National Front leader Marine Le Pen greeted by angry protestors at Oxford Union

A CONTROVERSIAL talk by far-right leader Marine Le Pen was delayed by more than an hour last night after hundreds of angry anti-fascist protesters barricaded the Oxford Union and then attempted to force their way into the historic institution.

More than 200 demonstrators assembled in freezing conditions at the famously independent Union from 4:00 pm yesterday afternoon. Placards, flags and sound systems were erected next to students waiting to hear the National Front leader speak.

Members in  the queue were called “Nazi scum” and “fascists” for entering the talk and protesters chanted “Marine Le Pen, we know you, Daddy was a fascist too” on St Michael’s Street next to the Union.

The situation became unsettled when protesters blocked entrance to the Union’s grounds and then attempted to scale walls in a bid to halt the talk.

The two-thirds full debating chamber was put on lock-down when the situation outside the union deteriorated. President Lisa Wehden warned students they wouldn’t be allowed to leave the chamber for their own safety.

Increasingly restless students inside the debating chamber called an emergency debate whilst they waited for Le Pen’s arrival. The motion, “This house has sympathy with the protesters outside”, was met with rapturous applause and laughter by the students confined inside the chilly auditorium.

Le Pen finally arrived to warm applause a little after 7:00pm after being escorted into the building by police. Speaking in French, the leader of France’s third largest party spoke passionately and uninterrupted about the importance of freedom of speech.

She said: “I like coming to England because apart from some hotheads I’ve always been welcome here. It’s a pleasure to speak at this prestigious institution.

“Freedom is to think what you think and walk where you want to walk. France and the United Kingdom are the children of freedom.

“Today in 2015 our hard won freedom is being threatened by Islamic fundamentalism. The world knows that when France is attacked freedom itself is attacked”

Le Pen spoke for around 30 minutes on terrorism, the perils of mass immigration and her party’s immigration policy.

“Today’s terrorism is based on an ideology and a totalitarianism that is going back to the Middle Ages”, she said.

“These people do not fight to protect their state but they come to attack our values. They have declared war on our way of life. They want to destroy our values by dividing us.

“All that matters to me is the protection of my country and the protection of my people.”

Ms. Le Pen proposed abolishing open borders and halting mass immigration in order to abate the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. She argued that “multicultural societies are often multi-conflicted societies”.

She was also critical of the European Union and called President Francois Hollande “a lackey of the European Union”.

She said: “This Europe is anti-democratic. This Europe wants to control our lives. European people have now had enough of bowing their heads and they want to decide what is best for their people.

“We no longer want to be the puppets of Brussels technocrats or Frankfurt bankers. The Greek election was the first part of a wave of breakthroughs in democracy.

“Our two countries are prisoners of European treaties. We are no longer a free people. The European Union has made my life hell”

Ms. Le Pen also faced heated questioning from the Union’s President Lisa Wehden and other members of the Union. Ms. Wehden questioned Le Pen repeatedly on links with her father’s ideology and other controversial aspects of the National Front’s policies.

Ms. Le Pen jokingly referred to Ms. Wehden as “Magistrate” and “Madame judge”.

She remained defiant throughout and gave scathing retorts to members who questioned her on supposedly racist or fascist principles.

She said: “I am asking you to listen to me not to like me. I don’t know how many of your guests are welcomed in the streets in the way I was.

“I have never tried to stop a meeting of my political foes. Perhaps it is the difference between us and them.”

The initial lack of police presence at the protests drew immediate controversy after the event. A police source said that it was the union’s responsibility to provide adequate security when it decided to invite controversial figures.

The police only arrived at the Union after protesters tried to force their way into the union. Ms. Le Pen eventually left the Union in a police van.

The union, whose past presidents include Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, has a history of inviting controversial speakers to the Union. Previous appearances by former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and then BNP leader Nick Griffin have attracted similar protests.

Oxford Union defended its right to invite controversial speakers like Ms. Le Pen. In a statement they said: “The Oxford Union is a politically-neutral institution. Our members have a variety of views as do our views as do our speakers, officers and staff.

“An invitation from the union is not an endorsement of any particular agenda.

“The union believes in the principle of freedom of speech and we would encourage all members who disagree with an invited speaker’s view to attend the event and question the speaker.

“We allow our members to meet people face-to-face and make up their own minds.”

Former US Vic President candidate Sarah Palin will speak at the union later in the term. 

