Reflections 2016: Karl McCartney – What a year in Westminster and in Lincoln!
What a year in Westminster and in Lincoln. I have been involved in politics for over 30 years now and I have never seen such a momentous 12 months, let alone been involved in it. If in January you would have told me we would have a new Prime Minister, Donald Trump as President-elect in…
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney. Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter
What a year in Westminster and in Lincoln.
I have been involved in politics for over 30 years now and I have never seen such a momentous 12 months, let alone been involved in it.
If in January you would have told me we would have a new Prime Minister, Donald Trump as President-elect in the US and Jeremy Corbyn would be overwhelmingly re-elected Labour leader, I would have shook my head in disbelief.
It is different on Brexit of course – I always believed a resounding Leave vote would happen.
What these events show is a general disenchantment with the direction of politics with a growing void between the public and the ‘Establishment’ – government, big businesses, ‘experts’, media and trade unions (I still find it staggering that no one in the ‘labour’ movement has questioned the TUC specifically, who urged its members to vote Remain and were roundly ignored).
I am confident that the new Prime Minister will bridge this gap over the coming years but it does show that politicians should never take the public for granted.
On Brexit, I always felt that if there was the opportunity for a referendum, the British public would be brave enough to vote Leave, and so it proved.
My key reflection is that the public are far wiser and more independent than the ‘Establishment’ gives them credit for.
You can only scare people into supporting your opinion, if you already have them on side. This is why Project Fear did not work because many of those (not all) did not have the credibility to frighten voters.
Having Tony Blair and Lord Peter Mandelson promoting a Remain vote was a gift that kept on giving and I see that Labour’s Mayor of London has now appointed Lord Mandelson as a Brexit advisor…
The fact that the economy is still growing and unemployment is falling shows those who predicted economic meltdown did not have the good sense that the British public has.
From a local perspective, Lincoln is now the jewel in the crown for the whole of the East Midlands, if not, the whole country. Business is booming, tourism rising, universities thriving, unemployment falling and crime tumbling.
We also have a fantastic civic community with charities and volunteers playing their full part in making Lincoln an exciting, vibrant and welcoming place.
This is all before we recognise the fantastic heritage that we have with our magnificent castle, cathedral and Magna Carta.
It is worth reflecting that after years of constantly knocking on the right doors in Whitehall and raising my voice in Westminster, it does pay off in the end.
This year, we have seen the successful completion of the Lincoln East West Link Road, a vital footbridge over the railway line in the city centre and last month we had the re-confirmation of the full funding of the single carriageway Eastern Bypass – a project that will start in 2017.
I was able to help the city and county councils and others obtain the permission and funding they required to make all these projects happen.
In the case of the Eastern Bypass I have always said a dual carriageway is the best, and needed, solution. It is a shame county councillors in South Lincolnshire do not agree with me.
These infrastructure projects, with many more to come, are vital to keeping our county and city moving and growing. Perseverance pays off.
I am already excited about 2017 for both the country and Lincoln. Next year, we will be taking the next vital steps in regaining control of our country and the city will continue to bloom.
I also hope that after what seems to have been a turbulent 2016, next year will be calmer…
Finally, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has played a part in Lincoln’s success story and also to those who have helped me play my part. A great city like this only succeeds with everyone working in partnership together. Thank you.
New Year’s resolutions
Personal
Personal resolutions are always the hardest to keep! Play more football, rugby and cricket, eating healthier, and especially keeping away from the House of Commons’ rock cakes.
If all else fails, being able to cheer Liverpool onto a Premier League title in 2017 is one resolution that I will definitely keep.
Professional
Brexit, Brexit and Brexit!
Karl McCartney is the Conservative MP for Lincoln.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Reflections 2016: Karl McCartney – What a year in Westminster and in Lincoln!
What a year in Westminster and in Lincoln. I have been involved in politics for over 30 years now and I have never seen such a momentous 12 months, let alone been involved in it. If in January you would have told me we would have a new Prime Minister, Donald Trump as President-elect in…
Former Lincoln MP Karl McCartney. Photo: Steve Smailes/The Lincolnite
What a year in Westminster and in Lincoln.
I have been involved in politics for over 30 years now and I have never seen such a momentous 12 months, let alone been involved in it.
If in January you would have told me we would have a new Prime Minister, Donald Trump as President-elect in the US and Jeremy Corbyn would be overwhelmingly re-elected Labour leader, I would have shook my head in disbelief.
It is different on Brexit of course – I always believed a resounding Leave vote would happen.
What these events show is a general disenchantment with the direction of politics with a growing void between the public and the ‘Establishment’ – government, big businesses, ‘experts’, media and trade unions (I still find it staggering that no one in the ‘labour’ movement has questioned the TUC specifically, who urged its members to vote Remain and were roundly ignored).
I am confident that the new Prime Minister will bridge this gap over the coming years but it does show that politicians should never take the public for granted.
On Brexit, I always felt that if there was the opportunity for a referendum, the British public would be brave enough to vote Leave, and so it proved.
My key reflection is that the public are far wiser and more independent than the ‘Establishment’ gives them credit for.
You can only scare people into supporting your opinion, if you already have them on side. This is why Project Fear did not work because many of those (not all) did not have the credibility to frighten voters.
