Arwen Folkes Blog

One of the best in the country!

2008-01-27T17:20:00.000Z

Tomorrow (as I do every three months) I will be chairing the Maternity Services Liaison Committee for Cornwall. I am particularly looking forward to this one because the Healthcare Commission has identified Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust as having one of the very best Maternity Services in the UK.

I was interviewed by the Healthcare Commission as part of their study last year along with various members of staff and alongside a survey of mothers themselves. It was a nerve racking experience as maternity services in Cornwall have undergone major changes in the 12-18 months. The service that women receive has been transformed, enabling women to have continuous care from their local team from booking in right through to delivery, but also changing practices that have been in place for over 15 years.

Not only that but the building in which the maternity wing is based is barely fit for purpose. When I began sitting on the MSLC nearly three years ago we were talking about plans for a new wing. Sadly, with the crippling debt RCHT is under those plans were shelved sometime ago and a re-vamp of the current building is now underway with wards being juggled around the building to allow for the work to be done.

When the Healthcare commission came down it was in the midst of such a shuffle. It is a testament to the staff of our maternity services that we have done so well. The commitment that I see, both through the MSLC and through my daily work with midwives is unquestionable and whilst the changes to working practice were difficult, the teams around the county and at the hospital have obviously come through with flying colours.

One area of the report was not so brilliant however, when marking post-natal care of women we scored only 1 out of 5 (5 being the highest). For my project, Real Baby Milk, this is cause for concern as those early days post-birth are the most critical for breastfeeding.

That said, it is always good to have an area for improvement but my sincere congratulations to Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust will be conveyed at the Committee meeting tomorrow.

The Cornish Lib Dem Family

2008-01-21T13:45:00.000Z

I know the title is a bit twee, but all the emails of thanks I am receiving from people who attended Saturday's Cornwall Conference are using the expression themselves so it obviously fits!

Saturday saw over 120 Lib Dems from right across the county gathering for the Cornwall Conference which took place to debate and discuss the manifesto for the elections in 2009. Everyone of Cornwall's five MP's were there along with our Lords (Tyler and Teverson) and our PPC's. Graham Watson MEP and Kay Barnard also came down much to the delight of the members who attended the Euro Lunch.

We were joined by the great and good from outside of the county too and I am delighted that so many came along - in particular, Vince Cable MP, Ming Campbell MP, Hilary Stephenson, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Cathy Bakewell, Mark Alcock and Richard Pinnock.

The day - and this is backed up by the feedback forms that have come in - was a resounding success. So many people asked when the next would be, and once Annette and I have recovered properly we will be making sure we keep this up. The Cornwall Committee is re-energised and ready to take an active role in the cohesion of our Lib Dems across the county.

We were particularly pleased that there was no dominance of councillors v members. In fact the split was roughly 50/50 and this meant that we were able to debate fully the issues of devolution to local communities, reducing the carbon footprint of the county and of course, the biggy for us, Affordable Housing.

It was an excellent day, full of training, speakers and debate ... I think we all know we have a lot of work ahead to prepare for Unitary Elections next year, but I think this may have marked the crucial point and I am so chuffed to be able to play my role in it all. I can't really go into any more detail as to the future plans just yet - but it's all looking rather exciting ... and most importantly a lot of fun!!

Of course there are umpteen people to thank ... so in fear of not leaving anyone out I will just say a massive THANKYOU to everyone involved in pulling the day off.

It's time to vote!

2007-12-04T12:00:00.000Z

Many of us in Cornwall are supporting The Eden Project in its quest to secure £50million to build "The Edge". This phase of the project promises to be a fresh and inspiring look at how communities can take control of their own futures. read more here.

I have just voted online (here) and am delighted to have my support also published on their website (here). The Eden Project has been so good for Cornwall in so many ways and it is a project that has put us on the map and given us a world-class attraction.

I was working at the Cornwall Tourist Board when the pit was first dug and I was among the first visitors, in our hard-hats, to look at what was going on. I remember looking at the grey lifeless pit and even in the Cornish rain it was clear to see that this was a vision becoming reality and it has not disappointed.

My children call it the "eco-domes" and we visit regularly. The place really is thought provoking and knowing the energy that the team have down there I am absolutely sure The Edge will prove to be even more so.

