Blog - Chris Matheson MP

Reflections on cancer and local support

When I first visited the Hospice of the Good Shepherd in Backford, a couple of years ago, I confess to feeling a bit of trepidation. I expected somewhere a bit grim, a place where people with terminal cancer went to spend their final days. In fact, I could not have…

Brexit at all costs is not an option for me.

Like a vampire with its victim in a 1960s Hammer Horror film, Brexit continues to suck the life out of politics and society. It is not as though we don’t have other problems to worry about. Homelessness has doubled since 2010, while in the same period real wages have flatlined.…

On the buses

Mention policy on buses to any national newspaper political journalist and the chances are you will be sneered at. Buses are a fringe issue, they will say. But local bus services are a vital lifeline to so many residents, not just for transport but also for social issues. Last year,…

Think big, stay local…

There is a saying that “all politics is local.” Which means that however much we hear about international affairs and national budgets, much more of what affects people is the stuff on their own doorstep. If I look at my postbag for this year, there is some truth in that:…

Think pink to keep it green

The glamourous life of an MP: I spent part of Easter weekend on the streets of Newton and Hoole with two local councillors, Richard Beacham and Gill Watson, and a can of purple spray paint. We were identifying uncollected dog poo on the pavements and spraying it pink. Dog poo…

Happy New Year!

At the start of the new year I always like to thank the Editor and staff of The Chester and District Standard for giving me a regular column twice a month. It is a great way to communicate some of the work I am doing in Westminster and back home…

Searching for something good to come out of something so bad…

In truth, Parliament has not been a nice place to work these last few weeks. The allegations of sexual assault and abuse against Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood opened the floodgates for allegations in other walks of life and that included the Palace of Westminster. Some of the allegations involved tittle…

Searching for something good to come out of something so bad…

In truth, Parliament has not been a nice place to work these last few weeks. The allegations of sexual assault and abuse against Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood opened the floodgates for allegations in other walks of life and that included the Palace of Westminster. Some of the allegations involved tittle…

Let down over the Hoole Bridge…

In July, just as the Commons broke up for summer recess, the government announced it was cancelling two railway electrification programmes: in the East Midlands and in South Wales. The programmes were more expensive than had been planned, and so the government chose instead a solution of “bi-modal” trains. That…

Let down over the Hoole Bridge…

In July, just as the Commons broke up for summer recess, the government announced it was cancelling two railway electrification programmes: in the East Midlands and in South Wales. The programmes were more expensive than had been planned, and so the government chose instead a solution of “bi-modal” trains. That…