Please take the time to read this in full...
IN BRIEF
We believe that this political system in this country is broken. What the UK needs is a fresh start. A new beginning in the form of a new Party whose members are untainted by the failures of the past and present.
We are forming a new political party called "The NO Party" to contest the next Election on as large a scale as we can manage. We want to represent the ordinary people of this country, who we feel have been ignored, silenced and bullied for too long.
We want to reverse Coalition polices that have made tens of thousands of people worse off, make elected officials more accountable those who put them in power, ensure responsible and ethical behaviour in business and promote freedom and equality for all.
However, we can't do it without your help.
WHO WE ARE
We began as just a small group of friends, colleagues and acquaintances spread out throughout the Lancashire region - who all had 1 thing in common. We all felt disenfranchised and frustrated by the actions (or inactions) of those who were elected to, appointed in or who assumed important positions in society. Like so many, we had just sighed and said "Nothing we can do about it."
That got us thinking...what if there was something we could do? How hard is it to create a new political party? How would we get the word out? How would we raise funds? What would our policies be? What would we call ourselves?
Intrigued and enthused, we went away and did some research. We decided to call ourselves "The NO Party" as we felt the biggest problem with modern governance is an inability or refusal to listen to the voice of the people – in essence taking away their power to say “No!” to something they didn’t want.
(More information on this subject can be found in the document Why we say "NO!", available freely for download as a PDF document in the "Gallery" section on this campaign)
Then we started an experiment. We created a Facebook page and Twitter feed, advertising them in places where like minded people gathered. We did polls and focus groups to gauge the public mood and ask what policies they would support. Next, we made a draft of our core manifesto and asked for feedback, taking on board comments, suggestions and criticism. Regular revisions have been made and the majority of our ideas overwhelming support by our members.
In our first six weeks online, we have attracted over 2300 members. We are confident that our goal is worth pursuing.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
More detailed information can be found in the Core Manifesto Proposals which is freely available to download as a PDF document from the “Gallery” section, but here is an outline of The NO Party’s principles
- Freezing MP salary and introducing tighter controls on expenses – the government should lead by example!
- Abolish all austerity cuts that are resulting in the poorest and most vulnerable in society being worse off.
- Ensure banks and businesses pay their dues and are more accountable for their actions and mistakes.
- Protecting the NHS from private interests
- Promote the ideals of true and universal equality – not by favouring one group over another!
- Protect freedom of speech and the right to protest against your government.
- Giving the people more input in the democratic process by expanding the scope of the “e-petitions” system and ensuring topics that attract support are discussed at the highest level.
WHAT WE NEED
This first fundraiser is to set up a "float" to help us get the essentials in place so that we can begin the fight properly. Hence the low target. Among the items your money will provide are
- Payment of the £150 fee needed to register the party with the Electoral Commission so that we can field candidates at Elections.
- Make Party DPA compliant
- Buy any and all relevant insurance policies
- Creation, maintenance, advertisement and Search Engine Optimisation of an official website to provide information to the public and increase our exposure.
- Making of publicity materials such as posters, badges and cards (which are being offered as perks so you can show your support and spread the word of our cause)
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE EXCEED THE TARGET
- The float covers the essentials listed above but there is so much that we will need and any excess will be put towards important things such as:
- Creation of an official campaign fund (It costs £500 to put up a candidate for election - while it's 2 years away, the work has to begin now)
- Appointing legal representatives on retainer
- A small office space where we can conduct meetings
- Conduct of background checks on prospective candidates
- Hiring of a small part time staff and purchase of all necessary licenses and insurnces to act as an Employer
WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO
- Get involved in the discussions on Facebook and Twitter
- Spread the link to this and all our pages page like wildfire!
- If you have skills you feel would be of us and want to help out on a practical level, or even want to apply to be considered as a candidate for election, drop us a line - thenopartyuk@yahoo.com
