MICHAEL SHAD
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FINCHLEY & GOLDERS GREEN CONSTITUENCY
Childs Hill, Cricklewood, East Finchley, Finchley Central, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, Golders Green, North Finchley, West Finchley, Woodhouse
Why Vote Independent?
- Break the Vicious Cycle
Insanity is doing the same thing over & over again and expecting different results.
We fall for one of the big parties → we vote them in → we watch them fail → we watch them deflect → we watch them lie → we watch them spend more time on themselves than on us → we lose trust → we lose hope → we forget that they should be serving us, not themselves → we later vote for the other big party
STOP and BREAK this vicious cycle once and for all. Vote Independent.
- Get Heard and Demand Respect
Unlike candidates for the main parties, I will not be accountable to party bosses. I will be accountable to YOU and you ONLY. This is not a protest vote; it’s a proactive vote for change that reflects your needs and values for YOUR future. It’s your way to demand attention and respect.
- Make History and Join the Future of Democracy
The world has changed too much for you to still feel unheard and powerless. Independent candidates are the future of a more democratic and accountable Parliament. Be part of a movement that’s making history.
Key Campaign Principles
- Economy: End unnecessary and endless wars, reduce interest rates, tax international companies fairly based on their turnovers in the UK and stamp out corruption at government level to bring billions of pounds back into the government’s purse in order to improve YOUR living standards.
- NHS: Reinstate NHS services that are currently outsourced, source drugs from more affordable sources in the EU and increase staff salaries to reduce waiting lists and improve healthcare.
- Housing: Curb foreign property investors, build more affordable homes and regulate big developers to make housing accessible.
- Education: Abolish university fees, cancel student loans and provide free school meals to support our future generations.
- Policing and Public Safety: Deploy more police on the streets, ensure equal rights for protests and provide more resources to combat online crimes.
- Social Care: Build strong support systems for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable.
- Young Generation’s Votes: Encourage young people to vote and have their voices heard in Parliament.
- Public Transport: Make public transport cheaper, more reliable and accessible for all, specially for senior citizens.
- Local Concerns: Reduce parking charges, offer free short-term parking in high streets and campaign against excessive penalties.
- Foreign Policy: Pull out UK forces from all conflict zones and foreign wars and advocate for a new non-confrontational foreign policy and a new approach to resolve all international disputes through dialogue via the UN in order to end current hostilities and prevent future conflicts.
ACT NOW and Join the Movement
Be Bold: Voting for an independent candidate is a bold statement against the political establishment. It’s time for fresh ideas and genuine representation.
Stay Engaged: Follow the campaign, participate in online meetings and stay connected. This is a movement that values your ongoing input.
Spread the Word: Tell your friends, family, and neighbours why voting for an INDEPENDENT candidate is the smartest and most impactful choice at this election.
MICHAEL SHAD’S MANIFESTO
I am Michael SHAD, an Independent Candidate standing to represent Finchley and Golders Green Constituency [Childs Hill, Cricklewood, East Finchley, Finchley Central, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, Golders Green, North Finchley West Finchley, Woodhouse] for the UK Parliamentary General Election on 4th July, 2024.
I am not a member of any of the main political parties, and like the vast majority of you, the voters, I no longer believe or trust any of the politicians representing the main political parties.
They dominated the UK politics for decades, and in turn, they imposed boom and bust one after the other. Their style of policies has made our lives much worse than it was a decade ago.
The only way out of this vicious cycle is for you, the voters, to stop voting for any of the main or smaller political parties and vote for an Independent Candidate like me who would be directly accountable to you. This would undoubtedly change the current political deadlock in the UK.
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Electing Independent candidates could potentially balance the voting power in Parliament and prevent the main political parties from doing whatever they wish and inflicting more damage to our democracy, economy, NHS, freedom of speech, etc., by completely disregarding the voters’ wishes.
