Bristol West eNews - 14th July 2009 (Stephen Williams MP)

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Fortnightly news and information for communities in Bristol west from local Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams

Your e-Newsletter from Stephen Williams MP

Dear resident,

It has been a busy couple of weeks since the last edition of Bristol West eNews, with my attention being focussed on subjects ranging from arts and Afghanistan to railways and regeneration.

The tragic deaths of soldiers have dominated the headlines in the past week, and this edition includes a few brief comments on my views about the need for a full independent inquiry into the war in Iraq, and a statement of our objectives in Afghanistan.

Also included you will find news about Stokes Croft and the expansion of Bristol International Airport, as well as the recent London Gay Pride event.

If you do not wish to receive these updates, then do please let me know by e-mailing bw.enews@stephenwilliams.org.uk

Yours sincerely,

Signature - Stephen Williams MP

14th July 2009
In this edition...

Local Railways
Iraq and Afghanistan
Arts in Bristol
Election of New Speaker
St Werburghs Cycle Path
Project Noah
Stokes Croft
Airport Expansion
Civil Liberties
London Gay Pride
Get in Touch

Local Railways

I was pleased this week to meet a group of local campaigners at Redland station. They gave me a dossier of information to support an upgrade of the Severn Beach line which I will present to the Secretary of State for Transport and a parliamentary committee. I have long supported improvements to our local railway line, and will be working closely with Councillor Dr Jon Rogers, who following last month’s elections, is now the councillor in charge of transport in the city. As well as the Severn Beach line, I continue to press for the reintroduction of passenger trains on the line to Portishead.

Iraq and Afghanistan

I have supported in Parliament the case for a full independent inquiry into the war in Iraq for the last four years. The Government has now at last allowed an inquiry to proceed, but I feel too many restrictions have been placed upon its procedures. I would like to see witnesses summoned to appear before the inquiry, and for them to give evidence on oath, in particular former Prime Minister Tony Blair. I attend Prime Minister’s Question Time every week, and it always begins with the sad announcement of the death of servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that our troops have ceased combat operations in Iraq, it is the struggle with the Taliban that will continue, without foreseeable end. It was desperately sad this week to hear of the deaths of soldiers, some of whom were only eighteen years old. We must also not forget that each week, many more soldiers are horribly maimed or injured. I and my colleagues will continue to press for our troops to have the equipment they need. I also personally feel that the Government needs to have a clear statement of our objectives in Afghanistan.

Arts in Bristol

I really enjoyed watching the annual St Pauls Carnival parade. I was particularly pleased to see many of the children and teachers who I have met on school visits dressed up in their splendid costumes. On the arts front, I have also attended a concert in support of the Bristol branch of Amnesty International. Another great summer music event was the ‘Chillout’ world music event in the grounds of St Georges Brandon Hill to mark Refugee Week. In the last four years, I and my staff have helped hundreds of refugees in Bristol.

Election of New Speaker

John Bercow has been elected as the new Speaker of the House of Commons. I supported him in the election and believe that he now has the mandate to reform Commons procedures so that MPs are able to effectively scrutinise the Government, though the Speaker has no formal role in the reform of MPs’ expenses. On that subject, I await the conclusions of the independent inquiry by Sir Christopher Kelly to which I provided evidence, setting out my ideas for reform.

St Werburghs Cycle Path Opening

It was a real pleasure to meet so many constituents at the St Werburghs City Farm Annual Fair. I rode from my home in Kingsdown to St Werburghs on my bike in order to jointly open the new cycle path to Muller Road. Over the next few years, as part of Bristol's Cycling City programme, I hope to support many more enhancements to cycling infrastructure in the city. The one thing I cannot promise to do is get rid of all the hills!

Project Noah

I recently visited St John’s Primary School in Clifton, and spoke to the pupils about climate change. They have been taking part in a church initiative called ‘Operation Noah’ and they have built an ark from recycled plastic bottles. I find on all my school visits that children not only ask lots of questions about climate change, but are also fizzing with good ideas about how Bristol can be more sustainable. I was delighted to arrange for the Year 5 children to come on a visit to Westminster which included delivery of a petition to 10 Downing Street.

Stokes Croft

The restoration of the Carriage Works in Stokes Croft, and dealing with the blight of the burnt-out office block Westmorland House has been a source of frustration for over a decade. I had hoped that the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) would be able to work with the City Council to bring about a solution for the site. However, their capital budget has now been cut, forcing them to drop support for the site. I have criticised this in Parliament, as an example of the Government being keen to announce new money for future ventures to deal with the recession while undermining support for existing projects.

Airport Expansion

Bristol International Airport have just submitted their planning application for a major expansion at Lulsgate. I have consistently opposed all proposals for the expansion of the airport in the last three years. I am not against people flying on holiday or business, but feel that we cannot allow the unsustainable growth of aviation to go unchecked. I met many constituents at my street stall on Gloucester Road recently, who signed my petition against airport expansion. I have also voted in Parliament against the third runway at Heathrow Airport. If we could eliminate many short-haul flights and build a high-speed rail network, this would help us meet our climate change targets and have quality transport to match our European neighbours. I would be interested to know your views on Bristol Airport’s expansion – please feel free to write to me about it.

Civil Liberties

In the four years that I have been your MP, I have voted many times against the Government’s various measures which in my opinion are an unacceptable erosion of civil liberties. I voted against identity cards, and attempts by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for either ninety or forty-two days detention without charge for suspected terrorists. In the last week, my Liberal Democrat colleague and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne forced a Commons vote on a reduction of the current twenty-eight day detention period to fourteen days. Unfortunately, we were defeated on this occasion, but you can be assured that I will continue to stand up for civil liberties.

London Gay Pride

I spoke at this year’s London Gay Pride, one of Europe’s largest gatherings of lesbians and gays. I gave a speech at the National Portrait Gallery where the excellent Gay Icons exhibition is currently being staged. (see http://www.npg.org.uk/gayicons) There was also a cross-party panel discussion with myself and Labour and Conservative MPs. This event was not quite so daunting as my last appearance at Gay Pride in 2006 when I spoke to over 50,000 people in Trafalgar Square.

Get in Touch

You can contact Stephen Williams by e-mail at stephenwilliamsmp@parliament.uk. Alternatively, you can write to either of the addresses below. If you wish to make an appointment to meet Stephen at one of his Friday advice surgeries, please call the Constituency Office on 0117 942 3494.

Constituency Office
PO Box 2500
Bristol BS6 9AH
Tel: 0117 942 3494 - Fax: 0117 942 6925

Westminster Office
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 0207 219 8416 - Fax: 0207 219 4802

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