I am speaking from exprience.I had so many difficulties getting in to education that i almost gave up. Getting accomodation was even harder as my previous record showed that i was a former drug addict and paying rent might be a problem but i was lucky, someone took a chance i got in to a hostel. and the rest is history. so what i would say to you is older more mature homeless people find it harder than younger people to get the help that is needed and i strongly believe they have the right to be allowed to integrate themselves back into society
Thanks for posting. You're completely right about the different attitudes towards older homeless people, and if I am elected tomorrow (is it really that close?!) I will be a strong supporter of the right to decent housing and a second chance to education for everyone.
Congratulations on your work for the election - you've raised the profile of so many issues and have made me, if no-one else, determined to do something about it.
It really was a most curious event. Probably wisely, the Tories didn't turn up. I find the spectacle of the Greens and Liberals attempting to outdo one another in terms of "I'm more anti-war than you!" quite funny, especially as all the Liberals get quite flustered under the onslaught of facts and figures Tom Lines keeps under that grey head. Evan couldn't be there, so they'd sent their wishy-washy mustard-jumpered candidate for Oxford East in his place.
I emphasised from the beginning that I was no Blairite apparatchik, and I was doing okay, I thought, although was slightly surprised by the Greens' position on Israel - one state, with full right of return, soemthing i thought all thinking political parties had abandoned years ago.
Then someone had the sheer cheek to attack the Greens for standing in Bethnal Green and Bow, and potentially splitting the anti-war vote. I hold no candle for the enviro-Luddites (meant affectionately, of course!) but they are consistently democratic, unlike the swoppers and their mates in the religion-as-the-new-politics brigade of MAB, and why should they stand down for permatanned Mr "Sir I salute your indefatigability" Galloway? I said all this, and then for good measure told them I looked forward to seeing Oona King kick his arse... So that was a good start.
The evening deteriorated as an old friend, George of the regular Saturday morning SWP street stall, decided to have a go about whether I supported troops remaining in Iraq. It wasn't so much a question, as a lengthy statement in support of the resistance and for immediate withdrawal, which I can't and don't support, peppered with patronising asides to me - "well, Antonia may not know but...". Given that the SWP's position is incredible, not credible, not consistent and not socialist, and I told him so my usual robust fashion, he wasn't pleased by my answer, particularly as he had lied about why gorgeous George was thrown out of the Labour party, and that wasn't going to getapst me. The event descended into chaos, with the swoppers on their feet yelling, and me giving back just as good as I was getting. They really didn't like me asking them to condemn the murder of students in Basra and the murder of Hadi Saleh and to condemn the Islamo-fascist resistance - and they wouldn't do it. What sort of socialism is that, that supports fundamentalism against secular feminists, students and trade unionists?
I'm surprised I made it out of there in one piece! Definitely the most fun I've had all campaign.|||111477674526297761|||Last night
You're worse than the Blairites because you pretend to be on the left for opportunistic reasons when all you care about is a seat in the H of C.
If you were genuinely anti-war you wouldn't be cheerleading for Oona King, who enthusiastically backed the war. Nor would you throw stupid phrases like Islamo-Fascist about. Could you define this term, so beloved of US neo-cons?
Enjoy coming third Antonia...
You're worse than the Blairites because you pretend to be on the left for opportunistic reasons when all you care about is a seat in the H of C.
If you were genuinely anti-war you wouldn't be cheerleading for Oona King, who enthusiastically backed the war. Nor would you throw stupid phrases like Islamo-Fascist about. Could you define this term, so beloved of US neo-cons?
Enjoy coming third Antonia...
King should have had the sense to vote against the war, though. Surely she cant be THAT bothered about being a PPS to some unknown minister???
Must say, 'Anonymous' is quite enough to put anyone off the LibDems - and I still haven't made up my mind who to vote for.
I'm not a Liberal Democrat member, voter or supporter Merseymike. Sorry if I gave that impression, in fact I spoiled my ballot this time round because I wasn't satisfied with any of the candidates in Oxford.
An excellent argument against Respect by the way Merseymike. Calling one of the parties involved "wankers". I suppose ad hominem attack are all New Labour's got to fight with these days.
Fundamentalist Islamists in Respect?
They seem pretty moderate to me, that's why they are standing on a manifesto that any socialist would be proud to see implemented. In fact you are indulging in sectarianism (which in this case borders on racism), branding anyone who has the audacity to be a Muslim and oppose New Labour a fundamentalist.
