Marc Wilkinson's election letter & doorstep presentation for the Colinton & Fairmilehead ward electorate. Let's turn politics on its head!
Everyone in the ward should have received my 2000-word letter addressed: "Dear Boss". I know there have been a lot of leaflets so it may be hidden in a pile. Please read & share this online version.
Dear all whom care about changing politics Scotland-wide. But, most importantly the 19,900 people of the Colinton & Fairmilehead ward who have the opportunity to help the germinating of the seed of a unique idea. If you like the potential solution then you have the responsibility of supporting the idea now in case it does turn into an almighty oak.
I have now spoken to over 500 people on their doorsteps and around 250 have been sufficiently enthralled by our plan to listen to me for up to 15 minutes. Below is my 2000+ word election letter. However, if you prefer listening here is my 15-minute doorstep presentation which should blow you away. Especially, if you are desperate that someone should come forward and do something about the current state of politics in the UK. To my mind, together, we have no choice but to give this our best shot. Do you agree?
Do NOT elect politicians AGAIN! Elect people…
THU 14th NOV Edinburgh Council Bi-Election Fairmilehead & Colinton Ward
VOTE Marc Wilkinson & JOIN EDINBURGH PEOPLE
DO NOT RESCIND YOUR POWER YOU MUST VOTE
If you voted Labour at the General Election to send a message to the SNP, then please vote for me Marc Wilkinson. Choose me as #1 and other parties #2. Let’s send a message that you are unhappy with both Two-Tier-Keir-Smear-Starmer’s Labour Government’s untrustworthy performance and the Labour-led administration in the Edinburgh Council. DO NOT put Labour down at all as your vote will probably become transferred to Labour.
ELECT ME AND YOU WILL BE MY BOSS
For every vote in the City Chambers I will take instruction on how I should vote from the majority of the Fairmilehead & Colinton ward members of EDINBURGH PEOPLE. I will be your true representative in the City Chambers free from the whip of a national party.
MY SURGERIES WILL BE TWICE WEEKLY
From my campaigning work with People-to-People, I know how hard it is for people to get their respective councillors to represent them. I will hold surgeries Saturdays 10AM-1PM in Aldi, Morrisons & Tesco within our ward + Fridays 3PM-6PM in the City Chambers. I will take on casework from throughout the city as people do not receive support they deserve.
MY ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN MY WORDS
Rather than taking it from me scan the QR codes below and read what journalists have reported. The BBC reported twice on my Jan 2023 free pizza initiative to help with the cost-of-living crisis (BBC 1 & BBC 2). The Evening News reported on my campaigning against 5G antennas on the outside of Mayfield Church’s spire especially as within 30 meters of the Newington Nursery’s playground (EDIN NEWS). Edinburgh LIVE interviewed me and reported on the snap-creation of Edinburgh’s very own political party by the people of Edinburgh for the people of Edinburgh – EDINBURGH PEOPLE (EDIN LIVE). The 20-min interview was recorded so I have published it on my YouTube channel (YouTube).
Dear Boss
Are you as unhappy with your choice of politicians as I am?
Together, let’s do something about it!
I am applying to you to give me a job. The job of working for you as your councillor in the City Chambers and representing the residents of the Fairmilehead & Colinton ward which includes Bonaly, Buckstone, Colinton Mains, Hailes, Oxgangs, Redford & Swanston.
You will need to know a bit about me so I will present to you on the next page some of the things I have done as actions speak louder than words.
First, let me explain the crux of the problem which is that councillors who are members of the five main political parties are not able to represent their constituents independently of their parties as their loyalty to their party is greater than that to their constituents.
I have been in the City Chambers’ public gallery at a full council meeting when all sixty-three Edinburgh councillors are voting on amendments. I expected, as you would that during the vote that 63 hands would go up. In fact, only five hands go up. One hand goes up representing the votes of all the Labour councillors, a second hand goes up representing the votes of all the SNP councillors etc.
Individual councillors are whipped into line by their party and as a rule do not vote against the whip. This entails a big problem because it means that changes to policy are not sufficiently debated and cross-examined in public before being voted on. If a Labour councillor was opposed to a particular policy, they would have to first attempt to persuade most of their Labour colleagues to oppose the policy behind closed doors. If they failed, their vote would be usually cast in direct opposition to how they wanted to vote, let alone how their electorate would want them to vote. After failing a couple of times to influence the rest of their colleagues to vote differently they would in due course give up trying for an easy life. This explains why so many bad policies are implemented.
