On 6th October it will be three years to the day since three prominent local Conservative Chiltern District councillors publicly raised the prospect of mass resignations from their pro-HS2 party in the local press, spelling out their concerns and intentions as follows:

- Cllr Mike Stannard (Chalfont St Giles) “I probably would resign as a member of the Conservative party and probably stand as an independent. It would be very difficult to represent them if they are intent on continuing with this foolish policy.”

- Cllr Robert Burns-Green (Little Missenden) “It’s something that will go through the minds of most Conservatives, it’s more than just HS2, it’s also planning draft changes, both of which are appalling to us.” “I imagine there aren’t many Conservatives who haven’t got this in their thoughts. When Conservatives came into power... we thought this would be put on the back burner and we’re very disappointed it hasn’t been.”

- Cllr Mimi Harker (Mayor of Amersham and Chiltern councillor) “If one person resigns it wouldn’t make a difference, but if a big group did that would make a statement. There has to be a meeting within the party to say how we’re going to progress from here.”

Three years to the day since these comments appeared in the local media, it’s not too late for Conservative councillors, in Cllr Harker’s words, to “make a statement.” Nothing has changed since 2011 other than PM Cameron seems even more determined to ram the 100m wide HS2 scar through our Buckinghamshire countryside with all the falling trees his party’s leaning tree logo represents. Meanwhile, local Conservative MPs and councillors have given up any thought (which was only ever skin-deep to appease local opponents anyway) of trying to stop HS2 and are now resigned to it going ahead. In six months’ time, however, Steve Baker, Cheryl Gillan, Dominic Grieve and David Lidington will all be expecting their few remaining supporters to go knocking on doors promoting their pro-HS2 Prime Minister’s Tory manifesto. After all the broken promises over HS2 and immigration/housing/planning policies since 2010, that will surely be the final insult to the dwindling band of Conservative members locally, who in Chesham & Amersham Chairman Cllr Andrew Garnett’s words haven’t yet “fallen off a cliff.”

It’s clear that come the next General Election anti-HS2 UKIP MP candidates will stand a very good chance of being elected up and down the country. Having won the Euro elections, there is the realistic probability of UKIP at least holding the balance of power after 7th May. While the legal challenges to HS2 have sadly fallen like skittles, HS2 is by no means a done deal. We urge Cllrs Stannard, Harker and Burns-Green and other like-minded Conservatives to join UKIP, to stand for our anti HS2 party at the next Chiltern District elections in 2015 and to finally send that anti-HS2 political “statement” to their arrogant out of touch leader. Even if they don’t, if you want change then be part of making it happen: join us, be a local councillor candidate for us and vote for us. – Cllr Chris Adams, Aylesbury Prospective Parliamentary Candidate UKIP; Cllr David Meacock, Wycombe Prospective Parliamentary Candidate UKIP; Tim Scott Beaconsfield Prospective Parliamentary Candidate UKIP; Cllr. Alan Stevens Chesham & Amersham Prospective Parliamentary Candidate UKIP