Untitled Document

Owen has labelled government plans to extend detention without charge to 42 days for terror suspects "immoral and unacceptable".

In the week that MPs will vote on the plans, Owen has spoken out and criticised the plans, which would see the current 28 day detention limit extended to 42 days.

"The primary responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens. However, the government has to also protect civil liberties and defend the rights of the majority from attack by the minority.

"The approach this government has taken to pushing this agenda has been totally wrong. They have yet to present any evidence that 42 days is necessary; and have simply tried to sell the idea on a political message of "tough on terror". The government's approach to dealing with terrorism is attacking the very values and liberties that the terrorists are attempting to undermine. The British justice system has be build on the understanding of innocence until proven guilty, yet this government has undermined that at every opportunity. In even the most complex cases, there is no justification for detaining a suspect without charge for 42 days. If there is enough evidence to allow further suspicion, and therefore continued detention, there is enough evidence to warrant a charge - even if that charge is a lesser charge than that finally prosecuted."

"The government is playing politics with our liberties, and I hope that our MPs do the right thing and defeat these plans on Wednesday."

Owen is backing a Conservative led campaign to force the Government to stop reorganisation of GP's surgeries into huge poly-clinics. Under Labour's plans hundreds of GP surgeries would close, and see new centralised polyclinics open with "one-stop-shop" of health services.

Owen said, "Labour's plan are yet another sign of their commitment to centralisation, rather than providing local services where people need them. Following the closure of Post Offices and hard times for local businesses, the heart of thousands of communities is being ripped out by Labour.

"Even worse, Labour have failed to budget any extra finance for these plans and is pushing them through without the support of GP's."

- Increase NHS spending year-on-year
- Devolve more power to doctors and professionals on the front line
- Make the NHS independent of Government control
- Transform the Department of Health into the agency responsible for public health

The Government this week chose April Fools day to announce the closures of Post Offices across Staffordshire and Shropshire; part of it's closure program that will see 2,500 local Post Offices close by 2009.

New Labour have already closed 4,000 Post Offices since 1997.

Owen said, "They chose April 1st (Fools Day) to make the announcement which will rip the heart out of many communities across Staffordshire and Shropshire, affecting particularly the elderly and vulnerable who are dependant on their local post office for many services.

"I'm fed up with this government making decisions from White Hall without understanding the local implications of their actions. Changing the shape and interaction in our communities, without listening to the views of those who these decisions directly affect."

The full list of Post Offices due to close in the area is available here: Link To Royal Mail Website

Owen Meredith has backed calls for the introduction of "101" as the non-emergency crime reporting number. This number is currently on trial in five areas of England and Wales; Cardiff, East Leicestershire and Rutland, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, Sheffield.

In Cardiff alone, the results are impressive:

• 500 calls a day
• 25 police officers redeployed to community duty through reduction in 999 workload
• 40% reduction in non-emergency calls to 999
• 500% increase in referrals to council noise nuisance team
• 6 day reduction in removal time for abandoned cars
• 90% user satisfaction

Owen said, "This service is essential. Police stations no longer have local contact number, but are dealt with by mini-regional call centres, but even residents who know the phone number for these centres are lost once outside their region.

"In an increasingly mobile world, the need to contact the police for non-emergency matters when outside your own locality is increasing. I have found myself calling 999 on several occasions to report crimes, or incidents that I would normally not use the emergency service for, simply as their is no other way to report a problem such as stray animal on roads, which are causing a risk to drivers, but is not considered a '999' matter.

"A standard national, non emergency number, would prevent thousands of unnecessary '999' calls every year, saving lives."

You can help the campaign by writing to your MP and asking them to sign Early Day Motion 380.

Owen Meredith has been successfully been elected to the National Management Executive of Conservative Future.

Owen said: "I am delighted to have been elected, and would like to thank all those who took part in the election, both candidates and voters. I would also congratulate Michael Rock and the rest of the CF NME team on their election."

Christian May - 413
Adele Douglas - 400
Owen Meredith - 380
Steve Ricketts - 378
Anastasia Beaumont-Bott - 358
Patrick Sullivan - 347
Matt Lewis - 339
Karen Allen - 323
Charlie Groome - 320
Craig Cox - 299
Anne-Marie Bray - 273

Owen Meredith has released a transcript of the speech he delivered to the Manchester CF hustings on Friday 15th February at KRO Bar. His speech called on CF members to desire a bigger and better organisation that works as well nationally as it does locally.

I’ve been to several hustings now, and tweaked my speech accordingly each time, but with the basic idea of getting my message out there with the hope that the votes then stack up as a result.

However, today I’ve decided to do something a bit different as a result of the debate and discussion that have been going on around this election.

I came into this election about 8 months ago, with the intention of standing on what I saw as a record of success, experience, and delivering on my promises… with the proposal of replicating that at a national level.

