Conversations – Page 148 – The New Listener

The Big Election Debate

A one hour debate between the three main candidates for the Peterborough seat in the 2010 general Election. Broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday 20th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

A one hour debate between the three main candidates for the Peterborough seat in the 2010 General Election. Broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday 20th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Good morning. It’s nine o’clock. Welcome to a specially extended Peterborough Breakfast Show, the big election debate for Peterborough between now and ten for the Peterborough Parliamentary seat, between the three main parties. For Conservatives Stewart Jackson, Ed Murphy for Labour, and also Nick Sandford for the Liberal Democrats. Good morning gentlemen. How are you? Are you alright?
ALL: Good morning.
STAINTON: We’ll start with Stewart, the former Peterborough MP, of course, no longer. He’s got to bid for it again. Stewart MP for Peterborough since two thousand and five, winning with a majority of two thousand seven hundred and forty votes, a former Lloyds Bank manager before becoming an MP. Worked with Business Link in London, also a councillor in Ealing for eight years. Stewart is currently Chairman of the All England Party Group on Pakistan. He was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government, and had front bench responsibility. In his spare time he enjoys reading biographies, travel, architecture, history, swimming and bungee jumping. He’s married to Sarah, and has a daughter Isabel. Good morning Stewart Jackson.
JACKSON: Good morning Paul.
STAINTON: You’ve got your chance to sell yourself for a minute to the electorate. They’re listening. Continue reading “The Big Election Debate”

Marco Cereste on Eurotramps and Value for Money

Marco Cereste Conservative Leader of Peterborough City Council and Chair of NHS Peterborough comments on efforts to dislodge homeless migrants from their makeshift camps, and on the use of consultants to achieve the £27 million NHS Peterborough spending cuts required to combat the ongoing deficit. Broadcast at 08:10 on Monday 19th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

Marco Cereste Conservative Leader of Peterborough City Council and Chairman of NHS Peterborough comments on efforts to dislodge homeless migrants from their makeshift camps, and on the use of consultants to achieve the £27 million NHS Peterborough spending cuts required to combat the ongoing deficit. Broadcast at 08:10 on Monday 19th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Now a group of migrants living in a makeshift camp in Peterborough will be forced off the site if they haven’t left by mid-day today. Six immigrants have been living rough near Potters Way for about six months. Two weeks ago they were told to leave by the UK Border Agency and the City Council. Peterborough City Council Leader Marco Cereste is with us. Good morning Marco.
CERESTE: Hello Paul. Good morning. How are you?
STAINTON: I’m very good, thank you. Very good indeed. Just explain to us why they have to be moved on.
CERESTE: Well first of all it’s an illegal encampment. And they are sitting on council land, on public land, and making a nuisance of themselves. Continue reading “Marco Cereste on Eurotramps and Value for Money”

NHS Peterborough – Angela Bailey’s Farewell Interview

The outgoing Chief Executive for NHS Peterborough gives an account of what went wrong with the budget, and why she tendered her resignation. Broadcast at 07:10 on Thursday 4th February 2010.

STAINTON: Now as we’ve mentioned already NHS Peterborough’s debt has spiralled to nine point six million pounds. We reported last month that the PCT’s Chief Executive Angela Bailey said she was retiring when the shortfall stood at seven million. Well an Extraordinary General Meeting was held yesterday to prevent debts reaching twelve million by the end of March. Angela Bailey is on the line. She’s continuing in post as Chief Executive until her interim replacement starts. Morning Angela.
BAILEY: Good morning.
STAINTON: These are frightening figures aren’t they?
BAILEY: Yes. I agree they are concerning and hence why we held the Extraordinary Meeting yesterday of the Board.
STAINTON: Just remind us how we’ve spent so much over the budget that we budgeted for. Continue reading “NHS Peterborough – Angela Bailey’s Farewell Interview”

Stewart Jackson Conservative Party Candidate

An interview with Stewart Jackson Conservative Party Candidate for Peterborough broadcast on Friday 9th April 2010 at 08:10 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Now, four days of election talk, has it been enough to persuade you to go out and cast your ballot on May 6th yet? If not, don’t worry. We’ve got four more weeks. Yesterday, Dr Ken Ritchie from the Electoral Reform Society said that under the current voting system, there’s no way the Conservatives would lose their majority in Peterborough.
RITCHIE (TAPE) What are the chances that the Conservatives are not going to hold Peterborough? Look, they won it with a little margin way back in 2005. Back in 2005 the Conservatives were trailing Labour by a mile in the opinion polls. Now it’s the Conservatives that are way ahead. There’s no way, you go down to the bookies, and see what odds they’ll give, on Labour taking back Peterborough.
STAINTON: (LIVE) Well Liberal Democrat candidate in Peterborough, Nick Sandford, said the system was the reason seats were staying the same.
SANDFORD: (TAPE) Across the whole of Cambridgeshire, certainly four out of the six seats in Cambridgeshire do hardly ever change hands, and that is a feature of the corrupt and undemocratic electoral systrem. That’s a system that enabled Tony Blair to be elected in 2005, only getting just over a third of the people supporting him. More people in the City of Peterborough vote against the Conservatives, but we end up with two Members of Parliament.
STAINTON: (LIVE) So could the election in Peterborough be a bit dull? Well Labour candidate Ed Murphy didn’t think so.
MURPHY: (TAPE) I know I’m from Peterborough. Most people know. When the personalities come through, one of the things is true, in Cambridgeshire we’ve got very boring Members of Parliament. Let’s talk to people about the issues, about how we need decent jobs for hard-working folk in Peterborough. There is a change in this election. We’ve got several right-wing parties standing. And it is going to be a very tense time in Peterborough, and very interesting.
STAINTON: (LIVE) Well Peterborough’s Conservative MP Stewart Jackson is in the studios this morning. Good morning Stewart.
JACKSON:Morning Paul.
STAINTON: So um .. no point really. You’re going to walk it, according to the Electoral Reform Society. Continue reading “Stewart Jackson Conservative Party Candidate”

