May: Labour is the Party of Restriction

May: Labour is the party of Restriction

Parker-George Media©

Interview with Christian May
By Steve George



Following a manic day at the office I dropped by Henry's, Mayfair to for drinks with Exeter CF chairman Christian May. Since the Smith-George administration in 05-06, Exeter CF and slowly been rebuilt, with credibility restored and a thriving membership. The toughest task is to succeed in continuing growth whilst broadening membership and reaching out to a much more diverse selection of the student community. This challenge is one few could meet however; senior figures from the previous administration had spotted May even before he began gearing up for getting into the Exeter branch.




Taking charge of such a large society and dealing with string criticism and smear from ‘the left’ is often a thankless task. Given this fact, selecting a strong chairman is an essential measure- they have to be as hard as a rock but sharp as knife. In recent months, few can argue that Exeter CF has taken huge steps forward with a much broader membership and, moreover, one riddled with enthusiasm for success on a local and national scale. It was pleasing to see the transformation had happened so quickly- with the pretentious ‘hangers on’ who talked so much but delivered nothing, stood for nothing, now sidelined -even at the black tie ball. The doers are now at the forefront of the society and it looks like it will stay that way.

May’s ambition is underpinned by a solid commitment and strong work ethic. When not directing plays or leading the Exeter CF he can be found working for the family business and gaining valuable experience. “My parents taught me the value of hard work” he says. “I spent much of my summer holidays working hard and learning about the challenges of the real world”. Indeed, this work ethic has been key to his success at the Exeter CF.

Clearly, the heavy burden of Labour’s taxation and regulation is something that May finds particularly dislikeable. “Thousands of family businesses have been destroyed by Labour’s taxes. Never has a government taxed so much and delivered so little”. Indeed, the taxes currently used to plunder our pockets hit some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society. “Labour is the party of regulation, they don’t believe in individual freedom or enterprise, they think that the state should tell people how to live their lives”. The Ineffectiveness, and the sheer incompetence of this government is all at the expense of the hard pressed British taxpayer.

May has much praise for the new Conservative leader; “Cameron would make a refreshing change to the way in which the country is run - an end to top down target setting and a restoration of trust in people to look after themselves, with the state as a servant not a master.” Clearly the Cameron agenda is one that is still considered to of the agenda at the Exeter CF as it was under the previous administration.

I asked him what he thought of Gordon Brown “A charlatan”. “Obsessed by regulation and control” he added. One can only cringe every time they hear Brown talking about helping society, coming from the man that single-handedly destroyed the pension funds, robbing thousands of people of their life savings.

I noted how well Brown has been doing in the polls “The Brown Bounce was inevitable, wasn't it? I mean, after 10 years of Blair who wouldn't be a breath of fresh air? What we must remember of course, and what the country must be reminded, is that Brown has been No. 2 in this government for TEN YEARS, and any problem he claims to have the answer to is in large part down to his fiscal incompetence and infamously difficult management style. No matter how many times he says the word "change" we must never forget we want really to change from – Labour” says May.

Clearly, May has built strong relationships with other political big beasts inside the party. “James Breffit and I sat down in a coffee shop in Exeter nearly 18 months ago and we formulated a program of massive change within Exeter CF. Without James' staunch support, unwavering commitment and sound political advice there is no way that Exeter CF would be what it is today. I have no doubt that throughout my career, whatever it may be, James will remain a true and trusted friend and ally.”

In conclusion I asked him about where he thought the part was going. “Cameron's Conservatives stand for common sense, trust in people and a release from state regulation. It is these ideologies which must be promoted now, and the sooner the Norman Tebbits of this world shut up, the better.”



After finishing his degree, May intends to begin a career in London. From his current track record as a man of strength and integrity who delivers first class results without fail, one can see that he will prosper in working life and will make a huge contribution to the Conservative party.

It was indeed an excellent interview, so as a treat, afterwards I took him to Spearmint.


SWG

Avoiding a question in the media?

John Humphries asking Prescott if has had other affairs:
JH: I asked you whether you'd had any other affairs apart from that which is the one we know about.

