In the run-up to the general election, the SNJ will be interviewing all the candidates hoping to become Stroud’s next MP.

This week, reporter Jamie Wiseman spoke to Labour’s David Drew, who is hoping to reclaim the seat in Parliament after being voted out in 2010.

 

What are the main things you will be working towards if you are elected MP on May 8?

Well the main issue has been dealing with the cost of living crisis this government has left us with. The Tories' austerity plan has failed. Although we've got a fairly high level of employment here, a lot of people out there are finding it difficult. Firstly we need an end to zero hours contracts, and a living wage rather than a minimum wage.

As you know I have always opposed the incinerator and would set up an inquiry immediately to figure about how we got to this stage in the first place. I’ve opposed it from day one and I will continue to fight against it.

Environmentally, we’ll work to badger culling immediately - which I spoke about last week – along with reinforcing animal welfare legislation. And I’ll also campaign against the fragmentation and privatisation of the NHS.

The housing development issue is something I always get very concerned about too. We need affordable housing in Stroud, but we have to put back planning protections that this government removed, so communities can decide themselves where to build new houses.

And I’ll also work on education funding, something that a lot of head teachers and governors here in Stroud are worried about.

 

Why do you want to be the MP again for Stroud?

I thought I did a reasonable job when I was MP for 13 years. I enjoy it, and my aim has always been to be a campaigner and to try and take up individual cases and get help for people who need it.

I would be looking at the planning system; I think it’s gone backwards instead of being improved. I'm currently studying for a PHD in Rural policy, so I will be looking at how rural areas can be made more sustainable.

The NHS is something that's foremost in my mind. I'm on the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee, so I think I've got as good a knowledge as anyone about what’s been going on in the county, and I now need to translate that into the parliamentary scene if I'm elected.

I’ve also spoken to a lot of head teachers in Stroud who have warned that our schools could run out of money if not this year then next year. So I’ll continue by backing for the f40 campaign for fair funding of schools.

 

Do you think you will be losing votes to the Green Party and UKIP in Stroud in this election?

I think our vote is hardening. I think there was a time six months ago where it looked as though the vote was really going to splinter.

But now it looks, as it always is in Stroud, to be a two horse race. I've been canvassing for a long time and it was tough for a few months ago, but now people seem to be concentrating on the two main parties.

 

What kind of response have you had on the doorsteps?

A lot of people know me; I’ve worked with and helped a lot of people in Stroud. I’ve lived here for almost thirty years now. People know who I am and what I stand for. People on the doorsteps have issues on the leadership of both parties and they more often than not raises local issues as being more important to them as national issues.

It’s a mixed picture there are a lot of people still making their mind up. Our vote seems to be fairly steady, but we still have to keep working to increase it.

 

What are you views on the Javelin Park incinerator?

Well we have got to oppose the incinerator at all costs. We've got a legal challenge in for June; which we're hoping is successful. It’s the wrong decision, the wrong technology and the wrong location. There are alternatives.

 

You mentioned party leaders; do you think Ed Miliband is the right man for the job?

Now I do, I didn't vote for him at the time, but I think that Ed has come on leaps and bounds. When he came to Stroud he performed very well and he's a nice guy. I want someone who is going to listen and take note of his other ministers, but who is also going to listen to back benches.

I would like to have a leader who is willing to engage, discuss and listen to what others in his party are saying. So yes, I think he is the right man for the job.

 

What did you make of Michael Fallon's 'backstabbing' comments last week?

In my opinion, if you attack people on a personal level like that, you've lost the plot. I thought Fallon's attacks were completely over the top, he is a weak man making a weak case.

 

Other parties on the left have attacked Labour's spending plans as being too similar to George Osborne’s austerity program, is that a fair assessment?

I don't think Labour's plans are similar to the Tories’, there are fundamental differences. The recent announcement to crack down on tax on non-domiciles is really promising. I do think there is a very clear distinction, for example, in the fact that we are going to put more money into public services.

On the economy, we have got to do something about the deficit, we can't just pretend it’s going to go away, but we can have a reasonably careful approach to it. Austerity to me is more of a political issue now rather than an economic issue.

I think we are over the worst; now what I want to see is the people who suffered most being given the support they need rather than the people who suffered least from austerity being given tax reductions.

And that applies across the whole of the EU - I don't see any benefit of driving Greece, Spain or Portugal into bankruptcy. I think the UK has been fortunate in that we are still linked to the US, which has pursued a very reflationary policy under Obama, which I think has kept the United States and to some extent us out of the worst ravages of the recession and the impacts of austerity.

 

You briefly mentioned Europe, what are your views on an EU referendum?

Well I've always been a supporter of referendum, I am an old septic. But I have to say, the idea you’re going to negotiate a new settlements on Britain's place within the EU is fantasy. The conservative government made a promise on immigration failed to keep it.

The idea that the EU is going to come up with all these wonderful advantageous policies purely for Britain is just naive. I think should have a referendum because it would clear the air, but I've always believed that British people will vote to stay in the EU.

 

Are there any of Labour's policies that you disagree with?

I don't support Trident; I think it’s an old fashioned and outdated approach to military defence. I have opposed Trident from the very start and have voted against it. There are alternatives to a nuclear option – we need to reinvest in conventional methods.

I'm not saying you could just wipe away the current system, we have to think about how we disarm properly, Labour is proposing a full defence review - but for me, going along with trident is unnecessary and backward approach.

What we need - which is something the conservatives have been terrible at - is to rebuild our armed forces. The number of people we have now in the army is so woefully inadequate, it’s deeply disturbing.

I think the 2% spending on defence is a bit of an arbitrary figure but we certainly do need to spend more money on defence, we've cut back drastically and I think that's quite dangerous.

 

What are your views about a Labour-led coalition with the Scottish National Party?

I have no problem with some of the policies of the SNP, but I do have a problem with nationalism, I think it’s a very dangerous political diversion. I think we are United Kingdom, we do much better together, it's not something I would ever want to see, and I'm glad the Scots voted to stay within the Union.

The trouble is, the momentum for independence, buoyed by the rise of the SNP, is still there. I would always urge them to think about some of the down sides rather than look at it as a worthwhile political adventure.

 

What are your realistic expectations for the Labour Party in this election?

Well I think we need to let the electorate decide rather than pre-empt it. I think the one thing that is clear about this election is that there will be no overall majority government. As politicians all we can do is wait till May 8, see what the people have decided, and then work forward from there.

In the meantime, we've got to work on achieving the highest vote across the UK that we possibly can. The pressure is, we've got to win Stroud. If we don't win here, we don't win at all.

 

About David Drew:

  • Celebrated his 63rd birthday on Monday, was born in Mangotsfield in south Gloucestershire and has lived in Stroud for 30 years.
  • Served as MP for Stroud from 1997 to 2010 and is once again standing as the Labour candidate for the constituency.
  • Has served on Stonehouse Town Council for 23 years, and is a Stroud District councillor for the Farmhill and Paganhill ward.
  • Former teacher at Maidenhill School in Stonehouse Lives in Stonehouse with his wife Anne Baker with whom he has two daughters and two sons.

You can see David’s personal manifesto online: http://www.stroudlabour.org.uk/david-drew/davids-views/news.aspx?p=110872