THE DOGS TRUST

One of the most enjoyable parts of being a parliamentary candidate is the opportunity to visit and see the valuable work done by the charity sector.
I have recently been lucky enough to visit the Dogs Trust, our local branch is based in Shoreham. I met up with their Chief Executive.
As a dog lover and owner, it was for me a great opportunity to see first hand the valuable work done by the Dogs Trust locally.
Every year the Dogs Trust cares for about 16,000 dogs throughout the UK.
Their valuable work is funded by donations.
Apart from caring for stray and unwanted dogs, they also run neutering campaigns, have education officers who talk to schools, and advise the government on all matters concerning dogs.
They are also campaigning for the compulsory microchipping of dogs - to more easily identify stray animals.
It is great to see local people giving their time in support of animals.
If you are thinking of supporting a charity, then you could do no better than support the Dogs Trust.

INEQUALITY AT HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE WORLD WAR 2

It is really shocking that after nearly 13 years of a Labour Government, inequality has grown to the highest levels seen since the Second World War. It is unbelievable that Labour thinks it can claim to be the party of aspiration when its failure to tackle the causes of poverty has let down so many lives.
A report from the National Equality Panel, just published , reveals that after 13 years of Labour Government:
• We have the highest levels of income inequality since soon after the Second World War;
• We have some of the highest overall poverty rates in Europe;
• Social mobility has stalled;
• By the age children start school, there’s a gap of up to year’s development between children with two parents with paid work, and those without;
• Up to age 44, women are better qualified than men but actually earn up to a fifth less.

We can’t go on like this. We need a change from Labour’s failed one-dimensional approach to tackling poverty and inequality.
Conservatives will tackle the causes of poverty and inequality, not just the symptoms, through radical policies to address educational failure, family breakdown and worklessness.

TEACH CHILDREN TO TREAT GAY PEOPLE EQUALLY

It has been reported in the Telegraph that David Cameron has said that equal treatment for homosexual people should be ‘embedded’ in teaching.
The Telegraph reports David Cameron’s remarks, made in a recent meeting with party activists which emerged yesterday.
David Cameron made it clear that he believes all children should be taught to treat people in the same way regardless of their sexual orientation.
“We do need good sex and relationship education. That education should teach people about equality, that we treat people the same whether they are gay or straight,” he said. “I think that is really important that we embed that in the ethos of our education.
He added: “Should we teach children about relationships? Yes we should.”
“Should we teach them about the importance of equality, whether you’re heterosexual or homosexual? Yes we should.”
“Should we teach them about civil partnerships being a way of same-sex couples showing commitment just as married couples show commitment? Yes we should.”
Mr Cameron has indicated that his pledge to recognise marriage in the tax system will also apply to civil partnerships.
He told a Cameron Direct meeting that better teaching of equality issues “can help us create a fairer country,” he said. It would also address the “problem of homophobic bullying,” he said.
A British Social Attitudes survey this week showed that British opposition to homosexuality has fallen since the 1980s, and most people have no objections to homosexuals.
Mr Cameron last year apologised for his party’s actions over Section 28 and insisted the party has changed.
Speaking to party members at the weekend, he repeated his regret over that decision and said: “I have apologised for that, I think we got that wrong.”
In Brighton Kemptown we have a large and thriving gay community. I wholeheartedly agree with David Cameron’s sentiments and agree that better teaching will in the future bring about less ‘hate crime’ against gay men and women.

RECOVERY DEPENDS ON TACKLING THE DEBT

The UK was one of the first economies to go into recession, and is now the last big economy to come out - with new figures out today which show the first signs of economic growth (0.1% in the last quarter) after eighteen months of recession.
"Obviously this will be very good news, but let’s be absolutely clear what this means", David Cameron said.
"Coming out of recession doesn’t mean that our debt crisis is over - far from it. Labour’s debt crisis is the biggest threat to our recovery. So we’ll only get this recovery right if we start right now on a proper debt reduction plan."
In highlighting the need to "get a grip of our debt crisis", David Cameron used the analogy of a credit card: "the more we spend and the longer we wait to pay off our bills, the worse it can get".
He said that the Government’s promise to halve the deficit in four years has failed to convince all those who we need to have confidence in Britain’s economic future.
"A key part of any plan is at least some early action to show that you are serious in your intent. That means some reduction in public spending plans in this coming financial year."
"It is time they realised that it’s time to do the right thing", David Cameron added.
The sooner the election comes, the sooner the people of Brighton Kemptown will have the opportunity to vote for change!

