It's A Peach!

Local bloggers have unified in their condemnation of newly selected prospective Labour candidate for Reading West Naz Sarkar after he was ambushed by Andrew Peach during an interview on local radio.

Mr Sarkar betrayed his lack of local knowledge by failing to understand the reference to the 'IDR' and refused to be sidetracked as he continued to make partisan arguments.



The political scoop was immediately passed to Conservative blogger Cllr Richard Willis where Mr Peach obviously knew it would gain maximum exposure and the guffaws have since continued to reverberate among the local chattering class.

Cllr Dave Luckett was sharp in picking up the potential damage to Labour's election chances in the seat and has undertaken his best efforts to circulate the gaffe as widely as possible. He notes that it has been picked up by national journalists Oliver Kamm, Paul Waugh and Iain Dale as well as several other outlets, all of whom infer that the Waltham Borough Councillor's self-embarrassment is indicative of the wider 'malaise' in Labour ranks and think this bodes well for the tory challenger.

Cllrs Willis and Luckett somewhat exaggerate the impact of this wholly predictable error by comparing the spiralling viewership of the video (currently over 3,000 views) to the popularity of a 'sensational' attack by eurosceptic Conservative MEP Dan Hannan (over 2m views) from the floor of the chamber in Brussels.

He also reports that both ConservativeHome and LabourHome (among others) are scathing about the candidate.

Adrian Windisch, as the Green Party candidate, can't help himself from wallowing empathetically in the pain of his competitor and compares it to other gaffes - including one of his own, where he failed to remember what Reading's renowned '3B's' are.

Meanwhile Jane Griffiths and The Flashing Blade take a more personalised slant on the motivations involved, suggesting that more sinister political machinations are afoot. They both think that Martin Salter MP ensured "the most hapless possible candidate" was selected because he wanted to look good as the political tide turned, which would set up a potential fight-back in future years and enable him to get a tighter grip on the party direction.

Howard Thomas of the Common Sense Party wryly suggests that Mr Sarkar should have been able to avoid the pitfall since he obviously was able to use a sat-nav to get to Reading in the first place.

Finally, in perhaps the sharpest comment of all, LibDem Cllr Warren Swaine calls Mr Sarkar a 'muppet' for falling for the ruse and points out the attempt to bulldoze through the embarrassment by talking about future cuts to be made by Conservatives was apposite since he may only end up with 10% of the vote!

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Update: Nowtas sums up: "a terrible candidate giving a risible performance, but let’s not forget the terrible radio presenter on a typical crappy local station too."

Oranjepan says:
Naz Sarkar will find it hard to shake his earlier reputation as 'gaffe-prone' with any more repeats of this ilk.

Labour Select Candidate For Reading West

Naz Sarkar, a 33 year old Waltham Forest Borough councillor, has been selected to be Labour's next candidate in Reading West.

The political hopeful has won selection at the third attempt and will be attempting to follow Martin Salter into parliament as Labour look to hold on to the seat for the fourth consecutive term. To find out more about his position on the issues you can find out more on his official website and campaigning blog.

Conservative attack dog Cllr Richard Willis gets his barbs in early accusing Labour of parachuting him into the seat, despite the fact that Mr Sarkar teaches at Denefield school.

Apparently, according to Cllr Willis, this will "ensure an interesting contest" - perhaps he is alluding to the campaigning style of Labour in Waltham Forest which managed to secure a 6 percentage point raise in turnout for his close colleague.

Jane Griffiths clearly makes a similar reference as she coined Cllr Sarkar's nickname - 'Nasty' Naz. She also suggests the local Labour party are looking for a weak candidate who will not exert a controlling dominance over their council agenda to the detriment of their own future ambitions.

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Update: Adam Hewitt provides a quote from Cllr Sarkar after his selection. He said "If we can get our message out, I'm confident."

Jane offers a word of warning to Mr Sarkar that he will face internal opposition from Mr Salter who apparently experienced a late change of mind and wanted to be reselected.

Howard Thomas has also fallen for the line that Mr Sarkar "has been parachuted in".



Reading Guide offers the comment that Mr Sarkar was only able to win the selection "with the help of a prodigious schedule of doorstepping the 200 or so people eligible to vote, and successful garnering of postal votes."

Oranjepan asks:
Do the good burghers of Reading West need or want an 'interesting' campaign?

Campaign Update: Save Pincents Hill!

West Berkshire Council have confirmed that they have extended the consultation period for the controversial planning application at Pincents Hill. Letters and comments can now be sent by letter or online until Friday September 18th.

If you wish to write remember to include a name and address and send your comment to: Planning Service, West Berkshire Council, Market Street, Newbury RG14 5LD

Alternatively you can email www.westberks.gov.uk/planapps

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At a packed out meeting at the Calcot Centre over 100 people came to register their opposition and support Tilehurst Parish Council's decision to formally oppose the plans.

Cllr Gardner noted Tilehurst's experience with planning battles and the need for solid grounds of objection:

"We are objecting to the principle of building on a greenfield site which is a strategic gap and is outside the settlement boundary."

