Tessa Jowell Q & A

[Exiled in Exeter]

I went to the Commons once, when the future of football league clubs following ITV digital disaster was being debated, and Jowell's reply to questions, were something along the lines ‘if clubs are badly managed and in debt, then they could and maybe should go to the wall but government will not bail them out’.

 

[fataddick]

She's already fifteen minutes late. Hopefully 'cause she's seen the questions and is making panicked calls to her researchers to find out about this Community Stadium that everyone's asking about...

 

[Simster]

She's already fifteen minutes late. Hopefully 'cause she's seen the questions and is making panicked calls to her researchers to find out about this Community Stadium that everyone's asking about...

I think you could be right there...

 

[fatbadger]

Right, she's started. Let's she what happens. It's started with a classic 'plant' question...

 

[fatbadger]

Usual waffle so far. There has been a question about community sports facilities, but nothing that refers to our questions.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

You're up!!!!

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Tim:
While the Olympics and Wembley developments are of national importance does the minister acknowledge the importance of local community stadiums such as the one proposed by Brighton and Hove Albion and supported by Brighton City Council?

Tessa Jowell: I certainly acknowledge the importance of good local stadiums to provide modern facilities for local teams and a decent environment for spectators. As a government, we've made great efforts to increase the investment in grass roots football, particularly through the Football Foundation.


Not bad answer really

 

[Marc]

Tim:
While the Olympics and Wembley developments are of national importance does the minister acknowledge the importance of local community stadiums such as the one proposed by Brighton and Hove Albion and supported by Brighton City Council?

Tessa Jowell: I certainly acknowledge the importance of good local stadiums to provide modern facilities for local teams and a decent environment for spectators. As a government, we've made great efforts to increase the investment in grass roots football, particularly through the Football Foundation.


Not bad answer really

Kind of answer we like I think, I'll take that.

 

[balloonboy]

Is the Football Foundation part of the funding for Falmer?

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

She was never going to say, "Brighton should get the stadium" but it shows that the gov is in favour of these types of stadium

 

[balloonboy]

Also, it shows she now knows about the issue - I can't imagine they would have put the question in without their being a decent load of folks posing it.

 

[fataddick]

She also had time to add this before she wound up the Q & A...

"Tessa Jowell: Thanks to all the people who have emailed from Brighton about the local stadium, which, as a planning matter, is for John Prescott to determine."

...so if she wasn't aware of the depth of feeling before, she clearly is now.

 

[y2dave]

Nothing to get excited about but a job well done. Keeps the pressure up.

 

[Exiled in Exeter]

I like the fact the issue has made it onto the front of the Labour homepage:

Olympics will benefit us all - Jowell
Monday 9 February 2004
The whole country will benefit from a successful London Olympics bid, bringing wealth and interest from across the world, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said today. On childhood obesity Tessa said: "We have promised to re-introduce sport in schools for all children so that each is assured of at least two hours a week sport or PE." She also took your questions on the running of the BBC, a free print and broadcast media and Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

 

[Exiled in Exeter]

Well done everyone for making their feelings clear.

"Tessa Jowell: Thanks to all the people who have emailed from Brighton about the local stadium, which, as a planning matter, is for John Prescott to determine."

While I accept what she is saying, as she is the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport it is still very reasonable to question her regarding Falmer.

 

[Raphael Meade]

cracking effort all. keeping us in the limelight...

 

[London Calling]

Just got in, this reads well, great everyone.

A small damper is that her answer can also include the Inspector recommendations for alternative sites in Brighton.

However, it clearly indicates that she has been briefed by her Planning officials.

 

[Henfield One]

This is excellent - well done all. Puts our case right in front of the MPs. Can do no harm whatsoever, conducted civilly and presented well. Top dollar.

 

[fataddick]

Indeed. There was no way Tessa Jowell could say anything substantive either way (being as Prescott is behoven to act in a quasi-judicial hands-off non-political manner in the whole process), but raising the issue can't have done any harm. Reading between the lines the Big Conversation folks were maybe surprised by the amount of questions they got on this. The fact that as a result the lead story/link on Labour's website mentions Albion is surely a good thing. Bear in mind, most big companies have IE set to automatically open up the company's own home page. OK, in government offices it will open up governmental ("non-political") pages, but in Labour head office it will open up that page and (unless there is big news inbetween) presumably all their policy shapers will turn up in the morning to mention of Albion on screen when they access the Internet. That is surely a *good thing*. Above all you have to bear in mind in all of this that the anti-Falmer Stadium lot have no protests lined up, no campaigns, no publicity stunts. Why? Because they don't want the issue raised nationally as they know they lost the argument long ago - they want it kept quiet and 'provincial'. Anything that brings even just the phrase "Falmer Stadium" into wider circulation represents - at this time - a defeat for the NIMBYs.

 

[SuperFurrySeagull]

Well done to all involved in the above; a brilliant piece of opportunist awareness-raising.

:falmerspi: