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Thursday, July 22, 2004

Responses

Dan. There were Hookah pipes in Acton Park for the carnival recently and the owners (a Lebanese Restaurant) confirmed they were against a smoking ban – no surprises there! I suspect a smoking ban might have to have exceptions. I can confirm that the beach at Sharm el Sheikh is good for hookah pipes. It is where I took my first puff after diving!

Jeremy. You could be wrong. I have been on the receiving end of innumerable and horrifying tales from refugees in my constituency since I was elected in 1979. I don’t think we should go on ignoring the problem.

Anthony C. I think the armed forces review is on the right lines but I accept the infantry cuts are worrying. We need to consider the alternative of creating a peace keeping force to compliment the army. It could also be an EU one. The problem of failing states will not be resolved quickly. Ingrid might agree that it could be deployed in the Sudan.

Andrew Regan. Don’t despair Andrew! I stand by my arguments in the Fabian paper. I don’t believe people have lied on this but I do think Tony Blair got himself trapped on the WMD argument and that the wider arguments were more important. I think the general public will eventually judge our actions not on some of the finer points of detail but on whether it makes the Middle East a more stable and less violent region. The jury is still out on that but as long as we don’t walk away from the Israel Palestine issue I remain more optimistic then pessimistic.

It is important to note that Tony Blair is seen as an effective leader not least because he does take difficult decisions. See the Guardian poll the other day.

Paul Jefferies. Allowing everything that doesn’t do harm to others is a good starting point but alas alcohol abuse does harm others because people behave badly after taking excess. The same applies to some other drugs.

Regarding binge drinking, it is interesting to note that in my town the pub selling cut-price alcohol - owned JD Wetherspoons - has no problems with violence or disorder. In contrast, the two pubs that cater for local soldiers (they are freehouses and are not cheap) have cause no end of trouble. Most of the violent crime in the town emanates from these two pubs. This week, the police have succeeded in revoking one pub's licence in court and are taking action against the second one. I don't know where the violent drunks will go, but it's a good way of clamping down on these irresponsible landlords. I would like to see police and local councils have more power to take action against such landlords, instead of trying to punish us all by raising alcohol prices to cut demand. I'm not exactly sure what the government plans to do. My MP, Alan Haselhurst, is Deputy Speaker, so he doesn't get a chance to vote - I am relying on you instead.

As for your hookah smoking in Sharm el Sheikh - did you inhale? Is this another shock revelation or was it just innocent?

Dear Mr Lawton

Re Parking Ticket EA2992907A
Date of Issue 06/08/2004
TIME OF ISSUE 22:15

I find the injustice of fining someone for parking out of office hours an absolute disgrace, I actually think it impinges upon our basic Human Rights. This is why I have brought this instance to the attention of the Ealing local paper, the Gazette, and our local MP.

I have absolutely no problem with paying for parking, I'm sure it helps to reduce local traffic, and polution puts less strain on our natural resources whilst encouraging people to use public transportation, or indeed walk which is is no bad thing. Used in the right way it can have a very positive effect on local, albeit national levels!

But I do believe there ought to be limitations.
Used in the wrong way, it can kill local business, as well as undermine people's faith in local authority.

I certainly feel that these legislations, petty as they are, actually make me lose a lot of faith in the way Ealing Council runs it's business. It makes me believe that they obviously can not manage their income enough that they have to reduce themselves to what I consider to be, nothing more than petty crime. To try to catch people out, as they go out of an evening out, when they are least expecting it, is to me a crime. When my husband and I returned to our car on Friday evening to find we had a a parking ticket at 10:15 we thought it was quite funny, in an almost unbelievable type way 'what is the world (in Ealing Council terms) coming to' kind of way. We never imagined we'd be expected to pay for parking out of office hours, so we parked in our usual spot but did not feel it was necessary to visit the meter like we usually would.

I'm sure it wont interest you to know that since starting a family four years ago we don't often go out, in fact I think this was about the third time we'd arranged a baby sitter this year! After working at the BBC for nearly six years, on Friday I was out to celebrate the commencment of a career break. I'd recieved a very genourous gift from my colleagues of the same amount as your fine. I had been so blown away by their generosity and had felt so very cherrished by them. And what a shame that this was quite dashed aside as our evening came to a close. We were leaving fairly early to relieve our babysitter, who we then had to pay (about the same as your early settlement charge) and take home. No thanks to you our evening had been quite spoiled and we pledged that how ever pleasant local businesses make Ealing delight to pass the time of day, we would spend less time there, so as not to risk being caught out by the most ridiculous way Ealing Council go about their business to quosh their efforts!

We understand there is way we will ever reduce this fine, or even get gain dispensation of it, becase we understand that local government runs a kind of dictatorship, albeit raketire where they make their own rules up, how they see fit, however unreasonable these may be considered to be on a national level (you don't get such parking restricitions in major cities, Central London for example!)

Or perhaps you would like to change our minds and reconsider changing your parking regulations to reasonable times. And as a gesture of goodwill lift our penalty charge.

Please let me know as a matter or urgency what your decision is, because I do not want to pay the full amount, I would prefer to pay sooner, if that is your decision, at the reduced price.

Thanks you very much .

Yours

Joanna Miller
0208 838 4235