Thursday 20 December 2007

Mobile phone driving jail threat

I have spent a fair amount of time in my car over the past few weeks, visiting customers of my business. While I've done so, I 've kept in touch with the Constituency office and the staff in my business using my hands free, voice activated, bluetooth phone. In doing so I believe I'm making effective use of my time, often while stuck in a jam on the Motorway. So I was very interested in the debate on the Jeremy Vine show about proposals for a charge of dangerous driving for using a hand held phone which could lead to a jail sentence, with some people going as far as to call for a ban on the use of hands free devices. I'm happy that use of a hand held phone while driving should be against the law but consider a jail sentence and the thought of a ban on hands free use in tha car as just another assault on the motorist. The motorist is already an easy target with law abiding and insured drivers coughing up each time they are caught on a speed camera. Perhaps the target should instead be the increasing numbers of untaxed and uninsured drivers on our roads who are not persued effectively when they break the law. I wonder how many of them use a hand held mobile?

Monday 17 December 2007

Ballons in the Town Centre

We have been carrying out our monthly surveys in the town centre recently but calculated that just 10 days before Christmas people would be rushing around buying presents and too busy to talk to us. So instead we decided to hand out Christmas cards and balloons and took up our usual spot. People were pleased to recieve a card from us, even if several were suprised to be getting something for nothing, and the bsallons were as ever popular with young children. What did surprise me was the number of people who wanted to chat along the theme of "do what you can to get this lot out". There is a real mood that Labour in Government are tired and discredited and people really are looking for change. There is a real feeling of being denied the opportunity to have a say when the election anticipated for November was called off. And the bad news is that with a downturn in the economy, rising business failures and falling house prices, the next election is likely to be later rather than sooner and the people I spoke to who are so keen for change will have longer to wait.

Wednesday 12 December 2007

Kenneth Clarke in Rugby

The long list of leading Parliamentarians from the Conservative Party to visit Rugby this year, which includes David Cameron, George Osbourne, Iain Duncan Smith, Stephen Dorrell, Theresa May, and Andrew Mitchell was added to on Friday by Ken Clarke, QC, MP when he came to open our refurbished office and new entrance lobby. Ken met with our members and visitors at a reception afterwards when he was able to do the demolition job on the Government that was denied to him the previous evening when Douglas Alexander pulled out of Thursday night's Question Time programme.

Friday 7 December 2007

Saving St Cross

We have continued with our regular monthly survey and spent November talking to people on the doorstep and by telephone about the future of our local hospital St Cross. The results are available on the Rugby Conservative Asociation website. I felt it was important to keep both the PCT and the Trust running the hospital aware of our activity and I promised to let them both know what the people tell us. Yesterday I met Bryan Stoten, Chairman of Warwickshire PCT at his office in Warwick. Later this month I hope to be meeting Martin Lee, Interim Chief Executive and Consultant Surgeon, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

Tuesday 27 November 2007

Thirteen-point Tory lead over Labour is highest for 19 years

Not my headline, but from today's Independent and designed to put a smile on the faces of people like me. They are publishing a survey showing the Conservatives on 40% and Labour on 27%. And this survey was done before the revelations about irregular donations to the Labour party.

Wednesday 21 November 2007

Data Disaster

Poor Alastair Darling. He seems to be handed jobs where there is someone else’s mess to clear up. In Rugby we remember him as the Transport Minister who took over responsibility for aviation just as the Government launched a white paper including absurd proposals for a massive new international airport at Church Lawford. There are still placards on trees saying “No Airport here, Darling”.

Now he finds himself as Chancellor with two of the biggest crises to hit this Government in his area of responsibility with the latest being an almost incredible loss of trust in Government to protect personal information. However both the Northern Rock crisis and the current fiasco over the loss of 25 million child benefit details have their origins in decisions taken by Gordon Brown before he became Prime Minister. The first because of changes made to the regulation of the banking industry and the second because of the merger between Customs & Excise and The Inland Revenue. Darling owes his position to Brown, so it is pretty difficult for him to blame his predecessor, but the hand of Gordon Brown is all over the Government’s current problems. With their reputation for economic and administrative competence now all but gone, people will regret not having had the opportunity for change that was tantalisingly close earlier this month.

One aspect of the “data disaster” remarked upon by one commentator is the fact that the records lost consist of details of 25 million people, which is half the UK population! The tax and benefit system has become so complicated under this Government as a consequence of changes introduced by Gordon Brown that such a massive proportion of the people are affected. It is this which has led to the need for a huge bureaucracy to administer it, often by untrained staff, which has in turn contributed to the current problem. And these people want to introduce centralised health records and identity cards!

Tuesday 20 November 2007

Councillor Bryan Levy

Have just returned from the funeral of Bryan Levy. Bryan was a larger than life local Labour poitician who served on both Borough and County Councils. I enjoyed listening to the tributes given by senior politicians of both main parties and an and was able to reflect how despite being on opposing sides, in local politics there is sense of working together for the good of the community and how despite having differing opinions, friendships can be built up.
I have a particular and non political reason for being grateful to Bryan. Bryan's career before politics was in the catering trade and in 1982 when I started my business he was Catering Manager at Aston University in Birmingham. I rang up for an appointment and he agreed to see me. He gave me a fair hearing and started to use us as a supplier despite knowing about my connection with the local Conservatives. I well remember dropping by just before Christmas in the early 80's and joining him for a quick drink....in fact there was no way of leaving Bryan's office without one!

Monday 19 November 2007

With Hillmorton Councillors

In Hillmorton Ward, the Conservative Councillors don't just talk a good job, they do something about it. At the weekend their usual monthly working party was tidying up and trimming trees back, doing the work themselves rather than waiting for the Council to do it for them. I was talking to residents in Hillmorton village centre when lots of issues came up, and with particular concerns about the future of our local hospital, St Cross. We are in the middle of our monthly survey about what may be happening there and will be soon be reporting our findings. I then joined Bill and Nigel at the site where they and their team have done so much good work.

Back in the Gym

I was in the gym again on Sunday morning, having attended the Remembrance Day Service last Sunday. I enjoy the political programmes on Sunday morning and with 5 screens in front of me can flick between the coverage on ITV, Sky and BBC while I'm doing something to keep myself fit. The difference between yesterday and just a few months, even a few weeks ago, is very clear. We're now making the running and leading the issues with the broadcasters much more sympathetic. On Sunday Michael Gove on BBC gave a sterling performance on new proposals for the teaching of reading to Primary School children, refusing to be side tacked by Andrew Marr and Theresa May was covering the same issue on ITV. Where were the Government spokesmen? It's no surprise that the opinion polls are heading firmly in our direction.

Sunday 11 November 2007

Campaigning in Binley Woods

Despite "Yellow Saturday" and the cancellation of the General Election we've carried on campaigning. With darker, colder nights we've started talking to voters on the phone, but on Saturdays we're still out and about, even if it is raining. On Saturday we were in Binley Woods, a village where I spent my first 17 years and where my parents had 3 separate homes as my 5 younger brothers came along and our family grew. It was great to be recognised on the doorstep by people who knew me when I was in short trousers! Binley Woods is much closer to Coventry than Rugby and so the issues there are different to other parts of the constituency. However two matters that came up on several occasions were the continued noise from jets taking off from nearby Bagington airport and the nuisance caused by the illegal riding of motorcycles in Brandon Wood. The airport has been established for many years and has recently expanded and the best that can happen is for further expansion to be contained. There has been a concreted effort by the Police to deal with the motorcycles where Cllr Heather Timms who was out with me has done sterling work. I rember the woods fondly from my time as child when my "gang" used to build our dens there. It is a great shame that a few people showing a lack of respect for authority are ruining a wonderful resouce which should be safely enjoyed by the majority. Unfortunately, that's something which happens all too often and when it does we must ensure that the Police have the manpower and resources to deal with it.

