Greening of Wanstead continues

One of the striking things when walking up so many paths for the recent elections was the fantastic gardens in the area There are some really imaginative front gardens, some with raised beds, others nice balances of the practical and beautiful.The gardens are a real example of what can be done in a small space, with a bit of ingenuity. There has been growing concern over recent years of increasing numbers of front gardens being concreted over. When this tendency is taken in the round, as a number of boroughs have done with comprehensive surveys, it amounts to a huge amount of land. The London Firebrigade creat4d a front garden for the Chelsea Flower Show demonstrating what can be done, as well as the flood risk from concreting over. This land is being lost to biodiversity and creates an increasing flood risk. However, as mentioned, there are plenty of imaginative offerings going in the other direction. More street trees are another plus. Some have been replaced, when required plus other new ones in parts of the borough. The burgeoning number of tree pits being tended, with wild flowers also make a great contribution to the insect population and biodiversity. Trees and planted tree pits make a big difference to the look of a road. Woodcote Road in Wanstead is one that comes to mind if people want to see just what a difference these aspects can make to the look of a road. The work of the community gardeners and Wild Wanstead contributes tremendously to the biodiversity of the area. The beds around George Green and Wanstead station are fantastic, particularly those in the middle of the road around Harrier Way. The council bulb giveaway has helped improve biodiversity such as on Nightingale Green. Also, the ongoing roll out of growzones across the borough. More always needs to be done ofcourse. It would be good if a joint effort from the council, TFL and the community could help accelerate the greening of the stretch between the Green Man and Redbridge Roundabouts. More, trees, shrubs and flowering areas would help counter carbon dioxide and pollution, as well as improving the look of the area. The new planters and baskets that have so brightened up the high street over recent months need sponsorship from local business and groups if they are to continue. Edible gardens are becoming more commonplace across the country. A place where members of the community tend a vegetable patch. The resulting crops can then be distributed to those who need and want it. Snaresbrook school has some excellent edible gardens in operation. Community composting is something in its infancy but hopefully will take off in Wanstead. We have a very rich, biodiverse area but there is so much more that can be done to improve things in this direction. Let's push on with that work.

Another great season for West Ham but also a number of what ifs??

It was another good season for West Ham, finishing 7th in the Premier League, while progressing to the semi-final of the Europa League. But it will also be remembered as a season of what might, or even, should have beens. For much of the season a top four finish seemed on the cards, then teams with deeper pockets passed West Ham by. Pre- Christmas Spurs and Arsenal were hardly in the race but they steadily improved to finish above West Ham. Spurs grabbing the fourth spot and European Champions League qualification. Then, in the Europa League, West Ham qualified for the knock out stages, having memorable victories over Sevilla and Lyon. But then they ran out of steam, falling against what looked a lesser team in Eintracht Frankfurt. Manager, David Moyes, will have learnt lessons and be ready to push on next season but what if the club had made the signings required to strengthen the bid this season? It is crazy that three transfer windows have passed since striker Sebastian Haller was sold to Ajax, yet no replacement found. So much time in fact that Haller, a flop at West Ham, has resurrected his career to the extent that top Premier League sides are now seeking to sign him. Meanwhile, the striking burden fell to Michail Antonio, who battled on courageously but he desperately needed back up in the role. The seasons successes have included Jarrod Bowen, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions and is well overdue an England call up. Hammer of the Year Declan Rice has once again been outstanding, needing only to add more goals to his game to be the complete midfielder. At the back Craig Dawson has been superb, ably supported by Kurt Zouma (cat incident aside). Ben Johnson has shown much promise at right and left back but needs a regular starting spot next season. Defence is another area in urgent need of strengthening. It is an ageing back line, perhaps most clearly exposed in Aaron Cresswell, who now lacks the pace he once had. It was that lack of pace and positional sense that saw him caught out and sent off against Eintracht Frankfurt and Lyon, which cost the team so dear in the end. Midfielder, Said Benrahma has shown what great potential he has but there has been a lack of consistency. Moyes seems hesitant to play him when other options are available and often too quick to make him the first substitution. However, Benrahma really suffers from the inflexibility of the system at West Ham The rigid almost formulaic approach that sees the ball constantly going down the flanks for the cross over. There can be gaping gaps in the middle to be filled but these are mostly ignored. More variety and shots from around the edge of the penalty area could yield more reward. Benrahma could be as effective for West Ham as Dimitri Payet, if given that free role but will that happen? It was also the final season for legendary club captain, Mark Noble, who has given 18 years of excellent service to the club. His influence in the dressing room will be sorely missed. A great professional who always gave his all through thick and thin for West Ham. So ends an exciting season at West Ham, with fans no doubt already looking forward to the new season beginning in August. The club also have the prospect of European football again, this time in the European Conference League. If David Moyes can strengthen his squad, as well as hanging on to the likes of Rice, Bowen and Tomas Soucek, then another exciting season beckons. West Ham are a big club now, with 60,000 plus coming into the London Stadium for every home game. They need to get the big club mentality, seeking Champions League qualification and European success as a matter of course, not exception.

