Tobias Ellwood MP: Upgrading UK influence in the European Union

Tobias Ellwood is the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Europe Minister and author of the Open Europe publication Upgrading UK Influence in the European Union.  Follow Tobias on Twitter.

So no EU budget deal in Brussels last month – but one significant positive did emerge: British leadership and determination kept together a coalition of countries that stood up for European taxpayers and forced high spenders to recognise that when national governments are taking tough decisions about their finances Brussels must too. It illustrates what British influence and diplomacy in Europe can achieve. What a contrast to the profligate EU budget left to us thanks to the last Labour Government’s lack of such determination.

Yet the traditional mindset (encouraged by much of the British media) is to keep Brussels at arm’s length. And it is easy to see why. Visit the city, and you step into a European political bubble that seems curious, complex, seemingly unstoppable, unaccountable, bureaucratic and remote. For many, this simply confirms their suspicions, and the city is never visited again.

Dig a little deeper and you will find a myriad of issues being discussed and debated by those involved in the peculiar intricacies of the EU. When Britain engages we get results. For example, two of the EU’s landmark achievements (the single market and enlargement) were British-led initiatives. But in general, rather than leading from the front, we have treated European evolution as a damage limitation exercise.

Tobias Ellwood MP: We should recognise the unsung heroes of the Games with Olympics Community Service medals

Tobias Ellwood is the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East.

In a very British way, the nation took some time to embrace the full impact of our hosting the Olympics. How do you follow Beijing? Will that rain ever stop? And how can we run a dozen Olympic venues if we can't even get Heathrow right? With the Army suddenly drafted in to fill security gaps, expectations were not high.

Yet, as the torch meandered its way around the country, it blazed a trail of enthusiasm for the global extravaganza about to take place on our doorstep. The nation truly fell in love with these games thanks to the spectacular opening ceremony which gave us that same tingly feeling experienced during the Royal Pageant on the Thames. It has united the nation and made us extremely proud to be British.

Tobias Ellwood MP: The modern soldier is also an aid worker, a classroom builder, a fireman - as well as a fighter. As the transformation now sweeping the army will help prove.

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

To illustrate the changing demands placed on the modern soldier, a U.S Marine General, Charles Krulak, introduced 'The Three Block War' concept - in which soldiers might conduct full scale military action, peacekeeping/stabilisation operations and humanitarian aid within the space of three contiguous city blocks.

The concept is, of course, not new. Prior to the D Day landings Eisenhower reminded his senior generals keen to be the first to reach Berlin, that they are responsible not just for defeating the enemy but for managing POWs, feeding refugees, and developing basic security and governance structures in every town and hamlet they liberate.

Compare this to more recent campaigns in Iraq and initially in Afghanistan, where the war was won but the peace soon lost, as our victorious forces looked over their shoulders expecting the arrival of other agencies/ NGOs to move the post conflict process forward.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Friday's daylight savings Bill demonstrated the urgent need for reform of Friday debates

Tobias Ellwood is the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East.

Since the eighties it has become a parliamentary ritual to debate the proposal of moving the clocks forward, only to see each attempt scuppered by archaic rules which allow individual members, intent on speaking until the proverbial cows come home, to talk the Bill out. But in this Parliament things seem different. Thanks to the dogged determination of Rebecca Harris MP, support from a new intake of comrades and belated buy in from the Government and Opposition, her Bill is pioneering unchartered territory.

Yet even with over 100 ministers and back benchers (the minimum needed to pass contested private business) bringing alive the normally Hopperesque atmosphere of Friday Commons proceedings, this was to be no easy final reading. Whilst the Bill is just six pages long it attracted over 100 amendments, of which the majority were designed to hijack the intent. Many were so barmy (like renaming it the Berlin Time Act) they did not pass the Clerk's scrutiny. But 28 did. To be taken in three groups, collectively they were enough to suggest, once again, this Bill might get talked out.

Tobias Ellwood: Goodbye 2011. History won't forget you.

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

Perhaps we are too close to events to appreciate it, but historians may single out 2011 as exceptional, not just for the dramatic events that took place but for the enduring consequences that may result. RA Butler commented that politics is the art of the possible.  2011 saw that unravelling 13 locust years of New Labour would test the limits, both of what Government felt it could do, and of what the people would accept.

Over the last couple of years the once impregnable pillars of the establishment have been shaken to the core. Against a collapse of public trust in politicians, the City and the press, navigating the stormiest economic seas in a generation makes the PM’s job the toughest since Thatcher took the helm thirty years ago.

