"No-one wants to visit Ely" - I do not believe it!

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Mayors-anger-as-survey-says-no-one-wants-to-visit-Ely.htm

This is the unbelievable story as carried in the Cambridge News:

"Mayor’s anger as survey says no-one wants to visit Ely

The mayor of Ely has demanded an apology from Travelodge after its survey found the city to be among the least attractive cities for visitors.

A furious Cllr Richard Hobbs has put out a challenge to bosses of the budget hotel chain to visit the city.

Ely came eighth behind cities like Bradford, Wakefield, Dundee and Sunderland in the list of top 10 least desirable places to visit.

Cllr Hobbs told the News: “I am very annoyed with this poll. You can’t compare Ely to places like Bradford.

“Ely is a beautiful place. We have the cathedral and a stunning river and every year we win awards for our loos.

“I challenge the bosses of Travelodge to come here and I will show them what Ely is really like.”

He added: “This sort of sensationalist survey is damaging to our city and I demand an apology.

“The bizarre thing is that the Travelodge in Ely never has offers because it is one of the most over-subscribed in the country. I will certainly be boycotting it, though.”

Bradford was voted the city travellers least wanted to visit, being deemed “dangerous, ugly and boring”.

Another Yorkshire town – Wakefield – was considered the next least-attractive place for visitors as it was “dull and depressing”.

The survey was compiled from a poll of 5,000 people, conducted by Travelodge.

Other locations high on the do-not-visit list were Dundee (bad weather) and Sunderland and Newport in South Wales (high crime rates).

Other towns and cities in the least-attractive list were St David’s in Wales and Wells in Somerset, Ripon in Yorkshire and Lichfield in Staffordshire.

London led the list of the most-visited cities as well as being the city most Britons wanted to visit this year.

The next most visited cities were Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and York.

Travelodge spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed said: “We live in a world of misconceptions, and often don’t realise it.

“A significant proportion of the images of cities we have in our minds may be biased, out of date and not in tune with reality.”

Patricia Yates, director of strategy and communications from the VisitBritain organisation, said: “This report has highlighted that Britons need to re-acquaint themselves with some of the UK’s great cities.

“It’s a shame that misconceptions and lack of the UK’s knowledge of what cities have to offer could stop British travellers from having a great weekend break.”"

Shakila Ahmed (who she?) needs to get back to her drawing board. The Mayor of Ely, Councillor Richard Hobbs, is a friend of mine and he knows what he is talking about. Ely is a great place to visit. I know what I am talking about, too. I visit Ely often. I love visiting Ely. Moreover, on my recent canvassing visits, I have personally met hundreds of visitors to Ely who have told me that they love visiting Ely, too. I say to Shakila Ahmed: 'I do not believe it!'

Burwell - the late Mr John Brooks - Independent

To Burwell today, and not far to go, for Burwell is our nearest large village. I know the parish of Burwell intimately. Sue and I have hundreds of friends who live in Burwell. I was the County Councillor for the area until 1993, when I was 'retired' by my then party.

The Conservative candidate 'selected' to succeed me did not succeed in her aim and the seat was lost to Mr James Fitch, of the Liberal Democrats.

I wrote yesterday of my life having been changed by Pastor Peter Cockerton, of Little Thetford. Another powerful influence on my evolving political thinking was the late Mr John Brooks, formerly of Swaffham Bulbeck and, for many years, of Burwell. John and his lovely wife, Kay, lived at The Tan House, earlier the home of the late Lord Pym (then Mr Francis Pym, M.P.). Kay lives on at Felsham Chase.

When John died in January, 2007, I had the honour of being asked by the family to say a few words at his funeral, which was held at St. Mary's Church. Among those few words were the following:

"John's involvement in local and public affairs must not pass without proper acknowledgement.

He became a member of East Cambridgeshire District Council in 1979. He represented Burwell and served on various regional and national bodies, as well as being Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Council, and only retired in '03, having been repeatedly re-elected by the people of Burwell.

That was an extraordinary vote of confidence in him and an extraordinary stint of service to this community. It included leading the 'Independent Group' at national gatherings of the Association of District Councils ...  

... He and I used also to be Governors of Burwell Village College and we worked together for Burwell House. Many were the meetings at which I would deliver a long and rambling rant and then look to my friend for support. A slight twitch of the nose, as if longing for a Tom Thumb cigar, and the few pithy words, the absolute epitome of moderation as always, "I think Councillor Woollard may have a point," was the endorsement so earnestly sought ...

... He was a great man, and I and many others have been beneficiaries of his goodness, his greatness, his kindness, his generosity, his encouragement and, all too often in my case, his tolerance ...

... I have lost count of the number of years that I have known John and Kay. It's certainly from their happy time at Swaffham Bulbeck, but Sue and I also have the fondest of memories of their occupancy of The Tan House where they entertained us with delightful meals and splendid conversation. But they spread their hospitality far and wide and their homes were always known as centres of culture and gentleness. John was a true and cultured gentleman.

John was not only good, great and kind, but wise as well - a very rare combination. He is missed enormously by so many of us, but our collective loss is as nothing when set beside that of Kay and her family."

My readers will deduce from the above that I admired John Brooks for many things, not the least his being determinedly independent on behalf of Burwell in his work as a District Councillor. I should have been more independent myself. That is a regret that I live with but am trying hard to remedy.

My wife Sue also has a connection with Burwell in that her late cousin, Alderman Robert Stephenson (1847 - 1929), was the village's first County Councillor. He went on to become Chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council. His brief obituary appeared in The Times on the 28th of October, 1929, as follows:

"Mr Robert Stephenson, Chairman of the Newmarket Petty Sessions and Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, died yesterday, at his home, Manor House, Burwell, at the age of 82. He was chairman of the Cambridgeshire County Council from 1901 to 1904 and of the River Ouse Board in 1924 and 1935. His wife died in 1925, but he is survived by one son and three daughters."

