General Election FAQ

• Being available across the constituency.
• Provide a voice in Parliament for things of importance to the constituency.
• Work with whoever is in charge to do what's best for the nation - not just a party.
• Scrutinise legislation that is being created for a positive output not just to score points.
• Work with Local councils as their voice in parliament to ensure we address local issues.

Most people when they speak about roads are referring to potholes. It’s a bit wider than that though with smart motorways and utility company access.

Potholes are under the responsibilities of Councils, so for Reading West and Mid Berkshire that Is Reading Council and West Berkshire Council.

Funding however comes from Westminster. Whilst it would be nice to just say “give more money to councils” the reality is that money is in short supply. I have suggested to Reading councillors and West Berkshire council direct that we need to change process and allow ourselves to get ahead of the problem. The start for that is simple devices attached to the front of all council vehicles (especially waste lorries) so that we auto-detect the vast majority of issues as they begin. With a little machine learning those devices can cut out the requirement of council officers going out to confirm the problem is real (saving time and money). Next rather than have traditional teams go out and repair it, which is multiple people, we embrace some of the new single operator products coming out of JCB and Italy. That again allows for greater efficiency which again is time and money.

The net result is, auto-detection, faster fixing and the same money going further allowing us to get ahead of the problem.

Smart motorways have been shown to be more dangerous. We need to at least get them going as originally designed. That’s faster detection of problems and sufficient laybyes.

Utility companies have cart blanche to just dig up any road based on saying it's an emergency. So, anything else scheduled through councils then makes less sense. It's why we can see a brand-new road dug up days later. Some of the issue is that once they are digging up they extend the works to not just fix the issue but often carry out the laying of upgraded pipes. This extends the work significantly. Forcing utility companies to better coordinate with councils would help the overall problem.

• Ensure our energy security.
• Focus our energy production on solutions that cannot be influenced by outside bodies. i.e. Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro/Micro Hydro and fusion energy.
• Make sure we emphasise consumer-side energy production as well as centralised production.

• Without energy independence, we can be held hostage by third powers or other nations.
• We have more Tidal, Hydro, Wind, Solar and Geothermal energy around, through, over, on and under the UK than we could ever imagine needing.
• Once built, none of the above alt energy can be easily interfered with from outside the UK.
• Most of the energy solutions above are on par or lower cost than say Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Most of the energy solutions above are faster to build than Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Creating independent, green, cheap limitless energy means we can solve many of the issues in the UK today.
• Energy costs are one of the key issues with our cost-of-living crisis.
• Our farmers and food sector can produce more from less space.
• Our heavy industries get a major cost removed making them competitive again.
• It provides energy supplies that allow for Green Hydrogen production in large quantities. This in turn can decarbonise transport and heating of homes without trying to move everything to electric and batteries.
• Cleaner AIR and comfortable heating and cooling in homes will lead to much better health outcomes.

Here are some of my beliefs

• I do not believe in the extremes of politics, be that ultra-right or left. If I had to use a single word it would be to say I am a "centrist". That means I can support some of what socialism stands for as well as capitalism.
• I believe in people being given an opportunity, but that it is also incumbent on those that can, to give back.
• I do not believe in barriers for people, but also that once a barrier is removed, it should be the best person for the role.
• I bridge the political divide because I have direct experience of being poor as well as what it takes to create jobs and run a business.

1. Because it’s a new constituency comprising 30% of voters from 3 Reading West wards and 70% of Voters from 12 more rural West Berkshire wards.
2. Because there is no clear majority for any political and a lot of dissatisfaction with existing party politics, leaving space for a "None of the above" vote. 
3. Because when I ran a survey people said they wanted someone like me as their first preference. i.e. an independent local person with a career first before politics.

• I recently went to the Tom Hanks Moonwalkers show at the Lightroom near St Pancras. (Wow by the way). In it was a snippet of the speech by John F. Kennedy. The one where he says “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept”. So, my answer is simple. I bother because if someone does not then nothing changes. I would like to be the candidate that makes change happen.

• My first jobs were shovelling peas off lorries, bar work and piece work. I know what it took to get out of poverty and so can empathise with people struggling for a fair deal.

• During my time as a Councillor, I've demonstrated how we can do positive things for the environment which also saves money. I use STEAM (Saving Money And The Environment) or SMATE (Saving Money And The Environment) as acronyms often because there are still many things we can do which have all the benefits without the negatives. Choosing cheaper alt energy solutions is the obvious example)
• Whilst I often agree with the Greens on what needs to be tackled, I found the solutions are often too extreme to get adopted. I am more a carrot-before-the-stick type of person.
• In the current world climate, the commitment of the Greens to just get rid of Nuclear is not something I can support. Ukraine giving up theirs (even when the West said ” Don't worry, we will take care of you”) just shows how states like Russia then feel free to threaten and invade.

• I am the only candidate currently engaging with parish and town councils to ensure the next MP delivers what local residents need in areas an MP can influence.
• By running as an independent I can fight directly for the constituency and what it needs rather than being tied to only what the party wants.
• As things stand, I believe it would be better to find ways to work much closer with the EU (something the Lib Dems are frightened of saying for some reason).
• During the Lib Dem PPC selection process, members selected me. Only when a spurious reason was created was I excluded and Helen announced instead. The English party chair failed to investigate, as did Lib Dem HQ. Therefore I stand in part to be able to represent those Lib Dems who voted for me.
• I better represent true Lib Dem values than the official candidate and happen to be local - which is why people voted for me in the first place.

• It is tough to reward and trust the current version of the Conservative party given its significant mistakes and instability.
• FUD - Using Fear Uncertainty and Doubt as the bedrock of why the Conservatives should be re-elected is just reusing old key on new locks - We all know that does not work.
• I can ensure your vote is not wasted, and should I win, you can see from my background, that I can help steer the constituency and nation to a better future. I believe I am a safe pair of hands.

As an MP I could assist local businesses in a variety of ways. I can make private enquiries on behalf of my constituents, raise matters publicly in the House of Commons, speak at events concerning the issue, pledge my support to a campaign or write to the local media on behalf of these constituents.

MPs are not islands and tend to have a constituency office with staff. This can provide advice on business-related matters and even help point business towards government grants.

I’ve often found, in my own work life, that networking solutions together can pay dividends. Therefore, as businesses across the Constituency and nearby get to know me, I’ll be able to connect them together where it makes sense.

As an MP I cannot be financially involved directly though.

Since being established on July 5, 1948, the NHS has undergone several changes to adapt to the changing needs of the population.

It is suggested, and I agree, that having doctors and nurses in charge of designing the change process would be a good thing.

The NHS is already making use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to help clinicians interpret scans and improve healthcare outcomes. The NHS AI Lab is working in partnership with several government and NHS partners to create an environment for collaboration and co-creation by bringing together programmes that address the barriers to developing and deploying AI systems in health care. Once done, I see this adding positively to the answers we need to the challenges faced by the NHS today.

No one should be enslaved by Poverty, Ignorance or Conformity. i.e. there should be equal opportunity for all without barriers because of wealth, race etc. But once the barriers are removed, then we need the best person to do the best job possible. I came from what many consider a poor background. The grant system allowed me to get the education I needed.  I want to fight to fix those issues as a priority whilst ensuring barriers do not exist.

I would be a champion and deliver two things that would benefit our constituency. 

1. I would be lobbying to have a greater range of services available at the relatively new community hospital that was built on the border of Newbury and Thatcham. 
2. I would also be a big supporter of building a new hospital to replace the ageing Royal Berkshire one. Looking at its capture area, I would also be suggesting a move out of central Reading but close to one of the M4 junctions to improve the speed of access Junctions 11/12 and 13 being the obvious choices.

Before we look at the above, we need to keep a couple of things in mind. 1 The birth rate in the UK. 2 How the UK is setup in terms of the number of people it needs to remain in what we think of as a prosperous nation. The reality is that the UK birth rate is falling, and a work force is needed to pay for everything that makes us prosperous.

With that said, what gets little to no coverage is emigration from the UK. The latest ONS numbers, June 2023, say 93000 British citizens left the UK. An AXA PPP International report says the main drivers behind British emigration was Poor work / life balance and poor pay and benefits.

First that’s around 3 times the number of people that arrive by small boats according to a Dec 15^th Article on the BBC website. In the same story 89000 sought Asylum in the UK in 2022 (Still less).

What’s not said, and what’s hard to find is the socio-economic breakdown in those numbers.

Let’s face it, if we are losing the mid to high earners and only replace with low earners then it’s not a matter of just measuring in and out, it’s a matter of value (or tax revenue if you like). For example. If I lose a Dr. whose average pay is £76K (net £54K) and replace with someone working in retail where the average salary is £23.3K (net 20K) then I’m at least 3 times worse off as the government. But it’s even worse than that, because a single parent earing £23.3K with 2 school age kids living in Berkshire would be entitled to £329.44 per week of benefits, according to money saving experts web site. That’s another £17130 per annum we need to find. FYI the Dr. gets just child benefits at 39.90 per week or 2074.80 per annum.

The extra cost of the 3.3 people on benefits compared to the 1 Dr. is £56.5K. That’s over twice the tax revenue from the Dr.

A GMC report said that 4843 Drs left the UK in the year May 2021 to 2022

Given the above. I’m going to say the emigration part of net migration is something we need to focus on as a high priority. i.e. retain our talent.

It is impossible to have missed the evolving situation in the USA, with a real possibility that Donald Trump might get re-elected. However, even without that, we hear about President Joe Biden’s thoughts on the UK and Ireland. He’s not that positive about us apparently. Or at least that’s what gets reported.

