My week ahead 21- 26 December 2015 - Happy Christmas

Monday 21 December, 6pm - Labour Group campaigning/training

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE READERS OF MY BLOG 

Walking Home For Christmas - done it!

A few months ago I decided to participate in the #walkinghomeforchristmas charity campaign organised by the veterans charity, 'Walking with the Wounded'.

I also decided to make it very challenging for myself, so came up with the idea of walking back to Ipswich from Fulham, well not exactly West London, I decided to get the train to Chelmsford and then walk back over 60 miles, solo, starting at midnight and cross country via the Essex Way.

Good news is that I have raised over £2,000 so far bad news was that it was harder than I thought, not helped by falling a mug bog up to my waist after only just 40 minutes! But by Wednesday evening i was home if slightly tired!

You can still sponsor me here

Find out more about 'Walking with the Wounded' here

Whitehouse Estate and Ipswich remember two of their own

In 1979 the British Army suffered one of its worst losses of life when 18 soldiers were murdered by the IRA at Warrenpoint, this was in the time  before the days of 24/7 news and also when the troubles in Northern Ireland seemed to many of us to be deliberately ignored by both the press and politicians.

But in one part of Ipswich the Warrenpoint atrocity would not be forgotten as one of those from the 2^nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment murdered that day was 18 year old Gary Barnes.

Gary was from the Whitehouse Estate and a former Westbourne School pupil.

There is a memorial at Warrenpoint, a bench in Aldershot (the former home of the Paras) and a further memorial in Palace Barracks, Belfast. Gary was not forgotten in Ipswich and his name was added to the Cenotaph in  Christchurch Park, Ipswich.

27 Years later, another young man left Whithouse Estate to join the British Army  as a member of his local regiment, the Royal Anglians. Aaron McClure lived close to where Gary lived and went to the same school as Gary and was even in the same year at school as Gary’s nephew. Whithouse is a small estate where everyone knows everyone, a village within the town. In 2007, Aaron was to lose his life in Afghanistan, just north of Sangin in a ‘friendly fire’ incident.

One town, one estate, one school and now they had lost two young brave men fighting for their country.

I became a councillor in 2008 and then had a year away as I returned to the army in 2009 to serve in Afghanistan, on my return I was keen for a lasting memorial to be in the town to Aaron and David Ellesmere the council leader agreed and we both thought a street named after Aaron would be a fitting tribute.

We had a number of opportunities to name a street after this brave man but we were keen for the new road to be in the area of the Whitehouse Estate. Over the last few years we have been building more council homes and one new development would be behind the Whitehouse Estate shops on Ulster Way, so we saw Mrs McClure and family join us to place the McClure Way sign up.

The council was then approached by one of the areas more senior residents who thought it would also be an ideal opportunity to also honour another Whithouse lad, Gary Barnes.

So on Friday all those ideas and plans came to fruition as we unveiled Barnes Square, a new development of flats on McClure Way. It was an event that I will never forget, the three sisters of Gary, were joined by Lorraine the mother of Aaron plus other family members but they were not the only people there to honour the tow lads, also in attendance were friends, pupils from Westbourne School, local Ward councillors , veterans and the Mayor – also a Whitehouse boy.

I was very happy that I was also able to facilitate the  involvement of  the regiments that Gary and Aaron served in and it was fitting that the families were joined in the unveiling and the photographs by serving members of 1 Royal Anglian and 2 Parachute Regiment.

It is important in my mind that Ipswich remembered these two young lads who left our great town to serve in the British Army, now their names will always be part of the Estate that made them – McClure Way and Barnes Square on Whitehouse Estate.

Ipswich will never forget them.

My week ahead, 14 - 19 December 2015

Monday 14 December, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting

7pm – Labour Group Christmas Dinner

Tuesday 15 December, Midnight – Start of my 64 mile walk home to Ipswich, for Walking for the Wounded – more info here and sponsor me here #Walking Home for Christmas

Wednesday 16 December, Still walking!! #Walking Home for Christmas

Saturday 19 December, 10am – Labour campaigning, North East Ipswich

This week is just about one thing really – my walk home from the ITFC game at Fulham (only walking from Chelmsford!) 64 miles for the ‘Walking with the Wounded’ charity, still time to sponsor me!!

