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January 10 posts
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jgale | 
28 January 2010 at 08:41 | 266 views
Congratulations to Yeovil Town FC on their 2-1 win against Exeter City at Huish Park on Saturday – at a game attended by a season best crowd of around 6,200 people.
I held Advice Centres in Ilminster (quiet) and Crewkerne (busy) in the morning on Saturday and then travelled across to see the football in the afternoon.
This time I was not the only MP watching the match, because Yeovil were enjoying the support of the former Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon MP, who was at the game with friends from our area.
Mr. Hoon is himself an avid football fan, and he apparently attends almost all of Derby’s home games. He has had a somewhat busy few weeks, initially as one of the joint Leaders of the failed coup attempt against Gordon Brown, and then giving evidence at the Chilcott Inquiry into the war in Iraq.
Whatever you think about these issues, there is no doubt that Geoff Hoon has been a very influential figure for Yeovil. It was Mr. Hoon who first signed off on the £1bn order for Future Lynx helicopters, which has been so crucial to AgustaWestland and which will sustain a much needed helicopter capability for our armed forces.
I remember lobbying the then Defence Secretary about this order in 2004/05, and I can still recall the joy and relief when the contract was given the green light in early 2005.
In any case, both Geoff Hoon and I enjoyed what was a lively game of football, which either team could have won. I cannot say it was the best Yeovil performance which I have ever seen, but a win is a win and the 3 points were a real boost – well done to all the team.
In the meantime, life has moved on, and the “Future Lynx” helicopter has now been renamed “Wildcat” and is in full production in Yeovil.
However, I am now in communication with the present Defence Secretary – Bob Ainsworth MP – about another helicopter order. The Ministry of Defence plans to order 22 Chinook helicopters for the RAF, but the initial plans seemed to involve all the work being done by Boeing in the United States. This seems to me to make little sense, and to undermine the Defence-Industrial Partnership between Westland and the MOD.
I have asked the Government to look again at this matter and to consider how Westland can play a major role in the contract, while still delivering the aircraft on time and on budget. This would help secure jobs and key engineering expertise in our area. I will continue to press the Ministry of Defence for a sensible conclusion on this in the weeks ahead.
Another key investment which we need in our area is improvement in our rail system. One young lady who came to me at my Crewkerne Advice Centre explained just how long her journey was when she has to travel from Crewkerne to Bristol for business meetings. This involves a massive 3 hour journey, in some cases via Salisbury! Better connections between Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Pen Mill are clearly part of the solution.
Re-opening Chard Junction station would also help our area, and this is something which I am supporting. Last year, the “British Rail Residuary Board” tried to sell off some crucially important land near Chard Junction station, which would be of vital importance if the station is to be re-opened. The land had previously been offered to Somerset County Council for around £350,000, and at that price was turned down by the County. But BRB put the land up for auction at just £50,000!
After I made representations to the Transport Secretary and the Chairman of BRB, the land was withdrawn from auction and is to be re-offered to the County Council. Provided a sensible price is involved, I would want the County to try to secure the site. But so far the County seems rather reticent to step up to the plate. If this opportunity is missed, it could cause real problems in the future. It is time for the County Council to get serious about delivering a better rail system for our area.
Ever,
David.
jgale | 21 January 2010 at 12:39 | 257 views
The recent terrible earthquake in Haiti, and its associated humanitarian disaster, puts into context our own recent weather difficulties.
In spite of the occasional hot summer and cold winter, our island climate manages to avoid the extremes experienced by other nations, and we are blessed by the absence of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons.
It is sadly the case that where natural disasters strike, they are often in countries which are the least able to cope. And that has once again been witnessed in Haiti over the last 10 days. What has been particularly damaging on this occasion is that even those agencies which would normally co-ordinate the disaster response – the Government, the police and the United Nations – have been badly affected by the earthquake.
Natural disasters such as this always prompt a very generous response from the British people, as well as from many other countries. A large budget has already been allocated to help those affected. But delivering the assistance swiftly amongst so much chaos is itself a major challenge.
Equipment has been urgently required to locate the living and to recover the dead. There is a massive job to do in the hospitals. Bodies lie unburied in the streets. There is little food and water; often no power; too little transport; and an airport which is struggling to deal with the numbers of flights which are needed. There is also an urgent need to restore order and to provide accommodation.
This is not, then, merely a financial challenge – it is a huge organisational task. The short term challenges are enormous, but there are clearly going to be some huge long term requirements too. Collapsed buildings need to be made safe and then cleared. Power supplies need to be restored. Infrastructure will need replacing. Rebuilding requirements will be huge – and new buildings will need to be built to much higher standards, to protect against future shocks.
Earthquakes such as this can be once in a hundred year events for islands of Haiti’s size. But natural disasters on this scale do tend to recur with a certain predictability. After the urgent and immediate problems are addressed in Haiti, we need to consider whether more could be done to coordinate the international response to these disasters. We should also consider establishing a better funded UN disaster relief capability, so that we can deal with spectacular natural disasters in a far more routine and effective manner.
As well as the situation in Haiti, other international issues are very much on Parliament’s agenda this week. The Iraq inquiry is ongoing, and evidence is being given this week by Jack Straw MP (Foreign Secretary at the time of the Iraq War), Geoff Hoon MP (who was then the Defence Secretary), and Jonathan Powell – Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff. In the next two weeks, Tony Blair himself is expected to give evidence.
This week a letter from Jack Straw to Tony Blair just before the Iraq War was leaked to the newspapers, and this makes clear the then Foreign Secretary’s grave doubts about what Mr. Blair was planning with George Bush. It is striking to read this “case against war”, when many of the arguments Mr. Straw puts to Tony Blair were those used by my Party – the Liberal Democrats – to oppose the Iraq War. These arguments were publicly dismissed at the time by Jack Straw – though it now turns out that this is what he privately seemed to be thinking himself!
So far, all of the inquiries into Iraq seemed to have ducked the real issue – that Tony Blair and George Bush were determined on “regime change” whatever the evidence on “weapons of mass destruction”, and that they deliberately exaggerated the risks from WMD. Taking your country to war on a false prospectus and misleading Parliament and the people is about the gravest charge that can face any Prime Minister.
The expectations for the present inquiry have been rather modest. Let us hope that when Sir John Chilcott reports later this year, he surprises us all by finally delivering the honest and clear verdict on Iraq that this country needs and deserves.
ENDS.