Tag: Daniel Zeichner

Lucy Frazer and Daniel Zeichner on Budget 2015

17:19 Wednesday 8th July 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Let’s get reaction to what the Chancellor had to say in that Emergency Budget from a couple of people. We’ve got Lucy Frazer the Conservative MP for South East Cambridgeshire. Lucy hello.
LUCY FRAZER: Hello. Hi. Hi Chris.
CHRIS MANN: And also the Labour MP for Cambridge Daniel Zeichner. Hello Daniel.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Hi Chris.
CHRIS MANN: First Budget as MPs for both of them of course. Daniel, your reaction.
Continue reading “Lucy Frazer and Daniel Zeichner on Budget 2015”

One week on – the parties find their feet

17:39 Friday 15th May 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: They say a week is a long time in politics. Since the election results were announced last Friday we’ve had twists and turns, ups and downs, from all of the political parties. And our political reporter Hannah Olsson has been trying to keep up. She joins me in the studio now. It’s been quite a week, and today, well, the drama of the Labour leadership contest took another strange turn.
HANNAH OLSSON: It certainly did. Now since Ed Miliband announced he was resigning as Labour Party Leader after to his party’s disappointing defeat in the General Election last week, contenders have been throwing their hats in the ring. We’ve had Chuka Umunna, Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Mary Creagh, all saying they wanted to enter the race. But then today Chuka Umunna surprised us all by announcing he was withdrawing. The reason he gave in a statement was that he wasn’t comfortable with the level of pressure and scrutiny that came with being a Leadership candidate. Now Chuka Umunna is a polished media performer, and was seen as a real contender for the job, so the announcement will come as a big shock for many people within the Labour Party. But former labour Leader Lord Kinnock says he has probably done the right thing.
(TAPE)
LORD KINNOCK: If he felt in his soul that he wasn’t prepared to subject himself, and more importantly his family, to the kind of attention which is fairly typical sadly these days, he has done absolutely the right thing. There’s no point at all in inflicting avoidable unnecessary misery on those that you love most.
(LIVE)
HANNAH OLSSON: Candidates must secure nominations from 34 colleagues, that’s roughly 15% of the Labour party’s MPs, by 15th June, to make it onto those ballot papers. So we may see more twists and turns in the race before then.
CHRIS MANN: Let’s move on to talk about UKIP. Yesterday I spoke to Patrick O’Flynn, who had very publicly criticised the party’s Leader Nigel Farage, calling him ‘thin skinned and aggressive’. Has there been more reaction to that?
Continue reading “One week on – the parties find their feet”

Richard Nicholl from Varsity on the Cambridge election campaign

8:21 Friday 15th May 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Cambridge’s new MP Daniel Zeichner has called them ‘amazing’, the army of student Labour voters who campaigned tirelessly for him to be elected in the city. There are around 15,000 students in Cambridge who are eligible to vote, and with just 599 votes between Daniel and the LibDems’s Julian Huppert, it would be fair to say that it was the students wot won it for Labour. .. Let’s talk to Richard Nicholl who is the political editor of Varsity, Cambridge University’s student newspaper. Richard, they certainly seemed to think they made all the difference during Daniel Zeichner’s campaign. Do you agree?
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David Cameron calls for pre-election private sector pay boost

