Category: Liz’s Column
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The year ahead in British politics
So, here we stand at the start of a new year. For me, the run up to Christmas was a time for getting out and meeting constituents making their Christmas preparations and taking the time to thank and celebrate their local communities. It was a privilege – and a huge pleasure – to watch children…
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A response to the 2018 Budget
In politics words matter a lot. Less than a month ago Theresa May delivered her leaders’ address to Tory party conference, in which she proclaimed, “A decade after the financial crash, people need to know that the austerity it led to is over and that their hard work has paid off.” Chancellor Philip Hammond echoed…
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Liz writes July 2018
This weekend marks 70 years since the founding of the National Health Service by the post-war Labour government. The consensus, after six years of war, was that health care as a basic right, free at the point of need would ensure that Britain could flourish in the new age of peace. On Saturday morning I…
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Liz’s column, June 2018
There is real truth in the famous words of Albert Einstein, that “the only source of knowledge is experience”. I learned this recently as I took part in a local blindfold walk to better understand the daily trials vision impaired people are expected to overcome, getting out and about in their local community. The challenge,…
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Liz’s column, May 2018
They say a week is a long time in politics. In my experience, that it certainly the case, so last month’s column seems an age ago. Sadly, since I last wrote, we’ve seen De La Rue, based on the Team Valley, make the decision not to pursue an appeal against the awarding of the new,…
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Liz’s column, April 2018
Passports have been on my mind a good deal these last few weeks. A passport is more than just a security document that allows us to travel from one country to the next. It is a symbol of our national identity and a source of pride for many citizens. I’m no little Englander, in fact,…
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Liz’s column, March 2018
Challenging events often reveal the very best in people. I would like to pay tribute to all those local heroes who have been clearing roads and digging out stranded cars, visiting older neighbours and delivering groceries to the housebound. Volunteers, good neighbours and public servants in our local councils, NHS and police have kept out…
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Liz’s Column, February 2018
I’ve been doing a lot of hospital visiting the last few months as my Mum has had a few health problems. I never cease to be amazed at the dedication of the staff who have supported my mum; the GPs who found the time to visit her at home; the ambulance staff who took her…
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Liz Twist’s New Year Message
Column – January 2018 So here we are in another New Year – 2018 already. I hope you had a good break over Christmas and the New Year. On Monday I’ll be returning to Westminster, but this week is a good chance for me to catch up on local issues and get a feel for…