Having Tony Blair and Lord Peter Mandelson promoting a Remain vote was a gift that kept on giving and I see that Labour’s Mayor of London has now appointed Lord Mandelson as a Brexit advisor…
The fact that the economy is still growing and unemployment is falling shows those who predicted economic meltdown did not have the good sense that the British public has.
From a local perspective, Lincoln is now the jewel in the crown for the whole of the East Midlands, if not, the whole country. Business is booming, tourism rising, universities thriving, unemployment falling and crime tumbling.
We also have a fantastic civic community with charities and volunteers playing their full part in making Lincoln an exciting, vibrant and welcoming place.
This is all before we recognise the fantastic heritage that we have with our magnificent castle, cathedral and Magna Carta.
It is worth reflecting that after years of constantly knocking on the right doors in Whitehall and raising my voice in Westminster, it does pay off in the end.
This year, we have seen the successful completion of the Lincoln East West Link Road, a vital footbridge over the railway line in the city centre and last month we had the re-confirmation of the full funding of the single carriageway Eastern Bypass – a project that will start in 2017.
I was able to help the city and county councils and others obtain the permission and funding they required to make all these projects happen.
In the case of the Eastern Bypass I have always said a dual carriageway is the best, and needed, solution. It is a shame county councillors in South Lincolnshire do not agree with me.
These infrastructure projects, with many more to come, are vital to keeping our county and city moving and growing. Perseverance pays off.
I am already excited about 2017 for both the country and Lincoln. Next year, we will be taking the next vital steps in regaining control of our country and the city will continue to bloom.
I also hope that after what seems to have been a turbulent 2016, next year will be calmer…
Finally, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has played a part in Lincoln’s success story and also to those who have helped me play my part. A great city like this only succeeds with everyone working in partnership together. Thank you.
New Year’s resolutions
Personal
Personal resolutions are always the hardest to keep! Play more football, rugby and cricket, eating healthier, and especially keeping away from the House of Commons’ rock cakes.
If all else fails, being able to cheer Liverpool onto a Premier League title in 2017 is one resolution that I will definitely keep.
Professional
Brexit, Brexit and Brexit!
Karl McCartney was the Conservative Lincoln MP between 2010 and 2017. He is now the Conservative candidate for the city for the next general elections.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
It has been a tragic week with three deaths on Lincolnshire’s roads after two male motorbike riders and a man on a pedal bike lost their lives.
The roads are now busier again after further lockdown restrictions were eased on April 12, but since then three men have sadly died.
A man died after falling from his pedal bike in Branston on Wednesday, April 14 and police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On the same day, a 34-year-old male died after a crash involving two motorcycles near Gainsborough.
The man who lost his life in the collision was riding a silver Wuyang motorcycle. The second motorcycle was a blue Suzuki being ridden by a man in his 30s, who was taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.
A 54-year-old man from North Lincolnshire also died after his motorbike crashed with a Royal Mail post van on the A631 near Glentham at around 4pm on Thursday, April 15.
This comes after it was revealed on March 11 that for the first time in over three decades nobody had died on the county’s roads in the first months of the year, according to Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
Lincolnshire Police revealed earlier this week that between 2018 and 2020 twenty five motorcyclists lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads.
There have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported two hospitals this week so far, compared to none this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.
In local news, Lincolnshire health bosses expect COVID-19 cases to rise in our region as lockdown is eased, but are optimistic that if numbers are kept low enough, then people will be free to enjoy the summer.
Andy Fox, Deputy Director of Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the lifting of coronavirus restrictions this week had not caused any specific concerns yet.
Since Wednesday, Greater Lincolnshire has again seen a decrease in its infection rates overall, against an increase nationally.
All districts have seen a fall in their rates, except small increases in North Lincolnshire and South Holland. Lincoln has stayed the same and has the lowest rate in the region.
Boston has the highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Greater Lincolnshire and is ranked 9th in the UK.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 16:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 9 to Apr 16. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.
The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.
It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.
People are “likely” to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer’s chief executive has said.
Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary “somewhere between six and 12 months” after the second one – and every year thereafter.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 16
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,919 cases (up 43)
41,028 in Lincolnshire (up 32)
9,275 in North Lincolnshire (up eight)
8,616 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,185 deaths (up three)
1,613 from Lincolnshire (up three)
304 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (no change)
810 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,383,732 UK cases, 127,225 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
Plans to demolish part of a former play centre and Chinese takeaway to build 41 new student flats, have been submitted to the City of Lincoln Council.
Killingbeck PLG has applied for permission to demolish “most” of the existing facade of the former home of Imagination Station and Big Wok, on Beaumont Fee, and rebuild it as part of the development.
The main hall, a warehouse and a recently built “link block” to the rear of the building will also be demolished, and will be completely replaced with a new extension.
In documents to the council, the applicant describes how the 41”study bedrooms” will be en-suite and open off a central circulation area.
The build will form part of the Iconinc post-graduate residential units development next door and will sit opposite the Park Court student accommodation on Park Street.
It will include 12 apartments on the ground floor, 11 at first and second floor and seven units on the third floor.
How the build could look.
The application said: “There is a clear need for good quality, post-graduate, city centre, residential accommodation and the economic case for the redevelopment of the site is reinforced by the fact the site can be linked with the new Iconic development so amenities can be shared.
“The demolition of the existing property and the proposed redevelopment will bring positive benefits to the area economically and aesthetically.”
As part of the build, residents will gain shared access to existing facilities including the gym.
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