A very busy week last week.
Thursday night was a special meeting of Borden Parish Council to discuss a planning application for a Care Home at Hengist Field. As our chair couldn't make the meeting I had to step in as vice-chair - a bit of a baptism of fire! Basically the developers want to build a care home in a fairly remote area of the parish right next to a dangerous road junction with blind corners! A large number of local residents came to hear and question the devlopers and there was good lively debate. Then the Parish Councillors discussed the matter and voted to oppose the application - tonight it goes before Swale's planning Cttee and I will be speaking on behalf of the Parish Council supporting our opposition.
The weekend was given over to canvassing with former Kemsley candidate Russel and the responses are still fairly encouraging though there is very little enthusiasm for the Euro Elections at all. This is worrying as a low turnout makes it more likely the BNP will win a seat.
Bank Holiday Monday saw some of the remoter areas getting leafletted, and with help from another former candidate Pete I've managed to cover some tricky ribbon housing which is always better with two rather than one! Had some interesting chats in the villages and learnt some useful information.
Last night there was a MYVC (Make Your Vote Count) meeting in Chatham - only Labour and No2EU bothered to send candidates although all parties bar the BNP had been invited. Some compelling arguments from both candidates but a rather poor attendence.
It is desperately urgent for the major parties to stop posturing around a mythical centre ground and to start seriously engaging with people again, or the extreme right will start gaining power by default!
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Conference and The Speaker
Returned late yesterday evening from the annual PCS Conference in Brighton.
Another good and successful conference that saw the Union preparing it's position to defend public services and to oppose the continuing privitisation of various aspects of the Civil Service. My motion on setting H&S Key Work Objectives for managers was passed overwhelmingly, so it will be interesting to see what progress can be made on that over the next year.
I also heard that Speaker Michael Martin announced he was to stand down in June - my genealogical research has suggested that one of my ancestors was Sir Robert Bell - speaker of the House during Elizabeth I's reign! Things in the family have changed considerably in the intervening centuries however!
Back to the leafletting and canvassing again today, and preparing for tomorrow's public meeting about the planning applications for a Care Home near Vigo / Oad Street.
Another good and successful conference that saw the Union preparing it's position to defend public services and to oppose the continuing privitisation of various aspects of the Civil Service. My motion on setting H&S Key Work Objectives for managers was passed overwhelmingly, so it will be interesting to see what progress can be made on that over the next year.
I also heard that Speaker Michael Martin announced he was to stand down in June - my genealogical research has suggested that one of my ancestors was Sir Robert Bell - speaker of the House during Elizabeth I's reign! Things in the family have changed considerably in the intervening centuries however!
Back to the leafletting and canvassing again today, and preparing for tomorrow's public meeting about the planning applications for a Care Home near Vigo / Oad Street.
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Week 4
A varied week of leafletting this week, with some good areas and some frankly dispiriting ones! Well, one dispiriting area but it was pretty darn dispiriting!
Thursday night was Borden Parish Council AGM and there was a lot of business to get through. I was elected Vice-Chair for the year and we managed to cajole the existing chair into staying on another year, but it was agreed that all the councillors will take on portfolio responsibilities to share the burden of keeping on top of things. I feel the Council will acheive a lot over the next 12 months as lots of projects and plans are starting to be taken up.
One of my personal projects is to set up a Borden Heritage website which will hopefully preserve the content of many old documents and pieces of research along with old photos, postcards, and hopefully some oral history files which will be great for future generations and researchers.
I also collected the shields for my one of my other projects - Borden in Bloom - which we got from ShoeCare in Sheerness.
Tomorrow I'm off to the PCS Conference in Brighton for a couple of days, and then it will be straight back on the stump :-)
Thursday night was Borden Parish Council AGM and there was a lot of business to get through. I was elected Vice-Chair for the year and we managed to cajole the existing chair into staying on another year, but it was agreed that all the councillors will take on portfolio responsibilities to share the burden of keeping on top of things. I feel the Council will acheive a lot over the next 12 months as lots of projects and plans are starting to be taken up.
One of my personal projects is to set up a Borden Heritage website which will hopefully preserve the content of many old documents and pieces of research along with old photos, postcards, and hopefully some oral history files which will be great for future generations and researchers.
