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What david and his chums dont want for this great country.

Labours top 50 achievements since being elected in 19971. Longest period of sustained low inflation since the 60s.2. Low mortgage rates.3. Introduced the National Minimum Wage and raised it to £5.52.4. Over 14,000 more police in England and Wales.5. Cut overall crime by 32 per cent.6. Record levels of literacy and numeracy in schools.7. Young people achieving some of the best ever results at 14, 16, and 18. 8. Funding for every pupil in England has doubled.9. Employment is at its highest level ever.10. Written off up to 100 per cent of debt owed by poorest countries.11. 85,000 more nurses.12. 32,000 more doctors.13. Brought back matrons to hospital wards.14. Devolved power to the Scottish Parliament.15. Devolved power to the Welsh Assembly.16. Dads now get paternity leave of 2 weeks for the first time.17. NHS Direct offering free convenient patient advice.18. Gift aid was worth £828 million to charities last year.19. Restored city-wide government to London.20. Record number of students in higher education.21. Child benefit up 26 per cent since 1997.22. Delivered 2,200 Sure Start Children’s Centres.23. Introduced the Equality and Human Rights Commission.24. £200 winter fuel payment to pensioners & up to £300 for over-80s.25. On course to exceed our Kyoto target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.26. Restored devolved government to Northern Ireland.27. Over 36,000 more teachers in England and 274,000 more support staff and teaching assistants.28. All full time workers now have a right to 24 days paid holiday.29. A million pensioners lifted out of poverty.30. 600,000 children lifted out of relative poverty.31. Introduced child tax credit giving more money to parents.32. Scrapped Section 28 and introduced Civil Partnerships.33. Brought over 1 million social homes up to standard.34. Inpatient waiting lists down by over half a million since 1997.35. Banned fox hunting. 36. Cleanest rivers, beaches, drinking water and air since before the industrial revolution.37. Free TV licences for over-75s.38. Banned fur farming and the testing of cosmetics on animals.39. Free breast cancer screening for all women aged between 50-70.40. Free off peak local bus travel for over-60s.41. New Deal - helped over 1.8 million people into work.42. Over 3 million child trust funds have been started.43. Free eye test for over 60s.44. More than doubled the number of apprenticeships.45. Free entry to national museums and galleries.46. Overseas aid budget more than doubled.47. Heart disease deaths down by 150,000 and cancer deaths down by 50,000.48. Cut long-term youth unemployment by 75 per cent.49. Free nursery places for every three and four-year-olds.50. Free fruit for most four to six-year-olds at school.

Dave Hughes ● 6834d0 Comments ● 6834d

Councillor Genevieve Hibbs to be Hounslow Mayor 2008/09?

At Lampton Palace yesterday Tory councillors were busy diverting discussion away from the row over Leader Peter Thompson's alleged unfair treatment of Conservative councillors from the western end of the borough by offering "revelations" about the latest deals being cut in private by the power brokers at the Civic Centre.If they are to be believed, we can expect the following:-1) Councillor Genevieve Hibbs of the ICG becoming Mayor in May and stepping down from the Executive. This would mean that Councillor Hibbs would probably be the first Hounslow Mayor in the borough's history who does not actually live here.2) Councillor Phil Andrews is expected to appoint Jon Hardy as Councillor Hibbs' replacement on the Executive.If either of the above is true then you read it here first!Even more intriguing was a claim from some Conservatives that they are not the only group experiencing internal strife. We are advised to expect "one or more" Liberal Democrat councillors to defect in the next few months. If so, where to?Sadly, the millions of pounds about to be cut from frontline services do not appear to rate further discussion in these circles.

