Letter from Parliament

Paul Rowen MP

Like many people I was expecting Gordon Brown to call a General Election this week. During the last few weeks a number of the Prime Minister's key associates have been briefing the media to expect an autumn General Election. The business of the Commons was set up with that in mind - the Pre-Budget Statement and announcement on troop withdrawal in Iraq all being brought forward.

However the Prime Minister looked at polls and took fright. His reputation has been damaged by the whole affair and he has, as David Cameron very correctly said, treated the country like fools.

That was why this week I supported one of my colleagues David Howarth MP for Cambridge in introducing a Bill to set fixed term parliaments. It has little chance of becoming law, mainly because the Government will refuse to give it time, but its introduction will put an end to the shenanigans of the past week.

Still, I would have welcomed an opportunity to put the Government’s record (alongside my own and my party's policy)  – on downgrading our hospital, closing our post offices, the war in Iraq, and now the closure of our local tax office, before the people of Rochdale.

The Stop the War Coalition held a meeting and march on Parliament on Monday as the Prime Minister was speaking. I support their calls for the immediate withdrawal of  troops from Iraq and joined the demonstrators outside Westminster. Leaving 2,500 troops in Iraq is neither one thing nor another. They certainly will not be able to do much operationally. It seems it's just a fig leaf to save embarrassment from the Bush administration.

This week I’ve asked questions on using Hydrogen as a fuel, the protocol on child custody cases between Pakistan and the UK and I’ve spoken in a debate on the future of the small District General Hospital. Many other towns, like Rochdale, are facing the loss of important services. I’ve also been involved in the Child  Maintenance Bill in committee, moving several amendments. One announcement that was not admitted by the Chancellor is that they are going to totally miss their target of a 50% reduction in child poverty by 2010. The proposals put forward in the Comprehensive Spending Review will only lift 100,000 children out of  poverty when to meet their target they must take 2.2 million children out of poverty.

Last week I was pleased to visit the Fair Trade stall in Rochdale Market. The Fair Trade group led by Jan Hicks and others did an excellent job getting the town Fair Trade status last year and the event in the market was to celebrate our first birthday.

Last Friday I met the Bishop of Manchester the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch in Saint Georges Church Hall on a pastoral visit before joining the Friends of Lviv for a meal with some visitors from our twin city.

On Sunday I attended an excellent interfaith event at Golden Mosque very ably organised by the young people of the Mosque.

This weekend Ming Campbell is speaking at our annual dinner in the Town Hall and I’m attending the 100th birthday party of Cissie Peel at Monacliffe Residential Home, Littleborough. I’m also attending a service to celebrate Rochdale’s involvement at the centre of the Methodist movement. 

This weekend sees the end of Ramadan and Eid. May I take the opportunity to wish all our Muslim readers a very happy and peaceful Eid.