Horfield Youth Center's bloomin' lovely

I dropped in on the hard work going on at Horfield Youth Club, this afternoon. All sorts of impressive looking gardening tools were being wielded by youth club members, under the watchful eye of Pete Hockett who runs the club, and Becky and Pete from 'Grounds 4 Change'.

The Grounds4Change programme helps young people brighten up their area. Over the summer a patch of rubbish-strewn weeds next to Horfield Youth Club has been transformed into a wood-chippings flower bed. But it is about more than simply spade-work. Becky was giving youth club members instructions about what was and was not weeds, and I found out there was to be a test on Latin names of plants when all the hard work was done. I used to do Latin at university. I made myself scarce before anyone found out...

Lockleaze Litter Pick ( or, why my blog has been neglected)

"Eleven Days since your last blog post!!! " emailed my trusty blog monitor, this morning. "Well, if you will spend all your time rotting in front of a computer..." I moaned. And began to defend my blog-negligence.

Here is me, not blogging, this morning. I was with the Lockleaze "Feeling Good, Feeling Safe" group, which was doing a litter pick. There was also a stall with information for residents how best to recycle their litter. Everyone had worked very hard in organising the day and it was a real success. It struck me how far we have come on in recycling over recent years. A couple of young children came to look at the stall and play some of the recycling games - they knew all about recycling and what went in which bin. It bodes well for greener generation to come.

Give us a Referendum!

So we're not to have a referendum. Even though we were promised a referendum on the E.U. Constitution in Labour's election Manifesto. Even though Gordon Brown told the BBC, a week before taking over as PM, that sticking to the Manifesto was a matter of trust between him and the British people.

Even though the Spanish, French, German ,Finnish Governments and the European Commission all agree that the new 'Treaty' is the same in content as the old 'Constitution'. Even though the only point of dissent seems to be whether the E.U. Treaty is 90% the same as the old Constitution as the Irish Prime Minister says, or 98% the same, as the Spanish Foreign Minister says.

Even though the Constitution, sorry, I mean Treaty, means fundamental changes to the powers of our Nation State. Even though it opens the flood gates for Brussels to give itself extra powers without even undergoing the rigors of parliamentary debate. Even though it hands even more power over to Europe on criminal justice and asylum.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sensible and constructive collaboration and involvement in Europe. And I do not think that I am alone. So why is Gordon Brown so reluctant 1. To give us a clear guide of what's actually in the Treaty? 2. To give us a say on what we think about it?

If you want a readable guide to what the Treaty is all about, read the 'Treaty in Plain English'
Then realise why Brown doesn't want a referendum.

David Cameron Vs. Gordon Brown

David Cameron shows the nation what Gordon Brown is really all about, at the dispatch box in PMQs yesterday. Impressive.

DO YOU WANT A GENERAL ELECTION NOW? SIGN THE No.10 PETITION IF YOU DO!

Fresher faced politics

Who says young people aren't political? The idea that anyone below 25 is necessarily apathetic and apolitical is one of the biggest myths out there.

Last night I met up with freshers and students from Bristol University, partly (I admit) to take a trip down memory lane and pretend I was young and care-free again. But also to talk about politics in general. Here I am with members of Bristol University Conservative Association, at their first social event of the year.

Today's students come from a generation that has been 'sold at' in more ways than perhaps any previous generation. The result? They are a highly discerning consumer group, who are not impressed by cheap gimmickry. Perhaps that's why they sometimes stay clear of the less edifying aspects of party politics. But as I discovered last night, when it comes to talking about things that matter, students are energetic in their views. Bristol University students care so much about issues around them that last year they put in around 100,000 hours of community service in Bristol. That may not be 'party political', but it's exactly the kind of attitude that politics needs.