Standing for Parliament - 6 May 2010

Dr Stephen WOZNIAK

WOZNIAK    X

Some of the 'everyday' things I do:

Live a very practical down-to earth and quite 'Green' lifestyle. I built my own large garage and conservatory single handed. I am practical as well as an academic.

Go folk dancing, especially at folk festivals. Also I teach a few of the basics. It is also an excellent way of keeping fit - something that the population as a whole needs to do, and without needing expensive government backed 'initiatives' and yet more quangos.

Mend my old car (and those belonging to friends). Running a moderately fuel efficient old car is (by the way) far more environmentally friendly than scrapping it to buy a new one. That is why I do it.

Mend old computers. The ones I use are all over 8 years old. Buying unnecessary electronic goods is a huge waste of resources. Governments and local councils do it all the time - and with your money.

Criticise other people - especially idiots in government. They deserve everything I write about them.

People I admire (of whom the following are just a few examples) -

People of principle, even if I don't agree with them much of the time - Tony Benn would be one example.

Frank Field - Labour MP and a very clever man - far too principled to be retained in Tony Blair's government. He has had the right idea about the 'welfare state' for a long time. It is time half of it was dismantled.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch - perhaps one of the most respected members of UKIP he has led calls in the House of Lords for a proper cost-benefit analysis of the UK's membership of the EU. This cannot be only a narrow financial analysis but must be normalised to household or citizen level (an easy task) so that ordinary people can more readily assimilate the figures.

Barack Obama, Ian Duncan Smith, David Owen, Vince Cable (sometimes), William Hague,  - genuine people with a real sense of public service.

Women who make it to the top using their ability - Lady Greenfield, Baroness Young, Mrs Thatcher and many others.

People who manage to bring up well-behaved children in today's world.

People I dislike -

Blair's babes - the retinue of under-qualified women in the Blair/Brown government who were promoted far beyond their ability. In Blair's government, there seemed to be so many candidates vying for the post of least able woman.

The thousands of vastly overpaid senior staff of various quangos who collectively waste billions of pounds of public money every year.

MPs and especially MEPs (European Parliament) who have their snouts well and truly in the trough. If you think MPs expenses were dishonest - take a look at the Brussels gravy train.

Spin doctors - of all political colours.

People who breed and then expect the State to pay for their entire lazy lifestyle.

Rich people who give nothing (or very little) back to society or to charities. - includes most celebrities.

Local authority staff who go out of their way to be awkward and obstructive. Many of them think they are being clever. They should be got rid of - and probably not replaced.

The many other parasites in society who think the world (and the British Taxpayer) owes them a living.

Books I have been influenced by (there are many others). These are some I have used in formulating some of my lectures and understanding of environmental politics -

The Arrogance of Humanism - David Ehrenfeld (1978). Still unsurpassed.

Silent Spring and The Sea the Sea - Rachael Carson

The Revenge of Gaia - James Lovelock (+ other Gaia books)

Slow Reckoning - S Athanasiou (1996)   (an analysis of environmental logic - you really should read it)

The Lunar Men - Jenny Uglow - a brilliantly told history of scientific innovation in eighteenth century England.

Chaos - Making a New Science - James Gleick....worth reading just for the equations of extinction (population dynamics).