John Connelly ● 6847d63 Comments ● 6834d

New report - The Government’s support for a third runway is "flawed and misleading”

A report is just out on HACAN website. It is very useful ammunition against the suspect business model used by BAA/Government. http://www.hacan.org.uk/ I have copied the summary below:"14 February 2008The Government’s support for a third runway at Heathrow is “flawed and misleading”A major new report, published today by independent research and consultancy firm CE Delft, undermines the central pillar of the Government’s case for a third runway at Heathrow and offers a viable alternative to expanding capacity.In justifying a third runway the Department for Transport (DfT) cite a study by Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF)1 which was funded, at least in part, by BAA.The new report, commissioned by HACAN ClearSkies and titled “The economics of Heathrow expansion”, criticises the methodology used by OEF.Speaking at the launch of the report former transport minister and candidate for Mayor of London Steve Norris said: “The Government is pushing ahead with plans for a third runway without really understanding what that means for the economy. It seems that the OEF report is fundamentally flawed and that by relying on it the Government are misleading us over the need for a third runway at Heathrow.“We are often told that a third runway is essential for the Capital’s economy.” But this report shows those benefits have been overstated by the Government and the aviation lobby.“How can we compare the cost of valid alternatives, such as high-speed rail, if we are over-estimating the value of more runways?”In their report CE Delft go on to suggest viable alternatives to expansion based around amending slot allocation, or pricing environmental effects through market mechanisms.CE Delft’s main criticisms are:• OEF incorrectly assess the impact on direct, indirect and induced employment and therefore the additional runway’s contribution to GDP. If airport capacity were not expanded, people would find jobs elsewhere in the economy, possibly at lower wages, but still giving rise to indirect and induced employment. Therefore the employment figures provided cannot be used to substantiate a claim for expanding runway capacity.• OEF report at length on how aviation supports other parts of the economy. They do not account for economic activity which would happen without aviation. In any event, the benefits are poorly expressed compared to levels of trade.• Critical to the calculation of economic benefit is the additional business passengers generated by expansion of capacity. OEF assume high numbers of additional business passengers. For mixed-mode operation, for example, DfT’s own estimates are 0.5 million by 2015 whereas OEF assumed six times as many i.e. 3 million.• OEF estimate the economic impact to be about £400 per additional business passenger, or £120 over all passengers. This compares to a consumer surplus of about £30 per passenger based on the DfT’s own estimates of economic impact. It is implausible that the economic impact is many times greater than the value passengers themselves derive from flying.• Although not always stated explicitly, OEF estimate of economic impacts are often upper limits, so they indicate the maximum economic impact and not the most likely or plausible outcome.HACAN Chair John Stewart said, “What the CE Delft report clearly shows is that it is essential that the Government should not rely on propaganda promoted by vested interests. We are not asking that they should wholly rely on the CE Delft report. What I do say is that we need a proper independent study into the economic impacts of airport expansion and that greater transparency in the consultation process is necessary for the public to have full confidence in the conclusions reached; something that is sadly lacking at the moment.”Notes for Editors:Key Points from CE Delft Report1. CE Delft’s report casts doubt upon the Government’s estimate thatexpansion at Heathrow will bring economic benefits of £5 billion (over 70 years).The Government estimate is based on the Oxford Economic Forecasting(OEF) reports of 1999 and 2006 which CE Delft shows to be seriouslyflawed. OEF significantly over-estimates the suppressed business demand that would be released by expansion at Heathrow.CE Delft highlight this, saying: “We do not feel the OEF report provides a satisfactory justification for this assumption. While it may be true that adding runway capacity will to some extent encourage business investment and allow businesses to operate more efficiently, these wider impacts themselves need to be demonstrated by the OEF model, rather than being assumed from the outset and rather arbitrarily quantified in terms of additional business passengers.”The OEF Report does not factor in the cost to the Exchequer of the taxbreaks the aviation industry receives each year.CE Delft found that: “To give a truer account of the impact of aviation on the national budget, the figures for taxes and charges paid by the aviation sector could have been set against the subsidies and other forms of government support that are paid to the sector, something that the OEF report does not attempt.”2. CE Delft found that if Heathrow did not expand people would spendtheir money elsewhere with the result that other sectors of the economy would grow.In a thriving economy, such as exists in London and the South East, people have money to spend. If they do not spend it on one thing (e.g. aviation), they will spend it on something else (e.g. on a holiday in the UK or buying a new kitchen). So other sectors will expand, creating jobs and contributing to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).CE Delft wrote: “The economic importance of the sector can only be determined by comparing the overall size of the economy with its assumed size in the absence of the sector. It is clear that the money currently spent on aviation would be spent in alternative ways in other sectors if there were no aviation sector. Thus it wouldcontinue to contribute directly to GDP and employment, as well as giving rise to indirect and induced employment. The same would hold for expenditure on aviation forgone as a result of a decision not to increase airport capacity.”----CE Delft is an independent research and consultancy organisation specialised in developing innovative solutions to environmental problems. www.ce.nl/eng/

