DAVID CAMERON VISITS LUTON

David Cameron, Leader of the Conservative Party, visited Luton today soon after making a brilliant speech attacking Gordon Brown's Policy Relaunch "without a price tag" as there will be no Government spending review before the next Election. Cameron lambasted the Prime Minster for his Policy's "lack of honesty on spending" and lack of real reform of our public services".

Today he British-North American Committee, a group of academics and businessmen, published a paper stating that the true cost of pensions for all public sector workers is £1.2 trillion, equal to 85% of Britain's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ie £20,000 for every man, woman and child in Britain for only 25% of the population. Gordon Brown lives in cloud cuckoo land and expects us to believe that the Government can carry on borrowing and spending vast amounts of public money without it having any effect on the British public. He seems to think that the electorate are stupid, which we are not. As Ken Clarke, Shadow Business Secretary said today:
"Britain has a dying Government, past its sell-by date and needing to be replaced"

Cameron rightly attacked Gordon Brown for his proposals which were 'rehashed' or amounted to "timid and bureacratic top-down tinkering" rather than real reform and stressed: "The truth about today's statement is it only serves to highlight the decline of this Government. Their money has run out. Their political capital has run out. And now their time is running out".Later David addressed a group of 80 Conservatives in Luton from across Bedfordshire, answering several questions clearly and honestly. He then went on to address members of the general public at one of his popular Cameron Direct meetings in Luton.

This was my first meeting with David Cameron and I find him an inspirational leader and an open, honest and empathetic speaker. David will be an excellent Prime Minister in 2011 when Gordon Brown is finally forced to call a General Election and loses.

ALL SAINTS PARISH CHURCH, WILSTEAD

Wilstead has two churches - All Saint's, the Parish Church, and Wilstead Methodist Church. Recently I gave grants from my Community Leader's Fund to both churches, and above is a photograph of Wilstead Parish Church and me presenting 2 wooden collecting bowls to the Vicar, Stephen Toze and the Church Warden Robert Heeley during one of their services. They were also able to buy some audio equipment and CDs for use in the services. The beautiful wooden collecting bowls were carved by Wilstead resident Ray Terry,a gifted wood turner who makes wonderful wooden items for the regular Wilstead Arts & Crafts Exhibitions.

This evening I took my two lovely daughters Sarah and Helen out for a birthday treat to Milton Keynes Theatre to see an excellent performance of Cabaret, starring Wayne Sleep and Samantha Barks, with a haunting final scene depicting the looming menace of Nazism in Germany in 1931. Beforehand we enjoyed a good dinner at the Taipan Chienese Restaurant and afterwards we headed home in three different directions - Sarah to her family in Watford and Helen to the Midlands.

Tomorrow I will have my photograph taken in Bedford Park along with all the other Conservative Bedford Unitary Coucil candidates for the Election on Thursday 4 June.

Enjoy your weekend.

SAVE OUR ELSTOW HERITAGE

Bedford Borough Conservatives have launched a 'Save Our Green Fields' Campaign to challenge controversial proposals to build 1,400 houses on 19 areas of public land.

Elstow is one area earmarked for housing. The proposal is to build 15 houses on the narrow green strip which divides historic Elstow village from urban Bedford. It is totally unnecessary when sites are already earmarked for 16,270 houses, many of which will not be built for years due to the current credit crunch.

If housing is built on this green space Elstow village will vanish into urban Bedford, destroying an historic heritage which stretches back over 900 years to the building of Elstow Abbey as a Benedictine Monastery in 1098.

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress and Bedford's most famous son was born in Elstow in 1628 and married in Elstow Abbey. We also have the famous 16th Century Moot Hall shown above and wonderful timbered 16th Century houses in Bunyans Mead. John Bunyan would turn in his grave at this shortsighted proposal to submerge tiny Elstow with just 300 houses into urban Bedford with a population of 80,000 people.

Bedford Borough Council is not due to commence formal public consultation on its proposals until August 2009. However Bedford Conservatives have already forced the Council to withdraw its plans to build houses on Mowsbury Golf Course and reduced the original number of land development proposals from 20 to 19.

Please join me in my campaign to stop the Council ruining our beautiful village and persuade the planners to withdraw these housing development proposals immediately.

