Apologies for the late update for last week. Usually I write these on Friday morning, but last week we had a Private Members' Bill day with a three-line whip as we debated a bill on the subject of "fire and rehire". I had put in to speak, but others took most of the debate to talk it out. We are putting in measures to strengthen the protections which already exist for employees, but this bill was not the right one.
I had a busy conference recess. The first week I went on a fact finding trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina which was interesting if not harrowing to hear about genocide during the war. We talked to local MPs in the Bosnian Parliament as well as local officials. We also met the mothers and wives of some of the thousands of Bosnians that were massacred by the Serbs in Ahmici and Srebrenica. Srebrenica was one of the worst atrocities where over 8000 men and boys were massacred in three days.
The UK has sponsored a museum in the town which has many films and pictures – the Serbs filmed everything. The Serbs realised that the mass graves could be found so they dug them up to disperse the bodies. This has meant that families do not have whole bodies to bury as body parts can be found in different graves. It is yet another example of man’s inhumanity, and tensions are high in the country at the moment as Serbian MPs refuse to accept the UN’s high representative’s decision to ban genocide denial.
The Party conference was a busy one for me as I chaired one Edge Foundation fringe meeting, and I was on the panel of the NEU fringe. Both of these meetings discuss the education reforms that I put in my paper last year which seem to have struck a chord with much of the educational establishment.
The rest of recess was spent visiting GP clinics, schools and businesses - I am trying to catch up with visits following Covid.
I was visiting Raimes Vineyard when I heard the news that an MP had been stabbed. Sir David Amess was one of the kindest gentlest MPs and this was a shocking incident. I was asked to cancel the Question and Answer session I had planned for that evening, but will hold it soon. It is important that people have access to their MPs.
After Jo Cox’s murder when I was the MP for Portsmouth South, I have always been careful not to announce where I am going to be in advance, and surgeries are by appointment only. Fortunately I have a good team and most queries and problems can be quickly answered by telephone, emails and Zoom rather than waiting for a surgery appointment, but that does not mean that I am going to hide away - I love meeting people.
On Sunday, I was at the opening of the new play park in Wecock Farm, it was very nice to be out and about.
We are now allowed to have visitors back in Westminster and I have an "open door policy". Let me know if you would like a tour, or just want to meet up with me in London rather than in Meon Valley.
Have a good week.
