27/05/10 - Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article

So, we’re finally underway.  The Queen’s Speech on Tuesday marked the formal start of the new Parliament.  MPs are summoned from the House of Commons to the House of Lords to hear the speech, and then we all troop back again, two by two.  Using a combination of good luck and sharp elbows, I managed to get a fairly prominent place in the procession.  The pomp and ceremony is impressive, of course, but now that all the uniforms and wigs and swords have been put away again, the real work begins.  There were 22 new pieces of legislation announced in the speech, with the priority being to tackle Britain’s economic woes.  Also eye-catching are the government’s promise to scrap ID cards, to reform the planning system (which will have a big impact here in Swindon), and to hold a referendum on electoral reform.  Over the coming weeks I’ll write in more detail about these issues as they’re debated in the House.

Swindon’s equivalent of the State Opening of Parliament happened last Friday, with the mayor-making ceremony and the first full council meeting since the election.  Robert Buckland and I were invited to attend, and after ten years as a councillor it was strange to sit in the council chamber and not be able to say anything!  Cllr Rex Barnett became the Borough’s new mayor.  He’s a Swindonian born and bred, and will probably be the last mayor to have worked in the town’s railway workshops.  Rex will be a great ambassador for the town, and I wish him well for his mayoral year and I am sure he will raise a lot of money for his three local charities.

On Saturday I had a full diary of events in Swindon – which is just the way it should be.  I’ve always said I want to be visible and accessible, and weekends are obviously a key time to get out and about.  The day started with a visit to the open day of The Willows Counselling Service in Old Town.  Robert Buckland, the new Mayor and I were all invited to celebrate the work of this fantastic service.  Then it was on to open a new motor repair centre on the Equity Trade Park. This is exactly the sort of business Swindon needs: employing local people with an impressive apprenticeship scheme.  Finally I attended the presentation for charity golf day with regulars from the Sandgate Pub in Stratton raising £2000 for the Prospect House and Help for Heroes charities, an excellent way to round off a busy day.

I will be joining over 30,000 Swindon fans tomorrow on my way to Wembley.  The atmosphere around Swindon is incredible at the moment – let’s hope the team can live up to the massive expectation.  I can’t wait.