Geldof to work with Conservative Policy Group

I am delighted to hear that David Cameron has recruited Bob Geldof to work in consultation with a new Conservative Globalisation and Global Poverty policy Group.

This group is set up in recogniton that millions of Britons want prosperity for themselves AND progress for the poor, whether in the same community or on the other side of the world.

During the election in May I mentioned that righting off third world debt is not the whole answer to helping poor countries - we need to help them develop their own economies through wealth creation. This is an area that this policy group will be developing and David Cameron has recruited in the help of the experts. Bob Geldof has probably got a greater understanding of Global Poverty in African countries than anyone else in the UK, and his non-partisan support will be invaluable.

Today our local radio station asked me whether this was just a vote grabbing move - No it is not. Bob Gledof has been very damning of the Conservative Party in the past, but on the issue of Globalisation and Global Poverty he and the Conservatives want the same outcome, so it makes sense to work together.

For more information visit www.globalpovertychallenge.com

Education - Sex before Sums !!!!

It is only a matter of weeks since Blair published his much heralded Education White Paper - with the backing of the Conservatives. Now his own Party's MPs are revolting against him and so admissions and grant maintained status are ideas that are to be watered down.

This occurs at a time when Ofsted has reported that education standards in our schools have not increased in the last 8 years, despite increases in funding. A third of 11 year olds now leave primary school with a poor grasp of the three R's.

To make matters worse, linking this to last week’s revelation - children as young as 5 will be given compulsory sex education!!!!

So what we are hearing is that the government is not bold enough to push through changes to education that will teach infants to read and write, yet they want to make sure 5 year olds understand relationships and the basics of sex. To this government sex is more important than sums.

Now this really is a government that has it's priorities wrong. It is becoming so farcical that it is almost unbelievable.

But sadly - it is true.

David Cameron to lead the country to Hope and Optimism

68% of voting members of the Conservative Party have elected David Cameron as our new leader, and I'm ecstatic about it.

As a Party we have shown we have moved on from our past; we are looking forward into the future and we are modern in our thinking.

We must all unite behind David and grow from strength to strength

What a great time for theConservatives: Cameron the King of the Party and Carol Thatcher Queen of the Jungle.

Growing, Growing, Gone

That's the message we recieved yesterday from Gordon Brown on the state of the British economy.

In March, voters were told the growth forecast was 3.5%, no thast figure is revised to just 1.75%, one of the lowest growth forecasts for a country's economy in the developed world. George Osbourne, our Shadow Chacellor, stopped short of saying the Chancellor had lies to the public. Shame - I believe Gordon Brown deliberatley lied and misled the public in the run up to the general election.

The reality of the situation is that in 1997 Britain's econmy was the fourth most competitive economy in the world. We are now 15th, and in terms of growth, we are rapidly descending, almost freefalling, to the bottom of the league. The Chancellor blames inflated oil prices. Why then, are the ecomonies of China, India, the US, and even Germany and France now forecasting greater growth then the UK? Proabably because they are investing in growth and output and controlling spending.

In February 2004 I wrote a News Release highlighting the fact that private sector growth was slower than public sector growth - in other words, as a country, our rate of spending was exceeding our growth in income. You don't need any qualification in economics to know that that is unsustainable.

So Mr Prudent inherited a surging economy in 1997 and year on year it has been squandered, despite massive tax increases.

Let's hope we have an election before four years time because by then the state of our economy will be at rock bottom, as it was the last time the Tories took over from Labour.

Have Faith

I welcome the Queen’s speech to the General Synod yesterday when she extolled the virtues of the Christian Faith when there is so much instability and uncertainty in the world. A quality of our country that should be celebrated at all times is that we live in communities of many faiths, where everyone enjoys equal privileges of citizenship including the total freedom of religion.

This country is, by law, a Christian country, but this does not mean we do not recognise or encourage other faiths. Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, has said that the Church of England is an umbrella beneath which shelter Judaism, Islam and other faiths.

So in the UK, all people, irrespective of race, background or faith can flourish under a Monarch who has outlined her unifying role as Head of the Church. So as I said in my last blog entry, the onslaught on our Christian values and traditions must stop – it creates discord and resentment and does nothing to encourage integration and cross-faith harmony.

