Tory Tosh & Labour Lies

"Tory Tosh & Labour Lies" was the title of a classic Regency by-election leaflet, published back in November 2007 when we were fighting to keep our seat in the ward and get Jason Kitcat elected (which we did - with a massive 41.6% of the vote). The title still makes me chuckle even now :)

Anyway, recent days have seen an epic breakout of both Tory Tosh and Labour Lies across Brighton & Hove, at both national and local level electorally:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

SO, FAREWELL THEN DAVID BULL

News broke on Friday that David Bull, a former doctor and TV presenter, was standing down as the Tories' Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion in order to head up a Conservative policy review on sexual health with Anne Milton, the shadow health minister.

This didn't come as a surprise to us - Brighton & Hove Greens had noticed that he'd stopped updating his campaign website months ago.

But why the (not-so-sudden) exit from the contest for a Westminster seat which the Tories had seemed to consider a relatively winnable gain from Labour? Surely not the prospect of losing to Caroline Lucas, or the lure of other, safer, seats which will inevitably become available in the wake of the expenses scandal?

Who can say? One thing's for sure, some Tory activists are pulling [hmm] faces (check out these comments - my favourite one is "this policy review smells like a fig leaf" lol), but Dr Bull is denying everything, especially a big fall-out with the local Conservative Association.

We await the announcement of their replacement candidate with interest (please, God, NOT David Van Day again. Please.*).

*Ben's blog about this nightmarish scenario is very funny.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

LEAFLETS: YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG

Labour, on the other hand, just seem to be getting more and more desperate if not downright barking when it comes to the forthcoming Goldsmid by-election, and their accompanying campaign material.

First, their candidate tried to pretend that, erm, she wasn't really a Labour candidate (honest!), whilst simultaneously adopting Green policies.

Then she took up a whole photo in her next leaflet to prove just how Green she really is ("Look kids! THE PLANET IS IN MY HANDS!" - here's a protip love, it's not the kids you should be trying to educate about Climate Change, it's your colleagues in Government).

But to top it all, the most recent Goldsmid Labour by-election communication was little more than a catalogue of lies; a laughable fiction aimed solely at undermining Alex Phillips, the Green candidate for this contest (well, it would be laughable if it weren't breaking the law).

Now, I could take some time here to dissect Labour's feeble effort of a leaflet line-by-line, but to be honest it's so crap and so tired that I really can't be arsed. It's just bobbins.

Plus Ben has already blogged about this (as has Neil Harding - the Brighton Politics Blogger is also keeping a watchful eye, and continuing to urge for a tactical Green vote in Goldmid). And anyway, I understand that the local constabulary are now involved, so probably best not to speculate further on matters which may already be under investigation.

Instead, 'cause I'm feeling generous this evening, here's another tip for Labour's (*ahem*) 'publications gurus': attack other parties' policies in your leaflets, not their people.

Trying to discredit your opponents on a personal level generally goes down like a cup of cold sick with the electorate, and smacks of pure desperation. People just aren't that stupid (unfortunately for you).

Labour, you FAIL IT. Roll on July 23rd.

There's only so much dog poo readers can take

Readers may recall that last week I was angsting about doing it wrong in this blog. But lo, the Blogosphere has spoken! And it was good.

In response to my plea for feedback, I received four (yes FOUR) replies:

1. A Buddhist chant from casa da poesia (I took this to be encouraging);

2. "Do not be a Politics Robot. Please!!!" - this kind comment came from rekindled, along with an equally kind offer to have a look at my crappy coding for me (mate, you're going to be sorry you offered! - and thanks!);

3. A very encouraging comment from fellow Green Cllr Sue Luxton, who has been blogging a lot longer than I have, and therefore knows of which she speaks: "I have this dilemma too, but think you're striking a good balance so far. There's only so much info about rubbish collections, CPZs and dog poo that readers can take (ooh, how glamorous the life of a cllr can be!)";

4. An email from a regular reader who shall remain nameless, but the gist was (in the timeless words of Billy Joel) "don't go changing".

So there we have it - a 100% positive steer for me to keep blogging about incidental day-to-day happenings as well as the Big Stuff (or 75% if that Buddhist chant is a special one for hopeless cases - still not bad I think).

