Overnight Snowfall 18th December 2009
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Thursday, 31 December 2009
Monday, 28 December 2009
2009 December : deer, chain reaction, ornamental duck, snow M1,
That could have been dear... 28/1/2/2009 — I was driving back from Hemel yesterday going about 50mph when a deer suddenly shot out of the hedgerow into the road right in front of me. For a split second I thought "Wow, it'll probably make it across the road before I reach it." But then a second deer came bounding out right behind the first one. That's when I realized I better hit the brakes quickly. Fortunately, there wasn't a third deer or I likely would have hit one, which could have done some serious damage to my car. My son Robert, sitting in the backseat, even thought for a moment they were kangaroos hopping across the road! I guess no one taught those deer to look both ways before crossing. You always have to be alert driving the countryside roads with wildlife darting about.
Ornamental Duck 22/12/2009 — Have you got a caption for this poor ornamental duck in my garden?
Add a caption, we can't duck the issues.
December 21st Snow-Locked 22/12/2009 — A disastrous evening on the roads for local people just trying to get home from work. Arriva removed their buses from the roads, and Luton and Stansted airports closed. The roads around the Three Counties were gridlocked. And all because it snowed.
My own journey of an hour (tops) on a normal rush-hour took 5.25 hours.
When I was coming home I think I saw 2 real problems at M1 Junction 10.
Firstly, traffic has to move up a slope from the spur road to get onto the roundabout above the M1. My car slipped a lot. I almost didn't make it, and after I got to the roundabout there was quite a gap before the next one made it. The slope contributes to a backlog all the way back down the airport road, and that in turn holds up the Lower Luton Road.
Secondly, the traffic coming off the M1 northbound blocks the traffic on the J10 roundabout trying to turn off that roundabout to go north on the M1. The roundabout there should never have been built. They should have built flyovers.
Chain Reaction
Loved playing this game on Facebook. Then it stopped working.This was my highest recorded score. Screenshot 26.12.2009.
Ornamental Duck 22/12/2009 — Have you got a caption for this poor ornamental duck in my garden?
Add a caption, we can't duck the issues.
December 21st Snow-Locked 22/12/2009 — A disastrous evening on the roads for local people just trying to get home from work. Arriva removed their buses from the roads, and Luton and Stansted airports closed. The roads around the Three Counties were gridlocked. And all because it snowed.
My own journey of an hour (tops) on a normal rush-hour took 5.25 hours.
When I was coming home I think I saw 2 real problems at M1 Junction 10.
Firstly, traffic has to move up a slope from the spur road to get onto the roundabout above the M1. My car slipped a lot. I almost didn't make it, and after I got to the roundabout there was quite a gap before the next one made it. The slope contributes to a backlog all the way back down the airport road, and that in turn holds up the Lower Luton Road.
Secondly, the traffic coming off the M1 northbound blocks the traffic on the J10 roundabout trying to turn off that roundabout to go north on the M1. The roundabout there should never have been built. They should have built flyovers.
There was so much traffic trying to get off at J11 for Dunstable, that I decided to go up to J12 and come back along the lanes through Chalton. My journey from Welwyn Garden City started around 4:15pm, and it was 9.30pm before I got home.
An eternal "thanks" to Roberto Perone (and crew) at BBC Three Counties Radio for staying on broadcasting beyond the allotted show time.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Dunstable Northern Bypass
An announcement was made last week about the "Northern Dunstable Bypass". The powers that be seem to think that a new road linking east to west and to the M1 will relieve the traffic running north-south through Dunstable's A5.
But here's the reality of the new road: Thousands of extra homes are expected to be built in the north of Houghton Regis parish. Clearly without the new "bypass" Poynters Road, Park Road North, and the High Street Houghton Regis, would be unable to cope with all the extra traffic. I'm not sure that even the Northern Bypass will actually relieve Houghton Regis of it's traffic jams every rush-hour.
Nevertheless, the news from the Highways Agency will be welcomed by many throughout South Bedfordshire. Clearly, for those who want to travel north south via the A5, nothing short of a Dunstable town-centre circumnavigation will be sort.
But here's the reality of the new road: Thousands of extra homes are expected to be built in the north of Houghton Regis parish. Clearly without the new "bypass" Poynters Road, Park Road North, and the High Street Houghton Regis, would be unable to cope with all the extra traffic. I'm not sure that even the Northern Bypass will actually relieve Houghton Regis of it's traffic jams every rush-hour.
Nevertheless, the news from the Highways Agency will be welcomed by many throughout South Bedfordshire. Clearly, for those who want to travel north south via the A5, nothing short of a Dunstable town-centre circumnavigation will be sort.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
2009 October / November: X-Factor
X Factor: Devastated 12 Nov 2009 — This week has seen unprecedented activity after Lucie Jones lost her place in the X-factor. I was out, and unable to see the live Sunday show, but caught up with what happened on Monday.
In my opinion, Simon Cowell went to the public vote because:
a) he was curious,
b) he expected the public to have least voted for the Bart Simpson twins,
c) he wanted to be as fair as he could to Louis Walsh who was down to his last act.
I don't accept that Simon is as money-orientated or as devious as people try to make out.
But, before the SING-OFF, he did say he'd put the past behind them and judge the 2 acts on their final songs. Lucie was miles better at SINGING than Jedward, and Simon Cowell should have had the courage to have voted off the twins. Simon has lost a lot of credibility this week.
The judges have to recognise that an act can be deeply unpopular, and recognise it by opinion on Internet groups, newspapers, and BOO-ing. Yes. Lots of boo-ing for the twins week after week.
Some argue that if you want an act to stay in, you should vote for them. I don't accept that argument. That would have meant voting for Lucie, Stacey, Olly, Jamie, Danyl, and all the other acts I would rather see on the show rather than the twins. At 35p a time plus VAT that would be a gross exploitation of the public. Too expensive.
As one who has enjoyed all the thrills (and deluded wanna-be's) of this show, from auditions to the live finals, I see no point in continuing to watch X-FACTOR. When judges don't do the decent thing, there will be seen to be nothing fair about encouraging the public to vote for their favourite act, when THE MOST UNPOPULAR ACT can get through.
I even sense that Louis Walsh was uneasy that Lucie had to leave the competition. There is no value in asking a mentor to vote.
If there has to be a SING-OFF, the public should get a further opportunity to vote who stays in the show.
