A Redbridge Blue

It's Not The Message, Its The Medium

2012-02-16T15:13:00.000Z

King George Hospital

I was taught that content and presentation were key to getting your message across, along with a thorough understanding of your audience and your product / proposition.

It is also clear that the medium has as much, if not more, weight in determining the response of the audience.

This week I tried to get a copy of the Care and Quality Commission Report on Maternity Serices in Barking, Havering and Redbridge. Currently we have some of the worse outcomes in not just the UK, but Western Europe. Put bluntly, Women and Babies are dying in a catastrophic failure of management.

The report was pre-released to a select few 48hrs before the embargo deadline of 9am yesterday. However, it had failed to reach the website. I confidently called the CQC and asked for a copy. I was promised a call back. No call back, no report.

I vented my frustrations today on Twitter, using the hashtag #CQCFail. Within 2 hours I had received 2 sets of the reports.

Yet again the digital world trumpets the analogue world.

It is Ed Balls who needs lessons in Finance - and History

2011-12-16T11:10:00.000Z

Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor, gave an interview to a consumer website on Thursday during which he — quite rightly — called for financial education to be made compulsory in schools.

Here are a few questions that might be included on the syllabus, together with the answers.

Q: At what price did Mr Balls’s former boss, Gordon Brown, sell half of Britain’s gold reserves? What is the price of gold now?
A: Mr Brown sold at between $256 and $296 an ounce, compared with $1,574 last night.

Q: What was the United Kingdom’s national debt just before Mr Brown became Prime Minister and what was it just before he left office?
A: £497.8 billion and £760.3 billion.

Q: Treasury officials privately warned Gordon Brown that his tax raid of 1997 would cost Britain’s occupational pension funds up to how much?
A: The predicted hit to pensions was £75 billion, though it is now reckoned to have exceeded £100 billion.

Q: How much, according to the Commons Public Accounts Committee, was overpaid during the first three years of Mr Brown’s tax credits system?
A: £5.8 billion.

Labour are not innocent victims of a global financial crisis. They plotted the course, piloted the economy, regulated the banks (badly), spent the tax billions, knighted the bankers and made the decisions that will cost the next generation billions.

If we are to start with Financial education, we should start with Ed Balls.

The Kenneth More Theatre

2011-11-15T14:05:00.000Z

The supporters of the KMT have launched an extensive email campaign to keep the KMT in Ilford.

I have not seen any plans or written proposals to move or close the KMT. (It would appear somebody has!) I have however read the reports in the papers. I have also read hundreds of emails over the last few days from concerned patrons and performers (granted most were identikit “cut and Paste” emails, which has become the norm. I do miss real letter writing.)

It is the role of a politician to listen to his (or her) constituents. He should frame his response to policy suggestions and fiscal decisions against what they want, and what would be good for the residents, both now and in the future.

The power of social media and the internet has made it much easier for (some) groups to make their views known. (I think the supporters of KMT have sent over 5,000 emails)

So how much weight should a politician put on an email campaign? At our budget meeting we will be discussing a whole range of possible savings, to avoid increasing council tax to our residents.

Amongst them may be changes to care services, support for the elderly, mental health services, and support for the disabled, support for those with special needs. That’s before we get to roads, looked after children, planning services, grants to the voluntary sector and the countless other areas where we spend our money (Note to Lobbyists: Your spending plea is someone else’s spending cut)

Vulnerable groups don’t always have organised, articulate advocates fighting their corner. Funding a care worker to clean up excrement is not as appealing (to some) as funding an arts centre. Nor is funding a place of safety for an abandoned, abused ten year old.

It is our duty as councillors to consider the needs of all of those who we support, the articulate and the silent.

I hope we give as much weight to those without a voice as those with a voice. And I hope we find a way to serve both groups equally.

Redbridge Remembers

2011-11-14T13:00:00.000Z

The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought the role of our military forces to the fore in recent years. The people of Wooton Basset memorably captured the mood of the nation when they paid their respects to those who had died on active service. Amongst the 348 who have so far died in Afghanistan are two local heroes, Tom Curry and Daniel Clack.