When Tim Smit visited our council a few months ago to talk about The Edge it was so good to see the fact that his energy and vision are as strong as they were when Eden first began. It gives you faith in their ability to aim so high ... and succeed!

Please vote for The Edge in the People's Millions ... and then come and visit it when it's complete!

Lunch with Nick and Chris ...

2007-11-25T19:30:00.000Z

... and 84 other Liberal Democrats in Cornwall!

It was leadership contest day in Cornwall yesterday. I am so pleased as I hadn't made it to the South West conference hustings so being able to meet them both at the North Cornwall Christmas lunch and then again at the hustings in Porthtowan has been very useful!

For the last few weeks I have been keeping very quiet, reading the papers, the blogs and of course listening to the candidates themselves on the tv and radio. I have been finding it very difficult to settle on just one candidate - Question Time swung me one way, three days later the Politics Show swung me a different way. Reading the different view points here on the blogs has been enlightening and led me to ask myself what I was really looking for in a leader.

Well, whilst Chris was impressively slick and more polished in his answers I really felt that Nick offers the future for the party. When Nick gets going his passion is undoubtable and I do think he genuinely has what it takes to reach people. There wasn't much in their answers to divide them really and as a party that democratically decides its policy matters, I felt that wasn't really the most important matter for me.

One of my concerns about Nick had been his commitment to political reform but he spoke strongly and convincingly about reform of the whole system yesterday and I was convinced. I am more convinced that Nick will not retreat into a bunker once leader and that his experience in Sheffield has given him a real understanding of the need to reach beyond Westminster Village in the long-term.

What did it for me in the end was the realisation that Chris is very good but I think as good as he is going to get. Nick on the other hand has bags of potential and that is very exciting - Nick is good now but he is going to get even better and as he grows I think the party will be right behind him. I can imagine working with Nick - I find it harder to imagine being part of a team being led by Chris.

So that's it - Nick Clegg for leader. Bringing a voice for the voiceless and power to the powerless as he said. Nick Clegg for leader and Nick Clegg for winning more seats in Parliament.

Time now to offer my help to the Clegg campaign and I really hope he wins.

Today I am lost in the post

2007-11-21T08:05:00.001Z

This morning I am assuming I am one of the 25million people whose details have been carelessly lost by the government. As a family in receipt of Child Benefit, I am completely outraged at the news that two disks have been lost that contained the names, addresses and bank details of people who are in receipt of child benefit.

Who has the authority to download such details to two disks?

Who has the authority but not the sense to send them recorded delivery?

"The chancellor said the official had broken the rules by downloading the data to disc and sending it by unrecorded delivery. But he reassured those affected that police had no reason to believe the discs had found their way into the wrong hands, nor did they have any evidence of it being used for "fraudulent purposes or criminal activity."

How on earth can they be sure that the discs are not in the "wrong hands"? As someone who frequently has to sent data (to the printers) on disc, I know that if they were to be lost there is no way of knowing who has got them or what they are doing with them. If the information I am sending is sensitive I send it recorded delivery.

Incompetence of the highest order and heads should roll for this.

What's the worst that can happen?

2007-11-08T11:41:00.000Z

The most logical argument for action on the environment.

Worryingly this has only been viewed just under two million times and it really needs to be much more widely seen than that. Watch and then please forward - especially to any "eco-doubters" you might know!

Shaping Cornwalls Future

2007-10-29T10:20:00.000Z

I am absolutely delighted to be helping organise the first Liberal Democrat Conference in Cornwall for ten years ... considering we are the gold county, it is surprising that we have not "congregated" in all that time.

The conference is going to be a mixture of policy/ manifesto debate, hopefully engaging the wide membership in the direction that Lib Dems should be taking for Unitary and I am delighted that the conference is going to be held in my own ward, here in Bodmin.

Notices will be going out to every member in Cornwall at the end of November and I now need to get busy organising speakers, stands etc. If you are a member in Cornwall put January 19th in your diary and if you are interested in having a stand (LD organisations) then do drop me a line.

Change of plan ...

2007-10-29T10:10:00.000Z

I wasn't going to be blogging right now, but a change of heart has changed the plan for now.

