I'm signing off for a few days. Taking a holiday till next weekend with the family so 'maybe' no blogs but keep the comments coming and I will catch up on my return. See how the internet access goes. Sure lots will happen next week so some good blogs to come.
Long day with a long delivery this morning that seemed to go on for ages.
Great evening with some stunning Olympic results.
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Friday, August 27, 2004
Crime and Punishment (Except if your a Lib Dem!)
My son came to work with me today. He is 5 and we do this a couple of days a year. Changes the office actually although he insists on a long lunch!!
We have had quite a lot from the Conservatives on local crime in the last few days.
We firstly had Theresa May announcing the launch of the Conservative Urban Alliance. Now that we are by far the largest, and growing, leaders of local government we are well placed to really tackle the issues of graffiti, vandalism and crime. I was staggered to read that fly tipping has rocketed by 43% in the past two years. They also have good examples of Conservative Councils restoring respect on the streets and launching new initiatives such as Westminster's Civic Renewal Scheme.
We also had Tim Yeo arguing for our policies to crack down on the yob and drink culture and illustrating how crime has boomed under Labour. Just look at the crazy increases in crime we have seen on the railways - 14% increase in violent crime and a 12% increase in sexual assaults
From the Lib Dems we have had another announcement of them going soft on crime.
Apparently the BBC is reporting the Lib Dems are considering a new policy to decriminalise crime for those under 14. They also want offenders to 'pay back' by doing work chosen by local people, face to face meetings between offenders and victims and reparation orders for adults. Of course, as the BBC points out, the children who killed Jamie Bulger were 10! They would not have gone to court. According to the Lib Dems Social Services should have dealt with them. I leave it to readers to decide whether Social Service are the right people to look after murderers, even at 10? But what happened to giving them a fair trial to demonstrate they actually did it because if this is 'decriminalisation' then trials are out!!
This whole thing is absurd and I know will anger many who believe that in fact what child criminals need is not being soft and cuddly but to understand the severity of their crimes. Where is the evidence that being soft on criminals has ever stopped re-offending because not imprisoning burglars is also a Lib Dem policy?
But the really odd thing is this issue of age. On the one hand we have the Lib Dems saying they do not want to criminalise those under 14 and yet they are also desperately keen for those of 16 to watch and participate in pornography - another awful Lib Dem policy.
I wonder if there is any connection between equalising these ages to conform with Europe as this was another issue the Lib Dem have been on about during the last week saying "we cannot influence EU law from the sidelines". If equalising laws mean the UK accepting you cannot be a criminal till your 14 (who ever you burgle or murder) then there are many who will say UKIP has a point! No wonder the Lib Dems do not talk too much to the public about their policy on Europe.
We have had quite a lot from the Conservatives on local crime in the last few days.
We firstly had Theresa May announcing the launch of the Conservative Urban Alliance. Now that we are by far the largest, and growing, leaders of local government we are well placed to really tackle the issues of graffiti, vandalism and crime. I was staggered to read that fly tipping has rocketed by 43% in the past two years. They also have good examples of Conservative Councils restoring respect on the streets and launching new initiatives such as Westminster's Civic Renewal Scheme.
We also had Tim Yeo arguing for our policies to crack down on the yob and drink culture and illustrating how crime has boomed under Labour. Just look at the crazy increases in crime we have seen on the railways - 14% increase in violent crime and a 12% increase in sexual assaults
From the Lib Dems we have had another announcement of them going soft on crime.
Apparently the BBC is reporting the Lib Dems are considering a new policy to decriminalise crime for those under 14. They also want offenders to 'pay back' by doing work chosen by local people, face to face meetings between offenders and victims and reparation orders for adults. Of course, as the BBC points out, the children who killed Jamie Bulger were 10! They would not have gone to court. According to the Lib Dems Social Services should have dealt with them. I leave it to readers to decide whether Social Service are the right people to look after murderers, even at 10? But what happened to giving them a fair trial to demonstrate they actually did it because if this is 'decriminalisation' then trials are out!!
This whole thing is absurd and I know will anger many who believe that in fact what child criminals need is not being soft and cuddly but to understand the severity of their crimes. Where is the evidence that being soft on criminals has ever stopped re-offending because not imprisoning burglars is also a Lib Dem policy?
But the really odd thing is this issue of age. On the one hand we have the Lib Dems saying they do not want to criminalise those under 14 and yet they are also desperately keen for those of 16 to watch and participate in pornography - another awful Lib Dem policy.
I wonder if there is any connection between equalising these ages to conform with Europe as this was another issue the Lib Dem have been on about during the last week saying "we cannot influence EU law from the sidelines". If equalising laws mean the UK accepting you cannot be a criminal till your 14 (who ever you burgle or murder) then there are many who will say UKIP has a point! No wonder the Lib Dems do not talk too much to the public about their policy on Europe.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
School Playing Fields
You really get fed up with this Government. Year on year the same policy is being announced again and again as if it was new. They hope that the public will forget they announced it the first time.
The latest is the apparent ending of the sale of school playing fields. Now I expect a ton of mail saying the Conservatives started this policy - we did and it was wrong. It ws particularly wrong in London. It was not just wrong because it deprived children of access to sport but it also deprived communities of the opportunity to use the facilities that during the 70's and 80's were closed to those who lived near them.
As I said what really stinks about this Government is the fact that the minute Michael Howard criticises the ridiculous political correctness of not having competitive schools sports, Blair and Charles Clarke unveil (read 'rehash') a policy they were supposed to already have!
The 2001 Labour manifesto said:
A cynic could ask why if they had introduced a ban on the enforced sale of playing fields (prior to 2001) that the sales of fields have continued. See this Guardian report (Aug 2004)which says:
The association claims that since 1998, more than 200 field sales have gone ahead, with only six rejected through the vetting procedure.
This same report also quotes the Education secretary as saying he will offer the:
"toughest-ever protection for school playing fields".
I am no avid sports fanatic. I cycle quite a bit but that is really because it is often easier to get around Kingston by bike than run the gauntlet of traffic humps and menacing wardens. In fact at school I frankly disliked sport. I was never really into rugby and cross country running used to go down the dreaded "pig farm alley". Never did know why it was called that as there were no pigs! However, this nation is becoming less healthy, as are many developed nations across the world. To halt that we do need to provide the opportunity to access as many forms of sport and healthy sport advice. Now maybe that is not through having school sports fields but through sports facilities being built on school sports fields. But if that is the strategy then the Government should be honest and not pretend that merely offering bullet proof guarantees about the sanctity of school sports fields will really improve the health of the school population.
In any case, the only kids at my school who enjoyed going out on a school sports field in the freezing cold of winter were in my view slightly mad!! They were good friends but I still doubted their sanity!
The latest is the apparent ending of the sale of school playing fields. Now I expect a ton of mail saying the Conservatives started this policy - we did and it was wrong. It ws particularly wrong in London. It was not just wrong because it deprived children of access to sport but it also deprived communities of the opportunity to use the facilities that during the 70's and 80's were closed to those who lived near them.
