STEPHEN ALLISON

Dust everywhere!

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:33:00 +0000

For generations Hartlepool people have made their living from the sea as fishermen, deepwater sailors or working at the port. In recent years, however, residents living on the historic town wall, who are closest to the water front, have become concerned about possible health implications of the port’s operations.

A member of the Town Wall Action Group, spoke out at a recent public meeting attended by the local authority, port operators and ship owners. “Dust from the port covers our homes and cars every time a ship is being loaded,” he explained. “It discolours window frames and eats holes in the paintwork of our cars. God knows what it’s doing to people who breathe it in?”

Irvines Quay is the area of the port being blamed for the problems. The quay is used for loading bulk carrier ships that take crushed scrap for recycling. Some of the scrap is stored under cover but large piles are left exposed to the weather on the quayside. When lifted by grab crane these piles produce clouds of dust, which is spread by prevailing winds over homes on the Hartlepool Headland. It is this dust that is causing health fears amongst residents.

The local authority, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, regulates any nuisance from a port, including the loading and unloading of cargos. The Port Operator stresses it complies with all appropriate health and safety regulations and has been licensed by the local council.

The company loading the ships has funded an independent laboratory to carry out monitoring of the operation. This monitoring identified that the dust contains mainly iron oxide (rust) but also with traces of titanium, nickel and heavy metals. The analysis showed the levels detected are within the permissible health and safety limits for these substances set by the UK Environment Agency.

The Tees Valley Public Health Authority were asked to reassure the Headland residents that there was no evidence of unusual health problems in patients registered with the GP’s Practice in the in the area. An analysis, by the Chief Public Health Consultant, Professor Peter Kelly, of 4,000 medical records showed no significant statistical increase in liver problems or skin complaints, these being the two conditions most commonly associated with metals contamination. “I found that in terms of heath deprivation the Headland is not significantly different from the overall Hartlepool average.” said Professor Kelly at the public meeting. Professor Kelly did then agree that a further study should be undertaken, to look at levels of cancers in the area affected by the dust.

During the heated public meeting correspondence about the issue was produced that went back over 20 years. Local Councillors demanded that the Borough Council needed to do something about these problems. “It is well past time that these operations were shut down once and for all! “said one Councillor.

Residents were not reassured by the results of the meeting. There are still very real and unaddressed fears that a long term health problem is building up.

While waiting for the results on the cancers study the campaigners are compiling a dossier of evidence from people in the Headland area who think they have been affected by this dust problem. “Everyone should ensure their problems are included in the dossier” said a local campaigner “We are taking this right to the top, all the way to Downing Street if necessary. We are not going to just let it drop for another 20 years!”

why did Robin Hood steal from the rich?

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:14:00 +0000

Why did Robin Hood steal from the rich? Simple: the poor haven’t got anything worth nicking. I tried that joke in the Nottingham Archers’ shop and it didn’t even get a groan. They’ve heard every Robin Hood joke ever told. Modern bows, using space age materials, mean that today anyone can participate in Archery. You no longer need a huge chest and an arm of iron. Being able to punch your arrow through the armour of a charging knight is not a requirement. Contests are now decided on accuracy, not who can shoot the furthest or fastest. A competition standard bow and quiver full of personalised arrows will cost less than £400. Compare this to a set of golf clubs or tickets to Leeds Festival and it’s not a huge entry price to pay to enjoy a sport that is a bit different from the usual student activities.

Just don’t mess with me!

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:11:00 +0000

It’s been three hours since I shook down my illegal gambling den. The ‘take’ will be building up nicely. It should give me enough money to fly to Cuba and make a few investments. No, I’m not a big time international criminal; I’m addicted to ‘Mafia Wars’ on Facebook. One of over 6 million people now playing on line, every day. I started as a humble ‘Street Thug’ doing muggings for a few dollars to increase the size of my ‘family’. Progress can make you a ‘Big Boss’ raking in millions from deals around the world. I now own casinos in the USA and cigar factories in Cuba and have reached sufficient status to allow me to ‘wet my beak’ (as we Mafia say) in the Russian organized crime scene. So far I’m only running an unlicensed Moscow taxi rank, but I’m not stopping there! Just don’t mess with me!

