This week Halewood Police and Police Community Support and Transport Officers carried out a series of road policing operations in Halewood.

We have consistently raised cocnerns on behalf of local rsidents about speeding traffic in the area, especially on Okell Drive, so it was pleasing to see our local police officers addressing this problem.

The operation resulted in over 30 motorists being prosecuted or warned for offences ranging from speeding to use of mobile phones while driving and not wearing seat belts. Several other pieces of information were also gleaned concerning known local criminals.

Dedicated Neighbourhood Poice Sergeant Gary Wilde said: “The success of this operation has demonstrated to motorists that speeding and using hand held mobile phones while driving would not be tolerated in Halewood.  We will be running similar operations on a regular basis.”

 All in all this was a very successful excercie and one I am assured will be repeated in the coming weeks, so you have been warned!! Drive safely and considerately and watch your speed!!

Halewood Liberal Democrat councillors are backing the Echo campaign to win government support for our motor industry in the face of the worst economic downturn in 80 years.

Halewood Lib Dem Cllr Dave Smithson said: “Living in the shadow of the Jaguar Land Rover factory and with many Halewood residents employed either directly or

indirectly in jobs at this site it is vital everything is done to safeguard and protect its future viability.

“We fully support the Echo and its sister paper the Daily Post in its campaign to get government backing for the motor industry and I have already signed the petition at www.tinyurl.com/no10jlr “I hope this campaign gathers the support it deserves and that the government acts to address this problem sooner rather than later.”

 

I am very disappointed by the silence from the Obama camp over the ongoing humanitarian crisis emerging in Gaza.

 

As I have said here before and elsewhere I support Israel’s right to defend itself from indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas, whose own actions have not helped the situation from escalating as they have.

 

But that is no excuse for the collective punishment that the Palestinian people have been subjected to by Israel with their killing of innocent women and children.

What has annoyed me even more throughout this whole sorry mess though is the slow and pathetic response from the international community to what is happening, particularly from the US who have now blocked progress at the UN Security Council.

But what has really disappointed me more than anything has been the deafening silence from President elect Barack Obama.

 

Like many people around the world I was delighted and excited by Obama’s victory in November last year and saw his election as a real opportunity for change and a new kind of politics.

 

The Gaza conflict was Obama’s first real opportunity to set out his foreign policy position on the Middle East and yet so far he appears to have not only missed  a golden chance to do so but his silence is already leading to questions being asked by the international community, many of whom like me are feeling very disappointed.

 

It is not acceptable to hide behind the fact the Mr Bush remains the President for another 2 weeks - Obama has not used that excuse to prevent him from commenting on other major issues of the day not least the current economic crisis.

 

So why use it as a cover for his silence over Gaza?

 

It fools no one Mr Obama.

 

I recently sent an email to the Team Obama and while I did not get a reply to my question interestingly they added me to their email database and within days I started receiving messages from them on a variety of topics.

 

Recently I was even invited to make a donation to the campaign in return for a chance to be entered into a lottery for an all expenses paid trip to Washington for the inauguration!! Shame I noticed on the small print that non-US citizens are not allowed to make such donations……..and shame they didn’t notice I was in the UK before adding me to the database!

 

It would seem that the Obama machine rumbles on towards Washington as slick as ever…….but the hope that change will come is already beginning to be questioned.

 

I really do wonder already if our hope was misguided?

 

The festive break has been a good opportunity o rest and recharge the batteries, watching plenty of TV an sleeping in late….most unusual these days for me! So it was good to get the chance over the weekend to ease myself back into the fray gently, starting with a demonstration against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.  I regular receive emails from the Stop the War Coalition and when news of the demonstrations planned on Saturday landed in my inbox I felt very strongly that I wanted to voice my opposition to what was happening in Gaza.  Taking part in these kind of demonstrations is not normally something I would do, in fact this was probably the first time I had done it, although I often wished I had marched against the illegal war in Iraq! 

This was nothing to do with my political views or beliefs but I was angered by what I felt was a wholly disproportionate response to the problem Israel was unhappy about.  I full accept Israel’s right to protect itself from the rockets being fired at them by Hamas from Gaza, what I do not agree with is their methods and approach which is nothing short of collective punishment for the Palestinian people living in Gaza. The end result of that is many innocent women and children are being killed, that is what really angers me, along with the weak and pathetic response form international leaders who should know better. They stand by idly while innocent people are killed when they could stop the unnecessary bloodshed and inhumane treatment of those not involved in this conflict, Palestinian people who just want to live their lives peacefully and safely.  And when I heard the EU presidency describe the ground attacks last night as “defensive and not offensive” I was really pleased that I had done my bit to try and help raise awareness of the bloodshed going on in Gaza, the EU should be ashamed by its tacit approval of this ongoing conflict. Having got that off my chest I was back on the campaign trail this morning delivering leaflets and letters in Didsbury West,

Manchester, for the forthcoming by-election following the sad and tragic death of our good friend and colleague Neil Trafford. Neil had a large majority but in politics nothing can be taken for granted and no doubt Labour would love to have something to crow about especially as they are still smarting over losing the Withington parliamentary seat to John leech in 2005. Talking of John we bumped into him on route to the Didsbury office when we stopped for breakfast on route……I won’t disclose where we both chose to have our pre campaign fry up for fear of being invaded by the paparazzi next time!! But I’m sure like me John was lovin’ it!!