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by Paul Scully | Apr 16, 2008 | Carshalton Central, News |
I brought Boris to Carshalton High Street a few days ago. We discussed the contrast between the village feel of Carshalton and the different types of problems that we face here compared to Zone One.
You may recall that local business owners and residents had complained about underage drinking and vandalism in and around the High Street and the two parks. Shopkeepers articulated their concerns whilst appreciating that not all young people hanging out around the canal were looking for, or causing trouble.
Victor Eve collared Boris to highlight the bleak future for patients of Malvern Ward in Sutton Hospital, a specialist Alzheimers unit which is earmarked for closure. The owner of Village Bathrooms bemoaned the fact that since TfL had taken control of the High Street as a red route, getting anything done was both time consuming and costly. Even seeking permission for decorations at Christmas was proving to be a headache.
Finally we rested the campaign-weary feet at Harry Brooks’ coffee shop where Boris chatted with John Faulkner, Chairman of Woodstock Road Residents’ Association and Steve Mendat, a local Neighbourhood Watch Street Co-ordinator and caretaker at All Saints School. He also had time to spend a few minutes giving an interview to Lisa Williams of the Sutton Guardian.
I was determined that Boris would not simply be surrounded by the party faithful, instead meeting “real” residents of the village such as John and Steve who could tackle Boris on issues that concerned their friends and neighbours rather than pushing an election message to them. We have a long way to go before the result of this election is known. However, if and when Boris enters City Hall as the new Mayor, I want him to know exactly where Carshalton is and what he can do for us. Time and time again since being selected as the Conservative candidate, Boris has given me confidence that he will not ride roughshod over areas such as ours, instead seeking guidance from those who know the area best including our hard-working London Assembly candidate, Steve O’Connell. I’m looking forward to the refreshing change.
by Paul Scully | Apr 13, 2008 | News |
I’ve just caught up with last Tuesday’s debate on Newsnight with Jeremy Paxman interviewing the three leading candidates which you can see on BBC iPlayer for the next two days.
Three transport points stuck out for me. Firstly Brian Paddick unequivocally stated that he would scrap the Western extension to the Congestion Charge. This is a good thing since the Mayor introduced it in the face of opposition by the majority of residents. However the LibDem candidate failed to point out that he would replace it with a peak time congestion charge stretching over the vast majority of Greater London, the boundary being the limits of the Low Emission Zone. Woe betide anyone who lives in Worcester Park which would be split in two with this proposed charge.
The second two were about bendy buses. When confronted with the fact that bendy buses kill more people than Routemasters, Ken Livingstone explained that this was not because they were long, but because more people fell underneath them; an oblique and somewhat blinkered response. I’ve seen a few near misses with pedestrians toes – fortunately nothing more serious- as the buses turn corners.
Boris Johnson pointed out that bendy buses were hotbeds of fraud with some £8m of fares being lost. I have rarely used a bendy bus in London but used them frequently over the last few days in Rome – did I say that I had been away on holiday:)? There, the buses were packed, making it physically impossible for anyone to validate their ticket unless they happened to be pinned against the machine and feeling dextrous.
Click on the picture to see the full transport leaflet from Boris.
Since the election imprint was on the second page of the transport leaflet, I’ve added one below to cover the document cover shown above.
Promoted by Ian Sanderson on behalf of Boris Johnson, both at 30 Millbank London SW1P 4DP
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by Paul Scully | Apr 13, 2008 | News |
I’ve just got back from a few days in Rome. We had a fantastic time but it wasn’t without a couple of examples of Italian officials showing the worst of their bureaucracy and buses breaking down. But that only happens abroad doesn’t it?
Not a bit of it. After ten years of this Government losing control of immigration policy and process, Stansted had a 3/4 hour queue for passport control (probably longer for those outside the EU). This was after midnight so hardly peak time.
The drive back along the M11 and M25 had miles of coned lanes with speed limits reduced and no visible sign of any work having taken place during daylight hours. Now we don’t even have a ‘Cones Hotline’ to rant at (pointless at the time, definitely pointless now since you can’t use a mobile whilst driving) although Big Brother watches us via digital speed cameras.
At least in Rome, an earthquake, a Pope and two thousand years of history caused the Colosseum to get to the state that it is in. Though it is ragged around the edges, it is still very impressive – I’m still talking about the Colosseum. We need a change of Government and real reform before the final shine is taken off – I’m not talking about the Colosseum any more.
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by Paul Scully | Apr 7, 2008 | News |
Local Conservative campaigners in Wallington have been asking ‘Where is Ken Livingstone?’ As the contest for the next Mayor of London draws closer, people in Sutton have been campaigning to highlight Ken Livingstone’s neglect of London’s outer borough of Sutton.
Steve O’Connell, Conservative candidate for the London Assembly said:
“The current Mayor of London has been running an administration for zone 1, not for the rest of us who live in Greater London. We need a Mayor who will represent all Londoners and Boris Johnson has already demonstrated his commitment to doing this by visiting Sutton High Street and Cheam Village.
We are fed up with Ken Livingstone’s out of touch approach to running London. After eight years as Mayor all he seems to be interested in is preserving his job and looking after his cronies.
It is time for a change. Boris Johnson is campaigning on the issues that matter to the people of Sutton and offering fresh solutions on issues like Crime, Transport and back-garden development. We want to see a Mayor who cares about Sutton and is committed to working for all those who live in Greater London. Boris has clearly demonstrated he is the man for the job.
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by Paul Scully | Apr 2, 2008 | News |
…This time it’s personal.
I enjoy the writing of Quentin Letts (inset), sketchwriter for the Daily Mail and contributor to any number of other newspapers and magazines. He has a wicked sense of humour and a healthy disdain for most politicians. Now John Prescott has gone, he reserves his ire for replacement Labour Deputy Leader, Harriet Harman.
I must be one of the few people sad enough to sit through most of the last few No. 10 press conferences but it was worth persevering to the end to hear this question to Gordon Brown:-
“You just dodged Graham’s question about Harriet Harman. We all know she is a nightmare but she is there, she is your Deputy. Can you tell us was she right to wear a stab jacket and should she wear a stab jacket next time she is in Downing Street?”
Other bloggers and the dead-tree press have covered the ridiculous sight of Harriet Harman wearing a stab vest in her own constituency. This follows Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith’s admission that she doesn’t feel safe when buying a kebab in her patch. Boris Johnson quipped at a recent mayoral hustings that his aim was to make the kebab the most dangerous thing in Smith’s constituency.
Anyway, back to Quentin Letts. He has form. Take this earlier question to Gordon Brown at the December PM’s Press Conference:-
“Shall we just try one more time, Prime Minister, on the Harriet Harman question? How much are you behind her? Are you 100% behind her, 90, 20, 10? Do you wish she would go and jump off a cliff? Do you really want her to be in this job?”
He really must stop mincing his words about Hattie:)
I brought Boris to Carshalton High Street a few days ago. We discussed the contrast between the village feel of Carshalton and the different types of problems that we face here compared to Zone One.
