Speech To Council 18th June 2009

Councillor Esterson has made a serious allegation in respect of my integrity, colleagues' integrity and the integrity of Overview and Scrutiny.

He has said the consultation will be 'a sham'. He has provided no evidence to support that claim, so I can only assume that it is because he has already decided.

His position is that we shouldn't consult, all schools are good schools and no school should close.

My position is that Overview and Scrutiny should do what it says.

The Cabinet has put forward a recommendation from officers that needs scrutiny and that is what I am giving it.

I have asked officers questions, which they haven't answered.

I am listening to the teachers, the parents and the pupils.

I voted to consult you, I am listening to you, and then I will make a decision as to what to recommend.

No one will be telling me what to say and I will take that decision in the best interests of my constituents.

Speech To Council 18th June 2009

Fuse Festival 2009

Many congratulations to the organisers of the Fuse festival in Rochester, which has had a wonderful atmosphere and a great variety of entertainment.

I spent Saturday afternoon having a relaxed drive around the Weald, a visit to the wonderful historic house of Igtham Mote followed by a walk near Pembury and stops in Goudhurst and Staplehurst.

Before going, we caught one of the acrobatic performances and a dance act at the Fuse festival and greatly enjoyed by both in beautiful sunshine.

We didn't get back to Rochester until ten in the evening but the atmosphere was incredibly friendly with people of all ages winding down after a day at the Fuse festival.

Congratulations to all concerned and I would thoroughly recommend it to others before the festival closes this weekend.

Visit the official Fuse Festival Website - Click Here

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Fuse Festival 2009

Medway European Election Result

Mark Reckless would just like to thank all of the party members, activists and supporters from Rochester and Strood who helped the Conservatives win the European Election here in Medway.

And thanks also go out to all of the MEPs who took the time to visit and campaign with us during the past month or so, though commiserations must go out to Mark's friend Therese Coffey who came agonisingly close to becoming the Conservatives' fifth MEP here in the South East region last night. So close, yet so far, but certainly not through lack of effort on her part.

Last night we 'live blogged' the result from the Black Lion Leisure Centre (now removed to keep things tidy), so we thought we'd repost the result today showing confirmation that the Conservatives won handsomely in Medway receiving 18,502 votes (an increase on the amount of votes we received in 2004 which was quite amazing really).

As was widely expected UKIP came in second taking 12,841 votes, solidly beating Labour into third who could only muster 8,745 votes - their worst result ever in Medway.

Conservative Party 18,502
United Kingdom Independence Party 12,841
The Labour Party 8,745
Liberal Democrats 5,460
British National Party 4,741
The Green Party 4,283
English Democrats 1,698
Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship" 851
No2EU: Yes to Democracy 613
Socialist Labour Party 521
Pro Democracy: Libertas.eu 425
United Kingdom First 392
Jury Team 256
The Peace Party - Non-Violence, Justice Environment 210
The Roman Party, Ave! 136

One has to wonder what morale must be like within the Labour group at this time because it was noticeable at last evening's count that not one of the local Labour representatives who bothered to turn up chose to wear a rosette or show any kind of party affiliation. In fact, if you were a neutral you would have been hard pushed to detect any kind of Labour presence at the count whatsoever. Quite, quite poor. This was compounded by the fact that not one of the three Labour MPs who represent Medway constituencies chose to put in an appearance on the night to rally the troops and represent their constituents. Perhaps they were too busy preparing their exit strategy for the next election.

As Ian Duncan Smith said earlier today, "Labour morale is so low you could slide it under a snake."

The one thing that is clear though is that the people of the United Kingdom have sent a clear message to Labour that they want Change, and they want it now. No longer can Labour claim to govern with any sort of mandate, and though they may try and pin their woeful performances in both the county council and European elections on the expenses scandal, the plain fact of the matter is that the British people are no longer listening to them. What we have is a zombie government led by a zombie leader. Only the Conservative party can clean up Labour's mess. We've done it before, and we'll do it again but we need a General Election NOW!

Once again, thanks to everyone for all their hard work, and thanks too to the Returning Officer, the counters and administrators, the Police, and everybody else from Medway Council who ensured last night ran as smoothly as possible. And most of all, thanks to everyone who made the effort to come out and vote.

We look forward to doing it all again as soon as possible!

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Medway European Election Result

Get Change For A Fiver

Today we are officially launching Mark's 'Change for a Fiver' initiative where we are asking you, the members of the public, to help bring Change to Medway and Britain by making a small donation to our campaign fund.

At a time when the Labour government is more interested in fighting amongst themselves for their own survival rather than doing what is right for the majority of the people in this country, it is now more important than ever that we have a General Election and we are asking for your help in fighting the Labour spin machine.

Because we understand how tough it is for everyone in the current economic climate all we are asking is that you make a small £5 donation that will help us to make sure the people of Rochester and Strood deliver a clear message to Labour that it is time for Change at the next General Election, which could come sooner rather than later.

If elected Mark Reckless is determined to find savings and give taxpayers better value for money, which will ultimately mean lower taxes, smaller government, more efficient public services and less state intrusion into your personal lives. As a long-time resident of Rochester and Strood Mark understands only too well how badly the people of Medway have been let down by this current government and is determined to fight hard for a better deal for Medway residents.

Fighting an election campaign doesn't come cheaply. Unlike the current Labour MPs we have here in Medway who managed to spend over £30,000 of taxpayers' money on propaganda in the 2007/08 period alone, Mark Reckless doesn't have a publicly funded communications allowance to tell you what a wonderful job he's doing. All of our leaflets, our posters, our postage costs (and even this website) are met from our own campaign funds - and quite rightly too, the public should not have to pay for political propaganda through their taxes.

So this is why we are asking you to make a donation to help Mark Reckless win a better, and fairer, deal for Medway. Just a small donation of £5 today will help make sure your local Conservative candidate can fight the publicly funded Labour spin machine. Or better still why not get involved in bringing Change to Medway and to Great Britain by joining Mark Reckless and the Conservative Party.

It's your choice, but ask yourself this: Can You Afford Another Five Years Of Labour?

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Purnell Resignation Means We Need A General Election Now

A Message from David Cameron

David Cameron warned the Labour Government is "falling apart in front of our eyes" after James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, resigned from the Cabinet.

David said, "In a deep recession and political crisis we need a strong Government. Instead we have a Government falling apart in front of our eyes. Britain deserves better than this."

And he stressed, "With this resignation the argument for a general election has gone from being strong and powerful to completely unanswerable. For the sake of the country Gordon Brown must take the one final act of authority left open to him, go to the palace and call the General Election we have been demanding."

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Purnell Resignation Means We Need A General Election Now

Vote Conservative On 4th June

I was delighted to lead such a good team in the sun out canvassing over the weekend.

There is clearly a lot of anger about how MPs have behaved, but it seems to have engaged people who might not otherwise vote in Euro elections.

Some will vote for minor parties, but many more will vote Conservative because they know that is the way to get Gordon Brown and Labour out.

For our country's sake the change must come sooner rather than later, so that we can roll up our sleeves and start cleaning up the mess.

Photo: Mark Reckless canvassing with Richard Ashworth MEP

Vote Conservative On 4th June