Jeff J Clarke

This week has seen Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron in Wirral answering questions put to him by an audience of just under 500 Wirral residents.

Before that however, it was a busy week in which I found myself amongst other things at  West House in Liverpool for a  meeting of the Merseyside Police Authority . The reason for my interest in the 14th August meeting was the suggestion that the Police Authority was considering the closure of a number of police stations on the Wirral. My Immediate concern was for the future of the Heswall and Bromborough police Stations. After the closure of the two post offices in the lower Heswall village and Spital, further closures of essential local facilities would be unacceptable. There is a desire amongst the vast majority of people to whom I speak in Wirral, for a greater visibility of the police on our street. The closure of local police stations would in my view make the Merseyside police force more remote form the people it seeks to serve. It seems to me that there come a point when the desire to save money or survive on less money should give way to adequate funding of the appropriate level of service in order to keep Wirral residents safe.

Now back to the high point of the week. It was good to see the man who is asking the voters to vote for him to be the Prime Minister after the next election, come to Wirral and field questions at an open session. The questions he would be asked were not known in advance, and could be on any subject, policy or personal. I listened to his answers and watched the reactions of the people in the audience, some of whom I had spoken to before the event started, and knew them to be people who did not vote Conservative at the last (or in some cases - ever) election. After the event, I was approached by a couple to told me that they had never been a member of a political party. They believed they had, for the last hour been watching the next Prime Minister of this country. They wanted to join the Conservative Party. I don`t think I can better that.

Jeff Clarke with David Cameron and Wirral colleagues after the event

Today saw the Conservative Action Team out and about in Port Sunlight, delivering the latest `Change` newspaper. I discovered hat a new hotel had opened in the former cottage hospital building - Leverhulme Hotel & Spa. We had our post delivery refreshment in one of the bar areas, and was shown around on a quick tour by the duty manager.It was very nice and it might be worth a trip to the Paesano Restaurant. I intend to return with my wife and some friends for dinner very soon.

Finally, this will be the last entry on the blog until September, as the family is heading to Marbella for our summer break.  If you are due to head off on holiday I hope you have a good break. If you have already been - I didn`t get your post card.

Before i sign off - is it the sign of the times or further evidence that the silly season of news reporting continues. You judge. I watched the breakfast news a few days ago, and was willing to accept the apparent normality of increasing sales of mens tights. I could on cold days I thought, see the advantage for some occupations - keeping warm by the use of said tights under the trousers. I must admit that I did start to smile as the studio guest, indicated that in her view they could be worn with shorts(as if). Then just as i had managed to erase the rather unsettling image of me sporting said shorts and tights from my mind I have been introduced to the new range of cosmetics for men - `guyliner` and `manscara`.

I`m off !!…………Waiter a large glass of dry white please.

See you in September.

This weekend has been about Eastham village. On Friday evening i had the pleasure of meeting up with Easthamfightsback campaign chairman, John Simcox and other residents to review and discuss the campaign to prevent the building of a large bio-diesal plant in the village. The application had been expected by the latter part of July of beginning of August It looks, however that it will be another few weeks due to the need for a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement.

Saturday morning, i was back with the Action Team, to deliver the latest Change newspaper to the village. It was a lovely warm day and the cool drink outside the Hooton Arms in the Sunshine at the conclusion of the delivery session was a welcome way to end the morning.

It is worth remembering that issues such as this can potentially effect the whole of Wirral, and not just Eastham. I know that Bromborough resident might well agree.

I have also noted that whilst the Blarites and Brownites in the feuding and panicking Labour party provide the political entertainment in summer silly season, measures that will be of importance to many Wirral residents go largely unreported and remain under the political radar. One such issue is the apparent confirmation that new guidance instructs councils to impose “fixed penalties” of not less than £75 and up to £110 on families who overfill their rubbish bins. The offences for which householders can be fined include leaving ajar the lid of the wheelie bin, putting out a bin the evening before collection or leaving the bin in the wrong place. Although the government has claimed that it leaves local councils to decide on the levels of fines guidance from the Department for Environment, Food and rural Affairs, stipulates that penalties must range between the two figures stated. Given the position that many people now find themselves in when it comes to bin collections, it seems to me unfair that householders are getting hammered with larger fines than shoplifters receive for stealing from our local shops.

