The first hustings meeting took place in Brentford last week. I thought it was a good session with some great questions from the floor.

Unfortunately Ann Keen, my Labour opponent, was not able to be there, which was very disappointing. I was looking forward to the opportunity of debating with her. These public meetings are good for democracy and allow local residents to get involved in the political process. It is important though, that all those invited make every effort to be there.

Thanks to Brentford Chamber of Commerce and others who organised the evening.

St George's Day Celebrations at Brentford FC

I was delighted to be invited to join in the St George's Day celebrations at Brentford FC on Saturday 24th April, which were aptly sponsored by St George PLC - I even wore a red jacket in honour of the occasion and to show my support of The Bees! The sun shone for what was a fabulous family day out with face painting, balloons, art projects and of course the match between Brentford FC and Yeovil Town to entertain all.

The Bees fought back from a goal down to maintain their impressive unbeaten run, with Sam Saunders scoring his first goal for the club and picking up the Man of the Match award in the process.

It was a great day out and I am very happy to see Brentford FC in such an impressive position in the League after their promotion from League 2 last year.

I look forward to working with everyone at the Club, if I am elected as MP, to build for the future and the new stadium at Lionel Road.

Cameron in the Constituency

It was a great pleasure to welcome David Cameron to the constituency on Monday.

We had a great time being shown around the Fuller’s brewery – one of the constituency’s best known employers and most iconic landmarks.

David also spent time taking questions from staff and talked about how Labour has failed both employers and employees. Under Labour, the state has got too big and the private sector – the wealth creater – has got too small.

When Labour came to power, state debt as a percentage of GDP was just over 40% – but it is now over 53% and STILL growing. The recession simply made things worse, as the country is now saddled with debt which costs more in interest than the education budget. Labour’s plans to tax jobs by increasing the rate of National Insurance contributions rather than making the billions in efficiency savings they admit they could make prove they don’t understand (or care) about the needs of employers. Rather than tackle waste, Labour simply put up taxes instead and go into more debt.

Our message is clear. A Conservative Government will not make it more expensive to employ people, will not increase the cost of National Insurance and will make it easier for employers to employ new staff. We will tackle unemployment - not by politically manipulating figures or through centralised Government schemes, but by setting free businessess and small firms to create new jobs.

Business simply cannot afford Labour’s job tax – and only the Conservatives will protect the interest of the business community, enabling them to create wealth, jobs and prosperity for all.

The NHS – don’t believe Labour’s spin!

It has been a very busy first few days of the election. As well as canvassing and delivering, on Saturday ‘Team Macleod’ ran a street stall talking about the NHS - which David Cameron has made his ‘number one priority’.

Voters are naturally interested in what we have to say about the NHS – afterall, the vast majority of people depend upon it for their healthcare. Well, despite Labour’s lies and scare tactics, our manifesto commitment is clear – a Conservative Government will invest even more money in the NHS, improve front line services by cutting waste and bureacracy, empower patients by giving them more say over where and when they get treated and set free clinicians to make decisions based on clinical need – not political expediency. We will be challenging the targets' culture and through a £300 million fund, ensure that those suffering from cancer yet denied life-saving drugs are given the treatment they need!

We had some great conversations with people, and one lady – a life-long Labour voter who works in the NHS as a paramedic – told us why she was going to vote Conservative on May 6th. She was fed up with paperwork getting in the way of treating her patients, fed up with her workload being dictated by political targets rather than clinical need, and fed up with the waste and inneficiency she sees at work every day.
The Labour Party like to think that the NHS is their natural territory – but after 13 years of failure, waste and political meddling, it is only the Conservative Party which has the energy and ideas to make the NHS work better for the people of this country.

On the Campaign Trail

The first week of the election campaign has gone. It started on Tuesday, attending the David Cameron's campaign launch at County Hall and since then we have been at tube stations, train stations and on the streets to meet local residents.

The next four weeks will be the chance for each politician to put their manifesto to the British people. We do not know what the result will be ...but people will have their say at the ballot box.

This is your opportunity to vote for change. Change the Economy, change Society and change Politics. Your vote matters, now more than ever. Your vote can change the local Member of Parliament and can also change the government of this country.

Photo: with supporters outsideTurnham Green tube station

We now get the chance to VOTE FOR CHANGE

So, we're off.
On May 6th, the voters of Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Osterley and Hounslow will get the chance to choose their Member of Parliament.

I can offer ten good reasons why it is time for change:

1. A Conservative government will say NO to a Third Runway.

2. We will fight crime and control immigration.

3. We will back the NHS

4. We will tackle poverty and support business

5. We will change politics and rebuild trust

6. We will keep council taxes low

7. We will improve safety

8. We will cut graffitti and improve the environment

9. We will increase recycling

10. We will introduce a new free, non-selective Academy school in the borough

VOTE FOR CHANGE!

Photo: Mary at David Cameron's campaign launch today in Westminster

At the Boat Race in Chiswick

The Boat Race is always a great day and this year was no exception.

There was an excellent atmosphere at Chiswick Pier, as Oxford and Cambridge battled it out on the Thames, cheered on by locals. Thanks to the residents who offered me a glass of wine as I passed with a mass of blue balloons!

Local Issues by Candidates

ChiswickLife TV asked Ann Keen, Andrew Dakkers and I to come into their studios in Chiswick and answer some questions about our policies. The interviews with Andrew and I are now available on their site:
http://www.chiswicklife.tv/MaryMacleod