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HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

Last Friday I visited the two nuclear power stations at Dungeness.

Dungeness A is, I was told, the oldest nuclear power station in the world which is still operating. It will cease generating at the end of next year and work will begin on the complex process of decommissioning.

Dungeness B hopes to continue generating power for another 10 years. A decision on this is likely this week and may have been made before you read this. The safety issues which arise have been cleared by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and all that remains is approval by the Energy Minister and the board of British Energy.

Nuclear power is controversial. But if we are to take the problems of global warming seriously it is difficult to see how we can generate the power we need to sustain modern life without some contribution from nuclear energy. Alternative energy sources like wind power will simply never be able to fill the gap.

So I hope that Dungeness B will continue to make its contribution to our local economy and to the challenge of global warming for many years to come.

Next stop was Christ Church Primary School in Folkestone. The pupils were busily engaged in House elections but I had the opportunity of a good discussion with Headteacher Jim Kreiselmeier. He was concerned, as is the case with so many other headteachers I have seen recently, that recent changes in teachers’ terms and conditions have not been matched with increased resources. It is true that the national education budget has increased significantly in recent years, but not enough of that money has got through to the schools. That is something that certainly needs attention.

On Friday afternoon I chaired a meeting of the Channel Chamber of Commerce which is planning an ambitious Hospitality conference in Folkestone next spring.

Saturday was surgery day with my advice centres in Romney Marsh. And on Sunday I was privileged to attend the Civic Service celebrating the 200th anniversary of Methodism in Hythe.

All this, I confess, interspersed with avid listening to the news from the Oval. As I write, on Monday morning, the result is still in doubt. By the time you read this the most exciting Test series for a generation will, alas, be over.

HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

I have visited New Orleans twice.

The first time, over 50 years ago, was at the end of a debating tour of American Colleges and universities which I had taken part in under the auspices of the English Speaking Union. I spent time in the French Quarter, listened to the jazz and enjoyed its very special food.

The second time was decades later when I was Water Minister. There were thought to be some lessons to be learned from the way in which the city handles the supply of water.

What a bitter irony in view of last week’s tragic events!

I found it difficult to reconcile my enjoyable and nostalgic memories with the terrible scenes which we have, once again, seen on our television screens, night after night.

Like last year’s Tsunami, this latest natural calamity reminds us of the frailties of the human condition. But there are differences.

The fact that this time the area affected is part of the richest and most powerful nation on earth somehow increases our bewilderment. And the possibility that the still unknown but obviously enormous number of casualties may have been contributed to by the inadequacy of the initial response – in the United States, of all countries – give rise to many questions.

No doubt there will be lessons for all of us to learn.

But behind it all has the fundamental fact that, despite all mankind’s achievements, we remain pitifully vulnerable to forces far beyond our control.

And, as we feel for those who have lost loved ones, and those who are still waiting to hear, that is something we forget at our peril.

HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

Last Wednesday saw one of the events which made Shepway such a special place.

The Hythe Venetian Fete was a spectacular success. It seems to get better every time it takes place. This year the floats were particularly imaginative and the fireworks were breathtaking. It was all helped by the perfect weather and a bumper attendance.

One of the things which makes the Venetian Fete so unique is its timelessness. In essence it does not seem to have changed much for decades. Indeed it is easy to imagine sitting on the canal bank a hundred years ago and enjoying a very similar spectacle.

So the Fete, rather like other local events such as Lydd Club Day, strengthens our links with the past and our bonds with history and our local heritage.

None of this is easy to achieve. The Committee, under the tireless and dedicated chairmanship of John Schoner, will soon begin the work of preparing for the Fete of 2007. And the Committee need new blood – especially young blood! So anyone wanting to play their part in keeping this bit of Shepway’s heritage alive should get in touch with John Schoner.

On Thursday morning I attended a very different kind of event – the turf cutting ceremony for the mains drainage scheme in New Romney. This is something the people of New Romney have been waiting for for a very long time indeed. At last it is to become a reality and the new drainage system is to be installed. There are, inevitably, some issues still to be resolved but this was a very important day for New Romney and I was delighted to be there.

Finally, a word of congratulations to all Shepway’s young people who did well in their A level exams this year. They, and their teachers, can take great satisfaction from their achievements.

Debate on the nature of the exam and the extent to which it meets the rigorous standards which are desirable, will continue. But that should not detract in any way from the success of those who sit their exams under the present system. It is, after all, the only system available to them and they have, rightly, made the best of it. So very well done to them and their teachers.

HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

Last week Toby Atkinson, whose Trent Development Company wishes to develop part of the Folkestone Seafront, is reported as having said:-

“We all know now where Mr Howard’s true allegiances lie.�

Let me take this opportunity of making it very clear where my allegiances lie. My allegiances lie, as they have for the last 22 years, to Folkestone, its people and its future.

That is why, unlike Mr Atkinson, I am able to take a wholly objective view of the different possibilities for the development of the seafront. Mr Atkinson, on the other hand, stands to make a large amount of money if his proposals are given the go-ahead. There is nothing wrong in that. As a Conservative I believe that financial incentives encourage people to use their talents and take risks and thus make a substantial contribution to our economy. But Mr Atkinson’s vested interest in the Trent scheme hardly makes him an objective judge.

I think the Folkestone seafront is a unique site of priceless value. It must be one of the last sites in the country on the sea which is ripe for development and which is not divided from the sea by a road or railway line. I therefore think it merits, and is capable of attracting, a world class development which will seriously enhance Folkestone’s environment. With the best will in the world it is impossible to say that the Trent scheme will have that effect.

Other proposals are in the course of preparation. They are being prepared by world renowned architects. They include the harbour as well as the rest of the seafront. They have not yet been finalised so it is impossible to say whether they will provide the iconic design I think the site justifies. But surely we should have the opportunity of making a comparative judgement between the two.

That is why I think Shepway’s Development Control Committee was wrong to decide two weeks ago to approve the Trent scheme. That is why I have asked the Government to “call in� the scheme and hold a public inquiry. I have been joined in this move by Kent County Council, who has grave concerns about the highways and traffic implications of the Trent scheme and the South East England Development Agency.

I hope we succeed. I hope Folkestone gets a world-class development. And I express these hopes, Mr Atkinson, because my true allegiances lie with Folkestone.