Lest we forget

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Freemen and Aldermen

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:29:00 +0000

In a heated meeting last night Hartlepool Borough Council approved seven names to go forward for consideration as Freemen and Honorary Aldermen of the town. Speculation that Peter Mandelson was one of the potential new Freemen has already been reported in the local newspaper and been the subject of some correspondence in the Hartlepool Mail Reader's Letters Page.

The names being recommended had been selected by the Council’s Civic Honors Committee from nineteen original nominations. The Full Council met tonight in closed session to debate the selection and to confirm, or reject, the recommendations.

According to the Agenda each of the seven names would be debated individually and voted on individually. This gave the Council the opportunity to accept or reject each nomination on their own individual merit. The Labour Group, detecting that possibly not all seven of the names had an equal level of support, proposed that the list should be accepted as a single package, thereby removing the requirement for discussion of individual nominations.

This "all or nothing" proposal was opposed by several Councillors who felt each name should be debated on its own merits. The choice of individual debate or a single "all or nothing" decision was put to the vote and the Council tied 19 votes to 19 votes. The Council Chairman, Councillor Carl Richardson (Labour) used his casting vote to force through the all or nothing option. One Councillor at the meeting described the decision as "Democracy as they know it in North Korea".

At times after this the meeting descended into chaos with the Chairman rejecting potential points of order and failing to recognise Councillors indicating they wished to speak. When the vote was called for confusion reigned over what exactly the Council was being asked to vote on.

The vote on the Freemen and Aldermen nomination was finally taken on a roll call basis, with individual members being asked to register their vote so that it could be recorded in the minutes.

To approve a Civic Honour requires a more than two thirds majority of the votes cast to be in favour. When the Roll Call was completed 22 Votes were recorded in favour of the seven names and 10 were recorded against. The majority of the Liberal Democrat group showed the courage of their convictions and abstained from the vote. Of course "Courage" and "Convictions" are not two words normally associated with Liberal-Democrats. All the Conservative Councillors present voted against the motion with the exception of Conservative Councillor Pauline Laffey of Park Ward, who voted for the motion. Councillor Laffey’s support was enough for the motion to approve the seven names by a single vote! The look the Conservative Leader's face when he realised it was one of his members who saved Labour's blushes was a picture! Once again Laffey shows her "Blue Labour" rosette. I am sure she will get her reward from her Labour Comrades in the future. After all it was John Bercow's tactics of sucking up to Labour that got him the Speaker's Chair in the House Of Commons. I wonder which chair Pauline Laffey is expecting in return for her loyalty to the Labour Cause?

Although reports in the local press have identified Peter Mandelson as one of the new potential Freemen of the town this cannot be officially confirmed. The names of the individuals to be honoured will not be officially released until they have been approached to confirm they will accept the honour should it be formally offered to them. Until this time Hartlepool Council are applying the Local Government Act 2000 to officially keep the names confidential.

Shorthand and Blog Review

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:56:00 +0000

I've been a bit busy the past few weeks. Too busy to blog to be honest! I am trying to learn T Line Shorthand in order to pass the NCTJ Exams and qualify as a 'Junior Reporter' and this has been takingup almost my every waking moment. The shear frustration of learning one way of doing it, trying to apply the rules and then being told about all the exceptions! Drives me mad! And in fact I've just seen its 8.59am so I've got to go to Sharthand NOW!

Before I go I must share one website I found recently, http://www.politics.co.uk and in particular http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/stephen-allison-$1325866.htm which is about ME, yes someone has actually gone to the trouble of reviewing my blog! and here was me thinking no-one actually read it apart from me amd my mother!

Anyway they say:

"A strange personal-diary-cum-political commentary that is occasionally unintentionally funny.

Mr Allison must be a refreshingly unaware sort of chap for someone involved in politics, and that makes this blog both rather endearing and occasionally, we have to say, hilariously pompous at times.

Overall it's rather sweet and enjoyable, although as hardened hacks we admit to finding the publication of his daughter's A level results a little much to stomach."

They rate me at 5.5/10. Not sure if that's good, bad or just an average score given to most people. When I have time I'll investigate more. NOW I'M OFF TO SHORTHAND!

