Mark Thomas - and thoughts on different hazards walking to school

It was the Mark Thomas show tonight, with his inimitable way of telling the tale, as he talked of his walk along the Palestinian Wall.  It was funny, moving, and really brought home what was happening, and how those involved were real human beings.  Maureen Rigg, who valiantly was part of the stall selling Fairtrade oil, olives and other goods tells it in a way I am not going to try to repeat, so do look at her blog.
The stories of the Palestinian children going to school really hurt.  In one village they had to go down the hill, through a tunnel, and up again.  It sounds a good idea to have a tunnel to get over a main road - but that tunnel turns into a sewerage channel when it rains, and they are "lucky" to have a step so as not to have to walk in the raw sewerage.  Another set of children have to walk past youths throwing stones at them.
A huge contrast to our children here, where some are taken almost into the school gate by car to protect them.  And some that have to go through unimaginable danger and trauma.

walking to school ?

I am talking to people in a road near to a school in the ward, and it is very upsetting how some very selfish people are making life difficult for residents.  Those collecting children from school are not only parking on pavements causing them to crack; making it difficult and dangerous for children that are walking, but also blocking people's drives, blocking entrance and exits to roads for residents, and to top it all tipping litter from the car whilst they wait for children to come out.
We have worked tirelessly with the school, with the police, with the enforcement service, with the Council transportation department, and some things are about to happen, with an excellent Power Point presentation that the children have done just launched.  However it is an uphill battle as so many parents are determined that the children must only walk the very minimum distance possible to school.  Why chidren in the 21st Century are less able to walk to school than before is beyond me.
We have spent money from our environmental budget and persuaded the Council to make no end of improvements to the walk to school to make it more posssible. 
However, we will continue to work with all concerned for a better solution.

I listen to a sad story on the doorstep of a family with multiple care needs, and I am upset that they are worried after reading scare stories in the press that they will lose all of their disablity benefits.  I am glad to have the opportunity to explain more about what is actually planned, and suddenly remember I need to be home in time for the phone conference that I have later in the evening with Steve Webb, Pensions Minister, where I am representing the North East Lib Dems.
Home in time, and time to read through the issues.  An excellent confernece, not as long as I would have liked but a chance to hear first hand what is being planned, to be able to put the issues like the one I had met earlier in the evening, and very importantly, hear at first hand just what our Lib Dem Minister has been doing on our behalf.  I am greatly relieved that our Steve Webb still has the same principles, ethics and care that he has always had.  What policies come out in the end may not all be what Lib Dems want, in fact they won't be, we are not in charge.  But we will have definitely made a difference, and the result is not as the lefties are trying to scare people with.

More team work again

this time in another ward, and very encouraging it was too, despite the opinion polls.  Quite shocking that nobody at all that I met had any idea who there Coucnillor was.
A proper meal to finish the evening off.  in election times we do appreciate that !

Census day

After 100 years you would think they would have got the questions right.  I can remember being a census "person" in 1971, and it had its problems then.  However there was no slot to fit into for being a local government coucnillor.  We are "office holders" not employees.  As are clergy in the Church of England and numerous other people.  If Councillors were  "employed" we would have rights, hourly pay, holiday leave and even sick leave.  We are answerable to our consituents not Stockton Council, too.
I turned to the website for guidance on how to fill in the form but there was little extra information and all I could do on not finding it was to tick a box saying "not helpful".  no e-mail address.  So the form remains not fully filled in.

More teamwork

Nothing like working in a team and we had a good day with a sizeable group of us calling on people and talking about issues with them in Bishopsgarth and Elm Tree.  Between us we covered many more houses than on our daily sessions, and it was good to find that other people picked up the warm welcome that Julia, Elliot and I have been receiving in the ward.
It is meeting constituents and taking up their issues that is an aspect of ward councillor work that I will miss, but am thankful I have Julia and Elliot to carry on the good work.
Nothing like a warm up with toasted sandwiches at the Elm Tree Pub in the middle of the day too.

Teamwork

Yes, it is teamwork all day and evening at the moment, as we prepare for the eleciton campaign, but a different sort tonight when we have our Lib Dem quiz.  Elliot Kennedy is definitly part of a "winning team" :-)