Leeds West general election UK Independence Party candidate Mark Thackray answers readers’ questions ahead of the election. A full list of candidates and their responses can be found here.
1. What is your party going to do to make sure my kids have good educational opportunities?
The centre of our policy on schooling is to prepare children and young adults for their working life. We have campaigned for the return of Grammar schools, and an increase in technical college education, and University education like the old Polytechnics.
The Comprehensive system has failed as one size does not fit all, giving shortages of professional people. The local councils should have more control over planning so supply meets demand.
2. What is your stance on the three million EU citizens living in the UK?
If people come to our country to be honest and hard working thus contributing to our society we welcome them. We must look at what we need as a country and support our needs, but we should also balance this against the fact we have 1.5 million people unemployed and millions doing part time jobs.
Our welfare systems must not be open to economic migrants who have not contributed, and we should remove those who come and break our laws.
3. What would you do to support Social Care in our area, particularly foster care, in a climate of cuts that are seeing fewer workers caring for more children?
Social care programs for children have systems in place, we need to fix society to
minimise the problem.
4. What will you do to give young people the very best opportunities in life, to help them prepare for uncertain futures in a global world economy?
What global economy ? There is only one economy ours. Government policy must be skewed to support our industry, government purchasing must be from British manufacturers only.
The best preparation one can have is a good education, in English Maths and Science, and then in a career discipline linked to work. Society does not work if you don’t put in, and thus nothing will come out. The uncertainty comes from government focusing on Britain and us not supporting our local producers.
5. When do candidates see austerity coming to an end and living standards and security improving?
I see no end to austerity whilst government is not backing Britain and British Jobs in the wealth creating manufacturing sector.
In 1974 the manufacturing sector was 85% of GDP it is now approximately 15%, and still shrinking. Blair and Brown relied on banking and the financial sector, that is also weak.
The policy of Tax Borrow and Spend Spend Spend on public services does not work to increase the economy.
Until we make and export the things we buy we will not build the wealth needed to take us out of this slump.
The need for Kirkstall Forge did not end when it closed but the wealth it created did, the same for Woodhead Springs when they got in the region of £30 million in flood damage and moved to eastern Europe.
In 200 words or less, tell us why readers should vote for you/your party?
What is the point of the UK Independence Party is the latest slur added. But what we are still about is the self-governance of Britain to make the rules that suit us best, and halting the decline in our wealth and prosperity.
Our government is still doing the wrong things, Mrs May sat on her hands for nine months and then called an election creating massive economic uncertainty, and cost to us.
Do they deserve your support and should we continue with blind loyalty? We do not know what she wants or what she will give us, so we must continue.
We need a balance of views in parliament and the Labour / Conservative establishment does not give us this, so I am asking my fellow residents of Leeds West to support themselves and UKIP by voting for Mark Thackray.
I am not offering to buy your vote with greater public spending, but there is a better way and that is what we must always strive for.