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Isleworth Public Hall (well well well)

Who would have guessed it eh that the latest Labour leaflet is again telling porkies and Theo Dennison even accused the ICG of scaremongering at the Hustings the other eveningA group bidding to run a popular public hall say they are still awaiting crucial information from Hounslow Council, despite an election leaflet suggesting it is a done deal.The council agreed in principle earlier this year to hand over management of Isleworth Public Hall to a consortium of not-for-profit groups.The plan was to hand them a five-year lease beginning in April this year, which the council estimated would save £425,000 over the course of the contract.An 'Isleworth Matters' leaflet recently published by the ruling Labour group proclaimed the consortium had won a contract.But members of the consortium say no deal has been signed and they are still awaiting information from the council, including details of running costs, which they claim they need before putting together a final bid.Christine Diwell, of the Friends of Isleworth Public Hall, one of four groups in the consortium, said: "We haven't won any contract and according to the council the procurement process is still ongoing."We're setting up a social enterprise which could run the hall we've asked the council for a lot of information which it has so far been unable to provide."The hall, in South Street, Isleworth, is currently run by the council's leisure contractor Fusion Lifestyle.Should the consortium win the contract, it could pave the way for similar voluntary groups to take control of other public halls across the borough.A council spokesman said: "The council has been working very closely with the Isleworth Public Hall Consortium to help them through the whole process. We are hoping to enable them to finalise their application very shortly."http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/public-hall-takeover-still-not-6992973

Paul Fisher ● 4580d49 Comments ● 4487d

An Open Letter to the New Secretary of State for Education

An Open Letter to the New Secretary of State for Education I congratulate You on your new appointment. Education may well be a critical tool of socialisation; But it's only a tool.. that's why it's debatable whether education does, should, or can imbue us as citizens with a sense of our national identity and priorities. It all depends on how education gets used, and by whom. So from my own critical perspective I certainly don't think education does or should act like a gang of construction workers, cementing a shared but distinctly concrete narrative of common purpose. Rather I suppose education should kindly facilitate whatever individuals want to learn, whenever or wherever we want to learn it.. but maybe this might seem too radical.. If you had a non-Muslim school that encouraged teenage girls to dress modestly, successfully persuaded pupils not to drink alcohol, railed against gambling, engaged in lengthy study of ancient scriptures and languages and achieved good exam results, the Conservatives would be lining up to lavish it with praise. More so if it were Christian. This is as good a book review for the bible and the koran as could ever be written:“The [Trojan Horse story in Birmingham] bible/koran is one in which carelessness, incompetence, coincidence, opportunism, self-interest and sheer wickedness all play significant parts.Michael Gove's disastrous tenure as Secretary of State for Education has united the vast majority of Academics, Educationalists, Head Teachers and Teachers against hi...m like never before in the UK. 'At its May 2013 conference, Gove was criticised by the National Association of Head Teachers, whose members condemned the climate of bullying, fear and intimidation they claimed he had created during his time as Education Secretary. The conference passed a vote of no confidence in his policies. Votes of no confidence were also passed by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers at conference in March 2013, the National Union of Teachers at its conference in April 2013 (unanimously), and the NASUWT.' I hope the new secretary of state for education will do something positive to improve the educational standard of the Muslim children. Muslim children not only need halal meat or Eid Holidays but they need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their development period also. There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This means the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islamic teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim schools should be inspected by Muslim members of the Ofsted. They understand the needs and demands of the Muslim children as well as their parents. Twenty leading educationalists and Muslim leaders have questioned Ofsted's impartiality in the Birmingham 'Trojan Horse' affair, education consultant Robin Richardson reflects on the factors behind its controversial recent inspections. What gives OFSTED the right, or indeed any Brits, to preach to minority groups about how they should live their lives. This is a cosmopolitan country, the Muslim community have the right to educate their children how they choose. What has being British got to do with your religious belief? In Britain there are Hindus Sikhs pagans Jewish Buddhists atheist Zoroastrians Rasta's and many more should they all change there religious beliefs because they are British? Studying the Qur'an will certainly help towards these children becoming fully integrated citizens of the UK. Like many Ofsted stories this is no news. There are lots of schools up and down the land without male teachers. Teaching is so female dominated you wonder why pupils are so poorly behaved. After all feminism blames men for everything and here are the results of female dominance...IALondon School of Islamics Trusthttp://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4488d6 Comments ● 4487d

And they wonder why?

