Thursday 24 March 2011

Why I Voted "No" to the ‘no fly zone’ over Libya'.

For a long time I have been unhappy about NATO – which was a highly successful mutual defence pact which kept the peace of Europe for 50 years and never attacked anybody – being continually called upon to take offensive action as the world’s policemen and then becoming the butt of criticism whenever the action they took did not work out.  Secondly, so far as I am concerned, the conflict and upheaval in the Middle East is a conflict between Arabs who are, understandably, very protective of their territorial integrity and I believe strongly that the neighbouring Arab states should be accepting their responsibilities and leading the action to safeguard Libyan citizens and not just standing on the sidelines shouting support.

The Arab League initially, so it was said, gave support to the Resolution passed at the UN but as soon as military activities commenced their support became less certain and it required a hastily arranged visit from the Secretary General of the UN to the Leader of the Arab League to get them to reconfirm their support.  I wonder what will happen when a rocket or bomb misses its military target and hits civilians, as will almost certainly happen in Libya, as it does in any other conflict.  When it does happen will the Arab League and Arab countries be fully supportive of the military action taken?  The problem without becoming embroiled in internal conflict is where does it end?  We have recently seen the Yemeni Government shoot down dozens of protestors.  Do we intervene there?  Why didn’t we intervene when Robert Mugabe was butchering this own people because they would not vote for him?  What about the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda – should we have intervened there?  The final point I would reiterate is that there is a responsibility on the Arab states to take a lead in whatever action is taken to safeguard Libyan citizens.  British aircraft are leaving bases in this country and flying hundreds of miles to North Africa while countries around Libya have some highly sophisticated aircraft of their own.  For example Egypt has 238 ground attack aircraft; Saudi Arabia 161ground attack aircraft; United Arab Emirates 142 Mirage Fighters: Algeria 118 ground attack aircraft; Jordan 49 ground attack aircraft and Kuwait 39 Hornet fighters.  As you will see there is, therefore, more than enough aircraft to police a ‘no fly zone’ on Libya’s own doorstep and, I say again, the Arab states have to accept their responsibilities and if, in doing so, they ask for our assistance then I have no problem in principle about the United Kingdom providing it. 

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Privatisation of the Post Office

A thank you to those who have contacted asking for me to support the campaign to oppose the privatisation of the Post Office.

I have consistently voted against ‘part’ or ‘full’ privatisation of the Post Office both in the last Parliament and in this Parliament and I have no intention of changing my views now.  The Post Office is a valuable national institution and if it was run by people with initiative and innovation then there is no reason why it could not be a huge success.  I am also totally opposed to the interference by the European Commission which passed a ‘Directive’ a few years ago obliging all Member Governments to open up their postal services to private competition.  This has had not the slightest benefit to British consumers and is merely just another example of the European Union trying to impose a ‘free market policy’ on all Member Governments irrespective of whether individual states want to or not.

I have also added my name to EDM 1408 which calls on Royal Mail to uphold the current universal postal service obligation.

Friday 18 March 2011

Carers and Carers Week

I am delighted to give my support for carers week.  Carers are the ‘unsung heroes’ of our welfare system and they deserve to be given more recognition and support by the Government.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

LOUNGERS INVEST £400K AND CREATE 20 NEW JOBS IN KINGS HEATH

(left to right) Alex Reilley, Loungers MD, Jake Bishop, Loungers Ops Director, Roger Godsiff MP, Dylan Stevens, competition winner (centre) 

I was delighted to be asked to join local children from Colemore Primary School to officially open the venue and to judge the colouring in competition which was won by Dylan Stevens aged eight years. Dylan won a birthday party for him and five friends at Loco Lounge.
 
Loungers is a national group of food-led cafĂ©/bars and this latest opening will create 20 much needed new jobs following a £400,000 investment.
Loco Lounge will be open every day from 9am to 11pm with food being served all day until 10pm and is located at 32-34 High Street, Kings Heath.
 

For more information visit: www.thelounges.co.uk.

2011 Budget and Action for Children’s ‘On our own two feet’ Campaign

A number of my constituents have written to me concerning the above campaign which calls for a savings scheme for children in care to be included in the 2011 budget and I have written to the Chancellor, George Osborne MP, adding my support to this campaign.

Under the Action for Children proposal, looked after children would have a bank account set up for them when they go into care with £250 in it, followed by £100 every year that they stay in care.

Action for Children calculate that this scheme will cost just £6.6m and make a massive contribution towards helping young people move to living independently, a chance to stay in education or get training.

www.actionforchildren.org.uk/owntwofeet

Monday 14 March 2011

West Midlands Fire Service Arrive in Japan

I have just been informed today by the office of Chief Fire Officer Vij Randeniya that a team of 12 personnel from West Midlands Fire Service have arrived in Ofunato City in Iwate Prefecture as part of the United Kingdom International Search and Rescue (UKISAR) response following the devastating earthquake and consequential tsunami in Japan.

The UK team is made up personnel from nine UK Fire Services, with a total of 63 personnel, two search dogs and 11 tonnes of equipment and had only just returned from supporting the work in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Asylum Seekers and Refugee Council Cuts

Asylum cases should be dealt with and concluded before six months and it is grossly unfair on the applicant that many of these cases have been allowed to drag on for years and years.

Those people who have had their asylum applications refused but cannot be returned to their country of origin because, for example, there is internal unrest in that country, should be allowed to work and to maintain themselves until it is safe for them to return to their country and I am happy to support a call for change to the immigration rules to facilitate this.

Friday 4 March 2011

Hunt and BSkyB Take-Over Decision

I am totally opposed to this take-over and I share the views of other parts of the media that the assurances which Murdoch has given about the independence of Sky News is not worth the paper that any such assurance was written on.

I will express my concerns to the Secretary of State but now that a decision has been taken by him I do not think that there is slightest chance of him changing his mind.

I will be interested, however, as to whether Vince Cable and any of the other Lib.Dem Ministers feel strongly enough to resign over this issue particularly in view of what Cable said on the interview recorded by undercover reporters.

Thursday 3 March 2011

Greetings to the Irish community on St. Patrick’s Day.

The 17th March is commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day in memory of Patrick the son of Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer, who was born in the 4th century AD.    Having originally being sold into slavery by pirates he escaped and went to Ireland where he spent 20 years travelling throughout the country establishing Monasteries and setting up schools and Churches and winning converts for Christianity.

Although originally a Catholic Holy Day St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a secular holiday which is celebrated by Irish people of all religious faiths as a celebration of the Irish culture and I extend greetings to all my constituents of Irish descent on this happy occasion.