SCAG chairperson Joan Lawrie was pleased that Tilehurst Parish Council now opposed development on Pincents Hill and hoped this new community unity would help fight off Blue Living, warning that "the fight isn't over yet."

West Reading parliamentary candidates Alok Sharma (Conservative) and Naz Sarkar (Labour were also on hand to show their support for residents as they tried to help their election bids.

Current Labour Reading West MP Martin Salter had blamed Conservative councillors in West Berkshire for not excluding the site from areas with the potential for development, and Naz Sarkar repeated the partisan attack, calling his opponent Alok Sharma an 'apologist' for a party which wants to dump on Reading.

Meanwhile Birch Copse's Cllr Joe Mooney (Con) expressed concern that he wasn't able to speak at the meeting to explain why he voted in favour of the plans to allow development and "to show... active support for real local democracy in action."

Elsewhere Tilehurst borough councillor Ricky Duveen excused himself from the petty wrangling and expressed his suspicion that the reasons why the planning application was submitted over the summer was to try to dampen the public outcry.

Another Public Meeting will be held in the main hall of Little Heath School on September 1st.

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Update: Holybrook Parish councillors have also formally objected to the plans.
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History: Political dispute; Housing in Kennet Valley; Planning application lodged

Top of the Berkshire Blogs - July 2009

There have been some significant movers since last month.

Mark Reckons continues his astonishing march up the charts by overtaking Wokingham's Conservative MP to become the No1 Berkshire blogger - and it looks like he's not stopping there!

Nationally-renowned communications professional Neville Hobson jumps into the top-5, while Cllr Dave Luckett makes a spectacular leap (90%) as the main beneficiary of the scoop interview fed to Conservatives by BBC Berkshire presenter Andew Peach which had Labour candidate Naz Sarkar digging himself into a hole.

Elizabeth Thomas, Tony Partridge, June Stoute, The Rock God and Flashing Blade all got into the swing of things with significant rises, but overall the main theme appears to be the continuing consolidation over the top of the chart by elected politicians as demonstrated by Thatcham's Cllr Lee Dillon.

But less of the preambles - here's the ranked list according to Wikio: -

#21 - Mark Reckons (+10)
#47- John Redwood's Diary (-19)
#95 - Boulton & Co (-21)
#230 - Neville Hobson.com (+812)
#253 - Reading List (+56)
#280 - Richard Willis's Blog (+79)
#452 - Bracknell Blog (+81)
#486 - Redlands Libdems (-3)
#652 - Clive Davis (+28)
#654 - Cllr Ricky Duveen (+363)
#655 - Scaryduck (-206)
#674 - Jane Is The One (-27)
#682 - Was Was 'ere (+277)
#885 - naws (-34)
#894 - Cllr Prue Bray (+118)
#918 - Want to be a free thinker, but still a nice person (+1895)
#920 - Cllr Dave Luckett (+8548)
#958 - Green Reading (-106)
#1012 - Reading Roars (-298)
#1156 - Sean Green's Blog (-593)
#1284 - Cllr Glenn Goodall (-576)
#1336 - Gideon Mack - Orangutan (-321)
#1356 - Andy Peacock (-152)
#1393 - windsorfirestation.co.uk (+317)
#1529 - Para//elism (+13314)
#1610 - Bloggy Blanc (-405)
#1622 - British Royal Wedding (+1991)
#1638 - NYOOTW (-752)
#1705 - DTT's Memoirs (+13586)
#1790 - Through A Peep Hole (+13873)
#1847 - gCO2e (-831)
#1895 - Cllr Lee Dillon (+28048)
#1932 - Grasp The Mettle (-854)
#1933 - David Burbage's Weblog (-854)
#1987 - The Flashing Blade (+7480)
#2100 - Right To Common Sense (-896)
#2262 - Beasley's Place (-941)
#2541 - Thames Valley Mums Blog (-900)
#2707 - Ticking To A Different Tock (-999)
#2708 - Windsor Judo Club (-999)
#2709 - EJBC (-998)
#3569 - Marketing By Permission (-1343)
#3705 - Libertarian Party South East (-1993)
#4024 - The Mysterious World Of Matt Blackall (-1318)
#4025 - Adrian Hollister (-1318)
#4026 - East Berkshire Green Party (-1318)
#5166 - Ramblings of a Pheasant Plucker (-1004)
#5167 - Berkshire Websites (+661)
#5168 - Berkeley Blog (+1476)
#5169 - Thames Rail (+3538)
#5170 - matthewmillen.co.uk (+3647)
#5171 - Sophie Berkshire Escort (+3987)
#5172 - The Age Of Stupidity (+4294)
#5173 - Cllr Emma Warman (+4296)
#5174 - Brian Moore - KAMInsighter (+6038)
#5175 - The Timber Yard (+8304)
#5176 - ClayHill Newbury (+9090)
#5177 - Ramblings of the Bum-Nosed Weasel (+9108)
#5178 - berkshireborn (+9118)
#5179 - Basildon Blog (+9138)
#5180 - Greening St John's (+9316)
#5181 - Volunteering With RISC (+9327)
#5182 - Prof Will Hughes (+9339)
#5183 - z0man's Political Thoughts (+9375)
#5184 - Treetops - One-day Classes in Newbury (+9596)
#5185 - Sport Minded (+9597)
#5186 - my random rants (+9642)
#5187 - Knit Happens In Newbury (+9678)
#5188 - hang-on (+9685)
#5189 - Owt4Nowt (+9767)
#5190 - The rise and rise of social media in UK retail (+10013)
#5191 - mishaps (+10049)
#5192 - what's the idea (+10141)
#5193 - dot.green (+10167)
#5194 - Slouching Towards Thatcham (+10410)
#5195 - Woz Write's (+10418)
#5196 - Stumbling blocks to stepping stones (+10476)
#5197 - Let's push the big red button anyway (+10514)
#5198 - Some Thoughts (+10518)
#7277 - Goring-on-Thames (-1213)
#14529 - The Blogshire of Thiessen's on Thames (New Entry)
#14726 - Kurly Wurly (-292)
#14775 - Yasmin (-281)
#14858 - Magic Photography (-257)
#15088 - Macbeth Insurance Brokers (-176)
#15163 - Reading Youth Sikh Association (-150)
#15167 - Reading Toy Run (-150)
#15307 - Scribblings (-166)
#15441 - Jazz From Geoff (-57)
#15696 - View From The Tower Of London (-16)
#15705 - John Llewellyn Blogs France (-15)
#15706 - John Llewellyn Blogs (-15)
#29002 - WendyHouse (New Entry)
#29003 - Katesgrove Libdems (New Entry)
#29004 - Independent Jones (New Entry)
#29005 - Naz Sarkar (New Entry)
#29007 - Puglia2010 (New Entry)
#29009 - The Reading Fan (New Entry)
#29010 - sheepdrove (New Entry)
#29011 - 106 points and 99 points (New Entry)
#29012 - Phil Spray (New Entry)
#29015 - Baba Mzungu (New Entry)
#29016 - Jim Anning (New Entry)
#29017 - PKS Property blog (New Entry)
#29018 - thamesvalley.org.uk (New Entry)
#29019 - Bucolic Frolics (New Entry)
#29028 - Visions of Future Past (New Entry)

