Farming / DEFRA Update

Yesterday I had a good meeting with Richard Benyon and Caroline Spelman, the DEFRA Ministers.
We have been trying to engage with DEFRA on a number of key issues in the last few months and fundamentally helping them to try and make their Ministry more supportive of rural communities. The old adage was that DEFRA was there to catch out farmers and not help them. That, I hope, is changing, albeit it is taking time.

We discussed everything from
- The Forestry Review [the final report from the Independent panel is confirmed to be expected in June]
- Bats and the Habitat Dierective [statement in the House on Thursday]
- the Nitrates Directive on slurry [progress is being made]
- CAP Reform [on going, as ever]
- Private Water Treatment Testing [Richard Benyon is looking into this again]
- Flooding action [lots of good work done]

and a lot more...
I am hoping to make a number of announcements to the Courant in the near future on a variety of these matters

The Queen in Parliament for her Jubilee

The sun is shining in London today - the day the Queen is coming to parliament to address the House of Commons and the House of Lords. This is in celebration of the Jubilee and also for a special celebration window to be unveiled to her. It will take place in Westminster Hall, the ancient hall which is the founding hall of parliament, and where every week I welcome schools who visit the House.
The first recorded address by both Houses was in 1540 and throughout history, the subject matter of addresses has been varied. While some earlier addresses were contentious, pressing on the government particular courses of action; increasingly addresses have been used for expressions of congratulation or condolence.
The Diamond Jubilee window consists of up to 1,500 pieces, and takes its inspiration from the seventeenth century heraldic art and this country’s long tradition of stained glass. The design process involved looking at heraldic art in other media, particularly woodcarving, in order to provide the three dimensional quality and the liveliness that the artist desired. The window was designed and made by British artist John Reyntiens working with a team of experienced draftsmen, painters and technicians in his studio. The window will remain on display so that visitors can examine the craftsmanship in detail until it is formally installed in the three central panels of the north window in Westminster Hall.

Full credit to my colleague Michael Ellis MP who has organised this window. I should add, in this time of budgets, that the cost of the window has been met entirely by voluntary subscription by members of the House of Commons, House of Lords and staff at the Houses of Parliament as a thank you to Her Majesty. I paid my contribution willingly - and am a huge supporter of the amazing work she does. I wish her Majesty very well.

Letter to the Telegraph on the Budget

This is my letter to the Saturday Telegraph:

A fair tax on wealth
SIR – There has been a lot of debate about whether to tax income or wealth in the forthcoming Budget. I believe anyone on the minimum wage working a full week should not pay income tax, and we must find a way to exempt them.

I think that a type of mansion tax is the sensible way to pay for this. A bit of extra tax on properties over £2 million seems perfectly fair to me, especially given the huge benefits to the poorest in society.

The average house price in the UK is £161,545. In the North East, where my constituency of Hexham is, it is £102,066. At what point did it become “Conservative” to worry about those with a £2 million house, before those struggling to pay a £100,000 mortgage?

Too often we are talking about the 50p rate of income tax. We should be the party of the strivers, of aspiration, of helping those who want to get on in life. These are the principles and priorities that we must focus on. These are the people who must benefit from Wednesday’s Budget.

Guy Opperman MP (Con)

"I am just going outside and may be some time" - Remembering Captain "Titus" Oates 100 years on...

On a day between the 16-18th March 1912, 100 years ago, Captain "Titus" Oates died of exposure in the Antartic cold. He had been suffering desperately from his injuries as he and his comrades faced a titanic struggle to walk back from their journey to the South Pole. Realising he was impeding the lives of his friends he decided to leave the tent, and walked out into the blizzard and certain death, leaving his comrades with the famous words:
"I am just going outside and may be some time".

Born on the 17 March 1880 his death is rightly seen as the ultimate act of self-sacrifice.
His life story was truly remarkable. I have always admired him as he was the ultimate horseman and a great soldier. His body was never found. Sadly his sacrifice was in vain - Captain Scott, Bowers and Wilson all died 10 days later of the cold and exposure.
The Oates Museum at Gilbert White's House, Selborne, Hampshire focuses on his life, and is a wonderful museum. His reindeer-skin sleeping bag was recovered and is now displayed in the museum of the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge with other items from the expedition - the 100th century exhibition this year is well worth going to I am told. Oates Boer war medals - the Queen's South Africa Medal with bars and the Polar Medal are held by the Museum of The Royal Dragoon Guards in York.
A great man. The world was very different 100 years ago.

Rowan Williams announces he is going to stand down. Who will be the next Archbishop?

Rowan Williams feelings upon deciding to retire as Archbishop - as interpreted by the legendary Matt:
there is no doubt that the job of being the Archbishop of Canterbury is one of the toughest jobs - something that would stretch anyone. I have nothing but praise for the work of Dr Rowan Williams. He was confirmed as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 77-million-strong Anglican Communion in December 2002, and will step down at the end of this year.

The procedure for the next Archbishop is as follows:
Dr Williams' successor will be named by the Prime Minister, after being given a "preferred name" by the Church's appointments commission, which is made up of three clergy and three members of the laity. It is chaired by a civil servant.
The widespread favourite is Dr John Sentamu, the Bishop of York.
I often see John Sentamu on the train to and from the North East [we are both in second class]. I do not think I have ever come across a man who smiles so much. If faith is about inner peace then Dr Sentamu seems to have it absolutely.
However, I note that the Bishop of York has initially said he would not want the job. Many locals in Northumberland would suggest that Canon Graham Usher would be perfect for the job but we are reluctantly to let him go as yet!

Finally, a word on Dr Williams:
Dr Williams said his successor would need the "constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros". He described the Church of England as a "great treasure" which was still a place where many people sought inspiration and comfort in times of need. He added, "I would like the successor that God would like."
"But he will, I think, have to look with positive, hopeful eyes on a Church which, for all its problems, is still, for so many people, a place to which they resort in times of need and crisis, a place to which they look for inspiration. I think the Church of England is a great treasure. I wish my successor well in the stewardship of it."
We should be proud of the efforts this good man has made to steer the Church through difficult times.

Article for ConHome: Put low earners first

Today ConservativeHome have published my article calling for the scrapping of income tax on the lowest paid and the introduction of a mansion tax:

In the run up to the budget MP's up and down the country get asked what they would like to see the Chancellor do when he stands at the dispatch box to deliver his budget.

The government has very little money, which means very little help to go around. But I believe very strongly that those at the bottom must get the help first.  Under the previous Labour Government millions of people on low incomes were forced to pay hundreds of pounds in income tax every year. Hands up who remembers the 10p tax?

A mum working full-time, stacking shelves in my constituency, earning just the minimum wage, has nearly £1000 taken from her in income tax. In fact, everyone on the minimum wage putting in a full weeks work does. That's wrong.

The Government is right to be raising the tax threshold to £10,000, which will put £700 into the pockets of everyone working hard for a living. But I would like to see the Government go further.

I believe that nobody earning the minimum wage and working a standard week should pay tax on that income.  This is a radical proposal, but one I believe is right. It's not Lib Dem policy. Nor is it Conservative policy. But it should be. It's one I'll be championing, alongside supporting the fantastic Right Angle project by my friend Robert Halfon MP.

Over past weeks, on ConservativeHome, Tim has outlined practical ways we can reconnect with the North, and indeed the wider country to help us win a majority. However it's not just our campaigning priorities we need to fix, it's our principles too.

Since when did helping those on the lowest incomes be something only the Lib Dems and Labour talked about? What has happened to our party? We are the party of Right to Buy, of the Strivers, of aspiration,  of helping those who want to get on in life. Yet too often we are talking about the 50p tax, a tax which effects those on six times the average salary, rather than the taxes on the lowest paid.

Of course, unlike Labour, I know that any tax cut has to be paid for, and unlike Labour I know borrowing more money is out of the question. There can be no unfunded tax cuts.

That's why I do support calls for a mansion tax. A bit of extra tax on properties over £2million seems perfectly fair to me.

There are lots of ways such a tax could be made to work. I would propose the tax would be paid only when a property is sold - becoming a mansion sales tax, in many ways what Stamp Duty was always designed for.

I have heard a lot about why a Mansion Tax is unfair on those it would hit. At what point did it become 'Conservative' to worry about those with a £2million house, before those struggling to pay a £100,000 mortgage? Think about that for a minute. Not a £200,000 house, but TWO MILLION.

The average house price in the UK is £161,545. In the North East, the region I represent, it is £102,066. If we ever want to win significant numbers of seats in the North again, and we must to win a majority, we need to remember those figures every time we talk about our tax and spend priorities.

It's not envy to ask those with the broadest shoulders to help those at the bottom. It's called fairness.

