Here is a picture of my new toy, a tractor, it's not brand new, I got it off e-bay, but its a 20HP machine with three speed pto (power take off) that will really deal with all the weeds and long grass that have taken over this year as I have been away so much that grass cutting didn't even appear on the jobs list, let alone get done. Actually the tractor is totally useless without a mower to tow along behind it (using the pto to turn the blades) and as I haven't got one of those yet it means that e-bay is still my most visited Internet site.

The tractor came from a little village near Northampton and the two guys there (a father and son) really seemed to have it sussed. They had a nice little business, that they obviously enjoyed very much and which appeared to give them a nice living without too much stress and aggravation. My dad and I went to collect the Tractor so it was two father and son teams! We even had a brief discussion on politics, they think the EU is terrible, the Parish Council are a bunch of parochial, small minded idiots and as for the County Council, don't even mention them and their unbelievable planning policies! It was just like being at home!

The day actually ended rather well with my tractor tucked up in its garage behind its steel plate door and numerous padlocks and tie downs. I was a bit surprised as the day started really badly. To collect the Tractor I hired as long wheel base Transit, this was booked and paid for over the Internet and all seemed hunky dory, even though the advertised price of £25 a day ended up at £48 when all the "extras" were added on, you know optional things like insurance, named driver authorisation, collection and delivery fee. This pissed me of quite a bit and "Rip off Britain" was being muttered as I keyed in my Credit Card Number. A question I can't get an answer to is why did it cost £10 PER DRIVER to hire the van. The van will be doing the same mileage and carrying the same load regardless of whether one person drives or two people take turns?

I turned up 9.00am to collect the van, armed with my driving licence, both parts, my passport, my Internet confirmation voucher and my credit card to leave the £300 deposit. Unfortunately the "two forms of ID" which I assumed driving licence and passport, were not acceptable, I had to also produce a Utility Bill. No amount of pleading would allow any other document to substitute, it had to be a utility bill, bank statement, NO Good, pay slip from Hartlepool Council, NO Good. They wanted a Gas Bill and nothing else would do. I pointed out we don't get mains gas so they did relent to electricity bill. I pointed out we pay monthly direct debit on line and don't get printed statements. Not their problem, Utility Bill or no van. OK I said cancel the van. Fine they said but as it is less than 24 hours notice you forfeit the hire fee! I dutifully trudged off home and found a 2007 "Annual statement" from N-Power showing how or direct debit would be calculated for the next 12 month. Hurray, this was accepted and 2 hours later than planned we actually set off.

It needed more paperwork and took more time to hire a van for the day in Middlesbrough than it did to get on a flight from New York to Heathrow. The saga will not be completed until tomorrow of course since they shut at 5.00pm and because of our late start we couldn't get the van returned this evening. I am now seriously expecting then to find a fly speck of damage somewhere and retain my £300 deposit. That will then mean a van for the day from Middlesbrough not only needed more paperwork and took longer to arrange than a flight from New York BUT the van will have cost more than the flight did!

Maybe Robbie Payne had it right when he said he couldn't wait to be retired and out of this country for good!

Be Quiet!!

I had to check the newspaper today to make sure it wasn't April 1st! Apparently the government are considering passing a law to specify the minimum amount of noise that a road vehicle must make when running! The MINIMUM amount! Anyone who has ever had to live with the roar of traffic noise would have thought the quieter a vehicle is the better.

However, according to a pressure group for blind and partially sighted people electric cars are too quiet, they can't hear them coming and so they are dangerous. What about people on bikes? Will they be covered by the minimum road noise requirement? How about disability scooters, will they have to carry a loud speaker system that makes them sound like a formula 1 racing car? Why don't we just go the whole hog and go back to people walking in front of cars with a red flag!

Apparently pedestrians are also in danger from these quiet cars. Well pedestrians are also in danger from inconsiderate cyclists riding on the pavement and the last twice I've been in a vehicle collision while a pedestrian its been when some ignorant person in a disability scooter has run into me in Middleton Grange Shopping Centre.

Noise pollution is one of the things that makes our towns and cities so hard to live in. According to some pieces I've read Noise pollution and light pollution (absence of real darkness) are both contributing factors to increasing levels of mental illness. So lets go the whole hog, electric cars should not only have noise generators they should be made to derive with their lights on at all times. Oh, sorry, the EU is going to make us do that all the time fairly soon anyway!

As regards pedestrians not being able to hear electric cars, well my 16 year old son wouldn't hear a herd of elephants charging at him if he was listening to his i-pod.

Slowly clearing the fugg

Managed to stay awake until 10.00pm last night and didn't wake up till 6.00am this morning so body clock adjusting quite quickly. Ten days touring down the East Coast from Toronto to New York (via Washington) is not a fair way to get an overall impression of two huge countries but three quick initial impressions of the holiday were:

Canadians are really polite
Yanks are very parochial
New York is very dirty and noisy

Toronto is a lovely little city and I was really impressed. Their Metro system was clean, efficient and CHEAP, made London Underground look really tatty and overpriced. My mother was offered a seat every time we travelled on it. CN Tower was impressive and the Rogers Stadium (The Skydome) was very good and made the new Wembly Stadium look distinctly third rate. Overall Toronto was very impressive.

When we crossed into the USE our guide told us to change any sterling we had with us at Canadian Banks before we crossed the border since US Banks didn't trust funny money and we might not be able to get British Pounds changed. More or less summed up the Yanks for me, sort of "You all come from England? What part of Texas is that in? They do know about Iraq but most other foreign countries and their geography gets a bit hazy. Went to Arlington National Cemetery and visited the Kennedy Graves, very sad and all but it didn't make me want to weep, but then if I ever visited Dianna's grave I doubt I'd be crying much there either (unless it was over how much it costs to go there, at least its free to see the Kennedy Graves). No doubt he was a great President, tragically cut down young, but he wasn't MY President.

New York was a typical big city to me. Hot, dirty, noisy. Empire State building good, Statue of Liberty bit disappointing, Maceys my daughters favourite place in the world. New York Metro system actually made the London Underground look good, although New York was cheaper. In fact that was the first thing we noticed back in the UK, prices here were the same as New York but obviously in pounds not dollars. So maybe that's the final impression of the Holiday, we came home to rip off Britain!

Home again

Landed at Heathrow at 6.30am this morning (UK Time) and hopped on a shuttle to Newcastle getting us home just after 11.00am. Piles of post and nearly 1,000 e-mails waited for me. Also my son received his long awaited response from his application to join the Royal Navy as an Engineering Cadet this September.

Some good news and some bad news! Edward passed the three day selection board and was shortlisted for a place, that's the good news! It means he made it through to the final hurdle, beating over 2,000 other youngsters who also applied and so I'm very proud of him for getting this far. The bad news is that there are only 30 places and the Navy lists the people who pass the boards in order of preference and unfortunately despite getting a pass mark Edward was not in the top 30 when all the boards were completed and so will not be getting a place in September. That's the bad news.

Better news is that as he passed the Board they would like him to attend a careers guidance meeting to discuss sponsorship through 6th form (but home based) and then possible university scholarships so all is not lost for a Naval Career.

PS Edward's mum is secretly pleased he didn't get in! Her baby (He's 6 foot tall now) was far to little to be going away to sea!

New York New York

Didn't I do well? No electronic contact of any type for over a week. however I've just had to go on line to confirm our flights home tommorow night and couldn't resist a quick look at the message boards and blogs? Sad or what!

Leave JFK tommorow at 18:15 US East Coast Time so will be landing at the now infamous Terminal 5 at just after 6:00 UK time. Catch all you readers soon with stories of my adventures!

Well I never Knew that!

It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem. The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.

Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.

The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of

brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.

Few landlubbers realise that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?

THEN SEND IT TO COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW

So, Councillor Akers-Belcher is going to set up a committee to investigate the pothole situation in Hartlepool’s roads! Oh good, that problem’s solved then!

