Thursday, November 30, 2006

Is this the most extravagant teapot ever?

Our canteen has this machine to make the tea (full video here). It is quite extraordinary. It turns the mundane exercise of getting a cup of tea into a major entertainment extravaganza. The machine is called the "Lipton T-Bird" and is part of their "Tea Revolution". It even has a big yellow light that flashes periodically when the machine is not in use, to remind you that it is still there and is very important.

The key question is: What is the difference between a normal cup of tea and a cup of tea made in this machine?

Answer: 30 pence.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Tribute to Alan Freeman

It is a very sad day for radio! One of the most influential broadcasters, in terms of DJ style, Alan Freeman has passed away, aged 79.

"Fluff" will be remembered for a couple of specific things. First of all, he more or less invented the "countdown" which he did so brilliantly and excitingly on "Pick of the Pops". He used his backing music "At the sign of the swinging cymbal" to fantastic effect as he ran down the Top 20. What he did with the music and the countdown was sheer genius. There have been many imitators of the Sunday evening Top Forty. But all of them owe a little bit to Alan Freeman, who created the genre of the Top Forty run-down in Britain.

His Saturday afternoon Rock Music show on BBC Radio One (on VHF/FM - a rarity for Radio One in those days) showed his enormous flexibility and yet again, he showed his genius in creating a genre all of his own. The introduction was wonderfully exciting and the inserts of classical music etc were a brilliant touch. He was a real rock music buff.

He later went on to do classical music on Radio Two. So he managed to straddle pop, rock and classical music in his career. Quite a feat.

I met Alan Freeman in 1975 when I was sixteen. I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the South-West heat of "Quiz Kid '75" on Radio One. It was fascinating to see him work.

A few years ago I wrote to him when I saw his entry in the Radio Hall of Fame. I told him how brilliantly exciting his Top 20 run-down and his Saturday afternoon intros were, and that many of us still remembered him fondly from the radio. I received a reply from his manager, Tim Blackmore.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Praise for NI Assembly security guards

Thanks to Duncan Borrowman for linking to an extraordinary video of the Michael Stone invasion of Stormont yesterday. The two security guards, who apprehended Stone, deserve medals.

The security guards, a male and a female, were unarmed. Stone had a "gun", a garotte and nail bombs. And he was obviously Michael Stone, well-known friendly neighbourhood mass-murderer. So that would have put the fear of hell into anyone tackling him.

Goodness knows how Stone made it to the front door of Stormont, paused for several minutes to daub graffitti on the outside wall by the main door, and then entered the main revolving door.

Don't they have CCTV covering the front? The odd armed policeman? The building has a huge front concourse. It is not as if the man just hopped off a passing bus and sneaked in. His approach up to the front door would have had something of a State procession about it.

It appears that Stone has arthritis, which may have made his apprehension eaiser. The gun was apparently an imitation device, but even then, that's not something you can bring into the equation when he's there in front of you waving it.

The story is still unfolding. Stone "faces a total of five charges of attempted murder...He was also charged with possession of articles for terrorist purposes and possession of explosives."

It all certainly comes under the heading: You couldn't make it up!

Follow-up: U-turn on fines for unmarried couple with children

It is always good to look back at stories which initially cause a media furore.

One such case happened in Black Jack, Missouri, USA in May this year. My blog summarised the situation:

The town (which calls itself a "city" for some reason) of Black Jack, Missouri, USA has a law, recently confirmed by the local council, which bans unmarried couples with more than one child from occupying homes there. One such couple is facing fines of £270 a day for continuing to live in such a situation.

The City's web site and the American Civil Liberties Union reported more recently:

On August 15, 2006 The Black Jack City Council voted UNANIMIOUSLY (sic) to change the policy and amend the definition of "family". This vote differed dramatically from the vote on May 5, to where five of the eight members of the City Council REJECTED a proposal to change the policy.

So all it ends happily after the City council, apparently, caved in. Good for them. However, there is still a lawsuit outstanding:

On August 10, 2006 the ACLU of Eastern Missouri and the ACLU Women’s Rights Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of Olivia Shelltrack, Fondray Loving and their family who were denied a permit to live in the City of Black Jack because of a law that prohibited more than three people from living together unless they are related by “blood, marriage or adoption.”

So the second shoe hasn't yet dropped....

Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup prospects

I just walked down to the entrance to Newbury Racecourse (a few yards from house).

It is raining heavily, to put it politely. There is thunder and lightning which seems about a mile away.

Having had 14mm of rain yesterday, which changed the going to soft, I hope the rain today doesn't risk the meeting.

"Cornish Rebel" seemed a natch for me to put some money on each way. I also covered myself with a small wager on Mongtermont, which is likely to be the favourite. John Francombe on Channel 4's "The Morning Line" reckoned Ardaghey is worth an each way, so I put a soupcon on him as well. Total bet: £11, so the bank isn't broken if they all fail.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Tories turn on Cameron over "Tosser test"

Norfolk Blogger reports several adverse Tory reactions to the "Tosser Test". It also appears that Mr Dale is getting somewhat catty about the matter (I don't know, I gave up looking at Iain's site several months ago as it had become too easy to predict).

UK Daily Pundit reports a beaut of a comment from Mark Hudson on Conservative Home :

"The only tosser of which I am aware is the one currently leading the Conservative Party."

Here are some more - there are a good number of positive comments, but, hey, let's just enjoy the negative ones shall we?:

Hands up all who just saw Dave on Breakfast TV. A clip from the "Tosser" video was shown with the offending word bleeped out.
Talking Head: "Why is your party using a word we can't broadcast before 9pm?"
Cameron: "Er...Er...Er...We didn't do it. It's down to the publicity firm."
That's right. Pass the buck Mister C


Have Cameron and co lost the plot - They come across as upper class twits trying to glean votes by pretending that they are just as common as the hoi polloi.
What next - Jacob Rees-hyphen-Mogg in a turquiose suit and driving a Reliant Robin.
At least Del-boy is funny rather than simply tasteless.


What's the personal debt of the Tory Party?
Own goal alert!


Using a term which means 'excessive masturbator' seems a bit ridiculous to me. I think the Conservative Party have buggered this up.

I think political parties need to concentrate on policy rather than giving advice. That should be left to the CAB.

An asinine, superficial and patronising initiative.

Are student loan debtors all TOSSERS?

I have never seen so much RUBBISH! It is fascile, inane, patronising and timewasting! However much money was spent on it was ill-spent! Why does anyone wish to be treated like some sort of halfwit? It's embarrassing.Outraged!!


Thursday, November 23, 2006

Diary fodder: Former and present Reading Labour MPs

How remarkable that Reading has provided more than its fair share of fodder for chortling and Diary columns, via Martin Salter MP for Reading West and Jane Griffiths, former MP for Reading East!

Both have been regulars of the Guardian Diary.

Yesterday we were treated to another Salter Classic (my asterisks):

Overheard, waiting to board the 8.34 from Reading to Paddington on Tuesday morning, the perennially potty-mouther Labour member for Reading West, Martin Salter, responding with characteristic politesse to a constituent who rashly tried to introduce himself: "Don't shout at me like I'm in a f**king supermarket. Show some f**king manners!" Good man.

In the other corner, even though Ms Griffiths has long departed the Westminster corridors, I was delighted to alight, en passant, on her blog. It seems that the multi-lingual rat-fancying former MP still has an obvious ardent passion for Mr Salter.

She reports a resident saying of Mr Salter: "We'd have liked to see our MP, we don't see very much of him." In another posting, she accuses Martin Salter of "political ineptitude of the first order" in "voting" for the LibDems at the recent Tilehurst by-election (I thought he lived in Theale?)

All good clean fun!

BA cross row: Are we forgetting something?

Strangely enough, as a Christian I don't feel discriminated in this country, as the Daily Express tendency seems to have suggested. In fact, with Christianity as the established faith, the very idea that Christianity is discriminated against is laughable.

It has already been mentioned that wearing a cross is not a religious requirement of Christianity. What hasn't been mentioned is that, according to Matthew, Jesus actually spoke out against Christians advertising their faith at all ("So what are you doing writing a blog saying "as a Christian"?", I hear you ask - "It's a fair cop, gov", say I). These three quotes from Matthew 6 make this pretty obvious:

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

...And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full

...When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."

I really think that the Christian thing to do is to quietly wear a cross under your shirt, if you want to wear a cross with a uniform when you are representing a major corporation dealing with clients from all faiths and none. Having said that, I have enormous sympathy for Nadia Eweida who wants to wear a very tiny cross outside her uniform. But I don't think BA have done anything wrong and their policy is shared by other airlines. She can wear a cross - under her clothing if she continues the uniformed job or outside her clothing if she takes the non-uniformed job that has been offered.

I am afraid that any sort of Daily Express story like this (last week it was the poor headteacher who made a minor menu booboo with halal chicken) immediately puts me into laid-back, couldn't-give-a-proverbial mode. There is a fraternity in this country who seem to be sitting around waiting to be outraged about something which they think is an attack on "traditional British values". I say: "Get a life".

Ian Paisley: Will the "no" man say "yes" for once today?

It's a big day in Northern Ireland today. Either the "Big Man", Ian Paisley, says "yes" to reigniting the Assembly, or it's Plan B - direct rule continues indefinitely. Paisley's party has to nominate him as First Minister today, in order to keep the devolution plan on track.