That has made our Remembrance services in Redbridge more personal and more painful. Seeing grief etched on the faces of those who loved them gives you pause for thought – there but for the grace of God goes my family. When I see the dignity they display when still wracked by grief, I feel somehow inadequate. I struggle to find the words to express my sorrow, my country’s gratitude.

I am sorry, sorry beyond description at their loss. And I am grateful, for it is only by the bravery of young men and women who follow orders without question and vowed to defend their country that my family and community can enjoy peace and freedom.

I was privileged to be at St Paul’s Church, Woodford Bridge, on Sunday for their Remembrance Sunday mass. It was the church where Daniel Clack was buried.

During the service pupils from Roding Primary School, who had been working on an Armistice Day project, read from their work. One read the Flanders Field poem. It was immensely poignant and moving and a testament to the pupils, parents and staff of Head Teacher Graham Alderton’s school.

St Paul’s Parish Priest, Reverend John Springbett, gave an excellent, moving yet simple sermon. All of our freedoms, he said, are not preserved by politicians, the press or the judiciary. They are preserved by the military.

It is men and women like Tom Curry, Daniel Clack and the 16,000 others who have died for our country since 1945 (I had no idea so many had died,) who allow us all to live our lives with freedoms we take for granted.

I hope we can honour their sacrifice by cherishing those freedoms, and using them wisely.

Marine Tom Curry RIP 1986 – 2007
Lt Daniel Clack RIP 1987 – 2011

Redbridge Youth Impress and Amaze

2011-10-18T09:35:00.000+01:00

The avalanche of information from council officers, pressure groups, 24 hr media and the internet can sometimes leave you more confused than informed.
In the “political bubble” you tend to focus on what you think are the urgent and important issues, leaving strategy and vision for another day.

At my age of 51, (nearer grave than rave as an unkind wag recently put it), the “now” is even more urgent. Last night I met a group of Redbridge Residents who definitely have their pulse on the future.

20 young people from Redbridge Youth Council questioned and interrogated a small group of councillors with a focus and intensity that would make Jeremy Paxman blanche.

The format was “Speed Debating”, with groups of three young people questioning councillors for three minutes at a time. They chose the topics, researched the questions and put us to the sword.

The range of topics gives an insight into what is important to our young people in 2011.

Amongst the topics raised by our young people were safety on the streets, youth service provision, tuition fees, the voting system, paying down our debt and growing our economy, interest rates, the riots and relationships between the young people and the police.

I was genuinely alarmed that our young don’t feel safe on our streets. We are one of London’s safest Boroughs, but the fear of crime is as pernicious for this group as it is for the elderly, and I will pursue this issue.

Their frustration at the closure of the Downsall Centre was palpable, but they recognised that we needed to provide more school places. Their interest in the economy, and understanding of the growth v debt reduction debate was impressive. They also asked penetrating questions on tuition fees, the riot, young people and the police.

What was interesting was what was not asked. No questions on the debate around climate change and global warming. Whether this generation has “moved on” or regards it as axiomatic is a moot point. Our current economic challenge has moved “Climate change” further down people’s list of concerns. Perhaps our young people reflect this trend. There were also no questions about the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

Are our young people are better at focusing on what is important now and tomorrow? Do they leave “navel gazing” to the older and slower!

My overall feeling after this invigorating session was one of quiet confidence. If these young people are indicative of those who will be making important decisions in industry, commerce, politics, the arts, health and science in years to come, my borough and my country will be in good hands.

(Well done and thank you to Redbridge Youth Service and Redbridge Youth Council for organising this event.)

Zero base Budgets and John Redwood

2011-10-10T16:17:00.000+01:00

John Redwood wrote on his blog today (link on right) about the different attitudes to budgetting in the public sector, compared to the private sector. It has resonance with the budget round in Redbridge.

"When I first entered the public sector as a County Councillor I was amazed at the extraordinary way the finances of a large public body were organised. It seemed designed to prevent sensible controls being placed on spending.

I joined the Finance Committee. I was working as a finance professional in my main job. I found the very long papers we were sent for each meeting also impossible to understand. They used all sorts of funny numbers to prevent you working out how much cash was being spent. They changed the year base for the budgets, they used inflation adjusted numbers without explaining properly how the inflation adjustment was judged, or where the future forecasts of inflation came from. They assumed that once an item had made it into a budget it would be rolled forward and augmented every year as an inescapable commitment. Figures were in “real terms” rather than cash.

