Pete Murry protesting at plans to build on green space at B&Q Cricklewood |
Residents of the South Kilburn Estate, undergoing regeneration with a substantial degree of gentrification, have been fighting the Council on the issue of the HS2 vent to be situated next to St Mary's Primary School on the Estate LINK Again they have received an unsympathetic response from the Council. Cllr Duffy had his own difficulties in trying to involve residents in discussions with the Council. LINK
The Green Party is opposed to HS2 in its totality and in a recent posting on their blog LINK has set out their Kilburn by-election candidate's platform:
Peter Murry will be standing
in this Council by-election caused by the death of a Labour councillor.
PETER
MURRY has been a Brent resident for over twenty years and during many of these
he worked in Kilburn as a lecturer at the College of North West London. He
worked for the College in Harlesden, Kilburn and South Kilburn, where he taught
on Access and Information Technology courses.
He
was an active Trade Unionist in the Universities & Colleges Union (UCU) and
is currently the Green Party’s London Trade Union Liaison Officer.
He
took early retirement from the College in 2006 for ill health reasons, partly
because he suffers from arthritis, which has meant that he has been disabled
for almost a decade. This has given him first hand experienced of the problems that
disabled people are forced to cope with, especially those faced by people with
impaired mobility in using public transport and gaining access to some
buildings.
He
is also an artist and member of Brent Artists’ Resource.
The
key points that he is campaigning on are
- · A cleaner greener Kilburn
- · No more council cuts
- · Defend trade union rights
- · Campaign against climate change
He
thinks that the environment and quality of life in London in general, and Brent
in particular, need many improvements. More housing at prices that people with
average and low incomes can really afford is urgently needed and Brent council
should be working to provide this.
Its “regeneration” schemes, such as the one on the South Kilburn estate, should
produce homes for people not business opportunities for property profiteers.
It
should also take whatever steps it can to drastically reduce the air pollution that
causes huge health problems in Kilburn.
As
an Eco-socialist, Pete believes that ecological damage and the free market
economic policies of British governments are the basic causes of problems such
as these. These are not problems caused by local government, or the people of
Kilburn, but they have to deal with the consequences.
Attacks
on Trade Union rights, such as those currently planned by the government, just
make workers into scapegoats for government mistakes.
Climate
change needs to be stopped and the quality of life needs to be improved; even local
councils can do their bit, instead of just making life worse by cutting services.
Brent Council needs an opposition voice. This is a task that the Green Party can do for the people of Kilburn.
POLLING TAKES PLACE ON MAY 5TH ALONGSIDE THE MAYORAL AND GLA ELECTION