Tory run Suffolk still treat Ipswich as the poor relation

Tory run Suffolk do seem to have a real issue relating to Ipswich – their County Town. They work in in, travel to and through it but that seems to be the only real link they have.

No Ipswich County Councillor in the Tory Cabinet, but then again they only have one Tory County Councillor in the whole town and he walked away from his Cabinet post. So they appointed a member from outside the borough to represent our views.

But last night we saw yet another example of how little they seem bothered to interact with both Ipswich politicians and residents.

The County Council have held a number of budget consultation meetings throughout Suffolk, attendance has varied but number between 20 and 30 residents attending each meeting were the figures quoted.

On the 30^th November, Suffolk tweeted that they would be holding the last budget consultation in

Ipswich on the 9^th December at 4pm. No further tweets were issued, (surprising as in the summer we had an almost constant twitter update on what Tory leader Colin Noble was up to), we then had a small piece in the local paper and that was it for publicity.

I turned up to hear what was going to be said and found a room of empty seats- no public turned up, not surprising with so little publicity (they had not even told their own County Councillors) and holding it during the working day.

Taken last night at the meeting - a row each?

Eventually we had an audience of 6, one Lib Dem Cllr, 4 Labour councillors (including me) plus the Chief executive from the Borough.

The Tory Cabinet member responsible for Ipswich – Chris Hudson - did not even attend – then again he still has to show his face at any of our Area Committee meetings.

So we have the largest population in Suffolk but seem to get less attention from the ruling Tories than in a small Parish Council in West Suffolk!

Of course the Tory Cabinet may have had more important meetings to attend and as I checked my twitter feed, I saw that the Tory Cabinet twitter account was tweeting about the poor train service from London to Ipswich, complaining about dirty carriages and that top price had been paid for the ticket. They did not say if they or ‘us’ the council tax payer had paid for the ticket! Surprised to see them moaning about the trains as I thought Tory MPs Gummer, Patel and Smith had overseen a dramatic improvement in our rail service over the last 5 years! So it seems at least one Cabinet member was on their way back from a meeting in London - but where were the others?

So what did the Ipswich public miss? Quite a lot and it was not good news, for those setting the budget it seems that savings have to be made at ‘Ipswich Park & Ride’ and that could mean giving 6 months’ notice to the bus company and closing the facility. Savings from the savage cuts to the Fire service are in the budget, so it does make me wonder why they are even holding a public consultation on those planned cuts, also bad news for rural transport, schools and recycling.

Good news is that the training budget for councillors will be retained so that the Tory Cabinet can have further media training at a London Film Studio.

So the budget is bad news, the consultation a farce and the only thing that was confirmed was that Tory run Suffolk have very little interest in Ipswich and its residents! 

Wonder if the Tory MPs for Ipswich, Gummer and Poulter plus the Ipswich Tory leader, Nadia Cenci are happy with the way their Tory Party colleagues treat Ipswich?

My week ahead, 7 - 12 December 2015

Monday 7 December, 4pm – NE Agenda setting meeting

6pm – Labour campaigning

Tuesday 8 December, 6pm – Audit Committee

Wednesday 9 December, 10am – Planning Committee

6pm – Early Warning Group

Thursday 10 December, 6pm – Area Committee Chair’s meeting

Friday 11 December, 11am - Opening of Barnes Square , with members of the Barnes family and soldiers from 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
6pm – Ipswich Labour Christmas Party

This week we have our last surge of council meetings before the Christmas break, there will also be a good opportunity to meet Labour members and discuss our plans for 2016.

There is no hiding from the fact that the last few months have been very difficult for the Labour Party and there are a number of internal battles within our ‘broad church’ and i will be blogging about those battles and discussions over the next few months.

But whilst the party may be split on an number of topics the Tories are not having a great time themselves, climb downs on police cuts and Tax Credit cuts are two examples where they have not been in step with the public.

On Saturday it was great to join Labour comrades campaigning in North East Ipswich, I found myself with our Suffolk group leader, Sandy Martin. We ended up in Britannia Road collecting signatures for our joint petition with the Fire Brigade Union to try and stop the savage cuts being imposed on our Suffolk Fire Service by the Tory run County Council. What we found was quite interesting, residents were very keen to sign the petition and also talk about other concerns, with the main topic being the cuts now facing Suffolk Police that are being imposed by our Tory Police and Crime Commissioner.

