Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It’s now twelve months since I was selected as the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Keighley and Ilkley.

Just over two months ago it looked very likely that a General Election was imminent – before Gordon Brown famously bottled it. Since then I have been preparing myself for the long haul with polling day no longer likely until 2009 at the earliest.

There is much work to do between now and then if my campaign is to be successful and, after a short break over the festive period, I cannot wait to get back on with the task.

For now, I would like to pass on my thanks and very best Christmas and New Year wishes to my campaign team and, of course, to you for taking the time out to read my thoughts.

See you in 2008.

Foreign criminals return to our communities

"Let me be clear: any newcomer to Britain who is caught selling drugs or using guns will be thrown out.

"No-one who sells drugs to our children or uses guns has the right to stay in our country."

These were the words of Gordon Brown just a few months ago at Labour Party Conference.

However, now we learn that immigration officials have “no interest” in deporting the more than 4,000 foreign prisoners who have served less than twelve months in jail.

These individuals include thieves, fraudsters and drug dealers – all being released back into local communities across the country.

It is another scandal under Gordon Brown’s watch and it has the potential to be the most dangerous one of the lot.

Will ID cards disappear like the discs?

The loss by HM Revenue and Customs of personal information belonging to every family and child in Keighley and Ilkley is still the cause of much concern for local residents.

The last census, carried out in 2001, revealed that there were 25,986 families and 21,520 dependent children living in the Keighley Parliamentary constituency and this number will have risen significantly since then.

Every one of these families and their children has had their security compromised by the loss of this data and many will understandably not rest easy until it is recovered.

Surely this catastrophe – since followed by several others including the loss of the details of three million learner drivers - will finally spell the end of the Government’s ill-advised national identity card scheme.

Won’t it?!

The Great Leader goes AWOL – yet again

It was at first glance quite an amusing sight to see Gordon Brown absent from today’s EU Reform Treaty signing ceremony in Lisbon. But in reality, it was a national disgrace and an international embarrassment.

Leaving the rights and wrongs of the Treaty itself to one side, one cannot help but conclude that today’s no-show was yet another example of the Prime Minister’s natural instinct to “get offside” when the going gets tough.

His ten years as Chancellor were littered with such examples. When Blair was in a hole, Brown was generally nowhere to be seen.

So much for the Great Leader we were promised just a few months ago when he entered Number 10.

Chief Constable right to speak out on cannabis

Full credit to West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison for having the courage to speak out against the Labour Government’s decision to declassify cannabis.

Speaking in a weekend newspaper interview, Sir Norman said the Government's move was “a mistake” which had led to confusion in the community about whether it was still an offence to use the substance.

“Declassification meant the power of arrest was taken away from the police,” he said. “It took away the opportunity for the police to jump on it. I would encourage the Government, in its current review, to reclassify it as a class B drug.”

The strength of this argument is evidenced by the fact that more than £1.2 million of super-strength cannabis has been seized across Bradford district in recent weeks.

This operation also included the confiscation of more than 200 cannabis plants at a house in Keighley.

Instead of wasting more time waiting for the review to reach its inevitable conclusion, I believe the Government should move immediately to reverse its reckless decision to declassify and allow the police to get on with their job.

Limits must be placed on our growing migrant population

DWP figures just out have shown that 510 new foreign workers in the last financial year have received national insurance numbers after moving to Keighley and Ilkley.

To my mind, migrants play a very important role in complementing our domestic workforce, particularly in filling vacancies that might otherwise be left empty.

However, the fact is that the continuing high level of migrants into the UK – particularly those who are economically inactive and do not have national insurance numbers - is inevitably going to result in increased pressures on our public services including housing, schools and hospitals.

The last ten years have seen a Labour Government pursuing what can only be described as an ‘open door’ policy where no restrictions on numbers have been applied.

The horse has effectively bolted in relation to the new EU accession states whose residents have now gained the freedom to live and work wherever they wish in any member country. The British Government must ensure that residents of future member states do not gain such unrestricted rights, certainly in relation to the UK.

Of more pressing importance, though, is the need for the Government to move swiftly to impose a strict annual limit on the number of non-EU migrants allowed to enter and remain in this country. This would be a positive move and a law that could be implemented relatively swiftly.

Together with a much stronger border controls which Conservatives like me have been demanding for many years, I believe we would then have the basis for greater stability.

Government continues to ignore local views on Post Offices

In the midst of the seemingly endless series of Labour gaffes and worse that are dominating the headlines, it is been announced this morning that four local Post Offices - at Bradford Road in Stockbridge, East Morton, Highfield in Keighley and Leeds Road in Ilkley - will be forced to shut early next year.

Throughout this year, my Conservative colleagues and I have led a very strong campaign in Keighley and Ilkley against these closures and received very strong public support for our efforts. However, in a stroke of a pen, Labour Ministers have simply decided to ignore these views and proceed as planned.

I can assure local people that our campaign will not come to an end as a result of this announcement but be redoubled.

Please continue to visit my blog and website over the coming weeks to keep updated on our progress.

Learning the lessons of business - as Hague comes to town

Earlier today I took Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague with me on a visit to Wells Spiral Tubes, a renowned manufacturing firm based in Keighley.

Hosted by their larger than life and extremely wise Managing Director Philip Wells, it was an education in the problems facing SMEs and, in particular, manufacturers in today’s Britain.

