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Peter Jones lives in Chartridge and is a Chiltern District Councillor. Here Peter answers some questions in an exclusive interview for this website.
When and why did you first become interested in politics?
I remember going to an election meeting with my parents, it must have been 1966 when I was ten. We lived in Leeds North-East, Sir Keith Joseph was our MP.
What is your idea of happiness?
I guess my perfect day would have a game of golf in the morning, then go to a football match in the afternoon, then in the evening perhaps ten-pin bowling at Jardine’s Club in Aylesbury or a pub-quiz match for my team at The Bell in Chartridge.
What inspired you to go into local politics?
I was asked by a friend to stand for the Lib Dems in the local elections of 1991. The rest is history, as they say!
What is your greatest fear?
Politically, that fewer and fewer people are bothered. Not bothered to vote, not bothered even to think about the way they vote, certainly not bothered enough to get involved with any political party of other campaigning organisation.
If you could abolish a law, what would it be?
What, only one? Let's accept that the "War On Drugs" has been lost, and scrap the laws that pretend otherwise. Then work out how to take the trade out of the hands of criminals and at the same time discourage people from using the stuff. Not easy, but it has to be done.
If you could pass one piece of legislation, what would it be?
I’d rather loosen a few more chains than pass more laws. But the most obvious is making failure to get planning permission before building things into a criminal offence. People get annoyed, quite rightly, when their neighbours build extensions without permission, and it’s almost impossible to get them knocked down again afterwards.
For what cause would you die?
None. Because dying for a cause does a fat lot of good, for instance all the “suicide bombers”.
Which person do you most admire?
Imran Khan who apart from being a wonderful cricketer was also a great leader of his team and seems to be an honourable man.
Where and when have you been the most happy?
The sugary romantic in me says when Katy and I got married or when our children Hazel and Matthew were born. But another answer would be when Matthew and I saw Wycombe Wanderers beat Leicester City to get to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
What theme song would you choose for your party’s election campaign?
“Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who, mostly for the line “Here’s the new boss, same as the old boss” which is all too true in terms of New Labour taking over from the Tories. It’s also a good song anyway.
How would you like to be remembered?
He was a decent bloke and he made us laugh. Though that’s too many words for a tombstone.
What is the trait you most deplore?
Failure to understand the other person’s point of view.
How would you improve election turnout?
By convincing people in Buckinghamshire that the Tories can be beaten, they don’t have a divine right to win every election.
What will the town hall of the future look like?
Remarkably like the current ones. But there should be town halls making very local decisions, then unitary councils then a regional tier of government. The current system of districts and counties causes as many problems as it solves.
Which political figure angered you most recently?
Tony Blair, for being quite obviously an honourable man who knows what’s right, yet not having the courage to do it. And the entire Conservative Party, for daring to think that they could ever use the issue of Sleaze as a stick to beat anyone.
What do you consider to be your greatest political moment?
It’s a sad thing, but this has already happened. For forty-six years a mobile home park in my ward had been waiting for permanent planning permission. It took me two years to help them to get it. So hundreds of relatively poor people could live in the knowledge that they weren’t going to be turfed out of their own homes.
Last question. Do you know where these questions came from?
Yes, they’ve been pinched from First, the magazine of the Local Government Association. Without permission either, though I don’t suppose they’ll mind!
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peter.m.jones@btinternet.com |
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