Back to work

I am back!

Great weeks break with some good weather. Children had a great time before they return to school tomorrow.

Also have had an eventful and action packed weekend. In amongst some delivering also visited a Chariot festival in Chessington - brightly coloured festival organised by the youth of a new Hindu temple in Hook.

On Sunday afternoon I acted as the civic representative at the induction of a new priest at St. John's Church in Grove ward. Good size congregation and Bishops there to welcome a new priest and family into Grove. The church in Grove really is at the heart of its community.

Saturday evening was at a supper party held by one of our Councillors on Kingston Council. They have served some 21 years as a councillor in Kingston. Being a councillor is reqarding but hard work and it is remarkable that someone should give this much of their lives to serve the community in which they live.

I noticed that another Government Minister has resigned to spend more time with his family.

I am not going to make the obvious point about him going before being pushed. However the more serious aspect is why it is that he needs to spend more time with his family - like a procession of Ministers going back 15 years have seemed to want to do. Are we suggesting that politics is for single people only? If we are then I fear for this country because we do need a mixture of people in Government who understand the pressures and demands of modern life and have bought up families and used schools, or had elderly or ill relatives who have needed hospital care. Only with those experiences can Government policy respond to the real needs of real people - and not career politicians who have only ever 'done' politics and only ever had responsibility for themselves.