Assisted Suicide Debate

Parliament sees a serious issue of conscience debate coming up on Tuesday 27th March. I had wanted to be at the Fuel Poverty day that we and the OFT have organised in Northumberland but have decided to stay in Westminster to debate the issue of assisted suicide. I have received significant correspondence on the issue and have already spoken briefly on it before in the House last month.

The motion is that
"This House welcomes the Director of Public Prosecutions Policy to prosecutors in respect of cases of encouraging or assisting suicide, as published in February 2010,"
with a secondary debate on
"whether the government should be invited to put the guidance on a statutory basis."

There is no whip or government advice, as it is matter of conscience, and I am taking soundings in the constituency before speaking, but I am, of course, aware of the strong feelings on both sides of the argument. I am a huge supporter of palliative care and have been supporting and campaigning at length on this issue recently. I am also mindful of the excellent work done by the north east NHS, which has launched its Deciding Right initiative on end of life care [I stress the NHS intitaitve relates to advice, and care and not anything to do with assisted suicide].
Many constituents and MPs will argue very strongly on religious and other grounds that assisted suicide should not be allowed, and there are significant and real issues on both the probity and the practicalities of the state authorising such assistance. However, I am very mindful of the experience I, and other members of my family, have been through and will certainly be speaking in the debate: I certainly welcome the work of the DPP, Keir Starmer, and will support the precise wording of the motion. It is clearly a step in the right direction to have clarity. The vexed issue of what further steps the state should authorise, and what rights a person has to be assisted in ending their own life is something that will create a signficant debate. For my part I believe a person's life belongs to that person, and his or her loved ones, and I will need a lot persuading that the state knows best, and that there is no way around the clear problems that do exist. I am aware that many constituents have written in but I would ask for their patience as I wish to reply in detail.

Keeping Northumberland Whole! Boundary Change Update

The Allen Valley - part of the countryside the Boundary Commission tried to take from the Northumberland seat...
Thank you so much to the people of Northumberland.
The Boundary Change Committee have published the full list of responses to the Consultation on Hexhams Boundaries, and the rest of the North East.
You can try and go to the website but it is tough reading so here are the stats for you:
For the entire North East [29 seats] there were 1950 representations.
Of those 950 [ie 50%] related to the Hexham our constituency ... this is a staggering figure:
This means half of all the responses for the North East in its entirety concern Hexham. The other 50% related to the other 28 constituencies in the North East put together! So I think we can be pretty satisfied our campaign worked. Of the responses, about 550 were made up of our leaflet [which we hand delivered across the region] and 450 individual letters which is great going.

There was also a strong representations from Rothbury. Almost every one of the representations objected to the commissions proposals. The majority that did object supported our counter proposal. There was no significant dissent from our Counter proposal.
Of the parish councils who wrote in 21 out of 22 supported our desire to keep Northumberland whole. It remains a mystery to me why Prudhoe town council wanted to break up Northumberland.
Many thanks to all the Councillors, members of the public and other individuals who wrote in.
I should add that all three political parties supported our Counter proposal in their official submission.

Parliament pays tribute to the Queen and her Diamond Jubilee -

Last week the House of Commons presented a humble Address to Her Majesty The Queen to mark the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. David Cameron led tributes, highlights of which are summarised below.
The Queen's grace and dignity: "On her first address to the nation as Queen, Her Majesty pledged that throughout all her life and with all her heart, she would strive to be worthy of the people’s trust. This she has achieved beyond question. The nation holds her in its heart not just as the figurehead of an institution, but as an individual who has served this country with unerring grace, dignity and decency."
The Queen has adapted to a changing world: "While the sands of culture shift and the tides of politics ebb and flow, Her Majesty has been a permanent anchor – bracing Britain against the storms, grounding us in certainty. And crucially, simultaneously, she has moved the Monarchy forward. It has been said that “the art of progress is to preserve order amid change and change amid order”, and in this the Queen is unparalleled. She has never shut the door on the future; instead, she has led the way through it. Ushering in the television cameras. Opening up the Royal Collection and the Palaces. Hosting receptions and awards ceremonies for every area of public life."
The Queen's years of work: "Over sixty years, according to one royal biographer, she has met four million people in person equivalent to the population of New Zealand. In terms of garden parties alone, she has invited some two million people to tea. She is, of course, Queen of sixteen countries and has surely travelled more widely than any other Head of State in history. As she herself has been heard to say – and it is a lesson for all of us in this House – ‘I have to be seen to be believed.’"
The Queen's statesmanship: "Like her previous eleven Prime Ministers, I have been struck by Her Majesty’s perspective on world events. And like my predecessors I am truly grateful for the way she handles our national interests. Last year’s visit to Ireland was a lesson in statecraft. It showed once again that the Queen can extend the hand of friendship like no other."
The Queen's role in building the Commonwealth: "It is doubtful whether this great alliance would ever have thrived without the dedication of Her Majesty. When the Queen became Head of the Commonwealth in 1952, it had eight members; today, it has 54. No one has done more to promote this unique family of nations, spanning every continent, all the main religions and nearly a third of the world’s population. And in all her realms... she is loved because she is a Queen for everyone; for each of us and all of us."
The Diamond Jubilee gives us the chance to show our gratitude: "By the time she opens the Olympics, the Queen’s Jubilee tour will have taken her and Prince Philip to every part of the United Kingdom. In June, London will see a huge pop concert, a great procession and the largest gathering on the Thames for more than three centuries barges and cutters; narrow boats and motor boats square riggers, naval vessels, the little ships of Dunkirk all of them will be there to pay tribute to our magnificent Queen. Diamond is an appropriate epithet for this Jubilee. For sixty years Her Majesty has been a point of light in our national life; brilliant, enduring and resilient. For that she has the respect of this House, and the enduring affection of her people."

At work in westminster - but Cheltenham racing might be on in the background this week!

Everyone knows I am overweight former jockey, and this week it is Cheltenham - the Olympics of steeplechasing. Sadly I have had to turn down an invite to go to the Gold Cup on Friday but at the risk of losing all your money here would be my tips for the festival [in truth if you want to double your money fold it and put it back in your pocket]:
Tuesday:
- Montbazon in the novices opener for alan king
- Binocular each way in the Champion Hurdle - McCoy will be giving everything hes got
- Wedger Pardy in the cross country [jockey went the wrong course last time]

Friday is Gold Cup day: I will be glued to the TV at 3.15 to see Kauto Star beat Long Run which is my romantic choice, with Midnight Legend a good bet for a place. De Boitron is a good bet in the last race
Now do not blame me if you lose your shirt but many years ago I used to be a tipster and I do like all these horses!
Good news is female jocvkeys like Lucy Alexander are breaking into the ranks, and may have a winner, and here's hoping the whip rules bed down and cause no problems.
When all is said and done - of course I am having a bet or two...
PS
If you are fiscally conservative and have an eye on the budget next Tuesday then doubtless you will have money on a nice horse called Quantitative Easing in the 2.40 on Tuesday

We know what Labour are against - but what would they do?

Since Ed Miliband reshuffled his shadow cabinet in early October, the Labour party has issued 830 press releases.
Out of these, there have been just two on spending restraint / deficit reduction. Two.
In terms of Labour’s media effort since this shadow cabinet was appointed, the party has devoted 0.25% of its output to tackling the reason it lost the last election.
The two press releases came in January, like buses, when Ed Miliband and Ed Balls gave speeches on public sector pay restraint a couple of days apart.
But since then, nothing. In the House of Commons the standard question I ask Labour MPs is, "what would you do? How would you cut back spending such that we only make £300 for every £400 we are spending?"
The reality is that all they do is oppose every single spending cut. Remember this: every single spending cut has been opposed.
As one Labour supporter recently put it:
"Having a hole in the middle of your product might work if you are marketing a polo mint or a doughnut, but it makes less sense when trying to construct a viable economic alternative."

It is for this total inability to understand basic finance that Gordon Brown got this great country hock deep in debt. Last Sunday brought a pivotal result in the polling. One of the intermittent questions asked by YouGov is whether voters prioritise action on the deficit or growth.

In last Sunday’s results, 38% agreed with the proposition that the government should stick to its current strategy of reducing the deficit, even if growth remains slow while 34% agreed with the statement that the government should change its strategy to concentrate on growth even if this means the deficit stays longer or gets worse.

Ed Miliband is a decent man: but until he persuades Ed Balls to accept that you cannot spend your way out of a debt crisis, he will have no credibility on the economy. I want to balance the books and get this country going again. I do not want our children burdened with an ever increasing debt that they should not be responsible for.

