Hi - Please will someone help me with this!! I am the founder of the Common Sense Party ( first registered in 2015 and registration renewed every year since) I am concerned that the current entry (Party founded in 2003 and "re-registered" in 2015) reads as though the existing Common Sense Party is a continuation of that old party, now disbanded. This is not true. When I registered the Party with the Electoral Commission in 2015 I was not even aware there had been a party created of a similar name! There is a reference to "Populism" in the side box and under the sub-heading about policies it describes views on immigration, council tax, proportional representation, euthanasia. This all clearly reads as though this is current, therefore linking them directly to the existing Common Sense party. No doubt these descriptions were correct for the old party but they are totally inaccurate now. Perhaps you can understand how frustrating this is when you see below what the current Common Sense Party stands for.
OK Please may I ask for your help? Please see below a DRAFT of an entry for the current Common Sense Party. Please be assured that, whilst I am new to any Wikipedia editing, I am very keen to respect all its philosophy and rules. However please may I make a point about the comments I've had so far? I seem to be being directed towards creating a new page entry? But how would this sit if the existing one is not updated? Is it right/necessary to have TWO separate pages? Would it not be confusing to the reader? Should not the existing entry make clear it is not about the current Common Sense Party but is referring to an old party of that name. Our website (currently being updated) is http://www.trustjo.org/ Please see below my new draft entry, under three headings Thank you. Graham Cartmell
1) OVERVIEW. The current Common Sense Party http://www.trustjo.org/ was registered by Graham Cartmell in 2015 as a national political party in the United Kingdom. The Party stands for removing all politics from the NHS and Schools and for halving the number of MPs in the House of Commons. (The Common Sense Party has NO association with an earlier party of a similar name, founded in Reading in 2003 by Howard Thomas and disbanded in 2013)
2) BACKGROUND. Graham Cartmell stood in South West Hertfordshire at the 2015 United Kingdom general election, he came last with 256 votes. He deliberately created the Common Sense Party before the Election because he did not wish to stand as an independent, making his case that what matters are the principles of the Party. The Party continues to be registered with the Electoral Commission. It did not have representatives in the 2016 and 2019 General Elections but it remains actively seeking support to make its case heard. The Common Sense Party argues that its founding principles set out in 2015 are even more relevant today, particularly with the Covid pandemic underlining the unique appeal of the NHS to British people.
3) POLICIES. The Common Sense Party aims to build on what unites British people. REMOVING POLITICS from our NHS and Schools, so ensuring MORE EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT and MORE DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION.
Take all politics out of Health and Education. The British people overwhelmingly agree on the fundamentals here; top quality services, total equality of access to these services, and value for taxpayer money. These are NOT “party political” concerns. The British people understand that the issues are difficult and complex, demanding consistent attention to detail and long term follow up. Politics guarantees pretty much the opposite; superficial short-term fixes (always expensive, usually ineffective, often reversed by the next party in power)
Establish a new National Assembly – All powers to run the NHS and Schools are to be devolved to a new elected National Assembly. People’s Assemblies for the NHS and Schools will also be set up at local level, with delegated local responsibility. As soon as this new democratic representation is in place, the number of MPs in the House of Commons will be halved.