Archive for the 'Campaigning' Category
Coming Out To Play
June 2nd, 2008Yesterday’s Green Action Day at Westlea Play Area was a great success - Dave Hunt, Swindon Council’s Play and Landscape Officer, was delighted with the turnout and with the response to his consultation roadshow. Residents, and particularly children, have the choice of several different options for Junior and Senior play areas. I could see that […]
The End of The Beginning
May 23rd, 2008A truly great result from Crewe and Nantwich overnight; even if I hadn’t got up to check the result, I would have been awoken by a phone call from one of my Campaign Team at 3am. I think that we had to pinch ourselves to believe that a swing of 17.6% had been achieved. […]
Stooping to be Conquered
May 20th, 2008(From the left: Cllr Graham Cherry, RB and Cllr Dave Sammels)
I have now recovered after a day at the Crewe and Nantwich By-election on Saturday. Joined by Cllrs Dave Sammels and Graham Cherry, we set off at a fairly early hour to get in a day’s campaigning. We were amongst over 500 Conservatives […]
Local Election Notes
May 5th, 2008The Local Elections in Swindon this year were a significant milepost on the way to the next General Election. The omens look good. We secured 53.8% of the vote in South Swindon, with Labour and the LibDems far behind on about 21% each. Turnout was down, which is always depressing, and it does not mean […]
Cameron in Swindon
April 28th, 2008This blog is always a bit of a casualty at local election time, so please forgive the slight delay in posting about David Cameron’s visit to Swindon last Friday afternoon. David arrived at the Civic Offices at about 5pm, and after a brief meeting with me, Justin, Cllr Rod Bluh and a small group […]
Swindon Council Elections
April 21st, 2008The blogosphere is ever-changing; I note that some of my fellow political bloggers have chucked the habit. My aim was never to post on a daily basis, but to make a contribution every week or so. I am up to my neck in local elections at the moment. Its only ten days […]
Having Your Cake and Eating It
April 6th, 2008The start of a new financial year finally brings the baleful effects of the 2007 Budget into force. Gordon Brown’s final flourish as Chancellor was one of the most dishonest moments of his career to date. After ten years spent in complicating the tax system, he dared to declare himself as the great simplifier. He […]
Swindon Special Educational Needs Network
March 30th, 2008Our fifth meeting was held on Tuesday 18th March at the Parish Hall in Wroughton. We were joined by Sue Wald, Manager of the Strategic Partnership for Children and Young People in Swindon. We were given an insight into the arrangements for education and health, with the Borough working hand in hand with […]
Consultation or Window Dressing?
February 23rd, 2008The results are now in. It has taken just over two months for the consultation process to be completed as to the proposed closure of Lawn and Westcott Place Post Offices and the result is…they are to close. No surprises there, frankly. Despite our collections of hundreds of replies to our letter […]
Coming Out of the Wilderness
February 3rd, 2008Twenty years is a very long time indeed in politics and in Rugby Union. When Wales last won at Twickenham (11-3), Will Carling got his first cap and I was in my first year at Hatfield College, Durham. Watching the match in the JCR proved to be particularly difficult, bearing in mind that […]