Humshaugh Village Shop wins North East Regional Champion Countryside Alliance / Daily Telegraph Villlage Shop Award

Humshaugh Community Village Shop is truly special and a success story on so many levels: its proof that when a determined and enlightened group of local people decide to take control of their village's destiny anything can happen.
This week I was delighted to welcome 3 of their representatives - Steve Robins, Sally Douglas and Ray Blanckley - to London for the Countryside Alliance / Daily Telegraph Awards: they left behind dozens of the other volunteers. Steve was snaffled by Gerry Foley for ITV Tyne Tees News, as part of the media blitz and many photographs / reports will follow.
I have unashamedly taken part of Sallys report of the day, which described the ceremony:
"The presenter for the Awards was Kate Hoey MP and our category was the first to be announced so we quickly found ourselves in the spotlight being presented by Richard Benyon MP (DEFRA) - much applause and many congratulations from all round. Much praise also for the fact that the shop is run by the community, for the community and that any profit is ploughed back into the village."
There was great admiration for the famous Humshaugh Village Shop bag - which is now known worldwide - see:
http://www.humshaughshop.co.uk/?page_id=410

My hope is that we can take all the lessons learnt from this amazing shop to other community organisations in Northumberland and around the country. My view is that there is much more that we will be hearing of from Humshaugh in terms of what they can teach others to help their own local communities.

A bad week in Westminster - RIP our soldiers and nationals lost in Afghanistan and Nigeria

Wednesday and Thursday in the House of Commomns depressed me hugely. Too many good people lost their lives this week. There were tragedies in Afghanistan and then in Nigeria. Everyone in the House of Commons is acutely aware that our troops are fighting in far off lands. Every Wednesday before PMQs the names of those who have been lost are read out. I know that all off my colleagues across the House of Commons worry desperately about our troops in Afghanistan, and whether we are doing the right thing. The time table for withdrawal is 2014. The plan is, at least, now clear - train up the Afghan Military and Police so that they can police their own country, and then leave. That is the fundamental focus of everything the Allied troops are doing. For many years I have had grave doubts about whether we are the problem or the solution by being in Afghanistan in the way we are. However, I see no choice but to see this through, given where we are now.
I have met many of the troops on the ground and they all speak of actually making a difference by being there in Afghanistan, and previously in Iraq. Their professionalism and commitment is beyond question. Politics is many things but it is fundamentally about making hard decisions. The losses in Afghanistan were compounded by the failed rescue attempt of a British and Italian National in Northern Nigeria on Thursday. They were shot by their extremist captors whilst special British Forces were attempting to rescue them - at great risk to themselves.
There is a reason Prime Ministers go grey - leave aside all the tough decisions on the economy, welfare, NHS to name but a few. The decisions as to whether you put someone's life at risk is a judgment call that weighs heavily on the leaders mind before, during and for ever after that decision is made.
I feel it too, although a long way from the decision making process.

My week on defence was punctuated by a good meeting on Monday with the new Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, MP, who has promised to come to Northumberland and see 39 Royal Artillery and the Albermarle Barracks, when time allows; then I got the chance to speak up for Veterans and their Mental Health upon discharge.
You can read my speech by going to this link - it is a speech I am very pleased to have made and my thanks to all the support groups and charities like the Royal British Legion and Veterans in Action who helped in the drafting:

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2012-03-07a.302.1&s=speaker%3A24962#g308.0

2000 new jobs

Some great news for the region - Nissan is soon to create 2,000 jobs after announcing they will build its new model in Sunderland.

The production of the new model will create 400 direct jobs at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. The key is that it will also create 1,600 jobs in the factory’s supply chain, much of which is based in the North East and is mainly small and medium businesses.

Trevor Mann, Nissan’s senior vice president for manufacturing in Europe said:

“I’m delighted Sunderland has secured what will be another very important model for Nissan in Europe. It is a testament to the workforce, the ongoing support from the UK Government and all of our regional partners and suppliers."

Victory for the WI in Heddon

The never-say-die ladies of the Women’s Institute have triumphed in the battle of the bill. Heddon-on-the-Wall WI, Northumberland’s oldest branch, have been told by energy giant Npower that the £5000+ electricity bill which threatened their future has been dropped. It was a bill created after an NPower error dating back several years. I am also pleased that as a gesture of goodwill, npower chief executive Volker Beckers has also refunded the branch’s regular £530 power bill.
I wish the Heddon branch, which celebrates its 95th anniversary this year many congratulations.
Paul Tully in todays Journal has a full breakdown of the story and quotes the happy secretary Pauline Wright who declared: “It’s taken us by surprise – but what a very, very pleasant surprise! I received a phone call from a senior official at npower to tell me that they had finally decided to scrap the bill – and on top of that, refund the regular bill.
“It’s fantastic news and gives us an extra reason to celebrate at our birthday party on Monday.”

Read the sory in full here: http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/03/05/heddon-on-the-wall-wi-win-battle-over-electricity-bill-61634-30459697/

Putin wins in Russia - will this mean a change in Syria?

Vladimir Putin, last night won the Russian election. He is President for the second time - even though the old law meant that this was not supposed to be possible. Leave aside whether he is a good President, or whether it was right for him to engineer a change in the law to ensure that he was allowed to run for President again - previously there was a constitutional ban on a third consecutive term as president, and leave aside many of the other ramifications concerning electoral fraud, and russia being effectively a one party state.
He will now be in office until 2018, and possibly longer, unless there is a Russian Spring.
Of more concern in the short term is the Russian attitude to Syria - they have been staunch supporters of Assad, and blocked the UN sanction attempt. Before the election the Times ran a story asbout how Putin may be softening his support for Syria. It is on this international issue that the new President will first be judged.

A busy week ahead - local banks, police commissioners and a lot more

Have a very busy first few days of this week coming up
- Monday: very pleased that our long awaited meeting with Hector Sants of the FSA is taking place in Westminster, along with the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie MP. We will be discussing local banks and discussing ways in which it may be easier to set up the Bank of Hexham or the Bank of Northumberland. Then meeting with Philip Hammond, the Minister for Defence.
- Tuesday: up early on the 7am morning train to Newcastle for meetings with Nick Herbert the Police Minister who is in the region, plus a meeting about the Charlotte Straker Hospice in Corbridge with the NHS Care Trust. Then have an urgent surgery in Hexham that night.
- Wednesday: very early train back to London, where I will be welcoming the team behind the Humshaugh Village Shop, who are once again the regional North East Champion of the Countryside Alliance Village Shop of the Year award. Hoping they will win. Also have PMQs and speaking in the Military debate.
- Thursday: National Womens Day, and social care debate in the House, plus meeting the head of the Metro Bank, the first new local bank set up recently.

Campaign Update: Ponteland Greenbelt

I suppose I should welcome the partial u-turn by Newcastle's Labour administration to cut the number of houses it plans to build on the greenbelt. You will remember Labour administration at the city council were proposing to build the thousands of houses on the greenbelt near Ponteland.

Truth be told there is some good news here for our campaign. The amount of greenbelt housing will be reduced. Despite telling us they had to go ahead with the plans, they have now agreed to cut the number of house planned for the Ponteland greenbelt by 1000. I would like to see no building on the greenbelt but it's a step in the right direction. Just months after taking control of Newcastle Council, Labour announced their plans to build on much of the green spaces in and around the city. I fully understand the need to build new homes but their failure to consult with neighbouring Ponteland or consider the wider housing strategy was bizarre.
Newcastle Labour's claim, that there was no alternative to Green Belt development, has now been proved to be utter rubbish. They have now accepted our argument that they can make better use of brownfield sites and empty homes in the city.

Our campaign isn't over and the fight continues to protect our greenbelt. Many congratulations to all the Ponteland and Callerton objectors.

Tackling fuel poverty - the Office of Fair Trading are coming to Tarset on March 27

Fuel prices and fuel poverty - particularly in rural and remote areas are a major issue in Northumberland, and to be fair in Westminster. Persitent pressure on the OFT, The Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and the efforts of local people coming down to London to tell Westminster what is going on in the real world has brought serious action. Many congratulations are due to the Tarset Community Oil Buying Group, led by Mike Murray.
I am delighted that there is to be a local meeting with the Office of Fair Trading in Tarset on 27th March as part of their research into remote communities. The OFT are keen to hear the views of local constituents:
Full details on the OFT website
http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/consultations/remote-communities/#named2
but here is the details of their study:
"The prices of many goods and services are frequently higher in remote communities and access to key services such as shops, banks and public transport can be limited. Fuel prices, in particular, are a common cause for concern given that distance affects costs of distribution. Online purchasing may expand opportunities for broader choice and quality, but we also recognise that delivery can be problematic or costly. In other circumstances variety of choice may be restricted or the quality of goods compromised.
Call for evidence:
The main call for evidence will be conducted through an online and postal survey. Through March 2012 the OFT will also host a series of local engagement groups to explore market issues arising in remote communities across the UK. These will be conducted alongside local partners including Local Authority Trading Standards Services and Citizens Advice Bureaux. Seven locations have been selected: Highland and Shetland in Scotland; Llyn Peninsula and Bridgend County in Wales; Northumberland and Devon in England; and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.
If you consider that you live in a remote community, the OFT would be extremely interested to hear your views on the issues that are most important to you in relation to the supply of goods and services in your particular locality."

