Ed'sTalk of the Town-Winter-Websize

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Winter 2009

Making a real difference - how the Gurkha rightscampaign united a nation

PrintedbyPark CommunicationsLtd, Alpine Way,London, E66LA PublishedandpromotedbyNewportEast LiberalDemocratsonbehalfof EdTownsendbothat 43St JuliansRoad,NewportNP19 7GN

Actress, author,businesswoman,Chancel lor of Exeter University and TV Presenter

F loel la Benjam in OBE writes for you...

THEIR FUTUREMy beautiful mother told all six of herchildren each day before we went toschool that education was ourpassport to life.

We were to go to school and learneverything the teachers told us. I did

just that and loved my time at schoolbecause my mum set us that goal!

To this day, I’ve always believed inthe power of education. A chancefor every child to have the best opportunity in life.

No matter who you are, how rich orpoor, education gives you thechance to succeed.

Like many people, I was in despair at the priority given to education during

the last Conservative Government.Our schools were allowed to crumbleand were starved of the investment they needed.

Then came Tony Blair and“education, education, education”.

At last I hoped things would reallychange.

But here we are, twelve years on, andstill the poorest children have littlechance of success. Too many childrencan’t reach their potential inovercrowded classrooms and we are

still not getting the best teachersteaching the more disadvantagedchildren. Tuition fees, introduced bythe Government, are stopping many

from attending university.

The disappointment is crushing. Ourchildren let down again. It’s got to

change.

The smartest investment we canmake is an investment in ourfuture - our children.

And the Liberal Democratsreally seem to get that.

I’m proud to be part of a partythat really looks to the futurerather than the past. A party

that understands just how important our children really are.

The Lib Dems want to give every

child a chance. Their plans start at anearly age.

From eighteen months old, everychild will have access to free qualitychildcare. Primary schools will begiven extra cash to cut class sizes forthose all important early years.

If private schools believe that smallclass sizes are right for kids, whyshouldn’t state schools aim for thesame?

Secondary schools will be given extrafunds to recruit more high qualityteachers and to improve school

discipline. And finally, the Lib Dems will worktowards finding a way to reduce oreven abolish those unfair tuition fees.The quality of education childrenreceive should not depend on theirparents’ bank balance.

Now that’s a joined up, fresh anddifferent approach to our children’sfuture.

That’s why I am supporting NickClegg and the Liberal Democrats.

“a joined up, fresh and different approach toour children’s future.”

“Our children

deserve better”

Floella Benjamin

Meet thesurprise chef

Try out sprouts for kids

EXCLUSIVE



ta k es a c loser loo k

a t Ed To wnsend ’s

ca mpa ig n scr a p boo k

Why is that?

“You can’t go out there asking peoplefor their support without giving themsome evidence that you will do yourbest for them,” said Ed.

“That means listening to the concernsof different communities. One sizedoesn’t fit all. The needs of people inrural south Monmouthshire are not thesame as those in the centre of Newport, but they all need a voice.”

As deputy leader of Newport CityCouncil Ed has also been working oncampaigns in Severnside to improvetransport

links, both rail and road, as well asfighting for improvements in Caldicot town centre.

“When you know people’s priorities

and you know you can do something

about it - the next thing is to get down

to it and try to make it happen.

“That’s what we did in Newport withsorting out the roads and pavementswhere people live and cleaning up theriver in the city centre.

“Sometimes difficult choices have tobe made, but I find if you keepeveryone informed along the way theyappreciate the problems and knowyou are doing your best.

“It’s about trust isn’t it? And actionsspeak louder than words.”

So why does Ed want be an MP whenpeople are so angry with politicians?

“They are angry and so they shouldbe. The system has let everyone down

Welcome to Talk of the Town writtenby people who love and care aboutour area.

From the centre of Newport outacross South Monmouthshire toCaldicot we’re lucky to enjoy closeknit communities, whether in theheart of the city or in the smaller villages and towns.

That’s why we must work to protectour way of life, whether that’sprotecting vital local services or getting help for local families andbusinesses hit by the recession.

In this issue of Talk of the Town wetalk exclusively to local campaigner

and deputy leader of Newport CityCouncil Ed Townsend.

He is hoping to take hiscampaigning skills to the House of Commons after the General Electionto fight for our area.

Ed lives in St Julian’s with his family,and we find out all about him fromthose who know him best!

I hope you enjoy the magazine,

Best Wishes,

Veronica German - Editor

and many MPs have let theirconstituents down. But there is a jobto be done, and it’s an important one.We need more MPs with ordinary lifeexperiences and who have proved that they really care about their local area.

“I hope I have proved that I deliver onmy promises and work hard for localpeople this is what I would do as aMember of Parliament.”

Ed Townsend on keeping his promises to you

I N P IC T U R ES...

