Six good reasons to remain in the EU (with an Ipswich angle)

These people being involved in the 'Leave' campaign should be good enough reason for anyone to vote to 'Remain' in the EU!

Ipswich Tories are right- house building has stalled (but stalled by who?)

Ipswich Tory leaflets have always read more like a fantasy story than a document of facts and public information but this year they have really gone out of their way to persuade the Ipswich public that they (the Ipswich Tories ) do live in a world of self denial!

One of my proudest achievements is to have been part of a Labour Council that is just completing one of the largest council house building projects in a generation in Bader Close and my proudest personal achievement as a councillor has been that I helped enable two roads of new Council houses and flats in Whitehouse Estate be named after two Ipswich (and Whitehouse) soldiers who lost their lives serving their country.

But if you read the latest Ipswich Tory leaflets you would have thought we have not built a single home – the Ipswich Tories (make it up as we go along) PR machine informs us;

“House building in Ipswich has stalled and more needs to be done. Ipswich needs family homes yet this council is failing to provide them. We would make building quality family homes – and the infrastructure accompanying them – one of our top priorities.”

Fact is we would like to build more Council homes and see developers start some large building projects – but we keep coming up against barriers – and these obstacles have been placed in front of us by local Tories from MPs ben Gummer and Dan Poulter to local Tory leader Nadia Cenci and a combination of Tory Borough and County Councillors.

You could suggest ‘I would say that’ but unlike the Tory leaflet I can back my views with facts.

Labour run Ipswich proposed and gained permission for a large development of council houses at Ravenswood in South East Ipswich. Tory Cllr Cenci called our decision in, they were not happy with the amount of social housing – after her ‘call in’ was thrown out they then got Ben Gummer the Tory MP to get Eric Pickles to call the Borough decision in – this was disappointing but only to be expected as Mr Gummer looked for easy votes but what has been disgraceful is that over a year later we are still waiting for this Tory Government to tell us if we can or can’t start to build these much needed family homes. So Cllr Cenci – your right house building has stalled but not because of a Labour Council but because of the actions of you, Ben Gummer and Eric Pickles.

Then we have the Northern Fringe development, the original plan was actually put through by the last Tory/Lib Dem administration – but they needed help from us as 6 Tory Councillors voted against the plan as they wanted NO HOMES built north of Valley Road.

But once we took back power in Ipswich the Tories (and Lib Dems) have become slightly less keen on the building of a large estate in the north of the town. Mr Gummer at first complained about the proposed location of the cricket green! Since then he has written to many residents ( in the build up to the election) stating why he could not support the proposed development. Cllr Cenci went further and distributed an expensive leaflet (with her name on) stating that the new build would see current residents have their commute to work or leisure time increased, they asked for residents views that they would then pass to to Borough Council. I filled in their consultation – but have heard nothing back! Did they ever hand the consultation findings (13 months ago) to the Borough? I ask as some may have seen the whole campaign as a way of farming email addresses! I look forward to reading the results of their consultation – after 56 weeks you would have thought it was ready for publication.

Now I agree with the Tories, we need infrastructure to support the Northern Fringe development but to bill for that must fall to the developer, the TORY County Council and the TORY Government – you may have spotted a theme here.

So have the Tories helped get that much needed infrastructure – no! Dan Poulter MP, declared rather than a northern link road we should just have a tunnel under the Orwell (along with the pie in the sky) Mr Gummer has managed to gain funding for a road- but not the much needed northern link road but for a (possible) Wet Dock Crossing. Which of those two schemes (Northern link Road or Wet Dock crossing) would lead to the building of much needed homes?

Then we have the housing development in East Ipswich – St Clement’s – the local Tories wanted the application turned down and a park built instead!

Ready for a shock statement? IPSWICH TORIES ARE RIGHT! House building has stalled in Ipswich – but the people who have helped stall it are Tories – Ben Gummer, Nadia Cenci, Dan Poulter, John Carnall, Eric Pickles, Robin Vickery, David Goldsmith, all take a bow you have helped deprive Ipswich residents of homes.

The leaflet also has a few other classics from Tory fantasy land – it tells us congestion in the town has become unbearable – forgetting to add that TORY run Suffolk has just wasted £20 million on ‘Travel Ipswich’ and to finish the leaflet off and to pretend they are community minded – they have a picture of the Whitehouse Skate Park – not surprising they forget to mention it was built with help from funding by the local Area Committee – the same committee they wanted to scrap!

