June/July 2008
April/May 2008
March 2008
January / February 2008
September / October / November 2007
5th October 2007
Conference Blog
June/July 2008
What a few months it has been. I’m reserving this current blog to tackle some of the national issues that have cropped up. Do not fear I’m still out and about as much as I can be in the Constituency and have enjoyed both Hawick and Selkirk Common ridings and feel Jedburgh is making real progress in its own redevelopment plans. But Nationally, Ireland can shelve any hope of a Eurovision song contest win for the foreseeable future but the NO vote was great news for those of us opposed to the Lisbon Treaty.
And from those of us denied the chance to vote by this Government and the Liberal Democrats, put this one in your pipe and smoke it. (Am I allowed to use that phrase these days or has it been banished to the politically correct small minority bin?)
So where does it put the Lisbon Treaty? Dead in the water I hope.
What we must all be on our guard for now is this discredited Government trying to ride rough shod over us and in particular the Irish people. Look out for the great head in the sand trick.
Let’s be brutally honest – we have seen the Spanish, French and Dutch pillage our fishing waters, once the finest in the world, we’ve signed up to a crazy abattoir directive that has seen most of that industry destroyed, we’ve blighted our landscape with wind turbines, we’ve allowed every Tom, Dick and Harry to come and settle here and then claim dole, we’re on the verge of losing the right to drink a pint, our farmers are facing a nonsense of a sheep double tagging regulation, we’ve flooded our markets with imports and now the Europeans want to give foreign hauliers the right to tout for business on UK roads on a full time basis.
The EU is the single greatest political disaster... and yes as a Tory I’m afraid Ted Heath elbowed us in in 1970. But that was 38 years ago and now we’ve got a chance to halt the federal takeover.
I’m all for being part of Europe, enjoying each other’s culture and unique diversity and for the 50 years of peace that European friendship has brought but not to be governed by Europe.
Let’s decide our own fate, at least then we only have ourselves to blame.
FUEL hits the headlines again with the ever spiralling cost of running our motor cars. But spare a thought for those hauliers out there, those bus companies, those taxi drivers all being hammered but this unstoppable rise. Yes the Government can do something, the treasury is raking it in in increased Vat payments, surely the Government can help?
DAVID DAVIS – a courageous man. Well done. It takes guts to stand up and be counted as Mr Davis has – forget the Party implications for a moment, here is a man so passionate about the erosion of our civil liberties by this government that he is giving it all up to fight a by election on the 42 days issue. Unfortunately I can’t see Labour putting a candidate forward to fight this one, Labour will try and sweep it under the carpet and bury their heads in the sand.
GAS AND ELECTRIC SET TO RISE BY UP TO 40% - forewarned is forearmed. Government – remember the Pensioners this winter. I am worried and concerned at the rapid rise in utilities, Gordon Brown pushing ahead with Nuclear power plants is good news but 10 years too late. Again our European friends, namely the French, have jumped ahead of us and will soon be selling the UK electricity. This is now June, the pundits are forecasting up to 40% increases so the Government need to start making provision to cover some of the winter fuel expenses that our pensioners are going to face.
As usual keep in touch. Thank you for your letters and responses to our latest newsletter.
April/May 2008
Spring has finally sprung and I’ve been out on the doorstep listening, picking up and tackling issues out and about as much as possible.
John Lamont and I have completed a Tour of all the Post offices in the Borders. It is clear in most cases that rural post offices provide a lifeline to small communities and where a post office faces closure the small retail shop associated with it comes under threat.
I have posted a small video to a Galashiels web site on post offices. Follow the link below
http://www.s1galashiels.com/media/galashiels-post-offices.html
The new licensing regulations are giving me cause for concern with a very high number of small tourism operators in the Borders facing huge costs in fees, plans, layouts and training.
The Budget didn’t help the licensed trade either. The trade is on its knees and asked the Chancellor for help but instead he has hammered the final nail in the coffin of the British pub.
The Morning Advertiser’s campaign to ban Alistair Darling from all the pubs in the UK has my full backing.
I have been contacted by several shopkeepers and publicans bamboozled by the new regulations which have had little or no consultation with the trade. A small deli in Melrose, a caravan park near Hawick and a pub in Lauder have all bent my ear in recent weeks as they face not only the Chancellors budget fiasco but the even greater costs involved in applying, training, drawing of plans, re designing of shop layouts and annual fees which have risen as much as 400%. Is it any wonder that 10+ pubs are going out of business and shutting up shop every week?”
You can download my petition, print it off and get as many signatures as you can before the end of June.
