I’m not sure the last time a Prime Minister came to Bilston but Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah came on Thursday. 

It is in the nature of these visits that there is very little notice but after a visit to Morse printworks earlier in the day he and Sarah spent an hour or so touring the Bilston early Excellence Centre in Wolverhampton St. 

This is one of a number of Surestart Children’s centres in the constituency and across the city.  They are based on a simple idea – that you can never start too early if you want to give children the best start in life.  These centres are much more than a place for children to spend time.  They are about early learning, speech and language and support for parents too.  Nor are the centres just about the building because for this to work it is important to reach out to parents who may not know about the facilities and the help available and that kind of work is very important to Surestart’s success.

The Prime Minister is deeply committed to the programme and that’s why he was keen to see how it was working here in Bilston.  I know he was impressed by what he saw and grateful to Emma Smith and all the staff not just for his warm reception on Thursday but for all the work they are doing to help children in Bilston.

After that is was back to canvassing and leafleting to support Labour’s candidates in the local elections for me.  I enjoy campaigning and have enjoyed being out and about in the constituency in recent weeks. 

I’d like to begin with an apology to any constituents who were inconvenienced by the arrangements for the surgery last Friday night. For reasons beyond my control, or my office’s no one was there to let us into the surgery venue. I appreciate that holding a surgery in people’s cars is not exactly ideal, especially on a cold winter’s night but we had to improvise. I want to thank constituents for their understanding of the situation. My office does check the bookings and that was done on this occasion too but people still ended up being inconvenienced. In the end though, I saw everyone who came and the letters and issues will be dealt with as normal.

More widely there has been plenty going on in the constituency recently. Together with my fellow MPs and Dennis Turner I helped launch Fair Trade week at the Mander Centre. The concept is pretty simple – that people should get a fair reward for their efforts. The price differences to us are usually fairly marginal – but the difference it can make to growers and farmers can be huge. I believe Labour has done a good job in raising aid levels, but in the long term trade flows are much greater than aid flows and if we get this right, it can make a big difference to prosperity across the world.

I also attended a meeting with the other city MPs at the Wolverhampton Over 50s Forum in the Brittania Hotel. We covered a wide range of topics from pension levels to energy costs and healthcare spending. I enjoyed the meeting a lot and hope those who attended did so too.

Labour also held its Spring Conference in Birmingham. The Prime Minister spoke about opportunity for all. This is a really important theme for Labour – maybe the most important of all. Nothing should hold people back from making the most of their lives and it’s our Party’s job to help them do it. The way that happens will change over time. In fact sometimes we’ll have to admit that what we have tried has not always worked. But the end remains the same and it is a critical part of Labour’s founding philosophy.

Last weekend I also took part in the celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary in St Martin’s new home in Bradley. Of course the church has been in Bradley for far longer than that but it is 25 years since it moved into what had been St Martin’s School. Dennis Turner told me about his time as a boy there and there was a great turnout of local people to take part in the service which was led by the Bishop of Wolverhampton. He spoke of the difference between the church as a building and as a living part of the community. It was certainly a living part of the community on Sunday.

Today I will be with Lord Dennis Turner and the city's other two MPs to launch Fair Trade Fortnight.

The launch takes place in the Mander Centre this morning. Fair Trade fortnight is designed to promote the potential of people across the world improving their own situation through trade and through getting a fair price for their own efforts. The UK government has been leading the world on promoting a better deal through aid, most notably in the agreement reached at Gleneagles a couple of years ago. That is important, but international trade dwarfs even the largest aid budgets and has enormous potential to improve the condition of the poorest people in the world.

I will be there today with my fellow city Labour MPs and Fair Trade fortnight will be promoting fair trade products and the wider potential benefits of trade over the next couple of weeks.

I got to the constituency a little late this weekend. I was the duty Minister in the House of Commons on Friday. The House does not normally sit on a Friday but on some Fridays it considers Private Members' Bills. This Friday, the Bill under consideration was Andrew Miller's Private Member's Bill on Agency Workers.

There was a big attendance and I know this is an issue many of my Labour colleagues are very concerned about. The Government has proposed a Commission involving both unions and employers' representatives to discuss how to deal with the issue, in a similar way to how the setting up of the Minimum Wage was handled when we had the Low Pay Commission. That has not been agreed by all parties yet but it seems like a good way to make progress on an important issue.

On Saturday morning I caught up with the mail with my secretary in the constituency office in Bilston, then went canvassing in the Stowlawn area. I always enjoy canvassing. Of course not everyone will vote for you but I have found that most people don't object to their MP knocking their door and spending a little time and I always learn from what people raise on the doorstep.

On Sunday I went to the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the birth of Shri Guru Ravidass Ji in the community centre opposite the Guru Ravidass Temple in Dudley Road. There was a big attendance and, as always it was a very friendly reception. I thoroughly enjoyed the event.

Two signs of the times I spotted over the weekend or read about in the press: Tesco this week stop accepting cheques and Google has been voted Britain's top brand.

I was thinking about the cheque thing. Am I old fashioned because I still use them sometimes? Most of my bills are probably paid by direct debit but I still find myself writing cheques for some things. Still, an organisation like Tesco which deals with something like £1 in £8 spent in the country must know a lot about how we pay for things. Is the cheque really dying? Email me and tell me what you think on mcfaddenp@parliament.uk.

The brand survey was a survey of 1500 "professionals" rather than the general public so I'm not sure that would have been reflected in an opinion poll. However there is no doubt Google has had a huge impact on how we do things, pay for things (back to the cheques), find things out and communicate with one another. It's hard to believe the company is only about ten years old, if that.

One woman wanted me to campaign for a wind farm in Bilston. We had a good talk about the manufacturing traditions of the area and about how they might serve us in the future. Certainly, there is economic and employment potential in the green agenda. As people look to have more energy efficient homes, lightbulbs, modes of transport and so on their will be new products that sell on the basis they save energy or use less than the current alternatives on offer. Wouldn’t it be good if the manufacturing traditions of the local area could make the most of those opportunities so that some of those products are made here in Bilston?

This theme also came up later on Saturday when I attended a Labour Party Policy Forum in Walsall. The theme was jobs and the economy and the talk was of the different types of job that may emerge in the future. It was a well attended event with members of the Wolverhampton South East constituency party plus neighbouring constituencies, as well as local MPs and MEPs. Well done to the West Midlands Labour Party and in particular to our regional Minister Liam Byrne for arranging these events.

After that I went leafleting on the Villiers estate in Bilston. It was a very warm day for February and perfect weather for meeting people and saying hello. Local people raised a few issues and individual problems with me and I and will do what I can to help with those.

On Sunday I had the honour of attending the wedding of my friend and parliamentary colleague Shahid Malik and his new wife Sundus. It was a grand occasion with some 500 guests. Both Shahid and his lovely wife looked great. I wish them both every happiness.

The Chamber of Commerce sponsored metal theft group met again in the constituency yesterday.

The group has brought together local MPs, the police, the local council and local business to work together to combat the spate of metal theft affecting both businesses and householders in the area. In recent months it has met regularly at DIxon's in Old Heath Road in the constituency.

Metal thefts have been on the increase not just locally but right across Europe as thieves are tempted by the high price of second hand metal. Here in Wolverhampton, with a high concentration of companies involved in various aspects of metals industries, there has been a particular impact.

The metal theft group has helped put this on the radar screen of everyone involved. Operation Steel, organised by West Midlands Police, has resulted in hundreds of arrests. At the same time, businesses have been able to receive valuable advice on security from the police, BT and representatives of the insurance industry. As local MPs, I and my colleagues have been able to follow up specific queries with government.

