Birmingham Party Central

That's it. Parliament's shut 'til the election, the phones are on divert and I've headed home to the constituency for a full-time election campaign that will last until polling day. The part of being a MP that's most enjoyable is being meeting people and debating the real issues on the door-step alongside my family and colleagues.

The first week of the campaign's going really well. To Birmingham on Monday, to the fantastic new Queen Elizabeth Hospital building to launch the manifesto with the cabinet and a packed hall. We're now fired up and ready to take the message to the West Midlands and across the country, that 'A Future Fair For All' is an agenda that's going to lead our public services and economic recovery into the years ahead.

Lord Adonis was in here on Tuesday, for my local manifesto launch and to have a look at the Parry People Mover - an environmentally friendly light-rail-car, designed locally that's now in service on the branch line between the town and junction stations.

Lord Adonis told a packed meeting of local activists that the future is about an economy built on green technology and that Stourbridge is leading the way with this.

Health was at the forefront again on Wednesday, when Mike O'Brien, Labour's Health Minister came to open our campaign HQ, where Labour Party Activists descended en-masse to assist with envelope stuffing and telephone canvassing of (potential) voters. Mike told party members and the public how the best NHS was a publicly owned one, with
Labour being the only party that's guaranteeing a 1-week diagnosis of cancer and rapid treatment after that.

I got into Parliament through grass-roots activism and while it's easy to take a few million from a 'non-dom-donor' for airbrushed pictures, it's plain to see that for Labour Party Members in Stourbridge, who've funded their own campaign, not taking a penny for political publicity, that for them, politics is about getting the message out about who can provide the best for local people. Be it on the economy or on health, Stourbridge's Labour team have got a good story to tell.

"So the week's going well and I'm sure from here, as someone once said, 'things can only get better'"