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Of course no ranking system will ever be definitive so Reading List encourages all bloggers to participate and apply to add their blog to the Wikio directory - the more the merrier.

If you are a Berkshire blogger or you know of a site you think we may have missed, please let us know in the comments section.

Reservoir Development Reprieved

Local campaigners have won a second victory against large-scale developments within a week as the plans for the development of the Bath Rd reservoir site were unanimously rejected by RBC.

Over 400 letters from the public and a petition with 1,400 signatures showed the strength of feeling mobilised against the plans submitted by Thames Water, but while campaigners celebrate they are bracing themselves for another stage in the war of attrition with developers.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said they were disappointed and were now considering their position. This was the third application that has been defeated on the same location, but residents said they preferred to keep the green space open and use it as an educational resource rather than lose it forever to bricks and mortar.

The issue had quickly gained momentum as politicians on all sides recognised the massive impact which would be felt by an organised and motivated local community.

In the face of the overwhelming pressure Labour reversed their previous willingness to develop the site. Minster ward's Cllr Paul Gittings joined with Reading West MP Martin Salter and his prospective replacement Naz Sarkar to claim victory on behalf of the campaigners.

Jane Griffiths provides some scathing commentary on her former comrades-in-arms. She wholeheartedly contradicts Mr Salter's claim that he has be campaigning to save the site since 1996, while noting Mr Sarkar's attachment to the issue is only skin deep.

Meanwhile Conservative candidate Alok Sharma had attempted to mitigate public anger by negotiating for a planning application which involved fewer housing units, but it appears this moderate suggestion has also been ripped to shreds.

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Update: Independent Cllr Tony Jones recieves some criticism for calling the decision a 'humiliation' for Labour.


Oranjepan says:
This case (together with the KM Campaign) provides an interesting example of how community campaigns can be successful by linking together old and new media techniques with traditional campaign methods. The unrivalled breadth and depth of reach of such a strategy has clearly proven it's power over those with aspirations to represent the public.

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More on the Bath Rd Reservoir Campaign.

Unified Opposition Defeats Developers: Campaign Round-Up

#rdgnews - The plan to build 750 new homes on Pincents Hill has been rejected at a meeting of West Berkshire council's planning committee at Little Heath School.

The Pincent's Hill site from the air

The issue became a highly controversial feature of the Reading West parliamentary campaign as candidates on all sides spoke up against the proposed development while developer Blue Living failed to turn up in person, instead sending legal representation who accused politicians of 'trying to win cheap votes'.

Linda Fort notes Labour and Conservative candidates welcomed the rejection.

Conservative Alok Sharma commented on the 1,400 people who signed a petition against the plan, stating that "local people are overwhelmingly opposed to any development on this site."

LibDem candidate Cllr Daisy Benson, who chairs Reading's housing scrutiny committee, paid tribute to the work of community activists organised by her party colleagues Cllr Ricky Duveen and Jean Gardener, as well as Joan Lawrie and the Save Calcot campaign, explaining that the reasons for the rejection are all "closely linked to the detrimental effect the development could have on the environment and the quality of life of residents. "

Meanwhile Labour's Naz Sarkar highlighted two 'major' points of opposition, namely that the site is located outside current settlement boundaries and that the greenfield site is a vital open space between Tilehurst and Theale. He also pays his tribute

"to the dedication of Joan Lawrie and the Save Calcot Action Group who have raised and publicised this issue providing detailed evidence of why this planning proposal should be rejected."