Finally, just to show that it is really the silly season, I see that a US couple have spent £600,000 to reserve a Virgin Galactic flight so they can conceive a child in space. Company President Will Whitehorn (yes it really is horn) said that zero gravity sex would be tricky “you don`t have weight but you have mass. One false move and the man could end his hopes of fatherhood”.  - BONKERS.

It appears that current Foreign Secretary, David Milliband may have fired the starting gun in the hitherto unofficial race to succeed Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister. Brown`s allies are furious and a bitter feud within the party appears about to break into the open.

The determination by Milliband to avoid a firm denial that he was positioning himself for a leadership challenge was quite illuminating. The panic setting in amongst some Ministers who fear for their jobs, and backbenchers who fear for their seats is now fueling the silly season press coverage. Will they now be able to draw back come September - we will await the outcome. Meanwhile Gordon remains on holiday with various protesters in attendance. I bet he wished he been offered Sir Cliffs Barbados residence after all.

The most important announcement today for the average citizen was the announcement that British Gas was increasing its charges by a massive 35%, and that is on top of the already announced 15% rise. These rises are huge by any standards and people, especially the elderly must be very concerned about how they will keep warm this winter. There are a significant number of retired Wirral residents who will be looking to Government to help and like in so many other instances , the winter fuel payment will be too little, and will do little to alleviate their worries. Most ordinary working families with children will also be worried about the increase now being announced and it is a real let down on the part of the Government top be so financially impotent, given the huge sums of money that has passed through its hands in recent years. 

Finally in this short entry this evening I see that a burglar entered a home this week and left only with a two foot shark that was still alive. The mind boggles. So if a man in a pub offers you a shark in a tank going cheap - best leave it.

The weather over the weekend has been glorious. It`s almost as if we are having a real summer in the UK. For Gordon however a s he take his tie off and heads to the coast for his summer holiday it must seem anything but a happy holiday break. Trying hard to look relaxed, and delivering the usual line of ..”busy getting on with the job …etc. It must seem any thing but a holiday when all you can hear in the background is not the sound of distant seagulls but the unnerving sound of knives being sharpened. A sound that is now familiar to Gordon. The problem with being on holiday at this time is that he does not know what is going on who is saying what to whom. That will no doubt drive him mad before the week is out. Especially so, as one of the most ambitious of the potential replacements has been left in charge and is no doubt taking every opportunity to slide in the Prime Ministers chair at number 10.

This weekend has enabled me to get out and talk to a number of people in Bebington, and interesting it was too. It is also clear that local issues are rising up the agenda, and the prospect of any changes to, or the introduction of additional penalties or charges for the collection of waste from our household bins are a definite none starter. The other issue that gets the thumbs down is the provision of any personal data to commercial companies by local PCT`s.  The prospect of even more quantities of junk mail finding its way through our letter box is not an attractive one. It would be interesting to know how many tree are cut down every year in order that this deluge of unwanted mail can sent to our homes.

Regular readers of this blog will know of my concern at the governments failure to deal adequately with the continuing problem of drug users and their persistent commission of offences such as theft, burglary and robbery in order that they can finance their habit. The Department of Work and Pensions has disclosed that about 270,000 heroin and crack cocaine users in England claim state benefits. That would mean that about 1.1% of the working age population are heroin or crack users. A serious concern not only for the individual concerned or their potential victims, but also a bad sign for the economy and future economic growth. It also means that the public funds are the single biggest purchaser or source of finance for the purchase of illegal drugs in this country. A firm line has to be taken to deal with what is largely  a blight on young people. What a waste of a so many young lives.

