TRG By Invitation: Power2010 – A Democratic Response to Climate Change?

In a new article for the TRG Blog, George Gabriel, coordinator of the Power2010 campaign on democratic reform, writes about democratic renewal and climate change.

Reconciling localism with an ambitious vision for a greener Britain is no mean feat. The benefits a new wind farm provides through reducing overall carbon emissions are diffuse and intangible at a local level but the costs are obvious – if the decision is taken locally the farm will not be built.

There are two possible responses to this classic Tragedy of the Commons: either impose decarbonising from on high and thereby abandon localism, or incentivise it, tying local interest to a greener economy. As David Skelton and Adam Bruce elaborate in their contributions to the TRG’s latest pamphlet it is in a large part through the latter, the Conservative proposal, that the elusive green consensus branching all demographics can be built, the kind of consensus needed for us to rise to the truly monumental challenges posed by climate change.

Copenhagen’s opaque and stalling negotiations highlights the same dilemma on a global scale. As Tim Yeo MP’s contribution makes clear, though the “solution” to climate change still proves elusive much of the technology needed already exists as does the long run incentive to use it, demonstrated by Lord Stern’s authoritative review. What we lack is the “political will”, the will to prioritise the long term common good over pitifully short-term benefits.

How is this Tragedy of the Commons to be overcome, when as John Gummer MP suggests, ‘After you, Claude’, is no longer acceptable? Gummer recognises the scale of the challenge before us in his contribution, and lays down a hopeful and ambitious gauntlet to the country. Yet invaluable as this positive vision is, alone it cannot be sufficient. Though yesterday’s bold announcements on a 20 billion plan for greener homes is a great start we cannot simply hope on some hidden Churhillian store of resolve.

A serious part of the answer on the national level is simply that advocated by Conservatives at the local, proper use of incentives. The solution now, as ever, is politics; but a politics re-fashioned to meet this challenge. Mr Yeo suggests that there are parallels between the financial crisis and the growing environmental catastrophe. There are in fact shared causes, lying in the way we do politics in this country. The political interests of government must be more closely tied to the long term good of the nation.

A Yeo puts it “It’s easy for today’s politicians to commit to cutting emissions by 2050 because they will all be retired or dead by then. But unless substantial progress is made in the next decade it may be too late to avoid global average temperature rises of 4C or even more.” In short, we need a grown up politics, one capable of looking beyond short-term desires to the future health of our planet and the rights of those who will inhabit it.

It is this that POWER2010, a campaign I am involved with, aims to achieve. POWER2010 is an open campaign backed by the Rowntree Trusts in which anyone can submit their ideas for democratic renewal to be considered by a representative Citizens Convention selected by lot, which will draw up a shortlist of ideas to be put to the public vote. The top five ideas will become the POWER2010 pledge to be taken to every candidate in the run up to the general election by diverse local teams of local citizens. It is an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together, as equals, and decide on the shape of democracy. It is an opportunity for us to overcome our Tragedy of the Commons and do as Greenpeace rightly urge, “Change politics, not the climate”.

Earlier this year, in response to the expenses scandal, David Cameron wrote “the central objective of the new politics we need should be a massive, sweeping, radical redistribution of power: from the state to citizens; from the government to parliament; from Whitehall to communities; from the EU to Britain; from judges to the people; from bureaucracy to democracy.” This is a compelling response to the manifold failings of the British state – and as the Tory Reform Group remind us it needn’t come at the expense of our long-term duties to act on C02 emissions.

A democratic response to Climate Change? It’s certainly possible and we know it’s needed. Get involved with POWER2010 and help make it happen. Visit our website at – http://www.power2010.org.uk/home/

Conservatives Help Socially Excluded to Start Businesses

It is not often that a new policy idea helps to further two of the TRG’s objectives at the same time, but that seems to have happened this week. In this case, the objectives concerned are social cohesion and economic prosperity.