09:23 Tuesday 10th February 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: When was the last time you had a payrise? Well never fear, because DC David Cameron is urging business leaders today to give their staff payrises. He will say that economic conditions have not been this good for such a long time. Well with us this morning to discuss what David Cameron has had to say about this is Darren Fower, LibDem Parliamentary candidate for Peterborough. Morning sir.
DARREN FOWER: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: We’ve got Daniel Zeichner with us as well. He’s the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge. Morning Daniel.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: And Vicky Ford, who’s the Conservative MEP for the East of England. Morning Vicky.
VICKY FORD: Morning.
PAUL STAINTON: He’s set the cat among the pigeons hasn’t he, DC this morning? We’re all going to get a payrise. I’m looking forward to it Vicky.
VICKY FORD: Oh well, it is the case that we are now the fastest growing economy in the Western world, and that’s all due to the Long Term Economic Plan working. And I think people would like to see pay rise, and this is the Prime Minister encouraging businesses to realise that the situation is looking better than it’s done for a while. And if they can afford to, let’s put some of that money back in people’s pockets.
PAUL STAINTON: Is he going to lead by example and put pensions up for pensioners,. give them a payrise?
VICKY FORD: This is looking at the private sector, not the public sector.
PAUL STAINTON: Oh right.
VICKY FORD: Because of course the public sector, you know, we still need to keep working on this debt and deficit, and correcting that mess that we were left behind by the last Government. So this is saying to the private sector, to businesses, growth is coming. They’ve done a good job. We’ve got two million more new jobs created by businesses. We’ve obviously given people a tax cut. 27 million people have benefited for that tax cut. That’s at the lowest end of pay.
PAUL STAINTON: But if things are so good Vicky, why doesn’t he practice what he preaches?
VICKY FORD: Well he is saying now it’s time for the private sector to also deliver on giving benefits. He has practiced what he’s preaching in that he has put the money through his low taxes into 27 million pockets. So your pay slip is looking better at the bottom line. But he’d like the businesses to start making it look better at the top line.
PAUL STAINTON: Good news Daniel, isn’t it, that the economy is doing so well? Good news that we can all afford as a small business, medium business, to give our employees a payrise apparently.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Well the hypocrisy is just breathtaking, isn’t it? Cameron is the boss of millions of workers in this country, National Health Service workers for instance. And has he even followed the advice of his own independent pay review body? Not at all. So what he’s doing is he’s ambling out of his champagne reception from last night, wandering along to the Chambers of Commerce, and just basically saying to Britain’s hard working business leaders, you should do it. I’m not prepared to do it. And don’t forget that people are now something like £1600 a year worse off. This is going to be the first time that people have gone into a General Election worse off than at the last election. We’ve got 1.4 million people on zero-hours contracts. Frankly Cameron is not going to deliver on any of this. It’s just a pre-election speech, and I hope people will see through it.
PAUL STAINTON: We’ve spoken to the Chairman of Cambridgeshire’s Chamber of Commerce, John Bridge. He can’t come on this morning because he’s actually at the conference and just taking his seat. But he says he’d “prefer the Government to keep their opinions to themselves and focus on bringing in investment and developing growth. many businesses can’t afford pay rises at this time, so to recommend them isn’t very wise.” Darren Fower, where’s the LibDems? Stop him. I thought that was what you were doing. You were reining him in. Continue reading “David Cameron calls for pre-election private sector pay boost”

OFGEM regulation failing the consumer

10:29 Monday 2nd February 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: We’re also talking about energy, and asking whether or not the Big Six energy companies are cashing in on the falling cost of oil. Now according to energy watchdog OFGEM they are. It says the Big Six are not passing on savings from the falling price of oil to customers. The Big Six have promised to lower their prices over the coming months, but experts say they’ve nowhere near gone far enough. So are you left feeling cold by the 2015 energy price rip-off? And what can be done about it? Well joining us now is the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge Daniel Zeichner. Daniel morning.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Hi Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Labour of course, the party offering price freezes if they win the next election. And also with us is Peter Thom from Green Heat in Girton, who are specialists in home energy efficiency. Morning Peter.
PETER THOM: Morning Paul. How are you?
PAUL STAINTON: I’m very good. Daniel first of all if I may, you’re being blamed, aren’t you, the Labour Party, for some of these companies not reducing their prices? Apparently they’re scared of the effect that your cap might have if you win an election.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: That’s what they’re saying. And of course they would say that, wouldn’t they? I think the evidence from OFGEM is absolutely clear. The Big Six haven’t been passing on the savings. And the longer term issue is how do we actually change the market so it works more effectively. And that’s the second half of our plan really. It’s not just a price freeze. It’s about making sure there’s more transparency. because at the moment these companies have some very complicated procedures, which make it very hard to actually find out what they’re charging, and where their costs are going. And they claim not to be making profits, but actually everybody knows they are. So it’s actually about changing the way the system works in the longer terms that’s probably the more important thing. And as you’ve got Peter on the line, I’m sure he’ll agree that the really really big goal is actually to use less energy in the first place. And the massive gain would be if we can improve particularly the efficiency of many of our homes, which I’m afraid at the moment are still quite inefficient.
PAUL STAINTON: Peter, John the Hippy, he’s got a very eco-friendly home. He was saying earlier that he never worries about it. It costs him £700 a year. He’s got his heating on all the time, 20° to 23° on all three floors, and his basement. And when anyone decides to buy a car, say £10,000, and use it, instead of buying that car, use that £10,000, get some solar panels and improve your home. Continue reading “OFGEM regulation failing the consumer”

