Week in Westminster

It’s sad that Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) is what gets the media coverage – and yes it’s great political theatre, a modern-day gladiatorial contest. Parliament is at its best in the less exciting debates on legislation or as last Thursday when voting rights for prisoners was debated.

The Government are in a real dilemma on this one. The previous Labour administration had done their best to avoid making a decision I’m sure the present Government will try and keep it running for as long as they can.

The European Court of Human Rights was born after the Second World War in the wake of the horrors of that conflict but when that generation of political titans such Churchill and Attlee signed the Convention I’m sure they could never imagine that it would evolve and deliver the sort of judgements we are now seeing.

Human Rights should be something precious and if we lived under some tyrannical regime we would be looking for the protection the Convention offers. But we now deride its rulings. As I said in the debate talk in the pubs and clubs, highways and byways is that we link human rights with ‘health and safety’ as something that is damaging and constraining our way of life. Yes it’s true that the Health & Safety zealots have taken things too far but that shouldn’t be confused with such things as the right to a free trial and that torture should be outlawed.

To my way of thinking there is a contract between the State and its citizens that exchanges rights for responsibilities and the right to vote goes with obligations to society as a whole.

Governments almost always come to power on a tide of goodwill. This one was no exception but each time they make a decision that clearly flies in the face of those they represent they lengthen the distance between the elected and the electorate and start shuffling along the road that leads, eventually to defeat. That is the last things this country needs; it needs a period of firm and stable government.

The vote of itself changes nothing but it is a clear message to Government as to the feelings in Parliament which on this issue clearly reflected public opinion.

The Localism Bill is going through Parliament; generally speaking it’s good news. We’ve grown far too centralised over recent years – Whitehall knows best, or so Whitehall thinks. The reality is that locally accountable representatives should be making far more decisions and the Bill does devolve down much more authority than has existed in recent years.

That doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. One of its clauses allows social landlords such as Havelok or Shoreline to limit the length of its new tenancies to two years. I emphasise it is new tenancies and this doesn’t affect existing tenants, but I think it’s too short. I’ve met with a number of organisations who are lobbying to extend this and on Tuesday I put the case to ministers in the hope that they may consider extending the period.

I suspect they will stick to their guns and I acknowledge there are arguments in favour of creating a more flexible market and free up more properties to meet the demand which far exceeds supply, but I can’t go along with it.

Along with the other Yorkshire and Humberside Conservative members I met with the Home Secretary last Wednesday to talk through a host of issues. There was much talk of neighbourhood policing and the importance of PCSOs. We were assured that the Nei gbourhood Policing Fund was guaranteed for the coming two years and that the Government was pressing ahead with the introduction of elected police and crime commissioners who will be directly elected and give all electors some choice about police priorities and budgets. A welcome change.

This year’s budget was set by the Police Authority – one of the most anonymous organisations imaginable.

We can now look forward to electing our first Police Commissioner in 2012 and given the understandable concerns about crime and policing I urge everyone to take the opportunity of taking part.

Week in Westminster

It’s Thursday evening and, as usual I’m writing this article on my way back to the constituency. Most weeks I manage to catch the 19.03 from King’s Cross which, with a change at Doncaster, will get me in by ten. Occasionally things don’t go according to plan but on the whole I have few complaints about my weekly commute as even the first or last leg – the Tube between Westminster and King’s Cross despite been hot and crowded is part of an amazing network of people coming together to provide an intricate service that moves hundreds of thousands of people around every day.

I’ve always been fascinated by transport, most especially railways. I guess it all started in my pre-school years when we lived in Fuller Street, only about a hundred yards from where the trains passed under the old footbridge on their way into and out of Cleethorpes station. In those days steam predominated and rail enthusiasts among readers will recognise such classes as K3s, B1s and K2s.

On my journeys to London, as we pass through Retford, I still think back to my schoolboy trainspotting visits. Retford, of course, is on the East Coast main line and trains between London , the North & Scotland use to roar through Retford hauled by A2s, A3s & the streamlined A4s – ‘streaks’ as they were nicknamed.

Despite looking back through rose-coloured spectacles at those days I must acknowledge that the services today are vastly superior. In part this is because of track improvements, but today’s railways provide far more services than was the case, certainly in the 1960s. The oldest timetable I have is from 1963 and although Grimsby & Cleethorpes had a two through trains each day it has to be admitted that the hourly service we now enjoy is, overall better, but O how we could do with a through train. Not just for people like me but because it would be yet another plus point as we try to attract investment and the jobs come with it.

Alliance Railways are currently negotiating with the various authorities with a view providing four trains in each direction daily. It won’t happen until 2014 because the plans include new units that can run on electricity whilst on the main line but switch to diesel for the Doncaster to Cleethorpes section.

