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<title><![CDATA[PAT'S BLOG]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog]]></link>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Game Change (The Sarah Palin Movie) ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[There&rsquo;s a big difference between American and British political drama. In American political drama, for all that venality and wrongdoing may be part of the story, there is a notion that politics can be a higher calling, that at least some people in it are motivated to do good. This...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=fa36c6e2-16ea-e6b4-cd8f-db6df9b5ff43]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[More than anything else, this government lacks purpose ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Last week I wrote that competence or the lack of it had become a key problem for the government. A number of issues were responsible, beginning with the unnecessary government provoked petrol crisis and running up to the farcical inability of the home office to add up the number of...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=7ba53f6a-28e9-5994-adf3-af1262146e69]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=7ba53f6a-28e9-5994-adf3-af1262146e69]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[The Competence Question ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[For most of the period since the election, the Government has been pretty successful at setting the agenda, particularly around the central question of tax and spend. The spending cuts they have put through, they argue, are done more in sorrow than in anger and although these are tough decisions...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=889853ba-9173-0a94-d91d-63cf001cd40f]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=889853ba-9173-0a94-d91d-63cf001cd40f]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Alistair Darling - Back from the Brink]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[You&rsquo;d buy a used car from Alistair Darling.  In fact he&rsquo;d probably have had it serviced, cleaned and fitted with new tyres for you.  He is a good, honest straight dealing politician.  He served in a number of Government Departments like Transport and Work and Pensions gaining...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=d8b5972d-58bc-9c84-b154-e57edee87324]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=d8b5972d-58bc-9c84-b154-e57edee87324]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[High Speed 2]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The Government has announced it will proceed with a high speed rail link, initially between London and Birmingham, but later to go beyond this to Manchester and Leeds. This is a very important announcement for the West Midlands.  It is a costly project and it will take some time...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=774c778a-babc-7cc4-85d8-d51b5c0ad385]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=774c778a-babc-7cc4-85d8-d51b5c0ad385]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[HMV results a sign o’ the times]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[High St music store HMV&rsquo;s report that like for like sales have fallen 8% compared to last Christmas shows the relentless change in the way we shop.  Some High St music sellers have already bitten the dust and HMV is desperately trying to refocus its business away from CDs...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=84509e73-19f7-02b4-9d03-19533ceb0fab]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=84509e73-19f7-02b4-9d03-19533ceb0fab]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[NEW YEAR BLOG]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[A Happy New Year to all constituents. Holidays are times when you read, watch or listen to a lot of things in a short period.  So here are my short reviews of what I saw, read or listened to over the break. TV &ndash; The Gruffalo&rsquo;s Child (Christmas day)....]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=0c0b0ee8-b81f-1634-e573-87581fe4fe22]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=0c0b0ee8-b81f-1634-e573-87581fe4fe22]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[CHRISTMAS BLOG]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[I would like to wish all constituents a very merry Christmas.    I like the period two or three days before when the present buying is (almost) done and you&rsquo;re going to get the food in and look forward to a few days of doing not...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=b61aca80-ae53-d214-35d5-666e915d675a]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=b61aca80-ae53-d214-35d5-666e915d675a]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[UNEMPLOYMENT, CLOSURE OF EXPRESS AND STAR LONDON OFFICE,FUTURE OF UK MANUFACTURING, CHRISTMAS FAYRES - IN NOVEMBER!,  BILSTON LE]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[UNEMPLOYMENT Last week&rsquo;s unemployment figures marked an ominous milestone for the country with the news that there are now over one million young people out of work.  It would be wrong to claim that the problem was created by this Government &ndash; youth unemployment has been high for some...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=5f59928d-64ea-2804-4146-0031eecce582]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=5f59928d-64ea-2804-4146-0031eecce582]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[PHILIP GOULD]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Reading the updated version of Philip&rsquo;s book, the Unfinished Revolution, what comes across more than anything else is the struggle, the constant never ending struggle to make Labour electable and to change the world for the better. For those of us who worked with him he was obsessive, unceasing, and...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=1cdcdbcf-e591-cef4-897c-0029f87ba1bc]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=1cdcdbcf-e591-cef4-897c-0029f87ba1bc]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[KEEP BILSTON UNITED, BIRD TABLE AT NEW CROSS, STATE BANK OF INDIA]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Keep Bilston United. They say that no one goes to public meetings any more.  