Monday 5 November 2007

With Fellow Candidates




One of the good things about being a candidate is the interaction with others who have been selected to fight a seat and who will hopefully end up as colleagues in the House when we are all elected!
Last week I had two opportunities to meet up. The first was a social event with Theresa May after Theresa and I had attended a meeting in Rugby with RoSA. This was a joint event with Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Associations when Simon Rouse candidate for Nuneaton and Dan Byles candidate for North Warwickshire were present. The second was a speech made by David Cameron in his constituency of Witney on Thursday when candiates were with him on the stage. The significance of Thursday was that day would have been the date of the General Election, had Brown not bottled it and when many of the candidates could have expected to have become MPs. The benefit of meeting othe candidates at events like these is the opportunity to compare notes and share ideas and good practice. It was good to get together to make sure we are all on the right lines.

Tuesday 30 October 2007

Another Government U Turn

I have spent some time working through the consequences of the Government announcement that it would seize 5% of all unspent schools' budgets every year for the next three years. I was particularly interested in the effect locally and have been looking at the consequences for schools in Rugby. I have noted that biggest looser was likely to be Harris School, having the largest revenue balance, and others that would be hit hard are Bilton School and Newbold Riverside Primary. I was about to comment how inherently unfair this would be by creating a perverse incentive for schools to spend any surpluses by the end of the financial year, which would undermine effective planning and lead to waste. Now I see on the BBC website here that ministers have dropped the plan. Anything to do with how David Cameron ran rings round Gordon Brown on this issue at Prime Ministers questions last week?

Theresa May MP in Rugby

Adding to the list of high profile front benchers visiting Rugby, Theresa May joined me at a meeting with RoSA last week. RoSA provides support to surviors of rape and sexual abuse and with a base in Rugby currently faces a funding crisis as a consequence of a decision by the Home Office not to award a grant this year. Theresa and l learnt about the work of RoSA's volunteers and the effect of this change. I hope that there may be a change in policy or an alternative source of funding to enable their valuable work to continue.

Wednesday 24 October 2007

Andrew Mitchell MP in Rugby

We have been fortunate in having several high profile visitors to Rugby in recent weeks. Last week Andrew Mitchell, who the the Shadow Minister for Overseas Development was here and he and I visited Practical Action in Bourton on Dunsmore. Their Chief Executive, Simon Trace, was able to tell us about the work they are doing in developing countries, aiming to improve people's daily lives by introducing new technologies, often very simple in nature. We were shown a simple clay stove which by burning wood more efficiently, means that African women spend less time collecting wood for cooking enabling them to spend more time with their children and reduces the build up of smoke in their houses which can reduce respiratory problems. I was familar with some of these principles from my daughter Victoria who spent her gap year in Tanzania, and it was good to learn about the work that is being done to support these communities from Rugby's doorstep.

Saturday 20 October 2007

In front of the TV cameras

Over the past couple of months we've been carrying out a survey changing the subject each month. Our local ITV channel heard that our current survey is seeking Rugby peoples views on our call for a referendum on the EU Treaty and that is the topic of their The Lobby programme for next week. So a crew joined us on Friday morning as we asked questions on the doorsteps on Friday morning. The programme goes out this coming Thursday evening at 11.30pm on Central ITV. Take a look & see what people said when asked what they think about a referendum, how they would vote & what they will think if Gordon Brown denies the people their say on this important issue.

Monday 15 October 2007

Coton Park Campaign


Last Saturday I joined others in publicising a petition by residents of Coton Park in Rugby against the development of a new pet food factory on an industrial estate in that part of the town. A strong case has been made against this proposal on the basis of the impact on the local quality of life as a consequence of a potentially unneighbourly process operating 24 hours a day. A particular difficulty is that this industrial estate is sited immediately adjacent to a large residential area and the residents are naturally concerned about noise, traffic, emissions and odours and the visual impact of the completed development. As a former member of Rugby Borough Council’s planning committee I understand fully the wide ranging considerations that will have to be taken into account and hope that the wishes of local residents will be fully considered. It’s not a planning matter & therefore can't be taken into account when considering the application, but I’m sure that a more appropriate location could be found for this particular development

Monday 8 October 2007

Brown bottles


What a weekend. Not just the Rugby! I watched the game on Saturday afternoon with friends and marvelled at the transformation of England as they and Sheridan in particular put the Aussies away. We wandered home and I started some work when Tracy came in to tell me of a news flash on the radio and then the phone started ringing with people telling me about Brown’s announcement that there would not be an election.

Various thoughts. Interesting that it was the poll of marginal constituencies in the News of the World that is said to lead to Brown’s decision. I don’t often buy NoW but did so on Sunday. Their poll shows a six point Conservative lead and was held in the 49 most marginal constituencies notionally held by Labour and the 34 most marginal held Conservative constituencies. Whether you take Rallings & Thresher’s or UK Polling Report’s numbers this poll must have included Rugby. Good news. The threat of an election concentrates mind wonderfully (witness the Blackpool conference!) and it enabled us to put in place quickly many of the plans for fighting an election locally which would have usually taken much more time. Once it’s done it’s done and there will be far less preparation to do when the election finally takes place. That gives us more time to get out on the doorstep now and whenever it is called. When selected earlier this year, I always though that the election would be in May 2009, at the same time as the County Council elections, as happened in 2005, and we’re back working to that agenda. Finally, on a personal note, while I would have been very happy starting off our election campaign today, because we would have most definitely won, I’m pleased that the uncertainty of the past few weeks is at an end. Back to plan A.

Wednesday 3 October 2007

Cameron's speech

I drove back to Rugby yesterday evening. If we’re going to be fighting an election this time next week, there are still preparations to be made and I’ve taken the view that my time is better spent here.

I’ve just watched David Cameron’s conference speech in my office on the BBC website which wasn’t as good as being there but enabled me to take some notes as he spoke. I liked the tributes to his colleagues – it’s important to show the breadth of thinking in our party; the attacks on Gordon Brown and Labour hit home and I enjoyed his remark that “we’ve got to be better than that”. A large chunk was about education and how we need to raise standards & give head teachers proper control. I too met someone on a doorstep recently who told me how much better off she and her partner were when they lived apart. On each issue he set out how we will do things differently; it not enough just to oppose and blame Labour, we need to show how we will solve the problems Britain faces. Good understanding and support for our troops in Afghanistan contrasts with Brown’s opportunism yesterday. I liked the support for families. He brought the speech to a strong conclusion which obviously received huge support in the hall.

As a candidate in a marginal seat approaching an election, I was encouraged by what I saw and heard and I am sure that those people in the country who just saw and heard Cameron will be too. Most people, however, will react to the accounts given by the media and the edited versions on tv. It will be very interesting to see the comentators take on the speech. This will lead to opinion polls at the weekend and it will be the polls that will steer Brown as to whether he calls an election or not. For my part I’m ready and confident & very happy about the prospect of starting my election campaign next week.