Cambridge bloggers on Election 2015

17:13 Monday 5th January 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: So in case you hadn’t noticed, there is a General Election coming up this year. The campaign, well it’s been a slow-burner until now, but it’s beginning to produce more than a few sparks. Let’s find out what we think is going to be in prospect locally from two leading Cambridgeshire bloggers on politics, Richard Taylor .. hello Richard.
RICHARD TAYLOR: Good afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: .. and Antony Carpen, known to many as Puffles. Hello Antony.
ANTONY CARPEN: Good afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: So gentlemen, how much do you think there will be Cambridgeshire issues in this election campaign? Richard first.
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Cambridgeshire candidates reflect on the rise of UKIP

17:06 Friday 10th October 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The UK Independence Party, UKIP, has its first elected Member of Parliament, and has gone close to getting a second. Former Conservative MP Douglas Carswell won the Clacton by-election in the early hours of this morning with a majority of more than 12,000 over his old Party. If that wasn’t enough, UKIP came within just over 600 votes of taking the Heywood and Middleton by-election, where Labour just clung on. .. The UKIP MEP for the East and prospective Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge Patrick O’Flynn said it was a great day, but the Party still had work to do before the General Election in May.
(TAPE)
PATRICK O’FLYNN: We can’t take anything for granted. It is an absolute breakthrough for UKIP. We’ve had our first directly elected MP, and the British public are clearly taking a look at us, and saying we like some of the things you say, we quite fancy adding you to the range of parties represented in the House of Commons. But we need to keep building on our strengths, improving ourselves where we’re not strong enough, and showing that we recognise the magnitude of the opportunity we might be given by the British public.
(LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: Well at the General Election next year he will be up against Chamali Fernando, who is the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the Cambridge seat. She joins me now. Hello Chamali
CHAMALI FERNANDO: Hi there Chris.
CHRIS MANN: So, only one in four voters stayed loyal to the Conservatives. Second place there, and heaven only knows what at the Rochester by-election. Disarray.
Continue reading “Cambridgeshire candidates reflect on the rise of UKIP”

Tony Benn 1925-2014

10:36 Friday 14th March 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: We’re paying homage to a truly remarkable man. Politicians of all sides have been paying tribute to Tony Benn, who has died at the age of 88. A former Cabinet Minister, an MP for more than 50 years of course. David Cameron said he was a magnificent writer, speaker and campaigner. Labour Leader Ed Miliband said he was a champion of the powers, a great parliamentarian, and a conviction politician. You don’t get many of those to the pound, do you? And former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was a powerful fearless relentless advocate for social justice and people’s rights. One of the most important figures in the Labour Party for many years, serving in the Wilson and Callaghan governments of the ’60s and ’70s. And he had the unique ability I think, when he talked, even if you disagreed completely, vehemently with what he had to say .. even as a kid I remember sitting and watching his speeches, and being drawn in to this amazing man with a pipe, who apparently drank tea by the pint. Well I’m joined on the line now by Daniel Zeichner. He’s the Labour prospective Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge. Daniel, morning.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: A very sad morning. I may not have agreed with what he had to say when I was a kid, but he did have that amazing power, didn’t he?
Continue reading “Tony Benn 1925-2014”