Posts Tagged ‘Angela Eagle’

Labour’s Angela Eagle, our Wallasey MP, has intervened to support Tate Triangle residents.

We can reveal that Angela has for some time been in correspondence at the highest level of Tate & Lyle management, nationally, on the vexed question of air quality in the residential area above Limekilne Lane, known locally as the Tate Triangle. 

Meanwhile Adrian and John can report on the local situation.

A questionnaire to residents has produced some clear interim results.  After years of appalling smells, some of which Tate & Lyle managers have readily admitted were attributable to activity on their site, there had been hopes that the managers would agree to meet residents collectively to hear direct from them what their concerns were; to listen to the people, and give hope of improvement. But the (local) managers declined, offering instead to provide ‘guided tours’ of the works for small groups of ‘not more than six’.  Guided tours for small numbers are not at all unwelcome, but there is widespread doubt that they would be relevant to the difficulty residents face.  What residents called for was an opportunity to give first hand accounts to the managers in an open meeting where all can participate.

Nobody has suggested that the company is the only source of the ‘miasma’ – quite the opposite. Very much to their credit Tate & Lyle managers have ’put their hands up’, to use their own term, and admitted that a number of unpleasant incidents were, indeed, attributable to activity at the works.  But they insist there are other sources, too, and they are quite understandably anxious that not all the smells should be attributed to one source.   That is not in question; we fully agree.  

It would certainly be of no benefit to anybody if one company were to be made a scapegoat for smells from a number of unrelated sources.  Quite apart from its obvious unfairness that could result in other sources being overlooked and not being traced.  But, for the residents, the issue is perfectly clear: they don’t want to know where the smells aren’t  coming from, they want to know where they are coming from so that the sources, whatever they are, can be dealt with.

• 95.5% of residents returning the questionnaire said they would not volunteer to go on ‘guided tours’ of six or fewer. 
• 90.5% said they still wanted an open meeting with managers. 
• Over 95% said they wanted ‘practical solutions’ to minimise the smells. 
• 85% said they do not believe that many of the smells come from other sources.
• 89% said that the system of phoning to report smells was not effective.

But – a word of caution – however clearly and robustly these views may be expressed numerically they remain subjective, even if they are attributed to a great majority.  What comes across in conversation with residents time and again is:

“Why can’t there be some independent scientific monitoring of the area to find out the truth?”

Objective evidence is what residents want so that real measures can be taken to eradicate the worst of the smells.  Some comments from residents are so strongly phrased that we hesitate to publish them; but reproduced below are just a few of the (more moderate), unabridged, comments just as they were written:

“We have lived here in ………………… for 40 years.  The smell is so disgusting not only in the day but at night when your in bed it makes us feelsick in all the years we’ve lived here when the Docks were busy never ever has there been a smell like this windows have to be closed cant put washing out.”

“The smells do not do anything for the area.  I own my own house and it is not the best thing if I wanted to sell.  The smells hang around for days, they make you feel sick you can’t open windows or sit outside on a nice day.  They do not have to live with the smells.  It was in the paper the other day about smells in Heswall I think, but we have had this for years it needs to be sorted out and I want to no what - – - -  – - – - -  are going to do about it.”

“Can not have windows open when smells are around, what ever it is causing the smells has given me stuffy nose and chest problems that I did not have when I moved here from ……………………. “

“The smell makes you sick you can’t sit in the garden or have you windows open or door it goes through the house you have to bring your washing in when the smell is arround it give you headaks.”

“The smells seem to be very fishy smells.  They also seem to come on a regular time of the month.  When it is raining or very hot weather, the smells are very bad and come into my home.  I think this is an important isue, and one the should be dealt with imedieatly.  I’m not sure if all of the smells are from Tate & Lyle being that they are very fishy smell.”

“I cannot open my windows because the smell is nauseating.  The smell lingers, I’d like to know if there is a danger to health, am I breathing in chemicals.”

“The smell is very strong it makes you sick and gives you headaches.  You have to close all your windows and doors in the summer days.  And bring your washing in.”

