Brown comeback take 4

  06 May 2008

After the nightmayor of losing Ken Livingstone in London and hundreds of council seats, Gordon Brown has apparently launched a fightback in the last few days. On Sunday he was interviewed by Andrew Marr at 9.00 and Adam Boulton at 10.30 (sporting 2 layers of make up which gave him a rather orange look). The Sky News producer was enjoying Gordon Brown speaking so much that he cut him off mid flow to go to adverts during the interview. This fightback consists of saying they are listening and learning and then continuing to plough on with the same discredited policies. Also rather concerning is the fact that he he stated that the UK's low public debt means the Government can borrow more to cope with any slowdown. Doesn't he realise there is a good chance his golden rule will be broken soon with the massive public spending deficit. This really is a man in denial.

Ashby Radio

  02 May 2008

More good results coming in from the local elections. Brown`s comment that `it had been a very disappointing night` is a mastery of understatement.

I was interviewed by Alister Wheeldon of Ashby radio this morning for half an hour. We discussed local and national issues and of course the impact of the election results. I really do hope that Ashby radio are granted a full license to broadcast. The energy and enthusiasm of Alister and the team of volunteers running the station is palpable and should be encouraged and supported. Good Luck Ashby Community Radio.

 

A tour of DHL and local elections

  01 May 2008

I visited DHL`s UK hub operation at East Midlands Airport. We were taken round by Danny Pedri the vice president of hubs and gateways UK and Ireland also on the visit was my researcher Andrew Woodman and Brian Conway of the Manchester Airports group.

The operation provides 1000`s of high quality jobs in the constituency, but also due to the night flying it impacts on the quality of life of some of the local residents. We need to find ways to maximize the benefits of this facility and to minimize the negative impact.

I could not resist stopping up well after my usual bedtime to see the local election results coming in. A fantastic night for the Conservatives nationally, it brought back fond memories of the election night last May when we took control of NWLDC with the biggest swing in the country. Perhaps the 5 Labour Councillors who retained their seats last May were relieved that they did not have to face the electorate last night or they would have been wiped out completely.

I hope Boris can win in London which would really make the weekend.

However, there is no room for complacency despite these excellent results. We need to keep working hard right up to the next General election (2010?) getting our message across and persuading the electorate that there is a viable and credible Conservative alternative to Brown and this Labour Government which seems to be becoming more distant from the people by the day.
 

Myself in thw cargo hall at DHL with Danny Pedri

Four more illegal immigrants

  01 May 2008

Today staff at my factory found four illegal immigrants in a lorry load of potatoes from France being delivered to my company AB Produce.  The four were detained after being discovered in the trailer until Police officers from Coalville arrived to take them away. We don't know where as there's no space in any local stations (just like the prisons at the moment).  It is yet another example of why we desperately need a dedicated border police force, as this is the third time this has happened here in the last year.

Inflation fudge

  30 April 2008

Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling claim that inflation is running at only two per cent a year and you have to wonder where they do their shopping? For most families in North West Leicestershire and across the country, the real cost of living is going up and up.”

Since Brown came to power, the price of basic foods like bread, butter and eggs has increased by around 30 per cent. Petrol has gone up by 30 per cent, and electricity and gas bills have increased by 15 per cent. Council tax has doubled since Labour came to power, train fares have gone up by a third and the cost of running a car has increased by half. Conservatives say the residents of North West Leicestershire are being hit with both rising taxes and taxation – not just increasing inflation.

Increasing inflation is hitting the poorest in society hardest. Labour’s answer to rising inflation is a budget that will impose an extra £110 of taxes a year on the average family. Labour need to stop hitting people with more taxes and understand that life is getting very tough for people. On top of the rising prices of goods, we have the highest interest rates in the developed world, making mortgages, student loans and business credit more expensive. The last thing Britain needs is more tax from Labour.

A Conservative Government will be on the side of the working people. With a long-term plan to fix the country’s finances and make sure public money is spent properly. We aim, over time, to cut taxes and the cost of living to ensure people in North West Leicestershire aren’t completely priced out of everyday life.

