New taxes

Be prepared for new taxes

Last month, Germany has become the first country in the world to impose a tax on private personal computers. Members of the public who own a PC will be forced to register their computers and pay 17€ (approx. £12) a month, even if they have no internet connection. But that is not all. The authorities are also looking into the possibility of taxing all new-generation mobile phones. People who fail to pay these taxes will be liable for fines amounting to thousands of euros and even lengthy prison sentences.

Now that we are all officially bound by the new European Constitution, I wonder how long it will take for our Government to catch up on this, and see it as a nice, legal, way of taxing us even more. What is now law in one European country, is bound to become law in all country members of the EU.

That is what the European Constitution is all about. Mr Blair has formally agreed to this by signing it last month.

Pensions hit out

Pensioners Hit Out at Antisocial Behaviour

Angry pensioners from across Telford, begun an uprising against crime and antisocial behaviour in their areas. A number of residents and local groups have complained that crime remains rampant, despite the fact that the police is working flat out trying to control it.

Residents from Trench said that gangs of youths roam the streets, throwing stones and eggs at old people’s bungalows. Stirchley pensioners complained that yobs have damaged properties in the area and terrorise old people. Trouble-spots in Priorslee also cause concern for locals.

Residents associations from Dawley, Oakengates and Sutton Hill have reported several persistent problems with antisocial behaviour and crime, including drug abuse.

Stella Kyriazis, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Telford who has collected all the complaints, claims that no area in Telford remains free from antisocial behaviour.

Mrs Kyriazis said:

“I know that the local police try their very best to manage the situation. I have met with several excellent beat officers and spoke to many of their senior colleagues who were professional and friendly. On one hand, the police do everything they possibly can, but on the other hand, residents still claim that antisocial behaviour remains widespread and getting worse. Many pensioners contact me at the end of their tether, not knowing what to do next. Some even talk of setting up teams of vigilantes to do the job of the police!”

Crime-weary pensioners said that they are afraid to leave their houses even during the day, for fear of verbal or physical abuse. Many claim that the situation is out of control, and have stopped reporting the incidents to the police because they feel that nothing is being done anyway. Several residents meetings are now being arranged, where people will decide what to do next.

“The government should allow more time for police officers to patrol the streets, and reduce paperwork which keeps our police officers handcuffed to their desks”, argued Mrs Kyriazis

Worst Journey for OAPs

Search to find worst journey for OAPs

A new campaign to find the most difficult journey in Telford, has just been launched. Local campaigner, Stella Kyriazis, decided to highlight the plea of frail older people who have to face difficult, complicated or long journeys to get to the shops, the doctor’s, the library or the post office.

Stella Kyriazis said: “In Telford, getting around by car is not a problem. However, there are many older people who find it difficult to get to places that most younger people take for granted. Some people have to travel on buses with inconvenient timetables, do long trips by foot, or rely on others to give them a lift. I am trying to identify the most difficult journey in Telford, do the trip myself with local councillors, and then campaign to make transport in Telford more accessible, reliable and affordable for older people”.

If you know anyone who has an inconvenient, long, time-consuming, complicated or awkward journey just to do simple everyday things, write to Stella at: Nationwide House, Pearson Road, Telford, TF2 9TX.

Young Politcians Group

Young Politicians Group to be Launched in Telford

Britain’s fastest-growing youth movement will launch a local branch in Telford next week. ‘Conservative Future’ is a nation-wide movement which provides the opportunity for people aged 18-30 to join together and form a political voice. The aim of the local branch is to help Telford’s youth population develop a political interest in local and national issues.

In a letter sent to all 18-year olds in Telford, Stella Kyriazis, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for the area said: “Joining such an association does not necessarily mean you have to be some sort of ‘politico-junkie’ but rather that you would like issues that affect you on a day-to-day basis to be addressed. Whether it is tuition fees or lack of skate parks you can be sure that by joining such an organisation your concerns will be heard”.

Stella continued: “The branch is committed to campaigning hard on behalf of young people, but it will also offer a vibrant mix of both social and political events. We will try to engage and stimulate our younger population. I look forward to supporting this terrific new organisation, which is run by young people for young people to represent the views of young people.”

