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| Robin Long Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Lancaster & Fleetwood |
The Liberal Democrats have announced that their parliamentary candidate for the Lancaster & Fleetwood constituency is Dr Robin Long.
This is their statement:
Robin Long is pleased to stand as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in the 2015 General Election.
As a Lancaster University scientist with a PhD in physics and an enduring interest in politics, Robin knows the value of evidence-based decisions and credits the poor performance of many in government to an ideological, rather than logical, approach to decision-making.
A Lancaster resident since 2004 after growing up in rural Lincolnshire, Robin has a sincere passion for bringing change into parliament. “Policies are often based on beliefs and ideological nonsense rather than on reason, are often not thought through or fully investigated before implementation.”
Robin would like to see more MPs who are not career politicians, but who come from other vocations, such as science, to diversify the thinking in the House and to grow a culture of sound and reasoned policy-making.
Robin joined the Liberal Democrats in 2010 just before the last general election:
“The first paragraph of Liberal Democrats constitution resonated with me where others had failed to – The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
“This is just what I believe. As I read their policies I found more to like: a commitment to environmentalism, restorative justice, evidence based policy and much more. Whilst I do not and will not always agree with all of the policies of my party, or indeed how some MPs vote, I still find the Liberal Democrats best aligned with my own views.”
Robin will focus his campaign on promoting vocational education and apprenticeships; on fighting for improvements to the NHS as a fully publicly-funded source of pride; on promoting equality of opportunity; and on implementing fairer taxation and welfare spending.
“Lancaster and Fleetwood deserve an MP who will analyse policy, consult with experts and get the best for residents, rather than simply repeating party policy without listening to or helping their constituents”, Robin says.
Robin enjoys living in Lancaster with his wife and son, with excursions throughout the Fleetwood and Lancaster region to enjoy the surrounding beauty and the friendly community.