One of the little problems that anyone who starts a new business has to overcome is where to register it. Many who are starting something for the first time will chose to do so from home. But, if you live in rented accommodation or are not a home owner, you are frequently prevented from doing this by the terms of your occupancy.

However, the latest set of policy proposals from the business team propose to alter the regulations governing social housing to allow businesses to be registered in social accommodation. This looks to be a small but useful step in reducing the barriers to starting a business for those that need it most.

The Grand Old Man – the greatest British Prime Minister?

The TRG Board contains a number of history graduates (and in particular graduates of UCL’s history department) and so a little who was the greatest PM is a favourite late night activity………..

Next Tuesday is the 200th birthday of William Ewert Gladstone. Writing in today’s Telegraph Simon Heffer asserts that “in the 300 and more years between Cromwell and Mrs Thatcher, he (Gladstone) was the finest political leader this country had.” Heffer’s argument essentially is that Gladstone was “so utterly right.” Three things, Heffer argues, underpinned Gladstone’s genius:

1. Economic Policy – he understood that Peel was right to repeal the Corn Laws and to apply the principle of Free Trade generally.
2. Education – basically the 1870 Education Act
3. Scepticism about imperialism

So here’s a little Christmas blog-fun – who was the greatest British Prime Minister? In order not to get hundreds of Churchill arguments – lets say pre-1940.

We Tories can lead on climate change.

• This is an abridged version of Tim Yeo’s essay in the Tory Reform Group pamphlet Copenhagen and Beyond: What Next for Environment Policy, published today. A full version (together with other essays) is available from www.trg.org.uk

The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will, if unchecked, inevitably lead to dangerous and possibly irreversible climate change. Yet no country is individually taking sufficiently drastic measures to reverse the rise in greenhouse gas emissions and collectively the world’s response is feeble.

One problem is that the debate has concentrated too much on long-term targets. It’s easy for today’s politicians to commit to cutting emissions by 2050 because they will all be retired or dead by then. But unless substantial progress is made in the next decade it may be too late to avoid global average temperature rises of 4C or even more.

All that is lacking is political will and leadership.

Twenty years ago Margaret Thatcher was the first head of government of any major country to address climate change seriously. Throughout the 1990s Britain’s greater understanding of the issue gave it an influential role in determining the world’s response. In the last decade however, Britain, and notably Tony Blair, have been better at rhetoric than action. We now lag behind other countries in generating electricity from low-carbon sources, in the standards required of our buildings and in our use of low-carbon transport.

Happily there is still time for these trends to be reversed. The hideous financial legacy that the Cameron government will inherit next year may be the main preoccupation for many people and sorting out the financial mess is certainly necessary. However, getting the response to climate change right will be judged by history to be an even more important and worthwhile achievement.

The solution to climate change has four pillars – decarbonising electricity generation, buildings and transport, and ending deforestation. The first pillar is by far the most important. As well as making energy savings, there needs to be a rapid switch to low-carbon sources of electricity generation. Faster development of renewable energy, including onshore and offshore wind, tidal and wave power, biomass and so on, is essential. Getting this done involves swifter planning decisions and a substantial improvement in grid connections and transmission capacity.

To decarbonise buildings, simple steps to increase energy efficiency, namely implementing tougher building standards and creating tax incentives for owners, landlords and tenants to invest in improvements, must be taken. Decarbonising transport requires a broader approach, from incentivising low-carbon travel choices, including vast increases in the tax incentives for road users to use low-emission vehicles, to greater use of technology, such as video conferencing, to reduce journeys.

Finally, we must halt the rapid destruction of the rainforests by removing the environmentally perverse economic incentives that reward people for cutting down forests. In addition, we should outlaw effectively the illegal timber trade and create a funding mechanism for developing countries to enable them to adopt forest-friendly policies.

It is essential both to understand the urgency of the task ahead and to believe in the possibility of success. Achieving these goals doesn’t require rocket science but simply the commonsense application of existing technology and information.

