Elwyn Watkins
Liberal Democrat Party
Oldham East and Saddleworth Constituency
Address
3 High Street
Delph
Oldham
OL3 5DJ
I am the only one who can create jobs
Election after election, candidates have stood before the people of Oldham East and Saddleworth and promised to create jobs.
I know my Labour and Conservative opponents at this election say they want the same thing and I’m sure they do.
The difference is, I am the only one who knows how to do it.
I have 30 years of experience making things, turning round struggling companies and creating jobs.
Manufacturing has taken a huge hit around here in recent years, but it remains our biggest private sector employer and it needs people who know how it works to be fighting our corner in Parliament.
There are enough lawyers and academics in Westminster as it is, there not enough people with real-life experience of getting people into work and making businesses succeed.
That’s what I will be. It’s what I have discussed with the Business Secretary Vince Cable — who I’m proud to say is the first Business Secretary we’ve had for three decades who takes manufacturing seriously.
It’s what I have discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and it’s why I brought the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander here to talk to the leader of the council.
The Liberal Democrats have always been a party of opposition, shouting from the sidelines.
That is no longer the case. We are in government, making a real difference to people’s lives, and that means that if elected I will have a seat at the top table to make the case for the people of Oldham East and Saddleworth.
Whether it’s taking nearly a million of the lowest paid workers out of tax, giving a fairer deal to pensioners or taxing the banks, the Lib-Dem influence is clear in the Coalition Government.
I don’t want to dwell on the reasons why this by-election came about, but I hope that people respect the decision I took to stand up to Phil Woolas’ racially-divisive lies and recognise that I did it because I thought it was right.
No one should get away with driving a wedge between us. We should all be able to live side by side, proud of our borough, in peace and respect not division and fear. If you choose to elect me as your MP I hope I have shown I am a man of integrity who won’t back down in the face of adversity.
I’m not going to pretend I’m some smooth politician with a prepared answer for every question. What I am is a local man, born down the road in Rochdale, who will fight for people here every day.
My parents never had a lot of money when I was young, but I went to work in a mill, got an education and was lucky enough to have a successful career. I want to make sure that everyone has the opportunities that I had.
- Born and bred in Rochdale, the 47-year-old now lives in Delph. A former Rochdale councillor, he has worked for manufacturing businesses in Germany, the Middle East and the UK and as a business and financial adviser for a Saudi Arabian sheikh.