I urge everyone to get involved.

Olympics Count Down - speech to the House of Commons on the coming Olympics

I had the opportunity to speak on the coming Olympics in the House of Commons this week. You can watch the debate by clicking on http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9700000/9700366.stm

I speak 2 hours 26 mins in

Half the world’s population will be watching the Olympics; 83% of our schools are involved in the Get Set programme, Newcastle will host nine football matches, including the men’s quarter final. I reminded my fellow MPs that these match will take place at St James’ Park, not in some place that none of us have heard of called the “Sports Direct Arena”.

I also took the chance to rise the number of business opportunity which the Olympics is bringing. Sotech in Durham, which has provided the roof cladding for the aquatics centre; Hart Door Systems Ltd, which has provided the roof shutters for the Olympic stadium; Hathaway roofing in County Durham, which has provided roof cladding for the international broadcasting centre, keeping all those 40,000 journalists nice and dry and warm; and International Paint in Newcastle, which has supplied the paint for aquatics centre.

The other good thing is that the north-east will see the torch almost more than any other region. We will have it for five days, when it will take in things such as the angel of the north in Gateshead, the Penshaw monument in Sunderland, and Hadrian’s wall. Friday 15 June will be a spectacular day—I recommend this to people above all else—because the torch will travel from the Tyne bridge to the quayside by zip wire. I have doubts about this, because I am nervous that the torch might fall into the water but they tell me that that will not happen; on Saturday 16 June, I and many of my constituents will be welcoming the torch—indeed, many of them will be carrying it—as it travels across the Hexham constituency and down into County Durham.
I am a big supporter of the East Tynedale games, which are organised by the chair of Wylam parish council and various other organisers in the Prudhoe, Wylam and Bywell region. They are having some difficulty with the rules around Olympic branding which is very tightly controlled but this won't be enough to dampen their or my enthusiasm for what will be a great chance to show of Great Britain at its best.

Northumberland heritage sites move into schools

Schoolchildren will be encouraged to visit important heritage sites across the North East under a new education initiative designed to bring history alive for youngsters.
The Government’s Heritage Schools scheme – launched today by Education Secretary Michael Gove – seeks to use England’s rich island history to inspire children and enhance their learning.

English Heritage will receive £2.7m from the Department for Education to help pupils understand their local history, and how it relates to the national story.

The organisation will use the funding to recruit a team of people with a background in education and history. They will work with groups of schools and use their knowledge and expertise to help teachers harness local heritage as a teaching tool for children.

In the North East, English Heritage manages and maintains a wide range of historic properties which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

They include four properties – Housesteads, Chesters and Birdoswald Roman forts and Corbridge Roman Town – on the 73-mile long Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site which spans almost 2,000 years of history.

Other properties which schoolchildren will be encouraged to visit under the Heritage Schools initiative include Belsay Hall Castle and Gardens, Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island, Warkworth Castle, Brinkburn Priory, Tynemouth Priory, Barnard Castle and Aydon Castle.
Michael Gove said visiting such heritage treasures would bring history alive for children...
You can read the rest of Dave Black's article on this great scheme in the Journal HERE

Job Snobs

Many of you will have read in the press that some in the Labour party and on the far left have criticised the governments Work Programme because of its work experience element.

As part of the Work programme, which features tailored individual support like never before, those people claiming benefits are asked to do something in exchange for that money from the taxpayer. They work up to eight weeks for 30 hours a week in placements organised by the local job centre and at the end they may even be interviewed for a job.

Is that so terrible? Yes say some in Labour (who are always happy to pay lip service to welfare reform but never actually support it.) One of the most valuable assets a job seeker can have is work experience on their CV. I'm much more in favour of a young person spending those 30 hours a week getting into the habit of waking early, getting ready for work, and developing their skills than sitting them in front of their xbox for 30hours each week.

Getting work experience is good for job seekers but it's also fair. What has really frustrated me is that actually many of the objections seem to come from the fact some of these placements are in Tesco or Poundland. What absolute snobs. It's worth reminding those who protest at having to be 'forced' into working at such places that it's the workers of Poundland and Tesco whose taxes go to pay their benefits.

It's worth noting both the former boss of Tesco and of M&S both started their working life on the shop floor.

We have a tough challenge with unemployment and those who need help and support should get it, but until we scrap this stupid, inverse snobbish attitude that somehow its better to sit at home on benefits than work in Poundland we will have a long way to go.

Victory in sight for Greenbelt battle?

It looks like victory may be in sight for the campaign to save the Ponteland Greenbelt. Regular readers will know I have fighting plans by Newcastle City Council to dump 3,500 houses on the greenbelt between Callerton and Ponteland.

Back in September I wrote to the leader of the council outlining my opposition:

"You are not intending to build on brownfield land first, nor are you intending to make significant use of the many unused empty homes across Newcastle and Gateshead. You only have to drive towards the City Centre to see a huge number of brownfield sites which could be developed sustainably.

As a regular volunteer at Scotswood Community Garden I am deeply saddened that you would put forward these proposals for new housing estates in the middle of green fields while you continue to ignore these areas desperately crying out for regeneration, which has stalled for too long."

Well it turns out the Council now seems possibly to accept we were right after all. Magically the Council has now been able “to identify more deliverable housing sites within the urban area over the plan period and so there is now a need for less development in green belt areas to meet identified housing needs.”

It has been a very scary experience to see the Labour Councillors and MPs in Newcastle trying to claim they were being forced to build these houses on the greenbelt which was and always has been utter nonsense.

We will find out their exact plans when the Labour cabinet meet on February 28 but I sincerely hope we see the threat to the Ponteland and Callerton greenbelt lifted once and for all.

Green Day in Westminster

A packed Climate Change Day yesterday in Westminster:
- highlight was going to Department of Energy and Climate Chnge with the team from the Green Alliance to hold our long awaited meeting with Greg Barker following last November's Green Deal summit. It went well as a first meeting and our foot is now in the door to DECC, and they have promised to work with us in the coming months as the consultation on the Green Deal progresses. We have further meetings to follow.
- started the day by meeting Charles Hendry concerning the biomass energy situation
and managed to get in to the Chamber for the debate on cycling with my Liberal Colleague Dr. Julian Huppert - we both back the Times campaign on cycling reforms.
- was proud to say I cycle to work and definitely had the helmet hair to prove it yesterday.....

Hexham Bus Station

I signed the 2000 strong petition calling for Hexham bus station to be rebuilt on its existing site, which was presented to Northumberland County Council. Sadly the Lib Dem council bosses stated that their priorities for capital investment lay elsewhere.

Now whilst I think the current site is the best option I am willing to be over ruled if the engineering work can't make it fit for purpose. However, the clear point is that Hexham bus station has been in a terrible state for far too long. It is one of the first buildings seen by many visitors to our beautiful town and does not make a good enough impression. It is my opinion that the county council should make it a priority to build a new bus station on the same location as the current one.

The county council is planning three major capital investment projects, which are all in Morpeth and Ashington. I have written to the Leader of the Council to find out why Hexham bus station is currently not on their agenda.

I recognise that cash is short at the moment but if they are spending £25 million on a new leisure centre for Ashington, I do struggle to see how they cant find less than £1million for something which is key to the economy of our town.

Increasingly Hexham is getting a raw deal from the County Council.

Alcohol Pricing and the need for an Alcohol Act

Dr Sarah Woolaston, MP, my colleague from Devon has been pushing the debate in support of alcohol pricing and an Alcohol Act
This follows on from a debate a few weeks back which divided NE Labour MPs as to whether there should be measures to address alcohol related harm. I stress that its purpose is not to ban drinking - I freely confess to being a drinker of bitter and wine, albeit I rarely drink during weekdays.
However, I have yet to find a doctor, policeman, or lawyer who would not take some action to address:
- mass discounting of large quantities of alcohol
- a minimum unit price for alcohol
- two for one drinks offers
- limiting of alcohol promotions in alcohol display areas
I am a big supporter of the camapign of Dr Wollaston, a GP from Totnes, who has been leading this campaign and has spoken in support of this on several occasions.
It disappoints me when supermarkets - Tescos in Hexham sadly do this - display vast quantities of alcohol directly as you enter the shop. It is presently not against the law but morally it is wrong. In the previous debate I had the support of some Labour MPs from the North East but was opposed by Tynemouth's MP. There is nothing wrong in this difference of opinion, as it is a difficult issue, but my hope is that this parliament will see a law passed to implement change on this issue:
Further details as reported in the Journal:
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/01/25/north-east-mps-clash-over-alcohol-pricing-61634-30193465/

Backing the WI

As an MP you learn very quickly there are certain institutions that you should never mess with, (the Whips for one!) but first amongst them is your local WI. The womens institute is made up of nearly a quarter of million ladies from across the country who are often the life blood and indeed backbone of rural communities.