PC Madness

For those of you that know me, you will already be aware that Political Correctness is one subject that really gets me riled. I find it unecessary and believe it causes more problems that it is supposed to solve.

Recently I learnt that I am no longer meant to addess an audience as Ladies and Gentlemen, as that may cause offence. OFFENCE TO WHOM? I am now supposed to use the PC address of 'Women and Men'. Well I won't.

I read that yesterday in Walton, Essex, the traditional firing of a salute to mark the start and end of the Last Post had been cancelled for Rememberance Sunday on the grounds of Health and Safety. Don't laugh - it's true. The local RNLI used to fire maroons, but they have been advised that debris could blow back to the shore by the wind, causing a health and safety crisis. What a disgrace.

And of course, as we get closer to Christmas we will get the rampant PC assault on Christianity. The Red Cross still can't sell Christmas cards in their shops as it may cause offence to non-Chrisitians. Lowestoft Council have banned Christmas lights in the town as they do not fit with their policy on equality and diversity!! We are no longer supposed to use the term BC (Before Christ), we have to use BP (Before Present) and staff at the Inland Revenue have been banned from helping a Christian charity.

Surely it is not racist or exclusive that in a Chrsitian country with a Christian history we are allowed to practice a Christian faith. I know of Christian schools that have recently celebrated Diwali and Eid - and so they should - so I totally oppose this unwarranted secularist onslaught on Christian traditions.

The really annoying thing is that this hapless PC army are invariably funded by the taxer payer. New Zealand have recently appointed a Political Correctness Eradication spokesman - maybe we are at the stage where we need to do the same.

Let me know what you think and if you hear of any really absurd examples of Political Correct nonsense, please let me know.

The Police say.......

The entire justification for the Government's plans to detain terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial is that the police are calling for the legislation.

Fair enough. I believe the police should be listened to, but they must also be challenged to make sure that their demands do not excessively infringe on the wider public's civil liberties.

So the government always listens to the views of the police do they?

Cheshire's Chief Constable has said that his Force is ‘overstretched’ and relaxing alcohol laws will ‘aggravate the problem’, and his views are shared by many Chief Constables across the country. So why does the government choose to ignore the police on this issue and persist with meddling with the licensing laws?

It is evidently clear that the Government only listens to the police when it is in their interest - otherwise, the government knows best!!

Respect and Parents' rights

I was absolutely delighted today to hear that Mrs Axon, a parent of teenage daughters, is taking the government to the High Court over its guidelines that allow doctors to advise and perform abortions on teenage girls without parent's consent.

Many of you will know that I have always vehemently opposed these absurd guidelines. The government talks about encouraging respect, especially amongst the young, yet they allow children to totally bypass their parents over what will be a physically and mentally traumatic decision.

As a father, I am only too well aware of the absurdity of the situation created by this government. My little girls' nursery cannot administer Calpol if they develop a temperature unless their mother or I give specific signed approval. Similarly they cannot use a sticky plaster on a cut. If my girls were 14, they could not have their tonsils or appendix removed without signed parental consent. Yet when it comes to advise on contraception, (including the Pill), sexually transmited diseases or abortions, parents can be kept totally in the dark. This undermines the rights of parents and breaks down the whole psychological support structure of the family unit.

There may be a small number of cases where it would be detrimental to the youngs girl's well-being for the parents to know she had become pregnant, but that is not a justification for over-riding every parent and family.

I just hope Mrs Axon wins her case, but even if she doesn't, at least she has brought this ridiculous example of excessive government interference into family life to the front pages.

Blunkett

Yesterday I was asked if I thought it was right that David Blunkett had resigned.

My answer is NO..........................he should have been sacked.

Tony Blair's decision to continue to support Blunkett and fail to enforce the Code of Conduct that he set up is a sign of a desperate leader and a very very poor judgement indeed.

The question now is, "How long before Blair goes?" Surely it is a matter of sooner rather than later.

Code of Conduct!!!!!!!

In 1998, Tony Blair told the British people of his ‘strong personal commitment to restoring the bond of trust between the British people and their government.' One of the measures he put in place to ensure this trust was built, was a code of conduct for ministers. The Prime Minister then went on to say, 'We are all here to serve and we must all serve honestly and in the interests of those who gave us our positions of trust. I will expect all ministers to work within the letter and spirit of the code.’