As I said what really stinks about this Government is the fact that the minute Michael Howard criticises the ridiculous political correctness of not having competitive schools sports, Blair and Charles Clarke unveil (read 'rehash') a policy they were supposed to already have!
The 2001 Labour manifesto said:
We pledge a sports entitlement for all children, giving them access to at least two hours a week of sport in or after school. Thanks to our ban on the enforced sale of playing fields and a commitment of nearly £1 billion to new sports facilities and 1,000 school sports co-ordinators, all children will be offered coaching and competitive games. This is a pdf so only go if you really want to
A cynic could ask why if they had introduced a ban on the enforced sale of playing fields (prior to 2001) that the sales of fields have continued. See this Guardian report (Aug 2004)which says:
The association claims that since 1998, more than 200 field sales have gone ahead, with only six rejected through the vetting procedure.
This same report also quotes the Education secretary as saying he will offer the:
"toughest-ever protection for school playing fields".
I am no avid sports fanatic. I cycle quite a bit but that is really because it is often easier to get around Kingston by bike than run the gauntlet of traffic humps and menacing wardens. In fact at school I frankly disliked sport. I was never really into rugby and cross country running used to go down the dreaded "pig farm alley". Never did know why it was called that as there were no pigs! However, this nation is becoming less healthy, as are many developed nations across the world. To halt that we do need to provide the opportunity to access as many forms of sport and healthy sport advice. Now maybe that is not through having school sports fields but through sports facilities being built on school sports fields. But if that is the strategy then the Government should be honest and not pretend that merely offering bullet proof guarantees about the sanctity of school sports fields will really improve the health of the school population.
In any case, the only kids at my school who enjoyed going out on a school sports field in the freezing cold of winter were in my view slightly mad!! They were good friends but I still doubted their sanity!
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Charging for Personal Care
A few weeks ago I ran a blog item on the Lib Dem Council charging for personal care. I have a bit of an update on the hypocrisy that exists within the LibDems on this matter.
The proposal they are making is that those who currently receive personal care for very small charges would in future be means tested and a range of charges applied; up to 50% of disposable income. It is a monstrous suggestion. Made even more monstrous by the fact that the Lib Dems nationally are going round telling people they will not charge for personal care.
Charles Kennedy in a speech on public services on June 29th 2004 said:
"Yet when it comes to care of the elderly, Labour too support a right to charge. For the frail elderly in need of basic care: feeding, dressing, washing - for them dignity comes at a price. Dignity in old age should not be determined by the size of your bank balance. That is why Liberal Democrats would scrap the charges for personal care, wherever it is provided."
A Lib Dem MP, Sandra Gidley, and spokesman for Older people said:
"Britain's elderly should receive free personal care, unrestricted by discriminatory criteria."
Even the local MP, Ed Davey, said in January 2003:
"Personal care should be free on the basis of a person's need not the size of their bank balance. We are not talking about luxuries here: we are simply saying that for people who need this help, with feeding, dressing, washing and intimate care, it should be free at the point of delivery."
This is all great but why then is the Leader of the Lib Dems and the MP for Kingston & Surbiton allowing the Leader of Kingston Council to introduce this shameful policy of charging for personal care and letting him insult the elderly of Kingston who did the right thing and saved for their retirement:
"This isn't going to drive elderly people into poverty. You are not talking about the little old lady living in a rundown house. We are talking about people who are comfortably off and will still be comfortably off." Leader of Lib Dem Kingston Council in Surrey Comet
We will be doing all we can to get them to reverse this hypocrisy.
The proposal they are making is that those who currently receive personal care for very small charges would in future be means tested and a range of charges applied; up to 50% of disposable income. It is a monstrous suggestion. Made even more monstrous by the fact that the Lib Dems nationally are going round telling people they will not charge for personal care.
Charles Kennedy in a speech on public services on June 29th 2004 said:
"Yet when it comes to care of the elderly, Labour too support a right to charge. For the frail elderly in need of basic care: feeding, dressing, washing - for them dignity comes at a price. Dignity in old age should not be determined by the size of your bank balance. That is why Liberal Democrats would scrap the charges for personal care, wherever it is provided."
A Lib Dem MP, Sandra Gidley, and spokesman for Older people said:
"Britain's elderly should receive free personal care, unrestricted by discriminatory criteria."
Even the local MP, Ed Davey, said in January 2003:
"Personal care should be free on the basis of a person's need not the size of their bank balance. We are not talking about luxuries here: we are simply saying that for people who need this help, with feeding, dressing, washing and intimate care, it should be free at the point of delivery."
This is all great but why then is the Leader of the Lib Dems and the MP for Kingston & Surbiton allowing the Leader of Kingston Council to introduce this shameful policy of charging for personal care and letting him insult the elderly of Kingston who did the right thing and saved for their retirement:
"This isn't going to drive elderly people into poverty. You are not talking about the little old lady living in a rundown house. We are talking about people who are comfortably off and will still be comfortably off." Leader of Lib Dem Kingston Council in Surrey Comet
We will be doing all we can to get them to reverse this hypocrisy.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Pensioners in distress after failure of pension payments
This is really depressing. There seems to be hardly a person in the land, who is not in the Labour Government, who really wants to scrap pension books if pensioners want to retain them.
I accept that it may well be an outdated way of paying benefits to people but if pensioners are happier collecting money from the post office and controlling their 'cash' expenditure rather than having to control a bank acccount then what is the problem? The two main parties go on a lot about 'choice' so why does the Government not give pensioners the 'choice' on whether they have a pension book or not.
Now we hear that the computer, that doubtless cost us billions and was delivered late, locked up and refused to pay pensioners any money. Quite rightly the Conservatives are asking questions and I hope we get some answers fast!
I accept that it may well be an outdated way of paying benefits to people but if pensioners are happier collecting money from the post office and controlling their 'cash' expenditure rather than having to control a bank acccount then what is the problem? The two main parties go on a lot about 'choice' so why does the Government not give pensioners the 'choice' on whether they have a pension book or not.
Now we hear that the computer, that doubtless cost us billions and was delivered late, locked up and refused to pay pensioners any money. Quite rightly the Conservatives are asking questions and I hope we get some answers fast!
Monday, August 23, 2004
The Compensation Culture?
Had a great weekend. Saturday spent delivering and a very good function in Berrylands with party members. All tremendously buoyed up and enthusiastic following the good results in Kingston from June. Sunday spent catching up on the small jobs around the house that do not get done during the rest of the year due to time commitments of Council.
Escaping from the fantasy politics of Saturday, Monday was about the compensation culture. David Davies followed up his speech of last week with some flesh to the policy.
It is notable and interesting that the former Master of the Rolls had recently commented that the compensation culture was a growing and dangerous path.
Like many things I can only relate personal experience. Five years ago I was involved in an accident at the lights at Tolworth roundabout. The lights changed green and the car in front moved forwards and then stalled. At 2 or 3 mph I went into the rear of the car scratching the bumper. Within weeks the insurance company was faced with a claim for a ‘written off’ car and driver whiplash injuries. Because of the way insurance companies work they settled for about £8k rather than fight an expensive case. Fighting it would be expensive in costs if not in the final outcome. Frankly that is an abuse and a shining example of the compensation culture.
