Speech to Conference - Intercity Express Programme

On Saturday I made a speech to Scottish Liberal Democrat conference on the issue of the Intercity Express Programme. I was especially speaking on lines 11-13 of the motion.

1 Conference notes that that the UK Government is due to take a decision on whether to
2 proceed with the Intercity Express Programme, intended to provide 882 new carriages
3 for a series of intercity routes, following the completion of the comprehensive spending
4 review in October 2010.

5 Conference welcomes the environmental, social and economic benefits of an efficient
6 and accessible public transport service, and supports the long-term electrification of the
7 railways as part of a modern rail network.

8 Conference recognises the importance of cross-border transport links between England
9 and Scotland and that direct rail services connecting London to the north and the north
10 east of Scotland bring direct economic benefit to these regions.

11 Conference is therefore concerned at the report of the Review of the Intercity Express
12 Programme by Sir Andrew Foster which suggests that long distance routes to Inverness
13 and Aberdeen could be served by connecting trains rather than through-services.

14 Conference believes that the loss of the through-service from London to Aberdeen and
15 Inverness would be a significant deterrent to train travel for these regions and would
16 represent a serious reduction in the quality of cross-border services, with a resultant
17 negative impact on Scottish business competitiveness.

18 Conference therefore calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to protect the
19 economic value of the north and north east regions of Scotland by maintaining direct rail
20 services between London and Aberdeen and Inverness and to reject any other
21 diminution of cross-border public transport services between England and Scotland.

I started by saying that although through the years I had always addressed conference as a Northern Irish man this was the first time I have addressed them as a member of the Northern Irish party. It was as a result that travelling from Northern Ireland and many long cross country trips that I had learnt one important issue about connecting services, they do not always connect you to you final destination on the same day you started out.

A previous speaker had already pointed out the access issues and this is true for all passengers. This is true for all passengers but can affect those that are elderly and infirm the most. If you add in a rail replacement service at the same time as a non-though train this can slowly lead people to not want to let the train take the strain.

As I concluded I pointed out that in 2003 we stood to increase the rail service in Scotland including the Bathgate to Airdrie extension which means so much to the people of West Lothian. We should similarly be working to increase provision not reduce it, therefore I urged conference to accept the motion.

It's Friday ...so...Mister GrimsDALE

Yeah this week we lost the comic genius of Norman Wisdom. Even into his 80s he was still a genius of slap-stick and the one liners. But over the last six months he suffered a series of strokes.

However, one thing well never really did was heed his words in this song.



Basically because we couldn't help put laugh at Norman. Like this scene from A Stitch in Time.



His last role was only a few years ago when he was 91. The physicality may have been whithered by age, but the timing and the facial comedy was still there, as this clip shows.



So long Norman. Watch out Mr Grimsdale.

Blogged Elsewhere #LDNI

Nick Clegg was visiting Northern Ireland yesterday. Me and Mícheál were a bit perplexed that our invites to join him for tea were clearly lost in the post. But he did invite Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness to see him which is probably more important*. Over at the Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland blog I've written about the statements made by Nick and Peter yesterday, go have a look at what I said about it.

"Over time we clearly need to try and create a NI economy which is more diverse..."

Nick Clegg, Stormont Castle, 7 October 2010

* Though a future invite wouldn't go amiss.

National Poetry Day - Home

Today is National Poetry Day and the theme this year is Home. However, as you may be aware from my recent posts that means a lot of different things to me, that come out in this poem. So this is a story from comtemplating teen suicide, though coming out, to being who I am today.

I

Home is where the demons lived
Home is where I moped.
Home is where I first thought shit!
It's time to bring an end to it.

Home is where they bullied me
Home was from where I had to flee.
Home held many bad memories
For that younger me.

II

Home was where I first returned
When the times got rough.
Home is where I turned to mum and dad
Saying enough's enough.

No more secrets, no more lies
Your son is gay you see.
Home is where I found you love
Cos you both accepted me.

III

Home is where I'm at once again
Father's gone he's out of pain.
Home is where I'm stronger now
Than in that first refrain.

Home is where it's better now
Than twenty four years ago.
Home has changed a lot since then
And so have I you know.

Home is where I now can give
Those years of lessons learnt.
Home is where I'm glad to still be alive
Not a short wick fatally burnt.

Home is where the heart is
Whether that heart is full of joy or pain.
But those you love will love you truly
Time and time again.

© Stephen Glenn
7 October 2010

It Gets Better - Teen Bullicide

The Liberal Democrat constitution says that "no-one shall be enslaved by ignorance". Therefore it was appalling to read this morning of the death of 12-year-old Holly Stuckey, a pupil of Maesteg Comprehensive School, Bridgend, South Wales.