For a fuller account of Robert Stephenson's life and that of his famous scientist daughter, Dr. Marjory Stephenson, M.B.E., F.R.S. (1885 - 1948) (pictured below right), go to -

http://www.burwell.co.uk/content/rstephenson.asp         

I had the pleasure today of calling on Mrs Brooks. She greeted me fondly and wished me well. I also had the pleasure of calling on many other people and, where residents were not at home, I left leaflets. As a consequence of leaving leaflets, I get telephone calls from those who want some elaboration on my leaflets. That is the object of the exercise: to arouse interest and, hopefully, support.

My final call for today was at the new Manchetts Budgens store on the Ness Road. The store really appears to be first-class and a very wide range of goods is on offer, as well as Jet fuel. I had a word with Mr Sean Manchett and it was very evident that he is pleased with how the new venture is going. I have done business with the Manchett family for many years and I am very pleased that theirs is still a family business. Burwell is fortunate to have the new store. Here is my picture of it.

Why chase these creatures to their deaths for fun?

I was talking to a man at Little Thetford yesterday. He lived earlier at Cottenham. His family had an old barn. In this barn each year, a vixen raised her fox cubs. The man's description of watching them was marvellous and most moving. Why chase these creatures to their deaths for fun?

Peter Brookes's latest cartoon hits the nail on the head!

What a bunch of chumps!

"Tory wheeling and dealing let Ashcroft break non-dom pact, papers reveal" (The Times).

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7067937.ece

The Lord Ashcroft business gets worse and worse (as you can see if you click on the link above).

All I can add is, 'What a bunch of chumps. The thing is, can we trust them to run the country if they can't run their party properly without all this shady aid from Belize?'

We must restore trust in Parliament.

Little Thetford and Pastor Peter Cockerton - the man who changed my life, with help from others

Little Thetford is the sort of place one doesn't go to, unless one is going to Little Thetford. I went to Little Thetford today and I now wish that I had more reasons for going to Little Thetford. Going to Little Thetford is well worth it when one gets there (it's off the A10 from Cambridge to Ely), and I intend to go there again - and again - partly because I have been invited so to do.

My principal reason for going to Little Thetford today was to canvass the people and to deliver leaflets. But my first stop was at the home of dear friends, Peter and Rene Cockerton. Rene was born Miss Rene Stanford, a daughter of Henry and Phyllis Stanford, of Chapel Farm, River Bank, which is the home of Sue and I now. Rene married Peter Cockerton and Peter eventually became Pastor of the Baptist Church at Little Thetford. With the Stanford family's involvement with the much-loved 'Little Chapel in The Fen,' I suppose that it was inevitable that Peter, being a Pastor, would also become one of the Trustees of the said Little Chapel.

Following a suggestion from the late Mr Dennis Badcock, of Burwell, Sue and I started many years ago to attend the annual harvest services at the said Little Chapel. Following the retirement of the late Mr and Mrs Tom Butler of Swaffham Bulbeck as Trustees of the said Little Chapel, those who were left in charge of the said Little Chapel, Peter and Rene Cockerton and Alan and Daphne Wyatt, the latter of Landbeach, asked me to become a Trustee. I agreed and was honoured to have been asked.

Here is one of many pictures I have of the Little Chapel. The interior is as decorated for one of the annual harvest services.

Next came my retirement from more active farming at Bottisham. Sue and I thought about moving to the Suffolk coast. But then, on a visit to 'The Little Chapel in The Fen,' we noticed that Chapel Farm (just to the rear of the Chapel) was for sale.

To cut a long tale short, we bought Chapel Farm and moved in 1995. We love living in the Fens surrounded by all of the Fen wildlife (and no thanks to the National Trust for that).

So, if it had not been for Pastor Peter Cockerton and the others, Sue and I might now be living on the Suffolk coast, we might not be embroiled in a battle with the National Trust for the future of the Fens, and I might not be standing for election to Parliament here in South East Cambridgeshire.

It's funny how things turn out, but Sue and I are eternally grateful to all of our friends for how things have turned out.

Another of my pictures from today is of Little Thetford Baptist Church, of which Peter Cockerton was Pastor until recently. As you can see, it is a handsome edifice.

My day was not all Chapels, etc. It consisted largely of meeting many friends, old and new, and enjoying fascinating and stimulating conversation, some of it so confidential that it cannot appear on a blog.

I am going to Little Thetford again very soon.

Good old Ely Standard - on-line edition

I have huge affection for the good old Ely Standard and those who run it, Debbie Davies, the editor, especially. The 'hard copy' is always good but the on-line edition is well worth a look, too. I have a letter in the latter today and it reads as follows:

"In My Book Open Water is The Same As Flooding

Proof positive of my assertion that our present MP, James Paice, is still fence-sitting with regard to the National Trust's Wicken Vision is apparent from the Trust's own 'welcome' of Mr Paice's so-called 're-think' on this vexed subject.

Chris Soans, of the Trust, goes on to report on Lord (Chris) Smith of Finsbury's recent visit to Wicken. His Lordship is now the chairman of the Environment Agency, which must be just the job for a redundant cabinet minister and the former MP for Islington South.

It's a shame that farming members of the Swaffham Internal Drainage Board were not invited to meet Lord Smith. They would have corrected the impression that he has evidently received, that "only poor farmland will be flooded".

Lord Smith has informed me by letter that "some of the national press coverage [of his visit] was inaccurate. It is true that the Wicken Fen Vision is considering 're-wetting' a very small amount of land ... this is not flooding ..."

I have subsequently been informed - by the National Trust's own officers, no less - that 200 acres of Burwell Fen alone will be 'open water' in their plans. In my book, 'open water' equals flooding and in my book, Lord Smith has been misinformed. I wonder what sort of further re-think Mr Paice will now consider.

