Curly's Corner Shop, the blog!

This site has now moved.

2007-01-30T23:03:00.003Z

This site has now moved to Wordpress, please be prepared to repair your links, set new bookmarks or favourites.

Please click

Curly's Corner Shop, the blog!

Stern John, and THAT goal.

2007-01-29T17:19:00.000Z

Reminder of Coventry goal against Sunderland.

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.

Here's a reminder of THAT goal John scored for Coventry City against us!

South Marine Park, work gets underway.

2007-01-29T16:52:00.000Z

Victorian restoration starts today

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:

"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!"

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!

Link

South Tyneside Council

The Decorator

2007-01-29T15:50:00.000Z

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".

Link

BBC News

Blogging note;

if you are intending to use this graphic, a small link back would be much appreciated, thank you.

Stern John joins Black Cats

2007-01-29T13:23:00.000Z

Coventry Striker signed by Keane

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.

The puzzling thing about this deal, as far as Curly can see is, he isn't Irish!

Link

Sunderland AFC

Questions for Miliband

2007-01-29T12:21:00.000Z

Which one is dumbed down, the newspaper or the politician?

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:

Are you proud to have served under the "pretty straight guy"?
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?
Do you ever wake in the night feeling sick about what is happening in Iraq? Are you ashamed about supporting the war?
What did Gordon Brown say to you privately after slapping down your leaked memo on green taxes?
How can the Government meet even its most conservative targets for reducing carbon emissions while expanding Britain's airports at such a massive rate?
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?
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?
What was your nickname at Haverstock school?
Are you ever mistaken for Brains from Thunderbirds? you look uncannily like him.
Are you cleverer than Ed Balls?

You can see David Miliband's answers - here.

"Brains" indeed! How do you fancy a flutter on Miliband as our next Chancellor?

Cameron not making breakthrough

2007-01-29T11:47:00.000Z

Latest poll suggest Tories need "killer instinct"

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.)

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!

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.

Links

Daily Telegraph YouGov report
Daily Telegraph comment

Police find Blair note in Downing Street

2007-01-28T20:03:00.000Z

No. 10 denies existence of document!

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.

Full story - here

Professor claims Labour losing the North

2007-01-28T11:26:00.000Z

Elcock illustrate's Labour's lost ground.

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.
Elcock 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.)

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.

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.

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!

Link

Sunday Sun.

Take them to court!

2007-01-28T11:16:00.000Z

Put Labour in the dock says The Electoral Commission.

Police investigating the cash-for-honours affair are to be advised to take Labour to court for breaches of electoral law, The Independent on Sunday 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.

Full story - here

It's all starting to feel and sound just like the end of John Major's government did, don't you think?

Blogging problems

2007-01-28T10:49:00.000Z

Post problems

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.

Health Update

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!
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.

Musical interlude.

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?

Housing for Circatex site

2007-01-27T15:46:00.000Z

Great news for Frederick Street, South Shields

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 this post of April 2006, 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:

"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.............

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."

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.

Reid less likely to win a leadership battle

2007-01-27T14:55:00.000Z

No longer 'fit for purpose' at the bookies

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Links

Readabet

BBC News

The Blair Years

2007-01-26T15:59:00.000Z

May as well help make this go viral, seems everyone else is!

Shields man to cycle to Paris

2007-01-26T10:38:00.000Z

"Toddy" to mount famous Paris bike in ride for cash! (Oops that's wrong, I'll start again)

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.

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.

"We need to raise 2000 pounds by the 27th April and so any donations would be gratefully accepted to help us on our way.

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)

In this world of high tech miracle charity raising, you can help him by donating online - here.

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.

Best of luck Toddy, I hope I can get some help for you!

Miliband's brother in "offy" protest

2007-01-26T00:45:00.000Z

I don't want an off-licence in my street!

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 .
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.
Applicant Cengiz Un wants to open Chalcot Wine in a former hair salon, offering alcohol everyday from 8am to 11pm.
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.
As a director of a resident management company overseeing the flats, his name appears on a letter of objection filed at the Town Hall.