I don't pretend a group like this can make the problem disappear, but it is a good example of how people can work together co combat a problem and do the best we can to support local people who want to get on with their lives and with running their businesses without this kind of crime.

It has been a busy month with a lot happening around the constituency, much of which gives cause for real optimism about the future.

We had the local launch of the Wolverhampton India Project which was a well attended and very positive event at the Civic Centre. Liam Byrne MP, Minister for the West Midlands gave his backing to the project before his visit to India next week, as did Neena Gill MEP, who is also head of the European parliament’s delegation to India. Everyone present agreed to work together to try to make progress on the three key strands of trade, education and sport, building on the already very strong links which exist between the city and India and which have been built up over decades.

Last week I met local residents in the St Chads area who raised a number of issues with me including illegal traveller encampments, trees needing pruning, housing and the condition of the Hustler pub which is a real eyesore and which local people are very concerned about. I will take up all these issues with the relevant authorities, be they the council, the police or Wolverhampton Homes.

I visited Bilston high School to meet the pupils who have been involved in designing the new hoardings for the Urban Village site. The young people have done a fantastic job and given a great showcase for some of Bilston’s stories depicted on the hoardings. It made me think of how different that whole area will look in a few years time with a new primary care centre planned, a new leisure centre and a new city academy offering the children of Bilston more opportunities and better life chances than they have today.

I attended a meeting of the city’s Afro Caribbean Health Network in Dunstall Community Centre for an event focussed on positive role models for young black people. There were some excellent speakers and although I was not able to stay all day I really enjoyed the event.

On Sunday I joined my fellow city MPs, the Mayor, Lord Dennis Turner, Leader of the Council and many others at the commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. The Nazi Holocaust was over 60 years ago but it is very important to remember. Earlier in the week I heard a survivor, now almost 80, speak of his experiences. How, to live, he had been lucky not once but four or five times, and how he was determined to tell his story so that we, the generations that followed, might learn what hatred based on race or faith or the notion that that which is different is less human can do.

Perhaps it was fitting that Sunday was also the occasion of Wolverhampton’s annual inter faith service at St Peter’s. Followers of all the city’s many main faiths gave readings.

A busy time but there is plenty to feel positive about in the city’s future. Wolverhampton can be genuinely proud of the inter faith work that has been done in the city. And although much of it has been talked about for some time the regeneration spending really will start to make a big difference in the next few years.

I took some time off over Christmas and New Year and enjoyed catching up with family and friends. I’ve given you the occasional review on these pages arising out of downtime reading or listening. Why break a tradition that is, oh, at least a year old.

First, listening. Raising Sand by Wolverhampton’s own Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Robert Plant has of course been in the news recently with the Led Zeppelin reunion concert. Fans looking for a repeat of stairway to heaven should look away now. As the sleeve says, the old dog has learned a few new tricks. Alison Krauss is of course famous as the voice behind much of the brilliant soundtrack to “Oh brother where art thou” which brought a whole new audience to some wonderful bluegrass music a few years ago. The two combine on Raising Sand to create songs of sweet melody that improve with each listening. I played it a lot in the car over the holiday and grew to like it more each time.

Now, a book. The New East End by Geoff Dench, Kate Gavron and Michael Young. This book is a repeat of a study of the East End carried out in the early 1950s. It charts just how much post war East London has changed, the story of the growth of the Bangladeshi community and how the indigenous white population viewed these changes. Covering subjects where many fear to tread, it is an honest discussion of how new communities struggle to establish themselves and of the views of those who are already here. At the heart of the book is a big question for politics which is whether or not the rules of entitlement need to be changed. By what means should public goods be distributed? Is a pure needs based solution always best or should public goods be distributed more on the basis of an exchange rather than establishing need? The authors feel that resentment among some white Eastenders about being “displaced” by new immigrants is because they feel that the rules of entitlement are wrong and that needs based allocation pays too little heed to other factors such as longevity in the country, whether someone has “paid in” and so on. Such areas are sometimes fertile ground for those who don’t want to be responsible about how they discuss them, but that is not true of this book. Instead the authors lay out these issues in an honest and dispassionate manner and the book is all the better for it.

Finally, a bit of politics. Like many others I got hooked on the drama of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fighting it out for the Democratic nomination in the United States presidential election. I was watching from just over the border in Canada (cold, very cold, since you ask – but being hardy Canadians they wrap up warm and get on with it). The US TV news stations give constant coverage. I’m sure the race is so long a lot people tune out but for a visiting politician it was addictive TV. They are both strong candidates and I would not want to bet on a winner. Obama’s star seemed to be in the ascendant after the Iowa caucuses but Mrs Clinton roared back with a victory in New Hampshire. Don’t they love a comeback in the States? Now the race rolls on to South Carolina and Nevada where some of my own family may be taking part. Then there’s “super duper Tuesday” on 5 Feb when about twenty states vote. I’m going to keep watching.

Although politics is often, quite rightly, accused of being out of touch with the real world, one parallel with other walks of life that seems to hold true is that it always feels there is a rush on before Christmas. It’s as though the government machine tries to get things done before the break, otherwise everyone knows it will be a couple of weeks before the machine cranks up again. So in recent days we have had big announcements on pensions and other areas and internally, I have seen a step up in activity in recent weeks.
Last Friday I made the traditional MP’s Christmas visit to the local Mail centre in Wolverhampton. The volume of mail more or less doubles at Christmas and there is a huge effort put in by Royal Mail to make sure we all get our cards and presents on time. I talked to the Mail centre Manager, met local union reps and had a brief tour of the floor where staff were sorting the parcels and cards as well as taking care of the normal traffic of mail which passes through every day. The way all this is done is set to see big change in the future with Royal Mail investing in new equipment to speed up the process of sorting the mail.

On Friday night I went to the Mayor’s Christmas Charity dinner at the Civic Centre. The focus of the evening was to raise money for the Mayor's chosen charities this year. Then it was on to a social event in the constituency in support of the Asian Welfare Association. Saturday was surgery day but after that it was off to Bilston library to give prizes to the children who entered my Christmas card competition. This year’s winner was Alisha Dabbs from Wilkinson Primary School. Well done to Alisha and to all the children who took part.

On Sunday evening I had the pleasure of taking part in the Christmas Carol Service at St Leonard’s Church in Bilston. There was a great turnout. The carols were wonderful and it was a very enjoyable evening. Happy Christmas to everyone.

Friday began with a meeting with representatives of the Goldthorn Residents Association who are concerned about plans for a care home on the estate. These issues are never easy. Everyone accepts that people need to be cared for somewhere but sometimes there can be strong local objections. MPs have no formal role in deciding where such homes are situated. It is a matter for the local authority and for the national registration and inspection bodies – Ofsted in the case of children’s homes and CSCI in the case of adult homes. However I understand that sometimes in these situations people do want to talk to me about the issues and I was very happy to meet with local residents.

At lunchtime I joined my fellow MPs Rob Marris and Ken Purchase to have lunch with the Chamber of Commerce and take questions from local business people. We covered issues ranging from capital gains tax to migrant labour to skills and lifelong learning. I enjoyed it and believe that working with local business is an important part of a local MP's job.
Indeed, after leaving the lunch I visited a business in Bradley which has been on the receiving end of vandalism and anti social behaviour. The company had written to me some weeks ago asking for help. I arranged a meeting involving Councillor Steve Simkins and the local police to enable the police to hear about the problems and arrange for some proper security and crime prevention advice to be given.

On Friday evening I held my regular surgery at the YWCA in Stowlawn. It was a busy night with a number of local problems raised. These included everything from the quality of TV reception to the terms of shop leases and someone who came to praise a fellow resident for the wonderful work she does in the local area.

