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Michael Foster’s Parliamentary Bulletin

December 2009

As we reach the end of a decade, the media is full of lists – the best films, the worst music, the most outrageous celebrity antics of the last ten years – as we try to define what we are leaving behind.

A straw poll of my office brought out as the memorable moments of the last ten years Liverpool winning the Champions League in 2005,  September 11^th,  Obama’s election, and the UK coming third in the Eurovision Song Contest!

Of course there have been changes, some for the better. As I walk the beautiful old streets of Rye I’m glad there haven’t been too many alterations – some things are better left alone! – but there have been changes, a poll conducted by the Hastings Observer found 80% of those responding thought Hastings had changed for the better over the past ten years. And there have been improvements to the well being of residents through increases in Pension Credit, investment in the Police and local services and of course the development of the Fishing Quay which will make such a difference to the future of the area. 

Perhaps the most defining development of the decade has been the growth of the internet, that now connects nearly all of us in ways that we would not have imagined in 1999. Not just emails and websites but Facebook and Twitter are changing the way we communicate with each other.  Increasingly, information comes to us in short bursts, bombarding us with details at a pace that we barely have time to absorb.

Sometimes we need to slow down, step back and take a look at the wider view. To use our gift of intelligence not to simply process facts and information but to try to understand the deeper meaning behind events. Politicians often have to respond to events and the time to come up with creative ideas “what ifs” is lost.  The massive challenges of climate change and global recession require us increasingly to work with each other, to find solutions as a human race rather than as individuals or nation states.

We need to think in new ways about what we want the next ten years or indeed the next century to be like; what it could be. It’s the people who have dared to think “What if” who have made the difference to the way we live our lives, not those who have said “that can’t be done.”

So this Christmas  I’m asking residents to let me know what their 2020 vision for Hastings and Rye would be. What are the changes you’d like to see? I’m giving a prize for the best overall idea and the best idea that costs nothing – the winner will receive a prize of “dinner for two” at the House of Commons (or the local curry house if you prefer!) 

I hope all residents of Hastings and Rye have a great Christmas and a happy New Year. I’m looking forward to the challenges of the next decade and to hearing from you what you think “2020 Vision” could bring.

Pre-Budget Report

In the Pre Budget Report Alistair Darling set out his balanced package to protect the frontline services – schools, police and the NHS - to invest in growth and to halve the deficit fairly in 4 years.

Investment in the NHS, Sure Start, frontline schools and the police will all be protected over the next three years, ensuring that, during tough times, the frontline services that people rely on are secure.

Of particular interest locally was the announcement that Bingo Duty will be cut from 22% to 20%. As a coastal resort town Hastings has a long history of bingo clubs. They not only generate income for the town but also provide a social hub for the community. I hope this tax cut will provide a timely boost for our local Bingo operators who continue to provide a valued service to tourists and locals alike.

The PBR contained a huge amount of detail and you can learn more on the Treasury website by clicking HERE.

‘Back the Ban’ this Boxing Day

On Boxing Day - the old centre of the fox hunting calendar - I’m helping to launch a national campaign to support the ban on hunting wild animals with dogs.

The ban has already resulted in dozens of prosecutions, and the forecast dire effects on rural communities have not come to pass. But the Hunting Act is under threat as pro-hunt activists prepare to spend thousands of pounds in backing Tory candidates committed to bringing back the cruel sport.

For David Cameron, getting the Act repealed is a top priority. He used to hunt, until his PR advisers told him not to; he talked about hunting in his first ever speech to Parliament; and he has said that if he becomes Prime Minister he will get rid of the hunting ban as soon as possible. Amber Rudd, the local Tory Parliamentary candidate, has personally pledged to vote for repeal of the ban if she becomes an MP.

I’m running a petition on my website www.michaelfoster.org.uk in support of the ban. Like the vast majority of people in Hastings and Rye I think that barbaric act of letting dogs tear foxes to pieces with their teeth shouldn’t return to our countryside. Killing for fun is always repugnant.

That’s why I’m supporting the Hunting Ban and I’m urging everyone in Hastings and Rye to visit my website www.michaelfoster.org.uk and sign up to ‘Back the Ban’ too.

You can also sign up to the national campaign at www.backtheban.com.

Fishing

A Judicial Review into local fishing quotas is now to proceed. The application to the High Court challenging DEFRA’s allocation of quota to the under 10 metre sector (the small boats) was in part successful at the first hurdle when the Court accepted that there was an arguable case that the department had not been properly consulted on the quota allocation. 

The allocation whereby 50% of the industry, that is to say those in the smaller boats, received 3% of the quota, whereas 50% of the industry, that is to say those in the big boats, get 96% of the quota is so manifestly wrong. If the fishermen win the issue on sonsultation I hope it will make a difference to the allocations

The Department needs to take a long hard look at their distribution system. What’s needed is a re-distribution of what is available.  We’re not asking that the small fishermen get 50%- just enough to make a living.

Back the global poverty promise

I’m urging people across Hastings and Rye to back a new campaign to turn a promise to tackle global poverty into a law.

I want people to go online and pledge their support for increasing the amount of money the UK gives as international aid. The www.globalpovertypromise.com website is part of a campaign to put the Government’s promise to raise international development aid to 0.7% of national income by 2013 into legislation.

The UK is already one of the largest aid providers in the World. Aid increases and debt cancellation have helped to get 40 million more children into school, while the number of people with access to AIDS treatment has increased from just 100,000 to over 4 million. The proportion of the world’s population living in poverty has fallen from a third to a quarter thanks to a combination of both aid and trade.

But there remains a lot to be done if we are to ‘Make Poverty History’ so go online and back www.globalpovertypromise.com.

That just about wraps things up for December (and the noughties!) so I’ll just sign off by wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year (and I hope the ‘goodies’ win the election next year!).

Best wishes

Michael Foster MP