The Committee will need several months to complete its work and I couldn’t help thinking of an animated cartoon my children watched when they were young. Babar, King of the Elephants, wants to do something; unfortunately he is fighting bureaucracy which comes up with the classic delaying tactic, set up a Committee!

In the Words of King Babar’s Chancellor,

“We’ll set up a committee to discuss and interact.
Then authorise a study to investigate the facts.
Then summarise the data to find out what we have to do.

We’ll call in all the experts, to hear just what they say.
Get their general agreement and consensus today.
And then we’ll take a survey to get the public point of view.

Then we’ll circulate a memo to all the parties concerned.
Discussing all the options and note what we have learned.
Then submit the mater to a democratic, thorough debate.

It’ll be glorious, glorious, Glorious.
THEN SEND IT TO COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW”

A Committee substitutes talking about a problem for actually doing anything about it. Committees take up resources and cost huge amounts of money. A couple of blokes with shovels and a wheel barrow full of tarmac going round filling in potholes would be more cost effective than any number of committees. I've been trying for months to get some repairs done in an alley way on the Headland, but no luck.

If there is one thing Hartlepool doesn’t need it is more committees!

Pleasant Valley Sunday

Sunday afternoon, had a lazy morning reading the papers (only possible, reading the papers that is, because my sister in law turned up at 9.00am to collect the bag she left here last night and so I thought if I'm up now I might as well go get the papers!). Went down to the Wheelhouse on the Marina for Sunday lunch, £98 for 7 of us so not bad including drinks. The Wheelhouse is Rosie's favourite place, after Starbucks. Rosie thunks Hartlepool would be immeasurably improved by a Starbucks. I pointed out that this time next week we'll be in New York so I'd take her to Sterbucks on 5th Avenue, unfortunately this time next week we'll actually be in Toronto so 5th Avenue will have to wait.

Lots of over lunch teasing of Edward who was actually out with a girl last week. They are just friends, of course, but it didn't stop him going very, very red. Ah the Allison Male curse, babe magnets every one of us!

Arrived back home determined to do some work. The expenses return for Henley has to be submitted before I go to the US and I have several hundred UKIP Enquiry forms to complete and a few hundred stamps to stick onto letters inviting people to the North East Regional Meeting on 26th July. However, the Wheelhouse lunch is now making me very sleepy so I don't think any of these jobs will get done before a nap!

The TV is also calling me, Rosie is watching "East is East" on the DVD, its part of her Sociology Course work for the summer vacation. Edward of course has no course work, or indeed work of any kind so his aim for now is to master Guitar Hero on the Wii.

Win a Seat Ibiza

Although the current round of Post Office Closures is completed the salami slicing of post office counter services continues ready for further closures in the future.

Should your local Councillor or your MP make mention of their “support” for post offices why not ask him about the latest government scheme to take even more revenue away from the Post Office Counters.

Tax disc renewal forms are now offering free entry to a draw to win a car if you renew online. Obviously this is an attempt to even further reduce Post Office usage by offering an incentive to switch away another service. If you still want to support your local Post Office and renew your tax disc over the counter you can do so but are not automatically entered into the draw. You can however apply, on line, to be entered into the draw separately.

The reason for what is in effect a discount on your tax bill if you go on line is being justified as a green measure. The scheme doesn’t say when all the Post Offices are closed no-one will need to visit them ever again and hence reduce unnecessary journeys but actually offers a Seat Ibiza as the prize due to it being the vehicle with the best combination of safety ratings and CO2 emission.

Save the planet and win a Seat Ibiza. Aren’t we lucky to have such a caring government! Shame the about the Post Offices but you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs!

You must come to Tea!

I have just received a complaint from a regular treader of my blog that I have not added any tit bits for over a week. I must offer my apologies for this laxness but I have been very busy the last few days. I had no sooner finished with the Henley by-Election than I was straight into the last stages of UKIPs selection procedures for MEP Candidates. As a member of the Political Committee this has taken up a great deal of time. I went to London for a meeting on Tuesday and didn't get home until Thursday evening, unfortunately I was expecting to be there and back in a day so didn't have an overnight bag with me! The first thing I did when I got home was have a long hot shower.

I then went down with a vicious sore throat, felt like I was gargling broken glass, not fun. According to the doctor it was "a virus" so all I could do was sweat it out. I surfaced briefly to visit the Maritime Festival but after a short visit I headed back to the warmth of my bed. My son was there for the full two days in his Sea Cadet Uniform, very damp he was most of the time. I really felt sorry for the organisers of the event and remembered being told a story about Napoleon considering the appointment of a new General. After experience, qualifications, training etc were all taken into account the Emperor only had one question “Is he lucky?”

The “General” in charge of the Hartlepool Maritime festival must obviously fail that vital test. No mater how good her qualifications, experience, the attractions she lined up, the car parking arrangements, the preparations and the contingency planning it all ultimately came down to the weather! One must feel very sorry for her and her team. This event was scheduled to attract 150,000 visitors (according to the event website) in preparation for 1,000,000 plus for the Tall Ships in 2010. We can therefore only hope that in two years time the Tall Ships Weekend will pass Napoleon’s key test.

Some brief discussions on the school closure program with several concerned residents and I must admit to a small amount of amusement a the Labour Party and the hole they dug for themselves. All 23 Labour Councilors felt i was important the public knew where they stood, wonderful, of course there is now a fight going on to see how far some Labour Councillors can distance themselves from their party's position. Interesting that several Labour Councillors now feel it is acceptable to stand ass Labour Candidates, on labour party manifesto's, presumably to get Labour votes, but feel they can then ignore those manifestos once they are elected. Vote for me. I'm Labour, unless of cursed I get offered a Cabinet post with the extra money and then I'm not Labour really I make decisions based only on the cabinet position! Have your cake and eat it more like.

TS Trincomolee had its annual Royal Navy Inspection on Monday, outstanding performance and a burgee recommendation was made by the inspecting officer. A member's seminar on Tuesday about the Tall Ships Organisation resulted in the admission that only £750,000 of private funding has so far come forward for the race, however as this is from ONE North East I felt the definition of "Private" funding was stretching a bit. I unfortunately wasn't at the seminar, I was back in London attending a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Apparently two Councillors go every year, I've been on the Council since 2002 and it was the first time I'd heard about it. Maybe its another of those little jollies the public aren't supposed top know about? Paid all my own expenses I must add, including travel and overnight accommodation, plus £3.50 to get my suite dry cleaned. Very nice experience, cucumber sandwiches were served and at the Palace the tea goes into the cup before the milk.

Missed Planning on Wednesday as it included the Hartlepool 6th Form College application for a new college building. I'm a Governor at the college so it would have been a conflict of interest to have attended. Thursday went to the Central Estate Management Committee Meeting and today (Friday) I'm trying to catch up on paperwork and get a newsletter put together. One piece of good news in my Green Bag was it looks like the Anhydrite Mine is holding up OK for the next 80 years so that will be a relief for those people worried that their homes were going to fall into a hole in the ground. Headland heritage event at the weekend and then week after that I'm going on my holidays! Looking forward to it very much.

So there is a whistle stop tour of the last ten days or so. I haven't spent more than three consecutive nights at home since mid April and so sleeping in my own bed is a bit of a luxury! I've been told its tough at the top! If I ever get there I'll let you know if its true, at the moment I know its tough enough where I am without worrying about those at the top.

Prom Time

It's "Prom" time again and this year its the turn of son and heir Edward to trip off into the night. In my day we never had a prom! I do remember having a rather drunken evening at the Carlton Club to celebrate the end of A Levels but not a "prom" with stretch limos and girls in evening gowns. My son Ed (picture below) went through agonies about what to wear, even buying the hat specially from the USA (via e-bay of course), he had his hair done (big girlie I thought, I never had streaks or highlights in my hair, and now a days I don't have enough hair to bother with that sort of thing! So maybe I'm just jealous).


We had a long serious father/son talk before he left and after the night was done I picked him up from Judges Hotel in Yarm no worse for his experiences. I then dropped him at an "after prom party" in Norton and the dirty stoppie out didn't come home until almost lunchtime the next day. Ah the wonders of youth!

