MURDER IN WOOLWICH

I have nothing more to add to that which has already been said about the despicable murder in Woolwich. I will leave it to others more qualified.

However, having watched and listened to the video of one of the alleged murderers, who said, “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you."

It tends to shape an opinion.

Listening to the 24hr News reports, it appears to me that everyone is currently falling over themselves not to mention the obvious. To keep a lid on it!

We have, I believe, reached a stage in the once proud country where we either bury our heads in the sand, or eradicate this evil from our presence.

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It’s high time our politicians woke up! Stopped hiding behind 'European Human Rights' and grew a backbone!

Other than that, I’m sure I speak on behalf of everyone who regularly posts comments on my humble blog in sending our sincerest sympathy to the young wife and family of Lee Rigby and to his friends and colleagues.

WRITTEN IN DEMOCRATIC INK!

There’s was a rather confusing Press Release on Tameside council’s web site last week (13/5/13) re-announcing a £4.5million 'Ashton Market Square' revamp which calls for residents, town centre businesses and visitors to share their views on the plan.

 

In an obvious attempt to appear democratic, the press release goes on to say that although there are ‘no fixed plans’ for what shape the makeover will take, the council have ‘recently’ appointed global architecture, planning, engineering and technology firm, IBI Group, to develop proposals for the Market Square.

However, when one reads the IBI Group’s web site, it informs us that IBI Taylor Young has been working with the local authority for over 10 years to regenerate Ashton Town Centre!

They confirm they have recently produced a town centre prospectus promoting development opportunities to the private sector in the context of public interventions, which includes the imminent arrival of the tram providing excellent connections to Manchester.

However, it also goes on to imply that rather than wait for the views of those who, the council say, really matter most; namely the residents, town centre businesses and visitors, the team are now ‘refining’ opportunities around key sites and the public realm as part of a detailed design and development framework, which is logical when one considers the initial council announcement that the ‘refurbishment’ will cost £4.5million – a figure that must have been arrived at based on substantially quantity surveyed, detailed plans!

The web site also informs us that IBI Taylor Young is also advising Tameside College on their master- planning and property strategy for the town centre. –Yet another important fact Tameside council forgot to mention in their news statement.

It also begs the question, now that this £4.5million expenditure has been labelled ‘Ashton Market Square' makeover - the stated objective being ‘to bring more visitors to the markets and other town centre shopping areas’ - how much has been ear-marked to grant the councils wish for new council offices and Ashton College’s desire to move to ‘town centre’ accommodation?

In future it might be prudent for Tameside councils Press Office to finish council News Releases with: Close of Stable Door.

IF YOU DON'T AGREE, YOU MUST BE A MAD, SWIVEL-EYED LOON!

If proof was needed that the Tory party’s hierarchy have lost touch with their core supporters you only need to have listened to Tory Party Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who told us on ‘The Andrew Marr Show’ - "The Conservative Party is "united" and David Cameron is showing leadership on Britain's relationship with Europe."

Before the recent local elections, David Cameron described UKIP as “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists” now one of his closest friends and tennis partner has allegedly described Tory Eurosceptics as "mad, swivel-eyed, loons" - Is really any wonder that the Conservative Party is steadily losing members at constituency level in droves?

Cameron and the Eton elite are destroying the Tory party, and encouraging die-hard supporters to join UKIP which points to making a deal with UKIP the only viable option!

My greatest fear is that unless those at the top of the Conservative Party come to their senses and start putting forward true Conservative policies, we could be looking forward to a long period with Labour in power. ...Then we would all reap the whirlwind!

If the Conservative Party intends to survive as a major party, it must genuinely start to reconnect with its core voters, and if that means embracing UKIP, so be it!

Make no mistake, when one looks at the state of today’s governance, we are all poorer for politics!

HEALTH AND SAFETY AWARDS HAVE GONE MAD!

There are a great many myths regarding Health & Safety, and there are equally as many stories where Health & Safety has indeed gone mad.

 

However, when one reads stories regarding companies who receive awards and ‘Gold Medals’ for Health & Safety standards, when they have neglected repeated calls to repair a dangerous situation, it makes one wonder just what the criteria was for attaining RoSPA’s recognition.

"I accept this award on behalf of New Charter Housing"

Last year, a resident of New Charter Housing reported that she had ruined her coat after ripping her sleeve on a sharp, extruding water outlet pipe, which was intruding onto a communal landing.

 A couple of days later, her 5 year old son badly scratched his face when he too walked into the dangerous water pipe.

This situation was reported to a New Charter Housing representative during his scheduled visit, who said, he would report the incident and send somebody round to repair the razor sharp protuberance.

Twelve months later, she is still waiting for ‘someone to come round’ and make it safe!

Last week, she ruined yet another coat, when she passed the pipe whilst carrying bags of shopping.

So when one reads that this latest accreditation which New Charter bosses have presumably now hung on their boardroom wall was for ‘carrying out good practice standards in its day-to-day work’ perhaps a photograph of a five year old, who nearly lost an eye because of shoddy attention to detail, might strike a note of reality to the company’s high level of Health & Safety practices.

Footnote: If New Charter are in fact thinking of going to inspect/remove the razor sharp pipe from the landing/walkway of their property in Newton, Hyde, they should be forewarned of the electric coaxial wire that has been strung across the maisonette’s only stairway; from one block to the next, which allegedly facilitates the DIY siphoning of BSBSky services, from another flat!

NOT WORTH THE PAPER ITS WRITTEN ON!

After 13yrs of waiting for Labours promised referendum on the UK’s continued EU membership, it now seems that the Tories; who have been seriously spooked by the rise of UKIP are now attempting to circle the wagons.

Today’s rushed bill indicates nothing but panic. All today’s bluster will do; if passed, will allow the Prime Minister to drag the whole sorry situation out for another 4yrs, in the hope that the result of 'the PMs satisfactory negotiations' will buy him the time to keep him in No10 ... dream on Cameron!

The glaring ‘elephant in the room’ here is that no Parliament can bind its successor and the so called bill, (obviously written in haste) does not even indicate what should be done in the event of a referendum decision one way or the other because there is no clause within it to actually direct the Government to do anything following the outcome of the increasingly unlikely referendum! Therefore this draft bill is not worth the paper it potentially could be printed on.

This Parliamentary action should have happened two years ago, when a petition signed by around 400,000 people calling for an EU Referendum was delivered to No.10, backed by an on-line one of over 100,000 signatures. Then, instead of reacting favourably to a demand for a democratic say on our membership, David Cameron triple-whipped his MPs to vote down a call for a Referendum.

So, today a referendum on our continued membership of the EU is no more likely than it ever was.