1 Minute of Labour

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1 Minute of Labour

David Cameron In Medway

On Friday I was amongst a group of local councillors and community leaders invited to attend David Cameron's speech on social justice which he gave at the Sunlight Centre in Gillingham.

This was the second visit to Medway for David Cameron, the man who will, I hope, be our next Prime Minister, in as many years. For me the most noticeable thing about David Cameron's visit this time, setting aside the speech for one second, was the manner in which David was able to communicate the Conservative message to those present.

It certainly seems that the 50+ Cameron Direct meetings David has undertaken up and down the country over the past couple of years have certainly put him in good stead for the forthcoming live television debates between the party leaders. I certainly can't see Gordon Brown being able to communicate so effectively, let alone give a straight answer.

Following David's poignant speech on social recession in which he cited the absolutely shocking case in Doncaster, members of the audience were invited to take part in a Q&A session.

One of the most frequent complaints I hear through my work as a councillor in the Rochester West ward is the level of anti-social behaviour and rowdiness on Rochester High Street caused by alcohol. As a High Street resident myself I am only too well aware of the misery this causes to local residents on, mainly, Friday and Saturday nights. Despite the best efforts of our local Police to ensure people are able to enjoy the many and varied pubs and bars in Rochester in a friendly and sensible manner, and the sterling effort of all the volunteers who man the SOS Bus, there is still, unfortunately, a small element who seem hell-bent on inflicting misery on the decent, law-abiding majority.

So I was glad to hear David Cameron confirm, in response to my question, that, if the Conservatives are elected to power, we will take the necessary action to amend the licensing law, giving the Police more power to intervene, more power to local authorities to clamp down on irresponsible pubs, and, if necessary, to tackle the problem of shops selling alcohol at less than cost price.

This last point should also help the many pubs in Rochester and Strood who simply can't compete with the large supermarkets on their doorstep selling alcohol at hugely discounted prices.

Of course, no-one should be under the illusion that merely changing the licensing law will somehow miraculously repair the damage caused through Labour's sustained assault on the moral fabric of our society. Unfortunately there is no silver bullet. It will take a lot of hard work and sweat to undo 13 years of rampant social engineering, but, as with all things, we have to start somewhere. I am confident that, thanks to the great work that has been done behind the scenes by the likes of former Conservative leader Ian Duncan-Smith, we are the only party ready to tackle head-on the problems that are blighting our society, and the future hopes of all our children.

With the general election now looming on the horizon, the choice for residents of Rochester and Strood is becoming increasingly stark. Vote for more of the same, or vote for the real change our constituency needs. As David Cameron said in his own words, "The Government won’t do it but we will."

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David Cameron In Medway

Where's The Justice In That?

A Message from Conservative Home and Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary

Sometimes Britain seems to be going quietly mad. A country where an elderly lady can be prosecuted for poking a teenager in the chest, where a police force can be prosecuted under health and safety laws when an officer is injured chasing a criminal, where a mother is driven to suicide by years of unchecked menace by a gang of troublemakers, where a vicious attack on a stranger is all too often dealt with by a caution, is a country that is getting things badly wrong.

How did we ever get ourselves into such an extraordinary position?

How did we get ourselves into a position where it is the criminal whose rights seem to come first, and where the victim is all too often forgotten or ignored?

And how did we get ourselves into a position where all too often the offender just gets away with it?

The picture set out in the most recent figures released to the Conservative Party by the Government is stark. They blow the lid off Britain's caution culture, and of a system that is sending all the wrong messages to offenders.

- Over the past decade, the number of offenders let off with a caution has risen sharply and now stands at nearly 1,000 a day.

- A third of those committing violent offences are now dealt with by a caution. That proportion has also more than doubled since 2001.

- A smaller and smaller proportion of offenders ever come before a court. Nearly half of all offences are now dealt with by a warning, a caution or a fixed penalty notice.

- Even sexual offences are treated in this way, with nearly one in three sex offenders let off with a caution. Detection rates have plummeted too.

- Only ten per cent of burglaries are solved.

- The detection rate for sexual offences has dropped by a quarter.

- So has the detection rate for violent offences - down by around a fifth.

Small wonder that so many people have lost faith in criminal justice in this country.

This short document sets out some of the reasons for the failings. It paints a picture of police stuck behind computer screens and not on the streets. Of unwieldy bureaucracy. And a system where justice is not being done.

It is a snapshot of a system that desperately needs a fresh start.

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Where's The Justice In That?

It's Time To Back-Up The Law Abiding Majority

Chris Grayling has spoken about the urgent need to "tackle the blight of antisocial behaviour" in order to fix our Broken Society.

The Shadow Home Secretary highlighted Home Office statistics showing three million acts of antisocial behaviour recorded last year, adding, "And that's only a tiny fraction."

Pointing to the tragic events in Doncaster this week as an example of "a society that is losing its way", Chris said, "They are only the latest and probably the worst example of a whole series of incidents where children are killing or maiming other children."

We have proposed:

- Strengthening the hands of the police to deal with the problems
- Introducing grounding orders for young troublemakers, which can be easily enforced
- Making those who commit serious acts of antisocial behaviour pay for the damage and do community work.

Chris said, "Antisocial behaviour will be punished and the payback will be fast and tough."

And he stressed, "Too little has been done in the past decade. Under a Conservative Government that will change."

It's Time To Back-Up The Law Abiding Majority