1. The Economy
At home, this year brought the harsh but necessary decisions required to moderate Labour’s reckless spending. Other than the Trade Unions, most people recognised and accepted the need for Government to live within its means, bring the deficit under control, overhaul public sector pensions and challenge expectations we can no longer afford, including how we pay for university, what age we retire at and who should be entitled to benefits. Everyone from the IMF to the OBR predicted tougher times ahead forcing budgets to be revised.

2. Public Trust
Following the financial crisis and the parliamentary expenses affair, the phone hacking scandal exposed the tawdry behaviour of the press and resulted in a public outcry against News International. It posed awkward but long overdue questions about the power of the whole of the media and its relationship with the public and politicians. It caused police resignations, the first recall of Parliament for this Government, the launch of a number of public inquiries and the closure of a newspaper published in the UK since 1843.

Tobias Ellwood MP: A long week at the Ministry of Defence

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

As you might guess, morale was low on the fifth floor of the MOD during the week following Party conference, and depreciated by the day. The story broke on the last day of conference and nine days of intense media coverage later, Liam Fox had resigned.

Such was the deluge of press interest I flippantly commented to one of the Defence Ministers 'You know its bad when you have to reach for the Beano to read a paper without mention of Liam on the front cover'.

I will leave it to others to comment on the naïvety of employing a so-called "off the record" advisor, the manner of Liam Fox's departure and the political fallout for the factions across the Tory spectrum. I will say, however, that it does not take an armchair general to recognise the utter chaos Labour brought to the MOD. In just 15 months the Main Building is starting to look and feel and operate in a modern, professional and effective style that has been absent for over a decade.

Let's not forget, under Labour the MOD’s responsibility for managing budgets was removed and given to the Treasury. The Defence Secretary did not even chair or attend the department's main decision making body, the Defence Board. It was also under Labour  that our valiant armed forces were committed to campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which had a coherent post conflict plan.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Project Maja – Social Action in Bangladesh

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

As all MPs know, the only outbreak of sweat you are likely to experience during an overseas delegation is on arrival, whilst making a dash in the sun from the plane to the car. Useful though such visits are – if you really want to build lasting relationships and make a difference then try the ‘social action’ approach.

The concept of ‘social action’ has come a long way since its inception at the Bournemouth Party conference in 2006 when delegates were invited to roll up their grey suit sleeves and help convert an old church into a much needed community centre. We as a Party now have a formidable reputation for social action projects both at home and abroad. They emphasise the very deep Conservative value of social responsibility; the belief that by working together we can deliver real change. And we certainly did that in Bangladesh.

Our team of 35 volunteers participated in four projects in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh (chosen as it has strong links to Bangladeshi communities here in the UK). Firstly teaching English in two primary schools led by Andrew Stephenson MP, secondly working with the charity BRAC to visit rural communities and witness cataract operations co-ordinated by Nicky Morgan MP and thirdly selecting a youth football team for Sylhet, led by Anne Main MP in partnership with the London Tigers.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Do not expect Syria to follow in the footsteps of Libya

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

Libya is now the first Arab Spring country to taste freedom by overthrowing a regime whose dictator had responded to the popular uprising with a magnitude of force. It is too simplistic to say, as some commentators have suggested, that Libya presents a new "intervention lite" blueprint on how to overthrow a tyrant, but much as international media attention will now shift to Syria, there are some big differences which suggest the Libyan experience is unlikely to be so easily repeated.

Firstly, the build up of regional support, international diplomatic pressure and, critically, China and Russia's acquiescence to UN-endorsed NATO military intervention in Libya. Both China and Russia maintain strong ties with Syria and are likely to veto any UN resolution that authorises the use of outside force.

Secondly, the formation in Libya of a recognised opposition forum (the National Transitional Council) able to unite a disparate group of challenging voices and act as the principle co-ordinator for regime change offers an indication to the West as to what the successor power structure might look like. In Syria, however, there is no such transition council or opposition figure to rally around - deliberately it seems to ensure anti-regime rallies are organised at grass root level rather than by a central body which would be swiftly removed.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Libya - avoiding the mistakes of Afghanistan and Iraq

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

Following protracted interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the international community will be breathing a collective sigh of relief that this UN backed, expedition-light intervention turns a critical corner. As Op Herrick and Op Telick illustrated, defeating the enemy, difficult though this can be, can prove less of a challenge than keeping the post-conflict peace. Libya will be no different.

During the last six months the majority of the 140 tribes that make up Libya have unified to pursue a single agenda: the overthrow its dictator. Now that objective has been achieved, there is, of course, the celebration. But then come the difficult questions about designing a post Gaddafi Libya.