Plenty of people are 'genuinely anti-war' but don't want George Galloway to get elected or the resistance, many of whom have a fundamentalist Islamic or fascist ideology, to take over Iraq. Like, for example, Antonia. And if you think that she is worse than the Blairites, then I'm rather pleased you left the Labour Party.
You're worse than the Blairites because you pretend to be on the left for opportunistic reasons when all you care about is a seat in the H of C.
Of course, that's it - because being left is the way to get ahead, in an election campaign that's being fought largely on being tougher and tougher on immigration.
I don't cheerlead for Oona King - I think she shouldn't have backed the war. But in what way is replacing a black woman Labour MP with a pro-Saddam sectarian populist progress?
If you'd been at the meeting, you would have heard me denounce Islamophobia in answer to a question from a young Muslim woman - and not just denounce it, but demonstrate what I and the Labour party would do to fight it - including supporting training for imams in the UK, supporting bringing Muslim schools into the state system and supporting a new crime of incitement to religious hatred.
Come on mate - surely there are better targets for your ire than me? Can't you go and find some Tories to bash?
And the answer is no, by the way - the photo in question was taken by the lovely Jane Tomlinson - one of the only people apart from Jo who takes photos of me I actually like.
Though it does make me laugh that while the rest of the country is concerned about education, health, the economy, jobs, the environment, housing, public transport, international development, my photo is the biggest issue for A.N. Onymous.|||111477416086187582|||Sex it up, baby!
There is a certain local councillor who, for the purposes of this blog, I shall call "Sam".
When he's not busy working hard for residents in his ward, "Sam" is also a referee for local football matches. Last Saturday, "Sam" ended up refereeing a match in which the team in his own ward were playing. Unfortunately, the game wasn't played with the best spirits, and "Sam" ended up booking 6 players from his ward's team.
Being a loyal and dedicated local councillor, he then spent the afternoon canvassing. And this is where it all went wrong.
He managed to knock on a door belonging to none other than the Club Secretary! Who proceeded to chase "Sam" out of his garden wearing nothing but underpants, yelling "Vote for you? You want me to vote for you lot when you booked 6 of my players? Are you having a laugh?".
You couldn't make this stuff up!|||111452402956730033|||Only in Oxford...
One theme seems to be striking a chord with voters in Oxford West and Abingdon - international development. I don't know what questions are being put to candidates in other constituencies, but when I started out as a PPC, I expected the majority of questions to be about health, education, crime, community development, jobs, the economy, childcare... But perhaps that was an expectation based on my experiences growing up under 18 wasted years of Tory government. I think it's a testament to the new-found strengths and achievements of our public services since 1997 that the majority of questions in 2005 are about climate change, global warming, international relations, world poverty, fair trade.
I would blog a bit more about tonight, but our dinner's on, and while Jo has got many strengths, cooking is not one of them (love you darling!)
Antonia x|||111446379171167061|||Another day, another hustings...
You get loads of lobbying material as a PPC - some funnier than others. One best was from the British Toilet Association, asking me to prioritise provision of public facilities as an MP. Another was from the CBI - not likely to be fan of mine, nor I of theirs. I snorted as I read their manifesto for business which called on the next government to "restrain rises in the minimum wage" - after all, a fast-rising minimum wage lifting people out of poverty is something I'd positively support, unlike the Lib Dems who think rises in the minimum wage are "dangerous". But then it occurred to me that maybe we really have achieved something over the last eight years, that enshrining of the progressive consensus in our public life that Mr Blair mentioned the other day, when even the CBI, who said that the minimum wage would cost millions of jobs, can only call for restraint in rises and not outright abolition of it. Food for thought, anyway. One of the more original lobbying tactics I've seen is Jamie's Big Voice. Jamie is a homeless person who's being supported by Crisis to blog his experiences during the election campaign, to make sure homeless people's concerns are not forgotten. Jamie, if you'd like to come and see me in Oxford, you'd be welcome. Good luck with your campaign.
I also wanted to link to Derek Wyatt's site. Derek's Labour's candidate and former MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, and his agent is a great friend of mine and Jo's. He's in a tight fight with the Tories, but hopefully his record as a great constituency MP (he's dealt with over 11,000 constituent problems), his anti-war stance and the hard work of his team should see him through.
Finally, one of my friends came up from London to help campaign in Kidlington today. She mentioned that she'd seen a poster lorry driving around London with the cryptic message "no alternative" and a picture of Mr Blair on, and said how clever she thought it was to appeal to people like her who might be wavering in their support for the party over the war. Now she's not unintelligent, but i think she rather missed the point Tim and friends are trying to make!|||111376748245372638|||Couple of things
Dear (deleted),
Thank you for your letter on behalf of the Oxford Green Belt Network.
