Independent Network
Encyclopedia
The Independent Network (IN) is a United Kingdom
-based non-profit organisation supporting independent
politicians and political candidates.
Founded in 2005, the IN consists of supporters and volunteers who advocate non-partisan politics. Martin Bell
and Richard Taylor
have been involved. A number of supporters of the IN are current independent representatives in European
, national
, regional
and local
governments and independent candidates in local and general elections.
The IN does not impose any political views on the individuals it supports. However, they must be non-discriminatory and adhere to a code of conduct
proposed by Bell and endorsed by the IN executive committee.
A group of likeminded individuals who had lost faith in party politics founded the IN in 2005. Their goal was to support independent candidates, something they felt no then existing organisation did. They saw a need to promote independents and political awareness as the British public had become disenchanted with Parliament in the aftermath of political scandals including the Iraq War
, the suicide of David Kelly and the Hutton Enquiry. Later scandals such as Cash for Honours, Smeargate and the MPs expenses scandal
have strengthened the IN's resolve.
, including serving as manager of the local non-league football club Haringey Borough FC from 1989 to 1992. He also launched an independent community sports clinic. Watson stood for Parliament in the 2010 elections as an independent candidate for Tottenham.
councillor on East Hertfordshire Council
for eight years but left the party. In 2006 he set up East Herts People as a political party to promote independents at local level. The group fielded 13 independent candidates in the 2007 council election. In 2009 an EHP-supported independent won a Hertford Town Council by-election, and Thornton came in second as an independent in the Hertfordshire County Council elections. Thornton stood as an independent candidate in the 2010 general election in Poplar and Limehouse.
Steven Ford is a retired general practitioner
who serves as President of the Haydon Bridge Community Association. He was previously a Parish Councillor
and from 1989 to 2008 provided a regular medical page in a local paper. He volunteers for Sustrans
and a local radio station and stood as an independent candidate for Hexham
in 2010.
Daisy Ford is a university student. She studied Politics, Philosophy and English as an undergraduate at Durham University
and directed a non-party campaign to encourage students to vote in the 2005 general election. She previously worked for a corporate social responsibility organisation in County Durham
, completed a research internship at the think tank CentreForum
, and volunteered for Oxfam. She worked on her father's 2010 Hexham campaign.
Ekklesia and conducted by ComRes
suggested that 78% of the public believed that independent candidates should stand for election where MPs have behaved unethically. Another 63% said more independent MPs in Parliament would enrich democracy.
The IN is supported by several notable figures in independent politics, including Martin Bell; Richard Taylor, MP; Terry Waite
, CBE
; and Esther Rantzen
. During the 2005 elections, with the IN's backing, Reg Keys
stood against Tony Blair
in Blair’s own Sedgefield Constituency
because of the death of his son in the Iraq War.
In January 2010, Waite sent an open letter to all independent Parliamentary candidates giving them his support and approval. The letter also discusses several problems Waite sees with the Westminster system and British politics in general.
Some suggest that the IN has become a political party, arguing that organising as a group with an appointed spokesperson means it is not truly independent.
The IN also encourages members to contact one another for advice and guidance, to promote cohesive rather than adversarial politics.
In January 2010, the IN organised a training session on procedure
in the UK Parliament for independent PPCs
. The event was run by Parliamentary Outreach, a government agency that works to expand the public’s knowledge of Parliament. That same month the IN held a workshop in the Birmingham
Priory Rooms to instruct PPCs on the electoral process and regulations. Bell, Taylor, Rantzen, and Lynn Faulds Wood
attended the event.
In the 2010 election, the IN endorsed independent candidates to provide a quality marker for independent politicians. Endorsed candidates could use the IN logo and branding.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based non-profit organisation supporting independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
politicians and political candidates.
Founded in 2005, the IN consists of supporters and volunteers who advocate non-partisan politics. Martin Bell
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
and Richard Taylor
Richard Taylor (UK politician)
Richard Thomas Taylor FRCP is an English doctor and former politician. He served as an Independent Member of Parliament for Wyre Forest between 2001 and 2010...
have been involved. A number of supporters of the IN are current independent representatives in European
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, national
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, regional
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
and local
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
governments and independent candidates in local and general elections.
The IN does not impose any political views on the individuals it supports. However, they must be non-discriminatory and adhere to a code of conduct
Code of Conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for an individual, party or organization. Related concepts include ethical codes and honor codes....
proposed by Bell and endorsed by the IN executive committee.
Origin
Support for independent candidates in the UK has been growing in the past several decades. In 1987, independent candidates received fewer than 10,000 votes. In the 2005 general election, by contrast, 141,903 votes were cast for 160 independent candidates, the largest number of independent candidates since the 1880s.A group of likeminded individuals who had lost faith in party politics founded the IN in 2005. Their goal was to support independent candidates, something they felt no then existing organisation did. They saw a need to promote independents and political awareness as the British public had become disenchanted with Parliament in the aftermath of political scandals including the Iraq War
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, the suicide of David Kelly and the Hutton Enquiry. Later scandals such as Cash for Honours, Smeargate and the MPs expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
have strengthened the IN's resolve.
