Interview with Doro Oddiri, Liberal Democrat candidate in Thamesmead East, Bexley

 Interview with Doro Oddiri, Liberal Democrat candidate in Thamesmead East, Bexley

• Why a LibDem candidate in Thamesmead East?

I am running as a LibDem candidate because the LibDems are the only party that has values I can identify with. It is the only party that has a feasible plan to address the cost of living crisis. The Tory Party is in government, and what has Boris Johnson done to address this crisis? The LibDems are the only alternative, they want to address the issues that affect us, national issues like the cost of living crisis. In my ward we have a Labour councillor representing us. Labour has been dreadful over 20 years. Where I live, our waters are polluted with sewage, because the oil companies, the big corporations are pumping sewage in our rivers day by day; killing wildlife and causing pollution, and we have a Labour councillor who voted against naming the companies that are doing this. They are the friends of big corporations. Why don’t they tax these oil and energy companies that are making profit and benefitting from this cost of living crisis? That way we could use that money to tackle the suffering of the poor, but the government refused to do that. The government is not honest: look at Boris Johnson, who is embarrassing the political elites. He has lied in public, the police has given him a fine, what is he waiting for? Does he want to be there ruling the country with that reputation? He’s creating disillusionment in politics. People are disillusioned with politics because they promise and lie without delivering to the people. What Boris Johnson is doing presently is augmenting that disillusion. During the lockdown people couldn’t visit their loved ones, and Boris Johnson was having parties, then he lied to parliament. He should go. For all these facts, I have come to the conclusion that the LibDems are the only party who has a credible plan for the people. 

• What are the main issues you want to prioritise in the campaign?

In this place we have our rivers filled with sewage, and we don’t have public toilets in the ward. That is an embarrassment. Another local issue is the GP service, to get a GP appointment you wait endlessly because to get a basic appointment you have to make a lot of calls to get it. The LibDems want to invest in the GP service, to bring a reduction in such waiting times. I’m not talking about an operation, I’m talking about basic GP appointments. That’s a very serious issue in my ward, so that is why I came out to address these local issues. I am one of the residents, I am experienced, I know what I’m talking about, I know the issues and I am in tune with the LibDems to resolve them. 

The LibDems will reduce VAT to tackle the cost of living crisis and help struggling families and businesses. We also want to impose a windfall tax on the profits of big energy corporations who have been benefitting from this crisis, so if we tax them, and the money we make from such taxation will be used for a rescue package for the less privileged, for the most vulnerable. 

If you look at all these policies together, we are the only party that has a concrete plan for the British people to deal with this cost of living crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. 

• Why are the LibDems the best alternative to the Conservatives and Labour?

I’ll tell you why, it’s because we have the best deal for the country in terms of dealing with the crisis and local issues. Boris Johnson has broken the law and he has to resign. The more he seats there, the more he’s embarrassing his party and the country. As for Labour Leader Keir Starmer, he is too stiff, he had hundreds of opportunities to take out Boris Johnson. He’s not given us an effective opposition, I would prefer the LibDems to be the opposition party in this country. The LibDems suffered a lot from the time of the coalition with the Conservatives. Nick Clegg made a u-turn on a key policy (tuition fees) and that costed the LibDems over 40 MPs. We came out of that coalition with less than 7 MPs, so what I’m trying to say is because we suffered immensely for a u-turn in one of our policies, there is more tendency that we won’t change our current manifesto. We rebuilt the party from the bottom up under the leadership of Sir Ed Davey, so I’d prefer they were the ruling party because they’re the only party whose ideas are credible.