John Baron MP appeals for young men to join Anthony Nolan stem cell register

MP highlights fact 1600 people need potentially lifesaving stem cell transplant

John Baron MP is calling for young men in Basildon and Billericay to do something special this summer. The MP has joined other politicians in helping to recruit men between the ages to 18 and 30 to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register. Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer. Every day, they use their register to match remarkable donors willing to donate their blood stem cells to people who desperately need potentially lifesaving transplants. However, there is a shortage of young male donors on the bone marrow register.

John said:

“Presently, the Anthony Nolan charity can only find a matching donor for half the people who come to them in desperate need of a lifesaving stem cell transplant. There are around 1600 people in the UK in need of this transplant.”

“We therefore need more young men to come forward as donors and join the Anthony Nolan register. By doing so, these young men will be offering patients the chance of life and a new hope to their families.”

Anthony Nolan can be reached on 0303 303 0303 or by email at Victoria.moffett@anthonynolan.org


Speaking as someone who is alive because of a stem cell transplant, I can only endorse John's call. Donors rapidly replace donated stem cells, it's like giving blood, not like giving up a kidney, and you get to save someone's life.

Tragedy in Norway

Our hearts must go out to the people of Norway, especially the relatives and friends of those killed and wounded in the terrible events there.

There is no justification of such mass-murder, none. There would be no justification if Norway was some sort of repressive dictatorship as opposed to one of the most open democracies in Europe. Mass murder of innocents in a deliberate effort to advance a cause is always wrong. When that mass murder extends to children it becomes especially heinous. What has been astonishing is that some moral bankrupts on the internet have been trying to use the events in Norway to make political points. So, we have idiots on the Right muttering about 'anger' caused by politicians supposedly ignoring their pet causes and idiots on the Left almost gleeful that the vicious murderer is a political enemy. Both are contemptible.

All of the evidence in this case is that these crimes were the work of a narcissistic psychopathic lunatic who either worked alone or received very limited support by some other extremists via the internet. Sadly, the world has always had nutcases with an inflated view of their own importance relative to the rest of us. Sometimes they do things like this, but it doesn't change their total irrelevance to any political debate carried on by the overwhelming moral and sane majority. The Norweigans are determined that they won't change their society in response to one evil, crazed fruitcake, and that should be our response as well.

We should have nothing but revulsion for anyone on either the Right or the Left who tries to use these events to advance their pet causes. But they will.

John Baron MP backs campaign to save lives from England’s biggest cancer killer

MP highlights postcode lottery and lung cancer survival rates

As Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, John Baron MP today backed calls to save lives from England’s biggest cancer killer by tackling variations in lung cancer services in England. Your chance of surviving lung cancer depends on where you live in the country, according to a new report from The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation recently launched in the Houses of Parliament. The ‘Explaining Variations in Lung Cancer in England’ report shines a spotlight on the postcode lottery that exists in lung cancer.

John said:

“Someone dies from lung cancer every 15 minutes in the UK. I commend The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s new report which shows that we need to urgently tackle the unacceptable postcode lottery in lung cancer. Everyone deserves to have good quality care, no matter where they live.”

“We need to do more to make sure that people with lung cancer are diagnosed early, when the chances of curative treatment are at their best. I’d encourage everyone to be aware of the signs and symptoms and to go to their doctor if they are concerned. There’s nothing to lose by getting checked out – and everything to gain.”

“And we need to make sure that, when someone is diagnosed, they have a good experience of care, including access to a lung cancer specialist nurse to support them and their families.”

Dr Rosemary Gillespie, chief executive of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said:

“Despite recent advances, lung cancer remains a devastating disease and the most common cause of cancer death in England. Your chance of surviving lung cancer and receiving a treatment which could benefit you should not be decided by where you live in the country. Sadly, it is clear that this is indeed the case and there is significant geographical variation in patient survival and patient access to care and treatment.”
“We hope this report will act as a tool to help bring those areas with a poorer service and outcomes up to the standard of the best, so we can improve the experience of all lung cancer patients and save lives.”
The report was developed using existing data to give a local picture of lung cancer outcomes, services and care.

A full copy of the report is available by visiting www.roycastle.org or calling 0151 254 7200 to request a copy.

The Big Gypsy Eviction

The BBC ran this programme last night, a documentary with a human-interest slant on the unauthorised Dale Farm Traveller site and the eviction that may take place shortly. It was reasonably fair, though it didn't go into the technicalities of the matter, rather concentrating on the people involved. Those technicalities are briefly that the Dale Farm land is owned by the Travellers, but it is Green Belt and has no planning permission. Planning rules are there for very good reasons and you just cannot pitch up and build what effectively constitutes a village in any field that you think fit. There has been considerable adverse impact on nearby residents for example, and the documentary illustrated this to some extent.

