Launch of South East Euro Election Campaign

At the new Southampton Cruise Terminal at the Docks

Last week I helped launch the Conservatives' European election campaign in the South East. SE Conservative MEPs and candidates joined Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling in Southampton Docks to mark the official start of the campaign. Prior to the official launch we met with the Port Director for a tour of the docks and heard how the recession is affecting trade through the port. We also heard how the Government's back dated business rates hike and a huge increase in shipping light dues are harming local firms.


Conservatives are putting their calls for a refurendum on the Lisbon Treaty at the heart of the election campaign. In 2005 all three main parties promised a public vote on whether more powers should be passed from Britain to Brussels. Only the Conservatives are honouring that pledge and only a strong showing for the Conservatives will put pressure on Gordon Brown to put the question to the people.

The Conservatives want a Europe of Nation States and not an EU superstate. We will campaign for a no vote on the Treaty of Lisbon and have ruled out giving up the pound for the Euro.

Dan Hannan....Telling It As It Is

Gordon Brown has run out of our money.

Dan Hannan talks about Localism

On Friday Southampton University was host to Dan Hannan MEP. Over 40 people came along to hear Dan speak about 'The Plan', his new book which he co-authored with Douglas Carswell MP.

The Plan is a radical and thought provoking read which sets out a vision of a more democratic Britain. It builds upon an earlier book, Direct Democracy where Dan and colleagues from the 2005 intake of Conservative MPs present their localist agenda.

As a local councillor and a prospective member of Parliament I am fully behind a more local decentralised approach to politics. This means more decisions being taken by Parliament and indeed by local councils. Over the past 10 years more and more decisions have been taken away from our directly accountable institutions and passed to an ever growing list of quangos.

It also frustrates me that in Southampton we get such a rough deal from the government. Southampton pays more into the government pot than we get back and we receive far less in funding than similar cities in the north of England. As I mentioned in a posting just recently, our council tenants also receive a raw deal. You would imagine that the rents they pay would all be kept locally but in fact about 10% of the rents for the whole city is appropriated by the government. This works out at over £300 a property next year. I think a more local system of financing for local services would be a much fairer and more accountable approach.

Also speaking at the event was Tim Aker of the Tax Payers Alliance. I had a chance to speak with Tim earlier in the day in my capacity as the council cabinet member for finance and explained how underfunding from the government effects Southampton. I went into more detail last week in an interview with the Daily Echo. It was also interesting to hear Tim's views on what local councils can do to save money and become more efficient.

In all it was a hugely successful event and I am grateful for all the hard work by the Southampton University Conservative Association in organising the talk. Dan said a few some kind words about the work we are doing locally in Southampton and we are looking forward to helping with the campaign for the Euro Elections in June.

The Case for a Referendum

SUMMER CREAM TEA
ON MONDAY 27 AUGUST 2007 at 3pm
at Elizabeth House Hotel, The Avenue, Southampton

The guest speaker at this year's Freemantle Conservative Ward Summer Cream Tea is South East Euro MP, Dan Hannan.

A Daily Telegraph columnist (Click HERE to visit his blog) and Conservative MEP for South East England, will talk about the revived Euro-constitution and Labour’s attempt to renege on its promise of a national referendum.

Daniel was the first person in Britain to call for a referendum on the EU Constitution, back in 2001, and is President of the Referendum Group, a pan-European alliance campaigning against closer integration.

He is a co-author, together with a number of Conservative MPs from the 2005 intake, of Direct Democracy: An Agenda for a New Model Party, which was serialised in the Daily Telegraph.

Thoughts on House of Lords Reform

I missed all the news about the House of Lords reform last week as I was on holiday. However I have found it very interesting catching up on all the news in the papers and on the Internet.

I remember reform of the House of Lords being an essay topic when I did A-Level politics. My view then (1994) was that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The mixture of hereditary peers and life peers seemed to work. It provided an effective check on over powerful Governments. It wasn't dominated by the whips and it contained significant expertise. It was an effective revising chamber.

I think given the choices available MPs were probably right to opt for a wholly elected House of Lords. Essentially there were really only 3 choices: 1) a 100% elected chamber 2) a 100% appointed chamber 3) scrap it entirely.

Anything in between really just creates more confusion.

Given all the problems with cash for peerages and the appointment of cronies I think going for an appointed chamber would really be a bad move.

Scrapping it also seems very wrong given the check the House of Lords provides on a powerful Government. There has been significant erosion of parliamentary sovereignty in favour of the Executive over the last ten years. A strongish second chamber seems more relevant than ever.

So that leaves an elected chamber.

An elected chamber brings its own problems though. It means yet more politician and more expense to the over taxed tax payer. It creates a danger that the Lords will attempt to expand its power given is greater legitimacy and this might create parliamentary deadlock (although less legislation may not be a bad thing!). A list system hands a great deal of power to political parties. It will mean the parties chose those most likely to get elected and it means that the whips would tend to dominate.

Dan Hannan made an interesting suggestion on the Direct Democracy website (I think before the actual vote took place). His suggestion was that County Councillors and Unitary Authority Councillors are seconded for periods at a time to serve in the second chamber. Initially this seems like an odd suggestion. Although the more you think about it the more merits it might have. It introduces indirect democracy. It avoids the need for yet more politicians. It introduces a geographical link as each Councillor represents an area of the country. It would mean more independent minded people. Councillors aren't usually career politicians. The whips would be less powerful. It would enhance the prominence of local government and might encourage better people into local politics. You could have the Councillor for each authority selected by lot rather than appointed. It would given smaller parties and independents a voice.

This system would by its nature create a second house of junior importance to the Commons.

Worth a thought.