So, I do find myself asking “Would the USA really come to our aid? Would they stay involved long enough to make the difference? Can we take the risk?” Whereas 20 years ago I would never have doubted, today I’m less sure.

Add to this what we see reported from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran means we face the real possibility of our way of life being changed significantly by direct aggression, or by weaponizing capitalism (which the Chinese state has done very successfully). FYI. I try and stay in touch by watching a range of news channels from the BBC through ITV, GB News, Al Jazeera and Sky. Just so I can get different perspectives on things.

The conflation of all this news is that we live in ever more dangerous times. It's why one of the things I’m keen to see is the UK get to energy independence. I.e. Energy security. I have written previously about ways we can do this in an environmentally positive way, but once we have abundant cheap energy security, we can make positive moves to improve food security, we also get positive outcomes for health and industry and importantly cost of living.

But even if we manage to reverse the trends and make the UK independent in the basics of life, we still won’t be secure given the growing aggression in the world.

That's why I support a strong military, not for global dominance, but to safeguard our interests and respond effectively when necessary. Collaborating with neighbouring countries, who share cultural similarities to form a robust alliance—whether within or outside NATO— can deter potential aggressors.

It’s one of the main reasons why staying close to our European neighbours is a good thing. We need to get passed painting the EU as the devil. It’s a long way from perfect but our cultures are closer than many seem to realise.

As a potential independent MP, I would consider evidence and vote in the best interests of the nation, recognizing that decisions in this area span multiple decades and should be independent of party politics.

My position is quite straightforward really.

As a nation, it is impossible to sustain an immigration rate of 700K plus per annum

• We need to be able to choose who comes and stays
• My first concern is to split out genuine asylum seekers and economic migrants
• Economic migrants need to arrive by safe legal routes. They should apply before they set off on the journey to the UK. They need to be filling a role that cannot be filled by someone already living here.
• Economic migration needs to be ruled based and fulfil only those things we cannot train for locally.
• I am just as concerned about emigration.

Are we losing skilled people and replacing them with non-skilled? I did a letter to the press on this - see here

https://adrianabbs.uk/Contents/ContentItems/48gx8qefbem1ptvxz620rzaawh

For me, it starts further back and comes down to the economy we are building. Build the right type of economy and emigration of skilled labour falls

It's a tough nut to crack but the speed of processing applications is one key. Being willing to say "No thanks, we don't need your specific skill set" must be something we can do as a nation.

When I moved back from working in Germany my home was at RG30 3UN which is in the East of the constituency. Both my children went to school in Reading.

I currently live on the border of Newbury / Thatcham. The boundary for the new constituency runs all the way to Thatcham. So, I am very close.

The constituency is made up from Rural (West) and Urban (East). As I have lived at both ends, I believe I will bring an understanding to what is needed locally for the Constituency. I also run a business (In Newbury) that employs people who live in places like Aldermaston.

Before standing I contacted several of the current District councillors to see if they would be running. None were who represented a centralist and internationalist perspective. That meant no candidate close to my own principles was standing.

Now that all the main candidates have announced, it seems to remain clear that I can offer a viable alternative to party politics and am someone who has a strong connection to the constituency.

Some of the work I have done as a District Councillor is based in Mid Berkshire (Things like the Grazely solar farm and energy generation at Padworth recycling centre). I also met with people in Beenham when they had a particularly contentious planning app – In an advisor role.

David Tully from Rochdale showed that an Independent can do very well in an election for Parliament. He got 21% of the vote. He was just a local businessman who wanted to do something for his community. Same as me.

Given the Conservative vote is mainly in Mid Berkshire historically and the Labour Vote is strongest in Reading West, we already have a split. Now add in that the Conservative vote splits again because of Reform. The Labour Vote also splits because Tilehurst has historically voted Lib Dem (at least during council elections). This means we have no party with more than ¼ of the votes. Turn outs at General elections are averaging 65%. So around 16 to 17% each

An independent has a chance because. 1) the 35% of people who don’t normally vote now have a viable choice. 2) Many softer Conservative voters are so angry with their own party they are actively considering voting for change or staying at home. They don’t really want to vote Labour and the Lib Dems just don’t have enough people to do the whole area. They have only around 140 members and far less activists (maybe 5-10) across the area I believe. 3) Although the Green candidate is someone I respect, the Green vote is just not a tactical vote this time around in this location.

If we believe in democracy, then we need a solution when electing MPs that represents what voters believe in. 1^st past the post has led to some very odd election results with huge majorities that do not reflect the majority. Its very hard indeed to find any example of a single party commanding more than 50% of the publics vote.

Now add in stability. Having been running my own business’s for over 20 years I can say the number 1 thing that benefits growth is stability. Be that inflation or the rules under which business must run.

So, I have come to believe we should adopt a form of PR that still ensures I can elect a person, rather than a party, but then also reflects what voters want. It does mean we will get representatives from the extremes, but we should also get better cooperation and stability.

I do not hold any strong opinion on this bill other than to acknowledge the costs of supporting people's choices. If we have a known product that directly hurts people's health then encouraging them to change the habit would be my go to start position. Taxing those products to ensure the necessary health support later on has to happen otherwise a persons choice falls on other shoulders.

This goes to my belief that people should be able to choose. My only concern is ensuring it really is their choice.

I do not believe in the breakup of the UK.  So devolving power to allow each part to decide if they wanted to join the EU (or even could) is not something I see as helpful at this time.

The concept of devolved power, in theory, allows a more specific focus by those elected to these parliaments.

The problem is that it costs quite a lot. As the world shrinks, the differences economically also shrinks.

I struggle to see how splitting tax, health etc into smaller parts makes for greater efficiency.

My mind is open but as a businessman, I would want to see the business case and advantages economically of doing it.

I do not have access to enough information to know if this is even affordable. So sorry I am unable to answer this question at this time.

Genocide is defined in the English dictionary as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group:”

By this definition, both the Israeli State and Hamas terror group seem to be guilty of it. They both aim to destroy each other.

The sad bit is that we live in a world where killing is done all the time. Everything says to me that the only practical solution is to have two states that live in peace. I am happy to voice my thoughts on this but I'm afraid I don't think either party is listening so people suffer.

Paying the going rate for something is the shortest way to ensure availability. The issue is the cost to the state when the state has run out of money.

Healthy teeth are often linked to healthy choices in food. The only way to make this all affordable would be to reduce the level of need by focusing on the young and ensuring less pressure in the first place.

Almost everything that is a problem in the UK comes back to money. As a society, even if we tax more there are limits because we work on a global stage. Without fixing UK competitiveness on the world stage we won't be able to afford to pay the going rate for services people want.

In my leaflet here https://adrianabbs.uk/media/ppc/Leaflet-A3.pdf I lay out a long-term plan to revitalise the UK economy so we can also afford and fix our services

I am looking at placing the Constituency office in Theale initially. This is central as much as is possible.

I have been asked to expand a little on how Land Value Reform might help with not just house building but the cost of homes.

This type of reform works by councils and ideally other community groups, being able to purchase land for building where it's needed. The price would reflect the current use. So it would be a lot cheaper than what it costs after planning permission is granted.

That removes one of the huge costs associated with building and should lead to a stabalising and possible drop in the cost of homes. It also means councils can provide housing for the needs we have.

There are other parts of the concept to do with controlling costs on the build and ensuring they are net zero after the build. Net zero means saving money as the cost of running them are also very low.

Well, we are in a state for sure. There are lots of labels that use the word "phobia" and most have become overused and now cause confusion. My own opinion is that people are individuals, and as such, in a free society, have the ability to be what they want to be. There is at least one exception to this for me and that is Paedophilia there is no possible excuse. On trans people in general, then as long as barriers do not exist, people should have the ability to be what they want to be.

If I'm ever asked about a specific case, then the balance would fall on whether what was being asked for causes harm to other groups in some way. One group's rights cannot trump another.

I’m a scientist at heart, so from what I understand, conversion therapy is cruel and not proven to be successful.

I have an e-bike and use it to commute to my office when it's not raining. By .2026 we should see the introduction of driverless vehicles. Within just a few years I assume e-pods will dominate the market. So yes updated legislation for e-anything is needed. Whatever the law, the police have the power to enforce it and should. Those modifying e-anything to break the law should have the relevant fine or confiscation applied. 

Myself, I'd like to link legislation to mass. i.e. the heavier and faster the e-anything the more rules apply as the greater the chance of serious injury the heavier it is and the faster it goes.

We must find safe ways to embrace alternatives to the standard commute to benefit everyone.

Covid was real and the ONS number showed a massive increase on the 5-year rolling averages for deaths. Although that dipped a couple of times the extras far outweighed these small dips.

In February 2020 I was at a council meeting and was asking why we did not have hand gel in the foyer. We already had stories of how bad it was in China and Italy.

I run an SME and had already ordered masks for every employee by this stage, because why not take care when so much was still unknown? They were already in short supply.

The government then proceeded to make a series of mistakes. The ones I worried about were speed and science.

They spoke about face masks, just bits of cloth to cover your face which did nothing to protect you as a person. What was needed was FFP2/3 masks which offered the wearer protection and others nearby. I tried to get this message out as a Cllr via West Berks but it was somewhat ignored.

I don’t say this using hindsight (that would be easy) I say it from the information available to me at the time (an ordinary West Berkshire councillor).

Why was speed important? Simply because it would have reduced the peaks, associated deaths and the time scales we were in lockdown.

The mistakes not only had a massive effect on the number of people who died, but also the economy. We will be paying that back for decades to come.

Schooling from home would have been shorter as well. This means the attainment gap that came about would have been less.

The Science has to lead when looking at long covid. I don’t have enough data personally to say if it's all real or not.

