Not Scilly to recycle

We're back from a week with friends on the Isles of Scilly.

The stay was as wonderful as ever - but there's a spoiler. 

Apart from glass bottles there's NO recycling of waste. 

Eric Pickles would love it - everything just shoved into one bin. 

By the end of the week it felt like a desecration of the place you admire for its beauty and peacefulness.

It's high time recycling got started.

And I also mean the recycling of Labour ideals and achievement. 

I visited Harold Wilson's grave - saw how lovingly well it is tended.

His legacy contains bold moves and a greatness we need to remind ourselves about. 

• the Open University
• comprehensive schools
• a  welfare state where ordinary families benefitted from his Government's efforts to make British society more equal.- on a scale never seen since
• not being a yes-sir-USA-poodle for calamitous wars - he resisted huge pressure from the States to take Britain into Viet Nam
• his government repealed the restrictive laws on homosexuality, censorship and divorce

Harold Wilson inspired everyone with his 1963 conference speech about Britain forging ahead with the 'white heat of technology'. 
We now need to use the 'heat of green technology' to grow strong in the 21st century.
The Labour Party pushes for this progressive future.
The Condems don't.

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.

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.