Sunbeds threaten young lives

Too many under eighteens are using sunbeds which could lead to health issues in later life. Every year over 100 people die from malignant skin cancer and there are 370 new cases which can be linked to the use of sunbeds.

Some sunbeds produce ultra violet (UV) rays greater than the heat of the midday Mediterranean sun. The concern is that sunbeds are being used more frequently by young people. Recommendations currently state that those under the age of 16 should not use sunbeds and MP’s are now calling for the industry to be regulated for the 18 and over and a ban to be placed on the use of sunbeds for the under 18’s.

25% of 16 year olds claim to have used a sunbed at some point and there is growing concerns that a binge tanning trend is increasing amongst youngsters of binge tanning. Health Advisors are encouraging young people to use fake tans and gradual moisturisers to prevent the skin damage sunbeds cause but most don’t heed that advice.

Brian said: “Cancer specialists tell us that the numbers of deaths from malignant skin cancer are growing every year and many of those involve people who use sunbeds from a young age. Sunbeds must therefore be considered an important factor in this increase”.

“Sadly, many of the users are young girls and many of them are unsupervised when they use the sunbeds and something needs to be done about this”.

“I normally only support regulation where it is absolutely necessary and have often said that we are over regulated as a nation. However, if the medical profession tells me that young people need to be protected then that is what we have to do”.

Britain falling behind in skills training

Brian Binley Northampton South MP, spoke in the House of Commons yesterday in the Education, Training and Skills debate and claimed that Britain’s current skills crisis was a result of the education system failing students.

He claimed that Britain was suffering because our children do not meet a good enough standard by the time they leave primary school. Currently around 120,000 11-year-olds leave primary education without the ability to read and write.

The ability to read and write is the very foundation on which later skills training is based. Reading and writing should be the very minimum requirement which primary schools should teach our children and the nation had failed them by not doing so.

Brian praised Mr. Len Closs , The Principal of Northampton College as a very fine Principal, and a highly skilled and experienced teacher and commended his efforts to improve our Further Education structure.

In conclusion Brian stated that colleges were vital to informing Government of how to solve the problem of skills training. We need to listen to them and to their recommendations.

Brian continued: "Vocational training should be work place driven and local businesses should motivate, direct and be involved with local vocational problems. All too often ill-designed packages are being created and delivered away from the work place by educationists who are distant from the ethos and culture of the working environment. "

"We need to learn lessons from what the heads of further education are telling us and I hope that the Government recognises that fact."

THE WICKED OGRE OF CASTLE DOWNING STREET

The pantomime season is in full swing and the Government has clearly decided to produce its own.

There have been hints for sometime that the production was about to go public but nobody expected it to be as farcical as it proved to be, containing as it did such high quality slapstick and targeted pie throwing as to astound even the most experienced spectator.

The first act opened with a rumbustuous Old Squire Clarke setting the scene in the traditional way but he gave no hint of the drama to follow. Enter stage right: the village idiots, so beautifully played by Hoon and Hewitt, who in loud stage whispers expressed their concern at that way the Wicked Ogre of Castle Downing Street had caused such heartache and despair to the down trodden Westminster Villagers. They decided to encourage the villagers to stand up to the Wicked Ogre and throw him out before he destroyed them all. The Act ended with the Idiots rendition of ‘Things can only get better’.

Onto Act Two. The Village Idiots (Hoon and Hewitt) reveal their cunning plan to attack the Wicked Ogre’s castle to the solemn villagers. They told them to unfurl their Blairite banners, draw their swords and respond to their valiant cry of CHARGE! The cry echoed around the pantomime village sending shivers of anticipation, especially to the audience in the cheap seats, known quaintly as the ‘press gallery’.

And that was it, they didn’t follow and they certainly didn’t charge. The sullen villagers were so frightened that they failed to respond. The Village Idiots exited stage right with egg all over their faces, trailing their Blairite banners despondently behind them.

On from stage left, right and centre came a selection of heirs apparent, played by the young juvenile leads, Balls, Burnham and Milibands’ 1 and 2. They were followed sheepishly by a group of dysfunctional shabby old retainers led by Harman, Johnson and Straw and they all looked forlornly at each other hoping someone would speak first.

The audience waited with baited breath for what seemed like hours until the silence was eventually broken by a series of mealy mouthed declarations offering less than enthusiastic support for the Wicked Ogre but clearly keeping their individual options open.
On slinks the Wicked Wizard from the North, King Maker Elect, theatrical Lord Mandelson covered in a slimey goo which added to the aura of evil that surrounded him. The Wizard concluded the act with a self congratulatory rendition of ‘Mr Wonderful’ followed with a convoluted soliloquy which actually said very little but was designed to add to the tension of the build up to Act Three.

And we now await the conclusion with baited breath,
The script for act three should include an immediate General Election, the deposing of the Wicked Ogre, and his mealy mouthed acolytes, the installation of Prince Charming into Castle Downing Street and the whole nation joining in a final chorus of ‘Happy days are here again’.
Sadly I fear that the Wicked Ogre won’t see the interests of the audience in quite that way and we will have to wait some months before we see the conclusion of the whole show. Let’s hope that any further damage he could inflict on the villagers will be kept to a minimum, but we shouldn’t count on it.

However there is a serious point to all of this. The Prime Minister of our country sits virtually friendless in 10 Downing Street, in denial to the point of needing medical treatment, wondering how to control a cabinet riven with dissention whilst the country faces the most serious economic situation it has faced since the end of World War II.

What a pantomime.

March on Wootton Bassett harmful to British Muslims

Brian Binley MP for Northampton South has expressed his concern at the planned march by Anjem Choudary, the UK leader of al-Muhajiroun by sponsoring an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons against the march.

The EDM claims that plans to stage a march through Wootton Bassett carrying empty coffins as a protest against Britain’s presence in Afghanistan would be a gross mark of disrespect to the soldiers who have died or have been wounded in Afghanistan, to their families and those who continue to fight on active service. We should all remember that members of the military do the biding of their political masters and serve where they are told to serve. In other words it’s fair to attack the political masters but to attack young service people doing their duty shows a basic ignorance and an appalling lack of understanding, which totally discredits the protestors.

It is important to recognise the damage that a potential march through the town could do to relations between Muslims communities and other groups within the UK.

We should also understand that the planned march emanates from an extremist group and is opposed by most Muslim communities in the country. The Muslim Council has condemned the march as deplorable, as have many Muslim groups and individuals the length and breadth of Great Britain.

Brian Said: “It is our bounden duty to ensure that every member of our military forces who dies on active service are treated with the utmost respect for the great sacrifice they have made. The planned march would show total disrespect and is in completely bad taste. If the perpetrators haven’t got the sense to stop it then the authorities should.

It is also extremely damaging to the Muslim Council of Britain which works so hard for good community relationships. I am pleased they have condemned the march and am delighted that my own Muslim community in Northampton have also expressed their deep displeasure and concern. A leading member of that community told me “the overwhelming majority of Muslims are deeply ashamed by the activities of this group and wish to disassociate themselves from it totally.”

Community relationships between the various groups are vulnerable to attack and we all must recognise the need to nurture good relationships and play our part in that respect as individual citizens. If those few extremists who are said to be planning this march, be it to gain publicity or to actually demonstrate, don’t understand that it could rebound massively on people in their own community, then they haven’t got the sense they were born with”.