Escaping from the fantasy politics of Saturday, Monday was about the compensation culture. David Davies followed up his speech of last week with some flesh to the policy.
It is notable and interesting that the former Master of the Rolls had recently commented that the compensation culture was a growing and dangerous path.
Like many things I can only relate personal experience. Five years ago I was involved in an accident at the lights at Tolworth roundabout. The lights changed green and the car in front moved forwards and then stalled. At 2 or 3 mph I went into the rear of the car scratching the bumper. Within weeks the insurance company was faced with a claim for a ‘written off’ car and driver whiplash injuries. Because of the way insurance companies work they settled for about £8k rather than fight an expensive case. Fighting it would be expensive in costs if not in the final outcome. Frankly that is an abuse and a shining example of the compensation culture.
However I think David is talking of wider issues to do with the review of the Human Rights Act. I believe it good practice to review all legislation some time after implementation to ensure that it does what it set out to do. All I have heard today is a procession of highly paid barristers, who undertake this work, saying how this is not acceptable. Still, I suppose we all get defensive when a proposal threatens our livelihood, no matter how good it is for the people we serve.
There are obviously genuine cases where compensation is due and it is the job of all of us to find a way where the rights of the genuine claimant can be preserved whilst curtailing the rights of those who abuse the system. Seems a pretty good mantra for a number of areas of life and politics.
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Laugh a Minute Labour
I though I had to bring you this wonderful piece of news. The Labour party are getting so desperate they clearly intend to go into the next election saying "a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for the Conservatives". Clearly sending Mandelson to Brussels was a big mistake if this is the best strategy they can come up without him!
This is taken from the Daily Telegraph. I have felt moved to add my own editorial comment.
This is taken from the Daily Telegraph. I have felt moved to add my own editorial comment.
Warning over Tory-Lib Dems alliance
The Labour candidate in the forthcoming Hartlepool by-election has accused the Liberal Democrats of forming an alliance with the Conservatives.
In an email to party members Iain Wright said Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy would serve in a Government under Michael Howard. (Not that he will get the chance - ed)He also accused the Liberal Democrats of moving closer to the Tories by following a right wing policy agenda. (Excuse me but since when has 'tax and spend' been right wing? - Ed) The email, which was released officially by the Labour Party, said the "real choice" in the forthcoming by-election was between the Labour Government and a Conservative administration.
Mr Wright, who is a Hartlepool councillor, wrote: "It is pretty clear that the Lib Dems and the Tories are moving together - Charles Kennedy's hostility to the Labour Party is so great it is easy to imagine him serving in government under Michael Howard. (Just one problem, amongst many, is that Charlie wants us to be a federal Europe - Ed)
"That is why the choice in Hartlepool remains between Labour and the Tories - in what ever guise they appear." (Now he is talking sense - Ed)The married father-of-three added: "Here in Hartlepool the Lib Dems are desperately trying to pick up the Tories' votes. Their leading figures are proposing ever more right wing policies - including the destruction of the NHS and its replacement by a social insurance system." (Yes, but that is today's policy. In Brent East they changed their Council Tax policy as soon as they won - Ed)
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Another Birthday - Education
Daughters yesterday and wife's today - Birthday. Great day in London as a tourist on a tourist bus with family. Dinner in evening.
No sure if anyone caught this on the news yesterday but whilst this initially sounds like a good idea you cannot help worrying about some aspects. Elderly urged to take in jobless. As it is I sometimes wonder if this would not be a better thing for students rather than the unemployed. The unemployed want a job and students are frequently occupying privately rented housing that could be used for others.
We also have 'A' level exam results. For once I am going to agree with some of what David Miliband says. It is a great shame that every year exam results come out we denigrate the achievements of the students. However, there are caveats to this. I hear a lot from teachers who tell me that children moving from school to college or university end up having to play catch up on subjects such as maths because they are not of the required standard. Maybe that always happened but many think not.
The simple fact is that the world and the skills needed to succeed in the world have changed. Frankly, if the exams we are asking children to pass now are not different or improving then they should be. Students today have an array of tools available to them that were not there even ten years ago - computers, the internet etc. Schools have changed and students are changing as well. A colleague of mine calls them 'MTV' children who can sit in a room and have the TV, radio, computer etc whirring and still read Shakespeare. Does that mean that standards are falling? No; but it probably means that the exams and the pedagogy need to change. It may mean that we need to see the sort of realignment of exams that took place with the GCE/CSE merger. However, I am very worried about an incoming Conservative Government wanting to inflict more turmoil on education. Not that it does not need it but change brings uncertainty and this Government has spent its entire period in office meddling and changing education.
So to all those students in Kingston who have received or will receive their exam results I offer congratulations and hope that the exams that have been passed will offer the greatest chances for them to excel in their adult life.
Oh, and happy birthday to my wife.
No sure if anyone caught this on the news yesterday but whilst this initially sounds like a good idea you cannot help worrying about some aspects. Elderly urged to take in jobless. As it is I sometimes wonder if this would not be a better thing for students rather than the unemployed. The unemployed want a job and students are frequently occupying privately rented housing that could be used for others.
We also have 'A' level exam results. For once I am going to agree with some of what David Miliband says. It is a great shame that every year exam results come out we denigrate the achievements of the students. However, there are caveats to this. I hear a lot from teachers who tell me that children moving from school to college or university end up having to play catch up on subjects such as maths because they are not of the required standard. Maybe that always happened but many think not.
The simple fact is that the world and the skills needed to succeed in the world have changed. Frankly, if the exams we are asking children to pass now are not different or improving then they should be. Students today have an array of tools available to them that were not there even ten years ago - computers, the internet etc. Schools have changed and students are changing as well. A colleague of mine calls them 'MTV' children who can sit in a room and have the TV, radio, computer etc whirring and still read Shakespeare. Does that mean that standards are falling? No; but it probably means that the exams and the pedagogy need to change. It may mean that we need to see the sort of realignment of exams that took place with the GCE/CSE merger. However, I am very worried about an incoming Conservative Government wanting to inflict more turmoil on education. Not that it does not need it but change brings uncertainty and this Government has spent its entire period in office meddling and changing education.
So to all those students in Kingston who have received or will receive their exam results I offer congratulations and hope that the exams that have been passed will offer the greatest chances for them to excel in their adult life.
Oh, and happy birthday to my wife.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Happy Birthday and "ending the war on motorists"
Today is my youngest daughters birthday - she is 2. Bit of a drama on the present front as the store (who shall remain nameless) told us the present was in stock but forgot to mention it was in Northampton!! Fortunately as she is 2 whether it is here today or tomorrow hopefully will not scar her for life!
The party announced a new policy on the motorist, ending the attacks that are unfairly being launched. The trouble is that the law abiding motorist gets caught up in these draconian road measures and the poor motorist who pays, along with smokers and those who drink, probably the highest level of taxation and fines in the country. In return he gets crumbling road surfaces, road humps and pariah status!
Spent an early evening getting soaked whilst delivering.