Geoffrey Woollard
Independent Parliamentary Candidate, South East Cambrigeshire,
Chapel Farm,
River Bank, Nr Upware."

Here is the link to the on-line letter -

http://www.ely-standard.co.uk/content/ely/postbag/story.aspx?brand=ELYOnline&category=Postbag&tBrand=HertsCambsOnline&tCategory=PostbagELY&itemid=WEED17%20Mar%202010%2012%3A26%3A53%3A077

"Lord Ashcroft and William Hague to snub Commons inquiry into peerage" (The Times)

Here is the link to the story in today's Times -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7066265.ece

and here is the story:

"Lord Ashcroft and William Hague will snub an inquiry into how the billionaire party donor was elevated to the House of Lords after the Conservatives said the event was biased.

David Cameron approved the decision for all Tory parliamentarians to boycott a Commons hearing into what promises were made before the businessman became a peer.

Lord Ashcroft has disclosed he is “non-domiciled” in Britain for tax purposes although he signed a solemn, binding pledge to Mr Hague that he would return from abroad to take his seat in 2000.

The peer says the Government officially confirmed that his offer to be a permanent resident meant long-term residence, allowing him to escape British taxes on his overseas fortune.

Sir George Young, shadow leader of the House, has written to the Public Administration Committee chairman, the Labour MP Tony Wright, explaining why the main witnesses will be absent.

“In the days immediately preceding the dissolution of this Parliament, this inquiry inevitably risks being seen as partisan. I am writing to let you know that my Parliamentary colleagues who have been invited to attend are not inclined to do so,” Sir George wrote.

“I think it best if these sorts of issues are explored in the round, and on a genuine cross-party basis, in the next Parliament.”

Sir George noted that the Tory members of the all-party committee had declined to take part, “inevitably undermining the authority of any report which might be issued.”

Baroness Dean, who sat on the honours scrutiny committee which repeatedly vetoed Michael Ashcroft’s nomination to the Lords, will break that panel’s long silence by giving evidence.

Sir Hayden Phillips, the Government official who clarified the terms of the controversial peerage with Mr Hague’s chief whip, will attend. Unpublished documents about the affair will be released."

My on-line comment is as follows:

"This does not look good. What have they got to hide until 'the next Parliament'? It stinks, as does the Lord Paul business, but in his case to a lesser extent because he gave thousands whilst Ashcroft gave millions. Don't these people realise that they all give politics such a bad name? I ask the people of South East Cambridgeshire (where I am the independent candidate) and the people have very little confidence or faith in any of them at Westminster. It's all very worrying. We must restore trust in Parliament."

My wife Sue has taken to street walking!

Nothing will surprise those who know my wife Sue but I have to advise my readers that she is now a street walker. Here's the proof. She's been caught walking the streets of Little Wilbraham and Six Mile Bottom.

What a gal, eh?!

We hit these two different places today and found, as usual, lots of friends, most of whom will be supporters. Though my old buddy, Mr Stuart Wilson, doesn't agree with me with regard to fox hunting, I am confident that our shared history of going into combat against illegal hare coursers will swing the votes of him and his dear wife Doreen my way. Stuart was 'old Labour' until Margaret Thatcher's arrival on the political scene and he then changed to supporting the Conservatives. Of course, Maggie is no longer a factor, so ....

Here's a little picture of Mr Wilson and myself.

Sue and I also had the pleasure of meeting Mrs June Ford and her dogs. June has been a strong Labour supporter and I respect her for it. June wants me to make it clear that she continues as a Labour supporter and I believe her, but she did wish me luck, which was typically generous of her. Here are June, her dogs and yours truly. 

Also at Liitle Wilbraham, we came across an old Swaffham Prior friend, the famous former jockey, Mr Ray Cochrane. Ray is famous, not only for having been a superb jockey himself, but also for saving the life of fellow jockey, Frankie Dettori, nearly ten years ago. The story of this remarkable feat is detailed on the BBC's website at -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/778383.stm

Ray wears his heroism with a modest style. I like him for that and for much more. Here he is (below). (Ray was busy working on something in his garage and still looked great. He would have looked even greater and much more glamorous in his racing silks).

We concluded our day by calling on several friends at Six Mile Bottom. The special friends Sue and I have there are Tom and Grace Reeve. Tom has had some serious illness recently but they fixed him up well at Addenbrooke's Hospital and he looks fine now.

What would we do without our National Health Service? I can't even think about that, but I do concern myself about uninsured Americans who have difficulties. Sue and I have known some and the family of one of them put on a 'benefit concert' to raise money to pay his hospital bills. I think sometimes that we Brits complain too much. We ought to count our blessings instead.

Had my ears lowered at Longmeadow this morning

I had my ears lowered at Longmeadow this morning. Andy Hayward, who owns and runs 'Andy's Mens Hair Design,' does a very good job and at a reasonable price. I recommend him highly. A gentleman from Brinkley was next in the queue for a haircut and he said that he was going to vote independent this time. All good stuff.

As I was in Longmeadow, I decided to canvass and deliver leaflets there. The results were splendid, as I might have expected, for I know Longmeadow intimately. My uncle, the late Mr John Weir, farmed at The Grange. Sue and I have many friends who live in Longmeadow. I was the County Councillor for Lode and Longmeadow until 1993, when I was 'retired' by my then party.

I 'did' the whole road and also called at The Grange, where Tim and Cyndy White farm now and I was delighted to see Cyndy, a long time friend and supporter. The Whites have a semi-circular driveway and it was amusing to be told by Cyndy to 'watch out for the rocks at the corner.' I recall the same rocks from 50 or 60 years ago: I think that my uncle had them placed there.

Thanks for the warm welcome - again - Cyndy!

Huge amusement at Histon - and most encouraging

The heart of old Histon looked especially good today. Here it is, England at its best.

