Chris Whiteside's Blog

A good friend of mine and former Bransty constituent who was well known in parts of the West Cumbrian community, Alexander Malcolm Eccles, was taken to hospital today with a suspected heart attack and died this afternoon. Alex was a larger-than-life character, once met, never forgotten: he was also one of the kindest men I knew. Condolences to his widow, Heather, and to his family. Rest in Peace.

Legislation to deliver a cleaner and healthier environment for future generations after nearly half a century under EU rules is being introduced into Parliament today (12 September). The Agriculture Bill sets out how farmers and land managers will be paid for “public goods”, such as better air and water quality, improved soil health, higher animal welfare standards, public access to the countryside and measures to reduce flooding. The Agriculture Bill will set out the new policies for Britain's countryside as we leave the EU so that: Farmers and land managers will in future be rewarded for ‘public goods’, such as better air and water quality, improved soil health, higher animal welfare standards, public access to the countryside and measures to reduce flooding. This will replace the current subsidy system which pays farmers based on the total amount of land farmed, rather than specific public benefits. We will work together with farmers to design, develop and trial the new a...

Employment statistics released this week show that the number of people in work in Britain remains at record levels and the unemployment rate at its lowest for forty-three years. They also show that real wages have risen for five consecutive month as average pay (excluding bonuses) has risen faster than inflation. Conservatives want to help people into work by reforming welfare and delivering our modern Industrial Strategy to help create more, better paying jobs across the whole country. Since 2010 the number of people in work has risen by over 3.3 million and the unemployment rate is at a 43-year low – meaning more people have the security of a job and are able to provide for their families. The Conservatives will continue to take the balanced approach our economy needs, creating jobs and opportunities to help people get on in life and build a better future for themselves and their families. Key statistics  Employment : 32.40 million (up 261,000 over the last year and ...

The Prime Minister today set out an ambitious plan to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, creating over 1,000 jobs across the United Kingdom as part of our modern Industrial Strategy and protecting the environment. Key facts: Visiting Birmingham today, the Prime Minister set out how: · The Conservative government is providing a £106 million funding boost for research and development in green vehicles, new batteries and low carbon technology.  · Industry is providing over £500 million worth of investment, creating over 1,000 jobs across the UK, as the PM hosts a roundtable on driving more foreign direct investment into the UK.  · 11 countries have signed up to the UK’s new international declaration on low emissions, kick-starting a new era of global collaboration. Why this matters : These measures will drive the design, use, uptake and infrastructure necessary for cleaner, greener vehicles – and in...

Cumbria County Council's local committee for Copeland met today in Cleator Moor with the county councillors representing divisions in Copeland discussing the agenda items which you can find here . The directly-elected mayor of Copeland was also present and I hope this becomes a regular feature of these meetings because one of the challenges we need to address is much greater co-operation between the different levels of local government. Issues which I brought up included * The playing field at Moor Row which belongs to the County Council. It is part of Moor Row school grounds and the school is looking to improve it, but the land has also in the past been leased to Copeland council for community use and it has been used by the local football club for a long time. I would like to see an arrangement made to improve the suitability of the field for the benefit of both the club and the school in the interests of both and on terms acceptable to both. * With regard to the work to ...

The Home Office has proposed extending stop and search powers to prevent acid attacks – giving police the powers they need to keep our families, communities and country safe.   Key facts: While corrosive substances, drones and laser pointers each have legitimate uses, they are increasingly being misused to cause significant harm. ·          The proposals – published for consultation at the weekend – will extend powers, enabling police to search anyone they suspect is carrying a corrosive substance, drones or laser pointers in a public place without good reason. ·          It follows the introduction of the Offensive Weapons Bill earlier this year, which will create a new offence of possessing a corrosive substance in a public place.  ·         The government has also commissioned scientists at the government’s Defence Science and Technology Laborato...

