One week on, and the horrific events that unfolded in Woolwich last Wednesday afternoon are still shocking and incomprehensible.  Our first thoughts of course are with Drummer Lee Rigby and his family, friends and colleagues.  They are grieving for a loved one and we have lost a brave soldier.

We must remember that this was an attack on all of us by a tiny minority of fanatics who have no place in our society.  By carrying out this horrific murder and then attempting to justify it in the way they did, the attackers were trying to divide us.  They should know that something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger.  Organisations such as the English Defence League that choose to respond with violence and hatred are falling into their trap.  The same is true of those who have carried out attacks against Muslim communities, from graffiti at mosques to people being abused in the streets.  There has been a reported increase of such incidents, but that only serves the motives of the attackers. This was an appalling crime committed by despicable people who should not be seen as political crusaders – this gives them too much credibility.

We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms. This view is shared by every community in our country.  The attackers sought to explain their actions by invoking Islam, but this was a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country. There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act. We will defeat violent extremism by standing together, by backing our police and security services and above all by challenging the poisonous narrative of extremism on which this violence feeds. The Police have responded with heightened security and activity – and that is right. But one of the best ways of defeating terrorism is to go about our normal lives.

Here in Wiltshire, with our proud military links, we know that better than most. The Woolwich attackers are of the same ilk as those who threatened the repatriation ceremonies at Royal Wootton Bassett.  The security services foiled that plot as they have done many others over the years. The problem of course is that we rarely hear about their successes, although they keep us safe day after day. We should stand shoulder to shoulder with our military personnel and security forces at this difficult time.  And we should also stand together as a society, people from all faiths and no faiths, in condemning this crime.  Here in Swindon we have a long and successful history of community harmony, and long may that continue.

(This article was originally posted in the Swindon Advertiser on 29th May 2013)

Today sees the State Opening of Parliament for the 2013/14 Session.  Members of Parliament, me included, will walk down to the House of Lords to hear the Queen’s Speech, in which the Government will set out its legislative plans for the coming year.   This splendid occasion reminds us not only of the formal role of the Sovereign but also of the hard-won independence of our Parliament.   As well as being a ceremonial event, the Speech will also be a very important indicator of the Government’s priorities for the next twelve months.

The Queen’s Speech is finalised well in advance and cannot be rewritten at the last minute to take account of events, except in exceptional circumstances.  As one commentator elegantly put it, the Speech has already been ‘inscribed on vellum’ and can’t just be re-printed on a sheet of A4 paper!   The Speech is expected to include some vital measures, for example an Immigration and Deportation Bill.  The government has reduced net migration and will be introducing further restrictions, as well as making it easier to deport foreign nationals who are here illegally.  The new measures will restrict their rights of appeal and will limit the grounds on which people can argue that they should be allowed to stay in the UK.

The Queen’s Speech is expected also to contain the Care & Support Bill, which heralds radical reforms to the system of care for elderly people and vulnerable adults.  There will be reforms to the law relating to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders that will streamline the system, plus changes to dangerous dog legislation to cover instances such as the dreadful incident in Swindon last year.  A Bill to reform future State Pensions will also be introduced, as will further measures to reform banking regulation that will be based upon the final conclusions of the Banking Standards Commission.

As well as new Bills, the new session of Parliament will see further debate on a number of measures introduced last year but carried over to the new session.  One such example is the Children & Families Bill.  I have spent much time sitting as a member of the Committee that debated its detailed provisions, line by line.  The Bill covers a range of issues but at its centrepiece is the bringing together of education, health and adult social care to ensure a more comprehensive provision of services for young people with special educational needs.  These are radical and welcome improvements which will help to improve the way in which services are delivered in this area and which will help to address the problem of the  ‘cliff edge’ faced by many young people whose support is withdrawn almost overnight when they leave full time education.

Today’s Queen’s Speech isn’t a comprehensive list of everything that will become law.  Some items of legislation are proposed by backbench MPs or members of the House of Lords.  In the last Session, ten Private Members’ Bills passed all their stages through Parliament and became the law of the land.  Whilst the Government has much business to transact, there has still been time for backbench Bills to make it, too.

(This article was first posted in the Swindon Advertiser on 8th May 2013)

On Monday I attended the jobs fair organised to help employees affected by the redundancies at Honda.  The event was put together by the Honda Task Force, which was set up in January as soon as the job losses were announced.  North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson and I were both invited to join the group, along with representatives from the Job Centre, Council, Forward Swindon and other organisations.   The Task Force invited about 750 people to the event at Stanton House Hotel.  Crucially, these were not just Honda associates directly affected by the job losses, but also workers in the supply chain whose companies are feeling the knock-on effects.

More than 2,000 vacancies were on offer from 23 different employers.  Given the nature of the event, it was good that carmakers Jaguar-Land-Rover and Nissan were represented, since many of the skills of the Honda associates will be directly transferable.  Also at the jobs fair was Amey, the company that has won the contract for the electrification of the Great Western mainline.  It will create up to 150 jobs, and Swindon will be the hub for the project with the electrification fanning out from here.   There were also several smaller employers from further afield including a small firm that makes specialist diesel pumps in Gloucestershire and a number of businesses on the A419 corridor.  Of course not everyone will have the flexibility to move due to family commitments, but it was important that all options were available.  It was a very encouraging event, and thanks are due to the businesses for coming and to the Task Force for all the hard work they’ve done to make the event a reality.

A very different event I attended in the last few days was the Old Town spring clean on Sunday.  About 70 residents took to the streets to spruce up the area.  The Pipers Way Residents Association and local businesses had raised £1,200 to pay for improvements including planting flower beds and providing colourful displays.  There was also a lot of litter picking, weeding and general tidying.  It made a real difference to the area and everyone involved should be congratulated.

Finally, this Friday I am holding a residents’ surgery at a new venue.  I’m very keen to hold surgeries at locations where people who may just be passing by can stop for a chat, rather than having to make a special trip to a community centre, for instance.  So on Friday from 3pm to 4.30pm I’ll be at John Lewis at Home on the Mannington Retail Park.  No appointment is necessary, but if you have a complex case it may help to phone the office first on 01793 533393.

(This article was originally posted in the Swindon Advertiser on 1st May 2013)