They Blog For You

Visited Passmore Edwards Sheltered Housing in Bounds Green yesterday to celebrate their 20 years of being. What was a lovely surprise was that prior to my cutting the cake - there were three singers with guitars and violin - singing with the residents. Their voices were stunning and it was [...]

@sshrpe “Oh no”, thought the potato as he felt the flames lick up around him, “foiled again!” @smithsky1979 AV: a system of voting designed to confuse the punters as to whether they voted, and are therefore responsible, for the bounder in office? @OlszewskiLAB You must listen to this. The greatest [...]

Chloe Smith MP today spoke at the LGBT Pride event in Norwich. Speaking at 12.30 and joining the parade afterwards, Chloe's comments included; "It is another mark of Norwich's culture and sense of self that we have such a vibrant event right here in the centre of the city. [...]

Advance is retreat The last tragic chapter of our Afghan tragedy  is replicating old futilities. As we retreat from Northern Helmand a morale boost is needed to present failure as success. Operation Black Prince seeks to 'clear a stronghold' named Saidabad. Serious students of military news might remembers that this area has [...]

The Tuesday before last I had the rare treat of getting off the whip in Parliament to attend a very special unveiling in Edmonton - a series of mosaics celebrating old music hall star, Marie Lloyd.I was joined by Year 6 pupils from St Edmunds Primary School who had made [...]

Theresa May has praised efforts to improve customer safety at stations in her constituency. In a letter addressed to local Station Manager, Andrew Dickinson, Theresa highlighted the number of rural stations which have been accredited and reaccredited under the Department for Transport’s Secure Stations Scheme in the local area. Stations including [...]

A couple of Saturdays ago I was invited along to local community church, the King's House's annual family fun day. Around 400 local residents turned out for the event, which included a barbecue, music and stalls, as well as games and activities.I was there predominantly to unveil four comfortable [...]

There is something a little blunt in giving people the right to veto council tax increases. While vastly preferable to what we have at present, real localism ought to allow people a slightly more refined way of setting local tax and spend options.     [...]

I link to today's judgment impressively quickly uploaded onto Bailii.This relates to the question as to whether expenses fraud is covered by parliamentary privilege (readers of this weblog will know that I believe that it is not).The judgment is worth reading for those interested in the law of parliament.There are [...]

I don’t normally post by-election results but this one is significant.  Lynda Leach won the Bilston North By-Election last night for Labour on a massive 13.1% swing from the Tories since May 6th. The Lib Dem vote collapsed (their vote was down over 90% since May 6th) and the Conservatives were [...]

If you ever despair at the way in which well-meaning Western aid to Africa seems to foster not genuine development, but rather subsidise Big Government, read this. With people like Alec van Gelder and Timothy Cox on the case, [...]

KEVIN Brennan has praised two social enterprise organisations in Cardiff West for making the shortlist of the South Wales Business Awards 2010.Mr Brennan has visited both Riverside Community Market and Pedal Power over the past year and says they are two fantastic organisations that deserve all the recognition they are [...]

Went to a screening last night of a new film to be released in the autumn - Made in Dagenham. Invited - because it is the story of equal pay - how the women machinists at Ford Dagenham car plant went on strike for equal pay over forty years ago. [...]

There’s been a lot of noise for some years about the high cost of public sector pensions. The last government talked a little about it, but tried to ignore it. Indeed, most of their actions led to a large [...]

Chloe Smith this week met Mike McCarthy, acting Chief Fire Officer, and Cllr Harry Humphrey of the Norfolk Fire Authority, to discuss the service's Safety Plan for 2011-14. Amongst various other impacts across the county, the consultation document sets out the planned provision from the future Carrow fire station in [...]

Speaking today after a visit to SeVA, the Norwich charity committed to supporting and enpowering the survivors of sexual violence and their supporters, Chloe Smith called for respect for the "hidden" front line. "There are so many small organisations like SeVA that do a superb job in the local area, [...]

1. @Charonqc: Brutus: “Not that I lov’d Clegg less, but that I lov’d Cameron more.” Julius Caesar (III, ii, 22) 2. @BickerRecord: All non-economist lefties should carry these figures http://tinyurl.com/2v4tmz8 on a handy card to show people who say ‘there’s no choice’. 3. @BristolRed: Ppl furious abt [...]

I sit on the Department of Culture Media and Sport Select committee. We’ve just announced a new inquiry and have issued  a call for evidence on Funding of the Arts and Heritage. We’re inviting written submissions and requesting views on the following issues: What impact recent, and future, spending cuts from central and local Government will [...]

I don’t appear in tonight’s BBC documentary, Five Days that Changed Britain, which examines the twists and turns leading to the formation of the Coalition. When approached by the programme makers, I was initially enthusiastic.  Great, I thought. A chance to explain [...]

Tonga's government has agreed to deploy 275 soldiers to Afghanistan over the next two years.  They will help guard the British garrison of Camp Bastion in Helmand Province.   An initial contingent of 55 marines will be deployed in November, the first of four six-month rotations of 55 troops Britain will command [...]