Holding one would cool the temperature and lessen the chance of an Alistair McAlpine incident – in other words, false accusations.
The Minister for Cities’ column returns. He will be looking at how local Conservatives are helping to transform the communities they live in for the better.
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Julian Huppert, the MP for Cambridge, is unhappy, according to the Times (£). When he rises to speak in the Commons, his fellow MPs greet him with a collective sigh, as theatre-goers once greeted Peter O'Toole's legendarily calamitous production of "Macbeth". Yesterday, they upped the ante – and Mr […]
Paul Maynard is Conservative Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. Follow Paul on Twitter. This is the first part of his two-part guide to winning votes in the North. The second part will be published tomorrow, 4th June 2013. The first poem I ever studied at A-Level was Here by Philip Larkin, a powerful evocation […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. The Government has given the go-ahead for fracking licenses to be granted. Shale gas has the potential to transform our energy outlook, reducing our carbon emissions, reliance on foreign oil, and most importantly, prices. Questions to the Lib Dem Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. The Daily Mail this morning reports on the 118 Conservative MPs who have written to constituents indicating their opposition to gay marriage proposals. The Mail says "Their opposition has been expressed in letters and emails sent to constituents who have contacted them with their own concerns", and points out that […]
Paul Maynard is Conservative Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. Follow Paul on Twitter. The 1970s are back in fashion again – at least from the TV schedules’ point of view. It is fascinating watching and reading ‘history’ that I can, just about, dimly remember bits of. No doubt, Dominic Sandbrook’s Seasons in the […]
By Jonathan IsabyFollow Jonathan on Twitter I have already covered Conor Burns' sideswipe at Lord Heseltine from the debate on Lords reform, but what else happened during the debate? Overall, one got the impression that (with a few exceptions) the Conservative benches were highly sceptical about an elected second chamber – including many who are […]
Paul Maynard is Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. As we near the potential date of a referendum on AV, the rhetoric is becoming more strident. The smoke of war obscures the battlefield on which the contest is being fought, with consequences for the clarity of the argument. My fear is that we object […]
By Jonathan Isaby Yesterday Justice Secretary Ken Clarke presented his Green Paper on Criminal Justice, “Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders”. ConHome has already covered some of the announcements contained therein here and here, but here are some of the highlights of what Mr Clarke said in presenting the Green Paper […]
The Queen’s Speech debate on Education and Health last Wednesday saw an especially memorable maiden speech from Paul Maynard, the newly-elected Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. Apart from paying tribute to his predecessor and talking proudly of his constituency, he spoke with passion – and from personal experience – about the need to […]
Paul Maynard is Conservative Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. Follow Paul on Twitter. This is the second part of his two-part guide to winning votes in the North. The first part was published yesterday. We must start by understanding demographic change, and what demographics are. As a party, I often hear us talk of […]