Labour building up everywhere - 2

Fab news.
All three of Central Devon Constituency's Labour Branches now are present on the Web

Visit Labourlight
if you live in one of these wards - Boniface,   Bradninch,   Cadbury,   Exe Valley,   Lawrence,    Newbrooke,   Sandford and Creedy,   Silverton,   Taw,   Taw Vale,   Upper Yeo,   Way,   Yeo


Visit East Dartmoor Labour
if you live in one of these Wards - Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, Bovey Tracey, Chudleigh, Haytor, Kenn Valley, Moorland, Teignbridge, Teignbridge North, Teign Valley


Visit Okehampton and West Labour Facebook
if you live in one of these Wards - Chagford,   Drewsteignton,   Exbourne, Hatherleigh,   Lew Valley,   North Tawton,   Okehampton East,   Okehampton West,   South Tawton  

Labour building up everywhere

In September 2010 I was elected as the Exeter City Councillor for Pinhoe Ward.
I won't be posting here any more, but you can find me at my new Facebook page
Moira Macdonald

and I still work with the amazing and fast-growing Central Devon Labour Party - who now have three thriving Branches.

Check out
Labour East Dartmoor Branch

and
Labour Party: Okehampton and District Branch

Tory Tosh About Caring For Rural Areas - 2

Heard the story about children who don't know milk comes from cows, and think it arrives in the supermarket from a factory that puts it into bottles?

That childish ignorance is in danger of becoming true.

Increased financial pressures on dairy farmers are pushing farmers towards an unwelcome and unhealthily intensive Dairy 'Industry'. More and more cows are seen as nothing but milk production factory units.

Alan Meale, Labour MP for  Mansfield, on 3rd June tabled an Early Day Motion

EDM 144 - LEVELS OF INDUSTRIALISATION IN UK DAIRY HERDS
That this House is aware of the pressures building within the agricultural and related industries in the UK towards greater levels of industrialisation in UK dairy farming, with the direct consequence of growing numbers of cows being kept indoors for most of their lives; and notes the 2009 Report of the European Food Safety Authority, which concluded that the factory farming of dairy cows should end, not least because such breeding and practices for higher milk yields are major factors causing poor health and welfare in dairy herds.

.....
In the three weeks since then sixteen Labour MPs and only oneTory MP have signed their support for the EDM

If you want to help prevent the trend towards intensive factory-farming practices harmful to cows you can lobby Central Devon's Tory MP Mel Stride. Ask him to sign the EDM and also to be pro-active on the issue - his contact details are here

But he may not want to upset his neighbouring Tory MP Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, who has this to say in the 6th April 2010 edition of Meat Trade News Daily

Babies and the reconomic recession

"There is one area in particular where we both believe there is a need for urgent change. It is shocking that in many parts of Europe women still do not have equal rights in the workplace. [my emphasis] This is not just unfair; it makes no sense - because it deprives our economies of their full potential as workers and consumers."

Amazingly, the "we" who wrote the above are the prime ministers of the UK and Sweden. It is in an article in today's Financial Times - Reining in Europe's deficits is just the first step
It makes you wonder whether David Cameron is fully aware of how our country lags behind Sweden in terms of workplace rights not only for women, but for men too.

It is not good enough to keep the focus on women alone. Urge legislative change on behalf of women all you want, but that in itself won't shift cultural attitudes. Sweden's pro-active legislation for men in the workplace has made

Tory tosh about caring for rural areas - 1

Anyone who thinks the Tory-Lib Dem Govt will actually care about - or even understand - rural issues may want to re-think.

One month into the new Govt and here's the first revelation.
Rural poverty will be tackled by voluntary organisations which will help to rescue people from being "stranded on benefits" and get them into work.
Don't ask what work, since it is clear to me when meeting young people across Central Devon that finding a job which lets you live in your own village is nigh on impossible.

Buried in his House of Commons speech on tackling poverty Chris Grayling, Tory Minister for Work and Pensions, made this startling admission

Harold Wilson's choice

Twice Labour Prime Minister between 1964 and 1976

Harold Wilson is remembered for his Government's

progressive and occasionally radical legislation including 

abortion, censorship, divorce, homosexuality,

immigration, membership of the European Community 

and especially the abolition of capital punishment.

I remember on my first visit to the Isles of Scilly
seeing him on St Mary's harbour quayside embarking
on one of the off-island trips.

He chose to retire to the Scillies and every time I go back for yet another holiday on those beautiful islands I think what a good choice he made.