That is, of course, until one of his cabinet ministers breaches the Code, not once, but FIVE times. The Prime Minister's response to David Blunkett's recent business transactions is to say they were 'mistakes' No they weren't. They were a breach of the code and therefore should result in dismissal.

I do not support witch hunts, and this is not one. There is no point is setting up a Ministerial Code of Conduct if FIVE breaches of that code has no consequences.

So much for a 'purer than pure' approach to government. This is sleaze that the Prime Minister is endorsing, which either goes to show he is making a very poor judgement, or that his priority is to protect his boys and not to restore the British People's trust in politics and politicians.

Is this episode showing that it is time for both Blunkett and Blair to go?

Well Done Max

Max Drury, Conservative Candidate in the Curzon & Westminster by-election was duly elected with a commanding majority. Max polled 875 votes, the Lib Dems 258 and Labour 238.

The other parties criticised the fact that a by-election was called, saying that the previous Councillor should have waited until next May, thus avoiding the cost of a by-election. That just goes to show their comtempt for democracy and their lack of concern for residents. The Conservatives believed that the priority was to ensure the residents of Curzon & Westminster were fully represented in the Council Chamber, by a Member whose heart and soul was in the job. This could only have been achieved by having a by-election, and so it was absolutely right to have called one.

Now that Max has been selected, the residents have a dedicated and enthusiastic Councillor, which is what local politics is about.

So well done Max, and I know you will do the residents of your Ward proud.

Smoking

Have I missed a point with the government's proposals to ban smoking in public places. Does any ban not aim to protect the health of non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking? Well the government are now saying that the ban will only apply to pubs that serve food.

Does this mean that the danger from passive smoking is only caused if you eat food with smoke particles on it?

Or is this just more confusion from a confused government?

Education - by Tory Blair

"Schools opting out of LEA control is paralysing the sensible planning of school provision, wasting money and undermining education opportunities for a great many young people" said Jack Straw in 1989. Therefore, when Blair first came to power in 1997 one of his first actions was to abolish grant maintained schools in defiance of parents who had voted to allow them to opt out of LEA control.

A core Labour principle has long been that selection in education is wrong and that comprehensive eduation is the fairest system.

Core Conservative principles beleive that education by selection is right as it encourages everyone to excel in what they are good at and we beleive that schools achieve higher standards if they are freed from LEA financial control.

Now, 8 years after destroying any form of independence in the state education system, Blair has said that he wants every state school to quickly become a self-governing independent school, and promised 'more power and choice for parents.'

In Parliament, the Conservatives cheered as Ruth Kelly announced the plans, whilst the Labour benches were silent. The Conservatives have said we will do all we can to help the government implement these plans. Well we would - these plans are straight out of the Conservative manifesto.

So thank you Tory Blair for seeing sense at last, even if it is after 8 wasted years where every school, every teacher, every parent and every pupil has suffered.

Cameron or Davis?

Well we have just heard that the result of the MPs vote was Cameron 90, Davis 57 and Fox 51, so Liam Fox is out of the leadership race. I got it wrong!

I have already been asked who I now endorse. Well let me answer that by explaining why I supported Liam. He had set out his campaign based on policies and beliefs and not just image, and politics needs to once again focus on policy. I share Liam's desire to increase prosperity and entrepreneuship and have a true Conservative commitment to wealth creation, believing that is the best way to sustainable economic growth. Globally, Britain should be a leading country in the world, and should not be constrained by an out-dated, inefficient, monolithic European Union. We need to be a member state of Europe, but not a member of a state called Europe. We should also build our relationship with America and not take the anti-Atlanticist stance, which is a French stance. I believe also that in the 1980's the Conservatives saved the country from economic bankruptcy - now the task is to save us from Social bankruptcy. Liam laid out his views on Britain's broken society, a society where violent crime is at record levels, teenage pregnancies are at an all time high, fear of crime is high, drugs are as widely available on street corners and respect is non-existent. The mentally ill are poorly looked after by the state, and there are more places in London for abandoned animals than there are for homeless women. These social policies are not right wing, but are compassionate Conservatism, so not everything about Liam is right wing.

