Labour win Oldham West and Royton election: why it matters

There is a general election every four years, when the public gets to choose who will represent them in Parliament. But what happens if you need a new MP between times? This might happen if the previous MP dies, resigns, or is sacked (which doesn't happen very often).

Obviously, the people in a constituency don't want to have to wait until the next general election, it might be years until then and their opinions would be unrepresented until then.

So we have by-elections.

They don't get as much national news coverage as the general elections, and to many people they don't seem very important.  But actually, a by-election can tell us a lot.

This week, there was a by-election in the constituency of Oldham West and Royton. Which, for those who are interested, is somewhere around here:























The MP there was a member of the Labour Party called Michael Meacher, and he died in October. So this election was to look for his successor.





Now, as we all know, Labour didn't win the last general election, because they were nationally less popular than the Conservatives, but there are some places where there are many more Labour voters than Conservative ones. These are sometimes called safe seats.

At the general election Michael Meacher won this safe seat with almost 59% of all the votes.  If at this by-election the new MP got fewer votes, or if another party won the seat, it would tell us that maybe the Labour Party was even less popular than their opponents (don't forget, they have a new leader now -- Jeremy Corbyn).

But Labour did win, and the new guy Jim McMahon, won over 62% of the votes, which suggests that Labour isn't unpopular with the voters (at least in Oldham West).





The other thing to take notice of is how many people vote.
    In general elections there's usually a good turnout, but in by-elections less so (like I said before, some people see them as less important).

At the last general election (in May) 43,137 people voted, in this election 27,706 people voted.  That's a lot less obviously, but it's still about 40% of all the people who can vote.

Over the last 18 years there have been 59 by-elections and the average turnout is... about 41%.

That suggests that people are about as engaged in politics and democracy now as they have been for the past two decades -- so people aren't totally put off, which is good.

Local News

I reckon the majority of people in West Cumbria are aware of the rain last night, and the flooding.

My wife was supposed to be singing in a concert in Keswick, but most of the choir were unable to get there without a boat...

This was in Seaton last night

 
With more rain forecast for this week, it doesn't take a genius to realise that we all need to take care. So keep your water wings handy.

Seeing Things Differently

I love this picture. Timing is everything.

And finally

As it's nearly Christmas, here's an early Christmas present.

Your welcome

New Zealand, New Flag?

Okay, so New Zealand are considering changing their country's flag, which looks like this

The reasons for the change are numerous and complicated, but here's the main ones:

1. The flag is out of date: the existing flag still has the Union Flag of Great Britain on it, and New Zealand hasn't been a British colony for many years (just how many years is still argued)
2. The design is confusing: the NZ flag looks very much like the Australian flag, which looks like this

 New Zealand's Prime Minister is tired of being sat under the wrong flag apparently.

What's most interesting about all this is the way that the decision will be made: by two referenda.

Stage 1: five new designs have been chosen and people can vote for their favourite. Here are the five:

Stage 2: once the winner of this referendum is chosen, it will go head to head against the existing flag.

This is interesting because another way to do this would be to ask people to choose from all six flags in one vote.  But the winner of a one-in-six vote is almost certainly going to be the old flag, because more people will choose that than any of the new designs.

Doing this as a two stage process means that the second referendum is really clear: new flag or old flag, and that gives the new flag (whichever design it happens to be) a much better chance of being adopted.

That's the science of voting...

Local News

You might have already seen that a group of young singers made the front page of the Whitehaven News this week.

The group were due to sing at Disneyland Paris, but were prevented by the theme park's first ever closure following the Paris terrorist attacks. Not to be outdone, they chose to entertain people waiting at Charles De Gaulle airport by singing their chosen songs. Their performance is likely to be remembered for a very long time, not least because they showed that even in the middle of tragedy, there can be room for joy.

I think, at times like this, it's worth remembering the words of Martin Luther King. 

Movember

Okay, so it's November again, which means Bonfire night comes and goes, supermarkets' Christmas adverts start seven, eight and even nine weeks early, and huge numbers of men once again try to grow a moustache to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer.

I'm still trying to work out what growing hair on your face has to do with anything, but that's my problem.

