The Swindon page

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On Jan 26th 2006 Swindon Borough Council adopted a motion to reject the use of ID Cards for access to local services.

At the time, members of the NO2ID campaign, along with many other concerned individuals and groups, applauded Swindon Council for not supporting the controversial Identity Cards legislation.

The legislation subsequently passed into law on the 30th March 2006 as: The Identity Cards Act 2006. Both Swindon MP's voted loyally with the Government.

The campaign against Identity Cards and the National Identity Register continues as resolutely as ever, and with the Local Elections being held on the 3rd of May 2007, interest in candidates views on the subject is high.

The NO2ID (Swindon) organisation have delivered a questionaire with a stamped and addressed return envelope to all 93 candidates standing for election.

The candidates replies, where supplied by the candidate, might give some indication how those views might dictate their official actions, or attitudes, within Swindon Council, if elected.

The candidates replies will be scanned, converted to pdf (portable document files - readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader), and accurately reproduced within the 'Swindon Council 2007 Elections' forum, and also within the NO2ID forum here

Discussion forum for people in and around Swindon. Quoting the introductory message:

"The TalkSwindon forum is provided as a meeting place where enquiring Swindonians can discuss pretty much whatever they like. At present there is a fair bit of discussion centering on Swindons two Labour MP’s, and their Parliamentary performance. Or lack of it. Don’t be put off by political debating or members having a good moan at the council/traffic wardens/speed cameras etc…. all of those topics, and more, will live down at the other end of the forum, in ‘Speakers Corner’. All the lighter, general interest topics and chat will be up at this end of the forum, the shallow end, and the heavier topics will remain in the deep end……lifeguards will be on duty to rescue those who flounder there. The forums scope of interest will expand as its membership grows, so if you feel there is a need, or demand for a particular forum, e.g a ‘Pets Corner’, or ‘My Car Won’t Start’,.....then please, by all means suggest it!"

Poet and community activist, Tony Hillier, respectfully tries to express his emotions, at the time of the death of kidnapped Ken Bigley. Swindon, UK, 9 October 2004

"It is the policy of Swindon Stop the War Coalition to campaign against the election of MPs who support the war and the continued military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. We therefore intend to make a great deal of publicity over the issue during the next general election, urging people to vote for anti-war candidates. We will of course not be endorsing, either explicitly or implicitly any other party or candidate. Nevertheless we recognise that people do change their minds, and should you have now reconsidered your position with relation to the war on Iraq, then we will not campaign against your re-election." Also, read their replies at http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire/display/1669...

"Dear Anne Snelgrove. I am writing to you both as a voter in South Swindon and as secretary of Swindon Stop the war Coalition. …. Can you confirm whether you would have voted for the war last year had you been an MP at the time? Can you also confirm whether the events since the invasion in march 2003 have led you to change your mind about the wisdom of the war? Please bear in mind that no WMD have been found, there is an increasingly virulent popular insurrection in Iraq, and the road map for peace in Palestine has been wrecked by Israeli intransigence. A recent report published in the Lancet estimates that 100000 Iraqi civilians have been killed consequent to the invasion. In Afghanistan the aid that was promised for reconstruction of the country has not been given, and much of the country has reverted to warlordism. The United Nations recently reported that opium production has reached record levels in Afghanistan this year, most of the heroin on British streets comes from Afghanistan."

"The Swindon & Marlborough group generally meets on the third Thursday of the month at The Friends' Meeting House, Eastcott Hill, Swindon. Meetings start at 7.30pm and newcomers are always welcome. We also produce a bi-monthly newsletter - ask for a free copy via this site.
Our activities include:
* Campaigning for the release of our Burmese Prisoner of Conscience
* Campaigning for children's rights
* Country campaigns - the next one is Russia
* Campaigning against the death penalty
* Raising awareness of human rights issues (e.g. talks to schools and other organisations)
* Fundraising to support Amnesty's work."

Local peace groups from Bristol, Swindon, Oxford and Faringdon worked together to organise a march past RAF Brize Norton, at which the dead of the Iraq war were named, and flowers were laid in remembrance. A rally was held in the village of Carterton near the base, with speakers from Stop the War Coalition, CND, the Green Party, Labour Party, Scottish Socialist Party, At Ease and a veteran of the first Gulf war.

The event was covered by the Swindon Advertiser , the Oxford Mail and the Observer . There are some photos, audio and a 15-minute film on UK Indymedia , some more photos on Bristol Indymedia , a report and photos on the Socialist Unity blog and Colin Fox MSP's speech on his blog .

A poem by Tony Hillier after the Hutton Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly.

Swindon Stop the War Coalition's April 2004 leaflet. PDF format - you need the free Acrobat Reader (see http://www.adobe.com/ ) to read this file.

On the 5th May 2005, we got our first chance since the 'war on terror' was launched in 2001, to have a say in the make-up of the UK parliament. Unfortunately Tony Blair was returned to power for a third term, albeit with a much-reduced majority, which will hopefully make it more difficult to bulldoze draconian new laws through parliament. In a reflection of the national result, Labour also retained both Swindon constituencies which they have held since 1997, but neither constituency can now be considered to be a safe seat. Michael Wills, former government minister and enthusiastic supporter of the war on terror, won a third term to represent Swindon North, and newcomer Anne Snelgrove took over from outgoing MP Julia Drown in Swindon South.