Each year’s budget was an exercise in officer lobbying for more spending. Instead of showing you what was being spent and leaving you to decide what to delete and what to increase, they added all sorts of figures into the previous year’s budget to give you a “New base budget” for the following year. This added in sums for inflation, for “unavoidable commitments”, for “new functions required by Statute”, for “consequences of past decisions”, for “responsibility and age related pay allowances”, for “pension commitments” and the rest. By the time they has finished they normally reckoned that anything less than say a 7% increase would require “cuts”, as you were invited to assume the adjusted budget and then apply the knife at your peril if you were someone who clearly did not understand the remorseless arithmetic of more public spending. If you insisted on a lower budget they would then oblige with the parade of bleeding stumps, offering up a list of cuts that no sane person let alone a politician could possibly approve.

I asked for shorter cash budgets, with clear figures for the main spending heads so we could have an informed debate over what worked, what needed improving, and what could be removed. The officers called that “zero base budgets”, because we refused to accept that anything in the previous year’s budget automatically qualified for the following year. We also wanted to analyse all the so called unavoidable commitments, as these were often judgements or concealed “growth items” which otherwise appeared as a smaller different list for Councillor decision.

All these old tricks are still be played by public sector managers. No-one runs a successful private sector outfit like that. You need transparency over the spending. You need to strive to cut costs and do things better. Too many public sector bugets are compiled on the basis that more spending, more inputs are always good, and all cuts damage services. We need Ministers and Councillors prepared to challenge this nonsense, and aim to get better value for every public pound spent. As public spending is rising in cash terms there need not be any damaging real terms cuts in valued services. If there are, it is bad management. This year total cash spending goes up another 3.8% according to the Tresury figures. With a pay freeze at the same time, this increase should more than cover public sector inflation."

I am a strong proponent of zero based budgetting. We need to justify every penny spent and spend every pound well.

To 2012 and Beyond - The Redbridge Budget

2011-10-09T22:00:00.002+01:00

In Redbridge we are approaching “Budget Weekend” when the options for spending are mooted, mulled and discussed over two intense days. (Ratepayers will be pleased to know this takes place in Council Offices, not at a plush spa! Vegetarian breakfast, wine free lunch, flavour free coffee – it is almost Jesuitical)

Our “budgetary envelope” reflects the national budget. We need to do more with less. We are all “deficit reducers” now. Even Ed Milliband is a convert. (Sadly our local Labour group are lagging behind the national trend).

Despite the headlines suggesting swingeing cuts, public spending has gone up since the election. That’s right; we are spending 1.3% more than a year ago.

Mr Micawber is deeply unhappy. If misery was income 20 shillings, expenditure 20 shillings and sixpence, then income of 20 shillings, expenditure of 24 shillings and a bank debt of £3 trillion must be an abject misery that would defeat an enthusiastic dose of Prozac.

This year the challenge is less severe than the “emergency” budget of 2011-12, though the medium term framework is more challenging. Locally we made some difficult, tough and unpopular decisions last year. We also incorporated into our budget plans every Labour idea. (There weren’t any)

In my view, having worked quickly and effectively to produce a balanced budget in 2011-12, with commitments broadly agreed for the next three years, we should now pause and reflect.

Budgets are a tool of strategy, not an end in themselves. We should take the opportunity to more carefully define our vision for the borough in the years to come. In 2011 I enjoy the parks, libraries, roads and utilities conceived, designed and built by the Victorians in the 19th century. I would like 22nd Century mankind to look back on 2012 and be equally grateful for the vision we displayed and the infrastructure we leave.

We can argue about when peak oil is, but it will happen. We can argue about climate change (note to B: 21 – I am a sceptic, and note the Met Office concern about a “new ice age), but our impact in the planet is more profound than even we realise.

We must adapt to a changing world, probably a world with less consumption, higher fuel and food prices and an aging population. We should be building a sustainable Redbridge for the 22nd century.

