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Holidays over. Parliament beckons. I hope you, like me, had some very happy times with family and friends. Back now to reality; and I’m a little apprehensive...
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Universal Credit Will Hit Families
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A month ago, a breast cancer survivor awaiting reconstructive surgery contacted me. She is looking for work, but needs money to live on. She was effectively advised by the...
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I confess to being an “Archers” fan. Despite an uneasy feeling I will become the next Linda Snell when I retire; I just can’t help tuning in. On the...
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The two minutes Remembrance Day observation is rightly emotionally charged. It is a powerful silence: a moment of personal reflection to consider the fallen, the injured and their families; and...
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As regular readers know, I entered Cara, my small, but perfect Yorkshire terrier, in the Westminster Dog of the Year Show. Many of you asked me how she got on....
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Savage police cuts damage morale
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Westminster skids to a halt again, for conferences, giving me time for things I couldn’t otherwise do. I’ve baked oodles of cakes for sale in aid of MacMillan Nurses; joined...
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An honour I will always cherish
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Summer 2012 will live long in the memories of Newham residents. It was a fantastic sporting experience and very, very special to me. I was particularly honoured to participate...
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Debacle shows incompetence
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Summer Recess is over and we are back at Westminster. It’s been a busy and exciting August in Newham, but a turbulent one for the Coalition. My holiday reading...
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Paralympians example to all
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We are half way through hosting the world’s celebration of sport. The Olympics may be over, but the Paralympics are yet to come. Personally, I was heartened by how...
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Forgive a digression from the usual format of my columns, but I am completely enthralled by our Olympic Games. Even this Government’s woeful performance must wait. I am chained...
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Booked in to be well read
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As a Newham councillor, responsible for Libraries, I pushed for Stratford Library to create a book club. The very brave officer doing it asked me, please, not to attend....
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Proposals are just plain wrong
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It was June. Our children were nervous and stressed, as gruelling examination sessions came to an end. The anxious, agonising wait for results began. It was no...
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Many readers know I really enjoy my visits to youth clubs, schools and colleges across Newham. The enthusiasm of our young people is infectious and I get really excited...
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I watch cooking programmes avidly. I’m quite confident with savoury dishes, but can’t bake for toffee. I have decided to slay this demon and learn how. I’m lucky...
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Back in Parliament this week, things have not got off to a good start. The Child Poverty Action Group have released a report which said they believe child poverty will...
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For the first time in ages, following the content-light Queen’s Speech, Parliament had a second reading of a Bill to consider. It changes the way we register to vote.
Not, you...
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Queens speech offered nothing for ordinary people
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In local elections outside London, hundreds of Tory and Lib Dem councillors lost to Labour, yet London’s Mayoral election supplied a nail-biting finish. Despite wild predictions of easy victory, Boris...
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Newham bearing the brunt of out of touch Government’
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Not long ago, I marvelled at the Government’s self-inflicted wounds: their self-induced petrol crisis, the “Cam Dine with Me” scandal, the awful anti-charity budget cutting taxes for the rich...
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Government’s difficulties keep piling up
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This Government’s difficulties keep piling up. Since my last column, we’ve had a Government-induced petrol crisis and discovered the Prime Minister turned his publicly funded residence at Downing Street...
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‘Budget makes millions pay more so millionaires pay less’.
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It’s been a dodgy few weeks for the Government. Rightly so. It was a bad budget by any measure; a budget where millions are being made to pay...
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Young in Need of Encouragement
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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...
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NHS not safe in Tory hands
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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...
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Less attacks on poor, my Lord
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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...
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Shameful fuel poverty still happening in 21st Century
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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...
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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...
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Hoping for better things to come
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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...
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Moving goalposts again is so unfair
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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...
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We must get the economy moving again
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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...
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Remember the sacrifices made
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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...
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Pension Changes Just Aren’t Fair
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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...
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Decisions That Make No Sense
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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;...
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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,...
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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...
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Cuts to our School Budgets
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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...
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Failing to Invest in our Young
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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....
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Great Examples of the Good Society
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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...
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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....
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Education changes will create more hurdles
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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...
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Government out of touch with public and its own backbenchers
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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...
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Pension changes will impact badly on women
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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...
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Grim reality of cuts in our Police Services
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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...
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Housing horrors that can't go on for any longer
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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...
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2012 success will be judged by legacy left
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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?...
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Government is failing the fairness test
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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,...
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These plans are hurting but not working
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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...
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Human rights- World must not look other way
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I write this column, sitting in my kitchen, watching the horror unfold in Libya...
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Hard working families will carry the rich
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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...
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Proposals that put profits before people
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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...
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My thanks to the heroes in fall drama
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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...
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Vital we give support to our young
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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...
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