In brief residents did not mention once to me;

1.         Jeremy Corbyn – good or bad points

2.         Syria (surpisingly)

3.         Railways

4.         Town Centre

5.         Europe – in or out

What they did mention, and often in long conversations;

1.         Cuts to Fire Service

2.         Planned cuts to Police, lack of PCSOs and why do we have so many senior Police officers

3.         Threat to NHS

4.         Poor education results in Ipswich

So that may be a foretaste of what the May election will be about, but there is no doubt that by May we may find Europe ripping the Tory Party apart, on Friday the Tory ant- Europe group were out at Ipswich railway station. Unless you recognised the people you would have found it hard to realise they were a Tory run group- they wore uniformed red t shirts and there leaflet, was anti EU but the leaflets said leaving EU was the best way to save the NHS, not sure many of those present were in truth great defenders of the NHS!

Good to see that almost all Labour MPs and the whole Front Bench have signed up for the Pro Europe campaign that will have the indomitable Alan Johnson as our lead. I am also pleased we will be running our own Labour campaign not a joint one with any other pro Europe group. But you do wonder if the Tories have any pro-Europe group, we believe Cameron, Osborne and Ben Gummer are pro Europe but there is no evidence in Ipswich that Gummer has had much luck encouraging his own Ipswich Tories to join him, as the Ipswich Tory leader seems like many of the local activists very keen for us to opt out. No wonder the Tory Vote Out campaign thought Ipswich would be a good place to start their campaign! Wonder if they told Ben they were coming (the Tory Vote Out and Ben Gummer campaign seemed very similar – railway station venue, bright t shirts (change of colours) and giving out leaflets but not really wanting to talk to residents.

I believe we should take military action in Syria - but still many questions for Cameron to answer

This is not a simple question, and even though I have made up my mind, there are still a number of questions that have not been answered.

I believe the Labour Party should support the Government on their decision to start air operations in Syria.

Jeremy Corbyn has stuck to his principles and does not believe we should start combat operations, I accept his opinion but I now hope he will allow Labour MPs and shadow Ministers a free vote, if the Tories do decide to put the decision to a vote this week.

Whatever the decision, Labour will be damaged by this issue and it has not helped with the likes of Tory Minister Fallon playing party politics over such an important issue.

David Cameron did not persuade me when he spoke to the commons last week and it seems he still hasn’t got all his own MPs on side so he still needs at least some Labour MPs to vote with him or abstain.

So if Cameron has not persuaded me, why do I support Military operations? I support our involvement in the Syrian bombing campaign because I believe after the atrocities in Paris we have to show a united front against ISIS.

I do not believe Cameron and Fallon and their opinion that the RAF are needed to make the operation a success, we could just increase our bombing missions in Iraq to free up US and French planes to concentrate on Syria. In fact I am sure we are already involved in Syria, with planning, early warning and target acquisition in support of other air forces already bombing Syria.

I do wish the Shadow Cabinet could come to an agreed decision but if not I hope it is a free vote and that Corbyn does not use this important issue as yet another pawn in his battle between the PLP and his supporters. I understand why he has asked members and I applaud his attempts to allow the party membership to be more involved in policy making but when it comes to going to war, we (the public) do not have the full facts, actually MPs do not have the full facts and Yvette Cooper raised that point in parliament. But Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow Cabinet have been briefed by the intelligence services and after that briefing (rather than the points Cameron made) it seems most of the Shadow Cabinet supports military action.

Corbyn on the Marr show this morning (where he was very impressive) slated the Tories for playing party politics over this important decision but if Jeremy is playing internal politics then he is not showing the leadership that is expected from the leader of the opposition.

I for one have not received an email from the party asking me my opinion on the bombing of Syria so am not even sure this asking members their opinion is actually valid. Where Corbyn is right is that he is in the majority – I am sure the majority of Labour members do now want to bomb Syria, in fact I am sure most of the country do not want to see us involved in Syria but politicians have to be prepared to make decisions that are not always universally popular. That is why they take positions in the Shadow Cabinet, Jeremy must act differently to when he was just a back bencher.

So I support our involvement in Syria and expect the Shadow Cabinet to have studied the evidence in front of them, read the intelligence reports and then make a sound judgement.

Cameron needs Labour support because he can’t even lead his own party, his performance at the dispatch box last week was poor and he failed to show there was a real plan (I am sure there is – just he could not explain it) he also leaves a number of questions unanswered and though many may blame Blair for Iraq, the mess Cameron left behind in Libya is nothing to be proud of.

