Independent PPC Robin Smith for Wokingham Q&A‏

I recently meet Robin Smith who is one of the Independent Candidates for Wokingham. He applied to stand in the Conservative Bracknell open primary. I asked him some questions and here are his answers.

1. You are a Conservative councillor. Are you now an independant councillor?

I am. You can find my rationale here http://tinyurl.com/robinsmithelection


2. Are you standing against John Redwood specifically or are you standing for other reasons?

Both reasons. Mr Redwood is calling for more of the same that has got the world to where it is today. But then again so are all 3 parties. THAT is why I'm saying it is a wasted vote voting for them. And a useful vote voting for me. See the link above for more in detail.

3. John Redwood has stated on his leaflets that you cant have a Conservative Government without a Conservative in Wokingham. Does this stop Conservative leaning voters from voting for you?

Why not ? He is treating his core voters as idiots by saying this. And they are indeed dumb if they buy this lie which a child could see was untrue. But I expect they will, so yes in answer I will lose votes on the basis that people have chosen not to think. I would ask Conservative voters why they are so partisan when their children will never be able to afford a home if they elect him. For me, I'm not about power. I want to see a Free State. We will not get it if we continue to vote for the main 3.


4. Did you consider or did you apply to the Conservative Party Open Primary selection in Bracknell?

I did indeed. But first I had to get approved by party HQ. It was the best job application I had ever made, I called in a lot of friends to help me and spent a lot of time on it. And the Conservative Party HQ treated me with utter disrespect in response. Just as they did with Mark Ashwell. This is one of the more minor reasons I decided on the independent pathway. I did want to go for Bracknell.


5. Given that John Redwood holds a number of directorships do you think MP's should hold these positions and would you?

This question came up in the hustings too. My response was, how can any human being work 80 hours a week in parliament, hold down two jobs and still have time to think. It is not possible, while still functioning as a servant of the people. And evidently this can be seen to be true, with his failures and also for all MP's. Government has failed consistently. They are all "Too busy to think". No I would not do that. I would only hold only to my Systemic Fiscal Reform Group think tank activities which help form my manifesto.


6. What would be your mainpoliciesto halt any future expenses or allowances abuses ?

Elect leaders of integrity, not managers who are experts at helping the voter reconcile deeper prejudices. This is something in our power to do. We just need to cross the right box.



7. What other 3 main policies would you like to see introduced on behalf of the constituents?

Would you mind following this link http://tinyurl.com/robinsmithelection
* Abolish taxation
* Reform Banking and the issuance of money
* Cut financial services NOT health, social services and education


8. How can you make a difference in Parliament as an independent and a difference in Wokingham?

call to restore planning decisions to those who create the value in the local community, the people ,
call to restore trading decisions to the independent traders and entrepreneurs ,
This is an activity I am currently frequently engaged in anyway . 


9. Do you have a big idea?

Yes. This is a soap box topic for me. I call it the Free State, where both the people trading freely and the government protecting that natural right can finally work in harmony. See here for full detail.


10.During your campaign so far have you had any interesting incidents or events?


Yes. When I resigned from the party I was expecting to get a hammering. But I received more grace from the members than I have ever done since joining. That gave me great hope. Something lies deeper in all of us that is naturally good. Also that people tend, though not naturally, to seek what is in it for themselves when you talk to them, prior to what is in it for the whole. This is central to he failure of politics here in the UK. It is a result of deliberately scaring people with false ideas about wealth and security. Look in the paper, you can see it everywhere. I tend not to read papers now and would suggest others ignore them too.


11.How are you funding your campaign as a Independent?

During the dotcom bubble I made a million. At the time I thought that was because I was a smart fella. Look at me! Somewhere along the path to today I discovered that it was stolen money. I had not earned it all by any means. I have some of that surplus remaining. For the past 5 years I have spent it on 2 things. Bringing a message of economic justice to the people. And riding bikes competitively.



12.What is your strap line to persuade the people of Wokingham to vote for you?

I'll leave you with what I say when people ask why I am doing this. It applies to all people, rich or poor, black or white, happy or unhappy. There is great hope if we only choose to pause... and examine the simple facts carefully.


The people are being fleeced, plain and simple. By persistently unjust social institutions and failed government. The main Three are proposing more of the same if we elect ANY of them. Voting for them once again is therefore a wasted vote. By standing I want to send this simple message as clearly as possible to the electorate. I propose real reform to change this. My hope is that a big shock to the mainstream will wake them up and they will adopt this systemic change. My task will then be done. We have a vote May 6th. We have the clear choice to sweep them away. Don't waste that chance.

My thanks to Robin Smith for being kind enough to answer my questions. Mark Ashwells Q&A can be read here