July 2007 Archives

ON Sunday more than 2,000 women will take part in the Race for Life at Gunnersbury Park in Acton.
I hope you'll be there cheering them on as they take part in the 5km event to raise cash for Cancer Research.
In the Gazette, you'll read the poignant story of Phyllis Morley, a mother-of-five and grandmother-of-three, who beat breast cancer four years ago - only to die aged just 51 of another cancer.
Her story, and how her husband coped with the death is amazing.
Good luck to all the runners. To make a donation to Cancer Research UK vist www.cancerresearch.org or call 020 7242 0200.

Pick up a copy of the Gazette if you're not sure what to do the kids during the summer holidays. We've got lots of ideas in the Guide section of the Gazette (it starts on page 69.)

And for you adults if you want to chill out this weekend check out the jazz festival listings in the Gazette - some great performers on for the next three days. Don't miss out.

I note that our new Ealing Southall MP Mr Virendra Sharma was once a bus conductor on the old fashioned 207 bus. He's pledged to make improving transport his top priorty. I suggest he returns for a ride on the new version of the 207 (one of those bendy buses now) and he'll see for himself the mindless way people behave on buses nowadays. Full story of the election result is in the Gazette.

At last we'll be able to find business in Ealing more easily with the arrival of boxes of street numbers. Didn't realise most businesses in Ealing Broadway, did not have numbers on their shopfront signs. Can't believe it's taken this long for the town centre bods to twig.

And don't forget if you have been the victim of unreasonable parking fines - like the ones incurred by so many near Ealing Broadway Station, be sure to let the council know - and of course the Gazette.

And, finally Monkey has sent his pictures today.

A story that's gripped our readers is the parking restrictions at Ealing Broadway Station. It's caused fury among you.

Jonathan Bates, is one of the many who wrote to us after having to fork out two £80 fines for stopping for an average of four seconds on the very end of the zig-zags.

He asks:

Can Ealing Council advise me on exactly how we are supposed to drop or pick people us from the station ?

It would seem that:

1, There is now no area anywhere near the station where any vehicle can reasonable stop.

2. The access road designed for the task is permanently coned off.

3. There is no sign warning that motorists will be fined if they stop for a few precious seconds in this area.

He also tells the Gazette in a letter: ‘Rather than using every opportunity to criminalise, opportunise and obstruct Ealing’s tax paying citizens, Ealing Council could actually design road-marking, signs or a sytem to actually help people access the station.’

Seems a fair point to me. Will be interesting to see how the Ealing Council spokesman reacts this time.

Today, I would like to welcome our new Southall reporter Alex Adams. He's joined us from our sister paper the Reading Chronicle.

Alex is kicking himself, because he's just missed the Ealing Southall by-election and all the controversy surrounding it - but I've assured him there's still plenty going on in Southall, including the fall out from the by-election result.

This lead me nicely to offering my congratulations to the new Ealing Southall MP Virendra Sharma, he'll be welcomed into the House of Commons this morning.

After all the pats on the back, I'm sure he'll start to focus on the numerous issues affecting his constituents - believe me the man's got his work cut out.

I'd like to offer my commiserations to the other candidates, who certainly made the by-election one of the most entertaining and interesting polls for a long time.

Whatever the accusations flying around during the run-up to the vote no one can accuse it of being dull.

The run-up to the vote in the Ealing Southall by-election has been dubbed by many political pundits as Ealing's greatest comedy.

And quite rightly so.

The sudden defection of five stalwart Labour councillors to the Conservatives, the donation of nearly £5,000 by the Conservative candidate Tony Lit to the Labour Party, the limousine sent by Labour HQ in a political stunt to take Mr Lit home, has certainly given the by-election a farcical twist.

However, for all the main political leaders the by-election result will be deadly serious. David Cameron has certainly invested a lot of his authority in the selection of Mr Lit, for Menzies Campbell, his future as the leader of the Liberal Democrats is on line. And off course for PM Gordon Brown, anything but a resounding victory would be damaging despite the recent opinion poll boost.

However, it's the Ealing Southall constituents who'll will have to live with the result.