With the current voting system, voting for smaller parties would only scatter the votes and practically waste your votes, eventually helping one of the main two parties to win the election again.
I and many other individuals who care for democracy have decided to stand as independent candidates and ask for your vote to directly represent you, the voters.
As an Independent candidate, I will only be accountable to you and will act upon your instructions and wishes, not the instructions of the main political parties who have proved time and time again that after the election, and after they have been elected, they no longer listen to or care about you, your views, and more often do not deliver what they promised you.
Read on for the main principles of my campaign standing as an Independent Candidate to represent Finchley and Golders Green Constituency.
2. Cost of Living
Rising living costs; housing, energy bills, and food prices, are critical concerns. UK Public are looking for policies that will provide relief and improve affordability.
I will be supporting all the initiatives that could help bringing the Cost of Living down to a comfortable level for all, specially for the low-income families.
1. Economy
In the past eight years or so, we have had a succession of disastrous events that seriously impacted our lives, putting us in a downward spiral, i.e., Brexit, Covid-19, and UK’s involvement in numerous foreign wars.
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The UK government should not have supported any of the above wars anywhere in the world. This unwavering UK support has brought UK close to be the first country that would be involved in World War III.
All of the above events have had a huge impact on our economy and our wellbeing and will continue to haunt us for many years to come if remedial actions are not taken soon, i.e., ever-increasing inflation, increased cost of living and rising food prices, high fuel prices, high interest rates which have led to unaffordable rents, and the highest mortgage premiums, etc.
My proposed solution for resolving the outstanding issues that we could address is to reduce the impact of the above by:
Firstly, putting an end to all foreign wars that the UK is involved in via dialogues and diplomatic means through the UN and eventually bring our troops home from all conflict zones.
Secondly, Bank of England should reduce the interest rate as huge interest rate increases had no effect whatsoever in bringing inflation down, and
Thirdly, tax the international companies operating in the UK based on their turnover in the UK, and Finally, stamp out corruption at all government institutions.
The above actions alone would bring back billions of pounds to the government’s purse, which would potentially improve most sectors of the economy and eventually improve people’s lives.
4. Housing
We are currently in the middle of an unprecedented housing crisis: massive housing shortages, out-of-reach and unaffordable house prices, unaffordable rents, high mortgage premiums which have put many homes at risk of repossession, and no prospects for the younger generation to be able to own or even rent a property, i.e., many are forced to live with their parents.
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My proposal to address the above issues would be to stop foreign investors from solely investing in properties, as most have been doing so far, bringing millions and buying nearly all available properties in the market, especially in London, exacerbating house prices to an out-of-reach level for the average UK resident.
Directing foreign investors’ money to other sectors of the economy, other than housing, will undoubtedly bring house prices down as demand for properties will substantially decrease.
Building sufficient number of new properties cannot be fully addressed due to a shortage of suitable land and domination of the property market by a handful of large developers controlling the market to their advantage.
Providing more land will only be possible by reviewing and consulting the public regarding brownfield and greenbelt lands, taking into account all considerations for the environment and how to address the housing shortage issue vs the increased population.
Furthermore, relaxing council rules for small and medium-sized developers to be involved in building more houses on behalf of the government, local councils, and housing associations would help.
These measures would undoubtedly help to stop the stranglehold imposed upon the public by a handful of large house builders having exclusive control over the housing market.
3. NHS
Healthcare concerns include long waiting times, staff shortages, and the overall quality of care.
The current NHS crisis is mainly caused by outsourcing many of its highly specialised services, such as scans, ultrasounds, etc., to foreign companies during the Covid crisis without any public consultation.
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This diverted a massive chunk of the NHS budget to foreign companies, while the NHS was already delivering the same services prior to this outsourcing.
Furthermore, importing new drugs from the US rather than the EU has been costing the NHS much more.
Therefore, a smaller portion of the NHS budget has been left to manage patient care and treatment services, which eventually caused the longest waiting list crisis.
There is also a shortage of doctors and nurses due to budget constraints and not recruiting enough medical staff.
My proposal for resolving the above crisis would be to reinstate the NHS services that have been outsourced and revert to the earlier NHS drug import policies from the EU.
This will bring back billions of pounds to the NHS budget, which could be used to improve patient care services and eventually reduce waiting lists.
Recruiting more healthcare professionals and improve services are pivotal for all. Doctors’, nurses’, and hospital staff’s salaries should be increased in line with the ever-increasing inflation.
6. Education
People are concerned about ensuring that the education system can provide high-quality learning experiences for all children. Issues related to funding for schools, teacher shortages, and the quality of education are significant and they should be supported by voter’s representation at the Parliament.
Since the introduction of university fees and student loans, the number of UK students going to university has decreased substantially, and for those who attended the university were left with a huge debt on their shoulders after graduation and at the beginning of their careers.
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My proposal to address this issue would be to campaign to abolish university fees and cancel the outstanding balance of student loans for those who have already graduated with huge debts.
Additionally, I support free school meals at pre-school, primary, and high school levels. Teachers’ and schools’ staff salaries should be increased in line with ever-increasing inflation.
5. Climate Change and Environment
Environment and climate change are among the most pressing challenges we face today. To address these issues, a number of urgent actions should be taken and supported by all countries, including the UK.
I will be supporting the following initiatives to combat climate change:
Reduce Carbon Emissions; Implementing policies and practices that reduce carbon emissions is essential, including transitioning to renewable energy sources.
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Conserve Natural Resources: Protecting forests, wetlands, and other natural ecosystems is vital for maintaining biodiversity and mitigating climate change.
Promote Sustainable Practices: Encouraging sustainable agriculture, waste management, and water usage can help reduce the environmental impact of human activities. This involves supporting local and organic farming, recycling programs, and water conservation measures.
Increase Public Awareness: Education and awareness campaigns are key to motivating individuals and communities to take action against global warming. Understanding the science behind climate change and the importance of sustainable living can drive collective efforts to protect our planet.
Support International Cooperation: Global warming is a global issue that requires international cooperation. Participating in and supporting efforts via international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, is crucial.
8. Social Care
I would campaign to support and provide a strong social care system for all and the vulnerable men, women, and children. This is absolutely essential.
Care for the elderly and disabled should be available at all times.
7. Policing and Public Safety
Public are anxious to see improvements in public safety and law enforcement capabilities therefore, more police on the streets are absolutely essential to stop all type of crimes, i.e., knife crimes, house and office burglaries, mugging and pickpocketing, car theft, break-ins, and stealing of mobile phones, laptops, bikes, etc.
I will campaign to stamp out racism and profiling and ensure the equal right to protest and free speech for all.
Additionally, allocation of more police resources is needed to stop internet and online crimes, scams, etc.
10. Proportional Representation
Our current voting system is not fair and rather undemocratic as the view of the majority of voters in each constituency are not respected as one candidate with the maximum number of votes is elected while the total number of votes of those who have not been elected are more.
I support changing the voting system to a proportional representation system which is more democratic than the current voting system.
9. Young Generation’s Votes
During the past few years, many of the young generation have been disappointed with the politicians’ actions.
As a result, many in the young have decided not to bother with voting and politics, choosing not to participate in elections.
My approach in resolving this matter would be to:
Firstly, encourage the young to register to vote, which can easily be done online via the Electoral Services of Barnet Council’s website.
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Secondly, I urge young people to definitely take part in the election on 4th July 2024 and vote for an independent candidate like me in order to have representation in Parliament.
Together, we could begin making the change that is long overdue and have a strong voice at the Parliament.
Not voting means that you will not be represented by any of the main political parties, as they do not care about the opinions of the young generation and would prefer if you did not vote.
