Hastings Rail Summit

I found this piece, and photograph, on the BBC South East page, otherwise I haven't found anything else about the Rail Summit on Friday, yet! Our MP Amber Rudd plus...

"The rail minister, Paul Maynard was also at the public event, together with Hew Merriman, the MP for Bexhill and Battle, and bosses of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

The 18-month-long dispute between Southern, owned by GTR, which has cost the South East's economy around £350m, was raised at the meeting.

Mr Maynard responded: "Ever since I took on the role as rail minister I have been apologising to passengers for the inadequate service they have been experiencing, but since the start of the dispute we have seen big improvements in GTR's performance."

Amber Rudd, who is also the Hastings and Rye MP, said she was "impatient" about getting faster rail services for her constituency, but was "realistic" about getting things to happen." 

OK, a couple of comments, and it's a shame I couldn't be there on Friday, but... first, this has been an 18 month dispute, which could have been sorted out last year but for political interference as I've said a few times, and all Maynard can say is he's been apologising, which doesn't actually sort out the problem, that is (his) Government interference! Oh yes, and he says that performance has improved, but that's only because they've changed the timetable, with journeys taking longer, and they run fewer trains with fewer carriages... so that's an improvement?!?

If anyone did go to the Rail Summit, please contribute, many thanks!

After numerous recounts...

Well, after numerous recounts, Amber Rudd gets elected as Member of Parliament for Hastings & Rye, beating second place Peter Chowney by 346 votes... 

Congratulations to Ms Rudd!

Time to Vote!

General Election day 2017, there are other candidates in the Hastings & Rye constituency battle, but, realistically, it will be one of these two candidates who will be your Member of Parliament from tomorrow, ie the incumbent and Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, or the leader of Hastings Borough Council, Peter Chowney...

We live in a democracy, and we can vote for who we want to vote for, or we can vote for no-one at all, should we want to, but what kind of future do you want for yourself, your children, and their children? Today is the day when you can influence that future...

Your vote matters!

Is there an election soon?

First, I noticed this poster around town last week, so, not everyone in Hastings appears to approve of our MP to May 2017, and Home Secretary...

Then this rather more obvious message turned up below Pelham Crescent... 

Quickly painted out, but this level of graffiti isn't correct for Hastings, surely, we should be keeping it clean and tidy for visitors and their photographs, let alone ourselves, whatever any genuine grievances, after all, we pay enough in council tax to pay to keep it clean and tidy, despite gulls, and others, doing their best to fill the town with litter and dog mess! 

But no! Someone from the opposite end of the spectrum has joined in, it appears, so we've vandals of the 'left' and 'right' now, increasing our council tax!?! 

I also saw this image on facebook earlier, someone certainly has it in for the Labour candidate, a "cur" and a "ninny" in his/her/their opinion/s! Now, I went out to take my own photographs of the last 2, but they have either been very professionally cleaned up already, had water-based paint used which was washed away by heavy rain and winds last night, or were originally photoshopped... but who would bother going to such lengths?!? 

Anyway, we've another 3 weeks of this! 😨

Time to sort out Southern Railway?

Is now the time to sort out the mess that is Southern Railway? The BBC report (website) that talks are re-starting to sort out the mess, oops, I mean, to resolve the year-long industrial dispute; it has been a YEAR now, poor long-suffering rail passengers! 

A spokesperson for Southern said: "We're pleased to be meeting the RMT in a bid to try and find a route forward to end their dispute." 

Whilst the RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash, said: "The union welcomes the opportunity to engage with Southern rail in further talks.

"We expect there to be no efforts to undermine these important talks from other parties and that they will be allowed to take place free from external interference." 

Maybe there will now be no further 'efforts to undermine' the talks, being as the Government should now be concentrating on campaigning for the general election, and so should not have the time to interfere (see my blog of last year); unless Peter Wilkinson is given the duty of keeping up the 'good fight' of course! Anyway, fingers crossed...

PS. Amber Rudd never did reply to me! (See blog).

Amber Rudd, or Adolph Hitler?

Probably because I live in Hastings I missed this a few months ago, but this film of James O'Brien discussing our MP is well worth a watch, prepare to be shocked...

Southern Rail: industrial unrest continues, not a surprise...

If you haven't already heard, unsurprisingly, see my recent blog, Southern Rail and the RMT have come to yet another impasse, with the union explaining that the rail operator had rejected its proposals "out of hand" (link)! 

This 'negotiation' does now appear to have been totally usurped by politics, whilst all that the people of Hastings want is a decent rail service... It's time now for the franchise to be pulled from Govia Thameslink and passed to someone with a good track record (excuse the pun) and who can run a rail service efficiently, Transport for London have put themselves forward (link), yes pretty please! 

Write to your MP, who lists one of her political interests as "transport" (website), I have! 

Here's my missive: 

Dear Amber Rudd,

As our MP, and someone who has listed one of her political interests with Parliament as 'transport' -  http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/amber-rudd/3983 - I am pleading that you help to sort out the industrial dispute between Govia Thameslink and the RMT, which has caused tremendous problems with those of your constituents who use the railway for employment, educational, and social purposes. 