Tuesday 2 October 2007

Rugby at the Conference

I'm in Blackpool at the Conservative Party Conference with what I am sure is the largest group from Rugby ever to attend with, at the last count 15 of us here. We did well to get an unlucky 13 together in one place & the photo was taken in the foyer of the Winter Gardens Given my level of IT skill, I think I have done magnificently to get it posted within an hour of it being taken!
Today is day 3 and I sense people here getting more upbeat as the conference progresses with the tax proposals launched by George Osbourne yesterday being the key. I attended two events where David Cameron spoke; he was entusiastic and positive at each and knows that he has to be on really good form tomorrow to deliver the second speech of his life. I am confident he will and we will all leave raring to go, whether or not we find ourselves fighting a General Election this time next week. With this fantastic Rugby team all fired up, the people of Rugby can expect the Conservatives to be busy and working hard across the entire constituency.

Thursday 27 September 2007

Rugby Rail

Yesterday I met Stephen Hammond MP and Stephanie Clifford at Rugby Station. Stephen is our Shadow Minister with responsibility for Railways and Stephanie is the Chair of Rugby Rail Users Group and our meeting was to lobby and resist changes to the 2008 timetable which we believe will disadvantage Rugby. The station is about to be improved by the addition of a modern entrance and ticket hall, a new multi storey car park is to be built, and Rugby is expected to grow (whatever the outcome of the RSS consultation) in coming years. All of these will increase demand for rail travel, but the number of trains to the north west from Rugby is being reduced and there is no growth in the number of trains to London Euston, despite many being standing room only when they leave Coventry, let alone when they leave Rugby. Add to this the fact that many local services will discharge at Rugby to catch the London train and that the only services to Northampton and Milton Keynes will be stopping trains. Rugby has long benefited from good motorway links and good rail connections and it is vital for the well being of our local economy that these are preserved. Expect a campaign!

Saturday 22 September 2007

Election speculation

For the past couple of months there has been speculation about when the next election will be held and whether it will be this autumn. Gordon Brown his and his spokemens’ comments show them having fun with all of us, political opponents, the media and commentators with their constant “will he, won’t he” speculation. Today’s Times reports that Brown will not use his keynote speech on Monday to announce an election while the BBC says The Labour Party is heading to Bournemouth for its annual conference amid speculation Gordon Brown is preparing to call a general election. All of this has made day to day planning in a busy family such as ours almost impossible. Will I be able to take my son down to his first day at University? Will I be able to watch my other son play in a key Rugby match? Can I take my daughter to a party? Can I join a great friend from University at his 50th birthday celebrations? No complaints from me because I knew the form when I first decided to put my name forward as a candidate and in Rugby our local planning for an election is well in hand, but from the perspective of organising daily life and playing an active role in a family, there’s something to be said for fixed term parliaments.

Monday 17 September 2007

Creating woodland


About five years ago Tracy and I helped a friend plant up a field with trees as part of a plan to introduce woodland into a part of Warwickshire that has very little. On Sunday we were invited to a barbeque in a clearing in the wood with many others who also helped. It was great to see how the fruits of all the hard work have come on and comforting to think we had played a small part in offsetting some of our carbon usage while having a good time with friends.

A Policeman's lot

The BBC is not generally known for supporting a Conservative line. However, their website today refers to tonight’s Panorama programme about a blog written by a police officer here which shows just how right we are to keep reminding people about how our public services are being strangled by red tape and paperwork. The blog has been anonymous up to now and tells about an officer’s daily routine within the police force and how when the public think that the police solve burglaries, the public and are on patrol accosting thieves and people who are up to no good, what they actually do is “attempt to meet government statistics by solving trivial crime”. The key quote for me is that Stuart Davidson, the officer said “I was sometimes tempted not to make an arrest because processing it would mean so much time off the street.” I, for one, will be watching this evening.

Thursday 13 September 2007

Local issues matter

I spent yesterday evening at two very interesting meetings. I first attended Cawston Parish Council which is a new Council, holding only its fourth meeting having been established to serve the residents of the new Cawston housing estate. The matters they considered were very local to the estate: dog fouling and bins; overgrown hedges on a footpath; thoughtless parking; youth disturbances; illegal riding of mini motorcycles; availability of community facilities; relationships with the consortium of developers building the estate; preparing a newsletter. These are the kind of issues I became very familiar with during my five years as a Borough Councillor, attending meetings of the seven Parish Councils in my ward. I was reminded just how important these kind of issues are to local people and what an impact they can have on people’s quality of life. Big national issues are important, but often making a change on a small local matter can be the most important difference for many people. With a new Council, full of enthusiasm and ably led by Mike Stokes, the residents of Cawston can be confident that local issues that concern them will be dealt with swiftly and competently.

I then went on to the quarterly meeting of Dunchurch Divisional Panel. This is a meeting I am very familiar with having attended while I was a Borough Councillor. I caught the end of the meeting and again the issues discussed were very local: road maintenance; village policing; temporary closure of the local tip. However I was there for a discussion on the possible threat to St Cross Hospital with this group taking a lead in preparing a campaign should such action become necessary. There was a real determination to defend an asset hugely valued by the people of Rugby and I was left in no doubt about how effective and organised that campaign will be.

Friday 7 September 2007

Cameron CCHQ speech

I have just returned from a presentation by David Cameron at CCHQ in which he set out a statement of Conservative values. (Picture “borrowed” from ConservativeHome) The full speech is here, but the key points I took away were how a Conservative Government will support the family, provide opportunity and personal freedom for all, giving people control over their lives. He referred to the work of our policy groups setting how these objectives will be achieved, and contrasted this approach with the top down, state knows best philosophy of Gordon Brown. He also had fun with Brown’s citizen’s juries saying that parents & families already know what’s needed. I sat with a number of other candidates, all of whom were clearly enthused what they heard. We have supported the move to the centre ground because it the right thing to do and it is where elections are lost and won, and this statement of principles enables us to point to clear differences between us and Labour. Expect more of the same over coming months.

Wednesday 5 September 2007

Out and about


With the summer over, we're now out talking to residents with our monthly survey, this month about peoples reactions to the Government's proposals to introduce Identity Cards. I will publish the results at the end of September, but anyone wanting to contribute can do so on the Rugby Conservatives website. The photo is of our team yesterday evening in Pailton, with a first outing this season for "team Pawsey" one of whom was behind the camera.

Monday 3 September 2007

Today's news

Since my time at University I have usually read The Times, which is generally considered to be fairly balanced politically. Today it leads with the tax credits fiasco where under the highly complicated system introduced by Gordon Brown, many families were overpaid collectively almost £6billion. This has led to demands for repayment with some families unable to do and in many cases the sums being written off. On page 4 there is an account of the battle of the Army’s senior staff to prevent civil servants from cutting the number of infantry batallions by a quarter; on page 12 a report that figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that children under the age of ten were the prime suspects in nearly 3,000 crimes last year; and on page 13 details of an internal report on health tourism that the bill for treating foreign patients is now £62 million a year despite a crackdown promised by the Government three years ago.
Pick any one these to show a Government letting it’s people down by failing to take proper control of an issue. We can and will do better.

Saturday 1 September 2007

The big issue - Health

David Cameron was quite right recently to draw attention to the changes taking place in the NHS and the move away from the role of the District General Hospital generally as a vehicle for delivering healthcare. This is the style of hospital overwhelmingly preferred by users of the system who, after all, are the people paying for it. Of course the increasing specialisation within health means that it is often more appropriate for some operations to be delivered at a larger centre of excellence. However, for more general matters, people have consistently shown that, whenever possible, they want to be attended to locally, in familiar surroundings, and where they can remain close to friends and family. This is the first reason why there is a concern locally that services may in the future be reduced at St Cross in Rugby.