Swindon Stop the War Coalition enjoys support from across the political spectrum, and we do not favour any party or parties, although we encourage our supporters to vote for anti-war candidates.

All the candidates who stood in the two Swindon constituencies are listed on the general election page, with profiles and related information, along with their replies to ten questions drawn up by Bristol Stop the War Coalition (those that bothered to answer, that is).

Also includes links to national political party web sites and their policies on issues of interest to the anti-war movement, a web site with the answers from the Bristol candidates, and other election-related links.

Latest news: Inna has now been given indefinite leave to stay in the UK: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/westcountry...

Campaign to oppose the deportation of a Swindon teenager: "Inna is currently nineteen, she has not lived with her natural mother since she was aged eleven and almost never with her father a violently disturbed criminal. Inna was abandoned by her mother at age eleven and incarcerated in a state "orphanage" in Ukraine existing in squalid conditions. There for three and a half years she was deeply traumatised, abused, and with the other children forced into child labour. The Haville's rescued her when she was fourteen and have looked after her since. She has lived with them now in England for the last three and a half of those five and a half years."

A leaflet from Swindon Stop the War Coalition to promote the public meeting with Bruce Kent and Kate Hudson on 1st February 2005, plus reports from the massacre in Fallujah

Michael Wills' web site. Supported war on Iraq, and we continue to campaign to hold him to account for it.

In late 2005, Military Families Against War and Stop the War Coalition, fearing that the death toll of UK soldiers in Iraq would soon reach 100, issued a call for protests and vigils in 100 towns and cities when the death of the 100th British soldier in Iraq was announced. In the following months, this call was repeated and re-circulated amongst peace groups and other activist networks around the country.

On 31st January 2006, Corporate Gordon Pritchard became that 100th soldier, and the following day Swindon Stop the War Coalition held a vigil at the Cenotaph . The names of two hundred victims of the war; the one hundred soldiers, and one hundred of the hundred-thousand plus Iraqis, were read out in front of the Cenotaph, followed by a two-minute silence.

Vigils and protests were held in other towns including Cambridge , Birmingham , Nottingham , Sheffield , Oxford , Swansea , Aberdeen and London

"A free open uncluttered inclusive & searchable online directory of Swindon related websites"

Anti-war poetry from local activist Jason Lee

Andy Newman objects to the proposed closure of a footpath linking the air base at Fairford with the village

Oppose the proposed development at Coate. You can read the official Local Plan, a briefing and discussions, reasons to object, and even download the official objection form here. "The revised deposit draft of the Swindon Borough Local Plan includes provision for a university campus, 1800 dwellings and a large "employment" zone at Coate. The proposed development would destroy an environmentally and socially sensitive area of Swindon (some twenty times the size of the Princess Margaret Hospital site) adjoining two-thirds of the perimeter of Coate Water Country Park. This huge green field development has been slipped into the plan as "an urban extension site"!

Sign the on-line petition or print and sign the paper petition (PDF format - you need the free Acrobat reader from http://www.adobe.com/ to open it)

Update November 2005: There are now over 26,000 signatures on the petition calling for a kilometre of countryside to be left around Coate Water in order to protect its beauty, tranquillity, wildlife and historic and literary associations. This number of objections to any proposal is unprecedented in Swindon and reflects the strength of feeling about Coate Water and its rural setting. Please encourage people to sign the petition either at the café at Coate Water or online at www.savecoate.org.uk.

"This campaign aims to defend Malmesbury maternity unit from closure. We believe that there is a genuine need for this service in the area and that, properly promoted, it could be cost effective. We are campaigning against the Primary Care Trust's proposals to move all the services currently on offer to Chippenham. The consultation process is due to last until 26th April and the Board plan to announce their decision on 25th May."

From the archive - our call to protest if the war on Iraq went ahead. PDF format, so you need the free Acrobat reader to open this file - see http://www.adobe.com/

"Swindon Borough Council - Your Local Council at work. This site exposes Swindon Borough Council's corruption, cruelty and sheer stupidity. SBC - actively supporting discrimination, bullying, victimisation and intimidation."

A campaign group set up to oppose plans to build a football stadium and / or sports village on the site of the community forest next to Shaw and Sparcells, which local residents have been planting for the past ten years.

Accounting for all our income and ooutgoings over the last financial year

This leaflet was produced by Swindon Stop the War Coalition to provide information for young men and women thinking of joining the Army. Our young service men and women deserve better.

This Is Wiltshire publish the Evening Advertiser's news articles and some letters from their readers, as well as related content from other Wiltshire newspapers. You can navigate via their home page, or you can jump straight to the Swindon news archive for a particular date using this form

An archive of letters to the Swindon Evening Advertiser, and messages posted on their web site, about the war in Iraq.

Video and audio of a public meeting held at the Pilgrim centre on 13th February 2007. Labour MP Michael Wills, Conservatives Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson. Green Bill Hughes, Lib Dem Martin Wiltshire, UKIP's Stephen Halden, independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart and database specialist Anna Ellis answer questions from the public on the ID Cards Act 2006 and the National Identity Register.