Reading West MP Martin Salter who was formerly Chair of Reading Borough Council’s Leisure Committee has questioned plans put forward by Reading Borough Council Conservative Group to establish “a three week giant camp site in the middle of the town” during the 2012 Olympic Games. Reading Borough Council Conservatives have announced plans to team up with the Reading Rock Festival promoters to provide large screens for fans to watch the games. The Tories have also claimed that “Reading is very well located as a base for people wanting to go to see the sailing competitions on the south coast at Weymouth”.

On Sunday 21st March Martin Salter, Labour MP for Reading West and Anneliese Dodds, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Reading East, successfully completed the Corporate Relay Challenge in the Reading Half Marathon in aid of the Berkshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre. The two other team members, Nick Stringer and Cameron Miller who work in Mr Salter’s constituency office formed the Labour Party foursome and each ran a three and a quarter mile leg of the race under the name of ‘Martin’s Midnight Runners’.

Although slavery was technically abolished in 1833 it is, in fact, still practised - both regularly and brutally in some of the most prestigious houses in London. This week I held a Commons debate on “Visa rights of Migrant Domestic workers”. Following a visit to Kalayaan, a West London based charity that offers direct support for victims of human trafficking and migrant workers suffering abuse or exploitation.

It is often said that “the truth is the first casualty of war” and there is no doubt that the phoney political war is over and the General Election campaign is well under way. Not unreasonably, the Prime Minister called upon both sides in the long-running British Airways dispute to recommence negotiations, resolve their differences and avoid a disruptive strike. This prompted the Tory attack machine to go into overdrive.

Reading West MP Martin Salter held a Commons debate in Westminster Hall yesterday to highlight the plight of abused Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) who are brought to Britain and treated, in the words of Mr Salter, as “modern slaves.”

Labour’s parliamentary spokesman for angling Reading West MP Martin Salter, ended the 2009/10 river season on a high note with a lovely six fish bag of big Kennet chub from the river near Newbury. Martin, who steps down as an MP at the forthcoming general election in order to spend more time on the water, fished a far bank glide to tempt his catch which included two chub over 5lb with the biggest weighing in at 5lb 11oz. He fished a two swan crystal waggler on 4lb Korum real line to a 0.13 mm hook link and a size 18 hook carrying two red maggots. Later on in the session he laid on with a lobworm under the near bank to tempt a 2lb+ perch.

Ever since Bill Clinton and Tony Blair came up with the genius solution to the Left’s electoral problems - by banging the word “new” in the title - politicians of all parties have fallen over themselves to be the first to prove that they are similarly ahead of the curve and the inheritors of all that is cool and hip with the kids.

In his final speech to Reading Girls School as Labour Member of Parliament for Reading West, Martin Salter encouraged the students to aim high and to “strive for excellence not perfection”. Mr Salter was speaking on Tuesday 16th March at a school assembly to an audience of year 10 and 11 students plus a delegation of teaching staff on his role as an MP, the role of Parliament and the importance of education in achieving life goals and targets.

Martin Salter, Member of Parliament for Reading West, today joined gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir John Madejski at the John Madejski Academy to launch the ‘Get on Track’ initiative in Reading. The project, headed by the double Olympic champion, will allow young unemployed people in Reading to enhance their chances of obtaining employment, developing life skills and fulfilling their sporting potential. Local employers and organisations present at the launch were asked to pledge support for young people and for the project. Mr Salter offered to organise announced he would be running a Communications Workshop to help youngsters learn how to get their message across.

According to James Delingpole of this parish, the Young Briton Foundation’s Donal Blaney is a “splendid, funny and ideologically sound” fellow. Far be it from me to criticise a writer from the same stable, but I find Mr Blaney’s habit of referring to the American President as “Barack Hussein Obama” or “the Kenyan-American” president slightly disconcerting in a young man apparently of the “new” Conservative Party. Yes, the leader of the free world’s black. We know. Now get over it, white boys.