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and kind words! And sorry to the Politics Geeks, but there'll be more to come on baking, pussycats, and street art, as well as elections and policies. All work and no play makes for a very dull girl, don't you think?

PS As always, the ever-hilarious Encyclopedia Dramatica's entry on the different types of "blogging" had me in stitches:

• Politics
  • Author Profile: Intense, angry, probably a virgin
  • Typical Talking Point: The government sucks!!!
  • Representative Public Reply: OMG!!! Noes u suck!

Flaming June

Our pussycats stayed at the RSPCA kennels in Patcham last weekend while we were Up North seeing my folks.

We collected them on Tuesday afternoon, and as we were driving home via the Ditchling Road, my eyes were dazzled by an amazing display of scarlet fields to the east near Falmer.

"Blimey," I remarked to Mr K. "That's a sight for sore eyes." Being a responsible driver, Mr K was unable to share this with me at the time, but a photo in yesterday's Argus of the same poppy fields prompted us to venture forth this afternoon to see if we could take a closer look.

We headed to the Brighton University Falmer campus, and lo and behold, the land adjacent to the Falmer Stadium site and the fields beyond were awash with crimson:




Oh man, what an amazing sight: I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in England before. I was transported and awestruck by the sheer beauty of the vast, unfolding spread of poppies covering acres of fields around us. So beautiful. Elysian fields.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

The other thing which made my day today was watching Spinal Tap at Glastonbury on the telly. 'This Is Spinal Tap' is my favourite ever film ("rockumentary, if you will") and I was just pmsl at their performance this afternoon.

I nearly fainted with glee when they struck up the opening chords to 'Stonehenge' (the plaintive observation that "nobody knows who they were - or what they were doing" is an oft-repeated phrase in the Kennedy household, mainly uttered when gazing at Avebury and the like).

And they had a teeny-tiny inflatable lintel, replete with People of Restricted Growth. And someone right at the front was waving a Green Party flag :D

It doesn't get much better than this. Oh, I sooooo wish I was there!

Keep On Rocking In The Free World

Neil Young is a genius. I'm not at Glastonbury this year* (although Cllr Paul Steedman is**), but I'm participating from my armchair via BBC2, and having just watched Young's set, I am kicking myself that I didn't try and get tix.

Not content with delivering a blistering version of 'Keep On Rocking...' (as politically relevant as ever), Neil Young has just effortlessly trumped all the overblown and fantastic (in the truest sense of the word) eulogies which have been and will be pouring in regarding the very sad, untimely, demise of Michael Jackson with a version of the Beatles' 'Day In The Life': "I read the news today - oh, boy..." (moar lyrics here)

I *heart* Neil Young. And I feel truly sad about MJ - what a shame, what a ruined life, what a waste of astonishing talent. But others have blogged better about this. So I'll say no more.

* [*2005/07 flood trauma face*]
** I hope you're keeping warm & dry Paul! [*Mum face*]

Prime-time Drama

I have to confess I've never watched Midsomer Murders. It certainly has its fans (albeit some rather ironically), but it's never appealed to me - too twee, too slow, too - well - middle England (which I gather is its fundamental appeal). When it comes to detective dramas, if it ain't Rebus I ain't interested.

So it's doubly annoying that I've spent most of today in a state of PURE RAGE over this piss-poor excuse for a prime-time television programme.

Word reached me late this morning that there was some drama occurring in King's House over a Midsomer Murders script which had been received by officers with a request to film in Brighton. I won't go into the tedious and convoluted details of the (*ahem*) "storyline", but suffice to say the denouement hinged on bent Green Planning Committee members.

I can't begin to describe how angry I was when I heard this. SO. ANGRY. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

As the local Green spokesperson for Planning, and our lead member on the Planning Committee, I was virtually exploding with rage at the thought of anyone daring to suggest that Green Brighton & Hove City Councillors could behave corruptly, especially some Soho scriptwriting chump who probably thinks Climate Change is what happens when you turn the aircon on.


Oh boy, was I LIVID. I steamed over to King's House to find out what the f*** was going on. To cut a long story short, I eventually found myself on the phone to one of our lawyers, who told me he'd read the offending script and had promptly sent a very stern email to the Midsomer Murders producers suggesting they cut all mention of Greens from the story.

"I don't think they realise the situation down here", said the lawyer apologetically. "I have now explained to them that the Green Party has a nationally renowned historic association with Brighton & Hove.

