Sustainable Stony Stratford...

Stony Stratford, although a great little town, I would not consider it to be a sustainable community.

As although the town as a whole does provide great levels of public transport through a regular bus service and great levels of accessibility, I do not believe this is enough to grant Stony Stratford as a sustainable community.

As the majority of residents have at least one private car, as well as there being a high percentage of residents using Stony Stratford as more of a commuter town, as although Stony Stratford does supply the town with local amenities, such as a mini supermarket, local newsagents, pharmacies etc. which are greatly sufficient to the local area, the major shopping needs are met elsewhere.

Also looking at the stats. from the Office of National Statistics, Stony Stratford, not being one of the larger surrounding areas for consumerism, such as central Milton Keynes or Bletchley, results in the town being more sustainable in comparison, with a high rate of employment, as well as wealth, and lower levels of crime and needs for emergency services.

In total Stony Stratford although being a great town, is not yet at the status of being a sustainable community.

Vote?...

Phyllis Starkey is the Labour MP for Milton Keynes South West which includes Stony Stratford, Galley Hill and Fullers Slade.

In my personal opinion, people who are not willing to vote, are either lazy or do not understand the importance of voting, whether it be for their own local elections or for general elections.
This view is strong, as I having voted for my local elections since I was 18, feeling the need to get my voice/vote heard, as the majority of people, if they vote or not, will happily moan about the way their town/village etc. is being run, but if they do not vote, how are they expecting these issues to change??
I feel it is ultimately very important to vote, as if you don't vote, you can't change...

In response to any main concerns I may have regarding the choice of my vote, I am not concerned about any external influences regarding my vote for my local election, as being from a strong Conservative based family, we always vote Conservative, as this influence has already been imprinted on my choice.

Although I would obviously change my vote if something drastic occurred which I did not agree with, but apart from that I am Conservative through and through :)

Transport Issues

Transport has and always will have problems. These being dangerous drivers, incorrect road systems, weather conditions, fatal accidents, congestion… you name it!

A lot of transport issues do arise and are pin pointed onto the fact of global emissions effecting the day to day lives of commuters and people alike.

There are overall great benefits, which in my personal opinion do outweigh those negative costs of motorised vehicles (emissions etc.)

There is always the generic option of taking public transport to limit the amounts of emissions and raise the levels of sustainability as a whole for travel and transport, to limit and maximise the long term benefits for the o-zone layer…

But I personally, more then likely due to having my own car, am not a huge fan of public transport, as it is very unreliable and just not nice! :/

Christmas, a time for excess...

I believe that Christmas at the end of the day is not sustainable at all.
This is due to the vast amounts of electricity used facilitating large amounts of festive decorations, from standard tree lights, to large structures layering the outsides of houses.
Food is also a large issue to consider, as there is always far too much left over, resulting in vast amounts of waste, which would not occur on a regular day of the year, being not Christmas day.

The amounts of packaging on the 'must have' toys and gifts in general also contributes greatly to the unsustainability of Christmas.

Overall I do believe that putting this all aside, Christmas is Christmas, and Christmas has always been known as a day of vast excess and indulgence in luxuries you would not receive during the rest of the year.

Which is why, although Christmas is not celebrated or based on sustainable morals, Christmas is only enjoyed once a year and Christmas would not be the same if these unsustainable morals were stripped away (and you only live once) :)

'News' paper??

I believe that the best selling UK newspapers cover the stories which are most likely to sell at the time.

For instance, whether a celebrity has been drink driving or been kicked out of a reality TV program. I believe that the stories covered in these papers are also displayed through the actual principles behind the papers themselves, as people who purchase The Sun are hardly going to expect a front page spread donned with political issues...

I do believe that newspapers do have the right to educate and inform, but also at the end of the day to entertain aswell, which is how the papers will shift sales wise, as a negative filled paper about political downfalls is not going to sell as well as a paper full of gossip about celebrities about who is hot and who is not....
This I have to say is a sad reflection on the society we live in, as a newspaper in my own opinion should primarily educate and infrom over anything else...

From this it does show that reality TV programs and soaps alike do have a great amount of influence over the UK public, but this has been an evident factor for many years, which is why the newspapers have had to follow suit, whether they like it or not, as reluctance will result in downfall.

Empowered citizenship

I believe that as a citizen of the United Kingdom, and theoretically the world as a whole, I believe it is my duty to be informed, in the means of both political, and economical issues, as well as anything which will ultimately affect me as a U.K. citizen.

I feel I am overall informed well, through the means of education, as well as reading the paper, watching the television & listening to the radio.

I do believe it is my duty as a citizen to be informed on what is happening around me, but there is always a point where practically, the decisions I make or could possibly make would not make any difference in the long run, so that is when I believe it is the duty of others who are superior to me, as it were, to take the reins, and take control/make the decisions on behalf of myself and fellow citizens (such as the political differences in the world and vast economic issues).

In conclusion, I believe that as a citizen I do ultimately have the right for my decisions and voice to be heard, but when it comes to decisions at a worldwide scale for example, these are no longer in my control, so that is when politicians and world leaders need to take over, to hopefully make the right decisions for the rest of the world, as their own duty for others.

An Inconvenient truth, or a great way to be bitter??

I believe that this film, having seen it fully before, can only be fully appreciated if it is seen through to the end, to be able to truly understand the extent/messages that Al Gore is purveying to you as the audience, and quintessentially to the predecessors of the world who are going to have to live with the ever rising levels of global warming, and the effects it is having on the earth around us/them.

I believe that although the film was primarily to educated fellow viewers to understand the effects of global warming and how to possibly halt/adapt the way the people of the world are living as a whole, the fact of Al Gore not receiving the 'title' of American president was portrayed far too much for a film which was based on changing the way people live there day to day lives...

I do believe the film is a very successful way to inform and educate the world as a whole through a successful form of medium, but when the main topics of carbon emissions and melting polar ice caps, suddenly transform into a 'sob story' of what 'should have' happened, shows that Al Gore is more than likely riding a media fuelled band wagon, by getting his own bitterness across, as well as what he believes would not have happened to the world if he was in presidential control of America, but the fact is, he did not make the presidential role, whether it was fixed or not. So the viewers along with the rest of the world will never know whether the promises and theories Al Gore is protesting about would have actually materialised...

In conclusion I believe that the film as a whole is a great way to educate and inform all ages of what is happening/going on in the physical world around them, but the continual bitterness also displayed throughout the film to continually remind the viewer Al Gore did not receive the governing role he strived for, results in a very lacklustre message as a whole.