I’m afraid the issue of anti social behaviour was also high on the agenda in the Portobello area when I met recently with local residents, the police and local councillors. In particular residents raised problems about a local alleyway in Gerrard Road and some open ground and I have been in touch with the local authority about the issues.

Reading Nigel Hastilow’s column about Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech reminded me of an interesting account of the background to the speech in Nick Jones’ book, the Sultans of Spin.

Nick Jones is the son of Clement Jones, who was editor of the Express and Star at the time Powell made his speech in 1968 and of course he and his brother George went on to pursue successful careers in journalism.

The book begins with the story of how Powell had become fascinated by the mechanics of press coverage and sought to maximise the coverage of his speeches. Enoch Powell had asked Clement Jones for advice on how to maximise his coverage. He was told that Saturday afternoons were a particularly good time for a politician to make a speech. The theory was that an embargoed copy of the speech should be given to some political journalists and leader writers working for Sunday papers. This would give them advance warning of a story. The speech itself could be covered on the Saturday broadcast media and if it was extensively covered in the Sundays it may spill over into Monday’s papers too. In this way a politician might get three days coverage from one.

Enoch Powell followed the advice and used it to try to increase coverage of his speeches. Nick Jones says that before his Rivers of Blood speech in 1968, Powell, knowing what he was about to unleash, said to his father, “Look Clem, I’m not telling you what is in the speech. But you know how a rocket goes up into the air, explodes into lots of stars and then falls down to the ground. Well this speech is going to go up like a rocket, and when it gets to the top, the stars are going to stay up”.

In fact, on the day Powell delivered his speech, Clement Jones and his wife looked after the Powells’ two daughters. Nick Jones says his parents were “appalled” by the speech. According to the book, Clement Jones, “could not bring himself to greet Powell on his return from Birmingham”. His wife, who later wrote a book called Justice and Journalism, therefore took the children to the door when Enoch Powell came to collect them. She said, “I don’t think we shall be seeing each other again for a very long time”. Powell knew what she meant and why and replied, “Well I suppose it’s the end of a good friendship now, isn’t it?”

Jones recalls how it was only after Powell’s death in 1998 that his father explained to him the full aftermath of the speech. As the editor of the Express and Star he had tried to maintain a balance in the letters pages between those who were pro and anti Powell, though most of the letters favoured Powell. This had resulted in abusive mail, phone calls and even broken windows at home. The events of the last few days have brought all this into the forefront of news coverage once again. Perhaps when assessing it, it is worth remembering that even someone who had a close friendship with Powell and had given him press advice was appalled by his actions, knew they were premeditated and never viewed him in the same light again.

Enoch was wrong. Wrong about rivers of blood which took no account of the positive contribution most people coming to these shores make and wrong to assume that because he could get heads to nod in agreement that what he was saying was what people expected from political leadership. That was not the case forty years ago. Nor is it today.

The Government has set itself an aim of halving child poverty by 2010. When we came into office a decade ago, Britain was near the top of the European child poverty league. Since then, the position has improved and there are 600,000 fewer children in poverty than there were a decade ago.

How is this measured? The measure used is relative poverty – that is to say it rises as the country becomes richer. Poverty is defined as being below 60% of the median income which in financial terms for a couple with two children means about £332 per week.

Now I know that many families in this constituency live on less than that income, and that we must do more to life more children out of poverty. Last week, a leading charity said the government needs to spend about £4 billion more on benefits to meet its targets.

The Chancellor announced changes to tax credits and other measures earlier this year which it is predicted will lift a further 100,000 children out of poverty. But more needs to be done and the answer, I believe, does not lie only in benefit changes. The best route out of poverty is a job. There are around 2.7 more people in work compared to a decade ago. The employment picture in the country is much healthier than in the past, but we need more jobs in the local area.

Secondly, people have to be equipped to succeed in today’s and indeed tomorrow’s labour market. The demand for skilled labour is set to rise and the demand for unskilled labour is set to fall. That means the importance of skills and qualifications to life chances and opportunity is increasing. So, as a country, it is vital that we do more to increase standards in schools, and levels of aspiration and expectation about what young people can achieve as well as offering opportunities for adults who have left school to get the skills they need to succeed in the job market.

That is one reason why I support both more investment in schools but also the changes needed to raise levels of aspiration and standards, particularly for the poorest children in the city. Wolverhampton City Council has an ambitious plan to bid for £300m in government money for the city’s secondary schools and at the same time to change the way education is organised in the city through the formation of groups of schools into trusts and the establishment of two new city academies. This plan offers a real chance to expand opportunity and raise standards for some of the most deprived children in the city. Where city academies have been established, standards have risen faster than average. This is vital to making sure that children have more opportunities particularly when their parents cannot afford to buy homes near the highest achieving schools.

Benefits are part of the answer to child poverty but so too is work and the chance to work. And in today’s world, for the chance of work to be real, people must have access to the skills needed to succeed in the labour market. That’s what welfare reform and education reform are all about.

I have visited two schools in the constituency recently. The first was Graiseley Primary where I opened the new Learning Lounge. This was a project put together by pupils at Graiseley and at Deansfield with the help of Creative Partnerships and a wonderfully named company called the Digital Native Academy. They explained that being a digital native means you have been brought up with the technology and are therefore, as it were, a native speaker, rather than most of us over a certain age for whom technology came later and is therefore more like a second language. It’s certainly a new way to view intergenerational divides – the native speakers, the second language brigade and then those who are either shut out altogether or who choose not to use the technology.

The Learning Lounge tried to use the space to showcase a number of technologies including those Wii machines where you pretend you are bowling and such. It was good fun and I always enjoy visiting Graiseley Primary. The Head Teacher Wendy Briscoe does a great job and always seems to have a new idea.

In the afternoon I went to Colton Hills to meet Business Teacher Gerry Kennedy who is organising a project whereby business students start their own companies, sell real products and services to others and are guided through the process by local businesspeople. One group I talked to were developing a DVD to aid pupils with revision, another to sell various mobile phone and other “personalisation” products. I was impressed with the organisation of the pupils and how they had thought through the ideas, and also impressed that local businesspeople would devote their time to bringing their real world experience to such a project. Again Colton Hills is a school I have visited a number of times in recent years and it was good to be back again.

In between that I went to the dentist. In fact I went twice. Once as a patient at my own dentist in Woodcross. It wasn’t too bad. I got away with a scale and polish. But the second visit was to celebrate 80 years of dentistry in Bilston at the Church St Practice. The Mayor was there, plus my predecessor Dennis Turner and patients who had used the dentist for decades. In fact one patient aged 94 had been using it since it opened.

After the dentists it was off to meet the doctors. The three MPs meet once or twice a year with the city’s local medical committee which represents GPs. This time we concentrated on the topical issue of GP opening hours. I am keen to see more flexibility in this so that people who work full time can see a GP without having to take a day or a half day off work. Whether that is through seeing a GP close to your work, or later opening hours, or weekend opening or some other solution, the key is that people should have more access. We had an interesting discussion about whether there was a demand. I don’t know if this is representative but the very next day I was stopped by a constituent. She said she had been bitten or stung by an insect, was in considerable pain and wanted to see a GP. But, she said, they’re not open on Saturdays are they…

Last Friday I had the pleasure of being at the Bushfield Court “Oscars”. Bushfield Court, as most constituents will know, is an excellent housing development for older people just off Oxford St. I have visited many times and there is always a great spirit among the residents and staff. This was the staff’s annual party and it was a great night.