Many of you will remember that I grew a 'mo' last year, and it was hardly a challenge: not shaving my top lip is something I'm pretty good having had the 'evil-twin' goatee beard for more years than I care to think about.

But the truth is that Movember isn't about hard work, it's not some kind of endurance test, it's about raising awareness in a simple and sometimes funny way.  Don't believe me?  Check out these moustaches.

In fairness, I don't think any of these were actually grown for Movember, but they still show that facial hair can be funny.










For more information, check out https://uk.movember.com/ 

Local news

A devolution deal giving more power to Cumbria continues to move forward.

Devolution basically means that a lot of the decisions affecting Cumbrian people will be made in Cumbria, rather than decisions being made in London by people who don't know what life is like up here in the frozen north.

The deal could boost our economy by as much as £1.3billion, which is quite a lot of money I'm sure you'll agree.

Note: this is $1billion not £1billion

The University Walk

This morning I learned that at a primary school in London, pupils are made to walk around with their hands behind their backs.

Some parents are angry because they feel that the children are being treated like prisoners, while others are claiming that it improves discipline, attention and safety.

What do you think: how far should schools go to make pupils behave, and what's more important -- conformity or individuality?

Eric Hoffer argued that it's our nature to conform, and so to fight it is a waste of energy.










John F. Kennedy suggested that conformity was not a good thing, calling it an 'enemy'.

Local News

A recycling area in Egremont may be closed because of a number of incidents of vandalism.

The Chapel Street site has been the site of at least three fires, and this has cost over £4,000 in repairs and lost income.

There are two likely consequences of this: one is that the site will be close and people will have to travel further to recycle their litter; the other is that the costs of keeping the site open will come back to the tax-payer.

Either way, a senseless act is going to cost people in Egremont money. That's the nature of crime: everybody ends up paying for it.

It would be so much better if whoever was doing this would find something helpful to do with their time.

Seeing things differently

Random? I don't think so.

Anyone know the connection?

And finally...

Videos of fails from Fail Army 

Because the only people who never fail are the ones who never try.

Losing services

A lot of the events reported in the local news don't affect young people, I know that. But sometimes there are big news stories that have an impact on everybody and over the last couple of weeks we've seen two.

First, we were told last week that the West Cumberland Hospital might lose its Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, because they can't afford to keep it opened and pay the doctors and nurses needed.

If it does close, the next closest A&E is Carlisle or Barrow depending on where in Copeland you are, and it could take over an hour to get there.

This week we have learned that Milton Studdart (ex-rugby league player from Moresby Parks) had to be taken to Carlisle because staff at WCH couldn't treat him. He had a heart attack on the way and he died.

His wife has said that if there had been a cardiologist (heart specialist) employed at WCH, Milton might well have survived, and the worry is that the more services we lose, the greater the chance that people could die needlessly.

We have also learned that the Police Station in Whitehaven may have to close as a result of cuts to the Police funding.

This could also mean a loss of experienced officers and PCSOs, which means fewer staff, and that means that vulnerable people -- such as the elderly and infirm -- are more likely to feel at risk.  Thousands of people have already signed the petition.

In other news...

Schools across the borough have recently had their Harvest festivals, and many of them have donated the food collected to foodbanks. St Bridget's School, Egremont showed off their achievements to the local press this week.

It's worth remembering that some people rely on foodbanks to keep their families fed: North Lakes Foodbank supports around 500 people every month. Many of these people have jobs, but don't get paid enough to pay all their bills and have enough money left to put food on the table.

The Harvest collections were great, but we have to remember that there are people going hungry all the time, not just this month.

Seeing things differently...

 

Anybody fancy taking a bite out of this?

Looks delicious

Well, actually it looks like crap, but the instructions for creating it make it sound delicious.

Actually, this is a picture of a kitty litter cake, they're pretty popular in America and I'm definitely thinking of making one for a Hallowe'en party.

  If you want to give it a try you will need:

·         Spice cake mix

·         White cake mix

·         Large bowl

·         Prepared vanilla pudding

·         Custard creams

·         Food processor

·         Green food colouring

·         New kitty litter box

·         Greaseproof paper

·         Chocolate bars (Fudge will do)

·         Metal litter scooper

·         Sheet of newspaper

Instructions

1.      Bake both cake recipes in separate pans according to directions. Cool completely before coarsely crumbling the cakes. Mix cake crumbs together in a large bowl.

