Wednesday – 19 November, 2pm – Labour campaigning in East Ipswich
6pm - Ipswich Borough Council – Full Council meeting
Thursday 20 November, 10am – Suffolk Labour media training
Saturday 22 November, 10am - Labour campaigning in South East Ipswich
On Friday I attended the first Military Veterans event organised by the councils involved with the Suffolk Military Community Covenant, and the event seemed to me to be a great success with a good turnout of veterans, regular and reserve troops and various charities and agencies that work with or on behalf of veterans and the military community.
Much of the success was down to the work of Jim Brown, a County Officer (and a veteran in his own right) who had not only got the right people on board but also made sure veterans knew about the event.
Veterans do not want something for nothing just what they deserve with the recognition that many of their needs are different to the rest of the population, but we are not just after a hand out. Many of those representing charities and agencies were veterans themselves or family members. As I arrived as Trinity Park I was met on reception by a former member of my regiment who had taken a day’s holiday from his job to help man the reception. Ex soldiers will always be the first to help former soldiers.
We will hope to repeat the event in 2015, next time in the west of the county. I felt privileged to attend and to have been able to secure some funding from the Mayor of Ipswich towards hosting the day.
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Sunday, 9 November 2014
My week ahead, 10 - 16 November 2014
Monday – 10 November, 6pm – Labour campaigning
Wednesday – 12 November, 6pm – North East Area Partnership Group meeting
7pm – North East Area Committee, St John’s URC Church, Cowper Street
Thursday 13 November, 7pm – Lecture on poetry of the First World War
Friday 14 November, 10am Armed Forces Veterans Event, Trinity Park
Today has always been important to my family, as a small child we always joined my dad at Christchurch Park for the Remembrance Day service, later we would watch with pride as he carried the Korean Veterans standard to the cenotaph.
Since I left the army it has also become important to me to attend and remember those from my own regiment who have lost their lives on active service and in particular some very close friends.
This morning as the last post was played I thought of Paul Harding who lost his life in Basra, Iraq – not only a friend but also a role model and one of the most professional soldiers I have served with. Taff Addison was also in my thoughts, an ex soldier who was murdered by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Paul Harding - Green Jacket legend
But for many, it is not only today that they remember those who died or were wounded; they have to live every day with reminders of conflicts. So I am pleased that as a council we will be supporting the county council as they hold their first veterans event at Trinity Park on Friday. I am looking forward to joining the Mayor as we share a cup of tea and chat about military life. But this is not just a social event as we will be joined by agencies and charities as we join together to offer veterans advice and help.
Kohima Epitaph
"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"
Wednesday – 12 November, 6pm – North East Area Partnership Group meeting
7pm – North East Area Committee, St John’s URC Church, Cowper Street
Thursday 13 November, 7pm – Lecture on poetry of the First World War
Friday 14 November, 10am Armed Forces Veterans Event, Trinity Park
Today has always been important to my family, as a small child we always joined my dad at Christchurch Park for the Remembrance Day service, later we would watch with pride as he carried the Korean Veterans standard to the cenotaph.
Since I left the army it has also become important to me to attend and remember those from my own regiment who have lost their lives on active service and in particular some very close friends.
This morning as the last post was played I thought of Paul Harding who lost his life in Basra, Iraq – not only a friend but also a role model and one of the most professional soldiers I have served with. Taff Addison was also in my thoughts, an ex soldier who was murdered by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Paul Harding - Green Jacket legend
But for many, it is not only today that they remember those who died or were wounded; they have to live every day with reminders of conflicts. So I am pleased that as a council we will be supporting the county council as they hold their first veterans event at Trinity Park on Friday. I am looking forward to joining the Mayor as we share a cup of tea and chat about military life. But this is not just a social event as we will be joined by agencies and charities as we join together to offer veterans advice and help.
Kohima Epitaph
"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"
Sunday, 26 October 2014
My week ahead, 27 October - 1 November 2014
Monday – 27 October, 2pm – Meeting about car parking outside schools in East Ipswich
4pm – Labour campaigning in East Ipswich
6pm – Labour Group
Tuesday – 28 October, 10am – Social Media training with Labour County Group
Wednesday – 29 October, 10am and 2pm – Labour campaigning in Rushmere Ward, Ipswich
Another week of campaigning ahead as we get our message over to the residents of Ipswich. We know we have to work hard as unlike the Tories we do not have national newspapers willing able to print propaganda, thinly disguised as a new story. The recent serialisation by the Mail of news (?) items about the NHS in Wales is just one example. Fortunately the local paper here in Ipswich is far more neutral and thankfully did not go overboard with coverage of Gummer Island.
