Not a peep…
Despite repeated attempts to get hold of Andrea Jenkyns and Arnie Craven, so far they have not responded.
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Detailed response from Martin Hemingway
- The NHS.
The bill was introduced into Parliament by Caroline Lucas – and I would support her and it. I have no respect for David Owen so would not do it because his name was there, but support it completely in any case. - TTIP.
Absolute opposition not just to TTIP, but to the raft of similar trade agreements that are already in place and that are already being used by big business against democratically elected governments. See my blog on this – written a year or so ago: https://wordpress.com/post/37811863/27/ - Fair Asylum Decisions.
Our treatment of asylum seekers, especially when their claims have failed should be a cause of shame to a civilised community. Enough money to live on, closure of Yarls Wood, no detention of children, criminal pursuit of those sexually harassing female detainees – we need to show our respect for civil and human rights. - Trident Replacement.
Further Comments: Not really any needed – we are talking simple common sense here. - Climate Change.
Yes, of course. - Housing And Rents.
There are many reasons to support this goal, economic as well as social. House building generates employment, creates tax revenues and provides a social need. Provision of social housing will reduce rents, whether linked to private sector rent control or not, reduce house prices, reduce the amount paid in housing benefit and recycle it into the public purse rather than the accounts of private landlords. - Robin Hood Tax.
Further Comments: None needed - Benefit Sanctions.
The provision of benefits is to ensure that a minimum standard of income can be achieved. The solution lies (eventually) along the road of the Citizens income or Basic income, but in the short term we must prevent sanctions driven poverty affecting the lives and life chances of anyone. I notice that the bedroom tax did not make the cut for top 10 questions, but this also needs repeal - Fracking.
Yes, for the reasons you have stated – Keep it in the Ground. - Arms Embargo Against Israel
The repeated onslaught on, and isolation of, Gaza is just a part of the wrong done and being done to those in Palestine, the West Bank and Palestinians inside Israel itself. An arms embargo certainly, but within a wider programme of boycott, divestment and sanction such as worked against another apartheid state, South Africa.
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Detailed response from David Dews
It is UKIP policy that candidates should not sign up to any pre-election pledges or campaigns, whether we agree with them or not. However I can point to various parts of the UKIP election manifesto relevant to the questions which you ask. Where items are not specifically covered by the manifesto, I can give a personal view, but I would add that if elected I would try to represent the views of the electorate, and not just my own opinion, and would point out that the last time I heard, UKIP is not a “whipped” party.
- NHS.
UKIP is committed to keeping the NHS free at the point of delivery for UK citizens. - TTIP.
The details of TTIP negotiations are still unknown as they are being carried out in secret, but UKIP would oppose it if it did not specifically exclude the NHS. I believe that this should extend to other public services which might be affected. - Asylum.
UKIP would comply with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to Status of Refugees; speed up the asylum process with the appointment of additional staff, and seek to do so while tackling the log-jam in the system for those declined asylum status. We would continue to honour our obligations to bona fide asylum seekers. - Trident.
UKIP policy is in favour of keeping a Trident nuclear deterrent. - Climate Change.
UKIP believe that the science behind “Climate Change” is deeply flawed, and do not accept the idea that it is the greatest threat to our society. - Housing.
UKIP believe that the greatest problem with the housing market is the uncontrolled increase in demand caused by open borders to the rest of Europe. We want to stem that demand, and at the same time increase house building to 200,000 per year to relieve the pressure on the market, and thereby curb rising rents and house prices. The intention is to stop building on Green Belt, and instead focus on brownfield sites, if necessary helping to fund decontamination through savings made from withdrawal from the EU. We would also focus on bringing empty properties back into use. - Robin Hood Tax.
This tax is not specifically mentioned in the UKIP manifesto, and though I have heard arguments both for and against, my decision would depend on the actual proposals, including who would levy the tax. I have heard that this could be an EU tax whereby the use of the proceeds would not be determined by the UK. - Benefit Sanctions.
UKIP policy includes a lower cap on benefits and a crack-down on fraud, but it also proposes to scrap the “Bedroom Tax” and also scrap the ATOS-style Work Capability Assessments, returning the assessments to GPs. By removing the influx of unskilled workers into the country will help to raise wage levels, and it is proposed to raise the personal tax allowance to at least |£13,000pa, taking those on the minimum wage out of tax altogether. - Fracking.