Diamond couple's guide to marriage

(Originally published in Salisbury Journal, July 31 2014)

Getting soaked in a raging storm on your wedding day could dampen any marriage, but it wasn’t a bad omen for one special Tisbury couple.

Shelia Sawyer, 78, a retired secretary, and Rex Sawyer, 79, a local author and former headmaster of Wilton Middle School, will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary on August 6.

“You’ve got to have a strong love”, Mrs. Sawyer says. “We haven’t had too many trials or tribulations fortunately.

“We respect each other enormously. He’s my biggest fan, and I’m his. It’s all just been whizz, bang, wallop.”

The pair met in London when they were 13 and married when they were just 18 and 19. Many parents might worry about their children getting married so young, but Mrs. Sawyer’s were delighted.

“They liked Rex enormously”, she says, “and they were perfectly happy with it.

“They didn’t have anything to worry about.”

Four children, Kevin, 59, Alison, 56, Paul, 54, and Sara, 48, have followed since then.

It’s all been plain sailing. They have experienced miscarriage and a near-fatal brush with meningitis, and now Mr. Sawyer faces an ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s, which has forced them to make a few adjustments.

But Mrs. Sawyer says: “We’ve had a good life and you’ve got to accept that these things happen.”

The couple haven’t shied away from arguments either. “I don’t believe in people not having an argument”, she says, “you’ve got to get it out in the open. We’ve had some blazing rows. Fight your corner and stand up for what you believe in.”

Mrs. Sawyer is concerned the current trend for mega weddings might prevent other couples from reaching the same milestone as them.

“We didn’t have a big wedding. People have got their values mixed up spending a fortune on their wedding. Don’t get into debt before you’ve even started.

“These days people expect too much too soon. You’ve got to rough it. There are two people and that is the most important thing. I have enjoyed the times when you don’t have a lot of money. Moments with the family have been the most special”

Opinions divided on Assisted Dying Bill

Legalising assisted suicide would cement the belief that terminally ill people are ‘a burden’, according to the chair of one of the UK’s leading disability charities.

Dr Alice Maynard said that Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill could lead people into making decisions they would regret.

The Private Members Bill, which Peers debated for ten hours inside the House of Lords on July 18, would legalise assisted dying for some terminally ill patients.

The Bill, which is based on Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, would allow people who have ‘a clear and settled intention to end his or her own life’ to seek medical assistance if they are in a fit state of mind to make the decision.

Dr Maynard sharply criticised the Bill. She said: “I think this Bill stems from a deep-seated belief that the lives of sick and disabled people are not worth as much as other people’s.

“I’ve met people who have experienced very serious accidents, and who begged to be allowed to die because their lives were changed beyond all recognition.

“Now they are really glad to be here. I worry that a change in the law would lead to people making the biggest decision they can make, when they aren’t in the right frame of mind.”

Campaigners from Dignity in Dying have rubbished these claims and highlighted the successes of Oregon’s Act.

Chief Executive Sarah Wootton said: “an overwhelming majority of the public has consistently supported change, and the traditional opposition from faith leaders and medics is beginning to crumble.”

A joint statement from faith leaders expressed concern about the Bill’s impact. Leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist faiths said: “This bill would have a serious detrimental effect on the wellbeing of individuals and on the nature and shape of our society.

“Every human life is of intrinsic value and ought to be affirmed and cherished. Being perceived as a burden or as a financial drain is a terrible affliction to bear, leading in many cases to passivity, depression and self-loathing.”

‪”The bill raises the issue of what sort of society we wish to become: one in which life is to be understood primarily in terms of its usefulness and individuals evaluated in terms of their utility or one in which every person is supported, protected and cherished even if, at times, they fail to cherish themselves.”

Suzanne Stevenson, Head of Press at Help the Hospice, said that is was paramount that people received excellent care before they made decisions about ending their life.

Ms Stevenson said: “Good hospice and palliative care can greatly improve most people’s

experience of living with and dying from a terminal condition.

“Many people using hospice services find that they have a further positive phase of life which they never expected to have – perhaps coming to terms with their situation and experiencing a greater quality of life than they had imagined possible during their final weeks or months.”