Duncan Walker ● 6836d3 Comments ● 6834d

Keens' taxpayer funded flat featues in Sunday Times

Ann Keen MP and her husband Alan Keen MP feature strongly in a front-page article in today's Sunday Times by Marie Woolf, Holly Watt and Steven Swinford:From The Sunday Times February 17, 2008"MEMBERS of parliament who represent constituencies less than an hour’s commuting distance from Westminster are claiming upward of £20,000 of taxpayers’ money a year to fund “overnight” homes in central London. "The latest expenses dodge by MPs has caused outrage among senior politicians who want colleagues who live within commuting distance of parliament to be barred from claiming the cash. "A committee of MPs set up by Michael Martin, the Speaker, to review Commons expenses is to consider whether London MPs should be banned from claiming housing allowances which were created when late-night sittings were the norm. It will also examine whether the system of housing allowances for MPs across the rest of Britain should be scrapped. Twenty-four MPs with seats in Greater London claimed almost £400,000 of public money to fund second homes last year. They were entitled to housing payments of £22,110-the same as MPs with seats hundreds of miles away in Scotland and Cornwall. "Two Labour MPs with neighbouring constituencies in west London, Alan and Ann Keen, a junior health minister, have claimed more than £175,000 in allowances since 2002 even though their family home in her constituency is less than 10 miles from parliament. "Tony Wright, Labour chairman of the Commons public administration committee, has written to the Commons estimates committee, in charge of the review, asking it to examine if such allowances are justified. He said that millions of commuters would be outraged that London MPs were using taxpayers’ money to fund second properties. “People who commute will find it very difficult to understand why people who live within commuting distance need separate houses,” he said. “This is one of the issues that needs to be looked at.” "In Scotland the allowances are claimed only by MSPs who live more than 90 minutes away from the Holyrood parliament. "Among the highest claimants are the Keens, who share a family home in Brentford which has frequent train services to Waterloo taking half an hour. In 2002 the couple bought a £500,000 flat which is a 15-minute walk from Westminster. Both were unavailable for comment. "Joan Ryan, Labour MP for Enfield North, has a home in her constituency. Last year she opted to claim £21,971 in housing allowance for a flat nearer parliament in Kennington, south London. "By contrast her neighbour, the MP for Chingford, Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, claimed just £566 in housing allowances. "Ryan said commuting could be “absolutely awful”. She said: “I didn’t claim this until I became a government whip and then had to do much longer days and travel back and forth.” "A series of family-friendly reforms has dramatically curbed the late night culture. In 1979 more than half of all sittings continued until after midnight, with 14% continuing beyond 2am. But since October 2003 the House of Commons has opted to finish at 7.30pm on most days. "Last year nearly two-thirds of all sittings were completed by 10pm, while only one debate concluded after midnight. "MPs representing inner London constituencies are eligible only for a London supplement of £2,800. "MPs for outer London constituencies can choose to receive the supplement or the ACA. Of the 49 outer London MPs, 24 claim some or all of the ACA. "Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, claims the allowance even though he does not own a house in his constituency. "Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent South, whose constituency is just 5½ miles from parliament (or 4½ miles as the crow flies), claimed £21,803 last year She owns a house in her constituency and a house in Stratford, east London, but not close to parliament. "The Dagenham MP Jon Cruddas, a former contender for the deputy Labour leadership, claimed £22,055 last year. "John Austin, Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead, claimed £22,110 last year even though the train from his constituency takes about 40 minutes to Charing Cross. He has a flat in Rotherhithe, southeast London, which is also just 40 minutes away from

