School Places in East Reading

Rob Wilson MP having appeared to have washed his hands of his "half cocked" plans for a Senior School for 14-18years olds in East Reading, I am pleased to see that RBC, under the Labour Lead Councillor, Cllr John Ennis, is holding a public meeting to discuss the issue with local residents.

I spent a very pleasant morning delivering leaflets to parents as they went in to Alfred Sutton Primary advertising a Public Meeting to be held on the 27th September at 6.30pm. Most of the parents I spoke either said that they would come along or would send someone on their behalf.

Unfortunately the Head of Alfred Sutton seems to be a little confused and is humming and hawing about whether the meeting should be advertised in the school newsletter. I bumped in to a Governor of the school who told me that she is under the impression that it is some sort of party political meeting and therefore won't be advertising it. I hope after the conversation I had with the school Governor and a good reading of the leaflet above will help her to change her mind.

Nevertheless I hope that as many local parents from Alfred Sutton, Newtown, Redlands and St Johns will be able to make it as the decisions made about Secondary provision will effect East Reading for generations.

I will be there and I hope to see you there too.

Romney taped at secret donor talk

The power of the internet and the recorder has done for Romney.

This is a reminder to all polititians that they have to be honest across their whole. Romney is guilty of the worst sort of contempt for the US electorate. But how many of our politians in the UK or even in Reading are the same.

I have seen with my own eyes how certian politicos in Reading say one thing in public and another in private?

Dave Geary

David Geary - URL from Evening Post

I was sad to read that Dave Geary, former Reading Mayor and Kentwood Councillor, died last week.

I worked with Dave in 2003 when he retired as a Councillor and I was fighting for the seat he left vacant.

Dave was kind enough to endorse me and when I was knocking on doors in the Ward, so many people told me about how Dave had helped them, listened to them, sympathised with them and made their lives better.

After he retired he continued to be involved in local campaigns and especially in Kentwood. I particularly remember that he remained part of the team especially with the Siler Roses tea party, which we used to run in Kentwood Ward for the older members of the Ward and other Reading West Wards.

When I was a Councillor Dave was a guiding voice, he had a strong sense of the right way to go and Reading will miss his counsel.

What A Summer

Olympics Scrap Book, a set on Flickr.

What a Summer it has been for me. I have been working on the biggest project in the UK this summer the London 2012 Olympics.

I have been working for G4S, I know but I needed a job, helping to provide the security to the Eton Dorney rowing site. I will publish my thoughts on G4S later, however I would like to share my photo scrap book of the time I have spent at Eton Dorney.

I arrived at the site on 9th July and have been there ever since. My feelings about G4S will be dealt with in a later post, however my feelings about the Olympic and Paralympics can be summed up by the lump in my throat that formed when I heard the national anthem followed by David Bowie's Heroes at the last medal ceremony of the Rowing Paralympics. I felt an intense pride at having worked at a world event which the wider TeamGB, athletes, organisers, volunteers, staff, security guards, military, police, builders, and general public worked so well together.It seemed to be a moment when we could be proud to be us, proud to be a chaotic, multi layered, multi peopled, slightly cynical, and disorganised nation that can really pull it out of the bag when we need to.

It will be a long while before we see days like this again.