Vote English - Matt O'Connor - London Mayor Candidate 2008
Press Release - 25th April 2008
English Mayoral Candidate Steps Down – New Campaign to Launch
Matt O’Connor, the 41 year-old founder and frontman of Fathers 4 Justice today announced he was stepping down from the London Mayoral Race but will launch a new campaign for England this year.
O’Connor, who works in PR and Marketing, said the party did not have sufficient financial clout to run a credible campaign. When he joined he was told that the funding was in place to make a positive difference but that the reality was somewhat different.
The problems O’Connor discovered were that there was no party machine in London as promised, no advertising budget as promised, and they were economical with the facts about whether we’d be funded by backers.
His recent party election broadcast which he organised also had amendments made without his knowledge.
He also struggled with an organisation that didn’t share his ideas and vision as evidenced in the difference between O’Connor’s official
Vote English - Matt O'Connor - London Mayor Candidate 2008 site and the main party site.
On one occasion he was called racist and anti-Semitic by a senior member – a claim O’Connor described as ‘absurd’. He is also profoundly disappointed that they are now deliberately trying to smear him whilst at the same time the party was happy for him to stand.
Said O’Connor this morning, ‘It is sad but inevitable that they are trying to cover up their own internal problems. They did not deliver on their part of the agreement. It is extremely regrettable that this happened at this stage but I cannot stay in the party where people say things like that or where we have no sensible funding. I also had a clear vision to raise the issue of an English Parliament which they didn’t share.’
Nadine Taylor, Matt's Campaign Manager resigned several weeks ago because she could not work with the level of incompetence within the party. O'Connor recognises now "that I should have listened to her advice".
‘Descending to abusing somebody who campaigned in the Anti-Apartheid movement would be laughable if it were not so offensive. I am truly sorry for the good men and women in the party that this happened and while I wish the party every success, my record speaks for itself. Fathers 4 Justice has existed for the same amount of time as the English Democrats and F4J is a household name, with more members and wider recognition. The reality is that my resignation may generate more publicity for them than they achieved in the last six years.
‘Later this year I will launch a new campaign to raise issues like Tartan Taxes. Awareness is everything and they would probably stand to benefit from it.’
ENDS