Transport Minister joins Michael in Wareham
Michael welcomed Chris Heaton-Harris MP, the Transport Minister, to Wareham on Thursday. The Minister was invited to see Wareham level crossing for himself and to meet with Michael, Councillors and community representatives to find a way forward to the longstanding issues involving the crossing.
Michael had previously met the Minister in Westminster, where he made the case for Government support to find a solution that maintains access for all Wareham residents and also ensures safety on the railway. Following the visit to the site, a productive meeting was held in Westport House, where local representatives presented their case to the Minister.
Michael said “I am very grateful to the Minister for coming to Wareham and for taking the time to meet with me again to discuss the level crossing. This issue is a great concern to the local community and has been unresolved for far too long.”
During the meeting at Westport House, the Minister heard from representatives of Wareham Town Trust, North Wareham Action Group, Wareham Town Council, representatives from Dorset Council and Network Rail. During the meeting, the case was made for maintaining access across the railway line, with calls for further consideration of automatic technology. Information was also given about the importance placed on crossing safety. Further work will now take place to find a solution including a meeting with the Office for Road and Rail. Michael welcomed the positive approach taken by those who participated adding “it was a positive meeting and it is clear that there is a genuine will to see this matter resolved. It will require creative thinking and pragmatism but I am encouraged that the opportunity to raise concerns directly with the Minister was taken by all concerned.”
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Michael speaks at Holocaust Memorial Service
Michael was honoured to be asked to share some thoughts about his visit to Yad Vashem at the recent Holocaust Memorial service in Wimborne Minster. Yad Vashem is the official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Israel.
Michael visited a few years ago and this is what he said at the service:
Holocaust Memorial Speech
Yad Vashem is the official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Israel. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the dead; to honouring Jews and Gentiles alike - who fought against Nazi oppression - and providing an institution and space to research the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, to ensure this never happens again.
About a year after I first became your Member of Parliament, I had the privilege of visiting Israel and the West Bank with the Conservative Friends of Israel. CFI is a group dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel.
As part of the delegation, we visited Yad Vashem and learned more about the Holocaust and the rise of anti-Semitism - the different causes - culminating in Nazi Germany; World War two and the death camps. It was hugely moving - a difficult but important visit.
At times I had to force myself to look at the photographs documenting what happened and to listen to the first-hand accounts. It would have been too easy to turn away.
We saw different sorts of forms of anti-Semitism and had a real mixture of emotions: anger, compassion, tears, rage, frustration, incomprehension. It showed evil so clearly - and just how low humanity can sink.
It is trite to say that it must never happen again – and yet all politicians must understand better the route to evil and the slippery slope to anti-Semitism.
It was very upsetting and powerful – in my view it should be compulsory for all politicians.
Let me end with the words of Benjamin Fondane Murdered at Auschwitz, 1944
Remember only that I was innocent
and, just like you, mortal on that day,
I, too, had had a face marked by rage, by pity and joy,
quite simply, a human face!”
Our visit to Yad Vashem finished with the hall of names, a memorial to each and every Jew who perished in the Holocaust – and then to the balcony and the exit. The ceiling opens up and the dramatic view of modern-day Jerusalem bursts forth - the mountain’s slope as the backdrop.
And then into the sunshine and on to hope.
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Michael meets with social care providers and local GPs to discuss health provision
Michael was pleased to be able to meet with Agincare, who provide live-in care, home care and care homes to many residents in Dorset. He visited several clients in their homes in Wareham, and heard about the importance of good care, and also some of the challenges involved in the care industry.
Alongside meeting with social care providers and residents, Michael took the opportunity to visit a local GP in Sandford to hear about what has been working well as well as the challenges facing GPs.
Michael said “Health, whether it is the NHS or social care, is amongst the most frequent issues raised with me as a Member of Parliament. It is a huge issue for Dorset, with an above average number of retired people living here. I support the big increase in NHS funding but I want to ensure that it is being spent in a way that genuinely improves care for patients. Tackling social care is fundamental to reducing the pressure on our health service and I was pleased to speak with providers and residents to discuss this further. Over the course of this Parliament I am confident that we will see improvements to how we deliver health in Dorset.”
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