JP: I've told you what the answer, I've given a statement about that. I made a mistake, I've owned up to me, that is life, and I've made a statement and I've certainly paid the price for it.

JH: Have you had other affairs?

JP: I watched Newsnight last night and the press, as you know - most people don't - and it's called, I think it's called the internet, isn't it, or blogs or something, I've only just got used to letters, John, I haven't got into all this new technology, but I watched the guy on television last night who does that, saying I have no evidence for these allegations I have made.

JH: So they're not true, are they?

JP: There's no truth in much of the stories that are made in the papers...

JH: So you have not had other affairs, I mean it's a quite straightforward question here.
JP: Listen, you're talking about a lot of people here who have in fact denied these stories, names have been mentioned, some of them are in the process of perhaps suing about it. I'm not going to get involved in that.

I've made my statement about making a mistake and I did all that, I'm leaving it at that, but I notice the guy who's making these allegations says there's no evidence for it. So why are you justified to keep on trying to push this. It hurts so many people...

JH: [interrupts] Because I wanted to give you - would still like to give you - to clear it up for once and for all and say I made that mistake with that particular lady, I have had no other affairs.

JP: I made my mistake and I've made my denials. It doesn't make any difference, of course, to what the press say, but I will keep on saying I'll get on with my job, that's it's to do with it.

People must judge me on what I do on the job. I know that's controversial, I've been in a lot of controversial areas. That's what I'm doing, John, that's what people expect me to do and I'll get on with doing my job and I'm not leaving it, I'm getting on with it.

Lieberman: U.S. Should Weigh Iran Attack

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Sunday the United States should consider a military strike against Iran because of Tehran's involvement in Iraq.

``I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq,'' Lieberman said. ``And to me, that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers.''


The U.S. accuses Iran of fostering terrorism and Tehran's nuclear ambitions have brought about international reproach.

Lieberman, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000 who now represents Connecticut as an independent, spoke of Iranians' role in the continued violence in Iraq.

``We've said so publicly that the Iranians have a base in Iran at which they are training Iraqis who are coming in and killing Americans. By some estimates, they have killed as many as 200 American soldiers,'' Lieberman said. ``Well, we can tell them we want them to stop that. But if there's any hope of the Iranians living according to the international rule of law and stopping, for instance, their nuclear weapons development, we can't just talk to them.''

He added, ``If they don't play by the rules, we've got to use our force, and to me, that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they're doing.''

Lieberman said much of the action could probably be done by air, although he would leave the strategy to the generals in charge. ``I want to make clear I'm not talking about a massive ground invasion of Iran,'' Lieberman said.

``They can't believe that they have immunity for training and equipping people to come in and kill Americans,'' he said. ``We cannot let them get away with it. If we do, they'll take that as a sign of weakness on our part and we will pay for it in Iraq and throughout the region and ultimately right here at home.''

To deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions, Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson said tough negotiation is called for.

``I would talk to them, but I would build an international coalition that would promote and push economic sanctions on them,'' Richardson said. ``Sanctions would work on Iran. They are susceptible to disinvestment policy. They are susceptible to cuts, economic sanctions in commodities.''

On Friday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iran's detention of at least four Americans is unwarranted but will not stop Washington from trying to engage Iran on other matters, including its disputed nuclear program and alleged support of insurgents in Iraq.

In an Associated Press interview, Rice also appeared to cast doubt on whether the U.S. would take its tentative diplomatic outreach to Iran any further for now.


The U.S. and Iranian ambassadors in Iraq met last month for the first public, substantive high-level discussions the two countries have held in nearly three decades. Although limited to the topic of violence and instability in Iraq, the talks have been seen as a possible window to better relations.

Immediately after the meeting in Baghdad, Iran announced plans for another. But U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Washington would decide only after the Iraqi government issued an invitation.


U.S. officials also said they wanted to see Iran follow up on U.S. complaints that it is equipping and helping insurgents who attack American forces.

Lieberman spoke on ``Face the Nation'' on CBS. Richardson was on ``Late Edition'' on CNN.