All in all I'm very proud of him. He worked hard for his GCSE's and is now awaiting his results. What the future holds in the next couple of years depends very much on these results, but no matter what happens I will always be proud of him!

And now for something completely different......a picture of Rosie in her party frock. It only seems like 5 minutes since I was changing their nappies and now look at her and Ed, all growed up but still my little boy and girl

John Lewis List lives on

Hartlepool MP Mr Iain Wright was reportedly one of the 172 MPs who voted to keep the generous expenses allowances for MPs known as the "John Lewis List"

This name came about as it is reported that MPs can use this to buy themselves anything they like from the John Lewis Department Store Catalogue.

As the leading political comment site www.politicalbetting.com so aptly put it...........

"For if there’s one thing more than anything else that has undermined the reputation of the house (of Commons) in recent months it was been the continual drip-drip of media allegations about the misuse of the allowances and the lack of proper scrutiny. For these individuals to support the continuation of aspects of the system, against the recommendation of the committee, is breathtaking."

Not the first time Mr Wright MP has taken my breath away.... for example, his ability to twist and turn over the Hospital issue has been a wonder to behold

Happy Birthday Derek Allison

Not only was the NHS 60 on 30/06/2008 there were several other birthdays that day,

1470 - Charles VIII, King of France
1942 - Robert Ballard, explorer/geologist/author/discoverer (Titanic in 1985)
1966 - "Iron" Mike Tyson, NY, youngest heavyweight boxing champ (1986-90)

but most important it was also my father's Birthday. So happy birthday Derek Allison. Many happy returns of the day.

Happy Birthday to the NHS

The Labour Party has been out in force celebrating the 60^th Birthday of their supposed greatest achievement, the National Health Service.

Unfortunately the NHS was a Tory idea, pushed by Winston Churchill and backed by Liberals (the real Liberals that is NOT the Liberal Democrats who are a totally different group). Papers coming to light now after over 50 years show the NHS was opposed by Labour and denounced as a right-wing plot”. Ernest Bevin even denounced it as a “social ambulance scheme”. It was only when public opinion swung behind it that Labour backed down and introduced it after winning power in 1945.

So nothing changes in the Labour Party. Even 60 years ago they were looking for any passing bandwagon and jumping on board, stealing the ideas of other parties and claiming them as their own. Just look at Hartlepool, the biggest single change to the town was brought about by the Marina development; a project pushed through, against local Labour opposition, by the TDC, a Tory Quango.

All quiet on the blogger front

Hello everyone, sorry its been a bit quiet on the blog front recently but its been fairly hectic in the Henley Campaign Office and blogging has had to go down my priority list for a while. Last night we were all at a well attended UKIP Public meeting in Henley Town Hall. A panel of speakers addressed issues relating to the Henley by-election, the European Union and the state to politics in the UK and around the world. The meeting was opened by Steve Radford from the Liberal Party who spoke on the importance of free trade as opposed to the protectionism preferred by the European Union. Nigel Farage then spoke on the Lisbon Treaty and the importance of the Irish NO Vote. The final speaker was the Henley UKIP by-election Candidate, Chris Adams, who shared his campaign experiences and talked about issued being raised on the doorstep.

The UK Independence Party then continued with a proud tradition of throwing open the floor to the public to ask anything they liked. There are no planted questions, no set pieces and no subject is taboo. The session opened with an impassioned plea from the floor for UKIP to disband! It is not an unreasonable assumption that the question was being put by a disgruntled Tory. Nigel Farage explained that UKIP’s aim was to get this country out of the European Union. In order to do that we needed to fight elections against every pro-EU Party and that included the Tories. The questioner denied the Tories were Pro-EU but accepted it was Heath who took us in and every Tory Prime Minster from then on allowed the power of the EU to grow, up to and including the last Tory Prime Minister, John Major who signed the Maastricht Treaty. The current Tory Leader, David Cameron, is now on record as saying the Tories will not repeal the Lisbon Treaty should they win power at the next election. The feeling of the meeting was definitely that any Tory who felt the Conservatives were in any way really Euro-Sceptic was in fact fooling themselves. The Tory Grass roots might not want further integration but the Conservative Leadership was 100% united with Labour and the Lib-Dems in supporting the EU Project.

Questions then covered “What do Lib-Dems actually stand for?” (Answer of course whatever they think you want to hear in order to get your vote) through to the state road network in Henley (Answer, terrible!). Chris Adams, UKIP Candidate for the Henley by-election wrapped up the meeting at 9.00pm and about forty of us retired the Argyle public House in Henley to relax and unwind after a very successful day’s campaigning.

Maths Teachers and real numbers

I read in the press yesterday that the government has announced its intention to have a specialised maths teacher in every primary school within 5 years. Fantastic you might say. Proves this government is serious about Education, Education, Education. Alternatively you might question why such a vital subject isn't already being taught by specialist teachers.

In actual fact it displays the complete and utter inability of this government to carry out basic maths themselves, probably as a result of politicians no longer having to live in the real world. A Specialist maths teacher in every school will need an additional 3,000 teachers every year for the next 5 years in order to hit the target. That is ADDITIONAL maths teachers, without replacing any who leave (mind you according to figures I have seen there are currently only 200 specialist maths teachers in primary schools in the whole country).

According to the Training and Development Agency for Schools only about 2,000 maths teachers were likely to be trained this year (2008), with even fewer next year. Secondary schools across England and Wales have advertised 1,650 vacancies for maths teachers already this year. That leaves the government quite a bit short of its pledged maths teacher in every primary school. In fact the current output of qualified maths teachers will be hard pressed just to keep up with the numbers leaving the profession or moving into the Private Education Sector.

This government, in common with local government, is great at thinking up policies, announcing targets and writing press releases that say how wonderful they are. Unfortunately they are totally unable to deliver on their pledges because in the real world announcing a target doesn't actually mean that the target will be instantly met. Politics needs people who have actually had to achieve something rather than the current bunch who think all they have to do to make something true is to announce i to the press. Captain Piccard of the USS Enterprise might be able to "make it so" with a wave of his hand but that also isn't actually real life, despite what many "Trekkies" might want to believe.

PS The government also announced (again) its commitment to offshore wind power. Try applying some maths skills to the targets for turbine construction and then factor In the restrictions of having to physically construct, site and commission the turbines! The government's program is already several hundred turbines behind schedule!

East Midlands Fire Control centre in Castle Donington

Divide and conquer has always been a good motto to follow. As a Hartlepool Councilor I do trend to focus on Hartlepool issues but as the UKIP National Campaign Director I also get to see quite close up what is going on in other parts of the UK. Without doubt there are many local issues that are being repeated all over the country. Refuse collection is a good example. Almost every local council is dealing with this issue on a local level but actually it is a national problem. I have already commented on this Blog about Lord Darzi and his review of health provision in the East Midlands and how his review there is a mirror of the Hartlepool Review. Another East Midlands which mirrors North East Concerns caught my eye recently, namely the regionalisation of fire and rescue centres. According to press reports the East Midlands control centre in Castle Donington is ready to "fire away" as the first of nine Regional Control Centres being established across the country. The new centre will co-ordinate the fire services across Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. The Chairman of East Midlands Fire and Rescue Control Centre Ltd praises the new centre (well he would wouldn't he) as being able to "offer a new and critical resilience in fire and rescue emergency services". I'm not sure what that means but it sounds good.

I am all in favour of local decisions being made locally and I am against big brother centralising government (like the EU!) but we must guard against parochialism and becoming so focused on local issues that we miss the big picture. Health Reviews, Regionalisation of Fire and Rescue Services, local Education and schools provision all need to be seen in a wider context. Don't let the politicians pull people so far down into the weeds that they might be looking after their own tiny bit but letting the big picture be lost.

Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs)

Few people outside local government will be familiar with MAAs. However, Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs) have been quietly developing for some time and the Tees Valley MAA will be one of the first in the country.