The same happens at Westminster & Holyrood. Disobeying the whip has consequences. Within a month of the July 2024 General Election 7 Labour MPs were suspended from the Labour Party for voting against the government in favour of an SNP amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap thereby creating 7 Independent MPs in Westminster. This is the largest number of MPs to be dismissed from a party at once and is indicative of the magnitude of the authoritarian nature of the Labour Party under Two-Tier-Keir-Smear-Starmer. If you are a traditional Labour voter, I plead that you do not vote Labour. We need to send a clear message. (Abstaining is a valid expression of your democratic right).
People are incredibly disillusioned with politicians in general and it is becoming worse with every week. We must come together and do something about it.
Many politicians are themselves becoming disillusioned. Rosie Duffield MP has just become the fastest MP to resign from their party after a general election. Rosie’s resignation letter to Kier Starmer is a must read (Google or scan QR ROSIE’S LETTER).
What about me? Talk is cheap especially as I am trying to inspire you to vote for me and join EDINBURGH PEOPLE. I’ll focus on telling you things I have done for our community.
I own Pure Pizza. In January 2023 I launched an initiative where our team offered everyone in Edinburgh a free pizza to help with the cost-of-living crisis. The BBC interviewed me twice and the story went viral worldwide twice and was republished by almost every UK news outlet. We ended up giving away 8,500 free pizzas and Ian Murray MP gave me one of his Local Hero Awards. (QR-codes BBC 1 & BBC2).
In 2023 I launched People-to-People.com to campaign on issues affecting the local Edinburgh Community. One of these issues included how local people were not sufficiently consulted regarding planning applications for 5G Telecom Masts and that their objections were being ignored. So, I put in place a neighbourhood notification service informing the 1000 nearest addresses to proposed masts. The Edinburgh Council was only informing immediate neighbours within 20 meters as per the rules that also apply to a garden shed. Everyone agrees that a 50-foot ugly mast is going to affect more neighbours than within 20 meters. As a result, in one year a total of 4509 objections were submitted to 17 different 5G mast planning applications.
I helped people objecting email their councillors and got them involved. This culminated in April 2024 in me persuading the Green Group of councillors to lodge an amendment to the Scheme of Delegation to Officers to be voted on at the full council meeting. Prior-approval applications are the ones that currently cannot go in front of the Planning Committee. The amendment was to allow such applications to be referred to the Planning Committee if “the application attracts more than 20 objections, or an elected member has requested referral to the Planning Committee”. Unfortunately, the amendment failed to go ahead. I will continue to lobby all the councillors and do all I can to change the law to be fair for people who can’t afford to live in conservation areas.
The Edinburgh Evening News published an article, “Edinburgh campaigner fights plan to install 5G masts on church where Newington Nursery is based” (QR-code EDIN NEWS). Everyone was against this as it involved putting 8 5G antennas on the outside of the church spire within 30 meters of a nursery’s playground. The church knew the danger of being close to 4G antennas which were within their spire as they had to turn them off for their steeplejack. The danger from the radiation is a function of distance and time so the risk was too high for young children playing in their playground every day for two years.
When Rishi Sunak announced the unexpected snap-election this prompted me to rally a team of us to launch a new political party called EDINBURGH PEOPLE. Extraordinarily, I launched a crowdfunder on 4th June raising £15,000 to fund five of us to stand in Edinburgh’s five Westminster constituencies. Fund our deposits, website and printing 273 thousand election communications for the Royal Mail to deliver. What we achieved within one month was astounding. (QR EDIN LIVE & YouTube for article & 20-minute interview).
Despite the length of this letter, I hope that I have assured you that I am far more about actions and less about words. (BTW watching the 20 min interview on YouTube is informative). Now that you know a bit about me let me explain EDINBURGH PEOPLE.
The key thing required is for people to be more in direct control of their destiny and to have a direct influence over their political representatives. This is provided by the constitution of EDINBURGH PEOPLE. Membership is FREE with the choice of voluntary donations so do consider joining. If I am elected, I will email the ward informing members of amendments I will be voting on asking how they would like to instruct me to vote.
I will hold twice weekly surgeries. I will take on cases from throughout the city as many people do not receive the support they deserve from their own ward councillors.