As the Arctic ice melts before our eyes, the remaining flat-earthers who say that nothing is happening are being silenced. Overwhelmingly, the scientific community agrees on climate change. Although the recent hacking of climate change emails breathed new life into the naysayers and the vested interests that support them, this only increases the responsibility on us to dispel the myths they peddle.

On climate, the world is drinking in the last-chance saloon. The challenge can be met and those who respond first will enjoy considerable financial rewards as well. A big responsibility rests on the politicians who guide their nations and the world through the next decade when decisions are made that will determine how pleasant a world we leave behind for the children being born today.

Britain under a Conservative government can and must quickly resume leadership of the international response. David Cameron is committed to tackling climate change. Greg Clark has outlined policies to tackle climate change during the recession and environmental concerns are visible in a range of areas, such as in our international development policies. Cameron must turn his commitment into concrete action and make climate change a priority in government. He has a great deal of support from within the party, such as from the Tory Reform Group, and he must not be distracted by the few voices within the Conservative party who seek to push him off course.

COPENHAGEN 2009: ON CLIMATE, THE WORLD IS DRINKING IN THE LAST CHANCE SALOON

In a new pamphlet published today (and will appear in full on www.trg.org.uk later today), the Tory Reform Group (“TRG”), one of the largest groups within the Conservative Party, has called for a Churchillian response to the threat of global climate change and for an urgent drive towards sustainable living.

Titled “Copenhagen and Beyond: What Next for Environment Policy”, the pamphlet pulls together essays from senior politicians, candidates and experts and advocates decisive action by a future Conservative administration to confront the problems posed by climate change. It recommends that Conservatives adopt a Churchillian response to these issues: taking the lead in coordinating multilateral action; embracing innovation and new technologies such as wind energy; and encouraging and enabling businesses to move to a low-carbon economy.

In the leading essays, senior Conservative MPs call for swift action to prevent run away climate change. Tim Yeo MP, Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, in his article “A Decade to Decarbonise Our Economy: the Challenge Ahead” stated:

“It is essential to understand the urgency of the task and to believe in the possibility of success. As the Arctic melts before our eyes the remaining flat-earthers who say nothing is happening are being silenced.

“On climate the world is drinking in the last chance saloon. Some people may conclude that it is already too late and therefore not worth trying to avert disaster. On the contrary, the challenge can be met and those who respond first will enjoy considerable financial rewards as well.”

Setting out the four pillars to tacking climate change: decarbonising electricity generation; decarbonising buildings; decarbonising transport and the development of a high-speed network; and ending deforestation, Mr Yeo stated:

“Achieving these results isn’t rocket science but simply the common sense application of existing technology and information.

John Gummer MP, former Environment Secretary, in his essay “Environment: the Conservative Heartland”, looks to the Copenhagen summit and beyond. He stated:

“We must take measures to reduce the world’s dependency on finite resources. We are living beyond our means and pressures of growth and increasing wealth are pushing us ever closer to disaster.”

“We run our lives without consideration of sustainability. From youth through marriage, into old age, we live without heed. We sometimes count the cost in terms of social cohesion but rarely consider the material impact and sustainability of this way of living.”

“The linking of poverty, environment and social justice is crucial to the understanding of our global predicament. Not only does our Western lifestyle take more from the planet that it can bear, it takes it disproportionately and, increasingly, to the detriment of the poor. For example the 40% of the world population who are dependent on fish for protein are increasingly being starved as “their” fish goes to the market of the developed world. It is not simply that we consume more than our share, we take it from those who very little.”

In his article, Mr Gummer sets out some practical measures to convert our economy to a sustainable one including: energy detensification, the eradication of food waste, energy improvements to buildings and effective taxation. He said:

“For too long Britain has stood on the side-lines and allowed others to take the strain and reap the rewards. It is not too late to seize the initiative and recover our reputation for leadership and commercial acumen. This nation of shopkeepers could sell products and services that will develop the sustainable lifestyles that the world needs to survive.”

