Following his success at the Open Primary, John Glen, along with the candidates of the Labour and Liberal parties has answered another set of questions, this time mainly put forward by local users of Twitter
The ‘Election 2010′ Q and A with John Glen is at: John Glen, Conservative candidate – Q and A
This is a slight departure for the website. I’m pleased that all of the candidates for the Conservative nomination to be Salisbury’s next Member of Parliament have agreed to do answer a set of questions.
The first one to do so is John Glen. John’s introduction on the party website says that:
My experience in business and as a magistrate when combined with Salisbury family roots and a rural Wiltshire upbringing means I will connect with local Salisbury people. As a former Senior Adviser to William Hague MP I know how Westminster works. I would be a powerful advocate for Salisbury in Parliament.
Why do you want to represent Salisbury?
I grew up in Wiltshire and my mother was born in Salisbury, my grandparents met and married in Salisbury and my grandfather served in Salisbury City Police during the war. My great-grandfather ran the gas works in the City too. So I have deep roots in the City and surrounding countryside where many of my family’s friends still live and farm. I am passionate about the interests of the area. I know Salisbury, Downton and Amesbury well and I regard this patch of England as my home. It would be a privilege and honour to come home to Salisbury and use my political experience to fight for the City in Parliament.
What would you most like to change in Salisbury?
Salisbury is a beautiful city and we are privileged to live here, it has a very balanced economy and is a very pleasant place to live. We have great schools, a well respected hospital and the Cathedral is an iconic building for us all to enjoy. The challenges lie not so much in the present but in the future. I am concerned about pressure to build too many new homes in the area, congestion on the main roads into the city and I am concerned to see that all our children have great opportunities to reach their potential at school and beyond. I also care passionately for the vulnerable – by that I mean those who are suffering mental, physical or emotional traumas. Like our outstanding retiring MP Robert Key I want to be an MP who brings warmth, compassion and kindness to all I encounter. Politicians need to be accessible to all people – from the Lord of the Manor to the dejected and impoverished. That is the sort of Member of Parliament I aim to be.
How would you encourage more business and jobs into the area?
Salisbury is well placed – we need to improve the speed of access to the City’s city centre but we also need to recognise that our strategic location for retailing and as a centre for the defence industry in the UK can be developed. Spin-off jobs from the defence industry and the opportunities tourism gives us can always be extended. The importance of the insurance industry to the town is also something we need to work to secure on in the years ahead.
What do you think of the plans for the Market Place?
I have had an initial discussion of the Salisbury Vision plans and I think they represent an exciting opportunity for the City. Further work needs to be done over the coming weeks to work out the practical details for how to implement the plans. However the plans for The Maltings & central car park and the Churchfields Industrial Estate should be the priority and they must take proper account of the concerns of existing businesses and shoppers. Instinctively I like the plans for the Marketplace. I realise there has been some controversy over different designs in the past and again all change must be well managed. I have been visiting Salisbury market all my life. I think it is critical that this tradition of the Salisbury market is maintained whatever improvements are made around it.
And the plans for Stonehenge?
Investment in our World Heritage site at Stonehenge is welcome. However, as with all tourism the needs and concerns of local residents who will be here long after the tourists have gone home must be taken account of and acted upon. It was good to hear that Wiltshire Council’s planning committee approved plans for the new visitor centre last week. We must now ensure that disruption to the busy A303 and A344 is minimised.
How could the transport links in and out of the city be improved? What should take priority – road or rail?
There is currently a very good train service to and from Salisbury; compared to many lines I have used in the past it is reliable and not as expensive as some. We could do to have wifi on the trains to assist commuters and the parking provision could be enhanced. However, developing the efficiency of our road systems is important. Salisbury lies in the middle of a rural area and therefore people need cars to go about their daily life . Recent expansion of the “park and ride” schemes is useful but for me the priority is to improve road usage to make congestion less of a problem.
Which previous Conservative leader do you most admire? Why?
Margaret Thatcher was our finest Prime Minister but of those who have not made it to PM William Hague is a man of enormous talent and political skill; he became leader at the premature age of 36 and faced a horrendous task in the high tide of Blairism in 1997-2001. Since then he has written two world class books and has become the elder statesman of our party before he is 50! William is the Leader I respect most and I believe he will be a superb Foreign Secretary.
What’s been the worst failure of the Labour government
Tony Blair inherited, in his own Chief Economic Adviser’s words “a golden economic legacy” from John Major’s outgoing administration; today we have the largest public finances crisis in centuries. Sadly, as with so many Labour government’s they spend too much and they spend unwisely. Many will feel that Gordon Brown’s early plundering of tax relief on Pension Funds has and continues to cost the elderly dearly. However taken over their 13 years Labour’s failure to encourage individuals and communities to take responsibility for their lives will be their biggest failure. By feeding a dependency culture many of our young people don’t look to their own resources but to the State for support. This is not healthy and it does our society no favours. This is what I think will be see as the biggest failure of the Blair/Brown years.
What has been the most significant achievement by the Labour government?
Gordon Brown has provided leadership on the world stage when it comes to alleviating poverty in the developing world. For this he deserves our respect.
Should we have a referendum ‘about Europe’? When? What question should be asked?
I am very unhappy with the situation we are in with respect to Europe. A future Conservative Government will never allow fundamental elements of our Constitution to be traded away in Brussels. Unfortunately, a Referendum now is not possible as the Lisbon Treaty has now been enacted. However, any future proposed changes would face a Referendum; the wording would depend on what the proposals on the table at the time.
Would you maintain the minimum wage?
Yes. We made a mistake opposing this policy in the past. We have corrected it and it is now party policy and has been for several years.
What are the advantages and/or disadvtantages of ‘Open Primaries’?
The great advantage is that it gives all the people of a constituency the opportunity to be involved in the selection process; it allows those who are fed up with politics to re-engage directly and ask questions of the people who otherwise they would not be able to scrutinise. On the down side the risk is that by having six candidates the process takes at least 4 hours which is a big slice out of people’s Sunday afternoon!
Would you support Proportional Representation?
No because it usually results to weak government with small parties having disproportionate influence as they seek to tie up deals with other party leaders. So the net result is the voters suffer and it does not reflect their will. The “first past the post” system we currently operate may not be perfect but it my opinion is the best one available.
Is ‘big business’ spoiling football? Should the government be more involved?
All sport is big business today and it is hard to see how some footballers justify their salaries. However, it is normally not the role of government to intervene in industry. As long as there is a market for the entertainment football offers and people are prepared to pay to watch it then it will continue in the way it does.
What is your favourite:
- piece of music - Handel’s Messiah
- film – Goodbye Mr Chips (1939 version)
- book – The Heavenly Man
- view of the Cathedral – from my front door at the moment in St Ann St, Salisbury
John’s website is: John Glen
He’s also on Twitter at: John Glen on Twitter
I’m afraid I won’t accept comments on any of these political postings. The main reason for this is that there isn’t now time for the candidates to reply. If you do want to take something up with any of them, I’d suggest either the candidate’s own website or the meeting on Sunday 31st. Sorry.