The party announced a new policy on the motorist, ending the attacks that are unfairly being launched. The trouble is that the law abiding motorist gets caught up in these draconian road measures and the poor motorist who pays, along with smokers and those who drink, probably the highest level of taxation and fines in the country. In return he gets crumbling road surfaces, road humps and pariah status!
Spent an early evening getting soaked whilst delivering.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
A Chessington team and phone masts
Had a fun evening with a groupf of Conservatives in Chessington. They had been particularly active during the times when we made a clean sweep in Chessington and took all the Council seats there. Lots of questions and answers on policy and what the party needs to do to get themselves into a position of winning the next General Election. Great evening with great company. Most exciting aspect is that they all want to participate in campaigning and help out. This means a starting team of 25'ish in Chessington!
The party announced it's policy on phone masts. Phone masts are a running sore in local government. Whereas Councillors get to decide planning applications for almost everything else because of some quirk they do not on phone masts. Phone masts cause the most public concern because of their association with health problems etc. They can also look damn hideous. There is a building on the A3 near Tolworth that looks dreadful with about a dozen of these things stuck on top and with no attempt at concealment. This is a good policy and I hope that one day we will extend our planning policy to stop the meddling of the Mayor for London and John Prescott in the planning process.
The party announced it's policy on phone masts. Phone masts are a running sore in local government. Whereas Councillors get to decide planning applications for almost everything else because of some quirk they do not on phone masts. Phone masts cause the most public concern because of their association with health problems etc. They can also look damn hideous. There is a building on the A3 near Tolworth that looks dreadful with about a dozen of these things stuck on top and with no attempt at concealment. This is a good policy and I hope that one day we will extend our planning policy to stop the meddling of the Mayor for London and John Prescott in the planning process.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Death Duties
In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and
taxes.Benjamin Franklin, Letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 13 Nov. 1789
According to the Shadow Chancellor this is becoming more and more true under this Government. In places like Kingston it is beginning to have a serious impact on the inheritance that we leave our children. The simple problem is that the Inheritance Tax threshold (the sum at which we get charged) has obviously not been rising as fast as house prices. In 1997 only one Borough in the country had average house prices that qualified for Inheritance Tax; today there are 86.
A very interesting perspective on this comes from the Adam Smith Institute who have calculated "Tax Freedom Day" the day at which we, the workers, start earning for ourselves and stop paying the Government.
This whole issue of course links to Labours General Election commitment not to raise income tax and yet still pay for the massive investment in public services. Instead of income tax rising all the other taxes have had to rise instead and the most painful has been Council Tax. Now of course the Lib Dems will jump up and down and say "Local Income Tax". Is it the answer? Will it not merely lead to only the low earning and the very rich living in Kingston? The calculation I hear is that those earning over £30k per year will pay more and yet you need to earn over £55k per year to get a mortgage for a starter property in Kingston. My fear is that it would squeeze out the families we want to see live in Kingston.
In any case there is a difference between having "the ability to pay" element in any taxation and the need for Local Income Tax. Remember there was no pain in Council tax before this Government came to power. Maybe what should be happening is that the two main parties should be looking at how to reduce the burden of taxation overall rather than just focusing on one element - Council Tax / Local Income Tax. There are those who also argue for a local sales tax but for the life of me I cannot see how the implementation of such a scheme would work in practice.
But for now we are stuck with this Governments policy on taxation, tempered by the natural tax reducing inclinations of the Conservatives and the tax and spend of the Lib Dems.
I think there is probably an issue over who wrote the death and taxes quote first. Whoever it was did not, I imagine, believe that taxes beyond the grave would be higher than those this side of the grave!
Friday, August 13, 2004
A slow Friday and more allotment trouble
Quite a slow day really catching up with paperwork and administrative stuff that accumulates around you. Also my week of tax return filing. Always leave it till August when I supposedly have more time to put all the information together.
Have a catch up for you on my blog about the Tolworth allotments. It would seem that pressure is beginning to pay off. I have had it reported that someone turned up to cut the scruffy grass and then went away again after making a feeble attempt to cur back some of the jungle of weeds. Trouble is someone has now decided to dump a tree they have cut down. I will post some picture to the Blog and you can have a look as to whether you think it is acceptable for the Council to say "nothing to do with us!".
Remember this was where last year the Council ran an action day for the residents to clear up the area around their homes. Having cleaned it up they went away again and did nothing. The residents think that given how much tax they pay this is unacceptable and it should not be for them to go around clearing up public spaces. What is your view?
Have a catch up for you on my blog about the Tolworth allotments. It would seem that pressure is beginning to pay off. I have had it reported that someone turned up to cut the scruffy grass and then went away again after making a feeble attempt to cur back some of the jungle of weeds. Trouble is someone has now decided to dump a tree they have cut down. I will post some picture to the Blog and you can have a look as to whether you think it is acceptable for the Council to say "nothing to do with us!".
Remember this was where last year the Council ran an action day for the residents to clear up the area around their homes. Having cleaned it up they went away again and did nothing. The residents think that given how much tax they pay this is unacceptable and it should not be for them to go around clearing up public spaces. What is your view?
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Blood tests and money for schools
A very busy work day today.
This morning spent in Haringay at a school where we are working as part of an intervention team and this afternoon in meeting around a project called "Networking for Transformation" and the future provision of IT in schools.
This evening spent another two hours delivering to homes around the Fairfield.....
Not sure whether any of you have picked it up but there is a story on this evenings BBC online about Princess Diana's driver (Henri Paul?) having his blood tested again.
It also mentions the Al Fayed accusation that his son and Diana were killed as part of some conspiracy. This is tough but surely the time has come to let this rest. There is a part of me that can see Al Fayeds point of view, and were I to lose a child I am sure the truth would become an obsession for me. But there is also the fact the you have to move on and however much you may want to bring them back it will not happen.
On a lighter note have you seen the story about the McDonald's happy meal that comes with a free pedometer. Apparently they have been overwhelmed with the demand and have had to order more. Very interesting that it takes a private company to implement the Government's objective of healthy eating! Could be a model for other political strategies? Makes you wonder who has the real power?
Finally I gather that spending on education has risen by 26% since the mid 90's. Can anyone explain what this is about? If this is the case exactly where have standards risen by 26%? I am involved in education and surely the issue is not what is spent but where it is spent and just maybe if it was spent a little more wisely then taxes would not need to be as high as they are. If this is the case then why are schools budgets suffering as bad as they are? Why are schools about to suffer a crisis in their IT budgets (as they tell me they are!)?
There must now be a concerted effort by the two main parties, whether in Government or not, to increase the productivity of schools budgets by whatever means possible. The alternative is that spending on education spirals out of control with no demonstrable benefit.
I have an interest here. Some politicians spout on about this subject without any knowledge but I have children and despite this spending increase I see the problems that the schools still face every day.
This morning spent in Haringay at a school where we are working as part of an intervention team and this afternoon in meeting around a project called "Networking for Transformation" and the future provision of IT in schools.
This evening spent another two hours delivering to homes around the Fairfield.....