I recently visited a company called Learning Materials in Dixon St. The company specialises in the publication of material for children with special educational needs. Although a small firm with just seven employees it sells its products in a number of countries all over the world and has a network of writers, often practising teachers, who supply materials and ideas to bring alive the teaching tasks that teachers face. I really enjoyed meeting the staff and learning about the company’s work.

Together with Dennis Turner I met with local pensioners to celebrate their tremendous achievement in helping the government support a national day for Older People which will be on 1st October this year. Both Dennis and I paid tribute to the campaigners and in particular to Tom Larkin who, although he could not be there last Friday, has campaigned long and hard for many years for such a day to be designated in the calendar. I am pleased that local pensioners will be part of the national launch on ! October in London.

After that it was off to the Rainbow Children’s centre in Vaughan Road, Portobello which I had the honour of opening, along with Cllr Pat Byrne of East Park ward. As Pat Byrne said, these new children’s centres are tremendous facilities for local parents and children. There are two in East Park ward and there are scheduled to be 16 across the city – testament to the government’s desire to ensure that every child gets the best start in life.

I spoke at the Black Country Asian Business Awards at Dunstall Park. It was a great event and there was a real sense of energy and dynamism among the winners and the others nominated for awards. I spoke about the Wolverhampton India Project and how we were trying to build on existing links to do more on trade, education and sport.

Last Friday I took part in a discussion about the Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Inquiry which will run until late next year. We had a very interesting discussion at St Peter’s Church about the balance between opportunity and risk for young people, about media, youth facilities and what role government should have in all this.

And this week, together with my colleague Rob Marris, the Chamber of Commerce, the police, local businesses and the local council, I attended a summit on metal theft. It is a real problem, not just for this city but right across the country and indeed Europe. High metal prices have encouraged thieves and it ranges from the “opportunist” crimes to highly organised international crime. There has been progress locally with a number of arrests but everyone there resolved to keep working together on this serious issue.

Welsh comedian Max Boyce used to have a saying about the value of being present to witness things. His phrase was “I was there”.

Max Boyce usually meant sport but I thought of his phrase the other day when I watched the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square. Mandela himself was there too of course, aged 89, along with the Prime Minister, the Mayor of London and many others. I stood in the watching crowd witnessing the little bit of history unfold. Mr Mandela talked of how he and fellow ANC leader Oliver Tambo had visited Westminster Abbey in 1962 and wondered if the area would ever see a statue of a black man. This week it happened and now his likeness – in trademark shirt – stands alongside Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and, in a touch he must enjoy, Jan Smuts.

Mr Mandela said although the statue was of one man, it symbolised the struggles of so many over the years. When I was growing up, apartheid in South Africa was one of the scars upon the world. A country with a black majority ruled by a white minority, backed up by laws designed to enforce the position of that black majority as second class citizens. It seemed that the regime was determined to cling to power, whatever the cost. But apartheid did go. Free elections did take place. And whatever the problems facing that country today, at least it can face them with a government freely elected by its own people.

I met Nelson Mandela once. It was in 1993 when the ANC were in London asking for Labour’s advice and help in fighting the first free elections in South Africa. He visited the then Labour Leader John Smith. I worked in John’s office at the time. As he left, all the staff lined up to shake his hand. He stopped at each person and said in his distinctive voice, “I am very honoured to meet you”. I couldn’t believe he’d taken the time to say that to all of us, when he had everyone queuing up to shake his hand wherever he went.

The crowd rightly cheered this great man this week when his statue was unveiled. Ken Livingstone talked of his life being about justice without vengeance. I was glad to be there.

It has been a great weekend in the constituency.  The sun is shining and people are out in their summer clothes.  The radio is playing those sunshine driving songs and after all the rain we have had there is something good about finally seeing a bit of summer, even if it is at the end of August and will probably be short lived. I even cut the grass.

I spent most of yesterday in the constituency office catching up on constituency mail and various local issues people have raised.  Several people have raised the issue of travellers and I appreciate that this is causing significant problems.  I don’t begrudge anyone their way of life – nor I think do the constituents writing to me and calling the constituency office - but people do object to the mess which is often left behind and the cost of the clean up when it falls to local council tax payers. 

On Friday night, together with my predecessor Dennis Turner, local councillors and many other local people I attended a fundraising dinner for Bilston Town Football Club.  I know people want to see a future for the club and several thousand pounds was raised at the event at the Park Hall Hotel.   It was a great turnout.  Well done to the hotel owner who donated the food for free, Bilston Rotary Club and everyone else concerned with the event.

On Saturday I called into Bilston Art Gallery to have a look at two exhibitions.  The first was the Indian art exhibition on the first floor and the second was “Raw to Refined”, with wonderful examples of how glass, clay and metals can be fashioned into objects of real beauty.  The Art Gallery in Mount Pleasant is a real local asset and the exhibitions it puts on add hugely to the cultural life of the area.

As at Christmas, summer holidays are the other time of year when it’s possible to do some things other than politics. One book I read on holiday this year, which I am guessing has also been read by a number of other MPs, is The Blair Years - Alastair Campbell’s diaries.

I worked closely with Alastair both in the run up to 1997 and during the first two terms of the Labour Government’s period in office.  He is a very good person, a courageous man and I have immense respect for him.  Although I was never part of the press team in No 10 I learned a huge amount from him in the times we worked together. 

He has often been called a “spin doctor” but that term does not really catch what he did.  He was adviser, motivator, and leader on the staff side of things. Tony Blair used to compare him with Roy Keane and it’s not a bad comparison.  Someone totally devoted to the cause, deeply passionate about winning, not afraid to put a few tackles in and perhaps not always tolerant of those who didn’t match up.  But the Alastair Campbell I know is no bully – he is a deeply moral person, committed to Labour winning and not scared of a fight if that is what is needed.

Diaries are valuable for anyone interested in an account of things but any memoir is a partial and personal view of things.  Inevitably, they represent one view and they come at the issue with that person’s point of view of what matters.  This doesn’t mean they are not true, simply that the full picture will sometimes be built up with a number of accounts.  We read that Tony Blair is to begin work on his own memoirs.  Will they agree with Alastair’s on every point?  Probably not.  That doesn’t mean either man is not telling the truth. It is simply an inevitable fact in the recording of personal views of events.

I was conscious of this issue of the lens through which things are viewed as I read the book.  Someone looking through the lens of what is reported in the media may see a slightly different picture from someone concerned with other issues.  In the account of changing Clause IV for example, Alastair comes at this, rightly, from the point of view of the pivotal importance of the decision for the Labour Party, and of how different people reacted.  But there is little discussion of the actual battle for change. 

He discussed the crucial Scottish Labour Party conference in Inverness in early 1995 – the first major gathering of the party to discuss the change following Tony Blair’s announcement that he would do it at the 1994 conference.  The Scottish conference was important both because of the timing – coming shortly before the special full conference of the Labour Party to decide the change - and because Scotland was regarded, somewhat lazily by some, as a bastion of “old Labour”. 

Things looked bad for the change towards the Christmas of 1994.  Constituencies in all parts of Britain were passing resolutions calling for no change.  The Scottish conference agenda was packed with such resolutions.  Defeat looked very possible, if not likely.  But resolutions are not the only things that decide a final agenda.  Amendments matter too. And a tide can be turned.  In the period between those resolutions being submitted and the deadline for amendments, those who supported change in Clause IV in Scotland did a great job in turning that tide.  A lot of pro change amendments were submitted.  The mood changed, the debate intensified and the prospect of defeat for change began to look a lot less certain. 