To do that I believe we need to squeeze more value out of the money we spend, and set new priorities for the future. The Redbridge Budget Book details over £700m of expenditure. Excluding schools, we spend almost £500m providing a range of services. All the details are here. http://tinyurl.com/RedbridgeBudgetBook2011-12

Let me know where you think we should spend more, and where we should spend less. I will listen very carefully to those who offer ideas with a negative or zero net cost, and submit the most innovative ideas.

We really are all in this together.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - but how?

2011-10-05T21:15:00.000+01:00

Over recent months I have been Chairing a group of councillors, officers and external experts (WRAP, ELWA, LWrb) to find out how we can reduce the amount of rubbish we generate, reuse more of it and increase the amount we recycle.

We face massive cost increases in future years that will need to be met by reduced spending elsewhere or increased revenue. The more we can do now, the less painful the decisions in the future. Perhaps more importantly, we can also reshape our waste management strategy in the longer term.

We will only make progress with this project if we do it with people, not too them. And we can only achieve that if we get the views of as many people as possible. LBR are therefore launching a survey and I am keen it gets to as wide an audience as possible. Please click on the link, pass it on to colleagues and friends and feel free to email me at paul.canal@redbridge.gov.uk with any observations, ideas or suggestions.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FXR23DW

BD - Before David Cameron's Speech

2011-10-05T10:56:00.000+01:00

David Cameron’s Conservative Party Conference speech today is not as crucial as the one he made in 2009, but it will still set the tone for the next phase of his coalition premiership.

Yesterday’s spat between Ken Clarke and Theresa May

was a distraction and should not have occurred. I happen to think Ken is vastly experienced and competent, but am less sure of his place at the top table in the House of Commons. If ever a man was suited to the House of Lords, it is Ken. Perhaps now is the time to ascend to the red benches.

David Cameron’s speech needs to convince a still sceptical public that we really are in a fiscal hole. I managed to get one of Terry Smith’s (scion of Tullett Prebon and scourge of Deficit Deniers)

Tin Cans. This can is not kicked down the road. It takes pride of place on my desk, reminding me and informing visitors that Britain is £3.5 trillion in debt, and that debt is rising. As John Redwood tirelessly points out, public spending is rising, debt is rising and we have barely begun to put a brake on unsustainable spending. This makes the £850m found to fund another council tax squeeze seem quite peculiar. Granted, it is populist politics at its best, at a relatively modest cost. But those £850m soon start to add up to serious money.

So what should be in his speech? A long term commitment to lowering tax rates, both the 50% threshold and by increasing the lower earnings limit.

The removal of all firms employing 15 people or less from Employment legislation to encourage job creation. (You should not be at risk of losing your house when you employ someone on a £15,000 a year salary.)

There should also be a reduction in the minimum wage for those under 25. Economically marooned young people on less than £60 a week sow the seeds for a lifetime of disassociation. Make it easier and less costly to employ them.

Above all, a reduction in the bureaucracy and red tape stifling all businesses, irrespective of size. It is not a myth that we are zealous in applying European diktats, whilst in Europe they are more sanguine, formerly a British trait. We also submerge entrepreneurs with equality, health and safety and comliance legislation that do little to achieve ttheir aims and threaten to stifle new ventures at birth. A simpler, ffairer tax system is also important. We should end the fictitious separation of NI and PAYE and also charge small firms one rate of tax that combines VAT and corporation tax.

There must also be greater incentives and support for Public Sector staff to “outsource” their own departments. I cannot think of a single public service that would not be better run outside the public sector. And while Dave is at it, he should ask his chum Boris to change the absurd scheme where local authorities in London are incentivised to muck around with our roads. London Boroughs “top slice” TFL grant money to fund salaries, so the more they build, adapt and change, the more cash they have to employ consultants and fund their own salary bills. Any scheme that rewards spending, rather than better and safer roads, is flawed. Set an amount per borough and make them live within it.

I will comment on the speech itself tomorrow.

Jackie Ashley and the Climate Change Fascists of the Left

2010-01-25T10:38:00.001Z

Jackie Ashley's has made a highly offensive and grossly untrue claim (Guardian 24th Jan) that "Tory Part intellectuals" are are clambering on the "global warming isn't caused by mankind" bandwagon much as they used to "speak up for apartheid"

This attempt to bolt dodgy science to their mast is as convincing as the dodgy dossier with which they launched what increasingly aapears to be an illegal Iraq War.