Newspaper Endorsements!

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:21:00 +0000

As a Journalism Student (yes me a student again at my age!) I was interested to read the YouGov poll regarding the degree of importance people attached to the endorsement of a political party by a major newspaper. Of those polled 61% said the endorsement was important or very important, 36% said it was not very important or not important at all, 4% didn't know (yes that's 101% but figures are rounded!).

The poll also found 63% agreed with the statement that Labour has lost its way. However, less encouraging for the Tories, only 29% agreed with The Sun's published view that they were backing the Tories because 'the Conservative leadership can put the 'great' back into Great Britain'

You can see the full research here

Support for UKIP is up

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:17:00 +0000

The traditional assumption that support for political parties other than the main three disappears at a general election has been challenged by private polling seen by the BBC.

Support for Labour is languishing at 20%, while the Lib Dems are down from 21% to 18%. But support for "others" - UKIP, the Green Party, the BNP and other small parties - has doubled, from 9% to 18%.

The polling suggests a surge in support for UKIP, in particular. Figures show support for UKIP is at 6%, up from 1% in summer last year who said they would vote for the party in a general election.

Read the full article here.

Busy Day

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Spent the morning in a lecture about Media Law. Quite scary when libel payouts were being discussed. This afternoon was Principles and Practices of Magazine Journalism. The reading list is huge! Ordered some from Amazon and reserved the rest from the Library. Discovered that there is no Union Bar at the St.Peter Campus but there are a couple of pubs in walking distance. I thought journalists were a hard drinking lot but obviously not! Maybe they just need to warm up a bit. Handed in my first "think piece" and will be discussing it tomorrow. It was about achievement versus effort in Higher education. "Males more optimistic, but to their detriment” makes a good headline but the team from University of Wales Institute leave a hole, big enough to drive the metaphorical bus through, when they declare their findings are based upon a sample of 112 psychology students. It is difficult to see how these can be seen as a representative group from which to draw general conclusions.

If the issue is one primarily of self belief then the environment in which the students grew up, their aims and aspirations would be significant factors in the results obtained by the study. The males in the study having a greater belief in their own abilities than their achievements apparently seem to justify. The female students appear to accept they needed to work harder just to achieve the same level of results. Psychology is fast becoming one of the most popular undergraduate degrees according to the UK Careers Advice Website. It is attracting a higher number of students who have no clear idea of where their future career will take them. The level of vocational motivation in such students would understandably be much lower than in students studying Medicine, Engineering or Teaching.

Speaking as one of the new middle class and a father of two teenaged children, both currently studying for higher qualifications, I can say that my daughter works harder, is more focused and more determined than my son. However, that has been the case since they were young children. My daughter was a first grandchild for both mine and my wife’s family. My son was the third grandchild, but critically the first grandson. The way in which the working class grandparents reacted to them was very different.

As the oldest grandchild, my daughter was always encouraged to excel. As the oldest grandson, my son was always expected to excel. A critical difference.

It would be a much more significant finding if the research were repeated and the same results obtained using students from different social backgrounds and on a range of vocational courses. Drawing general conclusions from such a narrow sample cannot be either statistically or socially valid.

Anyway, shorthand starts next week as well. 100words per minute! not as easy as it sounds. Booked tickets for Al Murray on 8th October and Jimmy Carr on 17th January. Well if I'm in Sunderland I might as well make the most of it! NCTJ Exams on December 10th for Court Reporting and January 14th for General Reporting, plus 3,000 word assignment to be handed in before Christmas. I think I'm going to be a busy boy!

Stage Coach Top Men in Hartlepool Meeting

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:54:00 +0000

Further to the recent North Neighborhood Forum I have been in discussions with Stagecoach and have been trying to put together a public meeting to discus the services relating to St.Hilda Ward. I have now been able to arrange for the Managing Director of Stagecoach North East, Mr.John Conroy and the Commercial Director, Mr.Robin Knight, to attend the meeting. These are the two top men in the North East and they do not attend meetings like this very often. This being the case I don't think the agenda should be limited to just St.Hilda Ward!

The meeting will be on Wednesday 7th October in the Borough Hall, 6.00pm for 6.30pm. As these are the top men I am opening the meeting to anyone in Hartlepool who wants to attend.

