Ealing and West London news, sport and information from the Ealing Times

A way forward on knife crime

3:32pm Friday 18th July 2008

Knife crime, especially amongst young people, is at the top of the country's political agenda and, sadly, it has blighted our own local area. Only this week a 16-year-old was in court for possession of a knife in Greenford and during the past year there have been tragic deaths of two young men in West Ealing and Windmill Park. Suggestions as to how we tackle this problem are coming thick and fast and talk shows and the tabloids are in overdrive.

Happy birthday NHS

3:28pm Friday 18th July 2008

My parents' first son was born and died in 1946, their second in 1947 and I was born with the NHS in July 1948. Sometimes we take this amazing institution for granted but, to many people, the NHS was - and is - the difference between life and death.

Celebrating our common values

11:10am Thursday 5th June 2008

Last Sunday I spoke at the opening ceremony of the Acton Mosque. Anyone who has passed through Acton High Street in the past year will have seen the dome and minaret under construction.

Contrasting reactions to disaster

11:04am Thursday 5th June 2008

During the past month the world has witnessed two terrible natural disasters, the earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, and Cyclone Nargis in Burma. The response of the two affected countries' governments has been a marked contrast.

A break from the road

11:02am Thursday 5th June 2008

Whichever way you slice it you have to accept that driving in this city of ours will never be a pleasure again.

'Terrible news about Ken'

9:41am Friday 9th May 2008

Almost everyone who came to my surgery this week began the conversation by saying "terrible news about Ken" or some such similar lament for Mr Livingstone's demise.

Specialist service is needed

9:32am Friday 9th May 2008

Conservative Ealing Council is pressing ahead with a grants commissioning process that will halt council funding to Southall Black Sisters (SBS). This is a serious mistake by the council, as by its own admission, it will have an adverse impact on the services provided to black and minority ethnic women in the borough suffering from domestic violence. It could also lead to the closure of this internationally renowned organisation that has been at the forefront of helping some of the most marginalised women take control of their lives when they have been blighted by domestic violence.

Time to clamp down

9:26am Friday 9th May 2008

I've become obsessive about the legalised highway robbery that allows clamping companies to immobilise vehicles and cart them off to some farm deep in the countryside where they are held to ransom just for the crime of parking for a few moments on private land.

Disabled still fighting discrimination

10:37am Thursday 10th April 2008

Ealing Centre for Independent Living (ECIL) is a local charity with national ambitions. Under the dynamic leadership of Sian Vasey, it provides both a voice and a wide range of services for disabled people living in the borough.

Vote for city's future

10:32am Thursday 10th April 2008

Your vote for London on May 1 is important as these elections will affect every single one of us in Ealing Southall, which is part of the Ealing and Hillingdon London Assembly division.