Since the opening of the new ASDA/Walmart superstore in Livingston a few years ago. Access from the west end of Almondvale Boulevard has been a nightmare. Why the place was allowed to open with one access and exit road at a roundabout junction just behind West Lothian House remains a mystery.
However, there is hope. There is a new proposal to use Almondvale East Road which currently runs along the store and is inticingly freer of traffic than the Boulevard as a planned entry point to a new raised car park with 231 spaces. This may come as a releive to a number of local who have expressed concenr due to the nature of Livingston's shopping infrastructure. With all shopping being based in an around Almondvale Boulevard they don't venture into town on the weekends when the out of towners come to MacArthur Glen and some of the other superstores in the area.
Officials are proposing that councillors approve the new car parking scheme which should hopefully relieve some pressure from some of the bottlenecks around the shops.
Thursday, 30 March 2006
Wednesday, 29 March 2006
MP Finally Raises Issues of Pension Credits
It is good to see that Michael Connarty has finally caught on to the fact that pension credit is an issue.
Glad he is finally on board as those of us in the local Liberal Democrats first raised the issue back at the start of October.
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. I know that 6,000 of his constituents and 5,500 families in my constituency are in receipt of pension credit. However, there are two worrying things. During the election, it was the one issue that pensioners came to me to shake my hand on—although they do not do such things publicly in a gathering—and say that it had changed their lives and lifted them from poverty. First, is it not concerning that 1.2 million pensioners are not claiming their pension credit, the value of which is £1.6 billion?
Glad he is finally on board as those of us in the local Liberal Democrats first raised the issue back at the start of October.
Monday, 20 March 2006
What Really Needs Cutting?
David Cameron is saying that cutting the number of MPs is the salvation of the secret loans and patronage for donations we currently face. This from a party that spent loads of money senting CD Roms to every household in some constituencies that realisitically they never had any chance of winning in May 2005, and in some of these direct mailing almost every conrrespondence they made as they did not have people on the ground.
I don't think he has looked at all the alternatives.
Firstly the problem is that these donations and loans have been made to his and the Labour in the expectation for a seat on the red leather benches of the House of Lords. So maybe we should lift the temptation from the people with the money. We should elect the Lords. That way there would be less incentive for people to give money to a party apart from the fact that it is for the good of the country rather for their own climb up hte social ladder.
If Mr Cameron is really concerned about the cost of electioneering maybe he should consider a proportional representation system. Still keeping the average constituents per MP the same but electing them in Multimember Constituinecies via proportional representation. Parties would not need to put up the same number of candidates in the same area, candidates could share literature costs when more than one from the same party is seeking election therefore reducing costs by ordering larger print runs. It might also allow the Conservatives to cut down on their direct mailing costs as they may actually have some party members in some of the seats they target who might actually be able to go out and deliver some leaflets personally.
However, I do think introdusing a reasonable the threashold on donations, and that includes loans, is a sensible suggestion from the Tories.
So therefore we need reform. Firstly get away from the age old problem of the Lords positions being granted by patronage. Elect them for set terms. Reform the commons electoral system in one fell swoop making it fairer and more economical. Finally introduce a limit on what can be given by indivuals, companies or organisations.
I don't think he has looked at all the alternatives.
Firstly the problem is that these donations and loans have been made to his and the Labour in the expectation for a seat on the red leather benches of the House of Lords. So maybe we should lift the temptation from the people with the money. We should elect the Lords. That way there would be less incentive for people to give money to a party apart from the fact that it is for the good of the country rather for their own climb up hte social ladder.
If Mr Cameron is really concerned about the cost of electioneering maybe he should consider a proportional representation system. Still keeping the average constituents per MP the same but electing them in Multimember Constituinecies via proportional representation. Parties would not need to put up the same number of candidates in the same area, candidates could share literature costs when more than one from the same party is seeking election therefore reducing costs by ordering larger print runs. It might also allow the Conservatives to cut down on their direct mailing costs as they may actually have some party members in some of the seats they target who might actually be able to go out and deliver some leaflets personally.
However, I do think introdusing a reasonable the threashold on donations, and that includes loans, is a sensible suggestion from the Tories.
So therefore we need reform. Firstly get away from the age old problem of the Lords positions being granted by patronage. Elect them for set terms. Reform the commons electoral system in one fell swoop making it fairer and more economical. Finally introduce a limit on what can be given by indivuals, companies or organisations.
Three Golden Doubles
Before this Commonwealth Games the most golds that Scotland managed to win in the pool was 2 and the last time that was acheived was in 1974 when David Wilkie won both the Golds in question (200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley)
When Gregor Tait won one of the titles Wilkie won 32 years previously the, 200m individual medley, to add to his 200m backstroke title, he was just one of three Scottish swimmers in these games to match Wilkie in Scotland's most sucessful swim team ever.
Caitlan McClatchey having already been a surprise in the 200m freestyle took the title in her favoured 400m freestyle this morning. She had won bronze at this distance in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Yesterday, David Carry added the other individual medley title over 400m to his 400m freestyle crown to make it a Scottish 1-2 with Euan Dale in his wake.
Considering that Scottish team bosses said they were looking for 15 medals from these games I don't think anybody was expecting to find 10 of them coming from the pool.
When Gregor Tait won one of the titles Wilkie won 32 years previously the, 200m individual medley, to add to his 200m backstroke title, he was just one of three Scottish swimmers in these games to match Wilkie in Scotland's most sucessful swim team ever.
