Young in Need of Encouragement
|
Last night, Aimee, my seven-year-old niece, read to me. Moments like that are very special. She reads so well and, most importantly, she also reads alone, for pleasure.
As...
|
NHS not safe in Tory hands
|
Like everyone in Newham, I rely on the NHS to look after me when I’m poorly and patch me up, when I need it.
A year ago I fell and broke...
|
Less attacks on poor, my Lord
|
I rarely take on Archbishops, even ex-Archbishops, depite my Honours Degree in Religion, but the tone and content of the intervention in the welfare debatemade by Lord Carey, an ex-Archbishop...
|
Shameful fuel poverty still happening in 21st Century
|
Hasn’t it been cold! I hate leaving home and, when at work, I linger later than necessary, reluctant to face the freezing chill. When it’s cold, I close my heavy...
|
|
|
Many people ask how Cara, my little puppy, is faring. Happily, she's doing well and I'm doing even better. I particularly enjoy our game of football, when I...
|
Hoping for better things to come
|
To be honest, 2011 was pretty awful for me. I’m glad it’s over. In addition to my fall, the three subsequent operations on my arm and the time...
|
Moving goalposts again is so unfair
|
Regular readers will know I wrote about the state pension age just a few weeks ago. Today, I find myself writing about public sector pensions. It’s the same...
|
We must get the economy moving again
|
I spent Saturday morning collecting signatures for our petition, in support of Labour’s Five Point Plan for the economy. It was great to meet so many of you, but...
|
Remember the sacrifices made
|
I always attend the Remembrance Day service in All Saints Church, West Ham. This year was no exception and I was also able to join an equally beautiful and...
|
Pension Changes Just Aren’t Fair
|
We have just celebrated my husband John’s 50-something birthday, so it's not surprising the recent debate about pensions resonates with me personally, as well as politically. Pensions seem so remote...
|
Decisions That Make No Sense
|
We should be able to rely upon the Conservative Party to take a hard line on law and order. The Tories demand tough sentencing: a “be tough on crime;...
|
|
|
It has been hard settling down to write my column, not just because I am tired following Labour Party Conference, nor because it’s a gorgeous day outside, but because, yesterday,...
|
|
|
Personally, and politically, this year has been dominated by the NHS. After my fall down some stairs, the NHS put me back together again, managing my pain and recovery with...
|
Cuts to our School Budgets
|
Understandably, the Olympics have been in the news a lot lately. There is just one year to go till the opening ceremony in Stratford and the start of the...
|
Failing to Invest in our Young
|
I’m sure many parents sighed with relief: the waiting over, envelopes opened. We know whether our children’s grades secured the University, College or career of choice....
|
Great Examples of the Good Society
|
Over the summer, when I have a little more time to myself, I spend it with my niece, Aimee. Like most six-year-olds, she loves being active and playing sport, (and...
|
|
|
Up till now, this year has been truly awful. I am so looking forward to a break, to re-charge my batteries and come back refreshed for the new term....
|
Education changes will create more hurdles
|
Last week, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, and good woman, opened the new building at Sarah Bonnell School. Its build was funded by our previous Labour Government and provides...
|
Government out of touch with public and its own backbenchers
|
Sometimes, in Parliament, an eagerly anticipated debate produces drama, seemingly from nowhere. So it was last week. On Wednesday, it was Ed Balls versus George Osborne. The atmosphere was...
|
Pension changes will impact badly on women
|
In the House of Commons, it is stories about real people’s lives that bring a hush to the Chamber. So it was last week. Yvette Cooper spoke about the...
|
Grim reality of cuts in our Police Services
|
A couple of Thursdays ago, I spoke at a national libraries conference in Warwick. It was a lively event, with lots of animated discussion and impassioned voices. On...
|
Housing horrors that can't go on for any longer
|
Housing is one of the biggest issues raised at my surgeries, in my post-box and when I’m out and about. Naturally, when a debate was called on the state...
|
2012 success will be judged by legacy left
|
I wonder how many readers of this column lined the Mall last week to watch the pomp and pageant of the royal wedding, or attended street parties in celebration?...
|
Government is failing the fairness test
|
Parliament is currently in recess. Despite rumours to the contrary, work does not stop. Thank you for telling me about things that matter to you. Without doubt,...