Tim Crockford, Chairman of the Tory Reform Group, said:

“The challenge before us is of course great and we must recognise it. It is not just about tackling emissions but realising that fundamentality we must change our habits and way of life. We must begin to live sustainability and responsibly and living not as consumers endlessly devouring the resources of our planet but instead living in tune with the planet. Understanding, as our grandparents’ generation did, that its resources are finite and that we are guardians for our children and their children. It will be a difficult transition for our society to make but as a Party it is the Conservative Party which offers the radical thinking and political will to make this possible.”

All-Women Shortlists and the Conservative Party

by Rene Kinzett
Councillor, PPC for Swansea West and TRG Member

At this evening’s Swansea Council Meeting, we briefly debated the recommendations of the Welsh Assembly Government Panel looking into how councillors are selected and elected across Wales and how we should all be working towards making councillors more representative of the communities they represent. For example, across Wales, 75% of councillors are men.

I have made my views known and given more analysis on the WalesHome website.

This debate reminded me about the issues surrounding the debate within and outside the Conservative Party on All-Women Shorlists. Currently, only 28% of all selected Tory Parliamentary Candidates are women. Whilst the number of female Tory MPs looks set, at current estimates, to rise from 18 to around 60, the trends for women being selected in currently held Conservative constituencies (where the sitting MP is retiring) is not very satisfactory at all.

Of the last 8 selections for candidates in these seats, all 8 have selected male candidates, even after rules were implemented ensuring balanced shorlists in three of those selection battles. Interestingly, the only Tory-held seat to select a female candidate recently has been Totnes, which selected a local GP after an open primary selection procedure.

Now, the John Maples MP, the Deputy Chairman of the Party with responsibility for candidates, has posted his views as to why All-Women Shortlists, in Tory-held seats, is now vital if the Party is to seriously address the historic (and continuing) under-representation of women in our Parliamentary Party.

I have to say that I do agree that we MUST press ahead with All-Women Shortlists. It cannot be the case that we are selecting only the best candidates when under one-third of our PPCs are women. It simply cannot be the case that selection committees are weighing up in a fair and even manner the respective skills of all candidates of both genders and coming up with conclusions that appear to virtually exclusively favour male candidates. There are problems with selection procedures and approval systems for candidates in ALL parties, but we have to act NOW and not wait another four years or more before we can move decisively towards a more balanced and representative Parliamentary Party.

I would propose that open primary selection procedures should now be brought in for ALL selections for Parliamentary candidates across ALL political parties – conceivably this could be enshrined in law. This seems to have been the one initative within the Party that has had some success in selecting women in winnable seats.

Conservative HQ have challenged local parties to take the issue of selecting women candidates more seriously and they have failed. The Party may express that it is “reluctantly” going down the road of All-Women Shortlists, but to quote one famous Tory lady “there is no alternative”.

This piece first appeared on Rene’s Blog. You can see the original here

TRG Chairman’s Conference Diary – Day 1 Monday 5 October

I arrived at Conference on Monday morning along with the TRG Deputy Chairman Victoria Roberts and Student TRG Chair Iain Martin. We made our way to the TRG Apartment about half a mile from the Manchester Central and Midland Hotel where this year’s Party Conference was to be held. Some of the TRG Board had arrived on the Sunday night and were ready to greet us. My predecessor as Chairman Tim Barnes was of course on hand ready to lend a hand where needed as well as newly appointed Dave Fazakerley and Cllr Gareth Compton. The TRG was scheduled to hold five large events over the course of 3 days. This was an ambitious programme but I was confident that as a team we would be able to put on a real show! This was to be the fifth TRG Conference programme that I had been responsible for but my first as the TRG Chairman! So the pressure was on.