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So the Central Beds want the parishes to do more...5 / 11/ 2009 — I went to Chicksands last night. Town and parishes conference. Seems to me that CBC expects to have their income cut next year, and strongly hints that they want the parishes to pick up the tab and push up their part of the Council tax, even asking us to think about what services they want the parishes to take on. So, will it be grass cutting, footpath mending, litter picking, .... what? And Con, Lab, and Libs all saying they want power devolved to the lowest level. So whoever wins, more power to the lower levels. But it's a fine balance deciding to put up localities' local precept to pay for these services if that locality is on the poor side. So, if the services are taken on from the central authority, the central authority must follow through with the funds. Come on, public, contact me!
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3 Nov 2009 JEDWARD were not highest polling as I foolishly reiterated a tabloid claim in the last post. It was just a rumour.But there is so much talk about the duo now that I fear they have become the anti-X Factor vote.
Has it occurred to you yet that all the anti-X-Factor votes are concentrated on one act? Whereas all the sensible votes are split across many great acts? And who would want the act that can't sing to win more than any other act? The rival TV companies! With X-Factor disgraced, they can look to boosting their own ratings. The Louis Walsh Aggravation Factor will continue apace right through to the finals.
Look into my eyes, my eyes, my eyes, not around the edges, into my eyes... LUCY JONES....
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Where Politics Meets the X Factor : 27 Oct 2009 —
For me, being a Liberal Democrat is seeing that something is wrong, and seeking to intervene to make a change. So, here's where politics meets the X-Factor.
For me, being a Liberal Democrat is seeing that something is wrong, and seeking to intervene to make a change. So, here's where politics meets the X-Factor.
Each week is themed. The singers may be poor on one theme and good on another. But if they're poor one week, they could go out. And all the times people voted for them before, when they might have been much better, those votes won't help to save them.
I think the current voting system is wrong. The acts that leave should be the ones that have polled the lowest number of votes over ALL the weeks they have been on the live programme. It shouldn't be the ones that score the lowest in a particular week.
I think the current voting system is wrong. The acts that leave should be the ones that have polled the lowest number of votes over ALL the weeks they have been on the live programme. It shouldn't be the ones that score the lowest in a particular week.
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X-Factor Polling: 27 Oct 2009 — Apparently the twins John and Edward polled the highest vote at the weekend even though they are rubbish singers. Some see it as an anti-Simon Cowell vote. Well, naturally I was surprised that Miss Frank group went out. They were good. But I didn't vote. I might have voted if I could vote for an act to leave the contest. Somehow I don't think that idea would get off the ground.
But the voting system is wrong. The acts that leave should be the ones that have polled the lowest number of votes over ALL the weeks they have been on the live programme. It shouldn't be the ones that score the lowest in a particular week.
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Rikki in the Last 2 as predicted! 18 Oct 2009 — I was right, I said last week X-factor Rikki was going down.. in a few minutes we find out if its him or Rachel. Rachel where are your fans? Lloyd should have been there not Rachel
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X-FACTOR Live: Week 1 (Revisited) 13 Oct 2009
Following Saturday night's X Factor contest, I took another look at the performances last night.
Skipping through the chat, the intros, the ads and the judge's verdicts brought the 2-hour long show down to three-quarters of an hour.
Rachel Adedeji was in the bottom 2 for viewers' votes, so why was that? Well, the presentation of her song, Robbie William's "Let Me Entertain You" tended to drown her out. To be heard she was left shouting into the microphone rather than singing into it. She is capable of much more professional output than that, so I would say that was a poor song choice for her, and she can surely get through a few more rounds with better songs to suit her.
The group that exited the program actually weren't all that bad. They sang well. I think they suffered from the stigmatism of where they came from pole dancing. Dressed to be provocative on stage cannot alone have been enough to turn people off. After all, who can deny that Madonna and Kylie Minogue have not exploited provocativeness to help sell themselves?
Rock star, Jamie Afro Archer, was given a poor song choice. I can see the connection. Marc Bolan had afro hair, and Jamie had afro hair. Thought processes of Simon Cowell(?): "He can do the same thing." But that's as far as it goes. Marc was effeminate. Jamie never will be. Jamie looked uncomfortable singing Get It On, UNTIL he moved away from the mike stand, and raunched it out in his own rocker style. Yeah!
Stacey Solomon. I mentioned earlier she might get too irritating to vote for. She's giggly, very Essex, and for Gawd's sake dear, keep yer trap shut and just open it for the singing! She sang well. Where she falls down is confidence. Please let it grow in her, for she has such a wonderful singing voice. Let her not hide behind her hair. Let her fans see her, let us all hear her, and wow! she's still in my top 2.
Lucie Jones. On first hearing of this week's song, I wasn't too sure. Then the judges knocked her a bit. But now I have seen her sing it again, I found maturity in her voice, confidence in her own ability, and yet still, an even more powerhouse of a voice still lurking there waiting for the right song to match that power. Lucie is still my number one.
Miss Frank. This was a brilliant performance, well executed, and on the scale of tonight's performances better than many other acts.
Olly - a slow start this week, people chant for him, but he doesn't look like a winner to me.
The Bart Simpson twins - they can't sing, but they're in the competition, somehow! I don't think they'll make a career in being pop stars, but they could do well presenting TV shows. Even so, I'd be one of those who would not watch any show they presented.
Danyl, the teacher. I don't quite get this guy yet. His performance went to the next level. No doubt about that. But is he still trying to prove something to just his school, or is he seriously reaching out to the rest of the country?
Joe is the dark horse with a crisp voice. Best of the boys on tonight's performance. Endearing. Great act.
So who haven't I mentioned yet? Rikki, and Lloyd. Lloyd you lack maturity, your act is still too fragile to make you a true winner among all these others. Rikki, sorry mate, you are going down. Soon I predict.
Skipping through the chat, the intros, the ads and the judge's verdicts brought the 2-hour long show down to three-quarters of an hour.
Rachel Adedeji was in the bottom 2 for viewers' votes, so why was that? Well, the presentation of her song, Robbie William's "Let Me Entertain You" tended to drown her out. To be heard she was left shouting into the microphone rather than singing into it. She is capable of much more professional output than that, so I would say that was a poor song choice for her, and she can surely get through a few more rounds with better songs to suit her.