David Giles ● 6838d11 Comments ● 6835d

Shreddies' shortage

My 18year old son will only eat Shreddies for breakfast but I haven't been able to find a 750g (better value)packet since before Christmas despite trying several different supermarkets. Some don't even have the 500g size but seem to have every other cereal under the sun on their shelves. Is there a nationwide Shreddies shortage? Has there been a fire at the factory? Has anyone seen any or will I have to wean my son onto Grape Nuts?

Sue Thornton ● 6876d11 Comments ● 6835d

Ken Livingstone visits Sipson before it is bulldozed and opposes airport expansion

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=15712"Mayor opposes any further airport expansion in London and South East16-2-2008   104 The Mayor said there is no case to be made for expanding Heathrow or any other airport in London or the South East and new runways and more planes would cause more carbon emissions, increasing the threat of catastrophic climate change.He was speaking during a visit to Sipson village in Hillingdon, which would be bulldozed if plans for a third runway are approved.The Mayor met Geraldine Nicholson, Chair of the No Third Runway Action Group, Linda McCutcheon from the Harmondsworth and Sipson Residents Association, John Stewart, Chair of HACAN ClearSkies and Sipson village residents during his visit.In June 2003 the Mayor reaffirmed his opposition to the proposals to expand Heathrow in his response to the Government's consultation 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport'. The Government's current public consultation closes on 27th February 2008.Ken Livingstone said,"It is vital that all airport expansion in London and the South East, including Heathrow is halted now as it is completely contrary to the growing evidence on the role of aviation in contributing towards catastrophic climate change.‘Rather than more runways and plane journeys, we must cut carbon emissions by using energy more efficiently. The Government’s own figures show air travel produces two to three times more carbon emissions than making the same trip by rail.‘Expansion would also have a huge impact on road congestion and pollution with more plane journeys leading to more traffic congestion and pollution from cars. Furthermore many communities in London will suffer with more noise and air pollution, affecting the health, well being and quality of life for millions of Londoners. The expansion of Heathrow will take much needed green space and mean the complete destruction of Sipson village, home to over a thousand people.‘So on every test; environment, economic and quality of life, the argument for expanding Heathrow has not been made and I don’t believe it ever can. We have a duty to protect our environment not just for us, but the generations who will come after us."Geraldine Nicholson, Chair of the No Third Runway Action Group said,"More than 700 homes will be destroyed if the third runway at Heathrow gets the go ahead. The huge increase in noise and pollution will affect thousands more, not to mention the hundreds of schoolchildren who will have to go to school within a mile of the proposed runway. BAA and the Government don’t seem to care about any of this and look prepared to bulldoze over our objections. We’re determined not to let that happen.'We warmly welcome the Mayor’s support for our campaign and hope that his example will make others in Government wake up to the environmental and political folly of a third runway at Heathrow." John Stewart, Chairman of residents’ campaign group HACAN Clearskies, said,"Because of Heathrow’s position the vast majority of planes that land at the airport have to fly over London. The noise and pollution from these aircraft already causes misery and distress for thousands of people. Anybody who thinks it a good idea to increase air traffic over London is either incredibly shortsighted or has no regard for the environment and the people who live in it.'We are completely opposed to any expansion to Heathrow, or in fact, any airports in the south-east and we will continue to campaign against such expansions until the Government takes heed and listens, for once, to the people who are bearing the brunt of these decisions on the ground."