Having spent the afternoon meeting with TRG members at the Midland Hotel, Victoria and I scouted out the rooms where our events were to be held. Our first event was the TRG Mainstream Reception at 6pm in the Fairclough Suite at the Midland Hotel. From experience of conferences past I knew that this meant that our first guests would begin arriving at around 5.15pm! The difficulty with being TRG Chairman at these events is spending the right amount of time talking to members, MPs and Candidates about the TRG as well as concentrating on the running of the event itself. As a former Events Board member the temptation for me is just to consume myself in the organising. But Victoria and Iain were certainly not going to let me do that. They along with the Midland staff had the room looking ship shape in no time. Copies of Reformer, TRG flyers and adverts for upcoming events were littered around the room. The doors were kept firmly locked until 5.50pm.

The event format was to be a wine and refreshments reception – a sort of welcome to Conference for our members. I never know how many TRG members go to the Conference but of the 14,000 delegates in Manchester I had a feeling a good many would be TRG members or prospective members and so it is important for us to have a real presence. This reception was the opportunity to announce our programme and to show that the home of One Nation Progressive Conservatism is alive and prospering. Damian Green MP, the TRG Vice-President is one of our strongest assets as a group. He has been hugely welcoming to me since I took up the post of Chairman and an invaluable source of advice. Damian hosts this reception every year and he and his wife Alicia were prompt and immediately began chatting to TRG members. Chloe Smith , the newly elected MP for Norwich North is a good friend to the TRG and sure to be an excellent Parliamentarian. Chloe had kindly agreed to address the group and was gracious in her thanks for TRG’s work in Norwich earlier in 2009.

The reception was a great success. TRG members from across the country popped in and the room was soon enough jammed. Alistair Burt MP, another TRG Vice-President, observed to me that the room was just the right size as the atmosphere was excellent. Over a 100 attendees at our first event! The reception was also a great moment for the TRG Board at Conference to meet up. Our excellent Board Member Nigel Huddleston is the Parliamentary Candidate in Luton South where he is facing Ester Ranson. I lost no time in announcing that TRG’s next Action Day would be in Luton. I have long been confused by Esther Ranson’s sudden desire to be the MP for Luton especially as the awful Margaret Moran is standing down and given that she appears to have no local connections!

Following the reception, the TRG Board went off their separate ways to attend as many fringe events as possible. It is vital for us as an organisation to speak to as many groups and delegates as we can. It was some hours later that we all met up again in the bar of the Midland Hotel. Conference is in many ways like a meeting place for old friends – Party members from across the country meet up every year and it is fascinating to know how campaigns are going in different parts of the country.  I chatted over the course of the night to what felt like hundreds of delegates and was really struck by the interest in the TRG and by how many had heard of the work we had been doing.

The atmosphere at Conference on Day 1 was electric – a really powerful feeling that we, as a Party, are ready to take power, ready to change our country for the better and that we have the real ideas needed. Chatting to TRG Patron Nick Bourne AM I was delighted to hear that the One Nation message was proving effective in Wales and that we stood a real chance of gaining a number of previously unthinkable seats. Re-energising TRG Wales was a commitment that I had made some time ago and over the later part of 2009 and 2010 I am determined to ensure that we provide more for TRG in Wales.

As I headed back to the TRG Apartment that evening it was with a real feeling of elation and excitement.  

Day Two will appear tomorrow……………..

Marketing Perils for MEPs at Conference

Dan Hannan Card

Roger Helmer Card

Geoffrey Van Orden Card

Sir Robert Atkins Card

There is a theory that there is no such thing as bad publicity. I am not so sure.

In a week of conference discussions where Europe was, once again, a prominent issue for the Conservatives, the MEP group had decided to give away a stack of playing cards with their faces on the cards, so that we can all learn their names as we play poker. I seem to remember the Americans doing something similar so their troops could learn to recognise the top Iraqi’s during the initial invasion a few years ago.

However, these things are never quite as thought through as you might expect.