The UKIP manifesto contains policies regarding energy to secure supplies at an economic cost, which include a diverse energy market including coal, nuclear, shale gas, geothermal, tidal, solar, hydro, conventional gas and oil, and support for the development of shale gas with proper safeguards for the local environment. - Israel.
UKIP would seek a peaceful two-state solution to the Palestinian problem. The question of an arms embargo is not specifically addressed, and personally, while seeing the Israel attack on Gaza as excessive, can understand the fear of a small state whose opponents are pledged to wipe them out. I would need to learn more details of the terms of the proposed embargo before reaching a decision.
I realise that all of these responses do not accord with your wishes, but believe that you would expect a straightforward expression of my views.
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Detailed response from Rebecca Taylor
- NHS Reinstatement Bill
NO, as unfortunately I haven’t had time to read this bill and I don’t agree to things I am not familiar with. I am however absolutely committed to maintaining the NHS as a publicly funded health service available to all, free at the point of use and based on need. The Liberal Democrats are the only party to commit to providing the NHS with the funding health service bosses say is needed and explain how this will be funded. We are also the only party to prioritise mental health. - TTIP.
NO. There is a lot of misinformation about TTIP in the public domain, for example, the EU trade commissioner has repeatedly confirmed that public services including our NHS are excluded from TTIP, yet some organisations keep saying that TTIP will allow large US healthcare companies to take over the NHS. TTIP has the potential to open up the huge US market to companies in Yorkshire, which will benefit SMEs in particular. I have spoken to SMEs in Yorkshire, which have tried to export to the U.S. and they have often struggled because they lack the resources and expertise that larger companies have. I therefore support TTIP conditionally ie only if UK/EU food, environmental and social standards are maintained, public services like the NHS remain excluded and a suitable solution to ISDS is found. - Fair Asylum Decisions.
YES. - No Trident Replacement.
YES. - Climate Change.
YES. The Liberal Democrats are the only major party committed to tackling climate change through one of our proposed five green laws, namely a Zero Carbon Britain Act. - Housing And Rents.
YES to some of these measures including: rent control through index linked rent rises within the duration of a lease (and introduction of five year leases), opposing the sell-off of council homes or housing association homes to the private sector, and investing in building more affordable decent social homes. In relation to getting absentee landlords to sell or let their houses to councils, I would certainly like to see this practice encouraged and made easy, but I cannot support to the expropriation of private property by the state except in extreme circumstances.
In addition, the Liberal Democrats will introduce deposit loans for first time renters, “rent to own” homes through housing associations and have committed to building 300,000 new homes a year. The Liberal Democrats in government stopped the Tories from scrapping housing benefit for the under 25s and we would oppose Labour (they have proposed this) or any other party from doing that. - Robin Hood Tax.
YES if a globally implemented measure. Otherwise, if it would only involve a few countries, then banking activity would simply to move to locations that have not implemented the financial transaction tax and the ultimate aims would not be achieved. - Benefit Sanctions.
YES to some of these measures. Benefits should not be removed from the sick and the disabled. Sanctions should only be a last measure for people who repeatedly and deliberately break the rules and no-one should be sanctioned the first time. - Fracking.
NO. I don’t like fracking, would never support or promote it, but prefer strict regulation to an outright ban. I think we should be turning away from fossil fuels and focusing on greener sources of energy. This means our priority should be investing in and promoting renewable energy and technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Many of the highly publicised problems that have arisen as a result of fracking in the USA were under a regulatory regime far less stringent than that which has been put in place in the UK. In fact the UK regulation of fracking is now among the strictest in the world. However, should our regulatory regime prove insufficient to protect the environment and local communities, then I would definitely reconsider my position on an outright ban on fracking. - Arms Embargo Against Israel.
Yes to some restrictions, No to a total ban. I think it was right that the UK reviewed the issue of our arms exports to Israel last year, and I was pleased that the Coalition Government said it would suspend the relevant licenses to Israel if hostilities restart and would revoke any licenses that undermine the peace process. Israel has also been listed as a country of concern in the UK Government’s Human Rights and Democracy Report and Liberal Democrats believe that there should be a presumption of denial when considering whether to grant arms export licenses for equipment bound for countries that are listed in that report.
The priority now must be to restart peace talks as quickly as possible to bring an end to the violence, improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians and ensure Israel’s security.
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Detailed response from Ed Balls
- The NHS.
