Happy New Year and best wishes for 2010 from Lewisham West & Penge Liberal Democrats

12.00.00am GMT Fri 1st Jan 2010

Alex Feakes, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Lewisham West & Penge

This year will see the general election and elections to Bromley and Lewisham councils on 6th May - this is your chance to have a say in the way that our local area and our country is governed. Across the constituency, it is the Liberal Democrats who have been standing up for residents and local communities against the heavy cost of Labour's failures in government and the indifference of the the council administrations.

The Lib Dems have set out a clear vision for the coming general election based on the principles of fair taxation, a fair start for our children, a sustainable economy and job creation and a more transparent and locally accountable political system.

The Conservatives can't be trusted to run Britain, or your local council, fairly and offer more of the same tired old politics. Their first instinct is help those already at the top, such as giving tax breaks to the wealthy whilst cutting benefits for those on middle incomes. They've allied themselves with climate change deniers in Europe and at home oppose a fair voting system whilst letting tax avoiders represent them in parliament.

Gordon Brown's Labour government have let down the people of Britain. They have failed to make the country fairer, failed on the economy, failed on the environment and failed to clean up politics. Over the past 13 years at the heart of government, Gordon Brown has overseen the rise of the debt and credit and bubble which has fueled the recession, written the cheques for the war in Iraq, driven a rise in inequality and failed to reform politics.

Here in Lewisham West & Penge, it is Alex Feakes and the Liberal Democrats who have the best chance of beating Labour - the Tories won't win here.