News in Bristol
Bristol is a vibrant city with many communities, cultures and groups mixing together. Normally never out of the news, Bristol is normally features for one reason or another, be that the acheivements of local people or one of Bristol's major industries latest developments..
Bristol News
Sep 9th
Any cuts 'will hit private firms'
A business owner in Bristol says she believes the private sector will also be hit if government spending cuts take place.
Sep 8th
Wanted posters are issued after three ornamental birds go missing in North Somerset.
South Gloucestershire Council says it expects more than 300 jobs will be lost as it looks to save £36m.
Three men, including two from Bristol, are arrested after a pursuit during which a police dog van was rammed.
Police are concerned about a 14-year-old girl from Bristol who has gone missing with her 11-month-old daughter.
Sep 7th
A man jailed for six years for wounding with intent absconds from Leyhill Open Prison in South Gloucestershire.
Jul 6th
An Army doctor from Bristol talks of the teamwork to break record
May 10th
Crews called to house fire
EASTON: Fire crews were called to a fire at a house in Chelsea Road on Saturday night.
When they arrived at about 8pm, they found thick black smoke coming from a blaze in a ground floor bedroom.
No one was inside at the time. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A CAMPAIGN calling for a fair voting system came to Bristol when 150 people marched through the city centre.
The march and a rally on College Green were organised by the Take Back Parliament movement, a coalition of groups such as the Electoral Reform Society, the Fawcett Society and Power2010.
It coincided with events in other cities that called for a change to the first-past-the-post electoral system used in Britain. The coalition was launched on polling day last week in response to claims that millions of votes cast would have been wasted. Members said the outcome of the election was the most unequal ever due to the high turnout and they are pressing for a more proportional method to be introduced.
Wearing purple –the colour associated with the women's suffragette movement –people of all ages met on College Green before marching onto the Centre and through the city.
Tom O'Bryan, of Power2010, said: "Proportional representation is making the news after the election and we hope there will be a referendum on a new voting system."
He said there was no need for people to be frightened of a hung parliament or a coalition as it had worked in other countries, such as Germany.
NEW MPs in the Bristol area have spoken out as the Liberal Democrats hold crunch talks with the Tories over a power- sharing deal.
Negotiators for the two parties met yesterday for a meeting to spell out their demands in talks that could see the Lib Dems and Conservatives form a coalition government.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown returned to Downing Street amid warnings from Labour MPs that his position as Prime Minister was becoming increasingly untenable.
But Bristol East Labour MP Kerry McCarthy told the Evening Post yesterday she believed Mr Brown should "hang on in there".
She said: "In difficult economic times, we need someone who is experienced."
As for a deal between the Lib Dems and the Tories, Ms McCarthy claimed it would cause "absolute uproar" within the Lib Dem ranks.
She said: "I don't want there to be a Conservative and Lib Dem alliance. It doesn't look as though a Lib Dem/Labour coalition is on the cards – but who knows, it is all so much in the air at the moment.
"To me, all signs are pointing to another election before too long. I think if there is a Lib Dem and Conservative alliance it could even destroy the Lib Dem party.
"All we can do as Labour MPs is remain solid in what we stand for, if we are allowed to form a government again."
Bristol West Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams said he had met with other members of the Lib Dem shadow cabinet on Saturday to decide on their objectives going into the talks. He said: "Although I can't really say what I want to see happen, because I am involved, I can say that I want to see a stable government. But we also need a change in the electoral system and a revolution of British politics, and the Conservatives need to accept that is what we want."
He said that if the talks between Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron broke down, the Lib Dems would meet with Labour.
Thornbury and Yate Lib Dem MP Steve Webb said: "It is all very fluid at the moment. Although I would not have chosen this outcome, the Conservatives do have the right to seek to form a government. We should not stand in their way."
Conservative MPs in the Bristol area were positive about a possible coalition. New Bristol North West Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie said: "Quite simply, I'd like to see a stable government that is able to make quick decisions. That is the priority. How we get there is all secondary – the country is in a lot of trouble until we get there.
"I think fiddling about with electoral reform is just a side show at this stage."
Kingswood Conservative MP Chris Skidmore said an alliance could be good news for his constituency. He said: "The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats share a common policy to protect the green belt, so a coalition between them would be welcome. The green belt is my priority."
North East Somerset Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "Although I wish the Conservatives had won a majority, that has not happened. We have to come to some agreement, to make a government possible."
Weston-super-Mare Tory MP John Penrose said: "There are a lot of areas where the two parties agree, like our policies on climate change and school funding. So there is plenty of potential for agreement, even though there are inevitably a few important differences too. For the good of the country, both sides need to be willing to work reasonably together."
South Bristol Labour MP Dawn Primarolo, North Somerset Conservative MP Dr Liam Fox and Filton and Bradley Stoke Tory MP Jack Lopresti were not available for comment last night.
News Items courtesy of Bristol Evening Post and BBC News