I have visited Belfast three times in the last year. After years of hatred, it really is remarkable that the people there are putting the past behind them and getting on with peaceful life. Belfast is blooming into a wonderful city once more. The people there really do richly deserve a continuation of the peace process, and that surely must mean devolution on the St Andrews' timetable.

It will be utterly staggering to see the DUP and Sinn Fein in government together. But after all the years of violence and hatred, it will, for once, give hope for mankind. If DUP and Sinn Fein can sit down together after all that has gone on, then there is hope for peace and reconciliation in all spheres of conflict.

Let's hope and pray that the "Big Man", who has made a long and richly rewarding career out of saying "no", says "yes" for once today!

Brakspears bought by firm with Liberal pedigree

I see that Brakspears of Henley has been bought by the JT Davies group. More correctly, it is being "taken private" by its largest shareholder. There is a lot of history in both these firms, as the Times reports:

Alfred Davies, the son of the founder and grandfather of the current chairman, Michael, was personal private secretary to Lloyd George during the First World War, became MP for Lincoln and was knighted in 1933.

The Brakspear family history goes back even farther. One distinguished forebear, Nicholas Breakspear (sic), was the last Pope to hail from Britain, being anointed as Pope Adrian IV in 1154. A descendant, Robert Brakspear, founded WH Brakspear & Sons Brewery in 1779.


The Liberal Democrat History group records: Sir Alfred T. Davies (1861-1949). Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Board of Education, 1907-25.

When I arrived in Berkshire nigh on 30 years ago, one of its huge attractions was the plethora of Brakspears pubs all over the wonderful central Berkshire and South Oxfordshire countryside. They still exist. Sadly the old brewery in Henley was turned into swanky flats a few years ago. The wonderful Brakspears beer is now brewed by Wychwood in Witney. While Wychwood, home of the gorgeous Hobgoblin beers, is a marvellous brewery, beers are never the same when they are moved from their home brewery. The local water is the basis of a beer. Move the beer and the water changes and the basis is gone. But at least Brakspears didn't end up at some huge mass-brewery.

The pub chain is what is left of the original Brakspears. It looks like it has gone to a good home. It would be a very great shame if a significant number of the Brakspears pubs were tampered with. They are a very rich part of our country's heritage.

In love with the Ukulele

Last night we went to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at the Corn Exchange, Newbury. It really was a wonderful evening - full of fun and laughs. It was wonderful to see and hear six people all with their hands going up and down rapidly (strumming the strings!) and hearing the rapid plinkity, plink of the ukuleles together. (Although, they explained that the different sizes of Ukuleles have different sounds - one goes plink and another goes p-l-i-n-k for example. And the thing I thought was a guitar at the end was actually a bass ukulele.)

They did some wonderfully original routines. Their one genuflection to George Formby was "Leaning on the Lampost" in the style of a group of Russian balalikas, complete with Russian-style chorus and a Russian-accented lady responding. Sounds strange. But it was hilarious.

If you get the chance to see them, grab it.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Public voice clear on Newbury market

I attended the public meeting about Newbury Market last night at the Town Hall.

A Conservative councillor wrote-off the value of this meeting before it took place, saying it would be "stacked with the usual suspects".

I didn't notice any "usual suspects" at the meeting. There were a good number of residents who I have not noticed at public meetings before. They all expressed their views in a lively discussion. It was a great shame that West Berkshire Council declined the invitation to attend the meeting.

There has already been a survey of 1400 signatures, with 92% saying they wanted to see some market stalls remaining in Northbrook Street. Also, the Farmers' Market organisers had an independent survey conducted which showed overwhelming support for some market stalls to remain in Northbrook street. Another survey of the businesses based in and around Northbrook Street, found that 72% wanted the market to remain there, while 28% wanted it to go back to the Market Place. There has also been resounding feedback from the public to councillors through the Saturday surgery and elsewhere saying that they like the market in Northbrook street.

The Town Council proposal builds on this groundswell of local opinion. It proposes a two site solution - stalls both in Northbrook Street and the Market Place. This was unanimously supported at the public meeting. Five options for bus routes were discussed and all but four people supported option d) which is:

"Re-route the buses on circular routes that include drop-off points on Broadway outside MacDonalds for the north of the town and at Bartholomew Street (South)/Market Street junction and adjacent to Post Office for south of the town...this would allow Wharf Street to stay open, easing congestion on Parkway Bridge."

Option (e) got four hands in support and was:

"As (d) but allow buses to travel up Bartholomew Street (North), Mansion House Street and the Market Place, with drop off points much closer to the centre of the town. This would free Northbrook Street for market stalls and would be safer for buses in the Market Place due to a reduced number of stalls there. This would also allow Wharf Street to stay opne, easing congestion on Parkway Bridge."

It was emphasised that the Town Council proposal is not a solution to replace what is happening in a few days time, but for the longer term, for example from January 2007.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Charles Kennedy excellent on "Any Questions?"

I listened to today's Any Questions? which had Charles Kennedy on it. He spoke exceedingly well and it was great to hear him completely on form. For some reason Dimblebies always want to ask him about his alcoholism, but he dealt with this question with great dignity. He was rewarded with sustained applause from the audience. This was described by Dimbleby as the longest and loudest applause of the evening.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Work which I have done as a Town councillor in Newbury

I have now updated my list of work which I have done on behalf of Newbury Victoria ward residents. Here is the complete list, with the more recent items first. Items 100-144 have been added since my last posting of the list:

144. A sign was obscuring the view for pedestrians in the Market Place. I complained to WBC and the sign was immediately moved.
143. I asked WBC to provide lighting along the pathway at the western end of Stroud Green. They promised to follow this up in the future.
142. On behalf of a resident, I complained to WBC about flooding, a potentially unstable tree and a occluded entrance in Shaw road. WBC cleared the drain and assured me, upon inspection, that the tree was safe. The drain cleaning did not prevent subsequent widespread flooding, so I again complained to WBC about this.
141. I complained to West Berkshire Council about parking in Catherine road causing problems for residents.
140. I wrote several letters to the press about the proposed Racecourse development, expressing the strong concerns of local residents. I proposed an objection to the bridge proposal for raceday traffic because there was no proof this would do anything other than exascerbate raceday traffic jams. The Town Council agreed with my objection proposal.
139. I raised a complaint about a planning application in York road. The planning application was refused.
138. I asked the town council to look for a donated seat which had gone missing from Northbrook Street. I was assured that an exhaustive search had been carried out, with no success.
137. I reported a problem with fires and road noise at a house in Abbots road. I was assured that these problems had been addressed by West Berkshire Council.
136. There was a loose manhole cover in Greenham road. I reported it and it was corrected.
135. I reported the possibility of flooding because of the new bricks on Newbury Bridge (The Water Bridge). The council checked this and assured me that flooding would not occur.
134. I reported a possible problem with rubbish collections in Cheap Street. I was assured that the collection is done regularly and the rubbish is properly bagged.
133. A pothole repair in York road (Queens road end) was becoming unstuck. I reported it and it was properly rectified.
132. I reported a pothole on the A339 roundabout at the juntion of Greenham and St Johns road. It was repaired.
131. In response to residents’ complaints, I reported an unlicensed car in a local street to the DVLA. It was subsequently licensed.
130. I reported a pothole in Queens road (western end) three times until it was properly repaired.
129. I noticed a suspicious individual crouching in Stanley road at 11pm one Saturday. I used the police non-emergency number to report this. The individual walked off while I was talking to the police. However, it was obvious that the man was very drunk. He was walking towards Boundary road, which was very busy. He could have easily been hurt as he was walking all over the road. The police promised to send a car round to help the man home safely.
128. I rounded up a large dog which was loose in Stanley Road. I temporarily held the dog in my garden. I then quickly found the owner and reunited the family with their dog, "Dobie".
127. I complained about the closure of Parkway bridge. The council opened the bridge one-way.
126. A resident complained that there were overhanging branches by the river near Swan Court. The Town Council corrected this problem to the satisfaction of the resident concerned.
125. A lady wrote the Newbury Weekly News saying she was not aware of the details of the consultation on the Market Place enhancement. I sent her some details.
124. I reported a large pothole in Greenham road, which was fixed.
123. I asked the council, again, to implement cardboard and plastics recycling as soon as possible. This was in response to a resident’s call.
122. I noticed that the button on the pesdestrian crossing by the central Post Office was not working. I reported this to the council who fixed it.
121. I got the council to do a special clean of the subway gardens by Burger King, on the A339.
121. I asked the council for a pedestrian crossing at the southern end of Boundary road.
120. I reported parking on the "build outs" in York road to the police and tickets were issued to offedning motorists.
119. I got a fourth litter bin installed in Station road to help the litter problem there.
118. I got the council to move the western sign for Station road so it could be seen by motorists.
117. I got West Berkshire Council to clear the storm drains in St Johns road, as they were blocked.
116. I reported to West Berkshire Council the problem of queuing caused by the Sainsburys traffic lights sequencing.
115. I complained to West Berkshire Council about flooding in Robin Hood subway. Works were carried out to lessen this problem.
114. I got the council to repair two non-working street lights in Railway road.
113. I asked the council to consider creating parking restrictions near the entrance of Bewicks reach, Northbrook street to allow residents to enter and exit safely. The relevant council officer promised this would be incorporated into forthcoming works.
112. I referred a complaint about a slippery bridge over the River Lambourne to the relevant ward councillor.
111. I complained to West Berkshire council about cracked pavement slabs in Mansion House Street and Northbrook Street. These have now been replaced with new paving.
110. I strongly suggested to West Berkshire Council that there should be more control over cyclists in Frog Alley near London Road. The council put a warning sign there to tell cyclists to take care of pedestrians using the narrow alley.
109. A resident was aghast at large works on the pavement in the Nightingales. I was able to reassure the resident that local council taxpayers money was not being used for this project.
108. I responded to an enquiry from a resident about "green compost bins" by sending them some information from the council. I also reminded West Berkshire Council of the need for green compost bins to be distributed to households for kerbside collection.
107. I complained to West Berkshire Council about the use of the ancient Granary to hold a large banner for the Continental Market.
106. In response to a resident, I made a visit to Andover road and St Johns road at 8am one morning to watch traffic movements. It was obvious that there was a problem in St Johns road with motorists on the A339 roundabout not obeying the "keep clear" markings. I reported this to the council.
105. Due to a recurrence of the litter problem, I took 42 photographs of the litter in Station road and sent these to West Berkshire Council. I also posted them on the internet. The council has increased the frequency of cleaning, done a "deep clean" of the gutters and made improvements to parking and pavement arrangements.
104. I repeatedly followed up the problem of showroom cars being parked on council land. Legal action has been taken by West Berkshire Council.
103. I responded to a resident’s complaint about parking on the pavements in Stanley and Livingstone road. I reported the problem to the local Police inpsector, who sent along a Community Support Officer to investigate the problem and talk to some of the drivers who were parking on the pavement.
102. I noticed two badly tilted kerbstones outside Whittards in Northbrook Street. I reported these to the council and they were put right.
101. I raised with West Berkshire Council the problem of cyclists disobeying the "Cyclists dismount" sign at the subway next to Burger King by the A339. They have consistently refused to put an obligatory sign there (which would allow the police to prosecute culprits). I have also reported this matter to the police who have sent officers along to the site occasionally.
100. I campaigned against the proposed move of Speenhamland school to Donnington. The move was shelved in early 2005.
99. I made a visit to a site in Oddfellows road where a resident had complained of badly obliterated graffitti. I noticed that the wall concerned is the property of a supermarket and informed the resident accordingly.
98. I reported the fact that there is no "no left turn" sign at the exit of Speenhamland school as you drive out into Pelican Lane.
97. After a complaint from a resident I brought the problem of on-pavement parking in Shaw road to the attention of the authorities. I also gave a phone number (non-emergency) to the resident so that they could call the police if there was a re-occurence.
96. I objected to the planning application for a maisonette in Livingstone road, at the end of Railway road, due to its bad impact on traffic flow and parking.
95. I have pressed for an enhancement of Greenham House gardens, to include improvements to the play area.
94. As part of my role as a member of the Town Council's community services committee, I helped to prepare a questionaire for Wash Common residents with respect to Wash Common recreation ground. I help to collate the results. I am delighted to say that residents have now reached a concensus that the basketball hoop and football goal on Blossoms Field is a good step forward.
93. I reported pot holes which I had observed in Racecourse, York and Queens road, which were filled in.
92. A carpet had been dumped on the pavement in Livinsgtone road. I got the council to remove it under its fly-tipping scheme.
91. I updated two residents in Boundary road about the latest status with the development of the Kings road relief which, hopefully, will lead to the closure of Boundary road railway bridge to all but emergency vehicles and buses.
90. A resident enquired about the Market Street development brief, and whether the bus stops would remain. I sent a copy of the brief to the resident and reassured him that the planning brief includes the need to retain the bus stops.
89. I noticed heavy litter in the Burger King subway. I complained to the council and it was cleared. The council also instituted a control procedure to ensure that litter picking by their contractor is always done on time.
88. I reported problems with lorries reversing too quickly in Northcroft Lane to the local traffic warden.
87. I reported pot holes in Northcroft Lane and these were filled in.
86. At the Town Council Saturday surgery, a resident expressed interest in the planning process and stopping development in the west of the town. I sent the resident the South East Plan process and explained to him how he could take part in the consultation for that plan.
85. At one of the Town Council's regular Saturday morning surgeries, a resident complained to me about trees and a hedge being removed as part of a new development in Andover road. This was checked by the council's Tree officer and the district councillor for the area kindly explained the situation to the resident.
84. A resident complained about the lifts malfunctioning at a local home for pensioners. I was able to put the resident in contact with Sovereign Housing, who explained the situation to her.
83. Residents of West Mills complained to me that they needed residents parking outside their houses. They are particularly near the town centre so that cars were being parked outside their houses during the day, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for residents to park even near their houses. After many years of campaigning with my Liberal Democrat colleagues on this issue, residents parking bays were installed in West Mills in 2005.
82. A particular car was being parked continuously in West Mills. It was causing an oil patch. I had the situation checked out by the local traffic warden.
81. A resident complained that he could not get out of his garden gate because a car had parked right in front of it even though there is a white line there. I reported this to the local traffic warden who visited the site. The car was subsequently removed.
80. A resident complained to me about cycling in the subway by Burger King. This was causing a hazard to pedestrians. I reported this to our local cycling police constable and he visited the site on several occasions to educate cyclists about the "no cycling" rule in that subway.
79. I saw a dead deer lying on the side of the A339. I reported this to West Berkshire Council and the corpse was removed immediately.
78. I noticed some particularly offensive graffitti in a particular public location in Victoria Park. I reported this to the Chief Executive of Newbury Town Council and it was immediately cleaned up.
77. I noticed offensive graffitti in the subway by Burger King. I reported it and it was cleaned up straight away.
76. A oil spillage from car occurred in York Road. I reported this to the council to be cleaned up.
75. A resident asked me about getting a drop kerb in front of his house. I was able to inform him able the procedure involved and the normal circumstances under which this is allowed.
74. I have lobbied to have a pedestrian crossing over Racecourse road. I am still campaigning for this.
73. A resident complained to me that cars were parking on the section of roads specifically designed for no parking in York Road ("build outs"). I got the local traffic warden to regular inspect these areas. She issue several tickets.
72. A resident in Boundary Road complained to me that many cars were being parked on the pavement in that road. I got the local traffic warden to issue warning letters to the car owners. The problem then abated.
71. A post on the pavement in Livingstone road was removed. I got the council to replace it.
70. A sofa appeared in Greenham Road. I contacted West Berkshire Council and it was removed under the council's free large domestic collection scheme.
69. A pensioner was concerned about trees growing in Greenham House Gardens. After requesting information from West Berkshire Council I was able to reassure her that the trees were growing naturally and safely.
68. A pensioner was concerned about the crossing for pedestrians in Cheap Street. After visiting the site, I was able to reassure her and explain the procedure.
67. A resident complained that the bins in Station Road were not being emptied regularly. I, in turn, complained to West Berkshire Council, who are committed to ensuring that the bins are emptied three times a week.
66. A resident complained to me about a reported issue with a local hospital unit not being fully used when needed. I asked the Chief Executive of Newbury Primary Trust to answer this query. She did so very satisfactorily.
65. A pensioner complained about vandals in Greenham House Gardens. I was able to put her in touch with the neighbourhood wardens who cover those gardens. They were able to resolve the problem.
