2019 UK Parliamentary Election
RWSfm 103.3 Presenter Julie MacLeod interviews Paul on the Breakfast Show
Julie MacLeod is a presenter in West Suffolk in the United Kingdom on RWSfm 103.3. She plays a great mix of music to get your day started as well as all the local news, traffic and weather you need to know. She also regularly interviews local people about a variety of issues.
The Interview…
On Thursday December 05, 2019, Independent Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket Parliamentary Candidate Paul Hopfensperger joined Julie on the breakfast show in the second (of four) in their series of election candidate interviews.
The interview took place at the same time as the other 3 candidates from the main political parties (Conservative, Labour and Green) were being interviewed on BBC Radio Suffolk. Despite numerous requests from Paul and some of his supporters, the BBC refused to have Paul on the show as he was not in a political party. Despite the complaints received, they would not give in. This was political bias in a major way. That said, Julie and Paul enjoyed a great hour in Bury St Edmunds discussing a variety of local, national and international topics.
Julie asked Paul “Why You? Why are you standing? Why?”
“There’s lots of issues in the town which need to be addressed, and no one is looking at them. Infrastructure, Dentists, Bus Service, Car Parking, Park and Ride, Cycle path throughout Bury St Edmunds, a Rail Halt in Beetons Way, removal of traffic lights to reduce congestion and pollution etc. I pick up on what people are asking me. I don’t have a manifesto, I have priorities and those priorities are given to me by the people of Bury St. Edmunds and that’s how I work.””
Click on the >> play button << above to listen to the interview.
Time Stamped Shownotes (in minutes):
01:00 - Julie introduces Paul to the show and asks him three questions to introduce himself to people
03:00 – Paul explains to Julie why he is standing for election to Parliament
04:20 - Paul explains Section 106 agreements (planning obligations) and the wider link from the Town Centre to ‘The Arc’
07:00 – Paul explains about affordable housing and underground parking
07:55 – Paul explains his list of “things to do” and why party politics can stop things happening
09:29 – Paul explains the need for a bridge with cycle path to ASDA from Marham Park/The Howard Estate and a Rail Halt in Beetons Way to feed the Abbeygate 6th Form College, St. Benedict’s, County Upper, The Sports Centre, West Suffolk House, West Suffolk College and the Athletics Track, to reduce traffic going into Western Way
12:09 – Paul discusses a Park and Ride, a bypass for Great Barton, and lots of green issues including information gathered from the National Climate Change Conference the previous week
15:00 – Paul explains the about the costs of constructing green housing with air source heat pumps and solar panels
17:00 – Paul explains about the methane problem affecting climate change caused by the consumption of red meat
22:00 – Paul discusses the bus and train service which needs urgent attention
27:00 – Julie asks Paul about the NHS and in particular dentists and the problem of no local dentists due to lack of funding
29:00 - Paul discusses the topic of Mental Health and the requirement for more local centres to help people
To end the discussion, Julie asked Paul “Why should people vote for you?”
“A LOCAL Bury boy, working hard on LOCAL issues, requested by LOCAL people and who REALLY Loves Bury St Edmunds!”