Throughout what has been a long, and at many time challenging election campaign, I have seen a side of CF that I’d not experienced before.

The CF we have today does not want to succeed. We do not want to be bigger, better or stronger.

We are far more concerned with scoring points off each other and factionalising ourselves and personal gain.

If we really want to be the future of the Conservative Party and the Future of Britain we need to stop, take a step back and think

We can be great, we can emulate our local successes at a national level, but only if we are united.

My pledge to you today, is simple. If elected I will do everything within my power to make CF great, and remove the barriers trying to prevent that.

If you are looking to vote for commitment to Conservatism, passion for CF, ideas, experience and trust, then I can assure you vote is safe with me.

Thousands of CF members have begun receiving ballot papers for the CF National Elections, in which Owen Meredith is standing as a candidate for the National Management Executive (NME).

Owen said: "I am standing for NME because I believe that by working as a team we can be bigger, better, and stronger. If elected I will make it my primary focus to build CF as a national network.

Conservative Future means so many different things to different people. That’s why we’re successful. We must build on what we offer our members so that everyone feels welcome and at home, whatever their background and whatever they are looking for.

Ultimately, I think that with some simple ideas and organisational changes CF can really makes its mark on the political landscape of Britain and be a great place to have fun.

Owen Meredith was not able to make the Tooting/Wandsworth hustings held on Saturday 2nd February, but have issued the following statement:

Hello! Sadly I am not able to be with you this evening, as I have been taking part in a Social Action day with a local branch in my area. Social Action projects are an important way for the Conservative Party to broaden its appeal beyond our traditional voters, and I made the decision to support South Cheshire with their event rather than travel to London. I will however be in London next week at the hustings at CCHQ.

I am standing for the NME because I want to build a truly national network for CF, which engages its members and supports its branches.

Conservative Future means so many different things to different people. That’s why we’re successful. We must build on what we offer our members so that everyone feels welcome and at home, whatever their background and whatever they are looking for.

I believe that by working together we can be bigger, better, and stronger.

My manifesto focuses on developing CF as a national network; making CF a more interactive organisation that members can easily engage in, and where branches and areas find it easy to communicate with both their members and each other. One of my fellow candidates kindly summarised this for me by saying that what I want to create is a kind of “wireless network that no matter who you are, or where you are, it’s easy to plug in too and feel at home.”

You will probably be deciding how to cast your vote on the basis of trust. Can the candidate deliver? Do they have the ideas? the experience? and the track record? When it comes to me, hopefully you can answer “yes”.

I hope the campaign day went well and that the hustings will give you the opportunity to get to know your candidates. If you do have any questions for me, please log onto my website, www.owenmeredith.co.uk, where you will find all the details of my manifesto and contact details for me.

Once again, apologies for not being with you this evening.

Owen has officially launched his manifesto for the 2008 Conservative Future National elections, setting out an agenda to deliver a Conservative Future that operates in every corner of the UK, engaging its members and supporting branches.

Owen said,
"I am looking forward to an exciting campaign, In which I hope the entire membership of Conservative Future will engage in a healthy debate about the future of our organisation."

ü A designated NME member, as a contact point and representative for each branch.

ü Inclusion of up-to-date contact information and more local branch content on conservativefuture.com

ü Branches to regularly upload membership data to CCHQ, creating a stronger national organisation.

ü A redesign of “national campaign days” to have CF campaigning across the UK on 10 days a year.

ü New Centre’s for CF, built up around the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff, the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and the Northern Irish Assembly in Stourmont.

ü Building on the working life conference, and further developing the ‘non-student’ elements of CF.

ü A joint commitment from the new CF team, to deliver excellent national events.

The reality of this Government's Post Office closure program has hit home in Keele this month, as students and villagers face loosing the second Post Office in Keele in a decade.

The reality is that thousands of communities up and down the country face a similar battle to save vital local services. Owen said,
"Post Offices are the heart of hundreds of small communities across the UK and offer vital services to the most vulnerable people in society. This Government is proposing closure of up to 2,500 Post Offices, having already closed 4,000 since 1997."

Untitled Document Owen has kicked off 2008 with a change to the theme of his campaigns. For 2007, his tagline was "Delivering For Everyone" but for 2008 this will be complemented by the additional tagline of "Aspiration For All".

Together these represent why Owen is in politics, and what he hopes to achieve through his actions in 2008 and beyond.

Staffordshire University has conceded to calls from Owen Meredith and Conservative Future to open up the University to democratic activity and allow political parties onto the university campus; but only for one day!

Conservative Future will be on the University campus in Stafford on 11th February, and Stoke-on-Trent campus on 12th February, promoting the Conservative Party and youth politics, as well as inviting students to join the Party.