• Being available across the constituency.
• Provide a voice in Parliament for things of importance to the constituency.
• Work with whoever is in charge to do what's best for the nation - not just a party.
• Scrutinise legislation that is being created for a positive output not just to score points.
• Work with Local councils as their voice in parliament to ensure we address local issues.

Most people when they speak about roads are referring to potholes. It’s a bit wider than that though with smart motorways and utility company access.

Potholes are under the responsibilities of Councils, so for Reading West and Mid Berkshire that Is Reading Council and West Berkshire Council.

Funding however comes from Westminster. Whilst it would be nice to just say “give more money to councils” the reality is that money is in short supply. I have suggested to Reading councillors and West Berkshire council direct that we need to change process and allow ourselves to get ahead of the problem. The start for that is simple devices attached to the front of all council vehicles (especially waste lorries) so that we auto-detect the vast majority of issues as they begin. With a little machine learning those devices can cut out the requirement of council officers going out to confirm the problem is real (saving time and money). Next rather than have traditional teams go out and repair it, which is multiple people, we embrace some of the new single operator products coming out of JCB and Italy. That again allows for greater efficiency which again is time and money.

The net result is, auto-detection, faster fixing and the same money going further allowing us to get ahead of the problem.

Smart motorways have been shown to be more dangerous. We need to at least get them going as originally designed. That’s faster detection of problems and sufficient laybyes.

Utility companies have cart blanche to just dig up any road based on saying it's an emergency. So, anything else scheduled through councils then makes less sense. It's why we can see a brand-new road dug up days later. Some of the issue is that once they are digging up they extend the works to not just fix the issue but often carry out the laying of upgraded pipes. This extends the work significantly. Forcing utility companies to better coordinate with councils would help the overall problem.

• Ensure our energy security.
• Focus our energy production on solutions that cannot be influenced by outside bodies. i.e. Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro/Micro Hydro and fusion energy.
• Make sure we emphasise consumer-side energy production as well as centralised production.

• Without energy independence, we can be held hostage by third powers or other nations.
• We have more Tidal, Hydro, Wind, Solar and Geothermal energy around, through, over, on and under the UK than we could ever imagine needing.
• Once built, none of the above alt energy can be easily interfered with from outside the UK.
• Most of the energy solutions above are on par or lower cost than say Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Most of the energy solutions above are faster to build than Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Creating independent, green, cheap limitless energy means we can solve many of the issues in the UK today.
• Energy costs are one of the key issues with our cost-of-living crisis.
• Our farmers and food sector can produce more from less space.
• Our heavy industries get a major cost removed making them competitive again.
• It provides energy supplies that allow for Green Hydrogen production in large quantities. This in turn can decarbonise transport and heating of homes without trying to move everything to electric and batteries.
• Cleaner AIR and comfortable heating and cooling in homes will lead to much better health outcomes.

Here are some of my beliefs

• I do not believe in the extremes of politics, be that ultra-right or left. If I had to use a single word it would be to say I am a "centrist". That means I can support some of what socialism stands for as well as capitalism.
• I believe in people being given an opportunity, but that it is also incumbent on those that can, to give back.
• I do not believe in barriers for people, but also that once a barrier is removed, it should be the best person for the role.
• I bridge the political divide because I have direct experience of being poor as well as what it takes to create jobs and run a business.

1. Because it’s a new constituency comprising 30% of voters from 3 Reading West wards and 70% of Voters from 12 more rural West Berkshire wards.
2. Because there is no clear majority for any political and a lot of dissatisfaction with existing party politics, leaving space for a "None of the above" vote. 
3. Because when I ran a survey people said they wanted someone like me as their first preference. i.e. an independent local person with a career first before politics.

• I recently went to the Tom Hanks Moonwalkers show at the Lightroom near St Pancras. (Wow by the way). In it was a snippet of the speech by John F. Kennedy. The one where he says “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept”. So, my answer is simple. I bother because if someone does not then nothing changes. I would like to be the candidate that makes change happen.

• My first jobs were shovelling peas off lorries, bar work and piece work. I know what it took to get out of poverty and so can empathise with people struggling for a fair deal.

• During my time as a Councillor, I've demonstrated how we can do positive things for the environment which also saves money. I use STEAM (Saving Money And The Environment) or SMATE (Saving Money And The Environment) as acronyms often because there are still many things we can do which have all the benefits without the negatives. Choosing cheaper alt energy solutions is the obvious example)
• Whilst I often agree with the Greens on what needs to be tackled, I found the solutions are often too extreme to get adopted. I am more a carrot-before-the-stick type of person.
• In the current world climate, the commitment of the Greens to just get rid of Nuclear is not something I can support. Ukraine giving up theirs (even when the West said ” Don't worry, we will take care of you”) just shows how states like Russia then feel free to threaten and invade.

• I am the only candidate currently engaging with parish and town councils to ensure the next MP delivers what local residents need in areas an MP can influence.
• By running as an independent I can fight directly for the constituency and what it needs rather than being tied to only what the party wants.
• As things stand, I believe it would be better to find ways to work much closer with the EU (something the Lib Dems are frightened of saying for some reason).
• During the Lib Dem PPC selection process, members selected me. Only when a spurious reason was created was I excluded and Helen announced instead. The English party chair failed to investigate, as did Lib Dem HQ. Therefore I stand in part to be able to represent those Lib Dems who voted for me.
• I better represent true Lib Dem values than the official candidate and happen to be local - which is why people voted for me in the first place.

• It is tough to reward and trust the current version of the Conservative party given its significant mistakes and instability.
• FUD - Using Fear Uncertainty and Doubt as the bedrock of why the Conservatives should be re-elected is just reusing old key on new locks - We all know that does not work.
• I can ensure your vote is not wasted, and should I win, you can see from my background, that I can help steer the constituency and nation to a better future. I believe I am a safe pair of hands.

As an MP I could assist local businesses in a variety of ways. I can make private enquiries on behalf of my constituents, raise matters publicly in the House of Commons, speak at events concerning the issue, pledge my support to a campaign or write to the local media on behalf of these constituents.

MPs are not islands and tend to have a constituency office with staff. This can provide advice on business-related matters and even help point business towards government grants.

I’ve often found, in my own work life, that networking solutions together can pay dividends. Therefore, as businesses across the Constituency and nearby get to know me, I’ll be able to connect them together where it makes sense.

As an MP I cannot be financially involved directly though.

Since being established on July 5, 1948, the NHS has undergone several changes to adapt to the changing needs of the population.

It is suggested, and I agree, that having doctors and nurses in charge of designing the change process would be a good thing.

The NHS is already making use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to help clinicians interpret scans and improve healthcare outcomes. The NHS AI Lab is working in partnership with several government and NHS partners to create an environment for collaboration and co-creation by bringing together programmes that address the barriers to developing and deploying AI systems in health care. Once done, I see this adding positively to the answers we need to the challenges faced by the NHS today.

No one should be enslaved by Poverty, Ignorance or Conformity. i.e. there should be equal opportunity for all without barriers because of wealth, race etc. But once the barriers are removed, then we need the best person to do the best job possible. I came from what many consider a poor background. The grant system allowed me to get the education I needed.  I want to fight to fix those issues as a priority whilst ensuring barriers do not exist.

I would be a champion and deliver two things that would benefit our constituency. 

1. I would be lobbying to have a greater range of services available at the relatively new community hospital that was built on the border of Newbury and Thatcham. 
2. I would also be a big supporter of building a new hospital to replace the ageing Royal Berkshire one. Looking at its capture area, I would also be suggesting a move out of central Reading but close to one of the M4 junctions to improve the speed of access Junctions 11/12 and 13 being the obvious choices.

Before we look at the above, we need to keep a couple of things in mind. 1 The birth rate in the UK. 2 How the UK is setup in terms of the number of people it needs to remain in what we think of as a prosperous nation. The reality is that the UK birth rate is falling, and a work force is needed to pay for everything that makes us prosperous.

With that said, what gets little to no coverage is emigration from the UK. The latest ONS numbers, June 2023, say 93000 British citizens left the UK. An AXA PPP International report says the main drivers behind British emigration was Poor work / life balance and poor pay and benefits.

First that’s around 3 times the number of people that arrive by small boats according to a Dec 15^th Article on the BBC website. In the same story 89000 sought Asylum in the UK in 2022 (Still less).

What’s not said, and what’s hard to find is the socio-economic breakdown in those numbers.

Let’s face it, if we are losing the mid to high earners and only replace with low earners then it’s not a matter of just measuring in and out, it’s a matter of value (or tax revenue if you like). For example. If I lose a Dr. whose average pay is £76K (net £54K) and replace with someone working in retail where the average salary is £23.3K (net 20K) then I’m at least 3 times worse off as the government. But it’s even worse than that, because a single parent earing £23.3K with 2 school age kids living in Berkshire would be entitled to £329.44 per week of benefits, according to money saving experts web site. That’s another £17130 per annum we need to find. FYI the Dr. gets just child benefits at 39.90 per week or 2074.80 per annum.

The extra cost of the 3.3 people on benefits compared to the 1 Dr. is £56.5K. That’s over twice the tax revenue from the Dr.

A GMC report said that 4843 Drs left the UK in the year May 2021 to 2022

Given the above. I’m going to say the emigration part of net migration is something we need to focus on as a high priority. i.e. retain our talent.

It is impossible to have missed the evolving situation in the USA, with a real possibility that Donald Trump might get re-elected. However, even without that, we hear about President Joe Biden’s thoughts on the UK and Ireland. He’s not that positive about us apparently. Or at least that’s what gets reported.

