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Politicians coming to PoP

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    Quite a decent (growing) list (are yours here??) -

    Mark Lazarowicz, MP Edinburgh North and Leith
    Marco Biagi, MSP Edinburgh Central (SNP)
    Alison Johnstone, MSP, Lothian (Green)
    Patrick Harvie, MSP, Glasgow (Green)
    Jayne Baxter, MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife (Labour)
    Cara Hilton, MSP, Mid Scotland and Fife (Labour)
    Alex Rowley, MSP, Cowdenbeath (Labour)
    Claudia Beamish, MSP, South Scotland (Labour – coming at 1pm)
    Malcolm Chisholm, MSP, Edinburgh North and Leith (Labour, possibly coming later)
    Councillor Lesley Hinds, Convenor of Transport, Edinburgh (Labour)
    Councillor Cameron Rose, Edinburgh (Conservative)
    Councillor Adam McVey, Edinburgh (SNP)
    Councillor Steve Burges, Edinburgh (Green)
    Councillor Alan Moir, East Dunbarton (Labour)
    Councillor Frank McAveety, Cycling ‘Csar’ Glasgow (Labour – unconfirmed)

    http://pedalonparliament.org/meet-the-msps

    Posted 9 years ago #
  2. sallyhinch
    Member

    Just had to scratch Frank McAveety but he wants to meet afterwards.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  3. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    "Just had to scratch Frank McAveety"

    Ian Murray went into hiding for less.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  4. chdot
    Admin

    "Just had to scratch Frank McAveety but he wants to meet afterwards."

    Sounds like you made your mark...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  5. sallyhinch
    Member

    from the list. Honestly!

    Posted 9 years ago #
  6. fimm
    Member

    Right, Marco Biagi is my MSP and Alison Johnstone is one of my list MSPs (as is Kezia Dugdale - have we put her off?). I should probably contact Mr Biagi and say how pleased I am that he's coming and how I look forward to meeting him, blah blah blah....

    Posted 9 years ago #
  7. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I invited all my Cooncillors and MSPs, but had since forgotten who they were. Checked on writetothem.com and had the sad duty of concluding that Margo MacDonald is unlikely to attend, more's the pity.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  8. chdot
    Admin

    "I should probably contact Mr Biagi and say how pleased I am that he's coming"

    You should.

    I presume he'll be walking (as will Lesley Hinds).

    Some of the politicians will only be at Holyrood - but at least they are making the effort (I assume they are not normally there on Saturday).

    Posted 9 years ago #
  9. sallyhinch
    Member

    I've heard somewhere that Kezia is coming but we've not heard anything officially.

    Please do let your MSPs know you're happy they're coming - and go up and talk to them on the day as we'll have them lined up for that very purpose (be nice though ...)

    Posted 9 years ago #
  10. DaveC
    Member

    My new MSP is on the list :D but sadly my local Audax riding councillor is moving house on the 28th, and is doubtful he can make it.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  11. acsimpson
    Member

    One of my Councillors is off sick and another is taking part in the sponsored walk across the Forth Road Bridge but I've not heard anything from Robert Aldridge yet. Perhaps he'll fly the flag for Drumbrae/Gyle.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  12. HankChief
    Member

    @acsimpson - Cllr Aldridge told me he 'hoped' to come along.

    He & Cllr Keil are both on the Transport Committee - lucky us (Drumbrae/Gyle)

    Posted 9 years ago #
  13. crowriver
    Member

    Two of my MSPs are coming. Sheila Gilmore MP not. None of my Councillors though :-( I'll let Maggie Chapman off as she's the Euro MP candidate and probably 'on tour'; Also her dad died recently. The Labour and SNP councillors probably don't care.

    Good to see the Fife, central, western and southern Scotland contingent. Overall, not many from SNP or Conservatives, and no Lib Dems, though I suppose there are far fewer of the latter than there used to be...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  14. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    To be fair to the SNP (I'm not a member and I'm aware they're not hugely pro active travel) they are working to fulfill the raison d'être of their party. Five months to go, every day counts.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  15. acsimpson
    Member

    I just emailed my MP, MSPs and MEPs and had an almost instant reply from Kezia's assistant.

    "Kezia will be attending Pedal on Parliament again this year, she's looking forward to it already!"

    Posted 9 years ago #
  16. minus six
    Member

    she's looking forward to it already

    I don't believe anyone should be looking forward to it.