To anyone who has not experienced this superb part of the UK - do go!

To anyone who wants to see a progressive and radical Party back in power - get involved in the Leadership contest, join us to restore the Party, help us get re-elected and see your beliefs put to work.

Call this Christian?

Such intensity of feeling brought so many Newton St Cyres residents to their Parish Hall last night that not only was there standing room only, the standing room included those who were outside the hall leaning in to listen through the open windows.

The reason?

Underneath the well-drained, fertile and

beautiful farmland of nearby Winscott Barton Farm

lie 3 million tonnes of gravel and sand

 which could be extracted and sold

to bring in money

for the Church Commissioners

who own the land.

As tennant farmers, four generations of the same family have made Winscott Barton a highly productive dairy and crop-producing farm. If the Church Commission gives them notice to quit and the gravel extraction goes ahead all this will be lost, not just for the twenty or twentyfive years it takes to sell off the gravel, but forever, because the reduced amount of farmable land that is left will drain so poorly.

Why might the Church Commissioners even entertain the idea of ruining forever a good farm - when everyone knows our country falls well short of producing all its own food?

Their investments haven't always been guided by an ethical approach as is now ensured by their Ethical Investments Advisory Board. But recently they did eventually decide to pull out of controversial dam building in India.

So if they can back off from harm in far off India,

perhaps we can persuade them to do no harm in Devon?

Please let the Secretary of the

 Ethical Investment Advisory Board 

know how you feel about the idea of

Winscott Barton Farm

becoming a gravel quarry.

"Women" won't do.

So far we have two Eds, two Millibands, one David and a Balls.

Three men, no women.

Does this look like the right kind of leadership election?

Going by theyworkforyou.com's listed voting records

 there's not a huge amount to choose between -

Ed Balls

David Milliband

Ed Milliband

Unhelpfully, theyworkforyou.com's list doesn't include  a "women's issue" voting record, though of course the whole list is of interest to both women and men.
Contrary to the media's simplistic and superficial 'take' on the gender imbalance in Parliament and Government, "women" does not ..........

Anti-Labour media buries our good news

Adam Boulton and Sly News showed everyone the media bias that Labour Party members have long recognised.

It is only newsworthy when Labour lose a national election.
But when Labour make substantial gains in local elections....?

The BBC buried the link to the bare statistics on their Elections 2010 main page.
Go compare - the lobbying group Urban Forum Untold Story Of The Local Elections.and the Local Government Chronical Labour encouraged by gains in local elections

Labour - 442 councillors gained. Control 15 more local councils

Tories - 119 councillors lost. Control 8 less councils.

Lib Dems - 129 councillors lost. Control 3 less councils

Most of the Labour gains were from councils that used to be No Overall Control.

So as our Country goes hang,

 locally people feel they've been hung out to dry too often

and are turning back to labour.

 Across England it is still the Tories who dominate the most councils.

But in the May elections next year

Labour is set to further regain control of local government.

Be part of the return to Labour values locally

Be liberated from zombie arguments. Vote Planet!

How dangerous is it to wear a T-shirt that says

"Global warming is a lot of hot air"?

I expect such a T-shirt exists.
If worn by a climate scientist on an IPCC working group, or worn on the high street by a global warming denier, its dual meanings couldn't be more opposed.

Do we laugh or despair?
If unchecked our planet will reach lethal temperatures well within the lifetimes of people alive today.
Yet we still behave (Kyoto, Copenhagen) as if the most important sustainablity is the acheivement of yet another moratorium event on the matter.

But there is no point in endlessly, politely trying to persuade a denier.

Ben Goldacre's succinct exposure of climate change denialists in his Bad Science column in the Guardian alerts us to the folly of engaging with denialists' zombie arguments, or as I've always thought of it -  "Never wrestle with a pig, You both get dirty and the pig likes it."

We don't need everyone to understand climate change. We just need enough of those people who set trends, make decisions, influence expenditure, etc.

What are the important decisions that need to be made?

Who currently makes them?

Are they getting the message?

If not, why not?

Vote Planet!

In May next year District and Parish council elections

will be held across Central Devon.

We need to start now to ensure that all those who stand for election

get the global warming message

and we need to campaign to make sure

that those with the most positive responses get elected.

Go Labour! Building on our result.

Factor in the tactical anti-Tory votes and we think our 6.9% vote share could mean as many as one in ten people in Central Devon hold dear the principle of progressive change towards a better, more equal and sustainable society: Labour values.

In Central Devon we have a crucial democratic role to play.

