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Friday 14 October 2011
Your Shout
Campaigner deserves support I would like to commend you on the lead article in The Resident (October 7). I would also like to congratulate Caroline Collins for highlighting the injustice of transport cutbacks to rural areas and the fact that our MP, Mr Nick Herbert, was lamenting the fact he had the same discussions with countless constituents That is what we pay you for, Nick, and why you got our votes at the last general election. I had meetings and correspondence with Mr N Herbert when his party were in opposition. He would not speak up then because he had a position in the Shadow Cabinet. Same old! And he would not sign Early Day Motions (EDMs). There was no problem opening garden fetes and patting babies’ heads or even getting the volume on train horns reduced or a photoshoot in every local paper every week. Votecatchers? According to your article, he is passing your/his 86 bus problem to MPs (Henry) Smith, (Nicholas) Soames and (Peter) Bottomley. They cannot do anything for you individually and cannot
speak up on your behalf in the House of Commons because you are not in their constituency. So that is a get-out line. In Sussex there are several MPs who have a portfolio. This means there are a lot of voters who cannot object to government policy through the House of Commons as their MP is compelled to tow the party line. Most of these ministers are in so-called ‘safe’ seats. Strange? Indeed, some of the MPs have been parachuted into these seats for that reason. Some of the MPs may not even be local to the area, never mind the constituency. Despite the leather-elbowed country jackets, they may live most of the week in the City, even though there is an excellent train service direct from Victoria (five minutes in ministerial car from the House of Commons) to the heart of the constituency. And they want to cut your number 86 bus service? I wish you luck with your campaign, C Collins. Maybe you, I and others should consider who we want to speak on our behalf next time there are safe seats for the taking in our House of Commons.
20 mph speed limits win votes media, such as web-based polls. Plus the winning manifestos of local political parties. Research conclusively shows that British people want slower speeds for their residential roads. The British Social Attitudes Survey, run for the Department of Transport, found “the majority (71 per cent) of respondents were in favour or strongly in favour of speed limits of 20 mph in residential streets”. Only 15 per cent were against.
Opinion surveys across the UK consistently show strong support for 20 mph limits without humps. This popular policy wins votes. These limits make real, quantifiable differences to people’s quality of life. Wide area 20 mph limits are fair and justified as popular and affordable. Evidence of 20 mph limit support comes from many sources – opinion surveys, local authority consultation responses and other
Anna Semlyen Campaign manager, 20’s Plenty for Us
What do you think? Email Your Shout at matthew@ the-resident. co.uk
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Bernard’s still chugging along I have been very interested to see the articles by Sam Allsop about the Steyning Line. Readers might be interested to know that the station master at Steyning in the 1920s was one Charles J Holden. His son, Bernard John Holden, was born at Barcombe station on March 15, 1908, when Charles was station master there. Bernard’s schooling was at Steyning Grammar School and he went on to join the Southern Railway, eventually rising to senior managerial positions on British Railways.
Bernard chaired the first meeting at Haywards Heath, on March 15, 1959, when the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society was formed. Bernard is still alive, having reached his 103rd birthday in March this year, and is the muchloved president of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. Since he was born at Barcombe, on the old East Grinstead and Lewes railway line, he can be said to have been involved with what has become the Bluebell Railway all his long life.
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