Interview

I went into this interview knowing very little about Mr Parker’s political past goals, first asking him to give me a brief history. Mr Parker, “first got involved in politics, way back in the 2001 general election.” Thinking I was just talking to him about the upcoming local elections, it was quite a surprise to find out that he was “a candidate in the 2001 general election” and even, “on TV, on the radio”. He was first inspired to get involved when working at, Monmouth School in Wales just before the turn of the century, after hearing presentations from candidates for the Welsh Assembly. At the time there was discussion surrounding whether devolution should happen in Wales or not with a referendum coming up on whether Wales should have an assembly. Recalling these presentations Mr Parker said “[he] thought they were terrible”, believing that, “they were doing exactly what you didn’t want devolution to do”.

After watching these poor quality candidates, he started talking about becoming an independent candidate at the general election. He then learnt that the Director of Studies at Monmouth was a Liberal Democrat member; “[the Director of Studies] suggested I stand for the Liberal Democrats. And that is how it happened, before I knew it, I was campaigning to become a Member of Parliament because the Liberal Democrats didn’t have a candidate”.

After leaving teaching and moving to London he decided to “get involved with politics properly” and stood for local election in Southwark, which was being run by the Lib Dems. Mr Parker explained he “organised the campaign for his ward and stood for election in a developmental seat in which I stood a decent chance”.

Describing the campaign he detailed that he

“knocked on doors and spoke to everybody”. Although he didn’t win Peckham Rye he argued that “it was an exciting campaign to be a part of, there was even a recount on the night. I remember staying up until 4 am to watch despite being exhausted”.

Returning to teaching in the mid 2000s, he began working at Caterham School and living in Chaldon where he has become the Lib Dem candidate for the local party there. Chaldon is a Conservative safe but, he said that he likes “to still stand because it is important that the Lib Dems have someone”. He revealed that he was offered a safe seat, which would have made him a councillor, however, he turned it down.

What policies or ideas did the Lib Dems have that appealed to you?

Mr Parker said that what he likes about the Lib Dems is that they have “freedom and democracy at its heart” and because they can “adapt to different situations” rather than being entrenched in what their original ideas are. He argued that “what the Lib Dems do well is look at situations or crises and analyse what is the right thing to do”.

What are the main issues in the UK at the moment that need to be addressed at the next general election?

The issue he argued needs to be dealt with is the “cost of living crisis” saying that “mortgage rates have gone up and that a perfect storm of increasing gas and electricity prices have made it impossible for some to “make ends meet”. Mr Parker went on to say “Austerity, scandals and former prime minister Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget have prevented the problems everyday people experience from reaching the news and caused many to ask the question how am I going to afford to live?”

How influential do you believe council elections are in the UK?

Mr Parker detailed “two levels to which local council elections are useful at. The first use being their ability to sort out the really tiny details such as car parking, rubbish collection and potholes being the obvious example”.

He argued that it was also another way in which people can “give the sitting government a message. On a wider level it shows democracy in the UK is alive and well”.

If you were to win the council seat, what changes would you like to see?

“Easy” Mr Parker said, saying that “fly tipping”particularly on “Roffe’s Lane is a major issue, I loathe it”. Furthermore he argued that there is too much traffic, saying that Chaldon is used as a “rat run” from Merstham to Croydon. What is the process of running for council like?

“It depends on which council elections and where you are” and “each party has their own format,” said Mr Parker. The Lib Dems put “leaflets through the door” and have local parties such as the “Caterham party” to campaign in the local area.

Do you think third parties like the Lib Dems have that much of an influence on UK politics?

“The answer is yes” Mr Parker answered “as long as they get it right. A third party has more freedom to move they can respond quicker to real world events and can speak out about important issues making sure they stay on the table”.

What do you think has been holding the Lib Dems back in the last few general elections?

“Our involvement in the coalition was a disaster. The Lib Dems did not keep [their] identity separate from the government well enough. The Lib Dems lost the students over the student loan debacle and became the Tories poodle”. The result

Mr Parker did not win the Chaldon council seat as was expected but he came a lot closer than he thought he would, obtaining 133 votes and coming in second place, behind the Conservative’s 386.