Amina Graham

I think the greens and blues are turning yellow. I was also at that hustings and was very unimpressed that neither the Labour or the Conservative candidates bothered to turn up to it. Shows a real lack of interest in local issues until it comes to right up to the election when they start turning up - not a good sign for a future MP for our constituency. I'm now backing the lib dem candidate.......... www.jonathanmitchellsblog.com

For more of what Jonathan your PPC has been up to see his blog www.jonathanmitchellsblog.com

As someone who was born in Dulwich Hospital, this is an issue that is close to my heart. Jonathan Mitchell has been campaigning for years outside what used to be Sommerfield to keep Dulwich Hospital and is currently the chair of the 'keep dulwich hospital' campaign. He is always questioning health bosses at scrutiny meetings and pursuing the issue at Dulwich Community Council meetings and is the only candidate who is doing anything about this issue. Our MP (who claims to be listening to concerns) voted FOR FOUNDATION HOSPITALS in parliament which clearly goes against any intention to preserve Dulwich Hosptial and it's becoming increasingly clear that it is not being saved by our MP and she has never put a question in parliament about it. As a candidate Jonathan is reliant, just as we are on our current MP for funding to keep the hospital open, however she has clearly not pursued this issue. What Jonathan has done is to campaign as much as he can to get the issue in the open and to question health bosses on what potential money there is for the site. Maybe the better person to question about this is our current MP Tessa Jowell! Below is a copy of a public document which he created for a public meeting about this issue. PUBLIC MEETING: at 18.30pm on Thursday 19th November 2009 in the Goldsmiths Room, Dulwich Hospital, East Dulwich Grove, East Dulwich. HELP US to: fight to keep Dulwich Hospital as a fully functioning Local Community Hospital; engage wider support from the public; fill up our Petition to persuade the Government and others to support our Hospital; get yourselves, your neighbours and friends, to pledge support and ideas for the future of Dulwich Hospital;contribute written support and suggestions to our website; maintain the pressure on Government Ministers and others to Keep Dulwich Hospital. DON?T let this Government and local Health Bosses destroy Dulwich Hospital JOIN the fight to KEEP it. Jonathan Mitchell: Chair ?Keep Dulwich Hospital Campaign? Tel: 07825 392303 SAVE OUR BEDS in Dulwich Hospital Kings Hospital is overcrowded: patients on trolleys Patients bussed to Lewisham not Dulwich for Treatment Patients sent home too early after operations, only to return later as emergency cases Patients in mixed wards Elderly, dementia and mentally ill patients in the same wards as seriously ill patients SAVE OUR LAND Keep Dulwich Hospital on our land: in an area of high social need for Lambeth and Southwark. The Primary Care Trust is no longer involved in providing services. NOW the PCT commissions others to provide our Health services, but they are likely to bypass local people and go to PRIVATE health services. We do not want American-style Private Health Schemes here. LOCAL PEOPLE NEED A LOCAL HOSPITAL 1. London as a Capital is short of beds; 2. Dulwich is near Kings Acute hospital, and can take the overflow patients; 3. Dulwich can provide Intermediate Care beds; 4. Dulwich can provide beds for ill people whose carers need respite from their work; 5. Dulwich Hospital has good transport links; 6. A skilled workforce for the Hospital lives locally to provide qualified staff. 800 beds in 1970; 90 beds in 2000; 12 beds in 2009; no plans for any beds in the future. BUILD a HOSPITAL: BUILD UP the local COMMUNITY SAVE OUR BEDS : KEEP DULWICH HOSPITAL

Fair point KK I take that on the chin and wholeheartedly apologise and redirect my comments at Steve then.....can we have a debate here about the issues then?

By the way Huguenot I thought I had separated the comments on North London and Iraq in a way that meant they were two separate points. I do not think the two issues have moral equivalence, I don't agree that I bundled them together but apologise if that's the way it read. And just so you know I have no problem with North London. I have no snobbery towards it (I used to live there) I just believe an MP should live in the constituency that they represent. If I lived i North London i'd want my MP to live there too. What do you think? Let's debate it.... Also KK the only reason I directed the expenses thing at you is because you mentioned it in your blog so I replied to it with my opinion. Isn't that what blogging is all about? People state their view about stuff that's being discussed? I'm happy to except that I may have misunderstood your comment - what did you mean by 'expenses forms' and what's your view on it?

I apologise if anyone has taken anything i've said badly. I have just given my personal views as someone who has lived in Dulwich for years and who knows the way our MP has voted and where she lives which I don't regard as slagging off it's stating facts which are open for anyone to see or opine on at this website http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/tessa_jowell/dulwich_and_west_norwood. They are not those of Jonathan. If you want those you must go to the debates that the candidates have which he will be attending and judge for yourselves or look on his blog/email him. In reply to the lib dem policy on the issues mentioned by Huguenot (comedy name by the way): The Economy - Vince Cable has answered these questions in a very detailed way on Monday night see here The Iraq War- They were the only party what was against it from the start Climate Change- Have been leaders on climate issues The Liberal Democrats have received three green lights by offering the strongest set of policies on climate change, green taxation and green living." - How green are our parties, report by the Green Alliance 2007 see here for more info(Tessa voted against last to stop climate change) Voting Systems- Lib dems believe in proportional representation as a fairer way of representing peoples views

by the way KK re: the expenses forms he has never been an MP yet so he can't be tarred with that brush and given that Tessa our current MP voted against Parliamentary transparency I think thats where we need to look when it comes to issues of that kind

My main objective is for politics to be more transparent and for us to be represented by someone who lives in the community we live in rather than our current MP who lives in North London. I have grown weary of being represented by a politician who not only voted for the Iraq War and against laws to tackle climate change but also against Parliamentary transparency. I really just want people to be informed about the fact that there is a choice at the elections and give them the opportunity to investigate a candidate who I personally feel has done a lot for our area. He is chair of the Keep Dulwich Hospital campaign and has been actively working in our community for years, whether it be at the EDCC or on the SNUB campaign. I just feel that we'd be better represented by someone like that. And by the way cynics (you know who you are!) I am not being paid and for this. I have met Jonathan at numerous public meetings and been impressed by his dedication to our area and ability to get things done. Through that I have become someone who supports him and someone who wants to make sure that people have in informed choice at the election.

Just an info point about one of your Councillors in East Dulwich - Jonathan Mitchell. FYI he's also our Parliamentary candidate for the lib dems, has lived in the area for over 30 years as an active member of the community and is not part of the Westminster establishment. Here is a link to his blog which he keeps up to date with local news about what he's up to. www.jonathanmitchellsblog.com You can also find him on twitter or facebook under a search for 'libdemmitch' Attachments: Jonathan Mitchell.jpg (65.7KB)

Just an info point about one of your Councillors in East Dulwich - Jonathan Mitchell. FYI he's also our Parliamentary candidate for the lib dems,has lived in the area for over 30 years as an active member of the community and is not part of the Westminster establishment. Here is a link to his blog which he keeps up to date with local news about what he's up to. www.jonathanmitchellsblog.com You can also find him on twitter or facebook under a search for 'libdemmitch'

Another way is to get to West Norwood on the bus and then get a direct train to Gatwick (about ?6/7 single) and the ?1.20 for the bus..........