Promoting the Politics of Courage
Around 7,000 people provide voluntary care for a family member, neighbour or friend on a regular – at least daily – basis across the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly constituency of St Ives. This week is “Carers Week” (9th-15th June). I met Carers UK, Independent Age and an array of national charities from Multiple […]
On the day after the European Parliamentary election results were announced last week I commented here that “inevitably the panic button has been pushed. Not by my Party colleagues but by the media, keen to write their own post-election news stories. For days my phone has been red hot. Not from my colleagues engaged in […]
Yes, it’s true that the post EU election parties of my Party colleagues didn’t go on late into the night! A sobering outcome, anticipated by most. Congratulations of course to the successful candidates. We must all hope they do the right thing for our communities and the country when they arrive at the institution in […]
Okay. I know they may not be household names. I know it’s a crazy party-list voting system and, yes, I know that the constituency covers a bizarre area from the London commuter belt to the Isles of Scilly and the island of Gibraltar. But I hope that you will vote in the European Parliamentary elections. […]
For four years the two parties of the Coalition Government have been on (mostly) best behaviour. It’s been tough. When you throw your lot in with your mortal enemy it’s tough always having to appear polite and agreeable. There’s a lot of nose holding, swallowing hard and biting of tongues. But now the dirty linen […]
Question: Please tell me how many Members of the European Parliament there are for the South West and what are their names? You can’t! They’ve been representing you since 2009, so I’m sure it won’t be difficult! (No cheating! Put down that electronic device. No Googling…) So you can’t do it either. Can you name […]
We don’t have any big business here in West Cornwall and Scilly. Big retailers, big banks and other companies have a presence, of course, but our local economy fundamentally depends on the success of our small and medium sized businesses and sole traders. I have been waging a behind the scenes war on the banks […]
First the good news… So, England is no longer cut off! Cornwall has always been “open for business,” in spite of the severing of the rail line at Dawlish two months ago. However, distraught Englanders can now breathe a sigh of relief. The panic is over. They are now fully reattached to the jewel in […]
So here we go again. A Government which made making up policy on the hoof has ended up with a generous helping of manure on its face. This week’s publication of the Independent Expert Panel report on the Government’s badger cull pilots show that its farmer-led ‘free shooting’ of badgers has been ineffective and, in […]
The Chancellor’s Budget is more Vaudeville Theatre than it is an accountant’s plenary. The speech itself is judged more by the intrigue it has generated; and the surprises, “giveaways”, “winners” and “losers”. The dry, tedious scrutiny of what actually lies in the Chancellor’s Red Book takes many more days to complete and often alters the […]