Today thousands and thousands of public sector workers are out on strike over wages and pensions. I watch Daily Politics (God alone knows why, it does the blood pressure no good at all!) I am furious that government ministers and other feel that TU's should be subject to getting at least 50% of their membership to agree to a strike before it can go ahead, when they are quite content for pathetic numbers of electors get them into Parliament. I have seen several members of the government this morning trying to slag off the unions and banging on about how we have to sort out the financial deficit, so therefore no-one in the public sector can expect a rise. The bankers and politicos who got us into this mess don't seem to be doing to badly- how many of them are cutting back? In the past couple of days the papers have been full of how the higher echelons are trousering ever larger rises, bonuses and pension pots, and today comes the news that more of the great and the good have fiddled tax to the value of £5bn. And they wonder why people are on strike? Only a few are paying the price it seems, at the same time rather than face the fact that to finance our NHS we have to understand tax must rise, there is talk of people having to pay for certain services. So rather than do what is best for the country's health a political decision will guide what happens to the health service, no we can't possibly put up tax. It's not about running anything it's all about keeping power for the select few who don't have the intelligence or the guts to do what is right and fair for the majority.

Vanessa Smith ● 4496d5 Comments ● 4487d

South Street roundabout/Twickenham Road - response from LBH

Copied and pasted below is the response I've received from LBH (following my complaint to Cllr. Mayne) regarding the South Street junction.Hopefully we'll see an improvement - although I've got even less faith in Road Safety Audits now than before !!!.Adam------------------------------Dear Mr Beamish, Councillor Mayne has asked that I respond to you directly regarding the ongoing works on Twickenham Road. I’m sorry that you’ve considered it necessary to write to express concern over the incomplete work and the delays in implementation. The past and on-going situation is far from satisfactory, but I can assure you that lessons have already been learnt and we will be reviewing our work practices ahead of the implementation of any future major schemes. In terms of completing the current Twickenham Road scheme we’ve been working with Hounslow Highways to have the works completed as soon as possible. It has been confirmed to me in the last few days that work to remove, rather than ‘black-out’, the old and existing road markings will commence on the evening of 20 January 2014 this will take 5 or 6 nights to complete as these works stretch along the complete length of Twickenham Road. The application of the new road markings will start on 21 January 2014 and this will take around 7 to 10 days, depending on the weather; again these works stretch along the complete length of Twickenham Road. The removal of the redundant traffic signs will be completed by the end of this week. I note that you’ve suggested that a ‘roundabout ahead‘ warning sign should be considered for the approaches to the South Street roundabout. One of the aims of the Twickenham Road scheme is to improve the streetscape environment by reducing street clutter and this would include the provision of extra traffic signs. There is no requirement to have ‘roundabout ahead‘ warning signs and our view is that these signs are unnecessary. The mini-roundabout signs (white on blue), whilst positioned close to roundabout as per standard practise, have sufficient forward visibility. An independent Road Safety Audit was carried out on the design prior to implementation and no concerns were raised regarding inadequate signing of the junction. I accept that the northbound approach to the South Street roundabout has been an issue. It is hoped that once the road markings are permanently removed and the new markings applied that drivers will form only one lane on this approach. We will review this just as soon as the markings at this location have been completed. You may like to know that a further independent Stage 3 Road Safety Audit will be carried on completion of the road marking and traffic sign element of the scheme. I hope that this information helpful. Should you require any further information regarding this scheme then do not hesitate to contact me directly. Yours sincerely__________________________________________________Christopher DeakinsTeam Leader - Network Management

