Neil MacDonald

Saturday Campaigning

Did some door knocking today in my IBC ward (St Johns). This isn't going to get me into Westminster but it's important to speak to my existing constituents and help my friends and colleagues with their campaigning.

I was knocking with Chris Mole, the MP for Ipswich. Of course technically he should be MP for Ipswich West, South and East because many of the people in the North Ipswich constituency think that Chris is their MP :-(

It was good to meet a resident that had just been helped by Chris - it is always pleasing to see politics get a result. The main issue we picked up was lack of affordable and council housing. It was good to hear Gordon Brown say in the budget that £1.5bn per year is to be made available to build 10,000 more affordable homes. Unfortunately, it will be some time before the houses are a reality.

The happy gang then retired to the Golden Key for a pint and a discussion on the issues of the day.

General Hospital

Went along to a session at Ipswich Hospital this afternoon. It's not in the constituency but it's the main hospital for the constituency. I am a strong believer in the NHS but I have some concerns about Ipswich Hospital. The problems with capacity will not be sorted until the new Garrett Anderson centre is built and open, probably in 2007. I'll have to get by with pictures and promises for the campaign!

Today was about another problem: the MRSA superbug. I was very pleased with what I heard today. The Hospital is tackling the problem on several fronts:
- There is now a Director on the board responsible for hygiene
- They are running a pilot of housekeepers, dedicated to a ward. They are responsible for cleaning and some aspects of patient care such as feeding elderly or unwell patients
- Modern matrons are now in place. They are a point of contact for the public and have the power to make things happen
- More emphasis on handwashing and handwash is available on all wards
- Cleaning regime has been tightened up - for example cathiter stands are now raised up so that floors can be mopped underneath

The hospital is also doing more to involve patients and the patient's family in the care of the patient such as when nurse shifts change the changeover is done with the patient and not in the office.

These all sound like good initiatives but I suspect they will get a big test in the winter.

Iceni

Went to an open evening for the Iceni project in Ipswich.

The Iceni Project is a charitable trust based in Ipswich but takes clients from all over Suffolk. Staff at the Project Centre, provide care, support and advice to those in the local community whose lives have been affected directly or indirectly by the misuse of drugs. They offer a free intensive support programme to anyone who shows a genuine desire to stop using drugs.

They take a holistic approach and use techniques like group therapy, aromatherapy, acupuncture and anger management to help "clients" with their drug problems. This is different to the conventional approach which uses more medical techniques.

Some snippets:
- People get addicted to cannabis, this has become more of a problem in the last few years
- Most drug users have multiple problems including lack of self-esteem, poor schooling and mental health problems
- 70% of prisoners cannot read and write properly

Iceni is providing a valuable service for people with big problems. All power to their elbow.

Busy Week

A busy week for me - too busy to write this blog so here's a catch up

Monday - Spoke to a constituent at length about her problem and her experience with Michael Lord. IBC Labour group meeting where we discussed this week's council meeting

Tuesday - Telephone canvassing. Spoke to several residents and picked up a few issues. Have already sorted two and another may be fixed soon.

Wed - Full council where the minorty Labour administration stood down and was replaced by a Tory one, proped up by the Libdems. The Tories have a majority on the Executive so can do whatever they want, except for decisions which must be made by full council. Libdems have the Transport portfolio (a poisoned chalice because you can't please everyone) and Economic Development (which seems more of a Tory portfolio). The Labour front bench reeled off a list of achievemnts over 25 years but it's still depressing. It will take some time to get used to opposition :-(

Thurs - Was at a reception for UCS - University Campus Suffolk - an exiting new University proposal for Suffolk. I then rushed off to the AGM of Suffolk ACRE which helps voluntary and community groups throughout rural Suffolk. Both UCS and ACRE will help improve the quality of life in this area - I'll write more about them another time.

Friday - I attended Officers and then Members meeting of the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Labour Party. Some useful discussions as I went through my campaign strategy.

Saturday - Public meeting in Whitehouse about Stock Options. A few people came along but even they complained about the apathy of people on the estate.

Sunday - worked on words for website.

Tired out and am off to Reading with work for two days.

Neil's Suffolk Challenge

There are several political stories in Friday's paper, with the Labour reshuffle bringing back Alan Milburn and the Tory reshuffle bringing back John Redwood. Fox Hunting to be banned too!

Graham Dines still finds time to write up his interview with me and it's here.

The EADT Editorial talks about Howard's current strategy "unlikely to appeal to younger generations of voters who believe Britain's future lies at the heart of an influential Europe and who in their droves have turned their backs on the Conservatives". Couldn't have put it better myself!

Whitton campaigning

Spent thursday and friday evening leafletting around the Whitton council estate in Ipswich. In preparation for a public drop-in session on the future of council housing in Ipswich on the Saturday. Lots of kids on the estate - much more lively than East Ipswich! THe kids I spoke to were very polite.

Ipswich Borough Council - and also Mid-Suffolk DC - are running Stock Options consultations over the next year. It should be an issue in the council estates. The consultation is about whether the council remains the landlord or the housing stock is transfered to an ALMO (Arms Length Management Company - a housing trust affiliated to the council) or a Social Housing organisation. The aim of the process is to come up with a financial structure and timescale to meet the "Decent Homes" standard for housing. I am very keen to see Decent Homes met because decent people need decent homes.

North Ipswich Branch 7th Sept

Attended the North Ipswich branch meeting as I am their general election candidate. I went through my campaign plan, which was pretty well received. The most controversy came over suggestions around banning smoking and MRSA. Interesting discussion with David, who runs a small engineering business. He said he couldn't afford to have apprentices under the Tories as it cost £3500 to send them to college. Under Labour, it is free.

Managed to dump 1200 leaflets on Graham for bundling :-)

Labour Group 6th Sept

If its Monday, it must be a meeting of the Ipswich Borough Council Labour Group. Unfortunately we hear that the Lib-dems are not going to support the Labour administration, which means we will be in opposition come the next full council meeting on 15th September.

So its off down the Black Horse for a pint in the "beer garden" or car park. Good discussion on campaigning with John Cook, the Ipswich agent.

Meeting the press

Met with Graham Dines, political editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, also known as the EADT or just "The Anglian". We chatted for an hour down at the Waterfront. We covered many policy areas including foxhunting, campaigning, housing, transport, the other political parties and date of the election. He reckons it will be at the end of October. I think that date may be attractive to Tony because he won't really want to be fighting an election while he is head of the G8 or President of Europe next year. However, I suspect that backbenchers with a small majority will want more time to win over the electorate post-iraq. So I still think Spring 2005.

He said that the bulk of the paper's sales are in the Central Suffolk area, so I need to keep in his good books!

Was at IBC Labour councillors meeting tonight. Had a good chat to the Ipswich Agent (John Cook) about campaigning.

Candlestick Park

Attended the Burston Rally today, at the invitation of Hoxne Labour branch. Its a Trade Union festival to celebrate a school strike that started in 1914. See http://www.burstonstrikeschool.org/ for more details. Part of the rally is marching around the village - the shape of the road network on the map looks like a candlestick. Doesn't look like any candlestick I've seen!

The speakers included Jeremy Corbyn MP for Islington. He made good points about preventing worker exploitation and his fear of a second term for George W Bush.

It was good to speak to the Hoxne branch and had a long converation about teaching. Also spoke to Richard Howitt MEP about some of the things he is doing around his constituency and also caught up with former mayor of Ipswich, Maureen Carrington-Brown, who has retired to the country!

I also accepted an invitation to speak at the Agricultural Workers Union (part of the TGWU) Regional conference.