Tuesday 16 March 2010

GREEN PARTY ANNOUNCES GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATE FOR RUGBY ROY FOR RUGBY!


Rugby Green Party have selected well known local community campaigner Roy Sandison as its General Election Candidate for Rugby in the forthcoming General Election.

Roy who is 45 years old, lives in New Bilton in Rugby and has lived in the town for over 30 years and has worked until recently in the mental health sector for over 15 years for a major mental health charity in Rugby.

Roy is proud to stand on his record of standing up for local people be it over the NHS, the environment, poor housing, low pay, youth facilities, crime, road safety, the war or MP's expenses.

Roy says “I am proud to have been selected by my fellow Green Party members in Rugby as the candidate offering a real alternative to the stale and self seeking politics on offer from the three main parties’”

Roy says “A vote for me and the Green Party in Rugby at the forthcoming General Elections sends a clear positive message to these out of touch politicians, who seem to see no problem in using our money in bailing out the bankers, funding duck houses and 2nd homes at the same time as calling for massive cuts in our public services – So we, in Rugby and across the country need to say no to these failed parties - Thank you very much - but would we would rather keep our hospitals and schools – so please close the door when you leave office!”

A RUGBY MP ON A COMMUNITY WAGE!

Roy will be the only Candidate in this election, who if elected will continue to live in his local community and take only the average wage of people in Rugby – which is £25,000 and donate the rest of his MP’s salary to good causes in the town.

Roy says MP’s like to say how much poorly paid they and how they so needed to claim for 2nd homes etc etc. I believe many people in this country are sick and tired of being taken for mugs – If our honourable members of parliament who sit on an income above about 96% of the population - 58 million individuals – can’t survive without fiddling – then its the wrong job for them and perhaps a change in career choice might be a good thing for them to do.”

Think the Green Party is only about the environment? Think again!

Roy will be highlighting the following Green Party policies in his Election Campaign


The Green Party is the only party that has the policies to tackle head-on the economic crisis and at the same time lay the foundations for a sustainable and fair society.

We reject as false the choice between ‘economy' or the ‘environment' - we CAN DO both.

One million jobs - and that's just the start ...

We have policies that sets out a plan for creating 1 million jobs through investment in renewable energy, housing, public transport and social care.

We call this the Green New Deal - an approach to the economy that puts Britain firmly on the road to recovery, addresses the urgent climate crisis while improving the way we all lead our lives.

Here are just some ways the Green New Deal tackles the most pressing problems we face today:

· A new architecture for the financial system so that it serves the ‘real' economy, this includes breaking up the big banks so they are no longer ‘too big to fail' and a massive clampdown on tax avoidance to generate £10 billion in revenue.

· Energy efficiency measures for UK homes, schools and hospitals to create 80,000 jobs, reduce harmful emissions and cut fuel bills.

· Free social care for the elderly to improve quality of life and create 60,000 jobs.

· Massive increase in the proportion of electricity that comes from renewable sources - raising wind energy production to the same level as Denmark by 2020 would alone create 200,000 jobs.

Save Rugby St Cross Hospital and the NHS!

Who still believes in public services? We do!

· "Greens believe it's wrong that hospitals and health centres are treated like businesses, rather than vital public services. We want to see an end to money being wasted on botched PFI and privatisation schemes. We will oppose cuts and closures in the NHS, and protect the jobs of public sector workers.

· We will defend our NHS – bring lost services back into hospitals like St Cross, remove PFI and other private companies from the management of our local hospitals – The question is why will the smaller ‘super’ new hospital in Coventry that cost only £300 million to build will result in tax payers in Rugby paying £3,3 Billion to a private company?

· Oppose hospital car parking charges – A tax on health!

Greens say NO to the closure of the older persons Hawthorn ward at St Cross – “An inhumane treatment of elderly sick people Rugby People” Says Roy Sandison

· News is emerging that NHS bosses are planning to close the Hawthorn Ward which provides inpatient care for older people with functional disorders such as depression and anxiety, or organic disorders such as dementia with patients decanted over to Nuneaton.

· Roy and the Green Party opposes the attempts to close Hawthorn ward at the Rugby St Cross – “Why should Rugby’s elderly sick and infirm people be moved to Nuneaton? These cuts must be fought by our community in Rugby – when Labour and Tories say the NHS is safe in their hands – the reality are these sort of core services and even more are threat from the planned cuts in public spending by all three main parties – We must fight and fight again to defend these services so needed in our community” Say Roy Sandison

A Health survey for Rugby!