So it's absolutely vital,the person elected puts behind what's happened in the last two week and starts to focus on the issues that really matter.

So far these have been dwarfed by all the political shenanigans. So when the vote is cast and the result is declared, it’s time for victorious candidate to start talking to the people of Ealing Southall and find out what really matters.

Anyway good luck to all the candidates – look forward to meeting the winner.

Today I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Polish readers.

The Polish community has rich heritage in this part of west London, and we're delighted to complement this by launching a Polish language edition of the Ealing Gazette - the Gazeta Polska.

For us it's a historic move, and we now hope our new readers will regard the Gazeta as their number one local newspaper.

We want our new readers to help set the Ealing news agenda by telling us about the issues important to them.

Whether it's housing, health, education, emplyment, immigration matters let us know and we'll investigate. As well as local news there are two pages of Polish national news, keeping you informed of what's happening in your home country.

It's an all round package so make sure you pick up a copy of the Gazeta every week.

Please keep in touch with our news and advertising teams based in west Ealing.

Once again a big welcome to the readers of the Polska Gazeta.

The announcement that five Labour councillors have defected to the Conservatives in the run up to the Ealing Southall by-election, has certainly set the cat among the pigeons.

The safe Labour seat, with a majority of over 10,000, has been thrown wide open and the election result is now anything but a foregone conclusion.

Whatever the reasons for the defection – the official reasons is that the rebel councillors have been impressed by the Conservatives run town hall – Gordon Brown must be shaking in his new PM boots as he watches the political developments unfold,

It would be an extremely serious matter for Mr Brown, if the huge majority was overturned by the Conservatives. By the way, Mr Cameron was again in the constituency today.

Whatever the result, I’m saddened and appalled, at how quickly the ugly side of politics has reared its head.The Gazette office has received call after call today from anonymous individual from both camps.

The main reason for these calls is to dish out the dirt on individuals or to remind us of the hypocrisy being exercised by the defectors.

However, in this maelstrom of high political jinxs it would be wise for ALL involved not to forget the electors – they are not easily fooled and will punish those who they feel are not putting the needs of Ealing Southall first.

Already there has been a fierce reaction to the candidates chosen by the Labour and Conservatives to fight the Southall by-election.

Anger has been vented at the top brass with accusations that candidates have been imposed.

One was so angry – Brij Mohan Gupta – that he ditched his post as deputy chairman of Ealing Southall Conservatives on Tuesday, and joined the Liberal Democarats.

There was also anger at a packed Labour hustings meeting earlier this week, when supporters realised that candidates up for selection had already been whittled down to two – with Virendra Sharma emerging as Labour’s candidates.

Labour’s Sonika Nirwal and Gurcharan Singh, were rejected by the by-election panel. And as for Labour’s plan for an all women’s shortlist – well that’s just seems a distant memory.

Whatever the reaction, it’s now up to the electorate to make the candidates accountable for the reasons why they have stood for the Southall Ealing parliamentary seat. And I know each candidate will be put under the microscope.

The Gazette will also be questioning and testing all the candidates on the big issues. And you can put your questions too – just use the message board on the website.

On a totally different matter, in today’s Gazette there is an eight page picture supplement on primary school pupils about to leave and move up to their secondary school.

Don’t forget to order your picture – it’s something that will be always be cherished.

The fight for the late Piara Khabra’s Ealing Southall parliamentary seat is well and truly underway.

Tory leader David Cameron visited the constituency last Thursday to rally his troops, and hot on his heels will be Lib Dem leader Menzies Campbell, he’ll be campaigning in Southall on Wednesday.

Already the Gazette has been inundated with calls and letters by potential Labour candidates spelling out their political credentials. Labour will decide their candidate on Wednesday, and no doubt the party’s heavyweight will follow to make sure the constitutency stays Labour on July 19.

However, as the different political party bandwagons gain momentum, now is the perfect time for the Southall electors to robustly quiz each candidate as to exactly what they can offer the area.

The area faces many challenges, and whoever is voted in, must be able to represent the people of Southall with a strong and clear voice and make sure the best deals are obtained for the constituents.

Don’t forget to use our website message board, tell us what you think and put your questions to the different candidates.

Now is your chance.