Someone obviously forgot to tell the 160 plus who came to last week&rsquo;s public meeting on the Boundary Commission proposals at Bilston Town Hall.  There were speakers from all three main political parties but...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=55915e73-bd9d-5d44-f11d-3145049cc29c]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=55915e73-bd9d-5d44-f11d-3145049cc29c]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[STEVE ROTHERAM, BUSES AND HAPPY DIWALI]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[MPs have had a pretty bad name in recent years.  What do they do other than fiddle their expenses and take long holidays is a question posed by some?  Some of the reputational damage has been deserved, some not.  But anyone wondering what good MPs do might...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=76829373-15fb-c744-f189-2196cebacddf]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=76829373-15fb-c744-f189-2196cebacddf]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[TESCO, MILLFIELDS ROAD AND KEEP BILSTON UNITED ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[After what feels like a hundred years war between supermarket groups Wolverhampton Council has come up with a novel solution &ndash; it has said yes to all of them.  So Tesco&rsquo;s plans to redevelop the Royal Hospital site get the go ahead, as do Sainsbury&rsquo;s plans for Raglan St...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=dd863e81-3c3b-a384-61dd-07c6328349a1]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=dd863e81-3c3b-a384-61dd-07c6328349a1]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[REPORT FOR WEEK OF 26 SEPTEMBER]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Keep Bilston United Campaign The campaign held its first public meeting in St Martin&rsquo;s Church, Bradley on Friday afternoon.  Many thanks to all who came.  There was a shared view at the meeting that the Boundary Commission&rsquo;s proposals made no sense in terms of Bilston&rsquo;s community ties and...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=8356070d-2b22-32c4-b94d-75f7514afd16]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=8356070d-2b22-32c4-b94d-75f7514afd16]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[CLOSED SHOPS, CLOSED PUBS ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[New research by the Local Data Company shows the extent of a problem that we know afflicts Wolverhampton and many similar cities &ndash; the blight of closed shops.  According to the report, 25% of shops in Wolverhampton lie vacant, with the figure even higher in Dudley and...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=05ef8ddb-9bc2-da34-d172-271bb465436f]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=05ef8ddb-9bc2-da34-d172-271bb465436f]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[RIOTS AND LOOTING ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The whole country has been shocked by the events of recent days.  There is no excuse for looting and arson.  My thoughts are with the victims of all this &ndash; people who have been burned out of their homes or seen businesses trashed, looted and burned.  These...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=affb24ac-18a6-e904-751d-0503fca4fe1a]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=affb24ac-18a6-e904-751d-0503fca4fe1a]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[BILSTON LEISURE CENTRE UPDATE]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The new Bert Williams Leisure Centre is taking shape.  Constituents will have seen the building going up over the past year but these photos, issued recently by Wolverhampton Council, show some of the excellent new equipment that will be made available for public use.  This new...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=a724ece6-dff3-fc14-257a-594a46540927]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=a724ece6-dff3-fc14-257a-594a46540927]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[BILSTON URBAN VILLAGE UPDATE]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Tonight&rsquo;s Express and Star carries a story about the Bilston Urban Village being &ldquo;in tatters&rdquo; following the Council&rsquo;s decision to part company with the preferred house building developer, Places for People.  It is hugely frustrating for the people of Bilston that a preferred developer sat on unused land for...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=222db86e-30ac-77d4-dd1b-c84942c20054]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=222db86e-30ac-77d4-dd1b-c84942c20054]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[PARENTHOOD, SECOND TIME AROUND]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Looking back on it, parenthood the first time involves a lot of nerves and paranoia.  You devour the books.  You fret over every little rash.  You watch your child constantly.  Other parts take you slightly by surprise.  The lack of sleep hits you harder than...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=931892e8-3abd-cd64-35ef-8c8fd3e15008]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=931892e8-3abd-cd64-35ef-8c8fd3e15008]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[WOLVERHAMPTON COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS LATEST....]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Congratulations to all Labour candidates who won seats in Wolverhampton South East.  Six out of seven of our candidates were successful with increased majorities in the seats we held going into the election.  I want to thank all Labour&rsquo;s helpers who came out and helped, whether through leafleting,...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=05e2b9c4-d1d6-4754-fdd9-58a5261cac1d]]></link>
                           <guid isPermaLink="false"><![CDATA[http://www.patmcfadden.com/pats-blog?Entry=05e2b9c4-d1d6-4754-fdd9-58a5261cac1d]]></guid>
                           <pubDate>Thu, 1 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
                           
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