Mione Goldspink's article for the flyer, July 2019
Local Matters with Mione Goldspink July 2019
The European Elections on May 23rd came very quickly after the Town and District Council Elections on the 2nd May, which was very hard work for campaigners. However, the results were most gratifying for the Liberal Democrats, as we gained 2 new MEPs for the Eastern Region. The turn-out was 36.37%, and the final results were: 3 Brexit, 2 Lib Dem, 1 Green and 1 Conservative MEPs - making 7 Members of the European Parliament to represent our region. I still find it bizarre that the Brexit Party, whose sole ambition is for the UK to exit from the European Union, should wish to send members there. If the new Brexit MEPs do take their seats and do take their allowances, I hope most fervently that they will behave in a courteous and constructive manner.
The solemn and dignified commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, which took place at the beginning of June, must have touched everybody's heart. There were veterans and organisations from Bishop's Stortford playing their parts, and we must never forget their heroism and sacrifice. The Queen spoke very positively about the international organisations and bodies which came into being after the World War, embodying the wish that such brutal and wasteful killing should never, ever, happen again.
We are fortunate in this Country and in our Town that we are no longer at war, but there are still many things that are wrong and worrying: homelessness, child poverty, drug dealing, climate change, knife crime and terrorists threats, all different, and carrying varying levels of seriousness. We trust our Government to act to protect us, and to guide and assist our local Councils with their delegated responsibilities. It is really worrying that the Government has been so preoccupied with Brexit over the last 3 years that many of these issues have been sadly neglected, and that funding for local councils has been drastically reduced. Now we have the spectacle of a floundering Conservative Government choosing a new leader, whilst nothing else changes, and the weeks and months tick by. When will Social Care be properly funded? When will Climate Change be tackled? The experts warn us that we have only 10 more years in which to halt the damage that global warming is doing. Our children understand the urgency to act - when will the government understand? The Climate Emergency affects us all.
On a lighter and happier note, the Town Carnival on 15th June was a lovely, cheerful community event. I spent the day on Sworders Field and was impressed by the number of stalls: so many Charities and Community Groups, as well as all the commercial stalls. There is a huge amount of kindness and goodwill in our Town - Thank you to the Town Council for bringing everyone together.
Mione Goldspink
Chairman, Bishop's Stortford Liberal Democrats
East Herts District Councillor
email: mionegoldspink@hotmail.com