Blog 29 Gaza – out and about canvassing – Community Speedwatch – Spuds
Jul 12, 2025
Photo: Dave Clinch
On Wednesday at 5pm I joined some 25 comrades in Barnstaple for our weekly Gaza vigil. Sometimes 40 take part. Although the BBC has aired important interviews with eye-witnesses of the latest Israel terror attacks on unarmed Palestinians – and the brave IDF soldiers who refuse to continue these war crimes – our national broadcaster is still not interviewing our government’s ministers on its complicity. Why not? Meanwhile, the war criminal Netanyahu nominates the treasonous felon Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize – and Trump’s administration sanctions the most eloquent truth-teller about Gaza, Francesca Albanese of the UN, while the German government freezes the bank accounts of a film maker for documenting Gaza demonstrations in Berlin. The world is being turned upside down before our eyes and the genocide continues.
A by-election has been called in a local ward. Rosie and I have been out leafleting and canvassing for our friend Dave, who we know as a marvellous musician as well as a long-time Green supporter. We have got to know North Devon in granular detail thanks to helping with Green election campaigns over the past 15 years or so. It’s good to chat on doorsteps and help residents with problems – like worn white lines at a bus stop which result in cars parking (dangerously) where they shouldn’t, or bushes overgrowing pavements. The Highways team at Devon County Council has a good website where problems can be reported – and a phoneline that answers.
The Swimbridge & Landkey Community Speedwatch were on duty as part of this national day. Between 8.30 and 9.30am on Landkey Road we recorded 21 speeding vehicles. There is indeed an epidemic of reckless driving. Local residents stop by to tell us about horrific incidents they’ve seen – and thank us for what we are doing.
I’m no great gardener but always put in potatoes each spring. These are First Earlies called Foremost and it was a pleasure to lift them this week – not one was damaged by insects. The Summer Raspberries are over but the first Blackberries are ripe. Thank you for reading.
Discussion about this post
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