· Real concerns exist in our community into the possible health consequences of living next to the CEMEX incinerator – Roy and the Green Party has been at the forefront of a campaign for comprehensive study into possible health impact on local families and their children.

Protecting public services – Our family silver!

· The Green Party campaigns for the protection and improvement of Britain’s public services, from the NHS to your local Post Office. We want them to be publically owned and accountable institutions, which our communities can rely on, and of which they can be proud.

· Roy says “Privatisation was/is promoted as a big gain in terms of efficiency and competition to keep bills down – instead what we have seen is profiteering from a monopoly situation over rail, energy and water including oversees ownership – privatisation has been a big lie to the people of this country resulting in to the benefit of the few. Action is needed to bring rail back into public ownership and controls must put on cost electricity, gas and water in respect of shy high charges at a time of massive profits for these companies.”

Protecting our Pensioners!

· Unlike MP’s, most pensioners and future pensioners are concern about being or slipping into poverty – The Green Party would introduce a Citizens Pension for everyone: raising the state pension for a single person from £95.25per week to £170.00 a week.

End the War

· The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been an unmitigating disaster for the peoples of these countries, our soldiers and at home – where instead of a time and peace after the Northern Ireland troubles came to an end by talking – we have seen terrorism or the fear of terrorism becoming a fact of life.

· These wars are making the whole area unstable. War isn't just unjust. It is unnecessary and is acting as a breeding ground for reaction and terrorism.

· Tony Blair never had the evidence to go to war. He never had UN approval. He never had this country's approval – the £2 million who marched against the war who asked Blair to think again before going to war were ignored – with even the tame Chilcot enquiry indicating the rashness of his actions.

· The illegal invasion and war in Iraq are an outrage to anyone who values human rights. There is endless misery in Iraq -- the flattening of Fallujah, with bombs weighing thousands of pounds, the extensive use of white phosphorous, the maiming of children who will grow up hating the West because we bombed them. Iraq is littered to this day, with unexploded cluster bombs, an economy in tatters, racism and bigotry on the increase.

· If Iraq was about oil, Afghanistan is about gas. This war for resources. This is a war for profit. The plan is to pump out gas from the vast gas reserves of Central Asia. Are the soldiers fighting and dying so that the gas goes south to India and not east to China?

· Roy Say “All three main parties are willing to put the lives of British soldiers at risk in a war in Afghanistan that cannot be won. We were told the war would end the reign of terror under the Taliban for the people of Afghanistan. We were told it would prevent terrorism at home. And they told us that we would help the women of Afghanistan.”

· Soldiers cannot fight a never ending war. There is no end in sight and they cannot see the point. We are not winning this war. The Taliban have taken control of more areas of Afghanistan than they held in 2003. There is more heroin grown than before.”

· Most of all, we demand a progressive foreign policy. We demand a different Middle East - one where people and our planet are put first.”

ANDY KING MUST APOLOGIES TO THE PEOPLE OF RUGBY FOR VOTING FOR THE WAR!

· Roy Says “Andy King who is standing for Rugby as the Labour candidate in the General Election really does need to apologies to the people of Rugby for tamely voting and supporting Tony Blair over the war when he was the MP for Rugby.”

· “Andy King’s job was do his up most to ensure that pro and cons of war were properly investigated on behalf local people in Rugby before sending our soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan – It is clear from the Chilcott enquiry that the basic equipment needed by our soldiers was not in place to under take this dangerous war. Also it was clear at the time that NO WMD’s existed in Iraq and likewise al-Qaida was not operating in or from Iraq”

· “Andy King has a lot to answer for and he should apologies for his actions over the war!”

FAIR IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

FAMILIES ON NEW BILTON HOUSING ESTATE DUMPED ON BY BY COUNCILLORS, PLANNERS AND DEVELOPERS


*Picture of another recent incident in New Bilton.

TROUBLE IS NO SURPRISE SAYS ROY SANDISON

Letter published in Rugby Advertiser 11th March 2010

Further to the recent article entitled ‘Living in fear on housing estate’ about the Pavilions estate off Bilton Road. – The situation unfortunately does not surprise me.

The residents on this estate (which is part of the New Bilton Ward) have been dumped on from a great height by the Developers – Wimpey, the Council Planners and also the local Councillors.

Before the estate was built – I made representation and spoke at meeting raising concerns about the lack of holistic planning and sustainability, when these new developments were given the go ahead – a new community can not just be plonked somewhere without recognising that the infrastructure structure needed to sustain the community is put into place.