Labour set up the NHS and will repeal the Government’s Health and Social Care Act which has brought in privatisation by the back door. This will restore the Secretary of State’s duty to provide a comprehensive national service which is free at the point of use, and scrap David Cameron’s market framework in the NHS.
Only Labour has a plan that will ensure that we have a national health service fit for the 21st century. - Vote Against TTIP.
Trade deals between the EU and the US are important, but they must work properly to the benefit of workers and consumers. I share some of the concerns that have been raised about the impact that TTIP could have on public services, particularly the NHS, and believe that the NHS should be exempt from the agreement. Labour will only support an agreement that avoids a race to the bottom and promotes decent jobs. - Fair Asylum Decisions.
A Labour Home Secretary would be working to deliver a more humane asylum system. It is right to offer safe haven to those escaping rape, torture, genocide or the midnight knock from the secret police. I’m proud of this British tradition offering safe haven to those fleeing persecution. - Trident Replacement.
I want to see a world free of nuclear weapons. But in an increasingly uncertain world, where others still possess nuclear weapons, and the future security landscape remains uncertain, unilaterally abandoning the nuclear deterrent will not make Britain or the world more secure. I will support a Labour government’s efforts to lead an international drive towards multilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and pushing the agenda of global antiproliferation by seeking to advance ‘Global Zero’ with nuclear and non-nuclear states. - Climate Change.
The last Labour Government introduced the groundbreaking Climate Change Act, with the first legally binding emissions reduction targets. We will build on this proud record. We are committed to existing Carbon Budgets, and we will set an additional legally binding target to take the carbon out of our electricity supply by 2030. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year, a Labour Government will work for a global, legally-binding and ambitious agreement to tackle climate change. We will push for global targets for reducing carbon emissions, rising every five years, with regular reviews towards the long-term goal of zero net global emissions in the latter half of this century. - Housing And Rents.
Britain is in the midst of the biggest housing crisis in a generation, with the lowest levels of house building in peacetime since the 1920s. Young people have been priced out of home ownership. Fewer affordable homes are being built, homelessness is rising, and millions face insecurity and poor standards in the private rented sector.
A Labour government will make sure that at least 200,000 homes a year get built by 2020 – almost double the current level. For the 11 million people who rent privately, the first Queen’s Speech of the next Labour Government will include laws to cap rents so they cannot rise by more than the rate of inflation during secure three-year tenancies, require landlords to disclose the rent levels charged to previous tenants so that householders can negotiate the best possible deal at the start of their contract, and penalise rogue landlords by reducing buy-to-let tax relief for those who own hundreds or thousands of properties which don’t meet basic standards. - Robin Hood Tax.
The next Labour Government will increase the current Bank Levy to fund an increase in free childcare from 15 to 25 hours a week for working parents of three and four year olds, and we will introduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses to pay for a Jobs Guarantee for young unemployed people. Labour will also reform our banking system to make it more competitive in the long term, including by introducing at least two new challenger banks and a market share test. We’ll continue to campaign for an international Financial Transaction Tax covering major financial centres. It is important that any FTT should incorporate the widest possible global participation to mitigate the risks of traders simply playing one jurisdiction against another. - Benefit Sanctions.
Labour believes that those who can work should work. So we will guarantee a job for ever young person out of work for a year but they will have to take that job. We believe that rights and responsibilities should go hand in hand. That is why a Labour government will scrap targets for sanctions within Jobcentre Plus so that Jobcentre Plus staff can focus on helping people back into work, not simply stopping their benefits. A Labour government will target in-work poverty and insecurity by raising the National Minimum Wage to £8 before the end of 2019, getting more workers paid a living wage, and banning exploitative zero hours contracts. - Fracking Ban.
The UK will need gas for the decades to come – for electricty generation but also for domestic use where up to 8 in 10 homes use gas for heating or cooking. So the choice is either domestic or imported gas. But fracking should not go ahead unless we have a framework of robust regulation and comprehensive inspection in place. The Tories have repeatedly sidelined people’s genuine concerns. We cannot allow fracking to take place until the regulatory scheme is up to scratch. The potential benefits must be set alongside robust environmental protections and our climate change commitments. - Arms Embargo Against Israel.
Peace and security in the Middle East remains one of Labour’s most important foreign policy objectives. I remain committed to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution, and will support efforts to provide a successful outcome of the peace process.
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