It seems that Roger Helmer and Dan Hannan are a pair of jokers (perhaps not too surprising, that) and Geoffrey Van Orden is the Jack of Hearts (a little gossip we should know about?). Sir Robert Atkins managed a more sombre tone, at least.

PS – apologies for the quality of the images, but I took the pictures with my phone!

A Bit Wet in Manchester

Day two of the party conference is under way in Manchester. Time was when describing it as a ‘wet’ affair would have meant something different, but I mean it only in the conext of the weather. It is raining. A lot.

Inside the warmth of the conference venues, things are hot and packed, even first thing on the morning after what was, for some at least, a very late night in the bar.

It is perhaps not surprising that the mood here is very business like. There are exhibitors in the main hall that I have never seen at a conference before, including Marks and Spencer and Tesco. People want to know what Conservatives think and are planning. They believe we can win.

In the bars, there are plenty of meetings that feel like the kind you find at trade shows. It is the vibe given off by people getting things done and meeting new people that they think they will be working with. They think we can win.

And at the risk of offending some of our members and readers it is also worth saying that there are many more women here than I have noticed before. And they are young, attractive and very well tuned out. The se may be true of the guys, but I am afraid my radar doesn’t really pick that up. Whether these young ladies are candidates, activists or lobbyists and PR girls, does not really matter. They are a circumstantial sign of the belief that it is now worth coming to a Conservative Party conference even when it is a wet one.

They believe we can win. So do I.

TRG@Conference2009

As the Party Conference gets underway in Manchester this evening, the TRG is making final preparations for its programme of events. There is a very good new section on the refreshed TRG website that has all the details of what we will be doing (I can say how brilliant it all is safe in the knowledge it had nothing to do with me, so no bragging!).

Victoria, Tim C and I will all be blogging here with our thoughts over the next four days, so keep checking back for updates!

In the meantime, I have kicked-off my contribution with a post on ConHome as we think about the policy announcements we all hope to see.

New TRG website

Well done to Tim C and Victoria who have been working hard with a new web designer to get a refreshed TRG website up.

Good work, both!

Take a look now and let us know what you think.

Little Jig for Government

The move of Alan Duncan away from the Shadow Cabinet-level job of Shadow Leader of the Commons to Prison’s Minister is right in the wake of his comments on camera about MP’s living on “rations”. However, that is not to say that I don’t have some sympathy with Duncan. He just said the wrong thing to the wrong person and had to be demoted for a while as a result.

However, the story this morning is that the very able Sir George Young, a former Cabinet Minister, is to take the job. This is a wise move by David Cameron. Firstly, Sir George is an able man with a huge bank of experience in government from which to draw. He has also been the chairman of the Commons committee that has been looking into expenses and knows the details of the issues better than almost anyone else, so he should be more than able to handle his new role, which will also help compensate for losing out on the Speakership to John Bercow.

What it really says to me, is that Cameron is shaping up his Cabinet for Government. He is addressing the potential criticism that his team lacks enough experience in office and placing someone who is respected by all sides in Parliament.

This little re-jig of positions is preparation for the next Conservative Government and is very welcome.

PS – I can’t see a story about this on ConHome or the BBC, yet, so remember – you read it here first! :0)

Some Teddy Kennedys over here please

The death of Senator Edward Kennedy was a moment when even his most hostile critics sat up and acknowledged the passing of a formidable political figure. Teddy Kennedy was the last in the line of the Kennedy brothers and sons of Joe Kennedy. What ifs are a great game to play in politics and as the TRG Board is composed largely of History graduates, it is a game we are often prone to.

All the newspapers ask the same what if…What if the tragedy at Chappaquidick in July 1969 had never happened? Would there have been a second President Kennedy? Well the truth is that we will never know. Ted Kennedy’s 1980 bid for the Presidency fell flat, largely (but not only) because voters were not satisfied by his explanations for the tragic incident.