The next four months are therefore critical; they provide a window of opportunity to  leverage the country-wide euphoria  and pause in fighting (once the last of Gaddafi's forces are flushed out) to restore law and order, sow the seeds of basic governance and rebuild the economy. No easy task as events in Egypt suggest. 42 years or tyranny have left Libya without any form of party political structure. As Basra proved, if these basics are not soon in place, survival instincts kick in leading to sectarian violence and the formation of tribal militias who then blame the liberators for the lack of progress. Security takes a turn for the worse compounding any efforts to rebuild the country.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Three years on from the Russian invasion, Britain must continue to focus on Georgia

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

It is three years this week since Russian tanks rolled into Georgia. As dramatic events unfold in the Middle East and the crisis engulfs the Euro, it is easy to forget the conflicts that remain unresolved in the Caucasus and we must not take our eye off the ball.

David Cameron led the world in August 2008, being one of the first senior politicians to visit Tbilisi. He showed solidarity with the Georgian people, within the range of Russian missiles. I followed in his footsteps a few weeks afterwards and that visit made a great impact on me. I saw the artillery damage from Russian munitions in Gori, the town of Stalin’s birth, the abandoned buildings vandalised by Russian troops, and the displaced people, turfed out of their homes by the invading forces. I wrote after that visit that “if the West, including Britain, fails to address a resurgent Russia, the future for Georgia is certainly bleak and that of Ukraine even bleaker”.

Tobias Ellwood MP: If we're serious about successfully concluding military operations in Afghanistan, we need to recognise our mistakes and not repeat them

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East and Vice Chairman of the All Parliamentary Group on Afghanistan. He is also author of the publication 'Bridging the gap between Military and Civil Affairs on the modern battlefield', published by First Defence.

With 77% of the UK population no longer supporting British troop deployment in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister is right to re-assess our strategy. We have inherited an abysmal situation from Labour. I stress inherited, for we first went into Afghanistan in 2002 and took responsibility for security in Helmand Province in 2005; we are still there over half a decade later, thanks to a flawed political strategy, limited support for our troops and an abject failure to commit to post conflict reconstruction and governance.

We have done enough NOT to lose – but never enough to win. Not only do we now require the assistance of our US allies but we have been absolved of our responsibility for the military command of Helmand. Our once superior knowledge in counter-insurgency operations has been overtaken by the Americans.
To compound matters this is the second time a British flag has been lowered and replaced, not by a liberated country, but by the US who are only too aware that lessons from our experience in Iraq have not been learnt. In 2003 we failed to follow up a solid security position in Basra, with immediate support for local governance and reconstruction. The Shiite community, so pleased to seek the back of Saddam, soon ganged up on us, the liberators, because progress was so slow.

Sadly in Afghanistan another window of opportunity was missed in 2002-2005 as the locals, unimpressed with any real change in their conditions, turned a blind eye as the Taliban regrouped and secreted themselves within a reticent population and this has kept us in Afghanistan far longer than expected.

What went wrong?

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East and Vice Chairman of the All Parliamentary Group on Afghanistan. He is also author of the publication 'Bridging the gap between Military and Civil Affairs on the modern battlefield', published by First Defence.

With 77% of the UK population no longer supporting British troop deployment in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister is right to re-assess our strategy. We have inherited an abysmal situation from Labour. I stress inherited, for we first went into Afghanistan in 2002 and took responsibility for security in Helmand Province in 2005; we are still there over half a decade later, thanks to a flawed political strategy, limited support for our troops and an abject failure to commit to post conflict reconstruction and governance.

We have done enough NOT to lose – but never enough to win. Not only do we now require the assistance of our US allies but we have been absolved of our responsibility for the military command of Helmand. Our once superior knowledge in counter-insurgency operations has been overtaken by the Americans.
To compound matters this is the second time a British flag has been lowered and replaced, not by a liberated country, but by the US who are only too aware that lessons from our experience in Iraq have not been learnt. In 2003 we failed to follow up a solid security position in Basra, with immediate support for local governance and reconstruction. The Shiite community, so pleased to seek the back of Saddam, soon ganged up on us, the liberators, because progress was so slow.

Sadly in Afghanistan another window of opportunity was missed in 2002-2005 as the locals, unimpressed with any real change in their conditions, turned a blind eye as the Taliban regrouped and secreted themselves within a reticent population and this has kept us in Afghanistan far longer than expected.

What went wrong?

Tobias Ellwood: Is the end in sight for the euro?

Tobias Ellwood is Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.

Unless your name is Robert Peston, understanding the current plight of the euro might not come naturally - and your interest may well be limited to "it looks pretty bad - glad we are not in the Euro Zone'. So here is an attempt to explain (not least to myself), without that peculiar accent, what is going on.

Simply put, the rules for those 16 countries in the Euro Club are not well enforced. Bound by a single currency and single interest rate indeed - but they all pursue very different strategies in managing their local economies. Were there to be full liberalisation of services, trade and a common energy policy, life might be very different.