If you want homes built for your families in Ipswich – Vote Labour not for the ‘Stalling Tories’

The next 5 weeks ahead - up till 5 May 2016

The next few weeks will be spent mainly in North East Ipswich campaigning hard for the local Labour Party - so there will be no  'My week ahead' posts till after election day. (Some of you may cheer!)

For some of us the end of the election will just signal a short pause before we start campaigning for a vote to remain in Europe.

So from Tuesday (most evenings) till May 5th, you will see us out campaigning, most of you know that we campaign all year round and you would have spoken to us on our Saturday door knocking sessions but in Rushmere Ward, we may see the 'Lesser Spotted Tory' - there has been only one unconfirmed sighting since last May! So much for Mr Gummer speaking to residents, not even sure he lives in Ipswich anymore.

Ipswich Borough Council, I believe have done a great job in protecting front line services, in the face of severe cuts by a Tory (and at first Tory/Lib Dem) Government but also with the added handicap of having a Tory County council who are also intent on privatising all their services. A Tory County council that currently has no Tory County Councillors, who appointed a Cabinet Member for Ipswich, who has yet to turn up to a single Ipswich Area Committee even though he was invited and the Tory Leader 'I want to be Mayor of East Anglia' Colin Noble asked for the dates to be sent to him again.

Fact is the Tories do not care about Ipswich and will not even attempt tp pretend they do until about 2019, when Mr Gummer will suddenly crawl back out of the woodwork, move back to the town and attempt to get the Wet Dock Crossing named after him!

At the last North East Ipswich Area Committee, the Tory Councillor for Bixley could not think of one good thing this Government or Tory County Council have done for this part of the town - he had to mention the Wet Dock Crossing as if it was great news for North East Ipswich residents - getting the Tory County Council to sort out the daily congestion in Argyle Street or get a new Primary School built in East Ipswich would have been far more useful!

My week ahead 21 - 26 March 2016

Monday 21 March – 6pm, Labour Group meeting

Tuesday 22 March – 11am, Activ-lives ‘Support our Hub’ event at the Town Hall

7pm- Suffolk Fabians meeting – ‘Democratic Reform’

Thursday 24 March – 7pm – Central  Ipswich Area Committee

Saturday 26 March – 10am, Labour campaigning in North West Ipswich

The wheels have fell off the Tory train this weekend, and for once we have silence from local Tory activists!

The problem with the Tories is to work out who is telling the truth!

Did IDS resign over the proposed cuts by Osborne?

Or as Cameron and Number 10 state, he resigned over Europe?

And if IDS was as bad as other Ministers are now saying why didn’t Cameron sack him ages ago?

The budget – I always thought when something was in the budget it meant it was going to happen – but now we hear the cuts that would have hit the disabled, may now be kicked into the long grass!

Now I think we all know what this spat is all about- Europe – and Gove may have spoken in both defence of IDS and Cameron – ‘leader in waiting’ Boris Johnson seems to be only noticeable by his silence!

Then I wonder how Ipswich Tories are going to react – most seem to be in agreement with IDS about the need to leave the EU but at the same time they are very supportive of the cuts being imposed by Osborne!

What we have is a party tearing itself apart – all for selfish reasons – leadership aspirations of certain Tories being more important to some than the future of our younger generations!

In Suffolk we have had the Tories oppose a motion that would have put a stop to the cuts to the Fire Service- on the day of the Council meeting, Tory MP for Felixstowe suddenly supported the campaign to save at least one fire station in the East of the county but her Tory councillors ignored her. The Sudbury Tories also voted for the cuts to be imposed – they seem to have forgotten the recent fire that decimated their town centre.

My week ahead, 14 - 19 March 2016

Monday 14 March – 3pm, Visit to Ipswich Gymnastics Centre

4pm, Culture Portfolio briefing

6pm, Labour Group campaigning

Tuesday 15 March – 5pm, Early Warning Group

Thursday 17 March – 6pm North East Ipswich Partnership Working Group

7pm – North East Ipswich Area Committee

Saturday 19 March – 10am, Labour campaigning in North West Ipswich

We are now into dual campaign mode, with important local elections in May followed by even more important referendum on our continued membership of the EU.

