In June 2009, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) swept past the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the European Elections in Torbay . The victory in Torbay was by the largest margin in the whole of the South West. Following this, UKIP in Torbay believes that by putting up a credible local candidate, it can do the same in the forthcoming general election, and is delighted to announce that Julien Parrott has been selected as its Prospective Parliamentary Candidate to fight for the seat.
Julien’s selection was announced at a press conference held in Torquay on Monday December 7th , where he was introduced by William, Earl of Dartmouth, MEP (UKIP). In taking up the challenge to win for UKIP, Julien said: “The next election will be fought in a completely different way from the past. Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems are all happy to have given away our democratic rights and the sovereignty of our parliament, but people want them back.
"I am proud to represent a party that is truly democratic. UKIP is the only party that will fight for individuals to have a voice. What we need is MPs who will haunt the corridors, lobbies and debating chamber at Westminster to remind members of other parties of their broken promises and deceit.”
Julien Parrott is currently a serving independent councillor on Torbay Council representing the Ellacombe ward in Torquay, a role that he will continue to fulfil prior to the general election.
On Julien’s candidacy, Graham Booth, UKIP (former MEP in the South West), said: “As an independent councillor on Torbay Council, Julien has gained a reputation for working relentlessly for the good of the Bay and its residents.
“I am delighted that he has decided to stand for UKIP in Torbay at the next General Election. With his focused attitude I know that he will put the future of British citizens and of our country ahead of any personal ambitions. With Julien elected as an MP in Westminster , hopefully alongside many other UKIP candidates, I can see the chances of Britain leaving the EU and regaining its sovereignty and independence becoming a distinct possibility.”
Mike Simpson Chairman, UKIP Torbay
Julien Parrott
As CIC director of business development, I developed new income opportunities for the organisation – one particular that success I can point to is the establishment of a register of adjudicators for any construction dispute, from consumer to commercial.
I then moved to take up the Chief Executive role at the Institute of Building Control (IBC), the professional body responsible for overseeing the quality and professional qualifications of building control inspectors, and representing them and their interests to the wider construction industry, other commercial interests, and the public. I arranged a number of European-wide conferences and discussion fora, and spoke and presented papers at meetings across Europe, including Copenhagen , Belfast , Amsterdam and Tromso.
The IBC members, some 5,000 specialists and professionals, took a decision that they wanted chartered status – a status which would confer equality with other chartered professions such as architecture, engineering and planning and surveying. I managed the negotiating team that achieved this, through a successful merger with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). I was thrilled that the members of the IBC elected me an Honorary Fellow in recognition of this achievement, and I felt similarly privileged when the RICS ratified this by electing me an Honorary Member.
I was then headhunted by the chief executive of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) to be their director of communications and regions. The ICE is one of the world’s largest professional organisations, and represents the interests of around 80,000 members worldwide. As with the IBC, but on an even larger scale, every member wants his or her best interests safeguarded and promoted. My brief was to develop and improve the relationship between head office and members in all the regions, and to support and develop the regions’ own links with relevant agencies and bodies.
Against this background, I was also made responsible for shaping and leading a new team of communications professionals, with areas of responsibility including press relations and strategies, parliamentary liaison and lobbying, national conferences, corporate image and education and development.
I thoroughly enjoyed and relished the challenges of my job at the ICE. However, for purely personal reasons I chose to take time to re-evaluate my working life. This included moving away from London in 2002, back to my Torbay roots. I have since bought a local business.
In 2005 I stood as an independent in Torbay's first mayoral election, and in 2007 I was elected to Torbay Council as an independent councillor for Ellacombe, the first time an independent had been elected since party political affiliations were introduced almost two decades ago.
Personal details:
Date of birth: 8 March 1958
Place of Birth: Great Yarmouth
Married to Sue Powell (for 17 years)
Address to UKIP hustings 6 December 2009
Good afternoon.
The past 20 or so years of sustained economic growth has led to lazy, self-satisfied and greedy politicians in this country failing to act like leaders while lining their own pockets. The public has at last cottoned on.
Those same twenty or so years have also seen the rise of the bureaucracies to seamlessly replace democracy and free markets. This has been happening at every level: from local government, through national government and on to the EU, and now, god help us all, the world - where a new tyranny based on fabricated arguments and dodgy science about the environment is poised to enslave us all.
It is, therefore, no coincidence that over the past two decades - on the watch of those same lazy, self-satisfied and greedy politicians - that the European Federalists have marched from Maastricht to Lisbon . Thanks to a combination of bribery and bullying, they have gained the ratification of their invasive constitution.
Well, in Torbay last June you won a famous victory when your magnificent efforts convinced the electors here that enough is enough.
· The treachery and avarice of the old party politics must end, you said.
· The people must take back responsibility for their own communities, you said.
· The voice of the individual must count for something once more, you said.
