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- 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...
- Help for Haiti and Richard House
I am sure no one has escaped the dreadful images on our TV screens, and in the newspapers, of the terrible death and destruction that the earthquake has brought upon...
- Charities who make a real difference
It was back to Parliament with a vengeance last week, after two weeks of Christmas festivities, fun, family, running and reading. I came back to Westminster and an attempted coup,...
- Let's pledge to make our place better
Whoever you are and however you look at it, 2009 was quite a year. And despite many happy and memorable moments, it's not one I will be sorry to say...
- Thanking our local heros
Christmas is drawing near. I have steamed my pudding, made my mincemeat and ordered the turkey. My boxes of Christmas cards look accusingly from the kitchen table; they know that...
- How we can reform our banking system
I received some really good feedback about my last column. It would appear that my readers want some more good news so today I am going to write about a...
- Running to beat bowel cancer
Every November I host the Pigeon Fanciers’ annual dinner in the House of Commons. It is an event that Tony Banks fostered when he was MP for West Ham and...
- Some goodnews for a change
It is fairly easy to be gloomy at this time of the year. The nights have drawn in, and the last bank holiday was almost three months ago. Christmas feels...
- Healthy life so important
This is the time of year when everyone seems to start coughing, sniffing and sneezing and I have had a nasty bout of flu that I haven't managed to shake...
- Behind the rhetoric at the Tory Conference
I am not sure how many of you spent a lot of time watching the various Party conferences during Conference season. Political anoraks like me find them fascinating. But,...
- Real cost of TV's slick loan offers
I GET to see a bit more telly over the summer and it has struck me, once again, just how insidious are those endless adverts which offer seemingly easy access...
- Freetown is anything but
IN MAY this year I travelled to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, as part of a delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. These sorts of trips are important; they...
- Impressive...our young people
One of the best parts of my job is attending the celebration of achievement days at local schools. Each year I attend a number of them, handing out certificates and...
- Summer reading challenge for all!
MY summer holiday is the time that I relax by lying, hopefully in the sun, covered in appropriate-factored sun tan lotion and losing myself in a book. For me, this...
- Raise a glass to leading locals...
ONE of my favourite things about living in Plaistow is my local pub, a snug and friendly haven within walking distance of my home. It has bags of character and...
- Public in need of protection
I have lost count of the number of letters I receive each year offering me money. I get letters and e-mails from credit card companies that I sometimes have not...
- Reminder of the forces at work
IN a week that saw the election of a new Speaker, and that Speaker dispense with the ruffles, buckles and britches of office, I found myself part of an arcane...
- Lift horror- the only way is up!
IT has been another tumultuous fortnight in British politics. The European Elections saw two members of the British National Party elected to the European Parliament; a Parliamentary re-shuffle, where a...
- Why Park Life is so special...
LAST Friday, amid all the turbulence at Westminster, I visited a place of beauty and calm right in the middle of our bustling Borough. West Ham Park, the largest park...
- Police are still appreciated
Police are still appreciated 6 May 2009 Over past weeks the national media has rightly carried a number of stories about the policing of the G20 protests in the City...
- Vital policy we must defend...
Vital policy we must defend... 20 May 2009 LIFE in Westminster has been extremely difficult recently. The atmosphere has been very dispiriting for everyone. The expenses row has knocked public...
- Vital to back War on AIDS
Vital to back War on AIDS 22 April 2009 LAST week, I was honoured to address a United Nations' Commission at the UN HQ in New...
- Why We Are A Site Better Off
Sometimes, battling for the Olympic Legacy stops me from seeing and celebrating the good stuff that the Games are already bringing. Many readers will know that, together with the Recorder...
- Dangerous Dogs
LAST week, I received a very upsetting letter from a woman in my constituency. A dog had attacked and killed her pet cat. The dog appears to have deliberately been...
- Housing and PMQs
It’s really hectic at work just now; my postbag is heavier than ever – not that I’m complaining! It is good to know that people are finding me when they...
- Brussels
Last week, during Parliament’s Recess Week, I travelled to Brussels to have a number of meetings, one of which was with the women’s wing of the Party of European Socialists....
- Sad farewell to dear friend 16 February 2009
LAST WEEK I went to the funeral of a friend, Simon Tucker, 48, a councillor in the Royal Docks Ward in Newham. It was a very sad and bleak day....