Sometimes my to-do list is just plain daunting - especially when intermixed with the juggling of being Mum/Toddler taxi and it gets very difficult to keep it all under control. The T&F selection this summer turned the house, to-do list and family upside down and we have just now got back on track. It seemed unrealistic to expect the family and my businesses to endure it all again so soon - plus my eldest son, Milo, starts school in January and maternal instinct has made me really want to be there for him .... I imagine regretting not being there for him would be far harder to bear than regretting not going for a seat!

I have plenty to be getting on with and being a ppc may not be my best way of contributing right now ... hopefully there will be another opportunity at a more opportune time.

Blog-off time again

2007-10-17T13:50:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note to say that I have to go off-line for the next couple of months. There is lots I would have liked to say now and during our leadership battle, but I will (possibly thankfully) be unable to comment through the process!

I had been saving the video below for 5th November, but will share it now as it is my son's favourite Youtube video and I just love it.

See you all in December and good luck choosing where your first preference is going to go!

FREE BURMA

2007-10-04T08:42:00.000+01:00

The oppression of the masses in Burma has played heavily on my mind for the last few weeks. The inaction of countries in helping a nation (treating such events as "internal affairs") is frustrating to say the least and those who have faced death and violence to stand up for what we all believe in has shown me the sheer strength of human nature and the importance of democratic freedom.

Burma has a nation of 56 million - this is not so far off the size of our own country, and I count myself as fortunate to be unable to imagine how it would feel to have my life controlled by a military dictatorship and that my children are very unlikely to have to suffer the same.

The mass uprising of a nation and the images of which have played out before our very eyes are both saddening and inspirational. Please will the international community acknowledge such strength and courage with an appropriate response rather than allowing the Junta to quash such a protest for what should be a fundamental human right.

Therefore I today join the online protest.

Free Burma - Online Protest 4th October

2007-10-03T13:59:00.000+01:00

The junta in Burma (aka Myanmar) may have blacked out public internet access in the country in an attempt to prevent information about the military's violent crackdown on protesting monks from getting out, but the move is proving to be too little too late. Now Free-Burma.org has announced an International Bloggers' Day for Burma on October 4th.
Bloggers who wish to show their solidarity with the peaceful protest are being asked to refrain from posting that day and instead display one of the Free Burma banners or images (such as the one at right) that have been created for the online protest.
A list of participating bloggers (currently more than 1,500) can be found here.
The Free-Burma.org protest site for bloggers was launched by two German college students. They got the idea from a multi-lingual Wiki page that was set up last month as a forum to allow participants around the world to brainstorm ideas on how to show support for the protesters in Burma.

Let them know if you're joining the protest here http://www2.free-burma.org/index.php#join

The Good Fortune to have Election Fever

2007-10-01T09:47:00.000+01:00

I was going to blog about the grip of election fever down here in Cornwall - yes I too accept it is really very likely to be called next Monday - but I felt compelled to post a stark reminder of how lucky we are to have a democratic process in this country .... I have just found this post on a Burmese Blog and in the light of little coming out of the country through the media felt I had to copy it onto here.

"We just got phone call with our sister living in Yangon about a few hours ago.We saw on BBC world, saying that 200 monks were arrested. The true picture is far worse!!!!!!!!!For one instance, the monastery at an obscure neighborhood of Yangon, called Ngwe Kyar Yan (on Wei-za-yan-tar Road, Yangon) had been raided early this morning.A troop of lone-tein (riot police comprised of paid thugs) protected by the military trucks, raided the monastery with 200 studying monks. They systematically ordered all the monks to line up and banged and crushed each one's head against the brick wall of the monastery. One by one, the peaceful, non resisting monks, fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Then, they tore off the red robes and threw them all in the military trucks (like rice bags) and took the bodies away.The head monk of the monastery, was tied up in the middle of the monastery, tortured , bludgeoned, and later died the same day, today. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the monastery, warded off by troops with bayoneted rifles, unable to help their helpless monks being slaughtered inside the monastery. Their every try to forge ahead was met with the bayonets.When all is done, only 10 out of 200 remained alive, hiding in the monastery. Blood stained everywhere on the walls and floors of the monastery.Please tell your audience of the full extent of the fate of the monks please please !!!!!!!!!!!!'Arrested' is not enough expression. They have been bludgeoned to death !!!!!!"

