Jan Cresswell is the SDP prospective candidate for Blackpool North and Fleetwood. We spoke with Jan about her decision to stand.
“I have a fundamental mistrust of empire building, and expect that in time the EU bureaucratic machine will overreach itself enough to see the edifice come tumbling down”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Jan Cresswell, and until very recently I worked as a conservation officer at Blackpool Council. I retired at Easter, so I’m looking forward to filling my time with travel and hobbies. I’ve been married to Keith for 29 years, and have two children: Jessica and Jonathan.
What made you decide to stand for the SDP?
I joined the SDP about 4 years ago when I was feeling politically homeless. I’d always considered myself ‘a bit of a leftie’ but found myself being shunted towards the centre ground without having particularly changed my worldview! Brexit was a big issue for me. I have a fundamental mistrust of empire building, and expect that in time the EU bureaucratic machine will overreach itself enough to see the edifice come tumbling down as other European countries reject its ideologies. It’s clear how far it has enmeshed itself in our everyday lives by how difficult it has been to extricate ourselves.
“I was born in Blackpool, spent my early years in Thornton (5 miles north) and went to senior school in Fleetwood. I’ve always worked on the Fylde Coast, so I feel sure I know the area, its struggles and its people”
As I was casting around for a new political home I discovered the SDP, and instantly felt that their policies chimed with my own beliefs. As well as being left-leaning economically they, for instance, consider the nation-state to be the upper limit of democracy. They also pledge to uphold the values of freedom of thought and speech which lie at the heart of British democracy. As someone who was shocked at the rapid descent into authoritarianism since March 2020, and censorship of dissenting voices in this and other matters, this gave me hope. I know small parties struggle to be heard above the noise of the two main parties, but I firmly believe that people should be given a real choice, and that’s why I’m standing, no matter how high a mountain there is to climb.
You’re the spokesman for Blackpool North and Fleetwood. What’s made you decide to represent this area?
I was born in Blackpool, spent my early years in Thornton (5 miles north) and went to senior school in Fleetwood. I’ve always worked on the Fylde Coast, so I feel sure I know the area, its struggles and its people. I’ve seen the changes and how they have affected the health, wealth and well-being of local people, and it would be an honour to champion them.
“it sometimes feels like the town has been written off, like so many other industrial areas where the main source of employment has disappeared. I would champion the re-industrialisation of Fleetwood, supplying training and jobs (see the SDP policy on Special Economic Zones)”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency, and what issues do you hope to champion?
As the first mass working-class seaside resort, Blackpool became a victim of its own early success. In the 1970s and 80s mass tourism declined with the availability of cheap foreign holidays. B&B owners and other local businesses struggled to stay afloat. In the following years, a downward spiral of cheap accommodation chasing fewer visitors, more and more given over to houses in multiple occupation, lack of investment and the steady influx of people from other areas, attracted to plentiful cheap accommodation by the sea, bringing their own problems with them, has resulted in a town having some of the worst health and social inequalities in the country. However, I know that the local Council is trying to turn back the tide, and have been successful in attracting millions in government funding to improve the town, which will encourage private investment, improve life for residents and give holidaymakers more reasons to visit. It will take many years to reverse the impact of that earlier decline, but I would make championing the work of the Council (which often isn’t recognised) my main concern, because I know they have the best interests of local people at heart.
Fleetwood has similarly suffered a long decline since the closure of the branch railway line and the demise of the fishing industry. It’s unlikely even with Brexit that fishing will ever recover its former importance, but it sometimes feels like the town has been written off, like so many other industrial areas where the main source of employment has disappeared. I would champion the re-industrialisation of Fleetwood, supplying training and jobs (see the SDP policy on Special Economic Zones). There is also now a glimmer of hope that the branch railway line will be reinstated to link up with the tramway in Fleetwood, and I would definitely champion that given the opportunity. People, especially young people, need to be given the chance to fulfil their potential, and good education and training and affordable transport links for business and leisure, are also very important to achieve that.
But I think it’s important to be honest with people that there are no quick fixes, that turning around decline can take decades to see tangible results. In today’s world of instant gratification that’s probably a hard sell, but I find that honesty is ultimately the best policy!
Lastly, I’d encourage anyone who thinks that the SDP might be for them to visit the website sdp.org.uk to look at their comprehensive policies.
