Whatever one may think of Nigel Farage, the recent fiasco with Coutts Bank is a very concerning example of the lack of proper governance of banks in this country.
So called "cancel culture" is a spreading problem in more than just the banking industry, but "de-banking" people or denying them financial freedom of one kind or another are things we might usually associate only with a court of law after due process finding actual wrongdoing. Doing this because of people's politics is a very pernicious precedent to set and I am glad the Government is acting against it.
A healthy political discourse in a democratic system is one where we all accept that it is OK to disagree, where losers' consent to the democratic will is offered and where people with a different opinion are not "othered" and ostracised. The sooner we get back to that the better.
On the local front it was good to meet this week with Yeovil's independent local businesses, in a meeting organised by the Yeovil Chamber of Commerce and Matt from Kazbar. We all need to do what we can to support the excellent independent businesses, bars, cafés and restaurants throughout the town while the Council's public realm works are being finished, as we want them to be there afterwards and bounce back strongly.
I am encouraging the Council to expedite the work and speaking to the owners of key "brownfield" sites in the town to assess what they need to bring regeneration forward, as this was a large part of the point of the £9.75 million of funding I got from national government to support the Yeovil Refresh. I don't want to see as happened in Chard a lot of money spent on public realm without much follow through into regeneration of core sites. The Council needs to be creative about development incentives and work with the business community to ensure this comes forward.
It was great to see England’s Lionesses get off to a good start in the World Cup. One – nil against Haiti may not seem convincing but a win is a win and will help settle some nerves. They played in front of a crowd of nearly 45,000 and with millions more watching around the globe it’s brilliant to see such strong support for women’s sport which will inspire children across the country too. Best of luck to them in the match against Denmark.