MAKING BRITAIN MORE FAMILY-FRIENDLY

Leading on from David Willett's speech on the family, we have now launched our draft manifesto on the subject.
We can’t go on ignoring the importance of strong families. They provide the stability, warmth and love we need to flourish as human beings, and the relationships they foster are the bedrock on which society is built. The current complacent attitude to commitment has
done untold harm, and the narrow child-centred approach currently pursued ignores the importance of strengthening the relationships between all family members – children, parents, grandparents and the wider family. As a
consequence, Britain is one of the least family-friendly countries in the western world.
This will change with a Conservative government. We
will not be neutral on this. Britain’s families will get our full backing.
Good parenting makes a big difference to our future success or failure
– the warmth of their parenting is as important to a child’s life chances as the wealth of their upbringing. Of course money matters, which is why a Conservative government will help families with their finances.
We also need to help families with all the other pressures they face: lack of time, the impact of work, worries about schools and crime, poor housing. And if we want to give children the best chance in life –whatever background they are from – the right structures need to be in place: strong and secure families, confident and able parents, an ethic of responsibility instilled from a young age.
Together with our focus on reversing educational failure, worklessness, debt and addiction, our support for families will make it much easier for every family to provide an environment in which children can
flourish. Strengthening families will also increase social mobility, and play an important part in helping us work towards our aspiration of ending child poverty by 2020.
Don't be surprised if I refer back to this policy again and again! I feel passionately about giving all our children the best start in life!
Giving children the best start in caring and loving families is not only good for them, but good for society as a whole.

National Security for the 21st Century

Recent reports of the Government's contradictory statements about the funding of counter-terrorism activities in Pakistan have drawn attention to the need for a shake-up and a rapid improvement to the nation's national security apparatus.

On 15th January, David Cameron launched the Conservative Party’s Green Paper on National Security with Pauline Neville-Jones, Shadow Security Minister and National Security Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition.

The main announcements in the Green Paper are:

- A proper National Security Council. A Conservative Government will establish a proper National Security Council (NSC), chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Foreign Secretary as his deputy. The NSC will meet weekly and will carry day-to-day responsibility for the nation’s security. It will be serviced by a small secretariat based in the Cabinet Office. Its members will include the Chancellor, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary, International Development Secretary and Security Minister, and other Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister. It will be advised by, among others, the Chief of the Defence Staff (with individual Service Chiefs as necessary), the Heads of the Security and Intelligence Agencies, Departmental Permanent Secretaries and a National Security Adviser, who will be an official, and who will head the supporting Secretariat.

The NSC will be responsible as a de facto ‘War Cabinet’ for the conduct of the UK contribution to the mission in Afghanistan. If the Conservatives form the next Government, we will invite the leaders of the main opposition parties to attend the war cabinet on a regular basis so they can offer their advice and insights.

- New National Security Strategy. Conservatives will introduce a new National Security Strategy, developed by the National Security Council, which will provide the policy framework for the Government’s entire national security effort. This will be a living document, updated every Parliament or as circumstances require. The purpose of the National Security Strategy is to set the framework across government for all security-related work over the longer term (up to approximately 2025) including for the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

- A better approach to post-conflict reconstruction. Change is needed to deliver results in areas like Afghanistan. A Conservative Government will create a Stabilisation and Reconstruction Force which will bring together the skills necessary to carry out vital stabilisation work.

- A military contribution to homeland security and resilience. The military is best placed to provide agile and innovative command and control capabilities in support of the civil power when natural events are of such a scale, pace and danger that the emergency services are in danger of being overwhelmed. A Conservative government will establish a small permanent military command or headquarters for homeland defence and security and ensure there is a predictable regular armed forces contribution to homeland tasks.

- Protection against cyber attacks. In June 2009, the Government said that it would set up a ‘Cyber Security Operations Centre’ at Cheltenham. This Centre though is not yet operational. The country needs a proactive and effective capability to respond to cyber attacks. A Conservative government will set up a Cyber Threat and Assessment Centre (CTAC) by building on the existing Cyber Security Operations Centre to provide a common operating picture, threat assessment and situational awareness to users. It will act as the single reporting point for all cyber-related incidents. This will lay the foundation for the development of a National Operations Centre able to respond to cyber events.

