Answers From Candidates #10: Jon Hunt, standing for FPC
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_s_b
Jon's answers are here:
1, Which of the following activities do you consider the most
dangerous and why?
- taking a single ecstasy tablet
- taking an advanced motorcycle riding test
- giving birth
I'd like to see the figures! However I do know that giving birth remains
hazardous, especially in some of the world's developing nations.
2, What four pledges would you put on the front of the next Lib Dem manifesto?
One about continued tax reform - to continue to support the low paid and ensure the wealthy pay their share;
One about educational opportunity for all;
One to commit us to a drive to create access to cheap, renewable energy;
One to commit us to break up the growing grip of corporate oligopolies on public sector and public services contracting, to favour small business, mutuals and well-managed publicly owned providers.
3, A genie appears and tells you that you can remove one law and make one law; what would you remove from the statute book and what would you add to the statute book?
Remove: the Academies Act of 2010. A piece of legislation rushed through in breach of the coalition agreement, setting the scene for the most illiberal education agenda in 140 years.
Add: A variant of the Liberals' great 1870 education act to make education a function primarily devolved to local authorities to oversee and commission. It involves every child in the land and cannot be managed by quangos, civil servants and a tiny team of ministers. Education must be a policy priority for us.
4, What balance should the committee give to the views of the leadership, the parliamentary panels and the membership in setting policy priorities?
Give priority to membership. Recognise the desire of the leadership for clear, workable policies. I'm not convinced the parliamentary panels have proved their worth.
5, How would you change the party’s procedures on gathering and analysing evidence when formulating policy?
Clearly we need to modernise. All policy reviews should have on-going on-line forums on Facebook, Voice etc. These can gather evidence and generate debate. We need to encourage input from internal and external expertise. Tickbox questionnaires are not enough.
We have also failed to use our more traditional methods. In our region as policy chair, I have used both regional conference and policy committee to gather evidence, hear from experts and involve members.
6, Which is more important - freedom from ignorance, poverty or conformity?
Freedom from ignorance - because with knowledge and learning comes the challenge to conformity and the break-out from poverty.
7, Are you a member of any (S)AOs or other pressure groups which might give us an insight into your policy priorities?
Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors
Liberal Democrat Christian Forum
Facebook likes but not formal membership:
- Green Liberal Democrats
- Social Liberal Forum
- Liberal Democrat Campaign for Manufacturing
8, Which external bodies would you like to see audit the manifesto to see if our policies are workable?
Institute for Fiscal Studies
9, What proposals do you have to improve the process of negotiating policy priorities for a coalition agreement in the event of another hung parliament?
The last agreement was negotiated on the back of an offer from our coalition partners. We should be ready with a counter-offer. We should be clear what policies from the other side's manifesto or general approach are unacceptable. We should be clear that an agreement is binding on both partners. The present agreement appears to have been largely interpreted as what the
Conservatives are doing for the Lib Dems - which, indeed was the original basis of negotiation.
I do not support a two-level manifesto. Our manifesto should set out a realistic Liberal Democrat programme for a progressive Liberal Democrat government. We can be clear it can only be implemented with a majority.
10, If elected, how do you plan to engage with the wider party?
I am regional policy chair in the West Midlands, recently re-elected, and I plan to continue my practice of having wide-ranging policy forums at regional conference as well as making myself available to local parties.
I will continue to engage in on-line forums and discussion.
11, Are you standing for any other committees, if so which ones, and if elected to more than one how do you plan to divide your time?
No. I am an elected local councillor and have time for one committee only.
You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here
1, Which of the following activities do you consider the most
dangerous and why?
- taking a single ecstasy tablet
- taking an advanced motorcycle riding test
- giving birth
I'd like to see the figures! However I do know that giving birth remains
hazardous, especially in some of the world's developing nations.
2, What four pledges would you put on the front of the next Lib Dem manifesto?
One about continued tax reform - to continue to support the low paid and ensure the wealthy pay their share;
One about educational opportunity for all;
One to commit us to a drive to create access to cheap, renewable energy;
One to commit us to break up the growing grip of corporate oligopolies on public sector and public services contracting, to favour small business, mutuals and well-managed publicly owned providers.
3, A genie appears and tells you that you can remove one law and make one law; what would you remove from the statute book and what would you add to the statute book?
Remove: the Academies Act of 2010. A piece of legislation rushed through in breach of the coalition agreement, setting the scene for the most illiberal education agenda in 140 years.
Add: A variant of the Liberals' great 1870 education act to make education a function primarily devolved to local authorities to oversee and commission. It involves every child in the land and cannot be managed by quangos, civil servants and a tiny team of ministers. Education must be a policy priority for us.
4, What balance should the committee give to the views of the leadership, the parliamentary panels and the membership in setting policy priorities?
Give priority to membership. Recognise the desire of the leadership for clear, workable policies. I'm not convinced the parliamentary panels have proved their worth.
5, How would you change the party’s procedures on gathering and analysing evidence when formulating policy?
Clearly we need to modernise. All policy reviews should have on-going on-line forums on Facebook, Voice etc. These can gather evidence and generate debate. We need to encourage input from internal and external expertise. Tickbox questionnaires are not enough.
We have also failed to use our more traditional methods. In our region as policy chair, I have used both regional conference and policy committee to gather evidence, hear from experts and involve members.
6, Which is more important - freedom from ignorance, poverty or conformity?
Freedom from ignorance - because with knowledge and learning comes the challenge to conformity and the break-out from poverty.
7, Are you a member of any (S)AOs or other pressure groups which might give us an insight into your policy priorities?
Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors
Liberal Democrat Christian Forum
Facebook likes but not formal membership:
- Green Liberal Democrats
- Social Liberal Forum
- Liberal Democrat Campaign for Manufacturing
8, Which external bodies would you like to see audit the manifesto to see if our policies are workable?
Institute for Fiscal Studies
9, What proposals do you have to improve the process of negotiating policy priorities for a coalition agreement in the event of another hung parliament?
The last agreement was negotiated on the back of an offer from our coalition partners. We should be ready with a counter-offer. We should be clear what policies from the other side's manifesto or general approach are unacceptable. We should be clear that an agreement is binding on both partners. The present agreement appears to have been largely interpreted as what the
Conservatives are doing for the Lib Dems - which, indeed was the original basis of negotiation.
I do not support a two-level manifesto. Our manifesto should set out a realistic Liberal Democrat programme for a progressive Liberal Democrat government. We can be clear it can only be implemented with a majority.
10, If elected, how do you plan to engage with the wider party?
I am regional policy chair in the West Midlands, recently re-elected, and I plan to continue my practice of having wide-ranging policy forums at regional conference as well as making myself available to local parties.
I will continue to engage in on-line forums and discussion.
11, Are you standing for any other committees, if so which ones, and if elected to more than one how do you plan to divide your time?
No. I am an elected local councillor and have time for one committee only.
You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here