Organisation
Members of the Secretariat deal with the administrative, day-to-day running of the organisation. They are also responsible for media and campaign enquiries. A three-member Executive committee guides the organisation but avoids interference with candidates' policies, manifestos, or voting. Members of the Executive, consisting of Neville Watson, Jon Thornton, and Steven and Daisy Ford, were appointed by a unanimous vote during a strategy meeting with supporters in September 2009.Neville Watson
Neville Watson has established and supported several social and recreational community projects within the borough of TottenhamTottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, including serving as manager of the local non-league football club Haringey Borough FC from 1989 to 1992. He also launched an independent community sports clinic. Watson stood for Parliament in the 2010 elections as an independent candidate for Tottenham.
Jim Thornton
Jim Thornton was a ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
councillor on East Hertfordshire Council
East Hertfordshire District Council
East Hertfordshire District Council is the local authority for the East Hertfordshire non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. East Hertfordshire covers most of the eastern third of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region...
for eight years but left the party. In 2006 he set up East Herts People as a political party to promote independents at local level. The group fielded 13 independent candidates in the 2007 council election. In 2009 an EHP-supported independent won a Hertford Town Council by-election, and Thornton came in second as an independent in the Hertfordshire County Council elections. Thornton stood as an independent candidate in the 2010 general election in Poplar and Limehouse.
Steven and Daisy Ford
Steven and Daisy Ford, a father and daughter, are counted as a single vote in the Executive.Steven Ford is a retired general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
who serves as President of the Haydon Bridge Community Association. He was previously a Parish Councillor
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and from 1989 to 2008 provided a regular medical page in a local paper. He volunteers for Sustrans
Sustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
and a local radio station and stood as an independent candidate for Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
in 2010.
Daisy Ford is a university student. She studied Politics, Philosophy and English as an undergraduate at Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
and directed a non-party campaign to encourage students to vote in the 2005 general election. She previously worked for a corporate social responsibility organisation in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, completed a research internship at the think tank CentreForum
CentreForum
CentreForum is an independent, liberal think-tank that seeks to develop evidence-based, long-term policy solutions to the problems facing Britain. It is based in Westminster, London, and was formerly known as Centre for Reform....
, and volunteered for Oxfam. She worked on her father's 2010 Hexham campaign.
Supporters
In 2009 an opinion survey commissioned by the think tankThink tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
Ekklesia and conducted by ComRes
ComRes
ComRes is a polling and research consultancy with British origins. The company has its registered company headquarters in London, United Kingdom and also has offices in Brussels, Edinburgh and Cardiff...
suggested that 78% of the public believed that independent candidates should stand for election where MPs have behaved unethically. Another 63% said more independent MPs in Parliament would enrich democracy.
The IN is supported by several notable figures in independent politics, including Martin Bell; Richard Taylor, MP; Terry Waite
Terry Waite
Terry Waite CBE is an English humanitarian and author.Waite was Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie's Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he travelled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages including journalist John...
, CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
; and Esther Rantzen
Esther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
. During the 2005 elections, with the IN's backing, Reg Keys
Reg Keys
Reginald Thomas Keys, better known as Reg Keys , is the father of a British serviceman killed in the Iraq War. He stood in the 2005 General Election as an anti-war independent candidate for MP of Sedgefield, a constituency held by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.- Biography :Keys is a founder...
stood against Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
in Blair’s own Sedgefield Constituency
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,...
because of the death of his son in the Iraq War.
In January 2010, Waite sent an open letter to all independent Parliamentary candidates giving them his support and approval. The letter also discusses several problems Waite sees with the Westminster system and British politics in general.
Some suggest that the IN has become a political party, arguing that organising as a group with an appointed spokesperson means it is not truly independent.
Services
The IN offers services and support to independent candidates free of charge. Services provided include the following.- Administrative and legal assistance for election purposes; independent candidates set up on their own or alternatively register and maintain new political parties.
- A list of best practices for campaigning, fundraising, public relations, and appropriate use of the Internet.
- Public opinionPublic opinionPublic opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
and policy research. - Organising debates and discussions.
The IN also encourages members to contact one another for advice and guidance, to promote cohesive rather than adversarial politics.
In January 2010, the IN organised a training session on procedure
Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
in the UK Parliament for independent PPCs
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
. The event was run by Parliamentary Outreach, a government agency that works to expand the public’s knowledge of Parliament. That same month the IN held a workshop in the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
Priory Rooms to instruct PPCs on the electoral process and regulations. Bell, Taylor, Rantzen, and Lynn Faulds Wood
Lynn Faulds Wood
Lynn Faulds Wood is a British television presenter and cancer campaigner.Born in Glasgow and brought up on Loch Lomondside, she first came to prominence as "Actionwoman" on Woman magazine, then Lynn's Action Line on the Sun. She moved to consumer champion on the breakfast television programmes...
attended the event.
In the 2010 election, the IN endorsed independent candidates to provide a quality marker for independent politicians. Endorsed candidates could use the IN logo and branding.