In the 5th of our interviews with the candidates seeking to become Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight this Thursday, Island Echo gave Labour candidate, Richard Quigley, the opportunity to make the case for voting for a Labour MP to represent the Island.
Those who see lack of connectivity as the biggest issue facing Islanders have the opportunity to vote for the pro-fixed link independent, Carl Feeney. Islanders for whom the so-called ‘climate emergency’ is the greatest concern have the option of voting for the Green candidate, Vix Lowthion. Leavers in favour of the hardest of hard Brexits can vote for the independent pro-Brexit candidate, Daryll Pitcher. And if your answer is ‘none of the above’, then you have the option to choose quirky independent, Karl Love.
However, for many voters, the issue of paramount importance is who will enter Downing Street and form a government on 13th December. Will it be Jeremy Corbyn and Labour or Boris Johnson and the Tories? Voters will also be deciding whether they want Boris’ Withdrawal Agreement implemented and ‘get Brexit done’, or would they prefer further negotiations and a second referendum under Labour?
Interview:
Richard Quigley grew up in Retford, Nottinghamshire, a coal mining area. He remembers the Miners’ Strike of 1982 from when he was growing up. Interestingly, his parents were Conservative councillors.
Richard’s political awakening began when he left school for university and joined the protests against the poll tax. Richard has been a member of the Labour Party for four years, having been inspired to join by the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, Richard first moved to the Island in 2003. He is a small businessman in the catering trade, and owner of fish and chip shop, Corrie’s Cabin, in Cowes. Richard’s father-in-law was a Cowes window cleaner, and it was he who suggested his son-in-law set up his business there.
Richard is married to Leah and they have two daughters, aged 17 and 12. Richard has also worked as a stand up comedian.
Isn’t it unusual for a small businessman to be supporting the Labour Party?
“Small businesses have had their best years under Labour. Labour governments put money into the economy. All businesses need customers”.
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Why did you join the Labour Party?
“I joined because of Jeremy Corbyn. I find it inspirational to find someone who gets out of bed each morning to try and make this country a better place to live in. I don’t think we can say the same about the Tories. I see the election as a battle between Corbyn and Johnson. It is an absolute privilege for me to be the parliamentary candidate and try to change what’s going on”.
But isn’t Jeremy Corbyn an anti-semite?
“I don’t think Jeremy Corbyn is an anti-semite. He has spent the whole of his life fighting racism and prejudice. There is no place for anti-semitism in society. Of course, when you uncover anti-semitism in order to deal with it, this draws attention to the problem. But uncovering it is the right thing to do. I have never come across anti-semitism on the Island and would never accept racism in my friendship group”.
Didn’t Jeremy Corbyn support the IRA?
“There is no evidence that Jeremy Corbyn ever supported the IRA. If he was a supporter of terrorism, then MI5 would have uncovered this. Jeremy Corbyn is (using the words of Winston Churchill) “in favour of jaw-jaw rather than war-war.”
What would the Labour Party do to end austerity?
“We would end austerity in our first term. We would invest for return in both council houses and people. We would transform the NHS from being a National Sickness Service to an organisation that invests in preventative medicine”.
The Labour Party has made many spending pledges. How will these be paid for?
“Tories believe that everything is static, that the economy is a zero-sum game. But when you go to a bank to ask for a loan, you create money. You don’t have to travel to the moon to dig it up. Are you in favour of a fixed link? I’m 50/50 on this issue. I totally see the economic and social benefits of a fixed link. I also see the drawbacks.
“We need a properly funded feasibility study, followed by an all-Island referendum on the issue”.
Are you in favour of ‘getting Brexit done’?
“I voted to remain. I’m one of the 48 per cent. I’ve been a European citizen for 48 years of my life. Those who voted for leave are not ‘stupid’. The problem is that there is no clarity as to which version of Brexit needs to be implemented. We need to find the optimal version of Brexit and then put it to the people. I agree with Jeremy Corbyn’s stance of neutrality on the issue”.
Has the Labour Party lost touch with its Working Class voters by appearing to oppose Brexit?
“I fully understand Working Class voters being upset with the idea of their ‘win’ being taken away from them. But they are the people who would be most harmed by a ‘no deal’ Brexit”.
Do you have a realistic chance of being elected?
“I get out of bed every morning believing we can do it. 8 or 9 years ago, Labour was a wasted vote on the Island. However, we doubled our vote share in 2017. There are 30,000 Islanders who don’t turn out to vote. We have a great team running a great campaign. We’re on the road to success. I just hope success comes this time round.
