Amplify FM

The race to be selected as Stroud Labour's new prospective parliamentary candidate has been chequered with significant controversy, after well respected local candidates were blocked from the shortlist by the national party.

However, in local GP Simon Opher there is one candidate with the potential to win at the next election and be a genuine champion for Stroud in Parliament. So, we spoke to Simon to find out more about him, and why he's standing to be Stroud's next Labour MP.

For over 200 years, the Black Boy Clock, modelled upon a racist caricature, has stood over Stroud. Recently, however, people of colour have been speaking out about the impact of the clock on their experiences over decades of growing up and living in Stroud.

Yet the reaction to the Council's consultation on the Clock's future has been hugely divisive, particularly after the intervention of Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie.

So we decided to catch up with local peripatetic historical Stuart Butler, to understand more about the history of the clock and its impact.

Ahead of the local elections on May 6th, Amplify Stroud has interviewed leaders and representatives from all of the major local parties.

In this episode, we talk to George James from the Liberal Democrat Party. We cover a variety of topics, from house building and and the climate emergency, to the local developments such as the Five Valleys shopping centre. In doing so, we put questions to him submitted by residents of the Stroud district and other local parties.

For upcoming summaries of these discussions, and the other interviews with candidates, keep an eye on Amplify Stroud's social media and website.

Ahead of the local elections on May 6th, Amplify Stroud has interviewed leaders and representatives from all of the major local parties.

In this episode, we talk to Doina Cornell from Stroud Labour Party who is the current leader of Stroud District Council. We cover a variety of topics, from the possibilities of a green post-covid recovery for Stroud, to housing and the affordability of the area, local democracy and governance, racism and more. In doing so, we put questions to her submitted by residents of the Stroud district and other local parties.

For upcoming summaries of these discussions, and the other interviews with candidates, keep an eye on Amplify Stroud's social media and website.

Ahead of the local elections on May 6th, Amplify Stroud has interviewed leaders and representatives from all of the major local parties.

In this episode, we talk to Molly Scott Cato former leader of the Green Party group on Stroud District Council and current County Council candidate. We cover a variety of topics, from the challenges of a Green, Post-Covid recovery for Stroud, to housing, local democracy, racism and more. Putting questions to her asked by residents of the Stroud district and other local parties.

For upcoming summaries of these discussions, and the other interviews with candidates, keep an eye on Amplify Stroud's social media and website.

Ahead of the local elections on May 6th, Amplify Stroud has interviewed leaders and representatives from all of the major local parties.

In this episode, we talk to Stephen Davies, leader of the Conservative Group on Stroud District Council. We discuss the climate emergency, how inclusive Stroud is for all its residents, and racism within Stroud and from Conservative Party councillors, as well as putting questions asked by local residents and other party leaders to Stephen.

For upcoming summaries of these discussions, and the other interviews with candidates, keep an eye on Amplify Stroud's social media and website.

One year ago we talked to the leader of Stroud District Council, Doina Cornell about how Stroud District was responding to the unfolding pandemic. 

In this episode, one year on from the first lockdown we decided to catch up with Doina again, to ask for her reflections on what the past year has been like for her and for the council, and what she see’s as fundamental to Stroud’s own pathway to recovery in the wake of Covid-19.

The governments authoritarian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill has come under intense scrutiny in the past two weeks, but Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities have been speaking out against the enhanced racial oppression it will enable for a long time.

So in this episode, we are joined by Luke Smith, who talks about events in Bristol as well as the impacts of the Bill and what it means for his community.

You can hear more from Luke on twitter @LabourGRT

In May of 2020, Amplify Stroud published an article by co-founders Jamie O'Dell and George Thomas titled examining Stroud’s relationship to the slave trade. Subsequently, the pair were invited to speak at the Historic Towns and Villages Forum's November 5th webinar 'Whose Heritage Is It Anyway?'

For their presentation, Jamie and George put together a video reflecting on Stroud's questionable abolitionist history, in light of that summer's BLM protests. We thought their presentation would make a nice podcast episode, so we have reproduced it here on Amplify FM.

Original Article: Stroud, Slaver and the Mis-Remembering of William Wilberforce

Written Version

Video Version

In this episode we are joined by Gareth Dennis to discuss the political, environmental and economic dimensions of the HS2 infrastructure project and why the libertarian right hate public transport.

Gareth is an engineer and writer, specialising in transport systems. He is a sustainable transport advocate and regularly appears on television and radio explaining engineering and transport ideas to a broad audience.

At the end of January, he published an article in Left Foot Forward, arguing that environmentalist direct action would be better directed towards road building projects such as the less well known Road Investment Strategy 2 or RIS2.

You can hear more from Gareth on twitter @GarethDennis, on his website https://garethdennis.co.uk/ or on YouTube where he hosts a regular stream called #RailNatter