I’m being misrepresented in a number of ways at the moment, but I know voters have the wit and intelligence to spot the distortions. Seemingly, in some parts of the constituency, Royal Mail has delivered my independent election leaflet inside a political party’s booklet.
As candidates, we got one free mailing through the Royal Mail. My 46,600 leaflets for Walthamstow constituency were duly delivered to a central sorting office but somehow, once they had gone into the Royal Mail system, my leaflet was collated inside someone else’s literature. However wrong that collating was, it has been happening to other candidates as well. The resultant misrepresentation is something election agents and candidates will be taking up with the Electoral Commission and Royal Mail after the election.
On the web, however, the funniest misrepresentation is on Google’s Election Widget. It links me to Al Murray’s fictional party being used to promote his current comedy tour! So, so wrong on so many levels, and various organisations are looking into how that has occurred.
In other misrepresentation news, I am flattered some candidates standing in Walthamstow now realise that my agenda from the outset of Health, Harmony and Human Rights suits the needs of our constituency.
But I am not suddenly going to join one party, or another. I am, and will remain, an independent.
My independence makes me stronger as an MP candidate for a hung parliament where every seat counts and I can work with MPs from different parties, but who share my core values, to get the best deal for Walthamstow.
My independence means a lot to constituents. They tell me they have no faith in any of the parties. They tell me they want someone whom they can hold directly accountable, not hiding behind party policy.
I am honoured to be your independent candidate for Walthamstow. #vote4ellie
Ellie Merton 