Leveller

If you were inconvenienced, upset or mistreated by the "human barriers" this week you may like to come to the next meeting of Residents against Station Closure which is tomorrow evening. 7pm Tuesday 25th March 2014 Victoria Centre Stafford Road S2 2SE

Collecting the unpaid tax is a good idea but easier said than done. Here's what the Greens want to spend it on. Saving the libraries, help for the poorest residents affected by the changes to Council Tax benefit and reversing some of the worst cuts to care for the elderly/disabled. http://sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/2014/02/24/less-than-50p-a-week-video/

please tell me more Cheeky

"There's some good questions in there. But also a lot of irrelevant/unrelated ones - it might have been better to cut them down a bit. Maybe ask for a date when a detailed policy of the scheme will be available rather than 40 odd individual questions! And I'm not sure why they would feel compelled to answer the cost-related questions. Also "refused to answer" is a bit strong if what they actually did was say that answering all 100 odd questions in a short time wouldn't be possible due to resourcing issues so tried to answer some questions the best they could." Well there are lots of people in our group all wanting answers to different questions.What may seem irrelevant to you is very pertinent to someone else. However when they refused to answer these questions we did cut them down considerably and try again. But EMT are still refusing to answer.

Those of you interested in reading the questions that RASC asked EMT and EMT have refused to answer can find them here. http://manorcastlegreens.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-01-07T12%3A41%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7 Find the post from the 4th December. You may then realise why RASC are so concerned, and what we are protesting about.

Yes I have seen the state of the world, that's exactly why I think it is so important to encourage people to walk to town, rather than jump in their cars and add to global warming. We need to do everything we can to encourage walking, cycling and use of public transport. The bridge is one of the few places where there is real connectivity- trains/trams/pedestrians/bus station. Why are you so keen that we should lose this?

RASCs position has always been clear. We are opposed to EMT restricting access across the bridge. We want EMT to come up with a better way to collect fares without inconveniencing us.We sympathise with them in that they are losing money through fare dodging- but it is not our job to suggest how they can improve fare collection. When we said they should have more ticket inspectors on trains they complained that the trains were often too full for the inspectors to get down them! I think there are two types of people who don't pay fares. Hardened fare dodgers and opportunists. Hardened fare dodgers will continue to dodge fares if the barriers are installed. They could buy a ticket to Meadowhell and then go anywhere they choose- especially if the train companies policy is to have fewer staff on the trains. Then you have the opportunist who is quite happy to pay, but never sees a ticket collector, arrives at the destination and can't be bothered to queue up at the other end to pay. Barriers may mean these people have to pay up- but that shouldn't be at the expense of the safe pedestrian route to town for the folk that live around Norfolk Park/Park Hill. The bridge was paid for with public money. It should not be left to EMT to decide what happens to it. All the elected representatives of the City of Sheffield oppose it. It will be a very sad day for democracy if it goes ahead.

OK hotphil, have just managed to catch up with the correspondence since last night- sorry some of us aren't on Sheff Forum continuously! I think the RASC website tells the public most of the info we have had from EMT. It's EMT you want to hassle for more info.There have been some "consultation" meetings, but these have been quite a farce. EMT say they are listening to our concerns but fail to change their proposals. Recently they have completely refused to answer our long list of carefully thought out questions about how the pass system will work. If we had some answers we would put them on the website. We suspect they wont answer because they haven't got a clue themselves.They can't tell us who will qualify for a pass, how we will get them, how long they willl last before they need to be renewed, etc. etc. On the point of platform tickets, as far as I am aware EMT have said this wont be possible. So someone coming to meet an elderly relative from a train wouldn't be able to meet them at the platform- even if they were happy to pay £1.50 Another point is what happens when the franchise comes to an end? If the pass system doesn't work or is too expensive to administer, the barriers are in, how do people get through? Personally I don't trust EMT. They have treated the local residents, the Council and the MP's with complete disdain. Sooner we get them nationalised the better!

Firstly the Council website vote is impartial. It allows people to vote yes or no to station barriers. However I think the Council have taken it down now as the links to it no longer seem to be working. With over 2000 votes 96% were opposed to barriers. But seeing as 100% of the Councillors and Sheffield MPs are opposed to EMT's scheme, I don't really see why the Council should be impartial. I would be interested to know what facts you think are missing from the RASC website. RASC has informed the public of EMT's plans and clearly listed objections to them. If you have particular questions I may be able to help you. Please consider signing the on-line petition to Geoff Hoon http://www.petitiononline.com/rasc/petition.html

This post was completely misleading. There are not yet any barriers up and there is no sign of any work being started.

Jessie will be very sadly missed. I will always remember her as a formidable peace campaigner, who spoke calmly and prophetically to MP's and other powerful people. She was a great inspiration to very many Sheffield folk, in the Quakers and the wider peace movement. Thank you Jessie, for showing so many people how to live.