DOWNLOAD PETITION HERE
I have been canvassing in Melrose and have entered into lengthy correspondence with the council on the creation of a footpath from Fairways to the BGH and trying to apply some pressure on the BGH itself to help two or three local diabetic children in desperate need of a Diabetic pump.
In Selkirk I’m still badgering the council to wheel out the chewing gum machine and clean the pavements and in Hawick sporadic street lighting is causing several residents to get hot under the collar. We’re making superb progress however in Jedburgh and the end of May will see Jedburgh hosting its very own development conference to map the way forward.
I delivered a drop and collect survey in St Boswells after local residents alerted me to the fact that there was disparity with speed limits and vehicle access. Thank you to all who took the time to fill in the survey – again the issue is now with the community council and SBC.
Galashiels responded well to a recent postal survey asking if our priorities were your priorities. It is important in Politics that local people have the opportunity to speak up about the issues that really matter. Thank you again to all the residents who took the time and effort to return the form. I will be replying personally in due course.
I attended a community council meeting in Clovenfords earlier in the month to find the continued frustration over the issue that the School is still on the back burner.
Caddonfoot / Clovenfords school is, in my mind, the most poorly located and dangerous school in Scotland and it is an utter disgrace that the local council haven’t moved quicker on this issue.
I had the pleasure of joining up with John Lamont MSP for Berwickshire and Roxburgh on a Mountain bike day at Newcastleton in order to get totally up to speed with the 7 stanes network and how best to promote the facility. My thanks to the Forestry Commission team for all their help.
It is essential in my mind that Visit Scotland take the initiative here and give the newly formed administrative South of Scotland region ( The Borders and Dumfries and Galloway ) the same attention and marketing budget they have in the past with The Highlands and Islands. The 7 stanes is not the icing on the cake for the South of Scotland – it’s the cake itself and we need to push hard to get our fair share from the nations tourism operator. It would seem sensible in my mind to market the South of Scotland as an easily identifiable destination.
And finally in this busy couple of months a big thank you to The Army presentation unit who came to Hawick earlier in April. I felt proud to be British. One Army, One Nation. There were about 150 local community councilors, SBC councilors, members of the public and a handful of those dreaded Politicians !! It was a slick, professional presentation, which left us all very well informed on the new Scotland regiments and the current strategic placements of the British forces. A big thank you to all our men and women serving in the forces. We’re thinking of you.
As usual delighted to hear from you. I will be delivering another newsletter during June and July highlighting the amazing response we have had to the Save Border TV petition. On a national basis we have had a wonderful result at local elections and I believe Boris Johnson will be a breath of fresh air as Mayor of London and an even better result in the Crewe and Nantwich by election.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/80056?N=598325&Ne=598327&PagingData=Po_10~Ps_10~Psd_Asc
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March 2008
Another busy month canvassing and campaigning. A big thank you to all the folk from Jedburgh that returned the Jedburgh Survey. The feedback was crucial to keeping the momentum in our bid to secure some regeneration funding for the town. I am delighted that the Council have reacted so quickly and secured the services of George Burt and the Jed Alliance to move the initiative forward.
On the doorstep in Oxton WARM FRONT caused concern over the fact that pensioners are unable to claim warm front allowance if they use Calor Gas and as Oxton and many of the small Border communities do not have mains gas I have written to David Parker at the Council and asked my colleague Derek Brownlee MSP to investigate.
Disappointing news across the region for the LIB / DEM supporters as Michael Moore followed the Party Whips line to Abstain at the recent Westminster European Referendum debate. 10 Lib Dem MP's were unable to let their conscience vote against their 2005 election promise - Mr Moore however was not one of them.
One of the issues that has come up on the doorstep has been the Armed Forces. Over the past ten years, Government and society have not fulfilled their side of the Military Covenant. We have created a Commission headed up by Frederick Forsyth to investigate the state of the Covenant, the treatment of veterans, and ways to improve the support given to members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Still very much in your mind as I call on the doorstep is Underage Drinking. I have been to visit the Police in Galashiels and have spoken with both the Reiver project and Gala Gate on this issue.
The Conservatives would take "clear and concerted action to tackle the scourge of binge-drinking on our streets" with a number of measures, including:
- Giving local authorities the discretion to apply extended licences
- Introducing a "three strikes and you're out" policy for retailers who sell to underage drinkers
- Banning 'loss leader' sales of alcohol
But we need to work towards a better and more effective form of communication between adults and youngsters. In Jedburgh for example we'll be inviting S5 and S6 to join the debate on the future of Jedburgh. It's all about involving the youngsters and passing on a sense of community and civic pride.