Not sure whether any of you have picked it up but there is a story on this evenings BBC online about Princess Diana's driver (Henri Paul?) having his blood tested again.
It also mentions the Al Fayed accusation that his son and Diana were killed as part of some conspiracy. This is tough but surely the time has come to let this rest. There is a part of me that can see Al Fayeds point of view, and were I to lose a child I am sure the truth would become an obsession for me. But there is also the fact the you have to move on and however much you may want to bring them back it will not happen.
On a lighter note have you seen the story about the McDonald's happy meal that comes with a free pedometer. Apparently they have been overwhelmed with the demand and have had to order more. Very interesting that it takes a private company to implement the Government's objective of healthy eating! Could be a model for other political strategies? Makes you wonder who has the real power?
Finally I gather that spending on education has risen by 26% since the mid 90's. Can anyone explain what this is about? If this is the case exactly where have standards risen by 26%? I am involved in education and surely the issue is not what is spent but where it is spent and just maybe if it was spent a little more wisely then taxes would not need to be as high as they are. If this is the case then why are schools budgets suffering as bad as they are? Why are schools about to suffer a crisis in their IT budgets (as they tell me they are!)?
There must now be a concerted effort by the two main parties, whether in Government or not, to increase the productivity of schools budgets by whatever means possible. The alternative is that spending on education spirals out of control with no demonstrable benefit.
I have an interest here. Some politicians spout on about this subject without any knowledge but I have children and despite this spending increase I see the problems that the schools still face every day.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
More law and order stuff
Seems like the Police theme is going to last right up to the next election.
Spent some time today out on a ward audit with the Safer Neighbourhoods team. Police Sergeant, Council Officer and myself doing a drive and walk around the ward identifying areas where there is the potential for trouble and where action can be taken to improve the safety and environment of residents.
It was a fascinating time discovering potential issues around the Berrylands Station and walking through virtually unknown alleyways off Surbiton Hill Park. Also looking at the problem of the green triangle at the end of Alexandra Drive. What it actually demonstrates is that whilst Berrylands is in fact a pleasant and safe place to live there will always be an unpleasant side to the most sedate area. Unsurprisingly many of the local issues are low level and involving young people and clearly there is a big job for the Police in engaging with this problem.
I am confident that our Police, despite all the constraints, are doing as well as they can. Release them from the bounds of bureaucracy and do away with the avalanche of initiatives and who knows how law and order in our communities might be transformed? I noticed that today the Government tried to spin the law and order debate back their way by launching another new idea. Who are they kidding? Can't stop spinning! Arrests for all offences proposed
Also had a meeting with council officers on the grass-cutting contract and the dreadful state of the recycling site on Raeburn Avenue. I have been promised new lights, signs and some new cleaner recycling bins as a way to improve the environment around the site. I shall keep my eye on this one!
Spent a couple of hours delivering this evening – another stifling warm evening despite the slight breeze.
Spent some time today out on a ward audit with the Safer Neighbourhoods team. Police Sergeant, Council Officer and myself doing a drive and walk around the ward identifying areas where there is the potential for trouble and where action can be taken to improve the safety and environment of residents.
It was a fascinating time discovering potential issues around the Berrylands Station and walking through virtually unknown alleyways off Surbiton Hill Park. Also looking at the problem of the green triangle at the end of Alexandra Drive. What it actually demonstrates is that whilst Berrylands is in fact a pleasant and safe place to live there will always be an unpleasant side to the most sedate area. Unsurprisingly many of the local issues are low level and involving young people and clearly there is a big job for the Police in engaging with this problem.
I am confident that our Police, despite all the constraints, are doing as well as they can. Release them from the bounds of bureaucracy and do away with the avalanche of initiatives and who knows how law and order in our communities might be transformed? I noticed that today the Government tried to spin the law and order debate back their way by launching another new idea. Who are they kidding? Can't stop spinning! Arrests for all offences proposed
Also had a meeting with council officers on the grass-cutting contract and the dreadful state of the recycling site on Raeburn Avenue. I have been promised new lights, signs and some new cleaner recycling bins as a way to improve the environment around the site. I shall keep my eye on this one!
Spent a couple of hours delivering this evening – another stifling warm evening despite the slight breeze.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Cut the forms and keep the Police
Today was police day. On the homefront I met our new Borough Commander and nationally the party was launching our policy of zero tolerance policing and the end of 'sociological mumbo-jumbo' blurring the distinction between right and wrong.
Our new Borough Commander is a change for the Borough. She seems very focused on the problems we as a Borough face but is also open to new suggestions on how policing can be improved in the Borough. She is also experienced in Kingston having worked here before. It was a valuable first meeting and I feel a new approach to the actions the Police can take to tackle some of the serious issues we have over anti social behaviour and drunkenness, especially in Kingston town centre.
Whichever way you put it the Police have an impossible task. The Government have introduced "safer neighbourhoods" as a way of getting more localised and visible policing and yet as I have mentioned in an earlier blog there are inherent risks in what they are doing and how they are doing it. At the same time they are expected to put more police on the streets to tackle anti social behaviour and fill in more forms at the same time.
Which is I suppose where the Michael Howard speech comes in. It is frankly incredible that from March next year the Police are expected to fill out a form every time they stop someone - this is ludicrous. I hear all the cries about how civil liberties are likely to be abused and how will we know that the Police are being even handed in the way they deal with ethnic minorities etc etc. But are we really going to be surprised when the Police are not on the streets because they are filling out forms to provide ethnic monitoring, or the nurse is not attending to someone in casualty because they have to fill out a form to show they are meeting some target? Does everything that public servants do need a form to monitor it? Is a form the only way we can be sure that the ethnic minority groups are not being stopped more than others? There has to be a better way - and in the meantime we should let the Police get on with their job and the nurses and doctors with theirs and if the other parties do not trust these people to do this then they should be honest and say they 'do not trust the Police'. In any case there is a vast difference between 'stopping' and 'searching'. Currently if the Police 'search' someone they do need to fill out a form and this would continue. What the Conservatives are against is extending this form filling to every time an officer 'stops' someone.
Hysterically of course the Government jumps up and down and screams about it all and how MH cannot possibly afford this - which is total baloney. Given how much taxation has risen in this country and how much this Government is spending of our money it is a nonsense. I say "cut the forms and keep the Police".
The Lib Dems? Well once again they managed to condemn the whole thing as a disaster clearly indicating they think filling out forms is a good idea. They also put out what they called a 'well worked set of proposals' which basically amounted to adding in more cost for a bunch of national quangoes called a National Police Agency, a National Border Force and a Financial Crime Directorate. More forms, no more Police except they might offer 'softer' jobs for those nearing retirement to stay on longer. Please....We have had this silly approach for too long. We know all about the Lib Dem Plans to not jail first time burglars and giving prisoners the right to vote, what people write to me about what they want done is more Police and fast, fair and forceful enforcement of penalties.
So a good Police day all in all and finished the day off with a trip to the cinema to see Harry Potter - great movie - but after all that crime maybe all I wanted was a bit of escapism!!