As I made clear at all the hustings meetings - being stuck with two-party, and sometimes single party, dominance of local councils risks a lack of accountability,  lack of transparency, and the quality of service provision.

What Labour in Central Devon now aims for is to increase our local impact. We need to challenge, scrutinise and improve local council decisions and services at parish, district and county level.

A massive thank you to all Labour supporters who voted - whether directly for Labour of tactically against the Tories. We now need to tackle the two-party domienence in Central Devon.
Already Labour members are making a difference locally.
And the Central Devon Labour Party is large enough and active enough to support those who step forward to keep local authorities under scrutiny and also to consider taking on council roles.

If you feel you have a contribution to make, whether as a supportive Party member, a local council watchdog, or going for council elections next year to represent Labour values then please email me on munyori@blueyonder.co.uk

Healthy Badgers, Healthy Cattle

Is it possible to reach a win/win

balance of nature

in the battle against bovine TB?

Speak to farmers in Central Devon, those who care as much about the wildlife on their farms as they care about their animals, and you will soon be directed to a group of people who beleive there is a way forward.

I've had the pleasure of meeting some of them.

As a result, at the NFU run hustings event in Okehampton I was given a DVD.

Bovine TB - A Way Forward

It makes for compelling viewing.

It costs only £4.99 including postage. You can see more details and buy it here

It features the work of the Healthy Badger Project to which not enough media attention is given, and not enough scientific credence.

Get the DVD, watch it with others who share your concern that there should be
a win/win for cows and badgers.
Spread the word.Thank you.

Robin Hood Tax wins by a clear margin

Lobbying emails are pouring in at this stage of the election.

But in the last two days one huge lobby has come crashing into my inbox - email after email asking will I support the Robin Hood Tax

Absolutely!

I've signed up.
I ask everyone who reads this blog to sign up too.

But we need to do more. The Robin Hood Tax needs to go along side the two proposed IMF bank taxes so that we have three ways of getting the banking system under control.

And by the way - compared to the daylight robbery of us, I don't think of the Robin Hood Tax as us robbing the banks back - I think of it as a kind of redistributive justice.

If we're ever going to save planet earth and the billions of us on her then this has got to happen.

What will these parents do...?

Sure Start Children’s centres have been one of Labour’s big successes over the last five years, growing rapidly to reach 3,500 across the country.

Here in Central Devon, parents can access services at six centres – serving areas in and around Ashburton / Buckfastleigh; Bovey Tracey / Heathfield; Crediton, Hatherleigh, and Okehampton

What will parents who use these centres discover, if a Tory Government gets in?

The Tories would cut Sure Start from families on middle and modest incomes.

Those same families would suffer a double whammy because the Tories would also cut Child Tax Credits and the Child Trust Fund.
And now we learn that the Tories secret plan is to let nurseries charge top-up fees
The Tory voting record speaks volumes -
Against increasing maternity leave. Against introducing paternity leave. Against flexible working. Against the National minimum wage.

Don't give the Tories the chance to plunge parents and their children back into hardship and poverty.
Vote Labour.

See what Labour will do here....

Visible, vocal, going for votes

Ten weeks since our Central Devon Campaign took off and I'm overwhelmed by the superb welcome and support from local Labour Party members and supporters.

In particular I'm indebted to members who have walked miles delivering newsletters in their area, and to supporters who have put my posters up in their windows, or invited me to have a garden stake in front of their home.

Everywhere I've been, across Central Devon, there are Labour-minded people who greet me and are delighted to see a Labour candidate actively campaigning for votes.

There's an myth the Tory Party promotes that rural seats are 'naturally' theirs.

Not so.

Central Devon is a new constituency voting for the first time in the election. No-one knows how the votes will go.

But it is true that this country's antiquated first-past-the-post electoral system betrays voters up and down the country and often creates 'safe seats'.

That should never be so in any election. It has to be changed. Labour recognise that need and have pledged to do something about it. Everyone should be able to vote postively for who they do want, not negatively against a Party they don't want.

Central Devon has no track record. It is important that voters vote for who they want. If you're Labour, please vote for me - the many other Labour people in Central Devon, who are active in this campaign, would love to see their efforts rewarded.

Student Amnesty

I know Amnesty International has a strong following
amongst university students.

Last night at Queen Elizabeth's Community College we had a big turnout crowd treated to a first rate hustings organised by teaching staff and

the School's Amnesty International group of pupils.

I was delighted to discover that QECC is also a Fairtrade School.