 

Weekend Update

  28 April 2008

Saturday morning out and about with volunteers leafleting and canvassing in Hugglescote and Donington-le-Heath. A lovely sunny morning and the response on the doorstep was very pleasing, possibly the best I have ever encountered. After a hard week of campaigning the weather and the disposition of the constituents gave me a real boost. What an excellent morning a real pleasure to be out.

Sunday

Another bleak weekend for Labour in the Sunday papers and on the news. This Labour Government now seems to stagger from crisis to crisis, being blown about by events, not controlling them. You have to ask yourself can this continue for another two years? Will Labour ditch Brown? It is going to be interesting, however all that we can do is keep working hard to get our message across that there is a credible Conservative alternative to Labours insidious, expensive and inefficient bureaucracy.

On Sunday morning I attended the Ashby Civic Service at the Methodist Chapel on Burton road accompanied by Conservative councillors, then back home for Sunday lunch with the family and friends.

 

Gordon Brown's tax con victims

  26 April 2008

A couple of days ago, I received an e-mail from a concerned father who had seen one of our 10p tax band scrapping leaflets.

I am a conservative and was impressed by your leaflet and also very interested in your breakdown of the financial implications of the removal of the 10% tax band, however I do feel that you missed out one group of working people who are also affected and whose inclusion may have struck more of a chord with the general public than some of the other occupational groups. My son is serving in the Coldstream Guards and may well soon be sent to Afghanistan, he earns less than the minimum needed to avoid paying extra tax. Gordon Brown is obviously happy to send him to a war zone in what will probably be a pretty futile exercise and he is also obviously happy to see him penalised financially!!

I find it appalling that Gordon Brown has penalised those who are fighting and risking their lives for our country. It's bad enough that our soldiers are so poorly equipped, but this latest slap in the face will surely dent morale even further.
 

42 day detention

  24 April 2008

Brown says he won`t back down on the 42 day detention of suspects, given his track record of dithering  and u-turns, should we believe him?

I have noticed that Gordon Brown leads (and I use that word in its loosest term) a Government which is always taking things away from the people. They are taking away ever increasing amounts of our hard earned cash with their stealth taxes, they are taking away our access to local services by closing our post offices , local schools and now local GP practices and they also want to take away our liberty by introducing the (doomed to failure) ID card scheme and having the power to hold us for up to 42 days without charge. All of this is something Robert Mugabe would be proud of.

10p U turn!

  23 April 2008

As weak and dithering as ever, Gordon Brown has performed a semi u turn on the 10p tax band. He's now promising to return it to those who lost out in the form of winter fuel payments, tax credits and looking at increasing the minimum wage. This will not however reach all those who are affected by the change, and does mean further bureaucracy and costs to business.

Talking of business, today I received the Bank of England summary of business conditions.

As you will see, it tells of an easing of consumption growth, higher inflation and weak housing demand. Just the sort of time you want to be passing on more costs to business to deal with the legacy of Gordon's tax con budget.

10p headache for Gordon Brown

  22 April 2008

Over the past few days, my team and I have been pounding the streets with a leaflet that details who is affected by the 10p income tax rate being scrapped. Millions of workers are getting their pay packets this week and finding that at a time of high inflation, Gordon Brown has taken even more off them in tax. Certainly on the streets, there is a feeling of betrayal from a party that presents itself as caring about the poor.

As we know, it was part of a tax con budget whereby he failed to announce the 10p rate was being scrapped to wrongfoot the Conservatives and newspapers into thinking he was cutting taxes. As we enter an economic slowdown, Gordon's answer is more taxes. As Winston Churchill said

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.

Weekend Update

  21 April 2008

A typically busy weekend. On Friday night it was the North West Leicestershire Annual Civic Dinner at the Yew Tree lodge hotel Kegworth. A well attended event, with all the funds going to charity(nominated by the Chairman of the Council Cllr Ted Purver).The campaign team took a table and I played roulette for the first time and noticed a pattern in the game; all the chips were going to the croupier!! ( but the proceeds were going to charity). A good time was had by all.

On Saturday morning, despite a late night at the civic dinner, we were up and out leafleting early in the Snibston Ward early on Saturday morning. An amazing response from the residents, everyone seemed very pleased to see us and to take our leaflets.

On Sunday, I was up bright and early taking the children to Hood Park leisure centre Ashby for swimming lessons.