What stuck most in my mind was Philip’s comment that he was not opposed to regulation – just unnecessary regulation. To illustrate, he explained that his forklift drivers must now undergo a training course every two years on how to operate their vehicles – despite some of them having been behind the wheel for more than three decades.

A very large proportion of these silly regulations come from Europe where our Government has gained a reputation for being a “soft touch.” Not only do Labour Ministers not seek to resist some of the most ridiculous laws from Brussels – they often make them even tougher for our businesses to comply with, a practice known as “gold-plating.”

This morning’s visit was one of a series to local firms I will be undertaking over the coming months to find out more about life at the sharp end of business in Keighley and Ilkley. I will keep you informed on my progress through this blog.

By the way, a quick word of thanks to William Hague who continues to be a very strong supporter of my campaign. He never fails to impress everyone he meets wherever he goes in the country, but particularly in Yorkshire. I look forward to welcoming him back to Keighley and Ilkley once again in the very near future.

Brown the bully?

Several of this morning’s newspapers carry claims that Gordon Brown has been bullying his Ministers and interfering with their work.

These reports come on the back of last night’s first instalment of The Blair Years on BBC1 which focussed on the former Prime Minister’s relationship with his then Chancellor.

This programme confirmed what many respected political observers have been saying for years: that Brown is a control freak who is not averse to using strong arm tactics to get his way.

This approach did not always work with Tony Blair who, it appears, gave as good as he got and was not afraid to pull rank on Brown whenever the need arose.

The problem now, with Brown in the top job himself, is that the way the way is clear for the new PM to dictate policy to his Ministerial colleagues as much as he likes.

This is no way to run a country and it is hard not to feel that Mr Brown’s scowling approach will come back to haunt him - possibly sooner rather than later.

Are we facing a new form of internment?

A debate is currently raging on whether to extend police powers to detain terrorist suspects without charge for up to 58 days – 30 more than under the current arrangements. You may remember that Tony Blair suffered his first major Commons defeat as Prime Minister when he failed in an attempt to raise the limit to 90 days.

I think it is incumbent upon any reasonable Government – and Opposition for that matter – to listen to all the arguments before making decisions of this magnitude: decisions that may have a direct bearing on our national security.

As a former soldier who served in Northern Ireland, I feel the key danger in extending the limit beyond what is absolutely necessary is the perception that a new form of internment without trial is being introduced.

Such a measure was introduced in the Province in 1971 during one of the most difficult and bloody periods of the Troubles. Over the next four years, more than 1,900 people – almost all of them Republicans - were interned in prison camps. However, a large proportion of these arrests were backed up by very poor intelligence with many of those detained never having been involved in Republican activity. Internment subsequently proved to be the best recruiting sergeant the IRA could have wished for at that time. It also led to a massive increase in support for the Republican cause.

Returning to the present, any increase the limits on detention for modern day terrorist suspects must be supported with evidence that it will work and not lead to greater societal problems in the longer term. The consequences of making the wrong call could be disastrous.

Proud of the present as well as the past

Yesterday I was extremely honoured to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph as the nation stood in silence to commemorate those brave soldiers who lost their lives in two World Wars and countless other conflicts across the world.

As a former soldier, I am acutely aware of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our servicemen and women, particularly the several thousand who continue on active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It is important at moments like this to remember that our country is just as proud of them as we are of those who made the ultimate sacrifice many years ago.

Why not spend ID card cash on local transport?

Earlier today the Government was forced to admit that the cost of its planned national identity card scheme had risen to more than £5.6 billion over the next ten years - up £71 million since May.

If the situation wasn’t bad enough, I might also remind you that last year no higher authority than the London School of Economics suggested the final set up figure could be closer to £20 billion.

All of this is despite the glaring lack of evidence to suggest ID cards will really do anything meaningful to assist in the fight against terrorism or illegal working.

In a period of increasingly scarce resources, might it not be a better idea to spend a significant proportion of this money on improving Yorkshire’s creaking transport system which is already hugely underfunded in comparison to London and the South East?

Our roads are approaching gridlock, our trains are massively overcrowded and still the Government remains unwilling to come forward with the levels of funding that we need to get this part of the country moving again.

Ignoring the problem is simply not an option – we need action and we need cash.

The alternative for commuters and businesses in this region is complete chaos, a situation we are already approaching rapidly.

An end of the culture of spin?

An interesting article in this morning’s Times.

According to the report, five local newspapers in various parts of the country were contacted by Downing Street last Tuesday evening with quotes from Gordon Brown which they were told would be used in his keynote education speech the following day.

The Telegraph and Argus, it is alleged, was informed that the Prime Minister would mention Victoria Primary School in Keighley as “an example of how strong involvement from parents can have a positive impact on a child’s learning process.”

In the event, the school – along with four more briefed to their respective local papers in other English regions – did not feature in Gordon Brown’s remarks.

Is this another shining example of our new Prime Minister bringing an end to the notorious New Labour “culture of spin?”

Welcome

Today marks the official launch of my new campaign website and blog.

One of the best things about living in the technological age is there are now more ways than ever before for politicians to communicate directly with people and to hear their views.

I do not pretend to have a monopoly on wisdom and therefore am always open to ideas, suggestions and, yes, criticisms of my stance on any issue that affects our lives.

Feel free to use my blog to tell me what you think - and I will do exactly the same!