Special attention must be given to quality of build and the mix of housing on the estate – this is why I spoke to, on a number of occasions my local Councillors to ask them to ensure that 106 money from the developers was asked for, to promote facilities and sustainability on the new development – recognising it proximity to a existing housing estate.

As usual with our local Councillors – it was like speaking to a brick wall – not unlike their response to the need to build a proper pelican crossing on Lawford Road – which took 6 years to be built – even with the money set aside.

We have seen poor plans in developing new housing in Rugby with little recognition that throwing up estates with no reference to existing social problems just leaves those who have moved into their new homes left to cope with intolerable circumstances.

The Rugby Borough Council needs to take action to force the developer to carry out outstanding work and deal with concerns on the Pavilions estate. Less handwringing needs to take place by the Police and local Councillors etc and instead they need to work out why some young people in proximity to the estate are behaving as they are and seek ways in association with the Youth Service to divert them from these destructive and anti social activities.

Finally Labour, Tories and Lib Dems need to recognises that their support for early release for offenders back into the community for ‘minor offences’ – which can even be for assault and burglary is disgraceful and unfair to victims of crime. Turfing offenders back into the community with inadequate measures in place means that communities like the Pavilions will have to deal with these so called ‘minor offences’ over and again.

Regards

Roy Sandison

Sunday 14 March 2010

SAVE ST CROSS - GET RID OF PFI! - Tory Candidate answer?


Writing in a letter to the Rugby Observer this week - Mark Pawsey Tory candidate for Rugby says the following below, but strangely does not deal with PFI in his 'answer' (despite their whole hearted support for it) or the fact the Tories introduced 'tick boxes' into the NHS,.

Committed to the NHS
Roy Sandison asks about the commitment by the Conservatives to the NHS.

I don't believe Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Minister of Health who visited St Cross Hospital in December or David Cameron himself could be any more clear about how important the NHS is to our desire to make Britain a better and fairer society.

In his recent Brighton speech Cameron said "I want everyone to know in this country, as they go up to put that cross in the box at the next election, that if I am their Prime Minister, as a politician, as a parent, as a husband, as a person. I love the NHS and I will always stand up and protect it."

Here in Rugby we will benefit from that commitment with an NHS that will be focused on results and the needs of patients, rather than meeting tick box targets. Truly it is time for change.
Mark Pawsey
Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Rugby.

SAVE ST CROSS - GET RID OF PFI!

Copy below of recent letter sent by me and published in the local papers.

15 February 2010

Letters Page

Dear Sir

Information has emerged that the real cost of building the new hospital in Coventry which was estimated at £179 million in 1999 has risen to an incredible £3.3 Billion because of the PFI agreement contract signed with the private sector – the £3.3 BILLION will be paid by the tax payer over the length of the 25 year contact in fees to these private companies.

When services were cut at St Cross and transferred to Coventry – Jim Pawsey for the Tories and Andy King for Labour both failed to mention in their eventual approval for these cuts, that the brand new hospital in Coventry promoted at the time, would be smaller than the existing Walsgrave hospital and would be in hock to the private sector through a PFI contract for 25 years to the tune of £3.3 Billion.

As some people may have noticed recently, Andy King has been campaigning on the cost of parking at the hospitals used by Rugby patients and then out the blue – Andy Burnham – Labour’s Health Secretary announces a consultation that will end on the 23rd Feb 2010 – clearly not at all an election gimmick by Labour then?

The problem is, that in fact, the car parking charges - which is a tax on being ill, is intricately tied up with the 25 year contract with the hospital PFI agreement, whereby the hospital has to pay over £2 million a year to a private company – if the charges were abolished as they should be for patients and staff, the hospital would still to pay the private company at least £1.4 million per year.

So perhaps Andy King and the son of Jim Pawsey – Mark Pawsey should be standing on a ticket of abolishment of PFI and our hospitals being brought fully back into public NHS or explain to the electorate, instead why tax payers money should be paid out to these private companies to the tune of £300 Billion for 600 hospitals and schools valued at only £55 Billion?

As Brian Strutton, the GMB's national secretary for public services speaking to the Independent says: "PFI is building up a legacy of high-interest debt that will last for decades. The public is paying over the odds on PFI projects, with debt ratios in most areas at over 500 per cent. This is like paying for schools and hospitals by credit card."

We in the Green party will be supporting the calls for the scraping of car parking charges for patients, visitors to patients and people working in the NHS – We will also be calling for the removal of PFI from the NHS so releasing the money for something that should be seen a basic need when using hospitals - and also call for an integrated bus service to allow ease of access without the need to use a car. Services should also be returned to St Cross!