64. After a resident complained to me, I reported the colour of paint used by a shop in Bartholomew Street. The colour was a violent shade of yellow which was not in keeping to the ancient building next to it. Eventually, the shop managers very kindly repainted their shop in a more restrained shade of yellow.
63. I got the drains cleared in York road after 2 residents complained
62. I got the pavement re paved in Queens Road after large puddles collected during the rain.
61. I got the old Queens Road garage site cleared of rubbish and fenced off after a complaint from residents.
60. I got the Burger King roundabout subway completely steam cleaned.
59. I got the nonsensical "Cyclists demount" sign removed from Northbrook Street's entrance.
58. I lobbied to get Bartholomew Street repaved and this was done. The whole street has been repaved with smaller, thicker paving stones which are less susceptible to tripping pedestrians.
57. I lobbied to get ruts in the A339 removed and this was done.
56. I obtained 2 new streetlamps, 3 dog litter bins and 1 seat for the Nightingales, which were installed.
55. I got the white lines renewed in East Fields.
54. I got abandoned cars removed from Dickens Walk, Nightingales, Queens Road, Newbury and a lay-by on the A339.
53. I lobbied to have the Monkey Bridge replaced. Planning is now ongoing for a replacement.
52. I got an official West Berkshire Council residents survey done for East Fields traffic and work started completed in February 2003.
51. I lobbied for new signs making the library and wharf toilets better signed. These have now been installed.
50. I opposed all plans for more houses/flats in East Fields until the traffic situation was sorted out.
49. I initially opposed the Sandleford Rise redevelopment because of the proximity of the western terrace to Charter road residents and obtained important changes from the developer.
48. I opposed several conversions of houses to flats in roads where they would be out of character - eg. Monks Lane, Andover Road.
47. After a complaint from a resident, I obtained a commitment from West Berkshire Council to redesign the lay-out of the Pelican Crossing ouside the Nag's Head in Bartholomew Street, Newbury. This has now been installed so that there is no longer a "blindspot" for pedestrians.
46. I complained about the removal of the grocery shop in Queen's Road.
45. I obtained a commitment from West Berkshire Council that West Mills, Chesterfield Road, Station Road, Tudor Road, Howard Road and Link Road will be reviewed for residents' parking schemes. The review is now ongoing.
44. I made sure that queuing outside one of Newbury's night spots is orderly and does not block the pavement for residents walking past.
43. I lobbied for a hand rail on Black Boys' bridge. A handrail has been installed on both sides of the bridge, which is particularly helpful for the many elderly and frail people who cross the bridge.
42. I successfully persuaded the council to install new posts to discourage drivers turning right out of Livingstone road going into Queens Road.
41. I had potholes fixed in Queens Road, Elizabeth Avenue, Essex street and London Road.
40. I assisted an elderly local resident who had trouble with rats in her roof.
39. Following complaints from residents, I had special "no parking" white lines painted along the entrances to residences on the northern side of the one-way stretch of Queens Road.
38. I got no entry signs in Livingstone Road turned round so that they are clearer.
37. I contacted the police to ensure that louts were encouraged to move on from Greenham House Gardens, following complaints from a resident.
36. I lobbied to have the Pembroke Road toilets (behind W.H.Smith in Northbrook Street) reopened. This has now happened.
35. I lobbied to have some of the worst pavements in Newbury replaced. Bartholomew Street and Kings Road (west) now have new small paving slabs which are better at not creating "trip surfaces". West Berkshire Council are also spending £30,000 to replace some of the worst pavements in Northbrook Street.
34. I successfully lobbied to have a bus stop moved in Andover Road to enable pedestrians to pass easily at peak times.
33. I had a dangerous road sign removed in The Folly.
32. I had a dangerous drain made safe in Wendan Road.
31. I got the hedge in Greenham House Gardens cut back to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to pass.
30. I got Thames Water to inspect a smelly manhole in Railway Road.
29. I helped a resident who had worries about a tree by putting him in contact with the West Berkshire Council tree officer.
28. I reported a dangerous, crumbling low wall in Bear Lane to the council for it to be added to the list of repairs.
27. I had the wharf car park toilets inspected and scheduled for "deep cleaning" after complaints from a resident.
26. I helped a resident with a large family who wanted a large sized wheely bin.
25. I helped residents of Boundary Road North to obtain waste recycling facilities.
24. I highlighted the poor state of the Wharf/Granary Car Park surface to West Berkshire Council. They have completely resurfaced the car park, re-painted the white lines and levelled up the surface to prevent further flooding.
23. I pressed West Berkshire Council to remove some ivy which overgrew onto the pavement in Erleigh Dene. This was done.
22. I got abandoned domestic rubbish removed from the grass in Kings road near the junction with Boundary road.
21. I got West Berkshire Council to complain to two local companies whose lorries were regularly sprinkling concrete dust over Boundary Road north.
20. I supported the application for extra housing in Boundary road north, particularly because it is likely to lead to an improved environment for existing residents of that road.
19. I made sure that problems with lorries "rat running" down Boundary road north during the late night and early morning were raised in West Berkshire Council's freight transport review in May 2003.
18. I contacted the police and asked them to keep an eye on drivers illegally turning right out of Livinsgtone Road into Queens Road. The police attended this junction and issued several fixed penalty tickets to drivers doing illegal manoevres.
17. I got West Berkshire Council to remove concrete which had been stuck to the road surface in Boundary Road (North).
16. Following a report from a resident who was recovering from a heart attack, I chased up the council to commence classes at Northcroft Leisure centre for recovering heart disease patients. The classes have now started and are using new specialist equipment.
15. I helped a resident who was concerned that a local school portakabin overlooked his kitchen window.
14. I obtained two litter bins for Station Road, Newbury following complaints about litter from a resident.
13. I had repairs done to the pedestrian crossing points on the A339 near Sainsburys, after a partially sighted resident told me that the special buttons for partially sighted people were not working.
12. I reported to West Berkshire Council the misleading derestriction signs at the Pinchington/Monks Lane roundabout.
11. After a report from a resident, I reported the fact that vehicles are regular mounting the pavement in Kings Road near the traffic lights. This is being investigated by the relevant WBC officer.
10. Following on from a conversation with two Queens Road residents, I reported several traffic related problems in the road, in particular, cars not stopping in York Road at the junction with Queens Road and vehicles parking on double yellow lines in Queens Road. The relevant WBC officer is following up these problems.
9. After a report from a resident in Livingstone Road about regularly misrouted mail, I tracked down the officer responsible for addresses in West Berkshire and obtained useful advice which I passed on to the resident.
8. I passed on complaints from a Livingstone Road resident about the pavement surface in Queens Road, which is making it difficult for pedestrians to walk safely.
7. I complained to West Berkshire Council about the "sunken" condition of the pavement in Greenham Road following a report to me from a resident of that road.
6. Following a complaint from a resident, I referred to WBC the problem of a misturned sign in Market Street which was misleading. This has now been corrected.
5. I reported large and blasphemous graffitti in the subway under the A339/St Johns Road/Greenham Road (by Burger King). The graffitti was quickly painted over.
4. I made sure that road markings for "no parking" at the end of Stanley Road were completed after a resident complained.
3. I obtained a recycling bin for a residents in Park Lane and Boundary Road (North) who didn't have one.
2. I ensured that a missing drain cover was replaced in Boundary Road (south).
1. I complained to the council about flooding in the Robin Hood roundabout subway. The subway has now been refurbished with new surfaces to prevent flooding.
Also, I have worked a great deal on getting traffic improvements for East Fields, Newbury. Here is a list of main events in this campaign:
I first wrote to Newbury District Council and my local ward district councillor about this problem in August 1996.
After that, several residents wrote to their local ward councillors about the problems.
Over a dozen East Fields residents then attended six meetings of the West Berkshire Council Transportation sub-committee but, apart from road humps placed in Queens Road, there were no conclusive plans outlined for East Fields.
I reported some of the problems to the council's "Streetcare" hotline.
The council first promised to carry out a study of East Fields' traffic in 1997, but this was not carried out until 2001.
On 12th September 1999 I wrote to Councillors Hannon, James, McAllin and Becket with the results of a survey I had conducted amongst local residents.
On 16th September 1999, the then chair of the Transportation Sub-Committee, David Becket, wrote to me stating:
"The most likely quick solution is a local 20MPH zone, with essential traffic calming (Legally you cannot have a 20MPH zone without humps or some form of traffic calming). Officer proposal is to put that out to consultation that will not please you, as it involves further consultation on a proposal that does not appear to find local favour. May I suggest that, in conjunction with your local members, you request a meeting with officers?"
In November 1999 I exchanged further correspondence with Councillor Sally Hannon.
Twenty East Fields' residents attended a public meeting at the council offices in February 2000 where the problems and potential solutions were outlined to council officers and Councillor Steve Pascall, who went on to be the chair of the Transportation sub-committee.
I raised three members' questions at the Newbury Town Council Planning and Highways Committee regarding this subject. As a result there was correspondence between the Town Council and officers at West Berkshire Council.
On 12th December 2000 I once again wrote to my local ward councillors, Councillors Hannon, Ferguson and Vernon-Jackson enclosing the list of trouble spots and potential solutions. These included 20 trouble spots right across East Fields and called for a complete solution for the whole area.
On 16th December 2000 I established special campaigning web pages devoted to the East Fields roads problems.
On 18th December 2000, Councillor Sally Hannon wrote extensively to Tom Ingram, Highways Engineer at West Berkshire Council about the problems. On 8th January 2001 I asked Councillor Hannon if she had had a response. The answer was negative and she said she would chase up an answer. Councillor Hannon then contacted the Director of Planning and Highways on this matter.
On January 22nd 2001, the Deputy Leader of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson wrote to Councillor Steve Pascall, the Chair of the West Berkshire Transportation Sub-Committee calling for action.
In February 2001 I presented a petition signed by East Fields residents' to the West Berkshire Transportation sub-committee. This called for action on the whole East Fields' traffic system.
On March 31st 2001, as I had requested, a questionaire was sent to all East Fields residents asking for their views on a variety of options for the East Field traffic system.
On 12th October 2001, Mark Edwards, head of Transport Planning at West Berkshire Council published a plan culminating in "completion of works" in East Fields in December 2002.
In 2002 483 residents attended an exhibition of the plans for East Fields. 38 residents sent in comments following this. After pressure from me and other residents, speed ramps were added to the plan for Boundary Road and one of the narrowings of York Road was removed from the plan.
Work was started on the East Fields traffic scheme in December 2002.
In January and February 2003 I encouraged West Berkshire Council to finish the works as soon as possible, and highlighted to them some weaknesses in the implementation of the plan, such as the no right turn out of Livingstone Road, the lack of markings at the junction of York Road and Queens Road, the difficulty of large lorries blocking Boundary Road at the junction of York Road and the need to finish the pavements off.
In February 2003 I contacted PC Graham Hurst, the team leader of Newbury Police, to request action on people breaking the law at the end of Livingstone road by turning right. Subsequently, local constabulary representatives visited the scene and issued a number of fixed penalty tickets.
On 25th April 2003 I secured a commitment from Mark Edwards, West Berkshire Council's head of Highways and Engineering, that in week commencing 12th May their electrical contractor would complete work under the unfinished pavement next to the junction of Livingstone and Queens roads.
On 20th May, I chased up Mark Edwards of West Berkshire Council to check what had happened about the electrical work on the corner of Queens and Livingstone roads. He replied on May 22nd saying that the work had taken longer than expected but that the end was in sight.
In July 2003 the work on the pavement on the corner of Livingstone road and Queens Road was finally finished.
In September 2003 I chased up West Berkshire Council's senior engineer to ask for better markings at the junction of York Road and Queens Road, and also for the proper enforcement of double yellow lines in Queens Road. The senior engineer committed to investigate those issues. He said he would obtained a "completion certificate" for the works from the contractor to enable him to commence the enforcement of the new traffic regulations.

