Mike's Columns in the Portsmouth News
Looking Ahead to 2007
A key issue for Portsmouth in this coming year will be the future of the Naval Base. I joined with Sarah McCarthy-Fry to make the case for the base recently in Parliament. And I will continue to work with MPs and people of all parties and none to campaign for the Naval Base.
In Portsmouth, there is an excellent partnership between all those involved in the base – the Navy itself, commercial companies, the trade unions and the local council. And there are unique features that Portsmouth has that the other bases do not. In particular, it is the only base that can take two aircraft carriers along side each other. We have the UK’s most modern ship-building facility here and the synergies achieved between ship support and ship repair are reducing costs for both. I also want the defence ministers to come to Portsmouth to see all this excellent work at first hand before a decision is made and I have written to them asking that they do so.
2007 will also be Tony Blair’s last as Prime Minister. My advice to the next Prime Minister would be to “stick to the knitting”. It is worth remembering what a state the NHS had got to ten years ago under the Conservatives. Then the newspapers were reporting patients including those with chronic asthma being turfed out of hospital in the middle of the night to free up beds and hospitals cancelling all non-urgent operations for months on end. The Tory record on the NHS, therefore, speaks for itself.
But Labour are sullying their record by denying patients inexpensive drugs and closing A&E units as is a strong possibility in Chichester. Unfortunately billions that could have spent on the NHS have gone on the ill-considered war in Iraq – amazingly leaving Iraqis in probably a worse situation than under Saddam. So I hope the next will ditch the gimmicks and stick to improving the NHS, delivering a first-class education for all children and giving the police the resources and support they need to tackle crime. And may I, finally take this opportunity of wishing you a happy and successful New Year.
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