Today the Justice Secretary unveiled the first ever cross-government Victims Strategy, ensuring victims of crime receive the care, support and justice they deserve.   Key facts: The Victims Strategy will: ·          Serve as the next step in the delivery of manifesto commitments including enshrining victims’ rights in law for the very first time and establishing an Independent Public Advocate to help bereaved families following a disaster. ·          Review the entire Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to consider how to improve access to compensation and better serve victims – especially victims of child sexual abuse and terrorism.   ·          Improve communication and support for victims during the parole process. We will simplify the Victim Contact Scheme and improve the quality of communication, allow Victim Personal Sta...

One or my left-wing friends - a person whose politics are very different indeed from mine but whom I consider to be a thoroughly good guy - shared with me this morning a link to a Howard Jacobsen speech delivered on 6th September at a debate organised by Intelligence Squared. Jacobson was speaking in favour of the Motion - " Jeremy Corbyn is Unfit to be Prime Minister ." The friend who shared this with me wrote " This is worth a read whether you agree with its' conclusions or not ," and I think he was right. You can read Howard Jacobson's speech on the Jewish Chronicle site here .

I don't always agree with Nick Cohen but I'm afraid he has Vladimir Putin and those on the hard-right and hard-left who apologise for the Putin regime bang to rights. He has an article this weekend which you can read on the Observer/Guardian site here , about the impact of the atrocities Putin's regime is inciting in Syria and the middle east on European politics. It starts as follows: F rom massacre to exile to racism to subversion and back again, Vladimir Putin has caught Europe in a rolling trap. The war crimes that Russia encourages the sectarian Assad regime to commit force Syrians to run. When a small proportion of them reach Europe (for never forget the rich world takes only a tiny minority of the world’s refugees) their presence drives Putin-supporting nationalists into power on anti-Muslim tickets. The iron wheel is about to turn again and grind up the lives of hundreds of thousands. Diplomatic attempts to prevent a battle look as if they have failed, ...

This is the furthest back that anyone has ever successfully traced back the saying about the supposedly Chinese curse, " May you live in interesting times ." Whether there really was a diplomat who heard it in China, or whether Sir Austen Chamberlain made it up, nobody now knows.

Councils need a standards or ethics code to encourage good and ethical conduct but sadly where such a code exists one potential problem is that it will be abused. There is always going to be a risk that unscrupulous politicians - whether members of a political party or not - will make malicious or unjustified complaints against their opponents to gain political advantage. Copeland is, I regret to say, one of the places where there has been a culture of just such behaviour. Councillors who I believe to have been completely innocent, in each part of the political spectrum - specifically, Conservative, Labour, and Independent - have been the target of complaints which were malicious, politically motivated, based on a complete misunderstanding, or all three. One of the many reasons to regret the culture of trivial or malicious complaints is that they have made genuine complaints against real misconduct - and there have been some of these, though in my opinion they have been a small m...

"I would like to wish Jewish people across the United Kingdom and around the world a happy, peaceful and prosperous Rosh Hashanah . As the Jewish New Year begins, I want to renew my unwavering vow to stand by our Jewish community now and for the years to come." Prime Minister Theresa May

The Government has overseen the opening of 53 new free schools and one University Technical College so parents have more choice for their children · The new schools which opened this week created up to 40,000 more school places across the country, and took the total number of free schools to 520 since we launched them in 2010. · We are also providing £50 million to create more free school places. 20 local authorities will receive a share of the funding to establish new free schools where they are needed most, creating around 15,000 more places.

The Secretary of State for Health and social care, Matt Hancock, gave a major speech today in Manchester at the NHS Expo 2018 about how getting high tech solutions right in the NHS can improve patient care while helping our hard-pressed doctors, nurses and other staff - and set out his six point plan to do it: First: Talk to each other Next: buy the right stuff  Third: Use cutting edge HealthTech Fourth: Back the NHS to succeed F ive: the NHS needs a new skillset Six: it also needs culture change It is was a lengthy and detailed speech which you can read in full on my hospitals blog here or on the government site here .

