That BNP List

I've been pondering which of the news stories that caught my attention over the past couple of days to blog about. Lack of time due to the by-election which I am involved in means I can't cover all of them. That means I'm keeping my counsel on John Sergeant's departure from Strictly!

One of the biggest stories this week has been the publication of a "membership" list of the BNP on the internet. First things first - I have no intention on publishing where people can find the details of the BNP list, nor do I condone what the people who have published it have done.

I don't make any secret of the fact that I find the BNP abhorrent as a party, however, publishing people's details on the internet is completely irresponsible.

The BNP as an organisation works on fear, and in these difficult economic times, it is easy for them to blame minority groups for the country's problems. It has come to my attention that the party has been out canvassing in some areas in Newton Abbot recently.

What I found most shocking about the list was the number of young people who have membership with the party, and that Teignbridge has the highest concentration of members in Devon.

As a Councillor, and in particular as the Youth Champion for Teignbridge; I see my role as one of being a community champion, and I guess that this includes promoting diversity within our area so that parties like the BNP don't make any headway.

It is too easy to blame others for our problems; what we should be doing is embracing the skills that we all can bring forward to get ourselves back on track.

We Will Remember Them

I spent a wet and windy morning yesterday at the War Memorial in Newton Abbot to honour all those people who gave their lives so that we may live in peace.

Despite the rain, hundreds of people lined Queen Street to watch us as we marched by, and the number of young people there to watch or participate was incredible to see.

Our local MP, Richard Younger-Ross gave the reading, and we all marked the two minute silence during a brief gap in the showers.

Whilst we remember those who have gone before, we must also remember the living, including those soldiers who are currently serving in the Armed Forces across the world. With this in mind, I was so pleased to hear that the single released by Simon Cowell's latest prodigies has reached Number 1 in the charts. The single raises money for Help for Heroes, a charity helping those wounded in the conflicts that Britain is still involved in.

One of the projects that they fund is in conjunction with Troop Aid. Every patient who is injured while on active service and goes through the hospital in Selly Oak will now receive a Troop Aid Hero Grab Bag.

This simple idea makes a real difference to the moral and comfort of the patient. The bag contains all the ‘nice to haves’ like a t shirt, underwear, socks, washing and shaving kit, or female equivalent, as well as other items like writing paper, a telephone card and memory stick.

YES WE CAN!

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today."

Martin Luther-King Jr. 1963

Bleary-eyed, I went to work on Wednesday, full of hope. I had stayed up to watch the results in the American Presidential election and was almost walking on air.

I had always been a huge fan of Hilary Clinton, and loved the idea of a woman being President, but after her support for the war in Iraq, I could not support her Presidential bid.

Barack Obama first came to my attention in 2004, when he gave his famous speech at the Democratic National Convention. I've read his books and have a huge amount of respect for him - did you know that he got 70% of the vote when he was elected to the US Senate in 2004?

I have followed the race for the White House with real interest, but never let myself believe that Obama could do it. I was so disappointed in 2004 when John Kerry was unsuccessful and I didn't want to feel that way again, so did not let myself get too excited when the polls were showing his lead. I can't believe that America achieved so much in just one evening.

A friend joked that with the election of Obama, America "could be welcomed back into polite society", and whilst a little extreme; I can't help but think that alongside working on the economy when he is inaugurated on January 22nd, President Obama is going to have to put some work into relationships with other nations.

The last word on this subject for a while must be reserved for another friend, Dipesh, whose Facebook status revealed his healthy political cynicism:

"Dipesh thinks having a new president is like falling in love or having children. There may be an initial high, but it's downhill all the way from today."

The Tale of Two Presidential Elections

Today, I cast my vote in the Presidential Election - no, not in the election that everyone has their eyes on in the USA; but the one to decide the next President of the Liberal Democrats.

Baroness Ros Scott got my first preference vote, with my second going to Lembit Opik MP. Ros is an excellent politician, who cut her teeth in local government. I didn't hesitate to vote for her, and when the ballot closes on Friday, I hope that she will be the person to take my party forward in order to fight the next General Election from a strong place.

Turning to events on the other side of the pond; I am looking forward to watching the results come in with some friends in Exeter. The last time America went to vote, I was working in London, and the anticipation was almost too much. Sadly it didn't go our way, but I have high hopes for this time around.

Several of my friends are currently working on the Obama campaign in various States in America. I am extremely jealous of their opportunity, but work keeps me here this time around, and I will have to make do with the rolling news channels to keep me up-to-date! Having campaigned in a couple of General Elections here and numerous by-elections, I can imagine that volunteers are starting to get a little tired now, and are looking forward to the final push tomorrow.

Results in America won't be known here until breakfast time, but it is an exciting time, and I look forward to seeing what direction our closest allies will be taking in the next few years.

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ObamaAbingtonPA.JPG

Busy Weekend

Three weeks ago, a colleague of mine on the District Council passed away after suffering a heart attack at a public meeting. Brian Berman represented Kenn Valley on Teignbridge District Council and Exminster and Kenton on Devon County Council.

Brian was an extremely dedicated Councillor and worked tremendously hard for the people he represented. He will be sadly missed by all those who worked with him; those of all parties and none.

There will now be a by-election to replace him, and I have spent today out and about in Exminster canvassing on behalf of his wife, Hilary, who is standing as the Lib Dem candidate to replace him on the District Council. Colleagues were out to help, and we saw a number of our Conservative counterparts out and about, braving the elements too.

I look forward to working alongside whoever wins the by-election so that together, we can all do our best for the people of Teignbridge.