The Mayor has approved MAA’s for regeneration, housing and transport. Control of these will pass to a Board consisting of 11 members. The five Tees Valley Local Authorities will get one seat each. The other six go to private sector representatives. This makes a majority of the Board appointed rather than elected. Hartlepool’s sole representative will be appointed by the Mayor from his cabinet. A majority of unaccountable and unelected interests on such a powerful body must be a worry to anyone who still clings to the belief that they live in a democracy.

Hartlepool’s Housing, transport and regeneration policies will now be set by a majority of individuals who are totally unaccountable to Hartlepool voters. This must ring alarm bells for anyone who remembers how badly Hartlepool suffered under the control of Cleveland Country. The Tees Valley MAA could turn out to be worse. MAAs came about because the Regional Assembly concept was rejected by the North East electorate and so another way was needed to remove the troublesome ability of voters to influence who makes decisions that affect their lives. As the Lib/Lab/Con are now effectively just separate branches of the same Party this means the One Party State is almost upon us anyway so British Democracy R.I.P.

Nine meals from Anarchy

Apparently this is the phrase used by the head of the Countryside Agency, a quango set up by Tony Blair, to describe the true state of the food supply in the UK.

The claim was dismissed by most people when he first made it but it is now reportedly being taken more and more seriously. As oil prices reach another record high, and show every sign of going even higher, the reliance this country has on road transport is becoming glaringly obvious. Everything moves by road! Imagine if the oil supply was badly disrupted and the petrol stopped flowing even for a few days. The shopping trips to the out of town supermarkets would become impossible, perishable foods would spoil in the lorries when their refrigeration plants stopped working and in these days of “just in time” deliveries it wouldn’t be long before the supermarket shelves were empty. It is estimated that most homes would run out of food after just three days or nine meals. Bread and Milk would be gone even sooner than that!

If your children are crying they are hungry and your next door neighbour has a vegetable plot in his back garden then surely he can’t begrudge you a few potatoes or a turnip or two to keep you going can he? Unfortunately of course it is a small minority that now grow their own food so it’s not just you looking with covetous eyes at your neighbour’s veggies. Once people start to get hungry than law and order would be the next to go. This was exactly what happened in New Orleans in the USA after the hurricane. When aid was slow in reaching people and they got hungry then looting started and fights broke out over scraps of food!

Never happen here of course. Not in a civilised country like ours!

From Evidence to Excellence

As a keen follower of the adventures of Lord Darzi I often read his blog about what he is doing around the UK. This week he was in Kettering to launch the East Midlands Strategic Health Review, entitled catchily “From Evidence to Excellence”

This vision for world class healthcare across the East Midlands region aims “to save lives improve standards and put safety first. Top of the agenda are strategies for improving the quality of care and ensuring patients are seen quickly and in a convenient location. The document also outlines steps to encourage local people to lead healthy lives. The vision also heralds an increased investment in staffing and midwifery-led services.”

Nothing there anyone could object to! But we have all heard it before. The phrase “midwifery-led services” of course is shorthand for “No Doctors” and “investment in staffing” opens the door for more managers because the missing word there is “clinical” since “investment in clinical staffing” is a far cry from “investment in staffing”

The whole process is designed to give an appearance of local consultation and involvement but in my opinion Darzi is making decisions based on orders from above sand these decisions are not influenced one iota by local consultation. As the economy slides further into recession and the hidden PFI Debt starts to take bigger and bigger chunks of NHS Spending then the real agenda will emerge. Which is of course keeping Labour in power by spend, spend, spend policies that bring short term gain but which fairly shortly are going to inflict long term pain on all of us. (Except the politicians who caused it of course, they will have their own nests well feathered against a rainy day!)

Turkeys do not vote for Christmas

On Tuesday 3rd June 2008 in the House of Commons a debate was held on a subject close to the heart of our Honorable Members of Parliament. The Pay and Responsibilities of those who govern us was under discussion.

A contribution by Peter Lilley MP actually argued that MP’s pay should reflect their responsibilities. In his words….

“If people receive more responsibilities, they get higher pay. If they move to a post with fewer responsibilities, they expect to receive lower pay. The same should be true of Parliament. If, as is contemplated under the Bill that deals with the European constitutional treaty, this House hands over more of its powers to European institutions, MPs' remuneration should reflect that diminution of their responsibilities.”

The whole speech runs to several pages and so I’m not going to reproduce it all here. Needless to say the issue is important because Parliament is considering transferring another significant slice of its powers on energy, foreign policy, immigration and several other areas to European institutions under the Lisbon treaty. A substantial transfer of powers has already occurred under previous treaties and when the Treaty of Lisbon is ratified the course will be set so that in fifteen to twenty years British MPs will have similar responsibilities to today’s County Councilors.

To give the last words to Peter Lilley MP

“Those who support the transfer of power from here (British Parliament in Westminster) to supranational institutions should logically accept that our pay should reflect the diminution of our responsibilities. But, strangely, all the Euro-enthusiasts whom I asked to sponsor the Bill declined to do so without explaining why. Too many Members are happy to avert their eyes from what is happening, so long as they retain the prestige and emoluments that were appropriate to a fully sovereign Parliament. Turkeys do not vote for Christmas.

If any Labour Members oppose the Bill, I hope that they will come out and object to it here and now, rather than trying to dispose of it by subterfuge one Friday morning. I look forward to hearing them argue for having their cake and eating it. I doubt that they would convince many of their constituents that, unlike any in other occupation, MPs' pay should be divorced from their responsibilities.”

He who pays the piper calls the tune

David Miliband has reportedly announced that a wide range of NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) all fully supported the Bill to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. It has now been disclosed (much to their intense annoyance) that the EU provide funding for a wide range of these NGOs including NSPCC, One World Action, Action Aid, Oxfam, Friends of the Earth and many more.

It is important to know that the EU will only fund activities that 'further the aims of the EU Agenda'. While this may well be quite reasonable (why, indeed, should they fund those that are not supporters of their aims) it is quite unreasonable that this funding should be kept secret.

It is important that we are aware of the implicit pressure placed on these NGOs to support the EU Agenda if they wish to continue to receive this funding.

'He who pays the piper calls the tune'.

Hypocrite (3) “One Who Dissembles Their Real Nature” (Collins Dictionary)

Well the Henley by-election is now upon us. The Lib Dems will claim to be fighting to retain rural post offices BUT in fact they are 100% behind the EU Postal Service Directives which are the reason post offices are closing.

The Lib-Dems are the most pro European Union Party in British Politics BUT they never discuss their policies in this area because they don’t want voters to know where the Lib-Dems really stand.

Once again actions speak louder than words!

Lib-Dems have voted to close post offices at every point since 1997.

Wheelie Bin Robbery!

As many people know to their cost if you lose your Wheelie Bin (lose being another way of saying if you get it nicked!) then you have to pay for a replacement. However one enterprising householder thought the £60 his local council was charging for a replacement was a bit steep so he went on line and bought an almost identical bin from Germany for £27, including delivery.

The German bins are identical except the lids slope slightly. They are made to the same European standard, have a lid and wheels and can be lifted up on the council machine and emptied. Unfortunately his local Council are refusing to empty the bin because it doesn’t have their name moulded into it.

The case is now being investigated by the EU Commission as an illegal barrier to free trade. The Council in question made £46,000 last year for supplying bins but stressed the charge was for delivery of the bin to the householder, not for the bin itself. Asked if a householder could therefore avoid the delivery charge by collecting the bins from its depot themselves this was deemed to be impossible because of 'health and safety' risks.

Mind you £60 for delivery of a free bin from the local Council Depot or £27 to buy a bin from Germany, including delivery. If the Council’s costs are really that high then no wonder Council taxes are going through the roof. Of course the Council’s costs are probably not that high but replacement wheelie bins are a “nice little earner” for the Town Hall.

PS Checked with Hartlepool Council and the charge for a replacement bin (Green or Brown) is £10. Possibly that's a bit cheap! How about that, me saying Councils should charge more!

Hypocrite (2) “A Pretender To Virtue” (Collins Dictionary)

The Lib Dems are also supposed to be in favour of a referendum on the European Union.

BUT

in April this year when their MPs in the House of Commons had a chance to vote for a referendum they abstained.

Once again actions (or lack of actions) speak much louder than words.

The biggest con trick New Labour ever pulled?

As the father of two teenagers, one of whom has just completed her AS Level Exams (in 5 subjects) and the other who is mid way through his GCSE’s (in 9 subjects) I am starting to take an great deal of notice of news concerning Universities and entrance requirements.

I was therefore interested to read that Imperial College London is trying out an entrance test for subjects other than medicine, which has one already.

Apparently all their applicants had four or five A-levels and "grade inflation" had destroyed the role of A-levels in selecting undergraduates. So many students now achieve A grades that it is impossible to use A Levels to distinguish between the “very good” and those who are only “good”.

Imperial reportedly takes 40% of their undergraduate intake from the 7% of British children who are educated in the independent sector. The Rector of Imperial College now believes we have got to do something radical about the education of the children in 93% of our schools that somehow are just not getting the education they deserve and to "save" bright children by taking them out of state schools and using public funding to support them in private schools.

Back in the dim and distant past of the late 70’s I remember struggling with my A Levels in Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Occasionally you did hear of some super swot who was doing four A Levels, but in those days no-one did five! And anyone achieving 5 Grade A’s would probably have been on National TV!

“Education, Education, Education”

Is this the biggest con trick New Labour ever pulled on the British Public?

Mission Houses Museum Work Opportunity

I must be the luckiest man in the world. Not only do I have over $20,000,000,000 in a bank account in Nigeria, a further $200,000,000 in a locked account in Saudi Arabia and a regular opportunity to invest in six producing Oil Wells which will double my investment every 90 days but now I've been offered a fantastic job working from my own computer. Apparently "Mission Houses Museum" have selected me to be their Donations Officer!

I received this e-mail today.........sounds TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE......

Subject: Home Based Job
Date: 06/03/2008
From: jobs@missionhouses.com

Are you currently looking for an opportunity to home based job or direct from your computer.This is an sensational opportunity for you to work with Mission Houses Museum as our donation officer.

This is a fantastic opportunity to build an extremely rewarding career and these opportunities would suit people who need flexible working arrangements and Located anywhere in Canada, Australia, UK and USA. We have job opportunity available for a Donation Officer with a negotiable good salary starting from $15,000.00 - $65,000.00 monthly with discount on every donations processed. Alot of people and companies make donations to our mission house for the help of the needed, the poor, motherless home and charity all over the world.

The successful candidate will need to have a little customer service experience and a computer with internet connnetion. Also you need to like working in a team environment and have good communication skills.

**No prior experience required
**Work from home --- No daily commute!
**Spend more time with your family!
**we are assuring you that at no time will you be required to make any upfront payments of your personal funds to us for whatever reason.
**Computer at home with access to broadband and checking your email messages at least twice everyday!

PLEASE WRITE YOUR APPLICATION LETTER DIRECTLY TO OUR AGENT THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS: abrillimited@temporaryforwarding.com

Mission Houses Hawii.
Agent E-mail: abrillimited@temporaryforwarding.com
website: http://www.missionhouses.org

Hypocrite - “A Deceiver” (Collins Dictionary)

Some of the Lib-Dem election material I've been told about in Henley seems to be claiming the Lib-Dems want to help the hard pressed motorist and those in fuel poverty!

Not sure how this claim stacks up with their actions in the last Labour Budget in March this year. When Labour proposed a 2p rise in fuel duty the Lib-Dems did not even call for a vote on it. On May 15 their MPs could have contested it again in the Public Bills Committee on Provision to Change Duties, but again they did not. The Lib Dems in Westminster have twice let pass an opportunity to vote against fuel duty increase.

How then can they claim to want to help the hard pressed motorist. Maybe they should get a copy of Collins Dictionary and start looking up "Hypocrite" themselves.

Actions speak louder than words!
UKIP the only party that Dare to be different!

Boris not yet abandoned his Constituency?

Well its 3.47pm on Tuesday and according to BBC NEWS Online the writ for Henley still hasn't been moved.

Assuming the Writ is moved today then Tuesday becomes Day 0 of the by-election process which can run for as short a period as 15 days and a maximum of 19 Days (Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Good Friday, bank holidays and any day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning are not included in the Day Count).

If therefore today is day 0 then nominations would close not earlier than day 6 but not later than Day 8 and polling day would be fixed by the acting returning officer, between days 15 to 17, 16 to 18 or 17 to 19, depending on the day fixed as the last for the delivery of nomination papers. A by-election timetable is much more flexible than the general election timetable as the Acting Returning Officer has discretion in fixing the last day for the delivery of nomination papers and the subsequent polling day. Thursday has become the convention but there have been post war by-elections where polling day has been on another day.

To hold the poll on Thursday June 26th then that would be Day 17 and so Nominations would Open on Wednesday 4th June and could close as early as Day 6 Wednesday 11thy June or as late as Day 8 (Friday 13th June). Of Course that is not a minimum campaign. Polling Day could still be on June 26th if the writ was moved as late as Thursday this week. Day 1 would then be Friday 6th June and Nominations would close the next Friday (13th June).

The writ for a by-election is usually issued on the same day as or the day following a motion in the Commons for the Speaker to make out the warrant for the issue of a writ. There is a convention that the writ should be moved within about three months of the seat becoming vacant, but this is not a statutory or parliamentary requirement.

However, this is all academic at the moment since Boris Johnson has not actually yet resigned his seat. The procedure for that is for him to apply to the Chiltern Hundreds, an office under the Crown, the holder of which is barred from being an MP. The current holder of the Office is Tony Blair, since he used the same method to abandon his Sedgefield Constituency once it was no longer of use to him.

One thing no-one has been able to tell me is if the application to the Chiltern Hundreds must be made in person of if it can be done in writing? If so Boris can't resign until he gets back from holiday?

I love Plymouth!

Chris Adams, the UKIP Candidate for Henley, had a very good weekend in the constituency visiting Benson and Henley and popping into a couple of residential homes for a chat and a cup of tea.

Stopping briefly in Thame, again, Chris spoke to several large groups of young voters (over 50 of them) and gave them copies of our “Enough Is Enough” leaflet. Almost 100% agreement with our stance on the EU and support for our 5 year immigration policy. Loads of first time voters said they would be interested in more information and we will be sending that out over the next few days.

With a sense of devilment the UKIP group then went on to Aston Rowant and Kingston Blout and delivered whole village with our leaflet. This is the village where the DIM-LIB candidate now “lives” even though just as recently as the May local elections he was telling everyone how much he loved Plymouth and how well he was settled there. Unfortunately he didn’t win a seat on Plymouth Council so obviously his love of the City has waned somewhat. Any bets on how long he remains a Henley resident after he looses the by-election. A week? A few days? A couple of hours!

Don't breakdown more than 62 miles from home!

The cost of fuel is now a serious worry to almost every driver, but anyone planning a trip of more than 62 miles away from home should also make sure there is no chance their car might break down. Motorists using roadside rescue organisations, who offer a guarantee of a lift home in the event of a breakdown, are being left stranded at service stations following the introduction of EU health and safety laws.

New rules forbid rescue tow trucks from travelling more than 62 miles from their bases unless they are fitted with a tachograph. Both the AA and RAC use hundreds of trucks which are not fitted with the equipment and so "rescued" drivers are being dropped off part-way home and being made to wait for another truck to take them on the next leg of their trip. The vast majority of breakdown truck journeys are short distances, often only to the nearest approved garage. This is why few tow trucks have tachographs fitted. The longer distance “rescue” journeys are relatively rare and breakdown companies had asked for the application of common sense to allow an exemption to the new rules.

The Department of Transport could have allowed such an exemption but of course it has been many years since any British Government stood up to the dicktats of Brussels or gave any consideration for the practical consequences to the British public of enforcing more and more poorly thought through EU Regulations in this Country.