The group that exited the program actually weren't all that bad. They sang well. I think they suffered from the stigmatism of where they came from pole dancing. Dressed to be provocative on stage cannot alone have been enough to turn people off. After all, who can deny that Madonna and Kylie Minogue have not exploited provocativeness to help sell themselves?
Rock star, Jamie Afro Archer, was given a poor song choice. I can see the connection. Marc Bolan had afro hair, and Jamie had afro hair. Thought processes of Simon Cowell(?): "He can do the same thing." But that's as far as it goes. Marc was effeminate. Jamie never will be. Jamie looked uncomfortable singing Get It On, UNTIL he moved away from the mike stand, and raunched it out in his own rocker style. Yeah!
Stacey Solomon. I mentioned earlier she might get too irritating to vote for. She's giggly, very Essex, and for Gawd's sake dear, keep yer trap shut and just open it for the singing! She sang well. Where she falls down is confidence. Please let it grow in her, for she has such a wonderful singing voice. Let her not hide behind her hair. Let her fans see her, let us all hear her, and wow! she's still in my top 2.
Lucie Jones. On first hearing of this week's song, I wasn't too sure. Then the judges knocked her a bit. But now I have seen her sing it again, I found maturity in her voice, confidence in her own ability, and yet still, an even more powerhouse of a voice still lurking there waiting for the right song to match that power. Lucie is still my number one.
Miss Frank. This was a brilliant performance, well executed, and on the scale of tonight's performances better than many other acts.
Olly - a slow start this week, people chant for him, but he doesn't look like a winner to me.
The Bart Simpson twins - they can't sing, but they're in the competition, somehow! I don't think they'll make a career in being pop stars, but they could do well presenting TV shows. Even so, I'd be one of those who would not watch any show they presented.
Danyl, the teacher. I don't quite get this guy yet. His performance went to the next level. No doubt about that. But is he still trying to prove something to just his school, or is he seriously reaching out to the rest of the country?
Joe is the dark horse with a crisp voice. Best of the boys on tonight's performance. Endearing. Great act.
So who haven't I mentioned yet? Rikki, and Lloyd. Lloyd you lack maturity, your act is still too fragile to make you a true winner among all these others. Rikki, sorry mate, you are going down. Soon I predict.
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CANDY RAIN GO OUT - Good! 11 Oct 2009
I was surprised Rachel Adeje was in the last 2 for the playoff to see who left the X factor tonight. Thank goodness she stayed in, and Candy Rain, the former pole dancers have left. I don't think I could have looked at those false lips any longer. Rachel is a beauty, she sings very professionally, but I suspect what happened was that people picked Lucie Jones, and Stacey Soloman to get the vote rather than Rachel.
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Now that the X Factor live show candidates are chosen, I can say that my predictions of last week are right on the money.
"My" three girls, Lucie Jones, Stacey Soloman and Rachel Adedeji, are through. Jamie "Afro" Archer is through, along with Olly and Danyl Johnson (who I have a bit of trouble being convinced by). And the girl group Miss F.R.A.N.K are through (see video below). I don't disagree with the boys that were put through by Cheryl, and she did include Lloyd Daniels, but it's the first mentioned two girls, Jamie, and Miss F.R.A.N.K that I tip for the top 4 slots.
OLLY
DANYL
MISS F.R.A.N.K
The judges gave their decisions in their own inimitable style. Danni Minougue came across as very professional, but surely we could have done without the long pauses where the girls were told what they were going through or not. Louis was short sharp and to the point. King Cowell, sat on his throne giving the contestants his decision while the challengers knelt looking humbly on. Cheryl was a true drama queen, even breaking off halfway through giving the opera singer her decision. The scene reminded me of a poor bullfighter who suddenly decided not to plunge his sword between the weakened bull's shoulder blades. In the end, she delivered her final blow to the hapless contestant, a decision I entirely agreed with in the end, but one that didn't get my hankie of approval for how the blow was struck.
It was raining cats and dogs by Lake Como, in Italy, where Louis Walsh's decision was made. Someone up there clearly realised the groups were by and large a washout! On the downside, the irritating twins are put through, almost as I predicted they would be in my blog of last week. Louis seems to have forgotten that Simon Cowell does not like the Bart Simpson hairstyled twins. Simon won't rest from knocking the twins on the upcoming live shows until they have been finally booted off.
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My X-Factor Predictions 2009 27 Sept 2009 — So, the X-factor judges have made their decisions about which "24" to keep in the competition. If I were a judge I wouldn't bother having a "groups" section next time, because in my opinion, none of the groups we were shown on TV had the elusive "X-factor" about them. That said, the one group that I think will have a chance at winning is the all-girl group, who entered as individual solo artists and came out of boot camp as a group on the recommendation of the judges. That alone is a sure sign that the judges also thought the standard of groups entered was poor. That means that my tip for the group to go the furthest is "Miss F.R.A.N.K". Their boot camp performance was a terrific raunchy blend of harmonies, and if they continue to gel together they should surely go far. The next group I think will go far is the twin boys, John and Edward, with the Bart Simpson hairstyles. I rather think they will appeal to some voters as much as they will turn off others. I fall into the category of voters who already find them conceited, arrogant, and implausible, and they won't get my vote. In my mind, I have already written off the other four groups.
Moving onto the over 25's, it was Simon Cowell's remark on hearing that he had got the job of mentoring them, "this could be a really good year for me, err I mean for them", that leads me to suspect that there are going to be some clashes with his 6 stars. They're already set in their ways at over 25, and if they don't work with Cowell, he'll be quick to talk them down in the shows. I'm wondering whose hair he is going to find the most irritating? Will it be Afro man Jamie (3,238,807 views so far on YouTube video, Mohican man Daniel, hat-man Olly, short back and sides Danyl (7,385,959 views so far on YouTube video (wow!), bushy-haired Nicole, or Afro lady Treyc? Jamie will go far, although as a rock performer, I think it will be cringe time in disco week, and I do wonder how he'll come across doing jazz/swing. So, while he's the best of the bunch for me, I'm not sure he's got staying power. Nicole, poured her heart out at boot camp to get through to the final six, but I think she peaked too soon, and will not appeal to many people. Treyc, I didn't think stood out for me in early performances. Olly, with his gimmicky hat, will get lots of votes in the early rounds. Mohican man, I like your sincerity, but I don't think you're good enough to win.