4,677 - Is the number of appeals for papers to be re-marked already received from schools by ETS, the US company behind the Sats marking fiasco. The figure is already more than double the final total of appeals for last year.

In the circumstances I don`t expect that Gordon will receive many post cards from his backbench MP`s exclaiming “wish you were here!”.

Gordon Brown has spent the last few day in Japan with the other G8 leaders. No doubt the chance to get away for a few days has been welcome given the problems that continue to dog Labour at home. Tonight the Labour Party might finally choose their candidate to contest the Glasgow East                 by-election. It will be the fourth person lined up to take on this role, and given that this is one of Labours safest seat it signals how unpopular Labour is at the moment. No one wants to take on this poisonous chalice.

Mean while in the House of Lords the proposed 42 days detention measure that squeaked through the Commons by a mere 9 votes and a lot of promises, has been savaged by no other than the former Director of M15 supported by two former Labour Government Ministers. It is becoming increasingly difficult to see how this measure is going to get onto the statute book. Food for thought perhaps for David Davis, and a clear example of how fighting from within is better than resigning your seat and largely being ignored in the subsequent by-election by the media.

It was good to see David Cameron in Glasgow this week, as it`s important not only to highlight Labours failure in seat that form their bedrock, but also to show that whilst the Conservative Party might not be in a position to win the Glasgow East by-election every part of the country matters to the party and people from all walks of life matter. 

If all that was bad enough the economic news today was depressing as the big home builders are laying off large numbers of workers, and the prospects for first time buyers looks very bleak indeed at the moment. A clear indication of the impotence of the Governments current position which is all spent out

As a boy i spent many hours in the countryside with my friends, and the six week summer holiday which seemed to last forever was one long voyage of discovery of the locality in which we lived. Like most of my friends I could identify all the local birds, fish and animals and spent many hours fishing in the local ponds and rivers, watching the Buzzards over head and the Sand Martins and Kingfishers who had made their summer homes the shallow burrows in the riverbank.

I was therefore given pause for thought today when I read that many young people could not tell the difference between a Blue Tit and a Starling or in fact identify many of the local birds and Insects that I saw and the identity of which my friends and I took for granted. It is very much to my regret that the people upon whom the future protection of these British inhabitants will fall know so little about them and there value to our landscape. I hope that this paucity of knowledge can be reversed, as the enjoyment I experienced is something that all children should continue to benefit from. It is also a stark reminder of how the bedroom with its computer has come to replace the outdoors for many of our children. It is only natural in todays climate that we seek to keep our children safe. In doing so they miss out on so many of the simple (and cheap) pleasures that the outdoors provide. As a community we must take back our local spaces and rid ourselves of the fear that the activities of the few bring. 

Finally, it is being predicted that the English language will celebrate its one-millionth word within a year. At present there are 995,844 official words, with the millionth word predicted to arrive on April 29th 2009 (how precise). Apparently the average person uses fewer than 14,000 words. Even a linguistically gifted person would use about 70,000 words. Labour backbench MP`s are concentrating there usage around a far small number of words, concentrated into small groups such as `electoral liability`and `to think I said Tony Blair had to go`. I wounder what words will be in common usage should Labour lose the soon to be held Glasgow East by-election.

Today marks the 60th birthday of the NHS, and it has been amazing in the build up to this landmark celebration - the degree of public affection that remains for this important public service and particularly those who work within it. It is clear that this national service - free at the point of delivery remains critical the drive for good health and wellbeing in this country. There is much debate on the future direction of the NHS, but it is clear as new and expensive treatmentsbecome available the money allocated to the NHS has to be well spent and the current waste and inefficiency has to be driven out of the system. Failure to achieve this ultimately means no essential treatment for some and the reduction in life expectancy for those patients - our citizens and family members.

The health of the housing market remains a major concern, with the prospect of 1in 8 of the 1.2 million people who bought a home since the start of last year now in a position of negative equity. Many more people will of course being paying a mortgage on an asset experiencing a reduction in value. All this on top of the general steep increase in food and utility bills. Meanwhile Gordon and his chums stand by unable to anything to help other than to tell us that they feel our pain. Very unlikely.

