Smeaton Pledges To 'Badger' MPs

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Smeaton pledges to 'badger' MPs

from Darkside G: SAOR ALBA A NIS (darkside1314)

on Fri 25/09/09 13:06

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8274282.stm

Smeaton pledges to 'badger' MPs
John Smeaton announcing he will stand
Mr Smeaton became famous after tackling a car bomber

One of the men who helped foil the Glasgow Airport terror attack is to stand as an independent candidate in a Westminster by-election.

John Smeaton said he would fight the Glasgow North East seat vacated by former Commons Speaker Michael Martin.

He urged people to "vote for change or stop complaining".

At his first election press conference in a Glasgow hotel he pledged to "badger" MPs and "bring a storm down on Westminster" if elected.

"The Labour Party have had 30 years to bring investment and jobs into Glasgow North East," he said.

"I haven't noticed much difference and I know from strolling round the constituency that folk living there haven't noticed many changes either.

"Well I can. And, if I'm elected, you'd better believe it: I will. I'll bring a storm down on Westminster, knock down doors and badger them until they listen. No messing."

I'm angry and I'm fed up by the way politicians have been behaving. Like everybody I was shocked by the fiddling by the MPs
John Smeaton

Mr Smeaton is the first candidate selected by Jury Team to stand for a seat in the House of Commons.

Jury Team, which was founded earlier this year by the former director-general of the Conservative Party, Sir Paul Judge, backs independent candidates to public office.

It selected 59 candidates and won about 80,000 votes during this year's European elections.

Speaking about his decision to stand, Mr Smeaton admitted he had never thought he would enter politics.

But he said he changed his mind after he was approached by the Jury Team.

Explaining why he decided to stand, he said: "I'm angry and I'm fed up by the way politicians have been behaving. Like everybody I was shocked by the fiddling by the MPs.

'Real difference'

"I reckon most of you shared the same disbelief as we watched them try to excuse their greed over expenses. It really made my blood boil."

Jury Team spokesman Austin Compton Bradford said Mr Smeaton would "make a real difference" to UK politics.

He added: "The candidate is very, very well-known in Glasgow, nationally and internationally.

"We are all very tired of the system in parliament where people's voices aren't heard.

"We want to bring the voices of the ordinary person into parliament and get real people who are part of the community to stand."

Mr Smeaton will agree to a series of "principles" outlined by Jury Team, which govern standards of behaviour and underline a commitment to the community, Mr Compton Bradford said.

The by-election, which will happen later this year, was triggered when Mr Martin stood down in June in the wake of the row over MPs expenses.

Other candidates who have already been selected to run for the seat include William Bain for Labour, David Kerr for the SNP, Ruth Davidson for the Scottish Conservatives and Eileen Baxendale for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.