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                           <title><![CDATA[Uni policy is not a level playing field for young]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 the next weeks. There is, however, a budget planned and details of the Con-Dem plans to cut public services have begun to dribble out. First up was the new Universities Minister, David Willetts. He signalled a significant hike in tuition fees for students, which Lib Dem candidates had promised to oppose, during the election campaign. It comes with an indication that many more degree courses should be studied remotely. Correspondence...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:46:44</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[New expierence proves to be an eye-opener]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Westminster is almost back to its normal and hectic Parliamentary rhythm. Last week was the first Prime Minister's Question Time and it was keenly anticipated, by veteran and virgin MPs alike. It was my first experience of sitting on the Opposition benches for the weekly jousting match and my first opportunity to see whether David Cameron's rather combative Parliamentary style had become more prime ministerial, since his move into Downing Street. Regular readers will realise that I am not his biggest fan. "This isn't question time, David. It's answer time." I have to admit, I was very curious to see...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:00:33</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Things are not always what they appear]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 government, the great occasions of Parliament continue remarkably unchanged. Amidst the ermine, gold and royalty of the State Opening, eagled eyed viewers will not have spotted me in the procession of MPs walking through Central Lobby. When Black Rod summons MPs to the Lords, some MPs choose not to leave the Commons to hear the Queen. Many of those who remain are veteran Members, who have seen it many times...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:53:11</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Members need a chance to serve with respect...]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 plan for the months ahead. As I can remember all too well, for first time MPs it is quite different - a hectic period where they are thrown in at the very deep end. Without offices or staff and with hundreds of constituents wanting their assistance with their problems, they are expected to come to terms with the complexities of Parliamentary procedure and write and present that daunting maiden speech....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 12:48:36</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[  Share | Fight to protect our community... ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 not dwell on what must have been a shocking and traumatic ordeal for Stephen. I do want to say, as many other Labour colleagues have already said, that Stephen is a true gentleman, a kind and supportive man, who works so hard and cares passionately about the welfare and concerns of his constituents. I am deeply shocked by what happened at Stephen's surgery, but I am thankful he is making a...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 12:47:52</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[No doubting we have such talent]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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. Over 60 pupils took part and I watched 13 fantastic acts. I joined Lister School's head girl and head boy on the Judging Panel. We were joined by Ken Gordon, who is a former Lister pupil and a professional musician. He was great - he had a real ear for the pitch of the music and spotted and praised the very real talent on display. Ken joked about how this...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 12:46:48</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Shameful: Vital work is ruined]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 are normally short, but well-meaning Bills, put forward by backbench MPs from all sides of the House. I have spent some time over the lifetime of this Parliament supporting their passage into law. Last Friday was the very last Private Members' day of this Parliament. Bills would either be passed or fall, there was no other option. I was there to support a few that are close to my heart....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 12:46:01</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[The heart-breaking issue of assisted suicide]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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. One of the most heart-breaking issues being debated in the local and national media at the moment is &lsquo;assisted suicide&rsquo; and there is no easy answer to the concerns being raised. My guess is that our community is divided on this issue &ndash; some of you will want me to champion and vote for your right to die in a place and at a time that you choose, should you find yourself...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:21:38</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Fighting inequalities in Newham]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 really cross is the bunkum spoken about the failure to tackle poverty in the UK. The National Equality Panel&rsquo;s report was greeted with glee by the Opposition and by some parts of the media who chose to portray the report&rsquo;s findings as confirmation that the gap between rich and poor is widening. The Opposition was quick to jump on the report claiming that &ldquo;after 13 years of a Labour government...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:04:54</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Help for Haiti and Richard House]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 the people of Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world.    Potentially, there are hundreds of thousands of people dead and the Capital City appears devastated. There is now an unfolding tragic humanitarian crisis. I know I won&rsquo;t be the only person who has found the images of bewildered and terrified children, often orphaned and injured, to be absolutely haunting.    The majority of...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:33:46</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Charities who make a real difference]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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, which, had it not been potentially damaging, would have been laughable due to its ineptitude.    But, it is not just Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt feeling the icy winds of winter. There&rsquo;s been snow and the ice and then more snow and more ice. It has made my marathon training impossible.    When I leave or return to my home, I worry, as many people...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:03:04</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Let's pledge to make our place better]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 goodbye to. The economic situation has been central to our concerns. Experts disagree with each other about the recovery; if its coming, when its coming and whether it's "V" shaped, "U" shaped or "W" shaped. I am hoping that we are beginning to see signs of recovery, but firmly believe the recession will be shorter and less severe than it would have been, if the Government had not taken such...