One of the pivotal figures was Frank Roy, now a government whip.  He worked closely with Helen Liddell who had replaced John Smith as MP for Monklands East earlier that year.  Helen was involved in the new Clause IV campaign along with other leading politicians and worked hard to secure change.  Jack McConnell, then the Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party also supported change.  By the time the conference happened, through a lot of hard work, the momentum was with those who supported change.  This ebbing and flowing of the momentum, the organisation, resolutions and amendments does not appear in the book.  Some might say it does not matter. And after all, the important thing is that the change happened, Labour adopted a statement of aims and values more in keeping with its beliefs and intentions and a critical signal was sent to both party and voters. But the picture of how things happen can look a little different depending on where one stands.

As the book goes on, there is more detail, particularly on Northern Ireland and Iraq.  Alastair admits that Northern Ireland got to him and there is fascinating detail on the ebbing and flowing of negotiations, the repeated moments when all looked lost and Tony Blair’s determination to keep going, even when things looked hopeless.  He recounts the desperate difficulty of reaching agreement when the participants regarded it as a zero sum game.  If the unionists were happy, the nationalists were not.  And vice versa.  A gain for one side seeming like a defeat for the other.  Many times it seemed that even after the Good Friday Agreement the whole thing might either collapse or simply run into the sand.  Yet they kept going and Northern Ireland seems at last to have turned its back on the violence of the past.

On Iraq too the book gives a blow by blow account of the run up to the war and the discussions with the US, France Germany and Russia and at the UN.  And of course there is much on Alastair’s subsequent battle with the BBC, a battle not just about a particular story but in his eyes about today’s media culture which often characterises politics as an activity where truth is routinely cast aside and few facts can be believed. 

People will have their different view of that battle but one thing is for sure – it took immense courage to take the stand he did, with newspapers howling in rage at him day after day, denigrating everything he said as the words of a liar – and worse – and with the country’s principle broadcaster against him.  It would have been easy, and tempting to sue for peace at many points and to withdraw from the field. After all, who would to put themselves and their families through all that?  But as he says in the book, he did not want a messy draw.  His integrity, and indeed the wider integrity of the government had been attacked, and when Lord Hutton actually considered all the facts, he came down in favour of Alastair Campbell. 

And in this battle with the media another major point comes out.  What is it about Alastair that made him such a target, such a figure of controversy?  Partly, it is self generated.  He is a big figure and likes to have a big profile.  But it is more than that.  It is also the media’s fascination with itself.  They see in him a figure who used to be a journalist and made the transition to politics and are fascinated by it.  They too are looking at issues through their own lens.  The fact that his interview about the book on the Today Programme overran the length of any number of interviews with Cabinet Ministers, or indeed with the Prime Minister, reflects this self obsession.  Alastair was a very important figure in government.  He did a fantastic job for the Prime Minister, for the country, and for the party he believes in.  But perhaps the fascination with him says as much about others as it does about him.

While reading the book in a café on holiday a man told me he had read it and asked me what I thought of it.  I didn’t tell him I knew Alastair or had worked with him and turned the question back.  What did you think, I asked him.  I thought more of him at the end than I had before I read it was his answer.  I think Alastair would be pretty happy with that verdict.  After all, given everything that has been said and written about him, the chance to put his own verdict, in his own words, and let people make up their own minds must have come as a blessed relief.

I watched a few films too – some on DVD, one in what I still call, “the pictures”.  The Hurricane with Denzel Washington which I thought was excellent.  The Last King of Scotland with Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy which I also enjoyed.  And the Simpsons Movie which I wanted to enjoy because I think the Simpsons is great but I didn’t.  I got bored with the film and think I prefer Homer and co in their thirty minute slots.

On Friday I visited Loxdale Primary School.  Headteacher Susan Maule showed me round and introduced me to children in every year group – except year six who were off on a residential trip hopefully having fun in the rain.  Years one to five were there though and we met children studying everything from pirates to symmetry.  As ever it was good to visit the school and hear about its work, and in this case to talk to the headteacher about football.

In the afternoon I took part in a meeting at the Civic Centre to talk about deepening Wolverhampton’s already strong links with India.  I believe there is a lot of potential here and as a city with a big Indian population we are well placed to increase links with a growing Asian economic powerhouse.  Earlier in the week I attended the reception at the Foreign Office to mark the 60th anniversary of Indian independence.  It was held in the stunning courtyard that used to be the centre of the then Indian Office.  India's High Commissioner Mr Sharma gave a speech about the warm and unique relationship between Britain and India and the growing trade links between the two countries.

Saturday was a little quieter but I popped into the St Joseph’s Church Summer Fayre.  There was a good sized crowd and it was a very friendly gathering.  The priest persuaded me to buy a couple of tickets for his malt whisky prize but alas, I never won.  I hope the church raised a few pounds from the afternoon and best wishes to everyone at St Josephs.

There’s no doubt about it.  The constituency is soaking wet.  The heavens have opened over Wolverhampton and throughout the Midlands over the last couple of days.  My sympathy goes out to any constituents who have found themselves in difficulty over this, either through travel plans being disrupted or more seriously through leaks or flooding.  I know from speaking to people over the past few days that roofs which are normally reliable have not all been able to withstand the drenching they have experienced in recent days.  According to one newspaper this is a kind of European Monsoon - which is why events like Glastonbury and Wimbledon are regularly washed out at this time of year.  I don't know about that but it has certainly felt like a monsoon and hopefully some summer sun will be with us soon.

Anyway, I have been lucky so far and have managed to get about the constituency without any trouble. 

On Friday I went to visit Lanesfield Primary School in Newman Avenue.  I was accompanied by my friend Glenys Mills who recently retired after working at the school for 23 years.  She is very fondly remembered by all the pupils and staff and I was glad she could accompany me to tell me about the development of the school over the years.

We were greeted by headteacher David Farrar who showed us into morning assembly.  The pupils put on a wonderful dance show for us and I was hugely impressed.  Then I had the honour of presenting the school with the Artsmark award it had recently won.  Artsmark is a government scheme to give recognition to schools which have placed a special significance on putting art and creativity at the core of learning.  It is a great achievement for the school to have won it.  Not only is it good for the pupils by opening up their horizons but it is also a part of learning very much geared to the future.  The creative industries are a growing part of the economy and the job market and the learning in art, design and creativity could serve the children well in times to come.

I also enjoyed touring the school and as is the case with so many schools locally I was able to see the improvements in the fabric of the school made possible by the increased investment in education put in the government.  Being the government means making choices about taxpayers’ money.  The choices which used to be made meant children being taught in sub standard buildings.  Now different choices are leading to modernised buildings, new windows and new technology – another core part of learning for the future.  It is good to see, though I know we still have more to do to increase opportunity, and more to do to increase standards in schools, to make sure children of all backgrounds get the chances in life they deserve.  Part of that is about increased investment.  Part of it is also about making the changes needed in our schools.  That's why investment goes hand in hand with reform.

On Friday afternoon, together with my fellow MPs Rob Marris and Ken Purchase, I met local GPs to talk about primary care in the city.  The GPs reported how much things were changing, with doctors collaborating to offer a whole range of services.  They spoke enthusiastically about the new choose and book system which allows patients to book their hospital appointment with their doctor then and there without waiting to hear by post as was the case in the past.  They also showed a real commitment to tackling health inequality by reaching out to get services to those who need them most – something I also believe in and try to work on in my role as Social Exclusion Minister.

Friday started early with a breakfast meeting at the Hawthorns hosted by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.  The guest of honour was the new Bishop of Wolverhampton, Clive Gregory whose "patch" covers a much wider area than the city itself. 