So we still need more answers, to help get the correct facts over to the British public;

1.         Where and who are these 70,000 fighter who are both against ISIS and Assad?

2.         Where is both the plan (and the money) to reconstruct Syria after peace is secured?

3.         Remember Cameron has not even got the support of all Tory MPs

4.         Remember when Cameron wanted us to bomb Syria last time, it was to bomb Assad that would have helped ISIS

5.         If ISIS are routed, will the bombing campaign end or continue against Assad?

So many questions still to be answered but I still believe we should join a military campaign against ISIS in Syria.

Many in the Labour Party will not agree with my opinion, some who are friends and i respect them for the opinion, I may even suffer some abuse from the trolls that seem prevalent in some sections of the left who support Jeremy Corbyn (they need to follow his example about taking the abuse out of politics)  

I do not just support military action because I was in the army for over 25 years; it is because I believe that on certain circumstance combat operations are needed. Remember the successful military operations (under Blair) Kosovo and Sierra Leone.

We should and must not just become an inward facing country, in 1939 it was the working classes in their thousands who joined the forces to not only defend this country but to defeat fascism, and some of my first heroes on the left were those Labour men, socialists and trade unionists (like Jack Jones) who left these shores to fight against Franco in Spain. What do you think those men and women would do now?

My week ahead, 30 November - 5 December 2015

Monday 30 November, 6pm – Labour campaigning

Thursday 3 December, 6pm – Area Committee Chair’s meeting

Friday 4 December, 11am – Talk to Public Service Students at Suffolk New College

Saturday 5 December, 10am – Labour campaigning in North East Ipswich

It will be great to be back out campaigning in North East Ipswich next weekend - has been a hard Summer for Labour but there have been some highlights- many the media forget to mention;

Tory U - turn on Tax credits- after campaign by Labour

Reversal of cuts to Police force

Cancellation of Saudi Prison contact

Ipswich taking the lead locally on devolution, Enterprise zones

Increased membership nationally and locally

But plenty more to do - and we have local elections in 2016.

My week ahead, 23 - 29 November 2015

Monday 23 November, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting

6pm – Labour campaigning

Tuesday 24 November, 5pm – Culture/events meeting

Saturday 28 November, 10am – Labour campaigning in South East Ipswich

Sunday 29 November, 10am – Cyclo-Cross championship

Another week of meetings as we wait to hear what further cuts George  Osborne will impose on us, but we have already heard this week that County Councils will be able to raise council tax by a further 2% to help cover the cost of social care, wonder what will Tory run Suffolk will do? They have promised no council tax rise in both 2015 and 2016.

Then again not sure many of us have any confidence in the Suffolk leadership as one of their Cabinet members decided enough was enough and packed it in, what was interesting was that she stated she was not happy with the direction of the national party as well as closer to home in Suffolk. Colin Noble must now be concerned that he will not be able to hold onto the leadership of the Tory Group, not that you would know from his twitter feed (or the twitter feeds from SCC or SCC Cabinet) that anything was wrong!

But it also has not been a great week for the Labour Party, but we must stay united and keep fighting but I am concerned of the direction we are taking – but all is not lost and in Ipswich we are determined to work hard alongside our many new members to win another electoral victory in May.

But we must sort out our differences – but in meetings and with debate not on the pages of Tory supporting papers or via the world of twitter.

What I will say is that we could become the most middle class the Labour Party has ever felt, more a party of protects, more like an off shoot of the Green Party than a party of not just opposition but a party that wants to get back into power to make the changes that are need to help all of us in this country.

I expect our leaders to get a grip and drive us forward, do not write of our chances in 2020, still plenty of time to get our cat together.

Walking Home for Christmas - 64 miles

Walking Home for Christmas

Many of our veterans have walked in far worse and more dangerous environments than we might care to imagine. The ‘Walking with the Wounded’ Charity have given us a chance to be inspired by their determination and challenge yourself to take part.

This Christmas the charity is asking us to walk 1 mile or 100 miles or more home on day between 12 and 26 December

As an ex-soldier, I have taken up their challenge and on December 15 after the Fulham – Ipswich game I will get the train as far as Chelmsford and then I will walk the rest of the way home, but too make it more difficult I will be walking on my own, starting at midnight and not using roads where I can.

