March 2007 Archives

Tory councillor, Lucy Allan, writes on her blog[1] about a Wandsworth council meeting where a "white knight", in the shape of philanthropist Michael Hintze, has offered a £2m package to replace the funding for Wandsworth museum that the council has been threatening to withdraw.

She doesn't have much time for the local Labour MPs.

Committed campaigners with a genuine passion for local heritage have seen their campaign hijacked shamelessly by those with a political agenda. Instead of demanding that Wandsworth residents get their fair share of government funding, Martin Linton and Sadiq Khan have been playing political football with our heritage, instead of rational debate and trying to find a solution, they have been indulging in pranks and stunts and in whipping up sound and fury.

It is, of course, good news that the museum will be able to stay open. Though it's not clear how long this package will support the museum for. And personally I'd be far happier if this was supported out of municipal funds, rather than relying on the whims of rich benefactors.

[1] Another blog that isn't really a blog. Commenting is disabled. What do you make of an elected representative who is afraid of engaging with her electorate?

Another roundup of new items from Martin Linton's offficial site.

Martin shows his support on International Women's Day
Battersea MP Martin Linton attended a special International Women’s Day event on the 8th March organised by development charities Action Aid, International Planned Parenthood Federation and VSO together with the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS and All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health.

Battersea Salutes William Wilberforce
Battersea MP Martin Linton will be inviting local people to a short ceremony at the site of William Wilberforce’s house in Broomwood Road on Sunday March 25th to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Commemorating the end of slavery
ONE of Battersea’s most famous residents, William Wilberforce, was remembered in a ceremony in Broomwood Road on Sunday March 25th – the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act which he piloted through Parliament.

The Sadiq Khan/Martin Linton love-in continues. This week, Khan writes on his blog

On Sunday, I joined Martin Linton MP for Battersea to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Over 30 people gathered outside 111 Broomwood Road, which bears a plaque marking the site of Wilberforce’s home, and heard brief tributes from Battersea MP Martin Linton and Vicar of St Luke’s John Shepherd.

Martin Linton spoke twice in this commemorative debate. His second speech is particularly interesting as he talks about William Wilberforce's long association with Battersea.

Martin Linton asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will table a motion under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter requiring Israel not to expand its settlements in the west bank.

Kim Howells replied agreeing that Israeli settlements should be frozen or even dismantled, but said that they had no plans to table such a resolution.

Never Trust a Hippy declares his support for Peter Hain in the forthcoming deputy leadership election. Apparently at least part of the reason is

Most of the people that I have any respect for are, apparently, supporting Mr Hain. These include Phil Woolas MP, Eluned Morgan MEP, Nick Palmer MP, Martin Linton MP, Wayne David MP and Roger Berry MP, along with a smattering of the more decent Trades Unionists.

Martin Linton made a few party political points on the report on party funding, before being stopped by the speaker.

Martin Linton asked the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education if he will make a statement on the proposed changes to fee remission of English for speakers of other languages courses. Bill Rammell replied for the government.

Later in the debate, Martin Linton raised another question about fees.

Martin Linton tried (and failed) to get Simon Hughes to give way.

Another roundup of new items from Martin Linton's offficial site.

Mass lobby of Councillors at Museum
Wandsworth councillors came under pressure from hundreds of parents and children to halt the closure of Wandsworth Museum at a lobby organised by Battersea MP Martin Linton at the museum’s Medieval Day at the weekend.

Silent vigil for Museum vote
As Wandsworth’s leading councillors assemble tonight to vote on the proposal to close Wandsworth Museum, along with two libraries and the De Morgan Centre, they will be met by a SILENT VIGIL organised by groups opposing the closures.

No tailbacks
Battersea MP Martin Linton was out at Battersea Bridge on Monday morning together with local residents’ associations to see what effects the new western extension of the Congestion Charging Zone is having on traffic levels in the constituency.

Parliamentary Reception for Safer Neighbourhood Teams
Wandsworth MPs Martin Linton and Sadiq Khan held a joint reception in the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday 21 February to celebrate the work of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Battersea and Tooting.

According to Sadiq Khan's blog, he and Martin Linton have been spending more time together.

On Wednesday Martin Linton MP and I hosted a reception for the 14 Safer Neighbourhood Teams of Battersea and Tooting. The visitors to the event included SNT members, their families, members of Neighbourhood Watches and Community safety Panels. The Home Secretary, John Reid MP, was our surprise guest and used the opportunity to thank the SNT's for all the hard work they do in our community. The evening ended with tours of the Palace of Westminster given by Martin and me. for information on how to contact your local SNT click HERE

I'm going to have to stop refering to Khan's site as a "blog". It really isn't one - even though it is powered by Blogger. It's just a regularly unpdated journal. All of the feedback features that you'd expect from a blog have been turned off.