Hilary Downes

David Cameron

2006-08-06T20:57:00.000Z

As Parliament goes into recess, and we politicos get a bit of a break from politics - bliss! - I thought I might reflect on David Cameron's time as party leader so far.

There appear to be three main criticisms levelled at Cameron:
1. He has no policies.
2. He is an old style, right wing Tory masquerading as a liberal - i.e. the immensely cute chameleon cartoon stunt which backfired so hilariously on Labour!
3. He is all style and no substance - more of a PR man than a potential PM.

Firstly, I am glad that we have not laid down stringent policy as yet, partly because we are nowhere near a general election and the entire economic and political situation could change before an expected 2009 election; but more importantly, because we have had nine years of Labour making policy in order to make the next day's headlines or to cover some woeful government ineptitude - for literal examples see Lance Price's book "The Spin Doctor's Diary."

David Cameron has asked the party to undergo massive (and much-needed) change and has set up policy groups in six areas to extensively study and gather evidence as to what would actually solve the challenges facing British people. These groups will report around the middle of next year and I am sure a coherent, attractive and, most importantly, effective set of policies will be formed as a result.

As to whether Cameron is really a chameleon and/or all style and no substance, obviously I don't believe this to be the case. Equally I don't expect people to accept my word for it, but please be patient and judge for yourself when our policy review groups have reported back and substantial policy commitments are set out.

I don't expect many people to be disappointed and, at the very least, our policies will be based on expert advice and significant research, as opposed to being made on the hoof.

Far more important is the change in perception of the Conservative party. After the last general election, research was carried out into how the Conservative "brand" was perceived. A group of people were told of a specific policy on immigration and asked whether they thought it made sense - around 70% of people thought it did.

Then, they were told that the policy was actually Conservative immigration policy and asked again whether they agreed with it; the number in favour dropped to around 30%.

So David Cameron has been right to focus on the image of the party first as, however good our policies are, if voters don't trust or like the party, they won't vote for it.

To sum up, well done to DC and his team.

Middle East Conflict

2006-08-06T20:50:00.000Z

I am no expert on Middle Eastern politics and while many of my colleagues and friends are for one side or the other, I could not presume to make a judgement as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong in this case.

As with most conflicts, I suspect there is plenty of fault on both sides - certainly Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation which hides behind civilians in order to wreak maximum damage; at the same time, I do feel Israel's response has been disproportionate.

So I just hope that both sides can reach agreement on a ceasefire as soon as possible to prevent further bloodshed and my heart goes out to all those caught up in the conflict.

Abortion

2006-08-06T20:41:00.000Z

Abortion has to be one of the most controversial topics in British religious and political debate. Although, as with all contentious issues, this should not be a reason to shy away from the discussion.

So I was interested to see a letter today in the Irish edition of the Sunday Times setting out a few interesting facts about abortion rates in Canada. Canada has not restricted access to abortion since 1988 and has a rate of abortion a third lower than that of the United States, which of course significantly restricts women's right to abortion.

So if fewer restrictions on access lead to fewer abortions, then why do some politicians continually suggest restricting access to abortion even further in the UK?

Whilst personally, I would be unlikely to have an abortion in the event of an unexpected pregnancy, I utterly support the right of women to make this highly personal choice without interference from the state and to have autonomy over their own bodies.

You can read the letter to the Sunday Times at this link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2300489,00.html

Further Yellow Box Application

2006-08-06T20:34:00.000Z

Hard though it may be to believe, the Yellow Box Company have made yet another planning application to build a self storage warehouse on the former United Dairies site at Baring Road.

The deadline to get your objections in is 20th August - full details of how to respond can be found on the Lewisham council website - www.lewisham.gov.uk.

My fellow Grove Park councillors and I will of course be submitting strong objections to the application.

Yellow Box Site Update

2006-06-25T13:03:00.000Z

Councillors Hilary Downes and David Britton put forward a motion, at the council meeting on 14th June, that the council should make an offer to purchase the Yellow Box site on Baring Road from the Big Yellow Self Storage Company.

We really felt that it was time to bring an end to the endless planning applications for a storage facility on the site, which residents have consistently opposed.

The Mayor was persuaded that this was a good idea and most councillors supported the motion. We were disappointed however that the LibDems did not feel able to support the motion and abstained from the vote.

The motion also called for full consultation with local residents as to what future development should take place on the site which, we hope, will mean that a locally supported and appropriate development will take place.

Quite Possibly the Best By Election Poster of All Time!

2006-06-19T15:15:00.000Z

Barrie Anderson Is New Chair of Council

2006-05-26T16:51:00.000Z

I went to my first full council meeting on Wednesday since my election. I was delighted that my colleague Councillor Barrie Anderson was unanimously elected Chair of the Council. Barrie is one of the most highly respected and hard working councillors in the Town Hall, and I am so pleased that this has been reflected in his appointment!

BBC News 24

2006-05-19T13:17:00.000Z

The Mail on Sunday is not one of my favourite reads and I hate to patronise their site however this BBC News 24 story almost makes it worth it!

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=386136&in_page_id=1770

Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze

2006-05-19T08:33:00.000Z

This very funny book is now available to order from Politicos bookstore - www.politicos.co.uk and Amazon. As the blurb says, cheaper than a peerage and much, much funnier...need I say more.

Election Help

2006-05-18T22:10:00.000Z

Many people gave up hours and indeed days of their time to help my fellow councillors and I during the local election campaign this year.

A huge ( and rather belated!) thank you to:

Adam Afriyie MP
Tracy-Jane Afriyie
Christine Allison
Joanna Britton
Bryan Chipps (agent extraordinaire!)
James Cleverly
Graham Downes
Jonathan and Emma Downes
Linda Downes-Broome
Jim and Gill Hay
Tom Jenks
Andrew Lee
Rikki Williams

Very, very special thanks to:

James Cookson
Philippa Downes
Mark MacGregor

who worked as hard as any candidate.

Hello Grove Park and Lewisham!

2006-05-18T22:01:00.000Z

On 4th May 2006 I was delighted to be elected as the third Conservative councillor for the London Borough of Lewisham. My colleagues Cllrs Barrie Anderson and David Britton have tirelessly served the Grove Park community for many years and I hope to live up to their shining example of hard work for local residents.

As I begin my tenure, several issues face the residents of Grove Park: the repeated planning applications by the Yellow Box Storage Company, poor traffic management, and lack of government investment are all issues I want to address on behalf of residents.

So thank you to all of those who voted for me on May 4th and please do get in touch if there is anything you feel I can help with, or any issue you believe needs to be addressed.