The NHS is brilliant

Hope this doesn't put you off your dinner, but here is a piccy of my knee after the op today. Excuse the hairy leg and bright red socks, I got dressed in the dark.

The experience reminds me yet again how much money has been invested by the goverment and how great the NHS is.

New reception area for day ops, new looking operation suites. OK I only remember the anethestisia room as I was knocked out before I got to the  operation theatre.

I even had a sideroom with a view. It was also nice to spend the day with my parents who stayed with me and made sure I could get home. The hospital won't let you out unless someone takes you home.

At one point it looked like the staff wanted to keep me overnight, I think they liked me, but we managed to persuade them I could come home.

Great staff, friendly. All in all a good experience and on top of that they were able to do some work on the inside so hopefully I will be able to even more campaigning when the bandages come off, not sure about the ballet career though.

On the campaigning front have been out most nights, been getting a great receiption from Park residents and am very encouraged by the results we have been having so far. I  think this is because they are glad to see a real local activist who actually does things rather than makes claims for things they haven't done or other people have done all the work for.

Whitewash is Bad for you

I was very surprised to here that the Green Candidate attempted to spread his rumour about the Alfred Sutton playing fields at a recent Council meeting. This was especially surprising since he has now had clear evidence that there are no plans to build on the fields.

Never mind the fact that residents, including myself, successfully fought to have the fields protected in the 1990's. I would have thought that when a Canard is dead you should eat it.

Ho hum. I imagine that he didn't print the reply he got from the Lead Councillor on the issue so I publish it here for your information and interest. Any highlights you see are mine.

Reply to Mr White from Cllr Page

I thank Mr White for his petition but very much regret the mischief-making and scaremongering agenda that lay behind this petition. There is no threat whatsoever to the playing fields.
The Site Allocations Document is now known as the Sites and Detailed Policies Document, and the draft document is to be discussed at this meeting. The Thames Valley University playing fields are not included in the Sites and Detailed Policies Document, and there is therefore no need to remove them. The existing built form of the TVU site, along with the areas used for parking, are included as an allocation primarily for education. Should it not be required for education then the policy does allow for residential, but it is clear, and explicitly stated on page 94 of the latest document that this would not include the adjacent playing fields.
The whole Crescent Road campus, including the playing fields, was included as a candidate site in an earlier consultation version of the Site Allocations Document in 2008, as it had been nominated for development by the University – not the Council. The Council consulted on all of the approximately 100 sites that had been nominated for development, as it is required to do. The document explicitly stated on several occasions that the Council did not necessarily endorse any sites. The playing fields are among a number of sites consulted on in 2008 that are not included in the current draft document.

The Green Party at national level rightly wants science and facts to be the basis of debate and decision making. It is a pity that their local candidate typically prefers to campaign on the basis of spreading false rumours and thereby raising unjustified concerns amongst the local community.

I do hope that this will put the issue to bed, however please remember to ask any Green Campaigner when they knock on your door where they get their information from, and whether the info has been verified by any other source. - I know ask me I am happy to check.

Happy Christmas-Again

Went to the Pakistan Community Centre Christmas Party last week.

It was great to meet up with members of the Pakistani Community, Christian Community and local politicians to celebrate Christmas. We also heard a speach from the Chair of the Pakistani Bar Association.

I enjoyed a mixture of politicians and religious speakers trying to explain what the message of Christmas. I was particularly pleased to see the PCC taking the risk to celebrate, what is afterall, a Christian feast.

At least two of the politicians or hope to be politicians weren't asked to speak, I was one. The other one spent the meeting fuming and rudely complaining to the leaders of the community centre that he wasn't asked to speak. I also hear that when he went to the RISC, his spiritual home, he was still in a bad mood and was, according to my correspondent, rude to the staff.

So it was great to meet members of the Pakistani Community across the Ward. I always enjoying meeting Saleem and his team, and want to record my thanks for the event.

If you are in the Christmas mood, I can recommend the Christmas Eve service at Wycliffe Baptist Church. It takes place at 11.30 and is always a moving service, laying out the real meaning of Christmas and its impact in the world.

If you miss that then there's the Christmas Day Service. For more details follow this link

So in short  I would like to wish both, I mean all my readers a very happy and blessed Christmas. I hope that you enjoy a good break and come back to 2010 refreshed and excited about the challenges ahead.

Thank You For Your Help......And Happy Christmas

Snow in Reading, snow everywhere it seems. This is what the snow looked like outside my house in Park Ward on Friday morning.

Once I had got over the euphoria of the snow, I had to go and Lollipop out side Alfred Sutton for the last time this term.

I was really suprised when parents came up to me to thank me for clarifing the "Greenspin" being put out be others. It appears that the area has been calling out for clear and honest information, which others hadn't been giving.

Lollipoping in the snow is hard work, you have to look in both directions at once and make sure that you have left drivers enough time to stop. The last time it snowed I saw at least 5 cars shunt into each other as they didn't stop in time.