But the village as a whole was hugely amusing and most encouraging, too. I personally delivered 250 leaflets and, where people were in or around, I engaged them in conversation. Aside from one miserable creature who didn't want to know - 'I'll put it straight in the green bin. I've got by without voting all my life' - the responses were very good.

I also struck lucky when the Junior School children were coming out, for I was able to talk to mums and dads and a few of the children, one of whom gave me a sweet, which was good. (I checked this out with his mum first). I had a most interesting conversation with one of the mums on The Green. She told me that her family had recently returned from Germany (where her husband worked for the Ford Motor Company) in order for her sixteen-year-old daughter to be able to attend Impington Village College's International Sixth Form and to take advantage of IVC's provision of the International Baccalaureate. This is further proof of the IB's broad strengths and of the attractions of Cambridgeshire's education in general. I have long believed that the IB represents the future. This was very welcome confirmation.

Finally, just as I was running low on leaflets, I had a splendid gossip with an elderly lady who not only remembered the old days of Mr Francis Pym, M.P. (now sadly deceased), but also the days of the old Histon Conservative Club (now defunct), and the old Cambridgeshire Conservative colours of pink and white (now no longer in use). When I first worked with and for Mr Pym, we had those colours and I was told at that time that they were the racing colours of an earlier member. I have my doubts about this as I can't find mention in my Racing Calendars, of which I have several. The lady, formerly a Conservative, was so pleased that I was standing as an independent, partly because of her friendship with South Cambridgeshire District Councillor Mike Mason, another independent, whom I also know through the Swaffham Internal Drainage Board, of which we are both members. I was promised two more votes.

Not on the basis of these two votes, but on all kinds of other support generally expressed, I can state confidently and unequivocally that, if Histon is anything to go by, this campaign of ours is on its way.

British soldier dies of Afghanistan blast injuries - the total of British dead is now 273

"British soldier dies of Afghanistan blast injuries" (Daily Telegraph).

"A British soldier has died from wounds he suffered in an explosion in Afghanistan last month, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said."
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/7455083/British-soldier-dies-of-Afghanistan-blast-injuries.html

The total of British dead is now 273.

Press release for today

Breath of fresh political air blows in on Stetchworth

Geoffrey Woollard, the independent candidate for South East Cambridgeshire, blew in on Stetchworth on Monday for a canvassing visit.

His message to Stetchworth electors was and is, "If you, like me, are fed up with all of the major political parties and, like me, can't see much difference between them and their policies on, say, the economy and the dreadfully wasteful adventure in Afghanistan, there is surely a lot to be said for a truly independent candidate who will listen, take advice, think things through for himself and make up his own mind on the issues that affect us all, and then act and vote accordingly. That is what I stand for and I hope you agree."

Geoffrey is seen in the attached picture chatting with a very young grandmother in Strollers Way, Stetchworth. The picture was taken by her son, who lives in Burwell and who, in turn, has a school-age son.

For more details of Geoffrey's canvassing visit to Stetchworth, go to his blog at - http://woollard4southeastcambs.blogspot.com/

Geoffrey has been actively canvassing for several weeks and has already been to Linton, Ely, Waterbeach, Kirtling & Upend, Milton, Balsham, West Wratting, Weston Colville, West Wickham, Willingham, Haddenham, Newmarket (the South East Cambridgeshire parts thereof), Hildersham, Horseheath, Isleham, Horningsea, Bartlow, Shudy Camps, Castle Camps, Impington, Stretham, Over, Teversham, Fen Ditton, Witchford, Reach, and, on Monday, Stetchworth.

Geoffrey knows that there is widespread disillusionment with and distrust of all party politicians and believes that the forthcoming General Election is 'wide open,' both nationally and locally. He says, "We need to restore trust in Parliament. We have had enough of our politicians just turning up at Westminster and toeing the party line. The party line is too often a dead end track to nowhere."

Stetchworth - home of Sue's MP cousin and others

I drove the few miles to Stetchworth today. I know it as the former home - at Stetchworth Park - of Sue's distant cousin, Richard Jefferson Eaton, who was MP for this area nearly until his death in 1847.

We both have friends living in the village now and, of course, it is quite close to where we are ourselves.

Richard Jefferson Eaton (1806 - 1847) was from the old Eaton banking family of Newmarket. His great grandmother was born Ann Deave in 1710, at Woodditton. Sue also descends from the Deave family of Woodditton, hence the relationship.

We have a newspaper cutting from The Times of the 28th of November, 1839, when Richard Jefferson Eaton's marriage was announced. It reads as follows:

"Married.

On Tuesday, the 26th inst., at Epping Church, by the Rev. H.L. Neave, Richard J. Eaton, Esq., M.P., eldest son of Richard Eaton, Esq., of Stetchworth-park, Cambridgeshire, to Charlotte Elizabeth, second daughter of Henry John Conyers, of Copped-hall, Essex."

Here (above) is the cutting, courtesy of The Times on-line archives.

Sadly, Mr Eaton seems to have suffered from epilepsy as his death, on the 27th of July, 1847, was certified as being from 'epileptic fits.'

The death was announced in the papers as follows:

"Died.

27th inst., Richard Jefferson Eaton, Esq., of Stetchworth Park, Cambridgeshire, late M.P. for that county."

Members of the Eaton family are commemorated by memorials in St. Peter's Church and they remained in ownership of the Stetchworth Park estate until it was sold in the 1870s. The estate was bought by Francis Egerton, Earl of Ellesmere, in 1883, and most of it is still owned by the illustrious Egerton family.

Several eminent and well-known people live in Stetchworth today and I called at the homes of a world-renowned jockey, a distinguished magistrate, a duke, a marquis and a famed Newmarket area business man and benefactor who deserves a knighthood at least.

