The Allandale held the latest Cascade event yesterday - the project enables local people to ’showcase’ their skills and talents to local residents. Cllr Denis Knowles and I went along and the Allandale was packed. The people of Seacombe came out to support not only the event but the Allandale Youth Centre itself.
It’s a fantastic facility and was certainly well used yesterday. There was Carribean, African and Chinese cooking, flower arranging, clay sculpting, song writing, card making, snooker, computers and belly dancing – Denis seemed very keen to have a go, although I resisted!
There were lots of ‘hearts’ around ready for Valentine’s Day; on hand made cards, out of clay and flowers.
Many youngsters were there and Denis and I were interviewed by 7Waves Community Radio, our local radio station and Wirral TV with one of the students filming us both.
The event carried on for most of the day and was a huge success. There’s a special Valentine’s Cascade event at the Cherry Tree Centre in Liscard this Saturday 13 February between 11am and 3pm and it’s back at the Leasowe and Well BeingCentre on Thursday 11 February.
Earlier this morning, I had a call from a pensioner in Wallasey. She couldn’t stop laughing. My Monday mornings don’t usually start this way.
It seems she has received a letter from the current MP warning her that I and the Conservatives want to stop/axe/slash/cut blah blah blah any source of pensioner income and send her to the workhouse.
The pensioner has written to Ms Eagle’s office twice in the last year and not had a reply. Now, with an election coming up she gets some propaganda through the post.
So, if you have received a letter from the New Labour MP, let me be quite clear: THE CONSERVATIVES WILL NOT SCRAP THE WINTER FUEL PAYMENT.
The MP could have saved herself a stamp.
We know why Ms Eagle has sent the letter. She’s worried about losing her seat. Not helped by the fact that Ladbrokes have cut the odds on me winning.
Ms. Eagle is also the Minister of State for Pensions and the Ageing Society. You would have thought then, she, of all people would have known how much liability the country has on pensions and not ‘off the top of her head’. Click here. Ms Eagle even goes on to accuse Conservatives of scaremongering. LOL.
Strangely, Angela forgot to mention what the Conservatives will REALLY do for pensioners in Wallasey and Moreton:
- We will raise the basic state pension in line with earnings to help stop the spread of the means test.
- We will introduce a new ‘home protection scheme’ that will end the desperate situation whereby tens of thousands of older people are being forced to sell their homes each year to pay for residential care at the end of their lives.
- We want to ensure a fairer deal for grandparents, and are looking at ways in which a Conservative government could make it easier for grandparents to receive tax credits and allowances when looking after their grandchildren.
- Tackling the Cost of Living. Under Labour, the cost of living for pensioners has soared. We will help to tackle this by working with local councils to introduce a two year Council Tax freeze.
- We will also do more to help pensioners with their fuel bills. We will protect the Winter Fuel Payment, and we will introduce a new entitlement for every household to be fitted with up to £6,500 of approved energy efficiency improvements
Now, as I have said before, I’m not one of those candidates who goes around slagging off anyone who happens to disagree with me and I don’t think the voters are interested in mudslinging. I know that in 1997 New Labour had good intentions and they had some good ideas – of which the Winter Fuel Payment is one. But I, and many other people feel that Labour has lost it and it’s time for change.
Of course, there probably wasn’t enough space in the letter for Angela to give the FULL story on pensioners. So, I’ll give her a hand…
Poorest in Europe: Figures from Eurostat show that Britain’s pensioners are more likely than most of those living elsewhere in Europe to be at risk of poverty. Only pensioners in Romania, Latvia, Cyprus and Estonia are more likely to fall into poverty (Eurostat, At-risk-of-poverty rate for pensioners, July 2009).
And there’s more!
It’s been nearly 12 months since I visited Wallasey Sea Cadets, who are based inVictoria Road, New Brighton, so I was delighted to be invited to their Presentation Evening on Friday to present the awards again this year along with Cllr Bill Duffey.
The Unit is split into two groups; Port and Starboard (what else!) and I was delighted to announce the winner for 2009, which was Port.
