Dave with the campaign card
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Dave is asking for young local heroes to be nominated for a Red Cross Award.
The scheme is open to under 25s in four categories; first aid, volunteering, community action and fund-raising.
Dave said:
"We hear so much about young people causing problems but the truth is that the vast majority are not trouble makers and many of them are making an often unsung contribution to society.
"This is a chance for local young people to be recognised for their efforts, and I am asking constituents who know an inspirational young person to put them forward for an award."
Nominations can be completed at http://www.redcross.org.uk/theaward and nominations close on 14 July. All nominees will receive a certificate and winners will go to an awards ceremony in London on 5 October.
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Dave with the campaign card
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Dave is backing a campaign supporting the rights of women in Afghanistan.
Women there face danger and discrimination, they are marginalised in peace processes and their safety is ignored.
They are subject to violence in the home and the community while attacks on women human rights defenders are on the rise.
Dave is calling for the UK government to put women first in dealings with policy and aid for Afghanistan.
Dave is urging support for port workers in Washington State, USA, who have been locked out by their employer.
Workers at the Port of Vancouver, Washington, USA have been locked out by their employer, Japanese conglomerate Mitsui-United Grain, since February 27, 2013.
The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) believes the lockout is an anti-union attack and an attempt to avoid negotiating with workers in good faith over their collective bargaining agreement.
The workers' latest agreement expired in September 2012 leaving them without a contract and open to abuse by their employer which has now taken extreme and aggressive action.
We've been asked by the ITF to help flood the employer with messages demanding that they end the lockout.
Please take 60 seconds of your time to show your solidarity with the workers:
http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=1795&src=lsmm
9 Apr 2013
Commenting on the death of Margaret Thatcher, Dave said that while the death was a sadness for her family, he personally was not sad.
He went on to recall how a way of life had been killed by her policies and how thousands of men lost their livelihoods because of her.
Dave said.
"A hundred years from now it would still be too raw, she still would not be forgiven. I spent the weekend at Hetton-le-Hole where I was a miner. I looked out the window and saw a patch of ground that used to be my house.
"It was torn down by her, because of Thatcher's policies, the jobs went because of Thatcher's policies and hundreds of thousands of men were thrown on the dole and had their way of life destroyed as
Download Dave's speech (.mov file, 153MB)
Tory Chairman Grant Shapps sent Dave an email saying how the people of his constituency would benefit from tax changes.
He might be regretting this now as Dave fired off an open letter in return asking some pertinent questions on the same issue concerning millionaires in Blaydon, extra VAT, benefit cuts and the 'bedroom tax'.
Dave's letter, published in The Journal, reads,
An open letter to Grant Shapps, Chairman of the Conservative Party:
Thank you for your email which seeks to detail how people in my constituency will benefit from tax changes. Clearly you have done your homework. With that in mind, perhaps you could use the same resources which have given you this information about Blaydon to address the following vital questions.
Can you tell me how many millionaires will be getting a £100,000-plus tax handout in my constituency? And while you are on, can you tell me how much Blaydon residents have paid in extra VAT since your party came to power ? And how many constituents have seen their living standards reduced?
And how many public sector workers have lost their jobs? And how many vulnerable and disabled people have seen their desperately needed benefits cut back or removed all together? And how many people will be subject to the bedroom tax, or as you would have it, the spare room subsidy? Can you advise how many people will move home and how many will pay the additional levy that this policy demands?
I look forward to a speedy and detailed response
Dave Anderson MP
House of Commons, London SW1
Dave is backing a petition calling on the government to save British bees.
There's mounting evidence that some pesticides are killing bees. But the environment minister recently refused to support a European vote to stop the pesticides being used.
Dave said,
"We've got just a few weeks to change the minister's mind before he votes again.
"Bees and other insects pollinate about three quarters of our food, so it's incredibly important to protect them. Countries across Europe including France and Italy have looked at the mounting scientific evidence and already started banning these harmful pesticides. But our government are dragging their heels.
"Please sign the petition now:"
You can sign the petition at:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-bees
Dave has criticised the government for a lack of urgency over Gateshead's proposed conference centre.
This would be built next to The Sage (on the car park) and it is hoped would bring over 2000 jobs and kick-start economic development.
Dave said,
"It would be a tremendous thing for Gateshead and the North East and was a tremendous idea when it was first put forward. It would bring lots of business and tourism to the area.
"However it would appear there does not seem to be any sense of urgency from central Government despite this centre being exactly the sort of thing needed here to put some growth back into the economy."
There is a September 2013 deadline for detailed plans and a funding bid to be ready and the council is working with The Sage to meet this.
Dave has defied Labour party leadership to vote against workfare and against changing the law in the past.
He voted with his conscience against government workfare plans (Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill,), when the Labour front bench policy was to abstain, but Dave felt that legislating to change the law in the past to circumvent the Court of Appeal sets a dangerous precedent and is asking people to sign a petition against this.