The boys - none really stand out to me as a winner, I barely remember any of them in the auditions. Some better boys didn't get through including the 17-year-old lad who did a Michael Jackson number, he was a real natural star for me and should have gone through. Judges, what were you thinking? So, instead, we've got the hat man, Rikki, with nothing special about his voice or desire to win, and then there's Lloyd Daniels with the cutie-charismatic-face-in-the-crowd that will catch a large number of votes. Notice I haven't said anything about his singing. The others in the six - did nothing for me.
The girls, - I like some of these, and I rather think the overall winner is going to be in this group. So, my three favourites in this category are Stacey Solomon, Rachel Adedeji, and Lucie Jones.
Moving onto the over 25's, it was Simon Cowell's remark on hearing that he had got the job of mentoring them, "this could be a really good year for me, err I mean for them", that leads me to suspect that there are going to be some clashes with his 6 stars. They're already set in their ways at over 25, and if they don't work with Cowell, he'll be quick to talk them down in the shows. I'm wondering whose hair he is going to find the most irritating? Will it be Afro man Jamie (3,238,807 views so far on YouTube video, Mohican man Daniel, hat-man Olly, short back and sides Danyl (7,385,959 views so far on YouTube video (wow!), bushy-haired Nicole, or Afro lady Treyc? Jamie will go far, although as a rock performer, I think it will be cringe time in disco week, and I do wonder how he'll come across doing jazz/swing. So, while he's the best of the bunch for me, I'm not sure he's got staying power. Nicole, poured her heart out at boot camp to get through to the final six, but I think she peaked too soon, and will not appeal to many people. Treyc, I didn't think stood out for me in early performances. Olly, with his gimmicky hat, will get lots of votes in the early rounds. Mohican man, I like your sincerity, but I don't think you're good enough to win.
The boys - none really stand out to me as a winner, I barely remember any of them in the auditions. Some better boys didn't get through including the 17-year-old lad who did a Michael Jackson number, he was a real natural star for me and should have gone through. Judges, what were you thinking? So, instead, we've got the hat man, Rikki, with nothing special about his voice or desire to win, and then there's Lloyd Daniels with the cutie-charismatic-face-in-the-crowd that will catch a large number of votes. Notice I haven't said anything about his singing. The others in the six - did nothing for me.
The girls, - I like some of these, and I rather think the overall winner is going to be in this group. So, my three favourites in this category are Stacey Solomon, Rachel Adedeji, and Lucie Jones.
Stacey is the Dagenham 21-year-old girl that will appeal to the tabloids, and ultimately to their readers and these will actually vote. Despite all these hardships(!) she actually has a terrific singing voice. Stacey Soloman's (5,649,500 views so far on YouTube. So people like her, but I think she might drop off towards the end of the season's show run as little things like her large teeth and big pointy nose (sorry, but the public is fickle!) start to irritate viewers. But she could still win.
Rachel Adedeji came across as professional, perhaps too professional, but I think she'll go further than the second-placed group. Lucie Jones, an 18-year-old student, is the girl I'd tip to top this category and possibly the whole show. As I write, her video on YouTube has had 2,133,142 views, but I rather think that for all the different types of songs they have to do, Lucie could be the one to creep through and get enough votes across the generations.
Who knows, it could be Lucie, Stacey, and Afro Jamie as they race towards the final show in December. Or perhaps, for this type of show, cutie Lloyd instead of Jamie?
Thursday, 5 November 2009
So the Central Beds want the parishes to do more...
I went to Chicksands last night. Town and parishes conference. Seems to me that CBC expect to have their income cut next year, and strongly hinting that they want the parishes to pick up the tab and push up their part of the Council tax, even asking us to think about what services they want the parishes to take on. So, will it be grass cutting, footpath mending, litter picking, .... what ? And Con, Lab, and Libs all saying they want power devolved to the lowest level. So whoever wins, more power to the lower levels. But it's a fine balance deciding to put up a localities local precept to pay for these services if that locality is on the poor side. So, if the services are taken on from the central authority, the central authority must follow through with the funds. Come on, public, contact me!
Sunday, 20 September 2009
2009 August / September : BGT Anecdote / Book Reviews
Britain's Got Talent: 20 September 2009
There's a bunch of strange "singers" appearing on the X Factor lately. There must be a lot of tone-deaf relatives and friends around encouraging no-hopers to go forward. I tend to agree with Cowell every time. The girl judges are just window dressing, although Dannii Minogue has shown some signs of brains, too. Walsh has absolutely no idea and comes across as insincere.
Whereas in Britain's Got Talent, it's Piers Morgan who constantly cheeses me off with his "everyone deserves a chance" attitude.
Like, the time in Britain's Got Talent when this no-hoper appeared on stage with a black bag.
"Ok, what's your act?" asks Simon Cowell.
"It's in the bag", says the man.
"Right, OK, off you go" replies Cowell.
Man dips his hand in the bag, and places a walnut on his head.
Cowell doesn't look too impressed. He presses his "X".
Pierce Morgan looks VERY impressed and beams enthusiastically.
Man dips his hand in the bag and fetches out a hammer. He uses the hammer to smash the walnut balanced on his head. Then curtsies theatrically to the audience.
Cowell rolls his eyes to view the ceiling and shakes his head.
Piers Morgan visibly laughs out loud.
Morgan is the first to speak, "That was a very brave thing to do. Not many people would want to make a living out of doing that. You certainly get my vote."
Cowell is astounded by these comments and looks contemptuously at Morgan. He asks the act, "What else have you got in your black bag?"
"Aspirin" replies the man.
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Like, the time in Britain's Got Talent when this no-hoper appeared on stage with a black bag.
"Ok, what's your act?" asks Simon Cowell.
"It's in the bag", says the man.
"Right, OK, off you go" replies Cowell.
Man dips his hand in the bag, and places a walnut on his head.
Cowell doesn't look too impressed. He presses his "X".
Pierce Morgan looks VERY impressed and beams enthusiastically.
Man dips his hand in the bag and fetches out a hammer. He uses the hammer to smash the walnut balanced on his head. Then curtsies theatrically to the audience.
Cowell rolls his eyes to view the ceiling and shakes his head.
Piers Morgan visibly laughs out loud.
Morgan is the first to speak, "That was a very brave thing to do. Not many people would want to make a living out of doing that. You certainly get my vote."
Cowell is astounded by these comments and looks contemptuously at Morgan. He asks the act, "What else have you got in your black bag?"
