About Me

Candidate: JOHN JAMES NAISBITT (commonly known as JIM) – INDEPENDENT
Place & Date of Birth: GATESHEAD/22-11-38

Height/Weight:

 1.76m (5’-9.5”)/75-80 Kg (165-175 lb)
Health: Good – some varicose veins plus occasional AGS (Acute Geordie Syndrome!)
Languages: English (Mother tongue), French (Business Grade), Spanish (Communication Grade), German/Portuguese/Arabic (Conversational)
Profession: Chartered Civil Engineer (M.I.C.E.)
Education: University of Durham
Experience: 43 years on Survey and Investigation, Planning and Design, Construction Supervision and Contract Management, Mainly on Water Sector projects, including a total of about 25 years overseas (Middle East, Africa, Far East – including Pakistan and Bangladesh) and 12 years in Higher Education (Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering, University of Hertfordshire).
Interests: Fair Play – from football to the democratic process; the Christian Church and (because of experience) relations with Moslems, including the linked problems of Israel/Palestine and Iraq (see more later); Contract Bridge and Sailing (more like boat refurbishment – at Maldon).
Why do I want this Job? Was it Winston Churchill who said that it should be the ambition of every Englishman to stand for Parliament. It has been my ambition for some time now. Circumstances have propelled me to this action now. Although I am in generally good health, this may realistically be my last chance. I just have to do it. I hope you can understand. The fabric of our society is rapidly being undermined. I want to do whatever I can to restore it.
What could I achieve – as an INDEPENDENT? I think there is only ONE Independent Member in the European Parliament – Pat Cox, from the Irish Republic. Please check this for yourselves, but I believe he has been elected as the PRESIDENT of that Parliament! The Parties don’t trust one another – probably with good cause – so an INDEPENDENT Member was the only solution. This philosophy could apply to all of the Working Committees (about 25, I think) of the Parliament. I believe I have the necessary skills (from Management of multi-million pound/euro/dollar Civil Engineering projects) to manage such Committees.
What is Required to Win a Seat at Strasbourg? I doubt if many of you have an idea of what the (Euro MEP) Ballot Paper will look like on 10 June nor of the calculations required to identify the successful candidates; if you have and you can understand what is involved, please let me know!I believe the Ballot Paper will list 11 choices; 9 party lists of up to 7 names plus 2 Independent Candidates, one of which is myself. You can place only ONE “X” for either a party list or an Independent candidate. The Method of Election (Proportional Representation using the d’Honte system of calculation) almost guarantees that Senior members will be elected from each major party and that there will be sufficient smaller party representation to result in a “Hung Parliament” – if this method had been applied to the Westminster Elections in 1997, there would have been no Labour landslide – in fact no Labour overall majority. With Lab – 293 seats, Con – 207, LibDem – 113 and Others – 46, LibDem could have held the country to ransom with either Lab or Con while Others could have flexed their muscles with Lab if LibDem went with Con! Is this really the kind of wheeler-dealing we want for our government? Furthermore, under d’Honte, candidates are effectively inaccessible – if you don’t like the party leaders you still have to vote for them – you can’t choose someone (more radical perhaps) further down the pecking order.This is why the poor people of Israel can’t get rid if of their Prime Minister – also, the minority parties will join in coalitions to form a government – but at a price. Some say this system is responsible for the protracted Israel/Palestine conflict and even (indirectly) for the Invasion of Iraq. From a personal point of view, the system employed for this Election means that if an Independent (like me) were to be elected then forced, for some reason to resign, there would be another election but if a Party Man were elected and had to resign (even as a result of criminal charges) the next man on that Party List would be automatically moved up into the vacant the seat – there would be no election.Furthermore, I have put up a Deposit of GBP 5,000 and, to save this, I must win 2.5% of the vote. A Party List of SEVEN Candidates needs also to win only 2.5% (not 17.5%) and also puts up a total of only GBP 5,000 (NOT GBP 35,000 as one might expect!). The tradition of the Individual in British Society is being trampled by the Herd.
What is it all costing me personally? Well, I have put up the GBP 5,000 from my personal savings. I hope you will help me to get that back by granting me 2.5% of the vote. However, there is no way I can get back the estimated GBP 14,000 I must spend on printing (YES, FOURTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS – THAT’S WHAT IT COSTS TO LEAFLET – ONLY 20% – OF THE CONSTITUENCY OF OVER FOUR MILLION PEOPLE!). I hope you other 80% will forgive me and can get your hands on a copy and/or view my web-site. The Royal Mail will deliver FREE, provided I can get the leaflets to them on time. So, if you don’t get this leaflet, I didn’t make it in time! Further incidental costs may be of the order of GBP 1,000. All GBP 20,000 comes from my savings – there are no hidden supporters – waiting for their pounds of flesh after Polling Day.
How would I use Payments/ Allowances paid to a Member of the European Parliament? I am not rich and not poor – and I want to stay that way! I am now semi-retired but do a little (Civil Engineering) Consultancy work. With a bit of luck, I would be able to devote all MEP Payments – as well as all Allowances – to the tasks of finding out what is going on in Strasbourg and Brussels then passing this on to you. Maybe we could start our own (truly Independent) Newspaper and Broadcasting station. EVERYONE – with the possible exception of recalcitrant Party Diehards – would be welcome to participate. As an Independent MEP, I would be free to select my own teams in Strasbourg/Brussels and locally in each of the SIX COUNTIES, possibly with a co-ordinating office centrally in Cambridge or Huntingdon.
Conclusion after 5 years – in 2009: I would hope that, after 5 years, you (and I) would be in a much better position to decide to what extent we wish our country to be an integral part of Europe. I would be prepared to carry out our own referendum but there would be provision for you to “pick and mix” rather that to have a “pig in a poke” foisted on you.Call for a Judicial Review – If I can find the Time, (yet more) Money and the Energy, I intend to request a Judicial Review to challenge to basis on which this MEP Election is being contested. I sincerely believe that it infringes the Universal Human Rights of the Individual. No more time, nor space. Please turn out to vote; please save my deposit (and my marriage of 42 years!); Please send me to Strasbourg. I promise you a lively 5 years!Check this website for daily bulletins!