Welcome to the website of Suzie E Ferguson.
Labour Activist, Chartered Engineer specialising in carbon capture & storage technologies, mum of 2 and former independent parliamentary candidate for Reading West in the 2015 UK General Election.
My day job involves designing low carbon industrial scale energy systems for multinational engineering firm Amec Foster Wheeler, for clients such as Shell, BP, the UK’s Energy Technologies Institute and BEIS. Most of the rest of my time is invested in my family and campaigning for the Labour Party where I am Chair of my local Branch (West Berks Branch of Reading West CLP).
I will be using this page to help support Labour in their campaign to take back the two Reading seats for Labour and oust our two terrible Tory MP’s who have done so much damage by supporting the policies of their party so wholeheartedly.
This is Suzie’s Official facebook page, you can also follow me on twitter @SuzieEFerguson, Instagram & tumblr (SuzieEFerguson) or e-mail me at SuzieEFerguson@gmail.com
Thank you for visiting.
Suzie E Ferguson 
What would you propose to do for small locsl business?
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Hi Arun, until being your representative is my full time job, I really only have my own secondhand experiences to go on, but our current system places a number of unnecessary barriers in front of small businesses. I would spend some time reviewing, in depth, what minor or major changes could support small to medium enterprises and start-ups, such as tax reductions for the first 5 years of operation, review the possibility of tax-free fuel for businesses reliant on travelling around the area, support for those wanting to employ and train up apprentices (particularly important for critical skilled trades like plumbing, carpentry & bricklaying, where there is a huge unmet demand) and helping with the cost of finance (currently a tiny proportion of total UK bank investment goes to productive businesses which provide services, products and employment). But most of all, I would prioritise talking to small local businesses to understand what the real issues are for them, as they must be very different for Nigel&daughter the plumbers compared to Kayleigh starting up her tea shop. Thanks for the question, I hope I answered it?
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As an independent MP do you really believe you would have the ability to affect change?
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It is a valid question Matthew and of course the answer is; yes, I will affect change as an Independent.
I have a non-career-politics background with 10 years experience in engineering, most of which is at the feasibility study stage of design. The core of engineering is problem solving and “making it happen”. I am not bogged down in left-right philosophy or worrying about what my party of sponsors will think. I can look straight for the root causes of our challenges, determine the most cost effective and sensible way to resolve them which delivers the most benefit to the people and, with input from experts and constituents, develop a realistic plan to get there. We must fix the NHS, we must fix our education system and so many other things.
All MP’s , whether in government or opposition, can sit on committees and cross party working groups and all MP’s get to put questions to the house, raise issues for their constituents and submit proposals for new laws. A back-bencher in a big party, who will be subject to his or her party whipping system will actually be much less able to to do any of these things than an Independent.
I have not managed to find any basis for the idea that independents cannot get anything done. Nobody can get much done alone, but if your idea is strong and sensible (especially if it will fix a problem for minimal cost and big long term gain), then it will be very possible to persuade others to support your idea and thus have it presented in the house and voted into being. Only unpopular, poorly thought out and presented ideas would have to be forced through by the majority rule/whipping system.
Finally, we are very likely to have a coallition government again, with the two “main parties” polling in the love 30%s, so there is a very good chance that the smaller parties and Independents will be part of a coallition government.
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I’m sorry but you are being somewhat naive if you think as one of 600 plus MP’s that you will be able to shape and influence policy in the way that you have described.
Now if there were independent MP’s standing in every single constituency across the whole of the country I think you might be onto something and I agree with you that would be a much better way to deal with issues than the party whip approach which I agree with you entirely is not fit for purpose.
Best of luck but I cannot see how a lone voice can succeed in this.
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Hi Matthew, thank you for sharing your view. I should have as much ability to shape policy as any other back bench MP would, perhaps more than some since I will treat being an MP as my sole and full time job. There are currently nearly 100 Independents standing, some of whom have a great deal of local support behind them. So there is a real chance that some or all of us would be needed as part of a coalition government given that a single party majority is looking very unlikely at this time. At the very least I will be able to act as an advocate and representative of the people of Reading West.
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Suzie Ferguson
With the elections due in May there are a few issues I would like to raise with you that are of interest to me and I would like you to raise should you be elected to the Reading West seat.
Firstly I would like to have the condition of the roads that the Reading borough council are responsible for looked into.
I am aware that parts of some roads have been resurfaced but more needs to be done.
As their condition deteriorates patching and pothole filling will not suffice.
I am aware that other councils are operating this policy however Reading does not have to do the same.
What I would like after the election in May is for the council to look at resurfacing all the roads that need it.
The second issue I would like to bring to your attention is one that affects people around the country.
I would like employees to be able to claim unfair dismissal after one year not two years as the law states at present.
I do not believe that it takes twenty four months to decide whether someone is suitable.
If a manager talks to their team leaders and those responsible for training new employees they can find out whether the person they have hired should stay or go.
Some companies find it beneficial to hire the person they want so they do not have to undergo a process or training and hiring a replacement at a time when they need someone competent in place.
Others can make that decision in three months.
If employees were able to claim unfair dismissal after one year I do not think it would have an adverse affect on business.
It could help as people would be more willing to move to higher paid jobs or move off benefits if they believed there was a greater chance of being kept on.
Emma Hemming
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Good morning Suzie
I am against selling off council houses and feel that it wuld be better to hold on to the housing stock but give a bonus based on the years lived in a council property to the tennant when they buy a house on the open market. They get that bonus now as stay put losing a house for others. What are your views please
Alan.
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