The Unit, TS Astute, is one of the largest in the Country, with the Marine Cadets recently boosting their numbers this year from four to twenty.
I’ve met a number of the cadets over the year when they’ve been out helping in the community.
They raised money by ‘bag packing’ in Asda – giving half the proceeds to Liscard Traders Christmas Lights Appeal. Like many groups run by volunteers they rely on fundraising.
On Saturday 13 March they’re holding a book sale at the Cherry Tree Centre in Liscard, with all proceeds going to the upkeep of the Unit.
The cadets are also still sending shoeboxes to our soldiers in Afghanistan – please support the cadets if you can, it’s great to see youngsters spending their time involved in worthwhile causes.
Can you imagine what would happen if you fiddled your expenses at work, if you’re lucky enough to be able to claim expenses? The police are called in. You’re charged. But, instead of facing justice, you try to escape the law because of the kind of job you do. It just wouldn’t happen. Unless, of course, you are one of the MPs revealed today.
It is essential that all MPs pay back the amounts recommended. If they refuse to do so, the money should be taken off their salaries.
Reform of expenses should be part of a broad reform of the political system. Labour have had 13 years to do this. But now, just 90 days before a general election, Gordon Brown is not trying to mend our broken politics but trying to fiddle the electoral system by making it more difficult for him to be voted out. It’s clear he will do or say anything to cling onto power.
We can’t go on like this. We need change and real reform of the political system. That means cutting the size of the House of Commons, cutting Ministerial pay and complete transparency on expenses. To get real political change we need a change of government.
As a local Councillor, I do not claim travel expenses; I do not make use of the free meals in the Town Hall and I voted against and refused to accept the increase in allowances last year. If I am elected as the new MP for Wallasey, I will also do things differently from the current MP. Click here.
With Cllr. Ian Lewis protesting against the tolls
At the meeting, I am very pleased that the two Conservative Councillors from Wirral, Chris Blakeley and Ian Lewis, voted to freeze the tolls this year. They also tried to move a reduction in tolls, taking into account the recession. Sadly, they were outvoted by Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors.
Indeed, both councillors tried twice to reduce the tolls – the second attempt would have cut 10 pence off the toll and was, according to Merseytravel’s Director of Resources, affordable to the authority. Labour and Liberal Democrats had the chance to reduce the burden on people in Wirral and they blew it.
Indeed, I think those local Labour MPs who voted for the Mersey Tunnels Act in 2004 should also take their share of responsibility for an Act of Parliament that gives Merseytravel the right to raise the tolls each year, regardless of the state of the finances of the tunnels. As Arthur Daley would say, ‘what a nice a little earner!’
Merseytravel’s budget is, in effect, being balanced on the backs of the people of Wirral.
Meeting the manager of the tunnels
I, and many other people across Wirral (not least the Mersey Tunnel Users Association) believe the tolls are no longer being used for their original purpose (the cost of constructing the tunnels). Instead, the profit from the tolls is being used to fund transport projects across Merseyside.
Why a commuter in Wirral should be paying for a new bus station in St Helens or Southport is beyond me – the Council Tax payers in every authority already contribute part of their Council Tax to Merseytravel.
Indeed, a report for Merseytravel identified that Wirral has the lowest workplace earnings in Merseyside. Yet, the councillors who voted against the cut are quite happy to see some of the lowest paid people in the region pay the current level of toll.
It’s usually the last resort of an unpopular, unelected virtually self-appointed leader to cling to power by fiddling the election results. Step forward one G. Brown who has, 13 years after it was promised, said that now is the time to look at changing the way we elect our government. This from the man who avoided a leadership election, bottled a general election and now wants to fiddle the electoral system. He will say anything to cling on to power. It’s not the voting system that needs changing; it’s this weak and divided Government.
Of course, his sudden desire has nothing to do with the slide in support for New Labour…the main beneficiaries of this will, of course, be the Liberal Democrats who, Gordon Brown is expecting, will vote to keep him in Number 10. Vote Lib Dem? Get Brown.
