Reader's Letter of The Day

From The Evening Standard:

Regarding your article on TfL building affordable homes [Comment, May 21], we should follow the example of Hong Kong. Its equivalent of TfL collects so much rent from the offices and flats its metros serve that it runs a surplus, passed on to all residents via very low income tax. Here we read about lucky landowners trousering billions from prices soaring near new Crossrail stations, with the taxpayer footing the bill for construction.

Joe Momberg, Young People’s Party

YPP pre-Bank Holiday* meet-up - new venue - Friday 22 May

The Brewmaster is closed for a refurb, so instead we'll be meeting at/outside Yates's underneath Capital Radio on Leicester Square from about 5.20 onwards.

We put a yellow YPP leaflet on the table so that you can recognise us.

* If it's a Bank Holiday, do they still charge you interest?

YPP meet-up - new venue - Friday 15 May

The Brewmaster is closed for a refurb, so instead we'll be meeting at/outside Yates's underneath Capital Radio on Leicester Square from about 5.20 onwards.

We'll put a yellow YPP leaflet on the table so that you can recognise us.

Topics: what we learned from the election (quite a lot, actually) and moaning about the weather.

Barnsley Central results

… came out this afternoon.



Thomas Dean got 2.9% of the vote and goes straight to the top of our Hall of Fame!

I rang him to congratulate and ask what the secret is and he said he didn't know either.

Epping Forest Results

Well done Mark you got 0.2% of the vote share.  80 votes.

Folkestone and Hythe results

Dr Rohen Kapur (yours truly) got 72 votes for doing no canvassing, no leaflets, save a few that he self printed, and thanks to the Georgist and word of mouth and 38 degrees members emailing us and us replying with a manifesto, along with twitter and a little facebook.  Not even properly blogging either.

Even the Socialist Party came last with 68 votes.  Not bad.  265 spoiled ballots.

Anyone can do this.  Do not feel that you cannot.  It is better to do this and keep doing it.

I was heartened when I read that Nigel Farage started off with 48 votes in a by election.   This is much better than that and we've only been going three years which is nothing.

39 by elections from now we'll be in a position to challenge the big dinosaurs.

Don't forget to cast your protest vote!

I should have posted this yesterday but was too exhausted. Sorry.

If you live in Folkestone and Hythe or in Epping Forest, you can vote YPP in the General Election; if you live in Barnsley Central ward you can vote YPP in the locals.

If you live in Gorton; Manchester Central; Salford and Eccles; Vauxhall; Sheffield Central or Bridgend then you can vote for the Pirate Party.

If none of the above apply, then just vote for an independent; failing that vote for either Green or UKIP (giving preference to the candidate who is likely to get fewer votes in your area) or just spoil your ballot paper.

My thinking is, the more votes are cast for the candidates who don't win, the more likely we are to get electoral reform.

NB - this is not official or agreed YPP policy, it's me thinking out loud.