***update - thanks to Patrick (on the left of the pic) for this photo***
Well, I had hoped to supply you with an exciting 'action shot' of me campaigning in Glenrothes at the weekend, but my other half forgot the camera...
Anyway, a group of ten of us made the journey through to Glenrothes for an extended weekend of by-election campaigning. We had a good laugh, and we ploughed our way through the campaign work. This was the first time I had ever been to the area, but everyone was very friendly. Plus, with Glenrothes itself a New Town, parts of it had a familiar feel to Cumbernauld. The place I was canvassing on Saturday resembled Eastfield in Cumbernauld.
Anyway, my absence from blogging has been mainly down to the fact that we still have no internet access at home. BT and Virgin don't seem to want our money, and I don't want to give any money to Sky! So, we are stuck at the moment.
I was out and about last week too, at the Scottish Learning Festival - a massive education festival in Glasgow. I was there with work, and boy it was hard work. I'm a talker, but even I get exhausted speaking to people non-stop for hours on end!
Last week we also had the bad news that Post Office Ltd has decided to close the 5 Post Offices across our constituency that they had previously marked for closure and consultation. Seems to me that the consultation process was pretty futile. The local communities involved submitted excellent cases for the retention of these Post Offices and highlighted the devastating impact closure would have on local residents - particularly older and disabled residents. I'm still campaigning to help ensure that at least some level of service is maintained in the affected areas, as some people really will be stuck without the local Post Office.
OK- I'm on my lunch break, so I can't go on much longer. These are strange times, with all the financial turmoil across the world. I'm not really qualified to comment on the ins and outs of it all, but I have a question to consider for the day. We are constantly told by Governments across the world that there is no more money for state pensions, poverty alleviation or to help developing countries where children are dying from preventable diseases, yet when the banks are in trouble, billions can be 'found' at the drop of a hat. Yet more proof that we could solve the problems facing the world, and all that is standing in the way is a lack of political will?
Right, I'm off for a salad to compensate for all the unhealthy food I ate at the weekend.
Anyway, a group of ten of us made the journey through to Glenrothes for an extended weekend of by-election campaigning. We had a good laugh, and we ploughed our way through the campaign work. This was the first time I had ever been to the area, but everyone was very friendly. Plus, with Glenrothes itself a New Town, parts of it had a familiar feel to Cumbernauld. The place I was canvassing on Saturday resembled Eastfield in Cumbernauld.
Anyway, my absence from blogging has been mainly down to the fact that we still have no internet access at home. BT and Virgin don't seem to want our money, and I don't want to give any money to Sky! So, we are stuck at the moment.
I was out and about last week too, at the Scottish Learning Festival - a massive education festival in Glasgow. I was there with work, and boy it was hard work. I'm a talker, but even I get exhausted speaking to people non-stop for hours on end!
Last week we also had the bad news that Post Office Ltd has decided to close the 5 Post Offices across our constituency that they had previously marked for closure and consultation. Seems to me that the consultation process was pretty futile. The local communities involved submitted excellent cases for the retention of these Post Offices and highlighted the devastating impact closure would have on local residents - particularly older and disabled residents. I'm still campaigning to help ensure that at least some level of service is maintained in the affected areas, as some people really will be stuck without the local Post Office.
OK- I'm on my lunch break, so I can't go on much longer. These are strange times, with all the financial turmoil across the world. I'm not really qualified to comment on the ins and outs of it all, but I have a question to consider for the day. We are constantly told by Governments across the world that there is no more money for state pensions, poverty alleviation or to help developing countries where children are dying from preventable diseases, yet when the banks are in trouble, billions can be 'found' at the drop of a hat. Yet more proof that we could solve the problems facing the world, and all that is standing in the way is a lack of political will?
Right, I'm off for a salad to compensate for all the unhealthy food I ate at the weekend.
3 comments:
Shame about the camera. Still, I doubt it'll be needed on Nov 6th as it's not going to be a 'photo-finish' once the votes are counted. (*Insert drum noise*)
Anyway, good point about the pensions and cancelling poverty. I do agree that it was human greed, a lack of political will and selfish national interest that scuppered that G8 deal.
But then again, I do think this credit crunch is a much more pressing crisis and begets the need for drumming up Government money as quickly as has been the case.
It is expected that the money put in to save the banks now, even the proposed $700bn, will be made back by all the corporation tax and income tax receipts saved, not to mention the savings in unemployment benefit and council housing etc if we can stop people being evicted or made redundant.
Ending poverty is an aspiration that does have a form of pay-back (we're better off trading with struggling African countries rather than bailing them out) but it's just easier for a Government that is on the ropes to put the issue on the backburner when the economy is on the slide.
Still, once our own house is in order, it's an aspiration that should not be allowed to slide in my view.
"plus Glenrothes itself is a new town, so resembles Cumbernauld in many ways"
Plenty of roundabouts then?
Indeed - plenty of roundabouts!
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