- Join our fight for this vital health centre 02 February 2009
WELCOMING the Prime Minister to Newham is becoming a bit of habit. Gordon was here again, this time to mark the halfway point between us winning the bid and the...
- A time to take stock...and look forward 02 January 2009
LIKE many of you, I guess, I spend this time of year reflecting upon the past 12 months and making plans for the future. It has been a really special...
- Tackling Knife Crime 03 December 2008
Tackling Knife Crime I think it is easy to overlook good news when it comes to crime and, in particular, knife crime. Over the spring and early summer...
- National Colleges Week 19 November 2008
National Colleges Week It has been relentlessly busy over the past weeks. The current economic downturn is affecting everybody’s day to day life. It is a...
- Games: We must ensure we live up to the promise... 07 November 2008
Games: We must ensure we live up to the promise... 07 November 2008 SINCE my last column on the subject of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there have been a...
- Dreams come true at double with Olympics 24 October 2008
Dreams come true at double with Olympics 24 October 2008 IN the summer, convalescing from my operation, I spent many happy hours watching the Olympic Games, screaming myself hoarse at...
- We're banking on measures to fight crisis 10 October 2008
We're banking on measures to fight crisis 10 October 2008 AND so we are at the end of the political conference season. Those three weeks had the promise of high...
- So important to give police the correct facts 26 September 2008
September has been another difficult month and also a busy one. There has been the dreadful economic meltdown in the global financial markets. People are extremely concerned and worried for...
- Pounding the weight issue 12 September 2008
I HAVE just come back from holiday and inevitably put on a few more pounds in weight. Given I have spent the last two years slowly shedding some flab and...
- Standing up for the NHS 30 August 2008
Standing up for the NHS 30 August 2008 OVER the past months the country has acknowledged and celebrated the 60th anniversary of the NHS. I and my family have good...
- Important for residents to express views 13 August 2008
13 August 2008 Regular readers will know that I recently added my objections to a new adult entertainment club close to Maryland Station on record. I was asked to by...
- The sweet success of Tate and Lyle 18 July 2008
MY mum went to work at Tate & Lyle in 1968 and stayed there for 32 years. She worked in Tate's (pronounced Tayts-is), the big orange building in Silvertown. Mum...
- Sixty Cheers for the NHS...04 July 2008
As I am writing this with a major operation only days away, health is very much on my mind, and coincides with plans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the...
- Plugging the Poverty Gap is a Vital Issue 20 June 2008
IT has been a really tumultuous time in the political world. The Labour Government is having a tough time and every day seems to bring a new big event, a...
- I'm amazed and inspired by our young people... 06 June 2008
LAST week I was married and it was a wonderful day. My sister
had spent days schooling my three-year-old niece Aimee in the art
of petal throwing, practising with torn up newspaper...
- Time for a Bank Holiday re-think to help us all... 23 May 2008
FEELING overworked? A little stressed? Well at least it is May
so we have had two bank holidays - one at each end of the month -
making long weekends in which...
- Taking the right action on the obesity of young 09 May 2008
POLITICS has been very much in the news recently, with elections
and a great deal of focus on individuals and their character traits
on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet every day,...
- What St George means to me 25 April 2008
I have been aware of the British saints' days from a very early
age. I remember celebrating St George's Day as a Brownie Guide in
the 4th Victoria Dock Brownie pack in...
- 'Don't be fearful of our streets' 11 April 2008
DEPUTY Labour leader Harriet Harman got into grief with some in
the media last week for wearing a stab vest out on a police
patrol. Critics said it made her appear too...
- Emotive debate on vital issue... 28 March 2008
AFTER the Easter break we will be discussing the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. It will be an emotive,
impassioned debate as we tackle the many different issues contained
within it. It will...
- Why we need to banish the bags 14 March 2008
SOME of you may remember my writing in this column about my
support of the Community Links campaign to get the numbers of
plastic bags reduced. These last few weeks we have...
- Illness we must all remember 29 February 2008
NOTHING is more important than our health, and in the 11 years
since they took office, the Labour Government has prioritised
getting primary care back on track. We have invested in the...
- Newham's overcrowded housing 15 February 2008
Over the past few weeks my time has been taken up working on the
new Housing and Regeneration Bill committee. It is a prolonged
process which started in early December and finished...
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