Monthly Archives: January 2009
Using Twitter
I’ve written a very short piece for first magazine on my use of Twitter. They are doing a feature on councillors using social media and asked me for a short contribution on Twitter, which I’ve pasted below. (If you want to follow me on Twitter just go to my Twitter page and click follow. It [...]
Martin Linton supports Heathrow expansion, or doesn’t. Does he?
We all make mistakes. It is human nature. But I cannot help but wonder what Battersea’s MP is up to when he posts his explanation for his Heathrow vote on his website.* Apparently he voted FOR the third runway because he was trying to vote AGAINST it. Got that? The reason he made that mistake? [...]
The recession begins to bite
While it the announcement that the UK is formally in a recession was expected, the size of the fall of GDP took many by surprise. Three quarters have now passed since the UK economy grew, Q2 2008 saw the economy remain flat, to be followed by 0.6% and 1.5% contractions in Q3 and Q4. And [...]
St George’s new front gate
If you visit St George’s Hospital via the pedestrian entrance on Effort Street, SW17, you’ll have noticed that it’s been given a substantial facelift. What you probably didn’t realise is that it was done in conjunction with the council’s Community Safety Division. I popped down there this morning, along with Steve Jiggins, who helped design [...]
Tweets for week ending 2009-01-26
Why are M&S leaving Balham? http://bit.ly/MSwtd # I’m returning to Facebook to join @mysociety in their campaign to stop MPs’ keeping their expenses secret. Join at http://bit.ly/Z3Zp # It feels a bit like when I realised Father Christmas wasn’t real… The Stig has been outed http://tinyurl.com/8h2hp3 (via @Timforchange) # I’ve just been told my Stig [...]
Last few days to vote for your local park
Something of a retread post, but if you haven’t already there are still a few days left to register a vote for one of your local parks and help it win funding from the Mayor who is investing £6 million into popular London parks. Forty-seven parks across London have been shortlisted and the ten with [...]
Why do I feel sorry for Gordon?
We’re officially in recession, with a second quarter of ‘negative growth’, although we’ve gone three quarters without any growth. Unemployment is rising, so is crime, and house values are falling almost as quickly as high street names. So why is it, as a Conservative, I sorry for Gordon Brown? It is an odd feeling. But [...]
Neighbourhoodlink – the police’s messaging service
Readers with a particular interest in crime and community safety matters in Wandsworth, or indeed London, might be interested in taking a look at Neighbourhoodlink. The new service from Metropolitan Police promises: news and information about policing activity or initiatives, crime prevention advice as well as major incidents affecting your area Given that it is [...]
Freedom of Information, MPs’ expenses and good government
The whole episode of MPs’ expenses has been an interesting one, many will concentrate on the government’s reaction, which has been a typical Brownite dither, bottle it, try and blame the Tories. What I think is more interesting, though, was the initial attitude. Having passed the Freedom of Information Act, the government then decided it [...]
Our Wandsworth
Edward Lister, the Council Lister, is launching ‘Our Wadsworth’, the council and the Local Strategic Partnership’s vision for the next 10 years. Thinking about how the borough has changed in the past 10 years it’s exciting to think about how it can change in the next 10 years. And this vision not only sets out [...]
