Mimi Harker

BBC Expenses

Im not sure what is worse - the MP’s attitudes to being caught in their scurrilous accounting habits or the BBC’s big chiefs attitude to being exposed with their unbelievable lists of the most ridiculous expenses claims on top of the most fabulous salaries.  I fear this is what happens when people and organisations are not held accountable and are paid from the public purse.

We should get rid of the licence fee.  That simple act would ensure that the BBC had to raise funds like other media organisations and then it is up to them how they spend it.  Looking at the news stories they have run on the MP’s expenses, I find it hypocritical not to put too fine a point on it, when they have been doing the same themselves.

Cllr. Pauline Wilkinson MBE

I don’t normally write about things like this on my blog site however, the death of Pauline Wilkinson has left a big void in our bit of the Party world.  It was a well known fact that she and I didn’t get on that well initially, however, over the last 18 months we had become firm friends with a mutual respect for what each other delivers to our electorate and communities on a professional level and a huge amount of respect for what each other has been through to ensure that family and politics don’t drown each other out on a personal level.  She is definitely somebody I went to for advice and for help. She was a remarkable woman with her energy, enthusiasm and total passion for the people she represented.  It will be hard to find people like Pauline in todays society.  Hey she even signed up my husband to the Party during the last local elections!

I find it absolutely disgusting therefore, to find that even before her funeral has taken place that the Lib Dems are busy garnering support for a by-election by putting petitions and literature out into the community.  I am so disgusted, I say no more and leave you to make up your own minds about the sort of people you want representing you.  I would have thought Respect and Honour were two very strong words that should apply to somebody in that position and I don’t see any of that in the desperation to get out on the campaign trail demonstrated here by the Liberal Democrats.  Shame on you.  I hope people see you for what you are.

BAME Task Force Road Show at Chiltern District Council

It was a fantastic event yesterday.  The Task Force held a road show for the Chiltern, Windsor and Maidenhead area as part of the remit for the members of this extraordinary group.  Extraordinary?  Yes indeed - a more talented and articulate and diverse bunch of ladies would be hard to find anywhere under one umbrella and it showed on the day with the moving and inspiring stories that we heard from the guest speakers.

Cllr Merel Ece was measured and insightful describing her path to power. Her experience and track service shone through.  She made you feel as though you were in very capable hands if you were to ever need her in a crisis.  That is one of the best qualitites I believe that an elected Member should have.  She has it - in bucket loads.

Cllr Denise Headland grew up in a totally political family.  Her message was I am British and I am proud of it and she was the sort of general you would follow into battle without giving a second thought!

Cllr Humaira Khan talked eloquently on the problems Muslim women face and how she had recently decided to adopt the hijab to show solidarity with her sisters.  She was moving and inspiring and it was a pleasure to hear her views.

We were delighted that Fiona McTaggart MP was amongst the guests and explained to one delegate in the Q&A session how you had to get very emotional and  almost gimicky to bring an issue before an MP.  It was surprising to most of the delegates that she spends up to one and a half hours a day deleting unread emails which is why you need the gimmicks to get your MP’s attention.  Its astonishing what you have to do to get your cause supported and therefore I felt rather proud of the camapaign trail I have left behind me!

Womens Federation For World Peace

On Wednesday 10th June I spoke at a conference held at the House of Lords, organised by the Womens Federation for World Peace.  It was a wonderful evening with some very inspiring speakers.  I thought I would write a bit about each one as they had such amazing statements to make and their stories were awesome!

Baroness Verma chaired the meeting and was most eloquent on all the topics presented during the evening. She spoke with wisdom, compassion, sincerity and honesty and her words made a huge impact in the room.

Raj Loomba CBE was such a humble person and it astonished me when he told us that his inspiration was his mother, who was widowed at the age of 37 and then had to raise her large family herself.  Raj was the youngest and only 10 when his father died.  He started life with a good education thanks to his Mother and his entrepreneurial career started with a roadside stall, followed by cycling round selling icecreams, then he started importing and exporting and built his fortune this way.  His dream was to give something back to the community and to honour his Mother for her love and her wisdom in his upbringing and hence he started the Loomba Trust which supports poor widows and their children all over the World.  His is a truly remarkable tale and very humbling.

Patti Boulaye was our next speaker, the effervescent star radiated warmth and good will and again her experiences relayed to us with such a tone of matter of factness - inspired and humbled at the same time.  Her success as a singer and actress are well known but what I didn’t know was that she is also an artist and in fact is having an exhibition of her work this Sunday 20th June in Eton.  Her charity is ‘Support for Africa’ of which she is President and her stories of the health care centres created to bring relief and support to the areas in Africa are moving and very emotional.

Patricia Earle, a charming lady whose voice is musical as she relates all the different projects she undertakes in the Midlands area.  She established the Womens Peace Group in 1993 and told us there were occasions when women from 43 different language backgrounds were all together under one roof enjoying an evening in each others company, learning about their different cultures and faiths and exchanging ideas.

Mrs Hai Ok Song Lee came from Korea originally and is settled in London.  She and her husband co-chair the European Universal Peace Federation and the partner organisation Womens Federation for World peace.  She was an absolutely charming and delightful lady and it was such a pleaure to meet her.

Nancy Jubb was the MC for the evening and again, it was a real pleasure to meet her.

It was the night of the train strike, and when we had concluded the conference, there were no trains for me to get home.  They say He shall provide - and sure enough, the ladies from Birmingham had arrived in a mini bus and had  a spare seat and were kind enough to give me a lift as far as Beaconsfield at which point I changed vehicles and went home with hubby!  How lucky was that!  It was a fab evening!

Obama Beach or Omaha Beach?

I know a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but yesterday I listened with incredulity as Brown was booed in France whilst attending the Veterans service on Omaha Beach, which he referred to as Obama beach and nobody seems to have picked this up!

Good Bye Gordon Brown

Good Bye Gordon Brown

Prudence is no longer

Good Bye Gordon Brown

Your weakness just gets stronger.

Good Bye Gordon Brown

Your time to go has come

Good Bye Gordon Brown

The ship is going down.

Fast.
Gordon Brown Exits stage left.  Enter David Cameron, stage right….

Elections Today

If nothing else, the political scandals at national level have really brought the voters out and got them re-engaging with politics!  What a fantastic day it has been and I have enjoyed every minute I’ve been out there with our candidates.  It has been buzzing all day and I am now really looking forward to the count tomorrow - it cannot come soon enough!  Pauline, Martin - you did a fantastic job with your campaign and winning tomorrow would be your absolute just deserts!  Whatever happens, well done!  Congratulations!

Amersham Division Candidates for County Council Elections

Today, please vote for Pauline Wilkinson and Martin Phillips as they will be the best representatives for the people here in Amersham!  Good Luck to both of you - you have worked so hard you richly deserve to win.

XXX

Come On Out Everybody and VOTE!

That’s the message! Everybody needs to get out there and express their democratic right to vote!  Please do no let the national situation stop you from participating in local voting.  It is totally separate and we have always published our expenses in the press every year.

This is your opportunity to show Gordon Brown that his time is up and his days are numbered and it is time to go.

GOOD LUCK TODAY!!!!

Good Luck to all my colleagues standing in county elections today!  See you all at the count tomorrow.

XXX