Conservative Darren Caplan explains all in our Q&A

Read our Q&A with Conservative candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington Darren Caplan.

What made you decide to run as a prospective parliamentary candidate?

 

I have been interested in politics since I was a teenager, and have always considered Westminster the most important arena for political opponents to fight for their beliefs, in what is still to my mind the world's best pluralist liberal democracy.

 

An MP has two main roles: to fight for his or her vision of Britain and conception of the balance between the role of the individual and the state; and to represent the views of constituents in Parliament. I remain of the view that, despite the recent expenses scandal, being an MP is still the highest calling for those who believe in British politics.

 

Finally, I believe fundamentally in smaller government, less state interference and freer, more independent citizens. It is to fight for these beliefs that ultimately made me decide to run as a prospective parliamentary candidate.

 

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Why should people vote for you?

 

Many politicians promise the earth and then fail to deliver. Although philosophically I believe in less government and more individual freedom, that doesn't mean government cannot do good things - it just needs to do less and be more targeted in what it does.

 

As the MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington, I would focus on the three areas which I believe are currently priorities here - and I would ask the electorate to judge me on progress against these priorities:

1) helping small and medium sized businesses create more jobs, by reducing business taxes and giving job seekers a better chance of getting that next job, through training, apprenticeships and more university places;

2) helping develop better schools, so that at the least every child can leave primary school with the ability to read, write and do basic maths; and

3) cutting knife and gun crime, which is tragically and needlessly costing innocent lives.

 

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What is your one biggest concern about Hackney?

 

Knife and gun crime. It is absolutely heart-breaking to see young men, woman and children losing their lives on the streets of Hackney, who have committed no offence other than to simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The increase in gangland violence is a threat to everyone - and every parent is now worried their child will get caught up in a shooting or knife incident.

 

Firstly, I would assure Hackney & Stoke Newington voters that I would not play politics with this issue. All the parliamentary candidates in this election would, I know, work assiduously with police, colleges, schools, young people’s organisations, third sector and other agencies to try to put an end to the madness.

 

Secondly, the Conservative do have distinct policies on this area which I believe would make a difference. We would seek to reduce police paperwork so they can concentrate on policing and not bureaucracy. We will strengthen ‘stop and search powers’ to make it easier for the police to get weapons off the streets and make it clear that anyone caught carrying a knife or a gun can expect to be prosecuted and face a prison sentence. We would improve rehabilitation - for example, with dedicated Prison & Rehabilitation Trusts - to break the link between those who get involved in crime staying in crime. And we would introduce a National Citizen Service, funding the rollout of a programme to bring 16-year olds from different backgrounds together to carry out community activities and, hopefully, make it less likely that they would joing violent gangs.

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What is the first thing you would do for Hackney?

 

In Hackney North & Stoke Newington, primary schools have for seven years in a row come bottom in the independent Standard Assessment Test lists for reading, writing and maths (SAT league tables, Department for Children, Schools and Families, August 2009), with more than half of 11-year-olds failing the tests. Although there are, of course, good schools in Hackney, parents and teachers know urgent action is needed to deal with the problems in the very worst schools.

 

So the first thing I would do for Hackney would be to commit to a new generation of local independent, non-selective state schools funded by taxpayers but run by teachers and responsible to parents. These schools will be smaller, with smaller classes, and head teachers will be given the freedom to innovate, choose and shape their own curriculum and be given the freedom to exclude disruptive pupils and set their own discipline policies.

 

I would support a process to replace the leadership of any school that has been in Ofsted ‘special measures’ for over a year by the end of the next school year, and the reopening of these schools as Academies by September 2011. Thereafter, all schools that stay in special measures for a year would be replaced with Academies.

 

Finally, I would support the move to a national per pupil funding system, so that new schools get paid if they attract pupils, with extra funding for the poorest pupils (a 'pupil premium').

 

No-one is saying that there’s an easy solution, but carrying on as present is simply not an option. Hackney’s parents and pupils deserve better – and I would argue that only the Conservatives have the new, radical ideas on local schooling to make the changes required.

 

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What is your favourite thing about Hackney?

 

It really is diverse, vibrant and full of opportunity, but I believe it's being held back by a tired Labour government. I would like to be part of a new generation of local politicians, with new ideas to make Hackney even better for those who live, work and have fun here!