I have contacted the Mayor and all the Hartlepool Borough Councillors for whom I have e-mail addresses to ask if there are any specific questions that anyone would like to ask these two Gentlemen, petitions to present, etc, I can then put together an agenda to kick the meeting off. The Borough Hall is booked till 9.00pm.

I have also spoken to the Hartlepool Mail about the meeting and they will be running a feature about the meeting next week. I hope we can drum up a good cross section of the Councilors and general public to come along to get these two Directors out of their comfort zone. I cannot emphasize enough that it has been stressed to me that these people don't come down from their "Ivory Towers" very often so we have to get it right on the night as we in Hartlepool will probably only get one go at it.

Like losing a limb!

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:31:00 +0000

I have been the victim of a vicious and nasty attack! For once this wasn't in the Hartlepool Council Chamber, it wasn't even in the Hartlepool Mail or a stab in the back from someone in UKIP! No it was a virus that wiped out my computer. It required new hardwear to actually get my machine moving again, although we did also eventually find two re-sets on the mother board that weren't even shown on the manufacturer's schematics! One advantage of the whole incident has been that I've re-loaded my PC with Windows XP and dumped that bloody awful Vista!

So normal blogging service should be resumed from now on.

I was a little bit misty eyed on Thursday when the UKIP Regional Organisers met in London and I wasn't there. The end of an era, the new North East RO was in attendance and as soon as he is confirmed in place I'll be passing my responsibilities in that area over to him. Good luck Gordon is all I will say, oops I've let it slip now! From the reports I've had I didn't miss much at the meeting, the former UKIP Leader and former UKIP Treasurer turned up and I don't think I'm on the Christmas Card List of either of them!

I am still undertaking responsibility for producing the General Election Address but of course that depends upon who is elected as the new leader of UKIP since he (or she) will then be able to bring in their own team should they wish it. Good luck to them as well.

I attended my first session today for my NCTJ course, I have to learn shorthand! it is apparently fairly easy to learn but hard to acquire the minimum speeds, sounds like Chess, easy to learn how to play but very difficult to become amy good at the ngame. As a "magazine" journalist I only (only!) need to get to 80 words per minute, if I was doing the News Option then it's 100 words per minute. Core modules in semester one are Principles and Practices of Magazine Journalism, Media Law and Media in Society. In Semester two Media Ethics is compulsory. Media Ethics? Contradiction in terms?

The course leader turned out to be a former colleague of Piers Merchant from his days on the Newcastle Journal. He, like all of us was very sad about Pier's death. A good man taken too young.

I haven't been neglecting my other duties while the PC has been down. The sixth form college governors meetings and of course Council work have all been on-going. In fact I have a major announcement going out next week in the Hartlepool Mail about Stage Coach and the buss services in the town. Actually I think I'll preview that now in another post!

Join my Mafia

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:02:00 +0000

Join My Mafia: http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/status_invite.php?from=721583184

Curate's Egg

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Well, what a can of worms my last post has opened up! I contacted several senior party members asking for their opinion. A sizable minority have just ignored me, which of course tells me something and the rest of the feedback has ranged from very, very supportive through to brutally dismissive! You really do find out who your friends are when you stick your head above the parapet on this sort of thing don't you!

On the other hand there might not even be a Leadership election, let's face it if Nigel Farage changed his mind and decided to stay on as leader then he'd be re-appointed by acclimation!

UKIP Leadership

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:58:00 +0000

You can always tell how busy I am by the number of blog posts I make, well since the UKIP Conference last week I have been both surprised and pleased by the large number of calls and e-mails I have received urging me to consider putting my hat into the ring for the Leadership of UKIP after Nigel announced his retirement on Friday. My initial reaction was to dismiss these suggestions out of hand, but some of the more persistent callers asked me to think it over very carefully.

Over the past five years I have seen, from quite a senior position, how the UK Independence Party operates and became convinced some time ago that things needed to change organisationally in order for the Party to continue to progress. One thing that definitely needs to be addressed is the perceived imbalance in the party where the financial muscle of the MEPs is seen to allow them to wield disproportionate influence. I do believe that many of the MEPs themselves agree that the Party is now too big for this concentration of power to be sustainable. Nigel’s admission that the Leadership was too much for him to handle along with his other roles being an illustration of this.