Caitlan McClatchey having already been a surprise in the 200m freestyle took the title in her favoured 400m freestyle this morning. She had won bronze at this distance in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Yesterday, David Carry added the other individual medley title over 400m to his 400m freestyle crown to make it a Scottish 1-2 with Euan Dale in his wake.
Considering that Scottish team bosses said they were looking for 15 medals from these games I don't think anybody was expecting to find 10 of them coming from the pool.
Friday, 17 March 2006
To the Bank of Tony
The Manager
Bank of Tony
10 Downing Street
Westminster
Dear Mr Brown,
I understand that you have developed a new way of financing with hidden resources. These resources can be so cleverly hidden that not even the people with responsibilty for monitoring expenditure are aware that these sources exist.
Can you please advise how the rest of the country can benefit from these new loans? I am willing to create piers on Linlithgow Loch if it enables me to tap into this valuable resource.
Bank of Tony
10 Downing Street
Westminster
Dear Mr Brown,
I understand that you have developed a new way of financing with hidden resources. These resources can be so cleverly hidden that not even the people with responsibilty for monitoring expenditure are aware that these sources exist.
Can you please advise how the rest of the country can benefit from these new loans? I am willing to create piers on Linlithgow Loch if it enables me to tap into this valuable resource.
Thursday, 16 March 2006
MP Refused to Back Bad Idea
Well last night Michael Connarty, the MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk and therefore my MP as well as my opponent from last May, maintained that the education reform that Ruth Kelly was proposing was a bad idea.
He voted against the bill and the government programme to implement it.
His first intervention in the debate was to ask David Willetts the Conservative, Shadow Education Secretary when he asked pointedly:
Then he asked John Denham, one of his Labour colleagues, to clarify this point for him:
Mr Denham agreed that the bill was perfect regarding safeguards he would have liked to have seen in the bill.
He tried a third time possibly to get his question answered but David Chaytor, who is a member of the education and skills committee, did not give way to him. Thus he joined the Liberal Democrats in the No Lobby twice.
Hardly surprising when you see one of the Times articles on the subject today showing the complete circular path that Labour have taken education reform since they came to power in 1997.
He voted against the bill and the government programme to implement it.
His first intervention in the debate was to ask David Willetts the Conservative, Shadow Education Secretary when he asked pointedly:
"Is it not significant that the areas with the deepest pits of failure are the areas that the Tories control, where grammar schools are prevalent?"
Then he asked John Denham, one of his Labour colleagues, to clarify this point for him:
"May I take my right hon. Friend back to his first comment about the worry that the White Paper would be a charter for the middle classes to take over independent trust schools? Nothing that he has said up to now has convinced me that that will not happen, and the local authorities will not have the power to prevent it."
Mr Denham agreed that the bill was perfect regarding safeguards he would have liked to have seen in the bill.
He tried a third time possibly to get his question answered but David Chaytor, who is a member of the education and skills committee, did not give way to him. Thus he joined the Liberal Democrats in the No Lobby twice.
Hardly surprising when you see one of the Times articles on the subject today showing the complete circular path that Labour have taken education reform since they came to power in 1997.
Pool of Gold for Scots
Caitlin McClatchey shocked Ozzie swim fans by lifting the first gold in the Aquatic Centre, Melbourne in the Commonwealth Games. Earlier in the day she broke the Scottish record for the 200m freestyle being the first Scottish Women to swim the distance under two minutes and was the fastest qualifier for the final. She was up against Libby Lenton who Australians were looking to win seven golds for the team.
Lenton went out strong and was leading at the last turn, however the sprinter from Australia was overhauled in the last 50 metres by the 400m specialist from Scotland to take the first swimming Gold in a time of 1:57.51 a Games Record.
A second Scottish Gold came soon after in the men's version of McClathcey's favoured event the 400m freestyle. David Davies of Wales who is expecting gold in the 1500m event was leading for the first half of the race. However, as the Welshman faded in the closing stages David Carry of Scotland and Canadian Andrew Hurd took to the front. However, the Scot prevailed in a time of 3:48.17.
On the velodrome Chris Hoy could only manage bronze this time behind Ben Kersten AUS and Jason Queally ENG. However, it still means that Scotland are second in the medal table with only Australia ahead with 3 golds.
Meanwhile it looks like the guys I used to play against of play in tournaments with regularly, the Northern Irish bowlers, are off to a good start. Hopefully a few Northern Irish medals will be coming from the green again this Games.
Lenton went out strong and was leading at the last turn, however the sprinter from Australia was overhauled in the last 50 metres by the 400m specialist from Scotland to take the first swimming Gold in a time of 1:57.51 a Games Record.
A second Scottish Gold came soon after in the men's version of McClathcey's favoured event the 400m freestyle. David Davies of Wales who is expecting gold in the 1500m event was leading for the first half of the race. However, as the Welshman faded in the closing stages David Carry of Scotland and Canadian Andrew Hurd took to the front. However, the Scot prevailed in a time of 3:48.17.
On the velodrome Chris Hoy could only manage bronze this time behind Ben Kersten AUS and Jason Queally ENG. However, it still means that Scotland are second in the medal table with only Australia ahead with 3 golds.
Meanwhile it looks like the guys I used to play against of play in tournaments with regularly, the Northern Irish bowlers, are off to a good start. Hopefully a few Northern Irish medals will be coming from the green again this Games.
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