Jim Paice faces unexpected battle to retain his seat

Posted by on Apr 29, 2010 in 2010 general election | 2 comments The worrying backlash from John Cowan being dropped by Labour in South East Cambridgeshire is the threat this unexpectedly poses for Jim Paice, our wonderful Shadow Agriculture and Rural Affairs Secretary. What he doesn’t know about this subject isn’t worth knowing. He lives and breathes farming and the countryside, it’s in his blood. I was stunned to read in the Cambridge News...
read more

Who has blocked my YouTube account?

Posted by on Apr 29, 2010 in updates | 6 comments I’ve had problems uploading videos on my iMac and spent much of last night and this morning speaking to Apple support who have concluded that due to the political content of my videos, and having exhausted their usual list of technical  solutions, YouTube has blocked my account, most likely following a complaint for some reason. Does anyone have any idea who to contact at YouTube to...
read more

Introducing our two Luton Conservative candidates

Posted by on Apr 29, 2010 in 2010 general election | 1 comment There’s only one week left to E-Day, and our two Conservative candidates in Luton, Nigel Huddleston standing in Luton South, and Jeremy Brier, for Luton North, discuss their campaigns in the run up to 6th May. Nigel also discusses the Esther-factor, and the response she is getting from voters. Here is a link to a second video I made showing support for these two great guys from local...
read more

When Gordon met Gillian

Posted by on Apr 29, 2010 in 2010 general election | 5 comments They were softly spoken words which dealt the killer blow for a flagging Prime Minister now publicly shamed for his lack of sincerity, no matter how grovelling his humble apology to grandmother Gillian Duffy. Although much publicity has been given to the quizzing she gave him on the national debt and immigration, she raised two other key issues which very much worry the electorate – the...
read more

Whatever the result, we will not get the change we really need in parliament – more women MPs

Posted by on Apr 26, 2010 in 2010 general election, Women MPs | 9 comments Whatever the outcome of the general election, we will not see the change we really need in parliament – many more women MPs to reflect our true society. Data shows that although the three main political parties are fielding a record number of women candidates for the 2010 general election, the results are unlikely to result in a dramatic increase of women MPs, perhaps around 5% or even...
read more

Congratulations to James and co..

Posted by on Apr 26, 2010 in Personal | 4 comments Congratulations to my son James and his fellow players from Soham for becoming champions of their Under-17s football league in effect yesterday, though there is one more fixture game to play. The proud dads spayed them with bubbly afterwards and the jubilant team went out for an Indian meal to celebrate. James was on great form and his hat trick helped ensure their 4-1 victory against Histon in...
read more

Some Cambridge culture

Posted by on Apr 25, 2010 in Personal | 4 comments I was one of tens of thousands from around the world who went to the cinema last week and linked up with a live performance of Alan Bennett’s “The Habit of Art” at the National Theatre in London. It was a sensational experience and our enjoyment of the play was enhanced by the fact that we had a great close-up view of the actors and could see all the close detail on stage; it...
read more

Labour’s lurid PPC John Cowan sacked?

Posted by on Apr 25, 2010 in 2010 general election | 4 comments It would appear that Labour’s South East Cambridgeshire parliamentary candidate John Cowan (pic right) has been sacked for sending lurid emails in his previous life as a Lib Dem supporter (oh, he considered becoming Tory too!) This is my constituency, so I naturally have a special interest in it. I highlighted his dubious background earlier this week, and the local Labour Party then said it...
read more

Nick Hillman winning Cambridge’s student vote

Posted by on Apr 24, 2010 in 2010 general election | 6 comments Nick Hillman is outstandingly impressive as Cambridge’s Conservative parliamentary candidate. Regardless of the fact that Tories came third here in the last general election – and a very poor third winning only 7,193 votes compared to 19,152 for Lib Dems – he has fought a determined campaign to win Cambridge back. Cambridge is not a marginal seat and, as such, gets no support...
read more

Andrew Lansley outlines Conservative plans to care for the elderly

Posted by on Apr 23, 2010 in 2010 general election | 0 comments Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Secretary, outlines Conservative plans to support the elderly, including the £8,000 insurance proposal to pay for long-term care, and supporting them to be independent at home. The video was recorded during Andrew’s visit to Yorkshire this week to support parliamentary candidates Julian Sturdy and Nigel...
read more

Happy birthday to the Bard, and the downgrading of Shakespeare in schools

Posted by on Apr 23, 2010 in 2010 general election, Personal | 4 comments I hero worship William Shakespeare for his wit and inspirational writing, for his use of language and his exceptional perception on life and events; his grasp of love, treachery, history, comedy and pathos.  A testament to his brilliance is popularity of his plays in theatres today, more than 400 years after he penned them. As I prefer to celebrate birthdays rather than anniversaries of...
read more

Labour candidate sent “seedy” emails as Lib Dem

Posted by on Apr 22, 2010 in 2010 general election | 6 comments Labour’s parliamentary candidate John Cowan, a former glamour model manager, is named and shamed for being expelled from the Lib Dems for sending “sexual” emails to female political figures. Cowan is challenging Shadow Agriculture Secretary Jim Paice in South East Cambridgeshire; it is my constituency, in fact Jim knocked on my door this morning while out canvassing! The...
read more

An evening of theatre and politics

Posted by on Apr 22, 2010 in 2010 general election, Personal | 0 comments I’m afraid I am missing the second of the leaders’ election debates this evening due to an invitation to see Alan Bennett’s latest masterpiece, The Habit of Art, at a special linked screening at the Arts Picturehouse in Cambridge. Understandably, it’s a sell-out. I’ll catch up with Brown/Cameron/Clegg on Newsnight later in the evening. I’m desperate to see how...
read more

Andrew Lansley supports Julian Sturdy and Nigel Adams

Posted by on Apr 21, 2010 in updates | 2 comments Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Minister, arrived in Yorkshire in his distinctive “NH Yes” battle bus yesterday to discuss local health issues with voters. He was supporting our York Outer candidate Julian Sturdy and Nigel Adams, who is contesting nearby Selby & Ainsty. This is a video I made of the...
read more

The Shadow Health Secretary’s visit, voters’ thoughts and the vanishing election posters!