Have a happy Easter everyone - I'm looking forward to the lighter nights and a wee rise in temperature.
Thank you to all those who keep in touch via the e mail sign up scheme and view the You Tube video postings. See the Links page for all the internet ways to get in touch or keep up to speed with the Campaign.
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January / February 2008
A happy new year to you all. 2008 looks set to be a busy year. In Jedburgh we're busy putting together a Survey for all local residents following a front page in The Southern Reporter highlighting the current High street and Tourism crisis in the town. Follow the link to get all the latest local news from The Southern Reporter
http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/letters/Growing-sense-of-injustice-in.3655588.jp
I'll keep you updated as the Surveys return.
Keeping up to speed with Technology I've posted my first short video clip to You tube. You can see it by following the link below. Part of my 2008 campaign will be to try and communicate more effectively with our younger generations and find out their concerns. Visits are planned to Youth groups and initiatives in Galashiels, Hawick and Jedburgh.
http://uk.youtube.com/walker4mp
I'll be speaking to the Conservatives ladies lunch in Dumfries and Galloway later in the month and getting back out on the doorstep as much as possible in the Borders.
The latest In touch is just about ready for release and will be available to download from the site very shortly.
By March I will have a sign up for e news facility on the site to allow you to subscribe and keep in touch with all the latest from my Campaign to be the next MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk.
I'd love to hear your views on the site and any comments you might have regarding local or national issues.
e mail me on
chris.walker@scottishconservatives.com
Take care and Thank you for your support.
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September / October / November 2007
We’ve seen so much centralization to the Labour Urban culture that it puts rural life under threat. The threat to our local Post Offices, the threat to our local Tourist delivery network and our Local Enterprise companies. The word local is slowly disappearing from many of our essential services, operated and controlled instead from the heart of the City.
Since I was selected as your candidate for Westminster I have been keen to hear your views, we’ve been in Hawick, Selkirk, Lauder, Earlston, Melrose and Galashiels latterly to get a feel for the issues that are important to you. Issues that include:
Protecting our rural culture
Immigration
Crime
Respite Care
Centralization
Over development
Concern over Visit Scotland as our Tourism provider
Concern over the Transport network and infrastructure
The Railway
Education and integration of migrant workers children
Local Houses for local people
They are all very valid issues that I want to address on your behalf. Let’s be clear about one thing, if we’re going to change the government there is only one alternative and that is to vote Conservative. But you’ve got to feel that your vote will deliver what you want.
Over the past few months, whilst I have travelled around the constituency, I have felt that the general feeling is that “It’s time for a change”. Labour have let us all down and The Liberal Democrats have no teeth. John Lamont’s great victory has woken and inspired the Tory vote again.
Let me tackle the issues that affect everyday life. Let me tackle them on behalf of a Conservative Government. Let me inspire you.
Tax – we’re weighed down by the burden of tax. Lighten the load, let business flourish, clear the debts and start to save again. We need fairer and lower taxes, which treat everyone equally and encourage enterprise and wealth creation We’ve had 10 years of easy mortgages, easy credit and a government that has borrowed to in Scotland 55.6% of the national income. ( In the UK 44% ) The cracks are starting to show and on the doorstep you're worried about the outcome of Northern Rock and other financial institutions. In Selkirk there was a definite feeling of it's time to tighten belts, a feeling I believe is quite justified by the inadequacies of the current Labour government policies.
Pensions - Fewer pensioners are retiring with a funded occupational pension and more and more are becoming dependent on means-tested benefits. Pensions are in crisis. The government's policies are inconsistent with its own strategic objective.
How should we get out of this? We need to tackle the appallingly complicated system of state benefits for pensioners. We have an elaborate structure of means-tested benefits which go to over half of all pensioner households. The basic state pension, for the first time in its history, is now worth less than means-tested assistance. Then we have an elaborate structure of a second, earnings-related state pension, formerly the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme and now the new state second pension. There is virtually nobody in the world of pensions policy who thinks that this is a sensible or sustainable structure for state pension provision. It is crying out for reform.
Europe – are we getting our fair share? Let’s get serious about our Transport infrastructure. Let’s link the railway right through to Carlisle, let’s think out of the box and look at the bigger picture for once. We’re not just another commuter area for Edinburgh, we’re a Tourist hot spot with some of the best fishing in the world, the best Mountain biking trails, the best agricultural arable land in the world. We could put a serious bid for funding from Europe to open the region up to both our Northern neighbours in Edinburgh and our Southern neighbours in England. There are so many taking out of the European pot surely it’s our turn now. I’ll fight for our fair share.