Making things better

From potholesto smooth roads

These days it’s hard to find anyone with a good word to say about

politicians. Ed Townsend is bucking the trend. Localcampaigners not usually known for giving their support have

acknowledged that Ed actually gets things done.

It’s about trust

V e r o ni ca



Jeremy on Ed - a son’s perspective

Talk of the Town spoke toEd Townsend to find out just what makes him tick.

Ed Townsend:living in the

real world

Ed a t home

With six children to feed in our family I’ve alwaysenjoyed doing my share of the cooking. I reallyenjoy it and it certainly gives me a break from theday job and the politics!

I love sprouts - but I hate them when they'reovercooked. The trouble is, my children hate themwhen they're the least bit firm. (they don't like themwhen they're mushy, either)That mix makes sprouts pretty much a waste of timefor family dinners, especially when they're part of your traditional Christmas or Sunday dinner.Not with this recipe, which I discovered after yearsof listening to "But I don't LIKE sprouts" from thechildren.The good thing is that the hard work isin the preparation - and isn't that what children are for?

The surpri se chef

Carmel on Ed

It was a struggle for him to getinto the narrow cockpit but aftera few grunts and a bit of wriggling, he made it.

This was Ed Townsend, the Lib Demcandidate to be the next MP for Newport East and Severnside, getting away fromthe campaign for a day on the river.

Ed explains: “My canoe is the one placewhere I can truly relax. The rivers andcanals of south east Wales are my

favourite places for getting away from it.“You can’t beat the way you can drift past overhanging trees, a few feet awayfrom a bright blue kingfisher. You arecompletely silent and you don’t scare thebirds.

“Swans (if you’re careful), mallards,moorhens and coots become your

friends on the water and while you’redrifting, you can watch buzzards onpatrol in the air.

“On a good day, you’ll be in the best spot to watch the peregrine falcons at Symonds Yat fly out hunting from thelimestone cliffs where they nest.

That’s the restful side of it. It’s also goodexercise. Even head ing downstream,you’ll get a good workout after a full dayon the river.

“The canals are the gentlest of places.The River Wye is popular with beginnersand the more serious canoeists because it

has stretches of fast moving water. TheWye is one of Britain’s great rivers andyou can tell there is power in the water,even when it is hidden.

“I first canoed when I was at school, thenrowing became my main sport.

“It is fun to take a couple of trips a yearon the river with members of the familyor on a sociable day out with a group of friends.

“I prefer my own kayak style of canoe

but if you’re out for the day for a picnicwith friends, you can hire the openCanadian canoes. Plenty of space therefor your picnic basket.

“The one thing I always advise people onthe river is to take a change of clothing.

You never know when the river is going to remind you who’s boss.”

“My canoe is the one placewhere I can truly relax. Therivers and canals of south east Wales are my favourite placesfor getting away from it.”

Ed is always ready to take upa cause for people.Sometimes it can be hardbecause you know you’re notgoing to win - but you tryanyway. When he gets the bitbetween his teeth, there’s nostopping him - and he won’tstand any nonsense from sillyrules getting in the way.

The perfect place to drift by and keepan eye on thekingfishers

Dad first taught me to canoe whenI was about seven. Ever since then

we have tried to go canoeing together as often as we can.

One time on the river I had abattle with a fallen tree – and it’ssafe to say that the tree won. I wasthrown out of the canoe andstruggled in the fast-flowing water.But fortunately, Dad was there tohelp.

The one thing I’ve learned frommy Dad is that there is no point sitting back and complaining about things - if you want something changed, you have toget up and fight to change it.

I hope that this is something I willinherit – though I hope I don’t

inherit his music taste!He pops up in the most unexpected places. I was at astudent protest against university fees and my dadturned up. It was strange. Ithought he was a bit old for that sort of thing. He told me his first student demo was when Margaret Thatcher stopped school milk aseducation secretary in the 1970s.

Doesn’t stop him, though.

He is determined to make sureyoung people’s voices are heard.

You can’t fault that.

Ed Townsend understands family life, with six childrenbetween the ages of 17 and 29. As a past President of Newport and Gwent Chamber of Commerce - he

understands business. And as deputy leader of NewportCity Council he knows how to get things done in his localcommunity.

I went to meet Ed to hear about his life and why he is determinedto get the best for our local area.

“Having a large family certainly keeps both feet firmly on theground,” Ed said. “It doesn’t matter how much you are in thelimelight, you always have your family and they are the most important thing.”

Ed has been married for 33 years toCarmel, herself a recently electedlocal councillor. With two childrenat university and another a newly-wed nurse he understands thestresses and strains on young people and families.

“It’s really tough out there for ouryoung people, who start their adult life

with huge debts if they go to college. The pressures are huge forthem. Finding a job is getting harder all the time and finding somewhere to live nigh on impossible.

“It’s so important that they havesomeone to give them a voice inparliament.”