Need more active travel and pedestrianisation to tackle pollution epidemic

Thank you to everyone who re-elected Jo Blackman, Daniel Morgan Thomas and myself as councillors for Wanstead Village in the recent election. It is indeed an honour. Now, the time has come to look forward to what can be done to improve things over the next four years. One of the most pressing issues must be air pollution. There has been lots in the media recently about the poor quality of the air in London. Wanstead is no exception. To a degree we sit on a traffic island, with heavy vehicle usage along the A406, the M11 Link Road and Cambridge Park. There is also Woodford Avenue, Hermon Hill and increasingly Wanstead High Street filling up with polluting motor vehicles. There are also accompanying concerns over road safety and speeding in the area Moves have been made to cut pollution, such as extension of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone. Also, the school streets schemes, where implemented, have helped cut traffic. The use of electric cars seems to be accelerating, no doubt driven partly by the increasing cost of fuel. The roll out of Electric Charging Points by the council has also helped drive this change. Measures are also being implemented to cut speeding and improve road safety. There does, though, need to be a modal shift in transport usage. A real change to more active travel. The new cycle lanes down Blakehall, Lakehouse, Centre and Aldersbrook Roads are a great start to this revolution. These lanes link to similar facilities in the neighbouring boroughs. More will follow. Wanstead is keen for more of such facilities, including cycle hangars and rings. The opening up of Wanstead Park to cycling is another good advance in helping create safe cycle routes. More, though, needs to be done, especially through central Wanstead but we are at least on our way. Better routes for walking come alongside cycle improvements. We need to be looking at more pedestrianisation, like other boroughs. It is a long road to cleaner air and safer streets but not one that we can avoid advancing quickly along. Pollution is an invisible killer that needs tackling now. More active travel is a key part of the solution.

Trump could be back

The play, the 47th at the Old Vic theatre imagines the return of Donald Trump as President of the US in 2024. It is a highly amusing play with Bertie Carvel brilliant in the role of Trump. The gestures, appearance and manipulation are all spot on. Trump returns, calling forth the mob in his support. Playwright Mike Bartlett conjures with the question as to what will happen, how can a Trump resurgence be dealt with? In the play Vice President Kamila Harris takes over from President Joe Biden and is set to contest with Trump, as to who will be the 47th President of the US. The 47th veers between satire and slapstick but nevertheless raises some important issues. If anyone questions the danger of a Trump return, then the recent interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV should assuage any doubts. Trump clearly intends to run. He continues to question the result of the 2020 election, while whipping up his followers. The threat of Trump and populism will remain until something is really done to bridge the gap between haves and have nots and the lack of trust in politicians generally. President Joe Biden has brought stability back to the American system. He has notably got to grips with the Covid pandemic. He is serious about climate change and inequality. However, he has not changed the system itself, just managed it better. The same process has been going on in this country for many years. A system that impoverishes many is never really challenged just managed differently. The Jeremy Corbyn led Labour Party offered real change, a program that saw thousands joining the party in support. However, that agenda was rejected at the polls in 2019. The people railed against elitism, via Brexit, then voted for a party representing the elite, led by an elitist - similar to what happened in America with Trump. The masses rail against elites then elect those from the elites, claiming they are not. We need a real return of integrity in politics. A system where people do as they say and when they do wrong step down. There also needs to be a fundamental change of the system to favour the many not the few. We cannot go on with such a polarising society that sees on one side more billionaires and on the other millions more going to foodbanks. Trust needs to be restored to our politics to bring about a genuine coming together for the common good. The politics of Trump in America and Boris Johnson here represent the opposite of such a consensus. * The 47th is on at the Old Vic till 28th May