"I have also advised them that you're one of the biggest Green Groups on any local authority in the country, and that we have a Green MEP who may well be elected to Westminster next year.

"It could all just be an innocent mistake", the lawyer continued hopefully. "Anyway, I'll let you know what they say on Monday."

Well I'm sorry, but I pulled a big [hmm] face at this. It could be a case of genuine ignorance - after all, prime-time TV drama scriptwriters are probably too busy blowing the froth off their cappuccinos and agonising over which Gucci loafers to wear to pay much attention to provincial local politics. Who can blame them for not knowing that nearly a quarter of Brighton & Hove City Council is made up of Greens?

But the conspiracy theorist in me can't help pondering on the serried mass of luvvies and associate types entrenched within the heart of the New Labour machine...

And I started wondering: are Labour really bricking it that much at the prospect of losing their Brighton Pavilion parliamentary seat to Caroline Lucas that they'd resort to shoehorning a not-very-subtle "GREENS ARE BAD" message into the televisual equivalent of the Daily Mail?

This is a mystery worthy of investigation by DCI Tom Barnaby himself. As it is, I'll have to wait until Monday when I'll hear more from the lawyers before deciding whether or not to really kick off about this (*fumes*).

Blog Assessment; Bee Amazement; Bong Amusement

Blog Assessment

I'm now almost five weeks into starting this blog (yes, I know it feels like longer ;)), and this evening I started to worry slightly that I've been doing it wrong.

Yes, I've been making some punchy political points about both local and national government policy issues, and yes, I've tried to give my, erm, dozens of readers a flavour of the work I carry out on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the residents of Preston Park ward. I've also blogged at length about the recent European elections, and the current local by-election in Goldsmid.

But equally I've also been wittering on about things I like (art, architecture, food, horticulture etc) and things that amuse me (smoking fish, Morrissey heads), which aren't necessarily directly connected to my work as an elected Green, or to my efforts as an activist (although to me, the personal is always political).

It feels like a dilemma: should I scale back on the fripperies and observational stuff to concentrate only on being a Politics Robot? Or should I leave out the campaigns and the elections, and just content myself with musings about urban meadows and street art (etc)?

Ideally, I'd like to keep on doing both, but I don't want to appear inconsistent and/or (*ahem*) 'random'.

This ISN'T an official Green Party of England & Wales blog, but I am a Green councillor, and I'm very mindful of the potential for tension in including both my personal musings and my political mutterings in the same blog (*eyes P&P imprint to right*).

Answers on a postcard please (or via the 'post a comment' button), but in the meantime, here's a bit of both:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Bee Amazement

(Charlie Brandts, a White House carpenter as well as beekeeper, collects the first batch of honey from the beehives on the South Lawn of the White House, June 10, 2009. Official White House Photographer: Lawrence Jackson)

So we all love Obama (yes, we do!). But this week I started to love him even more when I learnt that he's keeping bees at the White House. I am so thrilled by this! - it's amazing, visionary, and totally leading by example.

I have, erm, a bee in my bonnet about bees: some readers may be aware that the escalating demise of the honey bee is a serious cause for concern, and potentially a catastrophe for agriculture and ergo humankind.

Bees are also a symbol of industry, and the symbol of my hometown (see right for a snap of the beautiful mosaic floor in Manchester Town Hall): I love the little fellas, and I'm hoping to do some work on (or even with) them soon (now fuelled by Obama-spiration).

Here are a couple of pix of some apian chums closer to home (well, Bowdon, last weekend) to be going on with:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Bong Amusement

Last Sunday my family and I went for a walk at Lymm Dam - an area of rural fringe land abutting the M56 which has been beautifully restored in recent years by a regional agency and community partnership project.

Pastoral beauty and tranquillity notwithstanding (and somewhat regrettably, given the fact that we're now both in our thirties), it doesn't take much to reduce me and my brother into Beavis & Butthead-like fits of the giggles:
Lol etc ;) (Etymologists might like to know that "bongs" is derived from the mediaeval (old French) word "bancs", meaning "wooded banks".)

After a lovely walk (during which we saw chaffinches and goldfinches), we ate some delicious cakes provided by the Lymm Brownies. At 30p for a big fat slice, it seemed churlish not to. Ah, Mysterious Cheshire!

