tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98405642024-03-07T04:45:46.686+00:00Curly's Corner Shop, the blog!The proprietor of Curly's Corner Shop lets you in on things.Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.comBlogger1033125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170198465391512702007-01-30T23:03:00.003+00:002009-03-18T21:37:03.060+00:00This site has now moved.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This site has now moved to Wordpress, please be prepared to repair your links, set new bookmarks or favourites.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Please click</span><br /><br /><h1><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:200;" ><a href="http://curly15.wordpress.com/">Curly's Corner Shop, the blog! </a></span></div></h1><br /></div><div id="inYOfac3Book"></div><div id="inYOfac3Book"></div>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170091556068940672007-01-29T17:19:00.000+00:002007-01-29T17:26:02.756+00:00Stern John, and THAT goal.<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >Reminder of Coventry goal against Sunderland.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Roy Keane believes that Stern John will make an excellent target man for Sunderland after his signing earlier today. It's certainly a front man role that none of our current bunch of strikers is comfortable with, so perhaps (even at 30 years of age) the Trinidad and Tobago international might make a useful addition to the squad. With so many other players, particularly defenders, returning to full fitness, the team should have sufficient depth to get through the rest of the season and be able to support a strong challenge for an automatic promotion spot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Here's a reminder of THAT goal John scored for Coventry City against us! </span></span><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y82urRDW17Y"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y82urRDW17Y" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170090270697491702007-01-29T16:52:00.000+00:002007-01-29T17:04:31.353+00:00South Marine Park, work gets underway.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/239619/SMP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/513582/SMP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Victorian restoration starts today</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The planned restoration of South Shields South Marine Park to it's former Victorian grandeur got underway today as the diggers moved in to start preparing the foundations for the two new children's play areas. Rather like Gateshead's Saltwell Park there will be separate play areas for toddlers and larger children each equipped with a wider range of equipment to encourage adventure, mobility, and fitness. Cllr. Jim Sewell said:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><blockquote>"It will have traditional equipment alongside brilliant new play features, such as the Galaxy Electra - a spinning, twisting, climbing frame which sounds such fun that I'm tempted to give it a go myself!"</blockquote></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Heck, I'm not sure what a Galaxy Electra is, but I guess it must be an impressive size if it can cope with Jim clambering around it!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Link</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.southtyneside.info/newsandevents/press.asp?mode=1&pk_press_release=3584&returnmode=0&var_az=">South Tyneside Council</a></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170086241153793602007-01-29T15:50:00.000+00:002007-01-29T15:57:21.180+00:00The Decorator<span style="font-family: verdana;">Writing in the Guardian Mr Reid likened his Home Office reforms to renovating a house, saying that it is only when you take the wallpaper off "that you discover more problems".</span><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v205/curly15/homeoffice.jpg" alt="Dr. John Reid" align="centre" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Link<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6308641.stm">BBC News</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blogging note;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">if you are intending to use this graphic, a small link back would be much appreciated, thank you.</span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170078163544333622007-01-29T13:23:00.000+00:002007-01-29T13:42:44.850+00:00Stern John joins Black Cats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/30432/56796.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/241060/56796.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Coventry Striker signed by Keane</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sunderland AFC have confirmed that Coventry hitman Stern John has signed for the club after a medical this morning. The Trinidad and Tobago international was out of contract at the end of the season and the clubs have agreed an undisclosed fee for the man who has scored six goals this season. The 6ft striker has signed a two year deal and should provide a bit more in the ariel department.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The puzzling thing about this deal, as far as Curly can see is, he isn't Irish!</span><br /><br />Link<br /><br /><a href="http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=11588">Sunderland AFC</a><br /></span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170073636268398432007-01-29T12:21:00.000+00:002007-01-29T12:27:16.310+00:00Questions for Miliband<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">Which one is dumbed down, the newspaper or the politician?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">South Shields MP and Environment Secretary was interviewed for The Independent using a selection of readers questions submitted in advance. Some of them make your hair curl, and this is supposed to be a 'serious' newspaper. Here's a selection of the questions:</span><br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Are you proud to have served under the "pretty straight guy"? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do you feel that you have missed out by being one of the few senior figures in the Labour Party that the police have not questioned over the sale of peerages?