Caroline’s Weekly Bulletin:  Mon 14 Oct – Mon 21 Oct

A summary of my work in Brighton Pavilion and Parliament between 14 and 21 Oct:

Lose the Lads Mags Campaign

On Monday evening I hosted a meeting in Parliament as part of the campaign against mainstream shops like Tesco selling ‘Lads Mags’.  Studies have found evidence of links between the consumption of sexualised images of women, and the acceptance of aggressive attitudes towards them, and these magazines are part of the daily diet of images of women as available for men.  Speakers included the actor Romola Garai, and I was delighted that the event was so well-attended  – there’s a real sense of a grass roots movement against media sexism at the moment.  I also gave a few interviews, including discussions with the editor of Nuts and Toby Young.

Action to protect people living in rented accommodation

Early last week I signed Jeremy Corbyn’s Bill to protect the rights of people living in privately rented accommodation.   Around a quarter of all housing in Brighton is in the private rental sector – double the national average – so it’s particularly important to me that we see tough action to ensure tenants get a fairer deal.   The Bill would introduce regulation of letting agents, protect tenants’ deposits, and require landlords not to discriminate against people on benefits.  It would go far further than the Government’s weak proposals for a redress scheme.

Rail Campaign

My Private Member’s Bill to bring the railways back into public hands was published last Friday.  I regularly speak to commuters at Brighton Station and know many people are as angry as I am about poor services and high fares, and agree that privatisation has been a catastrophe.  On the same day I took part in an event on to call for the East Coast main line to be kept in public hands.  Recent figures showed that the state-owned firm that operates the franchise delivered £200m to the taxpayer last year, but a process to reprivatise it is imminent.   It seems ridiculous to me that the Government is so opposed to public ownership that it wants to put a line that pays millions back to the taxpayer back into private hands.  Along with campaigners from Action for Rail and Bring Back British Rail, I went to the Department of Transport to hand in a petition signed by thousands of people.

Fracking and court appearance

 On Wednesday I attended Crawley Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty to charges arising from my peaceful protest against fracking.     Although some of the press were more interested in the colour of my cardigan,  the Guardian published my piece explaining why I believe climate change is an issue where we must explore all peaceful strategies to achieve change.

Teachers’ Strike

On Thursday I took part in a rally in Brighton to show my support for teachers, who were reluctantly taking industrial action because of Michael Gove’s damaging ideological reforms to the education system, and attacks on their pay and pensions.  From talking to teachers, many of whom are my neighbours and friends, I know how much they regret having to strike, but they’re faced with a Government which doesn’t listen, and seems intent on undermining student’s aspirations in order to build a low-wage economy.  Gove is pushing forward with performance-related pay, despite plenty of experts saying it will undermine good teaching rather than enhance it.  Not only that, but they are being told to 50% more for their pensions and to work to the age of 68.  

Early Childhood Project

On Saturday morning I dropped in to an event at the Tarner Children’s Centre, which offers services for families with under-fives.  They were celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the Early Childhood Project, set up in 1988 to allow children to develop in a positive environment free from bias, prejudice and discrimination.  It was incredibly inspiring – a real beacon of warmth and hope, as well as a practical source of help and advice to families.  Congratulations to everyone whose hard work makes the project possible.

Hate Crimes Vigil

On Saturday evening I was proud to take part in the Brighton Hate Crime Vigil on the Old Steine.Despite the concept of hate crime having been embedded in criminal law for over ten years, hate crime is not going away.  There are 65,000 disability hate crimes a year in England and Wales, anti-Muslim crime is escalating,  and one in six LGBTIQ people has experienced a hate crime or incident in the last three years.  I’m proud to be an MP for a city with a reputation as one of the most progressive in the world, but even here in Brighton and Hove, there is more work to do.

Education and Business

 I also visited Brighton and  Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College for a Q and A with students, and Patcham High School, where I learned more about the City’s pioneering Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Programme.  And I lent my support to the launch of Brighton: SuperFused City?  a report that asks how we can put the creative, digital and technology sectors at the heart of our city’s economic future.

Nuclear Power Deal

Yesterday, the Government announced that it had signed off on a contract to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point and that EDF will be guaranteed a strike price of twice the current market price for electricity.  Not only that, but they will only have to pay a “share” of the costs of dealing with the toxic waste created by their generators.   During the debate in Parliament I said it didn’t sound like a good deal to me, and I’ve  written to the National Audit Office calling on it to investigate.