September 2006 Archives

As the local MP, Martin Linton is obviously quoted in a couple of news stories about the Battersea crane crash.

This Is Local London says:

Battersea MP Martin Linton said people in the affected block have been evacuated to a hotel in North London. "I'm in talks to get them moved nearer to Battersea so that they can get to work and school."

The building site previously housed the John Milton Primary School, which was demolished despite opposition from residents.

"It was a really good neighbourhood school," the Battersea MP added. "Residents and I fought against the closure, all the way to the adjudicator, but we lost. Parents and kids felt a tremendous loyalty to it."

The BBC have a similar story:

Martin Linton, Labour MP for Battersea, said: "This tragic incident happened when the jib of the crane broke off the mast. It's a very unusual incident."

The MP said residents had been moved from the block of flats to a hotel in Brent Cross, north London.

He said he hoped they would be moved to hotels closer to Battersea and allowed back to collect their possessions.

The FT has an article about the difficulties that the Labour Party faces in winning back the electors that deserted them in 2005. The article concentrates on the Battersea constituency.

When Labour galloped to victory in the 1997 general election, Battersea was one of the seats that handed Mr Blair his industrial-sized majority when it dumped its Conservative incumbent and voted in Labour's Martin Linton with a majority of more than 5,000. That majority stayed strong in 2001, but was slashed to 163 last year as the Tories won back lost ground.

The writer goes on to interview some people in the local Labour Club.

"The politicians rob the old, they rob everyone," fumed one member. "Blair's government is to blame and Brown is part of that."

Other members were more forgiving, dismissing evidence from polls and focus groups that Mr Brown has some way to go before he is seen by the public as a fully paid-up member of the human race.

Martin Sanders, 63, warmly recalled the annual £200 heating allowance for the elderly introduced by Mr Brown. "If he does his job properly, who cares about his personality? He's been with Blair so many years that he's bound to continue the same policies."

Read the full article

Guido Fawkes reports that Martin Linton will be running Peter Hain's campaign for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party. He also suggests that this might have something to do with Linton hoping to be moved to a less marginal constituency than Battersea.

Wantage and Didcot MP Ed Vaizey blogs about the Swedish general election and mentions in passing that he visited Sweden earlier this year with Martin Linton (who is, of course, half Swedish).

The Gulf Times (yes, honestly) has a story about a YouGov poll which places the Tories seven percent ahead of the Labour Party in London[1]. They include a quote from Martin Linton ("who is defending ultra-marginal Battersea") who says:

The Tories were 24 points behind in April 1990 but still won the 1992 election. For Labour to be eight points behind should not cause panic.

[1] Actually the figures they give (39% and 31%) imply an eight point lead - there's probably some kind of rounding error going on there.

Martin Linton asked the Home Secretary when he expects to resume removals to Somalia.

Answering for the government, Liam Byrne said that Home Office and Foreign Commonwealth Office Ministers are actively investigating options for enforced removals to the region.

Read the full exchange on TheyWorkForYou

Martin Linton asked the Home Secretary what the average cost of processing an asylum application, including support, is according to the most recently available figures.

Answering for the government, Liam Byrne said that the average cost was £3050.

Read the full exchange on TheyWorkForYou