I sit here in my red jumper ... yet it feels so trite. I have joined the fastest growing Facebook group ever http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24957770200 and I search the internet for more information feeling absolutely helpless. The peaceful protests in Burma have unsettled the military regime beyond belief and their fear manifests in extreme violence aganist those who are unarmed.

So, forgive me as I say this, but as we prepare to deliver at all hours of the day and go knocking on countless numbers of doors and generally wait for the outcome of our toil, please let none of us forget how fortunate we are to have the freedom to do so.

Fourth Best Council in the UK!!!

2007-09-26T21:33:00.001+01:00

Absolutely fantastic news for the authority I am a member of, North Cornwall District Council, today.

We have come 4th in "The Times Best Councils to work for" list. We are the only authority in the South West to have made it into the top 20.

It is not much of a surprise to us that we have such a good culture amongst our staff as we are continuously complimented on the attitude and enthusiasm of our staff. That would not happen if they were unhappy.

The Times mentions the policy of giving time off for voluntary work if matched with a bit of their own free time. It is not an uncommon sight to see officers from Democratic Services, Planning and Accounts alongside each other, in their overalls painting a scout hut or picking litter.

And it is no co-incidence that we are also a 3-star "Excellent" rated council too - the only one in Cornwall! This is down to our 700 staff who are professional to a fault and committed to North Cornwall District Council beyond compare and perhaps this report shows why.

I'll be honest, it is clear to see that unitary status is going to hit North Cornwall hard - the standardising of services across the county will be very good for some districts who badly need the boost, but will be hard on us where we will most likely have to drop to reach an equal service level across the county and certainly an harmonised council tax.

I sincerely hope that our excellent staff will be able to take their experience and approach to positions within the new authority and that the Unitary council will be a good employer who recognises that investment in the staff gives people the highest morale and subsequently the best level of service to the public.

On the list again

2007-09-24T20:41:00.001+01:00

Well, the inclusion of this humble blog on Iain Dale's list was good news today - especially as bloggers voted this time. Thanks if you took the trouble to mention me. Of course, whilst coming 55th (unfortunately dropping 8 places from last year) is hardly winning an esteemed Lib Dem blog award, but I do feel it worth noting in a small way!

So as a reward I've given my blog a makeover ... a facial always does me good - so why not my internet face I thought! I am also going to try and focus the blog a bit more .. I do tend to meander in my postings, but maybe a little more thought would help me re-gain my 8 lost places next year.

PCSO's

2007-09-24T08:36:00.000+01:00

Having been closely involved with the excellent work that PCSO's do in my town (Bodmin) the tragic story of the young boy who drowned saving his sister really gave me food for thought.

The question that keeps bothering me is that, if the individuals involved were not PCSO's and had simply been passing by, would they have jumped in? Was it their training and uniform that prevented them from doing so. Human nature's adrenalin obviously didn't kick in and supercede all else and so it makes me think that maybe they wouldn't have done so under any circumstance.

Therefore, I do not think that this should reflect badly on "PCSO"'s per se. I think this is more about the two individuals concerned and perhaps their literal interpretations of the rules for their tier of policing.

I am fully confident that faced with the same situation here in Bodmin, our PCSO's would have unhesitatingly jumped in.

Well, well, well ... very well done

2007-09-20T20:35:00.000+01:00

Congratulations Ming, the speech was superb ... really really superb. I just thought the delivery was fantastic and the content was hitting all the right buttons. Hello there leader of the Liberal Democrats, it was just so lovely to see you at last!

I heard journalists discussing it afterwards trying to identify if it was more attacking Labour or the Tories ... I would say it was in equal measure ... but they missed the point. The speech was all about us. Heartfelt, passionate and above all else ... Liberal to the core. I think it will have reassured so many doubters and hopefully showed the whisperers about leaders in the future that they are jumping the gun somewhat.

On the whole conference was great - if you listened solely to the campaigns team then October election it is ... if you listened to the Parliamentarians then there's not a chance! But quite rightly most of the PPC's I met were suitably worried and returning to really knuckle down!