Chris Adams for UKIP Henley

The UK Independence Party announced today that it had selected a candidate to fight the forthcoming by election in Henley. The seat will become vacant when the newly elected Mayor of London Boris Johnson resigns from Parliament.

He is 35 year old Chris Adams a fitness instructor from Aylesbury. Mr Adams works for a registered charity which helps youngsters learn gymnastics at a fitness centre in Aylesbury. Mr Adams also coached the British Tumbling teams in the European and World Cups.

Mr Adams has been a member of UKIP since 2004 and contested the Aylesbury parliamentary by election the following year. UKIP Party leader Mr Nigel Farage said that Mr Adams was a first class candidate with very strong links to the area.

“Chris went to school in Aylesbury and has lived and worked here all his life. He has done a tremendous amount of organising the party in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and has shown real flair and grit.”

He continued “We are not going to make ridiculous claims about winning this seat but we certainly aim to take on the Lib Dems. We think people should know about their broken promises over holding a referendum.”

“For years they have existed as a party by picking up protest votes.This will not work in Henley when people find out what they have done and what they actually stand for.”

Here for the Party

I opened up the UKIP Henley Campaign Office bright and early this morning. Leaflets introducing our candidate have been printed, distribution routes have been planned, briefing notes prepared and a large number of UKIP Activists were expected to descend on the constituency raring to go. I hadn't even got the lights switched on when a dozen people were clamouring for my attention. "We are here for the Party" they explained "What needs doing, how can we help before everyone else arrives?"

I was overwhelmed, this was a fantastic start to the day! I started to explain about leaflets, delivery routes, etc only to be met by blank looks. "You are all UKIP Party members aren't you?" I asked. The puzzled looks disappeared. They were here to help set up for a child's birthday party next door!

Zero Tolerance

Zero tolerance used to apply to yobs, vandals and petty criminals, however some Councils are now applying it to those most desperate of hardened criminals, those despicable people who leave wheelie bins on the pavement too early, put the wrong items in a recycling container or over-fill the bin so the lid doesn't sit flat.

However, unless you "come clean" and admit it was you then proving who is responsible for “illegal” rubbish is turning into a legal minefield. Plymouth City Council recently spent over £6,000 in a failed attempt to prosecute a woman for putting the wrong items in her recycling bin. In Court it was argued that the Council couldn't prove beyond reasonable doubt that the woman was personally responsible.

If you put out your bin and someone adds extra items into it while it is stood by the roadside then is that your fault? "The lid was down when I put it out Governor!" would seem to be an acceptable defence in Court. Of course once we are all under 24 hour CCTV Surveillance then the tapes will show just how full your bin was.

Plymouth Council now want every household to nominate a “bin manager” to agree to monitor their rubbish and be responsible for ensuring all regulations are complied with. The legal advice is not to sign anything! The Council would be able to use a signed agreement in Court to claim the Bin Manager had accepted responsibility. If you refuse to sign the Council still has the legal responsibility to collect your rubbish, after all you pay your Council Tax don't you?

War zone

Taking a walk along the Spion Cop this week I came across a small group in high visibility jackets with cameras and other equipment examining the piles of broken concrete that litter the landscape.

The single storage tank and the chimney were getting especial attention. Never being one to be backwards in going forward I approached them and asked what they were up to. It turned out they were a group of independent film makers scouting locations for a film about survivors of a future war living in the rubble of our civilisation.

Their website doesn't give much away yet but maybe Hartlepool will be getting its own block buster? Anyway I was promised an invite to the premier and you know us Councilors, we'd go to the opening of an envelope, especially if we get our photos in the paper and there is a good buffet!

www.actifproductions.co.uk

Goodbye from me - The End of an Era

A period of my life spanning over 35 years has finally come to an end. The picture above shows me leaving 7 Beaconsfield Square for the last time.

I first moved to number 7 with my parents when I was 12 (back in 1972). I left in 1979 to go to University in London but returned to Beaconsfield Square in 1986 and set up as a self employed business advisor working from the top floor of the house. No matter where in the UK a contract took me, including twelve years working with PERA in Melton Mowbray and contracts in Wales, The South West and of course London, I kept 7 Beaconsfield Square as my permanent registered business address. In addition I kept my old bedroom, also on the top floor, as a part time residential base. During several ups and downs the old place provided me with a safe haven on more than one occasion.

However, the “For Sale” Notice has gone up and so it’s goodbye from me to 7 Beaconsfield Square. There is no doubt I will miss the old place.

Meeting of the Hartlepool Branch of U.K.I.P.

Dear UKIP Member/Supporter,

I am sure that you were delighted with our success in the recent local elections. The election of Martyn Aiken, our second councillor, and the excellent results in other wards was the culmination of several months of hard work. All our candidates deserve a big thank you. What we have proved here in Hartlepool is that with organisation and hard work U.K.I.P. can succeed. Would all members and supporters please consider ways in which they can help the branch achieve further success. All offers of help will be gratefully received .

The next meeting of the Hartlepool Branch of U.K.I.P. will take place on Wednesday June 18th. in the Travellers Rest, Stockton Road, starting at 7.30 pm. The meeting will last about an hour and will be followed by a General Knowledge Quiz . Please try to attend.

Yours sincerely,
Eric Wilson.
Branch Chairman.

The future for British Industry?

Or Has this future already arrived??

hmmmmm

What's brown and makes a mess of everything?
The Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown has been very bad this year so Santa is bringing him a lump of coal. Ironically the last thing he needs is more northern rock.

The 7 dwarves are in a cave when it suddenly collapses. Snow White is worried for their lives,until she hears a voice from inside the cave saying "I think Gordon Brown is a great prime minister". She says,"thank heavens,at least Dopey's all right!"

An Old priest lay dying in hospital. For years, he had faithfully served the people of London. He motioned for his nurse to come near. "Yes, Father?" she said. "I would really like to see Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before I die," whispered the Priest. "I'll see what I can do, Father," said the nurse. The nurse sent the request to the House of Commons and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived that Tony and Gordon would be delighted to meet the priest.
As they went to the hospital, Gordon commented to Tony: "I don't know why the old priest would want to meet us, but it certainly might help our images and even get me elected for Prime Minister for another term. Tony agreed that it was a very good especially if they got press coverage. When they arrived at the hospital bed the old priest took Gordan's hand in his right hand and Tony's Hand in his left. There was a silence and the look of serenity on the priest face.
Finally Gordon spoke. "Father, of all the people you could have chosen why choose us to be with you as you near the end?" The Old preist replied slowly: "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." "Amen" said Gordon. "Amen" said Tony. The old priest continued: "He died between two lying, cheating, criminal bastards. I would like to do the same."

Tony Blair was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked the Prime Minister if he would like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy". So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a "tragedy". One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field & a tractor runs over him and kills him, that would be a 'tragedy'". "No," said Blair, "that would be an accident." A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying fifty children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy." "I'm afraid not," explained the Prime Minister, "that's what we would call a great loss." The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Tony searched the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of tragedy?" Finally, at the back of the room, a small boy raised his hand...In a quiet voice he said: "If the air plane carrying you and Mrs Blair was struck by a "friendly fire" missile & blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy." "Fantastic!" exclaimed Tony Blair. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?" "Well," says the boy "it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be a ****ing accident either!

Like an 'invisible hand'

“Europe's power is easy to miss. Like an 'invisible hand', it operates through the shell of traditional political structures. The British House of Commons, British law courts, and British civil servants are still here, but they have all become agents of the European Union implementing European law. This is no accident. By creating common standards that are implemented through national institutions, Europe can take over countries without necessarily becoming a target for hostility. Europe's invisibility allows it to spread its influence without provocation.” Pro-euro author Mark Leonard

The quotation above might sound like something out of a conspiracy theory. But Mark Leonard, a passionate advocate of deeper integration, makes an astute observation. The EU now has powerful influence on our everyday lives. But as a result of the way EU legislation operates, it is often not clear to either voters or even journalists when a particular decision or policy originates in the EU.

