Brazil, the Post Office, Higher Education meetings and launching an Enterprise Club - all part of my week this week
Monday 14th May - Our Business Select Committee visit to Brazil last week was as valuable as it was busy. In 24 meetings and visits over 5 days in 3 cities, we talked with Brazilian business and political leaders, as well as UK companies operating in this fast-growing economy. We gained a real insight into the opportunities for British trade and investment and will be making recommendations to Government on how to make the most of them.
One overwhelming impression was of a country with a clear vision for its future. Although facing many challenges, Brazil has ambitious plans to invest in its infrastructure and young people as a basis for economic growth. What a contrast with the news from home, where the Queen's Speech showed a Government completely out of touch with ordinary people and no idea of how to delivers growth and jobs.
This week in Parliament, we'll be continuing the debate on the Queen's Speech; let me know what you think of it here. The Business Select Committee is meeting twice this week; to continue our inquiry on apprenticeships and to investigate the plans for the transformation of the Post Office network. I'll be participating in meetings on developing housing policy and looking at how we can sustain quality assurance in universities in the new market being created by the Government.
I've also a range of individual meetings, including representatives of the Open University, London University of the Arts, University and College Union, Veolia and the Peter Jones Foundation (which runs an Enterprise Academy at Sheffield College) - before returning to Sheffield for the Cutlers Feast on Thursday. On Friday I'm pleased to be launching the Yorkshire Enterprise Club, a new initiative from the Federation of Small Businesses, to support people starting new businesses. I'll also be joining other Sheffield MPs in a meeting with NHS Sheffield and the Chair of the new Clinical Commissioning Group to discuss the local impact of the Government's plans for the NHS.
Paul welcomes NUS National Conference to Sheffield and slams Nick Clegg for betraying a 'generation of young people'
Tuesday April 24th - Paul Blomfield today gave the welcoming address to the 90th Annual Conference of National Union of Students' (NUS) which is being held in Sheffield at the City Hall. Describing Sheffield as a "student city", Paul paid tribute to the contribution that Sheffield's two world-class universities and their students make to the city, and challenged students to help undo the damage done to politics by Nick Clegg's betrayal on tuition fees.
Paul said "I'm really pleased to welcome you to Sheffield. I've lived here most of my life and over my life time our two universities have grown from the margins to take centre place in the city. Sheffield's past is based on traditional industries, with skills and expertise giving a world-wide reputation for excellence in steel and engineering. But our city's future lies in combining that traditional expertise with the research and innovation excellence of our two universities, and the work of Sheffield College in developing our skills base.
"But the contribution of students goes well beyond that their contribution to the economy. Sheffield is a livelier and richer city, socially and culturally, because of the contribution of students and the work of our students' unions."
Paul also said: "Two years ago Nick Clegg, made his infamous pledge to the NUS Conference to "resist, vote against, and campaign against any lifting of the cap on tuition fees". I wasn't just angry about the subsequent Lib Dem betrayal on fees but about its wider impact. That betrayal has tarnished the attitude to politics of a whole generation, and the task of undoing that damage falls to students in NUS. Students need to take up the challenge of campaigning, sometimes on the tough issues, to rebuild that trust and engagement in democratic politics."
Budget Speech in Parliament on the unfair Lib Dem tax policy
Tuesday 27th March - Yesterday in the Commons we debated last week's Budget. I made a speech which focused on how the Lib Dems' tax policy is unfair on the poorest and argued that the Budget fails the test of fairness and fails the test of growing the economy.
You can read my speech in full here or watch it here (skip forward to 06:19:55 to see my speech)
What do you think about the Budget, or my speech? Is the Government's decision to scrap the 50p rate of income tax for the highest earners fair? Get in touch to share your views here or tweet me at @paulblomfieldmp
