Stephen's week

Written by Stephen Williams on Mon 30th Oct 2006

MONDAY 23 OCTOBER

Interview with Radio Bristol on reports of community tensions between Somalis and Poles. On arrival in London look at a table in the latest House of Commons Library paper on "Social Trends" and see that Bristol isn't even in the top ten of destinations for newly arrived Poles and Lithuanians. Inverness has more!

Immigration is also a topic during the afternoon's session of Education Select Committee. Our star witness today is the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, on skills. He rightly points out that immigration from around the world, not just the east of the EU, makes London truly a world city and drives a dynamic economy.

TUESDAY 24 OCTOBER

The Chief Constable and Chair of the Police Authority for Avon & Somerset Police hold a briefing for West Country MPs covering a variety of crime and organisational topics.

Later in the afternoon off to Millbank media centre to be filmed by ITV West in the café drinking a "smoothie". Why? Because I am supporting a campaign to reduce the rate of VAT on what are pure fruit drinks. Many foods are zero rated for VAT but luxury foods, typically cakes, prepared meals, etc are standard rated at 17.5%. It seems silly to treat a healthy drink the same way as a can of coke. Anyway I had written to the Treasury about this but Paymaster General Dawn Primarolo replied saying the government preferred other measures to encourage healthy eating. Curiously we had a similar exchange last year when I was still Lib Dem Public Health spokesman about the rate of VAT on condoms. Initially the Treasury refused to act but then in this year's budget it was reduced to 5%...

Early evening a vote on an amendment to the Police Bill. We supported moves to renegotiate the extradition treaty with the US, but the vote was lost.

Off to Charing Cross to be guest speaker at a networking event for gay City and Westminster professionals. About 120 people paid to come and listen! All they got was my words for their money, there was a cash bar and no food...so I was reduced to buying a pork pie at Trafalgar Square Tesco and eating it on the way home at midnight!

WEDNESDAY 25 OCTOBER

Morning meeting of Education Select Committee was on sustainable schools. We've taken quite a lot of evidence on this. It's important as the government is spending about £20b on new school buildings but it's one of those topics that doesn't come alive through oral evidence.

Stay for the first half of PMQs to see Ming turn in another good performance before heading off to Millbank for a brief interview for the World at One on Radio 4. The govt is considering allowing state schools enter children for the international GCSE. Many private schools use it,

as it stretches brighter pupils and is more like the old O'Levels. We favour more freedom over the curriculum for schools and see this as the government admitting there is a problem with their refusal to implement the Tomlinson proposals for broad diplomas through to the A level stage.

Back to the Palace and to Westminster Hall for the lobby of Parliament by pensioners. With Doug Naysmith (MP Bristol NW) met a Bristol representative and discussed means testing and the council tax. Most of the pensioners' demands are actually Lib Dem policy!

Afternoon sit in the Chamber for a while listening to the Report Stage of the Charities Bill. I had served on the standing committee that gave the Bill its detailed scrutiny post Second Reading. (Remember a Bill gets a First Reading introduction, then has a 2nd reading debate on general

principles, then gets looked at line by line in committee of about 20 MPs, then gets Report stage for amendments back in the main chamber, then a Third Reading as final parliamentary approval). As at committee stage much of the discussion was about religion and sport. I spoke briefly in favour of an amendment to add to eligibility for charitable status sports that had mental as well as physical exertion being good for health. My colleague Evan Harris pushed to a vote his argument that non religious "beliefs" such as humanism should also automatically get charitable status. This was lost.

Early evening was our normal weekly Lib Dem parliamentary party meeting. I slipped out early to catch the Tube to Tottenham Court Road. At Centre Point's CBI Conference Centre I attended the annual lecture of the Association of University Administrators. The lecture was about the possible future of Higher Education in this country if it follows the American market model. Then walked down the road to round off the night at the British Museum, venue for the BP reception. Cheese and wine and canapes was at least better than last night's pork pie!

THURSDAY 26 OCTOBER

In early for Universities UK launch of a report on part time students. They get a raw deal compared to full time students. They can't defer payment of their tuition fees and get reduced grants. Yet part time study is a way of widening access to higher education, particularly for women who missed out earlier in life.

Mid morning meet representatives of the Beat Bullying charity to discuss the party's campaign against homophobic bullying. Then meet with representatives of Bristol Rovers Football Club to discuss their planning application for a new 19,000 capacity stadium at the Memorial Ground.

There are various planning obstacles around access and parking. But it's a bold step for a team that is currently at the wrong end of what used to be called the Fourth Division...

Worked in the office for the rest of the day. Late afternoon was the publication of all MPs' "expenses" for 2005/06. This is an annual opportunity for some very misleading reporting by the media about the extravagant scale of the amounts, all of them over £100,000. This

overlooks the fact that the vast bulk is the £104,000 budget for employing staff and running the constituency office. The only genuine personal expenses are the travel costs between Westminster and the constituency - my journeys were all by rail, so there was no financial benefit for me. Plus the London accommodation allowance that pays for the running costs of a second home in London. The other "expenses" are for House of Commons postage and this is where some MPs are guilty of blatant abuse by "spammimg" their constituents with unsolicited mail. Caught the 7.30 train back to Bristol, which arrived half an hour late.

FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER

Down to Redcliff Wharf for another visit to the boat house used by sea scouts. I visited when B&Q gave them an award for refurbishment. Now the work was largely done, part by B&Q and part by offenders under community pay back orders. Photo in a canoe with a B&Q sponsored Olympic hopeful Bradley Burrows, the British light HW weight lifting champion. Impressive muscles...

Met the Director of the St Pauls based employment organisation CEED. Then met Council Leader Barbara Janke for our regular lunch and catch up on city issues.

Worked in the constituency office then in the evening off to Minchinhampton Golf Club as guest speaker at Stroud Liberal Democrats Annual Dinner. Home at midnight.

SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER

Morning to the Oxfam book shop at the top of Park Street. Did a three hour stint behind the till as a contribution to volunteer week. I was then meant to join others giving out leaflets on Gloucester Road about our green tax policies. But we ran out of leaflets, they were so popular! So instead went to the Industrial Museum for a last visit prior to its closure this weekend. It will be revamped as a Museum of Bristol - something I campaigned for over 10 years ago! I particularly wanted to have a last look at the upstairs exhibitions on the port of Bristol and the slave trade.

SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER

Photos with Cllrs Anne White and Mark Wright for "Cabot News", then to the monthly "curry club" fundraising event. I'm all curried out by the end of the day because in the evening it's down to the Marriot for the Bristol Punjabi Association's Diwali event. But I was able to dance off some of the unhealthy eating of the week. If a photographer had been at the event he could have captured an image of the Lord Mayor, Dawn Primarolo MP and myself trying our best at bangra dancing!

In the summer I spoke at a rally in Trafalgar Square for London's gay Europride. Today I made another appearance in the square - though in a virtual sense. The National Union of Students held a rally against the marketisation of Higher Education. They played a film showing short clips of politicians and celebs, including me!