James Machin

For those who don’t know me. I am James Machin, I’m 52 and live in Clacton with my beautiful wife and handsome cat ( Don’t judge but his name is Boris - after Boris Karloff not our current prime minister) Lavinia and I have a wonderful hard working daughter - a junior lawyer who did everything she was asked yet massively let down by our government.

 

Born in 67 in Maidstone I grew up in East Yorkshrie then in the late 70's moved to Hampsire. My core values and belief are firmly routed in the hardship and unfairness witnessed through the "winter of discontent" and the evil treatment of the mining communities during the 84/85 Miner strike.

 

During my early teenage years my parent were social workers running a childrens home for troubled and vulnerable children.

Its a crime that successive Tory led governments have systematically chiseled away at society, reducing the much needed social care for our youth and removing our essential youth services to help our young grow into honest, well educated and caring adults.

 

I moved to Clacton in August 2016 and even though I have been a Labour Party Member for as long as I can remember and a student activist in the 90’s.  On leaving education I had become focused on my career and family. Building a solid family base, one which is open, loving and caring. Thus My activist days had been in hibernation for 30 Years, but now I am older, wiser and angrier they have been woken. Yes that's right I am ANGRY, That is why I stood as local TDC councilor earlier this year, I am ANGRY and that is why I have volunteered to represent you and everyone from Clacton in Westminster. I am Angry because we are facing a crisis - Not only a crisis in our health service, or a crisis in our housing, even the crisis in our employment all of which are brought on by the political choice of austerity imposed upon us by this shambolic crisis riddled Tory Government - I am angry because we are facing a crisis in confidence. There are families out there who don’t know how they are going to feed their children what confidence do they have? there are adults out there not knowing how to pay their landlord or their mortgage, how confident do they feel ? Its a crisis when we see the state of our High Street, the quality of our homes, the lack of opportunity for the boys and girls, men and women who’s right it is to have a home, a family and a future they should he confidently looking forward to.

 

I am ashamed.

 

Ashamed at what this Tory government has allowed to happen in Clacton.  Ashamed that we have 10% more over 50’s than the rest of the UK - yet less investment in health and GP services.

Ashamed that we have 38% without a recognised qualification - yet cutting back in our education services we should be investing in schools and colleges, making it free to study and invest in adult education to uplift our skills to be ready for the next green industrial revolution.

 

We have more private rented accommodation than the national average - Yet Ashamed that we have a Tory government that has allowed private landlords to profit from the vulnerable and needy. I am ashamed that we have Giles Watling.......Cara Lane must be shivering in her grave just looking down at him.

I am ashamed We have a Tory MP who doesn't care about us.

 

But there is hope and reason to be cheerful ! We can be upbeat because we have the best coast line in the UK, We have the greatest natural resources.

We are on the North Sea coast - we need to exploit the wealth which that can bring us, renewable energy. Let us invest in becoming the national centre of excellence for the new green industrial revolution.

 

I don’t promise to have all the answers, I don’t promise to make all your lives more comfortable overnight. But I do promise that if elected as your MP I will be there for you and not my pocket. I’ll fight your corner and not to satisfy the greed of the privileged few. I am proud to be on your shortlist to represent you. I am humbled to be able to call many of you my friends and I will be honoured to have you as constituents of the next Labour Government.