I had been asked to speak too and set out a few points about the government's approach to tackling social exclusion, about the work local MPs were doing with the Chamber of Commerce and the local police to tackle business crime and about the importance of improving education and skills in the area.  There was a brief question and answer session in which questions about regulation, business crime and the voluntary sector were raised.

I then went on to a meeting of local pensioners in the Springvale Club in Millfields Road which had been organised by All Cultures One Voice and Help the Aged.  I was asked to say a few words at this event too and set out some of the changes made in provision for pensioners in recent years such as the winter fuel allowance, pension credit, free Tv licences for the over 75s and improvements to concessionary bus travel.  I also talked about changes to comes such as falling waiting times for NHS treatment and the restoration of the earnings link which is being put through Parliament by the Labour Government.

After that it was up to a local doctor's surgery.  The doctor had contacted me concerned with anti social behaviour and crime at his surgery.  I arranged for the police to visit and give the doctor some security advice.  We talked for an hour about the measures the doctor could take involving improved security around the door area, better fencing etc.  It was all good advice and the police made every effort to help, though it is ridiculous that people will attack a doctor's surgery - a facility which is there to serve local people and care for the most vulnerable.

After that I went in to the constituency office in Bilston and caught up on the mail and other messages with my secretary Jill who has been working for both my predecessor Dennis Turner and me for over 20 years.  I talked through with her the responses to letters that had come in, signed others and made calls to constituents who had phoned in.  It is part of and MP's life to work in both London and the constituency and every MP is very reliant on having good staff in the constituency when they can't be around.  I have two staff in the local constituency office and am fortunate that they both do a great job.  Jill's experience and knowledge have been a huge help to me over the past two years and I know she is popular with local constituents.

If, heaven forbid, there was a terrorist atrocity in Britain in the near future where innocent people were killed prominent among the response and the analysis would be the view that however heinous the act, British foreign policy and, specifically, our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan were to blame. 

Of course, the commentators would condemn the act of terrorism and their condemnation would be sincere but their real ire would be directed not at those who committed the act but at what they would see as its real cause – our own actions as a country.

This attitude has become widely accepted.  In his book, What’s Left, Nick Cohen characterised it as “kill us, we deserve it”.  Sure enough, barely a discussion of the security threat or of foreign policy passes without someone saying something along the lines of “of course I condemn these acts but really we have brought this on ourselves by invading Iraq….”

This attitude absolves the responsibility of murder from those who carry it out.  It assumes that the bombing of a marketplace in Baghdad or the killing of police recruits is somehow a natural response, only to be expected given our actions.  It is also deeply egotistical.  It assumes that the world revolves around the actions of the West and that those outside the West must be acting in response to our own actions.  The idea that a movement may have developed under its own force and ideology is barely considered.

Those who threaten our security know this response well and play to it.  Our desire to blame ourselves matches perfectly the ideology of victimhood which seeks always to blame someone else for the circumstances of those who feel driven to terrorist murder.

Yet victimhood is itself ultimately demeaning. However seductive, it is the opposite of leadership.

The most recent edition of the magazine, Prospect, carries an article by Shiv Malik who spent months in Beeston in Leeds researching material for a film for the BBC.  Beeston was the home of Mohammed Sidique Khan, thought to be the ringleader of the four bombers on the London Underground.  You may remember him from the video, fired up with victimhood about the wrongs allegedly done to his people. 

Malik finds that despite the popular perception that this man was driven to murder by the actions of his government the truth is a more gradual drift towards extremism which began in the late 1990s – years before the invasions of Iraq or Afghanistan.  Malik details accounts which depict Khan as plugged into extremism well before the Iraq war, and indeed before September 11th 2001.

Malik says his research shows that the roots of this are not so much in our foreign policy or our actions but in a conflict between first and second generation Muslims, a desire from the younger generation to break free from what they regard as the corruption of their elders and the seductive power of an ideology that seems to offer identity when their own is in doubt.

Of course, Khan and those who share his ideology will reach for the actions of our country in Iraq or Afghanistan to justify their actions, but it absolves them of responsibility and more importantly inhibits our understanding of the real nature of this ideology if we share in that belief, even while condemning the actions they may take.

People are responsible for their own actions. Those who murder are driven by an ideology which was in existence long before the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan.  The security threat we face is a lot more than simply a response to our own foreign policy actions.  Until we understand that we will neither comprehend nor be able to shape fully the response to the threat we face.  Malik’s film was never made.

After my surgery on Saturday morning I went home for some lunch and settled down to watch the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley stadium.  £800m.  90,000 seats.  England’s two top teams with millions of pounds in talent – and salaries - on show.  And then, sadly, a disappointing and boring game of football. 

The first half in particular was dull as dishwater with both teams terrified to make an error, or apparently, a chance.  The second half and extra time were a little better and Chelsea’s goal was well worked but no one will remember this as a great cup final.  It is a shame because the FA Cup final is one of the most watched football matches in the world.  It is screened all over the planet and the lucky players who play in it are given a chance to showcase their talent to many nations.

Football is indeed a game of contrasts.  The top of the game seems awash with money with every growing TV revenues fuelling ever growing salaries.  Some of this has been very beneficial as the premier League has been able to attract top players from all over the world and, at its best, produce exciting passionate games.  But there is also a real issue about ticket prices and the game must be careful not to place itself beyond the reach of people on ordinary incomes.

It’s all a great contrast to the fortunes of teams like Bilston Town.  Part of the town since 1894, Bilston Town FC seem to be in difficulty.  The Queen Street ground has been beset by heart breaking senseless vandalism and break ins in recent years.  The team itself was unable to field a full side for the last couple of games of the season and the owner has placed a statement on the club website saying, “I have received numerous calls from interested parties wishing to take over the Club. I will be talking with these people over the coming days & weeks with a view to securing a deal that will be in the best interests of Bilston Town FC and only in the club's interest.” 

Life is tough for non league clubs like Bilston Town.  They don’t have TV revenue.  They don’t have big crowds.  But they are part of an area’s identity and I very much hope the club’s future can be secured.

In recent days I have talked to a number of concerned supporters, to local councillors and to the council leader about the situation.  Everyone concerned shares the same view  - that if the owner is seeking to sell, hopefully he will be able to strike a deal “that will be in the best interests of Bilston Town FC” and will give the club a future.

I will keep in touch with the supporters who came to my surgery and others who have been in touch by phone and email and do everything I can to help.

On Friday I started the day by meeting with students at Wolverhampton College who had been on a Holocaust Educational Trust trip to Auschwitz.  This is the same trip I went on with local school pupils last November.  Just like me, the students thought it was an unforgettable experience and were trying to come to terms with what they had seen and heard about.  They talked to the college principal, my colleague Rob Marris and me about their impressions and about the relevance of the terrible history of that period to today's world.

Later I met with Lesley Roberts, Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes.  Lesley is working hard to try to ensure that Wolverhampton Homes achieves a "two star" status in its next inspection.  This is not an easy standard and the whole organisation will have to work hard to make the grade.  But if they do it will release £288m in public investment into Wolverhampton's social housing stock over the coming years.  That will be great news for tenants and great news for the city's economy.  Let's hope the organisation reaches the required standard for that invesment to be released.

In the evening I met with residents concerned about a local care home.  The company planning the care home were there too and they explained their plans.  I know that some of the local residents have concerns about this issue and I believe dialogue between all concerned is important.  I want to thank the residents who attended and who have discussed these issues at my surgery and thank the care home company concerned for explaining their plans and being willing to sit down and talk to local people.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the fifth edition of Ron Davies' collection of photographs of Bilston, Bradley and Ladymoor.  Ron does a fantastic job in compiling this archive and when you think about the five books together it is a remarkable collection.  He said his work was not over and appealed for more photographs from streets where he thought the collection was incomplete.  The latest collection is a delight - and includes one great photo of a very young Dennis Turner with the rest of his family.