Brilliant result for LibDems in Tilehurst, Reading Borough Council

Many congratulations to Ricky Duveen on a superb result in Reading Borough Council by-election in Tilehurst yesterday.

Ricky increased the LibDem vote share from 41.4% to 47.8%. Despite bussing in hordes of pavement-plodders, the Tories' share went DOWN from 30.62% to 30.49%!!!

The bottom dropped out of the Labour vote. It went down from 22% to 16%!

Work on Newbury issues

I reserve this blog for personal musings. The list of work I have done for my ward as a councillor is on www.walter.org.uk and is reproduced below. I have a whole load of recent casework to update on this list (doing it rather than listing it is always the priority!)

I am currently conducting a visit to every doorstep in my ward. I am halfway through. I am asking residents if they have any issues to raise with me and then following up those issues.

The reason I mention all this is because this blog seems to have been added to a "panel" of councillor blogs being monitored on "Southchat". As there is no email address listed on that blog, I have no way of pointing all this out to the blog owner, other than through this posting.

Achievements

I was elected to Newbury Town Council on May 4th, 2000 representing St Johns Ward. On May 1st 2003 I was re-elected to represent the newly formed Victoria Ward, which covers the centre of the town.

Every week I spend one evening going road residents in my ward asking you for your views on local matters. As a response to your input, I have done the following things since I was elected:

100. I campaigned against the proposed move of Speenhamland school to Donnington. The move was shelved in early 2005.
99. I made a visit to a site in Oddfellows road where a resident had complained of badly obliterated graffitti. I noticed that the wall concerned is the property of a supermarket and informed the resident accordingly.
98. I reported the fact that there is no "no left turn" sign at the exit of Speenhamland school as you drive out into Pelican Lane.
97. After a complaint from a resident I brought the problem of on-pavement parking in Shaw road to the attention of the authorities. I also gave a phone number (non-emergency) to the resident so that they could call the police if there was a re-occurence.
96. I objected to the planning application for a maisonette in Livingstone road, at the end of Railway road, due to its bad impact on traffic flow and parking.
95. I have pressed for an enhancement of Greenham House gardens, to include improvements to the play area.
94. As part of my role as a member of the Town Council's community services committee, I helped to prepare a questionaire for Wash Common residents with respect to Wash Common recreation ground. I help to collate the results. I am delighted to say that residents have now reached a concensus that the basketball hoop and football goal on Blossoms Field is a good step forward.
93. I reported pot holes which I had observed in Racecourse, York and Queens road, which were filled in.
92. A carpet had been dumped on the pavement in Livinsgtone road. I got the council to remove it under its fly-tipping scheme.
91. I updated two residents in Boundary road about the latest status with the development of the Kings road relief which, hopefully, will lead to the closure of Boundary road railway bridge to all but emergency vehicles and buses.
90. A resident enquired about the Market Street development brief, and whether the bus stops would remain. I sent a copy of the brief to the resident and reassured him that the planning brief includes the need to retain the bus stops.
89. I noticed heavy litter in the Burger King subway. I complained to the council and it was cleared. The council also instituted a control procedure to ensure that litter picking by their contractor is always done on time.
88. I reported problems with lorries reversing too quickly in Northcroft Lane to the local traffic warden.
87. I reported pot holes in Northcroft Lane and these were filled in.
86. At the Town Council Saturday surgery, a resident expressed interest in the planning process and stopping development in the west of the town. I sent the resident the South East Plan process and explained to him how he could take part in the consultation for that plan.
85. At one of the Town Council's regular Saturday morning surgeries, a resident complained to me about trees and a hedge being removed as part of a new development in Andover road. This was checked by the council's Tree officer and the district councillor for the area kindly explained the situation to the resident.
84. A resident complained about the lifts malfunctioning at a local home for pensioners. I was able to put the resident in contact with Sovereign Housing, who explained the situation to her.
83. Residents of West Mills complained to me that they needed residents parking outside their houses. They are particularly near the town centre so that cars were being parked outside their houses during the day, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for residents to park even near their houses. After many years of campaigning with my Liberal Democrat colleagues on this issue, residents parking bays were installed in West Mills in 2005.
82. A particular car was being parked continuously in West Mills. It was causing an oil patch. I had the situation checked out by the local traffic warden.
81. A resident complained that he could not get out of his garden gate because a car had parked right in front of it even though there is a white line there. I reported this to the local traffic warden who visited the site. The car was subsequently removed.
80. A resident complained to me about cycling in the subway by Burger King. This was causing a hazard to pedestrians. I reported this to our local cycling police constable and he visited the site on several occasions to educate cyclists about the "no cycling" rule in that subway.
79. I saw a dead deer lying on the side of the A339. I reported this to West Berkshire Council and the corpse was removed immediately.
78. I noticed some particularly offensive graffitti in a particular public location in Victoria Park. I reported this to the Chief Executive of Newbury Town Council and it was immediately cleaned up.
77. I noticed offensive graffitti in the subway by Burger King. I reported it and it was cleaned up straight away.
76. A oil spillage from car occurred in York Road. I reported this to the council to be cleaned up.
75. A resident asked me about getting a drop kerb in front of his house. I was able to inform him able the procedure involved and the normal circumstances under which this is allowed.
74. I have lobbied to have a pedestrian crossing over Racecourse road. I am still campaigning for this.
73. A resident complained to me that cars were parking on the section of roads specifically designed for no parking in York Road ("build outs"). I got the local traffic warden to regular inspect these areas. She issue several tickets.
72. A resident in Boundary Road complained to me that many cars were being parked on the pavement in that road. I got the local traffic warden to issue warning letters to the car owners. The problem then abated.
71. A post on the pavement in Livingstone road was removed. I got the council to replace it.
70. A sofa appeared in Greenham Road. I contacted West Berkshire Council and it was removed under the council's free large domestic collection scheme.
69. A pensioner was concerned about trees growing in Greenham House Gardens. After requesting information from West Berkshire Council I was able to reassure her that the trees were growing naturally and safely.
68. A pensioner was concerned about the crossing for pedestrians in Cheap Street. After visiting the site, I was able to reassure her and explain the procedure.
67. A resident complained that the bins in Station Road were not being emptied regularly. I, in turn, complained to West Berkshire Council, who are committed to ensuring that the bins are emptied three times a week.
66. A resident complained to me about a reported issue with a local hospital unit not being fully used when needed. I asked the Chief Executive of Newbury Primary Trust to answer this query. She did so very satisfactorily.
65. A pensioner complained about vandals in Greenham House Gardens. I was able to put her in touch with the neighbourhood wardens who cover those gardens. They were able to resolve the problem.
64. After a resident complained to me, I reported the colour of paint used by a shop in Bartholomew Street. The colour was a violent shade of yellow which was not in keeping to the ancient building next to it. Eventually, the shop managers very kindly repainted their shop in a more restrained shade of yellow.
63. I got the drains cleared in York road after 2 residents complained
62. I got the pavement re paved in Queens Road after large puddles collected during the rain.
61. I got the old Queens Road garage site cleared of rubbish and fenced off after a complaint from residents.
60. I got the Burger King roundabout subway completely steam cleaned.
59. I got the nonsensical "Cyclists demount" sign removed from Northbrook Street's entrance.
58. I lobbied to get Bartholomew Street repaved and this was done. The whole street has been repaved with smaller, thicker paving stones which are less susceptible to tripping pedestrians.
57. I lobbied to get ruts in the A339 removed and this was done.
56. I obtained 2 new streetlamps, 3 dog litter bins and 1 seat for the Nightingales, which were installed.
55. I got the white lines renewed in East Fields.
54. I got abandoned cars removed from Dickens Walk, Nightingales, Queens Road, Newbury and a lay-by on the A339.
53. I lobbied to have the Monkey Bridge replaced. Planning is now ongoing for a replacement.
52. I got an official West Berkshire Council residents survey done for East Fields traffic and work started completed in February 2003.
51. I lobbied for new signs making the library and wharf toilets better signed. These have now been installed.
50. I opposed all plans for more houses/flats in East Fields until the traffic situation was sorted out.
49. I initially opposed the Sandleford Rise redevelopment because of the proximity of the western terrace to Charter road residents and obtained important changes from the developer.
48. I opposed several conversions of houses to flats in roads where they would be out of character - eg. Monks Lane, Andover Road.
47. After a complaint from a resident, I obtained a commitment from West Berkshire Council to redesign the lay-out of the Pelican Crossing ouside the Nag's Head in Bartholomew Street, Newbury. This has now been installed so that there is no longer a "blindspot" for pedestrians.
46. I complained about the removal of the grocery shop in Queen's Road.
45. I obtained a commitment from West Berkshire Council that West Mills, Chesterfield Road, Station Road, Tudor Road, Howard Road and Link Road will be reviewed for residents' parking schemes. The review is now ongoing.
44. I made sure that queuing outside one of Newbury's night spots is orderly and does not block the pavement for residents walking past.
43. I lobbied for a hand rail on Black Boys' bridge. A handrail has been installed on both sides of the bridge, which is particularly helpful for the many elderly and frail people who cross the bridge.
42. I successfully persuaded the council to install new posts to discourage drivers turning right out of Livingstone road going into Queens Road.
41. I had potholes fixed in Queens Road, Elizabeth Avenue, Essex street and London Road.
40. I assisted an elderly local resident who had trouble with rats in her roof.
39. Following complaints from residents, I had special "no parking" white lines painted along the entrances to residences on the northern side of the one-way stretch of Queens Road.
38. I got no entry signs in Livingstone Road turned round so that they are clearer.
37. I contacted the police to ensure that louts were encouraged to move on from Greenham House Gardens, following complaints from a resident.
36. I lobbied to have the Pembroke Road toilets (behind W.H.Smith in Northbrook Street) reopened. This has now happened.
35. I lobbied to have some of the worst pavements in Newbury replaced. Bartholomew Street and Kings Road (west) now have new small paving slabs which are better at not creating "trip surfaces". West Berkshire Council are also spending £30,000 to replace some of the worst pavements in Northbrook Street.
34. I successfully lobbied to have a bus stop moved in Andover Road to enable pedestrians to pass easily at peak times.
33. I had a dangerous road sign removed in The Folly.
32. I had a dangerous drain made safe in Wendan Road.
31. I got the hedge in Greenham House Gardens cut back to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to pass.
30. I got Thames Water to inspect a smelly manhole in Railway Road.
29. I helped a resident who had worries about a tree by putting him in contact with the West Berkshire Council tree officer.
28. I reported a dangerous, crumbling low wall in Bear Lane to the council for it to be added to the list of repairs.
27. I had the wharf car park toilets inspected and scheduled for "deep cleaning" after complaints from a resident.
26. I helped a resident with a large family who wanted a large sized wheely bin.
25. I helped residents of Boundary Road North to obtain waste recycling facilities.
24. I highlighted the poor state of the Wharf/Granary Car Park surface to West Berkshire Council. They have completely resurfaced the car park, re-painted the white lines and levelled up the surface to prevent further flooding.
23. I pressed West Berkshire Council to remove some ivy which overgrew onto the pavement in Erleigh Dene. This was done.
22. I got abandoned domestic rubbish removed from the grass in Kings road near the junction with Boundary road.
21. I got West Berkshire Council to complain to two local companies whose lorries were regularly sprinkling concrete dust over Boundary Road north.
20. I supported the application for extra housing in Boundary road north, particularly because it is likely to lead to an improved environment for existing residents of that road.
19. I made sure that problems with lorries "rat running" down Boundary road north during the late night and early morning were raised in West Berkshire Council's freight transport review in May 2003.
18. I contacted the police and asked them to keep an eye on drivers illegally turning right out of Livinsgtone Road into Queens Road. The police attended this junction and issued several fixed penalty tickets to drivers doing illegal manoevres.
17. I got West Berkshire Council to remove concrete which had been stuck to the road surface in Boundary Road (North).
16. Following a report from a resident who was recovering from a heart attack, I chased up the council to commence classes at Northcroft Leisure centre for recovering heart disease patients. The classes have now started and are using new specialist equipment.
15. I helped a resident who was concerned that a local school portakabin overlooked his kitchen window.
14. I obtained two litter bins for Station Road, Newbury following complaints about litter from a resident.
13. I had repairs done to the pedestrian crossing points on the A339 near Sainsburys, after a partially sighted resident told me that the special buttons for partially sighted people were not working.
12. I reported to West Berkshire Council the misleading derestriction signs at the Pinchington/Monks Lane roundabout.
11. After a report from a resident, I reported the fact that vehicles are regular mounting the pavement in Kings Road near the traffic lights. This is being investigated by the relevant WBC officer.
10. Following on from a conversation with two Queens Road residents, I reported several traffic related problems in the road, in particular, cars not stopping in York Road at the junction with Queens Road and vehicles parking on double yellow lines in Queens Road. The relevant WBC officer is following up these problems.
9. After a report from a resident in Livingstone Road about regularly misrouted mail, I tracked down the officer responsible for addresses in West Berkshire and obtained useful advice which I passed on to the resident.
8. I passed on complaints from a Livingstone Road resident about the pavement surface in Queens Road, which is making it difficult for pedestrians to walk safely.
7. I complained to West Berkshire Council about the "sunken" condition of the pavement in Greenham Road following a report to me from a resident of that road.
6. Following a complaint from a resident, I referred to WBC the problem of a misturned sign in Market Street which was misleading. This has now been corrected.
5. I reported large and blasphemous graffitti in the subway under the A339/St Johns Road/Greenham Road (by Burger King). The graffitti was quickly painted over.
4. I made sure that road markings for "no parking" at the end of Stanley Road were completed after a resident complained.
3. I obtained a recycling bin for a residents in Park Lane and Boundary Road (North) who didn't have one.
2. I ensured that a missing drain cover was replaced in Boundary Road (south).
1. I complained to the council about flooding in the Robin Hood roundabout subway. The subway has now been refurbished with new surfaces to prevent flooding.