Oh, the terrible life one must have as a Member of Parliament, and having to live with the ordinary foibles of ordinary people too!

Link

Camden News.

Labour councillors claim credit!

2007-01-25T16:55:00.000Z

Sometimes the "brass nerve" is just too obvious

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 disclosure yesterday 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!

Cllrs. Gibson and Brady are even made to look like environmentalists under the headline "Green campaigners celebrate as Temple Park GP plan is withdrawn", and since when were these two gentlemen accurately described as "green campaigners"?

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 "chuckle brothers" 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.)

What irks even more is the tacit acknowledgment that the "chuckle brothers" are totally out of touch with events in their ward, indeed on their doorstep. Cllr. Gibson is quoted as saying:

"We were very disappointed that the first we heard of this was when we read about it in the Gazette."

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 - here! 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.

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?

Update

"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
that's what let everyone know what these councillors wanted to do to THE LAND GIFTED TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SHIELDS.
I`ve heard of jumping on the band wagon but this is just down right desperate.."

Steve Pattison

Adoption backdown

2007-01-25T15:58:00.000Z

No opt-out clause in Equality Bill

It seems as if the Prime Minister's authority has suffered another setback as he appears to have lost the argument 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.

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.

"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."

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.

Link

The Daily Telegraph

Closing grammar schools "reinforced class divisions"

2007-01-25T12:44:00.000Z

Education Minister admits grammar schools should never have closed.

Lord Adonis 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".

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"

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.

His words effectively admit that Labour has failed an entire generation of schoolchildren.

Critics last night said Lord Adonis should go further and call a halt to the destruction of grammar schools.

Labour has recently ordered the closure of selective schools in Northern Ireland.

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.

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.

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.

Alas, I think it would be a very brave Education Secretary who decided it was time to turn the clocks back!

Link

The Daily Mail.

Brown and the Smith Institute

2007-01-25T10:41:00.000Z

Charitable or not?

For some time now the popular blogger Guido Fawkes 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.

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.

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".

P.M. fails to lead House in Iraq debate!

2007-01-25T09:32:00.000Z

Harangued by Hague too.

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?

Link

The Times Online

Temple Park Application withdrawn

2007-01-24T17:52:00.000Z

Primary Care Trust have change of heart.

Of course if it hadn't been for the efforts of Steve Pattison this whole scheme 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.

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.

There, we can all breathe a sigh of relief!

Update: 22:43

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:

"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.
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."

Leaked council reports and "news"

2007-01-24T17:42:00.000Z

If it's not local, don't bloody bother!

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.

We're interested in what's happening behind the scenes in South Shields Town Hall here you dummy!

Blairs' gay dilemna

2007-01-24T11:41:00.000Z

Is P.M.s wife behind compromise?

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.

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 Opus Dei, 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 influenced by his wife in his deliberations over these regulations, additionaly many of the Labour Party's constituency are Roman Catholic.

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 "respect agenda" wishes to provide some of us with "parenting classes" to help produce the model citizens of the future - with parents of the same sex?

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!

Archbishop Cranmer muddies the waters even further - here

Link

The Times Online

SNP boyed by "cash for peerages" news

2007-01-24T11:24:00.000Z

It seems that Blair's man in Scotland has brought further bad news.

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.

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!

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?

Link

Daily Star

Further crisis at Home Office

2007-01-24T10:40:00.000Z

Prisons full - problem solved!

The Home Office has known for many months that Britain's prisons are at bursting point, we have teetered on the brink of putting up the "no vacancies" signs for a long time (click picture to enlarge). So how has that organ of state found a solution to the burgeoning prison population, built a couple of more prison? Converted some redundant mental hospitals? Created floating prisons on board ships? Utilised unused army barracks?

No, instead, Home Secretary John Reid, the Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer, and the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith have decide to put their names to a letter circulating our judicial system appealing for judges and magistrates NOT to send anyone else to prison other than the most serious crime suspects. I guess the protection of the public is not worth considering these days, I guess the phrase "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" means very little to the three aforementioned gentlemen.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davies had this to say:

"Yet again we see the public being put at risk by the failure of ministers. How much longer must the public pay the price of Gordon Brown's miserliness and John Reid's incompetence?"

