CROYDON ELECTION QUESTIONS
For this General Election, Inside Croydon has been offering a platform to candidates from across the political spectrum, from across the borough’s four constituencies. Much the same questions, their answers published at length. Here, we speak with MARK SAMUEL, pictured right, the seemingly perpetual independent candidate in Croydon South
Interviews by VIMAL VIVEGANANDA
Q Why should we trust you?
I would like to be seen as a true independent without any recourse to party political stuff.
I’m trying to represent, as I have done for a number of years, my friends, my neighbours and Croydon and in particular Croydon South at parliamentary elections.
So I can be trusted because I don’t have any allegiance and I’m only reporting to the tax-payer.
Q What is the single most important issue for you at this General Election?
For me, and many other people, the cost of housing and the rental sector is absolutely untenable at the moment. I don’t know how people can afford it.
I can only just about afford to repay my mortgage at the moment with difficulty, but I’m managing at the moment.
Mortgage hike: much is said about the unaffordability of ‘affordable’ housing, but since the Liz Truss mini-budget in2022, many mortgage-holders in suburban Croydon South have seen their monthly payments increase hugely
Why has the government not taken any stance on interest rates? They could have legislated for it, they could have just stepped in and said, “We are going to reduce interest rates, it’s obscene.”
So for me at the moment, the most important issue in this general election is housing, probably the lack of it as well, but even the people that have managed to get a mortgage probably can’t afford to pay for it.
Q What will you do to improve education in our schools and for our students?
We need to find out exactly the state of the buildings. I know that that’s been a contentious matter recently. Some schools are probably in pretty good condition.
But the ones that I’ve become aware of are not in a good state of repair.
I had a reasonable education myself. But I was always looking for something to do in between lessons or during the lunch hour or … sorry… what is more popular now after school things? Clubs. I’m not thinking about cadet services or military activity, although that is good and it would have to be voluntary.
I’ve always been interested in amateur radio and back in my day I did set up one or two clubs at a couple of schools, help people into that hobby which is a good way of getting into technical things. It brought me success with further activities outside of school.
Q After 14 years of austerity, England’s local councils, social care, local services, are in a state of collapse. Including here in Croydon.
What would you, and your party, do to fix Croydon?
Ask the government to remove the most hideous thing they’ve done in a long time, and that was the imposition of a so-called improvement panel at Croydon Council.
The Council Tax has gone up. We have no, say. The council is impotent. Mayor Perry, despite being directly elected, is unable to get anything through out of his own creativity politically, the opposition are just as impotent and, in my opinion, the government should just remove this improvement panel, which is costing us even more. It’s a large amount of money. We didn’t for ask it. It was imposed. We don’t need it. We would save money.
And then we could possibly get back to representing ourselves locally. We’re not in a position to control our own budget as far as I understand.
Q Brexit?
When it came to Brexit, apparently it has been “Done”. I didn’t vote at all in that referendum because I didn’t have enough information and I didn’t want to sign up to something which later wouldn’t make sense.
And it still doesn’t make sense now because these big party politicians are still arguing about it up and down the country. As a concept of being in Europe, I thought we always were in Europe, a physical part of Europe. It’s good to get on with your friends and neighbours across the channel.
I know you’re asking, but at the moment I’m happy with what we’ve got. Surely it can be improved, but again there’s not enough information. At the moment I don’t have a huge position on what we are talking about on Brexit because I have reasons to believe its “Done”.
Q Gaza?
The United Nations is a worthy organisation, I think it should be enabled to go to these regions and not start firing off or shooting people, but defending people.
But they do need to be empowered and without having vetoes all the time, so otherwise it’s a pointless thing, but with relation to Gaza and around the world, any other conflicts come up. The United Nations should be really the international rescue, not so much militarily , but for peacekeeping.
Q Since 2015 you have run in six elections, and in five of those elections you’ve ran as an independent and in one you ran under the banner of Putting Croydon First. Why?
It’s in my blood. It’s something I had wanted to do for a long time. I tried to get the message out with a minimal expenditure and all the rest of it. You do pick up votes, you rarely make enemies as an independent, and people don’t always understand, because unfortunately, the system is not really ideal.
If I had a bit more money, or maybe we’ll go on to campaign a bit more than within the last two or three weeks and get some more leaflets up that would be very useful. It’s not impossible but it is very difficult.
Q So what do you hope to achieve throughout this 2024 campaign? What would you hope to achieve as an independent candidate for Croydon South?
Lone furrow: Mark Samuel is a regular on ballot papers, but is a candidate who barely campaigns
I would take a seat in the House of Commons and eventually, when I would be asked to speak, I would be speaking up on behalf of Croydon South.
And if anybody else has got a message, I would take it to Parliament without having to go to central office and wait for somebody else to approve it, I can do it on behalf of the people that would hopefully, kindly have elected me.
I’m open to all ideas. So once I would get that seat in the House of Commons, anybody and everybody is entitled to their input, it is as simple as that. It’s not driven by political party.
Q What do you regard as your best election performance or result?
I suppose, back in 1992: 239 votes and I was very pleased. I was a bit younger, but still as naive as I might be now. I’m a little bit more tuned in with general scheme of things. I was very proud to get those 239 votes because I was only up against the big boys and girls of the day, the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberals. There weren’t any other candidates in those days and I was very pleased to do as well as I did.
Hopefully, some of that will transfer up the years now to 2024 and maybe get that result. I would like to see if I can save my deposit, which is not impossible. We’ll see what happens.
Previous Croydon Questions:
Claire Bonham, Liberal Democrat, Streatham and Croydon North
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