"Aspirin" replies the man.
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We Shall Fight Them on The Beaches: 1 Sept 2009
Clicking the link below brings an interesting response! No one can now say that they don't know what people are saying in the House of Commons, because speeches back to 1935 are now available online.
We Shall Fight Them on The Beaches
We Shall Fight Them on The Beaches
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Salmon Fishing in The Yemen 29 Aug 2009
This week I read Salmon Fishing in The Yemen by Paul Torday.
Sprinkled with interesting facts about salmon, and fishing terms, the novel combines emails, newspaper reports, diary entries, and interviews to tell the story of why a government scientist is "put up" to see through an impossible project to introduce salmon fishing in Yemen. The story gets behind the news to inform the reader about how government and diplomacy might work, and how the little man is easily walked over by those in the upper echelons. Peter Mendelsohn is easily parodied in the story as "Peter Maxwell", while Tony Blair finds his fictional self in "Jay Vent".
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A Fraction of the Whole: 29 August 2009
The Australian-based novel, A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2008. At 710 pages, it is a mystery around the key character Martin Dean. Who is Eddie who follows him around, and why does he keep his distance from Martin? Why does Martin almost worship his errant Uncle who apparently died in a bush fire while escaping from prison? All is revealed in the end, as the story moves from Australia to France and Thailand, and back to Australia. Great read! Enjoy!
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The White Tiger: 29 August 2009
When I picked up The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga earlier this year, I had no idea what the book was about, other than it won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It turned out to be a compelling read throughout. A rickshaw puller's son goes to the big city, becomes a taxi driver, learns the ways of other drivers, and there is a dark outcome. Along the way, we get an insight into the poor and the rich side of India. A must-read for anyone wanting to develop an understanding of the seedier side of India.
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Sunday, 13 September 2009
Consultation Exercise: East of England
During this week I was one of the Houghton Regis town councillors who attended a consultation meeting of East of England Regional Assembly (EERA).
The purpose of the meeting was to obtain views on how fast the region should grow and broadly where that growth should go. As the meeting was held at Chicksands, the questioners were by and large from Central Beds, and Luton areas.
There were appeals for the A5-M1 bypass to be built first (Cllr PeterWilliams, Houghton Regis), and for other infrastructure (roads, hospitals, schools etc. ) to be in place before building starts. General response: government short of money, EERA looking for section 106 money from developers to fund infrastructure, followed by a general sense of fustration from the assembled questioners. There were appeals for homes to be built for rent (Cllr Rita Egan, Houghton Regis), to make them affordable for local people. There was an appeal for electricity to be made available, as the region will face supply problems. There was a question about where water supplies will come from; and given that people need food, why is a farming region to be concreted over? Several questioners made the point that they didn't believe the government statistics on population growth : response from EERA, whatever statistics are used the population is growing and needs homes.
The purpose of the meeting was to obtain views on how fast the region should grow and broadly where that growth should go. As the meeting was held at Chicksands, the questioners were by and large from Central Beds, and Luton areas.
There were appeals for the A5-M1 bypass to be built first (Cllr PeterWilliams, Houghton Regis), and for other infrastructure (roads, hospitals, schools etc. ) to be in place before building starts. General response: government short of money, EERA looking for section 106 money from developers to fund infrastructure, followed by a general sense of fustration from the assembled questioners. There were appeals for homes to be built for rent (Cllr Rita Egan, Houghton Regis), to make them affordable for local people. There was an appeal for electricity to be made available, as the region will face supply problems. There was a question about where water supplies will come from; and given that people need food, why is a farming region to be concreted over? Several questioners made the point that they didn't believe the government statistics on population growth : response from EERA, whatever statistics are used the population is growing and needs homes.
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Being A Councillor: Dealing with Casework
THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2009 12:00
What is Casework?
Casework is individual pieces of work that elected representatives are asked to do to help their local community or local area. At its smallest it might involve asking for the Council to prune an overhanging bush, at the other end of the scale a case might involve working with immigration, policing or social services.
In putting ourselves forward as a community representative, people naturally then look to their Councillors for help, advice and support. So casework comes with the role. The amount of casework can vary enormously from area to area. All Councillors will have some levels of casework; through the amounts can vary enormously from area to area. It is essential that we deal with ALL casework we receive.
Lib Dem campaigners will also get involved in casework – hopefully as a forerunner to getting elected as a Councillor. MPs also have a busy casework load and normally employ one or more caseworkers to help them do this.
Why do we do Casework?
One thing that sets us apart from the other parties is that we genuinely believe in empowering people to make a difference to their lives and communities.
In an ideal Lib Dem world, there probably wouldn’t be any casework! Local services would be easily accessible, frontline officers would listen and be responsive; and our education system would give everyone the skills we all need, or support systems would be in place.
Although this is a long time off, we can go some way towards this. Lib Dem run Councils should ensure that customer focus is foremost in their services. Equally, all of us can make available – on Focus, websites, calendars etc – useful contact numbers and websites to help people to sort things out themselves.
So why do we do casework?
- Because, as Liberal Democrats, we believe in helping our local communities and local people
- some local people will need help to solve problems that others might find easy
- Because sometimes local services are unresponsive to local people’s needs and need extra input from elected representatives
And – as a very welcome side effect – it will help us get re-elected. Some Liberal Democrat councillors have built up formidable casework histories that can result in enormous personal votes at local elections. Conversely, if we don’t do it, we will lose votes. (might be worth beefing this bit up – really emphasising that if you ignore or are slow with casework you’ll get a bad reputation)
It is often said:
“If you provide a good service to someone, they will tell FIVE people; if you provide a bad service, they will tell SEVEN”
Don’t let that be you.
Sources of Casework
A – Your own observation
If you are going around your ward and see something that needs fixing – for goodness sake get it fixed! Quick wins like street lights, road name signs, broken drains etc all need sorting out and if you see it – report it and get it sorted.
Even better – take a camera (or a good camera phone) and take a photo! Will look great in Focus and even better on your website or blog.
Tell everyone you’re going to get it done (in a Focus or street letter), then get it done and report back.
B – On the doorstep and in person
When you are out canvassing at elections (voter ID collection), or during the year with survey’s or “knock and drops” you will very often get people raising issues with you.
This will also be the case at local community meetings and events, when you’re out leafleting etc. Depending on the nature of your ward you might be so well known that you get stopped on the street or supermarket!