Our new Borough Commander is a change for the Borough. She seems very focused on the problems we as a Borough face but is also open to new suggestions on how policing can be improved in the Borough. She is also experienced in Kingston having worked here before. It was a valuable first meeting and I feel a new approach to the actions the Police can take to tackle some of the serious issues we have over anti social behaviour and drunkenness, especially in Kingston town centre.
Whichever way you put it the Police have an impossible task. The Government have introduced "safer neighbourhoods" as a way of getting more localised and visible policing and yet as I have mentioned in an earlier blog there are inherent risks in what they are doing and how they are doing it. At the same time they are expected to put more police on the streets to tackle anti social behaviour and fill in more forms at the same time.
Which is I suppose where the Michael Howard speech comes in. It is frankly incredible that from March next year the Police are expected to fill out a form every time they stop someone - this is ludicrous. I hear all the cries about how civil liberties are likely to be abused and how will we know that the Police are being even handed in the way they deal with ethnic minorities etc etc. But are we really going to be surprised when the Police are not on the streets because they are filling out forms to provide ethnic monitoring, or the nurse is not attending to someone in casualty because they have to fill out a form to show they are meeting some target? Does everything that public servants do need a form to monitor it? Is a form the only way we can be sure that the ethnic minority groups are not being stopped more than others? There has to be a better way - and in the meantime we should let the Police get on with their job and the nurses and doctors with theirs and if the other parties do not trust these people to do this then they should be honest and say they 'do not trust the Police'. In any case there is a vast difference between 'stopping' and 'searching'. Currently if the Police 'search' someone they do need to fill out a form and this would continue. What the Conservatives are against is extending this form filling to every time an officer 'stops' someone.
Hysterically of course the Government jumps up and down and screams about it all and how MH cannot possibly afford this - which is total baloney. Given how much taxation has risen in this country and how much this Government is spending of our money it is a nonsense. I say "cut the forms and keep the Police".
The Lib Dems? Well once again they managed to condemn the whole thing as a disaster clearly indicating they think filling out forms is a good idea. They also put out what they called a 'well worked set of proposals' which basically amounted to adding in more cost for a bunch of national quangoes called a National Police Agency, a National Border Force and a Financial Crime Directorate. More forms, no more Police except they might offer 'softer' jobs for those nearing retirement to stay on longer. Please....We have had this silly approach for too long. We know all about the Lib Dem Plans to not jail first time burglars and giving prisoners the right to vote, what people write to me about what they want done is more Police and fast, fair and forceful enforcement of penalties.
So a good Police day all in all and finished the day off with a trip to the cinema to see Harry Potter - great movie - but after all that crime maybe all I wanted was a bit of escapism!!
Monday, August 09, 2004
Humidity High
What a humid day it has been. The threat of storms but nothing materialising. Really pity my wife that during the Summer holidays, with four children, when it rains it is so diffcult to keep them amused without it costing a fortune.
Sources tell me that tomorrows Surrey Comet will be an interesting read - not sure what but something about opening out a debate and internal strife within the Lib Dems. We shall see! We hear so many stories of the rows and dissent within the local Lib Dems that we have lost track now. Still a good platform is building for us to fight the local elections in two years time.
As rain held off did some delivering this evening into the Grove ward area. We are getting a pretty good response over there for what was a pretty solid Lib Dem area once. A number of new party members and deliverers. Clearly things are improving for us locally even though the polls are not moving nationally.
Sources tell me that tomorrows Surrey Comet will be an interesting read - not sure what but something about opening out a debate and internal strife within the Lib Dems. We shall see! We hear so many stories of the rows and dissent within the local Lib Dems that we have lost track now. Still a good platform is building for us to fight the local elections in two years time.
As rain held off did some delivering this evening into the Grove ward area. We are getting a pretty good response over there for what was a pretty solid Lib Dem area once. A number of new party members and deliverers. Clearly things are improving for us locally even though the polls are not moving nationally.
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Raeburn Avenue recycling
Great Day today. Some delivery this morning and then entire family round to lunch - Brother from Manchester and youngest brother and wife from Lidd. Spectacular day, threatened all sorts of rain but came to nothing. Exhausted at end of it but good to get family together more than once during a year.
Long day tomorrow sorting out the appalling Council grass cutting contract with council officers as well as trying to do something about the recycling centre at Raeburn Avenue This issue has become even more ridiculous and has almost nothing to do with recycling anymore as the degree of private dumping of fridges etc has reached ludicrous proportions. Real quandry though - we all support recycling but.... there must be a better way of doing it. Perhaps if the door to door recycling was better we would not need these static sites?
Long day tomorrow sorting out the appalling Council grass cutting contract with council officers as well as trying to do something about the recycling centre at Raeburn Avenue This issue has become even more ridiculous and has almost nothing to do with recycling anymore as the degree of private dumping of fridges etc has reached ludicrous proportions. Real quandry though - we all support recycling but.... there must be a better way of doing it. Perhaps if the door to door recycling was better we would not need these static sites?
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Slow Summer Saturday and Fireworks
Bit too hot to do things quickly today. Attempted a fast delivery of leaflets around Grove ward and then felt too hot. Will go back Sunday evening and complete.
Took the children out cycling through Bushey Park and back along river and then a slow evening.
Noticed the issue about fireworks. Doubtless lots of organisations and parties will be trying to grab this as their success. Fact is there is a lot of ill feeling surrounding fireworks and their innappropriate if not dangerous use. Actually think the regulations have got things broadly right although, if I heard the radio report right the idea that you single out special events (New Year, Diwali etc.) but give them each seperate curfew times does seem a little potty. Still, I am sure we all believe that our MP's know what they are doing!! Also a little unsure about the six month's in jail bit! Seems a bit steep when so many seem to get off so lightly for doing much worse.
Took the children out cycling through Bushey Park and back along river and then a slow evening.
Noticed the issue about fireworks. Doubtless lots of organisations and parties will be trying to grab this as their success. Fact is there is a lot of ill feeling surrounding fireworks and their innappropriate if not dangerous use. Actually think the regulations have got things broadly right although, if I heard the radio report right the idea that you single out special events (New Year, Diwali etc.) but give them each seperate curfew times does seem a little potty. Still, I am sure we all believe that our MP's know what they are doing!! Also a little unsure about the six month's in jail bit! Seems a bit steep when so many seem to get off so lightly for doing much worse.
Friday, August 06, 2004
Big Brother - Poor Politics
I am sitting here watching the closing moments of Big Brother.
Politicians moan and complain about how they wish they could get as many people interested in politics as they are in Big Brother. The fact is of course that policians do not really put themselves on the line in the same way the contestants of BB do. Open, naked honesty cannot ever suit some politicians - especially the naked bit!
But there is a difference between honesty and blatant opportunism that gives politics and politicians a bad name. Let me give you an example.
