Chair’s Report to the Gainsborough Liberal Democrat AGM

What a year, a General Election then a pandemic that has changed the way we live and interact with our communities.

We started the year building on our excellent District Council Election results and looking forward to renewing the fight at national level. I addition we were hopeful about the prospect of building some sort of bridge with our European Neighbours in the Brexit talks. All to no avail, as infighting in the Tory Government led to a General Election in December and to very disappointing result for us. Even so we did manage to increase our vote in the Constituency by 4%. Much of the credit goes to our highly active District Councillors and County Councillor supported by Town Councillors in Gainsborough and Market Rasen and, of course, our excellent parliamentary candidate.

The Pandemic which has dominated this year has truly shown the measure of the membership of our party. In all our towns and villages our communities have come together to support the lonely and those who have struggled to feed their families. I know from my own experience working alongside others in preparing pack ups for children on free school meals during the half term. This contrasts with our Tory MP who voted against extending support for those in need. In delivering food boxes since the start of the pandemic I have seen the struggle of many families where job losses have meant a reduction in income and an ability to make ends meet. And now we are in lock down again to slow the spread which our Tory MP is against because it affects the economy!

I do not believe that this incompetent Government, whose dithering has led to a greater loss of lives than could have been avoided, will be forgiven by the British public and therefore we truly could win this seat at the next General Election as shown from across the other side of the River Trent there is no such thing as a "Safe Seat" . Yes, it is a possibility as the Labour Party dissolves into civil war and the lies and so called "Oven Ready" trade agreements of this lack lustre Tory Government fade into the mists and we are faced with a possible "No Deal Agreement". This combination of WTO trade rules and the effects of the Pandemic could put our economy into a nosedive. We have already dropped from the fifth worlds exporting nation to eleventh. Our only hope is that President Elect Biden forces the PM to get a deal with the EU. Oh yes and the good news is he beat Trump and a vaccine developed by scientist in Germany, the children of Turkish immigrants, could be available by Xmas.

Thank God for immigrants!

Neil Taylor.

12/11/2020