The second reason is the need for the Trust which runs University Hospital in Coventry and the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby to make savings of £30million by the end of the financial year. This has led to immediate proposals to cut 200 jobs. It is important for the people of Rugby that this exercise does not result in any diminution of services supplied at St Cross.

For both of these reasons, I am pleased that the new group, HOSt (Hands off St Cross) has been set up and that it is made of local politicians from more than one party. I worked closely with those active in this group a few years ago when we successfully opposed Government proposals for a new international airport in Rugby. This is a team of formidable campaigners and even though we are assured by senior managers involved in the delivery of health services in Rugby that there is no current threat to St Cross, it is comforting to know that there are capable people ready to respond should the situation change

Wednesday 29 August 2007

Back to work!


I am now back in Rugby after the most fantastic holiday. 2007 was always going to be a special year, and I took more than the usual two weeks for the first time since I set up my business 25 years ago. We visited Hong Kong on the way over to Australia, visited Caloundra which is a small holiday town about 50 miles of Brisbane, Fraser Island, Cairns, Ayers Rock (now known as Uluru) and the past week in Sydney. We saw many sights and took in many new experiences but importantly for me this was an opportunity to spend time with my family. It looks as though the next few weeks are going to be pretty busy and so it was great for us to be able to spend time together.

I had hoped to be able to blog while on holiday using public computers in libraries and internet cafes. That idea didn’t come off mainly because each time I logged on the best I could do was keep up to date with what was going on at home by looking at sites such as ConservateHome and Iain Dale; looking at the on line editions of national & local newspapers; wading through my inbox, often only getting rid of the junk mail before either my time was up or Sara would be tugging at my arm saying “Dad, can we go back now? ”. However, I did see the way the Australians go about many aspects of Government, some good & some bad, & hope to refer to them as I post over coming months on various subjects.

Now it’s straight back into local issues, with none more important than the threat to our local hospital here in Rugby, St Cross. More later!

Friday 3 August 2007

The Holiday Season

This is a big year for our family with significant birthdays for Tracy & myself, Victoria is 21 & Will 18, so it was always our plan to have a big holiday this year. We’re just about to leave for Australia. We’ve been looking forward to visiting somewhere we’ve never been before and everyone has been telling us what a fantastic time we will have. I’m not an IT genius, wont be taking a laptop with me & so wont be posting regularly on this blog in the time I am away. I will try to do so occasionally through an internet café if I can get it to work, and will also check and respond to any e-mails sent to me when I can. With lots of speculation about a possible General Election in the autumn, I will make sure I keep up to date with current events, although any announcement, if there is one at all, isn’t likely to be made until October. Thankfully there is only the remotest chance I will need to get the first plane home!

Monday 30 July 2007

Normal service is resumed

Sunday’s newspaper headlines: “Flood defence chiefs given big bonuses”; “Official: doctors do less work for lots more pay”; “Home Packs - a tool to raise council tax”. So, it’s back to more stories of this Government taking increasing amounts of money in tax only to waste it on extravagant spending which provides no better a service to the taxpayer. Even worse, on the issue of flood defences, it seems to be rewarding failure rather than success. With this approach typical, I’m pretty confident that the Brown bounce will be short lived.

Thursday 26 July 2007

Town Centre CCTV

Along with Councillors and other guests on Wednesday I visited the control room of the new Rugby BID CCTV system. I don’t suppose many criminals or people involved in anti-social behaviour in the town centre regularly read this blog, but if they do, having seen the 40 plus state of the art monitors that are checked around the clock, my advice to them would be don’t do it. They are bound to be seen on camera, recordings are retained, and the information has already led to several successful prosecutions.

Friday 20 July 2007

Town centre developments


I spent Thursday afternoon with Robin Richter, MD of Rugby First who manage Rugby’s town centre. Robin brought me up to date with new developments. These are exciting times for Rugby with development about to start on the new ASDA development and additional units in the town centre, which we have waited for over more years than most people care to mention. Robin is also working hard to attract new quality shops to Rugby to keep our more affluent shoppers in the town and we can see the effect of this in a resurgent Regent/Albert Street area, styled the “independent sector”. We also spoke about the need for Rugby to make more of is principal attribute as the home of Rugby football. As a keen former Rugby player myself and knowing people who have come to Rugby because of the connection with the game, it is clear that we need to offer more. It also turns out that Robin’s and my career paths overlapped over 25 years ago in the catering trade and we were able to reminisce about characters we both used to know.

Tuesday 17 July 2007

Indoor event


On Friday I attended a summer supper held by Ansty & Shilton branch where the guest speaker was Alastair Burt MP, member of the Conservative Frontbench team in the Dept for Communities and Local Government. By now he is in Rwanda, where David Cameron will shortly be launching a policy review document on international development, and where Alastair is making his mark by training young lads how to play soccer. Also at the supper were Malcolm Harbour MEP and Kevin Foster, Parliamentary Candidate for Coventry south, all pictured indoors & on the stairs as it’s been the kind of summer where outdoor events have been a washout.

Friday 13 July 2007

Alastair Campbell's Diaries

Has any one else watching the BBC's homage to Campbell noticed that he is always proved right?

Ealing Southall Campaign


I spent yesterday in Ealing Southall helping in the by election campaign. There is a real buzz there! I expected to be delivering leaflets and canvassing, both of which I did but I also ended up joining George Osbourne’s visit to the Gurdwara Sri Singh Sabha which is the Sikh place of worship in Southall, an impressively large building in itself and where were offered and enjoyed a meal in the Pangat. This is a community kitchen where a free meal prepared by volunteers is offered to everyone and yesterday George helped by serving the food. We were made to feel very welcome. Later I joined candidate Tony Lit’s entourage on a walkabout in the main shopping area of Southall. Tony is a very popular and charismatic candidate with many people eager to shake his hand and wish him well. With lots of people including former Labour Councillors committing their support, the result next Thursday will be very interesting. I also met Syeeda Warsi, with whom I was once on a candidate training course and who has just been appointed as Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and fellow candidate Mark Clarke who is also Chairman of Conservative Future and who will contest Tooting at the next election. Tony Lit wasn’t available once I had got hold of a camera, so the photo, taken in the campaign centre, is with Mark.

Monday 9 July 2007

Thoughts on Social Policy Group proposals

Conservativehome have an interesting article here on just one of the proposals contained in Iain Duncan Smith’s Social Justice Policy Group Report, namely that of higher taxes on alcohol. Having spent some time with IDS when he was in Rugby a few weeks ago, I know just how seriously he takes the need to address our broken society and any ideas his group bring forward should be listened to. The Sun’s response today was predictable; any increase in tax on is bound to be unpopular and particularly when it is on a product that people see as enabling them to enjoy themselves. Also the libertarian argument that people should be free to spend their money as they see fit is a fair one.

However there is a time when politicians should not fall for the populist option. When I was the Conservative candidate in Nuneaton I spent a Friday night out with the police and witnessed the mayhem caused in a town centre between midnight and 3 am caused by people who had drunk too much. I saw violence, damage and many scared people frightened by what might be about to happen outside the kebab shop. Luckily a heavy and good-natured police presence prevented anything major that night. Later I went onto housing estates to see what happened as people arrived home drunk and started domestic arguments, one wielding a machete. When I visited the local hospital, I was told about the extra staff that are needed on a Friday and Saturday night and some of the unpleasant incidents they had to deal with, many fuelled by drink.