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

So there you go - tit and tat. Like I say, answers on a postcard or via 'comments' please... I enjoy blogging about the incidentals as much as I enjoy blogging about hardcore politics/industry stuff. Maybe I need two seperate blogs (*brain melts at prospect of moar difficult coding*). All advice and constructive criticism much appreciated.

The Rubble Club

Another story which caught my eye this week was the news that architects who suffer the ignominy of seeing one of their buildings demolished in their own lifetime can now seek solace in a new online support group: The Rubble Club.

To qualify for Rubble Club membership, architects must be alive and not party to the destruction of the building in question. The building must have been intended as a permanent structure and its destruction must have been deliberate.

This struck a small and sad chord with me. As a lowly trainee architect who was working in practice at the same time as studying, one of the few things I ever designed at work which actually got built was the toilets at Fleet Services McDonalds on the M3 (yes, I know, you can add having to do work for McDonalds to the list of reasons Why I Never Became an Architect).

Picture the scene: it's June 2003, Mr K & I are in the first flush of romance, and we're merrily heading down the M3 en route to Glastonbury. The sign for Fleet Services hoves into sight, and excitedly I squeal "ooh, stop, stop! I can show you something I designed which got built!" (note at this stage I didn't tell him exactly what this, erm, splendid thing actually was).

So we pulled into the services, and I led Mr K to the services building, giddy at the prospect of sharing an admittedly small and not very glamorous achievement with my beloved: they may only have been toilets, and they may well have been located in the world's most reviled fast-food outlet, but I'd designed them and they were mine.

We came to an abrupt halt in the entrance hall. Confused, I scanned the garish fascias of the various kiosks and shops. I couldn't see McDonalds. What I could see was a new-fangled "healthy eating" salad joint in the space where McDonalds had been.

I was gutted. All trace of my toilets had been obliterated, thanks to McDonalds dramatically scaling back their UK operations in the face of the 'Fast Food Nation' backlash and a hostile media. "What is it I'm supposed to be looking at?" asked Mr K? "Nothing," I said sadly. "I'll tell you about it when we get in the car".

So we returned, much subdued, to the car, and I said a silent goodbye to my impermanent monument to human ablutions.

What makes this even worse is that, since reinventing themselves slightly, bloody McDonalds have now re-opened their outlet in Fleet Services! Pah.

So in my own tiny way, I really feel for the members of the Rubble Club. I wonder if they'd let me join?

Building Regs FAIL

There have been a few big stories this week in the built environment world.

Top of the list is the universal disappointment and anger expressed by industry professionals (from architects to contractors) at the Government's decision to scrap the proposed ‘consequential improvements’ clause in Part L2A of the Building Regulations, which would have forced homeowners building extensions to improve the energy efficiency of the rest of their property.

Quoted in Building magazine, David Strong (chief executive of sustainability consultants Inbuilt) said:

“To not even consult on this beggars belief. On the one hand you've got Ed Miliband committing the government to reducing carbon emissions by 80% together with the recent consultation on the existing stock saying how important it is to reduce emissions from existing buildings if the government is going to hit its targets.

"Yet they have decided not to consult on the single most important measure that could help them to do this”.

He added: “I think the reason they have dropped it is we are leading up to an election and the question is would it pass the Daily Mail test.” (I couldn't have put it better myself.)

Ironically enough, the launch of the Part L consultation document came on the same day that the government outlined its five-point plan on how the UK can reduce carbon emissions.

Pathetic and short-sighted doesn't even begin to cover it. This Labour Government doesn't care about Construction, and it doesn't care about cutting carbon emissions.

Sweet words for The Big Lemon

There was a lovely letter in today's Argus praising my friend Tom, MD of The Big Lemon, and all-round good chap:

ON behalf of Bevendean Primary School, I would like to say a big thank you to Tom Druitt of The Big Lemon Bus Company.

Our Playground Buddies had a date at the Race Hill, to celebrate the work they do in caring for other children in the school.

There was no funding for transport but Mr Druitt, who had been ferrying our children to the lagoon and back, offered to take us for free.

He greeted every child individually, which, though he didn’t know it, is part of the ethos of our school. He drove considerately and carefully, and as we disembarked, again individually wished every child a lovely time.

He was a fine example of the way we teach our children to behave. It was an integral part of the lovely afternoon that the children, and we staff, enjoyed.