Owen Meredith said, "I welcome this decision to hold the 'Who's Speaking For You?' event in February, after much pressure from Conservative Future for the University to open-up to democracy. However, it is very disappointing that it has taken this long for the University and Students Union to understand the importance of political freedom and democracy to students. After-all, it was promised that this events would be held in the first semester."

There is however disappointing news from the University. In a written statement from the Students Union they state "We ask that you bear in mind that this invitation onto campus is to attend the fair and Question Time events and that canvassing on areas of the campus outside these events is not permitted."

Owen commented, "This is extremely disappointing. Although we have made a breakthrough, Staffordshire University Students Union, presumably supported by the University, is still banning legitimate political activity and freedom on the campus. A campus where many students are resident, and therefore entitled to vote. Restricting political activity at all times except these two days is still unacceptable, and we will continue to push for complete political freedom in Staffordshire University."

Owen Meredith has written an open letter to students of Staffordshire University, encouraging them to stand up against the University management who are "denying students access to democracy". A copy of the letter is posted below:

Many of you may know that the Conservative Party has been battling with Staffordshire University for some months over allowing political activity on the campus. In October I wrote to the University asking for formal permission for the Conservative Party to come onto campus and hand out leaflets.

This week I received a reply to that letter which simply requested permission for the Conservative Party to be allowed onto the University campus during November/December.

The reply (From Ken Sproston) simply acknowledges my request and states that it needs to be considered further.

If (as they have often claimed) Staffordshire University does not wish to prevent political parties from getting students involved, and in fact wishes to promote democracy and political engagement, surely there is very little to be considered? I can only assume that because more than one months consideration needs to be given to such a simple request the University maintains its position of preventing democratic political activity on the campus.

Furthermore, I was assured in September that the Students Union would be arranging some kind of 'political awareness day' during the first semester, to which all local political parties would be invited. The Conservative Party have yet to receive an invite to such an event, and with only 4 weeks left until the end of the first semester, do I assume this event will not go ahead? Was it therefore just a statement issued to "shut us up" in the wake of the media coverage?

It is very saddening that in today's Britain, where political engagement continues to fall, our Universities are actively trying to prevent students getting involved in politics, by preventing Political Parties communicating with them. Huge numbers of students shape their political beliefs at University, and Staffordshire University is forcing people to do this outside of the mainstream. I have deep fears for the further of democracy in this country if our universities are allowed to continue acting in this way.

On Thursday (8^th November) the government announced the latest figures on the cost of the ID cards scheme. Under the ‘Identity Card Act’ the government must update the House of Commons on the costs every 6 months.

“The first change will see a forecast £85m cut in the cost because of a reduction in the number of passports needed over the next decade, which the government attributes to “delayed passport renewals.”

“The second change shows a cut of £100m to the estimated cost of producing the passports and identity cards containing a fingerprint biometric.”

“Taking into account the £185m ‘savings’ the government has announced, the actual cost of the scheme has increased by £71million since the last 6 monthly report in May (when the cost was £5.75m). The new cost of the scheme is now £5.612bn over the next 10 years” (source: Home Office)

“All these figures are estimates, and historically this government has had huge problems with overspending of big projects. The Government have fudged the figures to hide the increase in costs by lower two estimates that they can have no real control over.

"We are yet to know the full and true cost of ID cards, but a Conservative Government would scrap the plan and invest the money in a border police force, and more prison places; allowing the scrapping of Labour early release scheme which puts prisoners back on our streets after serving just half their sentence.”

Following the publication by The Express and Star of a photograph from the 1997 election campaign in Stafford, Owen Meredith has written to The Express and Star, writing:

Shorter Waiting List - While Labour have had some successes here by spending billions more on health, almost one million people in the UK are still waiting for treatment on the NHS. Changes to the way waiting lists are calculated and new NHS targets have forced people to be "seen" but not treated in 'shorter times'.

Labour's reforms to the health service have seen millions of pounds of taxpayers money wasted on bureaucracy and pen-pushers, without delivering the needed improvements to frontline NHS services.

Additionally more than 2,036 bed losses have already occurred since April, with further planned losses suggesting that up to 4,000 beds may be lost from the NHS over the whole financial year. This is on top of the 2,500 beds which were lost from NHS hospitals in 2004-05 and the 6,000 beds cut from NHS hospitals in 2005-06. In just three years the NHS is set to lose 12,500 beds – a cut in capacity of 7%.

Hardly the way to cut waiting lists, surely?

More Jobs For The Young - There are now 37,000 more unemployed people aged 16 to 24 than in May 1997, with the total rising from 665,000 to 702,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Owen Meredith has launched his election platform for Conservative Future NME, for which he intends to stand when nominations open in the New Year.

Formally unveiling his NME campaign website, Owen said: "I am delighted that the elections timetable now finally seems to be agreed and those of us who committed ourselves to standing back in June [when the elections were originally scheduled] can have a real chance to put our message out to CF members.

