David Cameron visits Kingston

David Cameron visited Kingston yesterday and took a stroll through the centre meeting shoppers and talking to some of our candidates for the elections.

It was a very good visit with lots of press attraction from the BBC, Sky and local media.

He had some very clear messages.

In a Borough where the Lib Dems have given us the highest Council Tax in London vote Conservative for more responsible spending. The Boroughs in London who have the lowest Council tax are Conservative. Do not be fooled by this silly idea that voting Lib Dem will scrap the Council Tax - it will not because Councils cannot scrap it and is Blair really going to listen to the Kingston Lib Dems?

In a Borough where the Lib Dems have given us the appalling situation where recycling is falling; Vote Blue and Go Green because Conservative Councils have four out of the five highest recycling rates in the country. (To see examples click here.)

In a Borough where crime and anitosocial behaviour are rising only the Conservatives will do more by restricting the growth of pubs and clubs and getting kids off the streets into useful activities.

Lib Dem wife in vote fraud arrest

Fortunately we do not appear to get a lot of this problem in Kingston although I gather the Police are now investigating postal vote fraud in 7 London Boroughs.

It does concern me that this type of thing is so easy to perpetrate.

Read more at icbirmingham.icnetwork....

Lib Dems sorry for prisoner claim

Utterly unbelieveable.

He uses Prime Minister's Questions to call for the Home Secretary's resignation because, he claims, that another deportee was let out only last night in Stockton. He then finds out that he was wrong and it did not happen.

What is up with this man? He appears incapable of being their leader. Kennedy was better even if had taken a few too many drinks.

How embarassing that he had to go back to the house to offer an unreserved apology.

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_...

Foreign criminals 'not deported'

This is utterly outrageous and it is time this man went. Charles Clarke has been complacent over a good many things. In fact New Labour have had a string of complacent Home Secretaries but this really is the last straw (Hmmm....Jack Straw I suppose that is).

How can over 1,000 people, who should have been deported, accidentally be released - amongst them some murderers and rapists?

Is this sort of thing happening all the time?

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_...

Are you thinking what I am thinking?

This tremendous picture comes from the Beau Bo D'or blog via the Guido Fawkes Site. I think it about says it all about the state of the NHS and its leadership under this Government.

Lib Dem donor faces fraud charges

Oh dear, this looks like it will not go away for the Lib Dems.

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_...

Calming down the posts

I am going to have to calm down the comments being made. If you want to make anonymous posts that attack me or other people personally then you are at the wrong site for now. If you want to participate in that way then I am afraid that until the date of the election you are going to have to give me a genuine name and contact address.

It is a little sad that I need to do this but I gather that Cllr Mary Reid in Chessington has also had to take the same approach.

Vote Blue - Go Green

David Cameron launched today the Conservative approach to the vitally important issue of the environment. More specifically it is about what we can do together to sort out these issues. This is issue is becoming so important that were we to win the elections in May then I am hopeful that this might be an area where the political parties can build some consensus for Kingston. The Party Election Broadcast to accompany this can be seen here.

As for us in Kingston? We have targeted the environment and recycling as one of the four key areas (the others being Council Tax, Spending wisely and Crime and antisocial behaviour). Below is the relevant extract from our manifesto.

Recycling and the Environment

The lib dem record Recycling rates in Kingston have fallen under the Lib Dems. The Government charges Kingston residents millions of pounds extra in Council Tax because we are sending waste to landfill sites rather than recycling. The environment was supposed to be at the heart of the Lib Dem Council and we know it is an important part of the concerns of residents. It took the Lib Dems three years to roll out a doorstep glass recycling scheme and they have still not done anything about collecting cardboard from your doorstep. They refuse to give residents anything other than a small green box in which to recycle plastics, tin, textile, paper and glass. We also need to provide better access to the many beautiful parks in Kingston. Too often youngsters with nothing to do hang out in streets when they could be taking advantage of sports opportunities run by park keepers.

What we will do The fact is we need a radical change to the way we recycle and care for our environment. We need to find a way of helping all our residents contribute to making Kingston “a centre of excellence for recycling”. The Conservatives have a five point plan to increase recycling, reduce landfill tax and take better care of our parks. 1 Revitalise the doorstep recycling bins by using larger collecting bins or sacks. 2 Move to weekly door step collections of recycling. 3 Widen the recycling pay-back scheme for those schools, churches and voluntary organisations that recycle. 4 Introduce doorstep green waste collection and compost our own waste in special composting units. 5 Introduce park keepers.

