Localism and People Power

Over 84 per cent of traveller sites in Epping Forest are located in Nazeing and Roydon. These sites were forced through by the last Labour Government, without giving local communities a real say.

As I said to the BBC Politics Show on Sunday, this Conservative-led Government is changing all that, and giving real power to residents.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Fair Fuel for Harlow Families

On Friday, I was interviewed on BBC Newsnight about the astronomical petrol prices: now over £1.30 a litre in Harlow.

As I said to the BBC:


"I support green issues and recycling, but I mostly I support hardworking people, who at the moment are suffering massively because of the price of petrol."


by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Setting out Tory Values

A good Conservative Spring conference this weekend in Cardiff.   George Osborne and David Cameron set out a strong message that the forthcoming Budget would be all about measures to grow the economy.  The Chancellor gave his strongest hint yet that he would try to help on the cost of fuel.  Both also gave strong messages of support for those fighting for democracy in the Middle East:  The PM condemned the last Government's links with Gadaffi's government.

What came through well, was the Prime Minister's definition of four timeless Conservative values:

1.  Responsibility: The Big Society;
2.  Real Compassion: Supporting the most vulnerable.  A ladder in which to climb, but a safety net to help those who fall;
3.  Real Fairness: Stopping the 'easy case' - tough action against individuals who do the right thing, in order to fulfil targets and quotas;
4.  Enterprise.  Turning Britain into an Enterprise economy once again.  Backing small businesses and entrepreneurs.

I liked this speech because it was easy to understand and remember.  It was in plain language that was intended to reach out to people watching on their TV sets.

You can read more HERE.





by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Dealing with Knife Crime on the Internet

Today I attended a presentation on knife crime organised by local PCSOs and Harlow College.

Led by PCSOs Phyllis Chipchase and Karen Rogers, students and myself were shown some harrowing pictures of knife crime. Harlow had 97 incidents last year - bad but smaller in comparison to last year. In London there is one knife crime for every 1,100 people per year. In Harlow, it is more like one knife crime per 800 people per year.

But, I learnt something this morning that particularly shocked me. There are numerous Internet sites that sell dangerous knives, in the same way Amazon sells books or Tescos sells food. These weapons can be ordered with ease and sent to any address.

Next week, I will be raising this in Parliament. My aim is to urge the Government to pass legislation to close down any UK Internet sites that sell dangerous knives and work with Internet Providers to shut sites from overseas.



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The Left's appeasement of Gadaffi

The progressive left's appeasement - and in some cases support - for Gadaffi is akin to those British Aristocrats who actively sympathised with Fascism in the 1930s.

The latest relevations in the Times (£) today make shocking reading.  Not only was the London School of Economics accepting blood money from the Gadaffi Regime, but it now emerges that the University had agreed to bring to Britain 400 so called "Future Leaders" from the Libyan Elite for "training".

But what is worse than just the financial links to Gadaffi is the involvement of the so-called progressive left.

Just who are the guilty men - and women? Antony Giddens, author of the Third Way, who wrote a paean of praise to Gadaffi in the Guardian. Professor David Held, who went out of his way to compliment the Gadaffi family. Lord Desai, who is alleged to have supervised Said Gadaffi's PHD.  Most astonishing and disappointing of all is Shami Chakrabarti - who was on the LSE Council which agreed to the Gadaffi blood money. No doubt more of this will emerge in the coming days.

Why is it that the Progressive Left, who are so anxious to talk about human rights at home, who are so ready to criticise Israel for any wrongdoing - and call for academic boycotts and the like - are yet so willing to give succour to Middle Eastern Despots, and take their people's money in the process? The LSE scandal follows a long line of leftist figures supporting anti-democratic, anti progressive regimes in the Middle East. Time to re-read Nick Cohen's excellent book, "What's Left".

P.S. Before anyone blogs a comment - yes, I also think BP's involvement in Libya should never have occurred.

You can also see this article HERE on the Conservative Home Website.


by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

The London School of Economics Gadaffi Money Timeline and the need for an Independent Inquiry

I have written up the Timeline concerning the LSE and Gadaffi's blood money donations. It was published on the Conservative Home Website:

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2011/03/robert-halfon-mp-the-lse-libya-links-can-be-traced-back-to-2003.html

I was also cited in The Times about the affair.

There needs to be an independent inquiry into British Universities and their financial links to Middle Eastern De spots. This is rapidly becoming one of the biggest academic scandals in modern British History.

P.S. Today I tabled one hundred Freedom of Information Requests to one hundred Universities, asking what money, if any, has been received from the Middle East, and for what purpose.
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Libya: an outcast at the UN

What a turnaround. It was not so long ago that Libya chaired the UN Human Rights Commission. Tonight however, after Gadaffi begins an attempted genocide of his own people, the UN have voted unanimously to expel Libya from the Human Rights Council.

This is a good move and signals to Gadaffi that the world community will not tolerate his remaining in power. If only this had been done years ago - rather than treat the Dictator as an Elder Statesman, perhaps we would have been rid of the Gadaffi Regime a long time ago.

P.S. I appeared on BBC News 24 tonight arguing that the LSE Blood money from Libya, should be given back to the victims of the Regime. It looks like that the LSE scandal could be the tip of the iceberg: There is evidence that other UK Universities have taken money from Libya or other Middle Eastern Despots. I will write more on this in future blogs.