Always have a pen and small pad with you (or to be very modern your PDA or iPhone…) and always record things and act on them. During election times it is easy to lose casework. Tell people that you’ll deal with it after polling day – but make sure you do!
C – On the phone
People will ring you with casework. Make sure you have a good and friendly answerphone message that lets people know that they have phoned their local Councillors (there’s nothing worse than a standard “BT call minder”, or Vodaphone standard message!
Some people will have separate phone lines for their Council work – or BT can give you a separate number that rings in a different way. Some people have council mobiles. This is fine, its right to separate out your Councillor role and your own family or personal life.
D – Email
Nowadays an increasing amount of casework comes in by email. If you’ve started doing ward email newsletters or similar this will get even higher.
For Councillors this is great as email makes dealing with and responding to casework quick and easy.
E – In the post
We put “grumble sheets” on the bottom of all our Focus leaflets. These, together with actual letters are a great source of casework.
Unlike emails, they’re easily lost, so make sure you have a good system for keeping paper that comes into the house.
F – Street letters and residents surveys.
You’ll be asking for their views on things and this can bring up casework. In addition, if you know there is an issue locally and want some casework on it so you can use it at Council, you can send out a street letter asking for opinions etc. (Making casework work for you!)
Dealing with Caswork
1 – Response Time
All customer service research points to the fact that it is the initial response time that is remembered favourably.
Respond to a local resident quickly, and let them know you are dealing with the issue and that you will get back to them as soon as you have news. By email this is easy and can be done the same day if you can (though please NOT with an annoying auto-responder!); with letters in the post it’s a little harder. Some people have done some simple thank you/acknowledgement postcards for a quick response.
2 – Be realistic about what you can do
You cannot do everything. You are not physically going to install road humps yourself. Its going to take years to get a street adopted by the Council. There are some services that you can have little or no influence over – national agencies, private utility companies etc.
There are some things that you can help with, for example providing advice or showing how to appeal, but ultimately it is not in your power to change something. A good example would be a appeal on school admissions which is up to an independent panel.
It is best to be clear with people from the outset if you cannot help them. It is OK to give people hope that things might get better, but if that is unrealistic then you are just setting them up to be disappointed – and it is you that will be blamed for that disappointment.
3 – Council Officers are there to help you
Don’t try to do everything on your own. There are many Council officers who will be very happy to help you sort out the problems and needs of local residents – in fact its their job to do so!
You need to build up a small list of good contacts at the Council who you know get things done and will get back to you. This probably isn’t a long list – its going to include people who deal with streets and pavements, bins, people at the housing management organization etc.
A good relationship with less senior officers is also useful. If you don’t know exactly which officer you need to work with on a complex issue, the Director’s PA will be able to point you in the right direction.
Your relationship and reputation with officers is crucial. Remember to always be respectful to people who work for the Authority, always say thank you, always be understanding. You need them to help you.
Remember that officers will have their own priorities, set by their management and work planning. - just because you phone, don’t expect it to be done immediately, they are obliged to prioritise their workload, and accept it if they say they can’t get to it this morning etc.
4 – Have a System
Set up a system which will help you deal with casework. If you don’t have any sort of system, then over time things will go wrong, you will miss issues and people will be disappointed.
One size doesn’t fit all, so choose a system that works for you. Things to think about include:
-identify a time that you will deal with casework – perhaps a specific time each week for checking up on issues and getting back to people
-you need to be able to have some way or recording issues – what they are, what you’ve done, and what the conclusion is. That way you will be able to identify what issues are not yet resolved.
Some solutions might include:
- Use a book or a file
Many councillors have a book in which they record casework – perhaps one kept by the phone.
Alternatively, keep a file (which has the advantage that you can “move” completed issues from the front of the file when they’re done. ALDC has produced this Casework Form which might help you.
- Use your email system
Most email systems have folders or categories. Use these cleverly to keep on top of your casework? Perhaps a folder or category for completed casework, and a folder for casework in progress?
Some people have a folder for items to “check each Monday” – put things in there that need following up, but you don’t need to look at every day.
- Casework Manager
Datatrans, the company that makes EARS (the Election Agents Recording System) make an add on system called Casework Manager.
5 Reporting Back
When you have successfully resolved an issue you must report back on it. There is no point doing things if nobody knows!
You must report back to the resident(s) concerned. Often this will be a quick email, letter or phone call (remember email is the quickest!) and very often you’ll have a happy resident at the other end. Remember to report back when it hasn’t worked. Tell them you’ve tried, but something hasn’t been possible for the following reasons.
If the issue relates to a group of houses, or a street think about doing a street letter next time you’re delivering that area. Let the whole street know that you’ve done something.
Unless it’s a confidential issue why not write about it in your blog or website?
Write about some issues in Focus – even if its just a sentence or so on each one in “local action”.
Keep a list of what you’ve done. When it comes to election time there is nothing better than a FULL action file of what you’ve achieved as a Councillor.
6 Collecting Data
Casework is one of the best ways of collecting data which will be of use later on when it comes to winning elections.
There are some issues here about how you use data, in what capacity you aquired data, and the Data Protection Act, which are/will be addressed in a separate document.
Basic Info
You must record the phone numbers, mobile numbers and email addresses.
This will enable us to send email newsletters to people, to phone canvass, in time text message to knock up etc. But if you don’t collect these you will never be able to do this.
Advanced Data
A more advanced approach (in addition to the above) would be to collect data about the issues people are concerned about.
If you collected information over a period of time of people who are concerned about, say, recycling. A year or two later, when you ask a question in Council about recycling – you could write to them to tell them what you have done.
As a starting point, if there is a big local issue (e.g. objection to a major planning issue) you could collect these names and addresses to use later on.
7 Issues to Watch
A Professional Issues
Being a councillor does not make us a professional social worker, mental health worker, housing officer, police officer, or lawyers and there are some things that really are best left to professionals.
Sometimes casework strays into issues of personal care, health or housing issues and there are confidentiality issues to think about.
Also be aware of legal cases. Councillors are not qualified to give legal advice, and if it becomes clear legal advice is needed, then you should point your constituent towards the local solicitors who do free advice hours.
Sometimes people who contact us will have mental health or learning difficulty issues. You need to be aware of this, and if in doubt seek advice or help from officers or council group colleagues.