Also, I have worked a great deal on getting traffic improvements for East Fields, Newbury. Here is a list of main events in this campaign:
I first wrote to Newbury District Council and my local ward district councillor about this problem in August 1996.
After that, several residents wrote to their local ward councillors about the problems.
Over a dozen East Fields residents then attended six meetings of the West Berkshire Council Transportation sub-committee but, apart from road humps placed in Queens Road, there were no conclusive plans outlined for East Fields.
I reported some of the problems to the council's "Streetcare" hotline.
The council first promised to carry out a study of East Fields' traffic in 1997, but this was not carried out until 2001.
On 12th September 1999 I wrote to Councillors Hannon, James, McAllin and Becket with the results of a survey I had conducted amongst local residents.
On 16th September 1999, the then chair of the Transportation Sub-Committee, David Becket, wrote to me stating:
"The most likely quick solution is a local 20MPH zone, with essential traffic calming (Legally you cannot have a 20MPH zone without humps or some form of traffic calming). Officer proposal is to put that out to consultation that will not please you, as it involves further consultation on a proposal that does not appear to find local favour. May I suggest that, in conjunction with your local members, you request a meeting with officers?"
In November 1999 I exchanged further correspondence with Councillor Sally Hannon.
Twenty East Fields' residents attended a public meeting at the council offices in February 2000 where the problems and potential solutions were outlined to council officers and Councillor Steve Pascall, who went on to be the chair of the Transportation sub-committee.
I raised three members' questions at the Newbury Town Council Planning and Highways Committee regarding this subject. As a result there was correspondence between the Town Council and officers at West Berkshire Council.
On 12th December 2000 I once again wrote to my local ward councillors, Councillors Hannon, Ferguson and Vernon-Jackson enclosing the list of trouble spots and potential solutions. These included 20 trouble spots right across East Fields and called for a complete solution for the whole area.
On 16th December 2000 I established special campaigning web pages devoted to the East Fields roads problems.
On 18th December 2000, Councillor Sally Hannon wrote extensively to Tom Ingram, Highways Engineer at West Berkshire Council about the problems. On 8th January 2001 I asked Councillor Hannon if she had had a response. The answer was negative and she said she would chase up an answer. Councillor Hannon then contacted the Director of Planning and Highways on this matter.
On January 22nd 2001, the Deputy Leader of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson wrote to Councillor Steve Pascall, the Chair of the West Berkshire Transportation Sub-Committee calling for action.
In February 2001 I presented a petition signed by East Fields residents' to the West Berkshire Transportation sub-committee. This called for action on the whole East Fields' traffic system.
On March 31st 2001, as I had requested, a questionaire was sent to all East Fields residents asking for their views on a variety of options for the East Field traffic system.
On 12th October 2001, Mark Edwards, head of Transport Planning at West Berkshire Council published a plan culminating in "completion of works" in East Fields in December 2002.
In 2002 483 residents attended an exhibition of the plans for East Fields. 38 residents sent in comments following this. After pressure from me and other residents, speed ramps were added to the plan for Boundary Road and one of the narrowings of York Road was removed from the plan.
Work was started on the East Fields traffic scheme in December 2002.
In January and February 2003 I encouraged West Berkshire Council to finish the works as soon as possible, and highlighted to them some weaknesses in the implementation of the plan, such as the no right turn out of Livingstone Road, the lack of markings at the junction of York Road and Queens Road, the difficulty of large lorries blocking Boundary Road at the junction of York Road and the need to finish the pavements off.
In February 2003 I contacted PC Graham Hurst, the team leader of Newbury Police, to request action on people breaking the law at the end of Livingstone road by turning right. Subsequently, local constabulary representatives visited the scene and issued a number of fixed penalty tickets.
On 25th April 2003 I secured a commitment from Mark Edwards, West Berkshire Council's head of Highways and Engineering, that in week commencing 12th May their electrical contractor would complete work under the unfinished pavement next to the junction of Livingstone and Queens roads.
On 20th May, I chased up Mark Edwards of West Berkshire Council to check what had happened about the electrical work on the corner of Queens and Livingstone roads. He replied on May 22nd saying that the work had taken longer than expected but that the end was in sight.
In July 2003 the work on the pavement on the corner of Livingstone road and Queens Road was finally finished.
In September 2003 I chased up West Berkshire Council's senior engineer to ask for better markings at the junction of York Road and Queens Road, and also for the proper enforcement of double yellow lines in Queens Road. The senior engineer committed to investigate those issues. He said he would obtained a "completion certificate" for the works from the contractor to enable him to commence the enforcement of the new traffic regulations.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

The joy of laid-back complaining

Being English, I have always struggled with complaining. I much prefer the pointed letter to the Managing Director written days after the event (usually met with the response of an apology and a generous voucher).