    We should be incandescent with rage that it remains necessary.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  17. gembo
    Member

    @bax, last year Kezia dugdale came on pop2 not having cycled for years. She enjoyed it. As did the rest of us, it is enjoyable to cycle on closed roads. However, as you say this is the third one and all the issues remain needing addresed.

    Hoping for fair weather. Will wear tweed bunnet.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  18. DaveC
    Member

    To be fair to the SNP (I'm not a member and I'm aware they're not hugely pro active travel) they are working to fulfill the raison d'être of their party. Five months to go, every day counts.

    some might say to the detriment of everything else.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  19. acsimpson
    Member

    I would have thought POP would be a prime opportunity for them to do some positive campaigning around active travel in a future Scotland but sadly the senior party members will probably be too busy telling us why it's all Westminster's fault to even attend.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  20. chdot
    Admin

    "I would have thought POP would be a prime opportunity for them to do some positive campaigning around active travel in a future Scotland"

    Yeah, but they don't seem to have any real interest in it - apart from 'aspirational' target waffle, (and 'it's mostly up to LAs - we give them money but we can't make them spend it on anything particular').

    Posted 9 years ago #
  21. sallyhinch
    Member

    @acsimpson - thanks for that will update our records.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  22. fimm
    Member

    I've emailed Marco Biagi. Now I'll have to think of something to ask/say to him...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  23. chdot
    Admin

    "Now I'll have to think of something to ask/say to him..."

    How about 'why are the senior members of your party/Government so lukewarm about 'active travel' and believe that road building is 'essential' for the wellbeing of the economy and human health'?

    Posted 9 years ago #
  24. chdot
    Admin

    "
    I've committed to attending this year's Pedal on Parliament event - with the Harrison Park feeder-ride leaving around 11am.

    "

    http://andrewburns.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/pedal-on-parliament.html

    Posted 9 years ago #
  25. acsimpson
    Member

    "I would have thought POP would be a prime opportunity for them to do some positive campaigning around active travel in a future Scotland"

    Yeah, but they don't seem to have any real interest in it - apart from 'aspirational' target waffle, (and 'it's mostly up to LAs - we give them money but we can't make them spend it on anything particular').

    The same LAs who they forced to freeze council tax. Where there's a will there's a way but sadly they are a one policy party with no real consideration for the future.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

    "sadly they are a one policy party with no real consideration for the future"

    That's not exactly true.

    It's just sad that any 'visions for a new country' has certain blind spots.

    However much they (as a Government) want to be 'business friendly' and 'keep the NHS' and be 'socially progressive' etc. I genuinely fail to understand how blindly they stick with the 'great car economy'.

    I do understand about 'rural Scotland' and that there are not going to be 'cycle superhighways between all towns and cities anytime soon. BUT most people live in urban areas and suffer socially, financially and health wise because of the way things are now - with 'priority for cars' (moving and parked).

    Posted 9 years ago #
  27. gembo
    Member

    Oil is key to western economies. OPEC has bigger influence on our economy than anything governments in our nations do. Current period of stability linked to lower oil prices from Middle East. Saudi Arabia decide they want to mix it up, western economies go to pot.

    This is why we need to uncouple our economy from oil if at all possible. Not base an economic forecast on potentially more oil deep in Atlantic or North Sea.

    Folk in rural Scotland do not make unnecessary car journeys as cost of fuel prohibitive.

    Cycling, walking, public transport, car bans, all good for urban areas.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  28. chdot
    Admin

    "Folk in rural Scotland do not make unnecessary car journeys as cost of fuel prohibitive."

    That depends...

    When the road was improved north of Inverness people were (allegedly) doing 100 mile round trips to go to the movies.

    People (not just driving) calculate in time as well as money (not necessarily in a rational fashion).

    It's a bit like the obsession with cutting train journey times to Glasgow. (OK not much of an obsession as it's still slower than it used to be!)

    Actual journey time depends a lot on how long people people wait for the train.

    I bet for most people effective journey times were (averagely) reduced when they introduced the 'every 15 minutes' service.

    Miss one by seconds at it's still 15 minutes quicker than having to wait for the (old) half-hourly service.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  29. sallyhinch
    Member

    When you live in the country, a trip to the movies can be a necessity... just as city dwellers might drive 100 miles to go for a walk in the hills. What you don't do is make multiple trips into town - you ask yourself what else you can do when you're there.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  30. chdot
    Admin

    "just as city dwellers might drive 100 miles to go for a walk in the hills"

    Good analogy.

    "you ask yourself what else you can do when you're there."

    Good idea, but I think some 'new journeys' were just evening/cinema trips.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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