I am facing an unhelpful problem with my children. I had been telling them that they are eating far too much rubbish like crisps etc and that they should eat more fruit etc - sound familiar? . I challenged my eldest today when i found her eating some Pringles. I delivered my opening line about too many crisps etc - to be met with the answer that Pringles were not crisps. What I said - of course they are crisps - only to have my attention drawn to the newspaper which informed the reader that Mr Justice Warren in the High Court had decided (in a case about the payment of VAT) that pringles` unnatural shape, distinctive tube packaging and non-potato ingredients meant that they could not be classified as a crisp. It appears that because Pringles contain just 42% potato, they are in effect closer to a cake.

The look of triumph on my daughters face as my jaw dropped - (i of course was claiming now that cakes were just as bad) said it all- Kids - they can be such a `smarty pants` sometimes.

I have learnt that at this time of anniversaries such as Gordons first as Prime Minister that this period also marks the 150th anniversary of the SOS signal. I thought that in all the circumstances, Gordon might see the funny side of this, but some how i doubt it.

Gordon Brown saw the arrival of the first anniversary of his premiership with the loss of the Labour deposit of £500, at Henley, in the early hours of Friday morning. Beaten in to 5th place with only 3% of the votes has seen the Labour machine seek to blame Harriet Harmen for this result. Funny how Gordon never seems top accept that it might have something to do with his leadership.

I was however more interested to see that Chancellor, Alistair Darling seems to be once again on the retreat. This time over the proposals to increase dramatically the level of car tax, and in particular the intention to make some aspects of the changes retrospective on vehicles bought before 2001. The proposals, which viewed overall would have left 18 million motorists facing above-inflation rises have  prompted a popular backlash. This on top of everything else. Many people across Wirral would have been affected, and the this apparently green measure was in part aimed at people who would not have had the opportunity of considering these higher charges at the time they bought the vehicle. That in no way to my mind is a measure aimed at changing behaviour, simply at raising revenue.

Friday evening saw a visit to Chester races for my wife and myself.  I`m not really a gambler but enjoyed the evening with winners in the first and last race on the card ensured that the evening paid for itself. My wife also bagged a couple of winners and it was nice to see many people we had not seen for a while as we moved between the horse ring and the Tote. Pity the weather was not more in keeping with the time of year!!!

This morning, with Cllr Andrew Hodson I was out and about in Heswall Town centre talking to people, and was heartened by the number of positive comments. The coffee and cake in the local cafe following this session finished things off nicely. I will be back again in a few weeks.

Tonight see a trip to Manchester to a dinner held by my wife`s Chambers. I must confess it`s difficult to get enthusiastic about a black tie event sometimes. I`m sure it will be pleasant. I`m looking forward to a few hours in front of the TV on Sunday, before it all starts again on Monday - when  work takes me back to Manchester, to the Crown Court.

Finally - I see that a London clinic is offering to remove the muscles used to frown as a treatment for migraine. Research has apparently led to the suggestion that this treatment may work for some sufferers whose headaches are caused by tension in facial muscles. Looking at Gordon Browns face recently and his look of depression at the way things are going, if this treatment proves effective, he may be first on the waiting list.

This was the question asked playfully of Gordon Brown by a Conservative MP at this weeks Prime Ministers Questions. It was a question about the fact that he had reached the first anniversary as Prime Minister of course. If only Gordon had risen to the challenge of the need for a humorous reply. Instead we were treated to the usual list of claimed Labour achievements. In that moment he managed to confirm that he remains out of touch and unable to read what is required from even a gentle jibe. All the Prime Ministers Labour backbenchers studiously avoided any reference to what Her Majesty might have called his “Annis Horribilis”.

