Neil MacDonald

Pensioners Petition

The new Tory\Lib administration of Ipswich are currently "reviewing" the pensioner concessionary bus pass.  If the Ipswich concessions are removed then the pensioners can still use the Suffolk bus pass but this isn't so good: an increase of 50% in pensioner fares is on the cards.

We were out today in the Westgate area, petitioning and leafletting against against this change, which will hurt a large number of people who reply on the bus to get around.  Ipswich Labour Party has had a good response to this petition and we found an equally good response "over the border" in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.

Four More Years

Unfortunately

Supercasinos

I am pleased to hear that the government will listen to MP while the new gambling bill goes through its committee stage. I think that the broad thrust of the bill - to provide regulation to protect children - is to be welcomed. However, I am less than convinced there is a demand for the supercasinos which have caught the headlines. Hopefully these can be removed or their numbers capped before the Bill comes back to the Commons for a second vote.

John Bercow

Tory MP John Bercow says he is working for a "modern, progressive Conservative party" in a newspaper interview today. Read the whole article.

For nearly a year, Mr Bercow was his party's spokesman for international development. In public, he urged Mr Howard to match the spending commitment being made by the Government - to spend 0.7% of UK wealth on overseas aid.

Last September, Mr Howard sacked him from the post. Just shows that the Tories are neither modern nor progressive.