One of my great pleasures in this election is to find young people very engaged with politics - not necessarily party politics, though there's a big revival in the Labour Party, but in the commitment to making our world a better place - caring as much for others as themsleves.

For thirteen years our Labour Government has worked to foster fairer and more socially responsible attitudes. Now we can see the re-connection of young people to decent life-enhancing values, away from the Thatcher's Children generation's selfish obsessions with its conspicuous consumption and the me-me-me heedlessness that bred inequality.

The Sixth Form students at Queen Elizabeth's Community College are axcellent ambassadors for their high acheiving school. It was a pleasure to be part of their event.

Labour fields more women candidates than ever before

There are more Labour women candidates in this election than ever before.

And the last Parliament already had three times the number of Labour women MPs than all the other parties combined.

See more about this great news

With Labour back in Government there would be further progress made on making sure that all this country's legislation is looked at from both a female and male point of view.

Result - much better legislation.

For a Government that reflects everyone's interests - Vote Labour.

It's Legal!

Huge thanks to the dozens of people who
have worked hard on my behalf already.

The crucial step of ensuring I am properly registered as a candidate
was completed today, so all their work has been rewarded.
We can now race on towards polling day - 6th May.

All five candidates in Central Devon have registered and there's been no last minute shock of discovering, as have some of my Labour colleagues, that there's the appalling BNP to contend with.

So far the election contest has seemed fair and decent, without personal rancour as we five meet at the various hustings. I for one intend it to stay that way.

J K Rowling - "I've never voted Tory before...

"I've never voted Tory before," writes J K Rowling in The Times, "... and they keep on reminding me why."

Fab article - short, cut to the point - brilliant - The Single Mother's Manifesto

EU-Yes!

Last night's hustings event in Lapford - very well attended after good organisation by David Bragg and the Lapford Churches Together Initiative - again saw attacks from the  UKIP candidate and sceptical comments from the Tory candidate regarding this country's membership of the EU.

I said then, what I've said at other hustings events, that it hugely benefits this country to be in the EU.

It is crucial that our Country should be at the centre of things in the EU, as we are now, making sure British business and social interests are at the forefront and that the power of the EU can be directed at global problems like the financial crisis, climate change, poverty, sustainable energy, fighting diseases such as malaria and Aids, opposing extremists.

Here are just a few of the very many highly important reasons why our central involvement in the EU must be maintained  -

What would the media say if...

What would the media say if Labour candidates were driving round in lush liveried vehicles? I've seen the cars of two of the Tory candidates now - styled in similar fashion to promote the visibility of the candidate. Do all the South West candidates of every other party  have the same expensive styling? No.
Why hasn't this splashing of cash been questioned?

Just suppose that after any election there was a system whereby the amounts spent by each party were compared - and the party that spent the most had to give an amount to charity that was equal to how much more they had spent than the next highest spending Party.....?

And the voting paper would have a space where we could name our favourite charity so that the charity that got the most votes nationally would get that money....?

A fantasy of course.
But the reality of vastly unequal party spending power goes on.
It shouldn't be possible for any party to hugely 'spend its way' towards a victory it desires.

I Stand For Children

The NSPCC have asked for my pledge.

But they will not send my pledge message to all their members in Central Devon until they can do so with the pledges of all of Central Devon's candidates.

Fair enough I say - the National Charity has to play carefully by the rules and cannot be seen to favour one or the other of us.

So while I'm waiting and hoping that all candidates do pledge - here's what I said

Tory "Change" hype exposed

When David Cameron and his nasty party say they'll give power to the people beware. What they mean is they'll leave you alone to take the actions you know you need.

That's well and good.... BUT what if sometimes you don't know? What if you need advice? What if one day you need some-one to turn to?

Giving power to people assumes everyone has the power to solve all their own problems themselves. Labour knows that has never been true and never will be. Labour wants a future fair for all, not just the powerful.

What the Tory promise means is that people will be abandoned to their own fate.

Don't be conned by the Tory "Change" mantra. Wise warnings such as "Don't buy a pig in a poke" or  "The grass isn't always greener over the hill" remind us to look closely at what it is we might be giving up without really knowing what we're getting.

A Woeful Wooing of the Gay Vote

(image - me promoting membership of CTC - national cycling charity - at the UNISON LGBT Conference in Bristol 2008)

David Cameron wants the Gay vote, but he doesn't 'get it'

A good Labour friend tipped me off today about -

• Cameron visibly flustered in Gay Times interview
• Cameron edits gay reference from pre-election speech
• how the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Greyling had to apologise for his B&B Gay Comment

Tory internal strains over LGBT issues have been so bad that I'm voting Labour, founder of Tory gay rights group says   See her speaking out in this Pink News article

Why would anyone who is LGB or T ever want to vote Tory?