B Look after yourself
Remember you do have a private life, and it is fine to have days off, take holiday, do your day job, and finish for the evening. Casework is not an emergency service, and there are services in place for emergencies.
Personal safety is also an issue, particularly if you are involved in visiting people at home or doing a surgery on your own. If it doesn’t feel right, or doesn’t feel safe DON’T DO IT – your personal safety, and the safety of people you love is important.
C Working as a Team
If you are a ward councilor in a multi-member ward (with other Lib Dem Councillors) * then you need to have some way of working with your ward colleagues.
There is no point in all three of you doing the same casework, but equally, it will cause anger and annoyance if everything gets left to one person (and it will place the rest of the team at an electoral disadvantage).
Find a way that this works for you – perhaps BCC into emails, a regular ward meeting or chat.
If you are lucky enough to have a Lib Dem MP you will also need systems that work across your constituency about sharing work appropriately between MPs and Councillors.
* In Scotland, we have a system of multi-member wards elected by a fair proportional system which means that you will have colleagues from different parties all the time. It is a learning process but you will probably develop some dialogue between you, and learn how to work without causing issues with each other.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act
TUESDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2009 14:44
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) was introduced in February 2001 to regulate donations and the funding of political parties. It applies not just to constituency parties but also - in slightly different ways - to the funding of Council Groups. It has been amended both by the Electoral Administration Act 2006 and Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.
Council Groups are regulated donees under this Act, as they are members associations (associations whose membership consists wholly or mainly of members of a registered political party). This is because they are not given a status in the Party Constitution that allows the Party to intervene in or take disciplinary action relating to their financial and administrative affairs sufficiently to take legal responsibility for their finances.
Summary
Donations over £200 can only be accepted from permissible sources
Details of donations over £200 must be recorded and kept for 6 years
Donations over £5000 (in a calendar year) must be declared to the Electoral Commission.
Donations over £1000 received by an individual councillor must be declared to the Electoral Commission
The word donations includes not only cash, but donations in kind. For example, if a councillor pays for his or her own leaflets or the council groups pays for leaflets out of its group bank account, then the value of these should be classed as a donation. In both of these examples, the local party that covers the ward(s) concerned should include in its accounts a 'notional donation' equal to the value of the leaflets.
Accepting Donations
Donations can only be accepted if they are
under £200, or
from an permissible donor - there is a long list of permissible donors but it is strongly recommended that (for political and probity reasons) Council Groups only accept donations from their member councillors. Other donations should be made to the constituency party. Donations can be made by means other than cash and there is a set of regulations governing these and how to assess their value.
The Electoral Commission has taken the view that donations made by standing order/direct debit are to be treated as a separate donation for each transaction. Donations that aggregate more than £5,000 over a year need to be declared to the commission. If Councillors are making donations of over £200 then they must be on the electoral roll.
Recording a donation
When you receive a donation of over £200 you must ensure the donor is a “permissible” donor. If it is not from a permissible source it must be returned in accordance with the regulations. You need to record the full name and address of the donor, the date the donation was received and the date it was accepted (or returned if an non-permissible donor)
Reporting Donations
The following must be reported to the Electoral Commission:
Donations exceeding £5,000
Donations of more than £1000 from a donor who’s donations you have already reported for being more than £5,000
Donations of over £200 from an impermissible source
Donations over £1,000 received by an individual to help them obtain an elected office
Forms for the reporting of donations are available from the electoral commission website
www.electoralcommission.gov.uk. The Electoral Commission website also contains further information and explanatory notes. Please note these limits only apply to Council Groups - a different set of limits is in force for constituency parties.
Donations made by Council Groups
If council groups contribute to the local party the "ceiling" above which donations should be declared by the recipient local party is £1,000.
If council groups contribute to an individuals' election campaigns the "ceiling" above which donations should be declared in the candidates election expenses is - of course - £50.
Loans made to/or by Council Groups
Under the amendments made by the Electoral Administration Act 2006 Council Groups and individual councillors also have to abide by the rules concerning loans. The definition of loans includes normal commercial credit like overdrafts as well as loans from supporters. The reporting thresholds and reporting periods for loans are the same as for donations as set out above.
Changes in the 2009 Bill
If the council groups donations to the party during the calendar year are going to exceed £25,000 then there is a new set of rules to follow from January 2010. Requiring the group to make declarations direct to the Electoral Commission both that they have made contributions totaling more than this amount. Any individual underlying contributions of more than £7,500 from one individual will also have to be declared directly.
In either October 2009 or January 2010 the thresholds set out in the guidance above will change as follows:
All references to £200 become £500
All references to £1000 become £1500
All references to £5000 become £7500
Where to go for further help
Further advice particulary on the new changes can be sought from either David Allworthy or Paul Rustad in the Compliance Department at Liberal Democrat headquarters.
Data Protection
Friday, 4 September 2009
The Data Protection Act 1998
FRIDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2009 14:30
The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) is an important piece of legislation that ensures that any data that is collected on an individual is only used for the purpose for which it was gathered and that it is kept secure. It is enforced by the Information Commissioner who is actively campaigning against the “surveillance society”, but also is becoming much more strict in the enforcement of the legislation. The Information Commissioner also has the power to impose fines for breaches of the Data Protection Act.
Much of what is in the legislation is largely commonsense, but it is important that anyone who undertakes casework, production of campaign literature and the processing of canvass, membership or other personal data complies with this legislation.
What the DPA covers
The key principle as to whether the Data Protection Act applies to what you are doing is whether the information you are using relates to a living individual or whether a living individual can be identified in the information. This applies regardless of whether the information is stored electronically or on paper. Essentially, the personal information has to be organised or filed in some way, so as you can identify a record for a specific individual.
Whilst the DPA covers a huge range of different items, the main Liberal Democrat activities that are affected by the DPA are:
Data that is entered in to EARS as well as any personal information that then comes out of it
Membership lists and information contained in HandS and Membership Data Online, as well as printed membership lists.
Personal casework relating to a specific individual, especially if this is stored in a computerised database such as Casework Manager or similar. Paper files are also covered by the DPA but only if they are filed by name and address, not if they are filed by date.
Collection of data relating to issues that individuals are interested in and campaigns, petitions and surveys that they have supported.
For all of these activities, the information must only be used for the purpose for which they were given, they must be stored securely and only relevant people should have access. Further details on how to comply with the Act is given in the section ‘Tips to make sure that you comply with the DPA.’