I oppose maintaining the current boundaries of the Green Belt, and I support an urban extension to Oxford.
It is simply untrue to say that the current boundaries of the Green Belt benefit all of us and city dwellers in particular. I would be happy to introduce you to some of the people who come to my advice surgeries, who are forced to live in totally unsuitable housing conditions, with families of six living in two bedroom houses. People are forced to live in temporary accommodation for years because of the shortage of social housing, and people who come to Oxford to work find it very difficult to find anywhere affordable to live.
The only sustainable solution to this, in my view, is to build an urban extension to Oxford, on the land south of Grenoble Road. This is not land, in any case, which is currently kept for the enjoyment of residents of Oxfordshire.
I would be grateful if you could let members of the Oxford Green Belt network who live in the Wootton division know that I am actively opposed to the aims of your network, and that I do not want the votes of people who are involved in a campaign which lobbies in favour of maintaining the current levels of homelessness in Oxfordshire.
Kind regards,
Dan Paskins
Labour candidate for Wootton|||111376470123135774|||Green belt
... no backing out. Been adopted as their candidate by the good people of Oxford West and Abingdon Labour party - bit of a formality, chance for a rally and fundraiser at the Town Hall. Chance to remind everyone why we're Labour, why we haul our sorry asses out of bed first thing in the morning to get that leaflet out before we go to work or college.
And a chance to remember why it will be worth it when we win the county council elections and expel that shameful coalition of Tories and Liberals who have run it badly for four years.
Just to remind you, in case you'd forgotten - our Tory county council, propped up by the Liberals:
- "lost" millions of pounds in a "forgotten" bank account in the year that the county announced the closure of vital public services
- overspent £2.5 million on the Cornmarket repaving. The independent Knight report slammed the county council for making basic mistakes in managing such a major development.
- increased council tax by a stupendous 38% over 5 years
- have £11 million "unaccounted for" in their health and social care budget , leading the district auditor to refuse to sign off the books
- has presided over below national average attainment in our schools, meaning that Oxfordshire children do worse than those in many big cities
- has run social services rated as amongst the worst in the country. Inspectors doubt whether they will improve.
- has financial management arrangements that are rated as "seriously below" standard and where there is a risk of "misappropriation of funds or assets".
well done; who'da thought the jcr led to this?!
good luck! (can't help you on the luck front though, i am in another continent)
joe
antique jewelry are among our specialties. Please visit our on-line galleries of fine
jewelry, custom engagement rings and beautiful gemstones.
This is best.
Best ski:jay peak ski resort
Best credit secret:pay victorias secret credit card
Best house:real estate in charlotte north carolina
Best forex info:forex training course currency trading
This is cool:punishment enema picture
item
promotional
forex training
charlotte
north carolina real estate
victorias secret credit card
auto junk yard
aaa auto club
auto truck broker
oreilly auto
auto dealerships
gh some regulatory bodies have attempted to codify a definition.
index.html
index1.html
spank wire
hbo wire
live wire
speaker wire
barb wire
download lime wire
image wire
download free lime wire
line wire
hot wire
shelving wire
jewelry wire
free lime wire
cable wire
the wire dvd
Thanks for your attantion.
8am - 10am - getting out a leaflet to greeny voters
10am - 11am - preparing for BBC TV interview, well-deserved cup of coffee
11am - BBC South Today interviewed me about anti-social behaviour and crime on the Peachcroft estate in Abingdon. Went very well although some sticky moments when the camera man had to judiously move me left or right to ensure the "fruity" graffiti on the youth shelter behind didn't appear on telly above my head!
11.45am - more cheeky coffee
12.15pm - interview at Fox FM. Enjoyed this one, just the type of conversational piece I enjoy, although had to repeat my answers on top-up fees and the war twice as the tape wasn't on and I was apparently unable to be concise.
1pm - the lovely Print Shop in Rose Hill had finished my posters, so had the ego-boost of picking up thousands of posters with my name in huge letters - picks you up when you're down everytime!
1.30pm - over to pick up materials from my agent near the university
2pm - lunch with Andrew's agent Val, catching up on the campaign in Oxford East and giving my apologies for Andrew's adoption meeting that evening
3pm - Mailing my posters to Labour members, miserably failing to mail merge efficiently, having to get Pete to do it for me
6pm - preparing for debate at CND
7.15pm - interview with Passion FM - this one was great too, emailed questions from listeners about housing, maternity services, traffic and speed cameras.