Only Labour is working for a future that is fair for all.

Foxhunting Tories Go To Ground

Perhaps feeling hounded by the media, and belatedly beginning to sense

what a vote-loser it is, every Tory candidate in the SW played foxy

on their own issue of voting to repeal the Hunting Act.

Not one of them was prepared to appear on yesterday's

BBC Politics South West Show.

Why?

At issue was – their own Tory proposal

to hold a free vote in Parliament on repealing the Hunting Act.

Supposing they win the election, that is.

Given the total Tory appearance turndown the Politics Show

A Change You Can't Afford

At every turn George Osbourne and David Cameron made the wrong judgements

on tackling the financial crisis.

They are now getting the big judgements wrong on the recovery.

Thanks to the pro-active good judgements of our Labour Government our Country is now embarked on the road to recovery. The Tory proposals would wreck the recovery.

And here's the independently verified proof -

Keep Fat-Cat claws out of our NHS

Labour came to power promising to triple spending on the NHS.

And we did.

Here's an independent verdict.

The NHS - our best-loved national institution - has gone from strength to strength under Labour - constantly improving services, drasticly reducing waiting times, always increasing patient choice.

The Labour years have seen so much progress for our NHS that now the Tory Leader thinks he can promote his PR image by posing beside a hospital bed. It's enough to make you sick.

The Tory approach to the NHS, if they are elected, will be to undermine health decision-making. They want to fling open the door to those private businesses that are already trying to worm profits out of our NHS.

Our ill-health, our maternity care, our accident and emergency services must never be cherry-picked for profits. If Tory plans go ahead we'll end up with monstrous post-code health lotteries where the articulate and well-off will make sure they get the best and leave a poorer, second class service for the rest of us.

Only Labour remains committed to NHS principles which have stood the test of time. Under Labour we have an NHS we can depend on where-ever we are, when-ever we need help.
Don't let the Tories attack our NHS.

CND - most impressive lobbying so far...

Campaigning organisations find election time useful. Their websites ask members and site-visitors to lobby election candidates in their area.

I've received several.

But so far it's Big-UP to CND.

CND members in Central Devon have contacted me three times more than any other campaign group.

But then, my early-80's memories of Greenham Common (that's me in the blue jeans and wellies), were of CND being highly effective - bringing coach-loads of women from all over the country to big mass-protest days at the base.

Here's what they're up to now - CND

And here's my response to their lobby -

Students into Politics - Superb!

Max congratulations to the innovative and determined students at South Dartmoor Community College.
As some-one with a schools-based background I experienced the under-investment of the Tories, when they were in power - falling far short of ensuring a decent education for every pupil, every student, in every school and college.
I'm so proud that the results of years of massive Labour Government investment in education were so wonderfully

Eradicating fly-tipping mentality

Spring has brought lambs to the 3-acre field in which I have a quarter-share.
It also brought a heap of fly-tipped rubbish - dumped at our gate and including a large mirror which smashed up leaving glass scattered where dogs

Wholehearted support for Hospiscare

Whether it is the joy of very lively music in a packed church in Cheriton Fitzpaine, or the great fun of joining with a good Labour colleague and hundreds of other women on a midnight walk, the pleasure to be had in raising funds for Hospiscare is doubled by knowing what superb work Hospices do.

So when Exeter, Mid and East Devon Hospiscare wrote asking me to sign up to their manifesto I did so without hesitation. Hospiscare supports family friends and carers before and after a person's death. The support is invaluable.

Credibility Bypass, not Traffic Bypass for Crediton

How patient do the people of Crediton have to be?

We know the patience of the current Conservative administration at County Hall has run out, because they've voted to abandon the best and only logical way of resolving Crediton's intense traffic problems - which is to get on and build the long-promised bypass.

We also know that no-one at County Hall has asked the Devon PCT/NHS Trust about morbidity and mortality data to see any effects of Crediton's citizen's enforced breathing of chronicly high amounts of polluted air.

How many people in Crediton die early because of too long

What About Women?

I've been a Member of the Fawcett Society for several years and admire the scale and quality of their campaigning and lobbying. Last October I went to their AGM and met Fawcett's new Chief Executive, Ceri Goddard.

And I'm fully backing their election campaign designed to ensure women's voices are heard during the General Election.