The article set out some statistics of the harm caused by alcohol and points out that prices have fallen in real terms with the young (who cause a large proportion of the problems I saw) are particularly sensitive to price changes. For these reasons I don’t see a difficulty in raising the tax on drink. I was astonished a couple of budgets ago when the duty on cider was left untouched because the main consumers of strong cider such as the 7.5% White Lightening are youngsters wanting to get drunk, as evidenced by the empty bottles that can be seen in underpasses, in parks and other places they meet.

If the decision is taken to increase alcohol taxes, responsible drinkers can legitimately feel that they are being penalised by the appalling behaviour of a few. I am also concerned by the view that if the price of alcohol is increased, more people will turn to illegal drugs as an alternative; and the effect on local pubs currently having to deal with the smoking ban should not be underestimated. But on balance I believe that there is merit in the idea that IDS is bringing forward. There is much work to do in improving the state of our society and this can be a step in the right direction.

Friday 6 July 2007

Letter to Editor - Rugby Observer

Far be it from me to intrude on private disputes within the Rugby branch of New Labour, but I would just like to share my agreement with the sentiments expressed by Nick Mathews of Hillmorton in his letter dated 5th July published in your paper concerning Andy King’s interest in the Parliamentary seat.

Along with “many in the (Labour) party”, I am also “not looking to disturb his political retirement.”

Tuesday 3 July 2007

Terrorist suspects

I can understand that the terrorists who placed bombs in London & attempted to blow up Glasgow airport were known to the security services (according to Sky today). I can just about accept that they were employed by the NHS. But known to the security services AND employed by the NHS?

Sunday 1 July 2007

Standing up for rural communities

I spent today dodging the rain. Firstly at Bulkington where I attended the annual carnival which I last did when Bulkington was in Nuneaton constituency and I was the candidate there. Now it's in Rugby and despite the downpour, people were just as enthusuastic. I then went to the Royal Show where I joined volunteers on the CRAG (Conservative Rural Action Group) to collect signatures on a petition calling for support for rural communitites. With Post Office closures, shortages of rural affordable housing, the shutting down of A&E units at local hospitals, increasing levels of Council Tax and the rural payments crisis, those living in rural areas are having a tough time. We met many people, and heard their thoughts on rural problems, while standing up to our knees in mud.

Thursday 28 June 2007

Rugby to promote Rugby


I have just returned from the annual meeting & summer lunch of Rugby Tourism which was held at the Rugby Lions’ ground at Webb Ellis Road. One of the guest speakers was Richard Cockerill, former Dunchurch & Harris Schoolboy, former Rugby Lions, Leicester & England hooker. Richard showed a quick grasp of the challenge and opportunity for the promotion of Rugby as a tourism destination by telling us how when new international players come to Leicester, one of the first questions they ask is how far away is the home of the game and also of the interest he received as a player on an overseas tour when people learnt that he grew up in Rugby. There are few places in the world that have given their name to an international sport and I am sure that there is a great deal more we could be doing to use this in the promotion of our town.
Richard finished his speech with a clean-ish joke for a Rugby player, which left some very respectable people hoping to hear his other material some time in the future!

The change agenda

I heard Alistair Darling on the Today programme this morning, rolled out as one of Gordon Brown’s trusted lieutenants, attempting to justify why Brown used the word “change” seven time in his brief speech on the steps of 10 Downing St yesterday. It beats me how the man who held the purse strings over the past 10 years, whose input was fundamental throughout the Blair years and who was the architect of many of Labour's policies in that time can consider himself an instigator of change. Also, if and when he does change anything, and about the only issue Darling could speak about this morning was to provide more affordable housing, then that will surely be an acknowledgement that what they did and the policies they introduced up until yesterday were mistakes and wrong.

IDS in Rugby

Apologies for not keeping up with the blog over the past seven days! Last Friday, Iain Duncan Smith was our guest in Rugby at our annual dinner. Beforehand he met with our three local newspapers and gave a reporter from each of them a flavour of the material his Social Justice Policy Group will be brining out in the next few weeks. Just a few statistics: by the age of just three, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are as much as a year behind their middle class peers; nearly 60% of prisoners re-offend within two years; one in three 17 to 30 year olds is classed as a heavy drinker; only 3% of people with a registered disability are in work; research suggests 300,000 elderly people could be the victim of abuse in their own homes. Iain spoke about all of these issues and drew attention to the fact that there has always been compassion within Conservatism and that people who are Conservatives are often at the forefront of providing solutions, often without making a big issue of their activity. I know that following his visit, many more people will be looking at the Policy Group’s report when it is published.

Great article & picture in today’s Rugby Advertiser, but unfortunately not available online.

Thursday 21 June 2007

Vote Lib Dem. get Labour

Todays news of Gordon Brown's offer of a post in the cabinet to Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Ashdown, will be highly significant at the general election in a marginal consituency such as Rugby. How many people will want to vote for the Lib Dems knowing that their vote could sustain a tired and discredited Labour Government in office?

Monday 18 June 2007

Moon walk



I spent the weekend in Edinburgh supporting Tracy and her friend Jean who took part in the Moonwalk to raise money to support people with breast cancer. It was fantastic to see 10,000 walkers making their way through the city in darkness and there was a superb spirit amongst everyone there. Hard work for those who took part, but an enormous sense of achievement as you can see from the girls proudly displaying their medals!

Thursday 14 June 2007

The Falklands remembered

I remember well the Falklands campaign 25 years ago as it took place during the period when my brother, Mike, and I were planning to set up our business and the uncertainty of war caused us to re-think our plans (we went ahead & will be 25 years old in September). Yesterday evening's news brought that all back to me & I was interested to see the old tv footage and also the comments of people involved in the conflict. I was quite moved by the remarks of a lady who who was in the Falklands for the commemoration, having lost her son, and who was asked "was it all worthwhile?" She was certain in her response "most definitely, it was important to ensure that the people here kept their freedom". Brave lady.

Sunday 10 June 2007

Cycling for leukaemia research



My daughter Sara & I have just completed a tem mile cycle ride to raise money for research into leukaemia and related diseases. For some years my business has supplied cups to to the organisers for use at the water stations and this year it was time to do a little more so I've been chasing people to sponsor me. There was a great spirit among the riders, some of whom were cyling 26 or even 50 miles. We tootled along with the youngsters & thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Bikeathon, which only happens due to the hard work & commitment of an army of volunteers. Last year they raised £45,000 and are hoping to do better this year. The cause is so worthwhile I hope they do so.

An interest in farming


I spent Monday morning down at Rugby market with a visitor to Rugby who knows all to well about the problems facing British agriculture. Baroness Byford is the Conservative Shadow Minister for Food and Rural Affairs in the House of Lords, is from a farming background and spent time chatting with local farmers. We watched the sale of stock in the auction ring and were briefed about the move of the market from its long established site by the station to a proposed new site at the Royal Showground at Stoneleigh, which has come about solely as a result of farmers being prepared to support their own industry. We later met Ian Allen who has just ceased milking on his farm in Clifton because he is receiving 5p less for every litre of milk he produces than it costs to produce. With 31% of farmers are living below the low income threshold and incomes half of what they were in 1997, most people have very little idea of the pressures of being in farming today.