This surge has come not a moment too soon. The pathetic capitulation of first Labour, and now David Cameron and his followers on the issue of a referendum marks the end of the old order in British politics. And ‘good riddance’ I say.
In any case, what is the use of a party political system based on outdated notions of class? We need to move away from this for good.
For me, UKIP represents a style of libertarian politics based on a sharp – some would even say painfully jagged – understanding of what is right and what is just. This is what the people of the UK want and need right now. Thanks to your outstanding efforts, the people of Torbay are already in the vanguard of a call for a once and for all change.
So, you might wonder, how can Julien Parrott help in all of this? Well, I too have been fighting the old party system in Torbay. I campaigned for 18 months to be the first truly independent candidate to win a seat on Torbay Council in 16 years. Like you, I know first hand how hard it is to win against a system that, for all its pompous claims to being democratic, is stacked against the newcomer.
With the help of my wife and just a few hardy souls, I ceaselessly leafleted Ellacombe and spoke almost endlessly with residents to convince them that their voice would be heard more clearly if I were personally entrusted to represent them rather than just another party hack.
Since my election in May 2007, I have doggedly fought against the wastefulness of both the Council bureaucracy and the councillors themselves. You may recall my two-year campaign to strip away the robes, chains and car from the now defunct civic mayor.
One of my current campaigns is to get the Conservatives to pay for their own actions in bullying a young woman out of her job. I do not lose an opportunity to raise the issue and will continue to do so until the council taxpayers get their money back.
I am known by the local press as, to use their own words, outspoken and straight talking.
As an independent, I would not be coming to you from another party. So no baggage to explain away. I have never before even belonged to a political party. Something that, I suspect, I may have in common with a good many of the electors who vote UKIP.
I have worked for central government, with local government, and private industry. In the latter role I earned my keep by lobbying parliament on behalf of the construction industry.
In summary, then, if you want an untainted, untiring, passionate and angry, workaholic representative, who has a grounding in the ways of parliament and would hit the deck running - I am your man.
I believe we would be a truly formidable combination. Your proven campaigning know-how, my proven electability.
Unless I am very wrong, what you would expect from your MP would be someone who will haunt the corridors of Westminster and the debating chamber, endlessly reminding other MPs and their parties of their treachery towards the people of this country.
If you chose me for your candidate, and I am elected – which I believe I would be, or I would not be speaking to you today - I promise you that, with your help, I will not miss any opportunity to give voice to our rage at the broken promises and deceit, and to demand a say for everyone.
With your support that work can begin this afternoon ….
Thank you.
Notes for Editors:
1. On 4 June 2009, UKIP topped the poll in Torbay for the European Parliamentary Elections. The results were: UKIP 11,643, Conservatives 9,136, Liberal Democrats 4,556, Labour 1,774.
The margin of victory in Torbay was the widest in the South West Region:
In Torbay , UKIP came first, 2,507 votes ahead of the Conservatives.
In North Devon , UKIP came first, 1,239 votes ahead of the Conservatives.
In Torridge, UKIP came first, 429 votes ahead of the Conservatives.
In Plymouth came first, 18 votes ahead of the Conservatives.
2. Julien Parrott, BA, HonRICS
Biographical notes
My parents moved to Torquay when I was 11, and I attended the then Audley Park School , where I took my ‘O’ levels. I subsequently took ‘A’ levels at Hammersmith College in West London , and gained my degree in Philosophy with the Open University.
I began my career as a civil servant, and worked in a number of departments, including the (then) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Transport (DOT), and at the Property Services Agency (PSA), the government’s construction and building arm. In the DTI and DOT, my work included civil emergency planning, development of legislation and interpretation of European Directives. At the PSA, I had responsibility for budgeting and planning for new multi-million pound government construction projects, including RAF installations, joint projects with the American military, and West Country facilities including RAF St Mawgan and Plymouth Citadel.
At the time, the Civil Service had a policy of moving its managers from department to department in order to gain the broadest possible experience, resulting in well-rounded management know-how. Consequently, still at the PSA, I then moved on to a number of communications and personnel management positions as the agency moved towards privatisation. During this period, I was seconded to head a unit managing the personnel aspects of the privatisation, and I worked closely with top-level consulting organisations across all aspects of the preparation for sale to the private sector.
Following the successful privatisation of PSA, I then decided to pursue my interest in the construction and engineering industries and took a position as project manager with the Construction Industry Council (CIC). In a nutshell, the CIC works with industry leaders to lobby government and regulatory bodies to improve industry safety and efficiency. One area that I particularly relished was participating in the industry working party to combat ‘cowboy builders’. The success of the scheme ensured its adoption by the (then) Minister for Construction, Nick Raynsford. Other areas of responsibility included developing proposals for Health and Safety legislation; and working with industry leaders and pressure groups to improve equal opportunities throughout the industry.
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