Domestic legislation often is actually a “shell” for the purpose of implementing European law. Leonard is indeed right to argue that “Europe’s power is easy to miss”. And often, even if EU legislation has not wholly determined a particular decision, EU law has had important influence on policy-makers and officials.

Take the Lisbon Treaty. By far the most common question asked is:“how will this affect our daily lives?”

The answer is that the Lisbon Treaty reduces Britain’s ability to block legislation. It would allow the EU to pass more measures which affect people’s everyday lives.

The end of the veto over energy would let the EU pass its Oil Stocks Directive, which would cost a household of four £130 per year. It would be harder for the UK to block rules affecting what rights people have at work, or stop the Health Services Directive, which will affect how the NHS Budget is spent. It would mean, as the Government admits, that many more asylum cases will be decided by the European Court of Justice, rather than in Britain.

In other words, it will massively affect people’s daily lives. The Westminster consensus that people don’t care about the EU is wrong. The truth is that the EU’s critics and the media have failed to explain just how much power the EU really has.

www.openeurope.org.uk

The EU and You
How the EU affects everyday life in the UK

All together at the feed trough tonight

Annual Council tonight and the filibuster unfortunately couldn’t take place after one of my partners in crime lost his bottle at the last moment and pulled out. However, three other Councillors asked why we hadn’t done it and then said they would have helped if they had known earlier. Looks like next year might be a possible if they all hold their nerve. Of course by next May we might have a new Mayor! Who knows how the electorate will jump!

The Head Master (Leader of the Tories) has a quiet laugh about my Lord Snooty Skit but Matron WAS NOT AMUSED. If looks could kill then Comrade Lilley (G) would have been in his box tonight. I said hello to Lord Snooty but he can’t have seen me as he didn’t return my greeting. Of course as a snub it only works if it is someone of higher status acting to put down a perceived inferior. As the people who ignore me are in no way my superiors it just makes me think they are just small minded and petty. Several Labour Councillors for example always speak to me, they don’t have to agree with me nor do they even have to like me, but common courtesy costs nothing. There are several people I know who are so totally incensed by the fact that I am a Councillor and so eaten up inside by it that they just cannot bring themselves to even acknowledge my presence. This includes several current Councillors and of course an extremely bitter former St.Hilda Councillor who won’t even acknowledge me when I am inches away from him. Mind you neither does the Lib-Dim Leader! He never has acknowledged me in any way and I suppose UKIP coming within 2 votes of removing him from his seat will not have softened his feelings towards me.

Back to the coal face for me in the morning but considerably buoyed up by the knowledge that judging by the looks on several faces in the Council last night my continued presence is definitely causing some acid indigestion. I just find it terribly amusing that some people feel so strongly about it all. After all it’s just politics, no-one actually dies in Hartlepool Council Chamber, well not yet anyway, although I’m sure if the power of thought could actually kill I wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes.

It’s just a shame the public couldn’t see the Hartlepool Yellow Labour, New Labour and Blue Labour Councillors all together at the feed trough tonight, the Lib/Lab/Con continues in Hartlepool!

Not so good!

The remedial works on the Block Sands paddling pool have also now been started. The railings needed to be moved and a couple of benches taken out to give the Port Authority enough space to get vehicles onto the Heugh when they were carrying out work on the breakwater (Not sure when this was or will be?). Unfortunately the reinstatement has so far been carried out with black tarmac and the work has ruined the blue finish on the area. I am assured by the engineers that this is actually only temporary and the blue finish will be restored shortly. However the whole surface in that area is badly scarred that really the entire area needs to be resurfaced. I blame the local Councilors! Well why not, everyone else does!

PS. Doing a bit of research about tarmac costs and road repairs (How sad is that on a Sunday lunchtime!) and maybe the Block Sands Pool Area isn't that bad! The Highways Agency has just OK'd a project where the costs will be £1,000 per INCH. OK, so it's a 51 mile stretch of the M6, but £56 Million a Mile! Where do they get their budgets from? Oh yes, its us poor taxpayers isn't it!

Spot the Grot

Titan House may still be an ugly building once the conversion work is done but the work on the Old Chapel on the Headland can't fail but to be a massive improvement. I was looking at it yesterday and was pleased to see how the work is now actually progressing. It has been a hard slog for the developer but all power to Mr O'Conner he has persevered and managed to get past the "Conservation" issues around the work. I sometimes think some people would rather see a building fall down than have it brought back into use but altered in any way from its original design. Conservation in my opinion is not just about keeping things unchanged. I look forward to a cup of tea in the cafe when it opens, hopefully soon.

Question: What travels faster than light?

The answer is of course a rumour! Nothing material can exceed the speed of light as it will reach infinite mass as it approaches the speed of light so the energy to push past the light barrier then also becomes infinite. Well that's how I understand Einstein but of course the Trekies out there will point to Warp Speed and say that's how its done.

So what rumour am I talking about? As Oscar Wilde once said "The only thing worse than being talked about. Is NOT being talked about". Apparently I have had a major falling out with the candidate Mike Nattrass and left the Crewe and Nantwich by-election team in high dudgeon! Of course nothing could be father from the truth. I was at Crewe during the set up stages to provide cover in the office and advise on the mechanics of the operation (Election Address Production, Postal Voter Letters, Leaflet delivery systems, etc). It was always intended that the local branch and the North West Regional Organiser would be running the campaign. I also offered my comments on the Election Literature, but as it isn't "my" campaign I didn't do any more than that. For my taste its a bit heavy on the EU and not enough on local issues. However, the majority input into the campaign literature was Mike and Nikki. Provided wasn't illegal, libelous or totally contradicts UKIP Policy then I did not see it as my job at Crewe to write campaign material.

This is the second thread on the board about my "behaviour" at Crewe. Apparently I ripped off a letter from Greg Beaman and used it shamelessly promote myself ahead of the MEP Selection Process. Once again the truth was a little less dramatic. Greg sent the letter to the North West Members and I asked him for a copy to send round the rest of the members via the e-mail list. The list is controlled from Head Office so I sent the letter to them and they sent it out. As I asked them to send it it automatically went under my name. Simple!

Of course these facts don't prevent other speculation! Ah the wonders of politics. If some people only spent half the time out on the street campaigning as they do on line! Of course posting this on a Sunday afternoon begs the question "Why aren't I in Crewe?"

What do we want? More Flats? When do we want them? NEVER!

According to the Hartlepool Mail tonight (Saturday 17th May) another of the town's "Grots" will soon be a thing of the past. Titan House, that stunning example of modern architecture at its very worst, is going to be converted into flats and bedsits (Sorry, Hartlepool developers don't do flats and bedsits, they do Apartments and Studios).

Google "Hartlepool Flats for rent" and you get over 500,000 hits. The sites that come up include 7 agencies offering flats to rent in Hartlepool and management services for landlords. Go down the brick canyons of the Marina and count the "To Let" signs. It doesn't take long to get into double figures. Who in their right mind would want to pay a six figure sum for a bed sit on York Road? Possibly the same people paying similar figures for a tiny rabbit hutch in the old Co-op Stores building? At least the Co-op has the benefit of some architectural merit and off-road car parking.

Hartlepool is not short of flats and bedsits. It is short of affordable homes and houses for rent. The shortage of course mainly caused by the mass demolition of streets and street of perfectly sound houses that for a fraction of their demolition costs could have been brought up to modern standards.

I am glad Titan House is getting money spent on it. However, converting it to flats will not cure the basic problem that it is an UGLY Building. Spend £1,000,000 on the interior but unless a similar amount is spent on the facade it will still, from the outside, look like the kindest thing that could happen to it would be to knock it down.

Closures, reduced service and privatisation. The Royal Mail is a dead man walking

What a Surprise! The “Consultation” has failed to save the majority of the Post Offices originally scheduled for closure. There was never any real doubt that this would be the result of the consultation since the decision to destroy the Royal Mail was taken in Brussels years ago but is just now coming to the attention of the British public.