I will be walking 64 miles, mostly on the ‘Essex Way’ and the first 7 hours of it in the dark.

I hope you can sponsor me – the money raised will help the ‘Walking with the Wounded’ charity with their ‘Home Straight’ project which helps homeless veterans get back into employment.

Remember for every soldier who is physically wounded, five will have a mental injury.

You can find out more about the charity here 

And please sponsor me here

My week ahead, 16 - 21 November 2015 #StandWithParis

 

Monday 16 November, 6pm – Labour Group meeting

Tuesday 17 November, 6.pm – Audit meeting

7pm – Fabians talk on Palestine

Wednesday 18 November, 8am – Meeting about IBC/Press and social media

6pm – Ipswich Borough Full Council meeting

Friday 20 November, 8am – Launch of VETS – Employment service for Veterans at ITFC

Saturday 21 November, 10am – Labour campaigning in South West Ipswich

This week we saw how twisted this world is at times, on Wednesday I accompanied Ipswich Primary School children as we remembered those who had fallen in conflict at the War Cemetery in Ipswich and on Friday many of those same children would have helped others in the UK raise millions for ‘Children in Need’ but on that evening as we were celebrating this great charity event, people with no concern for others carried out cowardly and murderous attacks on innocent (and mainly young) people in Paris.

The murders of so many has united most of Europe, in fact the world in solidarity with the French people, just disappointing but not unexpected that some would use these callous murders as reason to insist that we do not do our part in accepting refugees from Syria.

Those innocent Syrians are fleeing from the same mad, nasty, viscous people who committed those heinous crimes in Paris. This is the time to stay united and help those in need not become even more selfish and turn our back on those in such urgent need of the help we can give.

My week ahead, 9 - 14 November 2015

Monday 9 November, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting

6pm – Labour Group campaigning

Tuesday 10 November, 5.30pm – Early Warning Group

Wednesday 11 November, 11am – Armistice Day Service, Ipswich Cemetery

Thursday 12 November, 6pm – North East Ipswich Partnership Group meeting

7pm – North East Ipswich Area Committee, St John’s Church – Cauldwell Hall Rd

Saturday 14 November, 10am – Labour campaigning in South East Ipswich

Autumn now in full swing as so is our Labour campaigning, we are currently informing residents that we have had to put our hold on a proposal that would have saved most Ipswich residents money. Remember up to 2010 when Mr Cameron pretended to lead a new greener Tory Party, that seems so long ago now and as well as the concern we should have for the planet the latest Tory policy change is hurting Ipswich residents in their pockets.

Labour run Ipswich Borough Council was all set to install solar panels on 2,000 Ipswich Council houses, then the Tories pulled the plug on the scheme by slashing the benefits which would have been gained from the feed-in tariffs.

The benefits would have been;

1.         A saving for tenants on their electric bills

2.         An income to council and. Therefore a saving to ALL Council tax payers

3.         Reduction in carbon emissions – good for the environment

4.         A boost for jobs in Ipswich

So the Tory policy change is a blow to tenants, all Ipswich Council tax payers and possibly the loss of up to 140 jobs in Ipswich.

Ben Gummer our Tory MP supports the Government change in policy and no surprise so does the Ipswich Tory leader, Nadia Cenci – actually it is less of a surprise that Cllr Cenci supports the removal of subsidies to the solar panel industry and she could be described as a climate change denier – then again she also questions if there is any real poverty in the UK! – Out of touch?

We will Remember them

Kohima Epitaph

When you go home

Tell them of us and say

For your tomorrow

We gave our today

Today we remember those from Ipswich who paid the ultimate sacrifice, I also remember those who I served alongside in the Royal Green Jackets and the Rifles who lost their lives in conflict.

Paul Harding - friend, mentor 

Mark Hale

Friend, 

I will not be singing the National Anthem on Sunday

Some might think a slightly strange and even maybe an attention seeking title for a blog post but I believe I have no choice but to put down my fears for what may happen on Sunday at not only the Ipswich Remembrance Parade but also for other parades over the country.

Armistice Sunday has always been a big event in my family and I guess for about the last 45 years I have always attended an event (I’m 53). I started going to the Christchurch Park event with my late father, first of all when he was a councillor and then when he carried the standard for the Ipswich Branch of the Korean Veterans. The event in Ipswich in the 70’s and 80’s had some similarities to the current parades but what was missing then was the hundreds of Ipswich residents who now turn up to join in the event.