It also illustrated the culture clash that has made this whole issue so much more difficult. There have been threats of violence from the Travellers when they don't get what they want, as illustrated in this BBC article:

"We're fighting for our homes," says one man, as he adds gas cylinders to a barricade.

He demonstrates how the cylinders can be be lit so a large flame flies out. "The first man that comes in is going to die," the man warns.

And Mimi also has a warning: "Basildon will go up in fire before we go."

The police take this sort of stuff seriously, which is why they are on hand at the Council whenever there is any Traveller business under consideration. So, the professionals think that this is more than just bluster.

I don't know who is advising the Travellers, but do they actually think that this sort of thing helps their cause? Certainly, support among the settled community for action on any unauthorised development in the Green Belt remains high.

Most people do not react well to threats.

John Baron MP hosts Myeloma UK Parliamentary Reception

MP highlights work of the Myeloma Academy

Myeloma UK held a Reception in Parliament earlier this week to launch their new healthcare professional (HCP) programme, the Myeloma Academy™. The Reception was timed to coincide with the 13th annual Myeloma Awareness Week (21 - 28 June).The Academy is an online resource designed to meet the educational needs of all HCPs involved in the treatment and care of myeloma patients. There was a wide range of attendees, including MPs, civil servants, myeloma patients, myeloma HCPs and key individuals from the Royal Colleges and NHS educational community. The event was hosted by John Baron MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer (APPGC).

John said:

“The Myeloma Academy is an excellent example of a charity helping to reduce patient inequality and improve patient experience within a rare cancer community.”

“It reduces inequality by ensuring all patients, wherever they live, have access to a myeloma specialist. It improves the experience of patients by allowing them to become an equal partner in decisions about treatment and care.”


Being a Myeloma sufferer myself, I can only applaud the good work done by John in support of cancer patients everywhere. The good work done by the clinicians and charities in this field has turned Myeloma from a rapid death sentence to an unpleasant chronic condition for many people like me. I am grateful to them all.

Eurosceptics were dead right about the euro

Back in 2000 the subject of hot debate was should Britain join the euro. This debate was held far and wide, from newspaper columns, to talking heads on the news, to parliament and even in the Conservative association in Basildon, where we had a debate on the matter.

The basic positions were on the one hand that the euro could not work without very large monetary transfers, which were specifically ruled out in the treaty, and on the other hand that if Britain stayed out that we would be sidelined economically and our prosperity would suffer. Actually the latter does not really represent the supposed Götterdämmerung that many pro-euro commentators stated as absolute fact would befall our country if we stayed out. There was also the truly stupid argument that wouldn't it be nice not have change holiday money when travelling to the continent. As if that was more important that the potential to wreck our economy with a failed euro experiment.

In general what was particularly noticable was how the euro-sceptic view on the euro was ridiculed by the BBC and their pro-euro fellow-travellers. It was conflated with a supposed hatred of foreigners by 'little Englanders' and treated with amused contempt. Well, who was right and who was wrong?

The key problem with the euro was, and is, that in the event that European economies diverged, and one or more nations went in recession while others did not, then the currency could not move to match the new economic conditions. It would either be at the wrong value for some nations or others. So, the euro is now at the wrong value for Ireland, Greece, Spain and Portugal while being right for Germany and France. Without the ability of their currency to devalue, then the smaller nations in trouble have to make cuts to wages and public services instead. They even risk getting into a situation that the cuts make their growth levels so low that they never get out of debt and so face generations of poverty. Meanwhile in Britain, Sterling has devalued by about 20% over the last few years, boosting exports at exactly the right time for our economy.

It has come to a situation where very serious people in the UK Parliament and abroad are discussing, or advocated, some nations leaving the euro. Frankly, in the case of Greece and Ireland that is exactly what they should do. However, expect a rearguard action by, well, the old guard who see the European project as more important than reality.

No apologies by the BCC and various pro-euro commentariat though.

Hell would freeze over first.

Localism in Action

There has been a lot of discussion, in political circles anyway, regarding Localism and what it means. A lot of this seems to be an attempt to provide a dictionary definition rather than anything to do with actual policy. From the perspective of a local Councillor, I have already seen the death of a great deal of government oversight and reporting, which frankly was a complete waste of time and money. So, I no longer have to sit and be lectured by government-appointed know-nothings from the Audit Commission on what's wrong with me, while the professional officers from the Council sit around me on overtime courtesy of the Council taxpayer.

However, the real change has been to the planning system. Now, this is a bit of a dry subject, which is why it gets little attention, but it is actually hugely important. Planning defines how communities develop and grow and for a dynamic place like Basildon Borough it is especially important. So, what's changed? Well the Regional Spatial Strategy, where a bunch of people who never set foot in Basildon decided how many homes we had to build, is history. Well, not quite. Some property developers have fought a rearguard action through the courts, but it is still a case of going, going, soon to be gone. Now, we decide how much housebuilding we need, via a streamlined Local Development Framework process. This used to mean sending documents off to the Government Office for the East of England, for another bunch of know-nothings to mark our work and send it back in a seemingly endless cycle of corrections and changes. Now, with Localism, we write the LDF and a central government inspector reviews it. The only result of this can be a yes or no: either it is accepted as a credible piece of work or rejected. This stops a Council producing a work of fantasy, ignoring population growth in order to appease the 'not one brick' brigade for example, but it stops the government from micro-managing local planning. The net effect is to cut years off the LDF process and to save hundreds of thousands of pounds of the Council's money.

Firing the empty suits who used to look over our shoulders must have saved a few bob too.

John Baron MP: Dale Farm eviction funding now complete

MP sends message to travellers and says eviction can now proceed

Today John Baron MP confirmed that after detailed negotiations the total potential policing costs arising from the Council’s clearance of the illegal Dale Farm traveller site have now been fully funded. Negotiations between various Government Departments, the Prime Minister’s Office, Essex Police, Essex Police Authority, and Basildon Borough Council have resulted in the £9.5m needed in a worst case scenario being met through a combination of sources [see notes to editors]. This removes the final obstacle in proceeding with the eviction.

John said:

Because the Prime Minister accepted this site had to be cleared and because of the goodwill of various parties to these negotiations, we have now pieced together this financial jigsaw and so guarantee all potential policing costs are met. The eviction can now proceed.

This funding sends a clear message that no one individual or group is above the law. Once again, I urge the travellers at the illegal Dale Farm site to now move off peacefully, as no one wants to see the misery of a forced eviction. If not, the eviction will proceed for it is only fair the law is enforced without exception.

I would like to thank Cllr Tony Ball and his team, Chief Constable Jim Barker-McCardle and his team, Essex Police Authority, and the Government. These negotiations haven’t always gone smoothly but we got there in the end. I would also like to thank local residents for their patience and trust.

Notes to Editors

Essex Police has costed various scenarios and requires up to £9.5m in a worst case scenario. If necessary, this funding will be met as follows:-

• The first £2.5m costs to be met by Essex Police Authority
• The next £2.4m to be shared equally between the Home Office and Basildon Borough Council.
• The next £2.3m costs to be met by the Home Office alone; and
• The next £2.3m costs to be shared equally between the Home Office and Essex Police Authority.
  

Correction - Plan B advocates not economists, still Balls

Very good article on ConservativeHome on the background of those 'economists' who are suggesting a change to government economic policy. It turns out that a fairly large number of them are not economists, but soft-subject academics instead. So, we have expertise in History, Cultural Studies, Human resources and so on, but precious little in the subject that they are pontificating about.

A better headline to yesterday's media coverage would have been 'Labour unable to find actual economists to back Balls'.

Meanwhile the IMF have endorsed the government's approach, the key passage from their report being:

However, the weakness in economic growth and rise in inflation over the last several months was unexpected. This raises the question whether it is time to adjust macroeconomic policies. The answer is no as the deviations are largely temporary. Strong fiscal consolidation is underway and remains essential to achieve a more sustainable budgetary position, thus reducing fiscal risks.

Not exactly equivocal.

Plan B is Balls

A warning from economists that the government's economic policies are not working is reported in the Observer. The article, focusses on recent disappointing economic data, but the quoted arguments don't make a lot of sense. For example Johathan Portes, until recently a government economist, is quoted as giving this opinion on growth:

It isn't just about the international environment, it's because of the strategy the government has followed.

Most government cuts only started to kick in with the new tax year in April, for which there is no economic data yet. So, what is he talking about? He could argue that its all going to be a disaster, but the cause and effect that he implies simply doesn't exist.

The proposed plan B is the usual sort of stuff you get from left-wing economists. They want more government spending and higher taxes, because there is a long and rich history of nations taxing and spending their way out of problems with economic growth. Except that there isn't. The one thing that the government's policy has done is kept Britain out of the eurozone crisis, as a prime victim that is. There are still a lot of UK liabilities in foreign failing economies, but at least we haven't joined them.

Of course, up pops Ed Balls, who is incredibly complaining about government borrowing. Huh? He wants higher spending and where does he think the cash would come from? The tooth fairy?

Meanwhile, grown-ups will be aware that we won't be able to start making a balanced judgement on the outturn of last year's budget until the end of this year at least. By that time one or more European countries may well have defaulted on their government debt.

That will put the real issues into sharp relief and, hopefully put Balls back into his box.