Author: Richard

Always dangerous! It seems to me that the tories have trashed our communities. They are quick to say that they have put money into this and that, but by the time the corporations and their mates have had their slice there is little left. Corporations are moving into child care – this has to be wrong! Maybe a voucher scheme would work? The Tories took education away from the local communities (councils) and are now paying 6 figure sums to CEO’s of “trusts”. Was it not better to have heads supported by the local council? Now there seems to be little support – just directives and evaluation. Local parks are lacking maintenance, care homes are rip off factories. New homes are built without any concern for community support and areas. I think it was Totnes that introduced its own currency a while back. Perhaps there needs to be more of this. Perhaps a “Trust the trader.com” like public servive sites on social media?

HS2 is a case of the corporate mis management of the UK. If they had done a customer survey before allocating ridiculous amounts of money – how many would have voted for £100 billion to be able to get between London and Birmingham 30 minnutes quicker? The same is true for the Stonehenge tunnel. If people are slowing down for a look (and I admit I may have done in the past) – plant some fucking trees so it cannot be seen – and then arrange an environmentally friendly visitor centre with free parking (OH so much cheaper than the £2.4 million latest estimate). Perhaps we could even give it back to the Welsh from whom it was stolen!

Can we return local facilities to local communities please. I am sure there will be cop ups from both those on the left and right, but they will be our con ups and we will be able to vote to correct them.

So Oliver Dowden thinks mist people will say ‘can you stop the stupid stunts’. Not so stupid Oliver! Front page publicity headlines in 3 Daily papers and the BBC. Totally peaceful and non-disruptive – what better way to get the message across. I guess the police and MI5/6 may have egg on their chins whilst the gammons splutter in their breakfasts!

Well done Greenpeace – very professional and well executed.

In the last week 43.2% of our electricity has come from renewables. That is 43.2% that would have come from fossil fuels. We know that we cannot nip down to B&Q and pick up some solar panels and a couple of wind turbines. But maybe that is what we should be aiming for! We need to incentivise small scale production on a massive scale to meet the demand for electric transport and space heating in our homes. Governments are too much in awe of the mighty corporations. Economies of scale do not always work out cheaper for the consumer or the environment. Huge contracts handed out to the corporations are often then sub-contracted down the supply chasin with each firm taking a slice. Big can be beautiful but often its not!

With the possibility of a collapse in the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Drift insulation of homes and workplaces will be essential as extremes of temperature become ever more prevalent. Yes life style changes will need to be made – but this takes time too. Supermarket deliveries could be prioritised by areas to increase efficiency andf allow a discount. Local shops offered a discount on council tax. Pubs could be converted into work places with flexible office space, and meeting rooms whilst still offering food and drink? Aviation fuel should be taxed at normal rate – how can it be cheaper to get to Newcastle by flying via Turkey, than by train (as a friend discvovered recently)PS. It might not have been Newcastle – but was mainline UK! I am sure there are lots of other ideas. New housing should become a public debate – not a closed deal between developers and the planning department.

I wonder if he has so little regard for the law that he goese ahead anyway and then expects the Daily Mail to whip up support?

Sunak continues his tax payer funded publicity tour weith a visit to a brewery where he was heckled. A major investor has said he would pull out of the UK if new oil wells are started. The prison barge is delayed by health and safety experts and firefighters call it a death trap.

Racial abuse at Sadiq Khan is estimated to have cost someone nearly £50000. Since becoming Mayor he has had over 300000 abusive posts.

Conservatives continue to be 20 points behind Labour so the policy is not working so far.

A huge wildfire has spread from California to Nevada – Phoenix had 21st days of temp above 43C, China has been hit by a typhoon said to be the stringest for years – parts of Beijing have severe flooding and rainfall of up to 580mm in one day. The Mediterranean countries seem to have got their fires under control although high winds are predicted. A word about the report from Greece that mist fires were the result of humans, has been eagerly reported by RWMedia. This is probably correct, but does not mean arson – just carelessness; I am also aware that the Greek Government has been severely cricised for its response to the fires and will be looking to pass the blame elsewhere. i am also aware of radio programmes in the UK getting people to phone in from across Northern Europe where the summer has been pretty miserable.

Labour should go on a majorcost of living offensive. This is the main issue facing people today, not Coutts, oil wells and small boats. Long term plansd for green energy will reduce peoples bills, as would insulation. Mega power stations are invredibly inefficient with 50% of energy wasted – as far as I can tell my solar panels do not waste anything. More smaller and greener energy production weould reduce relience on the world market. Long term benefits can be explained and costed. Poverty is the policy of choice for the tories. After 13 years of reactive government we need a proactive one. Cut the tax loopholes and build a sustainable and just society.

Desperate to be liked (seems like a tory obsession!), Sunak has declared that he is on the side of motorists. Firstly I am not sure when it became a matter of sides, and he forgets that whilst 74% of adukts have a full driving licence, 100% of adults are pedestrians and there are 20 million bikes in the uk. I think Suna might need some maths lessons! Did he do a straw poll in Tory HQ or Tufton St and ask who loved Top Gear with Clarkson? he forgets that Johnson was behind many LTN’s in London, and in general once they are designated they become popular with residents. However there are motorists who rely on their car for their sexuality and believe they have the right to destroy others lifestyles – similar philosophies are used by off the roaders in National Parks. Ao it seems that Suna is appealing to the mind set of the ignorant and the selfish (his home ground).

I am sure that not all LTN’s have been well planned and wait for the Mail, Express and Telegraph to illustrate these errors in glorious irony!

Can we return to the 15 minute city concept please? Change of lifestyles is needed, not just LTN”s. With the reduced income from petrol tax the government will be forcedto look at pricing per mile, – with variable rates this would enhance the ability of councils to reduce traffic in certain areas. Just had a thought – wait for the squealing when petrol/diesel users have to pay both fuel tax and mileage tax! And this will be comong to your car soon!

Will the government really order the removal of LTN’s and open them up to cars?

And now Rishi has flown to Scotland to promite the sale of new exploration licences., The arguement that we will need oil/gas for decades is a good one, but new exploitation is not necessary, and in the future carbon capture is a possibility. Oil is also used to make plastics – another shit idea!

Positive thought – My village has about 1000 inhabitants – number of papers sold on week days -32 per day and falling. Most sales are to over 50’s.