I was surprised then this week to receive correspondence from one of my local WIs at Heddon on the Wall after energy giant Npower slapped them with a bill for £5,315. What was the bill for? For years the meter had been misread, including by Npower themselves, and they have now decided its the good women of Heddon on the Wall who should pay up.

Npower have since offered to reduce the bill but the ladies aren't for turning and they have my full support.

I have written to the Chief Exec to ask them to drop this stupid request and I will keep everyone informed as to the response. Until they do may I recommend any of you who are currently Npower customers visit the wonderful USwitch website where you can change energy supplier.

The Jubilee Weekend in Northumberland in early June

The first weekend in June promises to be the weekend to be in Northumberland.
Prudhoe is having a street party on an epic level on the Sunday June 3rd and Monday June 4th sees a number of events:
- some will go to the County Show held this year for the last time at Corbridge [I am a Judge of the Horse section at the show which attracts 20,000+ people]
Others will head for Hexham and the Jubilee day celebrations that are being organised by the Hexham Council.
A string of beacons is set to illuminate Tynedale to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June. Up to six could be lit on high ground around the Hexham area as part of a national chain of lights on June 4.
A day of music and entertainment is also planned, including a special musical programme going back six decades to the 1950s when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. The beacons will be lit around 10pm as darkness falls.
Full details set out in the Journal:
http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/02/03/tynedale-beacons-plan-for-queen-s-diamond-jubilee-61634-30256659/

Health Screening for Cancer - Go for your test!

Successive governments have begun to change the approach of the NHS from being reactive to a patients illness to being proactive and trying to prevent patients getting ill in the first place.
The major campaigns for women are cervical and breast cancer screening. I am very supportive and involved in the campaign for bowel cancer screening: it is a North East success story - as we are leading the way in this type of screening, and the Speaker was kind enough to grant me a debate on the issue last year.
More recently all members of the House attended the Speakers rooms for a Beating Bowel Cancer reception. Both Andy Burnham and the Secretary of State spoke, and there is cross party support for the Flexi Scope system that we are introducing.

However, it remains a cardinal shame that
- over 20% of women do not take up the offer of cervical or breast cancer screening
- over 40% of the men and women do not take up the offer of bowel cancer screeing

I would urge all readers to attend their appointments and take up the free tests that are available on the NHS. Do not ignore your symptoms - whether they be breast lumps or blood when you go to the loo. To die is inevitable. To die through a failure to treat a very curable disease is criminal.
The Journal did a good report of my recent meeting with the Beating Bowel Cancer Team in London:
http://www.journallive.co.uk/northumberland-sites/hexham-northumberland/hexham-news/2012/02/01/mp-guy-opperman-to-join-bowel-cancer-campaign-61634-30244254/

Success and a good compromise for the Friends of Bellingham Surgery

Bellingham and its surrounding area is a vast hinterland of land but home to only 3000 residents. For some time the Friends of Bellingham Surgery (FOBS) have been in dispute with the Northumberland Care Trust about the extent to which they were funded as one of the most rural and complex GP practices in the country. I have met both sides and have sympathy for both - the care trust have a budget to keep to, and the GP practice has a more challenging environment than any I know in terms of size and ability to provide the basic services.
Ultimately the FOBS challenged Northumberland Care Trust over their decision in a High Court judicial review into how the doctors in the rural area were being funded and treated. Clearly the matter is too complex for a blog and you can see full details on the FOBS website, but recently a High Court Judge agreed with the FOBS team and ordered a judicial review.
Fortunately litigation in detail has now been avoided and the Northumberland Care Trust have agreed to reconsider the decisions it took surrounding the financial changes and make their assessments known by the end of next month.
Full details in this weeks Hexham Courant
Retired Bellingham GP Dr Iain Mungall, who has pivotal to the fight, was quoted as saying there was "clear discrimination against rural communities and their patients. We are looking for some recognition as to the additional expenses rural practices face.”
I, for one am pleased that the Care Trust are going to be looking at the decision afresh. I believe common sense has prevailed on both sides and welcome the parties approach.
One final point: the FOBS claim was conducted for free by the Pro Bono Network and a very capable young barrister enlisted by FOBS. This makes me especially proud as my former career featured a great deal of work as a pro bono lawyer trying to empower patients or communities who felt powerless in the face of government organisations.
The case of Compton v Wiltshire Primary Care Trust was favourably cited in support by the FOBS and anyone who wishes can google the details, but the key hearing that changed patient representation forever can be found here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2008/880.html

Northumberland College Apprenticeship Awards

Great night yesterday at the Kirkley Hall campus of Northumberland College Apprenticeship awards - well done to all the winners. I was very proud to be able to speak at the event which celebrated some of our fantastic local apprentices.

The winning apprentices were:Keegan Kilpatrick, who works for Persimmon Homes, bricklaying and building homes
Gemma Hadden, who works for Newcastle City Council, as a motor vehicle apprentice
Jason Janczuk, who works for UK Coal, as an electrician

All 3 spoke very well in their speeches, as did Mark Bolton, the Director of Business Development who I had met earlier in the week at our Jobs Summit in Prudhoe.

The best bit was seeing the pride on the apprentices faces and hearing their stories. Almost as good was the sense of achievement the employers felt at having giving a young man or woman a start in life.

People like Chris Curry at Persimmon, and Kenny More of Newcastle City Council, quite literally looked upon the successful apprentices as their surrogate children and their sense of achievements in their apprentices was great to see.

I also got the chance to spent some time talking to the staff who are clearly doing a great job, and some of the new employers, who came from all over the region, but some as far afield as Merseyside!

It was a great way to round of Apprenticeship Week which has saw us invite apprentices to speak with the Minister at our Jobs Summit, visit local schools and employers to promote apprenticeships and finally to spent a bit of time last night celebrating their fantastic achievements.

A quick thank you to Liz and her team who made last night go so well.

Apprenticeship Week

This week is National Apprenticeship Week.

I'm proud to be a big champion of Apprentices. I'm also proud of the work this government has done to increase the number of apprenticeships. the news is really positive for apprenticeship training across the North East. The latest figures show that North East apprenticeship starts have risen 45% from 2009/10 to 2010/11. More importantly, the North East is getting the most benefit, our 45% increase compares favourably to a 36% increase nationally.

Regional apprenticeship completions have also risen by 11% over the same period, compared to 5% nationally.

You can read more about my own apprentice, Jade (pictured) who is featured in today's Journal HERE

Tonight I am off to Kirkley Hall in Ponteland which is part of Northumberland College to celebrate some of their fantastic apprentices and their acheivements.

Welcoming Rory Stewart to a huge dinner this Friday in Hexham

On Friday evening over 110 people are coming to Hexham Racecourse for a dinner where Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and the Borders is the speaker. Anticipation is running high and we could have sold a lot more tickets. Full credit to all the Hexham team who have organised the event. Rory is a friend of mine, and has shone in the House of Commons since his election. You should read his award winning book, The Places in Between, a New York Times bestseller, translated into ten languages. He has served as a soldier in the Black Watch, a Harvard lecturer, and in 2003, he became coalition Deputy Governor of two provinces in the Marsh Arab region of Southern Iraq. He is always interesting. Like me he was elected in May 2010. He is on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
His speaking style is almost unique in the House, as he has a definite lyrical, eloquent, historical approach: he also writes the second best blog in the North.
Looking forward to it, just praying for no Snow!

Two ways to show off the wonder of Northumberland - full credit to the BBC and our special tour guides Jedward!

The BBC are doing Northumberland Proud this week: but from different angles. Now available on Iplayer is Monday's great programme "Heritage Heroes", which focused on local British craftsmen who play such a role in keeping Gods Own County special> I urge you to watch it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01c18w8/Britains_Heritage_Heroes_Episode_1/

John Craven and Jules Hudson toured the North Pennines and met skilled engineers passing on their knowledge to the next generation in Haltwhistle, farmers reintroducing hay meadows to the Allendale Valley and volunteers in Nenthead fighting to keep alive the rich memories of the mining industry.

On a slightly less reverential note we all wait with baited breath for
The Hadrian’s Wall episode of a new children’s TV show starring Jedward which will be broadcast on Friday, February 10.
The X-Factor stars visited the World Heritage Site in their mission to become the UK’s best tour guides.
Filming for Jedward’s Big Adventure involved the twins trying to learn all about Roman Britain in just 24 hours. Jedward stopped off at key locations along the wall for history lessons from experts.

The pair said: “We’ve really loved making this show for CBBC.”
Caroline Sinclair, marketing manager for English Heritage’s Hadrian’s Wall Group, was full of praise for Jedward.
She said: “Chesters and Housesteads forts made such an impression on them that they bought a replica Roman helmet.”