Once again, thank you, Mr Druitt and The Big Lemon Bus Company. Long may you continue. Penny Hajduk, Manton Road, Brighton

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I had a bit of a lump in my throat as I read this; I could just imagine how nice Tom obviously was with the kids, and I actually found it very moving that their teacher had written a public letter of thanks to him.

Tom is such a lovely man, unflappable and optimistic, and he's worked very hard in making a success of The Big Lemon, which is a community interest company.

I'm proud to be a Big Lemon shareholder and supporter, and I hope the next few days' journeys forth and back to Glastonbury go well for his fleet of yellow chip-fat-fuelled buses. Keep up the good work Tom!

Last week I was mostly...

I've just returned from a long weekend Up North seeing my folks, which was lovely. I've been without broadband for a few days (insert your own joke about Northerners here), so I thought I'd do a quick round-up of last week's happenings before getting on with this week's work.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

London Road CPZ

The majority of correspondence I received from residents last week concerned controversial proposals to introduce a new Controlled Parking Zone in the area around London Road station.

Residents in the affected streets have now received consultation packs - whether they're for or against, people need to make their voices heard, so I hope the response rate is good.

I think my fellow ward councillor Cllr Kevin Allen is trying to set up a meeting with Highways officers about the proposed scheme - hopefully I'll hear more in the next few days.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

From Bra Wars to Bosom Buddies

The Bra Recycling photocall finally went ahead on Tuesday morning!

Dramatis personæ from l-r in first pic: Cllr Dee Simson, Leonie Petrarca of The Pink Dolphin Appeal, Cllr Jayne Bennett, Cllr David Watkins, me, and Cllr Gill Mitchell with the first batch of bras to be donated to the collection point at The Level (Pictures: Hannah Brackenbury 16/06/09)

I'll leave it to readers to come up with their own captions...

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Prestonville Town Square?

On Tuesday I also met with Marek from the Prestonville Community Association to discuss an idea floated by residents for a 'Town Square' for the Prestonville community.

We met outside the Chimney House, and were joined by Lee Davies of Conran & Partners and Ben Meekings of Project Centre, a highway design consultancy and landscape architecture practice who have worked on a number of award-winning street schemes.

Marek has blogged about this, but the basic idea is along the lines of the Home Zone model, where cars are still allowed to use the road, but don't have priority over pedestrians or cyclists.

This is a really exciting idea. As you'll see from the pix below, there's loads of space where Upper Hamilton Road meets Buxton Road, so there'd be no need to lose any parking, and hopefully better siting of the bicycle racks too.

This is still very much an embryonic idea at the moment, but it was an excellent meeting - thanks so much to Lee and Ben for giving up their time to come and discuss it with us.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Green New Deal at the UNISON Fringe

Also on Tuesday (it was a bit of an epic day), I took part in a panel on the Green New Deal at the UNISON Conference Fringe, organised by David Arnold (UNISON National Policy Officer for Green Issues).

My fellow panellists were Paddy Tipping MP, Lucy Pearce (Stop Climate Chaos coalition), Caroline Fife (UNISON South East Business & Environment officer), and Sarah Pearce (TUC Green Workplaces Project).

I was really pleased to be invited to take part, and enjoyed the Fringe session immensely. The other members of the panel spoke very passionately about the work they're doing in their respective fields in trying to advance some of the ideas contained within the Green New Deal, and the audience asked some excellent questions. It was also really heartening to hear just how much work the Trade Union movement is doing in engaging members with promoting sustainability in the workplace.

The hour passed very quickly, and I would have really liked more time for the questions, especially from the Planners present. I hope I get asked back next year!

*** *** *** *** ** * *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Preston Park Access

On Thursday I met with Preston Park Avenue residents to discuss their continuing campaign for a pedestrian access ramp into Preston Park at the northern end of the street.

Last October I presented a petition about this to the council (signed by over 300 residents), but little progress has been made since then, partly due to the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of plans for a parking scheme and associated landscaping works (which were due to include the access ramp) within the park itself.

I'm now trying to get to bottom of this, and will be putting a question to the Cabinet Member for the Environment at Full Council on July 16th.

The bottom line is that, with two Nursing Homes at the northern end of Preston Park Avenue, an access ramp is sorely needed . The photo above shows the nearest ramp, opposite no. 20 - about halfway up a very long road, and hundreds of yards away from the Nursing Homes.