When I was in Strollers Way, I came across a young couple whom I assumed were either man and wife or brother and sister. It turned out that they were mother and son and the lady (pictured here as taken by the son, who now lives in Low Road, Burwell, and with an old boy wearing a rosette) is a grandmother. I found it difficult to believe. She's the youngest-looking grandmother I have seen in quite a while.

And I also met lots of 'ordinary' folk - many of them just like me who love our Cambridgeshire villages - and meeting them made for another wonderful and rewarding day.

Ely Cathedral on Saturday, the 13th of March, 2010

I was going through yesterday's pictures from Ely and thought that some might like to see one of Ely Cathedral with just a duck in the foreground and without the independent parliamentary candidate. Here it is. Please feel free to copy it.

My YouTube presentations

I want, please, to draw the attention of my readers to my YouTube presentations which have received a total of no less than 1,887 views to date. Go to -

http://www.youtube.com/user/FENBANK

To Ely, and the Cathdral, and 'Help for Heroes'

To Ely today for one of the busiest and most useful times of my life. I met hundreds of people, many of whom I knew and many of whom are or have become supporters. Ely is a lovely city and it was at its best now that some better weather has arrived. It was the first time in about six weeks that I have gone without an outer coat. Here is a picture of me at my proudest in front of Ely's proudest possession, the wonderful cathedral. If my overseas readers haven't had the good fortune to have visited England, they have missed this. If they have visited England and have not been to Ely, they have missed this. If they are thinking of visiting England, they must not miss this. It's practically on the doorstep of Sue and I and we are very privileged. We would miss this if we were not here and, if I have the privilege of representing Ely and South East Cambridgeshire in the House of Commons, I shall be even more proud, not of myself, but of Ely.

I also saw a fund-raising stall soliciting assistance for 'Help for Heroes.' This organisation (H4H) was founded by Bryn and Emma Parry after a profoundly moving visit to Selly Oak Hospital in the summer of 2007. Bryn and Emma met some extraordinarily brave young people who had been badly wounded and they just wanted to do something to help. Help for Heroes is strictly non-political. Help for Heroes calls for the people of Great Britain to help raise money for wounded service personnel. The ladies who were running the stall were assured of my support and one of them very kindly took my picture beside their stall. Here it is.

'Lords place themselves beyond reach of the law' (The Times) - What would Oliver Cromwell say?

The Times today carries a report of the latest shenanigans of the 'Lords' and 'Ladies' alleged to be in legal trouble.

Go to -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7060563.ece

"Peers who have claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds for homes they rarely visit will escape prosecution through a House of Lords loophole.

Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, denounced the change, which was made last month. It allows peers to designate as their main home a property they visit no more than once a month — a ruling Mr Starmer said caused him “very real difficulty”.

The Crown Prosecution Service announced yesterday that it could not bring criminal charges against Baroness Uddin, a Labour peer who received more than £100,000 in allowances by claiming that her main residence was outside London. Her family home is in Wapping, East London, where she has lived for more than a decade.

Mr Starmer told The Times: “You could not have a looser definition. It would be nigh on impossible to find a neighbour who could act as a witness and who could say that a peer had not once stayed at a house — short of mounting 24-hour surveillance.”

The Labour peer and donor Lord Paul revealed this week that he would not be prosecuted either. He was investigated by police after he admitted that he never slept in the property outside London he called his main home.

Baroness Uddin and Lord Paul will now be investigated by an internal Lords committee. The expenses of up to 20 peers have been investigated internally in the past 18 months.

There were calls last night for the House of Lords to end self-regulation, following the lead set by MPs. Peers resisted attempts to impose external regulation by the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Peers whose “main homes” are outside the M25 are entitled to claim a daily rate of £174 to help them with accommodation in London while they are attending the House of Lords.

But a ruling last November by Michael Pownall, the Clerk of Parliaments, found: “Ultimately it is up to Members to designate an address as their main residence as they see fit.”

Last month he added that the Lords’ House Committee believed a “main residence” might only need to be visited by a peer once a month.

Three Labour MPs and a Tory peer appeared in court on Thursday to face charges of false accounting."

Lady Uddin said: “I am relieved that this ordeal has finally come to an end. I only wish now to say thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this very difficult time.”"

My 'comment' is as follows:

"They don't like all this in the streets and on the doorsteps of South East Cambridgeshire, where I am the independent candidate. The name of Oliver Cromwell was always well-known round here, especially at Ely, where he lived. His name resonates readily nowadays and is all too relevant."

'The lovely and peaceful Reach Lode'

There's a well-reported piece in this week's Newmarket Journal about 'The lovely and peaceful Reach Lode.'

http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/news/Work-starts-on-National-Trust.6147334.jp

I believe that the National Trust is well on its way to ruining the lovely and peaceful Reach Lode. Here is a picture of Reach Lode in all of its loveliness and peacefulness. It is a wonderful wildlife haven as well as a boating and walking paradise. The Trust's plans are to attract more people to its 'Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve.' Implementation of the plans is costing millions. Marvellous food-growing farmland is being lost. The additional people will frighten away the wildlife. Stupid, innit?

The same picture (one of mine) appeared in today's Cambridge News.

To 'new Teversham' again - most rewarding!

I went to the Foxgloves estate (or 'new Teversham') again today and visited about 200 houses. Not everybody was at home but those who were welcomed me, my leaflets and, more importantly, my independent line of thinking. I still think that it's a disgrace that these good people appear effectively to be ignored by the major political parties. I suppose that some of the party bigwigs think that the estate is not like a conventional Cambridgeshire village. Well, in a sense, they are right, but I can assure them that the houses are splendid and the people even better.

'Watch out, Mehaffey's about' - a useful slogan?

Swaffham Prior's monthly Parish Council meeting got off to a very good start last evening with an address from Mr Mark Mehaffey (pictured above at Ely), East Cambridgeshire District Council's 'Clean Neighbourhood Enforcement Officer.' Mr Mehaffey made an excellent impression with his description of his work in ensuring that such as fly-tipping is not only discouraged but positively clamped down on.