This week saw yet again the need for concessions so as to allow the Planning Bill to pass its reading in the House of Commons. This is the Bill that creates a new quango , the ”Infrastructure Planning Commission” and gives this body key powers in respect of controversial planning applications to build nuclear plants, airport extensions and the like. Whilst i accept that we need to ensure efficient and timely progress on the renewal of essential facilities. It is because of their controversial nature, that makes it all the more important that such decisions have democratic legitimacy. I say this against the background of understanding the problems that the current situation has on our economic prosperity and the looming energy gap.

That said, i hope that this measure will not prove to be the thin end of the wedge and over time we see a gravitation towards other planning applications that might prove to be controversial being take out of the hand of the Local Authority and its elected representatives. I have in mind the current proposal to build a bio-diesal plant in Eastham village, Wirral. It is important that local decisions based upon locally developed planning policies are made by our local representatives.

I notice that in addition to Gordon Browns first anniversary as Prime Minister that this week see the 50th anniversary of the Parking Meter. Not many cheers to be heard here i would guess. 

The other interesting snippet of news to come to light is the dramatic fall in sperm donations. This is one banking crisis that I hope will not see Gordon and his colleagues rushing forward to solve.

Until next time ….. 

Last night I had the great pleasure of welcoming Shadow Secretary William Hague MP to the Wirral South constituency. The evening was well attended by people who wanted to hear from a man not just admired within the Conservative Party itself, but by people of all political persuasions the length and breadth of the country. They were not to be disappointed, as he spoke for about 40 minutes without notes and gave what can only be described as an outstanding exposition of his view and experiences, together with a clear road map as to where a future Conservative Government would take this country. This was intermingled with many a hilarious tale and anecdote of his travels and experiences over the years he has been the Member of Parliament for the Yorkshire constituency of Richmond. A perfect mixture of material delivered in an easy style kept the audience fully entertained for the entire duration and as with all outstanding speakers, left us wanting more. As one experienced politician in attendance said to me “I only wish I could speak like that”.

It is good to know that with people like William at the helm of the party - it is in good hands.

Today was also a good day as former Lib Dem colleague, Rob Earl was unveiled as the latest addition to the Wirral South Conservative Team. As the Lib Dem Candidate in the target ward of Clatterbtidge, he was able to see first hand the hard work being put in by the local Conservative Action Team, and it was pleasing to see that he was joining for all the right reasons. A hard worker, Rob will be a great addition to my team. I hope he will not be the last.

Read the ConservativeHome story about Rob Earl’s defection to Wirral South Conservatives

Finally for today according to the San Francisco Chronicle David Beckham has joined the Napa Valley Reserve. No it`s not a joke or a part time outfit of bored office workers playing soldiers at weekends. It is in fact  an “institute of higher education for vintners and friends of vintners”. I`m sure there will be some confusion in the Beckham household when he starts to talk to Victoria about bouquets.

Today has seen the Government push, with the help of the Liberal Democrats, the Lisbon EU Treaty throught its third and final reading in the House of Lords and into law tomorrow. So no referendum. The day also saw the Labour Government confirm that it would not putting up  a candidate against David Davies, the former Shadow Home Secretary, who has caused a by-election in his Yorkshire constituency in protest at the Governments success in bullying the vote through in the recent 42 day detention debate in the House of Commons. Its good to see that that Democracy is alive in the Labour Government.

Tonight I attended a public meeting in Eastham which had been called to discuss the proposed application to build a large bio-diesel plant about 100 meters from the nearest village home - and its a big one for the size of the village. Called by the `Eastham fights back campaign` it was a well organised with a large number of village residents attending. In fact it was so well attended that people were not only in the overspill area, but also standing out in the car park, with proceeding being relayed via a loud speaker system. They were kind enough to invite me to say a few words and whilst it is early days, I wish them every success in their campaign.

Finally for those who have difficulty in sleeping, you could find the following event the answer to your prayers. Labour Minister and Brown sidekick Ed balls is hosting his own one-man show at St Johns church in Aylmerton, Norfolk this Friday. The extravaganza is titled “music, readings and reminiscences”. You might be surprised to learn that there are still some tickets available.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.