Posted by on Apr 20, 2010 in 2010 general election | 6 comments I was supporting Julian Sturdy as a friend today, knowing his sincerity in genuinely wanting to help chronic back pain sufferers who have been denied routine funding of NHS spinal injections which make a huge difference to the quality of their daily lives, but are no longer readily accessible from their health authority. Both Julian, our Conservative parliamentary candidate in York Outer, and...
read more

Voting is a “Christian duty”, states Archbishop of York

Posted by on Apr 20, 2010 in 2010 general election | 5 comments The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has the best ecclesiastical website I have seen to date, packed with interesting personal information about his life and regular updates about his official holy duties which take him all over the world. He is also very keen on the social media, and in this video he urges Christians to use their vote on 6th May, describing it as “a Christian...
read more

Hang gliders, volcanic ash, and a view from a tomb

Posted by on Apr 19, 2010 in News, Ramblers | 11 comments The volcanic ash did not deter a hang glider from soaring high above Essex in its clear blue cloudless sky yesterday. My fellow walkers from the Cambridge Rambling Group looked up in awe as we meandered through meadows bursting with spring flowers and the first showing of bluebells along the banks and in shady woodland. Volcanic ash or not, I don’t think I have the stomach for those...
read more

Peter Oborne: “This is the most sexist general election since the 1950s”

Posted by on Apr 19, 2010 in 2010 general election | 6 comments Respected political writer Peter Oborne asks the same question I did recently, and echoes the same thoughts: Whatever happened to female politicians in this election? Writing in The Mail, he describes this as “the most sexist general election since the 1950s”. This is what he wrote: Never in British political history have leaders’ wives played the dominant role they now enjoy....
read more

The ghost writer’s life

Posted by on Apr 17, 2010 in Blog | 4 comments I really enjoyed Polanski’s gripping thriller The Ghost which I saw last night. It is about a Blair-like PM accused of war crimes whose life is being written by a ghost writer referred to as the Ghost, played brilliantly by Ewan McGregor; I particularly liked the Cambridge connection which unfolds towards the end. Being a ghost writer is a bizarre existence and wouldn’t suit authors...
read more

Our leaders’ debate and volcanic ash

Posted by on Apr 16, 2010 in 2010 general election, Environment | 8 comments I missed the ITV leaders’ debate last night due to a social engagement in Cambridge, but caught up with the tail-end of it and saw Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all standing poised in their party-colour co-ordinated ties. I enjoyed watching how the audience response was tracked – what a clever political intelligence indicator. I was stunned to read this morning about...
read more

On the road with James

Posted by on Apr 14, 2010 in Personal, updates | 8 comments I’m teaching my youngest son James to drive and must admit it is not nearly as painful an experience as first time round. When David first put his L plates on my car, we could barely speak to each other when we returned home; he was furious with me for yanking up the handbrake saying I had over-reacted, and I felt a bag of nerves at his casual approach when reaching a junction. We...
read more

Grazia and our glossy women candidates

Posted by on Apr 14, 2010 in 2010 general election | 2 comments The glossy Grazia magazine has added a political twist to its latest issue by featuring six aspiring female parliamentarians from Conservative and Labour and five alluring Liberal Democrats. Of course, they are all glamorous and impeccable dressed for their photo-shoot, and risk exposing themselves to being judged for their appearance rather than their abilities. I expect they are tough enough to...
read more

What are your views of the Conservative manifesto?

Posted by on Apr 13, 2010 in 2010 general election | 10 comments The Conservatives have launched the manifesto their supporters hope will return them to power after 13 years in opposition. Here are its key points from the BBC website, with some of my thoughts added: IN A NUTSHELL Sticking to the theme of “Big Society”, rather than big government, the Conservatives call on the UK electorate to play a part in changing the country. (the public has in...
read more

What bloggers need to know about defamation

Posted by on Apr 11, 2010 in Social Media | 3 comments This is a guest post by barrister James Tumbridge following a report by Iain Dale highlighting the difficulties which Labour blogger Alex Hilton faces. It is a cautionary tale for us all: New media in the form of weblogs or ‘Blogs’, are subject to laws on defamation aimed more at the traditional media than the online. As authors and editors, bloggers, face a problem in the inter-active side...
read more

The virtuous candidate’s spouse

Posted by on Apr 11, 2010 in 2010 general election | 1 comment Sandra Howard can enjoy a well earned rest this time round after serving as a political spouse during the last six general elections. She dismisses jibes about being regarded as “window dressing” in this report in The Times: “Didn’t you feel like just a bit of window dressing? Isn’t it demeaning, being seen and not heard, expected to drop everything and look like Mrs average ...
read more