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Eddie Izzard's brilliant campaigning...
Friday 23rd April 2010 3:35 PM
Eddie Izzard, stand-up comedian, actor, and concert-pianist, marathon runner, and, of course, ardent Labour supporter was in Leeds this afternoon. Just in case you missed it you can view the broadcast he did on behalf of Labour here; in it Eddie reminds us, through the mire of Conservative despair about 'Broken Britain', that Britain is brilliant and shouldn't be run down by the Conservatives gloom-mongering or their policies. Plenty of people came up to us taking stickers and balloons and Eddie himself stopped and spoke to many voters and fans alike to spread the Labour message.
As well as supporting Labour's nationwide campaign Eddie is fully supporting my campaign in Leeds North East. Keeping Britain and Leeds North East brilliant is something only Labour can do.
Posted 3:35 PM | 0 Comments | Permalink
Showing my soccer skills....
Thursday 22nd April 2010 10:36 AM
Ed Balls, Schools Secretary, and myself vistied a 'Brazilian Soccer School' on Roundhay Park. The soccer schools were founded by Simon Clifford, a former PE teacher, who through a chance meeting managed to involve the World Cup winning Brazilian Juninho in his after school training classes. Juninho introduced Clifford to Futebol de Salão, a smaller, heavier ball that is used in Brazil, along with a radically different approach to teaching football and the first Brazilian Soccer School actually took place on Roundhay Park. They have spread to become an international success stroy and millions of children enjoy the benefits of the schools expertise. As you can see myself.
Posted 10:36 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink
Carr Manor School Mock Election
Monday 19th April 2010 4:18 PM
It was great today to be able to participate in a hustings for the pupils at Carr Manor School. Recently there has been a suggestion that the youth vote is partially behind the current surge in the polls by the Liberal Democrats however, none of that showed in the result today of the mock election the school held after the hustings. Labour won with 234 votes compared to 135 for the Conservatives and 49 for the Liberal Democrats.
I would like to thank Sarah Holdsworth and Lee Jackson for their help in organsing the event and of course the pupils and teachers at Carr Manor for taking part in such a wonderful event.
Posted 4:18 PM | 0 Comments | Permalink
Gordon Brown visits Leeds...
Thursday 15th April 2010 4:59 PM
It was a great pleasure to welcome Gordon Brown to Leeds North East. He was met by cheering supporters and I was able to show him first hand the hard work being done by Labour activists supporting my re-election campaign working hard to get across Labour's promise of a future fair for all:
Posted 4:59 PM | 0 Comments | Permalink
Leeds needs High Speed Rail...
Monday 12th April 2010 12:09 PM
Proposals for a high-speed rail network between London and Birmingham were unveiled last month. After Birmingham the network will split into a Y-shape and head westwards to Manchester and eastwards to Sheffield and Leeds.
This is excellent news for Leeds and will bring a much-needed economic boost to the region. As Gary Williamson, of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, explained:
"This announcement is fantastic news for our region. High-speed rail plays a pivotal role in the longterm economic vision for Yorkshire. We have seen the impact of high-speed rail in delivering growth and inward investment for other regions in Europe."
It's not just businesses that will benefit; rail passengers can expect to see journey times slashed. Between London and Leeds they will come down from around two hours 10 minutes to 75 minutes. All-in-all the project would cost around £30bn but as I hope you can see that is money well spent. However, the Conservatives are threatening the plans that provide such a massive boost to Leeds. Theresa Villiers, the shadow transport secretary, speaking in The Guardian put forward alternative plans that gave "no firm guarantees north of the Midlands".
I was at the forefront of lobbying the government for the inclusion of Leeds in its plans. I think it says an awful lot about the lack of committment of the Conservative Party to this city that it's unwilling to make such guarantees. Their lack of committment runs the risk of making business reluctant to pursue the kind of investment this project will bring. I am committed to this project and making sure that Leeds receives all the benefits it brings; it's a shame the same cannot be said of the Conservative Party.
Posted 12:09 PM | 0 Comments | Permalink
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