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                           <title><![CDATA[Fighting Against Rise Student Fees]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Nigel joined the President of Edinburgh University Students&rsquo; Association Thomas Graham to launch the campaign to stop elite universities raising the cap on fees above &pound;3,225. Imperial College is lobbying for a &pound;15,000 fee. Mr Graham told the Association: &ldquo;We welcome the lead Nigel is showing in rejecting these proposals.&rdquo; David Cameron&rsquo;s University spokesperson David Willetts MP said he supports raising the fee cap. The National Union of Students Scotland believes that higher fees would act as a deterrent to Scottish students applying to English universities. Lifting the cap would also give English and Welsh universities more funding...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:11:29</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[World leaders will meet in Copenhagen in December to strive to agree vital targets for cutting carbon emissions. I helped Friends of the Earth obtain a &pound;30,000 grant from our Labour Government to enable them to lobby other Governments to follow our lead and work to achieve 80% emission cuts by 2050. The UK is the first government in the world to bring in a climate change law to achieve targeted emission cuts. While the doom-mongers keep...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:14:03</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Meanest Council in Britain]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Hundreds of people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities in South Edinburgh supported protesters at the City Chambers to oppose Liberal-Democrat and SNP Councillors&rsquo; proposals to slash funding for their carers.  But by 29 votes to 28, Labour Councillors succeeded in reversing the cut. This is the first time that the Liberal-Democrat and SNP councillors who rule Edinburgh have been defeated since they took control in 2007.  LibDem Councillors were determined to privatise this service and bring in unqualified staff at the lowest possible price. They want some of the most vulnerable people in Edinburgh to...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:13:35</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Local School & Sports Group Under Threat]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Liberal-Democrat and SNP councillors are pressing ahead with their plans to close Burdiehouse Primary School - this in spite of a glowing report from the Independent School Inspectors and massive opposition from Burdiehouse and Gracemount parents and our Labour councillors.  The Council&rsquo;s consultation document did not even mention the need to relocate Liberton United Boys Club which has 150 young members and has its clubhouse in Gracemount Primary School playground. The clubhouse is to be demolished to created classrooms if Burdiehouse closes.   Parents booed the Liberal Democrat Education Chair &ndash; who was the LibDem Parliamentary...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:12:57</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[£250 For Every Senior Citizen Household]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[This month every South Edinburgh senior citizen household should receive confirmation that they will get &pound;250 towards winter fuel bills from our Labour Government, if aged 80 or over you will received &pound;400. But there is a danger that a future Conservative Government will abolish the scheme or means-test it. The last time we had Conservative rule in Edinburgh and in Westminster, the Tories abolished the free bus pass for pensioners. The free bus pass was only restored when Labour took control again....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:12:34</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Design Competition]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[1,500 local children from our 20 primary schools, special schools and the Royal Blind School submitted designs for my Christmas card &ndash; a record number. And the quality has been exceptional. An awards ceremony for the winners and runners-up is being held at the Minto Hotel on Saturday....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:12:01</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Promoting Nuclear Disarmament ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Nigel Griffiths is strongly promoting nuclear disarmament and attended the seminar in Berlin on &ldquo;The New Momentum for Nuclear Disarmament.&rdquo; Government representatives from the UK, Russia, China, USA, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, Holland and Germany discussed a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. They focused on the Non-Proliferation Treaty which is due to go before the US Senate later this year. The Deputy Speaker of the Russian Parliament has invited Nigel to speak in Moscow in August. For papers from the Berlin Seminar: www.fes.de...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:04:34</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Spitfire women pilots of WWII]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Women who flew Spitfires in World War II are to receive an award from Gordon Brown. Over 100 women joined male pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary and flew 300,000 fighters and bombers from factories to front line airports. Nigel has successfully campaigned for all survivors of the ATA to receive a distinquished Badge of Honour from the Prime Minister....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Fairtrade campaign]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Fair Trade Fortnight - Nigel Visits Scotmid to showcase some of their fairtrade products Nigel joins Fiona, the manager of the Warrender Park Road co-op, which is the leading supermarket promoting fair trade products. Our MP also visited St Columba's in Upper Gray Street to address a fair trade event. St Columba's have been selling fair trade products for two decades. Nigel helped found Scotland's first fair trade organisation, SEAD and, as a councillor, he ensured Edinburgh was Scotland's first council to use fair trade tea and coffee....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Congratulations Al Gore]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[&quot;I am delighted that Al Gore has been awarded the Nobel Peace prize,&quot; Nigel Griffiths said. Nigel has been an environmental campaigner since his teens, representing Friends of the Earth at the Berlin conference on sustainability. He has met Al Gore a number of times and was one of many people who encouraged him to make a film of his lectures on climate change. Nigel is working with Stephen Hockman QC to establish a World Environment Court to enforce Kyoto and post-Kyoto targets....