Later out with the family at the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts parade and church service at the Hermitage Leisure centre Whitwick to celebrate St Georges day. Our eldest son Alex paraded with the Ist Appleby with Measham Beaver colony. The weather was cold and windy, but at least the rain kept off. The service led by Rev John Downs was quite rightly aimed for the younger members of the congregation, with some rousing songs and some of the youngsters very bravely reading on stage. Our youngest son Ben will be joining the beavers this year and Alex will be going into the cubs. The event just shows once again what the voluntary sector can do and the essential work it performs. I am pleased to support the efforts of the scouting movement, both with my time when I can spare it and also financially when they need it.

I must admit I was glad to get back home to the hearthside on Sunday evening and a strong cup of tea, another busy weekend.

Post Office Closures and the EU

  20 April 2008

Roger Helmer MEP has sent me some interesting information about the role the EU has had with regards to the Post Office closure programme. This is what is sent:

'I am frequently asked whether Post Office closures are caused by EU rules.  I'm afraid the answer is Yes.  It's a long story, but visit Open Europe's excellent paper "The EU & You: How the EU affects your everyday life", at http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/euandyou.pdf.  On page 8 you'll see how the move to differential pricing by size of envelope is based on the EU Postal Services Directive, and reduced Post Office revenues resulting in cuts, and on page 16 you'll see how the same directive required market opening and liberalisation, which added to the pressure on margins.  Typically only three member-states (including the UK) have fully implemented the directive, so the German Bundespost gets a free ride in the UK, but the Post Office can't compete on the same basis in Germany.  We call this "the benefits of the Single Market".

Tax credit madness

  17 April 2008

A constituent has told me an all too familiar tale today. It is about an employer who has taken on a large order recently, and asked his staff if they would be willing to work overtime for the next few months to get the order out of the door in line with the customers delivery timescale. The staff tell him they would love the extra money, but due to the way our current Government administer the tax credit system would not be willing to do the overtime as it would push them over the tax credit threshold. The staff would then have to pay back tax credits and it would all get very messy and complicated.

I've passed this information on to Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Alan Duncan. It's becoming clear that under its present guise, tax credits keep people in thrall to the state when they have the ability to take control of their own lives and are a noose around the neck of our economy.

Gordon Brown's desperate measures

  16 April 2008

Gordon Brown is trying to play down the economic problems facing the country at the moment, and claiming everything is safe in his hands. Well the facts don't seem to bear this out. Yesterday he had the top high street bankers in at Number 10 to ask them to pass on Bank of England interest rate cuts, today Halifax put mortgage rates up. It's not surprising the the bankers take no notice of him, given the fact that state owned Northern Rock is yet to pass on the interest rate cuts of last week.

In another comical Ali outburst, he claimed the billions of pounds the country has lost through his botched sale of gold was the fault of the Conservatives. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was Gordon Brown who sold our gold reserves at the bottom of the market. Add to this his wayward Public Borrowing forecasts, his incredible claim that inflation is only just over 2% when families are facing real inflation increases of triple those, and the average £110 tax increases from the last budget shows why this man has no credibilty, and is not fit to serve as our Prime Minister.

Weekend Update

  14 April 2008

On Saturday morning, I was leafleting in Whitwick and recruiting more volunteers and supporters to help with the cause.

On Sunday, it was our youngest son`s fifth birthday party, with all of his friends from school invited to Hood Park leisure centre. We held a joint party with one of his best friends Toby. All the children seemed to very much enjoy the go-karting in the sports hall. Thanks to `Kartz for Kidz` for the making sure the driving was both safe and fun for the children. Then it was everyone upstairs for pop, sandwiches and birthday cake.

Reading the Sunday Times this weekend must be worrying for our political opponents. A poll indicating a 16 point lead for us over Labour however is not cause for complacency, there is a long way to go and a lot of work to be done to ensure a Conservative victory at the next General Election which is looking more like 2010 with every new opinion poll.

Brown must however be ruing the `election that never was` in November last year. Due to his lack of courage and dithering Brown has given us a priceless gift, the gift of time; time to build up our campaign and our support base, but also time for the electorate to see Brown and his Labour Government for what they really are; incompetent, worn out and out of touch with the people.

