Lunar Society hustings

Dear Wendy and friends - and copied to Labour Party member, Cllr Peter Lowe who is mentioned here.

Thanks so much for organising this excellent evening.  However, the dreadful acoustics left me uncertain, at many times, over what was said.  Admittedly, my old man's hearing and eyesight doesn't help either.  I would like to make these points:

1. It was quite disgraceful that there was no Labour Party representative to answer questions.  Why was the candidate not present?  Was he unwell?  If he was, why was there no substitute like Sion Simon or Cllr Peter Lowe or many other capable Labour Party members who could have stepped in at the last minute?
2. As you are aware, the meeting room was entirely inappropriate.  It was far too big, impressively brand new but, hopelessly grandiose.  Please, next time, a venue that has a good proven record for holding public meetings with satisfactory acoustics.  Even the seats were cheap and uncomfortable!
3. Would you please be so good as to give me the names and email addresses of the Reform Party, Peter who stood in for the actual candidate, and the LibDem man who also stood in for the actual candidate, Sunny Virk.  I have the addresses of the actual candidates but not the stand ins.
4. Self-declared Independent candidates, like me, who have no intention of going beyond the cut off point when the £5,000 deposit has to be paid (8 April) but who have given the deposit to an international humanitarian charity (UNHCR in my case, this time) should be allowed, up until getting confirmed, on 8 April.  It all adds to the interest and entertainment of the occasion to have outspoken and rare individuals like me!
5. Such is the prestigious founding of the Lunar Society and its Establishment roots, I do think that nationally important matters like the WMCA 2019 declared Climate Emergency should have been addressed.  In addition, we need to face up to the fact that West Midlands armaments manufacturers are contributing to the wholly innocent citizens of Gaza being killed by those well meaning residents in our midst making drones and weapons used in air strikes to kill, so far, 32,000 people.  Why are our Mayoral candidates not calling for a ban on regional arm sales to Israel when such a ban is required by international law?
6. The further scandal that must have the concern, the interest, the action of the Lunar Society and that stops with the Mayor is the ongoing, fifth decade of converting two mainline railways into tramways!  On the 25 July 2023, on Radio WM, Andy Street told me that "it is full steam ahead" with the Dudley Tram between Wednesbury and Merry Hill Shopping Centre on the railway​
    "of national strategic significance".pdf
   ​This is incompetent, it is idiocy and, it is costing hundreds of millions of pounds in both price and in weight of deadly greenhouse gases to accelerate climate breakdown.  And, it is hardly "full steam ahead", too - even after 40 years!
7. The totally ineffective £6.1 BILLION between 2017 and 2032 for mainly Metro and Sprint extensions is also scandalous when that money should be used to insulate the homes of the poorest and, to house the most badly housed in 1/2 bedroom apartments at High Plateau but, which is due to have the Dudley Tram running across one corner of it, as here:​
    WBHE plan for Merry Hill.jpeg
   ​Thanks so much for raising your profile with the excellent events the Lunar Society has organised in recent months.  Last night's was the third I attended.