I did not realise that the District Council - through Mr Mehaffey - had powers to penalise so severely those who transgress the littering and fly-tipping laws and it appears that the powers are now being exercised to the full. So impressed were we that it was urged on County and District Councillor Mr David Brown, who was present (our own District Councillor, Mr Allen Alderson, was absent on other business), to exclude Mr Mehaffey and his work from any cost-saving decisions that the District Council might have to take. This was for the very simple reason that some areas of Swaffham Prior Parish, notably the Fen and Heath Road, have suffered from the fly-tipping of all sorts of disgusting rubbish (see my pictures above and below) by those who should and do know better.

'Watch out, Mehaffey's about' is a slogan I shall suggest.

Cllr. Brown (pictured right) alluded in his report to the County Council's difficult budget decisions and to the on-going problems of potholes in the roads and the now-notorious 'guided busway' scheme that is still not in operation (and will be of little use to Swaffham Prior when it is). This gave me an opening and I drew Cllr. Brown's attention to what people are saying to me, namely, that they expect the potholes to be dealt with and that they were and are increasingly critical of the 'guided busway.' People connect the two problems and note that more money is needed to pay for the latter whilst the former are seemingly neglected. I also advised Cllr. Brown that, whilst his hands were clean in the context of the 'guided busway' decision-making progress, others' hands were not, and that he should try to avoid dirtying his hands in future on other such grandiose schemes. My memory of my own County Council days came back at this point and I recalled a particularly ignorant County Councillor (long since departed from the Shire Hall) who had, I supposed, been given a script for a speech that included the word 'grandiose.' He pronounced it 'grandoise.' That sort of daft thing sticks in the mind.

Some excellent news came to the Parish Council via Cllr. Allen Alderson's written report, read in his absence by the Clerk, Mrs Karen King. It seems that Cllr. Alderson has twisted some arms at Ely and has obtained that which Swaffham Prior Parish Council had demanded as a matter of honour: a proper contribution towards the costs already incurred in connection with works on the ancient village pound. Cllr. Alderson is deserving of praise, which was given by all present. He will be thanked.

As I have mentioned before, I have given very serious thought to what I should do about my membership of Swaffham Prior Parish Council in the event of my being elected as MP for South East Cambridgeshire. Fortunately, the monthly meetings fall on the second Thursday of every month and that helps, as most Members of Parliament make their way home on Thursdays and I would be very reluctant to give up on the Parish Council. Moreover, because I attach so much importance to the work of Parish Councils in general, I plan to get myself invited to attend from time to time other Parish Council meetings (including Soham Town Council and Ely City Council) in the Constituency. Party political MPs keep in touch with people partly through Party political meetings and social functions. As an independent, I would not have this political imperative and, in any case, I would prefer to see cross-sections of the various communities rather than the politically-biased types who are often very unrepresentative of 'ordinary' people.

Abraham Lincoln is said to have said, 'God must have liked ordinary people, for he made an awful lot of them.' 'Honest' Abe was right!

Visited every house in the village of Reach - how about that?

I visited every house in the village of Reach today and, though the village is relatively small and practically on my doorstep, I am quite pleased that I was able to get round and to meet so many more people. At least every other house was occupied by someone known to me and that actually slowed me down a bit because a candidate can get away with almost anything except being curt or hurried and rude.

(I know some people in Reach so well that I even called on a lady by the name of Anita and her husband, Ray. They are not on 'the net' but I was able to tell them that I had received an E-mail today from Anita's brother Tony in Australia: how about that, Anita, Ray and Tony?).

On my way round, I met a gentleman from Ely who was in Reach doing some work. His mate took our picture. By the looks of it, he's with me. See what you think.

Whilst walking Fair Green, I couldn't resist taking another picture, this time that of the Reach village sign which signifies the village's role as the home of Reach Fair, an annual shindig that dates back to the time of King John. The Mayor of Cambridge and a large retinue come out from the City and the Fair is opened officially from the very spot where I was standing today, just in front of Hill Farm, the old home of my dear friends, the Cole family.

Another fine friend, District Councillor Allen Alderson, also came along in his van and we had a good old chinwag. Allen and I go back many years in Cambridgeshire politics and, though he is still a Conservative and I am not, I am prepared to state my opinion to anyone willing to listen. Mr Alderson is a superb representative of The Swaffhams Ward. Here is his picture from the East Cambridgeshire District Council website.

Two letters with a single theme in today's Ely Standard

Two letters from two very different people but with a single theme have appeared in today's Ely Standard. The first, in order of page layout, is from an officer of the National Trust and it says 'welcome' to Mr James Paice's recent 're-think' on the so-called 'Wicken Vision.' It speaks for itself, as follows:

"Strategy had wide vision

I refer to your article 'MP calling for re-think on Wicken Fen Vision and provision of land for food production', on March 4.

We welcome the fact that someone who has been so involved in the development of the Conservative Party's strategy for agriculture has taken an interest in this project in relation to the wider public benefits; balancing food production and the environment. It is particularly pleasing that their strategy takes a position that is based on the environmental underpinning of agriculture.

Food production is not a black and white confrontation with the environment; it is a complex global issue that will need understanding, consideration and joined up thinking.

We were fortunate to welcome Lord Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, to Wicken Fen in February to celebrate World Wetlands Day and host a discussion with the NFU, local farmers and the Environment Agency on balancing food production and enhancement of the natural environment in the Fens.

We have invited MP Jim Paice to Wicken Fen in order to facilitate a similar discussion and allay any concerns he may have about the long-term aims of the Wicken Fen Vision.

Find out more at www.wicken.org.uk

Chris Soans
Property Operations Manager
National Trust Wicken Fen
Lode Lane
Wicken."