7.30pm - husting at Oxford Town Hall for the Oxfordshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Needless to say, despite me being anti-war, anti-nuclear weapons and a declared socialist and trade unionist, the mere fact that I was Labour meant that they weren't prepared to listen to anything I said. Oh well.
9.30pm - dinner at Aziz with the boys, catching up on the day's hard work, well-deserved bottle of red wine, which meant I slept soundly enough.
Only twenty days to go!|||111375841619556941|||My day yesterday
New tax and spend figures published by the civil service and House of Commons library threaten to throw the Liberal Democrats keynote tax plans into disarray after showing that the party has got its numbers wrong by at least £9.4 billion.
...
The figures challenge the centre-piece of the Liberals' economic plans to raise top rate tax for high earners and use the proceeds to subsidise a local income tax, introduce free personal care for the elderly and scrap university top-up fees. The Lib Dems published their plans which they claimed to be fully costed on their website last year.
...
This is very serious news for the Liberal Democrats. The 50p tax rate is critical to their appeal to the retired, students and their parents. They claimed their figures add up – and now we have independent proof they don’t.|||111289855334165921|||Lib Dem spending plans don't add up
1. Don't get on your high horse without revealing who you are
2. Why don't you have a look at the FAQ section of Antonia's site [http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/faq.html] especially the bit about tutition and top up fees:
Do you oppose top-up fees for students?
Yes. As a student at Oxford from 1998 to 2001, I was very involved in the campaign for free education. My year was the first to pay fees and to have to survive wholly on student loans with no grant, not even for the poorest students. Student debt is a deterrent, and it has the biggest impact on students from low-income backgrounds and those with no family history of higher education - just the type of people we're trying to encourage to consider going to university. Variable fees ("top-up fees") will not only increase the burden of debt faced by students when they graduate, but will also force students to choose their course and university based on what they can afford rather than what and where they want to study.
I support the target of getting 50% of young people into higher education; reintroducing a maintenance grant for poor students will help us achieve this, but my worry is that fees and top-up fees will work against this, not for this.
Best wishes,
Jo
without revealing who you are"
A concerned student that saw exactly how wasteful and damaging the majority of those at the top of the hierarchy in the LGB liberation campaign were. I do not need to reveal myself in order to make my point any more valid.
"2. Why don't you have a look at the FAQ section of Antonia's site [http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/faq.html] especially the bit about tutition and top up fees:"
Yes, I did, but Antonia similarly said in a previous post that Labour can't be accused of not being able to deliver. Maybe she disagrees with fees, but the party she represents doesn't.
Labour couldn't pay for their promises. Look at the tuition fees/top up fees example.
Higher education funding is one issue, and Antonia has made her position (which is considerably more pro-student than that of, say, Evan Harris) clear.
Civil servants calculating that Lib Dem spending plans don't add up is a separate issue which has absolutely nothing to do with top up fees, and it would be nice to hear from a Lib Dem who either has evidence to dispute their calculations or admits that their party has got it wrong.
Take care
Dan xxx
OK, so Antonia opposes top-up-fees. What alternative does she suggest that will fund higher education? Or is that a funding black-hole she'd rather not comment on? I wouldn't say that has made her position "clear".
In regards to your comments about it being nice to speak to a Lib Dem that can answer the disputes, it would be similarly nice to hear from a Labour candidate (the current government - let's not forget Antonia's constant reminder that we currently don't have to deliver our promises) who would like to admit they have got their party calculations wrong with tuition fees and top-up fees. Unfortunately, we can't get one, because they respond to every question with an attack on the other party, instead of actually answering it.
I dunno, perhaps the 3 billion spent on the Iraq war could have gone elsewhere. But then again, Antonia opposes that too. Is there any Labour policy she agrees on?
As well as showing up the problems with their sums, it is particularly important to highlight the myth that the Lib Dems are a "progressive" alternative. Lib Dem policy papers have suggested privatizing the post office [http://www.libdemwatch.co.uk/archives/000139.html] and the Lib Dem manifesto makes no attempt to rule this out (unlike the Labour manifesto which specifies explicitly our support for a publicly owned Royal Mail and a review of the liberalization process). The Lib Dems described rises in the minimum wage as "dangerous" [http://www.libdems.org.uk/story.html?id=4419]. Their manifesto contains no mention at all of trade unions or co-ops (unlike ours, which praises the important role of both). It does, however, devote a great deal of space to talking about cutting "red tape" away from business, "getting government off the back of business" and abolishing the DTI! I hope that in your campaign you will expose ruthlessly the crypto-Thatcherite nature of the Lib Dems.