The defence of the Realm is the first priority of any government. The Conservative's proposals will bring the country's ability to respond to terror threats into the 21st Century and will be one of the key priorities if the Party forms the next Government.

Tackling the Jobs Crisis – Measures to Get Britain Working

An incoming Conservative Government is determined to tackle the crisis for people who want to work.

The Party has set out how it will bring down the massive spending deficit the Labour Government has created and how it will boost economic growth and modernise Britain's economy. The aim of all these measures is to raise national income and create opportunity for people who are finding it difficult to get a job.

The Conservatives are proposing a 'Work Programme' to help people into employment. It will comprise the following elements:

• Work for Yourself, offering business mentors and loans to would-be entrepreneurs,
• Work Together, a programme to connect people to volunteering opportunities in their area,
• Work Clubs, places where people can receive mentoring, skills training and help to find local job opportunities, and
• Youth Action for Work, which over two years provides 200,000 additional apprenticeships, 100,000 additional Further Education college places, 100,000 ‘work pairings’, and over 40,000 additional young apprenticeships;
• There will also be a new generation of technical schools, a new national ambition to turn Britain into Europe’s leading high tech exporting nation and 10,000 new university places.

The Conservatives will also abolish the tax on new jobs. As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we will abolish tax on the jobs created by new businesses in the first two years of a Conservative Government. Any new business started in the first two years of a Conservative Government will pay no Employer National Insurance on the first ten employees it hires during its first year.

It is estimated this tax holiday will encourage new entrepreneurs and is predicted to generate around 60,000 additional jobs over two years. Clear and simple rules will ensure that the jobs created are genuinely new.

The Conservatives have shown previously that by creating the right economic framework Britain's business people and entrepreneurs can create the jobs people need. It's time to start work!

OUT AND ABOUT

This week I have been out and about in the constituency, visiting as many homes as possible with leaflets setting out some of our policies.

I really enjoy meeting the people of Kemptown constituency, as it keeps me really grounded and gives me an idea of the issues that are important.

Today and despite the rain we have been delivering in Peacehaven, Ovingdean, Rottingdean and Woodingdean.

Thank you to all of those who offered Coffee and Tea, and I am just sorry we were not able to take up all those offers, but the thought was most appreciated!

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES

David Willetts, the Shadow Cabinet member for family policy, has today launched the family section of the Conservative Party's Draft Manifesto.
He said "we can’t go on ignoring the importance of strong families". "They provide the stability, warmth and love we need to flourish as human beings, and the relationships they foster are the bedrock on which society is built."
Our outline plans to make Britain more family-friendly by:
• Reforming the tax and benefits system to help families
• Taking a new approach to early intervention
• Helping families to balance their lives
Willetts said that it outlined "a comprehensive approach to encourage stability and tackle social breakdown – a new system of flexible parental leave which lets parents share maternity leave, more health visitors to support new parents, and encouraging commitment by recognising marriage in the tax system".
He added that the Government’s recent green paper - its first on families since 1998 - "fails to confront the big issues" and "does not match the scale of change that is needed to support families and mend Britain’s broken society".
Giving children a better start in life is essential to avoid problems of social delinquency later.
The family (in whatever form) is the best environment for children to be nurtured and raised.
We do the children of this country a dis-service for life if we do not promote the family!

PUTTING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ON THE SIDE OF CITIZENS

Citizens don't feel that the criminal justice system is on their side


Today the Shadow Home Secretary, has launched the crime section of the 'Mending our Broken Society' chapter of the Conservative Party’s draft manifesto.
Chris Grayling said "People up and down this country are hugely frustrated with our criminal justice system”. "They feel that it’s just not on their side anymore".
There are plans to:

• Fight booze-fuelled antisocial behaviour in our towns and cities

• Stop retailers selling alcohol at below cost price

• Change the rules so that anyone acting reasonably to stop a crime or apprehend a criminal is not arrested or prosecuted.

"Our proposed changes would put law back on the side of the citizen and get rid of some of the things that make law abiding people so unhappy", Chris Grayling added.

Brighton and Hove is troubled by late night anti-social behaviour, which makes our city streets less safe for all. So I welcome these proposals, and particularly the proposal that makes sure that the victim is put before the criminal.

CAMERON ON EDUCATION

David Cameron has today launched the education section of the 'Mending our Broken Society' chapter of the Conservative Party’s draft manifesto.
These plans set out how:
We will improve our schools system,
We will make opportunity more equal,
We will address our declining social mobility.
The document was launched in David's speech at Walworth Academy, and includes proposals for:
• Better teachers and tougher discipline
• A rigorous curriculum and exam system
• Giving every parent access to a good school

It is vital that we improve the educational opportunities for all our children and young people.

