The First Post!

A warm welcome to my Blog! This is my first post of many, where I hope I shall be able to keep my avid followers informed about my various activities as one of Southampton’s 48 City Councillors, my musings on the present political landscape and current affairs as well as my notes from the campaign trail in Southampton

It is a very exciting time to be a Conservative at the moment and whilst I know that sounds like a very cliché phrase that would come out of the CCO Press Office, I genuinely believe it is the case especially given the really promising scenario we have in Southampton and that I can sense, first hand. Before getting into the full cut and thrust of ‘blogging’ first hand, I thought it might be useful to tell you a bit about me.

Politically I indentify with the Right of the Tory Party and Margaret Thatcher is my single biggest political influence. I believe in the ideals of self-responsibility and choice and believe that citizens are generally better placed and better informed, to make their own decisions and spend their own money. I am both socially liberal and economically liberal. I believe a low tax economy, with less Government intervention provides for a more efficient outcome, allows people more freedom and opportunity and with more people contributing to a tax base, provides for better public services more equitably. On Foreign Policy, I am also highly circumspect on when international intervention is required and believe that a far more pragmatic approach to Foreign Affairs is required in the world today, I am also a strong Euro-sceptic believing that the EU should be an area of free-trade only and that all notions of statehood and supranational government should be resisted and repealed. I see Education as the single biggest instrument of social mobility and believe that greater emphasis should be placed autonomy and choice in our educational system so that it is truly meritocratic and receptive to the ambitions and needs of all young people.

I originally grew up in Bedfordshire with my family where my Mum & Dad ran their own business, I was also involved politically with the local Conservative Association and worked with the local MP, Andrew Selous who is a very fine man indeed!

I moved to Southampton in the summer of 2006 to begin my Politics Degree at the University of Southampton and as soon as I had arrived in Southampton, I set about supporting the local Party primarily through Southampton University Conservative Association which in turn, led me to being selected as the Party’s Candidate for Coxford in the 2008 Local Elections. The rest as they say, is history. At the moment I am currently in my third and final year at the University and after graduating, it is my hope to undertake my Law Conversion and make a career in the legal profession whilst simultaneously pursuing my political ambitions.

After three gruelling selection interviews, a year of hard work, campaigning, canvassing, leafleting and letter stuffing election day finally came in Southampton on the 1st May 2008. This Election was particularly special however, it was on the backdrop to a coalition formed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats to defeat the Conservative minority Administration’s first Budget in a generation. This Budget contained many popular policies promised to the electorate including the lowest Council Tax ever, a 10% Council Tax discount for Pensioners, the abolition of Council Tax for Special Constables and more family housing – and all of this was denied to the people in Southampton mere weeks before the Local Elections.

The improved position of the Conservatives nationally combined with the coalition Administration and dynamism locally fused together to create a real impact in Southampton. The Conservatives were overwhelmingly endorsed at the ballot box winning 15 of the 17 seats up for election and making 8 gains with 10 new Councillors joining the ranks at the Civic Centre, myself included. In Coxford, which was the Labour’s key target after winning it last time round, I managed to beat the Chairman of the Labour Party, Keith Morell and unseat sitting Liberal Democrat, Sue Jackson.

Since May 2008 I have been working hard so that I can best serve and best represent the interests of the people of Coxford. It is also a great pleasure to help my fellow Conservative colleagues implement the policies we were elected on and change regenerate and reenergise Southampton for the better whilst drawing a line under the years of maladministration by Labour and the Liberals. My key areas of interest at the Council are Economic Development and Education. I also serve on the city’s Planning Panel where I am Vice-Chairman, the Employment & Appeals Panel, Licensing Panel and Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee.

When I am not hard at work in the Civic Centre or in Coxford or out campaigning for our Parliamentary Candidate Cllr Jeremy Moulton, I enjoy playing golf, squash, badminton and skiing. Another passion of mine is reading and I particularly like political books notably biographies, historical books particularly military or imperial history and contemporary books on Foreign and Defence affairs.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my first blog and I hope you enjoy it!