So, I do find myself asking “Would the USA really come to our aid? Would they stay involved long enough to make the difference? Can we take the risk?” Whereas 20 years ago I would never have doubted, today I’m less sure.

Add to this what we see reported from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran means we face the real possibility of our way of life being changed significantly by direct aggression, or by weaponizing capitalism (which the Chinese state has done very successfully). FYI. I try and stay in touch by watching a range of news channels from the BBC through ITV, GB News, Al Jazeera and Sky. Just so I can get different perspectives on things.

The conflation of all this news is that we live in ever more dangerous times. It's why one of the things I’m keen to see is the UK get to energy independence. I.e. Energy security. I have written previously about ways we can do this in an environmentally positive way, but once we have abundant cheap energy security, we can make positive moves to improve food security, we also get positive outcomes for health and industry and importantly cost of living.

But even if we manage to reverse the trends and make the UK independent in the basics of life, we still won’t be secure given the growing aggression in the world.

That's why I support a strong military, not for global dominance, but to safeguard our interests and respond effectively when necessary. Collaborating with neighbouring countries, who share cultural similarities to form a robust alliance—whether within or outside NATO— can deter potential aggressors.

It’s one of the main reasons why staying close to our European neighbours is a good thing. We need to get passed painting the EU as the devil. It’s a long way from perfect but our cultures are closer than many seem to realise.

As a potential independent MP, I would consider evidence and vote in the best interests of the nation, recognizing that decisions in this area span multiple decades and should be independent of party politics.

My position is quite straightforward really.

As a nation, it is impossible to sustain an immigration rate of 700K plus per annum

• We need to be able to choose who comes and stays
• My first concern is to split out genuine asylum seekers and economic migrants
• Economic migrants need to arrive by safe legal routes. They should apply before they set off on the journey to the UK. They need to be filling a role that cannot be filled by someone already living here.
• Economic migration needs to be ruled based and fulfil only those things we cannot train for locally.
• I am just as concerned about emigration.

Are we losing skilled people and replacing them with non-skilled? I did a letter to the press on this - see here

https://adrianabbs.uk/Contents/ContentItems/48gx8qefbem1ptvxz620rzaawh

For me, it starts further back and comes down to the economy we are building. Build the right type of economy and emigration of skilled labour falls

It's a tough nut to crack but the speed of processing applications is one key. Being willing to say "No thanks, we don't need your specific skill set" must be something we can do as a nation.

When I moved back from working in Germany my home was at RG30 3UN which is in the East of the constituency. Both my children went to school in Reading.

I currently live on the border of Newbury / Thatcham. The boundary for the new constituency runs all the way to Thatcham. So, I am very close.

The constituency is made up from Rural (West) and Urban (East). As I have lived at both ends, I believe I will bring an understanding to what is needed locally for the Constituency. I also run a business (In Newbury) that employs people who live in places like Aldermaston.

Before standing I contacted several of the current District councillors to see if they would be running. None were who represented a centralist and internationalist perspective. That meant no candidate close to my own principles was standing.

Now that all the main candidates have announced, it seems to remain clear that I can offer a viable alternative to party politics and am someone who has a strong connection to the constituency.

Some of the work I have done as a District Councillor is based in Mid Berkshire (Things like the Grazely solar farm and energy generation at Padworth recycling centre). I also met with people in Beenham when they had a particularly contentious planning app – In an advisor role.

David Tully from Rochdale showed that an Independent can do very well in an election for Parliament. He got 21% of the vote. He was just a local businessman who wanted to do something for his community. Same as me.

Given the Conservative vote is mainly in Mid Berkshire historically and the Labour Vote is strongest in Reading West, we already have a split. Now add in that the Conservative vote splits again because of Reform. The Labour Vote also splits because Tilehurst has historically voted Lib Dem (at least during council elections). This means we have no party with more than ¼ of the votes. Turn outs at General elections are averaging 65%. So around 16 to 17% each

An independent has a chance because. 1) the 35% of people who don’t normally vote now have a viable choice. 2) Many softer Conservative voters are so angry with their own party they are actively considering voting for change or staying at home. They don’t really want to vote Labour and the Lib Dems just don’t have enough people to do the whole area. They have only around 140 members and far less activists (maybe 5-10) across the area I believe. 3) Although the Green candidate is someone I respect, the Green vote is just not a tactical vote this time around in this location.

If we believe in democracy, then we need a solution when electing MPs that represents what voters believe in. 1^st past the post has led to some very odd election results with huge majorities that do not reflect the majority. Its very hard indeed to find any example of a single party commanding more than 50% of the publics vote.

Now add in stability. Having been running my own business’s for over 20 years I can say the number 1 thing that benefits growth is stability. Be that inflation or the rules under which business must run.

So, I have come to believe we should adopt a form of PR that still ensures I can elect a person, rather than a party, but then also reflects what voters want. It does mean we will get representatives from the extremes, but we should also get better cooperation and stability.

I do not hold any strong opinion on this bill other than to acknowledge the costs of supporting people's choices. If we have a known product that directly hurts people's health then encouraging them to change the habit would be my go to start position. Taxing those products to ensure the necessary health support later on has to happen otherwise a persons choice falls on other shoulders.

This goes to my belief that people should be able to choose. My only concern is ensuring it really is their choice.

I do not believe in the breakup of the UK.  So devolving power to allow each part to decide if they wanted to join the EU (or even could) is not something I see as helpful at this time.

The concept of devolved power, in theory, allows a more specific focus by those elected to these parliaments.

The problem is that it costs quite a lot. As the world shrinks, the differences economically also shrinks.

I struggle to see how splitting tax, health etc into smaller parts makes for greater efficiency.

My mind is open but as a businessman, I would want to see the business case and advantages economically of doing it.

I do not have access to enough information to know if this is even affordable. So sorry I am unable to answer this question at this time.

Genocide is defined in the English dictionary as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group:”

By this definition, both the Israeli State and Hamas terror group seem to be guilty of it. They both aim to destroy each other.

The sad bit is that we live in a world where killing is done all the time. Everything says to me that the only practical solution is to have two states that live in peace. I am happy to voice my thoughts on this but I'm afraid I don't think either party is listening so people suffer.

Paying the going rate for something is the shortest way to ensure availability. The issue is the cost to the state when the state has run out of money.

Healthy teeth are often linked to healthy choices in food. The only way to make this all affordable would be to reduce the level of need by focusing on the young and ensuring less pressure in the first place.

Almost everything that is a problem in the UK comes back to money. As a society, even if we tax more there are limits because we work on a global stage. Without fixing UK competitiveness on the world stage we won't be able to afford to pay the going rate for services people want.

In my leaflet here https://adrianabbs.uk/media/ppc/Leaflet-A3.pdf I lay out a long-term plan to revitalise the UK economy so we can also afford and fix our services

I am looking at placing the Constituency office in Theale initially. This is central as much as is possible.

I have been asked to expand a little on how Land Value Reform might help with not just house building but the cost of homes.

This type of reform works by councils and ideally other community groups, being able to purchase land for building where it's needed. The price would reflect the current use. So it would be a lot cheaper than what it costs after planning permission is granted.

That removes one of the huge costs associated with building and should lead to a stabalising and possible drop in the cost of homes. It also means councils can provide housing for the needs we have.

There are other parts of the concept to do with controlling costs on the build and ensuring they are net zero after the build. Net zero means saving money as the cost of running them are also very low.

Well, we are in a state for sure. There are lots of labels that use the word "phobia" and most have become overused and now cause confusion. My own opinion is that people are individuals, and as such, in a free society, have the ability to be what they want to be. There is at least one exception to this for me and that is Paedophilia there is no possible excuse. On trans people in general, then as long as barriers do not exist, people should have the ability to be what they want to be.

If I'm ever asked about a specific case, then the balance would fall on whether what was being asked for causes harm to other groups in some way. One group's rights cannot trump another.

I’m a scientist at heart, so from what I understand, conversion therapy is cruel and not proven to be successful.

I have an e-bike and use it to commute to my office when it's not raining. By .2026 we should see the introduction of driverless vehicles. Within just a few years I assume e-pods will dominate the market. So yes updated legislation for e-anything is needed. Whatever the law, the police have the power to enforce it and should. Those modifying e-anything to break the law should have the relevant fine or confiscation applied. 

Myself, I'd like to link legislation to mass. i.e. the heavier and faster the e-anything the more rules apply as the greater the chance of serious injury the heavier it is and the faster it goes.

We must find safe ways to embrace alternatives to the standard commute to benefit everyone.

Covid was real and the ONS number showed a massive increase on the 5-year rolling averages for deaths. Although that dipped a couple of times the extras far outweighed these small dips.

In February 2020 I was at a council meeting and was asking why we did not have hand gel in the foyer. We already had stories of how bad it was in China and Italy.

I run an SME and had already ordered masks for every employee by this stage, because why not take care when so much was still unknown? They were already in short supply.

The government then proceeded to make a series of mistakes. The ones I worried about were speed and science.

They spoke about face masks, just bits of cloth to cover your face which did nothing to protect you as a person. What was needed was FFP2/3 masks which offered the wearer protection and others nearby. I tried to get this message out as a Cllr via West Berks but it was somewhat ignored.

I don’t say this using hindsight (that would be easy) I say it from the information available to me at the time (an ordinary West Berkshire councillor).

Why was speed important? Simply because it would have reduced the peaks, associated deaths and the time scales we were in lockdown.

The mistakes not only had a massive effect on the number of people who died, but also the economy. We will be paying that back for decades to come.

Schooling from home would have been shorter as well. This means the attainment gap that came about would have been less.

The Science has to lead when looking at long covid. I don’t have enough data personally to say if it's all real or not.

