PPC Profile: Kevin Bonavia

Full Name: Kevin Bonavia

Age: 32

From: Southeast London

PPC for: Rochford & Southend East

Website: www.rselabour.com

Selection Result: 75% on first round

Member of the Labour Party since: 1996

CV:
BA Hons degree in History from Birmingham University. Postgraduate Diploma in Law, College of Law, London.

I have been practising as a solicitor since 2004, primarily as a commercial litigator specialising in fraud law. I also learnt a fair bit about electoral law when acting for the Labour Party during 2005.

I was Chair of the Young Fabians in 2004-05, during which the focus was on election campaigning, meetings on international development and the Young Fabian Schools Project.

Currently Chair of the Young Labour Lawyers group in the Society of Labour Lawyers, and have worked on policy proposals calling for an Equality Act and constitutional reform.

Member of Unite and Co-op Party.

I was inspired to go into politics because:
It has always been a hot topic on the family kitchen table. Although I am not knowingly descended from any professional politicians, my grandfather had been an active trade unionist in Glasgow and taught me at an early age that much of what I had taken for granted, like freely available health care and education, had been hard fought for. I wanted to (and still do) fight for a fairer deal for those who deserve it most by winning the argument in democratic debate. Also, it may be in my blood, since I am half Maltese and political engagement in Malta is the highest in the western world, with a voluntary turnout of around 95% in elections.

My main policy interests are:
Developing a more equal society; defending civil and human rights; an internationalist foreign policy.

Three things I think should be in the next Labour manifesto are:
1 – Shared parental leave. Whilst Labour has greatly improved maternity leave and brought in paternal leave, the balance isn’t right for either fathers or mothers. A much fairer approach would be to allow parents to share up to a year’s leave between them, allowing them to decide the proportion, with a minimum of one third to be taken by the parent with less leave. If both fathers and mothers are expected to take a notable period of leave on becoming parents, women would be less likely to be discriminated against for promotions. Just as importantly, men would not be expected to be at work at all times, except holidays, so allowing them to devote more time to fatherhood. This would also apply to adoptions, including for same-sex couples.

2 – Royal Commission to inquire into the decriminalisation and/or legalisation of all drugs currently controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The so-called “war on drugs” has been completely lost on its own terms. We need to act tough on the health and social effects of drug use rather than drug possession (see my LabourList post on this). There is a lot more international evidence now available on the effects of decriminalising or legalising certain or all previously controlled drugs.

3 – National community service. Plenty of middle and upper class kids gain (sometimes) valuable experience in a gap year before university that can give them a substantial career advantage, which is simply impossible for everyone else. The government should set about building a national community service scheme for all secondary education leavers on an organic model, working with local authorities, NGOs and businesses. At its best, it may help engender a sense of understanding and empathy between individuals of very different social backgrounds. It wouldn’t be cheap, but then neither was the NHS, and that revolutionised our society.

I think people should vote for me because:
I will be an effective representative. I like arguing other people’s corner, which is why I became a lawyer. But to be an effective representative means properly listening to people, especially if you don’t like what you hear, so you can understand their concerns and come up with policy solutions that will have a solid base of support. You have to enjoy getting out there and meeting as many different people as possible, and I do.

I will stand for policies that will help develop a more equal and therefore fairer society. That means I will fight social discrimination wherever it is found. It also means I will work to reduce the wealth gap in our society as I believe we all benefit if we can all relate to each other more closely.

AOB:
Yes. If you’ve never been to Southend, you should seriously consider a daytrip to the seaside with the world’s longest pier. The town has some stunning seascapes, but also some of the most deprived areas in the country. We are slowly building a more effective local Labour Party now helped along by several new members much younger than myself. The town has a future worth fighting for.