Election interview: Catherine Anderson
With just three days to go before the General Election, Newbury Today is re-running interviews with each of the eight candidates standing for the Newbury seat that first appeared in the Newbury Weekly News.
Today we profile UKIP candidate Catherine Anderson on her policies and her chances in the upcoming May 7 General Election.
Keep an eye on our website in the run up to the election for all of the Parliamentary profiles.
UKIP’s General Election candidate for Newbury has thrown down the gauntlet to her rivals by claiming “we are the only party who says what everyone is thinking”.
Catherine Anderson, a 29-year-old project manager from Burghfield, says she wants to see “real democracy” return to the country.
Miss Anderson said she is humbled from the reaction she has received during canvassing, and said: “There are always going to be people who will believe everything they read in the media about UKIP and will ask me about it.
“However, the majority of people have been incredibly supportive and positive about what we are trying to do.
“A lot of people are saying they are fed up with the Conservatives and this government, saying their priorities are not right and that promises have been broken. UKIP listens to what people want and tells it how it is – that makes us different from everyone else and I think that resonates with a lot of people.”
UKIP’s General Election manifesto pledges to save £32bn by the end of the next parliament, primarily by leaving the EU and reducing contributions to overseas aid.
The party also vows to scrap inheritance and bedroom tax, stop car park charges at hospitals and invest £3bn in the NHS by training and employing more doctors and nurses.
Miss Anderson said: “Our message is believe in Britain. We need to believe in democracy and the fact we can govern ourselves. It is about investing in people, increasing the minimum wage and scrapping tuition fees for people studying core skills.”
Miss Anderson, who speaks German, French and Hindi, was also quick to dispel national criticism that UKIP is a ‘racist’ party.
She said: “We don’t want racists in our party and have shown we will act upon anyone bringing the party’s name into disrepute.
“I am not anti-immigration at all. It is not about stopping immigration, but controlling it and not having an open-door policy to half a billion people.”
Also standing in the General Election for the Newbury constituency is Barrie Singleton (Independent), Andrew Stott (Patriotic Socialist), Jonny Roberts (Labour), Peter Norman (Apolitical), Paul Field (Green), Judith Bunting (Liberal Democrat) and sitting MP Richard Benyon (Conservative).