To this end I am now seriously considering seeking the necessary 50 signatures to permit me to submit my name for nomination as a Candidate for Leader of UKIP. This is in the belief that it should not be an MEP who takes this role forward in the domestic arena. MEPs have a job to do exposing the EU beast for what it really is. The Leader of UKIP in the UK needs to concentrate on modernising the party and bringing in management practices that are fit for a party that is growing in influence at every election we fight.

If I were to stand and be elected I would devote myself full time to the post. I would cease promoting my private business interests and would not seek election as a MP or MEP during my tenure as Leader of the Party. When the Party Leader, or indeed any Party Officer, is a UKIP MEP and therefore in receipt of a substantial salary as a result of their UKIP activities, I think it is unreasonable for them to expect additional payments for carrying out Party Officer roles. However, were I to become Party Leader I would expect a salary commensurate with at least minimum wage, and I would expect the Party to cover the expenses incurred while on party business. I do not think this is unreasonable as I would still need to live and support my family. I would publish an on-line diary of my activities and my expenses so that there was complete transparency of what was being spent and on what. I do not think it is unreasonable to expect this as unless the Party are willing to support the Leader in this way then only those with a private income could ever aspire to senior posts.

UKIP advertises itself as a Party of real people, not career politicians. However it appears to me that our over reliance on MEPs to fill senior posts leaves us open to the accusation that we are no different to the other parties. UKIP must open up its senior positions such a Leader and Chairman to real people, not career politicians, for despite what our MEPs may say I believe that once the have been elected, and in some cases re-elected, as Members of the European Parliament then they have embarked on a political career. This is why I would NOT seek election as a Member of the European, or Westminster, Parliaments while I was Party Leader.

I believe I have the management and personal skills necessary to lead our party and the ability to build a team where each member plays to their strengths. Working with Nigel Farage as the political Leader I would very much see the Role as a Chief Executive role rather than the predominately public facing role that Nigel undertakes and which is undoubtedly one of his strengths. UKIP needs MEPs as our political face, we need the NEC as our senior management body overseeing a Business Plan for the Party, we need an efficient secretariat carrying out party administration and we need a united membership going forward together. These are the things I would work towards as key steps on the way to getting our country back.

You couldn't make 'em up!

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:30:00 +0000

These are taken from real complaints made to Councils in UK, you couldn't make 'em up!

1.. It's the dogs' mess that I find hard to swallow

2.. I want some repairs done to my cooker as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.

3.. I wish to complain that my father burnt his ankle very badly when he put his foot in the hole in his back passage..

4.. And their 18 year old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.

5.. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other day that blew them off.

6..My lavatory seat is cracked, where do I stand?

7.. I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is coming away from the wall.

8.. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path. My wife tripped and fell on it yesterday and now she is pregnant.

9.. I request permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.

10.. 50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster, and 50% are Plain filthy.

11.. I am still having problems with smoke in my new drawers.

12.. The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared.

13..Will you please send a man to look at my water, it is a funny colour and Not fit to drink.

14..Our lavatory seat is broken in half and now is in three pieces.

15..I want to complain about the farmer across the road. Every morning at 6am his cock wakes me up and it's now getting too
much For me.

16..The man next door has a large erection in the back garden, which is Unsightly and dangerous

17..Our kitchen floor is damp. We have two children and would like a third So please send someone round to do something about it.

18..I am a single woman living in a downstairs flat and would you please do something about the noise made by the man on top
of me every night.

19..Please send a man with the right tool to finish the job and satisfy my wife.

20.. I have had the clerk of works down on the floor six times but I still have no satisfaction

21.. This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broke and we can't get BBC2.

22.. My bush is really overgrown round the front and my back passage has fungus growing in it.

23..He's got this huge tool that vibrates the whole house and I just can't take it anymore.

