YOUR MP WRITES: Newport West MP Paul Flynn (From South Wales Argus)

YOUR MP WRITES: Newport West MP Paul Flynn

3:10pm Monday 25th February 2013 in News By Paul Flynn MP

NEWPORT’S neighbourhood nuclear site at Hinkley is hot news.

It’s only 17 miles away – well within the range of the circle of contamination the Fukushima disaster made uninhabitable forever.

All British firms have stampeded away from new nuclear’s financial basket-case. Even Parliament is denied the truth on the secret plan to bribe the French with a 40-year subsidy of up to £150 billion.

A future nuclear disaster is likely within ten years from human error, natural disaster, technical faults or terrorism.

Good deal for France. Atrocious one for Newport. They enjoy the subsidy. We pay the debt and endure the worry of a local disaster waiting to happen.

● Schools in Monmouth, Merthyr, Pembroke, Blaenau Gwent and Anglesey must pull their socks up.

But top marks for Newport. I shared an exhilarating morning of parliamentary role-playing at Newport’s new Glan Usk school.

Bright children, dedicated staff, superb building – a wonderful mix that spells first class education.

Bravo Newport.

● The Eastleigh by-election is strangely reminiscent of Newport’s by-election of 1922. A Tory-Lib Dem coalition was in crisis with spending cuts. An anti-coalition candidate won. He set up the 1922 committee of Tory MPs that still exists.

Coalition Government then collapsed.

No sudden General Election now. Both coalition parties fear the voters’ wrath at the ineptocracy they have created.

‘Never see you except at elections’ is a frequent moan to politicians.

My constituents are invited to discuss parliamentary topics at the Civic Centre on 7th March at 7pm.

Some say public meetings are dead.

Not true. Mine have all been lively and well-attended. Hope to see you there.

● Enjoyed a great evening with Newport St Woolos Rotary Club.

Chance for some light-hearted banter plus encouragement for their great work. They sponsor the schools musical extravaganza and confidence building courses for senior pupils. Internationally they work to eliminate polio, improve female education and supply clean water. Great issues.

Newport has grown from a 19th century village to a city with waves of immigration. The rich mix we enjoy today includes Irish, Somali, West Indian, Asian and East European.

Bonds of mutual respect have created harmony. As a united city community we mourned the terrible tragedy that bereaved one local family in Saudi Arabia.

The presence of all the city’s elected leaders at the memorial service expressed the shared grief of all Newportonians. May they rest in peace.