Sunday 3 June 2007

Recycling is rubbish

When I was a borough councillor, the issue of waste collection and recycling often came up with residents and I certainly heard a lot about this subject on the doorstep with candidates during the recent local elections. A scare story put about by the Lib Dems was that a decision had been taken on a change to a bi-weekly collection in Rugby when no such decision had been made and in fact the Council is currently consulting on the way forward. My own view is that if waste capable of being recycled including paper, glass, aluminium, tin, cardboard, plastic & garden waste is collected in week 1, then most familes would have insufficient other waste to need a weekly collection and this other waste could easily be collected in week 2. This would result in a weekly collection, just different items being collected on alternate weeks. So I was concerned about the article in today's Sunday Times HERE about much of the waste that residents sort out for recycling being sent to landfill. Clearly there needs to be a much more joined up approach to create a system which works. Councils have been given targets of the proportion of waste that should be recycled, and are doing what they can to hit what has been set for them, but are not taking account of what happens once the collected material is taken from them. Just another example of the inadequecies of a target based culture which has been the whole ethos of Government over the past ten years.

More on grammars

I attended two events this weekend; one a Conservative Branch function and the other the Chairman's Ball at the Rugby Lions Rugby Club. At each one, the only political issue people I met wanted to speak about was grammar schools. There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the Conservative position, not helped by us but also driven by a mischievous press. I am happy that the issue is now clear and, following Dominic Grieve's intervention thus week, that in the event that the massive housing growth that the West Midland Regional Assembly is considering were to take place, there would be the opportunity for a proportionate increase in the number of grammar school places or even a further grammar school inRugby. It is now clearly only in other parties interests to keep this issue going, and I hope that we will now be able to concentrate on our proposals for increasing standards in schools across the country and prepare our young people for the competitive enviroment they will face at the end of their education.

Monday 28 May 2007

Grammar School boys 50 years old



This year my classmates are all 50. There were 3 classes in my year at Lawrence Sheriff and on Saturday I met up with over 50 of them at a reunion. Many of us hadn't met for over 30 years and so we had name badges to help with recognising one another. Its a tribute to a school with special values and guys from a special year that so many made an effort to be there. Thanks to Andy for making it happen.

Friday 25 May 2007

Home Information Packs – another Government Fiasco

Nobody wanted them, but the Government though they could push them through. Now they will apply only to homes with four bedrooms. To avoid wasting £600, people putting their home on the market will find that they now have three bedrooms plus a study, games room, extra reception room. Insufficient trained up inspectors, confusion over a legal challenge, commitments to consultation but no time in which to do it – has there ever been such a shambles?

Great Photo


Jamie Gray who is a photographer with the Rugby Advertiser has kindly sent me this picture of David Cameron & me at Rugby station. We 're in the right zone!

Monday 21 May 2007

Stephen Dorrell talks Health in Rugby


Some time ago Stephen Dorrell MP kindly offered to visit Rugby, so in true Conservative style a fund raising function was arranged, all thanks to Ginny. Learning that Stephen was able to arrive early and that a doctor acquaintance has described him as “the best Secretary of State for Health this country has ever had” I arranged a meeting with local health professionals for a general discussion before the function. It helped that Stephen is joint chairman of the Conservative Party’s Public Services Improvement Policy Group which was set up by David Cameron with a view to looking at ways to improve the services provided in Health which meant that those able to attend would know that their contribution was being listened to by someone able to influence the party’s thinking. And what a wide ranging conversation we had, with about a dozen people attending to talk about the challenge of narrowing the gap between expectations of users; what can efficiently be delivered and equating supply with demand; about ensuring equitable access to health services; about what is a manageable & desirable level of spending; about measuring outcomes rather than inputs; about the consequences of lifestyle choices; about drug rationing; about the possibility of a health service independent of government; about the difference between long term and episodic care; about the economics of healthcare, markets and commissioning & purchasing of care. The discussion was wide ranging and I learnt a great deal. I hope those attending got as much from the meeting as I did.

Thursday 17 May 2007

In defence of Grammar Schools

In any debate about education, opinions are often formed by a person’s individual experience and those of the people around them. So it is for me. I was at Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby, a grammar school, and have benefited richly from being there. At that time, the late sixties & early seventies, there was a mix of backgrounds of the boys I grew up with, and I can confidently say that there was a fair proportion from a working class background. We didn’t have free school meals as a measure, so I have no clear idea of how many, but I remember boys talking about their father as working in the local cement factory or as a lorry driver. I also remember visiting friend’s homes, most of which strike me now as being pretty ordinary backgrounds. Of the people I was at school with that I now recognise as having come from a poorer background, many have gone on to university and good careers, with some now involved in their own businesses in trades like plumbing and construction, others making a success in the city or large corporations. So I have seen how good teaching and mixing with other bright people has enabled the kind of social mobility that we all want.

It may be that there is a smaller proportion of working class boys there now. It is certainly harder to get into the school as my son found at age 11. He is now there in the 6th form and tells me that he does recognise friends from poorer backgrounds. One of reasons why the standards needed to achieve entry are now higher is very simply that there are fewer grammar schools in surrounding towns and aspirational parents from outside the usual catchment area, who are most likely to be middle class, support their children in their bid to get into Rugby’s grammar schools. So if there are few children from poorer backgrounds in grammar schools today, it is a consequence of there being so few such schools.

All this means that I was disappointed by David Willet’s announcement yesterday. I accept that good teaching is the key to social mobility and that we need to raise standards; and I was pleased by his confirmation that there is no proposal to abolish the remaining grammar schools which will reassure parents in Rugby who recognise the benefits of the diverse range of schools in the town but who see top quality schools on their doorstep where it is increasingly difficult for their children to get a place.

It seems to me that in neighbouring towns, where grammar schools were abolished years ago, there has been a trend for middle class parents to look to the private sector, as the original state funded grammars evolved into private schools. In the absence of a replacement for the assisted places scheme, having an increasing proportion of middle class children educated privately is potentially more socially divisive than grammar schools could ever be. Higher standards in the state sector will reduce the desire of parents to take the private route, and so Labour’s failure in their 10 years in power to address standards in education, and our need to urgently get education right in this country, becomes more important than ever.
P.S. I hope to find out more about how my school colleagues have fared later this month. This academic year we all share our 50th birthdays and one of my friends has organised a reunion where about 50 of the year entry of 90 will be there, some of who I see regularly and some I don’t think I’ve seen since leaving in 1975. More of that later.

Sunday 13 May 2007

Dig it


I have just returned from enjoying a Birthday present bought for me by my children. On learning that as a small boy I was fascinated by the diggers and lorries constructing the roadway outside my parents home, they arranged for me to go on a “Dig it” experience which gave me the opportunity to actually drive and operate these pieces of equipment. Yes, that me at the controls!

Lord Howe & the House of Lords

On Saturday morning I joined Warwickshire Borough and County Councillors, Parliamentary Candidates & MPs, MEPs and special guests at Warwickshire Conservative Councillors Spring Conference at Shire Hall. A key speaker was Lord Howe of Aberavon who I first met as Geoffrey Howe when he visited Rugby during the 1979 General Election campaign. On Saturday, as 28 years ago, he was a master of his subject, and gave a commentary on the current political situation and spent some time discussing the reform of the House of Lords. His plea was “leave us alone” and in support pointed out that with no current majority for any party in the Lords, an argument had to be won on it’s merit and as a consequence the Lords is better able to scrutinise new legislation than the Commons. The difficulty of course is that in a modern democracy, people no longer expect the legislature to consist of people who are there by right of birth, or by appointment for reasons other than merit, and that is why some reform is inevitable. As a politician of great experience I was interested in his view of when the next General Election might be, and he saw no reasons why Brown might chose a date earlier than 2009 or even 2010.

