Why do the Tories hate young people?

Rosehill Library - under threat from our own Mrs Terry

The Tories (with the help of the Lib Dems) seem to be on a crusade against the youth of today. So many of the first Tory cuts seem to be aimed at the youngest in our community - EMA, Building schools for the Future, Explore Card, Road Crossing patrols and now libraries. The Tory run Borough council in Ipswich also seems to want to get in on the act with Maidenhall Sports Centre also under threat.

It seems a systematic attack on the youth of today by National Government, the County Council and Ipswich Borough Council.

I was amazed during my time in Afghanistan in 2009 by the bravery shown by many British soldiers, many of them under the age of 20, and it is that same youth the Tories now want to attack. It is good to see youngsters not just siiting back but organising peaceful protests in Ipswich and this Saturday will see another protest march from the Regent to the New Wolsey in Ipswich.

The Tories may seem to not care but we have seen here in Rushmere Ward, Ipswich that the public are very upset that the Road Crossing Patrols outside our schools will be removed (or already have been as in our Ward, outside Sidegate Primary school). They might have just gone one cut too far this time with their latest plan - shutting Suffolk libraries.

This is an attack on all our communities, but it is mainly the young, the old, the unemployed that use and rely on the Suffolk Library Service. The Tories and the Lib Dems on the Ipswich Borough Council cry out that we should not blame them as it is Cameron's government or the County Council that are imposing these cuts but it is Mrs Terry our own Tory Borough Councilor in Rushmere Ward, Ipswich who is the person responsible for the Library service in Suffolk, ask her when she knocks on your door before the election - 'why is she shutting Rosehill Library?'

You may have heard about the attempt to shut the Stoney Stratford Library in Milton Keynes by the Lib Dem run council (see here), this led to the locals drawing out all the books in the library on Saturday, causing the campaign to save that library even to be mentioned in the news media in New York.



No books left in Stoney Stratford

So Mrs Terry, we will fight you as you attempt to close Suffolk Libraries, in particular the Rosehill Library in Tomline Road, Ipswich. The Nazis burnt books, the Tories (and Lib Dems) just aim to hide them!

No more Ipswich Film Theatre

It gives the Ipswich Labour Group no pleasure in saying "we told you so", but we did warn when the Mrs Terry and her Tory cronies handed over the running of the Film Theatre to Hollywood Cinemas that it would put the whole future of the theatre into jeopardy.
Of course we were accused of scaremongering, but what do the Tories say now? Blame the Government for the economic downturn- a common thread here- it's never their fault.
Hollywood Cinemas have put in a good effort, refurbished the seats but they had no experience of running a specialist cinema, all the other venues they run tend to be in small towns where they are the sole cinema, showing general distribution films.
Now Hollywood Cinemas have left and the Film theatre will shut in a month, of course the economic downturn has not helped but now one of their employee's has hit the nail on the head - the reason why Hollywood Cinemas could see no future is because of the Tories decision to close the Corn Exchange for 6 months a year! Not going to help when it comes to selling tickets or bringing in the passing trade.
What next? The Corn Exchange closed permanently- Tory cuts to Public Services- you better get used to it.

Mrs Terry (Tory) and Mr Cann (Lib Dem) - best of friends?

No, this is not some sort of tabloid gossip, it just seems that I have become their number 1 hate figure recently. Both have had letters in the Evening Star, both defending the Tory/Lib Dem plan for the Ipswich Film Theatre but also managing to both have a go at me!
All I can say to both of them, is that I was not attacking the decision to privatise the Film theatre but the way the process was dealt with.
Sorry to disappoint both of you but your personal attacks on me will just make me more determined to keep speaking out about their administration's eroding of democracy!

Mrs Terry - not happy

Mrs Terry the Tory portfolio holder for leisure and culture in Ipswich seems to be upset (she is also our Tory Rushmere councilor) that I have written to our local paper, highlighting the shoddy way the Tory executive made the decision to sell off the Ipswich Film Theatre- no questions, haven't read the papers and whole thing done in 15 minutes!

The local paper gave her half a page and it was - as my wife would say all "me, me, me" - about how she is the saviour of culture and so on- forgetting that a Lib dem actually sided with Labour on this.

She couldn't even spell my name right.

Well Mrs Terry that sort of attitude has made me even more determined to beat you next year!

Housing shortage in Ipswich -Tory answer, build flats!

Mr Wells the Tory spokesman for housing in Ipswich has been in all the local papers recently, telling us of the current crisis in housing - and that it will only get worse. The Tory solution seems to be build on any brownfield site left in the town, and build flats. Do not think about traffic congestion and never, never build on the fringe of the town ( in the area of the Tory seats).
This week we have seen approval for flats at the old Kwik Fit garage near St Margaret's Green and of approval for over 300 dwellings (including a considerable number of flats) on what is known as the Hayhills development- between Woodbridge Road and Cemetery Road on waste land next to the old driving test centre. This development has led to a number of residents voicing their concerns to the Council. The first knowledge most people had about this new build was when our local Labour team pushed out leaflets in the local vicinity. The Green Party have also protested against the development. the Lib Dems (the development sits in two Lib Dem wards) voted against it but the Tory majority helped get the proposal through. the Lib Dems will obviously tell their constituents they did all they can forgetting that they sit in the Council Executive with the same Tory personnel and help them (mis) run this town.
In Rushmere we are also affected by the Hayhills site, it will increase the traffic and congestion on an already busy Woodbridge Rd and will also lead to the houses in Belvedere Road being overlooked by these flats. What did our two Tory Councilors on the council do? they voted for the development- remember if Mrs Smith or Mrs Terry knock on your door during the election campaign ask them to explain why they did - answer? Unlike me - they live nowhere near the Hayhills site(or even in the ward).