Talking of Gummer Island, it reminded of another farfetched scheme – Boris Island, the idea of an airport on reclaimed land in the Thames estuary, that seemed at the time to be just a plan to get news coverage (and votes) but with little chance of it ever happening – very similar to Gummer Island.
What would be more beneficial for Ipswich is if our two Tory MPs put pressure on the Government and the Tory County Council to build a northern by-pass – but as that would mean Poulter doing something for Ipswich residents it is unlikely ever to happen.
4pm – Labour campaigning in East Ipswich
6pm – Labour Group
Tuesday – 28 October, 10am – Social Media training with Labour County Group
Wednesday – 29 October, 10am and 2pm – Labour campaigning in Rushmere Ward, Ipswich
Another week of campaigning ahead as we get our message over to the residents of Ipswich. We know we have to work hard as unlike the Tories we do not have national newspapers willing able to print propaganda, thinly disguised as a new story. The recent serialisation by the Mail of news (?) items about the NHS in Wales is just one example. Fortunately the local paper here in Ipswich is far more neutral and thankfully did not go overboard with coverage of Gummer Island.
Talking of Gummer Island, it reminded of another farfetched scheme – Boris Island, the idea of an airport on reclaimed land in the Thames estuary, that seemed at the time to be just a plan to get news coverage (and votes) but with little chance of it ever happening – very similar to Gummer Island.
What would be more beneficial for Ipswich is if our two Tory MPs put pressure on the Government and the Tory County Council to build a northern by-pass – but as that would mean Poulter doing something for Ipswich residents it is unlikely ever to happen.
Saturday, 18 October 2014
My week ahead, 20 - 26 October 2014
Monday – 20 - 24 October, North Wales, walking expedition
Saturday – 25 October, 10am - Labour campaigning, South West Ipswich
Sunday - 26 October, 11am - Labour campaigning, North West Ipswich
I have a few days away in Wales, near Cader Idris, a good opportunity to re-charge batteries before continuing the fight against the Tories.
Our Tory MP seems to be keeping a low profile, a number of strange leaflets coming from his activists, on transport and education both boasting of achievements but not all those seem correct.
Other than the leaflets, we have not seen much of Mr Gummer, maybe something to do with the problems facing the new care home in Chantry, the one that only a few months ago he was stating was the ‘best he had ever seen’ – seems he may not be the best judge of care homes in the county.
Saturday – 25 October, 10am - Labour campaigning, South West Ipswich
Sunday - 26 October, 11am - Labour campaigning, North West Ipswich
I have a few days away in Wales, near Cader Idris, a good opportunity to re-charge batteries before continuing the fight against the Tories.
Our Tory MP seems to be keeping a low profile, a number of strange leaflets coming from his activists, on transport and education both boasting of achievements but not all those seem correct.
Other than the leaflets, we have not seen much of Mr Gummer, maybe something to do with the problems facing the new care home in Chantry, the one that only a few months ago he was stating was the ‘best he had ever seen’ – seems he may not be the best judge of care homes in the county.
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
More reasons why we need a Labour Government
Tory councilor comments "I have a number of mentally damaged individuals, who to be quite frank aren’t worth the Minimum Wage,"
We then have a Tory Minister stating that the Tory councillor is raising good point!!
Whilst here in Suffolk we have a Tory councilor light heartedly stating that a current Children's Centre (under threat of Tory closure) would make a nice wine bar!!
We then have a Tory Minister stating that the Tory councillor is raising good point!!
Whilst here in Suffolk we have a Tory councilor light heartedly stating that a current Children's Centre (under threat of Tory closure) would make a nice wine bar!!
Sunday, 12 October 2014
My week ahead, 13 - 19 October 2014
Monday – 13 October, 2pm - Campaigning on road safety in Rushmere Ward
6pm – Labour Group campaigning, South West Ipswich
Wednesday – 15 October, 2pm – Visit to youth activities at Copleston School
Thursday – 16 October, 10am – Labour campaigning, South East Ipswich
6pm – Scrutiny meeting
Saturday – 18 October, 10am - Labour campaigning, South East Ipswich
Sunday - 19 October, 11am - Labour campaigning, North West Ipswich
The results in Clacton and Manchester has lead many locally as well as nationally to focus on UKIP – Some on our side have even suggested that we mimic UKIP with a more anti immigration stance but I do not believe that is the way ahead – like Yvette Cooper we do not need to mimic them (leave that to the Tories) we need to fight them.
The UKIP support of most Tory policies at Suffolk County Council just highlights that UKIP are just the far right wing of the Tory Party. We need to show voters in Ipswich that they have supported the majority of Tory actions both on education and health.
