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Wednesday, 28 October, 2009
 | REBECCA HARRIS |
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 MPs' expenses are back in the headlines and it is depressing reading for anyone who thinks British democracy is important. As the person hoping to be the new Conservative MP for Castle Point at the General Election I have been as shocked and dismayed as anyone by some of the revelations. The public have never been more cynical about some of the people representing us in Parliament.
You might have thought that the whole expenses issue would have left me thinking I needed my head examined for trying to be an MP. But actually its made me even more determined than ever and really optimistic and excited about politics for the future.
Across the country, and in Castle Point, there is an opportunity for a new, fresh start. A different kind of politics. That’s because whichever political Party wins the next General Election, the House of Commons will look and feel a very different place. We now know there will be a massive clear-out and the whole system will have had a root and branch reform.
So many MPs have decided to stand down or been forced to by their party leaders. Many others are likely to lose their seats. So the next Parliament will have several hundred completely fresh faces. As someone who hopes to be one of them, I see this as something positive. On the Conservative side, there are some exceptionally high calibre new candidates. If we are lucky enough to win the election, even with a modest majority, there will be over 50 Conservative women MPs, all chosen democratically from a wide choice of candidates of both sexes like I was.
And this new generation of MPs will come from a really broad range of experience and employment beyond the confines of Westminster, such as teaching, farming, medicine and the Armed Forces. Many have proper hands on experience in business and industry. Coming from a business background myself, I believe its essential that our MPs understand that its British businesses that create jobs and drive economic prosperity, not ever higher taxes and government spending.
I talked with my fellow Conservative candidates at the recent Conservative Party Conference. I know these potential new Conservative MPs will also be younger, confident, more independent, less likely to follow the Whips on points of principle or local concern, more outspoken and quick to speak their mind. They are all very clear that being an MP must not be about self-promotion or personal gain. It is about serving and working hard for everyone, whatever their politics or circumstances. Crucially, all of them are keen not to make the same mistakes some of the current MPs have.
I am also very optimistic about the future of politics right here in Castle Point. This summer I launched a new Castle Point Conservative youth branch called Conservative Future and they already have over 120 members. These young people are serious about political issues and care passionately about the future of our borough. They also want to give something back. Which is why they are going to make doing local voluntary work their priority - that and holding great parties! They have already held their first party on Canvey Island and will be doing things like helping clean up local parks, collecting for the Royal British Legion and raising money for good local causes like BOPH.
They have also been helping with our shoe-boxes for troops campaign. Using our network of volunteers we have filled large numbers of shoe-boxes with gifts which the troops want. I want to thank the many people from across the political divide who have responded and donated items or whole boxes. With our local regiment, The Royal Anglians being deployed to Helmand, this is a really good way of showing our community's support for them. This also proves that a local political party can do something positive with its organisation and volunteers without being party-political or point-scoring against other parties.
As a Conservative, I believe being an MP is not about slavish obedience to some distant organisation which is trying to impose its will on communities. It is about having some basic principles of how we should do things to make our community and country better, and sticking to them. It is also about working as a team, often quietly behind the scenes, to get real results, rather than rowing and point scoring all the time. Even though I am only a Conservative candidate, so I don’t have the benefit of paid staff (or expenses!), I want to demonstrate my commitment to Castle Point, and a different type of politics even now - starting as I mean to go on.
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Monday, 26 October, 2009
| REBECCA HARRIS |
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Weekends are always busy for me in Castle Point. This weekend was no exception.
On Saturday morning, I went to the jumble sale at St .Nicholas' on Canvey. Although I'd mainly gone to donate some books, I lent a hand with setting it up and once it opened I couldn't help but leave with a bag full of children's books and things for the house.
Then I met up with our canvassing team, as usual, in our office in Benfleet. We spent some time finishing off the shoe boxes of items our volunteers and members of the public have donated for our troops overseas. We're ready now to dispatch our first of about 70.
In the evening, we went to Hadleigh Country Park, where Castle Point Astronomy Society were having an open event. We were fortunate the clouds had cleared late that afternoon, so we had pretty good skies. My son was thrilled with his first sight of Jupiter and its moons. The event, all led by enthusiastic volunteers, was really well attended and very educational.
Afterwards, we all went to the Admiral Jellicoe on Canvey where Laura Maclean had organised a Cancer Research fundraiser. The Pub had waived its usual fee, and everyone had a great time, in the process raising nearly £300 for a charity whose work affects all our lives in one way or another.
The following morning, we joined up with volunteers from the Castle Point Wildlife Group, which was clearing and coppicing in West Wood. I was right behind Neal Warren's campaign to secure the wood's future for the community and am a member of the wildlife group. I don't think my family made especially good woodsmen but we enjoyed helping out on a beautiful autumn morning.
Looking back at our weekend, all the events we visited, the things we did, all had a theme. They are about people giving something back to their community, not waiting for the Government, the Council or someone else to do it. This is the responsible society which David Cameron was talking about at our conference in Manchester.
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Tuesday, 13 October, 2009
| REBECCA HARRIS |
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"Weekend home in Castle Point
I spent much of the last week at the conference in Manchester. Manchester is a great city, and my husband enjoyed taking time to do some sight-seeing. It is striking, however, how few open spaces there are in the city centre - no parks or gardens.
It was good then this Saturday to get a bit of fresh air and go down to Two Tree Island and watch the Brent Geese arriving from Siberia. It's a very special spectacle and we're immensely lucky to have one of the UK's great bird migrations so close.
It reminded us how fortunate we are to have all these great green spaces around us in Castle Point, and how in my political work, I am determined to protect and support them.
Then on Sunday we all went to the Castle Point Transport Museum Open Day, which apart from anything else, is an astonishing piece of organisation. My son loved it and asked a lot of complicated mechanical questions I couldn't answer, but I did learn more than I ever new possible about Reliant Robins..
Anyone who has seen my car will realise I'm not a natural motoring enthusiast, but there is something peculiarly British and a bit eccentric about the whole event, and the enthusiasts who support it, which made it such a good family day out"
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Friday, 09 October, 2009
| REBECCA HARRIS |
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"There was a lot to absorb from David Cameron's speech on Thursday, but one of the things I immediately sparked upon was that he restated our commitment to maintain and improve Sure Start children's centres.
I've met some of the people who run and work at the Sure Start centres in the Borough and they are highly impressive and dedicated. My husband and I have also taken our son to one on Canvey. We've seen first-hand the great job they do.
A number of people have raised concerns with me about the Conservative position on Sure Start, largely because Labour repeatedly suggest we would scrap them. This has caused anxiety to those who depend on them.
David Cameron could not have made our commitment to them clearer. The family plays a vital role in our society, and all parents can benefit from some expert and constructive help on bringing up our kids, educating and playing with them.
Not only is Sure Start safe with us. We will make it better, to ensure it reaches those families who could benefit most from it" |
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