I am against 42 days detention without trial; not least because it won’t actually work but for 2 other reasons – firstly the loss of our historical rights in this country to have a fair trial without being detained by the force of law, and secondly I believe that works fills the time given to complete it – so if you give the police 42 days they will take it; I just don’t believe they need this time because they could do the same work (technical or not, Mr Brown) in 28 days, which for the record I believe is still too long.
So the utterly pathetic sight of a Labour government (a LABOUR government) relying on the votes of Northern Ireland MPs who, quite frankly, sold out to Brown in order to introduce a piece of legislation that will both be authortarian and ineffective is sickening in the extreme.
I am disgusted; as you can tell; and I hold every single one of the Labour MPs and the sole Tory and UKIP MPs that voted for this law to be personally responsible for the erosion of our liberties.
Thank God for the House of Lords, and I cannot wait for the day when Clarke loses his seat and a new Conservative MP for Norwich South can vote to repeal this nasty piece of legislation.
After a few weeks off from campaigning, my letterbox has now become the new frontline. Last week we recieved the latest Green newsletter, proclaiming victory on all fronts in Town Close (well done them); they got in first too. Then yesterday we recieved a copy of “Town Close Matters” Conservative leaflet – of course I’d seen it before but it’s always nice to recieve something you agree with 100%. And today, MP Charles Clarke had a glossy leaflet come through the door, persumably by paid deliverer as it was bundled up with other leaflets. I note the subtle change from red to green printing colour … a political message there by any chance?
Both Tory and Green leaflets led with the local election results; Clarke’s was full of glossy words and pcitures of him around the City promoting government policy. No mention of VED or 42 days. I wonder why?
The Greens also covered the post office closures, 20mph zones, City college redevelopment and their failed plans for an all-party exec. The Conservative one also featured an article on unitary, law & order and the cost of living. Charles Clarke went on crime, CCTV, park rangers and cycle paths in Whittlingham. I’d be interested in your views if you have recieved these leaflets.
This evening I have been finishing the wording for a new Conservative campaigning project and tomorrow I am addressing a street meeting about crime and anti-social behaviour.
Last week I sat as part of a Scrutiny panel that looked in detail at the work of the Post Office and their plans to shut multiple branches across Norfolk. My questions focused heavily on the support that PO Ltd. was giving to branches and the business plan of the Post Office (I would venture that they don’t have one). Credit to the PO for turning up (and doing the later Public Meeting at the Puppet Theatre) but their information, analysis (and excuses) were pretty thin.
Although they spent much of the meeting on the ropes – and credit there goes to the Sub Post Masters rather than most of the timid councillors – it wasn’t until the end that we got to one juicy mater. The Chair of Scrutiny, Cllr Stephenson, asked if giving the criticism of that branch Castle Mall would be considered for closure. The PO guys looked a bit shocked; it was a crown Post Office, they sluttered, and anyway it made a profit. I could resist asking if they thought that instead of migrating custom into the Castle Mall, if closing the branch culd lead to the emigration of custom out to smaller branches, such as Queens Road (New Lakenham), Vauxhall Street, Rosary Road and the like. Another flipsy excuse later, and I had to ask the blunt question – if eveyr other PO in the county and city is up for review, would they conceed that Castle Mall could be closed if it was proved to be the best option? Yes, or No? I think the answer was “no”; but at the later public meeting the same topic came up again and the PO seemed even less sure a few hours later. And I am grateful to a resident for writing to inform me that Norwich has lost 2 crown Post Offices in recent years.
So, come on Post Office let’s have a real debate about the future of the Post Offices in Norwich, starting maybe with the Castle Mall.
UPDATE: I notice from last night’s Evening News that Charles Clarke is on the attack too; this issue won’t go away.
The Conservatives have taken the lead in the new Norwich South constituency, according to respected political pollster “Electoral Calculus”. Reflecting massive Tory poll leads and victories at last week’s local elections in the City, the latest poll puts the seat at: Conservative 30% Labour 29% LibDem 25% Green 15%
I check the site regularly because of the seat-by-seat breakdown of its poll findings and this is the first time and suggests a win for the Tories (albeit with a majority in the hundreds) for the first time. It also shows the lack of impact of the LibDems, who continue to decline across the City.
I take some comfort from this but think things may change between now and polling day; I think the Greens for example will do better but at the further expense of Labour and the LibDems; but it does suggest that our campaigning locally and nationally is working.
Interestingly I was talking to a friend of mine, staunch Labour, today who said that for the first time his vote was up for grabs. He thought Labour had lurched into one too man disasters and that Clarke’s time was up. If I vote tomorrow, he said, it would be for you. But, he added carefully, it isn’t tomorrow so things might yet change. I can handle that caveat to his support; because it’s my job in the next 2 years to give him a positive reason to vote for Cameron and myself.
Although all support for saving our Post Office’s is welcome, you have to be amazed at the cheek of Charles Clarke who calls for a review of Post Office closures whilst at the same time voting in parliament to carry on the closures. Saying one thing to the people of Norwich and doing another in London – just like Ian Gibson. No wonder neither of them showed up to support the “Save Our Post Offices” rally in Norwich recently.
Is it too cynical to wonder if this has anything to do with a 26% Cameron poll lead; a poll that would mean Mr Clarke losing his Norwich South to the Conservatives on a massive swing? I do hope not; I hope this is a genuine coversion so welcome to the campaign, Mr Clarke!