The heads of government of the USA. France, Germany, Canada and the UK have issued the following joint statement about the Salisbury poisoning. "We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, reiterate our outrage at the use of a chemical nerve agent, known as Novichok, in Salisbury on 4 March.  We welcome the progress made in the investigation into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, and take note of the attempted murder charges brought yesterday against two suspects. We commend the work of the UK Police and all those involved in this investigation.  We also note the UK’s analysis, independently verified by the OPCW, that the exact same chemical nerve agent was used in the poisoning of Dawn Sturgess and Charles Rowley as was used in the poisoning of the Skripals.  We urge Russia to provide full disclosure of its Novichok programme to the OPCW. And we encourage those with information about the attack in Salisbury on ...

"The issue is intertwined with Mr Corbyn’s suitability for high office. Last year’s election pointed to a mood for change in the UK. His radical policy programme spoke to that.  But this row casts doubt on whether he is a suitable leader for the country. Judged on his response to the anti-Semitism crisis, the conclusion must be that he is not." ( Financial Times leade r on Jeremy Corbyn and Anti-Semitism, which you can read in full here .)

A survey carried out by Survation on behalf of the Jewish Chronicle has found that nearly 40% of 710 British Jews who took part would "seriously consider" emigrating if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister. This represents a significant rise in the proportion of the Jewish community who are worried about their future compared with three years ago, when a survey found that the proportion then seriously considering emigration was just 11% Details of the JC Survation survey can be found here .

Tomorrow (Thursday 6th September 2018) there are two by-elections in the Denton Holme area of Carlisle, one for Cumbria County Council and one for Carlisle City Council. I have been to Carlisle to support Syed Ali (Conservative candidate for Carlisle City Council) and Geoffrey Osborne (Conservative candidate for Cumbria County Council) in the two by-elections. The by-elections were caused by the sad death of the late Councillor Hugh McDevitt, who was remembered at today's meeting of Cumbria County Council and for whom all the officers and members stood for a minute's silence in token of respect.  There were also four brief speeches in tribute to him from the three group leaders and the council chairman, explaining why he was held in great respect both by people who shared his political views and those who did not as someone who worked hard for Denton Holme. I hope that whoever wins these by-elections will work as hard for the residents of the area as Hugh did. ...

The governments Bank Referral Scheme has helped nearly 700 small businesses secure funding after they were rejected by their banks, as we back businesses to create good jobs. Key facts: · One of the biggest challenges for a growing small business is securing credit. Thanks to this scheme over £15 million has been found for businesses who were rejected for finance by their bank.  · Over the past 12 months, 670 businesses have raised over £12 million of funding through the Bank Referral Scheme, four times what was raised in the previous year.  · The Bank Referral Scheme requires Britain’s biggest banks to pass on the details of small businesses they have turned down for loans to online credit brokers. The brokers then help those businesses to source funding from alternative, and often smaller, lenders.  Why this matters: Small businesses are the backbone of Britain, yet many give up on their plans to expand if they can’t get a loan from their bank. Now however, tha...

"Can someone explain this. Why would the adoption of the full IHRA definition by a single political party have a " chilling effect " on freedom of speech in the UK, when its adoption by the UK government and Crown Prosecution Service has not?" ( Dan Hodges , former Labour and trade union activist who is now a journalist, responds to those who are suggesting that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of Anti-Semitism stifles criticism of Israel. It doesn't - the IHRA definition does not define as Anti-Semitic criticism of actions or policies of the government of Israel which would be criticised if any other government did them, only those who attack Israel for things which they would accept from every other state or government.)

Jacqueline Pearce, unforgettable to my generation of science fiction fans for her performance in "Blakes Seven," died yesterday of lung cancer at her home in Lancashire at the age of 74. Pearce played Supreme Commander Servalan, who in my opinion narrowly pips Gul Dukat of Deep Space Nine,  The Master, or Davross (both from Doctor Who) for the distinction of the most brilliantly created great science fiction villain of all time. She had trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts with Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt. Apart from Blakes Seven she also appeared in episodes of Doctor Who, Danger Man, The Avengers and Moondial. Her friend John Ainsworth told the Press Association: "She was outrageous, she was very honest and very straightforward, which didn't always go down very well, but you knew where you were with her.  "She liked a glass of champagne and liked everyone to have a good time with her, and of course she was a brilliant actress and everyon...