|
These plans are hurting but not working
|
The last couple of weeks in Westminster have been dominated by a debate on the Budget. It’s been grim, listening to the roll call of cuts that will result...
|
Human rights- World must not look other way
|
I write this column, sitting in my kitchen, watching the horror unfold in Libya...
|
Hard working families will carry the rich
|
So, a new format this week, I only have 300 words. Not a woman known for brevity, I’m going to struggle. (Get on with it – Ed) At a...
|
Proposals that put profits before people
|
I write this column from my kitchen; the telly in the corner is playing the BBC Parliament channel. Sadly, I have seen more of Parliament from TV screens in the...
|
My thanks to the heroes in fall drama
|
I can honestly say this has been a bad week, since I am writing this column from a hospital bed. Rushing from a Treasury meeting Tuesday night, writing a shopping...
|
Vital we give support to our young
|
The first few days back at the Office after the Christmas break involved an enormous amount of letter opening, checking emails and returning calls. The postman often tells me that...
|
Families hit by the fear of insecurity
|
I do hope that, like me, you had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I love Christmas, but tend to be quiet and reflective over the New Year...
|
Strength from the seasonal spirit
|
Christmas has, once again, been and gone.. I bought the majority of my presents, most of them on-line as usual, put up a few decorations and just about sent...
|
Landed with debt for 30 years
|
Last week, the trebling of student fees was the only real topic of debate. I must admit there were times I dared to dream that the Government could actually...
|
Young should not bear brunt of cuts
|
I was at Stratford Town Hall last week, giving awards to the impressive (and glamorous) young women who recently graduated from Sarah Bonnell School. What a formidable and ambitious...
|
Being proud of a country that protects weakest
|
The two minutes’ Remembrance Day observation is rightly emotionally charged. It is our time to consider the fallen, the maimed and their families and to honour them, whether from...
|
Seeing best and the worst of human nature
|
During the last few weeks there have been two tragic murders in our Borough: two senseless murders, for which we may never have an explanation nor understand. The...
|
Important work by schools at risk from cuts
|
One of the most enjoyable aspects of being an MP is the opportunity to visit our local schools. I always leave feeling uplifted after witnessing the fantastic work that...
|
I loved old East End, but it's time to look forward
|
I spent my first five years in Parliament serving the communities of West Ham, Stratford, Plaistow and Forest Gate.
Before May's General Election, boundary changed added Custom House.
Those extra areas have...
|
Unconvincing Clegg is failing to impress
|
It has been a strange two weeks in Parliament: a fortnight slipped in, between the August break and the conference season. Usually, at this time of year,...
|
Aid is as important now as ever
|
I am sure that I am not the only one, watching with horror as the flood waters rose and rose again inPakistan, wreaking devastation and misery upon an often-impoverished population....
|
Why reading is key to youth's development
|
Last week, I received an e-mail from a regular reader of this column asking about my summer reading list. She mentioned that summer was almost over and I hadn’t...
|
Young Volunteers set example
|
Although I have been involved in politics from a young age, and party politics since my teens, I did not decide to become an MP until rather later in life.
As...
|
Uni policy is not a level playing field for young
|
AS regular readers will know, it has been a relatively light beginning to this Parliament. Only one new bill has been introduced this session and no more are scheduled for...
|
Things are not always what they appear
|
Those of you watching the State Opening of Parliament last week will have seen that, despite the national media's excitement about the "new politics" and the novelty of a coalition...
|
Members need a chance to serve with respect...
|
For returning MPs like me, the first week back at Westminster is a relatively quiet week in the House of Commons, where I get a moment to take stock and...
|
Share | Fight to protect our community...
|
I was in the middle of writing my column for this week's Recorder, when I was informed of the attack on my colleague and friend, Stephen Timms. I will...
|
No doubting we have such talent
|
LAST week I acted as a judge for the E13's Got Talent Competition. This was a talent competition for pupils from seven of Newham's primary schools in the E13 area....
|
Shameful: Vital work is ruined
|
IT is a rare moment when I am shocked by cynical political moves - but shocked I was last Friday. Fridays are the days allocated to Private Members' Bills. They...
|
The heart-breaking issue of assisted suicide
|
Every now and again, I use this column to explain my position on issues which are not party political, but which form part of our national conversation....
|
Fighting inequalities in Newham
|
Having been in the cut and thrust of politics for a little while now, I suppose I should not be surprised by anything, but one story that has made me...
|
|