The Pincents Hill site from the ground

However Cllr Ricky Duveen picks out the continuing bone of contention between local and national government, asking,

"I wonder what a new Tory or Labour government would do to give local people more power to decide on planning issues for themselves rather than have their decisions made by an Inspector or the minister?"

This is significant, as Pamela Owen reports, because the Local Development Framework set out at national level continues to include a desired figure of 10,500 new homes in its' core strategy to be built in the area over the course of the next decade.

And Green Party candidate Adrian Windisch made it a full house by collecting a selection of sources on the subject, describing the 'rapurous applause' which greeted the decision.


Oranjepan asks:
After they criticised local politicians for hindering economic development by being disunited during this year's budget debate, will the good people in the local media now give credit to the political classes for being united on this issue or continue to stand full square on the bottom line?

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More on the campaign to save Pincent's Hill and White Hart Meadows.

Splash To Backlash

Conservatives hoping to make a big splash by bringing party leader David Cameron to Reading have suffered a backlash from commentators.

The general tone of criticism has been to question the actual level of the engagement demonstrated by the party.

John MacGarvey was "surprised, but not displeased" that the event was able to be rearranged quite so quickly after a previous cancellation - apparently due to the harsh weather. However he was a bit annoyed that the timing and location of the event could have been more convenient.

Even the BBC was caught on the hop, dutifully copying out the general press release that the meeting was to focus on health issues and the NHS rather than be open to any subject.

Labour election candidates Anneliese Dodds and Naz Sarkar challenged the tory leader to a real debate, provocatively claiming the event would have been more accurate if it had been called 'Cameron Select' rather than 'Cameron Direct'.

Cllr Glenn Goodall contrasts Mr Cameron's visit to an earlier visit by LibDem leader Nick Clegg, who ensured plenty of advance notice was given, and who chose the time, location and format of the meeting to ensure members of the public were able to fully engage in two-way communication.

And Jane Griffiths picks up on a report by Natalie Slater that Labour activists picketed the event, who were angry that they had been frozen out. She notes how this isn't the complete truth, as invitations had been sent to selected opponents.

Indeed, Mark Reckons did attend and gives his usual full treatment with a bloggers review of the event.

He says the event provided a 'fascinating perspective' on politics.

After a brief introduction he was able to ask the first question from the floor, asking why the tory leader had changed his position on drugs policy. He describes Mr Cameron's shifty response as a deft and subtle way of avoiding directly answering the question - not once but twice.

He compliments Mr Cameron on an assured and professional political presentation, who is highly personable, but was nevertheless clearly dissatisfied with the overall effect.

Mark was clearly unimpressed by the repetitive focus on current economic constraints and the negative aspects of what he couldn't do rather than any solid policies - even noting an 'odd' admission by the Conservative party leader that he probably wasn't able to convince floating voters in the audience to vote for him.

Mark picked up several stylistic similarities to Tony Blair but concluded that the prospective Prime Minister still has a lot of work to do honing his messages in a way that was to appeal effectively.

Dazmando was also in the audience.

He complains that the venue was pretty small for the number of people who would obviously have been interested in attending and says this had a clear impact on the political balance of the people who were there - which meant the tory leader was given an easy ride as many hot topics (such as gay marriage, the EU and MPs expenses) were not covered at all.

Rounding up, he generously adjudges the tory leader to be sincere and well-meaning, but admits he was frustrated with the evening, just as he is with the current situation in general. He came away only hopeful that he will do a good job if he does end up as the leader of the country after the general election.

And finally we return to John McGarvey for his pronouncement on the Conservative leader. John says he was smooth, but lacking in inspiration.

He says he feels like he didn't learn much from the slightly negative responses and overly-deferential and occasionally fawning crowd... or just maybe that tells you everything you need to know.

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Update: World-renowned communications guru Neville Hobson picks up on the launch of Mr Cameron's poster campaign. He says that reactions range from ridicule... to ridicule.

The Conservative leader is starting out early in his rise to being a figure of fun, and Neville explains that although most of the jokes at his expense are pretty mild they do highlight the problem facing all politicians: the need to be believed and trusted in order that they are taken seriously - which is why the airbrushed photograph is so damaging, as they build up the image of a fake.

Loyal Local MP Wob Wilson gives a glowing tribute to the performance of the man he serves under, but then that's only to be expected.



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Background reading: Tory Target Reading, Cameron Indirectly

LibDems Ready For Fight In Reading West

The contest to replace veteran Labour MP Martin Salter in the Reading West seat continues to heat up as LibDems announced their shortlist of candidates vying for a place on the ballot.

The three hopefuls include three well-respected figures including two from West Berkshire and one from Reading.