The future for Britain depends on having a well educated workforce, and everyone must be given the opportunity to develop to their full potential.

CURBING DEBT AND SECURING BETTER PUBLIC SERVICES

Conservative Party posters around the country are proclaiming David Cameron's pledge to cut the deficit not the NHS. That is the right policy for Brighton and Britain.

Left-wing parties argue that only by putting more and more money into public services can they be improved. Yet, Conservative-run councils up and down the country prove that with firm financial discipline, clear aims, allowing people who know their jobs to get on with them and seeking efficiencies wherever they can be found, it is possible to find savings while protecting the frontline services that people rely on.

In Brighton and Hove, for example, savings of some £10m have been made since the Conservatives took control of the Council in 2007 and yet the Council's rating by an independent national watchdog has seen its score improve to 4 start out of 4 - an excellent rating. On social services where difficult decisions often have to be taken, recent independent figures show three out of seven services rated as excellent with four performing well, compared to none being excellent in 2006/07.

In East Sussex, the approach of matching policy to resources has created a culture where services are delivered against a background of a clear occur on reducing costs and promoting innovation where this will help in the delivery of services.

Councils such as Wandsworth and Westminster in London show that with long-term financial discipline and a relentless drive to cut costs, taxes and spending can be kept under control while service standards are held to a high level. Hammersmith and Fulham Council is even cutting Council tax and has done so for some years.

In short, you will hear Labour and other politicians saying that David Cameron's pledge to curtail Britain's debt cannot be attained without damaging public services. The reality is Conservatives are proving it CAN be done locally. In the event of Conservative victory in the General Election, it will be done nationally as well.

BRIGHTON HISTORY CENTRE WILL STAY

I was delighted to hear that the Brighton History Centre is to stay in its present location following an announcement by the Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, Councillor Mary Mears.

Mary was speaking at the meeting of the City Council's Cabinet yesterday and announced, during her communications at the start of the meeting that the £60,000 saving, which was to be achieved by temporarily relocating the Centre to the City's Jubilee Library, before moving it to its final home in the 'Keep' development, was to be found from other sources.

There had been a strong online campaign to keep the History Centre in its present location and acknowledging this support Mary said the money would be found to retain the Centre by looking at the Council's advertising costs and seeking savings in that area of spending.

Mary also announced the creation of an independent Commission which will consider the long-term issues that need to be addressed to keep the Council's Museums open and thriving. The increasingly difficult financial situation is forcing the Council to look at savings where it can and in order to keep this valued service working well in the future the Commission will look for solutions to enable the Museum service to provide the service that residents and visitors to Brighton and Hove want to see in this new, difficult, financial environment.

HELP FOR HAITI

Our common humanity is such that we should individually reach out, in whatever way we can,to support the people of Haiti, following the devastation caused by the earthquake.

This poorest of poor nations which had suffered for many years at the hands of the Duvaliers and their repulsive private security force, and has been devastated by poverty and corruption, now urgently needs our help!

I am proud of the British disaster relief forces who left Gatwick yesterday, to try and save people from the wreckage that is Haiti.

If you can give a little then please help this impoverished and devastated country.

0370 6060900 www.dec.org.uk

A HEALTHIER BRITAIN!

Andrew Lansley, our Health spokesman, has launched the Conservative Party’s new ideas on public health - A Healthier Nation.
The document outlines how we will tackle Britain’s public health crisis by completely overhauling our system of dealing with public health.
Much greater responsibility for tackling problems like obesity, drug use and teenage pregnancy will be devolved to communities on a new payment-by results basis, with extra rewards for improving the public health of the poorest. In spending their dedicated public health budgets, communities will be obliged to partner with local bodies, like schools, businesses, councils and GPs.
There will be a new focus on innovative strategies, with national campaigns harnessing the latest behaviour change research and delivered by providers who are paid by results. We will provide prizes for ‘open source’ suggestions for successful new public health strategies.
A Conservative Government will work with business to draw up new ‘responsibility deals’ designed to prevent irresponsible activities and extend restrictions on unsuitable marketing to children throughout the media. We will introduce a clearer system of alcohol labelling which allows people to compare the amount they drink with other people, mandate the display of ‘guideline daily amounts’ on food packaging, and encourage restaurants and bars to publish more dietary information for their customers.
We will introduce a focus on public health throughout government, led by the Secretary of State for Public Health, with a series of measures including extra Sure Start health visitors, a school sports Olympics, better maternity care, and tough measures – including a tax on super-strength drinks – to curb binge-drinking.
I welcome these proposals and particularly that power will be devolved to local communities, rather than a top-down approach.

