The truth will out

Following one or two technical problems, I’m back online.

Since my last blog, I had the pleasure of welcoming Conservative Leader David Cameron to Ilkley where we co-hosted a meeting of local residents affected by the collapse of Equitable Life.

This is an issue I have campaigned on for some time and the solutions are clear: the Labour Government must apologise for their role in creating this mess and set up a payment scheme to compensate policyholders for their losses.

David repeated his position at the meeting that, if Gordon Brown failed to deal with the matter, then he would as the next Conservative Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, although delivering what most neutral observers regard as a passable speech (though vacuous in my view) speech at yesterday’s Labour Conference, Mr Brown is on the back foot yet again this morning after it emerged that Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has asked to leave the Cabinet. Her wish seems likely to be granted next week in a Government reshuffle.

However, this one is clearly worth watching given the accusations and counter accusations being traded between supporters of Gordon Brown and, “sources close to” Ruth Kelly herself.

Was she really intending to be part a group resignation involving perhaps three other Cabinet Ministers?

Was news of her requested departure really leaked by Downing Street overnight to throw her off balance?

Did she really tell friends she was “disgusted” by yesterday’s Brown speech, as the Daily Mail now claims?

And, if she is as embittered against the Prime Minister as some political commentators would have us believe, is revenge on her mind?

I would imagine we will not have to wait too long to receive the answers to these questions – particularly the last one.

This farce must end

“Of course I take responsibly for the state of the economy.”

The words of Gordon Brown during yesterday’s news conference to supposedly announce help with rising energy costs.

The £910 million of “help” will, it turns out in classic Labour style, be paid for by the very people – you and I – the measures were supposed to assist after Ministers confirmed they could not force energy companies to stop increasing bills further to claw back the money they had agreed to shell out for this scheme.

As for Gordon Brown taking responsibility for the economic mess we’re now in, it’s sadly a case of another day, another slogan.

If he truly was taking responsibility, he would come forward with some genuine measures to turn things around.

Instead what we have is a steady stream of excuses why our problems are everyone’s fault but his, coupled with announcements first on housing, then on fuel costs which, whilst trailed in the media as hugely significant, turn out to be damp squibs.

Surely this farce cannot go on for much longer.

A proud day

St Paul’s Cathedral in London will be the venue for a very special service later today.

More than 300,000 servicemen and women served their country during Operation Bannerman, the codename for military operations in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 2007.

Of these, 793 lost their lives and more than 6,000 were injured, many permanently.

I was proud to have completed two tours of the Province with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and they were undoubtedly the highlight of my time in uniform.

They were difficult times but I was surrounded by heroes.

With Northern Ireland now largely at peace, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those of my colleagues who were not as fortunate as me.

It is also right to salute the bravery and fortitude of their families who had to grieve for their loved ones or care for them when they returned with dreadful wounds.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget but, in this case, I - like everyone else who served there during the dark days of the Troubles - never ever will.

A Conservative Party for all

I found yesterday’s Guardian interview with Shadow Chancellor George Osborne both useful and positive on several levels.

He was right to be frank in pointing out that a new Conservative Government will not be able to deliver everything it wants to deliver because of the financial mess it will inherit from Labour.

However, he was able to balance this very necessary health warning with a promise to find a way out of the mess by moving the country away from Gordon Brown’s obsession with taxing everything in sight.

He also spoke of the need to alleviate poverty, describing raising the opportunities and aspirations of Britain's so-called “underclass” as “the great challenge of our age.”

His comments on the latter, although consistent with the approach taken by the Party since David Cameron became leader, are nonetheless very reassuring for those who still doubt our commitment to becoming a Conservative Party for all, not just the few.

And, on solving the nation’s economic difficulties, his words are both honest and spin free – as they tend to be.

Interviews like this make my job, as a Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, very straightforward.

Living on an island

In a speech to the Scottish CBI last night, Gordon Brown again repeated his line that Britain’s deepening economic crisis was the fault of everyone but himself.

And in a message to the British people, he proclaimed loftily that he and his Chancellor, Alistair Darling, “understand the difficulties you face.”

The Prime Minister then failed to offer a single suggestion on how he intended to turn things around.

Instead what we had was a man standing on a stage, holding his hands aloft and crying, “my hands are clean and I don’t intend getting them dirty for you lot.”

It’s a total abdication of his responsibilities.

Do you think if he joined Mr Darling at his Outer Hebridian croft for a few weeks and didn’t call in, would anyone notice?

I would say not.

Back in the Brown

Gordon’s Brown’s latest attempt to re-launch his premiership returned to Earth with a bang last night after the Organisation for Economic Co-Operations and Development’s (OECD) dire prediction that Britain would be alone amongst the G7 nations in seeing its economy slip into recession.

So much for Mr Brown’s supposed “brilliant stewardship” of the economy over the last 11 years.

And a quick look through this morning’s newspapers would hardly have brightened his mood.

The Mail comments that the OECD assessment “severely undermines the premier's claims that the UK is well-placed to withstand the global downturn."

The Telegraph reports that the housing rescue package was "greeted with almost universal condemnation."

And, not forgetting poor old Alistair Darling – who was shoved out of the way to allow the Prime Minister to make yesterday’s housing announcement with Communities Secretary Hazel Blears but left to pick up the pieces in media interviews afterwards - The Times says the Chancellor was "unable to answer questions on how he will pay for the £600m stamp duty holiday as he endured another awkward day of speculation over his future."

Apparently next week’s Brown re-launch will centre on rising fuel prices.

The subject for the following week’s attempt is yet to be confirmed.

Back to the future

I trust you all had a good summer break.

One of the many joys of Keighley and Ilkley is you don’t have to climb on to a plane in search of better scenery – this is already the most beautiful part of the world.

I therefore had what’s now commonly referred to as a “staycation” where I did a few things around my home in Oakworth, climbed up Pen-y-ghent several times and went campaigning in various parts of the constituency. It was wonderful – except for the weather.

From my many conversations with local residents over the last few weeks, it is clear that dissatisfaction with this Labour Government continues to be at an all-time high, as is the expectation of a Conservative Government after the next General Election.

This presents two challenges for Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidates like me.

First, is to continue to point out where Labour is going wrong – this is the job of Opposition, after all..

But second, is the need to inform voters in Keighley and Ilkley what Conservatives would do were we in power.

Under David Cameron, the Conservative policy portfolio is becoming increasingly detailed and impressive.

And, at Conservative Party Conference which begins at the end of this month, I expect a lot more flesh to be put on to the large number of ideas already set out.

I hope, over the next few months, you will continue to visit my website and blog to learn more about these policies as they are announced and to debate them with me.

The new political season is now well and truly underway – and I, for one, am delighted.