Stephen's Week

SATURDAY 1 JULY 2006

Unusually, train back to London. This was so I could take part in the annual gay and lesbian Pride march and speak in Trafalgar Square. London was blisteringly hot for the march. The full route was from Oxford street, down Regent St, through Trafalgar Square and back up the Embankment. About 40,000 (per police) took part. I was in the front section with other "VIPs" including Tory MP Alan Duncan and Labour MP Chris Bryant, actor Ian Mckellen and other celebs. London Mayor Ken Livingstone was at the front, though he annoyed us all by waving flags for Hugo Chavez (left wing Venuzuela President) and long dead leftie Che Guevara.

I was due to speak late afternoon, sandwiched between "Four Poofs and a Piano" (you may have seen on Jonathan Ross show) and the "Blue Man Group", who play drums and paint their faces blue. I was introduced at 6.50pm, with the compere also announcing England had just been knocked out of the World Cup...not the best intro! My speech about the Lib Dem anti bullying campaign went well and it is an incredible thing to stand alone on a stage looking out over thousands of people in the square.

SUNDAY 2 JULY

Noon - to the Millbank media centre just round the corner from my London flat. I was on the Bristol edition of the BBC Politics Show, which I've been on many times before but usually while sat in BBC Whiteladies Road! These "down the line" interviews are rather tricky as you just have the sound in your ear-piece and can't see the presenter David Garmston or the studio guest Dan Norris, Labour MP for Wansdyke. We had a lively discussion on whether Bristol needs a larger strategic authority (yes) and a mayor (not so sure) with a report on Seattle, which has some similarities with Bristol.

MONDAY 3 JULY

In the office rather earlier than a normal Monday, so caught up with plenty of stuff before afternoon Education Select Committee. Another session on the government's £45 billion school building programme.

Spent the evening with many other leading Lib Dems in Westminster School's Abbey garden, a beautiful shaded garden at the back of the Abbey. Occasion was the summer party of think tank Centre Forum. See http://www.centreforum.org/ if you want to see what they do. About 15 MPs and friends then went to Pizza Express, including Ming Campbell!

TUESDAY 4 JULY

Morning and afternoon largely taken up by the Standing Committee considering the Charities Bill. A reminder of what this means - once a Bill has had its "second reading" debate in the chamber of the House it goes "upstairs" to the committee corridor to be considered line by line by a committee of MPs.

The Charities Bill is a major reform of charity law in England and Wales. The two sessions today were all about the redefinition of "public benefit" which organisations have to prove in order to obtain charitable status. The bill removes the previous presumption that organisations that relieve poverty, provide education or further religion are automatically charitable. This means that independent schools (rather important in Bristol West...) will have to demonstrate their wider public benefit. There was also a lively discussion on what is meant by religion. One or more deities? Supernatural beings? Is humanism a religion? My colleague Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, is leading for us on this committee. I am there in a support role. This is the third Bill that I've done, the others being the 2005 Finance Bill, 2005 Health Bill and I was supposed to have done the current Education Bill but was ill with chicken pox at the time.

In the evening there were several votes on the report stage (ie after its standing committee) of the 2006 Finance Bill. Finance Bills have no time limit so the last vote of the day was at 11pm.

WEDNESDAY 5 JULY

Spent much of the day on trains! Tube to Paddington to join the party of people riding the Orient Express to Bristol. This was part of the Brunel 200 celebrations. Met Lord Gladwyn, an elderly former Liberal peer who is Brunel's great grandson. He was due to unveil a plaque at Temple Meads.

The train was drawn by a (I think!) King George class steam engine. There were over 20 luxury carriages. The train moved quite slowly between London and Reading, it was strange to see places clearly that normally wizz past at 100mph! I was a guest of Airbus, sponsors of the event, so I met some young engineers and senior execs. The carriage was certainly luxurious (including a mosaic on the toilet floor!) but it certainly could have done with some modern aircon as the conditions were quite humid.

Arrived at Temple Meads just as a rainstorm broke out, which I was later told lasted till just before I got back again on Thursday. The heat had upset Lord Gladwyn so the plaque was unveiled by the Deputy Lord Mayor. Unfortunately I couldn't just stay in Bristol as there were evening votes in London so I caught the 4pm airconditioned high speed train back to Paddington.

Evening votes on Finance Bill dragged on which prevented me from going to the Science Museum for the launch of Universities UK's new report on science in higher education. Hanging around for votes is probably the most frustrating part of the Westminster job, it means you often have to break diary commitments. So we accept all invites, "subject to Parliamentary business."

Julia Goldsworthy has been leading for us on the Finance Bill this year and once the third reading vote is out of the way we have a hug as I remember the feeling of relief when the 2005 Bill was over.

As I couldn't go to the Science Museum I went down to a reception on the Terrace for Cardiac Risk in the Young. See http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/index.htm for info. David Walliams of "Little Britain" fame was the guest speaker and the marquee was packed out. After a long wait he spoke for less than a minute, I think knackered after his English Channel swim the day before.

THURSDAY 6 JULY

9am third sitting of the standing committee on the Charities Bill.

Later do an interview down the phone for GWR on tonight's meeting in Bristol about the airport. Then to Millbank to record a discussion for Radio Four on the Education Select Committee report on educational special needs children, published today. See the report at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmeduski/478/478i.pdf

Lively discussion with Nadine Dorries, Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire who has published her own report as she doesn't think we went far enough. The discussion was for the Friday edition of Today in Parliament.

Then to Paddington again for 3.30 early train back. Aircon broken down so sweltering - at least the windows opened on the Orient Express!

To the Council House for evening public meeting with Friends of the Earth on proposals to expand Bristol Airport. I had done quite a bit of preparation reading for this in order to make my mind up on whether to support FoE's campaign to oppose expansion. I set out Lib Dem policy on constraining the growth in aviation by tax changes and an emissions trading scheme. As aviation is a fast growing contributor to climate change I was able to state that I oppose an unsustainable expansion of the airport from current 4.5million passenger a year to 12m passengers by 2030.

FRIDAY 7 JULY

To Westbury Park Primary School. Go round every class with head teacher Alan Rees. The children in Year 5 had written to me recently and were pleased to have received their individual replies. The school has just had a good Ofsted report, with outstanding ratings in some areas.

Later with Alex and Fi from the constituency office down to Hide Market offices to meet with Refugee Action and the Immigration Advisory Service.

Then to Council House for normal Friday surgery.

SATURDAY 8 JULY

Out early with Clare and Ian Campion-Smith and Paul Townsend, down to Wimbourne in Dorset for Western Counties Lib Dem conference. I sum up a brief crime debate in the morning but my main task is to make a speech and answer questions on Further and Higher Education policy.

Back in Bristol by 6pm and then off to Clifton College for their annual "prom" on the green. Cllr Simon and Barbara Cook also there. A spectacular show with Lesley Garrett and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. There was a bit of rain, but fortunately it held off and didn't spoil the firework finale! A nice way to end a very tiring week.