A NEW GENERATION OF SURE START CENTRES

David Cameron has announced Conservative plans for a new generation of Sure Start Centres to focus on the neediest families and involve organisations with a track record of helping parents.
The new model of Sure Start Centre will deliver dedicated support to disadvantaged and dysfunctional families as part of the Sure Start programme.
They will be similar to Academy schools in that they will be independent institutions which operate outside local government control and are funded directly by central government.
David Cameron said he is committed to keeping Sure Start, but he will also seek to improve it by taking it back to its original purpose - namely "early intervention, increasing its focus on those who need its help most and better involving organisations with a proven track record in parenting interventions".
He said we already know what works in terms of parenting interventions, citing research done by the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners and others. "They have identified models with proven success – from family nurse partnerships, an intensive programme for vulnerable first-time parents that ends when the child is two to parenting support groups for parents with learning difficulties."
Conservatives will "invite independent organisations that have a proven track record in these areas – like Lifeline and 4Children and Homestart and contract them to run children’s centres and reach out to dysfunctional and disadvantaged local families. They will then be paid – at least in part - according to the results they achieve."

There is a great need within the Kemptown constituency to improve the ‘outcomes’ for disadvantaged families. This speech shows that David Cameron is serious about bringing about effective change!

ENCOURAGING SMALL BUSINESSES

Interviewed by Andrew Marr yesterday, David Cameron touched on new policies he is announcing to encourage enterprise and those aspiring to start businesses.
Here are the measures he is proposing:
• Ending restrictions on people starting a business in social housing, to enable social tenants to become entrepreneurs;
• Increasing the statutory threshold over which the Government can petition to make a business insolvent, in order to stop the current practice of pursuing businesses over small amounts of unpaid taxes and pushing them into bankruptcy;
• Reducing the number of forms needed to register a new business - moving towards a ‘one-click’ registration model - with the aim of making Britain the fastest place in the world to start a business.

David Cameron made the following statement explaining his desire to see a new raft of entrepreneurs create businesses to help Britain trade its way out of recession:

“We are going to get out of this recession by trading our way out, by businesses deciding to create wealth and to go after new markets, to export. It takes 13 to 14 days to start a new business in this country, in America it’s half as long, we have the ambition of making us one of the fastest countries in the world to start up a new business.
“The insolvency threshold is currently £750 we would lift that to £2,000 because when you look at the figures more small businesses have gone bankrupt in this recession than in previous recessions and a number have been pushed there by the Government itself. It may sound like a small thing but I think it’s significant, a huge number of small business are started in people’s homes but you know what, many social landlords forbid you to run a business from your home, we’re going to change that as well in discussion with social landlords.
“So, these are three big changes to help small businesses. That’s where the wealth, that’s where the jobs, that’s where the enterprise has got to come from and to help with that we have to get rid of this anti aspiration, anti achievement culture."


Small business will lead Britain on the road to recovery. I welcome any changes that make it easier for businesses to start and to grow.

DRAFT MANIFESTO - YOUR CHANCE TO JOIN IN!

Earlier this week, the Conservative Party outlined its plans for the NHS as it published the first chapter of the draft manifesto. Over the next few weeks, the Party will be issuing more chapters so that electors can clearly see what the Party's plans are the future and how the Conservatives will address the issues that need to be tackled to bring the change Britain needs.

The link to the page on the Party's website is here:

http://www.conservatives.com/Draft_Manifesto.aspx

In a move to make the engagement with people over policy even more direct, David Cameron will be taking and answering questions and you can join in the debate from this same web page. Why not take a look?

Parliament's reputation has been damaged in recent years and the Conservatives are committed to ensuring that people know their views count and their voices are heard.

By opening up the Manifesto process in this way, the Conservatives are demonstrating their commitment to working with and listening to voters so that in Government, the country can be served better.

RAIL INTERVENTION NEEDED

Transport is likely to be a key issue in the forthcoming General Election. Just before Christmas, the present rail Minister, Lord Adonis, talked about 2010 being the year for high speed rail, with particular emphasis on the London to Scotland route. My concerns are closer to home though.

