Yahoo News "Get a GP appointment? You'd get to Mars sooner": Frustration and apathy in a Stockport suburb
There's frustration in the air as the Manchester Evening News visits the Cheadle constituency to ask people about the upcoming general election. With three weeks to go, many seemed weary, with eyes rolled and mutterings of 'they're all the same'.
For Steve, 71, a self-described 'Labour man', his priority is simple: "For politicians to be truthful. You wouldn't think it would be very difficult."
"I want everything to be alright for the youngsters of today - to make sure they have a future instead of just false promises", Steve's partner Dale, 69, adds.
READ MORE: 'It's all bit of a shambles': Disillusionment on the streets of Manchester city centre
That word - 'false' - came up more than once through the course of the day, often when the M.E.N. asked residents to describe Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
"False," Steve said. "I think he's struggling. I think he made a big mistake calling a general election."
The word was also used by Kelly, 30, a Stockport resident visiting Cheadle to inspect the charity shop rails. "I think he's a bullsh****r," she says. "False promises. He's gonna do this and he's gonna do that... and every time it comes to the election, he's always got an excuse.
"He's always got an answer, I'll give him that. I just don't agree that it's always the right one." Kelly, an Irish native who's lived over here for 15 years. said her main grievance was Brexit, adding: "The amount of paperwork I've had to submit to get my visa has been an absolute joke."
Down the high street outside HiTech Computers, Pawel cites 'community integration'; traffic; and transport as the issues he's most concerned about.
"The HS2 project is an absolute failer," he added. "It would have brought a lot of money into the region, but it's been scrapped, and it's a massive shame."
"The money that's been given [to] local projects is an absolute joke. It's being spent on the cycle lanes that go to nowhere."
Dave, who works in the village, says his priority is making the economy fairer. "Taking stuff away from people at the top and giving it back to the bottom for things like social care... higher tax for the rich and lower taxes for working-class people", he adds.
Meanwhile Sol, the owner of Jas Jas Jas, a beloved Lebanese café and stalwart of Cheadle's restaurant scene, says his main concerns were the NHS and finding staff for his restaurant. "You can't find staff, you can't see a doctor, the NHS is on his knees", he said.
"My business isn't affected, we are very busy, thank God. But we can't get the staff - only people who can work 16 hours a week, which isn't enough. Getting an appointment anywhere is impossible. You'll get to Mars before you get one."
Ahead of the upcoming General Election on July 4th, we are leading a country-wide, video-led mass vox pop dubbed '5000 Voices'.
M.E.N. reporters will be visiting towns across the region to canvass local opinion on the issues of the day that are deciding how they'll vote.
You can watch the full answers and questions from the media above.
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