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:01:33</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Thanking our local heros]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 I am running out of time to make the last posting date. Shopping online for all my gifts rather than braving the shops is the norm and my diary for the weeks before Christmas is fuller than ever.  Christmas is a time of year when each of us in our own way tries to do something for someone else, whether buying a present, the invite to Christmas dinner, the...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:59:58</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[How we can reform our banking system]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 little heralded bill included in the Queen's Speech - The Financial Services Bill.     This bill is going to give us more protection as consumers, to help us avoid getting into unmanageable debt and give us more advice about how to juggle our finances.    Regular readers will recall me bemoaning the numbers of letters I receive each year offering me money to fund that...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:55:06</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Running to beat bowel cancer]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Every November I host the Pigeon Fanciers&rsquo; annual dinner in the House of Commons. It is an event that Tony Banks fostered when he was MP for West Ham and it got passed to me.  It&rsquo;s not just a dinner, but a fund-raising event too and each year we raise thousands of pounds for bowel and breast cancer charities.  Over dinner last year, I was asked if I would run the London Marathon to generate greater awareness of bowel cancer. Thinking I was on safe ground, I said that I would love to accept a challenge like that,...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:01:58</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Some goodnews for a change]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 a long way off. Reading national newspapers or watching the news brings little cheer.   Good news stories are presented, in a way that seems designed to downplay any hope that might be derived from them. Good news is buried beneath a collective depression and pessimism.    We are told that unemployment is soaring and yet there are over 2.5 million more people in work than in...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:49:52</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Healthy life so important]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 off for three weeks. On a recent flight to Munich, I had the luxury of a row of seats to myself as nobody would sit next to me after listening to my racking cough in the departure lounge - even sickness has its benefits sometimes, I suppose. Though this is traditionally the period when we begin to pick up the winter viruses, like the annual Freshers Flu outbreak that hits...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:49:44</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Behind the rhetoric at the Tory Conference]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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, for most people, all they see is the coverage in the news bulletins, which usually focuses on the key speech of the day, how it is received by the man and woman in the street and by the talking heads in the media. So, I watched with great interest the coverage of the Conservative conference in Manchester. I wanted to see how Cameron&rsquo;s new Conservative party would be portrayed....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:44:29</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Real cost of TV's slick loan offers]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 to endless loans. It often looks like free money to buy those expensive yachts or foreign holidays. These adverts stress just how easy and convenient it is to get a loan - generous sums are just a phone call away. But apart from the very small print along the bottom of the screen, the adverts don't give viewers the vital facts about the loan, such as the total sum you...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:47:53</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Freetown is anything but]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 educate me about international aid programmes and their effectiveness in a way one cannot grasp from books, TV or newspapers; they also help to educate us about the very real and over-whelming difficulties faced by MP's in developing countries. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world, devastated by poor government, war and insurgency. Life expectancy is just 37 years of age. One in four children die...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:46:04</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Impressive...our young people]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 prizes to young people, to mark their successes in school. I am continually impressed by the achievements of our young people in Newham, some of whom have managed extraordinary feats, against huge difficulties. One thing that these young people complain of in particular is the negative comments made by some national newspapers about the lowering of standards when exam results are announced each year. I am regularly asked, "Don't they...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:37:14</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Summer reading challenge for all!]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 is heaven. It re-charges my batteries, both mentally and physically. This year, I have been collecting books and waiting for the opportunity to indulge myself. Regular readers of the column will know that I am a big fan of crime fiction and sat for three years on the judging committee for the Golden Dagger Awards, the prestigious prize of the Crime Writers' Association. So my summer reading always includes some...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:33:47</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Raise a glass to leading locals...]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 I enjoy showing it off at occasional lunchtime meetings with civil servants who are almost universally impressed - by the home cooked meals and selection of Real Ale. So last week, I was delighted to support Proud of Pubs week, a national campaign, run by "The Publican" magazine to encourage people to visit their local watering holes. The aim was to celebrate the role of pubs in our national life...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:29:18</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Public in need of protection]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 even heard of, offering me credit to fund that new kitchen or holiday. I have also found my credit limit raised on a credit card without my asking, or agreeing to it. At first, I found this welcoming, but then realised just how easy it is to ratchet up a debt that becomes daunting and unmanageable. It is these types of practices that can encourage people to over-extend their borrowing...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:26:26</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Reminder of the forces at work]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 flummery of the Commons - and Prime Minister for a few seconds. I am getting to grips with my new job of Government Whip - liaising with the House of Lords about amendments, sitting on the front bench moving various motions, and whipping the Equality Bill committee - but on Wednesday I could not quite believe the bizarre nature of this job. My task was officially to open the Westminster...