But as the world remembers Teddy Kennedy, they remember a great legislator – the champion of civil rights, of voting rights reform, of freedom of information, of a more liberal immigration policy and recently a renewal of his campaign to make health care universal.

The liberal lion’s influence and skill as a legislator made him one of America’s most recognisable and prominent political figures and here there is a lesson for us across the pond.

The past twelve years have seen the emergence of an overly powerful Executive which has showed near contempt for Parliament. This must change. We need Kennedy figures in our legislature as well. Our select committee chairmen should be chosen by Parliament and not by the whips. The position should be given the same pre-eminence as that given to cabinet ministers. Chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Home Affairs Committee, Public Accounts Committee, Liaison Committee etc should be the culmination of a Parliamentary career and a position of huge power and influence. These chairmen (and women) should be household names. In short we need some Teddy Kennedys over here please…!

Transport Matters Matter

Yesterday’s announcement from National Rail of the proposed new high-speed rail link along the West Coast route, is an apt prompt to think about transport policy. This may bore many people senseless, but those that know me well enough will tell you that I have a little propellor on my head that goes round when the subject of transport comes up for debate and have written elsewhere on this before. I should stress that I am not a Lord Adonis-type, train spotting my way around the country for fun. It is just that I believe that as an area of public policy, whether it is about investing in national infrastructure as a key part of being a competitive economy or just at the human level of getting to work and to see family, transport really, really matters.

Read more of this post and join the discussion on ConHome…

Further Vindication for Damian Green

Conservative shadow immigration minister and TRG Vice-President, Damian Green MP, has succeeded in his bid to have the police remove his DNA record following his arrest last year.

Conservatives are campaigning to ensure that all those whose DNA is taken by police but are then not convicted of a crime, will be removed from the record, not just those who, as in Damian’s case, have political clout that allows them to apply pressure that ordinary members of the public cannot utilise.

Well done, Damian, and best of luck in your fight to win equality for everyone under the police!

The NHS

Dan Hannan has done the NHS, its staff and the millions of people who use and rely on it a great disservice. His negative and distorted view of the NHS is misleading. Not to mention that his rose-tinted impression of the US system ignores its massive failings and inequalities. What’s more, Hannan’s comments have undermined the excellent work that has been done by David Cameron, Andrew Lansley and the health team to show that not only can the Conservative Party be trusted with the NHS but that we will improve it. Cameron has said that three letters matter to him: NHS. The Party supports the NHS 100%. Under our proposals, more money will go to patient care, doctors and nurses will be trusted to use their professional judgment and the wasteful, damaging target culture that this Labour Government has imposed will be removed.

Andrew Lansley was excellent on the Today Programme this morning. You can listen to the interview here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8201000/8201011.stm

Congratulations to Chloe Smith

We are all delighted that TRG member Chloe Smith has been elected in Norwich North!

As David Cameron has pointed out, this was an historic win: only our second by-election win in a Labour seat for 27 years! It is clear that the people of Norwich want change and with Chloe they will surely get it. She was an outstanding candidate and thoroughly deserved her decisive victory. Many of us from the TRG have been to Norwich to campaign with Chloe, first on our campaign day in May and at various times since. We saw first hand her dedication and commitment, not only to represent the people of Norwich but also to breathe some fresh air into a discredited House of Commons.

Chloe will no doubt be an excellent MP and the people of Norwich North are fortunate to have her as their voice in Parliament. We look forward to seeing her take up her seat in October.

The TRG are Back in Norwich

As part of the action day in Norwich North to help PPC and TRG member Chloe Smith, the TRG have been back here today.

TRG activists campaigning in Norwich North

We will post again with a delightful (!) photo and more thoughts, but we wanted to keep you entertained with another thought provoking question as we did the last time we were here.

So, today’s theme is the English Civil War as the residential areas we have been delivering today were a collection of closes and cul-de-sacs with names such as Edgehill, Naseby, Marston Moor and Rowton.

