There’s no doubting that Steve Hyden is a man prepared to stand by his principles.
The evidence was there at the hustings event in Lichfield when he took on the hecklers who disagreed with his view of the Labour admistration’s success during their time in Government.
With a strong belief that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling are the men to guide the country out of the recession, the Labour candidate is also keen to show that he – like others in the Lichfield constituency – will be affected by the decisions made after the election.
He said:
“I’m about fairness to young and old and I would protect them from day one. I’m a local person and I’ll be here in 20 years time, so any decisions I or my party make will affect me.
“The priority has to be making sure people in Lichfield get everything they are entitled to. I’d urge voters to look at what Labour have done for this country in the last 13 years.
“There is not a person who has not been affected by this recession, but we have to remember that it didn’t start here. The evidence is there that the best people to get us out of this are Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling.
“Gordon Brown is an honest and straightforward man. He will guide us through this. If you wake up on May 7 and find David Cameron running the country, you’ll find out how hard it really is.”
And his belief that Labour’s legacy should stand strong with voters in Lichfield is extended to other areas such as education.
Steve explained:
“In 13 years we’ve seen our schools take on more teachers and suppot staff. Yes, there is a serious problem with funding for schools but Labour will protect that.”
The environment is likely to be high on the agenda of many voters when they head off to cast their votes.
And the Labour candidate admits that, while decisions made today won’t necessarily affect his life, they will make a huge impact on the lives of the next generation.
He said:
“We are not the owners of this world, we’re just the guardians of this earth and the decisions we make now will affect the kids who inherit what we leave behind.
“There’s no doubt that we have to look seriously at wind, wave and nuclear power if we are going to meet the energy needs of the country and tackle the wider issue of climate change.”
As a local man, the issue of the proposed high speed rail line through the area is one that Steve understands well.
But he believes the benefits of the line will outweigh the negatives.
He said:
“I was speaking to a young electrician in Lichfield recently and he was telling me how he couldn’t wait for work to start on the line as it would provide work for him.
“There’s also the transport situation to consider. Today we need to more people quicker than ever before. And again, I’d urge people not to think about today but to think about tomorrow and the next ten years. There is long term benefit in this project. Just look at the number of cars it could take off our roads.
“In terms of the actual route there is plenty of time for discussion on that and it may still be possible to get a feeding station to the line from Lichfield.”
While many local residents will make up their minds on who to vote for based on their performances at recent hustings event, Steve does acknowledge that the national picture will play a major part in the decision people make.
And with a visible faith in the party’s leadership behind him, Steve is happy for voters to endorse Gordon Brown through him.
He said:
“People have a decision to make on May 6. The Prime Minister has guided us through this recession and they need to see whether they want to retain him or let him go.
“But I’d remind them that when we needed Gordon Brown he was there. He provided that ideas and policies to get us through this situation.
“Do we really want to have the headache of David Cameron running this country?”
You must be brainwashed if you believe Gordon Brown is an honest and straightforward man, he is a control freak. What is your opinion on the Mosque in Lichfield