Duncan Walker ● 6836d11 Comments ● 6835d

Tory David Wilshire MP Wants Expension for Heathrow

David Wilshire MP, nearby Tory MP for Spelthorne who regards exapnsion of Heathrow as an excellent idea, should also Hold a meeting in Hounslow, we would then be able to decided what really is the Tory policy on Heathrow.

Dave Hughes ● 6836d41 Comments ● 6835d

The Keens Heathrow Consultation Meeting on Saturday

This Saturday 16th Feb from 11.30am - 3pm at the Paul Robeson Theatre in the Treaty Centre Hounslow.Anyone else popping along? I will be interested to see if the Keens actually speak and also to hear exactly without any spin where they stand on this massive issue.

Paul Fisher ● 6841d46 Comments ● 6836d

Resurfacing:  High Street Brentford / Kew Bridge Road from 4 February

The Borough’s contractors will be undertaking resurfacing on the above roads from 4 to 13 February.  The works will start at 8pm each night and will finish at 5am approximately, starting at Pottery Road and proceeding eastwards to Kew Bridge junction.Please avoid this route if possible during those hours.Chris Calvi-Freeman Head of TransportLondon Borough of Hounslow(on behalf of the Highways Infrastructure Manager)

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 6851d11 Comments ● 6836d

Unwelcomed visitor

Several weeks ago whilst I was lolling on my sofa drinking my morning coffee a mouse scuttled right across my living room carpet. Well, I totally freaked out.  I was hysterical.  My son found there was a small hole behind the cooker in the kitchen - it's all open plan - and put some traps down. I sprinkled talcum powder on the floor just to check.  I didn't sit in my living room for that week. Nothing!  I spoke with the council - I live in council owned property (on the Haverfield estate) and with pest control.  Pest control did not feel it appropriate to visit as I did not have any signs of rodents living in my property.  However, there have been several ocassions when I hear scrabbling behind my kitchen wall.  I have phoned the front line staff several times about this; at this point I must add all the people I have spoken with on the phone have always been most pleasant, courteous and very professional, so credit where credit's due, and tried to make appointments with estate management and estate monitoring because as far as I am concerned these rodents are within the block of flat and not just my property.  However, no one has bothered to phone me back and I just seem to go back and forth with the front-line people who answer the phone so pleasantly and my own nerves.I've got to the point where I don't sit in my living room, don't eat or coook in my flat unless my son comes round for a meal and sometimes cry on the way home from work because I don't want to go home.  I constantly shake, lie awake at night watching the clock because I won't go downstairs and jump over the slightest thing.  When I do get up for work I clop about in my boots. I just don't know what to do anymore.Does anyone have any suggestions?

S Passmore ● 6840d5 Comments ● 6836d

London Road being widened?

Whatever is happening along London Road as you come into Brentford from Isleworth? It seems like this already wide road is being widened further. Perhaps one of the Councillors can explain what they are doing

Verification Required ● 7142d186 Comments ● 6836d

Voting rights

Does no one else find it amazing that whilst registering to vote may be admirable, is it not worrying, and wrong, that so many nominally called 'foreigners' will decide the political make-up of London (or elsewhere for that matter) and have a dictation on the future of this country for the people who have NO other choice other than to live in the country they were born into, as British citizens of course. Poles and others of course can easily move back home, usually within the end of a tax year! Are there not any proper Londoners left who feel any passion about this? Long gone is the London I was born and bred into and knew well, before flight. And I am only 33.- Ex-Londoner, UKIs he right? What do you think? This is a copy of a posting I  came across on another site, and never realised that almost anybody can cast a vote in the forthcoming elaction.....Can we vote elsewhere if we choose to. What is the criteria?

Andrew Michael John Atkinson ● 6838d2 Comments ● 6838d

Turners History of Brentford for sale on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/History-of-Brentford-Rare-2nd-ed-1922_W0QQitemZ230220714893QQihZ013QQcategoryZ21537QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemThis is an ex-library copy but still worth the money it presently sits at.