Cllr Tony Vickers is a former Lieutenant-Colonel and chartered surveyor who currently represents Northcroft ward in Newbury, Alex Payton is a barrister who is a former mayor of Thatcham and Cllr Daisy Benson will be well known to readers of this blog as a highly active representative of Redlands ward in Reading.

The three candidates will be attempting to sway Liberal Democrats ahead of hustings on Friday 8th January when a vote of members will take place.

The party was forced into the late re-selection after Oxford councillor Patrick Murray decided to stand down as the prospective candidate with rumours circulating that the seat is winnable with the right candidate. Between the 2001 and 2005 general elections LibDem support grew from 12.8% to 15.8% of the vote.

Leader of the LibDem group on Reading Borough Council Cllr Kirsten Bayes has publically offered a vote of confidence in Cllr Benson (who is her ward colleague), who also seems to have the support of the Campaign for Gender Balance lined up behind her.

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Update: Second ward colleague Cllr Glenn Goodall has given Cllr Benson his backing.

Adrian Windisch approves of the fact that all three candidates are more local than Patrick Murray.

Linda Fort notes the announcement.

For more details Anthony Wells' profile of Reading West constituency and comment thread is worth a look.

Awaiting the winner will be a candidates including Naz Sarkar (Labour - blog), Alok Sharma (Conservative Party - website), Adrian Windisch (Green Party - blog), Bruce Hay (UKIP - website).

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More from On The Election Trail

Making Minds Up In Reading West

LibDems have selected Daisy Benson to be the prospective parliamentary candidate in the Reading West seat at the general election later this year.

She beat out competition from two highly regarded opponents, former Thatcham mayor Alex Payton and veteran West Berkshire councillor Tony Vickers, in a stong contest which Reading List understands raised turnout by over a third among members compared to the selection of Cllr Patrick Murray previously.

Adam Hewitt reports her immediate reaction that she was "delighted" to win the chance to represent local residents, with the offer of a promise "I won't let you down."

Mark Reckons notes that Cllr Benson "regularly tops the list of the most hard-working councillors in the borough" (see report) and points to her innovative use of social media as a way in which she keeps a close relationship with residents and supporters.

In fact Reading Post picks up that she was "overwhelmed" by the number of messages of support sent to her from the online community.

LibDem colleagues in Reading are also backing her to the hilt.

Cllr Ricky Duveen describes how Daisy has built up an "enviable reputation" after less than 4 years on the council, becoming deputy leader of the group and chair of the Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee.

Cllr Glenn Goodall picks up her campaigning efforts on crime and housing issues.

Glenn offers a telling compliment that when she first knocked on his door his housemate described her as "genuine and human" - which was what convinced them to vote for her.

Cllr Warren Swaine goes a step further and says she is a "hard working local politician who can demonstrate a real record of action helping people across the political spectrum," by inspiring grassroots support, not organised backing from millionaire non-doms and trade unions.

And Reading Liberal Youth proudly considers voters will appreciate "the opportunity to elect such a passionate individual with an incredible track record."

Conservative opponents were also quick to congratulate Cllr Benson, even praising her abilities!

Cllr Richard Willis went so far as to compliment her as "very active and outspoken", offering the insight that she will 'hope to make an impact' to raise the LibDem share of the vote in the next few months, although he notes the highest LibDems have achieved in the past is 18.1% in 1992.

The list of candidates in the Reading West constituency is now complete (in alphabetical order): Daisy Benson (Liberal Democrats) joins Bruce Hay (UKIP), Naz Sarkar (Labour), Alok Sharma (Conservative) and Adrian Windisch (Green) vying for votes.

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Update: Adam Hewitt discovers a bit more about Cllr Benson's LibDem policy platform.

Linda Fort grabs a conversation with the candidate.

On her candidate website Cllr Benson says "join me in my campaign to take back power from the two other parties who have both lost touch with the ordinary person."

Josh Harsant, Reading's Member of the UK Youth Parliament, offers good luck to all, saying, "may the best candidate win!"

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Previously: LibDems Ready For Fight In Reading West

More from On The Election Trail

City Splits

#rdgnews - The decision to bid for city status has divided opinion across the community and continues to spur debate about the future of Reading.

In the two online polls surveying public opinion on the subject no clear message can be discerned.

Reading Post finds a neat 50% fully in support of the bid, with more than a third opposed. The remainding 14% offer potential support depending on the cost and other factors - a range of which can be seen among the comments.

A bit more pointedly Reading Guide notes the political unity between RBC's Labour and Conservative Councillors on the issue and asks whether we are happy to follow this coalition of our representatives. 53% of voters responded to say their lead is taking us in the wrong direction and should stop embarrassing everyone on a 'corporate ego trip' to concentrate on more urgent local problems.


Adam Hewitt sketches the battle lines.

Commenting, Labour's Anneliese Dodds said she was disappointed in the people who try to "run our town down and are constantly negative about it." She is clearly singing from the same songsheet as leader of RBC, Cllr Jo Lovelock.

They both played the jobs card, arguing that a change in title would "help attract inward investment," citing 'a number of local businesses' who are prepared to sponsor the bid to demonstrate their confidence in the value of it, however it is not yet exactly clear which companies have committed to step forward in the current climate, or if they will fully cover the costs.