I have always found it very difficult to complain without getting worked up. And I don't see why I should be inconvenienced twice - once by poor service and then a second time by getting one's blood pressure heightened.

I have also tended to go with the Victor Meldrew style of complaining.

However, with the progression of age I have abandoned my inner Victor. I figure that my lifespan might be longer that way (less risk of strokes etc).

This evening, I unveiled my new weapon in the war against poor customer service - the Bored Brian school of complainant.

At a nameless motorway service station I queued for five minutes for the prospect of an awful meal of steak pie and chips. I could tell the girl at the counter was disinterested in customer service, by the way she frequently itched her armpit.

She absent-mindedly told me that the chips needed to be cooked so she would bring my meal to my table. I paid and waited at a table.

Fortunately I found plenty to interest me in today's Guardian. So I enjoyed the break from driving.

After 30 minutes waiting for the chips I decided enough was enough. I went to the till and asked for a refund in a very laid-back, almost disinterested, way. No palpitations. No high blood pressure. I continued reading my paper as a I waited for a response.

It appears I hit the customer equivalent of a nuclear button. If I had just complained about the delay, they could have quickly slapped some chips on a plate.

But by asking for a refund on a debit card transaction I sent three people scurrying around in a panic for ten minutes. The supervisor had to be called in, because he was the only person with a PIN for refunds. Then they had to work out that they couldn't give me a partial refund (I had also bought a drink which I had drunk) and then the supervisor refunded the transaction, and then hit the button inadvertently twice so that he reversed the refund. So he had to refund it again. Then he forgot to give me my card and had to run after me into the car park to call me back. Then they couldn't work out which slips they had to give me so had to reprint the refund ticket and the original receipt to give me.

Through all this I maintained an air of complete disinterest and carried on reading my Guardian.

I didn't once feel anything other than complete calm.

It was deeply satisfying. (I drove on and thoroughly enjoyed a superb meal of sausage and mash at the Little Chef just north of Oxford on the A34.)

So from now on, I will use my laid-back complaining style of Bored Brian.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Murdoch turns on Cameron - Private Eye

In a piece entitled "Murdoch makes up his mind on Dopey Dave", Private Eye reflects on the changing attitude of our Rupe to David Cameron.

In July, Murdoch declared himself "undecided" on the Chameleon. In the middle of October, the Sun was running Arselekanean headlines such as "Cameron for No 10".

Then Rupe himself "dropped in for a friendly chat with Sun editor Rebekkah Wade".

All of a sudden, the Sun's attitude to Cameron changed dramatically to headlines such as "Tory Traitors", "Dave the Dope" and "Cam a Cropper", while a leader article described him as "green behind the ears".

As Private Eye puts it, in its usual witty way:

Could Rupert possibly have made up his mind?

Iran/Syria: Not a moment for the Blair megaphone

I did think that there was a chance of some humility from Blair, plus a new approach to Iran and Syria, on the Iraq problem.

I am now a little nervous because it seems Monsieur Blair has dusted off his diplomatic megaphone:

The prime minister believes the two states should be warned of the consequences of failing to help.

Is it me? I happen to think that a large measure of humility is needed from Blair and Bush in approaching Syria and Iran. If there was ever a need for behind-the-scenes diplomacy, it is now.
Getting out the megaphone and warning of the "consequences of failing to help" is the last thing that should be done.

But then again, humility on the matter of Iraq has never been Blair's strong point.

Carrying coals from Latvia

It seems possible that a judgment by the European Court of Justice may mean the end of "booze cruises". We may be able to order low cost drink and fags on the internet, and then have it shipped to our door from places like Latvia.

That is interesting.

When my wife does our little booze cruises, I ask her to bring back beer, mainly brewed by Shepherd Neame in Kent.

So in future, we will just get on the internet and order up our "Spitfire" bottles of beer . Then those cut-price bottles will be delivered to our door from Latvia, or somewhere in the EU on the continent.

This all makes enormous sense.

Thursday, November 9, 2006

Important White House discussions


I know, it's pathetic.

Democrats celebrate Senate victory

It was good to see a poised and co-operative Nancy Pelosi in the White House with George Bush earlier today.

I have just been watching George Allen conceding defeat in Alexandria, Virginia. It was an emotional speech, with somewhat overdone use of a convenient football at the beginning and the end.

The Democrat Senate leadership team have now just kicked off their leadership of the Senate, followed by the sound of Sheryl Crow and "Change".

After watching the polling blogs for months, it is extraordinary to see what I wished for actually happening. So many times, I have watched the US polls, hoping for the defeat of Republicans, only to be disappointed by the results. For once, the polls were right.

So, I am reminded of the old Chinese proverb - be careful what you wish for - it might happen.

President Bush still directs US foreign policy. But whatever input the Democrats feed in (direct talks with Syria and Iran has to be top of the list), it can't result in anything worse than the utterly ludicrous course taken by the USA in the last six years of virtually unfettered Republican leadership.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

AP: Democrats take Senate


Oh what a beautiful morning!

Governor turned away from voting - Chelsea Clinton also

There were some interesting stories overnight from the US:

The Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, was turned away by staff who work for him when he went to the polling station to vote. He didn't have his voter card. It was in Columbia. (eh?!). So he had to hang around while another card was produced.

Chelsea Clinton was also turned away at the polling station. She couldn't vote for her mother because she wasn't on the electoral roll. Perhaps Katherine Harris had deleted her name for a felony committed in Alaska in 1914?. Alas no. "Investigators determined that her name had been sent to the wrong polling location, so she wasn't able to vote in the polling booth. She was offered an affadavit vote, similar to provisional ballots used in other states."

It was good to see such an emphatic victory for the Democrats in the House - a majority of 33 projected by CNN at the moment.

It was interesting that the Tennessee Senate race was very close in the end - only 50,000 votes in it out of 2 million. That compares to Rick Santorum who was defeated by his Democrat challenger by a margin of 700,000 out of 4 million votes. In Ohio the Democrat won by 400,000 votes out of 3.7 million. So, comparatively, some of the Democrat wins were emphatic while their defeat in Tennessee was narrow.

The district where the Democrats poured the most money, Illinois 6th, went to the Republicans, with war veteran Tammy Duckworth defeated. That is bound to lead to criticism within the Democrat organisation.

The Republicans were trying to win Florida 16 with a write in candidate after Mark Foley resigned. The replacement, Negron, ran a great campaign, but the Democrat, Mahoney, still won.

Katherine Harris lost. Entertainingly, I hear a little story about George Bush's visit to Florida last weekend. The White House were furious with Charlie Crist, successful Governor candidate, for avoiding George Dubya. But Katherine Harris was pleading with Bush's aides to let her go on stage with him, but they wouldn't let her!

Democrats to control Senate - news expected by Christmas

...hopefully earlier than that!

Making the somewhat dangerous assumption of a Democrat victory in Montana (where the Democrat is ahead by nearly 2% or 5,277 votes after 85% of the precincts have been counted) it will all come down to the recount in Virginia which can be invoked by the apparent loser as the margin between the candidates is less than 1%.

Don't hold your breath.

Last year in Virginia there was a very similar recount situation for the post of State Attorney General involving roughly the same number of votes and the same sort of margin between the candidates.

That recount took until December 22nd!

So, we should hope for the Republican who is trailing, George Allen, to concede and not request a recount. Otherwise, we will have to wait until Christmas.

The other interesting point about that recount is that the Democrat, who was behind in that situation, only picked up 27 votes in the recount process (that's out of a total of about 2 million votes).

According to CNN, after 99% of the votes counted in Virginia, the Democrat, James Webb, is ahead by 7,847.

I am not going to make any predictions because I am nervous of being proved wrong after Gore/Bush 2000. But, you work it out!

Virginia Democrat margin down to 6,000

CNN report that 2,000 votes previously thought to belong to Democrat Webb, have now been taken away from him, reducing his margin over the Republican challenger to 6,000. Those 2,000 votes need to be "recalibrated" which could mean they go back to Webb or to Allen or somewhere else (?!).

There were 400 absentee ballots for the State. Those are about to be counted.

The State authorities have until 27th November to do the "canvassing" process which is to check that all the votes have come in.

The losing candidate then has ten days to request a recount from 27th November if the margin is still below 1%. If a recount is requested within the rules, a judge then has seven days to set out the rules of the recount. So as I wrote this morning, we could be well into December before the result is none.

Why is Montana taking so long?