The club was created in the boom time (1999) where basic rules for entry included, firstly, a maximum budget deficit (total amount you spend versus the usually lower amount going into the pot from taxes etc) not exceeding 3% of GDP in any year. Germany's deficit last year was 3.3%, Spain 11.2% Portugal 9.3% and Greece 13.6%. Not that we faired much better here in the UK coming in at 11.2%.

Secondly, the maximum public debt (how much total debt a country accumulates) must not exceed 60% of GDP. Last year Germany's total debt was 77%, Spain 50%, Portugal 75%, Greece 108% and the UK 68%. There are therefore a lot of us breaking these rules - well not us specifically as we are not in the Eurozone - but this is why there is so much panic.

Tobias Ellwood MP: It's time to revisit the debate about introducing permanent daylight saving time in Britain

Tobias Ellwood MP is shadow tourism minister in the Conservative Culture, Media and Sport frontbench team.

Tonight the nation will once again conduct the annual ritual of moving our clocks forward, providing an instant feel good factor as we bask in lighter evenings and are finally liberated from the shackles of the long dark winter nights. And sure as day follows night, the well rehearsed debate about the wisdom of introducing daylight saving will accompany the clock change. However, this year there is a difference.

As Shadow Tourism Minister I conducted my own detailed study into the merits of changing the clocks and I have now written to all the main political parties inviting them to a roundtable discussion to see if we can reach a cross-party consensus on the idea.

The arguments for moving our clocks forward are now more powerful than ever. Independent studies have shown that shifting the clocks would see a 1.2m ton reduction in the nation’s CO2 emissions, a 2.2% reduction in electricity consumption (with a consequent fall in energy bills) and a net fall of over 300 deaths and injuries on our roads. Add to this NHS (A&E) savings of over £200m, a potential doubling of after school outdoor activities and a boost to tourism to the tune of £3bn and the case for daylight saving does seem quite compelling.

These advantages are of course less apparent in the north of Scotland and this is why a cross party group would look carefully at the impact Single/Double Summer Time (SDST) will have in all corners of Britain before any decision is made.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Hotting up for a new Cold War

Tobias Ellwood, reporting from Tblisi, is the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East.

Who is to blame for firing the first shot in this conflict will never be resolved, partly because shots have been regularly exchanged since the 1990s when the West was too preoccupied with Kuwait and then Bosnia to notice regional uprisings in Georgia. Indeed we thanked Russia for offering to sort out its own backyard by sending in ‘peace keepers’ to both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (Nobody guessed they would be issuing Russian passports to non Georgians within 8 years.)

Access to South Ossetia from Russia is only possible through the 3km narrow Roki Tunnel. Yet by some logistical miracle, over 150 T55 tanks, coincidently participating in Exercise ‘Kavkaz’ north of the border, managed to ‘spontaneously’ react to calls of help from pro-Russian militias and squeeze through the tunnel within hours.

Who fired the first shot is therefore now irrelevant; the escalation of events in Georgia pre-empted by the mysterious explosion of a non Russian pipeline in Turkey a day before hostilities began, suggest this was a conflict waiting to happen and the West was caught off guard.

Russia’s objectives are clear; punish Georgia for looking West, establish de facto control over potential Georgian pipeline routes, seek an alternative warm weather, deep water Black Sea port to Sevastopol (due to be handed back to Ukraine in 2017), and send an unequivocal message to former Soviet colonies not to flirt with the West.

Tobias Ellwood MP: Why we went to Rwanda

Tobias Ellwood MP, a Culture, Media and Sports frontbencher, reports from Kigali and explains why the Tory social action volunteers have learnt so much more than if they had simply sent a cheque.

Once again a team of Conservative MPs, PPCs and party enthusiasts ventured to the heart of Rwanda to complete a major construction project and understand more about the challenges facing Africa.

This is Conservative ‘social action’ going truly international. Lat year we rebuilt an orphanage, this year we have turned a derelict piece of land into a fully functioning community centre, complete with outdoor facilities, in the township of Kinyinya, North Kigali. We have made a small but significant impact on the lives of the local community and at the same time exposed UK politicians to a part of the world still in need of our support 15 years after the West so blatantly ignored this country’s cries for help.

With most Rwandans living off less than one dollar a day, communal facilities are rare. At Kinyinya there are 400 small dwellings built to house genocide survivors, but until now there has been nowhere to convene and socialise, debate, dance, sing and play sport. This year’s project attempted to address this by transforming a barren plot of land into a large community hall, complete with stage, botanical garden, a small  football pitch and an outdoor amphitheatre.