When I joined the army in 1978 the event was still quite low profile, we commemorated it on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day but the rest of the country just carried on their normal working lives- unlike now and on the Remembrance Sunday, local events were often low key with only the parades in London, Belfast and Edinburgh having large crowds. The tide changed with the Armed Forces becoming both popular and respected after they participated in the more recent conflicts in the Balkans, the Gulf and Afghanistan.

It still cheers me to see all the families at the Ipswich Cenotaph, sun, rain or shine that is what soldiers fought for to enable the public to go out and enjoy a Sunday as a family but now it seems politics has reared its ugly head and we have some sort of ‘poppy’ police operating in this country.

Of course politics becoming involved Remembrance is nothing new, we had it in between the wars, we had the white poppy, one of the reasons the events became so low key in the 80’s was due to threat of IRA attacks and protests by such groups as ‘Troops out’ and then we had the furore over Michael Foot and his duffel coat.

It seems now that wearing a poppy is now a ‘must do’ and if you do not you are not a true Brit! What rubbish, the freedom to do what you want, wear what you want is what the hundreds of thousands of servicemen dies for in the Second World War. I wear my poppy with pride and it helps me remember the friends I lost in conflict, in fact I wear a small metal poppy all year but I don’t care if other people wear one or not, in fact it disgusted me more that politicians are so worried about being seen without one that Number 10 decided to photo shop a poppy on to the profile picture of David Cameron.

But my real fear is this year it has become even more of a political football because of our new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. I do not like some of the relationships, Jeremy has had in the past with certain Irish groups, I am no great fan of the ‘Stop the war’ coalition but I respect Jeremy for having his own views and I do not care if he wears a red, white or no poppy at all. Now on Sunday I would expect him to wear a poppy at the cenotaph as he is laying wreath on behalf of the Labour Party not himself but we saw how Tory MP’s and the right wing press attacked Jeremy for not singing the national anthem and so people will be watching closely on how Jeremy acts.

That same nasty attitude of certain Tory MPs was then copied over the country by other Tories and here in Ipswich I was attacked for not singing the National Anthem at an event to commemorate the two men from Ipswich who won the Victoria Cross in World War I, I actually felt very privileged to not only attend the event but to be asked to speak and read out the two VC citations, I did this wearing my Regimental blazer and wearing my medals but still that did not stop certain Tories attacking me. They obviously decided the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn by Tory MPs were worth repeating against local politicians in Ipswich and they also showed what a bunch of hypocrites they are as they made every excuse possible to explain the absence of both our Tory MPs for the town from the Civic Event.

There attacks on me seemed to backfire but that has not stopped them, only this week an Ipswich Tory candidate has made yet another attack on me, over the last few weeks he has been accusing me of being a ‘red Tory’ and stating that I would be the target of the Corbynistas but suddenly he has decided I am from the ‘far’ left and accused me (and most Ipswich Labour councillors) of adhering to a terrorist sympathising, Britain hating, security threatening ideology.

That must be why I spent 25 years in the Armed Forces! What rubbish, but worryingly there seems to be a lack of leadership in the local Tory Party and it only makes me believe that both Ben Gummer and the Tory leader, Nadia Cenci either believe the mad ramblings of this Tory candidate or are just happy for him to attack Labour politicians even if it they know there is no truth in his attacks.

So on Sunday, I will attend, I will march up to the cenotaph, I will wear my medals and I will remember those from both Ipswich who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and those who paid the same sacrifice from my regiment. But I will not sing the National anthem, not out of any republican protest but in my regiment we do not sing it, we stand to attention and stay silent as a mark of respect to Queen, Country and our fallen comrades.

But I am aware that there will Tories in Ipswich and further afield watching carefully how Labour politicians behave on Sunday. That is not what Remembrance Day is for but it seems to have been hijacked for political use by those on the right and their friends in the press.

It is a sad state of affairs that one now has to worry how you will be perceived at such an event rather than going there to pay respects to fallen comrades and those from Ipswich who served their country.

On the Falls Road in Belfast, in Crossmaglen, in Pristina, in Bosnia and in Sangin, Afghanistan I met and served alongside ‘real’ warriors, it is their opinion that matters to me not the thoughts of an Ipswich Tory ‘keyboard’ warrior!


