This page contains the views of the MP candidates for Richmond (Yorks) on a wide range of issues

To see how their views compare with yours, pick any quote below and select your view.

Stop press: 2 of your candidates haven't gone on the record!

William Hague
(Conservative Party)

Eileen Driver
(Labour Party)

Let's start by looking at the local statements

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• We asked volunteers to find local questions, but unfortunately none have been submitted for this constituency.

National statements

(back to local statements)

• Many people think taxes will have to rise in the next parliament to cut Britain's budget deficit. If they do, any increases should disproportionately be paid by higher earners.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)	strongly agrees
  	“We must ensure that those most able to pay bear their fair share, and introduce a much needed increase in environmental taxation. After all we are paying a much lower level of taxation now than we did even under Mrs Thatcher.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)		agrees
  	“I believe that Britain's tax system should be much fairer. We would not tax any income below 10,000 pounds. This would be financed in part by a mansion tax on homes worth more than 2 million pounds.”

• The British government interferes too much with business.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)		agrees
  	“The Green Party is proposing specific help for small businesses, including cutting bureaucracy.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)		agrees

• Government should tackle climate change aggressively even if it means energy bills go up.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)	strongly agrees
  	“We are the Green Party: the private sector has not responded to the challenge of renewable energy with sufficient vigour and investment. We would introduce a massive programme of direct government investment in large scale wind and other renewable”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)		agrees
  	“Climate change must be a priority.”

• It would be a big problem if Britain became more economically unequal over the next 5 years.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)	strongly agrees
  	“Inequality in Britain has risen under both Labour and Conservatives, so we need a strong Green Party presence in Parliament to improve our unequal society.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)	strongly agrees

• Despite the recession, Britain should increase spending on public sector services.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)	strongly agrees
  	“Paid for from Taxes from bankers and others who can afford it and by cancelling unnecessary expenditure like Trident and ID cards.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)				disagrees
  	“Britain needs to urgently address its government deficit. In doing so, we must safeguard key areas of public spending such as on schools and hospitals.”

• People should provide for their own retirement, and not demand the state to help them do so.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)				disagrees
  	“We need a new system of Citizen’s Pensions linked to average earnings. The Green Party propose an immediate increase in pensions to £170 pw for individuals and £300 pw for couples.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)				disagrees
  	“There must be a balance between individual saving and government support.”

• Immigration levels are too high.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)		agrees
  	“We need to build a sustainable Britain and stop stealing skilled workers from developing countries.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)				disagrees
  	“The problem is not the level of immigration per se, but the appalling management of both illegal and legal migration. This needs to be urgently addressed.”

• There are too many CCTV cameras in Britain.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)	strongly agrees
  	“End "Big Brother" Britain”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)		agrees

• A married, heterosexual couple provide the best environment in which to raise a family.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)			is neutral
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)			is neutral

• In general, politicians in Britain are honest.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)			is neutral
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)		agrees
  	“I do believe that most politicians are honest. However, in the last Parliament, far too many politicians have been shown to have abused the system. Urgent and radical action is needed to ensure that this can never be repeated.”

• The arts in Britain should pay for themselves, and not rely on Government subsidy.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)				disagrees
  	“The cultural health of our society is an important element of Government. We should work to end the domination of the USA in our music and film industries for instance.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)				disagrees

• The new British government should begin negotiations to leave the European Union.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)		agrees
  	“Unless reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy and the lack of budgetary control can be negotiated.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)					strongly disagrees

• Even if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, Britain should not support any military action against Iran.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)	strongly agrees
  	“For the same reason we do not want military action against Israel, which also has nuclear weapons.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)				disagrees

• British troops should stay in Afghanistan as long as they are needed.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)					strongly disagrees
  	“Mission creep means that the military conflict is at a stalemate & we need an immediate peace conference & withdrawal of British troops.”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)		agrees

• Britain spends too much money on foreign aid.

  Select what YOU think to reveal their answers:	strongly agree	agree	neutral	disagree	strongly disagree
  Leslie Rowe (Green Party)					strongly disagrees
  	“Not yet achieving the long established UN minimum of 0.7% of GDP”
  Lawrence Meredith (Liberal Democrats)					strongly disagrees

Answers by party

In many places, key candidates have refused to go on the record (and sometimes we've been unable to get in touch with them). As a poor substitute, you can see a rough version of how each party answers on average over at our partner site, Democracy Club.

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