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do you ever wake in the night feeling sick about what is happening in Iraq? Are you ashamed about supporting the war? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What did Gordon Brown say to you privately after slapping down your leaked memo on green taxes? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">How can the Government meet even its most conservative targets for reducing carbon emissions while expanding Britain's airports at such a massive rate? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why not tax ordinary lightbulbs and non-rechargable batteries? and why does Ireland have a tax on carrier bags and the UK can't be bothered?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You recommend not flushing the toilet as one way of helping the environment, but shouldn't we be manipulating the structure of all toilets so as to use less water?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What was your nickname at Haverstock school?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Are you ever mistaken for Brains from Thunderbirds? you look uncannily like him.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Are you cleverer than Ed Balls?</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can see David Miliband's answers - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article2193664.ece">here.</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"Brains" indeed! How do you fancy a flutter on Miliband as our next Chancellor?</span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170072325051276322007-01-29T11:47:00.000+00:002007-01-29T12:05:25.133+00:00Cameron not making breakthrough<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/783671/david-cameron-lg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/291537/david-cameron-lg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Latest poll suggest Tories need "killer instinct"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite remaining ahead in the latest YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph, the Conservatives are failing to capitalise on Labour's gathering troubles and are not achieving the 40% mark considered necessary for winning the next election. Dissatisfied voters seem to be drifting towards a variety of the smaller parties including UKIP and the BNP (worrying.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cameron and his shadow cabinet need to come out and punch their weight and give the perception that they can do serious damage to Labour if they are to get the attention of middle England. With the Home Office in total disarray and moving towards the early release of hundreds of guilty prisoners, and losing track of hundreds of paedophiles, the armed forces stretched to breaking point while we fight Bushes campaigns, the NHS facing financial meltdown, government officers and even the Prime Minister being questioned by the police, the conditions are ripe for the Tories to make a killing - if only they were capable!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Time is running out for Cameron's cohorts to start announcing policy initiatives and to begin appearing to look like an alternative government - 'things can only get better' by the Opposition commencing to take the bull by the horns.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Links</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/29/npoll129.xml">Daily Telegraph YouGov report</a><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/01/29/dl2901.xml">Daily Telegraph comment</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1170015100955696772007-01-28T20:03:00.000+00:002007-01-29T01:02:38.700+00:00Police find Blair note in Downing Street<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >No. 10 denies existence of document!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Sunday Telegraph reports today that detectives attached to Inspector Yates cash -for - peerages enquiry had unearthed a note in Downing Street penned and initialled by the Prime Minister, officials have strenuously denied it's existence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Full story - <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/28/nhons28.xml">here </a></span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v205/curly15/letter.jpg" alt="Prime Minister's letter" align="centre" border="0" /></a>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169985445954235272007-01-28T11:26:00.000+00:002007-01-28T11:57:29.766+00:00Professor claims Labour losing the North<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Elcock illustrate's Labour's lost ground.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Professor Howard Elcock of Northumbria University is reported in today's Sunday Sun setting out how the Labour Party has hemorrhaged local council seats in the North of England since Tony Blair's election in 1997. In the last ten years the party has lost a third of it's seats in the region and is now reduced to just 740 councillors from the 1058 they had at the outset of Blair's regime.</span><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%20professor%20howard%20elcock&hl=en&sourceid=mozilla-search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw">Elcock</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> a renowned transport expert gives the Iraq War and the cash-for-honours fiasco as the latest reasons for the wholesale loss of electoral support for the party, which has traditionally relied on the votes of Northerners who often voted exactly the same way as their fathers did (more often a case of moral bullying than anything else.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Whilst the Conservative and the Lib-Dem parties have picked up former Labour seats in almost equal numbers, it is still difficult to predict whether or not David Cameron is making a sufficient breakthrough in Labour heartlands such as this to enable the rebuilding of a radical Conservative base. Professor Elcock believes that people will simply vote for the party that promises to make them better off, I'm not so sure.