There is no clearer demonstration that the left has run out of ideas. They have lost their way economically (Britian's bankrupt - again) , socialy (mobility lower than in 1997) and morally.

"Climate Change" has become a dangerous self obsessed cult. To deny it is to be forced out of the mainstream by non scientis bandwagon jumpers. It is being used to build a quasi socialist anti-developmental movement. The "crustys" have taken over the asylum

It is also an industry. Tag on climate change to any funding proposal, no matter how tenuous the link, and your chances of acceptance accelerate faster than John Prescot's rhetoric.

The science is not "settled". Recent claims about Himalayan glacial melt and extremes of weather have been debunked (yet are routinely trotted out by CG groupies as "incontrovertible fact") An inconvenient truth should be called an inconvenient innacuracy.

There are many things we don't understand. We must take this debate out of the hands of self interested proselytisers and return it to the rational world of research, genuine peer reviews and scholarly examination. We must make properly reseached well infomed decisions, not populist knee jerk one's.

(The Sahara may be greening itself again - (R4 yesterday - do we want to put a stop to that?)

Rational debate is require, not the rabid rhetoric of Ms Ashley, who should be ashamed of herself.

I campaigned against apartheid Ms Ashley, and I will campaign against your climate fascism just as keenly.

Shock £71m "free" bicycle bill for London

2009-11-25T16:01:00.001Z

News that Tescos paid £1m for six bikes from Mike Ashley (arguably a better deal than his purchase of Newcastle United)now appears bargain following revelations about TFLs scheme for free bikes in London.

News has broken that the cost of London's "free bike" scheme has just ballooned to £71m. If the accuracy of previous estimates is to be believed, we are heading towards a £100m scheme.

The ability of Governments, local and national, to take a simple, popular and seemingly cost effective idea and turn it into a bloated caricature know no bounds. I suspect that the ghost of Jim Hacker has been stalking the corridors of TFL.

In Paris 8,000 bikes have been stolen (some turning up in Eastern Europe and Africa) and 18,000 been damaged.

With that sort of spending power Boris could buy a million bikes and just give them out for free. It may not enrich the legion of consultants, but it would be very popular and could well increase cycling rates.

The link between fat Europeans and thin Africans

2009-11-12T11:58:00.000Z

The EU is not the man issue in next years election, and rightly so. The not inconsiderable problems facing the economy, the war in Afghanistan, the looming power crisis - all will be higher in the list of national priorities.

It is also clear that the British public "swing voter" (the ones we need) switch off - or worse, vote elsewhere - when we ferociously debate the iniquities of federalism by stealth.

However when we elect a Government we elect them to do all the boring tedious detail work that we can't be bothered with since we are distracted by Beckham's beard or Jedwards prospects.

So Europe will need to be at the top of someones intray, along with forced multiculturalsm, immigration and the CAP.

As much as I love France and the French (but love beating then at rugby even more)
I am disinclined to continue financing their inefficient agriculture. I am also tired of funding invisible olive tree plantations in Italy.

I am even more bemused at the logic of denying an African farmer a market for his cheaper tomatoes. The shopper pays more in Europe, then pays higher taxes to fnd the overseas aid that the farmer needs to feed his family. If this was not such a monstous and immoral market distortion it would be an excellent Graham Green satire. "The Fat European and the thin African" would be a good title.

In the spirit of the Entente Cordial I commend the Taxpayers alliance satirical but chillingly accurate Jamie Oliver pastiche - Euro Fudge.

http://is.gd/4SFvd

Gordon Brown doesn't take the biscuit

2009-10-19T14:57:00.000+01:00

My biscuit preference has evolved along with my life.

As a child it was quantity, not quality. Greed overcame discernment. Whether Mum's famous blue Wedgewood style tin contained rich tea, pink wafer, garibaldi or broken biscuits (a popular saving from the local market never served to guests, only her family), my hunger was unabashed.

Latterly I have stopped buying biscuits to avoid being compared to rotund version of Stephen Fry or an earlier, and quite frankly healthier looking, Nigel Lawson (who has thankfully gained a few pounds recently).