Here is the question, then:

Where in London was the site of a skirmish where the King’s march on London was turned back after the battle of Edgehill in 1642? (Clue: there is a tube stop in London and a road in Norwich that shares the name!)

Update – 13 July – Photo added

Speaker Bercow

Congratulations to TRG Patron, John Bercow MP, on his election to the office of Speaker. The TRG were fortunate enough to have two Patrons as front-runners in the race to become Speaker, John Bercow and Sir George Young. Both were outstanding candidates for the Speakership. We wish John every success in the Chair and we urge Conservatives to follow Sir George’s call and give John the support he is entitled to.

John promises to be a breath of fresh air in the House. He is a Parliamentarian to his fingertips, has pledged to support much needed reform of the Commons and, crucially, will be a strong voice for Parliament. Already he has shown himself to be at home in the Speaker’s Chair and put in a commendable performance at his first PMQs. Long may his success continue.

Student TRG special: Tales from Russia (Part 2)

Laura Rose-Saunders, a Student TRG member, concludes her travels in Russia and sends this special report for the TRG blog:

Many a time I have heard it said that it helps to be slightly mad when living in Russia and after spending nine months leaving the customs and manners of Moscow I would heartily agree. Although Russia may be similar to Britain in many ways culturally they are very different.

One of the things that I noticed right away was that in Russia you rarely use ‘Spasibo’ (Thank you), almost never say ‘pozhalsta’ (please) and when wanting to attract someone’s attention ‘izvenitie mnye pozhalsta’ (excuse me please) is replaced with either ‘Devushka!’ (Girl), ‘Molodoi chelovek!’ (Young man) or ‘Babushka!’ (Grandma) depending on the age and gender of the person you are addressing. Oh and you do not simply speak then wait politely the Russian approach is to shout as loud as is physically possible until the person responds.

At first this all seemed very rude to my English ears however I decided that the Russian system was far more effective especially when trying to order in a restaurant. When eating in a Russian restaurant it is very important to remember that your dining experience will be totally different from any you have ever had before. For one thing the waitress will usually appear after you have only just sat down and demand that you order, when you try to explain that you can’t order as you haven’t even opened the menu yet they tend to then storm off in a huff and not return for another hour or so. It is also important to never assume that because the dish you have ordered sounds similar to something you would eat in the UK that it will actually be like something you would eat in the UK. I once ordered a chicken burger with fries feeling that it was a fairly safe option however when it arrived the lettuce was replaced with cabbage, the cheese turned out to be very strong garlic sauce and I’m fairly sure that whatever meat the burger was it was neither chicken nor any other type of winged creature.

Before departing to Russia I had decided to live with a Russian family as to me it seemed a lot easier than trying to find a flat in Moscow. I had also been told by the company who organised my year abroad that if there were any problems they would sort them out. We were also told that the majority of us would be staying with little Old Russian ladies as they were most likely to have a spare room as their children had grown up and left. When I heard the words ‘little old lady’ I thought I would be living with a lovely, white haired old lady who would tell me stories about life in the SSSR while feeding me tea and biscuits. Mine turned out to be a lovely but very bossy, loud, opinionated middle aged woman who insisted on feeding me kasha (porridge) every morning. It was while living with my Khozaika (host) that I learnt that when entering a Russian house you must always take your shoes off, put on your chapotchku (slippers) and then wash your hands or else you would risk offending your host.

Another strange custom I noticed was that Russian people will not take money out of another person’s hand. When buying something in a shop it is usual to pay cash and simply place it on a special tray on the counter. I have heard stories of Russian Babushkas screaming when someone has tried to pay them by placing money into their hands. After regaling a teacher at school with this story she explained that it is because it is thought to be unlucky to pass money from hand to hand. She also explained that it is also considered unlucky to whistle indoors, if a spider runs in front of you then it means you will soon receive some news and that sitting at the corner of a table means that you will not marry for ten years.

Russia may be a strange country but she is far from being a dull and uninteresting one.