A candid interview with our Chair of the Labour Party, Richard Quigley.
You’re probably asking yourself, why do I need to know about politics? Why should I take an interest? Politics can certainly be mundane and hard to understand at times but it does have an affect on you. Every choice that is made will directly impact your future. So why shouldn’t you be at least a little involved in having a say in it?
It is the hope that this interview below sheds some light on the kind of representative Richard is and the ideals/principles he and the Labour Party stands behind. This is our home and we need to start making moves towards evolving this beautiful island in order for future generations to want to live and thrive here.
Just to give a little background, Richard Quigley grew up in Retford, Nottinghamshire and moved to the island in 2003. At present he resides in Cowes, with his wife and two daughters where he runs a successful business-Corrie’s Cabin- a popular fish and chip shop. He is currently the chair for the Labour Party on the island and while he wasn’t elected our MP, he has remained as passionate as ever in the hope of propelling the island forward.
So why was the 2019 General Election the right time for you to run as the island’s prospective parliamentary candidate?
‘I joined the Labour Party back in 2015, right as Corbyn became the leader, the policies being offered were aimed at rebuilding society and struck a chord. Just by chance, in the run up to the 2019 elections, I noticed the Labour Party were asking for applications for MP’s which had never previously been seen before. So I thought, why not fill it out and see what happens? Then as luck would have it, I was selected! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It was never about the money, I’ve been fortunate enough to run two successful businesses but I just know that I have a lot of passion for social justice. There are a lot of people out there that don’t have a voice and I think they need to be heard.’
How has the loss of that election prepared you for this year's upcoming council elections and any future General Elections?
‘I must admit we were absolutely gutted but we were absolutely elated by the amount of votes we were able to gain. How did it prepare me? Well, I realised that we actually fought a really great campaign but there were two things that went against us. One being Brexit and also having Jeremy Corbyn as our party leader. Regardless of my personal opinions, the public just did not like him. We realised that people vote for people, almost as if they know the candidate personally. It almost didn’t matter what our policies were because too many just did not have faith or trust in Corbyn as a leader.
In regards to the council elections, we’re obviously still not 100% sure they’re going ahead, although it’s been advised they are. In current circumstances it seems unlikely we’ll be able to do much in person in the way of community canvassing or fundraising so it’ll largely be done online. We have got a manifesto together and are very committed to it, our main focus is around building community wealth, both in monetary terms but also social capital, things like getting the council to bring a lot of their spending back to the locality. We’re looking at things like regenerating the high street and investing in the right skills. We need to think more about farming and introducing agricultural and marine industry qualifications- it’s a crime that we don’t have these in place already!’
So I recently read your article in the IOW Observer, you mentioned looking at support for micro/tech businesses and investment for food resilience and farming, are these topics being included in your manifesto?
‘Yeah absolutely! The funds need to be looked at in regards to how they’re being used and what they’re being spent on. The council had access to a £100 million investment fund and they chose to spend it on warehousing and shopping malls up north which doesn’t make any sense at all. Why spend it off the island? The other thing we’re really keen on tackling is child poverty. I know a lot of people that don’t live here might think we’re surrounded by lovely beaches and that there’s no deprivation but it’s the complete opposite. We want to make that a key area, it continues to be missed.’
You have often referred to young people as being ‘the future’, have you given any thought to how you might alter your campaign to get more people interested in politics and thereby more voters? What do you think are the greatest challenges they are facing?
‘We did get a really great response from a lot of young people when we did the school Hustings. We’ve got several youth officers for the first time for our local party here on the island. They’ve been working really hard to engage teenagers and work out the best ways to make politics a bit more interesting. Young people are so vital, they are the people that effectively will be living with the choices we make now. There seems to be a bit of a generational rift currently. I really believe that young people today were born into an era where the disparity between the rich and poor has been one of the biggest it’s been for a long time. Rent costs are now higher than ever compared to the amount of income. We need to think about healthcare, access to education, free or lower cost bus passes for this age group and not just the elderly. We need to think about secure employment, including more focus on those that help tackle climate change. I believe a decent job is all about longevity and gives people some meaning and worth, not just about being better paid. It’s all about how we move forward to a decent future.’
Richard concluded this insightful interview with one final, and very important message. ‘There is hope. Working together, regardless of our political colours, for a combined aim of providing a stable and bright future for the next generations. With the right will and the right attitude, we can achieve. Conviction in our politics, compassion in our actions.’
Written by Megan Probert
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