Fawcett is the lead organisation of a powerful coalition of over 40 organisations, including Gingerbread , Carers UK , End Violence Against Women , the Hansard Society , the Equality Trust ,  and many more, saying we women want political parties to take us more seriously on the major election issues such as the economy, crime, and renewing political trust.

See here the questions they are asking the political parties - What We're Asking
You can add your voice to the campaign in the pledge column on the right hand side of their web-page.

Walking back to happiness again

Spring is in the air. After a hard winter the frogspawn in my pond has appeared two weeks later than last year. Getting around by bicycle or on foot is becoming more enjoyable.

Across Central Devon there are volunteers who work with local councils to make it more attractive for people to get out and about as the weather improves.

In Morchard Bishop footpaths abound and Okehampton's Walk and Talk initiative by Natural England has won 

Red Rose with a Green Stem

Labour is committed to action on climate change and the creation of a new low-carbon economy

Our current first-past-the-post voting system means that Green Party votes have next to no chance of putting a single MP into Parliament, let alone the Green Party into power.
With the Tories being as  Eco-sceptic  as they are Euro-sceptic only Labour will do.

The Green Party Candidate for Central Devon couldn't make the Devon Heartlands Q&A session in Okehampton last Monday but it was pleasant to share the evening with his substitute Catherine Simmons.

NATO, yes, that NATO, celebrates International Women's Day

International Women's Day was celebrated by thousands of equality and women's rights organisations - and millions of women - around the world last Monday

.
Though the British media didn't take much notice the Prime Minister and the Labour Government did - such as Getting More Women Into Boardrooms - and Tackling Violence Against Women Worldwide

But finally it seems the potential power of women to influence PEACE worldwide has been recognised by the military.
Check this out this YouTube Women's Day 2010 - NATO

Red Rose among thorns

Full marks to the Post-16 teachers at Okehampton Community College.

But nought out of ten to the local Tory for his "Nasty-Party", unfounded attack on Labour's education record. Find out more...

Tories 'heart' bypass - NOT

For a rural town Crediton has some of the worst inner-city level type of pollution.

Too much traffic in too confined a space.

Not surprisingly Crediton was due to get a bypass. In 1985/6 Devon County Council earmarked funds to get it done, but at the last minute the money got diverted to help draw in large funding to projects elsewhere.

Don't worry, people were assured at the time - we'll have the money next year and do it then.

BUT -  the next year the Tory Government

Get Serious About CO2 Action Day success

Despite threatening looking clouds last Saturday, Members of 2020 Vision Exeter set up stalls outside Boots Chemists in Exeter High Street and immediately had loads of passers-by addressing the 'Get Serious About CO2' postcards to their local councillor and the leader of Exeter City Council.

People visiting from outside Exeter also had the chance to send cards to their own councils.
It was a fab opportunity to speak to people of all ages about climate change, global warming and what can be done about it. I'm proud to be a member of 2020 Vision Exeter and to be able to help get their pro-Planet message across.

We're on Facebook here - take a look.

UKIP hates the Landfill Tax - but do they know what good it does?

UKIP welcomes web-visitors to their site with the news that "Polar bears are just fine and dandy" so it comes as no surprise that their opinions are equally planet-unfriendly when it comes to landfill tax. Thay want to

Who thinks the media isn't biased against Labour?

Thanks to a Labour friend I've discovered that the pensions truth letter featured online in thisisnorthdevon.co.uk has only half the truth

Cycling is wonderful when spring starts

It may be wet some days, but spring is on its way.

Snowdrops in their thousands near Crediton

The truth about Local Government Pensions

The Tories continually attack the public sector and intend to 'tackle' Local Government Pensions. So they're spreading a grossly distorted picture of the kind of pensions local government workers actually pay into.
After a biased letter appeared in the Express & Echo I wrote in correcting the anti-LGPS statements.
The Express and Echo published my letter last Thursday and it's now online at the This is North Devon website.
Read here the truth about the Local Government Pension Scheme http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Pension-plan-attack-dangerously-wrong/article-1869390-detail/article.html

Selection as central Devon PPC

I'm excited and honoured to have been selected by the Central Devon labour Party as their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.
I'll be using this blog so that anyone in this huge constituency of market towns and villages can find out more about Labour, about our campaign and can keep in touch should they wish to.
First off, a thank you to the friendly and knowledgeable staff at West Devon Borough Council, who were immediately available at the end of a specified phone line and have already placed information for voters on their website.