Dave said,
"The government acted unlawfully in denying over 230,000 jobseekers claimants their money, but when told so by the Court of Appeal, instead of abiding by the law, they changed the law in the past to avoid the payout. This is a dangerous precedent unworthy of a democracy, and is a tool beloved of dictators past and present."
The petition can be found at:
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-uk-government-changing-the-law-retrospectively
20 Mar 2013
Dave has lashed George Osborne's budget as the government was punishing ordinary workers.
In particular, he condemns the 1% cap on public sector pay rises and being a disincentive for public sector workers to stay in a job where they are not recognised.
Dave said,
"People have already paid a very, very high price for the situation we find ourselves in, yet public sector workers are here been treated as though they were the enemy.
"You can see a situation where people might not stay in their jobs as a result of this, that they will feel they are stuck in a job were their hard work is not recognised, as it should be, with pay progression.
"It wasn't nurses who ruined the economy, it was bankers, yet they are the ones been asked to pay the price here."
7 Mar 2013
Dave is backing no Smoking Day on March 13th.
The British Heart Foundation is marking No Smoking day on 13 March with a campaign to demonstrate how much money smoker can save by giving up.
With each cigarettes costing about 40p, smokers could save £7 a day, or £49 a week and £2,555.00 a year.
Dave said
"The benefits to both health and pocket of giving up smoking are clear to see, with a possible annual saving over two and half thousand pounds, enough for a good holiday! I urge all smokers, even if you've failed before, to try again."
Although nearly one in six UK adults smoke, two thirds want to quit. Smokers wanting to quit can go to http://wequit.co.uk for help and advice.
In a letter to the local press, Dave says there is no excuse for the state of the economy.
He lays the blame at the government's door for failing to learn the lessons of history and instead cutting services, decimating public services and laying the heaviest burden on the poorest.
His letter to The Journal reads:
There is no excuse for the mess this nation's economy is in today.
The Coalition ignored the lessons of history as well as the fact that the departing Labour government had stimulated growth by investing in public infrastructure by, for example, agreeing to rebuild or refurbish the secondary school stock in my Blaydon, Gateshead, constituency.
They also ignored the impact on growth on things like the car scrappage scheme which had seen Nissan return to full output after a slump. The ideologues in this Government refuse to accept that there is a role for the public sector to play in tandem with the private sector to move this country forward.
They ignore the history of the New Deal in getting the USA out of the depression and the reality that public investment in military hardware drove UK growth at the same time.
They do so because supporting a positive partnership role for the public sector destroys their narrative that the public sector is ineffective, bloated and unnecessary.
If they lose that narrative they lose the argument for decimating the public sector, imposing the types of cuts to services we are seeing in our towns and cities and the case for forcing the poorest in this nation to carry the can for the failures of the global economic system.
In doing so they are risking putting this country back into recession to make a party political point. We in the North expect little better from the Tories, but some, at least until recent times, expected more from the party of Lloyd George and Beveridge.
Dave is supporting the campaign petition to keep Mary Seacole on the national curriculum. The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove has proposed that Mary Seacole be removed.
A nurse, born in Jamaica, Mary Seacole travelled to the Crimea to tend wounded soldiers at her own expense and returned to Britain as a national heroine. She was recently voted the Greatest Black Briton.
The government's proposal has been met with outrage by the public with over 32000 people signing a petition calling on Michael Gove to keep Mary Seacole on the Curriculum and a recent open letter in The Times signed by over 50 well known personalities including members of Parliament.
EDM number 919 in 2012-13, which Dave has signed, proposed by Alan Meale on 15/01/2013.
"That this House is aware of history which records the many heroic and compassionate acts carried out unselfishly by renowned war nursing heroine Mary Seacole for innumerable wounded soldiers injured on the Crimean War's bloody battlefields; notes her efforts have rightly become part of the nation's schools educational curriculum with further recognition of her contribution shortly to be revealed by the unveiling of a large bronze statue in her memory to be erected in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital facing the Houses of Parliament; is therefore greatly alarmed by reports that the Secretary of State for Education has announced plans to overhaul the core history content taught to our nation's schoolchildren which won't include the story of her exploits on behalf of others; reminds the Minister that at the age of 50 years she paid her own way to the front to help establish a centre to administer the sick and tended to the wounded on the battlefield throughout the war much of the time under bombardment, brave and caring acts which led to her being little rewarded for all of her distinguished service in the field as she returned to Britain impoverished and had to declare bankruptcy; and believes the nation and its children are best served by being reminded of such unselfishness and hopes the Secretary of State will desist in his attempt to undermine her memory."
16 Jan 2013
MPs have pledged their commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day this Sunday and honouring Holocaust victims.