Lib Dem Lies

Well they had to do it some time.

The Lib Dems have put out a nasty piece of paper attacking me personally with not a policy in site from them. Seems to be the tone of the Lib Dems at this election. No ideas - no policies - just personal smears.

So cowardly was this leaflet that they could not bring themselves to mention their party or their candidates except in small print at the bottom of the back page.

If you want to read it I have uploaded a copy. I am happy to do this because the rubbish they have written is a bunch of lies and half truths.

After Mark Oaten, Simon Hughes and the deceit of Kennedy (aided by our local MP) you would have thought that local Lib Dems would have wanted to avoid this type of evilness - still that's who they are and that is what they do! They are clearly happy with the way they treat people.

But on a more serious point it does make you wonder why anyone would want to go into politics. Is it any wonder that so many people are turned off and that women appear not to put themselves forward if this is the type of personalised trash that your opponents write against you? It is just such a shame that not a single leaflet that the Lib Dems have issued anywhere in this election (and there have not been many) have they attempted to enter into a debate about the future of Kingston and where they would lead it differently to us. They have a rambling and dull manifesto on their website but they appear not to want to tell many people about that. At least we had a manifesto we were proud to print and have been proud to go on promoting in every leaflet we produce.

Happy Easter!

Back from the Break

I have taken a few days break from the blogging as I have had a lot of paper to shove through doors in the run up to the local elections. Hope now to get back on track and keep you up with events.

I have to say the quality of the Lib Dem literature we have been receiving across the Borough is appalling. Not only badly produced (and largely illegible) but also badly written with no sense of purpose. They really are a tired Lib Dem Party in Kingston lacking in ideas.

Update on car vandalism

Below is a letter sent out recently concerning the anti social behaviour and vandalism caused to cars in the Surbiton area. As regular readers will remember my car was attacked.

Any help that residents can give will I know be gratefully received. However, I am a little concerned that this type of vandalism is “challenging conventional Policing responses” !! I guess that means they haven't got a clue.



Dear Sir or Madam

Since the 9th February 2006 Kingston has suffered from an unprecedented series of criminal damage to motor vehicles in the Alexandra, Berrylands, Surbiton, Grove and Norbiton areas. The paintwork of some 150 vehicles has been damaged by the use of an as yet unidentified corrosive substance.

The attacks have taken place between the hours of 5pm and 8am mainly on weekdays.

The method seems to be to spray or paint the substance on to the pavement side of vehicles, targeting one street at a time with up to twenty vehicles being damaged during each attack.

The cost of the damage to date is estimated to be some £250,000.

The apparently random nature of these attacks is challenging conventional Policing responses and we would appreciate any help that we can get in relation to this investigation.

The fluid used is corrosive and would undoubtedly cause burns to skin or clothing that it comes into contact with. Whilst such substances are available from retailers it is possible that it has been taken from a garage or workshop.

If anyone has any information relating to this please contact your local Police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Lib Dem sweets from strangers row

First the Lib Dems told their actvisits to "be wicked, act shamelessly, stir endlessly". Now they are telling them to dole out sweets as a way of enticing young children to go and deliver leaflets for them. What sort of a party is this?

My kids have been known to help me deliver a few leaflets but they soon got bored and refused to do any more. But the idea that I could go down a street like the "pied piper" encouraging kids I do not know to deliver would be absurd. I would rightly expect parents to call the Police!

Did their campaigns Director really say: "All political parties find that young people are often willing deliverers of party literature." Well may be they are - but not other people's children!

The image is courtesy of Guido

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_...

"Fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists"

Apparently David Cameron has upset the UKIP. One presumes that the calculation is that anyone who was going to leave this appalling UKIP would have done so and what remains is a hardcore anti Europe rump.

The UKIP leader has admitted they are "fruitcakes and loonies" but is unhappy about the racists bit.

It is strange that they have not fielded a candidate in the Borough elections.

This blog link tells a different story from that which UKIP would have us believe.

Read more at letsbesensible.blogspot...