12 Years as MP for Hastings
1st May 2009 marked 12 years since I was elected as MP for Hastings and Rye.
There has been a great deal of water under the bridge since then so I thought I would do something a little different this week for my column….so here's my self styled 12th anniversary Q&A.
You've been MP for Hastings for 12 years. What's it been like?
I've been extremely lucky. I was born, bred, employed and married in Hastings. My sons live in the town and I still know many people I went to school with at William Parker. To get the chance to represent my hometown in parliament is incredible. I've never been so proud as I was in 1997. It really is the best job in the world and I think I've played my part in making the town a better place to live.
What have been the Government's greatest achievements over that time?
There are many things I could offer as an answer here but I will focus on just a couple. New support offered to parents through increased Child Benefit and the Tax Credit system has helped lift 600,000 children out of poverty. It was scandalous what had gone before so what we did was absolutely right. The Minimum Wage (which has just had its 10th anniversary) helped 2 million workers overnight, two thirds of them women, and countless more since. This was a landmark piece of legislation which really changed lives and now, I hope, so engrained in our culture that no future Government would dare repeal it. I would emphasise these are both very much 'works in progress' and that we still have more to do.
Greatest Government failure?
Iraq springs to mind. I didn't vote for the war (one of my proudest moments) but it has become clear we needed better planning for how to win the peace in Iraq, not just win the war. Combat operations have just ended and the country is now undoubtedly in a better position than it was under Saddam – rights for women, democracy, free speech and so on but there has been a lot of bloodshed over the past few years.
Hopefully in years to come Iraq will stand as a beacon of democracy in the middle east but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of violence resulted from US and British failures to 'plan the peace'.
What's Changed in Hastings?
Hastings has changed massively over the past 12 years. We have seen huge investment across the board. In 2002 the then Minister for Regeneration, Lord Falconer, announced the first 38million instalment of what has become a 400million package for the Town. We now have Lacuna Place, the Innovation centre, new train station, the University centre and a new 92m college, Enviro Park and 15m health centre on the way.
All that investment means crime is down and employment is down. There is a real buzz to the town that perhaps wasn't there 12 years ago.
What next for the UK and Hastings?
I support the Government's broad agenda starting with tackling the global downturn. We must invest in public services and protecting jobs so that we can emerge stronger on the other side. Global finance must also be reformed –we must always remember markets are there to work for people, not the other way around. At home we must remain focused on our twin goals of equality and alleviating poverty. The best way to do this is by giving people opportunities and encouraging aspiration through investment in schools, universities, vocational training and places for mature students.
As for Hastings I want the town to go from strength to strength. The, now approved, link road and improved A21 will improve transport links and boost the economy. I also want to see ongoing Government investment. I am particularly excited by the new college which I believe promises a bright future.
So there you have it. A brief (and I do mean brief) summary of my 12 years as MP. I have been proud to serve the town and I hope I have made a positive difference. It really has been a privilege that hopefully still has more time to run!
To keep up to date on what I'm doing stop by my website http://www.michaelfoster.org.uk/.
You can also receive a monthly update on my activities by sending an email to mp@1066.net with 'MPFree' in the subject line.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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