The Penhaligon Award was won by South East Cornwall, which is just brilliant. The Penhaligon Award coming to Cornwall for the first time. Congratulations to my constituency neighbours who I know have worked very hard to regenerate and recruit.

I'll be honest, I have had a very social conference this year and have been chewing ears off everywhere. I am all talked out but very glad to be home and not going to drink again ... ever!

Conference Appeal ...

2007-09-18T10:31:00.000+01:00

I have lost my phone - a Blackberry Pearl - and I am completely panicking. It might be at the Grand, so if you have come across it (It has a picture of my boys as screensaver), please do let me know!

Conference Blow Out

2007-09-17T08:41:00.000+01:00

The journey up with our Parliamentary Candidate for St Austell & Newquay was always going to be lively, but not quite as lively as this! In the fast lane ... undisclosed speed ... BANG! Tyre blew out - fairly scary it has to be said, Steve managed not to panic and steered us onto the hardshoulder and then with skill that could have McLaren head hunting he got it all sorted.

The three of us were slightly rattled and a steady pace was kept for the remaining distance.

Cruel to take a picture - but couldn't resist!

Where have my party's principles gone?

2007-09-12T19:41:00.000+01:00

I generally try to be positive about the party on my blog, as I want to be supportive and positive about what we do -certainly in "print" ... BUT .... What the bloody hell has Ming gone and done?

Deciding that the British People won't have the right to choose where their power goes? It is not the right of any politician (of whatever party) to decide, it is not their power to freely give away and we are the party that really stood for that.

I am pro-Europe (although not hook line and sinker as Devil's Kitchen recently assumed), but I have always believed that it is up to the British Public to decide what happens to their party. It is too big decision for just under 700 people to decide on their own.

I am really quite depressed about this and I know that many grassroots members will be as well. We could lose members over this, enough were on the brink anyway with the way things have gone since Charles Kennedy, but to campaign hard on an issue in the 2005 GE and to go back on it when it comes to the crunch instills no faith whatsoever. We are about devolving decision making, listening to people and supposed to be against big powerful organisations imposing their will, making empty promises to the country on such key issues will not instill faith in that..

I am a member and councillor for this party due to our principles, we are the party who fight for people and don't treat people like they are stupid. A fair and just society for all, a belief in people deciding their own futures as far as possible and I am bloody sick of seeing decisions and policies that seem to bear no relation ... at both a national and local level.

My Dad rang me today and said that he thinks he will have to leave the Lib Dems - he said that we are no longer a party of principle but "are just as bad as the others". We are positioning as a mainstream party and losing any semblance of radicalism or passion for our philosophy.

Of course, I will stick with it, because I have met enough true Lib Dems to know that at the core we are for real and I have met enough young Liberals who could turn things around ... but after today's announcement I now will have a much tougher job arguing that on the doorstep.

Rant over.

Good for Cornwall - Thumbs up for Matthew

2007-09-04T14:14:00.001+01:00

In Cornwall we are welcoming the news that Matthew Taylor has accepted Mr Browns invitation to advise government on rural economy and housing.

Matthews experience of representing Truro & St Austell (largest town 22,000) for 20 years puts him in such an excellent position to share his knowledge - hopefully - for an improvement in the way in which Westminster treats these issues.

I understand the grumbles about it going against the stand Ming took against Paddy becoming part of Mr Brown's government and the suspicions regarding Mr Brown's motives but on this one I have to say that the reason he has accepted this is because it is good for Cornwall and I support that.

I am sure that when you have represented an area for such a long time and have witnessed the problems created by an ignorance at Whitehall, then I would challenge anyone to refuse a golden opportunity to take those issues right to the heart and to present a compelling (as I am sure MT will) case and push for real changes that will address the unfair treatment and funding formulas for our county.

Affordable Housing is our top issue - some argue that we have it no worse than anywhere else, but when you learn that some of our villages are now nearing 80% second home occupation and that more and more young people are unable to return after university - the evidence is in the breakdown of our demographics (over 60's one of the largest and fastest growing groups in Cornwall) - then you would understand that we have got a serious problem.

Well done Matthew, I keep everything crossed that Mr Brown listens to you and that you manage to ensure that this is not simply lip service or some devious tactic of his to present a form of "consensus" government (which of course it is not and never will be without PR).

Fight hard Matthew and get us our Fair Deal!