2.     Mix about half of the prepared pudding into the cake crumbs. Continue to add in small amounts of pudding until the mixture is moist, but not soggy.

3.      Crush the package of custard creams into a fine crumb or use a food processor. Place ½ cup of the crumbs in a small bowl and mix in several drops of food colouring. Mix in all but ¼ cup of the uncoloured crumbs into the cake and pudding mixture. The crumbs add a sandy feel to the dessert.

4.     Line the unused litter box with greaseproof paper. Scoop the cake, pudding and cookie mixture into the litter box.

5.     Warm eight to nine chocolate bars in the oven or microwave until pliable. Shape each bars by rolling it between clean hands and forming soft points into the blunt ends. Roll each shaped bar into the reserved uncolored cookie crumbs before adding to the top of the cake. Sprinkle the green cookie crumbs over the finished cake.

6.     Place a clean litter scooper on top of the cake to use for serving. Set the cake litter box on top of a sheet of newspaper on the table.

New broom at PMQ

So, in the national news we've got the new Labour leader shaking up Prime Minister's Question Time. For anyone who doesn't know, that's an hour in the week when the Prime Minister answers questions from other MPs, and it's famous in part for the MPs behaving quite immaturely (some call it Punch and Judy politics). 

As the proverb says:

Jeremy Corbyn has said he wants to get away from the kind of behaviour that wouldn't look out of place in a primary school (though I imagine the head teacher would be pretty annoyed).

In and effort to give ordinary people the voice, he put questions to Prime Minister directly from emails and tweets.  He was passionate , but he was civil and polite, and asked the questions that mattered to his voters.

That said, Jeremy Corbyn has not been elected without controversy: he's already been in trouble for not singing the National Anthem at the Battle of Britain, and for not giving as many shadow cabinet jobs to women as his predecessors.

Nothing is perfect, and a new person taking on a job brings new problems as well as fixing old ones.

Perhaps it's worth remembering the other half of the proverb.

   

Local news

The first gathering of the Copeland Community Forum took place last week. This is a place where representatives of all the major sectors can come together: health, police, education, sport, charities, local businesses, and talk about the priorities for Copeland. 

Young people have been represented too, and the services offered by the Council will be shaped by these meetings, so it's important that everyone living in the borough comes forward with any thoughts about what would make life better in Copeland.

Seeing things differently

So, here's a video of the 41 most unexpected cat jumps of all time

Which is great, but when I watch it I just think the title's all wrong. It should really be, "There are two kinds of cat: evil cats and idiot cats".

And finally...

At the Women's Institute Centennial Fair in Harrogate, merchandise from Cockermouth was banned because the name of the town is too rude and may cause offence.

Captain Picard say...

 

Assisted Dying

The big news story this week is around the Assisted Dying Bill. As most of you know a Bill is something that MPs discuss and vote on to decide if it should become the law; and this Bill is all about whether someone has the right to be helped to die.

This assistance can only happen in some very specific circumstances: the person has to be terminally ill, with (probably) fewer than six months to live, and the prescription of a lethal dose of medication must be agreed by two doctors.

For some people, this is a good thing, as it helps people who are very close to the end of their life, often living in pain and discomfort, to die with some dignity.

For others, there's a fear that it could change how we view life, and could lead some people to feel like a burden, and want to die for the good of their families.

This is a subject that people on both sides feel really passionate about, and today's vote will likely lead to some bitter disappointment

Tony Nicklinson, who campaigned to be helped to die

Local News

The Gaiety cinema is set to reopen after 12 years.  That means the people of Copeland won't have to travel to Workington to see every new release.

It's not all good news though: the Gaiety has limited access for the disabled, and the Copeland Disability Forum have expressed their disappointment that wheelchair users will not be able to make use of the building.

The cinema owners have said that they investigated improving disable access, but the layout of the building itself makes this impossible.

If you were making the decision to reopen or not, what would you do?

Seeing things differently

Remember, there's always more than one perspective:

And finally...

