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Detailed response from Fabian Hamilton
- Keep The NHS Public
The most important issue for UK NHS provision is that quality service is readily available to all British citizens at no cost to them when they need to use medical services. Fabian opposes in principle the strategic, long-term use of private sector organisations to supply basic hospital and health care provision. Such services, such as hospitals, should be expertly managed and efficiently organised through state agencies in order to ensure that no revenue is diverted away from service provision towards profits. Fabian is not opposed to the NHS purchasing interim service provision (for example from private sector hospitals) to cope with bottlenecks and unacceptable waiting times within the NHS but this should only be a stop-gap while state provision is improved. - Vote Against TTIP
TTIP is a complex issue. While recognising the desirability in expanding trade across the world, Fabian is adamant that such treaties must NOT take away the sovereignty of national governments. There can be no legal threat from any multinational companies or countries against a government decision to exclude a sector from competition. For example, the UK must be free to offer health provision as a state organised service as long as it wishes to do so. Similarly the UK must retain all rights to regulate enterprise, imposing for example employment, environmental and safety standards that may be higher than elsewhere and thus seen by some as a barrier to profitability or competition. Specifically, if a government wishes to have a state involvement or monopoly of provision in any sector, (e.g. health, transport, welfare & housing), no trade agreement must ever be allowed to threaten this. - Fair Asylum Decisions
Fabian has long and direct experience through his casework of the unacceptable wait for asylum decisions from the Home Office and the injustice of many of them. He fully supports this initiative but recognises that government cuts to Home Office personnel and the general pressure of work linked to the issue of passports and visas have contributed to the present situation. - Trident Replacement
Fabian has over many years consistently opposed the retention of the British nuclear ‘deterrent’ by successive UK governments and has always voted against his own party whips on this issue. He will continue to oppose the renewal of Trident. - Climate Change
Fabian is fully committed to measures that restrict and subsequently reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. This is an issue where the UK can only make a relatively small contribution to the challenge facing the whole world. In seeking to ensure that the UK plays its part in securing carbon neutrality and reduction, Fabian calls for increased investment and research into the application of technologies which can enable carbon consumption to be reduced without threatening the economic prosperity or way of life of our citizens. - Housing And Rents
Over a period of many years Fabian has called for a true revolution in the construction of new housing, and particularly social housing, that can be used by councils to alleviate the tide of homelessness that they confront. Fabian will shortly be publishing his own research study calling for: greatly increased social housing construction, a National Housing Investment Bank, regional Public Housing Authorities and an end to the ‘Right to Buy’ for newly constructed social housing. Fabian calls for housing construction to take place on brown field sites wherever possible. Within new council developments, a very small proportion of homes could be available for sale to the relatives of tenants seeking to support family members and thus to reinforce the social fabric within those communities. Restrictions on their resale would apply. - Robin Hood Tax
Fabian has always supported and continues to support this proposal. - Benefit Sanctions
In his work with constituents, Fabian has come across many examples of benefits sanctions causing great cruelty and hardship. He thinks that it has been a target driven culture within relevant agencies that has led to cuts without compassion and has lead to distress and hardship among people unable to restructure their personal lives without guidance and support. Fabian recognises that people must take responsibility for their personal well-being and that the state needs to be protected from individuals who seek to abuse the system. However, those officials responsible for ensuring there is no abuse must use benefits ‘sanctions’ only as a last resort when guidance and support has been refused or ignored. - Fracking Ban
Given the current world availability of crude oil that can be extracted by conventional methods, (including the recently announced discovery of large scale deposits in the Weald of Kent), Fabian sees no need for the introduction of fracking for oil and gas extraction in the UK. He also strongly believes that we need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and increase provision of renewable energy sources. - Arms Embargo Against Israel
Fabian perceives this question to be an expression of extreme bias against the State of Israel, wrapped up in issues surrounding the general morality of supplying arms to governments and organisations world-wide. There are many governments and organisations across world that have been supplied with weapons from the UK. Many of these governments have used them to repress opposition and minorities yet these are not included in the question. The Fair Ten challenge makes no reference to the armed provocation of Hamas in Gaza that has blatantly launched hundreds of largely uncontrollable rockets at random against Jewish settlements and centres of population in Israel and undertaken armed incursion through tunnels. Many of the rockets were fabricated from materials (such as sewer pipes) supplied to Gaza for reconstruction and which were stored under sites such as schools and hospitals.Fabian condemns unequivocally violence and terrorism used to prosecute political ambition. The dream of a two state solution for Israel and Palestine will come no closer to reality in the context of blinkered one-side criticism of Israel and unilaterally applied sanctions. Furthermore, those who call for sanctions against Israel never mention the repression of minorities in, for example, China and Saudi Arabia or call for sanctions and arms embargoes against those countries.
