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30 September 2008

An Evening to Make it Happen

The new rallying cry for Liberal Democrats is “Make it happen”. At his Event at the Scotch Horn Centre in Nailsea, that is just what LibDem Parliamentary Candidate for North Somerset, Dr Brian Mathew, set out to do.
 
In a party atmosphere of live music with ‘Gary French and Co’ and friendly chat, party members, guests and interested ‘others’ from every major town and village in the constituency were asked for their views.
Wide-ranging questions were asked - what did people love about their own communities? What were their concerns? What was their vision for the future, and – finally, what could they do to bring it about?
 
At the end of what turned out to be a lively evening, Lembit Opik MP gave his enthusiastic support, not only to the evening’s project but also by changing hats and accompanying the guitarists on his harmonica.
 
Brian Mathew said: “It was really great having everybody thinking about how we can make our community better, this is our new approach to politics, together we can transform the future”.
Posted by Brian at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments
22 September 2008

Make it Happen

It has been a great Lib Dem Conference with Nick Clegg launching our new campaign to ‘Make it Happen’, with tax cuts for those who really need it, and an increase for the wealthiest who are currently paying the least.
 
For us in North Somerset we managed to get our joint motion with North Wilts and Westminster Lib Dems on the extension of the remit of the International Criminal Court (ICC) approved by conference. This means that it is now our party policy. One of the special things about the Liberal Democrats is that we can as members write policy motions and get them passed into policy at Conference, which neither members of the Labour or Conservative Parties can, as a party we are thus much more democratic.
 
The new policy commits us as a party to endeavour to make the promotion of the ICC a fundamental part of UK foreign policy. We want to see all nations sign up to the ICC including the US, Russia and China. We want to be able to see the ICC empowered to take currently serving heads of state to task if they persecute their own populations and break the International Convention of Human Rights. In a World where we are all increasingly linked by the global economy and the environment it is surely time that the UN has these powers to hold all governments to account if they indulge in crimes against humanity.
 
I also managed to speak on the International Security debate, to stress the need for a change in our approach in Afghanistan to purchase the opium and process it into medical diamorphine locally. This would have a number of advantages, and would undermine the Taliban by:
1) Taking away finance from the Taliban, who make huge amounts of money from the illegal trade,
2) Winning the hearts and minds of Afghan farmers instead of turning them into enemies,
3) Providing local employment in the processing,
4) Provide a much needed medical drug to the world market, for which there is currently a shortage.
 
Most importantly it would allow for a political solution to develop in Afghanistan, which could lead to the end of the fighting and to allow our brave troops to come home.
Posted by Brian at 12:47 PM | Link | 0 comments
01 September 2008

Protest in Portishead over possible closure of its much loved open air swimming pool

I attended the Friends of Portishead Open Air Pool demo on rather wet Monday evening. The future of the pool is clearly worrying the people of Portishead. It is a wonderful resource and in a year when we have done so well at the Olympics, especially at swimming, it seems crazy that the pool may be forced to close by the Tory run Council.
 
Talking with people at the demo revealed mixed feelings over the management of the pool by DC leisure, including: the hours the pool is open, which means people cannot use the pool after work, and the need for up-grading including installing solar heating which would help to cut down on the use of expensive water heating.
The decision on the future of the pool by the Tory run N-Somerset Council is due in October, let’s see if they see sense and keep it open for the health, exercise and fun of the people of Portishead. In the mean time the pool is open till the end of this month so why not make the trip and have a swim in this magnificent open air pool?
Posted by Brian at 12:00 AM | Link | 0 comments