News Release - Wednesday 21st April, 2010

The Only Alternative to Party Politics

The Independent Network endorses 47 independent candidates for the 2010 General Election

Electorate must remember their vote on May 6th is for a constituency MP

Forty-seven independent Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPC) have been endorsed by the Independent Network for the 2010 General Election.

The Independent Network is a non-profit organisation which promotes and supports independent PPCs. The Independent Network is not a political party and does not impose any political views on supporters or candidates that affiliate with it.

Endorsed candidates are required to agree to the Bell Principles - a code of conduct for elected representatives inspired by former independent MP Martin Bell OBE. The Bell Principles are thought to be the first set of conduct guidelines created by a political organisation for its affiliated candidates and representatives. The principles are used by the Independent Network to influence the conduct, but not the policies, of its endorsed candidates.

Independents are the only alternative to party politicians in the election.

Since 1987 the number of people voting for independents has risen from 10,000 to over 144,000. Currently there are two elected independent MPs in Parliament, more representatives than the Green Party, UKIP and the BNP who have no elected representatives in the House of Commons.

Martin Bell OBE, the former Independent MP for Tatton says "Independents have an unprecedented opportunity on the 6th of May to change the face of politics for good.  It is a time for the election of a group of MPs, without party baggage but with real world experience, to be a force for honest politics in the new House of Commons.  They will be answerable not to a political party but only to their constituents and their consciences. It won't be easy, but I believe that it is do-able."

Neville Watson, a member of the Independent Network's Executive Committee, said, "Ninety-nine per cent of people are not members of the main political parties. At the last election, 55 per cent of people didn't feel they were able to vote for a party that represented their needs. We expect this number has risen due to recent events. There's two elected independents in the House of Commons, so it's time to recognise independent candidates as a credible alternative to party politicians."

Jim Thornton, a member of the Independent Network's Executive Committee, said, "It's important that the electorate are not confused by political parties into thinking they are voting for a leader or president. Their vote on May 6th is for a constituency MP, someone to represent them in Parliament. The Independent Network's endorsed candidates agree to abide by The Bell Principles, which are believed to be the first set of conduct guidelines published by a political organisation for its affiliated candidates and representatives. An important character of The Principles is that they are not a set of rules about what representatives should not do, but urge positive action to improve and promote democracy and service to their community. The nature of politics is changing. The number and calibre of party members has declined, and the public have become effectively disenfranchised by party politics and party politicians. There is an alternative - in fact the only alternative to party political candidates - that can galvanise local politics, the independent representative."

Steven Ford, a member of the Independent Network's Executive Committee, said, "We want the electorate to recognise that they no longer need political parties. No longer are they "floating voters" or "swing voters" - they are independent voters that can think for themselves. It makes sense that they look to independent candidates that are free from the control of any political party, pressure group or whip and are guided by considered evidence, their real world experience and expertise, their constituencies and their consciences."

Dr. Richard Taylor MP said; "Independents have the huge privilege of not being bound by a party whip and thus can speak and vote for the Government or with the Opposition depending upon their own and their constituents' opinions on each issue. The Independent Network was formed to give voters confidence in Independents. Independent candidates are an alternative to party politics, and deliver a greater degree of representation for all."

The full list of candidates can be seen at http://independentnetwork.org.uk/candidates 

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:

For more information please visit: www.independentnetwork.org.uk. Alternatively you can contact the press office at 020 7609 1900.

The Independent Network is a loose non- profit association that provides support to Prospective Parliamentary Candidates who do not belong to a political party. The Independent Network was set up to provide support for independent candidates, as no other organisation existed to support them.

Independent candidates do not have access to a large national party structure with its human and financial resources.  The Independent Network was formed to attend to this inequality and continues to encourage the electorate to acknowledge the success and influence that independents are having in local Government and can have in Parliament.

The Independent Network does not impose any political views on the individuals and parties it supports or that support the Independent Network. However, affiliates of the Independent Network must be non-racist and non-discriminatory and adhere to The Bell Principles.

The Bell Principles require that all endorsed independent candidates:

o abide wholeheartedly by the spirit and letter of the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by Lord Nolan in 1995: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership
o be guided by considered evidence, their real world experience and expertise, their constituencies and their consciences
o be free from the control of any political party, pressure group or whip
o be non-discriminatory, ethical and committed to pluralism.
o make decisions transparently and openly at every stage and level of the political process, enabling people to see how decisions are made and the evidence on which they are based
o listen, consulting their communities constantly and innovatively
o treat political opponents with courtesy and respect, challenging them when they believe they are wrong, and agreeing with them when they believe they are right
o resist abuses of power and patronage and promote democracy at every level
o work with other elected independents as a Group with a chosen spokesperson
o claim expenses, salaries and compensation openly so the public can judge the value for money of their activities.