Veronica Goddard

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.

…..THE TIME HAS COME: PULL BRITISH TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ

Find out whether your MP voted for war and how to hold them to account at

www.holdthemtoaccount.com

…a Commodity?

I was horrified to learn today , from The Guardian newspaper, that as many as 400 children have disappeared from care. These are foreign children who were in care around major British ports  and who are thought to have become victims of child trafficking. They are vulnerable to exploitation in prostitution, the drugs trade and domestic servitude.

The Government has rebuffed calls for a system of professional guardians to look after every suspected victim of child trafficking - a crime the United Nations has described as ‘a modern-day slave trade’

Keith Vaz, Labour Chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, which is investigating human trafficking, said he was shocked by these  figures and that a system of guardianship for every child now looked ‘very attractive’

Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, called on the government to drop its opposition and fund a system in which every suspected victim of child trafficking is provided with a guardian who ’specifically looks out for them and ideally speaks their language’

I am definitely in favour of the setting up of this type of system, but let us also ensure that each of our children whether in care or living within a family unit, can enjoy a life free from harm. It seems that we are always hearing about some poor child losing his or her life at the hands of a thug or by the lack of care by agencies responsible for the welfare of children at risk. Things need ‘tightening up’, wouldn’t you agree?

If you can give your child only one thing - let it be enthusiasm.

We Liberal Democrats have loads of enthusiasm and if you want a piece of the action, come and join us. Details are in the column on the left.

 ……….to my previous post, I am just back from my walk, during which I found that some thoughtless, inconsiderate resident has dumped all the packaging from a barbecue, including lots of plastic bags and cardboard. Also old discarded plastic picnic plates all strewn around the parkland next to Peafield School. I gathered up all the plastic bags; children play on that park and apart from that potential danger, animals are quite easily killed by suffocation in  bags as they are attracted to them and curiously look inside them. There really is no excuse for this type of littering. We are all provided with a blue bin for recyclables  and cardboard is the easiest of items to dispose of in the bin. Stomp on it, squash it, or tear it up……no problem. It probably took more energy to carry the load to the park than it would have taken to BIN IT! I despair!

On my return home I reported it to Grimebusters and hopefully, a team will be out to collect it very soon. Of course, every fly-tipping incident which needs attention and each piece of graffiti  that calls for specialist cleansing equipment,  add  to Council Tax Charges which have to be budgeted to include these cleansing operations.

….have awarded a grant to Friends of Peafield Park, for the installation of metal knee rails to be placed on the boundary of Whinney Hill Woods and the Flood Dykes. Well done to Sue Wills, the treasurer of FOPP, who put in the hard work involved in making the application for funding.

In the past two or three years there has been a constant tide of vandalism concentrated on the wooden fencing at the boundary, which has been ripped apart and burned. The installation of metal knee rails will deter this vandalsim and also may be a positive step towards keeping motorbikes out of the woods.

The woods are looking particularly lovely at the moment with a mass of bluebells and the odd celandine making an appearance. The smell of spring is almost over-powering to the senses; the hawthorns are breaking into flower and the cow parsley and wild carrots are giving off the sweet honey aroma that is so attractive to the bees and insects. Walking in the woods, followed by a meander along the Maun Valley Trail is such a wonderful way to reach out and touch nature. Why not take a stroll and introduce some peace and tranquility into your life - it’s the perfect weather for it and you may glimpse the kingfishers alongside the river.

‘An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.’

This is exactly why we Liberal Democrats put our efforts into doing rather than just talking about it.  

 If you have a problem, contact one of the team and we will do our best to sort it out.

Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith says police forces should give persistent offenders ‘a taste of their own medicine’. Photograph: Carl Court/PA

Police should be harassing badly behaved youths by openly filming them and hounding them at home to make their lives as uncomfortable as possible, the home secretary will say today.

The crime initiative is part of a government strategy to win back voters by proposing more radical approaches to tackling deep seated problems.

In a speech in London the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, will acknowledge that the number of antisocial behaviour orders being issued is falling, but will argue that there has been a shift to the use of parental orders instead.

As part of the crackdown on bad behaviour, she will urge police forces across the country to follow the example of Essex police, who have mounted four-day “frame and shame” operations by filming and repeatedly stopping identified persistent offenders on problem estates.

…since the election that brought me to my current position as Councillor for Leeming Ward and the Mansfield portion of the Ashfield & Mansfield Liberal Democrats met to discuss our roles for the coming year. We all chose to remain on our present committees, roughly speaking, with the odd small change to accommodate changes in personal circumstances.

I am still on Planning Committee, Health & Safety Committee and Select Commission 1. I am also taking the role of Leader of our LD group for the next year, so that will be a few more meetings to attend.  I hope to retain my seat on the board of Greenwood Community Forest, when the vote is taken next week. During this past year I have attended working groups and training sessions which in number were far beyond what I expected when I was elected, but the whole experience has so far been one that I feel very fortunate to have had. I look forward to the next 3 years.

We at the Liberal Democrats are always looking for people to join the party and if you feel the need to be a part of local politics and have your voice heard, then look to the left of this column to find out how you can join us.

…..to Mansfield District Council. Earlier this year I had to attend a funeral; my nephew’s baby died at only 4weeks old. It was a heart-rending occasion when the weather was cold and wild, echoing the feelings in the hearts of those who went to the cemetery.

Shortly afterwards, at a meeting of full Council, where the proposed budget for the year was to be voted upon, I thanked the Finance Team for keeping the charges for burial of children at the cost price. Don’t you agree that it would be totally unprincipled to make profit from such a sadness?

I came across a story in the Daily Mail which tells of a different ethos. I will share it with you.

‘A report for ******Council has called for a rise in  burial and cremation fees at the start of next January to”maximise the peak demand period“. January usually records the highest average death rate of the year, largely because of the greater number of elderly people who succumb to the colder weather.’

Perhaps I am naive, but there is something distasteful about profiteering from death, even if it is the death of someone who has lived a long life. Why not try to help keep them warm, instead?