tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323888702009-05-18T04:46:12.988+01:00Occasional observations on news and events in and around Chelmsford, Essex by Stephen Robinson. (The Lib Dem activist Stephen Robinson - not the astronaut or the journalist or the guitarist!)Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.orgBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-45102285158985588422009-05-18T00:28:00.004+01:002009-05-18T01:10:47.728+01:00

I've joined 56 other Liberal Democrat candidates in writing an open letter calling on the House of Commons speaker Michael Martin to take radical action or resign. But I'm not expecting Chelmsford MP Simon Burns to take action, since he votes against a transparent Parliament, according to They Work For You.Dear Mr Speaker,As Parliament continues to be dragged down by the allowance system, and its

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-14636526969260925422009-04-16T23:53:00.003+01:002009-04-17T00:18:27.516+01:00

Just back from a campaign planning meeting. (Loads to do between now and election day on 4th June.) Lib Dem leader on Chelmsford council, Mike Mackrory, reported on a council meeting last night. The Conservatives who run the council have COMPLETELY ignored the hundreds of people who commented on their plans for 4000 houses on green fields. (Details here.) They press on with their plans for an

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-7868718698708858332009-02-25T00:11:00.002Z2009-02-25T00:42:10.792Z

Very funny talk this evening at Round Table, from Darren Couchman – an Essex man who survived testicular cancer and wants to use humour to stop others suffering. 1 in 3 people will be affected by cancer of some kind; 1,800 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer in the UK each year.Most men with testicular cancer can be cured. It's most likely to occur in young and middle-aged men. But most men

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-20105798661944859652009-02-13T13:10:00.004Z2009-02-13T13:54:37.926Z

The Liberal Democrats are reviewing their party policy on women's issues and it is now open for comment. You might ask whether it is still necessary to produce policy specifically aimed at women. Jo Swinson MP, the Chair of the Working Group says:"As Liberal Democrats, we are concerned at the injustices that women face in our society. The last major review of Liberal Democrat women’s policy was

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-87967039170268165852009-02-06T00:15:00.003Z2009-02-06T22:42:38.641Z

I blogged in the summer about how it was rubbish that immigrants were taking "our" jobs. There has been a big row again this last week involving foreign workers. This all suits the Labour government (and the Conservatives who invented most of the deregulation) - to divert attention from their central role in creating the problems we face.It is worth remembering that our collective national income

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-59647239590245274982009-02-03T15:48:00.002Z2009-02-03T17:19:25.193Z

Graham Watson MEP wants to make the European Parliament more accountable to the public that elects it. Graham is leader of the 100-strong Liberal and Democrat group and is the first MEP ever to publicly state that he wants to be President of the European Parliament.It's a job a little like Speaker of the House of Commons but more involved in managing the business of Parliament. The post is filled

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-90676982596507493702008-12-19T16:30:00.003Z2008-12-19T17:15:55.808Z

Essex County Council has been shown to be good at publicity and bad at looking after vulnerable children. In the space of a week, it stood out in two league tables. The first rated Tory-run Essex and seven other authorities as the worst councils in the country for child protection. See The Guardian. The second was for spending on council publicity - where it came ninth highest. See the BBC

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-15051555974349736972008-11-13T13:39:00.002Z2008-11-14T01:34:23.222Z

A friend asked me last night why the US President does not take up office for 2.5 months, when a British PM takes over within about 12 hours of the election result. The historical answer seems to be down to the size of the country - it used to take weeks if not months to be clear about the result, (and they use an electoral college not direct counting of votes).Even today some results can take a

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-89268414402210989342008-11-11T10:39:00.002Z2008-11-11T11:14:07.290Z

The Soldier - Rupert BrookeIf I should die, think only this of me:That there's some corner of a foreign fieldThat is forever England. There shall beIn that rich earth a richer dust concealed;A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;A body of England's, breathing English air,Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart,

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-60096904920755050722008-11-05T11:34:00.004Z2008-11-05T12:49:29.548Z

Students these days - they just don't care. Where are the massed crowds and the protests of outrage for today's student fees protest? That was my first reaction this morning; and I wondered if that proves I must be getting older! I was also shocked about the almost total lack of publicity around the Students' Union building. But as I left Chelmsford's Anglia Ruskin campus, I also realised that

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-5500845754321614212008-10-20T23:47:00.003+01:002008-10-20T23:53:41.143+01:00

Earlier, I watched ITV's Tonight programme about a so-called referendum in Luton on the EU. If the incorrect information on their own website was any guide, I should not have been surprised how rubbish the programme was. There was no serious questioning of the pro or anti speakers; it was not clear whether we were watching a discussion for/against the EU or for/against the treaty of Lisbon. (See

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-6091760426873832212008-10-17T17:04:00.004+01:002008-10-18T00:34:13.282+01:00

I know that Britain's best interests are served by close co-operation with our neighbours in the EU - particularly to deal with global issues like climate change. (I'm just back from leading a fact-finding trip to Brussels for a group of Lib Dems - pictures).But I also know that what happens in the USA election will impact on us this side of the pond. To see how the election is going I sometimes

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-615565917440095612008-10-07T22:19:00.002+01:002008-10-20T23:57:47.830+01:00