Can we get back to the topic? Burundi is not a safe place to be deporting a young girl to- here is an extract from a recent letter to the British Ambassador. EveryOne Group is aware that in 2006 a truce was established between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi. However not everyone knows (due to the international press showing little interest in the political situation in African countries) that in April 2008 the hostilities and massacres have started up again, as can seen in the article attached. In any case, even if the sides were to reach a new truce, we have to take into account that the political situation in Burundi is very unstable and the periods of quiet short-lived. If Annonciate were to be sent back to her country, her life would be in danger and the United Kingdom would be committing an abuse towards a refugee who has a right to political asylum. It is important that the United Kingdom, well-known for its attention to human rights, does not make this mistake; that it places itself in Europe and in the world as an example of a civilized nation, far from the xenophobia that afflicts our times and which, unfortunately, Italy is in the grips of. EveryOne Group stresses that in April 2008 the conflicts in Bujumbura, in the African country flared up again, with dozens of victims, and the Tutsi woman’s life would be in danger if she were to be deported to her homeland. We are sure you will listen to the cry for justice rising from people in your country and will not allow the fight against immigration to become an instrument of repression against innocent people who have taken refuge in the United Kingdom in order to survive. Thank you for your attention and the sensibility you decide to show towards this case. Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro, Dario Picciau – EveryOne Group Burundi rebels shell capital BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI Apr 23 2008 15:50 Burundian rebels fired a dozen shells at the capital, Bujumbura, overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, hitting the residence of the Vatican's ambassador, an army spokesperson said. The attack by the National Liberation Forces (FNL) -- the third in less than a week -- came the day after the Burundian military bombed rebel strongholds north of the capital. There was no immediate casualty count from the overnight shelling, but at least 33 people have died since the FNL began an offensive on April 15. "The FNL fired around a dozen shells for three hours up to midnight on Tuesday evening from the hills overlooking Bujumbura .... we don't yet have a toll for this new attack," said army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Adolphe Manirakiza. "One of the shells fell on the building of the nunciature [the office of the Holy See's envoy to Burundi], but there were no casualties, although the building was damaged," an anonymous Western diplomat in the capital said. "The nuncio has already returned to his residence above the mission," the source added. According to military sources, the nunciature was hit by a Katyusha rocket. The FNL rebels were uncontactable on Wednesday morning. Heavy gunfire and loud explosions were heard across the city during the night. On Tuesday, a military plane from the Burundi air force was seen by witnesses bombing rebel hideouts in the Rukoko marshes, about 20km north of the capital. That was in return for an FNL attack on Monday on the town of Gihanga, which left six rebels and a soldier dead. "Both parties promised the international community on Monday to cease their hostilities ... they have not kept their word whilst the fighting seems to have hardened since then," said the same diplomat, saying he was "disappointed". The rebels accuse the government of sabotaging a ceasefire, while several sources agree that the real death toll in the past week has been far higher than the 33 officially announced. On Sunday, the United Nations postponed a planned peace mission to Burundi in the wake of the clashes, although it gave no official reason for the delay. The high-level mission was due to have been led by Norway's ambassador to the UN, Johan Lovald, but will now go at a later, unspecified date. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week denounced the new violence, calling for an immediate end to the fighting and for both sides to resume dialogue and conclude the peace process. In September 2006, three years after a civil war that claimed 300 000 lives, the FNL signed a second peace deal with newly elected authorities, but it has yet to be implemented. The Central African country is still emerging, with difficulty, from the conflict that began in 1993, mainly pitting rebels from the Hutu majority population against the Tutsi minority, which then dominated the army. A power-sharing government was formed in 2001, while clashes were still taking place. South Africa mediated among the different sides until almost all the rebel groups agreed to a ceasefire. -- Sapa-AFP

I think the picture in the Star will show you there were considerably more than 3 of us, including Councillors from Labour and Greens, (possibly Lib Dems? sorry if I didn't recognise you) and lots of local residents. None of us are opposed to stopping fare dodgers, but this scheme wont do that! Determined fare dodgers will get on at ungated stations or simply buy a ticket to Meadowhall but then travel much further. The only way to stop fare dodgers is for the train companies to adequately staff the trains to ensure that all passengers tickets are checked. EMT's latest proposal is that Sheffielders would be issued with a card that entitles them to go through the station, so they would still be able to dodge fares if they wanted to. We spoke to lots of users of the station today, and most people were extremely supportive. The only person that spoke against was an employee of EMT! I wonder if he's called semerpus?

There will be a protest outside the railway station this Friday evening (September 19th), from 4.30-6.30. This is to protest about about the proposal to install barriers and prevent pedestrians using the foot bridge over Sheffield train station. The foot bridge is used by passengers, residents, tram users, students at both Sheffield College and Hallam University and is crucial to the development of Sheaf Valley Park and the new Park Hill flats. The foot bridge is a well used walkway and the only accessible route way for wheelchairs and buggies, into the city centre from this part of the city. If you would like to comment on this proposal go to the Sheffield Council website and click on Station Walkway on the front page and/ or contact getintouch at eastmidlandstrains.co.uk Please come and join us on Friday.

I think the new situation on the Council will be good for the Greens- we can stop trying to squeeze little green nuggets from the Labour budget, and concentrate on being a proper opposition party. We need to bring to the attention of the council the really important issues that will effect Sheffield in the next decade- policies that can combat catastrophic climate change, preparation for more extreme weather events like last years floods, the advent of peak oil and the economic chaos that that will cause etc etc.