Not wanting to say “I told you so” but the Post Office as we know it is a dead man walking. The EU anti-competition directives that have allowed German firms like DHL to cream off profitable bits of the service mean that the Royal Mail in this country is on borrowed time.

The next step in the destruction of the Royal Mail will be “partial privatisation”. This would probably be fiercely opposed by the Communication Workers Union and possibly even by some within the (Old) Labour party. Although let’s face it New Labour has really meant New Tories for quite a while so privatisation will be a way to make lots of money for their friends in the City and to compensate for New Labour not being able to sell them seats in the House of Lords quite so easily any more.

Postcomm's chief executive has already told a committee of MPs that she could not rule out axing the Saturday post but then denied a report in The Daily Telegraph saying exactly that, claiming the story had "no substance whatsoever". Unfortunately the Freedom of Information Act enabled the public to learn the regulator had paid a consultancy firm to investigate how much money could be saved by halting the Saturday post and reducing the targets for next day delivery of first class letters.

Successive UK Governments, of all political colours, have failed to protect UK national interests on a huge range of issues, all in the name of being “Good Europeans”. Post Offices are joining the sacrifice of fishing, steel making, car manufacturing, etc, etc on the altar of the European Union Project.

UKIP is constantly criticised for being fixated on the European Union at the expense of domestic policies. However, when the EU take 80% (and increasing) of the decisions that effect every day life in the UK then I would say those who ignore the EU are the ones who need to wake up before it's too late.

Happy Birthday Mummy

Happy Birthday to my mum. I won't mention her age as that's not the done thing for ladies but she is definitely eligable for her free bus pass.

The Politically Correct Lord’s Prayer

Our Father (or Mother, Step Father, Step Mother, Carer or Guardian)

who art in the non-denominational resting place,

Inclusive be thy name.

Thy persondom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in the non-denominational resting place.

Give us this day our daily burger and coke.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we are forced to forgive those who trespass against us by illegally camping on land and refusing to move.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from those who are not politically correct.

For thine is the persondom, the power of thought control and the glory of human rights,

For ever and ever.

Awomen

With thanks to the Campaign Against Political Correctness

http://www.capc.co.uk

Tory boy attends first planning meeting and makes a new friend

Reading back some recent entries I though this blog was getting a bit to serious, bordering on the up tight even. So with apologies to the Beano, Billy Bunter, Jennings and even the Famous Five (or the Cabinet as we know them!) I offer this slightly tongue in cheek (though accurate are regards how he voted!) version of Conservative Councillor McKenna's first planning meeting.

He came into the Planning Committee peering round nervously. His mother had made sure he was immaculate in his nice suite and tie, with brilliantly polished shoes. However, he was still the new boy and he hoped no one would pick on him. Lord Snooty McKenna spotted Head Master Morris but he was deep in Conversation with Rob Cook the Chair of School Governors. No help there!

Luckily for Lord Snooty, even though he is a Tory Boy, he was taken under the wing of the Labour Party Form Captain, Ginger Brash. Brashy saw how confused and uncertain the new boy was but after just a few minutes the two became fast friends. After all they had so much in common. They are both young, ambitious coves who hope for great things for themselves. Lord Snooty is of course chinless (being a Tory) which is not something you could say about Ginger (I mean you couldn't say he is chinless! Listen to the Form Captain speaking sometimes and you could however quite easily mistake him for a Tory). Ginger Brash was pleased to discover Lord Snooty was actually a year older than him, which allowed Ginger to hold onto the "Youngest Councillor" title for a little bit longer. Lord Snooty was pleased too, since as he wasn't the youngest Councillor maybe he wouldn't have to fag for any of the bigger boys after all.

Lord Snooty almost jumped out of his seat when the Terror of the Remove, Wild Man Lilley, creaked into the room. He really does need to oil those leather trousers! I suggest he goes to see Matron Laffey; After all Matron Knows best and she might have something he could rub in to deal with stiffness?

"Greetings Comrades! Up the Workers" boomed Lilley. "Right up Em Comrade" came the lone response from me.

Ginger and Lord Snooty were meanwhile getting on famously. The Form Captain was explaining there is no whip in planning but all Lord Snooty had to do was put his hand up when the Labour Councillors put theirs up and he wouldn't go far wrong. Lord Snooty got the hang of it straight away, despite his Tory background he voted with the Labour Form Captain every time. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, after all it's thanks to the Conservatives and Lib-Dems that the Labour Group remains in power despite loosing over all majority on the Council.

Lord Snooty looked a bit lost when the Form Captain had to leave the meeting before it ended. When the vote came he was looking round desperately for someone to give him a lead. I was going to whisper to him "Just Vote against me" since that seems to be a rule of thumb most Planning Committee Members apply in times of uncertainty. Simmons of the Labour Upper Sixth however stepped into the breach to provide guidance and assistance to the new bod and make sure he didn't vote the wrong way.

After the meeting finished, with a possible record of only three deferred decisions out of ten, it was probably all down to the member's room for lashings of ginger beer and a good ferret through the new boy's Tuck Box. Pip Pip

Home again

Here I sit at my own PC in my own little office, next to my own little bedroom in the top floor of my parent's house in Hartlepool. Home is the sailor, home from the sea, or more accurately home from Crewe and Nantwich! Back to reality! Planning Committee in the morning, possibly my last if I get thrown off following the Lib/Lab/Con stitch up of the Council Committee Seats. Ah well, no-one said saving the world was going to be easy!

The Crewe Blog

An on-line poll is running on "Crewe's Premier Political Blog". That might actually be Crewe's ONLY Political Blog but apparently the National Press are reading it so it's having its time in the spotlight.

The poll puts UKIP in 6th place so we need some votes to push us ahead of the beauty queen!

http://www.crewe.tv

Newsnight Live from Crewe

BBC Newsnight is coming to Crewe & Nantwich to host a special edition broadcast live on Tuesday 20th May. The Newsnight team want to hear from Crewe & Nantwich voters across the political spectrum on the issues that matter to them, from tax to immigration, the cost of living to crime and the campaign itself.

Places are limited, for more details email Natasha.Mardikar@bbc.co.uk or call 0208-624-8200 and leave a message with contact details so that the bbc can call you back.

Credit or Debit Card

A UKIP Volunteer for the by-election travelled fron Norfolk to Crewe to help out. He decided to break his journey at a Travel in order to get some sleep, to arrive bright and early and fresh the next morning. All went well until he arrived at the Travellodge and booked in.

"Are you paying by Credit or Debit Card Sir?" asked the receptionist.

"Neither" replied out UKIPer "Cash!"

The Receptionist then apologised "I'm terribly sorry Sir, we don't take Cash"

Our UKIP Volunteer ended up sleeping in his car since he doesn't possess a Credit or Debit Card and surprisingly enough he wasn't carrying his passport for the journey from Norfolk to Crewe. Apparently the Travelodge has a policy not to take cash unless you have photo ID as well. This is to prevent people paying cash, trashing the room and leaving, or even worse paying for the room and only using it for an hour? I have no idea why you would want a room for just an hour?

Of course when we are all carrying our compulsory ID Cards this problem won't arise!

Dry in Crewe

Campaigning is hard thirsty work. Last night I was sat in the bar at the Crewe Arms Hotel with John Bufton and Derek Clark MEP. We were just getting into our stride when a thunderous crash of shutters coming down disturbed the convivial atmosphere. Checking my watch I realised it was 11.00pm and so the public Bar was shut! I asked at reception if there was a resident's bar and was told the Night Porter had a selection of bottled beers bit there was no bar open after11.00pm. The night porter's selection started at £3 for a small bottle of Budwisser!

That was how John and I ended walking the streets of Crewe in the early hours of Tuesday forlornly looking for somewhere to get a drink. According to a local student the only place to get a drink after 11.00pm is at the all night off-licence at TESCO.

Thank goodness Clive Page isn't here! I can't even imagine how he would react to being told no drink after 11.00pm!