It's been hard work preparing for the visit of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to Chelmsford this Thursday. Preparations have been going on for some weeks, as ideas for places to visit have bounced back and forth. I'm taking him to Tanglewood nursery school, as a great example of the difference that quality pre-school education can make. I am deeply proud of the fantastic work they do there -

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-54851593878325046642008-10-02T21:36:00.003+01:002008-10-10T17:14:45.538+01:00

So - the realities of the property market have finally caught up with the ruling Conservatives on Chelmsford council. Their plan to build 400 flats etc. on the car park of Riverside leisure centre is set to be dropped. The Lib Dem plan (ditched when the Conservatives took over the council) would have built a new leisure centre on a more appropriate site, with a range of leisure facilities in one

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-54836885601422620132008-08-30T00:17:00.001+01:002008-08-30T00:19:27.637+01:00

Politicians should always keep in touch with the views of people in their area - but particularly with young people, whose views are often ignored. I've been running a young people's survey on Facebook for a while, following a talk to Moulsham High school students as part of Citizenship Week.Now the survey is on a new website accessible to everyone, whether on Facebook or not. This survey is

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-59438314396080899122008-08-28T01:08:00.000+01:002008-08-28T01:08:21.265+01:00

I recently heard a presentation about the progress with the plan to build a hospice/respite care centre in mid-Essex for young adults. There is only one other in the country (in Oxford) but a growing need. Children's wards or hospices for the elderly are rarely ideal for young adults in need of different surroundings.The Js (named after Jonathan Whiffin) will be the appropriate alternative: The

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-51951308563704633502008-08-24T14:53:00.000+01:002008-08-24T14:53:14.907+01:00

The next time someone complains about "all these foreigners coming in to take our jobs" I shall point them to this story in The Observer. Our fruit growers are desperately short of workers:- Immigration rules and the strong euro have led to a shortage of foreign fruit harvesters.I get seriously fed up with the media (not to mention UKIP and their ilk) who actively blame "foreigners" for various

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-6429601095436155902008-08-22T13:03:00.000+01:002008-08-22T13:03:46.070+01:00

Following a news report of a fire on the A1060 Roxwell Road, I've discovered that our Fire & Rescue service carries a report of all call-outs on their website.

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-75814422399694886012008-07-31T12:17:00.002+01:002008-07-31T12:45:22.470+01:00

With gas and electricity prices rising, one would hope that it would make green electricity (i.e. from renewable sources) more attractive. There is no reason for the price of green electricity to rise, as it is not related to the cost of gas. (You can sign up for green electricity here.)When are either Labour or the Conservatives going to make a firm commitment to changing tax policy to make

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-4806418489081615302008-07-01T23:22:00.001+01:002008-07-02T18:52:40.026+01:00

Many of us are concerned about all the targets that central Government sets for local government. But while they are still all there, perhaps it's worth taking a look at which of the optional targets a council chooses to prioritise. Tim Davies asks Is your council prioritising positive activities?I was particularly interested to note that only 77 councils are prioritising positive activities for

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-43976035481721151412008-06-16T11:23:00.000+01:002008-06-16T11:23:45.341+01:00

"Rachel from north London" - a high-profile victim of the London bombings - does not back the Government's proposals to take away our hard-won freedoms. Neither do many others that she links to in her blog. And America's 9/11 commission does not sound keen either: "Our history has shown us that insecurity threatens liberty. Yet, if our liberties are curtailed, we lose the values that we are

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-58101667917327621192008-06-09T23:44:00.001+01:002008-06-09T23:45:09.451+01:00

Tower Bridge now has its own twitter page, recording when it opens and closes: Twitter / towerbridge. It reminded me of the doors that opened/closed on Zaphod B/b's spaceship in Hitch Hiker's Guide.... (Mine is http://twitter.com/sj_robinson !)

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-6139361804918661582008-06-04T13:08:00.000+01:002008-06-04T13:08:18.770+01:00

Llewtrah's Soapbox reports:Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) is highly toxic and it has a taste that is attractive to some animals. As well as accidental poisonings, it has sometimes been used deliberately to poison animals including domestic pets. There is a Downing Street petition to make antifreeze safe. "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Enforce that the manufactures of engine

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-29141969758571025462008-05-16T17:08:00.001+01:002008-05-16T17:11:28.957+01:00

Chelmsford Weekly News reports "Cctv Cameras Are Cutting Crime Say Council" but if you read the story carefully it is mainly reporting that CCTV helped catch some criminals, which is not the same thing. It did not stop the crimes being committed! Clearly, it is difficult to prove a negative - that CCTV stops crime being committed. But some reports have tried:More CCTV on London's streets does not

Stephen Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06323873431145237483blog@stephenrobinson.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32388870.post-89271438920388684292008-05-12T16:47:00.001+01:002008-05-12T16:48:11.263+01:00

The campaign "Don't Choke Chelmsford" is gathering momentum, as more and more people learn about Conservative plans for over-development in Chelmsford town centre as well as green field building. Our roads are already too crowded; there aren't enough reliable bus services; the cycle network is still incomplete.The latest element of this is when people learn that the council wants to sell off half

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