The Commons touch - Gemma Doyle MP
Published 1 Sep 2011 09:30
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With Parliament being in recess, it's been great to be able to spend more time in the constituency, meeting local groups such as Haldane Youth Services, and attending events such as the opening of the new Loretto Housing Association development off Clydeshore Road.
This summer I've held a number of community coffee mornings and roving surgeries, giving people an opportunity to raise issues with me, or just to come along and have a cup of tea and a chat about what's happening in their area.
It's been interesting to hear what issues matter to people, like bringing jobs to the area and the need for more things for young people to do, but I've also been asking people what they like about their area, and I often hear folk say they have good neighbours and that we should be proud of the fantastic scenery along the river and up the loch.
Riots
Nobody can have failed to notice the disgraceful scenes of rioting and looting in London and other areas in England over the summer.
There was absolutely no excuse for the mindless violence and opportunistic crime that took place.
I'm glad we didn't see any similar actions in Scotland, but we can't be too complacent.
We shouldn't be too quick to reach for an easy explanation for what happened, but we should make sure that we take time to go over what happened, and consider how we stop it happening again.
Some people will still be feeling the after effects; business owners who had their livelihoods destroyed, residents who lost their homes, and innocent individuals caught up in the trouble, we need to make sure that they get the support they need to get them back on to their feet.
I am glad that the Prime Minister has now agreed to hold a full public enquiry in to the riots which the Labour Party called for.
And, whilst there are conflicting reports about what instructions the police were given about how to deal with the situation, there is no doubt their skill and bravery helped to put an end to the situation and stopped it spreading any further and we should be grateful to all those officers, including those from Strathclyde who were deployed down south.
PM's response on jobs
You may remember that several weeks ago I wrote to the Prime Minister, asking for a moratorium on further job losses within our area and asking that he send a cabinet minister to West Dunbartonshire, to see firsthand our jobs crisis.
He's now replied, but, disappointingly he hasn't answered the two straightforward questions I put to him. I'm looking forward to getting back to Parliament to put these questions to him face to face.
This article appeared in Clydebank Post 03 Aug 11
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