Adding insult to injury

  11 April 2008

I've just been to Packington to meet with Councillor Nigel Smith who is dealing with the aftermath of the Government forced Post Office closure. To add insult to injury, not only have the Post Office removed the Post Office but also the Post box.  This means the nearest Post box is in Ashby which is quite a walk to post a letter. It looks like Government incompetence is seeping through to the Post Office. Following complaints to the Post Office customer services, temporary provision has been offered thanks to the public spirited nature of Mr Pete Swift at Daybreak Services. However this temporary post box can only be available during shop opening hours, and is not an acceptable long term solution.



Cllr Nigel Smith and myself with the temporary box

You can catch up on my recent press releases  here

David Cameron speaks

  08 April 2008

This evening David Cameron appeared in a Party Political Broadcast for the party. You can access it here. David spoke on how top down government is not the answer to the problems of the country, but real change such as local accountable policing. How different this message is compared to Labour's effort last night with Gordon Brown faking a smile to talk up Labour's achievements in the face of public disillusionment.

Part of that disillusionment is the fall out from Gordon Brown's tax con last year when he abolished the 10p rate,. This measure increased the income tax for over 5 million low paid workers. A pdf outlining the effect of this tax change can be viewed here.

Today is Labour`s Tax the Poor Day

  07 April 2008

By abolishing the 10p starting rate for Tax and replacing it with the 20p rate Labour have increased its tax take from over 5 million of our nations lowest paid workers.

This is a further disincentive for people to take a job and increases the attractiveness of remaining on benefits and being economically inactive. The tax changes take affect today, which is a black day for both low paid workers and the country as a whole. Some people will be able to get the tax back through Labour`s very complicated tax credit system. Why does this Government keep taxing people and then give some of them tax credits so they can get it back? Why tax them at all. Typical  Labour waste and bureaucracy. The next Conservative Government must work hard to raise the starting rate of tax to well above its current level, making the need for tax credits redundant and providing an incentive for everyone to work and make a contribution to our society. I also think that if the people who are now trapped in the benefits culture were economically active the numbers suffering from stress and depression would drop dramatically as a result. Work provides people with far more than just an income, it gives a feeling of self-worth and personal respect which is essential to our ongoing well being.

Labour is not the party of the worker , but the party that keeps the worker where it wants them reliant on the State who takes tax from them with one hand and gives them some back as a tax credit with the other while creating an inefficient and costly bureaucracy to administer it all.

Weekend Update

  07 April 2008

On Saturday morning, I was leafleting in Whitwick with volunteers. A wet and windy morning, but a warm reception from the residents of Whitwick expressing concerns about the direction the country is heading in under Labour.

On Saturday afternoon, I went on a village litter pick in Donisthorpe with my wife Coucillor Jackie Bridgen (Councillor for this Ward) and our two sons who helped out with the village litter pick. We met and collected our litter picking sticks and bin bags from the Woodland Centre (formerly DM`s) in Donisthorpe. We picked up a couple of bags of litter before the torrential rain came (and snow). The cup of tea after was much needed and the children played at `Jungle Madness` for half an hour as a treat for their enthusiastic help. It is very pleasing to see and be able to support local people taking positive action to clean up their own village. I believe this sort of local responsibility needs to be encouraged as it builds a firm sense of community spirit so lacking in our society today. The number of young people present also bodes well for the future and sends out a strong message. Well done everyone who took part.

 

We need to stop failing our Armed Services

  04 April 2008

On Wednesday I talked with Dr Liam Fox about our Armed Services and the way Labour have treated them with utter contempt. I believe that the defence budget is actually like a National Insurance scheme, and at times of increased world tensions and risks we should not be surprised if the `premium` had to go up.

Dr Fox indicated that despite our brave servicemen and women being involved in numerous sustained conflicts. Labour will be pushing through more Defence spending cuts. Dr Fox asked what was left to cut. It is obvious that Labour does not understand or relate on any level to our armed forces which is probably why they have treated them and their dependants so poorly over the last 11 years. One shocking example of this neglect is in the provision of health care for Forces families and dependants. Because of the nature of the job forces families and dependants tend to relocate on a regular basis, which causes problems when they need to access NHS treatment. Often as they are moving up the local waiting list they are moved to another part of the country where they go immediately back to the bottom of the waiting list for that
new area. This makes it very difficult for forces families to get effective and timely treatment. If this Labour Government had any concern and compassion for these people they would be able to keep their place on the waiting list if they had to relocate due to Service demands.

