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. Stuart Adair of UKIP 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 better off in the EU and if so why?
I could write a book on this one question alone. However, I’ll restrain myself. The reality of Britain in 2015 is that we live in a sham-democracy. Yes, it has all the hallmarks of a democratic country but when you scratch the surface something far uglier becomes apparent. 75% of our new laws are made outside of our democratic control by commissioners none of us ever elected. Nobody in Britain ever asked to be part of a political union with Europe yet successive governments have taken us further and further into full integration with the EU. I have absolutely no doubt that we are staring down the precipice of a fully blown EU state in which Britain will be nothing more than a province. I believe that Britain can and should exist to serve the citizens of this country, not to serve the citizens of Europe. I want to return to a free trade arrangement with Europe where British and European people can buy and sell goods from each other free of political union. Six of the top ten exporters to the EU are not part of the political union and this includes China, Canada and the USA so being able to trade with Europe outside the political union is nothing new. The EU costs you and I £55M per day in membership fees which is an amount difficult to comprehend. To put it in perspective, its equivalent to every constituency in the country being given £266,000 every single week to spend on local services – Now, where would you rather see the money spent? How would that money invested locally make a difference to you? The eminent economist Professor Tim Congdon CBE produces a report annually which measures the financial impact of the EU. In 2015 he estimates it to be 11.4% of our GDP which will be lost through financial contributions and over regulation of British business. http://www.timcongdon4ukip.com/docs/EU2014.pdf
How can any responsible British citizen stand back and allow this to happen?
Political union with the EU has brought us open-door immigration, a population explosion leading to more and more green-belt land being sold for housing needs. We have wage compression due to a limitless supply of low-skilled labour and a minimum wage that is, for many, a maximum wage. Only when we leave the EU will we be able to restore the basic sovereign right of any nation which is to control our borders. Yes, we will continue to welcome highly skilled individuals to Britain where and when we have the need managed by a points-based Australian-style immigration system. However, first and foremost we muse care for our own citizens and make sure they are prioritised for jobs.
Our forefathers fought in the first and second world wars with guns and tanks to preserve these Islands. Our struggle is with politics; it’s the fight of our generation.
Did you go to university? If so, did you have to pay tuition fees and/or did you receive a grant? How would you change the current tuition fee system?
No, I left school at 17 after starting ‘A’ levels in Computer studies and Physics and being thoroughly bored by the whole thing. I left school and started cleaning cars for £90 a week. Tuition fees are like a red-rag to a bull with me. I have four children. Number 2 Son is currently at GlosCol and coming to the end of a Btec in System Support. We went to see his tutor recently and were told that his grades are good enough to get into University but he isn’t able to go. We are not wealthy enough to send him there and are not prepared to have him starting his working life £30K in debt. If I stand for nothing else it’s to change this diabolical situation. It’s the responsibility of every government to educate the next generation and education should not be based upon how wealthy you are, but how skilled you are. I’m proud to say that UKIP had adopted a policy of fully funded University education for certain courses which will include, Maths, Sciences, IT and Medical Courses.
A lot of younger voters often feel patronised or overlooked completely, which of your parties policies do you feel specifically benefit young people and why?
Make no mistake, you are patronised and overlooked because you are not traditionally people who come out to vote. I recently heard a speech from Aaron Foot, the Chairman of Young Independence who reported an 83% increase in membership over the last year and the establishment of 24 UKIP Societies in Universities over that same period so we must be doing something right. Without a doubt it’s getting us out of the EU that will benefit young people the most. It will mean that we can restore border controls, we will have the money to fund University education for certain courses and will be able to prioritise young British people for British jobs. Leaving the EU will drive up wages and pave the way for young people to start realising their ambitions in life instead of fighting for years on minimum wage.
A lot of music venues are getting closed down to noise complaints from people who just moved to the area. Do you feel this is an issue? What solution would you propose?
I’m not sure of the specific cases so cannot comment in detail, however I will generalise because what you are saying in your question sounds like someone who moves under the Heathrow flightpath and then complains about the aircraft noise. Common sense is something that’s been sadly missing from politics for a long time. If we have the situation where a music venue is complying with all of its licences and a new neighbour starts complaining, knowing full and well that they we’re moving close to the venue then I would hope that local councils would not uphold the complaint. My solution would be to ensure clear guidelines are issued to all local councils on this matter.
Prime Ministers questions have made a mockery of the political system in recent years, like watching jeering school boys attempting to one up each other – how would you change the current system to turn it into a useful debate rather than an incessant insults throwing and question dodging?