Heugh Battery Open Day

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Went to the Heugh Battery open day this morning. It always amazes me how far the place has come from those days only a few years ago when it was a derelict site and the only people there were bird watchers and a few kids playing in the gun emplacements. The Chieftain Tank is a great addition to the collection and it will be fantastic to watch it being restored. Anyone with an interest in military history should definitely give the place a visit. After the Battery we went for lunch as the Cosmopolitan. Great Sunday Lunch, very reasonably priced.

Votes for Prisoners

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Dostoevsky wrote that "the degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons". If that is right, British civilisation is none too healthy just now. Record numbers of inmates are crammed into the jails. The difficulties of sardine-tin rehabilitation are exacerbated by a doggedly vengeful refusal to reward convicts who mend their ways or show regard for others. Last spring Gordon Brown vetoed an overdue rise in the meagre pay prisoners can earn by spending time productively. This month a tabloid scare story led to certain social events being banned. But the most gratuitous stricture of all predates any red-top campaign. In a report last week a UN committee warned that the voting ban in prisons may be at odds with the international covenant on civil and political rights. The ban dates back to a musty statute from 1870 - a time when the franchise was a privilege, reserved for a minority. Today the vote is everywhere considered a right - except within jail walls. No one believes disfranchisement is a deterrent; nor does it make sense as a punishment: the purpose of prison is to deprive people of their liberty, not their political voice. Sheer lack of thought meant that - until Strasbourg intervened - the ban often effectively applied to remanded prisoners, not convicted of any crime. If inmates were encouraged to take an interest in society, then perhaps fewer than two-thirds would reoffend on release. As it stands, in more than one sense, they are barred citizens. It is time to give them the vote.

(This article was first published on line at www.guardian.co.uk on Monday 22 September 2008. It appeared in the Editorials & reply section of the print edition of the Guardian on Monday 22 September 2008.).

Political Parties and Elections Act 2009

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 09:36:00 +0000

The Political Parties and Elections Act became law in July this year.

It introduces a range of significant changes to how political parties are regulated. However the Act also provides for a process of introducing individual electoral registration in Great Britain from 1 July 2010.

The Act" identifies registration as the bedrock of the democratic process, and it’s important that electoral registers are as complete and accurate as possible – so everyone who is entitled to vote can, and no one is on the register who shouldn’t be. The Act will move the UK from a system of household registration to a system of individual electoral registration which will require the "voluntary" collection of personal identifiers - National Insurance number, signature and date of birth - from electors, to make sure that the conditions are appropriate before any move to compulsory provision of identifiers. The Commission will be working closely with those who maintain registers and run elections across the UK to increase the number of eligible people on the electoral register and to support the successful introduction of individual electoral registration."

Read that carefully.

It's a NATIONAL ELECTION REGISTER, another government data base, this one listing everyone in the country eligible to vote, their personal details, National insurance number, date of birth, even signature. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.

Tut Tut ! Naughty Liberal Democrats

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

The Electoral Commission announced today (20th August) that the Liberal Democrats’ Twickenham & Richmond accounting unit has forfeited four impermissible donations totalling £1,328.20.

Under Section 54(1) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), registered political parties must not accept a donation from an impermissible donor. Political parties and their accounting units have 30 days to check that a donor is permissible and either accept the donation, or return it if from an impermissible donor.

Four donations of £332.05 were received by Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats on 31 December 2008, 31 January 2009, 28 February 2009 and 31 March 2009 respectively. The donor, Jonathan Kramer, was not registered on a UK electoral register at the time of the donations and therefore the donations were impermissible.

The Twickenham and Richmond Liberal Democrats have voluntarily forfeited the donation, and therefore legal action by the Commission is not necessary.

Moss Missives

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:37:00 +0000

I Twitter, I blog and of course I write to the Hartlepool Mail, but today I subscribed to my first "News Feed".

I now subscribe to the "Moss Missives" blog of Richard Moss, the BBC's Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. He bills his blog as irreverent, but hopefully insightful, northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.

If anyone wants to link to it then click here. It looks pretty good.

Don’t put up council tax!