When I got back to Westminster the talk was all of Leadership and Deputy Leadership.  At the moment it looks like Gordon Brown will not face a challenge.  I have nominated him and think he can be a great Prime Minister.  He has hit the ground running with his campaign and already made a number of announcements.  I will keep you up to date with both the leadership and deputy leadership in the weeks to come.

You started election day in tears.  You told me you had cried all morning.  At 82 years of age, this would be the first time ever you had not voted.  Yes, a postal vote could have helped you, but you had not applied and it was too late now.  This was polling day and you were utterly distraught at the thought of not casting your vote.  Not for you Emily the disdain for elections and parties.  Not for you the tired notion that they’re all the same, all in it for themselves and that there is no point in voting.  You wanted to vote. You wanted your say.  You just didn’t know how to get there.

When I got a call from my office while out knocking up at about 8pm saying you wanted a lift, I was happy to come and get you.  You had recently had surgery at the Heart and Lung Centre at New Cross Hospital and were still weak, but your spirit was strong and nothing was going to stop you.

When I got there, sensibly, you called your daughter and let her know where you were going.  Understandably, she wanted to speak to this strange man into whose car you were about to get.  Your daughter and I spoke and I told her who I was and that I would look after you.  Then we set off.  We had plenty of time.  There was still over an hour before the polls closed.  You were passionately pro Labour but even more impressive was your determination to vote.

When we got to the polling station you struggled up the steps.  We stopped so you could catch your breath.  There was no rush. 

When we got inside and you approached the desk, you could not speak at first.  You were crying tears of joy.  You told the staff you had thought you wouldn’t make it.  They shared your pleasure and gave you your ballot paper.  You filled it in with such pride. 

We took our time going back to the car.  On the way back home you told me how happy you were.  You said getting to vote when you thought you would not be able to was the best thing to happen to you in years.  You kept saying it was an honour but the honour was all mine.  We went inside and you called your daughter to tell her you were safely home.  I spoke to her briefly to tell her everything was fine.  As I left and walked down the path, it was not you who had the tear in your eye.

Over the past week I have visited both New Cross Hospital and Bilston High School.

No one would pretend New Cross hospital has had an unchequered record in recent years.  The hospital carries a historic debt.  It had a tight financial year last year when it had to strip costs and posts out of its budget.  So perhaps it was a good time to visit, together with my fellow Wolverhampton MPs Ken Purchase and Rob Marris and Sir Patrick Cormack, MP for South Staffs whose constituents are served by the hospital.

As local MPs we meet regularly with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the local NHS Trust.  Their broad message to us is that yes, they have inherited a financial debt from the past, but that things are now on an even keel on a year by year basis. 

Last Friday we toured T Block, the new Eye Infirmary which has been incorporated into New Cross hospital.  Constituents will know the closure of the Eye Infirmary at Chapel Ash and the move into New Cross was very controversial.  There was a major campaign against the move, and a petition with thousands of signatures from across the city was organised.

It would have been easy for the MPs simply to oppose the closure.  But that is not the stance we took.  Instead, we said that although the Eye Infirmary was held in deep affection by our constituents, we wanted to judge the issue on its merits and that if patient care could be improved, we would not oppose the closure.

Our visit gave us a chance to check that stance against the reality of the new facilities at New Cross.  We spoke to staff and patients who praised the new facilities.  Staff said they were easier to keep clean, patients had more privacy and the equipment was much more modern.  Of course, as a politician I cannot judge this as an expert would, but certainly the facilities seemed clean and modern and many of the damaging consequences of the move appear not to have materialised.  Change is never easy but sometimes opposing it is the easiest thing in the world.  Easy, but not necessarily right.  I hope the new facilities are a success and that they serve the people of Wolverhampton well in the future.

The other day I went to Bilston High School to meet with teacher Maria Mulvihill and pupils on the school council.  The school council represents pupils from every year group and I was there to be quizzed about my role as the local MP.  The pupils asked me questions on everything from key issues in Bilston’s future to what it was like speaking in the Commons Chamber.  We also talked about how the labour market is changing and how it is more important than ever that young people gain the qualifications they need to take advantages of the opportunities out there. I really enjoyed it and I hope the pupils did too.

Apart from that I have spent most of my time on the doorstep speaking to voters.  I have enjoyed canvassing in these elections.  It is good to speak to people.  I will follow up the individual issues raised but more broadly I have listened closely to voters’ concerns and views about our local area.

Parliament was in recess for two weeks over Easter.  I spent most of the first week in the constituency and the second week in India.

In the constituency, I spent a fair bit of time canvassing.  Campaigning has evolved over the years.  Political parties make use of direct mail, the internet and a number of other techniques.  I’m all in favour of the modernisation of campaigning and exploring new ways of communicating with voters.  But I also still believe that nothing can replace the value of MPs and councillors going out, knocking doors and speaking to people about their concerns.

Most people, whether they are going to vote for you or not, are polite and quite like the fact that their MP is on their doorstep.  The purpose is to listen to voters and also if possible to find out how someone is thinking of voting.  Of course it’s not an exact science.  Parties know some people may say yes to please, or may not want to say because they believe the information is private.  There’s nothing compulsory about any of this.  It’s a chance for politicians to talk to voters and to listen to their concerns.  And I believe it’s an important part of our democratic process.  So to everyone who took the time to talk, thank you very much.  To those who were too busy, I understand completely. 

Of course I’m canvassing for Labour and supporting our local Labour candidates.  But the part of canvassing I find a little sad is not when someone tells me they’re not voting for my party - it’s when people say they have never voted and probably never will.  I often ask why and the answer is usually that they’re just not interested.  You could argue that is their democratic right but the chance to have a say in who is running things locally or nationally is a very valuable thing.  Our elections are free and fair.  No one is bribed, no one bullied.  Just express your opinion in the privacy of the ballot booth.  Who do you believe should be in charge?  Who do you definitely not want to be in charge?  May 3 is the chance for people to have their say.  I hope as many as possible do so.

Last week I was in India.  It was my first trip there and I was fascinated to see a small glimpse of a country which is so much in the news and which the city of Wolverhampton has such strong ties with.  I had the honour of visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar.  Constituents who have been will know it is a stunning sight.  The most sacred place in the Sikh faith, it sits as though suspended above the water.  And for the visitor it is not just the sight of the Golden Temple which strikes you.  It is the huge effort, most of it voluntary, to feed and care for 50,000 visitors a day, and the atmosphere of serenity and devotion which is almost tangible.

I also met with Ministers from the Punjab State Government and we discussed the strong links which exist between Wolverhampton and the Punjab and how we can build on those in the future.  As global trade and investment increases and as India rises as an economic power, the links we have with that country could prove to be a real asset in the future.

Bilston is known for many industries.  Mining certainly.  The area is peppered with mineshafts, including one beneath the town hall.  Steel certainly, and the closure of the steelworks still resonates today.  Many other industries too.  But one industry also strongly associated with Bilston is enamelling. 

Two hundred years ago, this was one of the key industries in the town and was a key part of it’s wider reknown.  The other day I went to visit the current Bilston enamelling works in the Barton industrial estate, just off Mount Pleasant.