There is absolutely no point in having PMQ in its current format. The questions are scripted, they are meaningless to many and demeaning to our democracy. I am embarrassed when I watch it. The advantage of having a real job for the past 20 years is I could deal with this as a Management issue, not a political one. I would suspend PMQ. Write a strict new set of guidelines which said that party whips are not allowed to instruct MP’s what questions to ask. All questions must be submitted in writing beforehand to the Speaker who will check them to ensure that they are in the best interests of the Country and not there to self-serve the PM. I would have a strict code of conduct; MP’s would have to be silent when questions are being asked and when responses are being given. An MP could stand to request permission from the Speaker to add their thoughts but if not called they must sit. Heckling, jeering and other forms of verbal abuse would have a zero-tolerance approach taken with members being excluded from the chamber. Exclusion would also carry a financial penalty of loss of one day’s pay as if an MP cannot attend the chamber then they cannot represent their constituents and do their job. Finally, before PMQ’s could start up again every MP would undergo training in the new processes and have to commit to follow them.
A minimum turnout for strike ballots has been proposed recently – do you think this is fair? If we need a minimum turnout for a ballot strike should we also have minimum turnouts for all elections and referendums?
Yes, I do think it’s fair that we have a minimum turnout for a stike ballot. I would never propose taking away the rights of people to withdraw their labour (With the exception of excluded professions) however striking should be action of last-resort with the support of a significant percentage of the workforce. Yes, I like the sound of minimum turnouts for elections; however I fear that in practice this won’t work. How would you deal with an election where there isn’t a high-enough turnout? Would you hold a further election until the turnout rose? Would all candidates be excluded and not allowed to stand again? And whilst this is going on who would govern. On second thoughts, we are already governed by the EU so perhaps that won’t be too much of an issue! Minimum elections turnouts is definitely an idea that I’d like to explore further.
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 – what do you think should be done about this? What would you propose?
In 1967 my Father-in-Law bought his first house for £2,500. He had to work 60 hours a week to pay his £12 per month mortgage. I bought my first house in 1994. It cost £39,000 and at the time I was on £3.00 per hour as a security guard. I worked 72 hours a week to pay my mortgage and feed my family. The point I’m trying to make here is that it’s always been hard to get on the housing ladder. However, previously we had the opportunity to increase our salaries and over the years it got easier to pay the mortgage. This situation will only improve when wages rise. Right now the minimum wage is the maximum wage for many. There is a limitless supply of labour meaning that companies can keep wages compressed. When we leave the EU and restore border controls wages will rise because competition in the job market will increase. This will mean more people will be able to afford their own homes and the rental market will normalise. However, it’s important to remember that it’s taken a generation to get in this mess and it’ll take just as long to get out. I fear that there are no quick-fixes to this issue. I know one thing though, the current solution proposed by the old, worn out parties of building more and more houses on green land is not a long term solution, it just kicks the ball further down the road.
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?
There are only four other organisations in the world larger than the NHS; Walmart, McDonalds, Indian Railways and The Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Now could you imagine any of those organisations having over 50% of their payroll going to pay Managers and Accountants? No, nor could I but that’s the ridiculous situation we have in the NHS. During the Labour Party years we saw a huge increase in back office staff at the expense of front line workers. We have to redress this balance. The curse of that Labour government still looms large thanks to them selling hospital buildings to private companies for profit in PFI deals. These cost us £1Bn every year and we must do all we can to get out of these contacts if possible. UKIP would plough a further £3Bn into the NHS every year but it would be only focused on front-line services. We would restore the State Enrolled Nurse and Matron roles and ensure training takes place on the wards, not in University. However, our biggest commitment to the NHS is that it will always remain free of charge for British Citizens, funded centrally through taxation. There will be no private health insurance under a UKIP government despite what Labour party propaganda would have you believe.
What’s your opinion on tax money being used to fund arts?
I don’t believe it’s the role of government to decide what is and isn’t art and apply funding accordingly. We would gradually move away from centrally funded grants and replace them with a system of tax-breaks and incentives for artistic endeavour. I believe that this would broaden the range of artistic output and encourage a wide range of diversity.
What is your view on renewable energy? Should we push for more renewable sources? What is your view of nuclear energy?
The current strategy of promoting wind and solar farms is flawed and exists for one reason, to make rich landowners even richer. Even if you were prepared to put up with the aesthetic aberrations that are wind-farms the unfortunate fact is that they don’t work. The only way that any scheme gets off the ground is because of the generous grants paid to developers and land owners. And where do you think that money comes from? You and I. We have an estimated 2.2 million British households now in fuel poverty due to ever increasing energy bills with over £18Billion per year added to our fuel bills. In December 2014 the Gloucestershire Echo carried that headline that 300 elderly people were expected to die that winter as they couldn’t heat their homes. EXPECTED TO DIE!! as if they were a consequential loss and not important. This is the product of our current energy policy. We should also consider the Labour policy of freezing fuel costs. Well assuming that the Labour party can take control of international energy prices and deliver this lets remember what how SSE funded this policy last year when they tried it out. £100M in investment was slashed and not spent in the British economy and 500 people were made redundant. Consider France and Germany. France pursued a policy of nuclear energy and now has energy bills that are over 20% cheaper than neighbouring Germany who filled their countryside with wind farms. Let me be clear though, I don’t like nuclear power stations any more than I like coal-fired power stations but until someone comes along and invents the ever-lasting battery it’s the best option we have.
