English Democrat fights for Poplar and Limehouse seat
AN Isle of Dogs businessman fed up with the banking crisis has thrown his hat into the political ring. Andrew Osborne will contest the Poplar and Limehouse seat for the English Democrats in the forthcoming General Election. He is also hoping to recruit w
AN Isle of Dogs businessman fed up with the banking crisis has thrown his hat into the political ring.
Andrew Osborne will contest the Poplar and Limehouse seat for the English Democrats in the forthcoming General Election.
He is also hoping to recruit would-be councillors to fight the four wards making up the Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
Essex-born Mr Osborne runs a business selling binding machines in East India Dock Road and has lived on the Isle of Dogs for 19 years.
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"It's a great area," he said. "It's got a lot of problems that could quite easily be sorted out."
He pointed to the issue of 14,000 unsold flats in Tower Hamlets and the 22,000 on the council housing waiting list as an issue which needs to be tackled.
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Mr Osborne said businesses in East London were concerned about the high cost of rates and he wants to see them reduced.
He has never been involved in politics before but said his catalyst to fight the election was the banking crisis.
The father-of-four said: "I'm disgusted about why the banks got bailed out. We are in debt bailing out the banks."
He is also opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We should never have gone in and we should get out."
"They are literally hanging on by a thread. We should be reducing business rates and reducing taxes."
His party is campaigning for an English parliament with the same power as the Scottish parliament and putting an end to regional assemblies.
Mr Osborne said: "We are the only country without our own parliament. Laws are being made in Europe."
If the party wins any parliamentary seats, it will work with the other parties on any issue by issue basis.
Conservative Tim Archer, English Democrat Andrew Osborne, Independent Jim Thornton, Labour Jim Fitzpatrick, Liberal Democrat Jonathan Fryer, Respect George Galloway are contesting the Poplar and Limehouse seat.