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VIEWS FROM THE  PUBLIC:

“If an individual expresses their wish to die due to agonising pain caused by an incurable illness it seems to me that it is a moral obligation to relieve them of such suffering where we can. We should have a right to die to without suffering and with dignity.” (Emma Obertelli, 24, a teacher, from London)

“I am in favour of it because I believe that everyone has the right to choose how to end their lives. I think its absurd to assume that everyone would go out and kill their rich relatives if euthanasia were legalized.”(Mary Davies, 71, retired, from South East London)

“I don’t believe anyone should be placed in a position where they take someone's life with or without their consent.

We shouldn’t place people in a position where they may feel pressure to end their lives if they perceive themselves to be a drain on resources or a nuisance to society.” (Cathy Burke, Nurse, 56, from Salisbury)

Councillor Predicts Salisbury Traffic Chaos

- ‘Gridlock’ if Salisbury Gateway plans go ahead  

- Calls for project to be relocated to North or West

A local councilor has slammed Sainsbury’s Salisbury Gateway project and predicted ‘gridlock’ on Southampton Road.

 

Richard Clewer ridiculed the supermarket’s promise to ease traffic on the heavily congested road.

The road is a major route through Salisbury and already features a Tesco superstore and a B&Q,

The supermarket has claimed its proposals will ‘encourage a better flow of traffic’. Clewer has said the plans ‘don’t make sense’.

‘We have lots of new houses coming to Salisbury. These people will need to shop somewhere for food. 

‘Assuming only half use Tesco or Sainsbury this will cause an extra 1,000 or so users on a low estimate.  The Lidl store caused traffic gridlock at the Tesco roundabout with the addition of a small supermarket.  A large one will extend that gridlock along the length of Southampton Road’.

Clewer has suggested placing the store on the northern or western edges of the city.

Brockwell Park Residents Furious about Council's Proposals.

(Originally Published on SWLondoner.co.uk, August 14 2014)

Angry Brockwell Park residents are demanding the council reconsider the future of their historic estate after the publication of five new multimillion pound regeneration proposals. 

Cressingham Gardens Estate, which backs on to Brockwell Park, could be fully or partially demolished under the plans unveiled by Lambeth council.

Residents overwhelmingly favour refurbishment of the leaking roofs inside the estate, according to two separate polls organised by residents and the council. An ipetition has already received 297 signatures.

The council has said that the repairs, which they estimate could cost up to £15million, would not be cost-effective.

Nicholas Greaves, who is orchestrating Save Cressingham Gardens, has questioned the accuracy of these figures and vowed to hire an independent surveyor.

Mr Greaves also urged the council to consider the human cost of their plans. He said: “Scrapping it all and starting again is very wasteful.

“People have grown up and lived here all their lives. Families and communities have been built here. All of that will be shattered by a big regeneration project.”

 

Unsuccessful attempts have also been made to list the estate with English Heritage. Cressingham Gardens was designed by renowned architect Edward Hollamby and has been praised for its imaginative post-war structure.

Catherine Croft, Director of the Twentieth Century Society, said: “It’s a really good example of thoughtful, post-war housing in a fabulous setting. 

“It deserves to be well maintained, and if it was well looked after by the council as well as the residents it would be a fantastic place to live.”

Campaigners have also raised concerns about the estates prior management. Mr Greaves believes the estate was poorly managed by the council in the lead up to the redevelopment proposals.

He said: “They’ve allowed the estate to be run down. It would be in a much better state if it had been privately owned”

The estate currently lies below tree level at the edge of Brockwell Park. Campaigners are concerned the redevelopment proposals will spoil views of the park.

Peter Bradley, Chair of Friends of Brockwell Park, said: “For us the preservation of a similarly sympathetic and modest profile would be a key concern for any replacement.

“We would oppose an intrusive, disproportionately-sized scheme that would spoil the view for visitors.”

Conservative Leader of the Opposition on Lambeth Council Cllr Tim Briggs said that this was another example of the labour party using its majority to force through unpopular legislation.

Cllr Briggs said: “We would hope and expect Lambeth to take note of the concerns raised by residents, as any good administration should.

“We hope Lambeth Council will think again and try to properly accommodate the concerns of residents by working with them, not against them. There is always a solution, but the Council has to be bothered enough to find it and reach a consensus.”

Cllr Matthew Bennett, Cabinet Member for Housing, on Lambeth Council, defended the council’s handling of the estate. Cllr Bennett said: “We are working closely with residents and the Cressingham Gardens Tenants and Residents Association on the estate’s future.

“We will also be surveying every household on Cressingham Gardens to make sure people’s needs during any refurbishment or redevelopment proposals are understood and can be met.”