Letter from Parliament - Paul Rowen MP

Paul Rowen MP

Easter is a busy time though Parliament is in recess. During the first weekend at home I attended the Heartbeat Ball at the Town Hall.

Over the last twenty years this small group have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for cardiac patients at the Rochdale Infirmary. I was pleased to be on the same table as Cyril and Doreen Watts and Rodney and Ann Stott. Both couples have cause to thank the consultants and staff at our Infirmary.

This was followed by the Springhill Hospice Spring Fair – a very busy and enjoyable occasion. I was able to discuss with Hospice Chief Executive plans I’ve been discussing with Council Officers for a new Memorial Garden to remember loved ones now that the site at Watergrove Reservoir is full. A report is being written for the Council and I hope it will be approved in the next few months.

Last week and this I have spent time delivering my 4th Annual Report with a team. It is a great opportunity to meet local people and discuss issues of local concern. However I was unfortunate last Wednesday to have an argument with a gate on Hollowspell and ended up cracking a tooth on a step.

Thankfully my dentist Martin Shepherd was able to repair the damage leaving only my pride a little damaged!

Also last week I met Derek O Toole and Councillor Robert Clegg to discuss funding for the rebuilding of Hopwood Hall College. Whilst it appears that funding for the new Six Form College is now secure; it appears that Hopwood has been affected by the total cock up by the LSC of new college funding.

Over £2 billion of projects have been approved for which only £150 million is available. That potentially leaves Rochdale with a new Six Form College but Hopwood in substandard buildings. I’ve discussed this with Jim Dobbin and we are arranging a joint approach to the LSC.

On Good Friday I was pleased with my Mum to join the annual walk of witness around Rochdale Town Centre organised by the Town Centre Churches Group. Following this I attended the annual Hornets v Oldham derby at Spotland.

It was a fantastic game which Hornets led for most of the time beaten only by two fantastic tries by Oldham in the second half. It was great to see the current Directors working so hard with former Directors like Karen Reynolds there to give them support.

Also on Good Friday I received the sad news that my good friend Raf Arien’s Dad had died quietly in his sleep.

He was a real gentlemen; had served in the British Army during the Second World War and since then had been a very positive influence on the Muslim Community in Deeplish. I am grateful for the way Councillor Sharif was able to organise his funeral before the Easter Break.

The big national news this week has of course the disgraceful emails produced by Gordon Brown's Spin doctor Derek Draper attacking the Tories. I do not subscribe to the view that the Prime Minister had nothing to do with it

The code of conduct for special advisors is very explicit when it says that “The responsibility for the management and conduct of special advisers, including discipline, rests with the Minister who made the appointment.”

As the Prime Minister appointed him he is responsible for his conduct and he should apologise. Nor do I believe this is an isolated incident. The other person implicated has set up a Labour blog on which sole aim is to attack the opposition.

The desperate tactics caught many people by surprise but not me. Labour supporters locally have set up a blog in which myself, my agent Dave Hennigan, Sir Cyril Smith and many other senior Lib Dems have been subjected to scurrilous, untrue, despicable allegations. If they were repeated in the Press we would sue but dealing with blogs is much more difficult.

It is another example in my view on how Labour locally and nationally need to clean up their act if they are to have any credibility in the forthcoming General Election - it's probably too late.