Archive for January 6th, 2009

Encouraging Signs On Transport Investment

Published by Iain on January 6, 2009 in Greater Manchester and Salford. 9 Comments

David Cameron’s visit to Greater Manchester has gone extremely well. A packed hall in Bolton yesterday evening was followed by a Get Britain Working forum right here in Salford – with Salford Conservative leader Karen Garrido on the panel – and then the much-anticipated reader debate at the Manchester Evening News.

It’s a real measure of the openness and approachability of David Cameron that he is prepared to take unprompted questions from allcomers, and a huge contrast that with Gordon Brown’s stage-managed public appearances.

The local news coverage has focused on Cameron’s comments about public transport and the TIF bid, and from a Greater Manchester perspective his words are greatly reassuring. Conservatives have already committed to a huge investment in a high-speed rail link to Manchester and any commitment to mending Labour’s broken promises and congestion-charge blackmail over public transport in Greater Manchester is very welcome indeed.

Seeing Cameron

Published by Iain on January 6, 2009 in Greater Manchester. 4 Comments

Last night, I went along to the Reebok Stadium in Bolton – along with another 1100 or so people – to listen to David Cameron talk to community and business representatives from across the region at an event hosted by Sajjad Karim MEP.

Later today, local residents across Greater Manchester get the chance to hear David Cameron answer questions about the economy in a debate hosted by the Manchester Evening News.

David Ottewell has previewed the visit here on his own blog and also in a piece for the Conservative Party’s own Blue Blog.

You can watch the debate live on Channel M from 12 noon and David’s MEN colleague Sarah Hartley will be live blogging from 11.30am.