There is no doubt in my mind the result in June will be close – and I wonder if Cameron made a serious error in not supporting the introduction of voting at 16. Like Cameron (and Gummer) I strongly believe we should remain as part of the EU and would have added Boris Johnson to those keen on staying in the EU before he put his own leadership aspirations ahead of the future of this country.

Cameron like many Tories knows that letting 16 and 17 year olds may hurt the Tories in future elections so like Johnson, Cameron may have put the selfish interests of his party ahead of the country.

Must be strange when the local Tories are out campaigning with Ben Gummer on his occasional visits to Ipswich, do they even ask about Europe? Do they have separate ‘leave’ and ‘remain’ leaflets?

I also hope our own national Labour leadership starts to campaign harder to remain in the EU, so far we have heard little from Corbyn and even less from John McDonnell. The only positive campaign so far to ‘remain’ in the EU has been led by former Labour Ministers whilst the likes of Livingstone and others from the left have been more interested in internal party politics.

The Tory/Cameron ‘remain’ campaign seems to be based on a ‘fear’ factor whilst the ‘leave’ groups is also confused with internal bickering and seems to have no concrete plans for what we would do in this country once we have left Europe – ( though Johnson and Howard attempted to say a vote to leave could actually mean we do not leave but just try and get a better deal).

So it is the Labour Party that must be the team that tells voters the positive reasons to stay in the EU.

My week ahead, 7 - 13 March 2016

Monday 7 March – 6pm, Labour Group meeting

 Friday 11 March – 7pm, St Helen’s School PTA fundraising quiz

Saturday 12 March – 10am, Labour campaigning in South East Ipswich

This week we may eventually here what the Tory Government have decided they view is of future devolution for Ipswich and Suffolk – our Council leader and officers have spent considerable time and effort (along with neighbouring councils) talking to Central Government but as with many Tory plans it seems that the final decision had already been made before discussions started – we have gone from Suffolk/Norfolk to possibly Suffolk/Norfolk/Cambridgeshire and from no need for a Mayor to possible a Mayor of East Anglia! So at least this week we may eventually find out what was their plan was really all about.

My week ahead, 29 February - 5 March 2016

Monday 29 February – 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting

6pm, Labour Group campaigning

Tuesday 1 March – 6pm, Ipswich Borough Audit committee

Saturday 5 March – 10am, Labour campaigning in North West Ipswich

Yesterday was spent campaigning as almost every Saturday morning of the year is, and this Saturday was also meant to be a national Labour Party campaign day – concentrating on the #StrongerIn campaign.

In Ipswich we have local elections in May and though I had decided to vote to remain in the EU, I was not planning to spend every Saturday in May and June campaigning on this issue. That feeling has now changed as I believe the vote on our membership of the EU will be one of the most important decisions we ever take. More importantly it will be a descision that will have the most consequences for our younger residents – the ones the Tory Party have decided can’t vote in June.

I am proud the Labour Party had decided to back our continued membership of the EU, now some will not agree and that is democracy but at least the majority of members, elected councillors and MPs agree we should stay in.

We know the Tory Party are split on the decision and we see that in Ipswich but it does not mean all is well in the Labour movement. Jeremy Corbyn has backed the #StrongerIn campaign but he does not seem to be throwing himself into the debate whilst the Shadow Chancellor (one of the busiest Shadow Cabinet members) seems to be totally silent on the issue – why? Maybe John wishes to remain on side with those from the Far left who have more in common with UKIP and the Far right of the Tory Party when it comes to Europe , some who think Jeremy has betrayed them by supporting the 'Stronger In' campaign. .

So when we had our national campaign day yesterday where was our leader? Speaking at a CND rally in London. Now for many getting rid of Trident is an important issue and i respect Jeremy for his strongly held views on the subject but maybe he should have used his influence in the CND not to have the events clash.

Future of Trident is important but so is our future in Europe – we can help decided if we stay in EU, we have little influence on the future of Trident – and the main point some seem to have not grasped- to have a real say on the future of Trident – we need to be in Government! That should be our focus after the EU debate not campaigning on issues that actually make it harder us for to get in a position where we can then help shape our future defence policy.