A View From the Hill

A general election and a university degree; two things that can be exciting, challenging and occasionally even frightening to live through. Combine them, experience the two simultaneously, and it becomes a heady mix. Here at Keele, that is what we have all undergone on some level recently. We have been able to participate in an event which has profound implications for the nation’s future, many of us for the first time, and concurrently we have been approaching a critical junction in our own personal development. Especially among third years like myself, I’d wager that there has been a common experience of feeling that bit more involved in the world over the last few weeks than at any time before. Our personal and societal futures both seem to loom larger than ever – in importance, if not in clarity – and we feel less subject to our political and personal environment, but more able to form it and choose it for ourselves. Hesitantly, cautiously, we might have begun to realise that the future is ours, too. Read the rest of this post »

Authorandyjohnson  Date10th June 2010  CategoryNews 

Robin Studd launches Gallowstree safety petition

Robin Studd has launched a petition to try to get the County Council to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists at the Gallowstree roundabout.

“The work the County has done on the roundabout has widened the roads and enabled cars to travel faster through the roundabout,” says Robin. “The result is that it has become more difficult and dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the roads. That is particularly bad news for students and for the children who have to cross the road to get to school.”

“I have raised this matter with the County Council, but so far they have failed to deal with the safety issues.”

“Now I’m asking everyone who can to sign my online petition and put extra pressure on the County Council to take these safety concerns seriously.”

Authorwebmaster  Date18th May 2010  CategoryCampaigns, Keele, Local, News  Tags, ,  

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS bring FAIR CHANGE

A vote for the Liberal Democrats on May 6th means a vote for fairness and real change:–

Change to the way we do politics.

Fairness in taxation

Change in the quality of education

Fairness in business

Change to a greener economy

Fairness in opportunities

Labour is worn out after 13 years of big rule

Conservatives will change us back to the old systems.

JOIN THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

The local party has achieved much on the Borough Council. Help us campaign and do more.

VOTE FOR LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
JOIN LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Contact: Nigel Jones, nigel.jones@newcastlelibdems.org.uk Tel: 01782 632895

Authorwebmaster  Date4th May 2010  CategoryNews 

The Conservatives Need Teaching

The conservatives have still not explained how their education plans would work. They propose extra money for pupils from poorer parents and loads of money for parents or other groups to set up new ‘free’ schools, yet they plan no increase in the education budget and may well cut it.

They attacked the BBC for allowing the Tory-led Kent Council to complain that their plan for ‘free’ schools would harm existing schools (which is precisely what has already happened in Sweden). They are trying to attack Nick Clegg by asking impossible questions about a hung Parliament, when they should really be answering people’s questions about their plans.

The Liberal Democrat plan for extra money to schools has been carefully worked out; it is part of the overall widely-praised balanced budget in which cuts in education bureaucracy and tax credits for the very-well-off would easily pay for it. Staffordshire schools alone would get an extra £32million per year.

Nigel Jones, Liberal Democrats
Parliamentary Candidate – Newcastle-under-Lyme

Authorwebmaster  Date27th April 2010  CategoryBeyond Castle, Campaigns, National, News  Tags,  

Environment

Of all the main parties, the Liberal Democrats have led the way on the Environment. In 2008 the main green campaigning groups said that we were the party that had the best proposals for dealing with the environment.

The new green economy will be crucial to developing new quality jobs for ordinary people; we can manufacture new products to sell round the world.

Among our policies are:

  1. a target of 40%of UK electricity to come from non-carbon-emitting sources by 2020, rising to 100% by 2050.
  2. Improve energy efficiency in all sectors
  3. Begin a 10-year programme of home insulation
  4. Improve energy efficiency in school buildings
  5. NO new coal-fired power stations until carbon capture can be attached
  6. Work hard to get more done via EU and UN and help developing nations protect the global environment.

Here in Newcastle-under-Lyme the Lib-Dems on the council have produced a strategy for energy efficiency in council and borough. We have already improved recycling rates from 16% to 50% in just over 4 years, with local tax increased below the rate of inflation.

Liberal Democrats go green without it costing people the earth.

Authorwebmaster  Date25th April 2010  CategoryBeyond Castle, Campaigns, Local, National, News  Tags,