The Lib Dems have claimed that they want to give all elderly people in England free personal care. In fact a Lib Dem MP called Gidley has said: "Britain’s elderly should receive free personal care, unrestricted by discriminatory criteria." You can see it on their website - click here
And yet in Kingston the Lib Dem Council is considering implementing a means tested tax for domiciliary care; care for those with terminal diseases or those too old to run simple tasks for themselves. In fact they might charge up to £400 per week for those with most savings and the highest need for care. This is outrageous, but not only am I outraged but so is Age Concern Kingston and the Kingston Centre for Independent Living. But this is the nature and style of the Lib Dems, promising the popular knowing that it is not deliverable without pain - like the idea of a local income tax. But it is also just so damn mean. Can the Lib Dem Leader of the Council really believe it is fair to say "it is fairer to charge wealthy people for the cost of their care than charge everyone through council tax." Surely that is what a caring society is about, using taxes to care for the frail and vulnerable, not just the poor?
Instead of standing up for these people I gather from Lib Dem Watch that our own MP was leading the jeering and the abuse thrown at the Labour candidate at the Leicester East by election whilst he was trying to give his vixtory speech.
And now it has grown even worse as the Kingston Lib Dems attempt to betray an election pledge to provide a day center for the elderly in Chessington and instead build a dementia unit on the site. A centre that they might move again in a few years - what happened about caring for people!
I am sorry to sound negative, I am not personalising this, but hypocrisy should make people angry. Being elected brings responsibility and if you are not able to stand up for people: rich, poor, young, old, drug user, alcoholic, whatever, then you should not stand for election.
So what are they going to do with the Big Borther house at the end of this series? Maybe there are some politicans that ought to spend some time there and get to know what real people are like! Maybe being publicly voted out of office for the way they behave in the house might sharpen up their acts a little?
Politicians moan and complain about how they wish they could get as many people interested in politics as they are in Big Brother. The fact is of course that policians do not really put themselves on the line in the same way the contestants of BB do. Open, naked honesty cannot ever suit some politicians - especially the naked bit!
But there is a difference between honesty and blatant opportunism that gives politics and politicians a bad name. Let me give you an example.
The Lib Dems have claimed that they want to give all elderly people in England free personal care. In fact a Lib Dem MP called Gidley has said: "Britain’s elderly should receive free personal care, unrestricted by discriminatory criteria." You can see it on their website - click here
And yet in Kingston the Lib Dem Council is considering implementing a means tested tax for domiciliary care; care for those with terminal diseases or those too old to run simple tasks for themselves. In fact they might charge up to £400 per week for those with most savings and the highest need for care. This is outrageous, but not only am I outraged but so is Age Concern Kingston and the Kingston Centre for Independent Living. But this is the nature and style of the Lib Dems, promising the popular knowing that it is not deliverable without pain - like the idea of a local income tax. But it is also just so damn mean. Can the Lib Dem Leader of the Council really believe it is fair to say "it is fairer to charge wealthy people for the cost of their care than charge everyone through council tax." Surely that is what a caring society is about, using taxes to care for the frail and vulnerable, not just the poor?
Instead of standing up for these people I gather from Lib Dem Watch that our own MP was leading the jeering and the abuse thrown at the Labour candidate at the Leicester East by election whilst he was trying to give his vixtory speech.
And now it has grown even worse as the Kingston Lib Dems attempt to betray an election pledge to provide a day center for the elderly in Chessington and instead build a dementia unit on the site. A centre that they might move again in a few years - what happened about caring for people!
I am sorry to sound negative, I am not personalising this, but hypocrisy should make people angry. Being elected brings responsibility and if you are not able to stand up for people: rich, poor, young, old, drug user, alcoholic, whatever, then you should not stand for election.
So what are they going to do with the Big Borther house at the end of this series? Maybe there are some politicans that ought to spend some time there and get to know what real people are like! Maybe being publicly voted out of office for the way they behave in the house might sharpen up their acts a little?
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Have they really increased 'Police' numbers?
Another hot day. Not so much hot as steamy! Clearly not as steamy as it must have been at the FA board meeting today!
I noticed today a wonderful example of Lib Dem nonsense. They attacked the Conservatives for arguing that some Police forces were reporting that they would have funding deficits by the end of the year. One such Chief Constable on the Today programme this morning agreed with this. And yet the Lib Dems manage to argue that our policy to have 40,000 extra policemen is half baked but then not put forward an alternative. See for yourself..... Lib Dems have no policy on Police force
But I will tell you what really worries me about this Governments and Livingstones strategy for Police. I actually think the new neighbourhood Policing (6 officers per ward) is very good but I worry about its sustainability. The new PCSO's are great people undertaking a difficult job but.....they are not Police Officers, having no powers of arrest. The really worrying thing is that here we have brave PCSO's who are now going to be the 'Police on the Street' and yet we pay them significantly less than the poor police officer stuck in an office filling out the forms for Whitehall bureaucrats. There is something wrong here and I cannot help thinking this is policing on the cheap that is also putting the less well paid PCSO's in the front line. My Father was a Police officer for thirty years so I have a bit of an idea about the problems they face but as he says the irony is that this type of policing we were doing thirty years ago!! Nothing new there!!
Yet more deliveries tonight which worked up a sweat. Having the young girl from France staying I decided to take my wife to dinner and leave the children behind. Went to a great restaurant called 'The Italian Taste' in Victoria Road, Surbiton. Great meal, great atmosphere.
I noticed today a wonderful example of Lib Dem nonsense. They attacked the Conservatives for arguing that some Police forces were reporting that they would have funding deficits by the end of the year. One such Chief Constable on the Today programme this morning agreed with this. And yet the Lib Dems manage to argue that our policy to have 40,000 extra policemen is half baked but then not put forward an alternative. See for yourself..... Lib Dems have no policy on Police force
But I will tell you what really worries me about this Governments and Livingstones strategy for Police. I actually think the new neighbourhood Policing (6 officers per ward) is very good but I worry about its sustainability. The new PCSO's are great people undertaking a difficult job but.....they are not Police Officers, having no powers of arrest. The really worrying thing is that here we have brave PCSO's who are now going to be the 'Police on the Street' and yet we pay them significantly less than the poor police officer stuck in an office filling out the forms for Whitehall bureaucrats. There is something wrong here and I cannot help thinking this is policing on the cheap that is also putting the less well paid PCSO's in the front line. My Father was a Police officer for thirty years so I have a bit of an idea about the problems they face but as he says the irony is that this type of policing we were doing thirty years ago!! Nothing new there!!
Yet more deliveries tonight which worked up a sweat. Having the young girl from France staying I decided to take my wife to dinner and leave the children behind. Went to a great restaurant called 'The Italian Taste' in Victoria Road, Surbiton. Great meal, great atmosphere.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Business, Tourism and Sewage
What a day!
Had a very good business meeting this morning and really mapped out the future development of education. For those who do not know I run an education charity and one of the projects is how we can really use technology, in a sustaniable way, to transform the delivery of education - no small agenda. Sadly though not an agenda this Government gets because change relies on decentralisation to entrepreneurial head teachers rather than the over centralising instincts of Labour.
The young French girl staying with us also took her first visit to London. Our city is apparently "big", "exciting" and the "best place in the world". We cynical British sometimes forget the asset we have in London. Despite all the problems of Mayor Livingstone, and the horrors he will send over the next four years, this is a great place to live!
