In the run up to this year’s general election we wanted to find out a bit more about some of our local candidates and share with you what they had to say. Marc Goacher of the Green Party kindly agreed to speak to us. Here’s what he had to say. If you wish, you can ask him and the party more questions on their Facebook Page, Twitter or Website
What’s your view of the UK as part of the outside world? Do you think that we’re best off in the EU and if so why?
Clearly the future of the planet is an international issue rather than a national one. Key issues such as global warming are only going to be solved on an international basis. As far as the EU is concerned we need to stay in and use its institutions to achieve ecological goals. However the EU needs to end its obsession with free trade and move towards promoting small-scale localised production.
A lot of our towns are so polluted due to exhaust fumes and various other sources that it’s at times nauseating. What would your party do to remedy this?
The short answer is promote more cycling and walking via improved cycle lanes and better pedestrian crossings. Also reduce car use by promoting more car-share schemes and investing in public transport. We would re-nationalise the railways and cut fares. Buses need to be more fully regulated.
Did you go to university? If so, did you have to pay tuition fees and did you receive a grant? What’s your view on charging tuition fees as they are currently?
I received a full grant to go to Lancaster University in the 1980s. At the end of the three years I emerged with no debt and £600 still in the bank. I am completely opposed to tuition fees as they are unfair to the current generation of students. The only reason that they have been introduced and increased is because the grey parties believe that the 18-24 age group are less likely to vote than the older generations. Fees should be replaced with either a graduate tax on all who went to uni or a general increase in income tax.
A lot of younger voters often feel patronised or overlooked completely, which of your parties policies do you feel benefit young people and why?
Abolishing tuition fees, cracking down on zero-hours contracts, raising the minimum wage, capping rents and introducing a universal citizens’ income all benefit young people directly in the economic sense. Then more widely, saving our countryside , our wildlife and our planet for future generations in the broader long-term sense.
It’s been an issue in recent years that venues have been shut down because people have moved to new homes near existing venues, been nuisanced by something which has been there far longer than they have, and got the licensed removed. A lot of people feel strongly about this; a petition calling for more safeguarding to be put in place was launched last year has been signed by many, yet the response was overwhelmingly negative. This is an important issue to us as the closing of venues, be it for this reason or because the Crossrail is engulfing large parts of London, is ruining our arts and culture. It’s taking away a place where talent is nurtured and if this pattern continues new, interesting, acts will cease to exist. Would you do anything to help reverse this problem?
Yes. While the Green Party believes in enhancing public transport it does not mean expanding it purely at the behest of big business and at the expense of the environment and culture. I am well aware that the Astoria went for example. I would be in favour of strengthening the planning laws to safeguard key venues and also loosening up the rules brought in during the 1990s which stifled many small music venues with unnecessary regulations.
Prime Ministers questions have made a mockery of the political system in recent years, like watching an amateur rap battle – how would you work to change this to make it a useful debate rather than just throwing insults back and forth and avoiding answering questions?
Unfortunately I don’t see how this can be easily changed other than by removing the tv cameras. The reason it is like this is because both sides ‘play up’ to the cameras with soundbites and cheap shots. However people like to watch it and would resent the removal of the cameras. I think it is something that we have to put up with.
A minimum turnout for strike ballots has been proposed recently – do you think this is fair? If we need a minimum turnout for a strike should we not also have minimum turnouts for all elections and referendums?
No it isn’t fair. It is an attack on democracy. The point you make in your question about other elections is totally valid. The only reason it has been proposed is so that the government can downgrade the quality of our public services unopposed by strike action.
House prices are still rising yet salaries generally aren’t – young professionals can only dream about home ownership while giving money every month to landlords – do you think anything should be done about this? What would you propose?
I would propose getting away from this idea that everyone needs to get on ‘the housing ladder’ ie own a house. What everyone needs is an affordable home. I would cap rents, force landlords to maintain their properties properly and use general taxation to fund the purchase, by local councils, of more rental properties so that they become social housing.
The NHS appears to be struggling these days and is most likely underfunded – how would you go about resolving the issues the NHS faces or do you believe we’d be better off moving to a system based around private medical insurance?
Private medical insurance? I would recommend that anyone who thinks that this may be a preferable system to the NHS watches Michael Moore’s film “Sicko”. The US system leaves millions with no healthcare at all and then those who can afford the insurance premiums get screwed over when the companies exploit minor clauses not to pay out. I would keep the NHS and fund it by putting income tax up.
What’s your opinion on tax money being used to fund arts?
I support it, along with other funding mechanisms such as the national lottery. However the arts funded should be broad based and pitched at different sections of the community not just ‘high art’ (if such a thing exists).
Do you think that it’s right to subsidise more efficient and less pollutant cars?
Yes.
Some have suggested that after a certain age driving tests should have to be repeated frequently to ensure no deterioration in ability – is this something you think should happen?
Yes.
What is your view on renewable energy? Should we push for more renewable sources? What is your view of nuclear energy?
Absolutely we need more renewable energy. Climate change is one of the greatest issues that the world faces. Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850. Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss. Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana’s Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910.
Regarding nuclear energy I remain unconvinced however we may need to consider it. However nuclear waste remains a massive stumbling block. The bottom line is that the world will need to use less energy.
Did your parents buy you a car when you were in your teens or early twenties?
Neither of my parents drove a car and neither do I.
