Confused about what each party is standing for in south west Hertfordshire?

The Watford Observer has asked each candidate to tell us what they are campaigning for and here is a paragraph from each candidate telling you why they want your vote.

Graham Cartmell- Common Sense Party

We are wonderful people; fair minded, tolerant and bright.

The vast majority of us are not “political”. Our younger generations see this so clearly. Politicians do not have the answer, in fact politicians are the problem. Common Sense is the only party saying this and offering you a chance to make a positive change. Two steps to make a real difference for the better.

(1) Common Sense – Protect our Health and Education

Take all politics out of our NHS and our schools. We know what we want; first class standards, total fairness and value for money. These are not “political”; we do not need politicians meddling and getting it wrong.

We know the issues are complex, requiring objective long term solutions and consistent detailed follow-up. Politics guarantees us the opposite. All parties talk about billions for the NHS. Forget it! Just remember £20 billion.

That is what we are now paying each year for the waste and damage politicians are causing in our NHS. We must stop this. 

We must devolve powers away from Westminster to a new elected Assembly and put “non-politicians” in charge

(2) Common Sense – Halve the number of MPs.

We need to shake them up. We have too many of them and they do not know enough.

We need to get away from this idea that our MPs are experts about everything. With our new Assembly we can easily reduce our politicians and we’ll all be the better for it!

David Gauke- Conservative Party

The most important issue facing the country is the economy.

As a Treasury Minister for five years, I have been part of the team that has turned round our economy. Under the last government, we had one of the biggest recessions in Europe but in the last five years we have been the fastest growing major economy in Europe.

More people are in work than ever before - in South West Hertfordshire, unemployment has fallen by 59%.

This hasn’t happened by accident. We have reformed welfare and cut income taxes on the low paid – making work pay.

We have cut business taxes, helping businesses of all sizes to expand and take on staff. And we have reduced the deficit, providing greater economic stability and security.

Locally, I have campaigned for more good school places. Thanks to the Government’s free school policy, we already have one new secondary school – the Reach Free School – and another opening in 2017 in Croxley Green.

I am also backing plans to improve our transport infrastructure. The completion of the Croxley Rail Link (as a consequence of the support of a Conservative Mayor of London, a Conservative Chancellor and Transport Secretary and local Conservative MPs) will be a big boost to the area.

I am also leading the campaign for a new Amersham to Watford branch of the Metropolitan Line to link up Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Croxley and the Watford stations.

Our part of the world is on the up. We need to keep it that way.

Simon Diggins- Labour Party

The Labour Party is deeply committed to the vision of the ‘Promise of Britain’: to the idea that the life chances in terms of health, education and personal fulfilment, improve generation upon generation.

For that to happen however, there needs to be a basic fairness and sense of social justice: a recognition that rewards are spread, not held in the hands of the few; that the broadest shoulders carry the greatest burden; and finally, and most important of all, that a society, like a team, is only as strong as its weakest member.

We are now in a situation where 1% of the population own 44% of the country’s total tradeable wealth, and where the bottom 50% have to share some 6%.

Despite the recent economic crisis, we remain the 6th largest economy in the world, can consider spending £60 Bn on HS2 and yet, last year, 930 000 people used food banks; we have three of them in the constituency.

Labour will put the fairness back into Britain.

We will end exploitative zero hour contracts, raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour by 2019 and encourage all firms to offer a Living Wage, intended to allow people to stand on their own two feet.

We will also begin to address the chronic shortage of affordable homes, especially social housing, and are committed to building 200 000 new homes by 2020. Vote for Labour on 7 May to build a better Britain, for all, not just the few.

Nigel Quinton- Liberal Democrat

Nigel Quinton was brought up in a Liberal family, his mother being a Councillor for many years in Bristol and Lancaster.

After graduating as a geologist, Nigel has had a successful career in the tough world of oil exploration in a mix of large and small companies which included Hertfordshire-based start-ups Dragon Oil and Sterling Energy.

He is a keen advocate for green policies, and has installed solar energy at home and drives an electric car.

Nigel’s campaign priorities are:

• Continuing Britain’s Green Industrial Renaissance and a Stronger Economy

• Tackling tax avoidance and creating a Fairer Society

• Greater accessibility to GP appointments and the delivery of the long promised upgrades to both Watford and Hemel Hospitals.

• Preserving and improving local bus services which are severely threatened by the Tory-run County Council

• Increasing social and affordable housing both in towns and villages

Nigel says: “The issues facing the people of SW Hertfordshire are ones I have been campaigning on for the last 10 years - a vibrant sustainable economy, the NHS, our environment, and improving our political system.

"I hope to fight a positive campaign and highlight the achievements of Liberal Democrats in government and set out progressive new policies.

“The country needs a strong liberal voice and by electing me as your MP you can be sure that I will work to further the interests of our local communities and to prevent the Conservatives lurching rightwards, or a Labour spending spree, and to deliver our priority of opportunity for everyone.”

Mark Anderson- UK Independence Party

Britain’s future relies on our independence as a global trading nation that is outward looking and fair.

We are still the worlds’ fifth largest economy. Free from the requirements of the European Union, Britain would be able to make our own trade agreements across the globe. It would also free the countries of the Eurozone to integrate further.

UKIP will re-prioritise the government of Britain towards the British people’s wishes. We will address immigration that causes labour displacement, wage compression and an increase in demand for housing.

Our points based visa system will be fairer and ensure that we can give asylum to those that genuinely need it and work visas when there are genuine skills gaps.

We will combine this with a national skills assessment to ensure we train, and provide opportunities to future generations.

UKIP will provide free university tuition in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine.

We must not leave our debts to our children. UKIP MPs will ensure that our economy is vibrant and growing, freeing businesses from excessive regulation while ensuring that public spending is re-prioritised. The NHS, Education, Defence. We will listen.

Green belt land must be protected. We propose more creative house building schemes such as brownfield development incentives and relaxing planning permission to convert commercial property.

I do not want to see an urban conurbation from Watford to Aylesbury. Voting how you always have will mean getting what you have always got. Vote UKIP for Britain’s global journey to start.