Neil Chippendale ● 6844d3 Comments ● 6838d

Unclaimed £2m lottery prize

Messing about on the web, I just noticed that there is an unclaimed prize of over £2m for a ticket bought in Ealing.  The last date for claiming it is 25th Feb.

Susan Lawrence ● 6840d3 Comments ● 6838d

Incident at Texaco Garage?

Looks like another armed robbery at the Texaco Garage at the junction of the A4 and Ealing Road. Incident tape all round and armed police on site about 30 minutes ago when I drove past.

Mick Brent ● 6840d2 Comments ● 6839d

What would you do?

I couldn't sleep so I went outside for some air at 1.30am this morning. I witnessed two men vandalising neighbour's cars tonight. Being 9 months pregnant I didn't want to put myself in a dangerous situation. The two men seemed to live in the same road but I do not recognise them. After I asked them what they were doing they casually walked away down the cul de sac. I didn't see which house they went into in the cul de sac. They looked like a father and son. Our car has also been targeted on this street. It seems like reporting this would be pointless unless I knew what house they lived in or who they were.

Bronwyn Snelling ● 6839d1 Comments ● 6839d

Chriopracter/Osteopath

Does anyone have any recommendations of a local practice.  My husband has an ongoing back problem that has deteriorated.  Any suggestions welcome.

Pat Kingham ● 6840d2 Comments ● 6840d

Brentford Gallery

Just had  preview of the new art gallery of James Thomas opening on Johnsons Island.  He's planning public showings 3 months a year with then showings of different artists.  The paintings by Barry Jones exhibited in the gallery are in my view excellent depicting various scenes around THames Lock (next to Brentford Dock).  When open the gallery is well worth a visit.Much more detail can be found on http://www.brentfordgallery.co.uk

Michael Fletcher ● 6840d2 Comments ● 6840d

Underground and Overground Suspensions this Weekend (16/17 Feb)

Due to engineering works there will be disruption to London Underground and Overground services on the weekend of 16-17 FebruaryLondon Underground:District Line: suspended between West Kensington and Acton Town / Richmond.Piccadilly line:  suspended between Hammersmith and Acton Town, and suspended between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.London Overground:No service between Richmond and Acton Central before 0830 and from 2230 on Saturday and before 0845 on Sunday. Replacement Buses:Service A: Hammersmith - Ravenscourt Park - Stamford Brook - Turnham Green - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury (For London Overground connections to Kew Gardens and Richmond) - Acton Town. Service B: Hammersmith - Acton Town, non-stop.Service C: Richmond - Kew Gardens - Royal Botanic Gardens - Chiswick Park - Gunnersbury - Turnham Green - Stamford Brook - Ravenscourt Park - Hammersmith, early morning and late night only.Service D: Paddington - Heathrow, late night coach service.

Chris Calvi-Freeman ● 6840d1 Comments ● 6840d

Remarkable trees in Brentford and surroundings

I was walking along the Thames path, at Richmond, past Asgill House, admiring the large Copper Beech (Fagus Sylvatica Purpurea) tree in their garden and took this photo:On the wall is a plaque:I tracked down the website, ‘The Great Trees of London Project’, which awarded this plaque:http://www.treesforcities.com/greattrees/treesforlondon.asp Another of my favourite trees is in this collection is a London Plane tree (Platanus x hispanica)  and is the tallest London Plane in London. It is 100 metres down the Thames river path from Richmond Bridge towards Petersham, on the Surrey side. It is in front of the Gaucho (used to be the Canyon) restaurant. I snapped this one from the opposite bank of the river.We must have a few remarkable trees in Brentford and surrounding area. What are your favourites? It may be its shape, age, rarity, colour, size which gives it its striking effect.They could be on our streets, gardens, parks, next to the river and canal or indeed in the many great parks Syon Park, Boston Manor, Osterley, Kew Gardens, Richmond Park…..

Duncan Walker ● 7001d66 Comments ● 6840d