Registering under the DPA
Although anyone who handles personal information of this nature is required to comply with the DPA, anyone who stores this information electronically (as opposed to just on paper) is also required to register as a “Data Controller” with the Information Commissioner.
Liberal Democrat registration
The Liberal Democrats have a national registration that also covers all local party campaigning activity, fundraising and membership. Full details of the registration can be viewed by clicking here and searching for 'Liberal Democrats' under 'Name'.
Council registrations
All councils are registered under the DPA, but this only covers councillors for any personal information they receive as part of their work on the council, such as a member of a committee or the cabinet. It doesn’t cover councillors for any casework they take up in their role as a ward representative.
Personal registration as a councillor
The Information Commissioner has recently written to many councillors informing them that they need to register as a Data Controller in their own right. Although this is correct legally, we are encouraging councils to automatically register all councillors from all parties, as the data they gather is an integral part of their work as a councillor rather than because they are gathering the information for their own personal use. We have also spoken to ministers in the Department of Communities and Local Government and discussed the issue with our counterparts in the Conservatives and Labour to encourage the removal of the requirement for councillors to register individually.
In the meantime, the law still stands that individuals who handle casework are expected to register as Data Controllers in their own right, (although any staff or volunteers who assist someone with their casework will be covered by the registration of the person they are working for). Again, this only applies if the records are recorded electronically using something like Casework Manager or if they are filed in some way that identifies individual names rather than just an issue.
It's worth checking whether your council has automatically registered all of their councillors individually as they don't always inform councillors they have done this. You can check whether this has been done by searching for your name in the Register of Information Controllers.
If you do need to register as a Data Controller individually, you can do this on the Information Commissioner’s Office on their website here. Although this website gives you the option of registering online, there is a specific form for councillors which makes the process easier and so they advise you to call them instead to obtain the correct documentation. There is an annual charge of £35 to register as a Data Controller.
Tips to make sure that you comply with the DPA
To comply with the DPA, there are a number of simple tasks that you should do.
Put a password on your copy of EARS to ensure that it cannot be accessed if someone loses the disk or a laptop with the program on. It is also advisable to password protect any laptop that you use for party activities as well.
Ensure EARS backup files are kept securely.
Before you pass on any details of casework to a ward colleague or another member of the party, you should check that the local resident is happy with you doing this, ideally in writing. This applies if the data is specific to a person who you identify to others, it doesn’t apply if it is just a general issue or you don’t give details of who it relates to. For example, it's fine to say "I've had a complaint about the street light outside number 10 not working", but not that "the person at Number 10 has complained the street light isn’t working”
Ensure that any personal information you pass on to an external organisation to help with casework is only what they need to progress the case.
Include a DPA statement on all Liberal Democrat literature; see under ‘Covering the DPA on literature’ for more details.
Requests for personal information under the DPA
Under the DPA, all members of the public are legally entitled to request a copy of any personal information that is held by a Data Controller. That personal information must then be supplied within 40 days of the request being received. An individual, (or ‘data subject’ as they are known legally), may only request their own personal information, and not that of any other member of their household.
You are entitled to make a nominal charge of up to £10 for supplying the information, but unless a request becomes especially time-consuming then it isn’t advised to make such a charge as it could create negative publicity and look as though you are trying to use it to raise party funds. An example of a reply to a personal information request can be downloaded here.
If the personal information request is made to a specific councillor, local party or MP, then it is fairly straightforward to identify all of the information that you have on this individual. However, if the request is addressed to ‘the Liberal Democrats’ then that individual’s information could be held locally, regionally and nationally, and in a variety of different databases. If a request is of this more complex nature or if it could be politically controversial, it is best to contact the party’s Data Protection Officer on 020 7222 7999 or by asking people to write to 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB.
Covering the DPA on your literature
The main obligation is to include the Data Protection Act statement on all literature that solicits feedback, e.g. it includes a ‘grumble sheet’, petition or survey. This statement can be in the small print and the recommended wording (which has been agreed with the Information Commissioner) is:
If you return this [survey/petition/slip] the Liberal Democrats and their elected representatives may use the information you’ve given to contact you. Some contacts may be automated. You can always opt out of communications at any time by contacting us.
The benefit of this wording is that it covers you if you wish to phone or email the person concerned. It also means that this specific information can be shared between the party and your local councillors or MP, unlike information gathered without this wording.
It is also advisable to include a DPA statement in the footer of casework letters and emails. This then allows you to write to these same people about another issue in the same area or a related political issue at a future date. The recommended wording is as follows:
[Cllr X] and their authorised staff and volunteers may use the information you provide to contact you about issues you may find of interest. Some of these contacts may be automated. You can opt out of some or all contacts at any time by contacting us.
What are the penalties for failing to comply with the DPA?
Anyone who is found to breach the Data Protection Act can be fined an amount of up to £5,000. Obviously this would have a severe impact on any local party’s finances, but it would also of course lead to a lot of negative publicity for the party both locally and nationally.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
I Dish the Dirt on our local Election Campaign!
First published in 2009
I have decided to publish an account of the events that took place during the local Election campaign during June 2009.
First off
censored in the fashion of publishing true records in the House of Commons.
D R and P . Sue G y sad, indeed.
The first leaf printed by , confused , gypsy petition
The second leaf potholes
why? Well, it was everyone should get .
Meanwhile, R . This was not .
Next, lovely and sunny.
Actually this meeting was dog barking even more signatures NP candidate.
Hemel
. Thanks, Colin!
trees door knocking voting. litter . Slow, at first only . But by 6pm, grand old duke . so that was all right.
Counting started in secrecy.
First off
censored in the fashion of publishing true records in the House of Commons.D
R and P . Sue G y sad, indeed. The first leaf
printed by , confused , gypsy petition The second leaf
potholes why? Well, it was everyone should get .Meanwhile, R
. This was not . Next,
lovely and sunny.Actually this meeting was
dog barking even more signatures NP candidate. Hemel
. Thanks, Colin! trees door knocking voting. litter . Slow, at first only . But by 6pm, grand old duke . so that was all right.Counting started
in secrecy.
Finally, I'd like to thank every one who voted, , , , and last but not least, who's financial help I found extremely rewarding, NOT! No, life as an unpaid local councillor certainly has it's rewards, not to mention it's and !
For full explanation see local MP, Andrew Selous.
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