What do you plan to do in order to make sure you remain ‘in touch’ with the electorate?

One thing I believe in is that the MP should be one of the people and should be accessible to the electorate. One way of ensuring this would be to hold surgeries in and around the constituency in more accessible and less formal settings and if elected I would hold mine in pubs, at car boot sales and in shopping malls and markets.

What makes you the best candidate for this constituency?

Only an Independent can back a good idea and conversely oppose a bad one, whichever side of the house it comes from. All the other candidates who belong to a party must follow their party line.

What has the current member achieved that you believe has been successful?

I believe John Glen MP has achieved a lot in his first term of office and has been a good approachable constituency MP. However I do not agree with many of the policies of his party and would not have backed them.

In your opinion, is austerity working? What should we take from the state of the economy during this Government’s tenure?

I am vehemently opposed to the austerity measures brought in by this Government designed, as I see it, to claw back money from those who can least afford it, in order to prop up those who least need it.

Does legal immigration need more limitations or is it vital for the UK?

We could not have this conversation (in English) were it not for Norman French. Angle, Saxon. Jute, Hindu, High German, Latin, Greek or all the other myriad of languages that through past waves of immigration go up to make the vast tapestry that we call English and the peoples of these Isles. We should not limit ourselves or our organically changing culture to one of an insular nature.

Many people are concerned with the cost of living in the UK, with wages having failed to rise in line with the price of food, energy and rent in recent years. How can this be corrected?

Quite simply there has to be an increase in the minimum wage. In the retail sector this increase cannot and should not be passed on to the consumer.

How would you like to see the NHS change in the future in order to become more successful?

I would like to see an end to ‘target led’ management and the monies being spent on layer after layer of Bureaucracy and middle management, monies that could and should be better spent on clinical care and nursing.

If an EU Referendum were to take place, how would you encourage your constituents to vote and why?

I would not encourage them either way, that is the whole point of holding a referendum to see what is the wishes of the people, and then hopefully to act on it.