
He defied the Government & Judiciary. He fought for our children and created Fathers 4 Justice. Now he wants to create a New London: a city of hope, opportunity and unexplored horizons. Here Matt O’Connor sets out his blueprint for the city we call home.
Over recent years mainstream political credibility has been tarnished by consecutive waves of scandal and incompetence. Nobody can claim to have all the answers, but we urgently need to break the depressing paralysis which grips our political discourse. There is I believe, an antidote. A way of challenging the current political monopoly, of releasing our democracy from the current stranglehold in which it is held by the incumbents.
I believe in a new creed of politics, free of the ideological baggage inherited by the ‘old order’ over the last two centuries. Londoners require a new and dynamic ‘situationalist’ response as we respond to the changing face of politics and our changing needs.
The English Democrats are libertarian pioneers, Londoners charged with energy, conviction and commitment; agents for change united by a common bond - the innate emotional attachment we place on our capital’s shared heritage, language, identity, cultures and traditions - regardless of race, colour or creed.
I want to change the language of politics and reignite the crucible of our democracy. But most importantly I want to offer Londoners a choice. A choice between the politics of hope and the politics of hate. Between the politics of integration and the divisiveness of segregation. Between the politics of the future and the politics of the past. A new pathway for London that refashions our identity, fusing together elements of the past with a future-looking orientation to create a confident and respectful city we can be proud of.
Unlike any of the other parties that represent the old order, I want to restore the democratic deficit in the Union of the United Kingdom. To stop the flow of taxes from London to other parts of the UK including Scotland and Wales, so that London’s taxes are spent on London, not Edinburgh. Five of the ten most deprived local authorities in the UK are in London and they urgently need economic support.
If we are to change the face of our city, we will also need to tackle the social disease of family breakdown. We are creating a dysfunctional city, a city of children without fathers, of dismembered families where last year the streets of London were stained with the blood of 27 teenagers, killed in a violent harvest of bullets and blades. Where 1 in 3 teenagers carries a blade, where gang crime is running out of control and where we have the highest rate of young offending in Western Europe, the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe and an abortion epidemic.
Our elected politicians have failed in their duty of care to protect the public and to tackle the breakdown of large parts of our capital city. By promoting family and community cohesion, radical family law reform and unlocking the potential of young people in our communities, we can begin to stem the catastrophic social effects of family breakdown.
On May 1st you will have an opportunity to choose a Mayor who will earn, not win your support. A Mayor that will lead by example when it comes to championing democracy. That means standing for one term only and proposing reforms to devolve more of the Mayor’s powers to the Greater London Assembly rather than railroading an ideological agenda through on the two-thirds majority rule. This will ensure that Londoner’s have a greater say in where their taxes are spent.
Together with you, I am committed to repairing our broken city, rebuilding fractured families and establishing strong, prosperous communities. I hope you will work with me in creating our New London - a city of opportunity, hope and unexplored horizons.
A London you can believe in.
Matt O’Connor, London Mayoral Candidate 2008, New English Democrats






