My week ahead, 21 - 26 September 2015

Monday 21 September, 6pm – Labour Group meeting

Wednesday 23 September, 6pm - Ipswich Borough, Full Council Meeting

Friday 25 September, 10am – Opening of World War One exhibition at the Town Hall

Saturday 26  September 9.45am - Laying of paving slabs to commemorate the two Ipswich residents who won the Victoria Cross during World War One

Saturday will be a proud moment for as I have been given the honour of reading out the citations of the two Ipswich men who won the Victoria Cross during WW1. The readings will be part of the ceremony when we lay two paving slabs at the Sloane Street entrance to Christchurch Park to honour our two VC winner.

Our local ‘memory loss’ Tory has defended his comments about Syrian refugees but still seems unable to explain why it is wrong for us to campaign about a development just outside the Borough that will effect a number of Ipswich residents whilst they (himself and the Tory leader) could campaign about the building of a wind turbine also situated in Babergh.

He did seem to imply that maybe no need to campaign as there is a ‘Master Plan’ in place for the Chantry Vale development, but that is not a Babergh Council developed plan it is one from the developer.  This week the local Parish Council in Pinewood were critical of the development in particular the lack of a workable traffic plan. Now I would expect Pinewood Parish Council to be the home to ‘radical’ socialists – but they (like us in Ipswich Labour) have some serious concerns about the proposed build – but at least the local Tories are happy with it!

Ipswich Tory activist- can't even remember what he said last week

An Ipswich Tory activist seems to have a slight memory problem, earlier in the week in a tweet he declared that some Syrian refugees were just men dodging conscription!

Kevin Algar ‏@KevinTAlgar   Sep 10

@AlasdairRoss We are helping genuine refugees rather than better off Syrians who did a bunk when they got their conscription papers.

Even for Kevin this was a quite shocking statement , so I tweeted:

Alasdair Ross ‏@AlasdairRoss  Sep 10

An Ipswich Tory activist/candidates description of refugees > "better off Syrians who did a bunk when they got their conscription papers."

But Kevin today seems to forget that he had described certain refugees as conscription dodgers:

Kevin Algar ‏@KevinTAlgar   3h3 hours ago

@AlasdairRoss No Tory activist has described Syrian refugees like that. You're being disingenuous. #TypicalAlasdair

It seems Kevin has a memory issue, then again when we highlighted that the Tories had been silent over the new development planned for Chantry Vale, but today he seemed to use the excuse that the development was outside the Borough, strange then that he has tweeted and posted on his blog a number of posts about the building of a wind turbine - also in Babergh and actually further away from houses in Sprites and Gipping. In April 2013 he even boasted that it was only himself and fellow Nadia Cenci who had stood against the turbine.

Is that why senior Ipswich Tories like their MP and leader block me on twiiter? Do they also have 'memory' problems!

My week ahead, 14 - 19 September 2015

Monday 14 September, 11am – Labour Party ‘coffee meeting’ – Pump and Grind, Great Coleman Street
4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting
6pm – Campaigning in South West Ipswich

Tuesday 15 September, 5pm – Early Warning Group

Wednesday 16 September, 5pm meeting with National Portfolio Arts organisation – Pacitti Company
7.30pm – North East Ipswich Labour members and supporters ‘get-together’ – The Old Times, Cauldwell Hall Rd

Thursday 17 September 6pm, North East Ipswich Partnership Group meeting
7pm – North East Ipswich Area Committee meeting, St John’s Church, Cauldwell Hall Rd

On Saturday we had a strong team out campaigning in South West Ipswich, we were informing residents of the large scale development planned for Chantry Vale – the area to the west of Chantry Park. The development is poorly planned, (there is no master plan) and the houses are of bad design – but the issue is that Chantry Vale is outside the Borough, it is in Tory run Babergh. It is their planning committee who will decide if the scheme is approved and if it is, it will be Babergh Council who will collect all the council tax but it is Ipswich where the new residents will look to for services not Sudbury or Hadleigh.

Now on the Northern Fringe we are making sure there is a master plan but we still face stiff opposition from the local Tories and both our Tory MPs. Mr Gummer was also against us building much needed affordable home in South East Ipswich. But when we come to Chantry Vale we are met with a deafening silence from the Tories.

Expect Mr Gummer to come up with the excuse of ‘not in his constituency’ – but it is his constituents who will face more traffic congestions, whose schools will have to take the pupils from Chantry Vale (Tory run Suffolk seem happy not task for any money from the developers towards secondary education). Mr Gummer was also quick to comment about the purchase of the old Sugar Beet factory (and that is also in Babergh)

Then we have the Tory leader, Mrs Cenci – whose main election campaign seemed to be about stopping the erection of a wind turbine (also in Babergh) but we have heard nothing from her or her fellow South West Tory councillors about the proposed Chantry Vale development – wonder why? Not up for election this year?

It is only Ipswich Labour who campaigns for resident’s week in week out, Mr Gummer has only been noticeable by his obvious absence from Ipswich this summer and the only time we seem to hear from him is when he is tweeting something prepared for him by Tory Central Office.

Then again why would be surprised that the Tory Party is still the party of ‘self interest’

Ipswich Labour will be passing on residents concerns about the Chantry Vale development to the Babergh Planning Committee.