Weaning the kids onto "pukka" food.

2007-09-04T11:59:00.000+01:00

As a mum who watched Jamie Oliver's exposé of the school meals in the UK with great interest ... and a mum who was sadly not surprised to see the pictures of Mums ferrying crates of fish and chips and feeding it through the railings to the children once Jamie's changes had been introduced, I am sorry to say that I am not surprised the take-up was difficult and not as widespread as hoped.

The problem was the way in which it was introduced ... I think a fair compromise could have been reached and children "weaned" away from their sadly cherished junk food. The main problem is that the damage has often been done before they get to school - busy families have less time to cook and those who are not traditionally domestically adept even less compulsion to serve up nutritious healthy meals to their off-spring. Therefore, with these eating habits already a problem, to suddenly remove it in such a drastic way was never going to be easy. Far better to have done a deal and I have been assured that in some Local Authorities they have a "chips every other day" policy - which has worked really quite well.

The most worrying thing for me is to learnt that it's the children on free school meals who aren't eating ... and they are the ones who really should be ... a bit of a compromise would have softened the blow and gradually introduced the children into more "pukka" eating habits.

ps. I married into a family of foodies, so my boys would prefer pasta to chips any day and much to my disgust devour olives by the handful.

I'll be there, will you?

2007-08-28T16:02:00.000+01:00

Just a quick plug for the bloggers meet-up at conference ... I had a job finding the details so thought I'd just do my duty to help publicise it too.

http://www.libdemvoice.org/libdemvoice-blog-meet-1227.html

Never mind ... conference soon!

2007-08-28T11:57:00.001+01:00

Well, there you go, I had two big projects on this year and neither has succeeded.

Big Lottery have not awarded us our grant - frustratingly, due to a lack of funds rather than a fault with our application. The rumours had been circulating the grant team's corridors that the Olympics have been sucking finances out of Lottery funding ... obviously they didn't say that in their letter!

In many ways it is a little bit of a relief. Although the £0.5mill would have secured us for the next five years, our creativity would have been somewhat stifled due to the targets and deadlines you have to meet on a quarterly basis and the restrictions on where the money would could be spent. Already my head is thinking about all the ways in which we can start generating income and I think now that I'm not treading water waiting for the decision I am quite pleased I can just get on with it! That said, I do now have to start a whole new round of grant applications - so if anyone out there fancies ploughing a bit of money into baby's getting the healthiest start in life, do give me a shout!!

On a lighter note, I booked my accommodation for conference last night and am really excited about it this year. I am looking forward to catching up with the all the people I have met over the last year and am going to try really hard to be diginified and composed throughout, rather than propping up the bar in the early hours this year. I will also try and avoid singing Trelawney's Army all by myself at the Glee Club (a la Harrogate)! I have a list of training and will be trying to get called to speak - I really enjoyed speaking last year and hope to do it again!

In other people's hands

2007-08-21T08:29:00.000+01:00

Over the last few months I have got used to my life being in other people's hands. I have to say it's been a leap of faith for me, being someone who has always firmly believed in making one's own luck and not relying on others for the future!

But, here I am again, waiting for the turn of hand (this time the Big Lottery) that will decide what I am to be doing for the next few years. It has been frustrating to not be able to go and talk face-to-face with the committee who are deciding on the project (Real Baby Milk), it's hard to get your passion across in set size boxes in a typed font on a form!

I was begining to panic - I had n't made a firm plan B ... what happens if we don't get the half a million, but then a lovely lady at Government Office South West dropped me an email offering nearly £10k to help launch Real Baby Milk if the grant bid fails. Thank you GOSW - and you don't hear me say that very often!

This has been a good thing, I feel a little more laid back about it all and am just sitting and hoping that my typed out form does manage to stand out somehow from the others. Fingers crossed!

Cameron's "fight back"

2007-08-20T11:23:00.001+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6954357.stm

Well, if his interview on the Today Programme (R4) this morning was anything to go by. This new "fight back" will again be nothing more than further empty words amid the punch and judy politics he was initially so against.

Cameron's continuing lack of substance and ability to not just sit on the fence but to contradict himself in the same sentences are now making me quite look forward to hearing him interviewed. He actually makes me laugh.