This year promises to be an exciting election, there are a great number of talented candidates putting their names forward, either as part of the two different slates of candidates bidding for control of the NME or as independent candidates, like myself. I hope it we can use the long election process to have a vibrant and honest debate about the future of CF."

After the launch of the new Conservative Party poster campaign, Owen Meredith has called the general election that Gordon Brown cancelled a "missed opportunity to change Britain". Prime Minister Gordon Brown had planned to hold an election on November 1st, but pulled back at the last minute as opinion polls showed a strong Conservative lead in the key marginal seats that will decide who governs the country following an election.

Owen Meredith has slammed the Returning Officer at the October by-elections for Union Committee of Keele University Students Union (KUSU) for presiding over "Fraudulent elections, that would be more at home in a Banana Republic."

His comments were made following the extraordinary meeting of the Student Representative Council (SRC) on Monday 22nd October, which voted to approve the result of elections where "multiple and serious errors occurred".

Owen explained, "The elections occurred over 2 days, on the first day the record of voters was lost allowing people to cast a second vote on day two. In the confusion over how to proceed we now know the deputy returning officer actively encouraged people to vote for a second time! I

"In addition to this, the ballot box was left manned by only one person for a period of 2 hours or more [which is against the constitutional regulation prescribed by Article 30.5]. Furthermore, the election dates and timetable were not ratified by SRC and no Elections Forum (EF) was appointed as is required.

"Perhaps most importantly, the ballot papers were printed with the incorrect position for one candidate! The candidate running for 'On Campus Affairs Officer' had the position 'Off Campus Affairs Officer' printed on their ballot papers, despite his nomination papers clearly stating the former."

During a passionate SRC, the Returning Officer (VP Communications & Democracy) Matt Alexander) admitted mistakes had been made, but appealed to the Council to ratify the results, saying the errors had "not influenced the result".

During the meeting, Owen said, "We must decide the course of action based on the principal, not the specific results. We have no way of knowing if these errors influenced the result, particularly printing the wrong position on the ballot paper - which is unforgivable. We have a choice to uphold democracy and re-run the election or disregard it."

Despite lacking the constitutional ability, SRC voted to approve a motion ratifying the elections, rejecting an amendment proposed by Owen setting out a timetable on which elections could be re-run.

After the meeting Owen commented "I am furious! I cannot believe that the Returning Officer proposed this motion, or that a body [SRC] of supposedly intelligent and interested students can justify breeching its constitutional mandate to approve un-constitutional and fraudulent elections. This result will have a potentially damaging impact on the rule of the constitution within the union."

"The constitution should be, at all times, our guiding force. The vote this evening has seriously weakened it [the constitution] and will have long-term impacts on the democracy of KUSU.

"The whole process is shambles and more akin to a banana republic and a democratic students union!"

Owen has praised David Cameron's "passion for change" and vision for a better Britain, following his speech to Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool. The speech which covered a broad range of topics, ended with Mr Cameron calling on the Prime Minister to call a general election and let the British people decide who has the best ideas to govern Britain; ending with "Call that election. We will fight. Britain will win!"

Owen said, "David Cameron's speech came across very passionate. You could tell that this was the real David speaking from his heart to everyone in the Country. He has set out his Conservative vision for a fairer, greener, more aspirational Britain - a vision with which I whole heartedly agree."

Staffordshire University has recently upheld the policy of its Students Union, which bans all political parties from the university campus, and has banned political groups, including Conservative Future, the youth branch of the Conservative Party from its Freshers Week.

Staffordshire Area Chairman, Owen Meredith said, “This is an insult to democracy! For many students, the start of university life is a time to explore new ideas, Staffordshire University is preventing students from having the opportunity to explore their political values and preventing informed political choice.”

Mr Meredith, who stood as the Conservative candidate for Keele in last May’s local elections pointed out, “In the coming years, every student who is registered in the UK will have the opportunity to vote for the Government, as well as local councillors and members of the European Parliament. All students over the age of 18 could also stand for election. But the ban imposed by Staffordshire University may force many students to make uninformed choices about where to cast their vote, or worse still not to vote at all.”

Staffordshire Conservative Future has been trying to access students for the past 2 years, but have been continuously turned away by the University and Students Union, who were only able to confirm an official position last Friday. With a general election rumoured to be just months away, the Conservatives have taken up the challenge and are fighting to get this “anti-democratic and irresponsible ban” lifted.

Members of Staffordshire CF will be standing at the gates of the Stoke campus on Friday, handing out leaflets to students to inform them of the ban and encourage them to sign a petition calling on Vice Chancellor Prof. Christine King to revoke the ban. The group also handed out literature at Stafford Campus on Tuesday, with great success and a positive response from students.

The petition is available online at: www.petitiononline.com/staffs/petition.html