Science is magic. Wow.

Its migration not an invasion

National news

The big story in the news is about migration to the UK hitting record highs from the start of the year up to march according to the office of national statistics, now I won’t go in to the figures but I do think that it is important to say that no matter your own opinion, migrants do make a massive contribution to the economy and we do need them, also I do see some peoples point that we are a small island nation and we do need to keep an eye on it. There is little chance of this affecting people in a negative way as it’s more likely to boost the economy and there for it will help people more.

Local news

In local news the Sellafield sticks go on and they not budging, there in protest over pay and on Tuesday a 48 hour strike is under way. I’m going to take a step back because I don’t want to get in to the hole how, what and why because I think that there is a big picture here that these people are exercising there right to strike which is their right to do, mean will these people are not getting paid jurying the strike, so it all comes down to them doing want they think is right and I applaud that.

In other news

It’s me Jon it’s my last day today at Copeland borough council and I’ve got to say I’m sad to be going, I’ll miss the gang and all the great work we’ve been doing jurying my time here. It’s been a true pleasure being here and seeing all the hard work they put in for all you youngsters I wish you all the best of look in the future and a happy yet sad good bye.        

 

Should young people be seen and not heard?

Should young people suffer in silence? It sometimes feels like it.

So, a recent study has found that children living in England are among the most unhappy -- more unhappy than kids in countries such as Ethiopia, Algeria, Colombia and Turkey. And one of the main reasons for the level of unhappiness is bullying.

Bullying has happened in schools for as long as I can remember, and a lot of people would say that it's always going to happen. It's inevitable.

Well, I say no. Why should bullying be allowed? If adults behaved the way a lot of children do they'd be arrested for victimisation, or harassment or assault: these are crimes. But because it's children doing it to other children we seem to think it's acceptable.

It's not acceptable, it's not inevitable, and we can do something about it. Anyone who wants to do something about changing the attitude in schools can contact me by Twitter or Facebook, and we can work towards greater happiness for children.

You can find the full report here

Power to the (young) people

Should young people be seen and not heard? Not according to Jeremy Corbyn.

He's the guy in front of the Labour leadership election, and could well become the new Labour party leader. But he's not very popular with his own MPs.

For one thing, he tends to think like a young person (despite looking like a retired janitor): he's against the belt-tightening policies of the Conservatives, he campaigns for human rights internationally and he voted against the war in Iraq, and university tuition fees.

He's also talking about making politics more accountable.  He wants MPs to listen to the people who vote them in instead of making decisions without consulting them.

Jeremy Corbyn is likely to be the kind of politicians that young people like: he's anti-establishment, and he thinks everyone should be equal, instead of having very rich people living alongside people surviving on food banks.

If he is elected as the new Labour leader, politics could get a whole lot more interesting.

GCSE results

For many young people, this week is huge: GCSE results could mean getting money from parents who made foolish promises: 

"Well Susan, we said £20 for every A* didn't we, so did you get any? How many? Twelve?!) 

But for some it has meant a sleepless night of worry; tears at not getting what they hoped for; feelings of fear and confusion.

To those young people who got what they wanted/needed/expected: well done.

To those who didn't, here's something for you to consider.

Jon said:  it’s not the end of the world trust me I got next to nowt when I did mine. Plus there are many different things you can do to improve on them. You can even resit them. I’m redoing mine at gen2 so don’t despair try to keep an open mind because you just don’t know what opportunity is around the corner. 

“So do not cry or life will pass you by, 

just retake that test and do your best 

because I won’t judge because I’m eating fudge”.

Bike relay

Next Wednesday (26th August) there will be a bike relay from Millom to Lowca, calling at eleven coastal points to launch our new interpretation boards.

If anyone would like to take part, either by cycling, or just sending the cyclists on their way, the departure times at each board are

Start Time Start 

10.00 Millom

10.15 Haverigg

10.50 Silecroft 

11.50 Bootle

12.50 Ravenglass

13.30 Drigg

13.55 Seascale

15.10 St Bees

15.55 Whitehaven

16.15 Parton

Hugh Branney the chairman of Copeland coastal initiative project board said, “It will be a fantastic day along the coast celebrating the achievement of the local communities and cheering on our local cyclists whilst learning about Copeland’s diverse coastal heritage.”   