Dickens Day in Northumberland

Just home and its getting much colder now, late on Feb 7th, 200 years after Dickens birth, and in suitably Dickensian style the temperature is likely to drop down to as low as -15 tonight!
My thanks to everyone at the Prudhoe Community High School who hosted the event today with Chris Grayling - many positives emerged out of the day: it was good for the Minister to hear the specific problems that we face and for him to explain what it is the Coalition are trying to do for long term unemployed, tackling youth unemployement and so much more of what we discussed. My thanks to businessmen and women, the councillors, students, teachers, apprentices, church leaders, community organisers, specialist trainers and so many more people who came along.
Probably the best thing was the ability of the North East community to tell the people who are making the decisions in Westminster our unique problems.
We learnt much, but whatever your politics Chris Grayling probably has the toughest job of all in Westminster.

Its Dickens Day and we have great expectations of a big day in Prudhoe

Today is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birth and appropriately enough I will be at a groundbreaking school - Prudhoe Community High School - to celebrate the fact and also welcome Chris Grayling, MP, and many other guests to our jobs summit.
We have invited businesses, apprentices, councillors, other employers, students and many more to come and meet the Minister, discuss what we can do about unemployment, and make sure the message of what is going on in the North East gets back to London. I am also hopeful that it will show how the Work Programme is making a real difference in tackling the problem of long term unemployment.

A Northumbrian Week Awaits!

Freezing, foggy and with an inch of snow on the ground in Northumberland this morning.
This week I am slipped from the House of Commons which allows me to focus on the people of the Hexham constituency. Hoping that the snow will not impact on the planned weeks events but the diary is broadly as follows:
- Monday in Morpeth and Ponteland, including a meet with Richard Benyon the DEFRA minister and visiting Ponteland High School
- Tuesday we welcome Chris Grayling the Employment Minister to the Jobs Summit at Prudhoe High School
- Wednesday I am at BAE Range, which is a long overdue visit, which I am really looking forward to
- Thursday I have a mega Hexham town day, including a multitude of surgeries and a visit to the Hexham Middle School, before the Apprenticeship Dinner at Kirkley hall
- Friday I have an NFU Meeting and other surgeries followed by the Annual dinner at Hexham Racecourse, where 110 people are coming to hear Rory Stewart, the Penrith And Borders MP speak. I am master of ceremonies, and there are an interesting selection of prizes on offer: somewhat rashly I have agreed to cook dinner for 8 to the lucky winner of one particular star prize. Everyone wants politicians to have a proper job, and I have worked in a restaurant before, but this may have been a culinary promise I hope the "lucky" winners do not regret...

Tough penalties for metal theft

After a spade of metal thefts across Northumberland I am pleased to back the Home Secretary's announcement last week that cash payments for scrap metal will be banned and penalties increased, as the Government steps up its action against metal theft.
 
In a statement to Parliament Theresa May said the Government would:
 • create a new criminal offence to prohibit cash payments when purchasing scrap metal
• introduce unlimited penalties on those who break the law.
 
In November last year the Government announced that a dedicated metal theft taskforce would also be established. These changes are part of a wider plan to tackle all stages in the illegal trading of stolen scrap metal and further measures to crack down on rogue dealers will soon be outlined.

People across Tynedale are disgusted by metal thieves and the criminals who deal in stolen metal. We need to protect business, the public and our national heritage from metal theft and that’s why I’m pleased to back the Government’s action.

It’s right that the Government is stopping cash payments and introducing tough penalties to clamp down on the illegal metal trade.

Syria - no agreed UN resolution and, in any event, are we the worlds Policeman?

So we have no UN resolution and once again there are calls to intervene. This is unlikely to happen without a UN Resolution as there was with Libya.
The Syrian government is clearly determined to kill its way out of any trouble. I regret that the UN resolution has not gone ahead. The massacres are getting worse. The difference in 2012 for Syria is that the democratic genie is out of the bottle and I am remain of the view that the Assad regime will not survive 2012.
There is close to a full scale civil war now and it is a great shame that China and Russia have vetoed the UN Resolution.
The sanctions are taking effect, as is diplomacy, and I do not expect the UN will leave this matter without revisiting the resolution again. As the BBC reports:
"The US said the veto was "shameful", while Britain said it "lets the Syrian people down". France also condemned the block at the UN Security Council.
Russia and China said the proposed draft was "unbalanced".
The document was rejected just hours after activists accused Syrian troops of killing at least 55 people in Homs."

The key comment there is the fact that Russia and China found the draft unbalanced - if it is reworded I suspect that there will finally be a document that Russia and China will sign.

Groundhog Day - another Greek debt crisis

Once again the spectre of a Greek default stalks the corridors of Europe. I love the movie Groundhog Day but it does feel as if we have a summit every month and still the Eurozone leaders fail to grasp the fact that Greece is bankrupt, and that the Euro in its present form is a disaster.
The latest round of bank financing has helped but another crunch point of financing is approaching for the defunct Euro and its weakest member, Greece. Clearly the country is failing to meet its targets of cutting public spending. If it does not do so then it will receive no more bailouts.
But then we have been here before.

Greece is in a parlous state and Greeks are transferring their money out of Euros and out of Greek banks in droves: interestingly they are putting a lot of their money in pounds in British banks and buying property here.

I was on the North East Politics Show two weeks ago and our unemployment is clearly too high. But look over your shoulder. In Euroland unemployment is so much worse - the figures are simply terrible both in terms of youth unemployment and of general unemployment. Youth unemployment has gone above 50% in Spain and above 40% in Greece, and general unemployment in these countries is 3 times what it is here.
The Euro countries should ask themselves why they are so much in love with the currency scheme which has helped to bring about such a crisis.

Cheque handover at Hospital and Meeting in the House

Handing over a cheque for £3050 at Queens Square Hospital a couple of weeks ago: my thanks to all our supporters who gave so much time and money in support of a wonderful hospital and during the fundraising walk along Hadrians Wall. I was also lucky enough to meet many of the specilaists and be able to see some of the great work done by the hospital, and its new facilities.
Then this week I also met with many clinicians, patients, campaigners and parents or partners in the House of Commons, along with my Labour colleague Paul Blomfield, MP, who has also recovered from a meningioma.
It was a very moving afternoon and good of the Secretary of State to come and talk to all of the group and take questions. Whether you agree or disagree with the reforms Andrew is genuinely good at coming to meet with clinicians and interested parties to explain what he is doing and the way in which the reforms will develop.
Both Paul and I raised questions to the Health Secretary. Mine in particular was on how we can improve diagnosis of Brain Tumour symptoms by GPs, who often miss the symptoms, through no fault of their own necessarily. I would like clusters of GPs to have a specialist GP to have the extra training and act as the mid point between a normal GP appointment and the referral to hospital. I will be trying to take this and other ways in which brain tumour patients are being dealt with when I next see health chiefs in Northumberland. I will update as developments happen. More details found on http://www.braintumouruk.org.uk/node/432

Comparing Bad Breaks with the Transport Minister

Everyone knows I cycle into Westminster unless it is lashing with rain: the Minister for Transport is the wonderful Theresa Villiers, MP. Last week she came off her bike and broke her left collar bone. Yesterday she came back to work and whilst waiting to vote we compared war wounds. I broke my right collar bone many years back, when a horse called Lowlander was brought down at Leicester races, sending me flying into the air at 35mph, smashing the bone in 4 places: like the Minister my bone needed a plate to hold it together. As always with breaks it hurts a lot. The bald facts are that 111 cyclists died on Britains roads last year, and 2660 were seriously injured. Cycling is a growing sport - in the last few years both Chris Hoy and Mark Cavendish have been named Sports Personality of the Year.
It is great that so many people are cycling to work - thereby keeping fit, reducing emissions and congestion, but we could do so much more to make sure that cycling on urban roads and in Northumberland is safer.
In London, Boris has done a lot to try and make cycling safer. There are dedicated cycle routes and marked lanes and he has been successful in getting sponsorship of the Boris Bikes, which are extremely popular with locals and tourists
This shows what a Mayor can do: I would hope that Newcastle's Mayoral candidates will look to make cycling a priority. I shall certainly be having a word with the Hexham and Ponteland and other local Town Council Mayors to see what we can do to make cycling in and out of the Hexham towns a little easier. Towns in places like Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany have shown that a little effort can make a massive difference, and we need to make our towns an ever more attractive option for the cycling tourists who are coming more and more to Northumberland.