Are residents going to have to wait another summer before access into the park is improved?

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

This week is set to be a bit quieter, but having been away for a few days I've got some catching up to do (*eyes exploding Inbox*). And I am now going out for this evening's Green Group meeting.

A Good Year for the Roses

What a difference it's made having some decent late-Spring / early-Summer weather so far this year (unlike the last two years' washouts). I've noticed that roses in particular have been doing exceptionally well.

I love roses, and so I was pleased that my peregrinations today took me past two of the city's premier spots for enjoying these beautiful flowers:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

PRESTON PARK ROSE GARDEN

(apologies for the slightly dodgy composite - and for Anston House in the background...)

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

THE ROSE WALK ON THE LEVEL

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Hats off to the CityParks gardeners for nuturing and tending these spectacular displays for everyone's enjoyment.

PS An unexpected, erm, "bonus" side-effect of my rose-related ramblings today is that I've had the theme from Prisoner Cell Block H stuck on my internal jukebox all evening (hmm).

Woodcuts & Trees

This time last week Mr K & I took a lunch break together, and went along to Brighton University on Grand Parade for some tucker and to view the last day of the end of year degree shows for the Faculty of Arts & Architecture.

Lunch in the canteen was a total bargain at around £2.50 each - I had ricotta tortellini and it was lovely. Highly recommended for cheapness and tastiness, plus ambience - there was a jazz quartet playing in the marquee in the courtyard :)

The shows were great as always - I feel so proud to live in a city with such an amazing art college. Here are a few tasters, from architecture to ceramics:

The textiles were as wonderful as always (sadly no pix as visitors are understandably forbidden from taking photos), but my favourite this year was these wood cuts:

I just love the jolly pussycats' faces :)

Well done and thank you to all the students whose work I enjoyed - sorry I can't credit you (I will try and remember to make a note of people's names next year - it was all a bit whistle-stop this time unfortunately).

The quality and abundance of all this beautiful work made me realise how important it is to keep campaigning for more affordable creative workspace in Brighton & Hove, especially for young artists and makers who are just starting their careers.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Afterwards, en route to the local party office to stuff some envelopes for the Goldsmid by-election, I passed through the 'Walking Woods', a temporary 700-tree mini-forest in Victoria Gardens, just outside the Sallis Benney building.


Ben Duncan wrote an excellent post about this installation, which was designed by architecture student Lucy Palmer, and partly funded by SEEDA as part of the 'Places from Spaces' project.

‘Places from Spaces’ aims to encourage new design thinking for urban public spaces. By working with students from local universities to create temporary landscaping installatons, the theory is that communities can "test" creative schemes for transforming public spaces, asking "what if?" – what might be possible in reinvigorating our shared places?

What a pleasure for the senses. I was sorry I didn't have more time to just hang out in this wonderful temporary arboretum and enjoy it - but it started to rain and duty was calling.

As I left the Gardens and began to make my way up North Road, I couldn't help pondering the vast ideological chasm between SEEDA's laudable intentions and the local Tories' plans (or lack of) for Victoria Gardens, and the green spaces to the south and north of the site (known collectively as Valley Gardens).

Praise where it's deserved: under the last Labour administration, officers had begun work on radical plans to transform Valley Gardens, reducing car traffic and making pedestrianisation a priority. The car-obsessed Tories have now dropped this like a ton of hot bricks.

More recently, in our response to the Core Strategy for the emerging Local Development Framework, Greens criticised the lack of provision for local food growing within the inner-city, and suggested that parts of Valley Gardens could be used for community food projects. Again, this went down like a cup of cold sick with our Conservative chums.

I wonder if David Cameron knows how short-sighted and blinkered his colleagues are in Brighton & Hove? Vote Blue Get Green my derrière.

Thanks nevertheless to Lucy for a beautiful if temporary glimpse of what the future might hold. What if, indeed?


PS The brown grass in the forefront of this picture is not part of the installation. It's the annual post-Ladyboys of Bangkok witherment... (hmm)

Votivation

Under the Local Government Public Involvement in Health Act (2007), local authorities and their elected councillors now have a duty to involve and engage with residents on matters of local importance.

