Episode 56

This Week in London Tweets

Episode 56 July 10th 2013

Hosts & Guests

Stuart Clark

Sean Quigley

Pat Maloney

Nathan Smith

Topic – #Ldnwest byelection

Candidate Background and transparency.

What are the voters in London West looking for.

What makes a byelection different from a regular one?

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/07/distrust-anger-and-apathy-unite-london-west-voters

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/07/gillespie-the-stirring-majesty-of-democracy-by-phone

Nathon’s Blog The forest for the Trees

http://www.am980.ca/Blog/NathanSmith/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10561717#comments

Topic: The Media and the Viewpoint

Is reporting on this by election fair and even – do we hear about all the parties?

Are the “scandals” really scandals or a way to drum up interest and drive sales?

What is the responsibility of the media in a democracy – even a small democracy like London?

Is the media responsible for the cynicism we have with politics or is it only the politicians? Or are we all to blame?

Topic Three – Youth in trouble

Growing number of young Londoners on the street – http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/08/growing-number-of-young-londoners-on-the-street

By Randy Richmond, The London Free Press

Monday, July 8, 2013 10:58:26 EDT PM

Signs of a potential crisis include:

• One downtown agency is reporting a 62% increase in visits from youths seeking meals and other essentials.

• Another agency reports seeing young people with far more complex and chronic problems than even a few years ago, and double the number of outreach workers wouldn’t satisfy the demand for help.

• A third agency also is reporting an increased demand for food, and an increased plea from schools seeking help with troubled students and violence.

• 19,000: Rough number of visits for food and other essentials at Youth Action Centre, increase of 62%

• 3,000: People aged 12-25 getting help at Intercommunity Health Centre

This story generated 175 comments – many of them telling these youth to pull themselves up and go to work. Is this a realistic answer?

What is the responsibility of the family of the youth in these situations?

Are we “coddling” our youth ?

Why is this happening now in London?

Topic Four – Egyptians in London stage rally against deposed president

London Community News

ByCraig Gilbert

http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/news-story/3882350-egyptians-in-london-stage-rally-against-deposed-president/

Topic 5 – London’s jobless rate drops to 9.2%

9.2% — London’s unemployment rate finally dips

By Hank Daniszewski, The London Free Press

Friday, July 5, 2013 7:59:54 EDT PM

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/05/london-jobless-rate-dropped-significantly-in-june-to-92

London area unemployment rate for this year:

January: 8.5%

February: 9.1%

March: 9.6%

April: 9.9%

May: 9.8%

June: 9.2%

June 2013 versus June 2012

Unemployment: 9.2% versus 8.5%

Participation rate: 64.5% versus 65.8%

Labour force: 270,600 versus 273,800