Soapbox: Suffolk community issues - All Comments

re: Is it time to shake up politics and move away from “establishment” political figures?

Andy — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:49:05 GMT

Mr Gummer says he has done nothing wrong, telling the News of the World: "I try to do things as cheaply as possible for Parliament. I am very careful about being extremely rigorous about the way in which I behave."

Gummer, MP for Suffolk Coastal, said he used his firm to get computer and mobile equipment cheaply.

He said: "Because my company has a lot of communications equipment I can get the Vodafone connection to my laptop which I use for my constituency cheaper than if we did it separately.

Personally I would like to see Suffolk Coastal represented by a FULL TIME MP not a part time one like Mr gummer who has several other outside interests.

Even if we accept he has done nothing wrong, to bill the taxpayer through his company is very ill advised and shows a lack of understanding of public feeling. Even it is completely innocent it look fishy and a man of Mr Gummer's experience must know that.

Suffolk Coastal deserves an MP who will represent them FULL time and without total loyalty without the restraints Mr gummer is under from Party Whips.

re: Is it time to shake up politics and move away from “establishment” political figures?

Andy — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:42:16 GMT

John Gummer's additional costs allowance (second home costs) from 2004-5 to 2007-8: £87,112

Incidental expenses provision over the same period: £62,086

His expenses claims have shown that he billed the taxpayers for £10,000 of expenses incurred by his environmental consultancy company Sancroft, including secretarial work and telecommunications.

re: Is it time to shake up politics and move away from “establishment” political figures?

Andy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:13:32 GMT

john Gummer is paying back £11,500 of his expenses. Interesting I wonder if he thinks that will get him off the hook and we will all see him now as a decent and honest man ?

To me these established political figures just don't get it. It's not the money , it's the way they felt they were able to make these outrageous claims, thinking we the people who voted for them would never find out.

Mr Gummer can't undo what he has done nor can he rebuild his reputation. I certainly will not vote for him, the big question now is how do we find and get behind a good Suffolk independant candidate to stand against him.

re: Is it time to shake up politics and move away from “establishment” political figures?

Andy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:27:54 GMT

I hope that an indpendant candidate stands in my constituency Suffolk Coastal. I am so fed up of party politics and MP's whose loyalty is to their party first , their own self interest and their constituents last.

An MP representing a party such as John Gummer is not able to proeprly represent us because he has to follow the party line. This isn't dermocracy.

The recent scandals over expenses has shown these people for what they are. Mr gummer is the same as the rest, he is paying back thousands of pounds of expenses. He should now have the decency to admit he had his nose in the trough along with many of his colleagues in the old boys club AKA The Palace of Westminster. He should apologise to us all publically for his behaviour.

Thank goodness for the daily telegraph exposing the abuse that has being on, simply because these people thought that those who elected them would never find out what they were up to.

We need an option at the next general election of an Independant Candididate who we can trust and who can represent us not a political party or their own self interest.

Time for a real change of direction in British Politics away from the two party system and towards a real democracy with the electorate having a direct input into the way we are governed.

re: Is it time to shake up politics and move away from “establishment” political figures?

A Gummer Friend — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:59:30 GMT

John Gummer was not only Minister of Agriculture but also and importantly served as Sec of State for the Environment, so for the first time we had a minister who understood and cared about both roles. He did more than any other British politican to promote sustainable develpment after the Rio Conference and is an honourablel man. The Dynesty issue is a seperate topic which you may want to debate.

re: Is it time to shake up politics and move away from “establishment” political figures?