Mr Soans is pictured above. He is the one on the left. He and his colleague are plotting their next move.

And the second letter, in order of page layout, is from a different person taking a rather different line. It, also, speaks for itself, as follows:

"Save the farmland

I don't want to appear ungrateful or ungenerous because I am truly grateful to James Paice, MP, for his seeming generosity in shifting his position somewhat on Wicken Vision. The fact that Mr Paice believes that food production in our Fens is important is to be welcomed.

What I cannot follow, though, is Mr Paice's tortuous reasoning, for he lays the blame for his sitting on the fence and his biting of his tongue on the pressures of party politics. One of the reasons for me standing as an independent against Mr Paice, a friend for many years, is that I am totally fed up with party politics even entering the on-going debate about Wicken Vision.

Why, may I ask, is the future of several thousand acres of the country's finest food-growing farmland a party political matter? I am quite sure that Wicken Vision will not be named as such in the Conservative Party's manifesto that Mr Paice has been so pre-occupied with of late. It is not a party political matter. It is plain common sense that thousands of acres of the best farmland should not be laid waste in the way that the National Trust wants.

David Lloyd George, the former Prime Minister, deployed a splendid insult against a political opponent. He said that the gentleman had 'sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.' Fence-sitting and tongue-biting can be painful, but to different parts of the body. Mr Paice should eschew them both.

Geoffrey Woollard
Upware."

Mr David Lloyd George (1863 - 1945), otherwise known as 'The Goat,' is pictured below.

Witchford - another long and strung-out Cambridgeshire village

I went to Witchford today. It's another long and strung-out Cambridgeshire village that suffered severely from increasing traffic and I recall Main Street being both noisy and quite dangerous. The village is now neatly by-passed. Consequently, the new housing developments that have arrived in recent years are benefiting from their close proximity to Ely and other good employment and travel opportunities as well as the relative peace and quiet of village life. The children are fortunate, too, for the local schools have an excellent reputation. I 'did' part of Main Street, West End Close, Barton Close, a large part of Clover End, Victoria Green and Granary End, as well as Church View, Bedwell Hey Lane, The Warren and The Grove. Amongst the many people I met was a gentleman who described himself as a 'die-hard' Conservative. By the end of the very pleasant conversation that I had with him and his wife, he was agreeing with me on almost every issue. Such is the value of serious canvassing.

A silly little bonus came my way. In front of one doorstep, either thrown down by a lazy distributor or thrown away in disgust by an irate householder, there lay a leaflet from one of my opponents. I picked it up - as one does with litter - and read it later. These people will have to do better. The 'facts' were out of date, the spelling was dreadful and the misuse of words was obvious. Not good - and not impressive at all.

Two invitations to General Election 'hustings' meetings have come in today. One was from the Revd. Stephen Talbot on behalf of Churches Together in Ely (CTiE) and the other from Jim Mullin, pastor of the Baptist Church at Haddenham, on behalf of the five churches in Haddenham and Wilburton. Dates have yet to be fixed, but I look forward to both meetings and have promised in each case to do my 'stuff'!

It would be good if either or both of these meetings were to draw a crowd such as appeared for the opening of the Haddenham Baptist Church in 1905 (I found this one on 'the net').

The brand is not a broken bottle: it's a busted flush

Todays's Times carries an interesting article by Daniel Finkelstein (left), an excellent writer and a man who is usually an astute analyst and observer of the political scene.

The article is headed: "Keep plugging away. The brand is a winner. Tories think that the job of changing their party’s image is complete. It isn’t - and complacency could be fatal."

The link is here -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/daniel_finkelstein/article7055713.ece

I have picked up on Mr Finkelstein's concluding paragraph and have commented on-line.

"The voters are out there to give the Tories a landslide, but the party needs to help them over the finish line. They just need to show a bit of (Coca-Cola) bottle."

If I were still a Tory (I gave up on the party in 1999), I would like to think that Mr Finkelstein was right in his analysis. From canvassing as an independent in South East Cambridgeshire, I know for a fact that there is widespread dismay at the possibility of that crowd getting back again. There is little doubt that the blessed Margaret inspired many (though she also annoyed many), but her successors as leaders of the party - and Cameron is really no different - have lost the plot of the people and they are losing the election. There is no inspiration and very little difference from the other parties' principal policies on the economy and the wasteful war in Afghanistan: all there is is harking back to hereditary peers and hunting with hounds, combined now with the on-going stench of the Ashcroft sleaze.

Led by the Bullingdon boys, the Tories are like the Bourbons: they have learned nothing and forgotten nothing. The brand is not a broken bottle: it's a busted flush.

To 'new Teversham' - the housing estate that the major political parties don't want to know

There is a large housing estate that is (mostly) in the South East Cambridgeshire parish of Teversham. It is separated from 'old Teversham' village by half a mile or so of open land and is actually closer to Cherry Hinton which, in turn, is part of the Cambridge constituency. The estate started life as the Foxgloves estate but I tend to title it 'new Teversham' and that is where I was today, in an area where there dwell more than one thousand electors of South East Cambridgeshire. And what did I find? Why, large-scale support for me as an independent yet again and a general distaste - nay, disgust - in the attitudes of the people that I met towards the major parties.

This wasn't always for the reasons that I have recently become accustomed to but it was genuine, nevertheless and, perhaps for an even more disturbing reason. It appears that nobody from the major political parties has bothered to visit this estate, not just during the lead-up to this General Election which is now only weeks away, but for years. One lady said that she hadn't seen a party politician of any sort for about ten years; another lady confirmed the information. So much for the major parties' much-vaunted 'election machines' and so much for their 'caring' and 'inclusive' policies and posturings. A party (or some parties) that don't want to know the opinions of more than one thousand electors doesn't deserve to win anywhere.