Naz Sarkar joins in the attack on LibDems for playing 'petty' party politics, in contrast to his colleagues and him who "put the interests of the town first."

And Conservative Cllr Willis is in favour of a bid too. He argues that it would be just recognising the status quo, as Reading is already the effective capital of the Thames economic region.

He launches his criticism against the LibDems for misrepresenting facts about the funding of the bid (Cllr Swaine states the direct cost will be £60,000, in addition to the hours spent by council officers). He asks rhetorically "with no cost to the Council Tax-payers involved, what have we got to lose?"

Cllr Willis compares Reading to Newport (the third largest urban centre in Wales) which was made a city in the last round of bidding and argues this enabled large-scale regeneration to help communities in the transition to a post-industrial economy. He quotes the Conservative leader of Newport council Cllr Matthew Evans, who is proud that the city now "has the largest concentration of civil servant workers outside London."

And as previously recorded, Cllr Willis gives his backing to tory support for the expansion of Reading's boundaries to include Woodley, Earley, Calcot and Tilehurst.

Both Labour and Conservatives expressed their surprise and sadness that there wasn't unanimity on the vote, but Conservatives are themselves hopelessly divided on this matter, as his colleagues in those areas make plain - Cllr Keith Baker uses fighting talk, saying "we will be the first to man the barricades to keep Reading borough out of our areas," while Earley's Cllr Chris Edmonds says he was sure his party would oppose any expansionism by Reading 'quite robustly', as they had in the past.

It was sadly his final contribution to public life before the 46-year-old 'rising star' of the local scene suddenly and enexpectedly died within 24-hours of speaking against 'Trojan Horse' policies to push through changes against the public's wishes.

Commenters paid particular attention to the quality of basic services provided in the suburban areas compared to the more built-up centre.

Elsewhere Independent commentators have been finding their voice.

Reading Roar's John McGarvey asks can we do better than this?

He points out the fame of our local cultural assets reaches as far as Vladivostok and says "you could be forgiven for thinking we’re embarrassed by it all," since the establishment always emphasises "vague economic benefits and the notion of 'putting the town on the map'."

Community activist Colin Lee writes that "spin, hype and over-egging" are unhelpful distractions from the real problems facing the economy, and that the aspiration to build "a Utopian Dubai-on-Thames" is nothing but a mirage.

Meanwhile Battle ward Independent, Cllr Tony Jones has a proposition - he says the royal assent is an archaic procedure which is "just bafflingly stupid and out of touch," so he thinks it should be replaced with a simple petition which would be automatically be granted to anywhere which applies after meeting specific criteria.

...and finally, Paul Robins hails the independent spirit of Reading people.

He points social networkers in the direction of Facebook, with almost 2,000 members on a fan page of the town set up in December (there is also another with over 7,000).


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Background: Is Reading A City?; Reading's City Bid Approved

Rifts Caused By Clean Campaign Pledge

A division has opened up between the parties and candidates over a seemingly innocuous pledge to avoid resorting to 'dirty' tactics during the election campaign.

Conservative and Green party candidates in the two Reading constituencies kicked off the general election campaign with a bi-partisan pledge to make this a positive campaign which doesn't descend to personal attacks.

Reading Guide describes how the pledge

"is seen as a meaningful gesture to end some of the doorstep lying, political PR spinning and personal insults which, sadly, is typical in many consituencies from parties across the spectrum."

Reading West's Alok Sharma said, "voters are completely turned off by personal attacks and negative campaigning," adding,

"Whilst we are about it, it would be helpful if every political party in Reading stuck to explaining its own policies rather than trying to invent policies for other parties!"

He also gives space to opponent Adrian Windisch, who explained,

"We have seen a decline in voter turnout and people have lost trust in politicians. One way to gain it back is to talk about policies not personalities."

On his own blog Adrian Windisch provides the full text of the pledge, which all candidates standing in Reading have been invited to voluntarily abide by.

And BBC South political correspondent Peter Henley has been following the matter. In Reading East the 'two Robs' (Wilson and White) were happy to speak with one voice on the matter too.

He notes LibDems Gareth Epps and Daisy Benson were both happy to sign the pledge: Cllr Benson said, "I've signed it on the basis that I've got nothing to hide in terms of having a clean campaign. I was happy to sign it."

Anneliese Dodds offered her support "Certainly, we'll abide by it, it's what I've been doing for the past four years," adding, "Of course we want to see a clean campaign, but people to have to be honest."

This line seems to have opened the floodgates as Cllr Warren Swaine calls on Ms Dodds to apologise for the range of inaccurate and personal attacks she has been making in her election literature.

He argues that policy and personality in politics are interwoven and inseparable - since they reflect what a person represents and whether the public can place their trust in them is a matter of them meaning what they say and doing what they mean.

Clearly he doesn't believe Labour as the matter escalated when he made an official complaint over Labour's 'libellous' claims in Ms Dodds campaign.

But the matter has become a greater bone of contention for Labour. Naz Sarkar refused to add his signature to Ms Dodds', commenting, "this 'pledge' is a cynical attempt by the Tories to close down debate on issues where they feel vulnerable."