West Ham push Man City to the limit

West Ham 2-2 Manchester City A pulsating game between West Ham and Manchester City, finished with honours even at the London Stadium. A game that marked the end of an illustrious 18 year career for club captain Mark Noble, who was to make a cameo appearance for the last 15 minutes, did not disappoint. Both teams needing the points for different reason, City to hold onto the title, West Ham to qualify for the Europa League next season. West Ham came out on the front foot, with Craig Dawson skimming the roof of the net, with a header from a Pablo Fornals cross. Kurt Zouma then tidied up, when it looked as if Jesus may turn and finish in the area. Rodri then had a shot deflected over the bar by Dawson. West Ham took the lead half way through the first half, when a long kick from Lukasz Fabianski was helped on by Pablo Fornals, who found Jarrod Bowen running in behind the City rearguard. The striker took the ball wide of Edison and finished from a narrow angle. West Ham doubled their lead on the brink of half time. Another long kick from Fabianski was helped on by Michail Antonio for Bowen to finish, driving the ball home past Edison. City meant business after half time, with their players out, in position and ready to go long before West Ham emerged from the tunnel. It took City just three minutes to get a goal back, with the increasingly influential Jack Grealish, lashing home, as a header out from Tomas Soucek fell kindly for him. The pressure mounted on the West Ham goal, with Fabianski pulling off excellent saves to thwart Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne. Looking more like the player from earlier in the season, Antonio picked up a misplaced pass but his effort to bypass Edison went wide of the post. City then got back level, when a Riyad Mahrez free kick was headed into his own net by Vladimir Coufal. West Ham then had a chance to regain the lead, as Bowen met a knock down from Dawson but the goal bound effort was deflected wide by Aymeric Laporte. In the final ten minutes, it looked as though City were about to take all three points, as a penalty was awarded for Dawson bringing down Jesus, as the striker ran across him. But it was to be Fabianski to the rescue again, diving to the right to save Mahrez kick. West Ham manager David Moyes stressed the need to build again, if his team are progress further. "We've had a good go against the top teams this season, "said Moyes, highlighting the games against City and Liverpool. "We want to get in amongst the top six,"said Moyes, who said City are the best team West Ham have played this season. City boss Pep Guardiola remains confident that his side will retain the title."We win our game (against Aston Villa) and we are champions, if we don't Liverpool will win," said Guardiola."It is an incredible privelige to have one game to be champions - it is in our hands " West Ham have to win at Brighton next week and hope Manchester United drop points at Palace in order to secure sixth spot and Europa League football next season. So, the curtain comes down on another excellent season at the London Stadium, with emotional scenes marking the retirement of Noble.

West Ham falter, as Arsenal play for time

West Ham 1-2 Arsenal Arsenal ran out narrow winners of this hard fought game with West Ham at the London Stadium. West Ham manager David Moyes made five changes from the first leg of the Europa League semi-final with Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday. But the team, led possibly for the last time by veteran captain Mark Noble, battled hard for.a result. In the event, they were twice undone by a failure to pick players up from corners - as happened with the first goal in the Eintracht Frankfurt game. The first corner came after Lukasz Fabianski had pushed a shot round the corner. The resulting corner saw Rob Holding rise to head home. West Ham drew level before half time when Declan Rice swept the ball out to the right, for Vladimir Coufal to play the ball into the area, where Jarrod Bowen poked home. The second Arsenal goal came after the break, when another corner was met by Gabriel coming round the back to head home. The visitors could have extended their lead, when first Eddie Nketiah, then Bukayo Saka got away, but both spurned the chances. It was a pity that Arsenal marred a good performance by feeling the need to time waste at every opportunity from the moment they took the lead in the 53rd minute. They are not the worst team when it comes to this tactic but maybe clubs, players and referees need to realise that fans don't pay £50 plus to watch these sort of tactics. Many fans must also reckon that they wouldn't mind being paid £50,000 plus a week to walk off a football pitch as slowly as possible (when substituted). West Ham manager David Moyes admitted that the team selected on the day was a risk and they got caught out on the set pieces. The manager also questioned Holdings use of his arm in the phase of play that led to the first goal. Contrasting West Ham's position to that of Arsenal, Moyes said: "Arsenal have not been involved in Europe this season, so have had all the time to prepare," said Moyes. Arsenal manager Michael Arteta described the outcome as 'a massive win' for his side. He praised the way his team managed the game. "I'm extremely happy to manage a team that can find a way," said Arteta.

What if?

The great what ifs of history always make for an interesting discussion. What if President John F Kennedy had not been assassinated? Would America have not got so deeply embroiled in the Vietnam War, would there have been a peace dividend? Or would things have got worse quicker? Another intriguing one, concerns Private Henry Tandey, who lowered his rifle and allowed a wounded Corporal Adolf Hitler to leave the battlefield at the end of the First World War. Tandey later explained he didn't shoot wounded men but if he'd known what Hitler would turn out to be!! On the subject of Hitler, author Robert Harris takes another strand, with his excellent book Fatherland. The Germans won the war. The year is 1964, Hitler's 75th birthday. There is to be a rapproachment, between Germany and the US, where Joseph Kennedy (JFKs father) is then President. A crystal ball gazing glimpse of the appalling authoritarian society that would have emerged to dominate, if Hitler had won the war. Coming closer to home, what if things had been different with Wanstead House? What if the great Blenheim Palace type building and all its grounds remained? This whole area would be very different now. One of my favourite what ifs concerned the 1979 general election. It was widely expected that Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan would call the election for 5 October 1978. In the event, Callaghan surprised everyone and delayed till May 1979 - during the interim period, there was the 'Winter of Discontent', with strikes etc. The position of strength for Labour crumbled and Margaret Thatcher became PM. If, Labour had won in 1978, the Conservatives would probably have dropped Thatcher, with Thatcherism never developing to the extent that it did over the next decades. The list of what ifs is endless, ofcourse we will never know the answers but that is what makes the debates all the more fascinating.