• WE have all just experienced a rapid snap general election campaign, punctured by two horrendous events, first in Manchester and then London.

The joint statements by all of the candidates from the main parties continues to show that we have much more in common than that which separates us.

As a first-time candidate, I was surprised by the sheer number of emails received on a huge variety of heartfelt causes. From sex work to dementia, cancer to assisted dying, I have been glad to have the opportunity to listen to residents in Holborn & St Pancras and to discuss how Liberal policy would make a real difference to those things they care about most.

It surprised me that the issues addressed via email are generally entirely different to those which one encounters on the doorsteps.

Emails have been dominated by animal welfare issues, accounting for nearly half of the 800 responded to, specifically fox hunting with dogs (which I oppose); allowing increased sentences for animal cruelty (which I support), and to ensure that animal welfare and the natural environment are protected as we leave the EU (which I fear are in grievous danger from Brexit).

While on the doorstep the issues have been entirely different, such as, anxieties over leaving the single market, the rights of EU citizens alongside the long-standing issues of: housing, education, air quality, HS2, and the effect of cuts to public services.

These are all issues on which the Liberal Democrats have campaigned strongly for many years, yet I found at times that our message had not cut through to parts of the electorate. The snap general election was very short and gave too few opportunities to outline achievements and what we intend to do next.

In government we built 190,000 new, affordable, homes for social housing and gave schools extra money to help the most disadvantaged children through the Lib Dem innovative pupil premium and free school meals policies.

We continue our push for fairness, human rights, access to the law and for social justice. We are the only party firmly against the Conservatives’ plans for a hard Brexit that will harm our economy. We are also promising to reverse the freeze on benefits and cap on public sector wages.

A Lib Dem government has and would help the people of our city. What has been troubling during this campaign has been the nearly complete lack of political debate at a local level, allowing people to meet their candidates and hear clearly where they stand.

Democracy only works when government has effective opposition. Politicians also need local opponents to ask them to listen to and answer their electorates questions. As the campaign concludes, I have therefore decided to publish on my medium blog some of my responses to the vast array of emails I received. Let us keep policy debate alive and ongoing.

* Stephen Crosher received 4,020 votes for the Liberal Democrats in Holborn & St Pancras on June 8. He wrote this in the run-up to polling. stephen@stephencrosher.co.uk