<br /><br />David Cameron is not in a position (yet) to promise tax cuts from an incoming Conservative government and Professor Elcock predicts a strengthening of support for Labour when Gordon Brown is installed as a more 'tradtional' leader. There is one large problem for both Brown and Cameron as we face the next election - the economy. The Chancellor's handling has been reasonably good so far, but he has a multitude of problems facing him right now and they will magnify as we approach the election. Inflation is now growing past his targets, interests rates are higher than for some time and will continue to increase, government borrowing and the national debt continue to rise leaving either a Brown or a Cameron government with little room for manoeuvre.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">If David Cameron can find some imaginative ways to sort out the economic mess then perhaps the Premiership will certainly be his to win, if Brown cannot find answers to the borrow and spend conundrum then he most certainly will enjoy a very short term as Prime Minister!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Link</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_headline=labour-has-lost-the-north%26method=full%26objectid=18543117%26siteid=50081-name_page.html">Sunday Sun.</a></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169983210601455742007-01-28T11:16:00.000+00:002007-01-28T11:22:10.713+00:00Take them to court!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 153, 51);font-family:verdana;" >Put Labour in the dock says The Electoral Commission.</span><br /><br /></span><p style="font-family: verdana;"></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Police investigating the cash-for-honours affair are to be advised to take Labour to court for breaches of electoral law, <a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2192976.ece">The Independent on Sunday</a> can reveal. The official elections watchdog, which is advising Scotland Yard investigators, is preparing to say that Labour has "a case to answer" and should face charges. The case against Labour under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) is now being prepared by the police. They are also gathering evidence for possible conspiracy charges.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Full story - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2192976.ece">here</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It's all starting to feel and sound just like the end of John Major's government did, don't you think?</span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169982575999865232007-01-28T10:49:00.000+00:002007-01-28T11:09:44.710+00:00Blogging problems<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:verdana;" >Post problems</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This has been a very frustrating weekend with downtime and various other problems on the Blogger server, they are continually attempting to move my blogs on to the 'new' Blogger, always without success. I guess that my customised template is providing problems for Blogger and this does not bode well for the future - when they will force me to move and probably force me to accept a bog standard template again. That will mean having to wait a few more months before being able to rewrite the format and design something that suits. I've had such a bad weekend of it, that I've set up a new blog on Wordpress as an insurance (just in case), I haven't posted anything to it yet, but if Blogger persists in giving trouble I will migrate the whole of these two blogs to Wordpress, so keep your eyes and ears peeled in case of a new URL to add to your favourites.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:verdana;" >Health Update </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Last Monday I had an appointment with my GP just to check how the ticker is doing after the heart attack on Boxing Day, everything seems to be going according to plan, although he does suggest a little slowing down of the exercise regime. However, whilst I was there he offered me a free flu injection for the winter so I availed myself of the facility. I wish I had not bothered! </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have felt quite ill with all of the effects of the live influenza virus that I received on Monday, I'm just starting to pull myself round now, but I guess it's all beneficial in the longer term.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:verdana;" >Musical interlude.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Last week I introduced you to Joe Bonamassa, as a little entertainment for the weekend, today I have something for the aficionados of 1970's rock idols. This video from 1976 shows the veteran singer/songwriter Neil Young busking in the streets of Glasgow, and singing the Old Laughing Lady with a banjo , great fun to watch and fascinating to ask who didn't know who he was, and who did? </span></span><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/900Jei5vIsU"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/900Jei5vIsU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169913697038074042007-01-27T15:46:00.000+00:002007-01-27T16:01:37.260+00:00Housing for Circatex site<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/599282/pict4058yq6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/902163/pict4058yq6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Great news for Frederick Street, South Shields</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Curly is delighted to learn that Cllr. Eddie McAtominey is talking about redeveloping the Cirkatex site at the rear of Frederick Street for housing. As I pointed out in </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://south-shields.blogspot.com/2006/04/frederick-street.html#links">this post of April 2006</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">, any attempts to revitalize Frederick Street as a shopping centre would succeed or fail depending on the outcome of the redundant Circatex site. In that post I said:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">"The simple answer is Frederick Street lost it's closest companion, the (very) local community, and it has yet to be replaced. No shopping centre can prosper without customers, and streets like this one need them on the doorstep! The customers need shops and businesses that meet their needs, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, grocers, frozen foods, confectioners etc., alongside small scale national chains like Co-op Convenience stores. Which brings me nicely back to the Local Development Framework.............