Paddy Ashdown and Dr Sue Farrant Campaigning in Bridport
Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, visited Bridport today to lend his support to Dr Sue Farrant’s election campaign.
In front of a large crowd in the town centre, he spoke of his support for Sue Farrant’s candidacy as the West Dorset Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate and on the subject of Conservative waste.
In particular, the issue of the Conservative-led West Dorset District Council’s plans to build a new £15 million headquarters in Dorchester. Sue Farrant has been campaigning to allow the people of West Dorset a proper consultation period over the proposed building and Lord Ashdown was not surprised to hear of the support she has gained.
Lord Ashdown said: “It is the same old Tories. They say they have changed, but nothing changes. A similar thing happened in Torbay where no consultation was given to the people about new offices there.
“David Cameron tells us things will be different. But, it will be the same policy of cuts, secrecy and arrogance.”
Beginning at the Arts Centre, they embarked on a walkabout through the town, stopping off at Jaxsons, a local delicatessen, to sample some of the locally sourced produce.
On their return to the Arts Centre, they visited two exhibitions. Upstairs, there was a showing of the artist Norman Saunders-White’s work called “Norman at 80: A portrait”.
Downstairs in the café, an exhibition had been organised by Rethink, a leading national mental health membership charity that works to help people affected by severe mental illness. Both Paddy Ashdown and Sue Farrant were able to talk to some of the artists, who are helped by the Rethink charity, about their work on display, which were self-portraits and words describing what politics meant to them.