Footnote;
Forgot to add that even certain Police Forces  are using Remembrance Day this years as a vehicle to highlight police cuts, stating that certain parades may have to be cancelled as there are not enough police to help close roads.

My week ahead, 2 - 7 November 2015

Monday 2 November, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting

6pm – North East Ipswich Parks meeting

7pm - Labour Executive meeting

Friday 6 November, 7pm – ‘Beryl’  at the New Wolsey

Saturday 7 November, 10am – Labour campaigning in South West Ipswich

Over the last few weeks we have been speaking to our hundreds of new members, to ask them why they joined. We also wanted to know what they wish us to campaign on as a local Labour Party.

I have spoken to over 50 of those new members and will speak to a number more at our Labour Fair this morning – it is obvious these new members will bring a much needed boost to the party but what was also noticeable that most of their concerns were the same and also concerns that current Labour members and councillors already held.

It might surprise the Tories and Mr Gummer, no one mentioned London in ‘60’ for our trains, or even turning the town centre round. Their main concerns were;

1.         The NHS – They fear even more privatisation

2.         Refugee crisis , most were embarrassed by the poor and weak response to the crisis                               shown by Cameron and the Tory Government

3.         Education – Not only the forced academisation by the Tories but the complete dismantling of the further education provision in the UK.

The further education question is one that the Labour Party should have raised

earlier, the members I spoke to were not on about universities but about adult learning – the Suffolk New College used to run a number of evening courses as did other educational establishments- from interests subjects such as languages, art, local history to a course that may help you find a new job such as improving your computer skills.

As I was about to leave the army I undertook a number of computer courses at a low charge at a local education centre in Nottingham, try now to find such a facility.

It is now wonder that Ben Gummer and the local Tories want to concentrate on trains and shops – I also this week have been in conversation with a number of Rushmere residents, many of whom are members of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes. All of them are very concerned about the cuts to the local police force. Our Tory Crime and Commissioner has been asked directly about police involvement with our Area Committees and elected representatives, at first we got no response but after asking again we were told it was up to the Chief Constable not the PCC- ducking the question?

The PCC, Mr Passmore is up for election in May, I hope residents question him about proposed cuts, his fellow Tory PCC in Essex has stated that local ‘bobbies’ on the beat is a luxury that now can no longer be afforded!

Did not read that in any Tory leaflet at the General Election – remember when the Tories once described themselves as the party of ‘Law and Order’?

Then again George Osborne has now re-branded them as the ‘Workers Party’ maybe better just to keep to a simpler description that we can all agree with – The Tory Party – the ‘Selfish Party’.

Press those apples, food, gardening and education

Today I visited Britannia School in Ipswich as they started an educational project with East Feast . Eastfeast is a team of professional gardeners, artists and teachers that helps schools deliver more effective learning based on working a school allotment through the seasons, culminating in a community feast. 

East Feast have been working with Copleston School for a while and I had witnessed the great work they had done there so was happy to help secure funding from the North East Area Committee so they could start working with local Primary Schools.

The children seemed very keen to start with having an attempt at apple pressing was of the most sought after activities.

I am sure this project will be a success and anything that helps promote healthy eating is going to be very welcome. As we saw today with the comments from David Cameron about ‘sugar tax’ it is important that we have as many facts as possible at hand when we decide what we are going to eat and to give our children to eat. It was just disappointing that it has now become obvious that Cameron did not have the full facts about a ‘sugar tax’ – as he had not even read the report!

Good news is that with the help of East Feast and local schools it will be our children who will be telling their parents what to eat!

Shackleton - Solo - a hard way of marking leaving the army

When I left the army, I did not really mark the occasion with any sort of event and definitely not a physical challenge - that does not mean I turned myself into some sort of couch potato, since I left the regiment I have trekked and climbed in Morocco, Ethiopia, India (twice) Borneo and Peru and at the end of the year in support of Walking for the Wounded, I am walking solo back from Chelmsford to Ipswich, cross country at night – solo – more details here

But one of my former officers is marking his leaving the army with what may be the ultimate physical challenge, Lt Col Henry Worsley has decided to become the first man to walk across Antarctica – solo and unsupported!

