result-alison-hernandez...
And the Green Party! :)
What about you using your position to push through the planning for so called affordable housing. You know full well that the site at the top of Chywoone hill is unsuitable!
What a week! In our home there are six potential votes to be had, how many candidates knocked on the door?, ONE, yes, just one, and you wonder why people don't put themselves out to vote! For the first time in my life I actually voted Green party, partly out of being sick of the gang of three and yes because the young lady was the only candidate to show up and actually have sensible doorstep conversation. Of the six votes, two were cast, all my son's were 'whats the point, they never listen' and even if genuine at the start then on getting elected fall under the spell of the pension protecting 'officers', cynical?? yes, but I'm inclined to agree with them....
We should above all be judged by the legacy we leave for our children.
I want Cornwall to be regarded as the Green Peninsula. An exemplar of the highest environmental standards. Where human climate and wildlife impact is not just minimised and mitigated, but that we enhance and correct past mistakes and policy errors where possible.
The 2010-15 Government was an unhappy time for the Country. It was also a painful time for our Party and we have more than paid a price for acting in the national interest in difficult circumstances. We successfully advanced many policies - not least in the arena of combating climate change - promotion of renewables, creation of the Green Investment Bank, establishing much stronger standards for sustainable building and much more (though I was at the time and remain critical of our leadership for compromising with the Conservatives too much).
Needless to say the Conservatives reversed pretty much all of this as soon as they were able to govern alone in 2015 and sold off the Green Bank etc. Their MPs (including local MPs) have voted against every measure to combat climate change - though they still attempt to greenwash themselves with photos of tree-planting and litter picking in an attempt to create a synthetic facade around that reality.
Cornwall Council has done much within the very limited powers and budget set for it by the Conservative Government. Increased investment in renewables, ended waste to landfill, planted 100,000 trees, installed over 150 green vehicle charging points, invested in over 100 new greener buses etc.
We are determined to deliver carbon neutral Cornwall by 2030. we will advance measures to significantly improve the health of our biodiversity. Very challenging. But we're prepared to take the difficult decisions.
I hope you'll support my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I and vote for our children's future.
Congratulations, Andrew. I’m so glad that you won, and that Loveday Jenkin (my divisional member) won. These are the only things about which I feel any gladness.
Well done Andrew George Brilliant!!!
Well said Andrew, your voice in the National debate is sorely missed. Hoping for a revival of the Liberal (Democrat?)s on Thursday
Good luck Andrew
Andrew George, Thank goodness for your win, and well done. At last some thing good has happened in Cornwall today! kindest regards, Nadia
Good luck. Hope you win by miles.
Wish we could vote for you good luck Andrew
Your a legend
I will definitely
I wouldn’t have mentioned 2010 to 15 Andrew. Austerity was not in the national interest. It was a political choice.
Well done Andrew George, some good news! 🙂
I hope you get in, we really do need you
Good luck
Good luck 🤞
John Martin is fighting for housing justice for local families.
John is an experienced Councillor, Helston Town Mayor and will be an excellent representative for Porthleven, Breage & Germoe. A strong, calm and effective voice.
Conservative policies have created this "perfect storm" - which is accelerating the rapid termination of tenancies while property investors make a killing at the expense of locals in need. Local families deserve better than this.
John has the determination and skill to stand up for locals. If he fails to win on Thursday there'll be a Conservative Councillor - then I fear things can only get worse.
The only way to change things is to have a cornish Assembly. Do you support such a move, or are you ruled by WEstminster?
No thank you.
Not for me I’m afraid
I filled in a questionnaire for John Martin and he's never bothered to reply or acknowledge it!👎
Common Platform for Cornwall