• Being available across the constituency.
• Provide a voice in Parliament for things of importance to the constituency.
• Work with whoever is in charge to do what's best for the nation - not just a party.
• Scrutinise legislation that is being created for a positive output not just to score points.
• Work with Local councils as their voice in parliament to ensure we address local issues.

Most people when they speak about roads are referring to potholes. It’s a bit wider than that though with smart motorways and utility company access.

Potholes are under the responsibilities of Councils, so for Reading West and Mid Berkshire that Is Reading Council and West Berkshire Council.

Funding however comes from Westminster. Whilst it would be nice to just say “give more money to councils” the reality is that money is in short supply. I have suggested to Reading councillors and West Berkshire council direct that we need to change process and allow ourselves to get ahead of the problem. The start for that is simple devices attached to the front of all council vehicles (especially waste lorries) so that we auto-detect the vast majority of issues as they begin. With a little machine learning those devices can cut out the requirement of council officers going out to confirm the problem is real (saving time and money). Next rather than have traditional teams go out and repair it, which is multiple people, we embrace some of the new single operator products coming out of JCB and Italy. That again allows for greater efficiency which again is time and money.

The net result is, auto-detection, faster fixing and the same money going further allowing us to get ahead of the problem.

Smart motorways have been shown to be more dangerous. We need to at least get them going as originally designed. That’s faster detection of problems and sufficient laybyes.

Utility companies have cart blanche to just dig up any road based on saying it's an emergency. So, anything else scheduled through councils then makes less sense. It's why we can see a brand-new road dug up days later. Some of the issue is that once they are digging up they extend the works to not just fix the issue but often carry out the laying of upgraded pipes. This extends the work significantly. Forcing utility companies to better coordinate with councils would help the overall problem.

• Ensure our energy security.
• Focus our energy production on solutions that cannot be influenced by outside bodies. i.e. Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro/Micro Hydro and fusion energy.
• Make sure we emphasise consumer-side energy production as well as centralised production.

• Without energy independence, we can be held hostage by third powers or other nations.
• We have more Tidal, Hydro, Wind, Solar and Geothermal energy around, through, over, on and under the UK than we could ever imagine needing.
• Once built, none of the above alt energy can be easily interfered with from outside the UK.
• Most of the energy solutions above are on par or lower cost than say Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Most of the energy solutions above are faster to build than Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Creating independent, green, cheap limitless energy means we can solve many of the issues in the UK today.
• Energy costs are one of the key issues with our cost-of-living crisis.
• Our farmers and food sector can produce more from less space.
• Our heavy industries get a major cost removed making them competitive again.
• It provides energy supplies that allow for Green Hydrogen production in large quantities. This in turn can decarbonise transport and heating of homes without trying to move everything to electric and batteries.
• Cleaner AIR and comfortable heating and cooling in homes will lead to much better health outcomes.

Here are some of my beliefs

• I do not believe in the extremes of politics, be that ultra-right or left. If I had to use a single word it would be to say I am a "centrist". That means I can support some of what socialism stands for as well as capitalism.
• I believe in people being given an opportunity, but that it is also incumbent on those that can, to give back.
• I do not believe in barriers for people, but also that once a barrier is removed, it should be the best person for the role.
• I bridge the political divide because I have direct experience of being poor as well as what it takes to create jobs and run a business.

1. Because it’s a new constituency comprising 30% of voters from 3 Reading West wards and 70% of Voters from 12 more rural West Berkshire wards.
2. Because there is no clear majority for any political and a lot of dissatisfaction with existing party politics, leaving space for a "None of the above" vote. 
3. Because when I ran a survey people said they wanted someone like me as their first preference. i.e. an independent local person with a career first before politics.

• I recently went to the Tom Hanks Moonwalkers show at the Lightroom near St Pancras. (Wow by the way). In it was a snippet of the speech by John F. Kennedy. The one where he says “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept”. So, my answer is simple. I bother because if someone does not then nothing changes. I would like to be the candidate that makes change happen.

• My first jobs were shovelling peas off lorries, bar work and piece work. I know what it took to get out of poverty and so can empathise with people struggling for a fair deal.

• During my time as a Councillor, I've demonstrated how we can do positive things for the environment which also saves money. I use STEAM (Saving Money And The Environment) or SMATE (Saving Money And The Environment) as acronyms often because there are still many things we can do which have all the benefits without the negatives. Choosing cheaper alt energy solutions is the obvious example)
• Whilst I often agree with the Greens on what needs to be tackled, I found the solutions are often too extreme to get adopted. I am more a carrot-before-the-stick type of person.
• In the current world climate, the commitment of the Greens to just get rid of Nuclear is not something I can support. Ukraine giving up theirs (even when the West said ” Don't worry, we will take care of you”) just shows how states like Russia then feel free to threaten and invade.

• I am the only candidate currently engaging with parish and town councils to ensure the next MP delivers what local residents need in areas an MP can influence.
• By running as an independent I can fight directly for the constituency and what it needs rather than being tied to only what the party wants.
• As things stand, I believe it would be better to find ways to work much closer with the EU (something the Lib Dems are frightened of saying for some reason).
• During the Lib Dem PPC selection process, members selected me. Only when a spurious reason was created was I excluded and Helen announced instead. The English party chair failed to investigate, as did Lib Dem HQ. Therefore I stand in part to be able to represent those Lib Dems who voted for me.
• I better represent true Lib Dem values than the official candidate and happen to be local - which is why people voted for me in the first place.

• It is tough to reward and trust the current version of the Conservative party given its significant mistakes and instability.
• FUD - Using Fear Uncertainty and Doubt as the bedrock of why the Conservatives should be re-elected is just reusing old key on new locks - We all know that does not work.
• I can ensure your vote is not wasted, and should I win, you can see from my background, that I can help steer the constituency and nation to a better future. I believe I am a safe pair of hands.

As an MP I could assist local businesses in a variety of ways. I can make private enquiries on behalf of my constituents, raise matters publicly in the House of Commons, speak at events concerning the issue, pledge my support to a campaign or write to the local media on behalf of these constituents.

MPs are not islands and tend to have a constituency office with staff. This can provide advice on business-related matters and even help point business towards government grants.

I’ve often found, in my own work life, that networking solutions together can pay dividends. Therefore, as businesses across the Constituency and nearby get to know me, I’ll be able to connect them together where it makes sense.

As an MP I cannot be financially involved directly though.

Since being established on July 5, 1948, the NHS has undergone several changes to adapt to the changing needs of the population.

It is suggested, and I agree, that having doctors and nurses in charge of designing the change process would be a good thing.

The NHS is already making use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to help clinicians interpret scans and improve healthcare outcomes. The NHS AI Lab is working in partnership with several government and NHS partners to create an environment for collaboration and co-creation by bringing together programmes that address the barriers to developing and deploying AI systems in health care. Once done, I see this adding positively to the answers we need to the challenges faced by the NHS today.

No one should be enslaved by Poverty, Ignorance or Conformity. i.e. there should be equal opportunity for all without barriers because of wealth, race etc. But once the barriers are removed, then we need the best person to do the best job possible. I came from what many consider a poor background. The grant system allowed me to get the education I needed.  I want to fight to fix those issues as a priority whilst ensuring barriers do not exist.

I would be a champion and deliver two things that would benefit our constituency. 

1. I would be lobbying to have a greater range of services available at the relatively new community hospital that was built on the border of Newbury and Thatcham. 
2. I would also be a big supporter of building a new hospital to replace the ageing Royal Berkshire one. Looking at its capture area, I would also be suggesting a move out of central Reading but close to one of the M4 junctions to improve the speed of access Junctions 11/12 and 13 being the obvious choices.

Before we look at the above, we need to keep a couple of things in mind. 1 The birth rate in the UK. 2 How the UK is setup in terms of the number of people it needs to remain in what we think of as a prosperous nation. The reality is that the UK birth rate is falling, and a work force is needed to pay for everything that makes us prosperous.

With that said, what gets little to no coverage is emigration from the UK. The latest ONS numbers, June 2023, say 93000 British citizens left the UK. An AXA PPP International report says the main drivers behind British emigration was Poor work / life balance and poor pay and benefits.

First that’s around 3 times the number of people that arrive by small boats according to a Dec 15^th Article on the BBC website. In the same story 89000 sought Asylum in the UK in 2022 (Still less).

What’s not said, and what’s hard to find is the socio-economic breakdown in those numbers.

Let’s face it, if we are losing the mid to high earners and only replace with low earners then it’s not a matter of just measuring in and out, it’s a matter of value (or tax revenue if you like). For example. If I lose a Dr. whose average pay is £76K (net £54K) and replace with someone working in retail where the average salary is £23.3K (net 20K) then I’m at least 3 times worse off as the government. But it’s even worse than that, because a single parent earing £23.3K with 2 school age kids living in Berkshire would be entitled to £329.44 per week of benefits, according to money saving experts web site. That’s another £17130 per annum we need to find. FYI the Dr. gets just child benefits at 39.90 per week or 2074.80 per annum.

The extra cost of the 3.3 people on benefits compared to the 1 Dr. is £56.5K. That’s over twice the tax revenue from the Dr.

A GMC report said that 4843 Drs left the UK in the year May 2021 to 2022

Given the above. I’m going to say the emigration part of net migration is something we need to focus on as a high priority. i.e. retain our talent.

It is impossible to have missed the evolving situation in the USA, with a real possibility that Donald Trump might get re-elected. However, even without that, we hear about President Joe Biden’s thoughts on the UK and Ireland. He’s not that positive about us apparently. Or at least that’s what gets reported.