Did your parents buy you a car when you were in your teens or early twenties?
No, I bought my own car when I was 16 and spent a year rebuilding it ready for when I was 17. Don’t get too excited because it was a 1969 Reliant Regal Van (Yes, Del-Boy style). I’ve always worked hard and bought my own cars – And spent many happy hours lying underneath them covered in oil. I managed to fund the restoration by working on neighbour’s cars.
Did you have a part time job during A-levels and/or Uni?
No, I left part way through my A levels after the revelation that I was not an academic and went cleaning cars.
Have you ever held a minimum wage job before going into politics?
My lowest paid job was £3 per hour working as a Security Guard. We had two children at the time and lived in one room in my Mother-in-Law’s house. I worked 72 hours a week to save enough to raise my first mortgage and haven’t stopped working hard ever since. Alas, I’ve never had any wealthy relatives to leave me a fortune.
Outside of politics, what do you do? What are you hobbies?
Politics is my hobby, it just so happens that I may be in the wonderful position to do my hobby for a living. You will also occasionally find me lying under a car as a keen amateur mechanic and I am a motorcyclist; a pastime I heartily recommend for anyone who just wants to get away from it all.
For people who are reluctant to vote, for whatever reason, why should they take part in the General Election?
Firstly I empathise with you. Left with the choice we have of the old, worn out parties all of whom will deliver this Country to the EU I’m not sure I’d bother voting myself. People don’t vote because there’s nothing in it for them. All I can say is give UKIP a chance. We are not career politicians or trained public speakers but just normal everyday folk who want to make a difference. Most of us have full-time normal jobs and are certainly not wealthy. We have families and have struggled for what we have. You have a chance during this election that you’ve never had before and that’s to vote for someone truly different from the rest. Please don’t waste that chance.
Which of your party’s policies do you hold most dear?
Without a doubt it’s to restore British Sovereignty by withdrawing from the EU. Are per my previous responses the benefits are many and varied and the negatives are zero.
In your opinion, what is the number one priority of your local constituency?
No hesitation on this one. It’s the NPPF which allows land developers to build whatever they want, wherever they want. Under the NPPF which was brought to us by the Lib Dems and Conservatives a land developer has presumed consent for building regardless of the wishes of local people. In Wood Stanway recently Bloor Homes applied to build a hotel in the heart of the village. 98% of the local people objected yet planning permission was allowed thanks to the NPPF. We have housing planning on green space right across this constituency and it matters nought what local people think. I want to give you the right to decide what happens in your community in a free and fair local referendum. It’s not ‘Nimbyism’ its local democracy.
Music and TV
If you could only listen to 5 albums for the rest of your life, which albums would they be?
I left this question to last…I think it’s been the hardest one you’ve asked me
Pink – Greatest Hits So Far: One of my favourite and contains my theme song. “Trouble” which has a wonderful lyric for the Lib Dems, Labour and Conservatives in Tewkesbury – “If you see me coming down the street you know it’s time to leave”
Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti – An album that harks back to my youth and features the song, “Bobby Brown” which had a brief extract on my favourite TV show Top Gear on the Burma Special.
Billy Connolly – Classic Connolly – I first bought this on a family holiday in Scotland and can still hear my children crying with laughter now at the ‘Jobbie Weecha’. I couldn’t go through life without listening to that again.
The Very Best of Dolly Parton – Just simply brilliant country music, every one a classic and eminently singable.
The Blues Brothers – Made in America: Released in December 1980 and the third Blues Brothers Album. This was the last to feature “Joliet” Jake Blues (John Belushi) and is just a brilliant mix of soul and blues.
Which film, released in the last year, would you awarded ‘Best film’ to if you could have curated this year’s Oscars?
As tempted as I am to say something really artistic and thoughtful I can’t tell a lie. Without a doubt it was ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ which made me laugh until my sides hurt.
Do you ever attend live music? If so, what was the last gig you went to?
Rarely, however the last concert I went to was a brilliant performance by Hayley Westenra at Cheltenham Town Hall. Simply stunning!
Do you play video games? If so, which game are you currently playing?
Ah now this is a subject of much discussion in the Adair household. I’ve just finished playing Descent 3 for the umpteenth time and am convinced that it’s the best game ever written; however I might concede that Red Faction comes a close second. My children laugh and tell me that I need to ‘get-with-the-times’ but I’m having none of it.
Are there any TV shows you just can’t miss? Or any shows you’re upset have been cancelled?
There’s only one show I actually set to record and that’s Top Gear, I’m an avid follower. Other than that I’m not really a TV watcher and instead you’re far more likely to find me getting information from the Internet.
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