So come along if you're free. Of course you're free: it's the summer holidays.

Parents in court up 25%

Number of parent in court up 25%

National news

As the number of parents taken to court in the UK because of kids skipping school rose sharply last year official figures show  that in 2014, 16,430 people were prosecuted for failing to ensure their children went to school that’s an increase of more than 3,000 or 25% on 2013. Ministry of Justice figures revealed more than three-quarters were found guilty. Parents can be issued with an on the spot penalty notices of £60 per child by schools that can rising to £120 if unpaid if their child has an unauthorised absence. Failure to pay, can lead to parents being referred to the local authority's education welfare service that has the power to take parents to court and the courts can issue fines of £2,500 or a jail sentences of up to three months. So kids stay in school and don’t skip class now.

Local news

Have you seen the ocean going drill barge off St bee it an exploratory drilling operation that was towed out its location on Saturday and it’s expected to remain in position for the next four weeks while borehole testing in connection with a planned new coal mine south of Whitehaven is carried out. The company behind the plan has yet to announce a location for the mine. The mine is intended to be up and running by the end of 2018 that will extract millions of tonnes of high quality coking coal used in the iron industry, so there’s some big plans for the future and it’s looking good for everyone wheel keep you updated.

Underground update

An update on the underground strike

Fresh talks will be held on Monday to break the deadlock over the new all-night underground services in London that have started two strikes in recently causing disruption in the capital. The conciliation service Acas will hold talks with the unions that are likely to walk out again possibly for 48 hours unless there is a deal. Workers are unhappy with shifts for the all-night tubes due to start on the 12 September. Boris Johnson the London mayor has admitted the all-night services faces delay because of the dispute but has ruled out direct talks with unions. Boris indicated the night tube start date could be postponed that may allow time for negotiations to avert further strikes.

On the buses

Rail strikes in London are likely to cause major disruption over the next couple of days 

250 extra buses could be laid on during the strikes just to help with the demand, but it could course gridlock if commuters switch to cars. 

The strikes by four unions will last 24 hours from tonight until Friday. The strikes are happening because the unions are unhappy at conditions offered to drivers on a new night tube service due to start next month. People are being encouraged to use other modes of transport such as river buses, cycling, taxis, and buses: well good luck with that.

Local news

The sound of bells brought Copeland to life during a three-day bell ringing event run by Durham and Newcastle. Mini ring, gave people at Egremont, Whitehaven and Distington the chance to have a go on the ropes. 

School children and teachers were the first to show their skills in Egremont at Whitehaven passers-by got involved some as young as three. The group of ringers were on hand each day teaching and demonstrating ringing the bells, sound like a lot of fun.

Seeing things differently

Think that's weird? Well yes, it is, but only because people tell us that it's weird.

And finally...

Who doesn't love Mythbusters?

This episode involves clowns in a car crash... Awesome. 

The Lynx goes European

So, it seems we're not the only ones looking to reintroduce lynx into our countryside: conservationists in Spain have been rearing and releasing the Iberian lynx, bringing it back from the brink of extinction. 

You can never have too much eyeliner (or is it eyelioner?)

Over the past ten years, numbers of lynx have risen from 90 to 327 across south, central and western Spain and parts of Portugal.

There's hope for the Cumbrian lynx yet.

Local News

Coal mining in West Cumbria could also be making a comeback.

But we're not talking men with tin helmets tramping down a dirty hole, this is the 21st century.

Instead there will be drilling platforms designed to drill exploratory boreholes, a drift mine 400-600 metres deep under the sea, and some pretty high tech equipment

It's an industry that's likely to create quite a few jobs, not just operating the equipment, but monitoring safety and output too.

Seeing things differently

In defence of men everywhere, we can't help it

And finally...

National Citizen's Service continues through the summer: there are three weeks -- one week of hanging around at Summergrove Halls, trying not to get into trouble, a week's outward bound and a week of social action. With four rounds, each with around sixty young people, that makes about two hundred and forty teenagers looking for something to do. 

