Tracey Crouch

I promised earlier on in the week that I would post more about the general public’s reaction to Pre-Budget Report, but in a way it almost feels unnecessary. There has been so much negative comment in the papers that it hardly seems worth reporting that almost everyone I have spoken to thinks it was all spin and no substance.

With so much early Christmas cheer it is no wonder I can’t get Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer out of my head…”then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say…“

I was very sad today to hear the news that Andrew Rowe, the former MP for parts of Chatham, passed away on Friday. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew who served as the MP for Mid-Kent from 1983 to 1997. He had a keen interest in the voluntary sector and was a keen campaigner on both local and national issues.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.

This morning I joined County Council Candidate Peter Homewood and others for an enjoyable canvass in Ditton. I had canvassed the same area myself last year during the local elections so was pleased to hear about some of the improvements with anti-social behaviour thanks to the hard work of the local warden, the community officers and the council – but also the residents themselves who have come together to take responsibility for some of the issues in their specific streets.

Although pretty groggy from a heavy cold I was really interested in hearing what people on the doorsteps had to say about the national political scene. If you believe everything you read in the papers or watch on TV it appears that Gordon Brown is universally considered the world’s economic saviour. Well clearly the people of Ditton haven’t been asked what they think.

I spoke to a number of people who said that whatever happens they “won’t be voting Labour again” and another who said “you work hard, you try to bring up a family, and all you get is grief”.

Clearly the credit crunch is beginning to hit hard but most recognised that there is still worse to come. Let’s hope the Government is listening and that they use the forthcoming Pre-Budget Report to help hard hit families, like those in Ditton, through the tough times ahead.

Last night I attended the annual Snodland Quiz which this year took place at the Methodist Church. I both love and loathe quizzes – which basically means I love it when I get the answers right but hate it when I don’t! Thankfully I was on a good team and my lack of knowledge about musicals or stars from the screen was more than made up for by my colleagues. We ended up coming a respectable 5th but the winning team were the same lot as last year…and the year before that (mental note – join their team next year!).

I have just watched the most amazing programme on BBC4 called Walter’s War. It is about a young black man born in Folkestone who after playing for Tottenham Hotspur (during which, as my Spurs encyclopedia tells me, he scored 2 goals in 10 first class games) went on to become the first commissioned black officer in the Army to lead British troops in World War I. He died in the second battle of the Somme. I am ashamed that as someone who was educated in Folkestone and previously took a real interest in the history of the area, and of course as a committed Spurs fan with numerous books on the club, I had never heard of Walter Tull. I hope that someone with influence in Folkestone was watching and maybe generations to come will be less ignorant about Walter Tull and what he achieved.

If you missed it you can watch it on BBC iplayer HERE.

As I previously reported on this blog I helped the Poppy Appeal earlier this week and today I, along with hundreds of other local people, wore their poppy with pride in remembrance of those who lost their lives in World War I. I went to two very different services – one in Aylesford church this morning and one at the Royal British Legion Village this afternoon. Both were packed and far busier than last year which I think is down to it being so hard now, with so many young men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to think about those who have more recently lost their lives – something that the Poppy Appeal now reflects in its assistance programmes. I was talking to a lady whose son was stationed “somewhere in Afghanistan” who wanted to celebrate his service by remembering those who had died on duty. She found it comforting to be with people who understood what the call of duty meant and I found her courage and focus incredibly inspiring and I wish her well.

And as I sang the national anthem and watched the lowering of the union jack by a young army cadet I felt incredibly proud to be British and silently I thanked all those who had died to keep our country free. We shall never forget.

This afternoon, alongside local Councillors John Balcombe and Dave Smith, I joined volunteers outside Aylesford Sainsbury’s to help sell poppies before next week’s Remembrance Day. The Poppy Appeal is a hugely important campaign and each year the nation expresses it support for the work of the Royal British Legion through the appeal. Millions of poppies are sold every year and the poppy itself has become such an important symbol of reflection, remembrance and of course hope. Getting involved today made me really appreciate the support our armed forces of past and present have from ordinary members of the public – people were not just putting notes into the bucket but were commenting on what it meant to them. And what I found even more touching was how many children were coming up and putting money into the bucket in return for a poppy – and knowing what it meant: it was nice to hear a young child nagging their parents for a poppy rather than sweets!

It was always nice to be supporting such an important national charity which has a huge local presence. With the Royal British Legion Village and Royal British Legion Industries being based across the road from the Sainsbury’s, it genuinely felt like I was doing more for the cause today than just turning up at a service on Sunday. The Royal British Legion provides financial, emotional and social support to 10.5 million people in the UK and because of the continued underfunding from the Government the Poppy Appeal provides a significant proportion of the funds. I hope that my two hours selling poppies helped raise a little more for the vital service that the Royal British Legion continues to provide.

What an amazing week of football. The Arsenal v Tottenham match on Wednesday was phenomenal but then to watch Spurs beat Liverpool last night made it a wonderful week for Harry’s Hotspurs. I spoke to a friend who had been at the game and he could hardly talk because he had lost his voice cheering, and then one of the older Meridian girls was telling me that she had been to the match with her Dad and that it was awesome.

But despite all the excitement at Tottenham during the week, I still thought today’s under 11s game was the best match I have seen all week. We won 11-nil but it was the passing and movement off the ball that made us all feel like the coaching sessions are beginning to work. I have never seen so many smiles on the faces of the players and parents alike (apart from one of the dads who always promises a tenner for a hatrick – and today there were two!!). Well done girls.

It is only November and I hate to use the C word so early on in the year, but today I did my small bit for the Christmas appeal being run by the The Church of Christ the King in Princes Park.

The annual shoebox appeal, organised by Blythswood Care, sends thousands of donated shoe boxes filled with gifts to people around the world who are less fortunate then ourselves. Since 1993, the scheme has delivered over 500,000 boxes to countries such as India, Romania and Albania.

I took two boxes along, one for a girl and one for a boy. It is amazing that a few small items like colouring pens, a teddy, a skipping rope and a packet of marbles – as well as some haribo – will bring such huge joy to someone somewhere. And I am told that often our shoe boxes are the only presents that a child might receive. Wrapping a shoebox is harder than you might think but the thought that on Christmas Day a boy and girl in a country far worse off than ours is opening up a few gifts from me makes it all worth it.