Henry is no stranger to similar challenges as he can already be described as one of the top living Antarctic explorers. His hero (and mine) is Shackleton not only one of the greatest ever explorers but without doubt one of the best leaders of men this country has ever seen. Henry is a distant relative of the captain of Shackleton’s ship. For me it was when i was in the Falklands that I discovered Shackleton and his book ‘South’ was my constant companion when walking over the Falklands.

Henry (boss) Worsley has just arrived in South America on his way south, and you can keep up to date with his exploits on the expedition website – Shackleton Solo

Even some Tories have hearts - but!

Yesterday Parliament discussed the impending cuts to Family Tax Credits, and two new Tory MPs gave passionate and well received speeches against the planned cuts by George Osborne - Heidi Allen was praised by many commentators and Labour MPs for her speech and former soldier and now Tory MP, Johnny Mercer spoke against the cuts that will hit 22,000 of his residents in Plymouth.




As a former soldier, I quite like Mr Mercer and have been impressed how he has raised a number of issues in Parliament that at times have been critical of the Government and in particular his work on soldiers with mental health issues. and interesting to read that as a soldier he had no allegiance to any party and when he left the forces he decided to be an MP before he chose the party.


Even closer to home the new MP for South Suffolk spoke against the cuts - but for all their fine words, we must remember this - They still voted with the Government in support of the proposed plan!


In Ipswich there seems to be no Tory opposition to the cuts, Ben Gummer will defend the Government plan no matter how many of his residents will suffer whilst the Tory Group leader Nadia Cenci, does not even believe there is any poverty in the UK, well  most people do and there seems no doubt that there will be even more cases of child poverty once these cuts hit - and who will they hit most? Working families, just weeks after Osborne attempted to market the Tory Party as the true 'workers' party!

My week ahead, 19 - 24 October 2015

Monday 19 October, 4pm – North East Area Committee agenda setting meeting

6pm – Labour Group meeting

Tuesday 20 October, 7pm – North East Ipswich Labour meeting

Wednesday 21 October, 5pm – Culture Portfolio Working Group

Thursday 22 October, 10am – Labour campaigning in Holywells Ward, Ipswich

A number of leading Tories including some ex-ministers are making their concerns heard about the cutting of Family Tax Credits. Not sure many Tories realise how many families receive help through Family Tax Credits, I certainly received it when I first left the army as my new employment saw me take a cut in wages.

What is disappointing that when senior Tories are voicing their concerns about the cuts, the local Ipswich Tories seem very supportive of the cuts to Family Tax Credits – then again their leader Nadia Cenci does not believe there is any poverty in the UK and she also seems to be one of the few politicians who still does not believe in climate change!

We also had some strange comments from senior Ipswich Tories about the latest planning application for Chantry Vale  - hypocrites  and NIMBY are certainly words you could  use to describe a number of the Ipswich Tory Group.

My week ahead, 12 - 17 October 2015

Monday 12 October, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting

6pm – Labour campaigning 

Tuesday 13 October, 5pm – Early Warning Group

Wednesday 14 October, 5pm – Housing Working Group

Saturday 17 October, 10am – Labour campaigning in East Ipswich

My first meeting as a substitute of the Housing Working Group this week, I have a big interest in housing – and know we have a major issue with the lack of housing in this country. Of course the Tories and Mr Cameron are going to solve it! Starter homes for £250,000!! The only people happy about that will be the house builders and developers who will make even more money, but who can afford quarter of a million for a starter home? My two daughters are both trying to get on the housing ladder , my oldest has a house in Ipswich with a mortgage but my youngest who is a teacher in London struggles just to pay the rent on a one bedroom flat – and she is a lucky one as she has a job.

The Tories just don’t understand the issues that concern residents – we were hoping to help over 2,000 families in Ipswich with their fuel bills by installing solar panels on their council homes (and do our bit to help save the planet) but the Tories pulled the rug from underneath us with the cuts to the feed in tariffs.  More concerning was that Ben Gummer and Tory leader Nadia Cenci both agreed with the Government decision that has seen these residents lose the chance to get solar panels.

With his re-election Mr Gummer seems to have become even more distant from his constituents, we cant all afford two homes – one in London and one in Ipswich (if he has a home in Ipswich?) subsidised by the taxpayer. Those solar panels could have helped residents with their fuel bills and made life a bit easier for them. People are struggling and any help we can give them we should. Bus as the Ipswich Tory leader indicated this weekend that she does not believe there is any poverty in the UK it is no surprise that they are not bothered about helping others.