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:21:04</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Lift horror- the only way is up!]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 number of Ministers left Government for various reasons and the Prime Minister came to Stratford for a barnstorm of a speech, televised live on the BBC and Sky. The following night he faced the Parliamentary Labour Party and it was clear, despite media hype and encouragement, that he is staying put as leader. And now Gordon has appointed me to my first job in Government. I have become a Whip....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:18:48</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Why Park Life is so special...]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 in Newham, has been maintained by the Corporation of London for use by the public since 1874 and when I was a councillor in Newham I really wanted to add it to the borough's own stock. I will admit to being just a tad jealous. The visit fell on a gloriously warm day and I was thrilled to witness a great spotted woodpecker feeding its young in a tree. Only...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:12:26</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Police are still appreciated]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 of London and the ongoing investigation into the tragic death of Ian Tomlinson. I have written to the Home Secretary expressing my concern about the reports and stating that I want to see a full investigation into the circumstances of his death and the nature of the policing. In a democratic country it is crucial that we are allowed to make peaceful protests should we choose, and police tactics in...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 02:17:29</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Vital policy we must defend...]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 confidence and trust in politicians - and this is something we must urgently work to rebuild. Despite the focus on expenses, the day-to-day business of Parliament continues. Many of you will know that I am often here in Newham on Fridays. But Last Friday I was in the House, ready to defend a policy and principle that our Government established ten years ago. Tory backbenchers had used the Private Members...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 02:14:31</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Vital to back War on AIDS]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 York. I spoke about making family planning in the developing world available to more women and men, to cut the number of deaths from AIDS and maternal mortality. It was chilling to realise that in the eight minutes I spoke, eight women across the world had died from treatable and preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth - an estimated half a million women a year. Growing up when I did...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 02:12:19</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Why We Are A Site Better Off]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 and my colleagues in West Ham's Labour Party, I am campaigning to bring a permanent health centre to Stratford as part of the Olympic legacy. I'm also very concerned that jobs and opportunities resulting from the Games benefit local people. But last week I enjoyed seeing evidence of the positive on an almost daily basis. Building work has begun on the new velodrome to give us world-class cycling facilities for...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:59:39</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Dangerous Dogs]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 provoked and set onto the cat by a group of young people nearby. It was a wanton act of malice and cruelty.    I do understand how utterly devastated she must be, seeing her beloved pet so senselessly mauled. Regular readers of this paper may recall that, some years ago, a similar incident happened to my tiny Yorkshire terrier, Trudy.    Trudy was attacked by a...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:05:23</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Housing and PMQs]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s really hectic at work just now; my postbag is heavier than ever &ndash; not that I&rsquo;m complaining! It is good to know that people are finding me when they want to. There is so much I could choose to write about this week that it is hard to decide on just one subject. It&rsquo;s been Fair-trade Fortnight, Apprenticeship Week, (in which I visited Newham College and Tube Lines &ndash; talking to apprentices), International Women&rsquo;s Day and World Book Day. All three issues are close to my heart and I could have written about any one of them. Regular readers...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:41:24</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Brussels]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Last week, during Parliament&rsquo;s Recess Week, I travelled to Brussels to have a number of meetings, one of which was with the women&rsquo;s wing of the Party of European Socialists. I was surprised and delighted to have been chosen as the UK Labour Party&rsquo;s representative, though it is not the first time I have ventured into the complex and exciting world of European political networks.   One of the reasons I was so keen to attend the PES women&rsquo;s meeting is that they are working on issues of prostitution and trafficking, monitoring and evaluating the impact the World Cup...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:38:03</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Sad farewell to dear friend 16 February 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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. I had known Simon since his days as a councillor in Waltham Forest where I worked. There he had responsibility for the voluntary sector and together we worked to build and promote a night shelter (for street homeless people) and a credit union. His political support and drive was invaluable, without it neither scheme would have got off the ground. Simon had a deep and sincere concern for those less...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Join our fight for this vital health centre 02 February 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 opening ceremony for the Olympic Games. He told me he always enjoyed his visits here, despite my bending his ear. I hope his visits are becoming a habit that he will not want to break. This time he was accompanied by the Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham. It was my first visit to the Olympics site for some time...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:33</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[A time to take stock...and look forward 02 January 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 year for me, personally, as this was the year I finally married the man that I have lived with and loved for more than 16 years. It was a small, but absolutely magical wedding, with a fabulous choir from West Ham Church; a massive dress that was a little too big, and a flower girl and page boy who got a little distracted walking down the aisle, causing a pile-up...