Cllr. Paul Smyth is UKIP's parliamentary candidate
for South West Norfolk
Read Paul Smyth's letter to the people of South West Norfolk
After a Comprehensive school education Paul joined the Royal Air Force straight from 6th form college and gained a Queen's Commission aged 19.
A Tornado Navigator at 21, he served in the RAF for 25 years and retired at the rank of Wing Commander. His many postings included two tours of duty at RAF Marham.
During his military career he gained a Masters Degree and after leaving the RAF he worked at RUSI, the internationally renowned Defence & Security think-tank on Whitehall. He subsequently worked briefly in the Middle East and as a self-employed Defence Consultant.
Paul joined UKIP in 2013 to stand as the Norfolk County Councillor for Swaffham in the May 2013 Council elections. He was successfully elected and is now Chairman of the County Council's cross-party Communities Committee which has oversight of 13 Service Delivery areas including the Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service, Libraries, Trading Standards and Public Health.
A Christian from nonconformist denominations, Paul has been married 32 years, has two grown up children and lives near Swaffham.
Latest from Paul
"It is clear people are fed up with the existing political class and want change. Over the last decade the three main parties have all shown that they do not govern well, and their track records in government illustrate why they do not deserve to be simply entrusted with power again.
The difficulties they have had in responding to the rise of UKIP shows how much they have lost touch with many of the people they are supposed to represent. UKIP, however, is attracting support from voters across the political spectrum because it offers people the change Britain needs.
UKIP has already had a major influence on British politics and the three main parties. With more MPs it will continue to do so, especially in a hung Parliament, which is the most likely outcome in May’s General Election. So if people feel alienated from politics, want their country back and have had enough of decades of one party rule in South-West Norfolk, then UKIP is there for them."