So that is an outline of why I support Liam - his views are most closely aligned to mine.

As for who I support now - that has got to be the candidate that has the closest fit to the policy agenda I have just outlined. Of course, this needs to be balanced with level of atractivenss to the electorate, because, like it or not, image is now important.

From what I have heard and seen so far, David Cameron is most likely to get my support.

MPs see sense. Come on LIAM

Last night the Conservative MPs knocked Ken Clarke out of the leadership contest. I respect Mr Clarke's political experience, but have always thought him the least likely candidate to attract the floating voters. So I think our MPs made the right choice. As I mentioned in my BLOG of 6th October, I believe Liam Fox has youth and experience on his side, and in my view will make not just an excellent leader of the Party, but an excellent Prime Minister. So my prediction, a Davis Fox final, with Fox the winner. Here's hoping.

Satanic worship in prisons ?????

Two weeks ago, prison wardens were banned from wearing tiepins bearing the cross of St George as they might be considered racist, and therefore offensive. That is political correctness gone mad, you may think – well it gets worse. It beggars belief that the same wardens have been instructed to allow prisoners the right to practice paganism and witchcraft in their cells. And which bit of that is not offensive. So law abiding citizens can’t show commitment to our Patron Saint, but criminals can show commitment to Satan. This has naively been done in the name of equality for all religions – does the government not realise that Satanism and witchcraft are not religions, but are quite the opposite. Shouldn’t prisoners, as part of their rehabilitation, be steered away from such occults?

ID Cards - Loyalty Cards

Today The House of Commons debates the third reading of the ID cards Bill, and thankfully, the Conservatives will be opposing this.

Initially we were told that the scheme would cost £3bn: on the government's track record, that means at least £30bn. But more importantly, I question how ID cards will stop the threat of terrorism; illegal immigration and crime. Are fundamentalists going to stop blowing up trains because they won't have an ID card? Of course not. But how many extra police and border control police could we get for £30bn, or even £3bn. Enough to seriously cut crime, immigration and the terorrist threat I would have thought.

During the general election, Chester's Labour MP said ID cards are no different to store loyalty cards!!!! Stop laughing, it's true, she did.

Well are they the same?

• loyalty cards don't cost £85 - ID cards will cost at least this.
• you won't be fined £1000 or even thrown in jail if you don't have a loyalty card - you will for not having an ID card.
• it will never be compulsory to have a loyalty card - yet the government will not rule out making ID cards compulosry in the future.
• you don't have to have your finger prints taken or your iris scanned to get a loyalty card - you will have to for an ID card.
• you local store will protect the information they hold on you - no one trusts the government's intentions on what data they will collect, and how they will use it.

So there is every difference, and to think that there are Labour MPs voting in favour of the ID Card Bill based on their assumption that they are the same as a Tesco loyalty card.

Scary.

European Madness

Surely it is right to say that for citizens to have full rights within socitey, they have to act as law abiding citizens. Failure to do so must result in a punishmnet which includes a loss of certain civil liberties, depending on the severity of the crime.

I therefore utterly despair that the European judges has said it is wrong for the British Government to ban convicted criminals from having the rigth to vote. No wonder this country is becoming more and more Eurosceptical. This is a panel of European judges over-ruling a 1000 year old law - and in the name of rights and civil liberties.

How long is it going to be before we are told that putting criminals in prison is infringing on their liberties and rights.

In the General Election I said, "I believe that if someone commits a crime, they start to forfeit their rights." and I stand by that.

This European ruling is great for the Liberals, but a kick in the teeth to victims and law abiding citizens. We should have to earn our right to vote by staying on the right side of the law and being honourable citizens.