This is an interim analysis; more questionnaire returns are coming in.  These will be added to the final figures althoughwe do not imagine that there will be much variance from views so overwhelming as have been received already.

Watch this space for further developments.

This Wirral News front page article highlights the misery families in the residential area above Limekiln Lane, in particular, have had to suffer for many years.  In recent times the dreadful smells are reported to be more frequent and worse than in the past.  Adrian and John are working closely with the community, trying to get the responsible authorities to pinpoint the source of the recurring ‘miasma’.  We are constantly told that the source(s) of the ghastly pongs may be from more than one source.  That doesn’t impress residents very much.  Residents are quite clear:  they don’t want to be told where the smells aren’t coming from; they want to know where they are coming from – so that something can be done about it, whatever the source.  We know that some incidents are attirbutable to Tate & Lyle – their local manager was perfectly up front about it, giving assurances that everything is being done to prevent recurrences.  But until there is a comprehensive analysis of all possible sources of the offensive smells residents will not be satisfied.  We fully support them in wanting a comprehensive study to ensure that the sources, wherever they are, are found and dealt with.

Watch this space.  There will be more to report very soon indeed.  The results of our survey are still coming in but the indications are overwhelming in the public call for remedial action to be taken urgently.  We will shortly publish a full analysis of responses.

Asked why people would no longer want to become MPs, Mr Duncan said: “…… you have to live on rations and are treated like s***.”

Many MPs could earn more in other jobs – and for fewer hours.  But how many Seacombe residents, we wonder, (most of whom exist on a mere fraction of the income Mr Duncan grumbles about) would agree with Tories like him that somebody on an MP’s salary plus expenses is being treated like er …. the ’substance’ …. the Tory Toff alluded to? 

But isn’t this characteristic of a Tory Party that has always represented the interests of financiers, bankers, and industrialists?

Tory leader David Cameron has now appointed former Thatcher government Minister, Sir George Young, as shadow leader of the Commons.  He replaces Alan Duncan, who was demoted on Monday after his catastrophic gaffe quoted above.

Duncan’s downfall seemed inevitable after he complained MPs were being kept on “rations” following the scandal earlier this year when their claims were leaked.  One even claimed for the moat around his house and another for a floating ‘duck island’ on his pond!  

ANGELA EAGLE – AMONGST THE LOWEST CLAIMING MPs.  

That Tory attitude contrasts vividly with Wallasey’s Labour MP Angela Eagle’s. 

Angela’s claims are among the lowest recorded by MPs of any Party.

And there are no moats or duck-ponds around Angela’s flat!

So many MPs around Tory leader Cameron are young, or inexperienced, that it is even thought by some that he was perhaps glad of the opportunity to have somebody with him who’d had some experience.  But what sort of experience was it? 

There’s no patriotism when it comes to making a profit for the financiers, bankers, and industrialists the Tories represent.  Under Thatcher and Major we experienced the export of British capital and British jobs to low wage economies, the decline of our ship building industry, the virtual end of British motor manufacturing, closure of British coal mines, closure of our iron and steel-works, foriegn ownership of much of our remaining industry, crumbling schools and hospitals, and millions unemployed. 

And while this was happening our economy sailed to the mirage of prosperity on a sea of debt that made financiers and bankers rich with millionaire salaries. 

When Labour took over, our productive industry (as distinct from service ‘industries’ like banking that don’t produce a tangible, useful, product but certainly shuffle money around for huge ‘bonuses’) had been dramatically run down during years of Tory governments.  The real, tangible, industrial base has to be painstakingly re-built.  But what can be destroyed in just a few years takes decades to re-build. 

And how did it affect Seacombe?  During the economic collapse of the Thatcher years the once great great Cammel Laird ship-yard was run into ruin.   Many hundreds of Seacombe breadwinners lost their jobs and dependent service industries lost out with the knock-on effect – and unemployment blighted our locality for a generation.

Duncan’s replacement, Young, served as a Minister under both Mrs Thatcher and John Major.  Who would want that sort of nightmare Tory government to return?