Did you hear the monstrous wash up from my article about the rain and delayed trains? Apparently Thames Water pumped a million litres of sewage into the Thames and now there has been a massacre of the fish we have seen populate this once foul river. What is going on? I will tell you. So desperate have the Government been to increase house numbers in london that they have built like mad without attending to the infrastructure issues that are inevitably there. My view is it is about time the developers started paying premiums to pay for the extra drainage and sewage required to accommodate these homes. If developers do not like it then do not build the homes. Do you think it will stop them?
Had a very good business meeting this morning and really mapped out the future development of education. For those who do not know I run an education charity and one of the projects is how we can really use technology, in a sustaniable way, to transform the delivery of education - no small agenda. Sadly though not an agenda this Government gets because change relies on decentralisation to entrepreneurial head teachers rather than the over centralising instincts of Labour.
The young French girl staying with us also took her first visit to London. Our city is apparently "big", "exciting" and the "best place in the world". We cynical British sometimes forget the asset we have in London. Despite all the problems of Mayor Livingstone, and the horrors he will send over the next four years, this is a great place to live!
Did you hear the monstrous wash up from my article about the rain and delayed trains? Apparently Thames Water pumped a million litres of sewage into the Thames and now there has been a massacre of the fish we have seen populate this once foul river. What is going on? I will tell you. So desperate have the Government been to increase house numbers in london that they have built like mad without attending to the infrastructure issues that are inevitably there. My view is it is about time the developers started paying premiums to pay for the extra drainage and sewage required to accommodate these homes. If developers do not like it then do not build the homes. Do you think it will stop them?
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Rail privatisation and the failure of trains
Ok..I admit it...rail privatisation was a disaster and the last Conservative Government made a mistake. It was not a mistake to privatise it but it was a mistake to use the method they did to privatise it. I heard on the radio this week that in fact fares will have in real terms fallen during the ten years of privatisation, whereas they rose by over 100% in the ten years before privitisation.
I still believe though that the real mistake was made by the post war Labour Government that took state control of the railways from the private sector. Name me a single industry that thrived and is still in existence from those awful dark Labour days after the second World War? Even the health service, created at the same time, is not thriving and educational attainment has stagnated.
Tonight though I faced the nightmare we commuters face from time to time. It rained - and therefore the trains have to stop running. I admit it rained a fair bit and there was flashing and thundering, but in the 21st century do the public services, private or public, really need to stop because of rain. Tonight a twenty minute journey took almost two hours. A fellow commuter was rung by their partner and the partner clearly asked where were they? Their reply was "in hell". That is what it is like in our cattle trucks they call trains. Yet the Government sets targets for reliability and punctuation - what about comfort? We all need to lose weight, but does my rail ticket include a proportion that is dedicated to causing me the most discomfort by sweating it off in a coach load of poor commuters?
Monday, August 02, 2004
Lib Dem Watch and women doctors
I feel obliged to keep all my residents completely informed of where the best information can be found for the coming election. I would therefore urge all those who have an interest in really seeing what the Lib Dem party is about to visit a new Blog called Lib Dem Watch - Click here
Did anyone see the news article today that says that the President of the Royal College of Physicians (Dr Carol Black) feels that there are going to be too many women doctors and that it will weaken the profession to be too female dominated? Now, there was an awful lot said about women not wanting to do the more difficult medical specialities and that medicine would become like teaching which has mostly women and no influence (their views not mine!) but..... can this really be right? Are they saying we now need to introduce an equal opps movement for men? Mens rights? I think the heats getting to everybody.
Spent a frantic hot day at work and then an even hotter couple of hours delivering more leaflets - nothing glamorous about being a parliamentary candidate. Still it is the stuff of politics actually meeting people, must remember this time once elected and recall that keeping that contact not only makes it easier to do your job but keeps your feet firmly on the ground. But that is not just about holding special surgeries at which few turn up, but also continuing to knock on doors.
This evening was a warm evening and dinner with the family and Linda (a young girl from France staying for a couple of weeks to help out with the four children over the holidays).
Lots of correspondance to catch up on so another late night beckons.
Did anyone see the news article today that says that the President of the Royal College of Physicians (Dr Carol Black) feels that there are going to be too many women doctors and that it will weaken the profession to be too female dominated? Now, there was an awful lot said about women not wanting to do the more difficult medical specialities and that medicine would become like teaching which has mostly women and no influence (their views not mine!) but..... can this really be right? Are they saying we now need to introduce an equal opps movement for men? Mens rights? I think the heats getting to everybody.
Spent a frantic hot day at work and then an even hotter couple of hours delivering more leaflets - nothing glamorous about being a parliamentary candidate. Still it is the stuff of politics actually meeting people, must remember this time once elected and recall that keeping that contact not only makes it easier to do your job but keeps your feet firmly on the ground. But that is not just about holding special surgeries at which few turn up, but also continuing to knock on doors.
This evening was a warm evening and dinner with the family and Linda (a young girl from France staying for a couple of weeks to help out with the four children over the holidays).
Lots of correspondance to catch up on so another late night beckons.
Sunday, August 01, 2004
A hot Summers day in August
Some might argue that politics slows down in August. Not if you are a candidate fighting a large majority - quite the opposite. August is a month to get things delivered and to get things done.
So today has been a delivery day and a long hot afternoon spent in Old Malden and Grove wards delivering leaflets and survey canvass forms. Really getting a fantastic response from this with lots of offers of deliverers and poster sites - things are looking up for Conservatives in Kingston & Surbiton, despite what they say nationally.
Saw a really rather idiotic article in the Sunday Telegraph claiming that the reason the Princess of Wales fountain was not working was that some people were not treating it as a memorial but as an item of fun and allowing children and dogs to paddle causing dirt and some such. If the thing was a memorial why did they not take into account that litter might get into it. Which fool allowed them to design a monument that could be clogged by rubbish!!
The American elections are going to be very interesting and there is a very thoughtful piece about John Kerry in today's Sunday Telegraph that really stood out as exposing the mess that Kerry has got himself in over Iraq. Despite the press I understood where Michael Howard was coming from with his "..if I knew now about what I was told then I would not have voted for it position" but Kerry's position is bizarre...click here and it should take you there.
So today has been a delivery day and a long hot afternoon spent in Old Malden and Grove wards delivering leaflets and survey canvass forms. Really getting a fantastic response from this with lots of offers of deliverers and poster sites - things are looking up for Conservatives in Kingston & Surbiton, despite what they say nationally.
Saw a really rather idiotic article in the Sunday Telegraph claiming that the reason the Princess of Wales fountain was not working was that some people were not treating it as a memorial but as an item of fun and allowing children and dogs to paddle causing dirt and some such. If the thing was a memorial why did they not take into account that litter might get into it. Which fool allowed them to design a monument that could be clogged by rubbish!!
The American elections are going to be very interesting and there is a very thoughtful piece about John Kerry in today's Sunday Telegraph that really stood out as exposing the mess that Kerry has got himself in over Iraq. Despite the press I understood where Michael Howard was coming from with his "..if I knew now about what I was told then I would not have voted for it position" but Kerry's position is bizarre...click here and it should take you there.
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