When we indulge I vacillate like Nick Clegg, between TUC crackers (not stictly a biscuit, it never gets a chnace to go stale), hob nobs, chocolate digestive, plain digestive (great with cheese) and my nemesis, Jaffa Cakes.

I could ( and in my youth did ) eat jaffa Cakes as a major food group. Almost completely devoid of any nutritional value - or I suspect orange or vitamin C - these biscuits have the right blend of childhood nostalgia and adult indulgence.

That I am happy to confess to this "biscuit weakness" and reveal my preferecnes says litle about me, other than perhaps an aching lack of class or, hope, pretension. (I could have pined abour garabaldi or waxed about Bahlsen, Oreo or Patesserie Valerie's delectable handmade creation. (note: homemade is best by a factor of ten. Involve children).

That Gordon Brown could not respond to this harmless question, posed several times, says volumes about him. If our premier is afraid to reveal his biscuit preference for fear of offending an as yet unknown focus group, it is little wonder that he could not choose one of three choices when voting on the UN report on Israel's action in Gaza.

The ship of state is not being captained. The officers are squabbling over the next round of commssions (albeir on a smaller ship) whilst the captain is in his bunkroom blaming evryone else as we drift aimlessly leftwards.

Next May cannot come too soon.

Keith Floyd cooks for God.

2009-09-15T10:48:00.001+01:00

The serendipity of Keith Allen's profile of Keith Floyd (Channel 4 last night) was as uncanny as it was enjoyable.

Regarded as the Father of TV cooking, Keith rose from relative poverty via a stint at Wellington Public School and an improbable role in the Royal Tank Regiment to become one of the nation's favourite characters, foremost TV chefs and heir to Oliver Reed.

A stunningly unsucccessful restaurateur and businessman, yet brilliant cook (a common coupling) he seemed equally hopeless at marriage, though more unkind minds may question his later wives' motives for marriage. Last night's documentary held a touching scene when he met his estranged daughter Poppy. His determination to have their first meeting in ten years filmed perfectly illustrated his exterior showmanship and our unceasing capacity for voyeurism. Poppy was dignified and clearly loved her errant father. He loved her too, though found it hard to express that love in terms that most of us would understand. The suspicion that the outlandish showman image was a front disguising a vulnerable and damaged individual grew as he simultaneously berated then soothed his daughter. It was the most compelling and uncomfortable part of what was partly a Keith Floyd retrospective and partly a eulogy

Keith Floyd's premature death at 65 was as a direct result of over 50 years of endless drinking and rapacious smoking. He knew it and he didn't care. This will alarm the legions of nanny goats in Whitehall who are determined to pack our lunch boxes, sort our rubbish, check our breakfasts and ration our wine. Last night Keith repeated Churchill's famous aphorism "I have taken more our of alcohol than it has taken out of me". Some of us might wish our current PM drank a bit more..

My sympathies rest with his children, the wives who loved him and the many thousands who were inspired to enjoy cooking and life through his exuberance and exultations .Keith Floyd should have the last word:"Its my life and I will do it how I want"

--
Paul Canal
Check out the blog at: http://tinyurl.com/RedbridgeBlue

America still thinks Darwin's wrong

2009-09-14T12:15:00.001+01:00

I sometimes think the Age of the Enlightenment passed America by. I appreciate that the founding fathers were busy drafting the constitution, wiping out Native Americans and stealing territory from the Mexicans, but to doggedly cling to "intelligent design" is just not, er, intelligent.

One of the more acerbic Christian Right Groups has described Darwin as a eugenicist, influencer of Hitler, proselytizer of mass murder and a half baked bigot. This level of invective would make McCarthy and Goebbels jealous.

However, bearing in mind our philosophical roots are usually the product of an oral history passed down over generations, America's almost Islamicly Medieval attitude is unsurprising. Those who resisted the Age of the Enlightenment and the development of rational thought fled Europe. A steady tide of Lutherans, Pilgrims and Wee Frees crossed the pond to indoctrinate their followers. (The largest group of immigrants in the 19th century were Germans. Martin Luther would be proud). To be proud of the Amish is akin to praising the Papau New Guniea Pygmy for remaining a stone age forager.