Colour Sergeant Nick Cowan spent

23 years serving in the British Army. Now he’s leading the OneCommon Cause campaign for abetter deal for Britain’s soldiers.

“I was proud to wear my country’suniform and serve” says Nick, who left the Army in 2007 after a spinal injury.

“I served with a lot of amazing people,but it became clear that we were being short changed by the Government.”

Many members of the armed forces havecome forward with stories of the rawdeal they’ve got - equipment shortages,poor pay, and bad housing are all big issues.

“I began campaigning for a better deal

while I was still serving,” adds Nick.“It was the fact that so many militaryfamilies were struggling to get housing

after leaving the forcesthat kick-started my first campaign.

“Now One CommonCause is fighting to get a better deal for

personnel leaving

the forces.”

“It has been great that the Lib Dems have takenon the issues – pay,equipment and housing -and are activelycampaigning to get abetter deal for all thepeople serving our country.”

Lib Dem Leader NickClegg visited Britishtroops in Afghanistanlast year. He hasseen for himself thedifficulty our troops face on the front line.

Nick Clegg was one of the first to speak

out about poor pay and equipment shortages for those serving in

Afghanistan.

Nick Clegg said, “It’s appalling that manysoldiers who put their lives on the linefor us are paid a pittance.

“It’s even worse that they aren’t being given the equipment they need to do the

job.”

“I received one letter from a soldier’sfiancee telling the story of how she hadto go shopping to buy the equipment her

partner needed.“It’s got to change. It’s time to give oursoldiers the better deal they deserve.”

To find out more about the campaign

for a fair deal for our armed forces,

visit www.NickClegg.com/armed forces

or look for O on

Facebook.

8 6 1 5 7

3

2 1 4

5 2 7 3 1

1 9 4

6 4

4 7 2 9

5 6 3

3 5 7 8

Play the Talk of the Town

Sudoku challenge!

Simply fill in the grid on the

left so that each column, each

row, and each of the nine 3x3

blocks contains each of thedigits from 1 to 9.

Our quick guide to the next election in Newport EastThe Conservativesare out of the racefor Newport East.Many former Conservativesupporters arebacking EdTownsend to winthe next GeneralElection.

Ed Townsend and the LibDems have a record of keeping their promises.Taking action on issuesthat people care about likeimproving local roads.Ed will be a strong voicefor Newport andSevernside at Westminster.

Winning a fair deal for the GurkhasMany readers gavetheir support to the campaign to wina fair deal for the Gurkhas.

For over 100 years, Gurkhas have servedvaliantly in the British Army. Gurkhasoldiers have fought for our nationaround the world.

But few people realised how badlyGurkhas were treated by our ownGovernment.

When Gurkha soldiers finished theirservice, they could find themselves being DEPORTED from the very country theyserved!

A campaign to right this historical wrong was started in 2004 by a local Lib Demcampaigner in Kent.

From humble beginnings the campaign

grew to become a political sensationhitting the headlines across the UK.

Actress Joanna Lumley, whose fatherserved with the Gurkhas, became theface of the campaign leading the effortsto get Gordon Brown to do the right thing.

Nick Clegg’s Lib Dems, who had backedthe Gurkhas from day one, inflictedGordon Brown’s first Parliamentarydefeat on Gurkha citizenship.

Finally the Government caved in and at long last, Gurkha soldiers will have theright to live in the UK when they retire.

Ed Townsend said, “I would like to thankeveryone locally who gave their backing to the Gurkhas. I was proud to be part of this campaign and am delighted that theGurkhas will now get a fair deal.”

Joanna Lumley , Nick Cleggand many others play ed a bigr ole in Gur kha r ight s campaign

Pic in

uniform

Nick Cowan

in Jordan

Their job is difficult enough,so why do our troops get such a bad deal?

Who will be next?Everyone wants to have an MP who keeps their promises and will fight hard for their community.

Ed Townsend has proved that he keeps his promises.He said that Liberal Democrats would deliver new roadsand pavements where people live if they were runningthe council in Newport. This is what he has done.

He said he would find the money to build a new schoolin Hartridge after the pot was left empty by Labour. Thisis what he has done.

He said he would clean up the riverbank instead of arguing over whose job it was. This is what he has done.

Every day more and more Conservative supporters inour area are telling Ed Townsend that they are backinghim at the General Election. In November, with just a fewmonths to go the Conservatives hadn’t even selected acandidate. They know they can’t win here.

Only Ed Townsend can beat Labour in Newport East.

It’s Ed Townsend

or Labour here!

Lifelong Labour supportersfeel let down by Labour andare turning their backs onGordon Brown’s party.After years of taking peoplefor granted in Newport Eastand Severnside, Labour arestruggling to convinceelectors to back themagain.

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Ed'sTalk of the Town-Winter-Websize