BEDFORDSHIRE'S SEXIEST POLITICIAN POLL RESULT

Nicky Attenborough, Bedford's Deputy Mayor and Conservative Group Leader is now Bedfordshire's Sexiest Politician. I came 3rd with 168 votes and won the Bronze Medal in Olympic Speak! Thank you all for voting for me.


DINING OUT IN BEDFORD - AGAIN!

Tonight I am dining at Pizzeria Santaniello an Italian owned restaurant renowned for its pizzas, but I prefer their Italian style roast chicken served with a green salad - very healthy!

Bedford has many excellent Italian restaurants, which is not surprising when there are 14,000 Italians living in Bedford, the largest Italian community in England. We even have an Italian Vice Consul. Bedford is also the most culturally diverse town in the UK with 64 different ethnic groups.

BEDFORDSHIRE'S SEXIEST POLITICIAN

You will have realised by now that I am a serious minded politician but August is the silly season in the UK when many people are on holiday and journalists are desperate for stories. Andrew McConnell, a Conservative colleague writes a lively Blog called BLOGGING FOR BEDFORD and has launched a light hearted summer poll to find Bedfordshire's Sexiest Politician.

I have been shortlisted from 200+ politicians with 18 others but so far have only received a few votes. You can boost my morale by Googling BLOGGING FOR BEDFORD and vote for me before 21 August 2008 Andrew's website address is www.bloggingforbedford.co.uk.

There is still time to vote my Blog as one of the TOP TEN UK POLITICAL BLOGS - have a look at my 22 July Blog and vote before 15 August.

Tomorrow I am off on an official visit to London Luton Airport with 3 other Conservative County Councillors.

A6 Elstow Roundabout No Right Turn Campaign

The planned Wixams Development of 4,500 new houses led to the A6 being diverted, and the new dual carriageway reopened recently. In my first blog you see a photograph of me with Tom Wotton, County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, who officially opened the new A6 road.

When the new A6 Elstow roundabout was planned the previous 'No Right Turn' sign would have disappeared. Villagers were very concerned that A6 commuters would use Elstow as a short cut to Bedford and it became a major campaign issue in the May 2007 local elections.

My political opponents created a lot of hot air and local media coverage, with no result.

I am a Councillor who prefers to seek solutions to problems rather than just scaremongering.

Therefore I persuaded the County Council to instal four large 'Access Only' signs so that the only traffic turning right at the new roundabout should now be vehicles heading for Elstow village.

These new signs have been so successful that some Elstow residents have contacted me to ask why they cannot now turn right at the roundabout - they had not read the sign properly.

Above is a photograph of me on the day of the official opening with Tom Wootton, Basil Jackson, Assistant Director of Highways, and Sam Clark, Elstow Parish Council Chairman, celebrating the successful conclusion to this project and the opening of the new A6 road.

Festival of Older People

Bedfordshire County Council aims to provide support for an increasingly large population of older people. Come and join us for the Festival of Older People on Wednesday 2 July from 10am to 3.30pm at the Corn Exchange, Bedford. Activities include music, dance, prize draws, free refreshments and informations on everything from health to welfare benefits.

Bedford Borough Council, Age Concern and the Bedford Guild House are also involved in the event. What are you waiting for?

Henley by Election

Turning to National issues - what a fantastic victory for Conservatives in Henley last Thursday! Gordon Brown must have been very unhappy when he learned that his Labour candidate came 5th and lost his deposit. Not only that - he polled 1066 votes. 1066 is a highly significant date as it was the last time we were invaded and defeated by William the Conqueror - enough said?

Zimbabwe

The traged of Zimbabwe goes on. Today I was very upset to see a horrifying photograph in the Sunday Times of a small baby whose legs were broken by Robert Mugabe's ZANUPF thugs simply because they could not track down his MDC Councillor father.

Zimbabwe is a lovely country with the friendliest of people. My uncle lived there for 33 years and I visited the country as a child. It is terrible to watch the Zimbabweans being starved and intimidated by their own Leader. Whatever problems we have in this country, at least we all enjoy freedom of speech and can express our political views free of intimidation. We also enjoy a genuine democracy and a free choice of candidates at every election.

Have a good week.