Liz Lynne's New Year message

9.09.02pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 19th Dec 2003

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It has been an exhausting year and I am looking forward to a short break over Christmas and New Year. But I won't be able to put my feet up for too long! 2004 is looking to be another challenging year. Apart from anything else, I am hoping to get re-elected!

The marvellous public campaigns against proposals for a new airport between Coventry and Rugby and to expand the Wolverhampton Business Airport have been tremendous successes. But I have concerns about the Government's plans for Birmingham International Airport, which would have a negative effect on the quality of life of thousands of local people and the environment in general. I plan to spend time over the next year talking to people in Birmingham and Solihull about what exactly they feel should be done.

With the war in Iraq and all the controversy that surrounded it, 2003 was a very tumultuous year. If nothing else, we must ensure that the people of Iraq are not forgotten over the coming year and that the reconstruction continues apace. I look forward to seeing a democratically elected Iraq government in place before the year is out. And I am hopeful that the signs of improved relations between the Pakistan and Indian governments will prove fruitful and that at long last we will achieve a just solution in Kashmir.

The rights of people with disabilities is a very important issue for me and I am looking forward to Part 3 of the UK Disability Discrimination Act being fully implemented in October, guaranteeing disabled people equal access to goods and most services. I worked on this Act when I was an MP and while it is not perfect it will be a major step forward for the rights of disabled people in the UK.

I was also delighted to hear the European Commission commit to a specific Disability Directive, guaranteeing disabled people equal access to goods and services across the EU which I have been campaigning for - let us hope it is a commitment that is fulfilled.

Finally, if nothing else 2004 will be a great year for sport. In winning the World Cup, the England Rugby Team have raised the bar for what we can expect from our national teams and I hope we will see both the British Olympic and Paralympic Teams in Athens and the England Football Team in Portugal meet the challenge!