Make Me Prime Minister - interview with Danny
Category: Press Pack ArticleDANNY
Age: 37
Occupation: Venue Operator
Lives: London
Political leanings – “Not really. I do call out the Conservative government a lot, but they are the government. I have also called out Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well, but I call out the Tories more. Labour aren’t in charge, so I’m not going to spend as much time talking about them. I’ll deal with them later.”
Big Idea – To return power to the people by making everyday people the government’s boss. He would like all big government spending to first be put through a public assembly who decide whether or not it’s a good use of the public purse.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
A legend, a joker but also logical.
Why are you interested in politics?
Lockdown. I got into politics because if lockdown. I never really felt like I had a voice – especially in politics – for the majority of my young life. Even though I can be quite outspoken, politics wasn’t really my thing. Then we went into lockdown, and politics became something that was very important – it was at the forefront of the whole situation, lockdown, the pandemic and how it was being handled. Before that, I was one of those people who said, “I’m not into politics, they’re all the same.” But now, seeing things through the lens of being in lockdown, being forced to carry this little rectangle around with us, and seeing what was going on in the world, I was complaining about everything. And I put those thoughts out into the world, and it turned out that a lot of people seemed to think that I was making sense. So that’s where it came from. I don’t have a passion for politics, I don’t want a job in politics, I just want everybody to understand it all a little bit better.
You put your stuff out on Instagram, is that right?
Yeah, it was during lockdown, and I just decided to put it out there, and just apply some common sense to what we were told was a very complex situation. And it wasn’t, really, was it? Complicated, yes, but I don’t think it was as complex as people made it out to be. And I think everybody should be speaking out. It shouldn’t be just me. It’s everybody’s place to speak up and speak out about what’s going on in politics.
What kind of stuff were you putting out there?
When I first started, it was just a case of what was going on in the pandemic, why we were in lockdown, why we were taking these actions compared to other countries that were dealing with the same situation. Why were they neglecting statistics? And then, on top of that, I was talking about all of the other things that were having a massive effect – the George Floyd incident, the Breonna Taylor incident, and the whole Black Lives Matter movement came to the forefront when we were in lockdown. And then there was the stuff around the European Championships and the racism there – these are things that were unavoidable because we were all going through this stuff at the same time. And I just decided to be out there, and it turned into something I just wasn’t expecting at all. I just wanted to get my opinion out there, and a lot of people share the same views.
How would you describe your political leanings? Do you identify with a particular party?
Not really. I do call out the Conservative government a lot, but they are the government. I have also called out Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well, but I call out the Tories more. Labour aren’t in charge, so I’m not going to spend as much time talking about them. I’ll deal with them later if they’re bad. We’ll deal with that when it comes to that, right now the issue is the way the current government is dealing with the circumstances.
Who is your political hero?
I don’t really have one, but I do have incredible respect for people like Zarah Sultana, who is someone who is trying to do the right thing.
What about your political villain?
I’m sure you’re expecting me to say Boris Johnson, and yes, he’s a villain. Of course he’s a villain. He was getting booed by the public like a pantomime character. But I think there are people who are worse than he was, more sinister than him. Look at what’s happening now. Liz Truss is awful AND useless.
Do you have any experience in a political role?
I have absolutely no experience. Look at me – that’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to bring an outsider’s viewpoint, to bring some common sense. I don’t have experience; I don’t want a job in politics. There are people out there that are way better than me, but right now, I’ve got this platform, so I’m going to use it.
If you were PM what is the first law you would pass?
There is a huge issue with government spending. And that’s not just the current government. It’s a wider issue than just the Conservative government. My idea would be to create a department independent of any government, that would keep in check government spending, with the help of the general public. I’d call it the Public Expenditure Department, and it would be a group of economic experts, environmental experts, and people from all the major sectors of the workplace, as well as people who are on benefits. I would have them engage with the public, to find out where they want money to be spent. There’s no such thing as government money, it’s public money. We have issues right now. We have a cost of living crisis. We have not enough money going to the NHS. Nurses are saving lives, and not being properly paid for their work. Creating a department that approves and vetoes public spending is the main thing I would want to do. I would also want to rebuild a sense of trust in the government. There’s a massive issue with trust, we need to rebuild trust and put money back in people’s pockets and spend money in the correct way. A happier and healthier public makes a happier and healthier economy.
According to Theresa May, the naughtiest thing she ever did was run through a field of wheat. What is the naughtiest thing you have ever done?
I’m not going to sit here and say that I’ve been perfect. I have a very sketchy background – I have life experience – but obviously that’s not the person I am now. We’re talking about 15 years ago. Maybe even 20 years ago. But I am not clean, I have done some naughty things. But I’ve moved on from that. Secrets die in exposure, so everything’s out there, I have nothing to hide.
What specific aspects of the show are you looking forward to, and what are you nervous about?
I don’t think I’m very good at public speaking – I’m really conscious that I have a stutter, so that plays on my mind a bit. But the fact that this show exists is proving what I’ve been saying for the last two years – the public, given the opportunity, can be heard. So I’m really looking forward to this show being aired, and inspiring people who are watching to take part.
If the chance arose in real life, would you consider standing for parliament?
I would do it if it meant more people had the opportunity to do it. I wouldn’t do it for power or money, which I think is the issue at the moment. I’m not one of those people, I don’t see it as a career. If I had the opportunity to open the door for people, then yeah, I’d do it.
Do you think the country would be ready for a leader who was a person of colour and a pansexual?
I’d like to think that it would be. I can’t really say for definite. I see that the public had a really good response to Rishi Sunak when he was a frontrunner, so I think they’d be ready for a person of colour. And the pansexual thing? I don’t think anybody really cares about that. Anybody who’s got an issue with that, I think that’s their problem. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Things like Pride month and Black History month shouldn’t need to exist. If there wasn’t so much hate, they wouldn’t need to exist. But do I think people would be ready for a black, pansexual Prime Minister? I think normal people would be. Sexuality shouldn’t matter. In reality, everyone is pansexual. We don’t get to define what people gender themselves as. I think it’s ridiculous to sit here and say that we only like ‘this or that.’ It’s madness.
How do you feel about working with Sayeeda Warsi and Alastair Campbell?
Like I say, I don’t know much about politics, I don’t know anything about either of them, but of course I’m excited. I think I’ve only met a politician once. I met Ed Balls. They’re just people, at the end of the day, but I’m quite excited to have conversations with them.
As you are about to embark on this experience, how are you feeling?
It’s mad, let’s be honest. This is something that’s never been done before, it’s very fresh, and it’s something I’ll be talking about for years. For members of the public to be given the opportunity to say how they feel and show what they can do, it’s very exciting. The whole concept is exciting.
ENDS