Julie Morgan MP

New Website

My new website can be found at www.juliemorgan.org

Summer Report

I have recently completed my Summer Report to constituents which is now being distributed around Cardiff North. My Report has information on my work in Cardiff and in Parliament, and I hope that you will find it of interest. The report is available online here (1.3MB) in PDF format.

As ever, if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Drugs: Our Community, Your Say

The Government has announced that it is to take a radical new look at its approach to drugs in Britain, building on the success of the drug strategy published in 1998.

As part of this, the Government has begun a consultation asking MPs and members of the public to put forward their views on how we can best educate young people about drugs, discourage drug use, treat drug addiction and mitigate its effects on society.

A short leaflet, available here, provides a description of the issues and also suggests 'key questions' to which the Government hopes to receive your answers. The full consultation document can be accessed here and provides a more detailed analysis of the issues to be considered. The consultation closes on Friday 19th October.

Julie is very interested to hear your views on how the Government should approach the problem of drugs in Britain and welcomes your comments on this blog or via the other means listed to the top right of the main blog page. Julie hopes to submit your views to the consultation in October, and looks forward to receiving your comments.

Your Priorities for the Ministers for Women

While much progress has been made, there are still many challenges facing women in today's Britain. In recognition of this fact, the Government has launched a consultation inviting MPs and members of the public to comment on the priorities for the Government's new Ministers for Women, Harriet Harman QC MP and Barbara Follett MP. The consultation document lays out three major priorities:

1. Supporting families, particularly as they bring up children and care for older and disabled relatives
2. Tackling violence against women and improving the way we deal with women who commit crimes
3. Empowering black and minority ethnic women to build cohesion within their communities and as a bridge between communities.

The full consultation document can be found here. Julie is very interested to know what the people of Cardiff North think of the priorities and encourages you to let her know so she can put your views across to the Ministers. All of your comments are welcomed whether made via this blog, email, telephone or post - full contact details are available to the right of this blog.

Public Meeting

Julie is holding a Public Meeting on Saturday 8th September to offer local people the chance to hear and participate in discussion of the proposals. The meeting will feature speakers (to be confirmed) with experience of the issues and will take place from 10am to 1pm at Ararat Baptist Church, Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1PT. Refreshments will be also be available. Julie looks forward to seeing you there for what should be a very interesting discussion.

Work in Progress

After a longer than expected hiatus, work is now underway on creating a brand new website for Julie which we hope to have up and running by mid September. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions of what you would like to see on the new website and your comments will be gratefully received.

There will be a blog update in the near future regarding the consultation on the Priorities for the Ministers for Women. Thank you for your continuing patience while normal service is restored.

Contacting Julie

Julie welcomes contact with her constituents via this blog (please note that comments are public), telephone, email and post and is happy to respond to your enquiries and assist with any difficulties you are having - contact details are to the right of this page.

Julie to hold Public Meeting on Burma

Julie will hold a public meeting tomorrow to celebrate the courage of Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically-elected leader of Burma held under house arrest since 2003. The meeting will also highlight human rights abuses, as part of an international effort organised by the Burma Campaign UK to draw attention to the plight of millions of Burmese people .

Despite a UN panel finding that she was being detained in violation of international law, Suu Kyi remains under house arrest and spent her 4000th day under house arrest in October 2006.

The meeting will take place from 2pm to 4pm at Beulah Church Centre in Rhiwbina and will feature readings from Richard Shannon's play "The Lady of Burma", short speeches and exhibitions. Light refreshments will also be available. For further information, please contact Julie's office on 029 20 624 166.

Julie looks forward to meeting you tomorrow.

Changes

The blog is currently undergoing reconstruction. Normal service will resume in the near future.

For details of upcoming surgeries, please contact the constituency office on (029) 20 624166.

Daily Bulletin: Friday 1 June

Today, Julie is in the constituency. The House of Commons is on Whitsun recess.

Headlines

Video is released of kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston; some predatory paedophiles should be treated in the community, a senior police officer says; and parents can now check children's heart surgery survival rates at their local clinic online.

Politics

Unions urge a "new start" from Gordon Brown; Tony Blair is due to hold talks with South African President Mbeki; and a Tory MP apologises for being caught parking in a disabled bay.

Run-up to G8 2007

In advance of the G8 summit, the Prime Minister delivered a keynote speech in Midrand, near the South African capital Pretoria. He said: “I have learnt over the last 10 years that if we don't act together on poverty, on climate, to stop conflict, we concede the space to others with another world's view and values.”

He said unless democratic values were evenly spread, the battle for a more just and tolerant world would not be won: “The danger is this: if we do not act we lose the wider struggle, all so familiar to Africa. Wealthy nations and Africa, both of us face a choice — us, as to how far we help Africa to take the right path. Africa, as to which path to take.''

On hopes for progress on African development at the G8, Tony Blair said: "Africa is close to my heart. It has also been at the top of my foreign policy for the last 10 years.

“Above all and most controversially, Africa has been a prime example of a foreign policy that has been avowedly interventionist. I believe in the power of political action to make the world better and the moral obligation to use it.

“Where oppression, poverty and injustice exists, it is not only our duty but also in our self interest to do what we can to bring about change for the better. Nowhere is that clearer than here in Africa."

He pointed out that conflict on the continent created millions of refugees and poverty deprived it of the chance to succeed while failed states were “breeding grounds for the very extremism that threatens us everywhere”.