I mentioned earlier what a complex operation running a railway is; one glitch in the system can very quickly cascade down. The system must have sufficient slack in it to provide for the signalman who rings in ill or the driver who arrives late. When you get off the train in London even before you have time to walk to the end of the platform the cleaners are on board, the rubbish is being collected, new catering supplies are being loaded and pipes connected to empty the toilets, all aimed at turning the unit round as quickly as possible and getting it back into action.

It’s also been ‘transport day’ at Westminster the day having started with Transport Question Time. It tends to be only Prime Minister’s Question Time that ever hits the headlines but each day at least one set of Departmental ministers face the Commons. Today I and two of my colleagues from the area raised issues connected with the Humber Bridge.

Last week’s announcement that the Inquiry Inspector had recommended that the Board’s application for an increased toll be approved was, I’m afraid, inevitable given the anachronistic legislative framework in which they operate. All our hopes are now centred on the Treasury review that will report later this year. The Board should have waited until the outcome of the Review rather than implement the increase from October. All this is just another reason why irrespective of Review’s finding the Bridge Board must be reconstituted so that the councillors who sit as the peoples’ representatives can truly represent their constituents rather than the interest of the Board. 

Week in Westminster

The Autumn Statement delivered by Chancellor George Osborne a couple of weeks ago was a grim reminder of the fragile state of the world economy but it also highlighted the recognition by our Government of the need for growth and jobs in this corner of Lincolnshire and, as the Telegraph recognised in its ‘Opinion’ column last week the visits by key ministers to the area over recent months has certainly played a major part. Indeed Business Secretary Vince Cable acknowledged the fact in the House of Commons last week when I complimented the Government on delivery two Enterprise Zones, the Immingham Bypass project, successful Regional Growth Fund bids and, of course, the halving of the Humber Bridge Tolls.

It’s also worth noting that the meeting I, along with my colleagues from Scunthorpe and Brigg, had with David Cameron in late July to discuss how best to boost jobs and give a lift to the local economy has delivered – we had a wish-list when we went into the meeting and only one item as yet to be delivered – the upgrading of the A160 into Immingham Docks and all the indications are that it will be brought forward from its post-2015 start date.

 

Collectively these announcements will provide a much-needed boost to the local economy.

Last Tuesday I was able to attend an Awards Event at Central Hall, Westminster where schools within the Oasis Trust were gathered. It included The Immingham Academy from my own constituency and the Wintringham Academy from Grimsby.

It’s remarkable what these young people have achieved with various campaigns and initiatives. It’s very easy to tar all our youngsters with the same brush but here was evidence of what so many of them contribute to our communities.

The event was hosted by the founder of Oasis the Reverend Steve Chalke who was in Grimsby only a couple of weeks ago to address a meeting.

On Monday I was privileged attend an Advent Service in the Chapel at Lambeth Palace – the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official residence. It was a beautiful service replete with those hymns with haunting tunes so familiar during the Advent season.

From there I rushed back over the Thames to the Palace of Westminster for the annual Wilberforce lecture being given on this occasion by Education Secretary, Michael Gove. Michael is well on the way to transforming our education system with scores of academies being set up, and free schools established. The schools landscape is changing before our eyes.

It was William Wilberforce who led the battle that resulted in the abolition of slavery in this country. In politics you very quickly learn how difficult it is to change things – anything! Michael is making dramatic and much-needed change. Margaret Thatcher made real long-lasting changes and, in his early days, so did Tony Blair. Whether or not you agree with the changes you must admire those who succeed and make a difference.

As I write this article whilst travelling home from London I am reflecting on the debate that took place earlier today in advance of the European summit. We really are facing dramatic change. Two schools of thought have emerged about the outcome. There are those who subscribe to the point of view outlined in one of this morning’s newspapers. It suggests that if the summit goes wrong the scale of the disaster cannot be exaggerated because every bank in Europe will be bankrupt, output will fall, thousands of jobs will be lost and our standards of living will take many many years to get back to where we are now. It is therefore, so the argument goes, essential that the British Government do everything possible to save the Euro. Others argue that we should stand back, keep our distance and if it collapses so be it. After a couple of years in the doldrums our economy will pick up and all will be well. The problem is no one knows which is right.

By the time you read this the Summit will be over and we may know which course our leaders have taken, what we won’t know is whether or not it was the right one.

When I arrived at King’s Cross this evening to catch my usual 19.03 train the departure board was awash with that dread word delayed. No train had left for almost an hour, so no chance of my usual connection at Doncaster. It must be the weather I thought. All day the radio has been telling us how bad things are in Scotland.

But then the announcement came over the p.a. system – someone on the line has been struck by a train. This is the second time in a week something similar has happened. Last week my train came to a sudden halt near Grantham because the driver suspected he had hit someone. On that occasion all was well someone had had a very close escape.

This week the news is not as good a train has indeed hit someone. Was it an accident or suicide? Is the unfortunate person alive or dead? And what about the poor driver who, though he could have done nothing to prevent it, will have to live with the outcome.

Of course it’s annoying to be late, people want to get home after a long day but so many did not seem to be giving a thought to the reason they were being delayed and the people involved.