She didn't know as much about sex education as some of her classmates. They had branded her a lesbian and bullied her. In September a few days into the new term Holly who was asthmatic came home out of breathe and died in her father's arms.

It was only later that he found tormented letters from her saying she 'felt like no-one'.

Her school did and does operate a zero tolerance policy on bullying bit for whatever reason, despite months of being bullied Holly didn't go to them, or her parents who only later found out the extent of the bullying.

My own parents did know I was getting bullied at school but it wasn't until Saturday, shortly before I wrote this, that I told my mother to what extent it had driven me. Let me just assure any young person who is getting bullied at school that it does get better. I know what you are going through. If you are getting bullied because of your sexuality it is because of the ignorance of the bullies not because of anything that you have done. There can be happiness for you in this world, there will be a lot for you to give.

Go to those you trust. your parents, a teacher, a close friend. Let them know you are being bullied, let them know how you feel.

But don't just take my word for it, listen to Darren Hayes




or Chris Colfer



or Davey Wavey



After watching Davey Wavey explore some more of his YouTube channel for other advise on living with your sexuality in a fun way that shows you how much better it can get.

It Gets Better! It really does, I want all of you if you're getting bullied to live to the day that you see that, and then live quite a bit more.

Un croissant in the morning can be quite continental...

... but diamonds are a girl's best friend.

The news this morning that Greggs are to start selling croissants as part of its breakfast range, despite a challenging market conditions, got this song going in my head.



Of course as a former employee of Gerald Ratner I'm musing the fact that if M&S sandwiches lasted longer than some of the Ratner's products, will Greggs next start branching out into the jewellery business. The lose of the local H. Samuel branch here in Bangor indicates that this too is currently a challenging market.

So today as David Cameron makes his closing remarks to the Conservative conference will we hear him say:

"Our country is facing tough financial times. I suggest we look at history. Bretton Woods, the gold standard, the great depression. That is why today I'm instruction Gideon, ... err, I mean the Chancellor to tie sterling to the Gregg's sausage roll standard. One pound will be the equivalent of two of Gregg's finest."

Or then again maybe not.

The Separation of Railway and Railway

Well if Mícheál keeps doing these so must I.

Once upon a time we had British Rail and Northern Irish Railways. Then I never had a problem booking a through ticket from Larne/Belfast to Surbiton incorporating the ferry across the Irish Sea. In fact I was so adept at it that often the ticket office in Surbiton's Art Deco station were taught how to book it by me booking my end of term ticket. There were also times that I could book it at my fully manned local station, a terminus on the Northern Irish rail network*.

Well yesterday I was attempted to buy a rail/sail ticket to get me over to Scotland. You'd think that this could be purchased at any ticket office. Well you'd be wrong I had to go to Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) travel office at Great Victoria Street (GVS), because Translink the Rail and Bus provider do not have the ability to sell that ticket to me.

So I hopped on what is actually almost becoming my regular commute (you thought I was working from home and not commuting), the 16:35 express to Belfast Central: where it terminates. I just missed the next connection to GVS it was pulling out on platform 2 as I was getting off a train on the other set of platforms at platform 4 at 16:52. Next train wasn't until 17:12 heading that way, so I would be quicker walking. I arrived at GVS at 17:01 and the NIR Travel Office was totally shut up. Not only that but it did not have any sign in the window to indicate opening hours.

Mícheál turned up as well as he was also looking to buy a ticket to Scotland. I told him of the situation so we went to the ticket office at GVS which is about 10 metres away from the NIR Travel Office to enquire. They couldn't sell us a ticket and when we asked the gentleman behind the counter if he could inform NIR Travel Office that displaying their opening hours on or near the door may be helpful. He said they weren't part of the same company.

Now I decided to look up how separate the two companies are so checked out their respective websites:

Translink is http://www.translink.co.uk/

Northern Ireland Railways is http://www.translink.co.uk/NI-Railways/

Hello!!

I've never had this issue at Waverley. Firstly I can do it at the Virgin/FirstScotRail travel centre of the same day ticket office. I can also do this at Haymarket should I wish. The travel office is open beyond 5pm, therefore those of us who work on the outskirts of the metropolitan area don't have to get out of work between 9 and 5 to get in there to make a special trip to buy tickets.

For a country as small as Northern Ireland not to be able to deal with this that travel tickets can only be bought during working hours at one location it is a wonder than anybody in Northern Ireland uses the train to get anywhere on the British mainland.

Update The solution we came to was that I gave Mícheál money for him to buy both our tickets today.

*Yes Caron we have a full network. ;)