Foreword:
The following interviews form part 1 of a series of interviews conducted during the General Election. The author interviewed four current UoA students and alumni who stood for election for four UK political parties. In the first he speaksto Brandon Innes, a second year law student who recently stood as a candidate for Reform UK. In the second he speaks to recent graduate Desmond Bouse, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Aberdeen. These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I’m Brandon Innes, I’m 20 years old and a second-year Law student at the University of Aberdeen. I was born and raised in Aberdeen in Torry and I recently stood as a candidate in the UK General Election for Reform UK.
What motivated you to pursue politics?
I believe in standing up for what you believe in no matter the backlash that comes with it.
When you look at the traditional parties, you realise that neither are viable options for governance. I think a major reason for Labour’s success in the General Election was due to the shortcomings of the previous party and their inability to perform well during their tenure. When I looked at the parties, I thought, “no! I can’t just go and vote for any random one,” and so last year I got involved with Reform UK because their policies aligned with my beliefs. I was approached to run for the party’s West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
constituency and was appointed for the seat just 5 weeks before the election.
Why Reform? What were the key values of Reform UK that aligned with yours?
Our NHS is in an abysmal state currently. It seems that all the traditional parties want to keep pumping money into it which is unsustainable. Hence, the NHS needs restructuring. We need to cut the amount of management and divert the funds towards frontline staff: our nurses, healthcare support workers, midwives, doctors. Also, the police service in Scotland doesn’t have enough funding to investigate crimes. If you register a concern about a crime that happened and there’s no evidence, they won’t even try and investigate it because of a lack of funds. Different areas across the country are in just a bad state. We need change in the country and I feel that Reform is bringing that change to the table.
How has your experience been with campaigning?
Unfortunately, because I was asked to stand 5 weeks before the election, I didn’t run the kind of campaign I wanted. Because of time constraints, I took a more boots-on-the-ground approach. I talked to as many people as possible to understand the issues they were facing. The biggest response I got was that they had lived in the areas for more than10 years and had never seen any politician and that I was the first person they’d met. I think the current problem with politics is that it’s detached from reality. The everyday person doesn’t get involved with politics even though anyone can stand; it’s the whole point of democracy. Even when I’ve faced hostility, I’ve managed to calm them down and have a civil conversation with them because at the end of the day if we don’t have each other, we won’t have a democracy to fight for.
As a young candidate, what are the obstacles you have had to face during campaigning? Being in a room full of seasoned politicians, what skills does a young politician have to employ to stand out from the crowd?
Most people say I’m too young to be part of the political landscape. But my point there is that I will be living in this country for the next 60 to 80 years, surely, I would want to be involved and make a difference in the community. The first impression that people get is that because I’m young I wouldn’t have the experience, but as soon as I start conversing with them – even if it’s a light-hearted debate – they get to understand that I have my principles and I’m running for a reason. You gradually earn people’s respect and even though there will always be people second guessing the validity of your position, there are always people who will look through your age and focus more on what you have to offer.
What are the most significant problems that Scotland is currently facing?
The oil and gas,, particularly the energy sector, is being attacked. In Aberdeen, 1 in 5 people are employed directly by the oil and gas industry. Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security, said that he wants to stop renewing oil and gas licences for the North Sea. While this may not be possible soon, it is evident that this is something in their [Labour’s] plan. I also mentioned the pylons and wind turbines that have been implanted in the North Sea, and the distance these turbines cover is approximately 4-5 times the size of Aberdeen. They seem to be shoving renewables down our throats whether we like it or not.I find it ironic that the SNP seems to be blocking nuclear energy from Scotland, one of the cleanest sources of energy. The UK Government had expressed their intentions to build nuclear reactors, but the SNP still seems to be against it. Another problem I feel is the toxic nationalist movement for independence. The policies that SNP seems to be putting out are ludicrous and the everyday person doesn’t seem to be benefitting from it. They’ve brought taxes up and they’re handing out countless amounts of money which is a detriment to the country
What do you perceive good leadership as? And what has shaped this belief?
Good leadership is hard to define, but you must be a people person. You need to be collaborative and motivating, but more importantly, you must have a backbone and be ruthless sometimes, which is something we lack in this country. The [previous] Government spent 700 million pounds to execute the Rwanda plan, but they haven’t sent a single person there yet, and when the Labour party took over, they fully scrapped the plan without providing a viable alternative. So, it is important to have a leader who can take risks and lead his/her country. I take inspiration from Winston Churchill, who was ruthless, and he did what needed to be done. Outside from politics, if I think of a good leader, someone like Sir Alex Ferguson, the football manager, comes to mind; he was known for being an exceptional leader and I really do take notes from his traits very frequently.
What are the basic responsibilities of the government?
The central responsibility of a government is to serve the interest of those who elected them, the people.
They should strive to make the life of those living in this country as great as possible. For me, that consists of lower taxation, strong economy and maintaining our democratic values at a minimum. In my opinion, governments have too much overreach currently. I particularly believe in cutting the red tape around our farming and fishing industries to provide security to those ensuring the food safety our country.
What is the long-term plan for you as a young Reform member?
I would say we’re just starting our planning. If I get elected in the 2026 election [to the Scottish Parliament], I’m there to support my constituency. We will be contesting in any upcoming by-elections and will make sure to get our people elected in the government at any chance we get!