The Foxgloves estate (or 'new Teversham') comprises the delightfully-named Antelope Way, Buffalo Way, Caribou Way, Dolphin Close, Eland Way, Fennec Close, Impala Drive, Lemur Drive, Loris Court, Mandrill Close, Panther Way, Roedeer Close, Sable Close, Speedwell Close, Tamarin Gardens, The Lynx, etc. I say 'etc.' because I may have missed one or two closes or drives and I apologise for so doing if I have.

If my readers pick up the impression that I enjoyed the day and found it rewarding, they are right. The day, though cold again, was most enjoyable and very rewarding. My picture shows a cheerful chappie on the General Election trail. It was taken by a young and busy Lithuanian gentleman, to whom I said, 'Thank you, and welcome!'

Peter Brookes hits the spot again: I couldn't resist reproducing it from today's Times!

"Labour and Tories neck and neck in marginals"

"Labour and Tories neck and neck in marginals" (The Times).

Go to - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7054655.ece

"Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,500 adults aged over 18 by telephone between March 5 and 7 in 100 Labour-held constituencies where the Tories are second, those ranked 50 to 149 in descending order of marginality."

I don't believe this and I don't believe that Populus had much success with the telephone interviews. The reaction that I am getting on the doorsteps of South East Cambridgeshire is that of widespread disillusionment in and distrust of ALL of the major parties. This election is wide open.

To the South East Cambridgeshire parts of Newmarket again

To the South East Cambridgeshire parts of Newmarket again.

Much of the old Cheveley Park estate was sold off following the death in 1902 of Colonel Harry McCalmont, MP, and the land upon which is now Ashley Road, Centre Drive and Duchess Drive was developed. In many respects, this area is one of the most pleasant in Newmarket but the silly thing is that it is in the constituency of South East Cambridgeshire and it is 'governed' by East Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, whereas some of the remainder of the town is under the control of Forest Heath District Council, based at distant Mildenhall, and Suffolk County Council, based at distant Ipswich. Newmarket is split. The potential for confusion and muddle is enormous and, to show just one example, electors living in the Cambridgeshire parts of Newmarket cannot now take part in the affairs of Newmarket Town Council.

Cllr. Peter Cresswell (pictured left), the present chairman of East Cambridgeshire District Council, who lives in Newmarket, is minded, like me, to do something about the situation and my preference is for the whole town of Newmarket to be in 'my' constituency of South East Cambridgeshire.

Colonel Harry Leslie Blundell McCalmont (1861 - 1902), a friend of Cecil Rhodes and a very wealthy racehorse owner, was an interesting member of the House of Commons - representing our area - and was wont to distribute dead rabbits from his estate to the 'deserving poor' of the surrounding villages. Perhaps he did this to avoid the need for canvassing?

Colonel McCalmont was elected as Conservative MP for the then East Cambridgeshire seat on the 29th of July, 1895. His winning then may have been helped by his famous tour of the constituency on polling day to rally support, in which he covered some 87 miles in under twelve hours. I recall the late Lord Pym (then Mr Francis Pym, MP) doing much the same thing back in the 1960s, though in Mr Pym's case, the tour was by car, in the inimitable and rather grand PYM 4. I know: I often drove Mr and Mrs Pym and was proud so to do.

Colonel McCalmont served in South Africa as colonel of the 6th battalion of the Royal Warwickshires, and was on active service at the time of his re-election to his East Cambridgeshire seat in October, 1900, again, presumably, getting by and in with rabbits and without canvassing. He was appointed a CB (Commander of the Order of the Bath) in 1900 for his South African services.

In 1901 Colonel McCalmont returned to England, determined to restore his racing prestige. He had a very successful racing season in 1902. Earlier in that year (on the 16th of January) he moved in the House of Commons the address in reply to the the then king's (Edward VII) speech. On the 8th of December, 1902, Colonel McCalmont died of heart failure at his London house. He was buried in the churchyard at Cheveley.

Colonel McCalmont was caricatured by 'Spy' for Vanity Fair. The caricature (right) was published in 1889.

How political times have changed: I canvass vigorously and have no inclination nor need to hand out dead rabbits to anybody!

Just one street sign is all that marks the once important and influential Colonel Harry McCalmont. It is pictured below. I canvassed McCalmont Way and much more this afternoon and early evening.

I have a new YouTube presentation

I have a new YouTube presentation, just completed and uploaded today. Go to -

http://www.youtube.com/user/FENBANK#p/u/0/sBfh6M2PIMs

Enjoy!

Geoffrey did some of the odd jobs that had been piling up during the previous six days

Genesis 2: 2 - "And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done."

Such is (or was) the Sabbath Day.

In the event Sue went to the Free Church at Swaffham Bulbeck, whilst Geoffrey did some of the odd jobs that had been piling up during the previous six days.

Geoffrey did NOT go canvassing. However, he did plot the next six days' electioneering. He can't be cured.

To 'old' Teversham - and it's still cold!

I hit 'old' Teversham today (there is a large part of the Parish that is separate and we will get there on another occasion). The village is like many others: it has expanded greatly over the years, but the Church of All Saints sits serenely amongst the expansion. It is yet another of Cambridgeshire's handsome churches and I took its picture for the records and for this blog. Please note the 1914 - 1918 War Memorial to the left. For more details of the War Memorial (thanks to Martin Edwards) go to -

http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/Teversham.html

Another sight caught my eye and that was a local filling station. As the sharp-sighted will see, the price of the diesel fuel that I use in my Jeep Compass has reached 122.9 pence per litre. This is the equivalent of £5.91 (5.91 GBP) per gallon which is the equivalent of $8.86 (8.86 USD). Take note, my American readers and relatives. I do not blame the retailer, for a large proportion of the price is represented by tax. But it makes one think further on the subject of fuel economy, doesn't it?

And, yes, I know: my campaign car needs another good clean!