So, I do find myself asking “Would the USA really come to our aid? Would they stay involved long enough to make the difference? Can we take the risk?” Whereas 20 years ago I would never have doubted, today I’m less sure.

Add to this what we see reported from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran means we face the real possibility of our way of life being changed significantly by direct aggression, or by weaponizing capitalism (which the Chinese state has done very successfully). FYI. I try and stay in touch by watching a range of news channels from the BBC through ITV, GB News, Al Jazeera and Sky. Just so I can get different perspectives on things.

The conflation of all this news is that we live in ever more dangerous times. It's why one of the things I’m keen to see is the UK get to energy independence. I.e. Energy security. I have written previously about ways we can do this in an environmentally positive way, but once we have abundant cheap energy security, we can make positive moves to improve food security, we also get positive outcomes for health and industry and importantly cost of living.

But even if we manage to reverse the trends and make the UK independent in the basics of life, we still won’t be secure given the growing aggression in the world.

That's why I support a strong military, not for global dominance, but to safeguard our interests and respond effectively when necessary. Collaborating with neighbouring countries, who share cultural similarities to form a robust alliance—whether within or outside NATO— can deter potential aggressors.

It’s one of the main reasons why staying close to our European neighbours is a good thing. We need to get passed painting the EU as the devil. It’s a long way from perfect but our cultures are closer than many seem to realise.

As a potential independent MP, I would consider evidence and vote in the best interests of the nation, recognizing that decisions in this area span multiple decades and should be independent of party politics.

My position is quite straightforward really.

As a nation, it is impossible to sustain an immigration rate of 700K plus per annum

• We need to be able to choose who comes and stays
• My first concern is to split out genuine asylum seekers and economic migrants
• Economic migrants need to arrive by safe legal routes. They should apply before they set off on the journey to the UK. They need to be filling a role that cannot be filled by someone already living here.
• Economic migration needs to be ruled based and fulfil only those things we cannot train for locally.
• I am just as concerned about emigration.

Are we losing skilled people and replacing them with non-skilled? I did a letter to the press on this - see here

https://adrianabbs.uk/Contents/ContentItems/48gx8qefbem1ptvxz620rzaawh

For me, it starts further back and comes down to the economy we are building. Build the right type of economy and emigration of skilled labour falls

It's a tough nut to crack but the speed of processing applications is one key. Being willing to say "No thanks, we don't need your specific skill set" must be something we can do as a nation.

When I moved back from working in Germany my home was at RG30 3UN which is in the East of the constituency. Both my children went to school in Reading.

I currently live on the border of Newbury / Thatcham. The boundary for the new constituency runs all the way to Thatcham. So, I am very close.

The constituency is made up from Rural (West) and Urban (East). As I have lived at both ends, I believe I will bring an understanding to what is needed locally for the Constituency. I also run a business (In Newbury) that employs people who live in places like Aldermaston.

Before standing I contacted several of the current District councillors to see if they would be running. None were who represented a centralist and internationalist perspective. That meant no candidate close to my own principles was standing.

Now that all the main candidates have announced, it seems to remain clear that I can offer a viable alternative to party politics and am someone who has a strong connection to the constituency.

Some of the work I have done as a District Councillor is based in Mid Berkshire (Things like the Grazely solar farm and energy generation at Padworth recycling centre). I also met with people in Beenham when they had a particularly contentious planning app – In an advisor role.

David Tully from Rochdale showed that an Independent can do very well in an election for Parliament. He got 21% of the vote. He was just a local businessman who wanted to do something for his community. Same as me.

Given the Conservative vote is mainly in Mid Berkshire historically and the Labour Vote is strongest in Reading West, we already have a split. Now add in that the Conservative vote splits again because of Reform. The Labour Vote also splits because Tilehurst has historically voted Lib Dem (at least during council elections). This means we have no party with more than ¼ of the votes. Turn outs at General elections are averaging 65%. So around 16 to 17% each

An independent has a chance because. 1) the 35% of people who don’t normally vote now have a viable choice. 2) Many softer Conservative voters are so angry with their own party they are actively considering voting for change or staying at home. They don’t really want to vote Labour and the Lib Dems just don’t have enough people to do the whole area. They have only around 140 members and far less activists (maybe 5-10) across the area I believe. 3) Although the Green candidate is someone I respect, the Green vote is just not a tactical vote this time around in this location.

If we believe in democracy, then we need a solution when electing MPs that represents what voters believe in. 1^st past the post has led to some very odd election results with huge majorities that do not reflect the majority. Its very hard indeed to find any example of a single party commanding more than 50% of the publics vote.

Now add in stability. Having been running my own business’s for over 20 years I can say the number 1 thing that benefits growth is stability. Be that inflation or the rules under which business must run.

So, I have come to believe we should adopt a form of PR that still ensures I can elect a person, rather than a party, but then also reflects what voters want. It does mean we will get representatives from the extremes, but we should also get better cooperation and stability.

I do not hold any strong opinion on this bill other than to acknowledge the costs of supporting people's choices. If we have a known product that directly hurts people's health then encouraging them to change the habit would be my go to start position. Taxing those products to ensure the necessary health support later on has to happen otherwise a persons choice falls on other shoulders.

This goes to my belief that people should be able to choose. My only concern is ensuring it really is their choice.

I do not believe in the breakup of the UK.  So devolving power to allow each part to decide if they wanted to join the EU (or even could) is not something I see as helpful at this time.

The concept of devolved power, in theory, allows a more specific focus by those elected to these parliaments.

The problem is that it costs quite a lot. As the world shrinks, the differences economically also shrinks.

I struggle to see how splitting tax, health etc into smaller parts makes for greater efficiency.

My mind is open but as a businessman, I would want to see the business case and advantages economically of doing it.

I do not have access to enough information to know if this is even affordable. So sorry I am unable to answer this question at this time.

Genocide is defined in the English dictionary as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group:”

By this definition, both the Israeli State and Hamas terror group seem to be guilty of it. They both aim to destroy each other.

The sad bit is that we live in a world where killing is done all the time. Everything says to me that the only practical solution is to have two states that live in peace. I am happy to voice my thoughts on this but I'm afraid I don't think either party is listening so people suffer.

Paying the going rate for something is the shortest way to ensure availability. The issue is the cost to the state when the state has run out of money.

Healthy teeth are often linked to healthy choices in food. The only way to make this all affordable would be to reduce the level of need by focusing on the young and ensuring less pressure in the first place.

Almost everything that is a problem in the UK comes back to money. As a society, even if we tax more there are limits because we work on a global stage. Without fixing UK competitiveness on the world stage we won't be able to afford to pay the going rate for services people want.

In my leaflet here https://adrianabbs.uk/media/ppc/Leaflet-A3.pdf I lay out a long-term plan to revitalise the UK economy so we can also afford and fix our services

I am looking at placing the Constituency office in Theale initially. This is central as much as is possible.

I have been asked to expand a little on how Land Value Reform might help with not just house building but the cost of homes.

This type of reform works by councils and ideally other community groups, being able to purchase land for building where it's needed. The price would reflect the current use. So it would be a lot cheaper than what it costs after planning permission is granted.

That removes one of the huge costs associated with building and should lead to a stabalising and possible drop in the cost of homes. It also means councils can provide housing for the needs we have.

There are other parts of the concept to do with controlling costs on the build and ensuring they are net zero after the build. Net zero means saving money as the cost of running them are also very low.

Well, we are in a state for sure. There are lots of labels that use the word "phobia" and most have become overused and now cause confusion. My own opinion is that people are individuals, and as such, in a free society, have the ability to be what they want to be. There is at least one exception to this for me and that is Paedophilia there is no possible excuse. On trans people in general, then as long as barriers do not exist, people should have the ability to be what they want to be.

If I'm ever asked about a specific case, then the balance would fall on whether what was being asked for causes harm to other groups in some way. One group's rights cannot trump another.

I’m a scientist at heart, so from what I understand, conversion therapy is cruel and not proven to be successful.

I have an e-bike and use it to commute to my office when it's not raining. By .2026 we should see the introduction of driverless vehicles. Within just a few years I assume e-pods will dominate the market. So yes updated legislation for e-anything is needed. Whatever the law, the police have the power to enforce it and should. Those modifying e-anything to break the law should have the relevant fine or confiscation applied. 

Myself, I'd like to link legislation to mass. i.e. the heavier and faster the e-anything the more rules apply as the greater the chance of serious injury the heavier it is and the faster it goes.

We must find safe ways to embrace alternatives to the standard commute to benefit everyone.

Covid was real and the ONS number showed a massive increase on the 5-year rolling averages for deaths. Although that dipped a couple of times the extras far outweighed these small dips.

In February 2020 I was at a council meeting and was asking why we did not have hand gel in the foyer. We already had stories of how bad it was in China and Italy.

I run an SME and had already ordered masks for every employee by this stage, because why not take care when so much was still unknown? They were already in short supply.

The government then proceeded to make a series of mistakes. The ones I worried about were speed and science.

They spoke about face masks, just bits of cloth to cover your face which did nothing to protect you as a person. What was needed was FFP2/3 masks which offered the wearer protection and others nearby. I tried to get this message out as a Cllr via West Berks but it was somewhat ignored.

I don’t say this using hindsight (that would be easy) I say it from the information available to me at the time (an ordinary West Berkshire councillor).

Why was speed important? Simply because it would have reduced the peaks, associated deaths and the time scales we were in lockdown.

The mistakes not only had a massive effect on the number of people who died, but also the economy. We will be paying that back for decades to come.

Schooling from home would have been shorter as well. This means the attainment gap that came about would have been less.

The Science has to lead when looking at long covid. I don’t have enough data personally to say if it's all real or not.

