Karl McCartney

By Karl McCartney Karlmccartney

Politics never sleeps. We are only a few weeks into the New Year and we have already seen the soap opera surrounding the outgoing and incoming Presidents of the USA taking fresh twists and turns.

The Labour leader, the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP, has proved himself again to be beyond satire as he seemingly changed his mind on EU immigration policy and salary caps within a matter of hours.

We have also seen our financial institutions and economists starting to (finally) admit their forecasts on Brexit were overblown as we see the economy grow apace meaning more jobs and wealth for our country, though the important thing for me is to ensure everyone benefits.

There continues to be pressures on the NHS nationally and locally, and I would like to pay tribute and thank our local doctors, nurses and other health professionals for their sterling commitment and support over the Christmas and New Year period. We all should remember that they do the same important role every day of the year.

In terms of those pressures, the decision by the local Clinical Commissioning Group to close two surgeries in Lincoln, displacing 5,500 people, remains a real concern. A decision that risks increasing GP appointment waiting times across the city.

Further pressures from any other closures in either the city or our county will only add further pressures to the service.

The pressures on our NHS also show why we need to urgently bring immigration down. Figures released just before Christmas showed 333,000 more people settled in this country than left – the equivalent of having to accommodate the population of cities such as Nottingham or Leicester every single year.

These immigration figures need to be addressed urgently. It is now the time to do, not just say.

I was pleased to see that our Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP, in her first major speech of the year set out a clear Conservative vision for the United Kingdom, a vision of a Shared Society is one I wholeheartedly agree with.

Like her I want to ensure that everyone in our country, county and city is able to share in the success of the country and be able to make the very best of their lives, for themselves, their families and the community.

The key question as ever is to how to put this in practice. The support the Conservative government has made in raising the national living wage, allowing people to earn more before they start paying tax and the recent announcement to tackle homelessness in our city are vital steps on this journey.

I will be playing my part in this, especially in continuing to raise the profile of the need to tackle the underachievement of boys in the education system and the lack of male teachers in our schools.

I commend the speech I made on this subject in September 2016 to everyone and it can be read and viewed here.

I was struck on Thursday with the Thought for the Day from Canon Angela Tilby on BBC Radio 4.

It is well worth a listen. She speaks very eloquently about the need for authenticity in politics and the pressures placed on politicians to not say what they really feel and believe in. This does not just apply to Members of Parliament, it is also applies to our city and county councillors from all sides. There is always this constant pressure to conform.

This stems from collective decision making, the fact that political parties are “broad churches” so there will never always be agreement on all party policy and also pressure from party whips trying to bring everyone into line.

For some, the far too many who only venture into politics for self-advancement, this is not an issue as they do not believe in anything, except of course, their own self-advancement.

Please rest assured there are a substantial number of my colleagues who like me are firmly staying true to what I believe remains key to what I do and say, both in Lincoln and in Westminster – something that will never change, no matter the “pressures” I come under to conform.

It is what I believe the people of Lincoln want from their Member of Parliament. It is also what I believe the people across the country partly showed in their actions and votes in last year’s referendum.

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.

By Karl McCartney Karlmccartney

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.