We must also continue to fight the Tories and here in Ipswich (and Suffolk ) one area where the Tories have let down residents is the way they have handled education – their only project ‘Raising the Bar’ is a total failure and this week we have had the embarrassing (for Tory run Suffolk) state of affairs of Primary School Head teachers writing to the county to inform them they have no confidence in the Tory run education system – and the response from the Tories?
Almost total silence, no comments from the Tory Cabinet in Suffolk, a few anti teacher comment from local MPs and in Ipswich the Tory leader took to twitter to highlight issues in Dorset and Devon!!!
'Heads in the sand' attitude by the Tories, and at the same time as the letter from Head Teachers, Labour County Councillor, Mandy Gaylard was organising a pram push from Quayside Children’s centre to the Chatterbox Children’s centre, the Tories are planning to close a children’s cenre but are dressing it up as a merger. It took us 45 minutes to walk between the tow and we had to cross a umber of roads including the busy Foxhall Rd and it included a steep hill! The question I would like to ask has any Tory attempted to walk between the two – maybe Ben Gummer should push his own new baby in a pram between the two centres – he would then see how stupid the Tory plan is!
Sunday, 5 October 2014
My week ahead, 6 - 12 October 2014
Monday – 6 October, 4pm – Culture Portfolio briefing
6pm – Labour Group campaigning, South West Ipswich
Thursday – 9 October, 10am – Labour campaigning, South East Ipswich
6pm – Area Committee Chairs meeting
Friday – 10 October, 10am – Pram Push – from Quayside to Chatterbox Children’s Centre
Saturday – 11 October, 10am - Labour campaigning, North East Ipswich
The usual mix of meeting and campaigning but also i have my first organised ‘Pram Push’ where I will join parents of the Quayside and Chatterbox Children’s Centres as they push their prams between the two centres. I am sure there are many ‘Pram Push’ events all over the country, often to raise much needed funds or to support some other charity. But this ‘Pram Push’ is to highlight the distance between the two locations as the Tory run County Council look to merge both centres and has been organised by parents and Mandy Gaylard the hard working County Councillor for the Waterfront area.
Now we all understand that the County Council needs to save money as they face further funding cuts from their fellow Tories at Westminster but what sticks in the throat about this cut/saving is that in 2010, Mr Gummer pulled a schoolboy type protest prank when he and fellow young Tory activists (where are they now??) ambushed Harriet Harman as she visited Ipswich. He was unhappy as nationally Labour were telling voters that the Tories would close Children’s Centres and as we have seen all over the country we have been proven right. Here in Ipswich we have already had one closure, but somehow Mr Gummer has dressed this up as not a closure but just the re-location of services from a purpose built Children’s Centre to a small room in a library.
Not sure parents are going to fall for the line’ this is not a closure, just a merger’ this time – but then again his paternity leave must be nearly over now or he could even bring his own pram along and see how difficult it is to push a/his pram from the Waterfront to the top of Foxhall Rd (hills included)
6pm – Labour Group campaigning, South West Ipswich
Thursday – 9 October, 10am – Labour campaigning, South East Ipswich
6pm – Area Committee Chairs meeting
Friday – 10 October, 10am – Pram Push – from Quayside to Chatterbox Children’s Centre
Saturday – 11 October, 10am - Labour campaigning, North East Ipswich
The usual mix of meeting and campaigning but also i have my first organised ‘Pram Push’ where I will join parents of the Quayside and Chatterbox Children’s Centres as they push their prams between the two centres. I am sure there are many ‘Pram Push’ events all over the country, often to raise much needed funds or to support some other charity. But this ‘Pram Push’ is to highlight the distance between the two locations as the Tory run County Council look to merge both centres and has been organised by parents and Mandy Gaylard the hard working County Councillor for the Waterfront area.
Now we all understand that the County Council needs to save money as they face further funding cuts from their fellow Tories at Westminster but what sticks in the throat about this cut/saving is that in 2010, Mr Gummer pulled a schoolboy type protest prank when he and fellow young Tory activists (where are they now??) ambushed Harriet Harman as she visited Ipswich. He was unhappy as nationally Labour were telling voters that the Tories would close Children’s Centres and as we have seen all over the country we have been proven right. Here in Ipswich we have already had one closure, but somehow Mr Gummer has dressed this up as not a closure but just the re-location of services from a purpose built Children’s Centre to a small room in a library.
Not sure parents are going to fall for the line’ this is not a closure, just a merger’ this time – but then again his paternity leave must be nearly over now or he could even bring his own pram along and see how difficult it is to push a/his pram from the Waterfront to the top of Foxhall Rd (hills included)
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