And when LibDems called on Rob Wilson to face the public Conservatives have been shown to be inconsistent and evasive in their approach too - rather than responding directly to a challenge and providing an explanation why he was unwilling to answer questions on environmental matters the tory MP launched into his own diversionary attack on a widely discredited rumour.

Clearly Mr Wilson doesn't agree with either his colleague Mr Sharma or the pledge they both signed!

In his final Westminster Diary of the parliament Rob Wilson describes his belief in the necessity of good manners and courtesy. His enlightening comments show he accepts sincerity at face value and thinks this makes for a more effective way of dealing with people, even if this means the result is unwanted...

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Update: Baba Mzungu notes a spokesperson for Labour leader Gordon Brown recently said "manifesto pledges are not subject to legitimate expectation."


Oranjepan says:
Greens have been eager to raise their profile ahead of an election in which they still wait to gain their first seat. They have made a string of pledges which they hope will gain public attention, but the sceptics may well say they've let their enthusiasm get to them and have been duped - this 'pledge' looks like an effective endorsement of their ideological opponents.

It was often said that Tony Blair's success as a politician came down to his ability to do sincerity - but would you trust a liar who promises not to lie? Clearly there are still many people who say 'yes'.

Politicians from the school of realpolitik will argue trust is overrated - what's needed are guarantees.

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More from on the election trail

Round-Up: Remembering

Rememberance Sunday is a peculiarly British celebration - we won't accept defeat by getting distracted from our daily routines for more than the minute we spend marking the moment of Armistice at 11am on the 11th day of the 11 month, so we instead choose the closest Sunday for our rituals.

It's clear from the way local bloggers have marked the date that the way we remember reflects our personal battles and concerns.

Elizabeth Thomas reprints a poem by Wilfred Owen to explain to her international audience that the ordinary sacrifice of the common man was the means by which tyrrany was defeated.

Conservative MP John Redwood is moved to give a recap of his life story in order to give some definition to the fight for freedom and capture the "sense of fear, futility, and enormous bravery against the odds."

It is also interesting how the pictures on different bloggers blogposts reflects their individual perspectives.

Mr Redwood's party colleague Cllr Richard Willis looks at battalion wreaths. He says we owe a debt of gratitude to the dead for putting military history in the annals of education.

Liberal Paul Walter prefers the silence of nature and a landscape of poppies.

Labour candidate Naz Sarkar can't translate his thoughts into a picture.

Ceramix photographs the Finchampstead War Memorial cross and copies out the simple inscription 'for all those who died in the name of freedom'.

Baba Mzungu posts a picture of the mass graves and obviously feels spiritually overwhelmed by the massive scale of the dead.

Baglady was struck by the regimented tributes of official remembrance. She admits she hasn't paid much attention to the services in past years - it's almost like they've been put on a shelf...

Elsewhere, Peter Ashley says he can't remember another year when the the issues were so intensively debated - possibly because the last Brish survivor of the WWI trenches died this summer.

He is almost glad that unobtrusive pins are available for your buttonhole to help avoid slipping into glorification of the massive scale of tragic losses.

Mark Reckons picks up on the stir caused by respected journalist Jon Snow who refuses to wear a poppy.

The veteran C4 frontman has been attacked by Labour commenters for undermining the occasion and diminishing the memory of the heroes who stood up to the forces of evil. But Mr Snow defended his neutrality by saying rememberance is a personal action of reflection, not just a public show to build political unity.

Indeed Rachel Eden spent the afternoon delivering political leaflets as she considered how to mark the occasion. She ladels it on like treacle with a 5minute video, and the announcement that she will force her class of children to observe two minutes of silence.

Meanwhile Robin Smith got into a discussion with a REME veteran who was collecting for the poppy appeal. It got to the more topical issue of why soldiers have been pressed into duty in Afghanistan.

Clive Davis notes the poignancy of The Times. He relates a recent interview with a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

And finally I offer my own contribution in an attempt to draw together both sides of the argument: the act of remembering is more than just something we each do by rote, it is something we do to prevent us from repeating the mistakes of the past.

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Update: Mark Thompson attended the Rememberance Service at Sandhurst Memorial Park with officers from the nearby Royal Military Academy.

He reckons we owe them our today, because they give theirs for us.

It's hard to disagree.

With 13% of all military fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq suffered by those from the south-east of England the region bears a larger burden than most. Sometimes it does all come close to home.

Lightening and lowering the tone at the same time, Mr London Street peers though his hazy memory and takes a swipe at haters everywhere.

Henley's Hustings - #rdgwest

#rdgpol - Hustings are part of the time-honoured tradition of election campaigning and a mere 50 years after they were first adopted televised leadership debates have been one of the enlivening themes of 2010.

That's not to say Charlie Brooker has gone all weak at the knees in prospect of a revolution in the mind of the public. Repeat: Charlie Brooker has not gone all weak at the knees.

For him "TV still fascinates and horrifies politicians in equal measure." He says it is a 'magic amulet' that has the potential to hypnotise and beguile, or, equally, to explode in your hand at any moment. The problem being that TV has a "laser-like ability to magnify physical flaws or tonal cock-ups... no matter how eloquent you are."

Well, he's the expert.

