Bike Stolen!

One of the worst results of Ken Livingstone's incompetence in running London has been the rise in so called "petty crime" such as bike thefts.
It says something about the attitude of the left that such a such a description is being used more and more. Crime is crime and is often more closely felt when it concerns items of lower economic value.
We really do need to arrest this problem at its lowest level. The success of Mayor Giuliani's campaign for Broken Windows policing in New York shows how successful this can be.
Anyway now to the point of the article- yesterday when I was out canvassing my bike was nicked. So if you see a fairly muddy silver coloured SUS 550 left anywhere around the town please let me know! This is very annoying!

Managing Expectations...

One of the most unusual things about modern politics that seems to have gained acceptance is the idea of managing expectations.
The ongoing build up to the US Election is a great example of this, but we there are many instances in the US.
Immediately prior to any vote both sides will be overcome with fits of depression and self-deprecation. No one is confident of victory, no one talks about wiping out their opponents- everything is said to be marginal and everyone is the underdog.
Of course there are very good psychological reasons for doing so. If you do better than expected you can gain momentum- both for future elections and in office.
No one likes arrogance and voters are often turned-off by tough talk. There is also the danger that your own voters will not bother and will stay at home.
The media too are likely to attack any campaign for being too honest about its prospects. Barack Obama's campaign has been accused of naivety in making some positive predictions in the past, whilst ham fisted lies, such as those Alistair Campbell specialised in to make elections seem closer, are usually depicted as cunning and shrewd.
The trouble with this is that we end up carrying these assumptions on into government. Talking down our prospects, talking up the barriers and finding any possible excuse to fail. All of this makes for a safe and well insulated government. Safe? Maybe. Honest? Questionably. What people want? I doubt it.
There is a certain honest beauty in putting aside all of these mind games. So what if we have to do better if people expect more of us? Let's not manage expectations- lets do better!
Let's not play the hero- let's be genuinely heroic. Let's not keep lowering the bar and congratulating ourselves for our lilliputian achievements. Let us cast the bar up as high as we can possibly imagine- We can reach it.

A load of rubbish!

I received an email today pointing out that some parts of Farnborough are developing a litter problem.
It is a real shame when a green and pleasant town like ours ends up with a problem like this. I am also of the opinion that litter leads to worse problems, as people are less likely to respect the streets and more likely to feel miserable and aggressive.
I'll certainly be keeping my eyes open during the last week of the campaign for this issue. Please do let me know if you see this as a problem in your area

The Ham & Blackbird

I received an email today drawing my attention to the problems people are facing at the Ham & Blackbird roundabout.
I think this is a very important issue- the directions and markings are not really clear enough and the iron railings obscure the view of people driving past. This can make the whole experience of going round it particularly hair raising for cyclists!
If elected this is one of the first issues I will be looking at. To be honest I'm surprised we have not had more accidents there already. Its a very busy roundabout and right in the middle of town and our ward.
Any suggestions for other ways to make it safer would be most welcome

Pedestrian?

Out canvassing yesterday one point that was brought up was the difficulty people have in getting to Cove Green.
Cove Green is a great facility and is being improved through the works under way at the moment. It does however suffer from a general problem in Farnborough- lack of pedestrian access.
Crossing roads in Farnborough- especially Victoria Road and Farnborough Road can be very time consuming and annoying as there are long gaps between pedestrian crossings and in places iron railings are in the way of the most convenient places to cross- forcing people hundreds of metres out of their way.
This may seem a relatively small issue, pedestrian even, but I think its just the sort of thing that impacts on people's lives in a negative way.
I get about the place by foot or by bike most of the time and know a lot of people who do the same. I think it would be an admirable goal to make Farnborough more pedestrian friendly and to make it easier for people to access our parks and green spaces.
If elected this is something I will work with our ward councillors to achieve

On the Campaign Trail

It as been a great week in the campaign- we have started to make some real progress with canvassing and have had an opportunity to meet a good number of residents in the ward.
Its always a difficult balancing act- wanting to get round to every door to make sure that everyone can have their say whilst also wanting to give everyone time to talk things through properly.
What I find most remarkable is how generous people are being with their time. Both those who are helping out with the campaign and those who answer their doors and take the time to let me know where they stand on the key issues.
I believe that it is the first duty of councillors, and therefore candidates for council, to make themselves available and to meet as many residents as possible. One of the real advantages of local democracy is that you can meet a large part of your ward on a regular basis.
I see this blog as fitting in with that theme. As I have stated before, I am very open to questions, feedback and debate and hope to make this a useful channel for residents to get in touch.
More from the campaign to follow...

Protecting the Character of Farnborough

One issue that has come up time after time on the doorstep over the past few days has been people's fears that Farnborough may end up losing its character through all the development that is taking place at the moment.

It might be worth my declaring an interest at first- I like development: I live in a flat in a building that was only built a few years ago and like it. I also like going out and want to see more bars and restaurants in Farnborough.

That said, I think we all want to avoid becoming just another homogenised town with all the same pubs, restuarants etc. I also think we want to avoid becoming part of the Labour government's "pack 'em in" strategy for the south east.

Some of the developments that are being proposed I am on balance against- there seems to be no corner or space in the vicinity of King George The Fifth playing fields that is not about to be developed into a completely inappropriate building. There are some spaces we can look at building on but its good for the area to have some proper residential housing too.

The closure of The Tumbledown Dick is another cause for concern. It was quite right to close the establishment if it was in breach of health standards but that should be no reason to prevent it re-opening with higher standards- continuing to provide a music scene and some character to our town.

With the new town centre due for completion soon- what kind of shops, bars and restaurants would people like to see open? This is something I will bear in mind if elected in future discussions with developers.