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Tackling Knife Crime 03 December 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 of this year, it seemed that almost every week we heard about another terrible and fatal stabbing of a young person, a tragic loss of another life.   But there is good news. In the year September 2007 to August 2008, gun crime in London was down by 22% and knife crime down by 10% on the previous year. This is a hopeful trend and we must work hard...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[National Colleges Week 19 November 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[National Colleges Week     It has been relentlessly busy over the past weeks. The current economic downturn is affecting everybody&rsquo;s day to day life. It is a very busy time in Parliament, as we get to grips with the best way to help people through these difficult times. I have made several speeches in the House of Commons, bringing to the Government&rsquo;s attention the particular pressures felt by people living in our part of London and arguing for a proper legacy from the Olympic Games. Things are changing locally and nationally. People are losing jobs and fear...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Games: We must ensure we live up to the promise... 07 November 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 number of stories in the press regarding the possible impact of the global economic crisis on their success. Some of these stories appear to have a grain of truth behind them, others seem more fanciful. I think it is clear that if the economic downturn is sustained, it will impact upon the Games. There will be less money to spend by the Government and possibly less sponsorship available from the...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Dreams come true at double with Olympics 24 October 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 the telly, encouraging Team GB. I actually lost my voice shouting during the women's 400m final as Christine Ohuruogu raced for Britain, and Newham. Truth is, I can be very sentimental and I usually well up watching our medallists stand on the podium, but when Christine stood watching the Union Jack rise, with the Gold medal around her neck, I unashamedly shed tears. Chatting with Christine earlier this month, as...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[We're banking on measures to fight crisis 10 October 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 drama and intrigue but after the high of Manchester, it has finished with a whimper in Birmingham. The banking crisis over-shadowed the past two weeks. As I write, we are still in the middle of an awful mess with no end or resolution in sight. The shock waves are being felt all over the world, Europe, Asia, and where it all started, the USA. I think that the fact that...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[So important to give police the correct facts 26 September 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 their financial security. My job has been made more difficult by the fact that Parliament has not been sitting. So it can be harder to get access to Cabinet and Ministerial colleagues, to ask the questions and seek the assurances that all is being done that can be done to protect the livelihoods, homes and jobs of constituents. The only silver lining has been the opportunity to get out and...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Pounding the weight issue 12 September 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 excitedly buying new clothes, I really need to take some action and get rid of the result of too many ice creams and breakfast pastries and hopefully continue a downward spiral to a smaller size. My weight has been a problem for me since my early twenties, and I know that my struggles with weight are in common with many of you. I have used a variety of methods and...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Standing up for the NHS 30 August 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 reason to be very grateful to it, as we have faced very costly and life-threatening episodes of ill health. Both mum and dad are cancer survivors and I needed emergency treatment while a student, received excellent service and did not need to produce a valid insurance card or worry about the expense. But being proud of this wonderful service does not mean that we should ignore the challenges that we...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Important for residents to express views 13 August 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 a number of local residents and community groups. I was concerned that such an establishment wasn't suitable for that part of the borough, a residential area close to a number of schools, churches and mosques. Research has shown that lap dance clubs can be a magnet for anti-social behaviour, and, given their late operating hours, also the cause of disruption and annoyance for local residents. I was delighted when the...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[The sweet success of Tate and Lyle 18 July 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[MY mum went to work at Tate &amp; Lyle in 1968 and stayed there for 32 years. She worked in Tate's (pronounced Tayts-is), the big orange building in Silvertown. Mum has good memories of friends from those days and still socialises with former colleagues. Although Mum had a high opinion of her bosses and her work friends, she didn't want me to join her on the factory floor. When she worked on the icing sugar packing floor the work was hard and exhausting. But Mum would not have recognised the factory that I visited a couple of weeks ago. Gone...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Sixty Cheers for the NHS...04 July 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 NHS on July 5. Nothing is perfect, but I think we have every reason to be proud of the NHS as one of our country's greatest achievements. Heroically started by the Labour Party when the country was economically on its knees in post-war Britain in 1948, it is a service which is available to all based on need - not on the ability to pay. The NHS was created by...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Plugging the Poverty Gap is a Vital Issue 20 June 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 new big story. Sometimes we feel rather buffeted by events. The important thing for me is to keep my eye on the ball and continue to press for the things that are important to the people who elected me. That's what I continue to try to do with my ongoing campaigns to plug the poverty gap.  In recent months I have been approached by increasingly desperate constituents trying to...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[I'm amazed and inspired by our young people... 06 June 2008]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[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 and improvised
baskets in their front room... but even the best-laid plans go
awry. We didn't prepare for the injunction of Canon Wright to my page
boy to help with this task just as we were to set off down the
aisle. He took on this new responsibility with gusto and brought
the procession into church to a halt half way down the aisle as
they stopped to debate a matter of urgency in the art...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[0565dc4b-02a8-95c4-3d67-045c84bedb9a]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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