</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now that Circatex is about to close we ought to ask if it is worth everyones efforts to find future tenants for the factory? Or should we be more ambitious, demolish it, and attempt to rebuild Rekendyke's community and good fortunes."</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now is a good time to consider building houses there and also to consider infill housing along both sides of the Western Approach Road, - the site of the backs of Frederick Street and Marshal Wallis Road, is not the most inviting as we enter the town. Small infill developments similar in size and scale to the new apartments in Laygate Lane (opposite the school) and The Glebe, Westoe Road, South Shields, would be ideally suited for this location. I had marked in yellow on a map of the area to show those sites which I thought were most suitable for housing developments, you can see this map again by clicking on the thumbnail below.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><a href="http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=googleearthimageun9.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1110/googleearthimageun9.th.jpg" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" border="0" /></a>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169910504834786312007-01-27T14:55:00.000+00:002007-01-27T15:08:24.926+00:00Reid less likely to win a leadership battle<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">No longer 'fit for purpose' at the bookies</span><br /><br /></span><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">John Reid's relatively short tenure as Home Secretary has involved him in a series of high profile controversies, which William Hill say have virtually killed betting support for him to become the next Leader of the Labour Party.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">They have now lengthened his odds from 5/1 to 8/1, and shortened those of favourite Gordon Brown from 1/9 to 1/12. The only other serious betting contender is 12/1 third favourite David Miliband.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Dr. John Reid was being quietly and consistently backed as a serious candidate for the Leadership - then he became Home Secretary and the support has dwindled away to virtually nothing.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We have not taken a three figure bet for him in several weeks. He no longer seems to be fit for purpose as a leader-in-waiting, according to political punters' said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">With Reid out of the running, Gordon Brown looks even more of a certainty than before and he is now the shortest odds he has ever been to succeed Tony Blair.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Meanwhile, Hills are offering odds of 6/4 that Reid will still be Home Secretary on January 1, 2008 and 1/ 2 that he will not.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">John Reid's star is most definitely on the wane after a disastrous week at the Home Office, his advice to judges to jail only those considered to be extremely dangerous was taken up by immediately by one or two on the bench who appeared to want to score a political point at the expense of the beleaguered Home Secretary. Today's news that his department has failed to restrict the international movements of many known drug dealers can only add to his misery. He is either 'not fit for purpose' or he is the victim of a campaign mounted by Gordon Brown to secure his position as Blair's successor.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Links</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.readabet.com/index.php/other/article/10291">Readabet</a></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6304745.stm">BBC News </a><br /></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169827320791789572007-01-26T15:59:00.000+00:002007-01-26T16:02:00.833+00:00The Blair Years<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/2536/theproject2bcopygz9.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">May as well help make this go viral, seems everyone else is!</span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169809378635149602007-01-26T10:38:00.000+00:002007-01-26T11:02:59.373+00:00Shields man to cycle to Paris<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/191565/paris-hilton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/848576/paris-hilton.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">"Toddy" to mount famous Paris bike in ride for cash! (Oops that's wrong, I'll start again)</span><br /><br />One of my regular customers at the Corner Shop begs me to include the following and urges other customers to give whatever support they can.<br /><br />This is a fund raiser on behalf of the Rainbow Trust to support families of children with terminal and life threatening illnesses. Mr. Graham Todd of South Shields is planning to ride with 'Quinny' from London to Paris at the end of June - what a way to spend your holiday - they are hoping to cover the 200 miles in three days.<br /><br />"We need to raise 2000 pounds by the 27th April and so any donations would be gratefully accepted to help us on our way.</span> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We chose the Rainbow Trust because of the work it does, supporting families who have a child with terminal or life threatening illness. It made us think, every once in a while life seems to be against us. However it's hard to imagine how you would cope when faced with this kind of illness", said Mr. Todd (pictured right)<img src="http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2519/todd10filteredgu7.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" align="right" /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In this world of high tech miracle charity raising, you can help him by donating online - <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/sanddancer/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a>.</span></p><p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">What is even better is the fact that the Rainbow Trust can claim back a proportion of tax for every pound that you donate. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them spend the three days singing their heads off (I've heard them!!) as a way to raise even more money.</span></p><p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Best of luck Toddy, I hope I can get some help for you!</span><br /></span></p>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169773023249000612007-01-26T00:45:00.000+00:002007-01-27T14:46:01.023+00:00Miliband's brother in "offy" protest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/657492/ed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/642407/ed.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">I don't want an off-licence in my street!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Miliband MP, the brother of Environment Secretary and South Shields MP David Miliband was tonight embroiled in a row with Camden Council in London over the planned opening of an "offy" on the corner of his street. Brother David lives just a few streets away .</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mr Miliband bought his 650,000 pound pad in Chalcot Road in October but less than six months later he has found himself in the kind of row that has been played out hundreds of times at the Town Hall since government licensing reforms were introduced two years ago.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Applicant Cengiz Un wants to open Chalcot Wine in a former hair salon, offering alcohol everyday from 8am to 11pm.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now Mr. Miliband says his "quiet enjoyment of his home" is under threat and that he shouldn't be made to live above a wine shop.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a director of a resident management company overseeing the flats, his name appears on a letter of objection filed at the Town Hall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Oh, the terrible life one must have as a Member of Parliament, and having to live with the ordinary foibles of ordinary people too!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Link</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.thecnj.co.uk/camden/012507/news012507_04.html">Camden News</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169746171092732062007-01-25T16:55:00.000+00:002007-01-26T00:34:52.220+00:00Labour councillors claim credit!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 255, 153);font-family:verdana;" >Sometimes the "brass nerve" is just too obvious </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Shields Gazette (which has removed the link to Curly's Corner Shop on it's new website) gives us an opportunity to throw the accusation of collusion and acquiescence with the local Labour barons this evening. Following my <a href="http://south-shields.blogspot.com/2007/01/temple-park-application-withdrawn.html#links">disclosure yesterday</a> that South Tyneside Primary Care Trust had withdrawn it's planning application for a change of use of the caretaker's house at Temple Memorial Park, South Shields we are presented with the happy smiling faces of two Labour councillors claiming that their intervention had won the day!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Cllrs. Gibson and Brady are even made to look like environmentalists under the headline <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Green campaigners celebrate as Temple Park GP plan is withdrawn"</span>, and since when were these two gentlemen accurately described as "green campaigners"?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The truth of the matter is all rather different. Independent Candidate Stephen Pattison had discovered one of three statutory notices displayed on a lamp post at one of the edges of Temple Park, while out walking by pure chance, so he had the good sense to raise the matter publicly after contacting other members of the Friends of Temple Park pressure group, someone else had the good sense to make additional copies of the notice available for passers by in a bid to raise awareness. The matter became public after Mr. Pattison had contacted the Shields Gazette. Perhaps he, and not the <span style="font-style: italic;">"chuckle brothers"</span> from Whiteleas should have headlined tonight's story, instead of being dumped down near the foot of the article (but he won't have as much influence as two Labour councillors, and besides, local editors don't want to fall out with the controlling party do they.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">What irks even more is the tacit acknowledgment that the <span style="font-style: italic;">"chuckle brothers"</span> are totally out of touch with events in their ward, indeed on their doorstep. Cllr. Gibson is quoted as saying:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><blockquote>"We were very disappointed that the first we heard of this was when we read about it in the Gazette."</blockquote></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Perhaps, being a councillor, with a computer and broadband access provided by us the council tax payers, he ought to have known about the application by checking his own council's website, and their Planning Explorer - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://poppy.southtyneside.gov.uk/mvm/online/pl/home.aspx">here</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">! Better still, if he had spent some time walking around his ward, and the edge of Temple Memorial Park, then he too would have seen one of the statutory notices on a lampost. To demonstrate so admirably that he is unaware of the current state of play in his ward would be enough to cause deselection in some parts of the country, he certainly deserves to be taken to task by someone in the party for being so blissfully ignorant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">However, the balance of probability is, that this is NuLabour news management (spin) at work again, with the compliance of an ever helpful editor, the "chuckle brothers" are dressed up and brought to the park for a photo-opportunity, after complaining that Mr. Pattison had his moment of glory a couple of days earlier, "we need to be the headline act", you can imagine them saying. The Leadership of South Tyneside's Labour Party would have been pulling the strings of course, they certainly did not want a political issue brewing up at Temple Park with the local elections so close - did they?