Which sounds like the rest of the Summer holidays really...

The wheels are rolling now

                              In it to win it

The labour leadership contender Liz Kendall has dismissed calls for her to pull out of the contest and back another candidate to defeat Jeremy Corbyn. After the YouGov poll for the times put the left wing Mr Corbyn ahead in the race and Ms Kendall in fourth. Ms Kendall said she had always been an outsider in the race but said there were 51 days left to get people's support. She said: "I'll be fighting for what I believe in until the very end." I think good on her for fighting for what she believes in you go girl.

     Local news

                                                                                                            Need a push

There was push cart racing in castle park Whitehaven on Sunday pitting 20 daring teams against the clock and each other for various charities raising over £2000. Hundreds of spectators lined the side of the track beginning with a downhill run and going through the centre of the park. The teams had their own carts some were a bit wacky including mini police cars, coast guard vehicles and a replica mini mystery machine and I’ve got to say it looks like a lot of fun.

Lib Dems brand new start

The Liberal Democrats got a hammering in the general election and lost the majority of their MPs. Nick Clegg, who was leader at the time, realised that he was about as popular as an eggy fart in a lift, so resigned.

Tina wished she'd listened to her mum and avoided the third helping of cabbage

So, the party members have had to choose a new leader and the winner is Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale (basically that's Windermere and Kendal)

Tim is liberal (obviously), which means that he believes in personal freedom: freedom to achieve what you want and freedom from being over-controlled by governments; he also has a focus on social justice, and that means fairness in our society, for example not having people starve while others make millions of pounds in profits  

Local news

Children had a look around Whitehaven police station to see what it’s like to be a local bobby. Organised by Howgill Family Centre it gave a dozen children the chance to see what it’s like to have your fingerprints taken and what life behind bars is really like, then police officers talked about what they do on a day-to-day basis. The idea was to show children how the police can help them if they ever needed it.

Finally, the Feds caught notorious jewel thief "Cutesy Malone"

In other news

Mexico says it has stepped up its search for drug lord Joaquin Guzman, who escaped from jail on Saturday. The Interior Ministry said it had deployed almost 10,000 police and 48 dogs to track down the fugitive leader of the Sinaloa cartel. Mexico is also co-operating with neighbouring Guatemala and the United States to increase border controls.

Guzman's escape from a top-security jail through a 1.5km-long tunnel is a major embarrassment for officials. It is the second time the drug cartel leader has escaped from a top-security Mexican jail.

Have they thought of putting him on the second floor?  

Seeing things differently

Watch this video of John Coffey displaying awesomeness at a festival in Holland.

Now read the comments, I know the likelihood that someone used that glass as a toilet before hurling it. Awesomeness turns to epic fail...

Budget news

So George Osborne announced yesterday how much things are going to cost, how much money the Conservatives are going to spend on things like wages, benefits and the NHS.

After last week's news that the Conservatives are going to redefine what it means to be poor, you might've thought that they would be thinking quite a bit about poverty and finding ways to reduce it.

Or not.

George made a commitment to introducing the Living Wage: £9 per hour by 2020. But there's a few points here: 

1. it's not compulsory, they haven't made it a legal requirement, so it might not happen; 
2. it could lead to job losses because if employers only have a certain amount of money to spend on wages, when the wages go up, they will save money by getting rid of staff; 
3. none of this applies to people under 25.

The other big news is that child benefit will now be limited to the first two children. So anyone who's ever heard me talk about having children to make money. Don't do it: it's not a good career move.

We asked our youth correspondent for an opinion

Local news

Young people have been offered a chance to develop life skills during the National Citizen Service summer scheme. 

It’s now running across West Cumbria, with three week initiatives. Places are still available for young people to join beginning on July 27. Aimed at 15-17 year old the national citizen service is an opportunity for young people to build life skills and have fun. It does cost: £50 for the three weeks with residential but it sounds like a lot of fun.

The first week is well worth attending, if only to hear outside speakers come in to share their knowledge on a range of topics, from sexual health to citizenship (the citizenship talk is awesome...) 

I also hope everyone had lots of fun at the 

vintage rally I sadly missed it.

And finally

A word of warning, always think through a plan: