I'm Hot to Trotsky!

Now, for someone who blogs to admit they're not 'on' social media, these days seems like a counter-productive action. And yes, I'm aware that my recent blogs are far from recent (but then, like the boy in the joke, 'up until now, everything has been satisfactory")

But I dropped Facebook in December, and recently I lost my enthusiasm for Twitter. My political leanings meant that, at some point, it was a dead-cert I'd offend someone in my circle of FB friends, by rounding on UKIP, or the ubiquitous Help For Heros, or my dislike of religious dogma. So, I dropped off that radar, and felt all the better for it. Plus, it's much easier to give that up than smoking (coff, coff).

But no-one knows me on Twitter, and that seemed a reasonable way to stay in touch with favourite artists, and movements, and some of the people I admire, as well as drop in the occasional bon-mots about what the Tory Party are doing to our country, or what the Religious Right are trying to achieve in the U.S.

Imagine my surprise then, shortly after I re-joined the Labour Party in September when it appeared to have come back to the people, to find all sorts of in-fighting going on within the Twitterati. Nothing new there, I suppose, since everyone knows the interweb is full of trolls and bullies who take pleasure in belittling people's thoughts, ideas and beliefs. Except, a lot of these people throwing words like Trot, Commie, and traitor around at the new-found enthusiasm for the left of the Labour Party, were not Right -Wing nuts, or EDL bigots. Oh no, they were - that's right, folks - Labour Party MPs!!

In a horrific example of standing up for democracy, and then complaining when it doesn't bring the results they wanted, a large number of the PLP have spent the last few months roundly accusing supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson, as well as John McDonnell, of being Extreme Left Wing, Militant Tendency Trotskyists who want to storm the Houses of Parliament, string up the Lords and share the wealth around using insurrection and anarchy.  I myself, and a number of my Twitter friends and acquaintances, were immediately blocked by Tom Blenkinsop MP, for simply asking questions about why they were undermining the will of a majority of the Party by sniping and infighting around Jeremy's style of leadership. There was no discussion - scores of people were tweeting the same thing about Mr Blenkinsop - that he, or someone on his team (because surely he had better things to be doing) was blocking anyone who posted such a question, without having the decency to even respond to them first. Mr Blenkinsop is not alone - Michael Dugher MP has also been casting aspersions about the direction the Party is now headed, simply because they seem to be scared that their careers will suffer if Labour aren't elected.

Now, I've stated before on FB (when I was still addicted) that the best thing they could do would be to start a new political party to put forward their, mostly spin-driven, brand of centre right opinions and policies. A party where they could pick a leader on their image, or their lifestyle choices, and on their electability alone. Then they could spend 5 years back-tracking on pledges and manifesto promises, the way New Labour did once they'd become the establishment, or Nick Clegg did when he finally flip-flopped his way to a decision on which party the Lib-Dems would attach themselves to in 2010.

What MY Labour Party doesn't need is the petty back-biting and sniping that's been taking place since the leadership election. Especially now, when there are so many things imploding in the Conservative Party, who've traditionally been seen as the divided ones. At a time when we could and should be widening those cracks in their facade, and showing how our party can and will listen to the voters on taxation, Europe, Trident and austerity, we are losing the fight because of the deliberate apathy of large parts of the PLP who want to take their ball (or Balls) and go home.

I really hope that, together, the Party can put these ridiculous arguments to one side (or preferably see the light and forget them completely), so that we can unite to bring the country back to becoming once again a socially caring, responsible assortment of people of all creeds, colours and beliefs. That is what the Labour movement has always been about. Let's allow people to see that side of us. Please?

Bicester - Can we have our town back please, Mister?

Now, I've just driven home through the rain, up Middleton Stoney Road away from Bicester Town Centre.  Rainy days are nothing out of the ordinary, of course, it's what makes this a green and pleasant land. I wouldn't say, though, that today was too pleasant for the poor person standing on the Bicester side of the road, waiting to cross at the new Pelican Crossing that's been installed. Soaked to the skin is not a great way to set you up for the evening, but that's what they must be now, because of the poor thought that went into the planning or preparation of the crossing. There is a natural 'dip' in the road there, and the poor drainage that dogs roads all across the area (Bicester isn't alone in that problem) means that even a relatively small session of moderate rain creates a small lake. Anywhere down the road, I'd suggest that isn't acceptable given the work that's been done, and continues to be done, on making this an experimental test-bed - sorry, that should read Garden town - but the fact it is EXACTLY where the only pedestrian crossing is sited, strikes me as just poor planning and/or execution.

Not only that, but between the planners and whoever plans out public Transport, they have decided to site a bus-stop near the crossing.  No, that's not correct - it's immediately next to the crossing. So, if a bus has stopped there, vision for drivers coming in the direction I was tonight is badly compromised should there also be anybody waiting on the town side to cross the road. Surely a little forethought would help in just moving the stop some 20 yards closer to town?

But it doesn't end there. The mysterious traffic-calming bumps that suddenly appeared like molehills (originally without markings to highlight them, but we'll let that pass) are probably a good idea. They're certainly better than the road-narrowing that was originally mooted, or intrusive traffic islands as are used in surrounding villages. However, when you then add in cycle lanes in either direction, but without a widening of the road, you are creating an environment that will end in injury, damage and possibly worse. The two measures are to be applauded, but not combined. The natural tendency of some drivers to try and avoid the bumps by steering either to the kerb, or to the centre of the road, means an accident is waiting to happen. Why not take the opportunity to widen the road on the Kingsmere side?

It strikes me that planners are paying no attention whatsoever to Bicester residents when it comes to traffic planning and infrastructure, and are just steam-rolling on (pun intended) to enable house-building and commercial developments first, without ensuring simple things like this, and Doctors' Surgeries, and schools, and on and on, are put in place and committed to in a structured way to avoid stretching the existing resources up to and beyond their limits.

We need councillors who will do just that - listen - and involve residents in decisions that impact on those residents daily lives.

Now, who's looking forward to negotiating the A41 approach into Bicester in October for Black Friday, now the new "Supersize" Tescos is about to open?