Many people who live in the Kemptown constituency commute daily to London and it is important that we have good rail services, at the time people want to travel and that they find comfortable and good value for money. When the change was made recently, to extend the Gatwick Express line to Brighton, the rail using public was not impressed by the modification. Nothing short of chaos ensued.

However, while matters have improved with regard to time keeping, over-crowding remains an issue for many, especially during peak times. One way to add extra capacity to local rail services is to re-open the Lewes to Uckfield line. This would have the effect of providing another option for people living in East Sussex to get to London and would reduce demand on the Brighton mainline itself.

Frequently, the Labour Government announces 'big bang' suggestions to problems rather than working on a simple, but strategic intervention, which while not as headline grabbing, improves the quality of people's lives and provides help in solving the day-to-day issues people face.

Re-opening the Lewes to Uckfield line is one such intervention and the work that has been undertaken so far needs to be built upon and taken forward.

LABOUR'S RECESSION HITS MANUFACTURING

Ken Clarke, the Shadow Business Secretary, has revealed that manufacturing output has declined by almost 13 per cent during Labour’s recession.
It has sunk to its lowest level since 1992, reversing the gains made under the Major Government.
Ken said that "manufacturing output was steadily rising during the last five years of the previous Conservative government and now it has gone back to its lowest level since 1992".
Output has also fallen by 10 per cent since Labour came into office in 1997. This comes after a recent report which showed that manufacturing declined three times as fast under Labour as it did under the Conservative governments of the 1980s, despite Lord Mandelson’s claim that the industry lies at the heart of Britain’s future growth prospects.
"It is a bit rich for Labour to talk now about a ‘growth strategy’ reviving manufacturing when output has fallen during their period of office to its lowest level in almost 20 years", Clarke added.

BAD FOR THE COUNTRY!

I don't often comment on the 'internal problems' of other parties, but when that party - Labour, is the party of government, then the whole country suffers!

We are on round 4 (I think) of a crisis over Gordon Brown's leadership.

As Eric Pickles our party chairman has just said:
“We have a situation now where everyday a Labour MP is turning on the Prime Minister. It’s irresponsible to have such a dysfunctional, faction ridden Labour party running the country. Ministers are more concerned about saving their own political skin than actually getting Britain out of the monumental mess we are in. We cannot go on like this. The only responsible thing the Government can do is call a general election.”

Well put Eric. Britain needs an election, and Brighton Kemptown needs that election.

OUR REFORM PLAN FOR THE NHS

As the party of the NHS, we will never change the idea at the heart of our NHS

– that healthcare in this country is free at the point of use and available to everyone based on need, not ability to pay.

A decade of top-down, bureaucratic mismanagement has consistently undermined the professionalism and motivation of NHS staff and skewed NHS priorities away

from patient care, creating a culture where ticking boxes is more important than giving patients the treatment they need.

We can’t go on with an NHS that puts targets before patients.

We understand the pressures the NHS faces. In recognition of its special place in our society, we are committed to protecting health spending in real terms – we will not make the sick pay for Labour’s Debt Crisis.

We have a reform plan to make the changes the NHS needs.

Our reform plan is based on the methods of the post-bureaucratic age:

– decentralisation, accountability and transparency. Applying these ideas to the NHS will help us to improve it for everyone and allow us to meet people’s rising expectations.

Instead of bureaucratic accountability there will be democratic accountability.

We will decentralise power, so that patients have a real choice.

And by publishing information about the kind of results that healthcare providers are achieving, we will make sure there is no hiding place for failure. If patients don’t like what they are offered, they will be able to find something better. This will drive up standards by allowing people to choose the best providers and by encouraging hospitals to compete for patients. Making doctors and nurses accountable to patients, not to endless layers of bureaucracy, will also save billions that are currently spent on needless bureaucratic checks – meaning we can spend more on the frontline services that make a real difference.

Hospitals and GPs that don’t provide good care will have to raise their game.

We are the party of the NHS today because we not only back the values of the NHS, we back its funding and we have a vision for its future.

OUT AND ABOUT IN THE CONSTITUENCY

Yesterday I mentioned our campaign today, out and about in the constituency today with a group of Conservative MP's supporting local volunteers.
Thank you to all the MP's who came today and to all the local people who enthusiastically came out in the freezing weather to campaign.

What a great response we had today! We listened and learned about the issues the electorate here in Kemptown think are important.