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Nigel's leaflet on free medicines]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Nigel has produced a leaflet for every resident on the new free medicines service. Everyone who is entitled to free prescriptions can now obtain free medicines from your local pharmacist. This scheme is designed to encourage people to seek the professional advice of a pharmacist for minor conditions to relieve pressure on our doctors. The scheme applies to all children, expectant mothers, senior citizens, unemployed people and others who are on low income. It covers every condition from sore throats to bunyons. Local pharmacist Fiona McCready helped Nigel prepare the leaflet - she is a key Government advisor on...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Burma's shame]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA["I had the honour of being invited by the friends of Aung San Suu Kyi to the unveiling of her portrait here in Edinburgh to mark her 60th birthday and years of resistance and detention for which she was awarded the Nobel prize. Hundreds of people have been murdered in the past weeks and the population is being cowed. Our Prime Minister Gordon Brown led the world in calling for the brutal dictators to cease their brutality, stand down and hold legitimate elections. Both the Chinese and the Russians have vetoed any direct intervention in Burma, but the international...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Nagasaki survivors honour our MP]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[At a moving ceremony in the heart of South Edinburgh, two &lsquo;Hibakusha&rsquo; - survivors of the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, presented our Labour MP with an award for his stand against nuclear weapons, which culminated in his resignation as a Minister in March this year.  Masahiko and Mitsugi Moriguchi were 9 and 7 when the A-bomb exploded, killing 73,884 in their city and injuring 74,909, with 120,820 suffering long term radiation sicknesses. They spoke of the horror of nuclear warfare.  Mitsugi runs the Nagasaki Testimonial Society of Atomic Bombing. The Society invited Nigel to plant a tree...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Boroughmuir high school challenge]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Nigel met the Head Teacher of Boroughmuir Jack Hamilton to praise the work of the Bruntsfield school. They discussed possible sites for a new school, including a move to the Scottish Water site at Buckstone, but there are no proposals in writing. Nigel heard that the schools budget is being axed by around £22,000 as part of the £1.5m education cuts forced on local schools by the LibDem/SNP administration in Edinburgh....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Brand new Pentland Primary]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Pentland Primary head teacher Pam McKay showed Nigel Griffiths and Cllr Eric Barry round the brand new primary school this term. Cllr Barry said: &quot;I am proud that the last act of my Labour colleagues was to fund this new school. This contrasts with the sad state of affairs under the new council where school budgets are being slashed.&quot;...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Pavement repairs]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Councillor Eric Barry shows our MP the repairs to pavements in Caiystane which have taken an age. Nigel Griffiths wants constituents to take part in his 'pavement watch'. He said: "Broken pavements are dangerous especially for blind, disabled and elderly people. I want to alert the council at the earliest possible opportunity to poorly maintained pavements in my constituency."...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Funding for healthy eating]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[An exciting gardening project in South Edinburgh has received £200,000 funding to encourage healthy eating. Dr Anne Jepson is working at Bridgend Farm in the Inch helping adults and school children adopt healthy eating habits. The allotment gives people the chance to see - and try - real food. It is designed to help reverse heart disease and obesity. Nigel has a Private Members Bill to prevent junk food being promoted to children....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Backing local train improvements]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[In March, hopes of reopening the South surburban railway line were dashed by the local LibDem/SNP council. The Capital Rail Action Group and Nigel Griffiths campaigned hard for re-opening our suburban stations and railway line. In South Edinburgh, it passes through Morningside, Blackford and Newington. Nigel Griffiths worked with the Council to persuade the Scottish Executive to help-fund this project. The line is open and fully maintained and used for freight transport. Now he is working with the Action Group to get passenger trains using it. As well as relieving congestion on our roads, it will allow passengers to travel...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Tackling graffiti in South Edinburgh]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Councillor Paul Godzik and Nigel Griffiths MP report graffiti to the Council so that it can removed as quickly as possible. Nigel helped to distribute anti-graffiti kits to local community organisations....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Garvald wins green award]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Congratulations to Edinburgh’s Garvald Centre who beat more than 1,400 other UK entrants to scoop a top prize in this year’s annual B&amp;Q ‘You Can Do It’ Awards. The Centre provides opportunities and support to 120 people with learning and physical disabilities and mental illnesses.

 Garvald is in the final stages of refurbishing and equipping a former school building which will house a range of art and craft workshops, education and therapy opportunities. This award will enable Garvald users to create a community garden in the grounds of the centre - a green space where opportunities in employment...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 12:00:00</pubDate>
                           
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