It was business as usual for David Willetts today when the 
Shadow Universities Secretary visited Cambridgeshire to support our Euro election candidate Vicky Ford, despite those newspaper headlines.
They met the local principal of a college in Huntingdon who explained her difficulties to plan for redevelopment following the withdrawal of funding from the Learning and Skills Council.
One of the local journalists who arrived used to work as a press officer in the Treasury with David back in the 1980s, and the second one was a face from the past for me too as we both worked on the Cambridge Evening News together. What a small world! Neither of them mentioned the expenses story, they were purely focused on local issues surrounding their college, and I really admired them for that.
A TV crew (one man) turned up at the school to interview and film David about today’s headlines and commented that it made a huge difference if politicians spoke publicly about difficult matters rather than refused to take calls, and that David had been really good during his interview. I think David Cameron has set an excellent example in speaking openly about all this.
David and Vicky later went walkabout on St Ives market where there were a few mutterings about MPs and expenses, but David was large unrecognised.
After Vicky headed off to Great Yarmouth for her next campaigning stint, David met the innovative co-founders of a Cambridge-based company called Ythos in the university city. They believe they have designed a fantastic software product which tracks patients from the earliest stages of risk through to treatment and outcome. They say it means that no patient will fall through the gaps – no child will be exposed to unnecessary health or social risk, no critical care patient will receive poor treatment and no chronic illness will leave a patient without dignity.
You would imagine the NHS and other agencies would be desperate for such a product. But one of the big challenges faced by small businesses, however great the product, is to get a foot in the door and for the NHS and agencies to open up the procurement process. The founders of Ythos, like so many others, are confident that a Conservative government would drive innovation so that it truly benefits the health and wealth of the nation.
Another eventful and interesting day.
I would nickname him “no brain…He made a lot of errors in his claims.
Who is he?? Never heard of him!
Why did you link to his expenses report??
Best of Luck to Vicky in her
Euro election campaign. I have no idea what it is about, so maybe someone could explain it..!
How many MPs does it take to change a light bulb?
Hi Ellee Funnily enough a leaflet was dropped through my door tonight…so are you/they saying we should leave Euro?
Sometimes, local issues can be more relevant
Well Ann:
Britain is an Island next to a continent called europe. All the countries of europe got together to form a trade community, but some people wanted to go further to make it all one big country for the very good reason that they thought it would stop there being another big war. Some other countries including Britain didn’t want to be part of one big country especially as the laws are made by an unelected body called the European commission. Unfortunately because of some cunning treaty making by the integrators, it turns out that the non-integrators have much of their law made by something called the European Parliament (in fact largely implementing directives from the commission). This parliament is the only democratically elected body in the european union, though it does not choose the executive. Your chance is to vote in elections to that body next week. Broadly your choice is:
1) Vote to integrate more (Lib Dem)
2) Vote to pull out altogether (UKIP)
3) Vote to do nothing ‘cos we don’t really understand (Labour)
4) Vote to try and pull back powers and lawmaking to local parliaments and stop the federalising agenda, but retain commitment to a European Union with harmonised economic regimens and no trade tariffs (Conservative)
I should add that you have to vote for a party not an individual and MEPs are then selected from a party list for each region.
Because it is a PR system it is very important to vote, because the more moderate and right-thinking people who vote, for whatever party they choose, the less chance we have of being represented by extreme left-wing fascists (ie the BNP)
Obviously its more complicated than that but hows that for starters?
sorry, not next week-June 4th!
PPS I forgot
5) Vote for more windmills (Green)
Thank you mens sana…whoever you are!
What do people generally want, and who would make the decisions…
Oh I just don’t know, can we trust anyone in the Government at the moment…how can we begin to understand any of it, and then they want our vote…! Thanks anyway..see if by voting date I get any of it 😉
His head is shiney! tee hee…
What if every country begins to vote extremist as many people I know feel like doing ? What does Europe become then ?
Now can you see why it’s such a bad idea ?
Vote UKIP, Green, Libertas (not BNP) ANYTHING but Conservative, Labour or Lib Dem.
The three main parties have proven themselves to be a danger to Britain.
Kev, how long do you think any fringe party will need to be in power before they are just as bad?