America may the the best educated and least informed country in history, proving that real education is about teaching people to think. Only than can we unleash the creativity of the human mind that gave us the Spinning Jenny, the Steam Engine, Penicillin and the microchip. (And Pol Pot, Mustard Gas, Rwandan Genocide, the Holocaust -I know it is not all good)

It is a salutary lesson to those who proscribe a rigid curriculum in our schools. We should teach our children to think, not just to repeat.

As for America, I fear it may be a lost cause.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6173399/Charles-Darwin-film-too-controversial-for-religious-America.html

http://tinyurl.com/RedbridgeBlue

Nigel Farage to Challenge John Bercow in 2010

2009-09-03T12:08:00.001+01:00

The news that MEP Nigel Farage is to challenge Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow MP is as unprecedented as it is intriguing.

Ostensibly John Bercow's 18,000 majority is unassailable. However, the convention that major parties do not stand against the incumbent speaker (a matter of some debate by furious Tories when a Labour putsch elected Bercow) could narrow that gap to just 9,000.

A swing of 8% is decidedly more precarious than one of 18%, especially when the incumbent has not only been mired in allegations of dubious conduct but has also embarked on a £20,000 spending spree in his state apartments. A week may be a long time in politics, but the electorate will remain aghast at the excesses of some of our elected members and may rally to Nigel Farage's clarion call.

The odds still favour John Bercow, but if he lost would he retain his Brussels seat? Given that MSPs happily sit in two parliaments (though Holyrood is a glorified council with fewer voters than London) and draw two salaries and two sets of expenses, I suspect he would.

Whatever the outcome, it is a brilliant headline grabbing move by Farage who is proving to be an astute and popular political operator. UKIP will remain a threat to Conservative challengers hoping to usurp incumbent MPs.

A Black Day for Black Cabs

2009-09-02T22:35:00.002+01:00

The political correctness juggernaut has just flattened the Public Carriage Office.

More accurately, the Mental Health Act has forced them to accept a convicted murderer and schizophrenic as a student for "the knowledge".

The PCO vet, examine and pass or fail London's Black Cab Drivers. Three yearly CRB checks and a rigorous vetting procedure help to protect Londoners. We probably have the safest cab system in the world, recent events notwithstanding. Ordinarily a conviction for murder and a diagnosis of schizophrenia would be a "barrier" to a Black Cab Career. Not any more.

I am naturally delighted that the "unnamed" pupil has recovered from the debilitating mental illness that led him to murder his wife eight years ago. I am also pleased that his drug regime means that he has been released from his indefinite sentence. I am not however enamoured with the idea of this man picking up potentially vulnerable passengers across London.

His treatment and rehabilitation is to be commended. His new career plan is not appropriate. Who knows what they will let Peter Sutcliffe do when he is released. Or what they had Myra Hindley lined up for..

Gordon Brown: Condemned by his silence.

2009-09-02T14:26:00.002+01:00

Gordon Brown has the biggest press secretariat in British history (Winston Churchill had just two press assistants). Their ability to churn out media soundbites in a matter of minutes is the envy of less well (publicly) funded opponents. In recent weeks their keyboards have been congratulating British athletes, lauding our cricketers and sympathising with Boston's Royal Family.

Yet on the issue that has dominated the recent news cycle, the release of the biggest mass murderer in British history, not a peep from Gordon's teenage scribblers. The Obama administration were not huge fans of GB before this embarrassing debacle. The failure of our troops to make sufficient headway in Helmand because of Brown's niggardly behavour still rankes. Breaking a solemn undertaking to keep Al Megrahi in jail has exasperated even the most anglophile.

My real sadness though is that yet again he is debasing one of the great offices of state. His illustrious predecessors, from Pitt the Younger, Disraeli and Churchill to Margaret Thatcher will be shedding quiet tears as this unelected "Son of the Manse" continues to drive a "Dirk" into the heart of Britain's integrity, probity and solvency.

The only glimmer of hope was James MacNaughtie remarking to David Milliband that there will be an election in "six or seven months". That suggests that Gordon Brown will cut and run in March. Not soon enough, but it is a little bit sooner.

In the name of God, go and go soon.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/please-go/

Valentines Lake

2009-09-02T13:47:00.001+01:00

Simply stunning

Sir John Major lambasts "New" Labour

2009-07-06T15:27:00.002+01:00