Surely, now is the time to withdraw the franchise from Govia Thameslink, who have not been providing an efficient service for the last few years, indeed, even before the dispute started! 

I have read that Transport for London are prepared to take on the franchise, please please please help to sort this out and ensure the franchise is withdrawn from Govia and passed to someone willing to take on the franchise efficiently, or to bring about an in-house management service, like happened with East Coast, the only rail company to contribute to the Exchequer since privatisation, whilst all other rail companies are paid £millions by the Exchequer. 

I trust you will give this problem your attention and ensure that your constituents no longer have to cope with an inferior rail service.

Many thanks, 

Yours sincerely,

Email:  amber.rudd.mp@parliament.uk 

Spring Clean, starting at the Stade!

A chance to see Amber Rudd cleaning the beach as part of the big clean up for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations. Starts at the Stade, today, March 5th, at 09.30, and goes on until 1pm, we are told; the Council are in on it too, so wander along and help clean up Hastings, for the Queen, of course... 

Shame the Council Tax we pay Kier Group doesn't do the job sufficiently!

Hastings Fishing...

How did I miss this? Well, I did... 

I've written quite a bit previously about Greenpeace and our local fishing industry, and the campaign to support Under 10 Metre Fishing Boats. Well, I missed this development, which is quite positive to our local fishing fleet (Defra website). However, there still appears to be concerns about the cod quota and local boats, cod having been very abundant recently in local waters, yet not being dealt with by Mr Eustice's announcement...   

Contact your local MP and Defra if you, like me, are still concerned!

Do you know if your MP supports Fox Hunting?

Are you aware that your local Member of Parliament, Amber Rudd, is in favour of repealing the Hunting Act? (See these 2 lists: list1 and list2 of MPs' positions)

The vote is in the House of Commons tomorrow (Wednesday 15th), I have already made Amber Rudd aware of my opinion, but she doesn't agree with the 75% of the electorate who support the Hunting Act, which includes two-thirds of Conservative Party voters too!     

The time to push for a greater quota perhaps?

Perhaps now is the time to push for a greater quota from MAFF, Amber? 

Our Member of parliament for the last 5 years, Amber Rudd, was unsuccessful in persuading MAFF to increase the quota of fish that Under 10 metre boats are allowed to catch, whilst she was a mere MP and junior government minister... Now she is a fully fledged Minister, will she actually get something done? OK, it's not her Department, but surely she has a bit more sway in Government now, or will she waste another 5 years not representing her constituents in Hastings? 

Although she didn't get to the meeting at the East Hastings Sea Angling Association in March, she did send a recording of her support for the local fishermen and Greenpeace 'Coastal Champions' campaign. I'd suggest we all write to her to remind her of this pledge before she disappears for another 5 years...  

Sustainable Fishing: Greenpeace comes to town...

I was working elsewhere when the Greenpeace fishing boat 'Rising Tide' landed in Hastings, but got to the Fishermens' Beach well before the public meeting started to take a few photographs of their boat.

I also discovered that the public meeting was being held in the East Hastings Sea Angling Association bar, soon after I discovered that the upstairs area above the 'Classroom by the Coast' is a tad too small to hold such a meeting! Anyway, there was a very good turn-out, indeed, though my photographs don't do this justice because most people weren't in line with my images, as the camera lens was pointing directly at the politicians.

There were the General Election candidates from the Labour, LibDems, Greens and the Ukip parties all present, Sara Owen, Nick Perry, Jake Bowers and Andrew Michael, and, because she was tied up in Parliament, hopefully not literally or another scandal could emerge (he says with a wink in his eye), a recording of the Conservative candidate, and current incumbent, Amber Rudd. They all agreed with the Greenpeace 5 point action plan, of course, though the Ukip man hummed and haa-ed before agreeing to do so, presumably for dramatic effect, as I'm sure he must have already known what he was going to do, wasn't he? Better than getting lynched by the Hastings fishing community!  

I'd already signed their petition on-line a couple of weeks go, but I perused the other literature and badges that Greenpeace brought with them before the talking began; I also signed a 'pennant', all of which are to be given to the Fishing Minister by Greenpeace, together with the petition, after the tour is completed.

As you can see above, Paul Joy represented the local fishing industry and the New Under Ten Fishermens Association (website) as spokesperson, as one would expect, and provided much technical information, and less the warm fuzzy feelings candidates expressed, about the realities of small boat fishing and how the larger boats/fishing industry work. The problem is not to do with the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union, so much, as in how British governments have divided up the British share between the small and larger fleets; ie nearly 80% of fishing boats, the smaller ones as in Hastings fleet, are only allowed 4% of the allocated catch!    

The joint mission of Greenpeace and the NUTFA is to get politicians to sign up as 'Coastal Champions', promoting their five point action plan, in the run up to the General Election:

• Give local, sustainable boats a fair share of quota
• Restore fish stocks by rewarding selective fishing methods
• Protect the ocean in a way that benefits local fishermen and coastal communities
• Give local, sustainable boats priority access to coastal waters 
• Make sure small scale fishermen are represented at the highest level in Europe

For more information go to Greenpeace 'Coastal Champions'.