The first meeting will take place in a Telford pub on Thursday 9th December at 7 30 pm. Those interested in attending should contact Stella on 07850221796

News from Stella

News from Stella Kyriazis
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Telford

Stella was particularly busy last week, attending the Conservative Conference in Bournemouth. Some of her highlights include:

* Being awarded the Award of Excellence as the Best Campaigner in the country
* Organising a meeting with two Shadow Ministers attended by over 80 MPs, Peers, councillors, the media and other policy-makers
* Interviewed by BBC television, and featured in Radio Four ‘Today’ programme
* Meeting the public and the media while campaigning with Michael Howard

The main message from the conference was:

“Ten words sum up what the Conservatives will do
School discipline.
More police.
Cleaner hospitals.
Lower taxes.
Controlled immigration”.

In addition, Stella’s Stance on Europe is:

1. I want to keep the pound, and will say ‘no’ to the Euro
2. I am against the European Constitution and will vote ‘no’ in a referendum
3. I will back the withdrawal from European Union regulations which stranglehold our country
4. Britain should be run by its own parliament, and not by distant European bureaurocrats.

Conservative plan to reduce crime

Conservatives outline their plans to reduce crime

The Conservatives have put forward their solutions aimed at decreasing the levels of crime. A document released by the Conservative Policy department outlines 8 points which will be implemented by a future Conservative government, with the aim of reducing the numbers of recorded crime. Their proposals are:

* To recruit 40,000 extra police officers at a rate of 5,000 a year, until there are approximately 170,000 police officers on the streets of Britain.

* To remove the power of the Home Secretary to interfere in local policing.
* To transfer all political power over local policing, currently exercised by the Home Office, to new and directly elected police boards. They would be responsible for drawing up local policing plans and setting priorities, as well as allocating the police grant for the police force.

The Conservatives would expand the range of drug rehabilitation places from 2,000 to 20,000 so that there are enough for every young hard drug-user. Other pledges are:
* To reverse reclassification of cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, and engage in a war on drugs with the aim of creating a drug-free society.

* To introduce longer and more constructive sentences designed to secure the reform of the offenders’ characters.

They will also establish programmes which would help parents with troublesome children to be better parents. Finally, they would reform the Crown Prosecution Service and remove the existing incentives to pursue cases against the essentially honest citizen.

Stella Kyriazis, Telford’s Conservative would-be MP welcome the plans. She said: “Our intention of recruiting more police officers translates to around 60 extra officers for the streets of Telford. Places like Woodside, Madeley, Oakengates and Dawley would get, on average, four extra police officers each, to patrol the streets on a 24 hour basis. Remember that we are talking about trained police officers and not Community Support Officers who have limited powers. This will be a strong message to criminals that we will not tolerate high levels of crime in our society”.

Waste at Dept of Work & Pensions

Tories Warn about Waste at Department of Work & Pensions

New Government figures show that the Department for Work and Pensions has spent £727 million refurbishing its offices since 2001. Ministers also spent £232,000 changing the Department’s name from Department for Social Security to Department for Work and Pensions. In addition, £12 million was spent on consultants and accountants and £56 million spent on advertising campaigns such as the £12 million spent trying to persuade benefit claimants to have their money paid directly into banks. Gordon Brown recently announced plans to axe 40,000 ‘posts’ in the DWP.

Stella Kyriazis, the Conservative parliamentary spokesman for Telford said: “Can anyone argue that the Department provides a better service to taxpayers as a result of these huge refurbishments and glossy advertising schemes? And for a Government to refurbish offices at vast expense and then announce a cost cutting drive to sack the clerks who work in them is absurd. The more we learn about how Mr Brown spends our money, the more we discover that he prefers lavishing it on the government itself than on key front line services. Meanwhile, our pensioners face rising council tax bills and uncertain futures. The only thing this Government ‘cares’ about is itself”.

European Food Supplements Directive

Under the new European Food Supplements Directive, vitamins like 1gm Vitamin C - currently on sale in many health food stores in Telford, will be banned. This is not for safety reasons but in the name of ‘European harmonisation’. Conservatives have launched an online petition, working in partnership with the pressure group Consumers for Health Choice who are distributing postcards and posters to local health food stores.