Newcastle gets Democracy and Choice - they decide if they want a Mayor

Yesterday the House of Commons debated whether Newcastle be given the opportunity to have a Mayor. To my amazement the Labour politicians all voted against the proposal. The truth is that the Coalition Government is giving people the choice over whether to have an elected mayor or not.
This is a decision for the people of Newcastle - apparently the North East MPs do not agree with giving this choice, notwithstanding their own decision to introduce Mayors in London, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, North Tyneside and beyond. Led by Nick Brown they voted against the proposal. Fortunately we won and choice carried the day: I spoke strongly in favour of Mayors, who have been a massive success abroad, and in London; the London mayoralty, headed by Ken Livingstone and now Boris Johnson, has been a success - with transformational changes to the capital. I said:
“I believe very strongly that every city does need a mayor of similar clout, able to knock heads together and to push things forward on a public, private and voluntary and charity sector basis and sell their city abroad,”
The referendum order was passed by the committee, meaning residents are now on course to be asked about their views on May 3 – along with polls in other major English cities. If approved, mayoral elections will take place on November 15

The key issue is that local people now have the choice. Just as Labour opposed the Police Commissioners [and every other reform that has been proposed by the Coalition] I find their opposition to democracy to be simply staggering:
Let the People Decide...now theres a strange concept!

Prudhoe and the Falklands

From the town of Prudhoe in my constituency, Able Seaman Derek Armstrong, a trained deep sea diver, died when the HMS Ardent was sunk on May 22nd 1982, in the Falklands War. Derek was only 22 years old and had attended the local school, Prudhoe Community High. The 'Derek Armstrong Memorial Award' is still presented each year to the best sportsperson.
Today I was able to welcome to the House of Commons students from the same school in Prudhoe: their visit on this particular day was entirely by chance - they were not to know that I had a debate on the Falkland Islands at 9.30. The students were economics students, led by their teacher Chris Shaw.
We met at 9am in Westminster Hall, before they went on their tour of the House, and discussed the Eurozone crisis, Alternative Vote, bankers bonuses, and my working week amongst other topics. I was able to tell them of the Falklands debate and discuss the Derek Armstrong award, and what it meant to the school. Following the House of Commons debate on the Falklands I then had to do the Newcastle Mayoral debate and then met Lord West to debate the Falklands on the BBC Daily Politics Show.
Before we went live I discussed with Lord West his service in the Falklands: he was in command of HMS Ardent, when the ship was sunk, and had known Derek Armstrong well. For me the day brought home the immediacy of the past and present conflicts, with everything coming back to a small town in Northumberland.
A very poignant day

Update: the BBC interview can be found here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16812442

The Independent on Sunday focuses on Hadrians Wall and the Falklands

My job is to sell the wonder that is Northumberland: so I was delighted to read this mornings Independent on Sunday, which at page 26 features a 2 page spread on "My favourite place" - describing how we all trying to boost Britians fifth largest industry = Tourism.
I was selected as one of the ambassadors, and have featured Hadrians Wall.
The full piece is found online here, but the print version is bigger, with more pics HERE

The Independent on Sunday also trails Tuesday's debate on the Falklands and writes a background piece to the debate which quotes me as follows:
"Guy Opperman, Tory MP for Hexham, said the Falklands and other British territories should have a legal guarantee of self-determination rather than rely on the "whim of Whitehall". As tensions with Argentina over the Falklands escalate ahead of the 30th anniversary of the 1982 war, he said Parliament should pass a law guaranteeing the right of Britain's 14 overseas territories to choose their own fate.

In a debate on Tuesday, he will call on the Government to try to lift the Argentinian-inspired trade blockade of the Falklands. He added: "The Falkland islanders are rightly worried about this anniversary and the actions that Argentina is now taking to prevent access and trade, which we fear may escalate."

House of Commons Debate on the Falkland Islands - self determination is key

For several weeks since before Christmas I have applied to the Speaker, John Bercow, for a debate on the issue of the Falkland Islands. Finally at 9.30 on Tuesday morning he has found time for a 1 and a half hour debate on this issue - given the packed Westminster programme this delay is not unusual and the Speaker has recognised the importance of such a debate.
Regular readers will know that I met with Falkland Island representatives last year and have blogged on the issue again before Christmas.
Matters have clearly escalated diplomatically between the two countries and only yesterday the Argentinian President made a statement on the issue. The BBC have also been reporting on the dispute as well, and parliamentary colleagues spoke briefly on the issue in yesterdays Debate on defence.
I am still writing the speech but certain points are clear:
- The Falkland Island people will always have Great Britians support. Their destiny is entirely in their hands and as long as they wish to stay British, then British they will stay.
- I am calling for a self determination law - confirming that all overseas territories, of which there are 14, have an unambiguous right to remain British, and be defended from oppression, in the absence of a majority voting for secession.
- This point needs to be made firmly by all sides in the House of Commons [in a debate such as this the Opposition get to reply, and the Governemnt Minister responding will be Jeremy Browne, who is a Liberal. Thus there is great merit in the debate so that all sides of the House can reassure the Falkland Islanders of parliaments settled intention to stand by them.
- There should be no negotiation on sovereignty.
- I am pleased to see that the Argentinian President is confining her intentions to diplomatic pressure. So be it.
- But the world also needs to hear of the hardships that are being endured by the Falkland Islanders who are effectively being blockaded in their own lands. This is not acceptable, and does not smack of diplomacy to me.

I will post more closer to next Tuesday, but the debate will be on the parliament channel at 9.30 Tuesday morning. I know a lot of colleagues will be attending and supporting.

Performance Tables for all schools up and down the country have been published - check your school out

Transparency and sunlight are the best of things: the Department for Education has releases its country wide ‘performance tables’ for secondary schools. Good to see Northumberlands schools doing so well.
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/
You can sift through them and I'd recommend you spend at least a couple of minutes doing just that. They reveal finer detail about schools and results than has been made public before, such as about how ‘disadvantaged children’ (those on free school meals or in local authority care for at least six months) perform in individual schools. We've seen facts similar to today's ‘only 33.9 per cent of disadvantaged pupils achieved five A*-C grade GCSEs including English and maths, compared to the national average of 58.2 per cent in maintained schools’, before now. It's more the capacity to delve down, quickly and easily, to a school-by-school level that's new.

These new school tables should make parents more informed. It's less about targets and rankings than simple truth. And the decent schools will get the full credit they deserve. Speaking of which, it turns out that — after the ARK group's impressive results yesterday — GCSE results at academies in general improved at almost twice the national average.

What's particularly encouraging is that there's more to come. Apparently, the Department for Education should be releasing even more detailed subject-by-subject data next month, in the build-up to the full National Pupil Database in the middle of the year. The government is excited about what this great mine of information will mean not just for education but also for the cause of transparency itself — and understandably so. The hope is that people outside of government will get their hands all over it and start producing snazzy, digital school guides that will tell parents everything they need to know. And they might tell educators and politicians the occasional thing too. If, for instance, one school is doing particularly well at teaching French, then there it is — visit it, learn its secret, spread it. Everyone stands to gain from this sort of transparency.

North East Olympic and Tourism Launch in Gateshead - "The magic does not just stay in London but spreads throughout the Country!"

- Half of the worlds population will watch the Olympics
- 83% of all schools are involved in the Get Set for the Games programme, with 508 school games across the country
- 40,000 journalists will be covering the games
- 1000 free Cultural events all over the UK
- The Torch relay will cover 8000 miles around the country
- 4.5 million extra tourists
- 9 Olympic Football matches at St James Park
- One East Tynedale Games
- 4 days for the torch in the North East - all across the Hexham constituency on 16th June
- One amazing band from the North East in Folkestra playing
On March 8th 2012 the massive government advertising programme worth millions of pounds will kickstart the Olympics tourism in this country. Jeremy Hunt, Olympics Minister came to Gateshead today to launch the Olympics in the North East, along with Visit England chief, James Berrisford, Geoff Hodgson, NE Regional Board, the Cultural Olympiad Director, Ruth Mackenzie, and all the great team from the Sage and the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative.
" How can we make the most of the 2012 opportunity? The answer is simple: everyone from abroad will be told -"YOURE INVITED!"
And we must play our part - both by welcoming our guests, and by staycationing here -in Great Britain, and in the North East in particular.
"This will be 6 weeks of fun, but also 6 years of opportunity for our domestic Tourism Businesses" - Jeremy Hunt, MP, Olympics Minister today.

More to follow on the massive TV advertising campaign that is coming on March 8th, and the way in which everyone is going to be offered 20.12% discounts on all manner of local holidays and events.
I cannot wait - a spectacular day. It will be a spectacular year.

