Recorded on 17/4/2014

Interviewer: Samantha Rayne

(Disc 1)The interview began with Chris introducing himself and talking about his personal and family background. (0.35) He was born in Belfast but raised in the local area. (0.50) He talked about his parents’ occupations before going on to recall his earliest political memories. (4.20) He became involved in politics, and the Liberal Party in particular, because of a chance meeting at the age of 18 with a young Liberal activist who ‘talked him into it’. (7.20) He chose the party because he was committed to the ideas of justice, integrity and equality of opportunity and soon became an activist for the party. (8.12) He went on to play a significant part in the winning of the Torridge area off the incumbent Tory MP and placing a Liberal in charge for the first time (he does not recall the year).
(10.27) Chris then talked about his education and his time in higher education where he was involved in student politics and voluntary work. (13.50) He then explains his varied employment history, from working as a labourer on the M5 motorway to surveying and estate agency (in London). (15.25) He went on to be a social worker back in Devon before becoming involved, once again, in politics (having left the Liberal Party) by joining the newly-formed SDP in 1983. (19.35)They would go on to take the two seats of Torridge and West Devon. Later in the interview he will describe the merging of the two parties in Plymouth (Liberals and SDP) as an ‘unmitigated disaster’.
(21.25) Chris served as a party officer, activist, and then councillor having been elected to Devon County Council in 1985 for four years. (22.10) He went on to explain the responsibilities of a county councillor and his various roles on different committees (23 in all). (26.54) He also conducted ward surgeries at what he describes as ‘a dramatic time’ as his party did not have an overall majority and therefore worked with the Labour Party. Many of these newly appointed councillors had no previous experience of running a county council and radically changed the way the council operated by democratising it, they also implemented new environmental policies.
(29.10) The party also changed the way Plymouth City Council was run and increased the number of surgeries. When asked about the biggest challenge he faced in his new role, he stated that it was changing the existing mind set of the way the council was run.
(35.33) Chris then talked about the issues that he is most passionate about now, which are mainly environmental ones. However, he is still involved in local politics and sees himself getting involved in the next general election.
(36.45) His memory is then jogged into recalling two men whose early careers he was involved in: Gary Streeter (now MP for Plymouth) who he describes as a protégée and another who went on to be leader of Plymouth City Council (he cannot recall his name).
(42.25)When asked if funding was ever an issue, Chris said it was always a problem for all parties but that the Liberals, as the ‘third party’, had greater issues. (Disc 2 0.05)And when asked if he thought that the level of community participation in local politics had changed over the years, he considered it a ‘very difficult question’ but stated that the Liberal Party was the home of community politics, a model that the other parties had followed. He then went on to talk more generally about the nature of community politics and how in recent times participation by the ‘other two’ parties had dwindled.
(3.55) Chris talked about people’s views of politicians (‘pretty abysmal’)) and how this trickles down to the lower levels of government. He thinks this is both ‘sad’ and ‘worrying’ and cannot see how this can be changed.
(5.15) When discussing particularly memorable elections, Chris sited the general election when the Alliance won Torridge and West Devon for the first time (it had been Conservative ‘forever’). He then talked about the formation of SDP and how much interest this created both nationally and internationally (he was even followed around by a Japanese film crew) and about the demographic of those who were likely to support this new party.  (7.36) He talked about early bi-election successes and celebrations, as well as his subsequent appearance in the local press for both his status as newly-elected SDP councillor and also, coincidently, for rescuing his neighbours from a house fire.
(11.08) Chris described relations with other parties as ‘difficult’ in their first term running Devon County Council as the Conservatives had been in charge for so long and had problems adjusting to the new regime and Labour reneged on their promise to ally with the them.
(14.45) He saw the granting of unitary status to both Plymouth and Torbay as positive and thought that it should have happened years before, and that Exeter should be granted the same status too. However, he went on to say that neither council were given the necessary resources or funding.  (16.52) Chris then talked more generally about how centralised power is in the UK and how he would like to see power devolved to a local level.
(91.10) After talking about the demise of political social clubs, Chris was asked about non-conformism and its links to politics in both Cornwall and Devon, which he acknowledges were strong in the past but are no longer relevant. He identifies himself as an atheist.
(24.30) When asked about what role ‘race’ played in local politics he replied ‘none whatsoever’, and when asked about class he thought that it had no role in the SDP and Liberal Parties who had (and have) supporters ‘from all walks of life’.
(30.24) On the subject of the current political landscape of Devon, he acknowledged that generally things were not good for the party nationally and that the Conservatives had the most representation in the South West, followed (at a distance) by the Liberals. He also believes that Devon is generally ignored by Westminster due to the centralised nature of government and he feels that this needs to change and that power needs to be devolved.
(36.20) The interview concluded with Chris recalling a speech day at his school (West Buckland) when he was fourteen, the speaker was Jeremy Thorpe and he made ‘an incredible impact’ on Chris that remained with him.