Blaydon MP, Dave Anderson who signed a Book of Commitment in the Commons, said:
"January 27th marks the 68th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp which is the site of the largest mass murder in history. It was a solemn duty to support the Holocaust Educational Trust's Book of Commitment in the Commons and help honour those who were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust and encouraging constituents to work together to combat prejudice and racism today."
Dave Anderson added:
"Campaigners and Holocaust survivors work tirelessly to educate young people about what they endured through thousands of commemorative events arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations nationwide. Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity to remember the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. I encourage all constituents to mark the day and to join members of community in the fight against prejudice and intolerance."
Dave Anderson commented:
"Genocide is not some academic historic issue. I also know, for example, how Saddam Hussein conducted genocide against the Kurds of Iraq and am backing a campaign to encourage the UK to recognise what happened to them as genocide. If we don't take a moral stand it only makes it easier for others to seek to eliminate peoples."
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Dave at Auschwitz in November 2009 with pupils from Ryton Comprehensive School
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Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:
"We are proud that Dave Anderson is supporting Holocaust Memorial Day this year. It is vitally important that we both remember and learn from the appalling events of the Holocaust - as well as ensuring that we continue to challenge all forms of hatred and bigotry."
Holocaust Memorial Day was established following an MP's visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau with the Holocaust Educational Trust. Moved by his visit, Andrew Dismore MP proposed a bill,
"to introduce a day to learn and remember the Holocaust" on 30 June 1999.
The Holocaust Educational Trust has been closely involved in the establishment and development of Holocaust Memorial Day since its inception in 2000. Holocaust Memorial Day is now co-ordinated by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
The theme for the UK Holocaust Memorial Day 2013 is 'Communities Together: Build a Bridge', honouring those communities that were destroyed in the Holocaust persecution and in subsequent genocides, as well as reflecting on the importance of coming together to oppose prejudice and hatred.
About the Holocaust Educational Trust
15 Jan 2013
Very often, children's lives and routines are disrupted as a result of a diagnosis of cancer within their family.
Dave is backing the charity FACT who want to give them some special time and attention. They may have had a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle diagnosed with cancer, or a maybe even a school friend.
Fact is hosting a free children's event - its for children who have had a family member or friend diagnosed with cancer and children can enjoy it, and in turn the family benefit from it.
It's at 10am-1pm Saturday 19 January at FACT Premises, Team Valley, Gateshead.
Any child, aged 5-10 years, who has been affected by cancer in any way is welcome!
Parents and guardians need to stay on our premises during the session and will also be provided with refreshments.
The form can be downloaded here
FACT has obtained lottery funding to provide a series of events for local residents either to support them through the cancer journey, cope with treatment, bereavement, or to help with lifestyle issues that may prevent lifestyle implicated cancers. In addition they are also able to offer practical support to the wider community about various issues, such as financial advice, nutrition, exercise, etc.
The current sessions run from now until June 2013.
Dave is one of seventy MPs backing a campaign against cruelty and neglect to turtles.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has produced a report on turtle farming in the Cayman Islands highlighting 'systematic cruelty, neglect and major animal welfare concerns' for the 7000 turtles at the farm.
The MPs have signed an Early day Motion which reads:
TURTLE FARMING IN CAYMAN
Session: 2012-13
Date tabled: 19.10.2012
Primary sponsor: Bottomley, Peter
That this House notes with concern the need to work in international partnership to reduce wildlife crime with long-term stable funding in the UK; respects the evidence given by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) at the hearings of the Environmental Audit Committee; and calls for action following the WSPA report on serious welfare concerns about the Cayman Turtle Farm in the British Overseas territory.
Josh Kaile of WSPA says that they have tried to work with the Cayman Turtle Farm at every stage and yet the Managing Director of the Farm still states that the claims against them are unfounded.
More information is available by going to here and on social media here.
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Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner,
Vera Baird QC |
Dave is backing a call for local people to put forward their views on policing.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, is urging all residents of Northumbria Police force area to take part in her Police and Crime survey.
Ms Baird launched the survey on the 2nd January 2013, and is encouraging as many people as possible to take part.
Ms Baird said,
"Part of my role as Police & Crime Commissioner is to produce a Police and Crime plan for Northumbria. During my election campaign I said that I wanted as many residents, businesses, voluntary sector and charities to help me determine what the priorities for our local police force should be. The questionnaire will allow local residents to tell me exactly what they want from their police force, what is going well and what could be improved"
Questions range from deciding what a persons top five policing priorities are to deciding what budget areas should have more / less investment.
Ms Baird said,
"I really hope as many people as possible take a few minutes to complete the questions. This is our local police force and it is important that they continue to deliver for every community across Northumbria. I want to hear your views".
The questionnaire remains open until 31st January 2013.
The questionnaire can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/northumbria_pcc
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| Promoted by Paul Foy on behalf of Dave Anderson, both of St Cuthbert's Church Hall, Shibdon Road, Blaydon, NE21 5PT |