“It is easy for people to mock the pretensions of an interventionist policy and intervention never fares as well as we would like. But consider the alternatives and then make the choice — suppose we did nothing. We did do nothing or little as Rwanda slid into genocide, as HIV/Aids grew, as Liberia and Sierra Leone descended into gangsterism. The international action of the past few years hasn't transformed Africa but it has undoubtedly made it better.”

On the international partnership with Africa Tony Blair told the audience: “We have to stay with it for the long haul. We now have a broad political consensus for Africa in the UK. Excellent. We need the same in the EU.

“We need each G8 to be bolder on Africa than the last G8. If we do this and Africa responds as an equal partner we will have set a strategic goal that in time we will achieve. But if we give up, we will lose the chance in this continent for our values to take root. It would be a calamitous mis-judgment.”

“Progress does not come from the cautious. It isn't borne of the status quo. It tends to challenge conventional wisdom. It rarely is the product of refraining — nearly always a consequence of sustained action against the odds. It accepts the pain of transition and it never yields to the notion of the way things are.

"Next week at the G8 Summit, leaders will show whether, having put Africa at the top of the global agenda, we have the perseverance and vision to see it through. I hope we have."

On African governance, the PM urged African states and the West to chose the right path for the continent. He contrasted the way chosen by countries such as Ghana for economic growth and stability with the alternative of Zimbabwe and Sudan. He said that the path chosen by Zimbabwe and Sudan of "bad government and violent oppression" led to economies "spiralling down". He said: "Wealthy nations and Africa both face a choice: us, as to how far we help Africa to take the right path, Africa as to which path to take."

Calling on the government of Sudan to halt the conflict in Darfur or face the prospect of sanctions, he said: "We must offer President Bashir a choice. Engage with us on a solution. Or, if you reject responsibility for the people of Darfur, then we will table and put to a vote sanctions against the regime."

Read more here.

Have we missed a story? Want to discuss these issues? Leave a comment below.

Arsenal star supports effort

This column appears in the Cardiff Post today.

A couple of weeks ago, I met the Arsenal and England footballer Theo Walcott at the launch of the Breastfeeding Manifesto in London.

The event, which took place during National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, highlighted the aims of the Breastfeeding Manifesto. More than 30 not-for-profit organisations, including Unicef and five Royal colleges, have signed up to the Breastfeeding Manifesto to tackle the low levels of breastfeeding in the UK.

Theo himself grew up knowing how important breastfeeding is as his mum was a La Leche League breastfeeding leader. He has lent his support to the Breastfeeding Manifesto to help every child get off to a healthy start.

I was delighted to attend the launch and so pleased to see a young man like Theo supporting this cause. It is so important that we try to increase the levels of breastfeeding in the UK and Wales in particular, as it can make a major difference to the health of both mothers and babies. It's best for the baby and best for the mother.

We need to increase awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding and support women who want to breastfeed, especially during the first six months of a baby's life. Let's make breastfeeding an easier thing for women to do.

Daily Bulletin: Thursday 31 May

Today, Julie is in the constituency. The House of Commons is on Whitsun recess.

Headlines

The UK's secret services are behind the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, says the man accused of his murder; schools in England are given the legal power to search pupils for knives; and a non-nicotine drug specifically designed to help smokers is approved for the NHS.

Politics

Tony Blair is in South Africa; the issue of all-black and minority ethnic shortlists divides Labour's deputy leadership candidates; and the Government sells its shares in nuclear energy to pay for the cost of shutting down nuclear power stations.

Tory war over grammars rages on

David Cameron’s grand plan to embarrass Labour and show how the Tory party has changed has unleashed the kind of Tory infighting we haven’t seen since they were thrown out of office in 1997. Cameron’s team have unintentionally found themselves in an apparently unending war with their own party.

Frontbencher Graham Brady, who has resigned his post, told the press that he wasn’t alone in his opposition to Cameron’s climb-down. He said: "A great many of my colleagues share my view. I have very strong support in the Conservative party, in the House of Commons and the country."

Fellow Tory MP, Nigel Evans, said: “Graham would not have been doing his job if he had not stepped in and defended the grammar schools.”

Adding petrol to the flames, one of Cameron’s closest confidants, Ed Vaizey, said this morning: “It would be nice if Graham Brady supported David Cameron but there you go, I’m not going to go off on one. Never mind, you know? David Cameron working hard to get Tories re-elected, great support from one of our colleagues!”

Channel 4 News polled Tory council leaders and found that far from leading his party, Cameron is losing the argument over a stone age debate on grammar schools. Of 52 Tory council leaders interviewed, more than half — 28 — opposed their party’s climb-down on schools policy. Channel 4 also saw a private letter to the Shadow Education Secretary David Willetts, where Kent's council leader accused senior Tories of being completely out of touch.

Meanwhile, polls continue to show Tories on the slide — the Independent’s Communicate Research poll shows 40% believe the Tories are divided and has Labour back up 4%, with the Tories again on the slide, down 3%.

Meanwhile, the Tory grass roots are in revolt on Tory-supporting websites. One asked on Iain Dale's website: "How many signatures does it need in November to trigger a leadership election?" Another said: "Sacking a man, face to face, is one thing. Briefing behind his back that he may expect to be sacked is another thing entirely. It is not the conduct of a gentleman. But then, Old Etonians' behaviour is generally worse than that of Grammar School boys." Someone with the online handle 'Used to vote Conservative' said: "Remove yourself, Cameron, and give us the Conservative Party back."

Have we missed a story? Want to discuss these issues? Leave a comment below.