American Centre Right Politics - would you vote for any Republicans right now or support Obama

Any student of the world, politics, and the way ahead, will look at the American election and shake their head in wonder? I set out below a recent piece from the Spectator assessing the race for the Republican nomination. I am a One Nation centre right politician, but I would unequivocably reject the Republican case as put forward by Newt Gingrich, and his tea party fans, and vote every single day for Obama in the upcoming 2012 poll.
From the Spectator:
"That tubby, unlovable rogue Newt Gingrich is on a big roll. His poll ratings are surging ahead of the Florida primary next week. This despite the fact that almost everyone, even the good fellows at National Review, can see what a disastrous candidate he is. Gingrich has — this hardly needs saying — a terrible record in office, a long list of involvements in dodgy deals, an embarrassing private life, and a dubious legacy as a man of ‘conservative principles’.
No wonder the Democrats are upping their attacks on Newt’s rival Mitt Romney. They know that Newt the nominee would all but guarantee four more years of President Obama. (Not that Mitt represents much more of a threat, mind.) Republican voters, for their part, just seem to get bored and turn against whichever candidate happens to be winning.
Have American conservatives realised, like everyone else, that neither Romney or Gingrich has a coherent conservative philosophy or any real chance of reaching the White House? It feels at the moment as if they’ve decided they might as well make this election year a bit more fun — by sending in Gingrich rather than Romney — because he is at least the more entertaining cretin. "

Obama is a force for good, and testament that anyone can make it with application and effort. Expectations were unrealistic of his messianic abilities - particularly given the world economy, but I hope America chooses him in November.

Green Deal Meeting with Greg Barker

Just tried to speak in the India trade debate, and now off to PMQs, but time to thank the Green Alliance for sending me in todays post the Green Alliance Policy Insight Report on the Green Deal, following our successful summit in Hexham last year. Off to meet Greg Barker next week and put our concerns to government. For further details on this see todays Ecologist Magazine http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/other_comments/1218574/getting_a_good_deal_from_the_green_deal.html

The Sunday Politics

I was on the Sunday Politics last week discussing amongst other things unemployment and Police Commissioners. CLICK HERE to watch the show, the North East Version starts about 30minutes in.

Should we have a benefits cap? Yes we should - why should a hard working family subsidise someone to the tune of £35,000 a year?

The benefits cap we have proposed is £35,000 benefits per year = £26,000, after tax, of a normal person. This is surely sufficient to live on?
On this issue some of the Bishops, Ed Miliband and a few liberals are manifestly wrong. Fortunately 76% of the population agree with the cap and a large amount would like it lower:
This is partly a question of fairness. Why should a family, without any of its members lifting a finger, be entitled to the same standard of living as the hard-working family who live next door?
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-ann-sieghart/mary-ann-sieghart-when-the-people-can-see-what-fairness-is-why-cant-miliband-6293265.html

Good to see Gordon Brown's big mate, Sir "Fred the Shred" Goodwin, the man whose ego and idiotic banking brought RBS to its knees, is likely to lose his knighthood - his case has been referred to the Forfeiture Committee, in Whitehall. They will consider whether to ask the Queen to revoke Sir Fred’s knighthood, which was bestowed on him in 2004 for ‘services to banking’. He must be in trouble as even Ed Miliband, who was in Downing Street when this all happended, as a Special Advisor, finally admits it was wrong to give him the honour.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089131/Sir-Fred-Goodwin-Ed-Miliband-admits-Labour-wrong-honour-disgraced-RBS-chief.html

Torchgate..there is light at the end of the tunnel

In the dark at Hexham Station. Torchgate is the disappointing failure of Northern Rail to plan for the extension of the 7.41 train from Hexham to Newcastle, which is so popular with passengers that many have to stand for the journey. Thus, when they did put another carriages on the end of the train the drivers objected to walking in the dark to turn the train around - this disaster being compounded by the lack of a torch for a while.
However, following last weeks debate in the House of Commons, when I raised the matter with the Minister for Transport, see HEREand then shone some light on the matter myself locally, as set out in the Journal HEREI am pleased to see that common sense may now prevail.
Unsurprisingly the Union, ASLEF, and the company Northern Rail, have now reached an agreement they should have reached ages ago and are assuring us, and the public, that the extra carriage will run next week, starting tomorrow. So:

I am delighted that there is light at the end of the tunnel
Out of darkness there is now hope and light, and
We can see clearly now

Enough of the bad metaphors ... here's hoping the extra carriage is there tomorrow!!

Stannington event with Cabinet Minister tomorrow and the Best Westminster story of 2012 thus far...

Welcoming Owen Paterson, the Eurosceptic Northern Ireland Minister to Stannington tomorrow, and feel I have to share the story that is going around Westminster yesterday - I stress that rumours make it clear it is not necessarily true, but it did make me smile:
The Summit Journey:Coming back from another recent EC summit in Rome, various European leaders were forced to take the train due to a strike by Swiss ATC controllers; sitting together in the same compartment, travelling through the Swiss Alps, were Sarkozy, Cameron, Merkel and the young and very attractive female Irish foreign minister.
The train goes into a dark tunnel and a few seconds later there is the sound of a kiss followed by a loud slap.
When the train emerges from the tunnel, Sarkozy has a bright red, hand print on his cheek. No one speaks, everyone is extremely shocked and embarrassed.
Angela Merkel thinks: Sarkozy, not able to help himself, must have kissed the Irish girl in the dark, and she slapped his cheek.
The Irish girl thinks: Sarkozy, not able to help himself, must have tried to kiss me in the dark, but missed and kissed Merkel and she slapped his cheek.
Sarkozy thinks: Why me ? That perfidious Cameron must have groped the Irish girl in the dark knowing that I’d get the blame for it and she slapped me…the English bastard.
Cameron thinks: I can’t wait for another tunnel, just so I can kiss the back of my hand again and smack that little French sod another time.

Home in Hexham and the Daylight Savings Bill

Home in Hexham for a long work weekend - multiple surgeries in Hexham tomorrow and a meet with the Hexham River Hydro team, and then welcoming the Cabinet Minister, Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to a do in Stannington Friday night, where he is speaking. Saturday am all day in Ponteland, with meetings about the Ponteland Green belt and other surgeries, and then Sunday I will be appearing on the new look Politics Show, talking about Police Commissioners and what we are doing to help victims of asbestosis.

Sadly this means I have to miss Fridays Private Members Bill Debates: few such bills get passed but I think there is a good chance that the second reading of my good friend Rebecca Harris' Daylight Savings Bill will get passed. If I were in the House I would have supported it. The economic arguments seem overwhelming and although the further north you go into Scotland there are arguments against the idea by Scottish MPs I have been struck that my postbag from constituents is clearly in favour of this proposed Bill.
For a more detailed look at the argument in favour look here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8856334/Daylight-Savings-Bill-the-argument-for.html

BoJo has MoJo - and an explanation of the good things that come from Police Commissioners and Mayors

Just back from a barnstorming meeting with the Mayor of London, who as always turned up 5 mins late and with his shirt hanging out. Hairstyle / suit was borrowed from the "dragged thru a hedge backwards" school of tailoring. I am confident he will win the Mayoral election in May: he described his style of leadership as "sensible, moderate, One Nation, cost cutting Conservatism."

Howwever, the serious points were that he gave us 40 minutes on the massive difference a Mayor and a Police Commissioner can make:

The stats on his Mayoralty make very interesting reading:
- council tax down by 12%
- transport services reinvigorated with Boris Bikes, the safest tube in Europe, massively improved tube efficiency, designated bike lanes, and selling of the hated Bendy Buses to Scandanavian Airports and the poor people of Malta
- housing massively improved on a number of levels, particularly the number of affordable homes
- 50,000 trees planted and a series of improvements to Londons parks
- Great opportunities for the young with the National Citizens Service
- Crossrail and Tube upgrades
and 204 countries sending representatives to the Olympic Games.
He spoke well on the idea of "Putting the Village back in to London"

On Crime, and the need for Police Commissioners, his role as the Police Commissioner has shown crime reduction on a significant scale:
- knife crime deaths cut by a half
- murder rate down 25%
- bus crime down 13%
- and a massively safer tube
He was adamant that expanding Heathrow would never happen, but pretty confident that Boris Island - paid for by private investment - would. The choice is clear - Boris or Ken Livingstone, who one person made the point visited Cuba more times in his term of office than he went to Hammersmith and Fulham...
I will definitely be supporting Boris in the coming months

Green Deal Report

Regular readers will remember that I recently held a Green Deal Summit in Hexham to discuss plans for the Government's Green Deal which has the potential to transform thousands of households in Tynedale.

Following on from the Green Deal workshop the Green Alliance have complied a report - Getting a good deal from the Green Deal - which contains the views from local communities, which they have published and submitted to the government’s consultation.

The report presents the conclusions from the three workshops they held in late 2011 it is available on their website here. Thank you to everyone who came for participating in the workshop we ran in Hexham.
The Green Alliance and the 3 MPs who were involved in the Green Deal Workshops in Hexham, Bristol NW [charlotte Leslie] and Redcar [Ian Swales] are all meeting the Green Deal Minister, Greg Barker, at the end of January to try and explain our findings and see to what extent we can assist the development of what is fundamentally a really good idea.