When the next Conservative Government gets into Office there will be an enormous amount of work to be done to rebuild the morale and reputation of our armed forces, and to show these courageous volunteers that the Conservatives will maintain and strengthen the Military Covenant that Labour has broken.

You can catch up on my recent press releases  here

Another future MP

  03 April 2008

Congratulations to Cllr Matthew Blain who has just passed his PAB selection and is now an approved Conservative candidate. Matthew can now apply for selection as a Parliamentary Candidate.  Matthew has demonstrated that he is a very capable District Councilor and is doing a great job as Council Deputy Leader and in his special roll in charge of the redevelopment of Coalville town centre. Well done Matthew and good luck with getting a Parliamentary seat to fight at the next General Election, I believe you would make a great MP.

An early start and a day of coincidences

  03 April 2008

It was a very early start for my agent Paul Oakden and myself. We left North West Leicestershire at 0415hrs and headed to London to a full itinerary, which as it happened was a day full of coincidences.

Myself and Dr Liam Fox Shadow Minister for Defence, We had a breakfast meeting at the `Gurkin Building` in the City of London. Dr Fox and I had an open discussion of the current situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Kosovo. It was great to get a full briefing by one of our most experienced Shadow Ministers who is completely on top of his brief and was offering real solutions to the challenges facing the Ministry of Defence and this country. I thanked Dr Fox for visiting North West Leicestershire two weeks ago and apologized for my absence. We and then shared a taxi to the Houses of Parliament where Dr Fox very generously gave Paul and myself a personal tour of the Palace of Westminster and told us a lot of its history. We entered the Houses of Parliament via Portcullis House and bumped into David Cameron our party leader who stopped and took the time to have a few words with us.

After leaving `the House` our next port of call was CCHQ at Millbank just round the corner for a meeting with Marion Little our `Battleground Director` for the Central Midlands.

I had a lunch meeting at the Carlton Club and guess who was also there for a meeting? Dr Liam Fox !! who immediately came over and introduced himself to my guests, which really made their afternoon. Who says London is a big place?

It was early evening when we got back into North West Leicestershire and reflected on what had been a tiring but very satisfying day in the capital.

Harriet Harman scared to walk the streets

  01 April 2008

I spotted this story today which interested me. Hot on the heels of the Home Secretary saying she felt unsafe walking alone in London at night, Harriett Harman it seems, needs 3 police officers and a stab proof jacket to walk round her constituency. Doesn't really square with the message from Labour that they are tackling crime and it's going down. Ms Harman said  "It was just a courtesy" to wear the vest.  I certainly didn't feel the need to wear stab proof vests when i went out on the beat with the police several times last year. Perhaps Labour Ministers actually do fear crime whilst telling the public it's going down. Yet more dishonesty from this tired government.

This morning I went leafleting in Blackfordby and Coleorton (without a stab proof vest may I add).

MEP Selection Result

  30 March 2008

The result of the ballot for the Conservative candidates for European Parliament election has been announced, and the East Midlands has an excellent team of 5 candidates led by current MEP Roger Helmer. As the election is based on regions and proportional representation, the candidates are ranked 1-5. Last time Conservatives won 2 seats out of 6. This time the East Midlands has been reduced to 5 seats.

The candidate rankings are
1.Roger Helmer MEP
2.Emma McClarkin
3.Rupert Matthews
4.Fiona Bulmer
5.George Lee

I send my congratulations to all the selected candidates, and look forward to campaigning for their election to the European Parliament.
Over the weekend I have been leafleting my home village of Coleorton and bumped into many friendly faces desperate for change in this country and a Conservative government. Becoming a very regular occurrence lately.  

Thursday Exercise

  27 March 2008

Refreshed from my holiday, I thought it would be a nice day to leaflet the village of Swannington with my agent Paul Oakden. It was great to meet people on the doorsteps and in their gardens, numerous people who claimed to have `always voted Labour in the past` were now saying that they are going to vote Conservative, which is most encouraging.