First, a few numbers.  Just over 50 people work at Bilston Enamels, or, to give it its full name, Bilston and Battersea Enamels, which also trades under the name Halcyon Days.  Around 70,000 pieces a year are produced and the turnover is around £3.5 million a year.  The “pieces” are mainly ornamental enamel boxes, retailing at an average of just over £100 each.  They commemorate everything from the Millenium, to the centenaries and bicentenaries of states, to birthdays weddings and other special family occasions.   For individuals, the firm will make boxes to order with a message of your choice.

The firm is one of only eight to hold four Royal Warrants, proudly displayed in the boardroom.  Glyn Byrne, the company’s operational director told me that it was common for members of the Royal family to give Bilston enamel products as momentos and gifts while travelling abroad.  They also hold a licence to make boxes bearing the image of the Beatles and are constantly trying to innovate and think of new ideas. 

The boxes themselves are exquisite and, as I saw when I toured the factory, made with great pride and an intense focus on quality control.  The base material is copper, which is then coated, fired and recoated with enamel five times in all.  Designs are then added and painted by hand.  This means that each box is slightly different and the colours, even on the same box design can vary according to taste.  Gold hinges and holders for the covers are applied and at each stage boxes are examined for the tiniest flaw or fault. 

Given that commemoration is a key part of the company’s marketing strategy, researchers constantly scour ahead for significant dates.  Every year is the centenary or 50th anniversary of something.  Sometimes, collectors will order a batch as gifts for a particularly important conference or occasion.

I really enjoyed meeting the staff and learning about the manufacture of these beautiful Bilston products.  I wish Bilston Enamels all the best for the future.

There are a couple of days in the parliamentary year when the level of theatre rises, when the chamber is packed and when we know big announcements are going to be made. 

The Queen’s speech is obviously one when the legislative programme for the year is set out.  Budget day is another. 

The Chancellor reports on the state of the economy and announces his taxation measures.  In truth, you can’t judge things by this announcement alone.  Budgets have to be seen alongside the Spending Review statements which are now done on a three yearly cycle.  The Spending Review (or CSR as they call it in Westminster) sets out what the Government – on your behalf – will spend on health, education, defence and so on.  Yet it’s the Budget which often gains the most attention.

This was Gordon Brown’s 11th.  He’s an old hand at this now.  He knows how to measure his speech and inject drama where it’s needed.  When I was a child it seemed the duties on beers wines and cigarettes seemed a bigger story than they are now.  Today, petrol duty is watched closely, as are other measures such as the key business and personal tax rates.

The Chancellor said clearly that this year’s budget would be a revenue neutral simplification of tax.  Two rates, one at 20%, one at 40%.  Corporation tax cut to 28%.  More help for children in poorer households.  More pensioners lifted out of taxation.  More spending on education.

Four out of five households will gain from this year’s budget.  Importantly, the economy remains steady.  Inflation and interest rates are historically low.  I know we need more jobs in Wolverhampton South East but a stable economy is the best foundation for them.  It used to be Labour governments were associated with economic crises.  Few say that today.  Shocks can come.  In a global economy they can never be ruled out.  It is your foundations and how you handle them that matters.

On Friday I met a group of young constituents who are a real credit to their families and their city.

I was at Blakenhall Community Centre in Dudley Road to meet young people who had been involved with a project called COPE - Certificate of Personal Effectiveness - based at Colton Hills School.  The young people had engaged in a wide ranging education programme involving learning about the importance of recycling, the wealth of natural diversity in the countryside around the city and a whole range of other topics.

Also there were Leah and Solomon - the two young people's representatives on the Board of ABCD, the Neighbourhood Development Project for the All Saints and Blakenhall area.

ABCD Chief Executive Tim Clegg said that having young people on the Board had had a very positive impact on the work of ABCD.

The young people there said they had enjoyed the COPE programme and they had a great positive attitude to learning.

We often see a negative portrayal of young people in the media, and I am the first one to say that everyone, young or old, is responsible for their actions and has a duty to show respect for others.  That's why I have supported government action to try to help local communities deal with anti social behaviour.  But at the same time we should never forget that most young people simply want to learn, do well, and make a positive contribution to their community.

The young people I met on Friday are certainly doing that.  Well done to all of them and to Sam Henry and his colleagues at MAP (Multi Agency Project) who have been involved in the COPE programme and who do a lot of good work in the local community.

Last Friday I took part in Any Questions for the first time.  The other panel guests were former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, Sunday Telegraph columnist Matthew D’Ancona and Camilla Batmanghelidj who runs a London based charity called Kids Company which offers help to some of the most difficult and marginalised children in the city.

Any Questions is of course a Radio Four institution and as well as taking part I was interested to see how the whole thing was run.  Last week’s show took place in Eastbourne.  Guests were invited beforehand to have dinner together in the Grand Hotel and pretty grand it was too.  I had met Camilla Batmanghelidj and Matthew D’Ancona before but not Iain Duncan Smith.  We were joined by the presenter Jonathan Dimbleby and talked about everything from Spurs to where past Prime Ministers sat where when they worked in No 10.  Iain Duncan Smith has done a lot of work on social justice since his party ousted him as leader.  I doubt whether he and I would agree on policy answers to these issues but I don’t doubt the genuine nature of his concern.

The programme itself was recorded at nearby Eastbourne College.  There was an audience of a couple of hundred and, it being radio, the whole thing had a certain timeless feel about it. 

We covered a handful of topics including climate change, the current investigation into No 10, gambling, GP salaries and multiculturalism.  It lasted about 45 minutes but seemed over in a flash.  Although the government representative on a show like this is always going to be playing defensive football to some extent I enjoyed it and it was good to see how this little bit of Radio Four works.

On Saturday night I spoke at a Labour Party Burns supper fundraising dinner.  Burns has been dead for over 200 years but seems to have been reincarnated as a political fundraiser.  I think political parties of all colours are some of the most frequent hosts of these dinners.  MPs born in Scotland tend to be in demand for these dinners – more chance of pronouncing the poetry.  Walking through the corridors of the Commons in January you’re pretty likely to be disarmed by the question, “what are you doing on Saturday the xxth”.  Before you know it, you’re reading Ae Fond Kiss.  Burns wrote some beautiful poems and I think the reason for his appeal after so long is his talent for puncturing pomposity, his egalitarianism and of course, the quality of his verse. 

And before any of you think of criticising haggis, that tasted fine too.

On Friday I joined our Mayor Cllr John Davies, the Lady Mayoress, headteacher Ken Byatt, his staff and the pupils of Colton Hills School to celebrate the school achieving specialist status.

Many secondary schools now have a specialism and it can often help raise standards in the school.  The specialism Colton Hills has chosen is languages which seems well suited for an increasingly international and interdependent economy.

The celebration was started by local reggae artist Macca B who entertained us for a time before the ceremony.  Macca B's message was spot on - that young people should believe in themselves and their own potential and that in today's world, learning to communicate with others is more important than ever.

He sang songs in a number of languages including one which had passages in English, French, German, Hindi and Japanese.  Not surprisingly, this went down well on a day when we were celebrating the value of communication.

When I was at school most of the language teaching was in modern European languages like French or German.  I'm sure that these languages will continue to be taught in our schools but as the world changes and different countries rise to economic prominence the languages spoken in India and China will probably also be taught more regularly.

All of this is part of the effort to continually raise standards and lift children's ambition.  Education and skills and more important than ever, both for individuals and for countries.  The countries which succeed in the 21st century are those who make the most of the talents and abilities of their people.  It is no longer acceptable - as if it ever was - to educate an elite to a high standard and place less emphasis on the rest.  Of course natural ability is a factor but as a country we have to make to most of each and every person's talent and potential.

So congratulations to Colton Hills for looking to the future and going for specialist status.  I hope it serves the pupils of the school well in the years to come.