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Newsletter September 2014

Posted by Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, at 17:19, Thu 2 October 2014:

Dear Subscriber,

I have just returned from the Conservative Party Conference which was very successful. This was my first conference as parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to William Hague; and it was his last conference after appearances going back 37 years. It was great fun being part of William's conference preparation team and I find him very inspiring to work for.

Having run a business which amongst other things staged conferences, albeit on a smaller scale, I am always very impressed with the professionalism of this massive event. The party now alternate between venues in Birmingham and Manchester. They are quite different and the conference centre in Manchester is much easier to navigate. I think I have finally got the hang of the ICC in Birmingham but I must admit that it has taken me a good three conferences to attain that happy state. The transformation of Birmingham from the city it was in my childhood never ceases to amaze me. The good weather made quite a difference too, very nice to be able to move between places without getting soaking wet and/or freezing.

I spoke at a couple of smaller events, on finance for higher education, and the treatment of gay people in countries where human rights abuses and persecution are the norm. By not taking on too many speaking engagements myself I was able to attend some very interesting meetings and hear some good speeches in the main conference hall. There is also a good social life on these occasions, and I enjoyed a very nice evening with friends attending the conference from Stourbridge.

The highlights for me were a meeting held by my friend Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford, on the situation in Iraq and particularly the Kurdish region. There are grave concerns that the new government in Iraq, which has been established to be more representative of the different tribes who make up the country, is proving resistant to the real change that is needed. There was another excellent meeting on the reform agenda for the EU. We have a really brilliant minister for Europe, David Liddington the MP for Aylesbury, I wonder at the amount of information, insight and analysis he has at his fingertips about some really complex issues on the EU agenda. Also speaking at that meeting was a friend of mine, Vicky Ford, a Member of the European Parliament for East Anglia.

The Home Secretary gave a marvellous speech, crystal clear and deadly earnest, we were left in no doubt about the nature and seriousness of the threat that faces us in Britain. The scale of the murder and mayhem unleashed by ISIL is truly barbaric. Theresa May is definitely the woman for the job. The conference ended on a high note with the Prime Minister setting out a vision for the continuing recovery which should reduce the tax burden significantly for low and middle earners. It was a tremendous speech and the best that I have seen him give.

Parliamentary work

I asked questions and spoke in debates about:

I attended various events and had meetings in and around Parliament:

  • Meeting the new CEO of UK Trade and Investment, Dominic Jeremy, to discuss trade issues and my work as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Trade and Investment.

  • Meeting Cllr David Sparks from Dudley Council in his role as Chair of the Local Government Association, to discuss his plans for the coming months.

  • Speaking with students from Ham Dingle Primary School on their visit to Parliament.

  • Meeting with a constituent who attending the national lobby of Parliament on Gaza to discuss the recent conflict and my letter to the Foreign Secretary on the issue.

  • Dropping by Breast Cancer Campaign’s ‘Wear it Pink’ event, to hear about their work to improve breast cancer care. Read more (http://www.margotjames.com/content/mp-%E2%80%9Cwears-it-pink%E2%80%9D-breast-cancer-awareness)

  • I attended a meeting at Chequers hosted by the Prime Minister to discuss further devolution to Scotland and the implications for the rest of the UK.

Out and about in Stourbridge…

  • Meeting with Andrew Cleaves, the recently appointed Principal of Birmingham Metropolitan College, to talk about his plans for future developments at the college’s Stourbridge campus.

  • I held a very thought provoking meeting with a number of local residents who are very concerned about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

  • I was introduced to Gaz Sawers, a representative from the Friends of Dudley Hippodrome Group and founder of the successful Black Country Day, we discussed the campaign to save the historic theatre in Dudley.

  • Opened the refurbished changing rooms at Stourbridge Football Club’s ground in Amblecote. I had a great time catching up with the team and touring the club’s improved facilities.

  • Joining staff and pupils at Old Swinford Hospital School as they fundraised for Macmillan Cancer Research and the Primrose Hospice. The students sold some delicious cakes that they baked to pupils and staff.

  • Presenting an array of prizes to a number of teams made up of people with disabilities who participated in a flower show at the Glasshouse Arts College. I was really impressed by the very high standard of the exhibits at the show which included floral and vegetable displays, delicious jams and chutneys and a spectacular range of scarecrows.

  • I visited Mary Stevens Park with Norton Ward Councillor Heather Rogers to discuss the parking situation at the park. Stourbridge residents are currently finding it very difficult to park at Mary Stevens since the move of a large Council department to offices at the site.

  • I met pupils and staff at Wollescote Primary School for a tour of the school and to discuss the excellent progress they have made in recent months. It was a delight to meet everyone at the school.

  • I participated in a meeting with Paula Clark, Chief Executive of Russells Hall and officers of Dudley Council, to discuss residents’ concerns about the provision and cost of hospital car parking.

  • I enjoyed dropping in on a very interesting exhibition featuring a replica of the famous 1920s Chance Brothers foghorn at the Red House Glass Cone. Chance Brothers was a reputable glass manufacturer and lighthouse engineering company based in Smethwick.

It wasn’t all work

It was nice to catch up with my cousin Daniel Bausor for dinner, Dan runs a technology PR business and is very interested in engaging young people in politics.

Jay and I went to see Rufus Wainwright at the Albert Hall, he was very good but as it was being broadcast for Radio 3 Jay said we would have heard him better by sitting in the car outside, something happens to the acoustics in the Albert Hall when they are broadcasting.

I also finally got to see the second part of the Hilary Mantel series on Thomas Cromwell. Bring up the Bodies was absolutely marvellous, together with Wolf Hall which I saw in July, it was the best theatre I have seen for many years.

Jay and I went with my friend Peter Field to see a fantastic new film based on a true, but seemingly unlikely, story of the support gay people showed to the striking miners in the eighties, it was very poignant in parts with a superb cast, Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy amongst others.

Rupert, Laura and my two great nieces Poppy and Mirabelle came to stay for a weekend and we had such a lovely time; taking the children to the Cotswold Farm Park and for a riding lesson.

The President of our Conservative Association in Stourbridge, Margaret Fraser, held a lovely harvest supper which I and many others very much enjoyed.

I managed to get a dinner party together, this doesn’t happen very often these days but it was a lot of fun cooking six or so dishes from Lebanon and Morocco for eight of us.

Margot James MP

http://www.facebook.com/margotjamesmp

https://twitter.com/#!/margotjamesmp

www.margotjames.com

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