Amber Newman — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:21:09 GMT

If you ask me - it needs honest people with real life experience - I would vote for Theo Paphitis or Richard Branson as they are intelligent and successful. Bill Bryson - who is now Chair of Campaign to Protect Rural England & lives here in Suffolk - these aret they types of people we should be looking for. I am sure in the Communities there are people with the same positive and sucessful attitude which would create a genuine buzz in our Parliament. I do not think just because you come from a family line of Parliamentarians that parties should choose you as a candidate. Perhaps we will see real genuine people comming forward to take our country into a brighter more positive future - I sure hope so!! We all deserve a genuine honest down to earth person to represent our views in parliament. Party's should choose candidates on merit - not a surname!

re: Heart Patients

Michael Hallatt — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:35:19 GMT

Hi Elliot, the answer is yes, watch this space.

re: Heart Patients

Elliot Langham — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:27:27 GMT

I totally agree, the public sector has been dragged down by overpaid civil servants for too long. It is time for change and that's why I'll be voting for Suffolk together.

Will Suffolk Together be putting forward any candidates for the upcoming GE?

re: Dissolve Parliament now!!!!!

Michael Hallatt — Sat, 23 May 2009 08:56:58 GMT

Absolutely correct Jane, the trouble is parliamentarians just talk about these things and nothing ever gets actioned that would benefit the people of this country.

We need "doers" in parliament now, people who are streetwise, who can go back to basics and make things happen now!! not in somebodys elses lifetime some 20,000 years down the road.

A general election will happen sooner rather than later whether Gordon Brown likes it or not.

re: Dissolve Parliament now!!!!!

jane Evans — Sat, 23 May 2009 08:37:29 GMT

We should look very carefully at the way they do things in the US - fixed terms, elected senior house etc. I can see a number of benefits.

re: Dissolve Parliament now!!!!!

Michael Hallatt — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:16:24 GMT

The public need to write a job description for an MP prior to the next general election, after all we are the employer!!

re: Help is at hand for young people

Amber Newman — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:00:58 GMT

As a former young person Mike I understand the point you are making. I was very lucky to have been brought up in a County with a County Council who were innovative enough to create a Fire Cadet Scheme for 13 to 18 year olds and I was one of the first Fire Cadets to join Hunstanton Retained Fire Station. I had the time of my life when I was a fire cadet and there were 12 other teenagers with me who will also say the same now some 20 years later. Thanks to the innovation of Norfollk County Council and the hard working Retained Firefighters in our County young people benefited from life changing experience and skills which could have been used to save others lives. I am making a pledge to all of the people of Suffolk that I will do my best to promote the concept of creating a Fire Cadet Scheme for the Retained Station's of Suffolk to sign up to - the benefits of this scheme were too many to mention - Fire Cadets helped raise the profile of fire safety campaigns raised funds for the Benevolent Funds and gave people a reason to praise young people for their enthusiasm and effort. Prevention is better than cure both in the context of Fire Fighting and in the context of Bad Behaviour from bored young souls.

re: Dissolve Parliament now!!!!!

Amber Newman — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:52:12 GMT

Well done Mike, the sleazy antics of politicians from both sides of the political spectrum over the last 25 years has left the British Public feeling that "Politics is not for them and shouldnt be talked about in public places". This cannot be allowed to carry on and I feel Suffolk Together is the Positive face of genuine political debate - due to the revolutionary concept that Suffolk Together Offers it means that genuine honest hard working people which ever political background they are able to work alongside each other and learn from each other to achieve the same goal - that is to make Suffolk County the best county to live with an efficient, Innovative and effective Local Authority which benefits all of the community.

As I see it our aim is to make Politics a people friendly word again - I would like to see the day when people with opposing views can sit in a pub or a park bench and discuss the world and exchange ideas on our ways of life without feeling unable to or that to discuss these things makes you a bad person. Together we stand - Divided we fall.

re: Dissolve Parliament now!!!!!

James — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:01:04 GMT

It is time that our elected representatives were held accountable for their actions, and that we have the chance to elect a new leader this time round.

Well said Michael.

re: Dissolve Parliament now!!!!!

Michael Hallatt — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:21:15 GMT

To accomplish incredible social achievements for the betterment of Suffolk, it is time for our party to unleash our 'transparent' candidates onto the electorate at the forthcoming general election.

A new consciousness is developing in Ipswich, its called Suffolk Together.