I am a born campaigner. I am hardworking determined and persuasive, and I will campaign for all the residents of the ward on issues that you want me to. Including:
- Increasing the Roads budget to resurface more roads and fix more potholes.
- Reducing the number of 4-way traffic lights which seem to be in situ far longer than ever before. I will investigate ways of charging those who keep digging up our roads.
- I will contact GPs in our ward to inspire them to come up with more appointments.
- Defending women’s rights is very important to me. (See QR Women’s Rights)
- Residents need to be consulted on the location of Bin Hubs.
- Public Toilets throughout the city should be reinstated.
- Road closures which are clearly causing too much congestion should be reversed.
- Non-compliant cars should be allowed in the ULEZ zone once a week.
- A daily Tourist Tax should fund initiatives for local communities not visitors.
- Where Telcom firms already have permission to build masts residents’ objections must be heard and referred to Planning Committee if there are 20+ objections or if a ward councillor requests a referral. The law does not currently allow this.
- Far more neighbours of proposed 5G masts should be officially notified.
Thank you for reading this far. Our idea of having a local party, EDINBURGH PEOPLE with the primary focus of representing the people of Edinburgh is new. If you agree with your council being run by EDINBURGH PEOPLE a party by the People of Edinburgh for the People of Edinburgh, please select me as your #1 preference. If you are voting for one of the four large parties but also like our plan, you can also put me down as #1 and put them as #2. I will surely get less votes than them so your #1 vote will be transferred to your #2 preference and they will get your vote regardless. If we come third in Edinburgh’s 17 wards in May 2027, we will almost certainly have more councillors than any other party and we can form the next administration in the City Chambers. Together, let’s get started.
All the best, Marc
Party Leader EDINBURGH PEOPLE
M: +44 7791 843 702
Printed by Pace Print, 19 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9JD
Promoted by and on behalf of Marc Wilkinson 2 Bruntsfield Crescent, Edinburgh EH10 4EZ
Let’s get REALLY TACTICAL!
a) If you have decided to vote for me, I thank you immensely. Together, I am certain we can make EDINBURGH PEOPLE work. Suggest to your neighbours that they consider voting tactically for me as below. Also, please consider joining the party, especially as there are no membership fees.
b) If you have decided your vote is going to the Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour or SNP candidates can you please put me down as #1 and them as #2. This will result in the same outcome as putting them as #1 because I am highly unlikely to get more 1st preference votes than them. So, your vote for me will be transferred to your 2nd choice when I am removed from the calculation.
c) If you do this, you will send a clear message to the big parties that they need to get their democratic house in order as a new structure for democratic representation is coming to pull the rugs from under their feet.
d) If you are voting for the Green candidate then do put them as #1 as I believe I am on target to beat them. Please put me down as #2 as your vote will then become transferred to me. Together we can start to turn politics on its head.
e) If you are voting for the Family, Libertarian or Reform Parties or one of the other three independent candidates then please put me down as #2 so that your protest against the main parties is transferred to me. Together we can do it.
Dear residents of the Fairmilehead & Colinton ward,
May 2027 - Our Grand Master Plan for the People of Edinburgh to seize control of the City Chambers peacefully.
I have now spoken to several hundred of you and it has been great to meet you. Based on your feedback, I am confident I am on target to secure more votes than the Green Party. Achieving this would represent a meteoric rise for EDINBURGH PEOPLE.
Firstly, I would like to thank all those who took the time to read my first letter. Hopefully you appreciated I decided to spell out my proposal in detail rather than use bullet points!
I truly believe I have identified the political problem we are subjected to which is that the main parties are too big, and they are trying to control too many thousands of people with a top-down control structure which is becoming more and more autocratic.
As a result, well-intentioned politicians find themselves unable to properly represent their electorate as their hands are tied. It is natural that they want to safeguard their political careers, so they compromise themselves as the alternative is to be suspended resulting in them being unable to exercise any influence. Presumably, initially they persuade themselves that the end justifies the means until they realise that the end never comes, and they never properly represent their electorate.
The problem is structural and afflicts all the big parties so the solution must lie in changing the structure of politics. The potential solution is to have small political parties which instead of having top-down control have a bottom-up control structure where all the power resides with the members of EDINBURGH PEOPLE.
If our potential solution becomes a winner my prediction is that in fifteen years’ time elections in Edinburgh will be fought between 4 or 5 different local parties and that the large megalithic national parties will have been kicked into touch.