Democracy at its best

Well I have just attended the Party's conference at Blackpool, and can honestly say that the media's speculation that the conference would become a fighting ground between the leadership candidates had no substance. We have seen the 5 candidates each make their pitch with speeches and openly campaign support from party members. At no time did I hear any candidate criticise another candidate, and the campaign teams operated side-by-side . The leadership issue helped make the conference a huge success, and we ably demonstsrated our commitment to and belief in the democratic process. What a contrast to Labour's performance at their conference. On Monday I was delieghted to publicy give my support to Liam Fox by appending my name next to a letter in the Daily Telegraph. Liam did a stirling job as party Chairman and demonstrated his ability to work tirelesssly hard. (He visited 300 constituencies during his time as Chairman). He is young, yet has experience as a politican. He is deeply passionate about Britain and beleives we should NOT become a part of a United States of Europe. He has been told that he is racist because he has said that he wants to see a Union Jack flying outside every school. How can that be reacist? It isn't - it is being proud of our country. So let's hope that on December 6th we have Liam Fox as the new leader of the Conservative Party.

Is there any difference between the two main political Parties?

Is there any difference between the two main political Parties?

That is a question that I am often asked, including today during a street surgery outside Kingsway shops. I can give an answer that very clearly sets out the differences, but I hope the differences are becoming more apparent.

As a politician, and not as a Conservative, I was appalled and ashamed when the world was shown how Labour not just runs the country, but runs its own Party. Labour showed the world that it has abandoned democracy. When an 82 year-old man gets forcefully evicted for accusing a Minister of talking ‘nonsense’, and is then held under anti terrorism laws, the words Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe spring to mind. Can that really have happened in 21st Century Britain by its own government? Well it did, and we cannot be given a clearer demonstration of Labour’s total contempt and disregard for democratic free speech. The country is run their way, and don’t you dare say anything against it.

But are we rapidly becoming a National Socialist state?

We are now in a position where there are 5.85 million people working for the state, that’s nearly one in four workers. (Is it any wonder why the trade gap, the difference between how much we import and export, has negatively widened year-on-year since Labour came to power.) We are no longer a nation that encourages industry and entrepreneurship, with manufacturing declining as more and more companies move their operations abroad. With an increasing proportion of the workforce working for the government, it is obvious why we have to pay an ever increasing amount of tax. But Gordon Brown told us that he would cut the number of public sector employees. Has he? No, apart from cutting 8,000 jobs from the military, the one arm of the public sector that most needs investment, not cuts. So how will he reduce spending? He won’t. Under Labour the government, or the state, will continue to employ more people and our tax will continue to rise to pay for it. As the government increases its grip on the country, we increasingly become the servants of the government. So are we becoming a National Socialist state? The facts speak for themselves: Yes we are and that cannot be denied.

Conservatism fundamentally believes in free markets and minimal state control. We believe that low tax economies are the strongest economies. We believe in encouraging and not hindering businesses and entrepreneurship. We believe communities should be run by local people, not government quangos.

In a nut shell, we believe that government should be the servant of the people.
So to the gentleman who asked me this morning, the answer is: Conservatives and Labour are as different today as they ever have been.

Next week at our Party conference we will be hearing lots about how we as a Party need to change to win the next election and form the next government. That may be true, as long as we don’t abandon our core Conservative principles because it is those that make us different to Labour. Labour may appear to be conservatives (with a small c) on the outside, but they are still socialists, and National Socialists on the inside.

And a final question? Do I think we are wrong to have spent the last few months debating the leadership ‘contest’? Of course not. We have had a full and open debate followed by a democratic vote about how we will choose a leader. Now we will have a similar debate and vote to decide who becomes the leader. We are being openly democratic. From what we saw at the Labour conference, only Labour would think that to be wrong.

Street Surgery in Newton St Michael's

Politics is at its best when you are in the heart of a community trying to make a difference to people's lives.

Marigold Roy (Our Newton St Michael's Team Leader) and I did a street surgery today, and despite the cold, we were genuinely inundated with people coming to us to raise their issues and concerns. Others just wanted to thank us for the work we have done opposing mobile phone masts in the area.

It is worrying though that in 2 hours we were told about the concerns of drug dealing in the area, garden walls being knocked down, graffiti, vandalism, dirty streets, pensioners too afraid to go out - to name but a few issues.

Cleraly the politicians in power at the moment are failing - All the more reason for a change and for people to vote Conservative.

The *new* blog

This section is where you can keep track of the general "going's-on" surrounding my campaign, review topics of special interest as well as reading relevant political observations and commentary - I will update this area as frequently as time allows.

I shall be making my first official blog post very soon.

Please check back!