I am sure many of you have seen or read the news about worrying times in Zimbabwe. I first heard the news about the unfolding situation on Tuesday last week and sought to dins out from the Speaker of the House if he had heard from the Foreign Office of any intention for a Minister to come to the House to make a statement on what appeared to be an ongoing coup in Zimbabwe.
The following dat having received more information of how the situation was developing overnight, I brought up the issue again in Prime Minister’s Questions and during the Foreign Minister’s statement on Zimbabwe.
Now, whilst for some Zimbabwe’s politics seem to be unrelated to our daily lives, their plight does highlight how fortunate we are to be part of an open democracy. Zimbabwe’s troubles not only demonstrate how important democracy is but highlight how it is a key component that helps us monitor government power and prevent the people who hold power from abusing it and using it for their own gain.
That being said, we ourselves are fast approaching our local elections. Last weekend I was out and about canvassing with the prospective candidate for Southchurch and I plan to continue to support all the prospective Conservative candidates running for election May 3rd. I would encourage you to stop us if you see us out and about in the coming weeks and months leading up to May 3rd.
I want to urge you not to just go out and vote on May 3rd, but encourage you to actively engage with the prospective candidates and find out what their ambitions are for your ward. And whilst you might think that local elections aren’t important, I assure you they are.
Local governments have a role in advocating on behalf of their constituencies so ensure your vote counts.