Fiona Radic Green Party Candidate

An interview with Fiona Radic Green Party Candidate for Peterborough broadcast on Thursday 15th April 2010 at 08:10 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Today the Green Party launched their manifesto in Brighton. We already know they are very passionate about the environment. But what else are they going to be fighting for? Well Fiona Radic is the Green Parliamentary Candidate for Peterborough. She’s here now. Morning.
RADIC: Good morning Paul.
STAINTON: Is it just green policies that you’ll be offering the people of Peterborough?
RADIC: Well when you say green policies, do you mean the environment?
STAINTON: Yes I do. Green jobs. I mean are you going to try and get us out of this massive economic hole with green policies?
RADIC: Well exactly. We have a massive set of problems to deal with. The biggest one at the moment has got to be the economy. And the Green Party has tackled this by producing policies to bring down the amount of money that we need to borrow. We’re actually proposing to borrow less than the Labour Government is intending to borrow, but also to increase the number of jobs in the public sector.
STAINTON: How are you going to do that? Continue reading “Fiona Radic Green Party Candidate”

John Bridge on Immigration

John Bridge, Chairman of Opportunity Peterborough, comments on recent media stories about immigration issues in Peterborough. Broadcast at 07:10 on Wednesday 14th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: The Chairman of Opportunity Peterborough has criticised two city councillors for expressing their concern about the effect of immigration in Peterborough. You may have seen the stories in the newspapers at the weekend. Independent councillors Charlie Swift and Keith Sharp wrote to the leaders of the three main parties to tell them about the effect of EU migration in the North Ward. We covered the story way back in January, but it’s just featured in a range of national newspapers in recent days. Councillor Swift spoke to Radio Cambridgeshire yesterday. (TAPE)
SWIFT: Well I told them in no uncertain manner how my ward .. I’ve represented this ward for fifty six years, I’m very proud of the fact .. but I’ve seen it, not only this area but the areas adjacent to us, deteriorate. We’re waiting now, we’ve got about forty or fifty vacancies at the school round the corner, no places for children to go. We’re having to reopen schools that were closed only a few years ago because they said we haven’t got enough pupils. And I don’t think they realise that at the same time they’re talking about making drastic cuts in public expenditure, that it’s just not on. Because we’ve got all these extra pressures that are coming in. And there’s nothing racialist about it, they do not realise the effect at this present time, that all these extra bodies that we’ve got, on the health service, is creating. (LIVE) Continue reading “John Bridge on Immigration”

Nick Sandford LibDem Parliamentary Candidate

An interview with Nick Sandford LibDem Party Candidate for Peterborough broadcast on 14th April 2010 at 07:35 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Susie Roberts out yesterday in the Bretton Centre recording a few questions for this big debate which we’ve got on the 20th April. It’s between nine and ten in the morning, an especially extended Peterborough Breakfast Show, and we’ll have the three main Parliamentary candidates in Peterborough on. For the LibDems it’s Nick Sandford who’s with us this morning.
SANDFORD: Good morning Paul.
STAINTON: Ed Murphy for Labour will be on that, and Stewart Jackson for Conservative will be on there. The reason Nick’s here is because the LibDems set out their stall today. Their election manifesto will be launched. With talk of a hung parliament of course, even more focus on the LibDems. their leader Nick Clegg says this vote isn’t a two-horse race. (TAPE)
CLEGG: This is a choice now between the old politics of the two old parties, and something new, something different which the Liberal Democrats offer. It’s not a two-horse race between the two old parties Labour and the Conservatives. People have got a real choice this time, and I think that’s why this election is wide-open. All bets are off. (LIVE)
STAINTON: Well, Nick, you’ve got some interesting policies, fair tax, a fresh start for children, a greener economy, clean up politics in Peterborough, and seven hundred pounds in everybody’s pockets. Thank you very much. Cough it up. Continue reading “Nick Sandford LibDem Parliamentary Candidate”

Parveen Ashraf on Come Dine With Me

Parveen Ashraf is the creator of the Amaani Spice Box and will appear on the Channel 4 programme Come Dine With Me later this year. This interview was broadcast at 07:50 on March 1st 2010 on the BBC Peterborough Breakfast Show.

ANDY: Now a Peterborough edition of the Channel 4 show Come Dine with Me has been filmed and will be shown in the summer, and Parveen Ashraf who runs Amaani Spice Box was one of the contestants on the show and joins us now. Good morning.
PARVEEN: Good morning Andy.
ANDY: Thank you for coming in. Now, tell us a little bit about the show. What happened? Because it’s a great show, on Channel 4, Come Dine with Me. I love it. What was it like for you?
PARVEEN: It is. It was, I think the word is, surreal.
ANDY: Surreal!
PARVEEN: Surreal!
ANDY: Did you get on with the other contestants? Because watching it at home you kind of like a bit of friction between the contestants. But was it a happy camp? Continue reading “Parveen Ashraf on Come Dine With Me”