Friday 12 June 2009

Boris Johnson in Hounslow today

This afternoon, the Mayor of London is in Hounslow to celebrate the launch of Freewheel, Hounslow. http://www.london.gov.uk/freewheel/signup/

After his official duties, Boris will be joining me and some Councillors and doing a walkabout on the High Street. Please do come along and meet us at 4.30-5pm. We will be walking from School Road and heading west to Bell/Cressy Corner.

There are a lot of issues that Boris and I agree on. The most important being our opposition to Heathrow expansion.

Monday 8 June 2009

Historic Defeat for Labour

The European results last night were bad for Labour. They slumped to their worst post War election result. In the London region, Conservatives got the most votes and we have kept our three seats. Well done to Charles, Syed and Marina.

The Conservative agenda in Europe is a positive agenda for change in Europe: to drive forward open markets to help beat the recession, taking action on global warming and cutting the cost of Europe. I know the three London Conservative MEPs will work to deliver that. If you want to read the European Manifesto Conservatives stood on, follow the link below:
http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/European_Election_Manifesto.aspx

All in all, then, the last seven days have been momentus for politics. Cabinet ministers coming and going randomly. Local government and European elections and, unfortunately, continuing chaos at the heart of Government. It all underlines the need to get on with a General Election. We need a government which is energised, focussed and disciplined. We need a new approach to the problems we face locally in this constituency and nationally. The Labour Party isn’t focussed, energised or disciplined. It has lost the confidence of (even) its core supporters (look at what happened in Wales) and its MPs are too busy bickering. To hear a more poetic explanation of why we need a general election, listen to Daniel Hannan MEP quoting Dr Seuss in a message to Gordon Brown:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088562.stm

PS: If you’d like to keep abreast of what I’m up to you can also follow me via http://twitter.com/MaryMacleod4MP or join my Facebook group: http://tinyurl.com/pfnfb3

Friday 5 June 2009

Post Election...

Yesterday was a busy day. Election days always are!

I managed to get round all the wards in the constituency to talk to voters and the many Conservative supporters, who turned out to help (to all of them, my sincere thanks for all their efforts).

It'll be interesting to see what the actual turn out is. It was quiet in many places but it's hard to tell when many will have used a postal vote. My sense was that the sound of the Government falling to pieces up the road in Westminster distracted voters' attention from this European election. Which is a shame. Over 65% of our legislation gets decided in Europe so people should take an interest in what they are doing. We also need a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and the Conservatives are the only Party that will deliver that.

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Time for a General Election NOW!

Today’s Guardian editorial says it all: ‘It is time to cut him [Gordon Brown] loose.’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/02/editorial-gordon-brown-labour

The government and its leader have clearly lost the plot. In the midst of a deep recession and a crisis of confidence in the political system, we can’t afford a lame duck Prime Minister and government. As the Guardian says of Brown: ‘The truth is there is no vision from him, no plan, no argument for the future and no support.’

That’s why I and other Conservatives want a General Election now. Tomorrow’s local and European elections are a chance to get that message across to the electorate. In the case of Europe, there’s also the chance to demand the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty we have so far (and so shabbily) been denied by the Government (a right that the Liberals would also deny voters).

My hope is voters in Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Osterley & Hounslow will turn out and vote in the EU elections. I (obviously) hope they’ll vote Conservative because I think our policies, our candidates and our approach is the right one (no pun intended). If you’re not yet decided or want to know more, I’d urge you to check out the following links:

Why we need a general election
http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2009/05/Cameron_calls_for_a_General_Election.aspx

Why Conservatives want a European Referendum
http://www.conservatives.com/Campaigns/Give_us_a_Referendum.aspx

Who the Conservative European candidates are
http://www.conservatives.com/People/Prospective_European_Parliamentary_Candidates.aspx