Touché Khalid… June 1, 2010

New Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood- a man true to his word?

So, as promised, I received an email back today from the new Perry Barr Labour MP Khalid Mahmood- and I have to say, it sounds rather impressive.

I wanted to know where the MP stood on environmental concerns. There wasn’t much to be found online about his thoughts and more worringly, his voting record (found at ‘TheyWorkForYou.com) claims that he ‘voted moderately against laws to stop climate change’.

Taking a look at PublicWhip, things look even worse. Here we are told that Khalid Mahmood MP, Birmingham, Perry Barr voted strongly against the policy Stop climate change by scoring 17.4% compared to the votes below (take a look if you like.

Despite pointing this out to the MP, he told me:

‘Thank you for your e-mail. I am not sure how the reference to ‘moderately against’ came from. I supported the Climate Change Bill and I was delighted that we were able to pass such a ground breaking law, I am also a strong supporter of the hunting ban and will fight against any moves to repeal the act. I am, however, a supporter of nuclear power and I make no apologises for this. It is the only realistic way of delivering clean fuel.

In terms of local campaigning I have fought on environmental issues, often these are based on getting local problems resolved rather than on national topics. I have been greatly heartened by some of the progress over the last decade, regeneration, especially in Lozells/Handsworth, has enhanced the environment of the area, in particular Handsworth Park has been transformed, Sandwell Valley has been opened up to greater access for local people and allotments in the area have gone from strength to strength. There is noticeably less graffiti and littering in the area and this has been partly as a result of the priorities set by local people for the police and council.

I will soon be launching my ‘our Perry Barr’ campaign soon and this will have an environmental element, the project is based on public input so it will be interesting to see what environmental concerns are raised by local people.

I hope this has been of some help to you, I am always keen to hear what ideas local residents have so just let me know and I will see what can be done to support them.’

Could it be that the information on these websites is wrong, or perhaps that the MP has changed his mind on certain issues?

Perhaps the MP is starting to pick up on what is important to the people local to Perry Barr and surrounding areas. This is certainly evident in the ‘Our Perry Barr’ campaign- which if followed through, could be very successful and worthwhile.

Im yet to find more details on the campaign so I presume that the idea is in its infancy. I for one hope that the MP stays true to his word with this one, as there will be many more people dissapointed by the MP otherwise.

The elusive Shabana Mahmood: Ladywood MP May 17, 2010

Through covering the general election for Birmingham Recycled, I have found myself at the feet of the proverbial brick wall: contacting my local MP.

I have been covering the Ladywood constituency who have recently elected Labour’s Shabana Mahmood as their new MP.

Shabana Mahmood. Ladywood's new MP

Now, I don’t doubt that Ms. Mahmood is a very busy lady- what with all the press attention about being one of the first female Asian MPs and tackling the poor unemployment rates in Ladywood- but surely she can spare a few minutes to talk about environmental issues?

Seems not. I have emailed the Labour MP many times, both in the run up to the election and post election. Her rival candidates weren’t much use either.

And before you ask, I certainly am not pestering her for the sake of it. You see, the MP makes no personal remark on environmental issues. All I can assume is that she agrees with general Labour policy- which isn’t much use when trying to work out how she will tackle environmental issues on a local level.

Most other MPs seem to have a ‘Voting Record’ which can be viewed on websites like They Work For You and Public Whip (this link shows that she has none). This clearly allows the public to see what issues their MP feels strongly about.

I also went through her pre-election promotional leaflets via The Straight Choice (an election leaflet ‘monitoring’ site) and found that the only areas she personally comments on and thus, prioritises over others were education, economy, health, housing, pensions and young people.

It’s clear that environmental issues aren’t deemed a top priority by the MP, but I at least expected to find some comment or information.

Armed with the evidence, I contacted her once more with the hope of gaining some insight into her ideas for a greener Ladywood:

Hello Shabana,
I have contacted you a few times before and would really like to get some comment from you about your new position as the Ladywood MP. I’m the current ‘Elections Team’ Editor for the Birmingham Recycled website (www.birminghamrecycled.co.uk). I have been covering the Ladywood constituency in particular.

As an environmental website, we are concerned with ‘green’ issues in Birmingham. I am currently looking into your thoughts on the environment but with little success. There is nothing online on how you voted for certain issues and your leaflets mention no environmental policies.

I wondered if you had any thoughts/ opinions on environmental issues. Are these important to you? Do you agree with the general Labour policies or are there some areas you feel particularly strongly/indifferent about?

I also wondered whether you’ve been involved in any environmental campaigns around Birmingham, specifically Ladywood? Are there issues you’d like to address in Ladywood through your role as local MP?

Please let me know if you can offer me any help with this. Thanks.

Katie Fox
Elections Team Editor
BirminghamRecycled.co.uk

Let’s hope she gets back to me soon, or I may resort to door knocking!