Nevertheless he seems to be undecided whether there's a fine line or a massive gulf between pure entertainment and meaningful engagement.

But Prime Ministerial debates aside, the competitive debate has long been an eagerly anticipated event among provincial candidates and activists as a rare occasion to leave their mark. And so it proved when the three main contenders for the Reading West seat went head-to-head on the regional slot of the BBC's Sunday political magazine, The Politics Show.

Cllr Richard Willis, Charles Hindhaugh and John McGarvey were on standby to advertise proceedings.

BBC South's political editor, Ian Paul also provides a handy (and detailed) overview as an appetite whetter.

Reading is described as a 'yo-yo town' where support for political parties swings. Reading University's Dr Philips Giddings describes Reading as typical of the south of England, as an area which is constantly growing and changing - which makes for constant political challenges.

You can watch it all again as Peter Henley grills Cllr Daisy Benson, Naz Sarkar and Alok Sharma on iPlayer for the next week (from 27.30-47.30).

Cllr Willis didn't feel 20 live and unedited minutes was enough to get into the issues affecting one constituency - so we can assume he doesn't think 3x90 minute debates among the Prime Ministerial candidates will barely scrape the surface of the nations 650-odd seats either.

But it seems the main problem was the unproductive 'bickering' between Labour and Conservative candidates which ate up so much of the time and sapped the energy from the debate.

Sarah Sharpe and Josh Harsant agreed with Cllr Benson that the issues should be more important than the egos involved.

Reading's Member of the UK Youth Parliament, Josh Harsant, went into more detail on his own blog. He argues people don't want representatives to claim endless credit for themselves, but to represent them. He asks:

"do people want to vote for people who bicker and get nowhere? No; they want someone who identifies the issues, responds and does something about it!

Green party candidate Adrian Windisch disagrees. He seems to want to turn the debate into a discussion on his pet ideas. He obviously felt somewhat aggreived for being excluded from the debate, but hemakes up for it by giving a short recap of the three main topics (health, education and housing).

Meanwhile LibDem Cllr Warren Swaine goes hunting for some evidence of his opponent's mistakes and finds a prime example where what was said on air was the opposite of what is being said on the ground.

And finally, West Berkshire's ever diplomatic communications officer Phil Spray provides judgement - he calls the result of the debate a score draw.

But then it's not all or just about winning, is it?


Oranjepan asks:
What are the big issues for you?

Have your say in the comments - you never know, there's always someone reading!

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Update: Jane Griffiths is more concerned about where the interview was held.

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More from on the election trail

Reading West Labour Selection

Local bloggers are enjoying gossiping about the impending selection process for the next Labour candidate in Reading West constituency. As Conservative target #107 the seat has become a significant battleground for the next general election since Martin Salter decided to 'retire from frontline politics'.

Cllr Tony Jones is gleeful at the "prospect of an almighty row in glorious Reading Labour tradition".

Jane Griffiths is grateful to still be considered relevant, while Cllr Richard Willis fancies himself as a news agent.

UKPR profiles the seat and attracts insider comments from and about all sides.

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Update: Naz Sarkar has a campaigning blog Supporting Reading West.

Paul Gittings has Go4Gittings.

Reading West Selection Up In Air

The battle to replace Martin Salter as MP for Reading West has taken a new twist as LibDem candidate Patrick Murray unexpectedly stood down earlier this week.

According to a statement he explained that time pressures meant he was not able to effectively combine his duties as an Oxford city councillor with his commitment to campaigning. He paid his tributes and explained:

"as I live and work in Oxford I have found that I have not been able to give as much of my time to the residents of Reading West as I should have liked."

Conservative commentators have already jumped to the conclusion that Cllr Murray is leaving the local LibDems in the lurch and that this is a sign of their disarray and 'turmoil'. Cllr Willis is particularly confident this places the seat as a straight two-way contest between Conservative and Labour challengers in which his colleague Alok Sharma is almost certain to win against Labour's 'gaffe-prone' Naz Sarkar.

Meanwhile popular Battle Ward Councillor, Tony Jones, who resigned several decades of Labour party membership in 2008 is not so sure!

He calls for 'a real alternative on election day' - dropping his biggest hint yet that he is preparing to stand as a candidate in Reading West.

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Update: In the Reading Post, Cllr Murray denied that he had been pressured to stand down by party activists hoping to put in a stronger showing as commentators continue predict Labour meltdown.

LibDem activist blog LibDem Voice reports Patrick Murray's decision not to contest the general election, with commenters raising the concern that restrictions limiting the field of potential candidates may not be a good thing.

Cllr Jones has announced he will not stand for re-election in Battle ward, thereby freeing him up to devote resources to a constituency fight.

Reading Post notes that Cllr Jones previously stated it would not be right to stand for council and parliament at the same time.

Former Labour MP for Reading East, Jane Griffiths repeats an unattributed rumour that Reading West LibDems may be lining up to support an 'independent' candidate.

Oranjepan says:
With his experience Cllr Jones isn't interested in helping lifelong opponents, and it is a given he has some indications that he has a realistic chance of putting up a strong fight in Reading West. So all that we're waiting for is the announcement that he will!