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Update</span><br /><br /><blockquote>"I think its very funny that these two councillors must feel desperate to get in the local Gazette about the outreach surgery on Temple Park , that they stoop this low and try and take credit for something they said they knew nothing about. The credit for this application being rejected should go to all the people of South Shields who originally put their names to the petition to stop the "super school" going onto Temple Memorial Park because<br />that's what let everyone know what these councillors wanted to do to THE LAND GIFTED TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SHIELDS.<br />I`ve heard of jumping on the band wagon but this is just down right desperate.."<br /></blockquote><br />Steve Pattison<br /></span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169741739627588562007-01-25T15:58:00.000+00:002007-01-25T16:19:20.966+00:00Adoption backdown<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/116551/ruth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/818123/ruth.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 0);font-family:verdana;" >No opt-out clause in Equality Bill</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It seems as if the Prime Minister's authority has suffered another setback as he appears to have <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/25/ngay25.xml">lost the argument</a> in Cabinet over the suggested opt-out clauses for the Sexual Orientation Regulations in the Equality Bill. The Telegraph is reporting today that the majority view is that the Bill should go through unamended and that the Roman Catholic Adoption Society, and others, will be made to comply and break long standing items of faith. It is understood that Blair is holding out for a period of 'adjustment' for religious organisations who handle adoption cases.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The situation is far more fraught for the Communities Secretary, Ruth Kelly, who may now face the agonising decision to choose between her faith and her political career. Stephen Pound, one of Labour's most prominent Roman Catholic MP's accedes that she is in an invidious position.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><blockquote>"We seem to be living in a world where people who have strongly held views are somehow derided for that. In Ruth's case there is demonstrably a conflict. Is it right for us to expect someone to abandon everything they believe in because of the prevailing majority view? Does she abandon her ambition or her faith? She is in a desperately difficult situation. She is a Roman Catholic who happens to be a politician, not a politician who happens to be a Roman Catholic."</blockquote></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm not wishing to appear to be churlish, but Blair's government has hardly been marked by the chivalrous actions of ministers resigning, or 'doing the right and honorable thing ' when their conscience was pricked - we will watch this space.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Link</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/25/ngay225.xml">The Daily Telegraph</a></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169730990405044552007-01-25T12:44:00.000+00:002007-01-25T13:16:32.850+00:00Closing grammar schools "reinforced class divisions"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/14700/LordAdonis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/107821/LordAdonis.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Education Minister admits grammar schools should never have closed.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Adonis">Lord Adonis</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> becomes yet another Labour Minister to hail the success of David Cameron and the revitalised Conservative Party. In an interview in The Spectator he admits that Labour could and should have been bolder in eduction and that if he could redo the education policies of the 60's and 70's he'd do it rather differently. Lord Adonis denounced the "comprehensive school revolution, which destroyed many excellent schools without improving the rest". </span></span><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">He said he deplored the end of grammar schools, a move "carried out in the name of equality but which served to reinforce class divisions"</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The comments are a stunning repudiation of the 'one size fits all' education policies which Labour clung to for decades and many MPs still support. </span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">His words effectively admit that Labour has failed an entire generation of schoolchildren. </span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Critics last night said Lord Adonis should go further and call a halt to the destruction of grammar schools. </span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Labour has recently ordered the closure of selective schools in Northern Ireland.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">This is a subject which very recently has been discussed on the message board, and I'm afraid to admit that one or two 'old Labour' stalwarts still believe that pupils who were educated in a grammar school were from the middle or upper classes. In a town like South Shields of course, nothing could be further from the truth, we even heard arguments that certain schools provided more passes in the 11 plus examinations because their cathchment areas contained more wealthy families, again pure fantasy. I was educated at Barnes Road Junior School in South Shields, down by the riverside amongst the packed terraced houses and shipyards. I joined 10 other boys and 13 girls that year who passed the exams and qualified to go to a selective grammar school. Of those who didn't quite make it, they were determined to have a second chance, hence the 13 plus examination provided a route for a further intake. It was this sense of achievement that drove pupils to excel, call it a naked ambition if you must, but those whose education took place in the secondary modern schools certainly didn't feel left out (if they had ambition) and many of them went on to achieve the necessary A levels to qualify for a university place.