I also collected the shields for my one of my other projects - Borden in Bloom - which we got from ShoeCare in Sheerness.
Tomorrow I'm off to the PCS Conference in Brighton for a couple of days, and then it will be straight back on the stump :-)
Sunday, 10 May 2009
MP expenses
I haven't really commented on this snouting in the trough behaviour of most of our MPs, but this one really did make me angry:
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/299354/Tory-MP-James-Gray-is-exposed-as-a-greedy-skinflint-after-claiming-for-Remembrance-Day-WREATHS-on-expenses-while-Marathon-hero-Phil-Packer-crossing-finishing-line.html
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/299354/Tory-MP-James-Gray-is-exposed-as-a-greedy-skinflint-after-claiming-for-Remembrance-Day-WREATHS-on-expenses-while-Marathon-hero-Phil-Packer-crossing-finishing-line.html
Friday, 8 May 2009
Meetings and Leaflets
The last week has been very hectic with the main focus being delivery of leaflets.
Sunday saw a very successful MayDay Charity Fun Day at the Maypole in Borden - very very busy and they must have collected loads for the relevant charities including MacMillan Cancer Relief and Demelza House.
Tuesday was a Regional Health and Safety Committee in Guildford. Two years ago Management and the Trade Unions would hardly speak to each other, and there was a hideous atmosphere at these meetings. Since then, the Regional Management seem to have slowly realised that Trade Union H&S isn't about messing up the working day and bringing things to a halt - perhaps they'd been watching too many 70s sitcoms! Now that they understand that the TU Reps are generally more knowledgable, better trained, and more focussed on H&S and simply want to ensure that changes are made or prevented that will enable staff to work better under safer and more comfortable conditions, both side cooperate far more and we manage to get a lot of things agreed and progressed. You actually come out of these meetings with a positive feeling and a schedule for action!
The meeting went on late so I was quite late back home, with just enough time to grab some food before heading off to Newington Parish Council's AGM. I do like the way Newington runs its affairs - every Councillor has an area of responsibility, they always have good reports and feedback, and they get a lot of decisions made and progressed.
Wednesday - yuk! Had to spend the day sorting out my nominations - the part of campaigning I hate most! Couldn't get in touch with several people who had agreed to nominate me, and ended up handing my papers in to my Agent Roger Truelove at 9 o'clock... which meant I sadly missed the Bobbing AGM for the first time in several years.
Thursday and back to the stump with over 1000 leaflets delivered. Several supportive comments as I walked around and bumped into an old school mate and had a chat - sadly Charlton Athletic's progress this year didn't make for successful football stories, but at least the Gills might save the season!
Sunday saw a very successful MayDay Charity Fun Day at the Maypole in Borden - very very busy and they must have collected loads for the relevant charities including MacMillan Cancer Relief and Demelza House.
Tuesday was a Regional Health and Safety Committee in Guildford. Two years ago Management and the Trade Unions would hardly speak to each other, and there was a hideous atmosphere at these meetings. Since then, the Regional Management seem to have slowly realised that Trade Union H&S isn't about messing up the working day and bringing things to a halt - perhaps they'd been watching too many 70s sitcoms! Now that they understand that the TU Reps are generally more knowledgable, better trained, and more focussed on H&S and simply want to ensure that changes are made or prevented that will enable staff to work better under safer and more comfortable conditions, both side cooperate far more and we manage to get a lot of things agreed and progressed. You actually come out of these meetings with a positive feeling and a schedule for action!
The meeting went on late so I was quite late back home, with just enough time to grab some food before heading off to Newington Parish Council's AGM. I do like the way Newington runs its affairs - every Councillor has an area of responsibility, they always have good reports and feedback, and they get a lot of decisions made and progressed.
Wednesday - yuk! Had to spend the day sorting out my nominations - the part of campaigning I hate most! Couldn't get in touch with several people who had agreed to nominate me, and ended up handing my papers in to my Agent Roger Truelove at 9 o'clock... which meant I sadly missed the Bobbing AGM for the first time in several years.
Thursday and back to the stump with over 1000 leaflets delivered. Several supportive comments as I walked around and bumped into an old school mate and had a chat - sadly Charlton Athletic's progress this year didn't make for successful football stories, but at least the Gills might save the season!
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