Stephen's Week

WHITSUN RECESS WEEK

During the week I:

Spoke at a No2ID meeting to support the campaign against ID cards and the National Identity database. Their local web site is at http://www.bristol-no2id.org.uk/ Interviews on Radio Bristol about knife crime and Radio 5 Live about the university pay dispute. Also issue a statement on the pay dispute calling on lecturers to mark exam papers. Attended a briefing by First Group on local transport issues. Met with the Chief Exec of the Arts & Humanities Research Council. They are one of the 8 research councils that fund much of the UK's postgraduate research and other university research projects. With the Lord Mayor and Sherry Eugene Spoke at an evening reception for awards to those who have taken part in a mentoring programme to help people with mental health and addiction problems get housing. Visited the Bristol Festival of Nature. It was good to hear while touring the stalls that many constituents appreciate the letters they get from me on a wide variety of environmental issues. Attended the annual Rush Sunday service at St Mary Redcliffe. Nice to see two of our new councillors, Clare Campion-Smith and Alf Havvock at their first civic event. Held my normal Friday surgery. And as it was meant be a half term break, went to Clevedon on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. It rained...

MONDAY 5th JUNE

Early start with breakfast show interview on Radio Bristol about knife crime, again. It is becoming a bit of a media obsession. I am at pains to say that I do not feel unsafe in St Pauls. Get the train from Redland to Temple Meads. As is often the case the train is full and the guard can't collect the fares. This leads to the farce of about 50 people having to queue on the platform to buy a ticket to leave the station, or in my case to get to the ticket office to buy another ticket! Last October I called on the train operating companies to install more ticket machines at suburban stations. Time to try again methinks. In London by 11.30a, and meet our new office intern, Mike 2. He's my third since last Autumn. Mike 1 left in April to work in the press office. And Hanna left last week. Mike 2 is a student at Harvard, though he is from Bristol. Off to the Commonwealth Club (off Trafalgar Sq) to chair a lunch meeting of the Westminster Education Forum. Guest speaker is Anthony Mclaren the chief exec of UCAS, the body that administers university entrance. Applications are down this year by about 3% with some institutions experiencing drops of over 10%. Others are introducing more tests to supplement A level grades. Afternoon meeting of Education Select Committee is a seminar on testing and league tables. Most people don't like them... Evening is a dinner for Lib Dem MPs to discuss electronic campaign techniques with Steve Webb as the speaker.

TUESDAY 6th JUNE

Met Friends of Israel Education Foundation. Lunchtime regular meeting of Lib Dem Education team. We have launched our on line petition as part of the campaign against homophobic bullying. Go to www.tinyurl.com/mc9zy to sign up. The press release explains the reason why we are highlighting one form of bullying. In the evening the party's Tax Commission met. This was the group tasked by Charles Kennedy to overhaul our tax policies. We are considering final amendments to the draft paper. The final paper will go to the party's annual conference in Brighton in September. Ming will also trail some of the ideas in speeches. The main objectives are to tackle poverty by taking the low paid out of tax and to make two other shifts in tax - away from taxes on work with a shift to green taxes and a shift from national to local taxation. During the meeting I received a text from Liz, the party's education adviser, to say that the universities and the lecturers' union had reached a settlement. Pop out of meeting to agree a quote for press release.

WEDNESDAY 7th JUNE

Morning meeting of Education Select Cttee is another session on citizenship. This time was focus mainly on the role of the teaching of history, which leads to some lively exchanges. PMQs - The Labour benches seemed to be more behind Blair this week. Ming was also confident and assured. With Sarah Teather met the BMA with some medical students to discuss issues facing trainee doctors. Back to Bristol early this week, getting 4.30pm train from Paddington. Home by 6.30 then walked to St Pauls Church in Portland Square. The Churches Conservation Trust are hosting a dinner to mark the final completion of the restoration of one of Bristol's finest buildings. The church is now home to Circomedia and after dinner we are treated to an excellent display of acrobatics by some children. The Trust also manages St John on the wall (bottom of Broad St) and St Thomas's in Redcliffe. The latter may get a new use soon as Redcliffe rejuvenates. I discuss this with Lawrence Hill cllr Sue O'Donnell who is also at the dinner. I hope a new use can be found for St Michael on the Mount, just down the hill from me. Currently it is a redundant church, still in the hands of the Diocese of Bristol.

THURSDAY 8th JUNE

Morning in the constituency office then down to Hotel Du Vin for a lunch hosted by Camelot. Then a quick drive to Clevedon to catch the 3.15pm sailing of the paddle ship Waverley. The sailing is part of a conference on the Severn Estuary. Issues that had been considered during the day included flooding, nature issues and renewable energy from wind and wave power. In the stifling heat below deck I make a brief speech and cut a cake along with Rosemary Butler AM (Labour Newport West) in a "hands across the water" ceremony. I explain that I have spent half my life living on the Welsh side of the Severn and the last 20 years on the English side. I am eager for the government to commit to a study of the energy potential of a Severn Barrage or some other way of harnessing the wave power of the estuary. Up on deck the ship cruises around Steep Holm and Flat Holm then over to Penarth and back to Clevedon. Chat to various environmental groups around the region. Lib Dems are well represented. My colleague Martin Horwood,MP for Cheltenham and the party's environment spokesman is also on boardplus cllrs Pat Hockey and Peter Tyzak from South Glos Council. Where were Cameron's new green Tories????

FRIDAY 9th JUNE

Morning and early afternoon in the constituency office followed by my usual surgery. Evening to Abbeyfield Residential Home in Westbury Road toopen an exhibition of art by residents. Abbeyfield is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was wonderful to meet one lady who at the age of 91 has discovered a talent for painting!

A quiet weekend for a change!