Adam Beamish ● 4672d90 Comments ● 4493d

FGM Vs Chastity Belts

Subject: FGM Vs Chastity Belts Chastity belts were very common during the middle ages in the UK. The key of the belt was always in the pocket of the fathers. At the time of marriage, the key was given the husband. It is just possible that FGM has the same purpose of chastity. FGM has no connection with any religion, it is as prevalent in African Christian communities as those practicing other faiths including tradition African religions. It is primarily a tribal/cultural element, much like ritual scarring etc. FGM is an ancient practice that originates across a plurality of cultures, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian peninsula, whether these are Christian, Islamic or animist. It in fact affects only a tiny  minority of British Muslims. FGM is nothing to do with Islamic teaching. 'FGM is violence against women and girls. Over 99.9% of British Muslims are not concerned with it. British Establishment should concentrate on the education of Muslim children who have been mis-educated and de-educated by the state schools with non-Muslim teachers. Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim children attending state secular schools were subjected to an educational environment that pressured them to adopt values that contradicted Islamic values, such as evolution theory, sexual relations outside marriage and drinking alcohol.' " According to UNICEF, the top rates are in Somalia (with 98 percent of women affected), Guinea (96 percent), Djibouti (93 percent), Egypt (91 percent), Eritrea (89 percent), Mali (89 percent), Sierra Leone (88 percent), Sudan (88 percent), Gambia (76 percent), Burkina Faso (76 percent), Ethiopia (74 percent), Mauritania (69 percent), Liberia (66 percent), and Guinea-Bissau (50 percent). Outside Africa FGM  occurs in Yemen (23 percent prevalence), among the Kurds in Iraq (giving the country an overall prevalence rate of eight percent), Indonesia and Malaysia. These are the facts and we shouldn't ignore them. For that reason there is probably not too much point in warning all the children in Truro about it, but attack it at the likely sources, which is where there are immigrants from the listed countries.The white man complex is a term that is not discussed much but can be seen nearly in all cultural discussions. This term basically describes the superiority complex that many in this community possess which has deluded them to believe that their culture is superior or that their OPINIONS matter which is far from the truth. Instead of looking at problems within in their own community; Mass exploitation of the poor, mass corruption, paedophilia that is prevalent in schools and churches, entertainment business and even politics they instead focus on other communities and cultures. I suggest seeing as this practice of female circumcision is not so prevalent in the UK that you focus on you own issues and stop talking down on others. I can guarantee that the communities in question care not for your words and for you to stop dictating to everyone how they should live and what they should do.Yeah like your people ever followed the rules of the country which you entered illegally in the past. To this day you still do not follow the rules and customs of nations which you migrate to (Emirates,Qatar, India etc). How about you learn the languages of the nations which you migrate to, follows their rules and customs and then complain when the same is not done in the UK. Like i said before, this talk of female circumcisions has been going on for a very long time, but nothing has changed because the communities which practice it do not listen to a bunch of bigoted people who talk down on Also, as it seems it needs to be pointed out, from a few comments here, I'd like to add that it's quite wrong to see FGM and the circumcision of boys as equivalent. A circumcised boy can, as an adult, enjoy a normal (or even not so normal) sex life. A girl or woman who has been exposed to FGM cannot do that, in the sense that she can never have an orgasm. There is a tremendous difference, and it's a pity that the term "circumcision" is often used where both sexes are concerned -- it's highly misleading.every other culture and custom. Once you realise this you can do more worthwhile things such as stopping your priests from molesting your children.I suggest seeing as this practice of female circumcision is not so prevalent in the UK that you focus on you own issues and stop talking down on others. I can guarantee that the communities in question care not for your words and for you to stop dictating to everyone how they should live and what they should do. Yeah like your people ever followed the rules of the country which you entered illegally in the past. To this day you still do not follow the rules and customs of nations which you migrate to (Emirates,Qatar, India etc). How about you learn the languages of the nations which you migrate to, follows their rules and customs and then complain when the same is not done in the UK. IALondon School of Islamics Trust

Iftikhar Ahmad ● 4495d9 Comments ● 4493d