Abolition for the House of Lords

I am not in favour of the House of Lords and would vote for its abolition.  I believe in a ‘one chamber’ Parliament with power residing in the House of Commons which is, as you know, fully elected.  There is, however, one scenario where I do believe that there is an argument for a second chamber.

In the Federal Republic of Germany there is a two chamber system.  The Bundestag is the Lower House which is elected by a mixed system of ‘first past the post’ and ‘proportional representation’ and the Upper House, the Bundesrat, consists of members who are nominated by the different Lander in proportion to the size of the population in that particular state. 

Britain does not have a fully-fledged federal system of Government but there are Parliaments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who have varying powers and if there were to be an English Parliament as well then I believe that there is a case for each of those four regional Parliaments to appoint representatives in an Upper House in order to, as is the case in Germany, protect the interests of those devolved Parliaments.  The Bundesrat in Germany has a clearly defined set of powers but the Lower House, Bundestag, is still the predominant chamber. 

As I have said were Britain to move towards a federal system with each of the four countries of the United Kingdom having their own Parliament then I can see an argument for having a similar system involving a second chamber but under the current system we have I can see no justification for having a second chamber.

St. George’s Day Greetings.

 

I extend greetings Christians in my constituency on St. George’s Day on the 23^rd April.  St. George is the Patron Saint of England and among the most famous of Christian figures.  The banner of St. George – the red cross of a martyr on a white background – was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers as far back as the reign of Richard I and later became the flag of England and White Ensign of the Royal Navy.  Little is known about St. George himself but he is venerated in many countries of the world and I send my best wishes to all of my constituents who celebrate St. George’s Day.

Further help for Syria from the UK Government

Birmingham MP, Roger Godsiff, has broadly welcomed the recent announcement by Foreign Secretary William Hague that he has agreed to provide half a million pounds of British support to Syria's political opposition. This support includes agreement in principle for practical non-lethal support to them inside Syria.

Mr Godsiff said: “This latest contribution builds on the British Government’s £450,000 of practical support to the Syrian opposition and civil society in the last 8 months, which has included strategic communications and media skills training to internal activists, conflict resolution and negotiation training to independent civil society and training and advice to Syrian human rights defenders from across the country.”

He went on to say: “ I am sure that all of this in its own way will help but estimates place the current death toll at over 8000 and with the number of children killed in the hundreds. What the Syrian opposition really needs is anti-tank artillery and rocket propelled grenades (RPG’s).

William Hague said: "It will help hard-pressed opposition groups and brave civil society organisations inside and outside the country to document the regime’s violations and gain the skills and resources they need to help build a democratic future for Syria.”

Birmingham MP calls for supermarket watchdog in the next Queen's speech

Hall Green MP, Roger Godsiff, believes that the big supermarkets have grown too powerful and has written to the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, to ask him to introduce a Bill in the next Queen's speech to curb their powers.

Mr Godsiff said: "What we need is a watchdog with teeth; an adjudicator, that will ensure that the big supermarkets do not abuse their market position and potential stranglehold over suppliers, particularly in the UK.  It is now four years since the Competition Commission concluded as much and yet, we are no further forward with this matter and hence my letter to Vince Cable.

“We need a watchdog that has the power to launch investigations and fine supermarkets.  I have the feeling that governments of all complexions treat supermarkets with 'kid gloves' and ultimately it is the consumer and the UK producer which loses out to cheap imports, lower animal welfare standards and low-cost packaging, which the British consumer has to pay for to have disposed.  I do not believe that environmental impacts are top of the list of concerns for the big supermarkets in the UK because it hits the bottom line and that cannot continue".

Mr Godsiff concluded: "I understand that a draft Bill to address this matter already exists and has been road tested by not just one but two select committees; it is now time to implement these measures without further delay".

Young people in Birmingham Hall Green given the Chance to be Chancellor and share their opinions on the Youth Budget 2012

Roger Godsiff MP is supporting the launch of Chance to be Chancellor 2012 and is calling on schools and young people in Birmingham Hall Green to take up in the challenge to learn about, and share their opinions on, Budget 2012.  Run by the Citizenship Foundation, in partnership with Aviva, Chance to be Chancellor is open to all 14-18 year olds across the UK.

Running until the 20^th February, participants can enter into a national competition to win great prizes and visit HM Treasury in London.

To find out more and get involved visit: www.chancetobechancellor.org.uk

Chinese New Year 2012

I extend congratulations to my Chinese constituents on the occasions of the Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon.

23^rd January marks the start of the biggest event in the Chinese calendar and up to 15 days of celebrations.  I know the Year of the Dragon is the most auspicious animal in Chinese culture and the Chinese New Year is a great time for family and friends to celebrate and an excellent opportunity for generations to come together to share plans for the coming year and to reflect.

I extend greetings to all my Chinese constituents on this happy occasion.

Postcard From Parliament - December 2011 Edition

'Postcard from Parliament' is a monthly update on the work Roger Godsiff MP does for Birmingham Hall Green constituents. Read the December edition, which gives details of November activity, here http://bit.ly/taW9Sa