People of Witney Your Attention Please

People of Witney, your attention please.

As you are no doubt aware, there is a great danger threatening your planet. If you don't act on that your planet will be good for nothing but demolition to make way for a hyper-space bypass.

So what are those seeking to represent you after the next General Election doing about it people of Witney?

Well you Lib Dem PPC Dawn Barnes was telling the people who are going to discuss this great danger to go ahead and do something, a big something. Think of something really big, then double it, multiple by 10, and double again kind of big. Below is a picture of her with a leader who also believes this was the most important thing to be doing yesterday.



However, the man who would be your Tory MP after the general election thought it was more important this weekend to fly to the other end of the world almost. And tell people what he couldn't do.

"There will no reduction in troop numbers."

He said of the troops he was visiting in Afghanistan. The leader of the free world Barack Obama has stated that July 2011 is the target date to start US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Of course he's not alone the Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth earlier in the week had gone further than Dave. Saying:

"You can’t put a time on it. You've got to look at conditions."

Something that Cameron has agreed with he is also disquieted about putting artificial deadlines on it. Yet even his one year of no is in effect an artificial deadline in the other way. With so much going against the views of the USA the biggest defence force in the alliance could see us going alone in Afghanistan.

Maybe everyone need to remember a bit of history and the fate of Elphinstone's Army in the First Anglo-Afghan War from 1839-42. When William Brydon and he alone of the 16,000 emerged out of the Khyber Pass.

The Wave That Flooded Glasgow #TheWave

Pictures by James Harrison

I'm sitting on the bus heading back home after the Wave in Glasgow. You may be asking why so late but at Kelvingrove Park the use of my laptop was requested by LYS for use of the secretary at their exec meeting held afterwards, which is the end was not in fact used.

Anyway this was the driest Wave I have ever been in the middle of, I have have been in some big Atlantic rollers at the strands in Portrush or Portstewart when we holidayed when I was a child. The Glasgow weather was mercifully dry while we were on the march, showers however, did give us a light soaking as we headed off to find somewhere to eat.

First off no sooner had I arrived at Ibrox underground station where the Lib Dems had agreed to congregate than I was greeted by the vision of the Linlithgow Climate Challenge team arriving with their banner. It was good to see them here as well.

George Lyon MEP, Robert Brown MSP and Alison McInnes MSP along with Glasgow North PPC Katy Gordon were prominent Lib Dems who were on the march. We formed up at Bellahouston Park before winding our way towards and over the Cylde. I also for quite a bit of the march was walking alongside or close to Green MSP Patrick Harvie. It actually felt good to be part of a Scottish Lib Dem contingent at a march and actually be one of those responsible for raising the average age.

Yes Liberal Youth Scotland were out in force and indeed it was their posters that you can see all of us carrying in the picture above. They have had a busy weekend yesterday they flashmobbed the Student Loan's Company in Glasgow*, then they headed off to help Ashai Ghay the Lib Dem candidate in next Thursday's Bearsden South by election, then The Wave and an exec meeting today.

There was quite a crowd there and just across the bridge next to the SECC we formed a big loop just off Finnieston Street. Here we all grouped up and did a a couple of Mexican waves down the whole march and then headed off to Kelvingrove Park, for the rally at the end of the march.


The official even photographer asked us to come over for a group picture behind the events official sign and as he levelled us all up he did say this is "big group".

Now we must hope that the message that the people in Glasgow and elsewhere have sent to the delegates heading to Copenhagen has a real impact. Hope they have listened to and seen us and the coverage we have had across the news and know that now is the time to take action.

PS I have lost the scarf in Wave colours that you can see above. Which is wierd as I distinctly remember having it at the QMU and remembering to pick it up as we were leaving.

PPS I tweeted about the absence of certain political presence at the Glasgow Wave while on the move. The absence of any grassroots support for this issue by these two really is a worry for the future.



*This led to representation coming down to discuss with them their issues on the doorstep.

The Wave #TheWave

As you may well be aware there are mass demonstrations in London and Glasgow ahead of next week's Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. As I will be out and about on the streets of Glasgow here is a feel for the event from the hastags and some of the Twitter accounts that I follow of people who will be there at either location.