Irritable Jowell Syndrome
It's been a busy week in the Dulwich and West Norwood Parliamentary constituency with well attended local public meetings about planning applications and two separate mass petitions to save the West Norwood Farmers' Market and the Flower Stall in Norwood Road.
As I write, I've got a letter given to me by a constituent addressed to our high flying Labour MP about saving the flower stall, which says "it is to us what Eros is to Piccadilly Circus." It hasn't got a stamp on it so I expect that will cost me 32p.
There isn't much evidence that she'll be around to read it judging by her "Tessa Jowell: My Week" column in that Labour loving newspaper The Independent. Let's see last Sunday she spent in Brighton with her chum Polly Toynbee and then dined with Lord Falconer. Monday - it was a Labour party dinner and she's backing Hazel Blears for deputy leader. Tuesday - off to Merseyside and enjoyed a "lovely dinner" with luvvy film director Anthony Minghella. Wednesday it's a visit to Barking Abbey school. Finally, Thursday sees the watchdog of our local community here in West Norwood swanning off to Cannes for the film festival doing wonders for her carbon footprint.
Doesn't sound as if she had much time for her constituents what with all those "darlings" at the film festival. They don't figure anywhere in her diary. So I thought I'd remind her about the problems that were raised in my advice surgery on Saturday morning - depressed woman wants to be rehoused due to racist taunting on her estate; elderly man worried about bogus council officials calling him for his bank details; a leaseholder with an unresolved dispute over decorating costs going back to 2004; a business man with a complaint against Thames Water - the most uncooperative utility in the world; and an elderly woman angry that the police have failed to investigate a complaint she made, well there's a surprise.
Those are on top of the 30 or so requests for help I alone received by e-mail while our MP was away in Liverpool, Cannes, and Brighton. I think I've read somewhere that MPs get quite long holidays, but I never thought it was on a 365-days a year basis. Funny old world.
As I write, I've got a letter given to me by a constituent addressed to our high flying Labour MP about saving the flower stall, which says "it is to us what Eros is to Piccadilly Circus." It hasn't got a stamp on it so I expect that will cost me 32p.
There isn't much evidence that she'll be around to read it judging by her "Tessa Jowell: My Week" column in that Labour loving newspaper The Independent. Let's see last Sunday she spent in Brighton with her chum Polly Toynbee and then dined with Lord Falconer. Monday - it was a Labour party dinner and she's backing Hazel Blears for deputy leader. Tuesday - off to Merseyside and enjoyed a "lovely dinner" with luvvy film director Anthony Minghella. Wednesday it's a visit to Barking Abbey school. Finally, Thursday sees the watchdog of our local community here in West Norwood swanning off to Cannes for the film festival doing wonders for her carbon footprint.
Doesn't sound as if she had much time for her constituents what with all those "darlings" at the film festival. They don't figure anywhere in her diary. So I thought I'd remind her about the problems that were raised in my advice surgery on Saturday morning - depressed woman wants to be rehoused due to racist taunting on her estate; elderly man worried about bogus council officials calling him for his bank details; a leaseholder with an unresolved dispute over decorating costs going back to 2004; a business man with a complaint against Thames Water - the most uncooperative utility in the world; and an elderly woman angry that the police have failed to investigate a complaint she made, well there's a surprise.
Those are on top of the 30 or so requests for help I alone received by e-mail while our MP was away in Liverpool, Cannes, and Brighton. I think I've read somewhere that MPs get quite long holidays, but I never thought it was on a 365-days a year basis. Funny old world.
Labels: Petitions, surgeries, Tessa Jowell
posted by Cllr John Whelan on Sunday, May 20, 2007
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