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A place at a local grammar school for some was a big goal, a target, a stepping stone along life's path of progress. I somehow cannot imagine what pupils of my generation would have thought of the 'one size fits all' comprehensive school. We are not all the same, we do not all have the same abilities, or the same rate of learning and achievement. To separate those who achieve faster does a great service to those who cannot acquire knowledge at the same pace and allows them to flourish in the companionship of others of like ability. There are no class divisions here (in the 'old Labour' sense) , there are no social stigmas attached, just an acknowledgment that pupils learn better when grouped together with others of the same talents and abilities.<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The assessment of Lord Adonis is essentially right, the selection system was a good one, grammar schools produced good results, and allowed the secondary modern schools to produce results which would probably be difficult to achieve in today's comprehensive schools.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Alas, I think it would be a very brave Education Secretary who decided it was time to turn the clocks back!</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Link</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=431250&in_page_id=1770">The Daily Mail</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span><br /> </p>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169722530068002412007-01-25T10:41:00.000+00:002007-01-25T10:55:39.996+00:00Brown and the Smith Institute<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 102);font-family:verdana;" >Charitable or not?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">For some time now the popular blogger </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://5thnovember.blogspot.com/">Guido Fawkes</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> has been posting articles related to The Smith Institute and it's very close links to the Chancellor Gordon Brown, and he has been slowly revealing salacious pieces of information about the charity's personnel, meetings, and finances on a drip feed basis. Yesterday he announced that the Charity Commission had twisted his arm up his back to release information to them as they launch a second investigation into the The Smith Institute to determine whether or not it's charitable status is bona fide.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Smith Institute is a "think tank" set up after the death of former Labour Leader John Smith in 1994 and has held the vast majority of it's meetings in No. 11 Downing Street, and as last night's Newsnight on BBC revealed, No. 11 has hosted more meetings of the Smith Institute than all of the other charitable events hosted by the Chancellor combined together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It seems that Guido's intuition for a story is leading to bigger things. Here is last night's Newsnight article, and as is my normal advice with these YouTube clips, it's best to allow the whole clip to download before clicking on "play again". </span></span><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value=" http://www.youtube.com/v/7Wy2seU61C0"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Wy2seU61C0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"></object>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169717772225803772007-01-25T09:32:00.000+00:002007-01-25T09:36:12.250+00:00P.M. fails to lead House in Iraq debate!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Harangued by Hague too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Perhaps Cherie had told Tony that it was a basic human right not to be forced to debate wars that one had a hand in starting?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Link</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2564201,00.html">The Times Online</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169661696601378042007-01-24T17:52:00.000+00:002007-01-24T22:49:45.116+00:00Temple Park Application withdrawn<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-family:verdana;" >Primary Care Trust have change of heart.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Of course if it hadn't been for the efforts of Steve Pattison </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://south-shields.blogspot.com/2007/01/someones-idea-of-joke.html#links">this whole scheme</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> may never have been brought to our attention. Over the past few years Steve has campaigned tirelessly for the conservation of the covenants applying to the use of Temple Memorial Park, South Shields and he was incensed when he uncovered the plans of the Primary Healthcare Trust to use an existing building on the green land as a surgery.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Cllr. Jane Branley (Independent) has informed me today that the planning application has been withdrawn, I will have further comments just as soon as they are emailed to me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There, we can all breathe a sigh of relief!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Update: 22:43</span><br /><br />Steve Pattison is resolved that Labour Councillors have influenced the PCT's decision to withdraw the application, and is convinced that they are attempting to prevent him from speaking on behalf of local residents surrounding Temple Memorial Park. Speaking over the counter to the Corner Shop he said:<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote>"I would like to start by thanking everyone for their support about the PCT wanting an outreach surgery in the old caretakers house on Temple Memorial Park. I've had loads of calls from people saying that I know where they are if I need them to help, with a pettition or a protest if needed.<br />As I'm standing as an Independent Candidate this year, I think that the decision to withdraw the application has been influenced by Labour Councillors, because they do not want another political hot potato just before the next local election.They will stop at nothing to prevent me speaking up for the people of the area."