So if your readers want to support along with us, the call to scrap Car Parking car charges then they should email http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_110557 to take part in the consultation.

Further more a public meeting has also been organised in Coventry by the Stop the £2.7m parking robbery at Walsgrave Hospital Group on Monday 22nd February, Ground Floor - Main Hall, Student Union Building, 54 Cox Street, Coventry, CV1 5PH (Formerly Coventry Working Men's Club) at 7.00pm which I will be supporting and would it be good to see other Rugby residents in attendance.

Regards

Roy Sandison

Rugby Green Party





Thursday 11 March 2010

ROY STANDS UP FOR RUGBY PATIENTS!


RUGBY GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE AND CAR PARKING CHARGES PROTESTERS MEET HEAD OF HOSPITAL IN BOARDROOM!

Roy Sandison (top right) in discussion with Philip Townshend (middle)

Roy Sandison newly selected Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby was invited to join protesters from the NHS SOS group to hand in a 3000 signed petition to the Chairman of the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (which covers Rugby St Cross) Philip Townshend last week.

Roy and other protesters met with Philip Townshend in his own Board Room at the Coventry Hospital to ask him to take action in respect of the ‘Tax on Health’ charge for people visiting their loved ones in hospital, attending appointments and working in the NHS.

The meeting took place in the Boardroom (before the Board of the Hospital was due to meet) after Philip Townshend did not turn up to meet with us - as agreed by him to discuss our concerns and receive the petition on behalf of 3000 people.

Philip Townshend who is a Labour Councillor was asked about his views about the fact that his party introduced PFI (Private Finance Initiative) into the NHS and was responsible for the introduction of privatised car parking fees into the NHS.

Roy Says “We asked that Mr Philip Townshend and the Board of the hospital as a start to seek the removal of PFI (Private Finance Initiative) in respect of car parking – which at the moment means that our hospitals in Coventry and Rugby have to pay a private company £1.4 million a year for the next 25 years. We argued strongly that private company should have no role in imposing ‘a tax on people health’ through these car parking charges”

PROGRESS OVER TAX ON HEALTH?
Mr Townshend said he could not speak on behalf of the Labour Party but assured us that the Trust Board later in their meeting would be discussing our concerns and will meet with us to discuss the outcome of the meeting and ensure that the PFI Company currently running the car parks would be in attendance as well.

Philip Townshend said our concerns and that of local people would be taken into account when the Car parking contract comes up fro retendering in 2011.
Roy Says “We welcome this possible movement on car parking charges – but as we made clear at the meeting , PFI itself is drain on our hospitals (including Rugby St Cross) to the tune of £3.3 Billion and needs removing ASP before it results in enviable cuts in hospital services.”

A VERY GOOD YEAR FOR RUGBY GREEN PARTY!

In Roy Sandison's report to the recent Annual General Meeting Of the Rugby Green party, Party Agent and recently selected candidate for Rugby in the General Election.

Roy said that "Members and supporters of Rugby Green Party should be proud of the level of support we have grained in the town – all the more remarkable given that we are a very new political party in Rugby."

"In the recent County Council elections, we polled very well with our candidates even beating the main parties at times.despite a big effort from them.

Over 3,500 people put their x in the Rugby Green Party candidate box."

County results from 2009

Con – 44.8%
Lib Dem – 20.2%
Lab – 19.3%
Rugby Green Party – 11.4%
BNP – 2.5%
Ind. – 1.7%


Well done everyone

Rugby Borough Elections 2010

Rugby Green Party is also putting up candidates in the forthcoming Borough Council Elections (also on the 6th May 2010) and we are inviting local people to join our team in standing for our fresh ethical party.

Other news from our recent AGM: the following were elected

Co-ordinator: Ellie Roderick
Treasurer: Phil Godden
Agent: Roy Sandison
Membership Paul Sandison

ROY FOR RUGBY!

Rugby Green Party have selected well known local community campaigner Roy Sandison as its General Election Candidate for Rugby in the forth coming General Election.

Roy who lives in New Bilton in Rugby has lived in the town for over 30 years and has worked until recently in the mental health sector for over 15 years for a major mental health charity in Rugby.

Roy is proud to stand on his record of standing up for local people be it over the NHS, the Environment, poor housing,low pay,youth facilities, crime, road safety, the war or MP's expenses.

Roy will be the only Community Candidate in this election who if elected will continue to live in his local community in New Bilton and take only the average wage of local people.