Tuesday 8 May 2007

Still knocking on doors


After the election euphoria, life goes on as normal. On Saturday morning after Friday's partying, Clifton & Newton branch held a membership drive and I was once again knocking on doors. Before heading to the station to meet Tracy & Sara for a trip to London to see a show & see the dinosaurs at the Natural History museum, I spoke to several Conservative supporters who are planning to join the party and come along to social events. Nothing succeeds like success!

Cameron in Rugby


David makes a pitch for the young vote.

Friday 4 May 2007

Rugby Results


The votes for the Borough Council election have now been counted and I am very pleased with the results. We found several great new candidates, all worked really hard and of 15 seats being contested we gained three. Nigel in Hillmorton, Mark in Admirals and Ian in Ryton gained new seats for the Conservatives. Robin in Leam Valley is taking over from Gordon Collett and Stuart won my former seat in Dunchurch & Knightlow. All are very capable and part of me is sad that I won’t be with them in Council. Emma did superbly to miss Brownsover South by just 17 votes; Marj had a real impact in Caldecott; Mike narrowed the gap in Eastlands; Martin gave Labour a fright in New Bilton; Howard worked his socks off in Paddox. It was a pleasure to be out on the doorstep with all of these candidates. Of great interest to me was the difference in the total votes for each party as that should be an indicator of what will happen at the General Election; the great news for us is that in the wards that make up the Rugby consituency there were 2600 more votes for Conservative than Labour! No wonder the team is happy!

Thursday 3 May 2007

Cups for camp


After one exciting event yesterday, I was off to another. Through my business we provided the local cubs and scouts with disposable cups for use at camp this coming weekend and our delivery was received by a happy and enthusiastic cub scout pack. I am the one at the back with his eyes closed!

David Cameron in Rugby

Big day yesterday with David Cameron’s visit to Rugby. Not part of the usual “whistlestop” tour, but straight here from Prime Minister’s questions, some canvassing in Eastlands Ward, a walkabout, then unusually a speech in the town centre before heading back to London on the train. Lots of TV, photographers and journalists around, and the usual last minute changes to the programme. Great profile for Rugby, and superb for us as local Conservatives. The town centre speech was particularly good as a large crowd had gathered, keen to hear what he had to say, and something very different from the usual “meet the shoppers” event; this was politics at it’s best, with a top class speaker engaging directly with the public. David went down very well with the many young people there, most of whom who had clearly never witnessed a senior politician so close at hand and a real contrast to the TV controlled images that we have become used to. Well covered by the Rugby Advertiser, whose photographer Mike Baker, got a great photo of the Top Man HERE. Hoping to post our own photo soon!

Tuesday 1 May 2007

Shadow Chancellor in Rugby

Yesterday I joined Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne together with MP, Jeremy Wright and Council Leader, Craig Humphrey at a meeting with Rugby employer, Converteam. Converteam are involved in many sectors of power generation and are leaders in the the supply of offshore and wet energy supply as a form of renewable energy. George was visiting to see the developments the company is making, the impact their products have on climate change and the contribution the company is able to make to both the local and national economies. I hadn’t met George before, but was quickly impressed by the speed and ease with which he grasped the issues being presented to him in just a brief meeting. The message I came away from was that here is a first class example of our way forward in manufacturing, at the cutting edge of new technology. With the advent of emerging, low wage economies becoming the home of mass produced consumer goods, the UK will continue to maintain a manufacturing base as long as we continue to train engineers and invest in the future. Rugby is doing well as a distribution base from its location at the centre of the country (and my company benefits from that) but to prosper our economy needs to be mixed, and we need to encourage and support companies like Converteam

Sunday 29 April 2007

Ageism hits the Rugby campaign

The local election in Rugby is hitting the big time with the leaflet put out by the Lib Dems in Dunchurch & Knightlow ward criticising the Conservative candidate because he is 21 years old making it on to the pages of no less a blog than Iain Dale’s diary HERE. This will certainly bring it to people’s attention as Iain’s readership numbers are huge. I have a special interest in this issue as the Dunchurch & Knightlow is the ward I have represented for five years and I know the candidate very well. Stuart Davenport helped me when I last stood four years ago and when he was seventeen. I saw then a capable and enthusiastic young man who has broadened his horizons since then and who will make an excellent councillor. This whole issue is ironic because the Lib Dems across the country have candidates the sane age as Stuart! I have no doubt that the Lib Dem’s publicity machine, which has always been something of a loose cannon in this ward, has once again mis-fired and Stuart will be elected, probably with a majority bigger than mine. The results on Friday morning will be very interesting.

Wednesday 25 April 2007

The benefits of not smoking

Now I’ve heard everything! I run a business employing 35 people. There are a handful of smokers among them, who if they want a cigarette smoke outside as they have done throughout the 25 years we have been trading. Most are trying to give up and appreciate the support a non-smoking office & warehouse provides. Today the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued new guidelines for every workplace in England including the proposal that employers such as my company should give paid time off to attend a non smoking clinic. This is the nanny state gone mad. I’m happy to support those who want to give up (and do) but there is no case for the cost of disruption and absence to attend a clinic being forced on businesses. If smokers wish to stop, that is in their own best interest and the cost of doing so should be borne by them, not their employers. As you might guess, I feel strongly about this one!

Sunday 22 April 2007

Litter Pick


On Saturday as part of the Conservative's Green Action Day, I joined our councillors in Overslade ward, Kam Kaur and Fiona Barrington-Ward on a litter pick. Kam assembled a group of youngsters, I got pickers, high visibility vests, bin bags and gloves from the Council depot and we set off around the ward. It was astonishing just how much rubbish we found and with one of our local papers asking us to let them know about the most unusual item we found, Sara pulled a kids scooter out of a hedge. Hard work in the sunshine, but it was good to see the fruits of our hard work and to be thanked by several of the residents we met on the way round.

St George's Day

This afternoon I went to St Georges Day Parade and service in the Parish Church organised by the Scouts throughout the town. Strange how little we do in the country on the Day of our patron Saint and I’m not sure whether without the contribution of the Scouts whether it would be memorable in Rugby. Memorable it certainly was, as I the Church packed and that was just with Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and their leaders; no room for parents who had to wait in North St and Caldedcott Park for the march past. Two thoughts: we often hear about the bad side of youngsters when people talk about anti-social behaviour and the problems youths can cause and very little about the great things our young people get involved in such as Scouting; and also what a debt of gratitude we all owe to the hard work and commitment of the parents and adults who give up their free time to make sure that organisations such as Scouting continue to thrive. I came away feeling uplifted and not just from the rousing hymns we sang.

Wine Drive


We’re very lucky to live in a lively village where lots happens. Having been to the Group meeting of Rugby Borough Councillors of Friday night, I then joined Tracy at our wine appreciation society (GWAS). This sounds much more posh than it is, but by going over the past 15 years we have learnt about grape varieties, styles and tastes of different wines as well as having a great deal of fun with friends. Fridays evening was a wine drive, with people bringing along wines at about a fiver a bottle which have covered labels and for everyone to score the wines to give a winner. I’m afraid ours didn’t do well and with 26 wines to taste it was a good job we could walk home!