USA Today give some detail of the tortuously long count in Montana. The reason for the long count is explained by the local election law as described Associated Press:

A candidate in Montana can request a recount at his own expense if the margin is within half of a percent, which would be a margin of roughly 2,000 votes in the Montana U.S. Senate race. If the margin is less than one-quarter of a percent, the state and counties pick up the tab.

With one precinct still out, the margin is about 1,700 votes.

Apparently provisional ballots might also cause a delay to the declaration. If these outweigh the margin between the two leading candidates, there might be further delay.

CNN: Montana likely to go Democrat, Virginia result could take weeks

Alexander Bolton from The Hill newspaper on CNN has just said that Montana should go Democrat but it will probably be weeks before we know the Virginia result for sure.

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Oh Lord please give us a candidate beginning with "A"

We politicos often dream of finding a candidate beginning with an "A". You always expect a higher vote that way, because people start at the top of the ballot paper. You can forget a candidate beginning with "W", that's for sure, which is why I am writing this rather than running for office.

Confirmation of all this comes today from the States and the Washington Post, no less.

God influences US election

We often say that if it rains the Conservatives have got a good chances of winning an election. A friend in Florida mentioned yesterday that "if it rains, the Republicans usually win".

Well, CNN says that it is raining in the North-West and South-East of the USA today.

Going by that weather/election rule-of-thumb, this means that Montana may well stay Republican (and therefore perhaps the Senate) and Harold Ford can definitely kiss goodbye to the Sentae seat of Tennessee. But I would still bet my house on the fact that Cruella DeVille, sorry, Katherine Harris, will not win the Senate seat in rain-soaked Florida.

Cheney spends election day hunting

You couldn't make it up.

Watch KY3 and IN2 tonight

Those two US House seats, declared between midnight and 1am, should give a fairly good indication of the way the night is going to go. (That is Kentucky seat 3 and Indiana seat 2 for the un-US-anorakified, by the way).

In the Senate, Virginia (1am-2am), Montana (4-5am), Rhode Island (3-4am) and Missouri (2-3am) are the ones to watch. Democrats also have to win Ohio and Pennsylvania and hold New Jersey and Maryland. I am assuming Tennessee will stay Republican.

Pollster Del Ali goes a little further on the early House seats to watch:

There are three congressional races in Indiana worth watching: IN-2, IN-8 and IN-9. If two of the three go Democratic, the Democrats will take back the House. If all three go Democratic, its "Good Night Irene" for the GOP.

It's the same situation in Connecticut when looking at CT-2, CT-4 and CT-5. If one of the three go Democratic, it's a good night for them. If two of the three switch, read above.


I have distilled the above from various postings on Political Wire, which has an excellent list of links for tonight.

Sunday, November 5, 2006

George's quick work: Death of Republican Ohio and the Reagan coalition

Ohio decided the 2004 Presidential election by voting for Bush.

It is remarkable to read the set of poll's on Tuesday's state-wide Ohio votes. The Columbus Dispatch boldy reports:

The numbers have looked good for the Democrats through much of the campaign. Now, days from the election, they look staggering. A strong turnout on Tuesday might be the GOP's only hope.

In the Gubernatorial race, they have the Democrat Strickland ahead by a breathtaking 36 percentage points!

In the Senate race, they have the Democrat ahead by 24.

It is a extraordinary turnaround from the 2004 situation when Ohians backed Bush despite (some say because of!) the pleas of Lady Longford, John Le Carre and other Guardian letter-writers.

This chimes in with another report that the Reagan coalition of voters, a 30 year movement, has been destroyed by Bush in two years.

Nice one Dubya!

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Guide to Tuesday night's US election results

Stuart Rothenberg and Nathan Gonzales on Political Wire provide a guide to the "Races to Watch" on US election night on Tuesday. Bear in mind that we are five hours ahead, so the fun starts at midnight (our time) by watching for three results in Kentucky, which should show the shape of things to come for the House of Representatives.

No doubt, BBC News 24 and Sky News will be covering the elections throughout the night.

If you can't get CNN through the cable or satelitte, I would recommend CNN Pipeline which allows you to sign up for 24 hours for just 99 cents. It gives you a dashboard which allows you to watch any one of four live feeds plus their whole current news video collection. It is well worth subscribing in the run-up to the elections and for election night.

Friday, November 3, 2006

Pollsters: Kerry cock-up won't have much impact on elections

Reuters are reporting that "Sen. John Kerry's "botched joke" about the Iraq war riled fellow Democrats and temporarily energized Republicans, but it is unlikely to have much, if any, impact in Tuesday's congressional elections." They go on:

While a Republican backlash against Kerry could help determine the outcome of a few razor-close congressional races, it's highly unlikely to change enough votes to determine the battle for control of Congress, analysts said.
"The impact will be very, very minimal," said Stuart Rothenberg of the
nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. "This election is not about John Kerry.
It is about George Bush and the war in Iraq."

Rothenberg said he doubted the flap would cost Democrats a seat in the Senate, though it could have an effect on a few tight House races.

US Democrats' election prospects: It can't be this good!

The US blogosphere is buzzing with good news for the Democrats in the run-up to next Tuesday's congress elections. But my feeling is: It can't be this good!

A remarkably frank "Republican strategist" on Channel 4 news last night, who freely admitted Bush's unpopularity, predicted Democrat control of the House with a 3-4 seat majority and Republicans keeping control of the Senate by hanging on in Montana, Missouri and Tennessee.

If the Democrats manage just that, plus a clutch of gubernatorial wins, then at least we have got to the end of a dark, Bushy tunnel!

However, if we suspend our natural caution for a moment and enjoy some of the things streaming in from the polls very recently, they are incredibly good for the Democrats:

-Political Wire reports excerpts from the latest Rothenberg report. It predicts House Democrat gains of 34-40 seats and Senate gains of 5-7 giving the Democrats control of both chambers.

-The latest strategy memo from Stan Greenberg and James Carville says:

It is very hard to look at the most recent Democracy Corps survey in the 50 most competitive Republican-held districts finished last night and not conclude that we are headed toward a 1994 election -- with the Democratic majority approaching that of the Gingrich Congress. The named Democratic vote for Congress has moved up from a 3-point lead to 7-point margin since Sunday, with the named Democrat for the first time moving over 50 percent (51 to 44 percent). For the first time, the Democratic candidate is ahead on average in the bottom tier of least competitive races.


-My US psephological hero, Ruy Teixeira, has handed down his third Election update. He reckons that the favourable polling amongst independents for the Democrats will swamp any Rove get-out-the-vote "magic" (which he demolishes in importance anyway):

National polls continue to confirm a very wide lead for Democrats among independent voters. For example, the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll showed the Democrats running an amazing 28 point lead among independents, a finding that was discussed at length in the Post story on the poll. As I have continually stressed--and the mainstream press is now starting to pick up on--the Roveian fire-up-the-base-and-screw-the-middle strategy only works mathematically if losses in the political center can be minimized. Now they can't and the GOP is likely to pay the price--and very probably not just in this election.

Teixeira also reports excellent polling for the Democrats amongst many groupings:

Let me also draw your attention to a very interesting study released by the Pew Research Center that, among other things, compares a wide range of demographic groups' current voting intentions to their voting intentions at this point in the 2002 campaign. If you read one poll in detail this election cycle, let it be this one. The Pew data show huge swings toward the Democrats among many important voter groups including seniors, middle income voters, non-college educated voters, whites, rural residents, married moms, white Catholics--the list goes on and on. In effect, these shifts have turned yesterday's swing voters into Democratic groups and many of yesterday's Republican groups into swing voters.

Man who "talks to Bush or advisers every Monday" allegedly orders his crystal meths

It is very sad when someone is embroiled in a scandal, mainly of their own making. I feel great sympathy for Pastor Ted Haggard, and more especially for his family. But you have to ask how anyone could be so stupid.

Ted Haggard is the accepted leading voice of 30 million Evangelicals in the US. Wikipedia says:

Author Jeff Sharlet reports that Haggard "talks to... Bush or his advisers every Monday" and opines that "no pastor in America holds more sway over the political direction of evangelicalism."[12] In a June 2005 Wall Street Journal article, "Ted Haggard, the head of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals, jokes that the only disagreement between himself and the leader of the Western world is automotive: Mr. Bush drives a Ford pickup, whereas he prefers a Chevy."[13]

Now, it is alleged that he said this on the phone, referring to an order for crystal meths:

"Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply. And I could pick it up really anytime I could get it tomorrow or we could wait till next week sometime and so I also wanted to get your address. "

Katherine Harris to get hammered at the polls? Sob. Sob

It would be indecent for me to show any glee in reporting that it looks as though Katherine Harris will get well and truly stuffed in her bid for the US Senate.

Or, as the BBC puts it more reservedly: "Recount Unlikely".

Forever engraved on my brain, will be the image of Harris announcing in 2000, with all due pomp and ceremony that, surprise, surprise (as she was both Co-Chair of Bush's Florida election campaign and the person responsible for purging the Florida electoral rolls of anyone remotely likely to vote for Gore) Bush was to receive Florida's electoral college votes and therefore become President.

I take no pleasure now (he lies) that she is going to get hammered at the polls, having spent a fortune of her own money and been more or less disowned by Jeb Bush and many Republicans.

I repeat, I take no pleasure whatsoever now in reporting that she is going to get absolutely hammered at the polls.