“There were some big majorities overturned in the 2017 General Election. Just look at Kensington, the wealthiest constituency in the country”.
Finally, why should Island Echo readers put their faith in Richard Quigley and Labour on Thursday?
“Because I genuinely care about Islanders and the Island. I’m passionate about opportunities for young people and rebuilding communities. I don’t need to do this as a career. I would be happy just to sit on the backbenches and represent Islanders.
“The big thing for me, when looking at the country and the Island, is that many people are not happy with what they see and the way the party they usually vote for is behaving.
“Some of you may not have considered voting before. Lend me your vote on Thursday and judge me on what we achieve.
“If we can spend 550 billion pounds to bale out the banks (9,000 pounds for every man, woman and child in the country) then surely we can afford a hundred quid a head to help save the NHS”.
Having given a platform to all candidates standing for election in the Isle of Wight constituency, tomorrow (Wednesday) Island Echo will publish an in-depth interview with the odds-on favourite
and sitting MP, Bob Seely (Conservative).
” Richard has also worked as a stand up comedian.” and continues to do so?.
The reason for this dreadful austerity, was a labour government who bankrupted the UK.
Your lack of actual knowledge is wonderful. Please explain how Labour bankrupt the USA and caused a worldwide recession? 3.2.1… GO….
Never vote for Labour. The ruination of this nation, not for a while, but for the rest of time.
You lost me when you started praising and defending Corbyn. That might cost you a win.
He seems like an honest man who understands that Corbyn has nuanced positions, which make him seem indecisive. However, soundbite thinking and baseless fears encouraged by pro-Tory tabloid journalism have gotten us into this mess to start with. I immigrated to a very pleasant country, collaborative and tolerant, under Labour and was under the mistaken impression that, no matter what the difference in economic philosophy between the Tories and Labour, they had essential decency in common. Watching Britain descend into small mindedness, spite, and ineptitude since the Coalition and later the Tory/DUP alliance has been incredibly sad. Some people actually enjoy cruelty and I suppose they will always vote for people like them. I still hold some faith that this election will prove them to be in the minority.
Thank you for providing a more hopeful alternative Mr. Quigley. Best of luck.
@mef
what utter tripe you post – the labour party used to be the party of the worker – now it is just a communist organisation full of self centred, self entitled idiots that are hell bent on impoverishing the entire nation, just to line their own pockets.
Their brand of 20th Century communism has failed in russia, venezuala and cuba, to name but a few, yet these imbeciles, seem to think they can implement it here.
The only people that benefited from their brand of communism in the countries mentioned were those sitting in the political offices – perhaps that should be the warning for you.
Labour say it is time for change – no, not the change they are talking about.
If we can spend 550 billion pounds to bale out the banks (9,000 pounds for every man, woman and child in the country) then surely we can afford a hundred quid a head to help save the NHS”.
………..
as expected, Quigley hasn’t a clue.
The NHS doesn’t need saving in the way he is putting it. If there weren’t so many spongers and dossers pretending to be ill to claim benefits and if the NHS concentrated on its core purpose, that being healing the sick and injured, rather than being a cosmetic surgery outfit, for liposuction, gender re-assignment and everything else that is not directly under the heading of sick or injury, then it would be a much more efficient organisation.
come on Quigley – what about the other side of your quote…But when you go to a bank to ask for a loan, you create money.
That is, when you pay back a loan, you destroy money.
You borrow £1k from a bank – this immediately creates a £1k liability for the bank on one side of the book and creates a £1k asset entry on the other side of the book – that asset being your newly created debt to the bank of £1k, excluding interest.
Once you have drawn all of the £1k, they no longer have a liability, as they have discharged it. Once you pay back the money, the asset is destroyed and no longer exists. The money the bank created vanishes again, once you pay it back. The £1k liability and the £1k asset entries cancel each other out and become nothing again.
The bank is then left with the interest you paid it – they created money from nothing, returned that money to nothing and were left with money that you gave it, from your hard work.
Would love to hear his thoughts on Corbyn’s fanciful ideas on the minimum wage, especially from the standing as a small business owner. Can near guarantee he isn’t paying a working wage to the staff he’s employing, nor offering safe secure working contracts – so cannot fathom how he’ll be able to stand aside a new labour proposed minimum wage.
Not doing this for a career either? Just proves how far the labour party has fallen. After reading this I think the comedy career is far more prosperous than anything Westminster is offering.