12. Local Concerns
Campaign for a substantial reduction in parking charges and penalty tickets. Advocate for 15 minutes of free parking allowances before a penalty ticket is issued by councils or private parking attendants.
Ensure the availability of at least 15 minutes of free parking spaces in all high streets, in front of pharmacies, bakeries, takeaway shops, corner shops, etc.
Free parking spaces should be made available in all town centres, shopping centres, and markets.
11. Public Transport
Public transportation should be significantly more affordable than it currently is. It must be accessible to everyone, at all locations, and at all times.
Additionally, it should be available to senior citizens and 60+ Oyster card holders during both peak and off-peak hours.
A reliable public transport service is essential to encourage people to opt for public transport over using their personal vehicles.
14. ULEZ and Congestion Charge
Campaign to abolish the ULEZ. Reinstate the 30-mph speed limit in built-up areas instead of 20 mph. Abolish the Congestion Charge and parking restrictions during weekends.
All other parking restrictions should be based on traffic management rather than generating extra income for the councils. There must be no entrapment schemes operated by councils issuing millions of pounds of penalty tickets per year.
All parking fees should be reasonable, not extortionate
13. Parking charges at Hospitals and Airports
Campaign to abolish parking charges at airports for drop-offs and pickups, as well as eliminating parking charges at hospitals, government buildings, councils, etc.
16. Training and Apprenticeships
Free training and apprenticeships should be available through local councils, government bodies, and Job Centres, etc. to ensure the young generation is trained early and throughout their careers.
The unemployed should be given the opportunity to rejoin the job market quickly and switch careers if necessary.
15. Employment
There is a need to carefully manage the influx of workers from the EU and other countries coming to the UK with work permits, especially in sectors such as the building industry, NHS (doctors and nurses), IT, accounting, law, and transportation.
While these industries are crucial and require a skilled workforce, it’s important to ensure that UK citizens have ample opportunities for employment in these fields. We should focus on enhancing training and education programs to prepare UK residents for these roles.
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Additionally, unemployment benefits should be sufficient to maintain a decent living standard for those who have become unemployed. Government bodies should provide comprehensive support to help individuals return to employment as quickly as possible.
18. Planning Applications
There should be tight regulations to prevent fraud and backhand deals by councils and planning departments. The process should be fair, unbiased, and completely transparent, allowing the public to understand why one planning application has been granted while a similar one has been refused.
There should be a universal approach to all planning applications, making it easier for those who wish to extend their own homes for their children and senior family members.
17. Regulating the Banks, Insurance Companies, Lenders and Mortgage Companies
Campaign to introduce tighter regulations for the banks and lenders to prevent extortionate loan interest rates by capping the maximum interest rates. Advocate for reasonable bank charges, mortgage rates, the elimination of property undervaluation by mortgage companies, and the removal of their ludicrous charges and terms and conditions.
20. Media and Social Media
We are currently facing an unprecedented situation where mainstream media organisations and social media platforms are following certain narratives influenced by the government, which undermines freedom of expression and democratic debate.
All media outlets, specially the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, broadsheet papers, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, should uphold free speech and impartiality.
This is crucial to ensure diverse viewpoints are represented and democratic discourse is preserved.
19. Equality and Race Relations
London is likely the only unique place in the world that has housed people from all nationalities, backgrounds, races, and religious and non-religious believes more than anywhere else.
I will support and encourage equality, race relations, and social cohesion, and bringing communities closer to each other, fostering friendship and cooperation among all communities, regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.
22. Essential Infrastructure
Currently, much of the UK’s power generation, electricity, and many utility companies are owned by foreign entities. Essential infrastructure such as the railway system, the underground system, train services, national airports, national airlines, the post office, power generation, the national grid, electricity suppliers and distributors, gas suppliers and distributors, water supply, distribution and sewage systems, roads and motorways, and main bus terminals should gradually return to government control.
