Congratulations to Broxtowe’s Mayor Cllr Brian Wombwell for Saturday nights Glitter ball in aid of the NSPCC. The food was great, the music excellent and I’ve never seen so many chained civic dignitaries bopping way past midnight. Brian raised almost £2,000 for his charity thanks to the businesses and organisations who donated the raffle prizes and everyone who bought a ticket. It was a really good evening and I was particularly pleased to see so many LibDems and Tories getting all loved up!


One of the most important reasons why I decided to get involved with politics was because of my views on the decline of the family in our society. As you may know I am a mother of two children and am single so I reckon I appreciate how difficult it is to bring up children when you are “on your own” (especially when you work full time) and also know that families come in different shapes and sizes.  I do believe in the ideal – a mother and father raising their children together as part of the extended family of aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins. It doesn’t always work out that way but you can still make a strong family. I am lucky because my daughters and I have a brilliant relationship with their father and (touch wood) so far so good. It is hard work – single or living together – to bring up children in today’s Britain.

I therefore was particularly keen to listen to what David Cameron had to say on Saturday at the Tory Spring Forum (you can read David’s speech in full by clicking here ).

David said a future Conservative Party will work to strengthen family life with measures to provide more flexible working and extending parental leave. We will seek and encourage greater corporate responsibility and provide more NHS health visitors.

I particularly welcome our policy to support couples with children who want to live together, by scrapping the couple penalty in the benefits system which pays couples to live apart. It never ceases to amaze me how many people I meet who live apart because they get more benefit than if they live together and many of them fiddle the system by pretending to be apart.

David said “making Britain more family-friendly means demanding that TV producers, magazine editors, music companies, book publishers - all media businesses accept that what they do really matters to our society. Too often, their programmes, articles, music videos and books introduce our children to sex and violence and adult emotional dilemmas at an incredibly early age. It's not right and parents want you to stop it.”

I couldn’t agree more and in particular want businesses and companies to take a more responsible approach to the over sexualisation of children. I sometimes despair when I see young kids in clothes that I wouldn’t allow my teenage daughters to wear. They’ve always been pretty sensible on the subject and I’d like to think that’s because their father and I have been pretty tough on what they wear.

David also announced an extra 4,200 health visitors. The Labour Government has overseen a serious decline in the number of health visitors who do an invaluable job supporting and helping in particular first time mums in the early years.

David said “We're going to radically increase the number of health visitors so that every family can count on the proper, professional support they need…with money set aside for proper training and extra help for families in the most deprived areas. It could mean for every new mother six hours home support in the first two weeks. Then a visit every two weeks in the first six months. Monthly visits in the next six months, and two visits a year between the ages of 1 and 5.

Health visitors are the kind of support that parents want. Not laissez-faire: just leaving parents to get on with it. Not nanny-state: some bureaucratic system telling parents what to do. Just sensible, practical, personal support that people trust. That's what the modern Conservative Party is all about. That's what I mean by making this country more family-friendly.”

I know that many people say there is nothing to choose between us and Labour and David Cameron addressed this saying

“Labour believe in the wisdom and power of Whitehall. We believe in the wisdom and power of individuals, families and communities. We have an understanding of human relationships that puts people first, not political processes. Labour believe in the state. We believe in society. Their vision is top-down. Ours is bottom-up. And that brings me right back to families. Because if you believe in society, not the state; if you believe that real change comes from the bottom up, not the top down, then strengthening Britain's families is quite simply the most important thing you can do in politics.”

It’s always difficult for politicians to talk about the stuff of relationships – be it parenting, marriage or commitment. There’s a danger of being “preachy”, slightly smug and a “know all”. For my part I’ve seen too many children, whether it’s in my personal or professional life, who have suffered or are suffering because they haven’t been brought up properly in a family that supports and loves them.  I have no doubt we live in a broken society and fixing Britain’s families will go a long way to mend it.


Instead of targeting irresponsible binge drinkers, as the Conservatives have proposed, Alistair Darling’s budget clobbered the 37 million responsible drinkers.  It’s a tax hike designed to plug the hole in the public finances – not to encourage responsible drinking.
Alistair Darling announced a 6% increase above the rate of inflation in all alcohol duty rates.  A pint of beer is up 4p which will hit those of us who enjoy a proper pint and hit the micro brewers in particular.

We would have put up duty on the drinks favoured by binge drinkers namely alcopops, strong beer and cider. 90 per cent of beer and cider consumers would have been unaffected. Our proposals have been widely welcomed by the industry and by Christopher Day, Professor of Liver Medicine at the University of Newcastle.

Our proposals also largely agree with what APAS have been promoting for a long time.  APAS (Alcohol problems Advisory service) is based in Nottingham and is an organisation I am proud to support. They know their stuff and don’t hold their punches either with their clients or those they believe are responsible for the huge growth in alcohol abuse in Britain.

I’ve just recorded their new answer phone message and took the opportunity to hear their views on the Budget and have a tour of some new office space they’ve acquired. 


Parliament is about to debate the Governments Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. In the past this type of legislation has been a “free vote” in other words MP’s were not “whipped” to toe the party line. Unfortunately Gordon Brown has taken a different view and expects his MP’s to vote in favour whatever their ethical/moral/religious views. The Labour Chief Whip may allow some of his MP’s to be “absent” from Parliament so they will neither vote as their conscience or their constituents determine. To view more details of the bill click here; in particular the Governments refusal to allow Labour MP’s a free vote.

Your Labour MP is seeking your views saying “I'm just trying to work my way to the right answers, I hope with your help”. But the truth is that at the moment it doesn’t matter what you think as he will no doubt (as usual) toe the whips line and vote in favour of the Bill.

Conservative MP’s will have a free vote.

If I were your MP I would certainly vote against those parts of the Bill that undermine/remove the role and naming of a father in IVF treatment.

I am concerned about the creation of hybrid human and animal embryos – but I have an open mind so would genuinely welcome your views and would come to a conclusion based on arguments made to me from all points of view.

At the moment I am not convinced that the 24 week limit on abortion should be reduced but I again I am open to persuasion. I should add that there will be a free vote on any change to the current abortion legislation.