• Being available across the constituency.
• Provide a voice in Parliament for things of importance to the constituency.
• Work with whoever is in charge to do what's best for the nation - not just a party.
• Scrutinise legislation that is being created for a positive output not just to score points.
• Work with Local councils as their voice in parliament to ensure we address local issues.

Most people when they speak about roads are referring to potholes. It’s a bit wider than that though with smart motorways and utility company access.

Potholes are under the responsibilities of Councils, so for Reading West and Mid Berkshire that Is Reading Council and West Berkshire Council.

Funding however comes from Westminster. Whilst it would be nice to just say “give more money to councils” the reality is that money is in short supply. I have suggested to Reading councillors and West Berkshire council direct that we need to change process and allow ourselves to get ahead of the problem. The start for that is simple devices attached to the front of all council vehicles (especially waste lorries) so that we auto-detect the vast majority of issues as they begin. With a little machine learning those devices can cut out the requirement of council officers going out to confirm the problem is real (saving time and money). Next rather than have traditional teams go out and repair it, which is multiple people, we embrace some of the new single operator products coming out of JCB and Italy. That again allows for greater efficiency which again is time and money.

The net result is, auto-detection, faster fixing and the same money going further allowing us to get ahead of the problem.

Smart motorways have been shown to be more dangerous. We need to at least get them going as originally designed. That’s faster detection of problems and sufficient laybyes.

Utility companies have cart blanche to just dig up any road based on saying it's an emergency. So, anything else scheduled through councils then makes less sense. It's why we can see a brand-new road dug up days later. Some of the issue is that once they are digging up they extend the works to not just fix the issue but often carry out the laying of upgraded pipes. This extends the work significantly. Forcing utility companies to better coordinate with councils would help the overall problem.

• Ensure our energy security.
• Focus our energy production on solutions that cannot be influenced by outside bodies. i.e. Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro/Micro Hydro and fusion energy.
• Make sure we emphasise consumer-side energy production as well as centralised production.

• Without energy independence, we can be held hostage by third powers or other nations.
• We have more Tidal, Hydro, Wind, Solar and Geothermal energy around, through, over, on and under the UK than we could ever imagine needing.
• Once built, none of the above alt energy can be easily interfered with from outside the UK.
• Most of the energy solutions above are on par or lower cost than say Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Most of the energy solutions above are faster to build than Nuclear Fission reactors.
• Creating independent, green, cheap limitless energy means we can solve many of the issues in the UK today.
• Energy costs are one of the key issues with our cost-of-living crisis.
• Our farmers and food sector can produce more from less space.
• Our heavy industries get a major cost removed making them competitive again.
• It provides energy supplies that allow for Green Hydrogen production in large quantities. This in turn can decarbonise transport and heating of homes without trying to move everything to electric and batteries.
• Cleaner AIR and comfortable heating and cooling in homes will lead to much better health outcomes.

Here are some of my beliefs

• I do not believe in the extremes of politics, be that ultra-right or left. If I had to use a single word it would be to say I am a "centrist". That means I can support some of what socialism stands for as well as capitalism.
• I believe in people being given an opportunity, but that it is also incumbent on those that can, to give back.
• I do not believe in barriers for people, but also that once a barrier is removed, it should be the best person for the role.
• I bridge the political divide because I have direct experience of being poor as well as what it takes to create jobs and run a business.

1. Because it’s a new constituency comprising 30% of voters from 3 Reading West wards and 70% of Voters from 12 more rural West Berkshire wards.
2. Because there is no clear majority for any political and a lot of dissatisfaction with existing party politics, leaving space for a "None of the above" vote. 
3. Because when I ran a survey people said they wanted someone like me as their first preference. i.e. an independent local person with a career first before politics.

• I recently went to the Tom Hanks Moonwalkers show at the Lightroom near St Pancras. (Wow by the way). In it was a snippet of the speech by John F. Kennedy. The one where he says “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept”. So, my answer is simple. I bother because if someone does not then nothing changes. I would like to be the candidate that makes change happen.

• My first jobs were shovelling peas off lorries, bar work and piece work. I know what it took to get out of poverty and so can empathise with people struggling for a fair deal.

• During my time as a Councillor, I've demonstrated how we can do positive things for the environment which also saves money. I use STEAM (Saving Money And The Environment) or SMATE (Saving Money And The Environment) as acronyms often because there are still many things we can do which have all the benefits without the negatives. Choosing cheaper alt energy solutions is the obvious example)
• Whilst I often agree with the Greens on what needs to be tackled, I found the solutions are often too extreme to get adopted. I am more a carrot-before-the-stick type of person.
• In the current world climate, the commitment of the Greens to just get rid of Nuclear is not something I can support. Ukraine giving up theirs (even when the West said ” Don't worry, we will take care of you”) just shows how states like Russia then feel free to threaten and invade.

• I am the only candidate currently engaging with parish and town councils to ensure the next MP delivers what local residents need in areas an MP can influence.
• By running as an independent I can fight directly for the constituency and what it needs rather than being tied to only what the party wants.
• As things stand, I believe it would be better to find ways to work much closer with the EU (something the Lib Dems are frightened of saying for some reason).
• During the Lib Dem PPC selection process, members selected me. Only when a spurious reason was created was I excluded and Helen announced instead. The English party chair failed to investigate, as did Lib Dem HQ. Therefore I stand in part to be able to represent those Lib Dems who voted for me.
• I better represent true Lib Dem values than the official candidate and happen to be local - which is why people voted for me in the first place.

• It is tough to reward and trust the current version of the Conservative party given its significant mistakes and instability.
• FUD - Using Fear Uncertainty and Doubt as the bedrock of why the Conservatives should be re-elected is just reusing old key on new locks - We all know that does not work.
• I can ensure your vote is not wasted, and should I win, you can see from my background, that I can help steer the constituency and nation to a better future. I believe I am a safe pair of hands.

As an MP I could assist local businesses in a variety of ways. I can make private enquiries on behalf of my constituents, raise matters publicly in the House of Commons, speak at events concerning the issue, pledge my support to a campaign or write to the local media on behalf of these constituents.

MPs are not islands and tend to have a constituency office with staff. This can provide advice on business-related matters and even help point business towards government grants.

I’ve often found, in my own work life, that networking solutions together can pay dividends. Therefore, as businesses across the Constituency and nearby get to know me, I’ll be able to connect them together where it makes sense.

As an MP I cannot be financially involved directly though.

Since being established on July 5, 1948, the NHS has undergone several changes to adapt to the changing needs of the population.

It is suggested, and I agree, that having doctors and nurses in charge of designing the change process would be a good thing.

The NHS is already making use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to help clinicians interpret scans and improve healthcare outcomes. The NHS AI Lab is working in partnership with several government and NHS partners to create an environment for collaboration and co-creation by bringing together programmes that address the barriers to developing and deploying AI systems in health care. Once done, I see this adding positively to the answers we need to the challenges faced by the NHS today.

No one should be enslaved by Poverty, Ignorance or Conformity. i.e. there should be equal opportunity for all without barriers because of wealth, race etc. But once the barriers are removed, then we need the best person to do the best job possible. I came from what many consider a poor background. The grant system allowed me to get the education I needed.  I want to fight to fix those issues as a priority whilst ensuring barriers do not exist.

I would be a champion and deliver two things that would benefit our constituency. 

1. I would be lobbying to have a greater range of services available at the relatively new community hospital that was built on the border of Newbury and Thatcham. 
2. I would also be a big supporter of building a new hospital to replace the ageing Royal Berkshire one. Looking at its capture area, I would also be suggesting a move out of central Reading but close to one of the M4 junctions to improve the speed of access Junctions 11/12 and 13 being the obvious choices.

Before we look at the above, we need to keep a couple of things in mind. 1 The birth rate in the UK. 2 How the UK is setup in terms of the number of people it needs to remain in what we think of as a prosperous nation. The reality is that the UK birth rate is falling, and a work force is needed to pay for everything that makes us prosperous.

With that said, what gets little to no coverage is emigration from the UK. The latest ONS numbers, June 2023, say 93000 British citizens left the UK. An AXA PPP International report says the main drivers behind British emigration was Poor work / life balance and poor pay and benefits.

First that’s around 3 times the number of people that arrive by small boats according to a Dec 15^th Article on the BBC website. In the same story 89000 sought Asylum in the UK in 2022 (Still less).

What’s not said, and what’s hard to find is the socio-economic breakdown in those numbers.

Let’s face it, if we are losing the mid to high earners and only replace with low earners then it’s not a matter of just measuring in and out, it’s a matter of value (or tax revenue if you like). For example. If I lose a Dr. whose average pay is £76K (net £54K) and replace with someone working in retail where the average salary is £23.3K (net 20K) then I’m at least 3 times worse off as the government. But it’s even worse than that, because a single parent earing £23.3K with 2 school age kids living in Berkshire would be entitled to £329.44 per week of benefits, according to money saving experts web site. That’s another £17130 per annum we need to find. FYI the Dr. gets just child benefits at 39.90 per week or 2074.80 per annum.

The extra cost of the 3.3 people on benefits compared to the 1 Dr. is £56.5K. That’s over twice the tax revenue from the Dr.

A GMC report said that 4843 Drs left the UK in the year May 2021 to 2022

Given the above. I’m going to say the emigration part of net migration is something we need to focus on as a high priority. i.e. retain our talent.

It is impossible to have missed the evolving situation in the USA, with a real possibility that Donald Trump might get re-elected. However, even without that, we hear about President Joe Biden’s thoughts on the UK and Ireland. He’s not that positive about us apparently. Or at least that’s what gets reported.