This would ensure certainty, continuity, fair and affordable prices for the public, and maintain guaranteed service by the government.
21. Immigration and Asylum
Visa and asylum application processes should be completely independent, transparent, and free from contemporary politics. All visa and asylum applications should be considered on their merits, and corruption at UK embassies abroad should be eliminated to ensure fair, non-political, and impartial processing.
The disproportionate number of working visas issued to EU and other countries, which threatens hundreds of thousands of jobs in the UK, should be immediately reconsidered. No asylum seeker should be deported to Rwanda.
24. School Bus Services
All schools should be encouraged to introduce affordable and safe school bus services to parents to transport children to and from school. This will prevent every single parent from driving their children, which causes daily traffic jams both in the morning and afternoon, air pollution, and high fuel costs for parents.
A school bus service is a safer and more reliable way of resolving this issue that has been used in most countries.
23. Usage of Cash
Banks should not be allowed to close more branches or gradually phase out cash purchases in favour of cards and digital money. Large companies should not be permitted to only accept cards or digital payments.
If banks stop the usage of cash, people’s freedom to use their hard-earned money will be limited, compromising their financial autonomy.
Money laundering rules should focus on illegal activities, drug money, and large amounts of cash brought in from abroad, not on every individual’s cash and money transfers from one account to another.
Banks should not be allowed to obstruct or question ordinary customers on how they wish to spend or transfer their own money, forcing them to answer money laundering-related questions.
26. Rejoining the EU
The ongoing impact of Brexit on trade and international relations remains a significant concern for the UK public. Many are evaluating the effects on the economy and considering various positions on potential future relationships with the EU.
Brexit was influenced by a range of complex factors, and its outcomes have been diverse. Prior to Brexit, the UK had substantial influence within the EU, including veto power. Some of the current economic challenges can be attributed to changes in trade dynamics with the EU.
I support exploring the option of rejoining the EU if it is endorsed by a majority through another referendum
25. Public’s Right to Privacy
Banks should not be allowed to close more branches or gradually phase out cash purchases in favour of cards and digital money. Large companies should not be permitted to only accept cards or digital payments.
If banks stop the usage of cash, people’s freedom to use their hard-earned money will be limited, compromising their financial autonomy.
Money laundering rules should focus on illegal activities, drug money, and large amounts of cash brought in from abroad, not on every individual’s cash and money transfers from one account to another.
Banks should not be allowed to obstruct or question ordinary customers on how they wish to spend or transfer their own money, forcing them to answer money laundering-related questions.
28. Foreign policy
I call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Ukraine to save innocent civilian lives. The UK should consider withdrawing its engagement in conflict zones and foreign wars. It’s time to adopt a non-confrontational foreign policy and prioritize resolving international disputes through dialogue to end current hostilities and prevent future conflicts.
The United Nations should play a central role in resolving international conflicts and other issues.
27. Human Rights
Many of the rights we currently enjoy, such as workers’ rights, maternity and paternity entitlements, regulated working hours, and sufficient annual leave, originated from the EU’s human rights bodies and were protected by the European Court of Justice while the UK was a leading EU member with veto power. After Brexit, the UK government has either left or modified many of these EU conventions.
I support rejoining these EU directives as they offer a balanced and fair approach to citizens’ rights. These standards, agreed upon by 28 EU countries, have proven to be beneficial and effective for the UK in the past.
30. Local Constituency Concerns
I will introduce an online meeting mechanism, such as Zoom or Teams, to be available on Fridays for all residents of Finchley and Golders Green Constituency.
This platform will enable me to listen to your views and concerns related to local issues, demands, requirements, protests, and proposals. It will ensure that I can act upon the majority views of our constituency effectively.
29. International Law
All United Nations charters, bodies, conventions, and international laws should be respected and implemented by all governments, including the UK. Failing to uphold these standards can lead to global instability, making life difficult for everyone and creating an unsafe environment, especially for UK citizens.
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