Green Tea

Over the weekend I visited the Tiger Wok restaurant in Compton and spoke with the owner Steven, locally known as ”Stevie the Wonder Chef”.  After we had polished off a large pot of green tea we discussed issues involving anti-social behaviour, law & order and particularly immigration. Only last week the restaurant had suffered a broken window and had had eggs thrown at it. Overall it made me appreciate the tremendous strain and pressure that many small businesses face. Steven vividly made the point that many times his family have felt that they would be better off if they closed the business and chose to claim benefits.

We were of course once referred to as a nation of shopkeepers by some French general, there was some truth in what he said. Small business are the backbone of the UK and legislators should be doing everything they can to promote enterprise and innovation, throughout our economy. We should be encouraging people like Steven, not burdening him under red tape and bureaucracy. Steven also felt that many skilled people are choosing to emigrate because of the problems he highlighted. Coupled with this has been the rise immigration to our shores in the last decade.

Last week Julie Spence, of Cambridgeshire police made a  plea for more government funding to cope with the problems, posed by the sharp rise in immigration. She also argued officers could take three times as long dealing with an immigrant offender, partly due to language difficulties. She was backed by the chairman of the Cambridgeshire Police Federation, who added many officers’ time was also taken up educating new arrivals about British culture and laws. Speaking on the Today programme, Mrs Spence attacked the Labour government for starving the force of funds to deal with the immigration influx.

Putting it bluntly many people I come across increasingly want a something for something society. If you work hard, pay your taxes and play by the rules you expect the system to look after you and not penalise you. Good old fashioned fair play is what everybody would like to see and sadly that isn’t always the case. 

Paul

Francis Maude in Wolverhampton

On Wednesday afternoon I took Francis Maude to visit The Institute at Tettenhall wood. He was particularly interested to hear about the youth club that operates there on Monday evenings.  Sergeant Evans and PC Diane Shepherd were kind enough to show us around.  I’ll be speaking about the excellent work that the club does at the Conservative Party Conference.

Earlier in the morning, we had a chance to meet with Jeremy Vanes at the Citizens Advice Bureau  offices in the city centre.  If you want to get an accurate picture about what’s going on in any area in terms of peoples concerns, then the CAB should be the first port of call.  We discussed topics covering the history and changing face of Wolverhampton as well as the more traditional topics of debt, crime and legal aid work.  It was very encouraging to hear Jeremy speak about the constant acts of spontaneous kindness and generosity he comes across through his work.  As a trustee of a charity I’ll be organising another meeting with Jeremy to see if other organisations can support the excellent work that the CAB does.

 

Paul

Unemployment in Wolverhampton

Recently a poll of parliamentary constituencies found that the three constituencies in Wolverhampton are among the top fifty seats in terms of the proportion of people claiming the Job seekers allowance. The picture is equally depressing throughout the rest of the West Midlands. Rolls Royce Aero Engines is one of the few remaining high-tech engineering industries remaining in  Britain and it’s plight pertinently illustrates the problems we face. Specifically the comments of the  Chief-Executive Director, Sir John Rose, deserve greater publicity.  

He is concerned at the fall in numbers of engineering and technical graduates being prepared for employment in industry. His own company now has to employ as many as 20% foreign trained engineers but more is required (didn’t somebody make a recent claim about British jobs for British people). A substantial base of manufacturing is needed to offer worthwhile careers for our young graduates. In recent years, business taxes and rules and regulations have increased. Our educational system is not solving a skills shortage. The transport systems are inadequate.

Does any one remember John Prescott ? Ten years ago he promised us a transport system that would be the envy of Europe ! David Cameron recognises the economic challenges facing the nation. The report Freeing Britain to compete has identified  our present problems, and has made proposals  which would make Britain an attractive place in which to do business.

Paul

Gordon Brown

Many public sectors workers have been awarded a pay increase. BUT, says the Government, wait a while. We can only afford to make the payment in two instalments. The Prime Minister said he was not going to jeopardise the economic future of the Nation by making the full payment immediately. Up in Scotland, and in Wales the full pay award is being implemented. The economic future of  Wales and Scotland does not appear to be menaced. I suppose it is because they elect many Labour members of Parliament. Their economic future may be menaced if pay awards were to be staggered ! Mr Gordon Brown represents a Scottish district. He has not offended his own electors. Work hard ! Pay your taxes. The Scots and Welsh Parliaments will spend it for you.

Paul

Crime in Wolverhampton

Last night I attended a Police liaison group meeting. Many topics were covered but it was interesting to gauge how crime is very much at the forefront of public thinking in Wolverhampton at the moment. Time to take stock and speak about crime more candidly. It was pretty evident last night that many residents feel that the judicial system needs a complete overhaul. Specifically, many people feel that it is now necessary to redress the balance back towards the victim, rather than the perpetrators of crime.

Teenage shooting and stabbings are all too  frequent in some parts of our cities. Government promises strict new laws to tackle the problem. That’s one of things the present Government is very good at doing (passing new laws). In the whole of the 19th century only 34 Criminal justice bills were passed into law. In the last ten years, we have had 60 Criminal Justice  Bills, on top of that no less than 1,335 extra Home Office regulations. These new laws lack consistency and competence. The police and the judges are doing the best job that they can in difficult circumstances. A leading Judge, Mr  Justice  Purdy  found  that “the conditions drafted as they are, lack clarity and are not workable in their current form”. So much for the rule of lawyers in our Government. Ordinary members of the public don’t ask for more laws, but they do ask for more police out on the streets away from their desks, enforcing the laws we already have. 

Paul

Wolverhampton Marathon

Over the past two weeks I’ve been on holiday so things have been a bit quiet for me but it’s been wonderful to spend some quality time with the children. All that ended with a painful bang yesterday as I ran in the Carvers Wolverhampton City Marathon. I am afraid that I wasn’t brave enough to enter myself in the full marathon and opted to run the half marathon course instead. On reflection that was by far and away the sane choice as two weeks holiday hadn’t exactly been the ideal preparation. I still managed to complete the course in a time of two hours and nineteen minutes which wasn’t that bad considering the fact that I’ve put on a stone in weight in the last fortnight. A big thank you to Bashir Chamberlin, a Conservative activist, who encouraged me all the way around the course. The important thing was that I managed to raise some money for a local football team and lose a fair chunk of that stone.

Just before the start (me looking very,very,very apprehensive) and Bash (looking very cool!)

 

Trust me, I felt a lot better at the end and I can’t begin to describe the feeling of respect I have for anybody who has a completed a full marathon (along with the pain in my thighs). I slept very well last night.

Paul