So, I do find myself asking “Would the USA really come to our aid? Would they stay involved long enough to make the difference? Can we take the risk?” Whereas 20 years ago I would never have doubted, today I’m less sure.

Add to this what we see reported from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran means we face the real possibility of our way of life being changed significantly by direct aggression, or by weaponizing capitalism (which the Chinese state has done very successfully). FYI. I try and stay in touch by watching a range of news channels from the BBC through ITV, GB News, Al Jazeera and Sky. Just so I can get different perspectives on things.

The conflation of all this news is that we live in ever more dangerous times. It's why one of the things I’m keen to see is the UK get to energy independence. I.e. Energy security. I have written previously about ways we can do this in an environmentally positive way, but once we have abundant cheap energy security, we can make positive moves to improve food security, we also get positive outcomes for health and industry and importantly cost of living.

But even if we manage to reverse the trends and make the UK independent in the basics of life, we still won’t be secure given the growing aggression in the world.

That's why I support a strong military, not for global dominance, but to safeguard our interests and respond effectively when necessary. Collaborating with neighbouring countries, who share cultural similarities to form a robust alliance—whether within or outside NATO— can deter potential aggressors.

It’s one of the main reasons why staying close to our European neighbours is a good thing. We need to get passed painting the EU as the devil. It’s a long way from perfect but our cultures are closer than many seem to realise.

As a potential independent MP, I would consider evidence and vote in the best interests of the nation, recognizing that decisions in this area span multiple decades and should be independent of party politics.

My position is quite straightforward really.

As a nation, it is impossible to sustain an immigration rate of 700K plus per annum

• We need to be able to choose who comes and stays
• My first concern is to split out genuine asylum seekers and economic migrants
• Economic migrants need to arrive by safe legal routes. They should apply before they set off on the journey to the UK. They need to be filling a role that cannot be filled by someone already living here.
• Economic migration needs to be ruled based and fulfil only those things we cannot train for locally.
• I am just as concerned about emigration.

Are we losing skilled people and replacing them with non-skilled? I did a letter to the press on this - see here

https://adrianabbs.uk/Contents/ContentItems/48gx8qefbem1ptvxz620rzaawh

For me, it starts further back and comes down to the economy we are building. Build the right type of economy and emigration of skilled labour falls

It's a tough nut to crack but the speed of processing applications is one key. Being willing to say "No thanks, we don't need your specific skill set" must be something we can do as a nation.

When I moved back from working in Germany my home was at RG30 3UN which is in the East of the constituency. Both my children went to school in Reading.

I currently live on the border of Newbury / Thatcham. The boundary for the new constituency runs all the way to Thatcham. So, I am very close.

The constituency is made up from Rural (West) and Urban (East). As I have lived at both ends, I believe I will bring an understanding to what is needed locally for the Constituency. I also run a business (In Newbury) that employs people who live in places like Aldermaston.

Before standing I contacted several of the current District councillors to see if they would be running. None were who represented a centralist and internationalist perspective. That meant no candidate close to my own principles was standing.

Now that all the main candidates have announced, it seems to remain clear that I can offer a viable alternative to party politics and am someone who has a strong connection to the constituency.

Some of the work I have done as a District Councillor is based in Mid Berkshire (Things like the Grazely solar farm and energy generation at Padworth recycling centre). I also met with people in Beenham when they had a particularly contentious planning app – In an advisor role.

David Tully from Rochdale showed that an Independent can do very well in an election for Parliament. He got 21% of the vote. He was just a local businessman who wanted to do something for his community. Same as me.

Given the Conservative vote is mainly in Mid Berkshire historically and the Labour Vote is strongest in Reading West, we already have a split. Now add in that the Conservative vote splits again because of Reform. The Labour Vote also splits because Tilehurst has historically voted Lib Dem (at least during council elections). This means we have no party with more than ¼ of the votes. Turn outs at General elections are averaging 65%. So around 16 to 17% each

An independent has a chance because. 1) the 35% of people who don’t normally vote now have a viable choice. 2) Many softer Conservative voters are so angry with their own party they are actively considering voting for change or staying at home. They don’t really want to vote Labour and the Lib Dems just don’t have enough people to do the whole area. They have only around 140 members and far less activists (maybe 5-10) across the area I believe. 3) Although the Green candidate is someone I respect, the Green vote is just not a tactical vote this time around in this location.

If we believe in democracy, then we need a solution when electing MPs that represents what voters believe in. 1^st past the post has led to some very odd election results with huge majorities that do not reflect the majority. Its very hard indeed to find any example of a single party commanding more than 50% of the publics vote.

Now add in stability. Having been running my own business’s for over 20 years I can say the number 1 thing that benefits growth is stability. Be that inflation or the rules under which business must run.

So, I have come to believe we should adopt a form of PR that still ensures I can elect a person, rather than a party, but then also reflects what voters want. It does mean we will get representatives from the extremes, but we should also get better cooperation and stability.

I do not hold any strong opinion on this bill other than to acknowledge the costs of supporting people's choices. If we have a known product that directly hurts people's health then encouraging them to change the habit would be my go to start position. Taxing those products to ensure the necessary health support later on has to happen otherwise a persons choice falls on other shoulders.

This goes to my belief that people should be able to choose. My only concern is ensuring it really is their choice.

I do not believe in the breakup of the UK.  So devolving power to allow each part to decide if they wanted to join the EU (or even could) is not something I see as helpful at this time.

The concept of devolved power, in theory, allows a more specific focus by those elected to these parliaments.

The problem is that it costs quite a lot. As the world shrinks, the differences economically also shrinks.

I struggle to see how splitting tax, health etc into smaller parts makes for greater efficiency.

My mind is open but as a businessman, I would want to see the business case and advantages economically of doing it.

I do not have access to enough information to know if this is even affordable. So sorry I am unable to answer this question at this time.

Genocide is defined in the English dictionary as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group:”

By this definition, both the Israeli State and Hamas terror group seem to be guilty of it. They both aim to destroy each other.

The sad bit is that we live in a world where killing is done all the time. Everything says to me that the only practical solution is to have two states that live in peace. I am happy to voice my thoughts on this but I'm afraid I don't think either party is listening so people suffer.

Paying the going rate for something is the shortest way to ensure availability. The issue is the cost to the state when the state has run out of money.

Healthy teeth are often linked to healthy choices in food. The only way to make this all affordable would be to reduce the level of need by focusing on the young and ensuring less pressure in the first place.

Almost everything that is a problem in the UK comes back to money. As a society, even if we tax more there are limits because we work on a global stage. Without fixing UK competitiveness on the world stage we won't be able to afford to pay the going rate for services people want.

In my leaflet here https://adrianabbs.uk/media/ppc/Leaflet-A3.pdf I lay out a long-term plan to revitalise the UK economy so we can also afford and fix our services

I am looking at placing the Constituency office in Theale initially. This is central as much as is possible.

I have been asked to expand a little on how Land Value Reform might help with not just house building but the cost of homes.

This type of reform works by councils and ideally other community groups, being able to purchase land for building where it's needed. The price would reflect the current use. So it would be a lot cheaper than what it costs after planning permission is granted.

That removes one of the huge costs associated with building and should lead to a stabalising and possible drop in the cost of homes. It also means councils can provide housing for the needs we have.

There are other parts of the concept to do with controlling costs on the build and ensuring they are net zero after the build. Net zero means saving money as the cost of running them are also very low.

Well, we are in a state for sure. There are lots of labels that use the word "phobia" and most have become overused and now cause confusion. My own opinion is that people are individuals, and as such, in a free society, have the ability to be what they want to be. There is at least one exception to this for me and that is Paedophilia there is no possible excuse. On trans people in general, then as long as barriers do not exist, people should have the ability to be what they want to be.

If I'm ever asked about a specific case, then the balance would fall on whether what was being asked for causes harm to other groups in some way. One group's rights cannot trump another.

I’m a scientist at heart, so from what I understand, conversion therapy is cruel and not proven to be successful.

I have an e-bike and use it to commute to my office when it's not raining. By .2026 we should see the introduction of driverless vehicles. Within just a few years I assume e-pods will dominate the market. So yes updated legislation for e-anything is needed. Whatever the law, the police have the power to enforce it and should. Those modifying e-anything to break the law should have the relevant fine or confiscation applied. 

Myself, I'd like to link legislation to mass. i.e. the heavier and faster the e-anything the more rules apply as the greater the chance of serious injury the heavier it is and the faster it goes.

We must find safe ways to embrace alternatives to the standard commute to benefit everyone.

Covid was real and the ONS number showed a massive increase on the 5-year rolling averages for deaths. Although that dipped a couple of times the extras far outweighed these small dips.

In February 2020 I was at a council meeting and was asking why we did not have hand gel in the foyer. We already had stories of how bad it was in China and Italy.

I run an SME and had already ordered masks for every employee by this stage, because why not take care when so much was still unknown? They were already in short supply.

The government then proceeded to make a series of mistakes. The ones I worried about were speed and science.

They spoke about face masks, just bits of cloth to cover your face which did nothing to protect you as a person. What was needed was FFP2/3 masks which offered the wearer protection and others nearby. I tried to get this message out as a Cllr via West Berks but it was somewhat ignored.

I don’t say this using hindsight (that would be easy) I say it from the information available to me at the time (an ordinary West Berkshire councillor).

Why was speed important? Simply because it would have reduced the peaks, associated deaths and the time scales we were in lockdown.

The mistakes not only had a massive effect on the number of people who died, but also the economy. We will be paying that back for decades to come.

Schooling from home would have been shorter as well. This means the attainment gap that came about would have been less.

The Science has to lead when looking at long covid. I don’t have enough data personally to say if it's all real or not.