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Chadsmead Conservatives:
Could you tell us a little about where you grew up and what
school you went to and your life before politics?
Michael Fabricant MP:
I came from the village of Rottingdean, 5 miles east of Brighton
and was state educated at St Margaret’s Church of England school
and then Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School. I went to
various universities and spent a little time in broadcasting
including reading the news on BBC Radio and getting seasick on
Radio Caroline. Then, while I was with a company which started
a radio station we couldn’t find any technical equipment that
really worked well so, together with someone I had met at the
BBC, I started up a company supplying broadcasting equipment
and, between 1979 and 1990, we helped set up radio and
television stations in 48 countries.
CC: How did you get involved in
politics?
MF:
The Chairman of our company was the ex-broadcaster, Geoffrey
Johnson-Smith, who was also a Conservative MP and he said,
Michael, with your interest in politics, reading economics at
University and practical business background you ought to think
about becoming an MP. Then, when I was trying to get a contract
for Radio Uganda funded by the World Health Organisation I found
that, neither the local British High Commission or the
responsible British Government minister were helpful or even
interested in supporting industry. The minister said to me -
people like you who are in business never become MPs, which
motivated me.
CC: What particular skills did
you feel you had to offer as an MP?
MF:
My practical
experience in business and exporting and my background in
economics and life. Too many MPs don’t have any practical
grounding and become professional politicians with no experience
of life.
CC: Why did you choose Lichfield?
MF:
I knew Lichfield
and Lichfield chose me in 1992 and I fell in love with
Lichfield. I won the constituency from Labour in the General
Election when it was called Mid-Staffordshire and in 1997, with
boundary changes, it became the Lichfield Constituency.
CC: What are your views on the
proposed closure of residential homes such as Nearfield House in
Chadsmead Ward?
MF:
The whole thing
has been handled very badly in a very crass and unprofessional
way. I have been very active with the RAGE - Relatives Action
Group for the Elderly - campaign. Basically, we should never
have got to this position. I do accept that, in the longer
term, some of these homes may have had to close but to tell
elderly, vulnerable people that they have got to be moved within
two years is a cruel, ridiculous thing to do when, with forward
planning, they could have been closed over a number of years and
people could live out their lives there. There may have to be
some closures, but elderly residents should be allowed to live
out their lives in peace and security.
CC: Do you think the proposed
Birmingham Road development will improve life for the residents
of Lichfield?
MF:
Providing it is
done with a bit of style, with good shops it will be of real
benefit. We need more shops and we need better shops.
CC: What is your opinion of the
New Minster House building on the edge of Minster Pool?
MF:
It is out of
keeping with a very sensitive area of Lichfield, far too large
and completely tasteless.
CC: What do you think of the
current Council Tax system?
MF:
Council Tax is
very high. Personally, I would like to see education, policing
and social services funded centrally, rather than by the County
Council. You could then do away with County Councils altogether
and run small districts as unitary authorities. Social services
should be part of the NHS as currently there is a constant
tension between the two caused by having to balance two
different budgets. This could reduce Council Tax by a half.
CC: What do you think of the
current pilot “pay-as-you-throw” rubbish charging scheme?
MF:
This pilot
programme may not go ahead. The problem is it would lead to
fly-tipping. It would be very foolish to go ahead with this
scheme.
CC: How could we regain the
interest of ordinary people in politics, particularly young
people?
MF:
By making it more
relevant for them and engaging with them more. I am on Facebook
and I am very impressed with the fact that 200 young people in
Lichfield who are on Facebook have said that they are
Conservatives. Over 273,000 people in the UK have said they are
Conservatives on Facebook and they are mainly 18-25 year olds.
CC: Very briefly, how would you
summarise the benefits a Conservative Government would bring to
the people of this country?
A
pragmatic sensible approach, less gimmicks, more action, less
talk, more doing and a proper realisation of what is practical.
For example, as the Government has said recently, quite
rightly, children should know about Auschwitz and The Holocaust,
however we should fund this. The Government are asking parents
to pay towards this. Much closer to the General
Election we shall announce exciting and important policies.
CC: You lead a very busy life
working for your constituents in Lichfield and representing them
in Parliament. What do you do to relax?
MF:
Walking and
mountain-climbing and I climbed Snowdon in 1 hour 18 minutes!
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