If you are positive about the idea the main reason for deciding not to vote for me is that you consider what together we would be attempting to achieve is unachievable. If that is the case, here is a quick summary of our strategy and grand master plan:
1) My initial target is to secure more votes than the Green Party. In the 2022 Council elections they secured 621. A turnout of 40% for a bi-election would be 30% fewer votes. So, I predict that I need 450 votes to beat the Greens. Achieving this in a few months would be meteoric compared to three decades for the Green Party.
2) I am speaking to 5 to 15 people a day who are committing “100%” to voting for me, which means if I continue knocking on doors every day my target is achievable.
3) The better the result the bigger the springboard. I really need everyone with whom my plan has chimed to please vote for me. Remember, you can put me down as your #1 and your (otherwise) preferred choice as #2. Your vote for me will be transferred to your #2 choice which is what you want. Do protest in this way!
4) The seed of our plan is germinating only in one corner of the UK. That corner is right here. As such a responsibility has been firmly planted on the shoulders of all those eligible to vote in the Fairmilehead & Colinton ward. I have come up with only a potential solution, however, if it proves to be viable then what happens on 14th November could have ramifications for democratic representation far and wide.
5) EDINBURGH PEOPLE will change its name to EDINBURGH & LOTHIANS PEOPLE and will be registered with the Electoral Commission very soon so that for the Scottish Parliament elections we will be on the ballot for the Lothian region list.
6) I will attempt to inspire the creation of a further seven new political parties such as SOUTH SCOTLAND PEOPLE, NORTH EAST SCOTLAND PEOPLE and GLASGOW PEOPLE to field candidates on the lists for the other seven regions.
7) I have been in marketing all my career so I know that if you try and change people’s behaviour too much you will achieve no change at all. However, if you try and change people’s behaviour a little then you can achieve quite a lot of change.
8) There is a unique (to my knowledge) feature of the Scottish Parliament elections. Usually, it is one person one vote. However, for the Holyrood elections it is one person two votes. One vote chooses your constituency MSP by name on a first past the post basis. Your second vote is a single transferable vote on the regional list which chooses one of the 7 MSPs which are elected to represent your region.
9) As a group of eight new political parties our campaign for the Holyrood Parliament elections will be to ask people to continue voting as they always have for their choice of constituency MSP (so, no change there). If they have always voted Labour then they can continue to vote Labour. However, if they at the same time like the idea of having 8 members of the general public elected to Holyrood Parliament, one from each region who can scream and shout about what the members of their local PEOPLE PARTY want them to without fear of reprisal from a top-down controlled party, then they should put EDINBURGH & LOTHIANS PEOPLE or SOUTH SCOTLAND PEOPLE (etc.) first on the list. These MSPs will be able to hold the other MSPs accountable. The best of both worlds. What’s not to like?
10) We need only around 6% of Scottish voters to put their local PEOPLE PARTY down as number one on the list to secure around eight MSPs. This doesn’t require much change in how people vote as they can still vote for Labour, SNP etc. for their constituency MSP. I believe that this small degree of change in how people will vote is achievable and that it can secure the change that we need. It is fascinating that this opportunity is unique to Scotland’s unique parliamentary electoral system.
11) The significance of securing more votes than the Greens in the Colinton & Fairmilehead ward is that if we rolled out such an achievement nationally then we could achieve similar to the Green Party’s current 7 MSPs in Holyrood.
12) I am hoping that the members of EDINBURGH & LOTHIANS PEOPLE choose me to be first on the list for the 2026 elections. As such I expect to be elected as one of your regional MSPs. If we succeed, I predict that over 1000 people will join the party so that they can influence how I vote in the Holyrood Parliament.
13) On the back of two and a half years of awareness and members the final part of the plan is for EDINBURGH & LOTHIAN PEOPLE to come third in all of Edinburgh’s 17 wards in the May 2027 Council Elections. Securing 17 council seats from the current 5 parties would almost certainly make us the largest group in the City of Edinburgh Council with the opportunity of forming the next administration.
I believe this plan is achievable but only with your vote. If together we are successful, we could change the shape of politics. Everyone agrees that something must be done.
Please vote for me. Let’s give it our best shot.
All the best, Marc
Party Leader EDINBURGH PEOPLE
M: +44 7791 843 702
Printed by Pace Print, 19 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9JD
Promoted by and on behalf of Marc Wilkinson 2 Bruntsfield Crescent, Edinburgh EH10 4EZ