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:33:00 +0000

“Don’t put up council tax” was the quote from the Deputy Mayor in Friday’s Mail. There must be an election coming because this is the Deputy Mayor who holds the Finance Portfolio and who, to the best of my recollection, has NEVER voted against a Council Tax rise in the entire time Hartlepool has suffered under the Mayoral system. Last year Hartlepool’s two UKIP Councillors, myself and Martyn Aiken, were the ONLY Councillors to vote “NO” at the meeting to formally set Council Tax. A few Independents abstained but every other Councillor voted YES to the Council tax increase. The Labour Group voted en-bloc to put up the Council Tax and their poodles in the Lib-Dems and brown noser Tories dutifully supported the Labour group.

I intend to keep the page from the Hartlepool Mail and should the Deputy Mayor once again propose an inflation busting rise I will point to his remarks and ask him what changed his mind? Many years ago there was a move for a zero based budget for Hartlepool Council, it never happened If anyone asks about it now there are just shrugs. It is down to Councillors to decide what the level of Council Tax increase should be. I will be voting “NO” to any rise next year, as I have voted “NO” every year whilst I have been a Member of Hartlepool Council. Maybe, just maybe there will be more than the lone voices of UKIP speaking out for Council Taxpayers next year?

Very Proud Dad

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:45:00 +0000

According to the UCAS Website Rosie's place to read Law at Kings College has been Confirmed. UCAS don't say what her A Level grade are but as the offer was conditional upon 3 A Grades it isn't too hard to work out what she got? Of course she was sitting 5 A levels so we know 3 are A and one is almost certainly a B (She needed 124 out of 120 in final module for an A in English Language) so its only really General Studies that she has to go into 6th Form College to collect. She'd been asked yesterday to go in early this morning for a photograph with the Hartlepool Mail so we had assumed it was good news but its nice to get confirmation from UCAS. Well done Rosie, very proud Dad!

PS.

Now CONFIRMED Rosie's A level Grades,
English Literature A,
History A,
Sociology A,
General Studies A and
English Language B.

Very Very Very Proud Dad

help is at hand

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:56:00 +0000

Swine Flu Update

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:02:00 +0000

If you wake up in the morning looking like this then DON'T GO TO WORK

The Train now standing.............

steve.allison107@btinternet.com (Steve Allison) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:47:00 +0000

I am quite a fan of Grand Central trains. The Hartlepool to London Service is a little Gem which we should all support when we can. If Grand Central were able to get approval for a fourth daily train, leaving London about 7.00pm, then the service would be just about perfect. One thing I have noticed however is the increasing frequency with which the train tannoy crackles into life with a barrage of announcements to advise passengers that for their "comfort and safety" they must not smoke or use mobiles in the "quiet carriages" and should take "a minute or two to read the safety information provided".

I actually like to travel in the "quiet coach" when I can. No beeping of mobile phones, no loud conversations from the next seat about who is doing what to who or who is sleeping with who, or even about who is next for eviction from the Big Brother House, the Celebrity Love Island or the Jungle, etc. The provision of WiFi meaning the little Netbook comes out, log on and off I go. Alternatively I read some papers, twitter or even blog. However, the peace of the "quiet Coach" is regularly disturbed by the Train Guard's announcements. If I'd thought about I suppose I'd have assumed it was like the Air Stewardess doing the "put the life jacket over your head and tie the tapes at the side in a double bow. Do not inflate your life jacket until you are outside the aircraft" speech, it has to be done but no-one listens after the first few dozen repetitions.

What I have learned today however is that the train companies are assaulting our ear drums because of European Union Regulation. Yes, the EU is even regulating how often and on what subjects our Train Guards should be communicating with us. Train companies are compelled to bombard us with this useless information by EC Regulation 1371/2007 on "rail passengers' rights and obligations", under the European Commission's "third package" on "further integration of the European rail system".

One of the subjects the Lib/Lab/Con politicians keep quiet about is just how much of what goes on in Britain these days is due to the orders of our real government in Brussels. Unfortunately keeping quiet is not something Train Guards are now allowed to do. So next time you are on a Train and the Tannoy is telling you that "Smoking is not permitted anywhere on this train" and "For your safety and convenience smoke detectors are fitted in the toilets" just remember, its nothing to do with your safety and convenience, its about the EU regulating just one more detail of your life!

Actually I suppose we should be grateful the announcements are only in English! i would think it's only a matter of time before Train Guards need to speak 27 Languages!