14/11/2009 by Steve Barclay.

A great night at the Braza Club in March last night with our annual Conservative Ball sold out.  It was especially pleasing to see so many new faces, and a real buzz and upbeat atmosphere. 

Thanks to Debbie and Charlie for organising such a fantastic evening.  There was lots of speculation as to when the General Election will be - whether 25th March or 6th May.  For what it is worth, I am sure the Prime Minister has not decided yet (and he dithers at the best of times).  Given that he dislikes elections, and would not even allow one for the Labour leadership, I suspect he will cling on as long as possible.  If so, the budget will make for interesting reading in March next year - not least hearing about the over £1 billion a week being spent just to pay the interest on the debt he has run up.  £1 billion a week would pay the salaries of a lot of extra teachers, doctors and nurses.

Posted in March, Conservative Party | No Comments »

06/10/2009 by Steve Barclay.

At the Conservative Conference I catch up with Kevin Shinkwin and Charlotte Tailby of the Royal British Legion.  They have set out a manifesto for the next Government to improve conditions for the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It encourages MPs and Candidates to “do their bit” for Service Personnel and their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependants.  It is a chance to add my support to their campaign.

The Royal British Legion is a tremendous force for good.  The sad reality is that Gordon Brown has never been willing to pay for Tony Blair’s wars.  Troops have been sent to war without all the equipment they need.  Attempts to fight on the cheap - like the mad decision to cut £1.4 billion from the helicopter budget in 2004 whilst the army was fighting two wars - have cost lives and left many more young men and women with serious injuries.  The Royal British Legion does so much to help young and old veterans and their families faced with hardship.

The need to respond to their agenda will get greater I expect in the years ahead.  More service personnel from the Falklands campaign have committed suicide than were killed in action.  There is likely to be a hidden time bomb of mental health issues from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In Liam Fox we will have a Defence Secretary who is also a GP, and who both understands the challenge this will pose and has the will to address it.  It will not be cheap, and with the economy in such a mess money will be short.  However it must be a priority.  Care for troops cannot stop when they are no longer in uniform.

As Kevin said, the entire Armed Forces family needs the support of politicians from all parties.  I hope all candidates will back their campaign.  You can find out more by visiting their website -www.timetodoyourbit.org.uk

Steve is pictured with Charlotte Tailby of the Royal British Legion

Posted in Royal British Legion, Conservative Party | No Comments »

22/09/2009 by Steve Barclay.

It is really good news to see so many former Lib Dem members now joining the Conservative Party, and a sign of the change taking place in British politics.  Realistically only the Conservatives can end Gordon Brown’s Government.  It makes sense for former Lib Dem members who oppose Labour’s 42 days detection, want to scrap identify cards, and stop a third runway at Heathrow to vote Conservative to make these things happen. 

This shift is also being helped by the Lib Dem Leader himself, who seems increasing confused over the direction of his party’s policy.  At the start of their Party Conference this week the Lib Dem leader said he wanted “savage cuts” on public services and that they would have to scrap their pledge on tuition fees.  Former leader Charles Kennedy contradicted him, as did other senior Lib Dem MPs like Evan Harris.  So now he is saying they may not scrap their pledge on tuition fees after all.  Confused?  If so, don’t try to understand their policy on child benefit - again the Lib Dem Leader said they might introduce means testing of child benefit, before their Work and Pensions spokesman intervened and said there would keep it as it is. 

Unfortunately the Lib Dem leader has form for such confusion over his policy.  After promising a referendum on the European Constitutional treaty in their election manifesto, the Lib Dem Leader then bizarrely imposed a three line whip on his MPs to abstain when the vote took place.  He could not even make up his mind whether to vote yes or no on the most important vote in this Parliament!  Nor is he able to come clean and say what he would do in the future if there is a hung parliament after the next election.  This is the key circumstance when his opinion would really matter, and yet he tells the public it is a secret.  He will decide behind closed doors without telling them before they vote.  How long will it be until the Lib Dem members who are left rebel and install Vince Cable as their new Leader to provide some direction? 

With most current Lib Dem MPs in former Conservative seats, whilst their next generation of Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidates with the best chance of winning are in Labour seats, the tension and confusion over the direction of their policy is likely to get worse.  However after only managing 14% of the vote in the European elections, it is right that Lib Dem members increasingly see the Conservatives as the best way to deliver change on civil liabilities, the environment and localism.  These are three key values for many Lib Dem members, and are at the heart of Conservative policy for the 21^st century. 

Any Lib Dem member in North East Cambridgeshire wanting to join us should please get in touch with me.

Posted in Liberal Democrats, Conservative Party | No Comments »

18/07/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Up to Norwich early to help with the by-election following the decision by Labour MP Dr Ian Gibson to step down over his expenses. I was already planning on a trip up to help but lunch last week with the Party Chairman meant it was not an option to fail to pitch up. Good to see lots of posters for our excellent candidate Chloe Smith on the Yarmouth Road as I approach the sector office. I must have spent all of 90 seconds in the office as a pile of leaflets and individually addressed letters were ready for collection - ideal organisation.