A different 'anonymous' here.
Just thought that I'd point-out that both the Lib Dem spending plans and those calculations of the civil service are, in essence, estimates of how various experts think things will play out over the next five years. I mean, it's not like the civil service have never got anything wrong before . . .
In any event, it's unlikely Lib Dems will be forming the next Government, but with any luck the next parliament will be hung, depriving Blair of the ability to force through more of the contentious stuff he's got away with thus far (tuition fees & top up fees, foundation hospitals, war in Iraq, control orders, etc).
I guess she's one of those who just believes taxes can be increased, increased, and increased again to pay for any scheme that they care to introduce. The fact is, that to sort out higher education, there are unpalatable choices.
There is no doubt the system is underfunded badly as it stands. So, we have to decide whether we want 50% in higher education or not. As I firmly believe the target of getting more people to university is purely to serve Labour's own interests by creating the impression the secondary system is getting better, I don't agree with it. That means my choice is to keep overall funding the same, but to reduce student numbers.
The other choice is to introduce student fees. Neither are nice policies to introduce. But at least they have the benefit of being realistic.
From the BBC . . .
"THE CONCLUSION
The Liberal Democrats' approach has some of the same weaknesses as Labour and the Conservatives on taxation - they are relying on optimistic assumptions both on savings and on the amount they can get from tax.
But they say that if the budget deficit was worse than expected, they would squeeze spending rather than raise taxes further."
Of course, most likely you wouldn't want to acknowledge that would you?
Oh, where do you stand on the decision to illegaly invade Iraq Antonia? And of standing "shoulder to shoulder" with war criminals and human rights abusers? I presume Iraq, torture abuse and renditions won't feature too prominently in your election literature?
By the way, do you have a photo of Blair or Brown in your leaflets?
May I refer you to [http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/faq.html], where I clearly set out my views on the war? 139 Labour MPs voted against the war, I've been clear that I would have been the 140th.
No, haven't got any photos of Blair or Brown or any other Labour MPs anywhere on my literature - just me and local residents. Is that okay?
Firstly, thanks for visiting the site. I think I've been pretty clear that this is a political blog, albeit with personal touches.
You asked below "Will the next election be full of undeliverable promises and lies from all parties, or will the voting adults of this country be treated like adults?"
I strongly hope that we can have a good debate that really tests the policies of all the main parties, and that the voters - people like you - take the chance to keep asking those tough questions about what Labour has achieved, and what the Tories and Liberals promise.
As for political parties lying and not delivering on their promises - well, that may well be the case for the others, but I don't think you can accuse Labour of that.
In 1997, we promised the British people 5 key changes - on class sizes, young offenders, waiting times, youth unemployemnt and a strong economy - and we kept them.
In 2001, we did it again - more teachers, more nurses, more police, a strong economy, help for pensioners and a rising minimum wage - and again we kept our promises.
(Thanks for Ross Cranston for the details my memory couldn't supply!)
This time, what are we promising? Well, just a few things... I think our record says we'll deliver.
Your family better off: low inflation, and mortgages as low as possible, more people off benefit and into work, a rising minimum wage and more help for first time buyers.
Your child achieving more: modern schools for all, strong discipline, and a guaranteed place in training, sixth-form or an apprenticeship.
Your children with the best start: more choice over parental leave for mums and dads, more childcare for under-5s, and after school care for over-5s.
Your family treated better and faster: no-one waiting more than 18 weeks, guaranteed, for hospital treatment - with choice over where and when - in an NHS free at the point of need.
Your community safer: local policing teams, cracking down on graffiti, gangs and drug-dealers.|||111237362454733282|||Replying to Cynic
Top-up fees - otherwise known as direct violation of a manifesto pledge?
You've said elsewhere that you're not a Blairite, so why apologise for the unjustifiable?
Despite having a Labour government that had "no plans to introduce tuition fees", they not only did that, but they also removed grants, and introduced top up fees as well.
So Antonia, you don't *think* people can say that about Labour? Well, they are, and they're certainly very justified in doing so.
Always been clear that I don't agree with Labour's policy on top-up fees, and I was disappointed that they introduced them. However, I was really pleased that our government turned round and admitted that it had got it wrong in 1997 and should bring back grants - and has duly done so.
Technically, they didn't lie - top-up fees won't come in til after the election - not that that's any comfort, really.