Did you have a part time job during A-levels and/or Uni?
No. At uni I received a full grant and didn’t need a job. How times have changed. If I was young in this decade I’d be more of an angry young man than I was back in the day.
Have you ever held a minimum wage job before going into politics?
No. I worked in an office job for the NHS for nine months and then went into teaching.
Outside of politics, what do you do?
Read books, volunteer for Outhouse East, an LGBT charity, and listen to music.
For people who are reluctant to vote, for whatever reason, why should they take part in the General Election?
Because your vote is the only weapon that the politicians truly listen to. You have the power to put them out of a job. I get fed up with people like Russell Brand who tell people not to vote because ‘they’re all a bunch of liars on the make’ etc. If you don’t vote then the politicians will make policy in the interests of those who do. Why do you think that Mr Cameron wants the benefits of the over 65s to be protected, while cutting housing benefit for the under 25s? Its because he believes that the under 25 demographic are less likely to vote and the over 65 demographic vote in the highest proportions. If you give up on politics then the politicians will give up on you.
Why should they vote for you?
Because I am not in this for a career. I am not interested in being a paid ‘adviser’ to any business either and taking cash for questions. I am in this because I want to defend our countryside and wildlife, expose the myth that we need austerity, fight for more ecological and cleaner transport and represent my constituents.
If you could only listen to 5 albums for the rest of your life, which albums would they be?
This changes but currently my choice would be:
1) “Hatful of Hollow” The Smiths
2) “Hunky Dory” David Bowie
3) “Liege & Lief” Fairport Convention
4) “Rehearsals For Retirement” Phil Ochs
5) “Caravan Tonight” Steven Grossman
Which film, released in the last year, would you award ‘Best film’ if you were to curate this year’s Oscars?
Pass. I tend to watch old films.
Do you ever attend live music? If so, what was the last gig you went to?
The last one was a free ‘Oxjam’ charity event in Colchester’s Castle park. I did go to some of the big events in the 80s & 90s , Reading Festival etc. However my music taste is mostly pre-2000. I lost interest in the music scene around then.
Do you play video games? If so, which game are you currently playing?
No I don’t.
Are there any TV shows you just can’t miss? Or any shows you’re upset have been cancelled?
I watch Doctor Who and Corrie regularly. I enjoyed Wolf Hall. I was annoyed that they cancelled Survivors after only two seasons, even though I prefer the 1970s version. I mostly watch cult tv from the 60s-80s on DVD.
Local issues
What’s your party’s view of the park and ride? What do you think is essential to see it succeed and what would you do to help facilitate this?
I am basically in favour but would need to know how far it will impact on car use in general on the roads leading towards Colchester.
The pedestrian crossing on the Avenue of Remembrance is planned to be removed. It provides an essential crossing for commuters from the West and South of the town and a well-used route for the school and sixth form. Removing this will do very little to remove congestion (the road is congested even when the lights are green and no one is around) but will force pedestrians to detour a considerable distance (or cross the road in an unsafe manner) – what’s your opinion on the crossing?
It should stay where it is. Removing it risks a serious accident as people will try to cut across there anyway.
There’s a general sense of unease around Colchester due to perceived crime rates – this hasn’t been helped by the lights being turned off. What’s your take on the lighting in town?
I don’t think that the lights being turned off is a major problem. The problem is that there is not enough investment in the police to match the massive expansion of the town.
What would you do to eitherr reduce crime/increase the amount of charges made relating to crimes/improve public perception of crime?
Invest in more police and reduce the socio-economic causes of some crime via the provision of a universal citizens’ income and more schemes to prevent re offending such as teaching prisoners how to read and write and some basic job skills.
What is your view of the Firstsite Gallery? What would you want to change in that area?
It would be unfortunate if Firstsite closed and was sold off to private developers. Colchester needs more affordable entertainment and leisure facilities and whatever we may think of the modern design of the building, which in my case is not much, the reality is that it now exists and we need to make the best of it. It should not be sold off. However it is more than a bit rich for the Arts Council to now be criticising the management of the venue when they themselves played a lead role in the ill conceived nature of the whole project. To put it bluntly, Firstsite was a daft idea in the first place and its current problems were as predictable as night following day. The main problem was the insistence by the Arts Council that the centre focus on modern art to the exclusion of all other eras/styles of art bar the roman mosaic. Any fool could see that there was not the demand in Colchester for a gallery of that size devoted to just modernist artistic exhibits. Yes there was a demand for a modern art venue but not on that scale or size. It could never be financially viable.
If Firstsite is to work it has to get people in through the door. Its as simple as that. Berating people for not appreciating the cultural worth of modern art in large enough numbers won’t work. Sticking heads in the sand and pretending that the venue is indeed a much used ‘vibrant hub’ won’t work either. It has to provide exhibits, activities and entertainment that a wide range of the public want to see.
1) The rule about only focusing on modern art will need to go.
2) Firstsite needs to continue to reach out to schools and colleges.
3) Firstsite needs to celebrate Colchester’s history and heritage.
4) The auditorium needs to show films more people want to see.
5) The catering facilities at Firstsite need to be affordable.
Knife crime is on the rise locally and criminals appear to be becoming more brazen – even the town centre isn’t a safe area, even during the day – what would you do to get a handle on knife crime?
Argue for a knife amnesty. Use my influence to try and get more police out there on the streets.
7bitarcade - Archive 