The statutory “Duty to Involve” is one of several government initiatives designed to empower and involve local people. These initiatives aim to:

- involve local people in decision and policy making; and

- make councils and other public services more transparent and accountable to the electorate and tax payers.

In a bid to employ technology in the pursuit of better engagement with the community, I've signed up to the Votivation website. I must admit I'm still getting my head around how to use it properly, but participants can set up online polls and petitions, and submit (*ahem*) 'opinions'.

And Votivation called this afternoon to say they're upgrading my account as I'm an "early adopter" - woo-hoo!* You can view my Votivation page here.

*what this actually means, I couldn't say. I hope they call me back soon to talk me through it.

Goldsmid: the tactical vote is a Green vote

A very interesting post from the Brighton Politics Blogger regarding voting tactically in the Goldsmid by-election to bring an end to Tory misrule in Brighton & Hove:

Tactical Voting Needed to Beat the Tories

In this blog on Wednesday I said that Mary Mears was hanging on to power following the resignation of Paul Lainchbury resulting in a by-election to be held on July 23 in the Goldsmit [sic] ward.

A victory by the Greens (possible) or Labour (increasingly unlikely) would deny the Conservatives control which they currently have on the casting vote of the Mayor.

The Argus has now picked up on this and is reporting that Labour, the Greens and Lib Dems might cooperate to oust Councillor Mears as leader of the council. This would mean that the Tories could no longer form a cabinet and all parties would have to cooperate to run the Council.

Tactical voting is what is needed, and both Labour and Lib Dem supporters should really consider voting for the Green candidate, Alexandra Phillips.

Happy Sussex Day

Today is Sussex Day. It's celebrated on June 16th as it's the saint day of St. Richard, patron saint of Sussex and a Bishop of Chichester.

Sussex Day was dreamed up by West Sussex County Council in 2007 as an opportunity to "celebrate the rich heritage of the county of Sussex". We don't seem to do much here in Brighton & Hove, although the Leader of Brighton & City Hove Council has apparently pledged her support this year:

Cllr Mary Mears urged residents to celebrate living in 'the country's best county', by enjoying our surroundings and supporting local shops and services on the county day.

Sussex Day, a kind of localised version of St George’s Day, is held on St Richard's Day, the patron saint of Sussex, on June 16th. The day has been widely celebrated in West Sussex but Cllr Mears said that, as the largest city the county Brighton & Hove should also recognise the event.

Cllr Mears said: “Living in Brighton & Hove, right in the heart of the country's best county, means we can truly enjoy the benefits of coast and countryside.

“With the economic slowdown, there has never been a better time to support the county by getting out into the great outdoors and enjoying some local produce and generally celebrate the county."

For once, Cllr Mears and I are in agreement: I love my adopted county, and the beautiful countryside and yummy local food are just two of the things that make this such a great place to live.

I also love the fact that the Sussex motto is "We Won't Be Druv" (ie no-one can tell us what to do), and the fact that it was the last county in England to be converted to Christianity.

I'm going to celebrate with a bun from the fine Sussex institution that is Forfars the Bakers: if I had the funds I'd be raising a glass of local fizz (so good even the French are jealous).

Happy Sussex Day!

PS I love the way the Tories manage to bring everything back to the *current economic climate*, even bloody Sussex Day.

Reasons To Be Cheerful: 1, 2, 3 (or, When Community Campaigning Works)

The past couple of weeks have seen some very encouraging results for community groups who have been campaigning on planning-related matters in Brighton & Hove.

This is cheerful news worth spreading, and a veritable feast of Davids "tekking" Goliaths (as my Yorkshire cousins might say):

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

1. ANOTHER LONDON ROAD ~vs~ TESCO

Another London Road (ALR) is a community campaign group originally set up in response to Tesco's proposals to build a megastore with a 950-space car park next to Preston Circus, following a concerted effort by Tesco's (then) property partners St. James Investments to buy up as much land as possible in the London Road area.

Within weeks ALR had built up a Facebook following in its hundreds, swiftly followed up by a petition (signed by over 1,000 people) and a deputation to the Council, objecting to the fait accompli which was seemingly being presented to the community: you want an improved London Road? Only Tesco can deliver (hmm).

Happily, cracks began to show in the long-standing cosy relationship between Tesco and SJI in March this year (no doubt exacerbated by the *current economic climate*), and earlier this month The Argus reported that the London Road deal was off, citing the community opposition voiced by the ALR campaign as a deciding factor in the Tesco pull-out.