We appeal to Telford residents to sign an online petition to save the vitamins and mineral tablets used by millions of British people.

The European Food Supplements Directive was passed last summer and adopted by the Parliament amidst considerable controversy. The measure paves the way for dramatic changes to the vitamins on sale in this country. Many will have to be reformulated; products such as 1 gram Vitamin C tablets that are frequently used in the cold season and the mineral Boron, important for strong bones and teeth, are set to become illegal once European laws passed recently are fully introduced.

This is all happening in the name of harmonisation, not safety.
Conservatives, supported by the actress Jenny Seagrove and ‘Consumers for Health Choice’ have launched a new campaign to put pressure on the Government to step in and get the right deal in Brussels. A nationwide e-petition has been launched at www.conservatives.com/vitamins to put renewed pressure on Ministers and to make them realise how strongly people feel.
The pressure group Consumers for Health Choice is also distributing one million postcards and posters to health food stores around the country telling their customers about this new Conservative campaign and asking them to support it.

Labour have let down millions of vitamins and food supplements users by rubber-stamping the badly drafted European Food Supplements Directive. It is too late to reverse that decision, but it is not too late to change the way that the laws will be enforced and the small print. It is still possible to save many vitamin and health supplements that people across Telford have been using safely for years.
I call upon local residents to sign our e-petition at www.conservatives.com/vitamins. With the public’s help, we can force Ministers to preserve access to these products on behalf of Telford consumers.
Mrs Stella Kyriazis

Telford 96th most deprived borough

Dear Sir

I read with interest Mr David Wright’s MP ‘Letter from Westminster’ (Telford Journal April 1, 2004). It paints a rosy and successful picture of Telford in particular and of the country as a whole. In fact, I had to read it again to make sure he was referring to the country I know.
By the Telford and Wrekin Council’s own admission, the Borough is the 96th most deprived in England, and the 7th in the West Midlands. Three wards in the Borough are within the top 10% of the most deprived in the country. Another 15 wards feature in the worst 10% in England regarding education, training, income, health and disability.

From the Council’s publication entitled Best Value Performance & Improvement Plan 2003/2004 I read: “ ... a high proportion of children live in poverty and many families have high levels of personal debt... The new town social structure continues to be fragile and to exhibit a range of significant social problems... (the Borough) is an area with major problems of deprivation focused... onto the new town estates”.

Nationally, a million people are on NHS waiting lists, a million children played truant, and a million violent crimes were committed last year. Labour has brought us at least 66 stealth taxes, so that we are now paying £42 a week more in taxes for every man, woman and child in the country. British businesses pay £15 billion a year more in tax and red tape. Many people who are paid the minimum wage could find themselves out of pocket because of the way the benefit system works. The list is endless. According to my calculations, a household in Telford could end up paying a total of £35 000 more in taxes if Labour has a third term.

Far from firing a starting gun on the run-in to the general election, Labour has again fired a gun at its own people.
Yours sincerelyStella Kyriazis

Pension Liabilities

Public Sector Pension Liabilities close to £1 Trillion

Conservatives have called for far-reaching pensions reform after it emerged that the true cost of public sector pension liabilities is now more than 80 per cent higher than the Government's latest official estimate - amounting to £40,000 per household in the UK.And Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Philip Hammond has demanded greater transparency as the big debate on the future of pensions funding - covering private, state and public sectors - gets underway.

He called for action after the actuarial consultants, Watson Wyatt, estimated that the accrued liabilities in all unfunded public sector pension schemes stands at £960 billion - in contrast with the Government's own estimate of £530 billion.Mr Hammond said: "It is worrying that the Government are continuing to play down the size of public sector pensions liabilities. This latest estimate of £960bn is some £430 billion higher than the Government's own estimate and represents 80% of UK GDP."

He declared: "We need greater transparency in the accounting treatment of public sector pension liabilities. The Government must be open and honest about the rapidly growing public sector pension deficit if it really wants a 'national debate' on the future of pension provision."Mr Hammond said: "It is now clear that we need far-reaching pension reform across all pension provision in the private, state and public sectors."