Monday 16 April 2007

Old Laurentians meet up


I spent Saturday evening at the Annual Dinner of the Old Laurentian Society, held at the school. This gave me an opportunity to meet up with old friends and many made a special effort to be there as our year group all have a significant birthday this year. It was great to meet up with people I see infrequently and also the “usual suspects” who will turn up anywhere for dinner and a beer. I knew about the school news given by the Headmaster as my son Will is in the 6th form, but was pleased to maintain my contact with the school. I have a huge pride in having been to Lawrence Sheriff, and value the contacts I made there and the influence the place has had on my life. As a grammar school (still), boys there came and come from a broad range of backgrounds and it provides a first class education and start in life. We need more schools like it.

Roundabout planting


I’ve just received pictures of a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago when I joined volunteers planting bushes and shrubs on a roundabout in Hillmorton near the Stag & Pheasant pub. Rugby has an excellent reputation for its contribution to Britain in Bloom and this was Hillmorton’s first attempt at the Neighbourhood category in the regional campaign, with local people doing their bit to make the local environment more attractive. Rugby Borough Council supplied the shrubs but the hard work was put in by volunteers. I was pleased to have the opportunity to help, and will make a special detour each time I’m in the vicinity to see how the fruits of my labours are coming on!

Tuesday 10 April 2007

Its started


The campaign for the local elections is now fully under way with 15 seats up for grabs at Rugby Borough Council. As the Parliamentary candidate, I will be out with Conservative candidates in all of the wards we are contesting and have so far been out in three. In the attached photo I'm withMark Williams, our candidate in Admirals and the two existing Conservative Councillor there, Peter Butlin and Mike Stokes. Joining our canvassers is a great opportunity for me to meet people and get a feel of how they’re thinking. Obviously there are those people who remain loyal to the party they usually support, but I’m already getting a sense from people who weigh up the alternatives each time they vote, that Labour’s time is coming to an end. As one gentleman said to me the other evening “they’re getting past their sell-by date”. The results on the 4th May will be very interesting and a pointer to what will happen at the next General Election.

Thursday 5 April 2007

Council Babble

I see that at a teachers conference this Easter, a delegate is attacking “edu-babble”, which is incomprehensible jargon is often used as a status symbol within the profession. As I approach my last month as a councillor, I’ve been looking for example of similar “council-babble” from the many documents that pass across my desk. How about…”PA (Comprehensive Performance Assessment); NNDR (National Non Domestic Rates); BVPI (Best Value Performance Indicator); “Use of Resources Assessment”; VFM (Value for Money); MTFS (Medium Term Financial Strategy; “Member Champions” – all taken from the Audit Commissions ST&CC (don’t know!) Annual Audit & Inspection Letter in respect of Rugby Borough Council, March 2007. Councillors talk about “engaging” with the public, but how are the public meant to understand what is actually happening when so many reports are written in jargon?

Tuesday 3 April 2007

Pensions black hole

There is so much that is sleazy and just plain wrong in the stories that are emerging about Gordon Brown’s raid on pensions in his first budget. Its not just that he’s robbed millions of pensioners of security in retirement through his £100 billion stealth tax; not just that he ignored civil servants' advice and destroyed what was one of world's best pension systems; not just that the Treasury's policy papers were released late in the evening of last Friday after Parliament had risen for its Easter recess – all this is what we have now come to expect from Labour. The killer for me is the impact, again ignoring officials advice, on the economy as a whole. In 1997 the stock market was boyant which meant that many pensions funds were in surplus. With the Government taking billions out of pensions, companies had to make up the shortfall which in turn led to lower profits and lower returns to shareholders, the bulk of which are…the pension funds. This contributed to the fall in the stock market shortly after 1997 and anyone with a personal pension plan knows how it’s value fell between around 1999 and 2003/4. So there was a vicious circle in which everyone was a looser. No wonder Labour supporting pensioners have vowed never to vote for the party if Brown becomes leader.

Sunday 1 April 2007

Rugby for Rugby

I have spent the entire day at a junior Rugby tournament in Nuneaton. My son, Tom, plays for Rugby Lions under 15 Rugby team and they reached the semi final, loosing by just one try. It was great to see literally hundreds of lads getting stuck in and channelling the aggression that comes naturally to boys at that age in the right way. Also from my own experience as a player more years ago than I care to remember, there is noting quite like the feeing of “pulling together” in a team sport and doing your best, not just for yourself but also for your mates. The Rugby LionsU15s clearly have that bonding which is a tribute to them and their coaches. Today they did the game, their club and the town proud.

Sunday 25 March 2007

Seats and Candidates

I have just leant from ConservativeHome that David Mowat has been selected as candidate for Warrington South for the next election. David and I were in the same year at Lawrence Sheriff School. He has a Labour majority of 5,000 to overcome and with the way the polls are going, soon there could well be two Old Laurentians in the House. Not quite as many as Old Etonians but Gareth Redd will be pleased nevertheless.

Wednesday 21 March 2007

Visit to CCHQ


I spent yesterday in London. Firstly at Conservative Campaign Headquarters where I was shown the new offices in Millbank and later visiting some of my company's customers. While I was there a kind lady from the office took the second photo every candidate should have, the one outside the House of Commons from Parliament Square. You can expect to see a lot more of this one!

Today's budget

I spent the time Gordon Brown was on his feet delivering the budget at the funeral in Nuneaton of Harry Cawthorne, who was the Chairman of Nuneaton Conservatives at the time I was selected and a very generous man, one of a kind. So I wasn’t able to tune in to what was happening in the Commons and after a drink with the many friends I got to know in Nuneaton I rushed to the meeting of a working party at the Council offices.

I’ve just had the opportunity to catch up with the budget proposals looking at a couple of websites & listening to the news in the car. It looks as though Brown has tried to bring out some popular ideas such as the reduction in the basic rate of income tax, despite having next to no room to manoeuvre with spending already committed to massive levels. People and particularly those on lower incomes will think that they’re going to be better off but will loose out because the 10p in the pound rate on the first layer of income is being withdrawn. To maintain their income ,low earning families will have to apply for tax credits, which many of them fail to do as they are too complicated. At the other end of the scale those on higher earning will loose out as national insurance threshold increase. Add this to the buried Lyons report published today proposing an additional Council tax band for more expensive properties, there will be fewer winners from the budget than the Chancellor would have everyone believe. I guess the person intended to benefit from this budget was Brown himself, as he sets out his credentials for Labour MPs to select him as the next Prime Minister and from the reaction I’ve heard he has succeeded in this aim. The consequences for individual people and the country as a whole will be something else.

Monday 19 March 2007

The importance of house prices

There is a saying that when the US sneezes, Britain catches a cold. There are some interesting statistics coming out about the American housing market showing that in the past year median house prices have dropped by 9.3%. As a consequence 30 lenders have gone bankrupt and there is massive defaulting of debts, particularly where lenders provided 100% loans, or even 105 or 110% to pay for furniture. There’s no suggestion that this is about to happen here but with house prices at an all time high and borrowers self certifying for five times their salary our housing market is very susceptible to changes in interest rates. UK household debt is now £1,300 billion and repossessions are at the highest level since the early 1990s. Gordon Brown has managed to persuade commentators that he has safely handled the economy in his time as Chancellor but for many people things are not looking so rosy. As long as house prices remain on an upward trend, people and especially those who have got onto the property ladder will be happy, but just a modest adjustment will give those people another reason to question Labours suitability to remain in office.