A Healthy Interest

Time to take a break from the business of essay writing, and update the blog once more. I think you can tell when you have a fair amount of work on when you take a break from one assignment; to work on another...But there you go!

After last week at the Ham & High, there's a pretty juicy NHS story to upload, but before we move onto that, here's a 400 piece on campaigning Braintree MP Brooks Newmark. The conservative MP who has been representing my original home town since 2005. Since I have no images of Braintree to hand, I am going to attempt to blatantly steal them from the council / Brooks Newmark websites, but in my defence, being a child of the fine Essex market town, I believe I have every right to do as I please as far as Braintree is concerned!

I have a sheduled meeting next Friday with Karen Buck, my MP here in St Johns Wood, North London, which I'm very much looking forward to turning into a news worthy event, so speaking to Brooks was a good way to prepare.

I was also pleased to see Brooks make an appearance at PMQ's on Wednesday last week, to raise the hospital issues mentioned below. Was NOT so pleased with Gordon Brown's sarcastic response, however.

Incidentally, as mentioned previously on this blog, Latest Art magazine will be publishing the full version of the Amanda Sharp interview at the Frieze Art Fair, as they have been able to track down pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing it on Nov 21st. So...here's Brooks.

A Healthy Interest

Brooks Newmark, the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Braintree constituency, is a man with a lot on his plate. Representing the needs of over 100,000 people in central Essex is challenge enough. Doing this in a town which has seen its number of local hospitals slashed from three to zero, while the population has more than doubled, is quite another.

Now 39 years old, Brooks was born in the US, and moved to the UK at the age of nine. He succumbed to the attraction of politics in the 80’s, finding inspiration through Keith Joseph, then a member of Thatcher’s Cabinet. Brooks was elected by his constituency in 2005, succeeding Labour’s Alan Hurst.

As Brooks explains: “There are now two parts to my life. I spend half my time in my constituency, and the other half in Parliament. Every day I respond to around 50 forms of communication. Letters, phone calls, and emails.

“I also try to gain permission from the Speaker to speak in Parliament at least once a week. The conventional phrase is, in fact, “Mr Speaker. I am hoping to catch your eye…”

Though this has not always worked out for Brooks, who has sat through six hour debates awaiting his chance to speak.

Though this doesn’t stop him trying. Brooks is as passionate today about his work as he was the day he began campaigning. He expresses his sense of duty with much clarity.

“I wish to extend 90% of my energies to the 10% who most need my help. I aim to articulate the concerns of those who are less able to speak out.”

The issues currently facing the constituency are various, though Brooks isolates those which he feels most strongly about, in particular, the local hospital. Or lack of.

“A lot of my energy goes towards trying to secure funding from the government to ease the [healthcare] situation in Braintree.” Brooks was recently spotted, placard in hand, launching his campaign to petition for a new community hospital.

Brooks maintains his responsibility within his community. When asked, ‘If you could gain Royal Assent for any law, first thing tomorrow morning, what would it be?’

Salary increases for MPs? Complimentary weekly travel from deepest Essex to Westminster, perhaps? Brooks doesn’t hesitate.

“Women over 40 to receive free screening for breast cancer on an annual basis.” Brooks Newmark is one MP who knows his constituents well.