Press Release
MP Heaps Praise On Hard Working Generation In Queen's Speech
Local MP Tom Clarke was selected to move the Loyal Address to the Queen’s Speech. It is the custom for a respected MP to make a light-hearted address and commend Her Majesty’s Gracious Speech to the House.
The MP said: “I was extremely proud and honoured, not least for my constituency of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill. Historically the one common feature that connects all three distinctive areas was the contribution to Ironworks, steelmaking and coal mining that were once the main sources of employment”
In a poignant speech Tom Clarke referred to generations of hard working families including his own parents: “I want to pay tribute to those who worked hard to look after their families, as many men died far too prematurely because of associated illness and disease, often linked with those heavy industries. A very special tribute is due to all the women, who, as a consequence, were widowed and left to raise a family single handed. I wish to add my father to the endless list of men who died of pneumoconiosis without a penny in compensation. My late mother was left to raise a large family with nothing like the benefits that are rightly paid to widows and families today”.
“That is why I will be eternally grateful that, under this Labour Government, the largest ever financial compensation - nearly £7.5 billion - was paid out to miners and their families who had been affected by diseases through working in such appalling mining conditions. Heavy industry and coal mining may have gone but the human legacy will live for a long time to come.”
The MP spoke very warmly about Parliamentary colleagues who have passed on including John Smith Robin Cook and his predecessor Jimmy Dempsey.
However the dominant issue facing his constituents is the fragility of the global economy when he added: “Here, and across the developed world, people face the threat of losing their jobs and homes. People who are in poverty, people with disabilities and the people dying in the third world have had to overcome many more hurdles than we face in this global downturn, and we should look to their resilience for inspiration. I passionately believe that, whatever their circumstances, the British people have the character to be creative and confident in the face of adversity”.
The Leader of the Opposition Mr. David Cameron replied saying: “Mr. Clarke gave a moving speech about his constituency and about his family. His excellent work on disability and international development is indeed admired on both sides of the House.”
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “Few Members have the distinction of having piloted one private Member’s Bill through the House; even fewer have the distinction of having piloted two groundbreaking Bills, and Mr. Clarke is a member of that elite group. The first Bill, giving rights to people with disabilities and the second holding the Government to its overseas targets are formidable achievements of which he and his constituents can justifiably be proud”.