The overall feeling that all our canvassers came way with is that people are just fed up with the current government and will give us their support to make things better.

David Cameron has been spelling out our Health Policy today - so that will be my bedtime reading tonight.

CAMPAIGNING STARTS FOR 2010

I am delighted that our campaign to win back Brighton Kemptown is off to a flying start tomorrow, with the visit of a group of Conservative MP’s.

These Conservative MP’s will be joining me and volunteers
– and hope to knock on 5,000 doors, to put across the Conservative message of positive change for Britain.

My Conservative colleagues from all over the country are coming to Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven to listen to local people and to tell them about what we have to offer after 13 wasted years of Labour.’

2010 - THE YEAR FOR CHANGE

David Cameron, in an inspirational speech today, has said:

'It's a brand new year.
A new decade is fresh before us.
This time always comes with a sense of hope.
Hope that successes can be built upon; failures can be learned from...
...new ideas started; a new course charted.
But in 2010, we can do more than just hope.
The next general election is no more than 153 days away and I don't think it can come soon enough.
Let's make this the year for change – the year when the positive defeats the negative.
Because we can't go on like this. We need change to get the country back on its feet
And that change must be based on the values of responsibility and aspiration.
We can’t go on with the same irresponsible economic policies that gave us the biggest boom, the biggest bust…
…and now threatens our recovery with higher debts, higher instability, higher taxes, higher interest rates and higher unemployment.
We can’t go on with an old-fashioned left-wing class war on aspiration from a government that has seen the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
We can’t go on with the old style of politics that divides our country instead of uniting it.
We can’t go on with Labour's bureaucracy, running everything from Whitehall, denying people control over their lives and undermining the professionals in our public services.
We can’t go on in these difficult times with a weak Prime Minister and a divided government.
We can’t go on with another five years of Gordon Brown.
We can't go on like this.
This is no time for more of the same.
We need change to get our country back on its feet.
And it’s the modern Conservative party that has the plans, the ideas, the energy, the people, the unity and the leadership to bring that change…
…we are starting our campaign to win the general election today…
…and we’ll be spelling out exactly what that will mean every day from now until polling day.'

He concluded his speech saying:
'Our plans are not timid – but the truth is they can’t be.
The problems of today demand more.
They demand real change – and that can’t come soon enough.
We can't go on like this. We need change to get the country back on its feet.
A better NHS; an aspirational economy; a big society; a new politics.
We have a four year track record of delivering change in our party.
Now we are impatient to change our country.
We are determined to make a difference.
We are all in this together, and we know that if we all pull together then this country can have great hope for the future.
So let's face this new year with confidence, optimism and hope.
And let's make 2010 the year for change.'

Conservatives here in Brighton Kemptown are ready for the challenge. We will leave no stone unturned in helping to put the country on the right track!

DAMNED BY A FRIEND!

Labour supporting Polly Toynbee yesterday made a devasting attack on Gordon Brown and the wasted years of Labour government.
This is what this supporter and fellow traveller of the Labour Party had to say in a Guardian Newspaper article:

‘Cancel new year, put back the clocks and forget the fireworks. There is nothing to celebrate in the dismal year ahead. The Labour party is sledging down a black run, eyes tight shut, the only certainty the electoral wall at the bottom of the hill. In five months David Cameron will be prime minister and Gordon Brown will be toast. Remember him? The man who crashed his party. Remember them? The death-wish brigade that let him do it.’
She goes on to say ‘The delusional tone of Gordon Brown's new year message says it all: "I believe we can create a new decade of prosperity with opportunities fairly shared amongst those who work hard and play by the rules." Just about every word of this raises questions about his record that he can never answer: GDP has fallen by 5% in the last year, taking us back to 2005; growth in his time was profoundly unfairly shared – over half the population saw virtually no growth at all; GDP per capita is a fraudulent measure that disguises how almost all growth went to the top 10%, and most to the top 1% – while he and Tony Blair did no more than see that the back half didn't fall too far behind. Middle Britain did badly however hard they worked and "played by the rules".’

Strong words indeed from Polly Toynbee.

In ‘Gordon Brown world’ all is well. Polly Toynbee uses the word ‘delusional’ and I believe that best sums up this rotten, discredited, and ‘past its sell by date’ government.

2010 is the YEAR OF CHANGE and I look forward to campaigning hard to make sure of that Change for Brighton Kemptown and for Britain.