Then in the afternoon I travel to Huntingdon for a meeting with Cambridgeshire Chief Fire Officer Graham Stagg and Fenland Road Safety Campaigner Graham Chappell. Two hours of constructive discussion with a clear desire from all sides to get action to improve safety on our rural roads. Cars are at risk of going into the Fen drains which run alongside the roads.  Really positive to hear about the new dry suits that the Fire Service intends to issue to Fenland crews together with the ice inflatable pathways, both of which will help with shallow water rescue.  Crews can be trained for wading rescue and deep water rescue - at the moment Fenland crews are not trained to go into water however shallow.  The sad reality is that if a car is fully submerged then it is unlikely any rescue crew could get there in time given how cold the water is.  However Graham and I are working to improve the rescue capacity if cars are partially submerged, and to help prevent accidents in the first place.

There was also good discussion on prevention, specifically on the budget front regarding the potential for action on barriers. These need to go at the highest risk sites to help prevent accidents, in conjuction with the work the council is doing to reduce speeding. See the campaigns section for more info. Torrential ran provided a noisy backdrop throughout the meeting and I was almost wading back to the car afterwards.

Posted in Huntingdon, Campaigning, Conservative Party | No Comments »

16/06/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Allowing high levels of immigration into Britain was not a policy in the Labour Government’s election manifesto.  The British people have not voted for such levels of immigration.  It highlights the growing sense that the Left wing elite act in a way removed from the wishes of the public they claim to serve.

We now have seven people attending the British Cabinet who are unelected.  The House of Lords is unelected.  The cabinet of Europe, all 27 commissioners, is unelected.  Scottish MPs vote on laws for England when they are not elected to decide the same laws in Scotland.  Quangos of unelected officials increasingly decide policy.  And even Labour’s manifesto commitments, of a referendum on the European Constitution and not to increase income tax, have been broken.  Is it any wonder that people increasingly question what difference their vote makes?

The public frustration with this Government was shown in the recent County and European elections.  Labour are divided and hopelessly out of touch

With unemployment continuing to rise rapidly, Labour still insist on issuing huge numbers of foreign work permits.  When someone who has worked continuously for more than 10 years loses their job, they receive only the same Job Seeker’s Allowance as someone who has never worked.

Huge sums of money are still being wasted on large state run schemes.  Labour’s New Deal has cost £75 billion but has failed to deliver its intended outcomes. The training offered is often unsuitable for the needs of the person being trained or for the jobs each community needs.  It should be replaced with local programmes run by people sized organisations which fit the needs of each locality.

The Labour Government is also running up massive debts, to be paid in the future by those who have no say today.  We are currently borrowing £500 million each day. Future generations will face higher tax to pay the interest on this debt.

Labour is even printing money to help pay for their spending.  Savers who have been hit today through interest rate cuts face the risk of inflation in the future wiping out any savings they have left.

The public did not ask for this Government to sell off our gold reserves on the cheap, to raid our pensions, or impose a host of stealth taxes.

The next Conservative Government will respond to what the public are saying - with stronger border controls, a fairer benefits system, and better help when people lose their job. We also need to ensure that those taking decisions on behalf of the public are accountable directly to the public.

This Government is on the wrong path.  It is time for change.  We need a General Election.

Posted in Articles, General Election, Conservative Party, My Campaign | No Comments »

02/06/2008 by Steve Barclay.

Dinner, lunch and then breakfast this week might seem to be in the wrong order, but at least it was staggered over 3 days!    Dinner on Wednesday night with Dr Robin Jackson, who is Chairman of Lancaster Conservatives where I fought the seat in the 2001 General Election.

Fresh back from Iraq (Robin is now the Commanding Officer of a Territorial Army Medical Regiment) meant a chance for me to get some first hand information about the situation on the ground and the many challenges faced by our troops.  The army has been treated badly by this Government, which has been quick to commit our troops to battle but slow to support them with the right equipment abroad or first class support and care at home.  Some of the stories are shocking.  An interesting insight also to the NHS reforms currently underway as Robin is a senior GP in Lancaster, and of course a chance to catch up on the gossip from the North West political landscape.

Then lunch yesterday with Damian Collins, a fellow Parliamentary Candidate who is stepping into the big shoes of our former Party Leader Michael Howard, as our candidate for Folkstone.  It is helpful to be able to compare notes, and it is easy to see from Damian’s engaging and thoughtful approach how he was selected for such a prestigious constituency.
Today has been a change from the world of politics, onto a more important subject - the battle against cancer.  I headed over to Maggies, a leading cancer charity, for a morning meeting in my role as Chair the Governance Committee of Dimbleby Cancer Care.  Dimbleby Cancer Care was set up following the early death of Richard Dimbleby and is run by trustees including the Dimbleby family.  The original aim was to ensure that every cancer patient had a comfortable pillar, as this was not the case when Richard was first in hospital.  Now the charity provides support for both cancer research and also practical care.  I am keen to learn from best practice in other charities and benefit from their experience as we move forward.  Today is a chance to discuss our next steps with the Chief Executive of Maggies, who provides a number of practical points which will be a great help over the year ahead.

Posted in Conservative Party | No Comments »

14/03/2008 by Steve Barclay.

Tips from the top today as I have the chance of a meeting with Don Porter, Chairman of the Conservative National Convention and head of the voluntary part of the Conservative Party.

It always surprises me how generous many senior figures both in business and politics are in giving time to help more junior colleagues. Don has a vast range of experience in a host of roles in the Party at all levels. He is Chairman of the Association Chairmen. In short he has an unparalleled insight into the state of play nationally, and a range of tips on best practice for campaigning.  It is a stimulating hour and my pen rapidly notes a number of useful suggestions.  It is kind of him to spare the time, and a real help.

Posted in Conservative Party | No Comments »