WE MAY have our internal squabbles – but when under attack the great thing about the Isle of Wight is that we all pull together.

Nick Clegg has announced a plan to reduce the number of MPs and make constituency sizes more equal. That sounds grand in theory, but as usual the devil’s in the detail. If these fine-sounding plans are applied to the Isle of Wight the inevitable result is that one or more areas on the Island will be merged with one or more mainland constituencies.

Although everyone wants to hear both sides of an argument it is hard to find any serious commentator on the Island who thinks this is a good idea. Whichever way they carved the Island up it would be the rump of a mainland constituency, where the majority of its residents would live. It’s not hard to guess where the MP would base himself. For some, as yet to be properly explained, reason Scottish Islands have received an automatic exemption from the plans.

Whatever you think about Andrew Turner’s politics, the current MP for the Island lives in the centre of Newport, knows the Island inside out and reaches out beyond the Conservative Party to help any Islander who goes to him with a problem. Even people who disagree with his views rarely have a bad word to say about him as our MP.

He has pulled together the local Conservatives, Labour Party, LibDems and other organisations including our excellent Chamber of Commerce to oppose this daft plan. The OneWight campaign is working on a petition which will be presented to Parliament on 6th September. It was launched last week and has already achieved a high level of visibility. Petitions are appearing in shops all over the Island and people are beginning to see what these plans will mean. Our unique community would be divided and over 30,000 Islanders would be forced to vote with mainlanders.

The Gazette congratulates all involved for putting political differences aside and speaking up for the Island with a single voice. We fully recognise that it cannot be easy for Island LibDems to describe the unavoidable outcome of Mr Clegg’s plans as ‘un-natural and deeply silly’.

This is a cause that can unite the Island. Mr Turner’s strategy has worked before. The ‘Hands off our Hospital’ campaign in 2004 saved essential services at St Mary’s. We must put our differences aside and wish the campaigners well. The Gazette may be the new kid on the block, but we care about the Island and are proud to join the campaign to keep the Island united. We will step up to the mark and join the longer established Island media in saying strongly ‘One Wight. One Island, One MP’.

Please sign the petition form we have printed today and send it to Andrew Turner, or find out more and sign the petition on-line at www.onewight.org.uk

We have only one month to make sure the Island’s voice is heard loud and clear in Westminster.