ALR are now busying themselves with preparing a response to the Council's draft London Road Masterplan, which is currently out for public consultation, and are set to continue the excellent work they've begun in encouraging the community to take an active part in deciding the future of the area's built environment.

Well done ALR!

And many thanks to Esther Springett for the above image from her 'Myth of London Road' community art project, which recently took place (appropriately enough) in the empty Co-Op department store (photo snapped by me at last week's Brighton Uni Degree Shows).

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

2. THE MONTPELIER & CLIFTON HILL ASSOCIATION ~vs~ TAYLOR WIMPEY

When Taylor Wimpey acquired the old Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital site for several million pounds in 2006, the neighbouring community feared the worst - and they were soon proved right.

Far from working to preserve and incorporate the better parts of a greatly altered but nevertheless much-loved local landmark (predominantly designed by local Victorian architect Thomas Lainson), it became increasingly clear that TW were determined to raze the existing buildings to the ground in order to cram as many sub-standard flats onto the site as possible, thereby maximising their profit on a steep investment made at the height of the recent property boom.

The first application was recommended for refusal by Planning officers; the second (barely-altered) submission was not. The Planning Committee (of which I'm a member) voted on both occasions to refuse TW's underwhelming/overcrowding schemes, latterly against the officers' recommendations, which led to a recent appeal from TW by Public Inquiry.

Back in the day, Taylor Wimpey were a leviathan of house-building, beating opponents into submission with the sheer might of their financial resources, and getting crap schemes passed everywhere as a result.

But again, the *current economic climate* has seen TW experience severe financial difficulties in recent months: and in any case, I don't think they were remotely prepared for the robust, expertly-executed case put by representatives of the Montpelier & Clifton Hill Association, who represented residents at the hearing.

The MCHA's defense submissions were commended by Planning Inspector John Papworth, who happily found against the appeal.

[The council also did a grand job in the defence of this, and many thanks must go to Cllr Lynda Hyde (Planning Committee Chairman) for her indefatigable determination in securing the resources to fight this case and win it.]

The Inspector quite rightly noted the "strong affection for the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital as an institution and the values that it stood for", and expressed a clear wish that future proposals might see "some retention of the south façade,as being the part most in the public view, which contributes the most to the area and which [the Inspector] consider[s] could be seen as epitomising the children’s hospital".

Whether Taylor Wimpey choose to take this on board or not is up to them: what's clear is that, unlike the Highcroft Villas decision, Inspector John Papworth really has taken the views of the community on board in throwing this out.

Well done MCHA! Round 3 next.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

3. LEWES ROAD COMMUNITY GARDENERS ~vs~ THE MAN

Hot off the wires - from occupation to negotiation:

Cllr Keith Taylor has worked with the Lewes Road Community Gardeners to secure a temporary memorandum of understanding with the landlords, brokering a deal to protect a community garden set up on derelict space on Lewes Road in Brighton.

Keith, a Green Party councillor for the area, negotiated with owners of the land Alburn Retail Ltd [aka The Man. Ed.], who have agreed the garden can stay until the land is needed for development.

Keith said: “This is a brilliant use of redundant space being converted into a real community asset. Hats off to the Guerrilla Gardeners!

“I am very pleased to have brokered an agreement with the owners of the site Alburn Retail Ltd to enable the garden to continue until the land is needed for development.

“Seeing the results here makes one ask ‘how many other sites are there in the city that could benefit from this treatment?’'"

Fingers crossed that this excellent campaign can continue afoot, and more power to the Lewes Road Community Garden project's collective elbow - well done to all for getting this far, and well done to Keith for his skills in the negotiations with the current landowners!

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Onwards & upwards.

Art & About

Mr K & I took a stroll along the seafront yesterday. The AQUA studios on Madeira Drive were open, and the piece on the right caught my eye, warming the cockles of my heart :)

There was a companion piece stating "I Hate My Husband", but I didn't take a photo of that one because, erm, I don't.




Walking back along George Street, I spotted this collage in someone's window. This just about made my afternoon, and I'd like to salute the artistic genius who created this splendid array of Morrissey heads.

I thought the juxtaposition of the orthopaedic crutch was a nice touch too.