This has been a melancholy week for those of us in politics. I was greatly saddened to hear about the deaths of three well-known Labour politicians, all of whom died within the space of a week.
We lost the former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees and the former sports minister Tony Banks. We also lost the Scottish MP Rachel Squire, who died after a battle with cancer.
I also felt a great deal of sympathy for Charles Kennedy this week. After he admitted that he's been battling a problem with alcohol, he bowed to pressure and decided to resign as leader of the Liberal Democrats. I thought the pictures of him leaving London with his wife and child were very poignant.
Now the Christmas break is over, I've returned to Westminster into the midst of another leadership contest - first the Conservatives, now the Liberal Democrats! It certainly gives everything a very unsettled feel.
But there is also the feel of new beginnings as we start this new parliamentary session. On the first day of the new session, I participated in the debate on the Government of Wales Bill. This is a positive step and the beginning of a new era. The Welsh Assembly will have more powers and more decisions will be made close to home.
And this week the Prime Minister also launched the Government's "respect agenda". I welcome the discussion that will follow about how best to ensure that people feel safe and respected within their communities. Anti-social behaviour has been a major issue in my constituency and there clearly needs to be more liaison between the police and the community in order to tackle this. |