Crime – In Melrose a young man told me that he’d voted SNP on the basis that they would put 1000 more Police on the streets, When Annabel Goldie came down to Hawick to the Conservative club coffee morning the same question was asked” Where are these extra Police” – the answer is they haven’t even been recruited yet never mind put on the street. We’ll toughen up on Crime, we’ll build more jails, we’ll crack down hard on drug dealers and we’ll help those who lose their life to an addiction.
Working together is the key to our message.
I’ve been to visit Youth Borders, Borders College and The Support Training organisation in Galashiels. One of the areas that I’m passionate about is ensuring we have a support mechanism in place for the 12 – 18 year olds. I have to admit that I enjoyed and must commend the “MOB RULES” DVD production. Getting our younger generation to understand social values, respect, have vision and aspirations are all part of my vision as a Conservative and the support offered by the local college, youth schemes and training schemes are invaluable. We want to support and help these organisations thrive and grow. We want our youngsters to grow up feeling a sense of civic pride, community spirit, respect for each other and a clear direction of what they want to do and how they can achieve it.
Realistically I know that we have a couple of years to plough the field.
I’m setting a personal challenge to have visited every town and village across the constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk by June next year and to have met as many local people face to face as I can. I’m passionate that we hold on to our rural culture. I look forward to meeting you on the doorstep.
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5th October 2007
Annabel offers support
Red alert – Full campaign team meeting in readiness for an election. It was planned anyway that we’d get together in Hawick after the monthly coffee morning but we’re on red alert and feel an election could be called at anytime. Annabel Goldie heads down into Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk to offer her support. She’s a wonderful lady and I’ve got to admit has been totally supportive. You realise once you’ve jumped through all the hoops of candidate selection and priority listing that your part of one big family and when your selected the pressure is on to deliver. The support network is unique and a credit to Conservatives everywhere.
So the friendly folk of Hawick got a treble whammy last Saturday. John Lamont was there, Annabel Goldie was there and I was busy introducing myself. They probably thought “who on earths this lot, I only came in for a coffee”. Annabel and I had chance to have a chat about the campaign plan and I have to say that the feel from the folk of Hawick was one of optimism. They worry as we all do about Affordable Housing, Immigration, drinking and loutish behaviour on the streets and of course for Hawick the future of the textile trade as we know it. As one member said to me – “we’ve got to be China proof in this modern trading environment”
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Conference Blog
I'm absolutely whacked after just getting back from a wine tasting trip to the Cote du Rhone. No it wasn't self inflicted but getting there and back was a long process considering we started at Prestwick to Stanstead, then taxi to Luton and then Luton to Nimes followed by another taxi to Avignon, a day touring 2 vineyards and then back home again. That and about 20+ e mails in preparation for an election !!!
Bon Ca Va - enough of France lets get down to business and to the bright lights of Blackpool. Yes within 24 hours of touching down in Prestwick I'm heading down the M6 to Blackpool. Technical difficulties with my pass ( awaiting Police authorization ) mean that I miss William Hague opening the conference.unable to get into The Winter Gardens I headed up shore, as they say in Blackpool, to a fringe meeting on Affordable Housing led by Grant Shapps MP, the shadow housing minister. Once my pass was sorted and ably assisted by my Chairman John Greenwell we manage a whirlwind tour of the movers and shakers... oh and let's not forget bumping into the lovely Reeta Chakrabarti from BBC breakfast news. Hearing from Alan Duncan shadow secretary of state for Business, Enterprise and regulatory reform was inspirational. A lunch stop at the Imperial for the Scottish Conservative lunch allowed me chance to catch up with the Central office team, David Mundell, Annabel Goldie, John Lamont, Bill Walker and Douglas Ross. ( Douglas and I sat our approval day interviews together, nice to see him selected as the Moray candidate )
Back down to the Winter Gardens to hear Chris Grayling, Shadow secretary for work and pensions leading the debate on fixing our broken society an area close to my heart and an essential part of putting the Great back in Britain.
Before I knew it was was time to jump back in the car and head back up to Scotland in readiness for the day job the next day. At least on the journey I had chance to mull the day over, chance to consider all I had heard and in a way dissapointed that I couldn't stay any longer. Next year I'll be down for the full 3 days. But the one thing that came accross loud and clear is that we've got it right. We are ready to run the country once again, we're ready to tackle the core issues, Crime, Drugs, Education, Health, Tax, Immigration and Housing. I felt inspired and proud.
You can visit the official Conference site at and play the speeches on video or audio by following the link http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=conservatives.tv.page
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