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Detailed response from Emma Carter
- The NHS.
The NHS reinstatement bill is something the Green Party wholeheartedly supports and it is something I would get behind if I were elected. - TTIP.
TTIP is a frightening and dangerous agreement which has serious ramifications for the UK. It is paramount that this treaty is blocked and our Green MEPs in the European Parliament are working hard on this as well as our candidates spreading the anti-TTIP message in Leeds. - Fair Asylum Decisions.
YES - Trident Replacement.
Trident is wholly unnecessary and dangerous. As a long time supporter and member of CND I wholeheartedly oppose Trident renewal.
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Detailed response from Celia Foote
- The NHS.
In addition to review the ongoing costs of PPI/PFI built hospitals. - TTIP.
It has nothing to do with Trade and everything to do with removing anything that stands in the way of Corporate dictatorship. - Fair Asylum Decisions.
YES and have the system run by the public sector with elected members accountable for how the system operates. - Trident Replacement.
Even if not elected I will be demanding that Trident is not replaced. - Climate Change.
Only a public sector could address these issues, the free market has caused the problem and will perpetuate it. - Housing And Rents.
Asset stripping social housing provision has directly lead to the creation of great wealth for property speculators and misery for millions. The ongoing housing shortage preserves the value of the private sector property market. - Robin Hood Tax.
Why is this not featuring in the manifestos of every party? - Benefit Sanctions.
A pernicious attack on the vulnerable in society making in order to reduce the contribution made by the wealthy to the public purse. - Fracking.
Fracking is completey the wrong direction of activity for addressing our energy needs - Arms Embargo Against Israel.
Palestinians are being sacrificed in order that western powers have a strong arm in the middle east.
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Detailed response from Simon Wilson
- The NHS.
YES/NO [sic] We need to take the politics out of the NHS and have a sensible debate about the future of healthcare provision in the UK so that the NHS can best serve and support everyone’s needs now and in the future. The NHS will always be free at the point of delivery under the Conservatives. - TTIP.
I disagree with the premise that TTIP is a threat; I believe it offers opportunities for UK companies. TTIP will not open NHS up to foreign competition - Fair Asylum Decisions.
YES - Trident Replacement.
I believe in an increasingly unstable global situation, with at least nine states having nuclear weapons, that the UK needs this deterrent. I pray that it is never put into action. The £100 billion cost is over its 25 year life and equates to about 6% of defence spending - Climate Change.
The UK is responsible for 1.4% of global carbon emissions and the major polluters – China, India, Russia, USA – must do their share of heavy lifting to address this problem - Housing And Rents.
YES/NO [sic] These are too complex questions for a simple yes or no answer. Private sector rents are not soaring, and Labour’s proposed rent controls will have the opposite effect. We have committed to building 200,000 new starter homes in the next parliament. - Robin Hood Tax.
NO - End Benefit Sanctions.
NO - Fracking ban.
NO We need to understand more about the potential benefits and risks of fracking - Arms Embargo Against Israel.
Solution to Middle East conflict requires all sides to want to fully participate in the process to arrive at a two state solution.
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A bit more detail from Aqila Choudhry
Question 1, The NHS.
YES. Liberal Democrats are committed to investing £8 Billion a year that is needed until 2020. We will invest in mental health and introduce waiting time targets for accessing mental health services.
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