</blockquote></blockquote><br /></span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169661012400181032007-01-24T17:42:00.000+00:002007-01-24T17:50:12.426+00:00Leaked council reports and "news"<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">If it's not local, don't bloody bother!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Curly is now getting heartily sick of Mr. Andre Walker, Communications Officer for Fulham and Hammersmith Council, for taking advantage of my offer to "make use of" council reports, documents, news stories, leaks and rumours etc. I'm sure that the good Geordie people of South Tyneside couldn't give a flying fig about Fulham and Hammersmith's opposition to the proposed West London Tram system, and neither are we interested in your pictures of erudite councillors holding up banners on your busy streets. Unless you can tell us how to reduce our council tax bills by the same amount as you did, then don't bother getting in touch.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're interested in what's happening behind the scenes in South Shields Town Hall here you dummy! </span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169641381540302072007-01-24T11:41:00.000+00:002007-01-24T12:23:10.806+00:00Blairs' gay dilemna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/1600/627936/cruella.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5824/734/320/540439/cruella.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Is P.M.s wife behind compromise?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Blair government is facing further trouble in it's battle to get the Sexual Orientation Regulations through Parliament after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster wrote letters to members of the Cabinet expressing their view that their adoption agencies could not accept a law requiring them to hand over vulnerable children to gay couples.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some in the Labour Party saw Cardinal Cormack Murphy O'Connor's intervention, and his implied threat that Catholic adoption agencies might close, as nothing less than blackmail and intimidation, and are calling on the Prime Minister and his Cabinet not to back down in the face of this intimidation from Christian religious leaders, and herein lies Blair's dilemna. Blair's wife Cherie is a practising Roman Catholic and for some time the Prime Minister too, has been attending Roman Catholic Churches and mass, one of his Ministers, Ruth Kelly is a member of the Catholic organisation </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.opusdei.org/">Opus Dei</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">, and they are all trying to ride two horses at the same time. Do they continue to support the gay rights movement and it's drive for equality, or do they try and square their conscience? Many commentators suggest that the Prime Minister is being </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2180786.ece">influenced by his wife</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in his deliberations over these regulations, additionaly many of the Labour Party's constituency are Roman Catholic.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The whole issue illustrates the bedevilment of the Labour Party and it's subjugation to minority pressure and lobby groups, and the growing muddle that it finds itself in, one must question whether there is any merit at all in legislating on this matter. Do the general public really want a law that provides the means for gay couples to adopt children? In addition, the government's </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://south-shields.blogspot.com/2007/01/great-we-are-now-officially-chav.html#links">"respect agenda" </a><span style="font-family: verdana;">wishes to provide some of us with "parenting classes" to help produce the model citizens of the future - with parents of the same sex?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">One could argue too, having read that our churches are populated with many homosexual priests, that they should "cast the moat out of their own eye" before preaching to the rest of us!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Archbishop Cranmer muddies the waters even further - </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2007/01/catholic-church-blackmails-government.html">here</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Link</span><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2563054,00.html"><br />The Times Online</a><br /></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></span><a href="http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2007/01/catholic-church-blackmails-government.html"></a>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9840564.post-1169638473978406652007-01-24T11:24:00.000+00:002007-01-27T23:51:21.053+00:00SNP boyed by "cash for peerages" news<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >It seems that Blair's man in Scotland has brought further bad news.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Another of Tony Blair's top aides, John McTernan (political relations Director) has been dragged into the "cash for honours" enquiry when he too was interviewed under caution by Inspector Yates team, for a second time, last week. Somehow No. 10 managed to keep this out of the news, as it happened before the arrest of Ruth Turner. It has also been revealed that the First minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell was interviewed as a witness in the probe last month.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">McTernan had recently been sent to Scotland to buoy up Labour's campaign in the forthcoming elections for the Scottish Parliament. These latest events are more than likely going to be used to the fullest extent by the SNP, who seem primed to grab many seats from Labour North of the border!<br /><br />Some time ago I mused whether local leaders of the Labour Party might like to comment on their leader's predicament, I was met with a stoned silence, are they still so reticent?<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Link</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news_detail_pa.html?sku=11696347805121822-H6">Daily Star</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span>Curlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15795795668889685782noreply@blogger.com2