Election addresses for next Thursday's bye-election are being delivered to every home by Royal Mail.

If you can't wait, or have mislaid your copy you can download one by clicking on the "downloads" link to the left, where you can also download a poster to print out for your window.

A bit by George Hallam about why you should or should not vote for him...

My campaign manager thinks that people in Feltham and Heston should know more about me. That’s fair enough but I’m hardly the best person to tell them. After all who judges a man by his opinion of himself?

What I say about myself

I am 64. I worked in British industry when it still existed. For the last 21 years I have worked as a lecturer in a university economics department. Since September last year I have worked part-time.

I am married with a teenage daughter who has just left home to start her first year at university (thus escaping the swingeing increase in fees).

What people say about me

“Not honest enough to come from the North, not polite enough to come from the South: he must be from Birmingham” True, I am from Birmingham. “He likes to hear the sound of his own voice.” – lots of people have said this. I prefer to think of myself as someone who has some things worth saying.

Colleagues:

“George is too committed to his own views, thought at least he has some views” A fair comment, I change my views when the facts of the case change, not when the fashion changes.

“You can talk to George about practically any subject under the sun and he’ll have something interesting to say. He’s not narrow in his outlook, unlike a lot of academics.” A very generous comment. I’ve read a lot and listened to some very interesting people. And I’ve got a good memory for facts and ideas.

“George gives freely of his time to students” my line manager. Talking with students is the best part of my job.

“George never reads his emails” It’s not true I do read emails, it’s just that I try to be economical with my time. People in large organisations spend far too much time reading and writing emails, they are a snare and a delusion.

“He doesn’t stab people in the back, as far as I know” No comment.

What is important

Politics is about policies not personalities.

I understand how the economies work and why they don’t work. More importantly, I understand what needs to be done to fix the British economy.

It doesn’t involve cuts and privatisation. It require us to be firm with those who think that taxes are only for little people. It does mean that we must rebuild manufacturing industry. It also means facing up to the fact that this wouldn’t happen without large-scale investment. That will require state intervention.

I may or may not be a nice person. But I’m only asking you to vote for me, not marry me. I like to think I have the guts and determination to carry through this programme.