On Friday night I was honoured to have been selected at the new Conservative parliamentary candidate for Norwich South – it was a packed meeting, much larger than for the 2005 election and I have to say that the overall quality of candidate was very good and I hope that both Martin and Will go on to find good constituencies.
Everybody who wants to become an MP, I think, dreams of doing so in their home City. I live here, work here, my kids go to school here … I have a real stake in this community and am dedicated to making it working better. Norwich is a fantastic City and, above all, I am going to run a positive campaign. I think that this City and its citizens are really going places and above all, I want to be a part of that; hopefully as our MP. I reserve the right to highlight failure and criticise, but when I do so I will always offer a positive alternative for people.
The Norwich Conservatives go from strength to strength locally; our canvass in Chapel Break, Bowthorpe, and also in Eaton yesterday show us that more people prefer a new Cameron Conservative government to the old failed Labour one under Brown. People weren’t just anti-Labour but they were becoming pro-Conservative again.
Why is this? Because whilst we may getting richer as a City in material goods, there are still real concerns when two local High Schools are under OFSTED scrutiny, when our flagship hospital doesn’t have enough beds and when anti-social behaviour still impacts on our estates. I’ve written in detail about my response to those problems and I hope that when Cameron launches our manfiesto, it tackles those issues. And, before you ask, I won’t be employing my wife or any other member of my family – mostly because the girls are too young to be of any real help and I don’t think Louise would want to spend that amount of time with me!
So now’s the time to get on with the job – I’ve got a campaign team to put together and a plan to create. I like to think I have shown the dedication to this City and have the experience to really make a difference. Given the positive reaction of friends in the City and party members, I think this may well be a really fun election to fight!
So Mr Clarke, who has this week been worrying about a Conservative revival, ought now to be worrying about the Conservative revival in his own back yard!
In the last two days a big team of us have been out and about canvassing in North Earlham and West Earlham. Clearly these people have been ignored for a number of years because we got the full on wrath of some very irrate residents – on the plus side, if you want evidence that politics is alive and well, please do knock on some doors in the area!
The main gripe goes back to Labour – they’ve relied heavily on this area for generations and used to capture a big majority of the votes. Now a lot of Labour voters are too irrate to vote and a larger number are looking elsewhere – some at the LibDems, a surprising number at the Greens but mostly at the Conservatives.
Labour are arrogant, out of touch and take these people for granted – and that is just what the residents told me! Streets that aren’t clean, dangerous pavements, the Shoemaker in terminal decline, grafitti everywhere and a council that doesn’t seem to know where Earlham even is.
There is also a lot of geographical anger – that all the investment heads into Mile Cross or Lakenham rather than into Earlham.
These people have been let down, year after year. Many – in fact, the vast majority – won’t bother to vote at all. And what have politicans done to address this? Nothing.
We need to show the people of Earlham that we can listen and we can act – and that includes Charles Clarke as well. He should spend a little less time plotting against Mr Brown and a bit more time looking at how his core voters are living.
Because at this moment in time, they aren’t his core voters – they are non-voters or wavering towards the Conservatives. If we can convince them that we are serious about sorting out their problems, Earlham is a must gain seat for the Tories.
Charles Clarke doesn’t write to the Evening News often so when he does, it is often on a politically sensitive or crucial issue. Today his letter dominates the paper with a quite remarkable attack on the “characteristically ill informed” Green Councillors.
Labour have, for quite some time now, plodding along ignoring the Greens whilst our eco-friends destroyed the LibDem vote and stole their seats. Labour are in power in City Hall now because the Greens have won over a lot of traditional LibDem areas. So for Mr Clarke to bite back like this is quite remarkable – maybe a few jitters over the next parliamentary election but far more likely is that political heavyweight Mr Clarke is fed up of the Greens being allowed to get away with peddling any old nonsense without being held to account.
The Greens now hold 9 out of 39 council seats and, if experts and polls prove to be correct, they will at least hold onto those and maybe even grow again in 2007. They are a major political force in Norwich (at least) and we should scrutinise what they have to say. I know that the LibDems find it hard to attack the Greens, so maybe this Clarke letter is the start of a Labour offensive against City Hall’s third party?
The EDP has an interesting piece today about Charles Clarke’s new call for a spirit of freedom to enter local government. In particular he picks out the increased use of referenda as one way of increasing participation and accountability.
So when Norwich City Council had a chance to vote on a referendum on Unitary, the single biggest issue facing the council, which political party voted against?
Responding to tonight’s news that former Home Secretary Charles Clarke will seek re-election to his Norwich South constituency, Tory Leader at City Hall Antony Little said:
“It is right that Charles Clarke puts himself before the electorate so that local people can judge him on his record as both a government minister and a constituency MP.”
“With Labour on the ropes nationally and David Cameron’s Conservatives ahead in all the opinion polls, Norwich South will be a key seat at the next election.”
Councillor Little, who stood against Mr Clarke in 2005, added: “With the LibDems losing council seats across Norwich and the Conservatives winning again, it is clear that only the Conservatives can beat Labour here in Norwich South.”
“If people want to pass judgement on Mr Clarke’s lamentable record as our local MP, or on Mr Blair’s wasted 10 years in power when taxes have risen but services continue to suffer, they should do so at the ballot box by supporting the Conservatives and David Cameron’s message of change, optimism and hope.”
“The next election is already looking very interesting.”
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