Link

The Mail

Have the Tories sold their soul?

2007-01-24T09:48:00.000Z

Steady trickle of members joining UKIP

In a mildy vitriolic article Simon Heffer in the Daily Telegraph extols David Cameron to liberate himself and break free from the chains of Francis Maude, Oliver Letwin, and Steve Hilton. Heffer reckons that "Big Dave" is their prisoner, hamstrung by their efforts to keep him firmly tied to the left of the party engaging the likes of Polly Toynbee and turning his nose up at little government, smaller taxes, liberty, and an English Parliament. Pegged down to the middle of the road of British politics, Cameron and his non-representative focus groups are to blame for a steady trickle of party members joining the United Kingdom Independence Party led by MEP Nigel Farage (pictured) claims Heffer.

The more interesting reading to be gleaned from his piece is found amongst the comments section, Heffer has certainly managed to stir up a hornets nest with his analysis, with some party members prepared to sell out on their ideals and beliefs in order to get their hands on the reins of power, whilst others see the party having sold out on it's ideals and beliefs and are now prepared to go to a new home, UKIP.

There is the possibility of course (which the Labour Party tries to exploit) that once elected we will see no change at all in the Tory party. I wonder how our local association feels about this issue?

Link

Daily Telegraph.

The heart beats again............

2007-01-23T18:46:00.000Z

...............and no, I don't mean mine this time.

Something deep within the heart of South Shields Conservative Association has stirred, a few small clenches and a release of pressure and the organ started to beat in a weakish, though regular, fashion. It is now well on the road to recovery I am pleased to say- South Shields Conservatives' blog is up and running again.

You don't suppose it had anything to do with the cajoling, bullying, and brow beating from me do you?

It might be a nice idea if someone in South Shields Labour Party could take up the challenge of regular blog writing, not in the Miliband fashion though, it would give local news editors some variety at last, to say the least. Give me a shout whe it's done lads!

Link

South Shields Conservatives.

Asboslut Vodka

2007-01-23T18:38:00.000Z

Beau Bo D'or offers up this superb image.

It just seems to go so well with this story!

Hat Tip - Beau Bo D'or

Minimum 22 years for Phipps' killer

2007-01-23T18:03:00.000Z

Life sentence for Nichols

This news probably arrived too late for publication in this evening's Gazette. Scott Trevor Nichols the 21 year old killer who stabbed Lee Phipps to death on the ash path near Cleadon Hills, South Shields on 2nd. March last year has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tarrif of 22 years.

Nichols was an out of control criminal with 37 previous convictions including offences such as assault, robbery, burglary and other offences involving the carrying of knives. He was reasonably well known in South Shields as a very dangerous and unpredictable young man, my estimation (after having dealt with him at the Corner Shop) is that remorse will not cross his mind. I only hope that the prison service can either reform him, or find other means to keep him incarcerated beyond his minimum tarrif. The thought of him being returned to society, unreformed, at the age of 43, is very worrying indeed.

The sentencing hearing before the Recorder of Newcastle Mr. Justice David Hodson also found that there was no evidence of racism towards the Phipps family during the course of the investigation by Northumbria Police.

Links

Newcastle Evening Chronicle
BBC News

Starving our pensioners

2007-01-23T15:11:00.000Z

Disgraceful treatment in hospitals and care homes.

Ivan Lewis, the health minister, conceded that some elderly people were given a single scoop of mashed potato or served meals with plastic cutlery "best suited to picnics".His remarks, made to a local Birmingham newspaper, went on to admit that a single scoop of mashed potato "masquerades as lunch every day".

It is appalling and a national disgrace, yet it continues to happen, our older folk almost starving simply because a nurse or a member of staff is not available to feed them. Please remember that a lot of elderly people in hospital or in care have debilitating conditions which can severely limit their mobility and dexterity. After the health minister has made his shocking admission, I wonder what improvements will arise from it?

Read the full story - here

Left wing "think tank" urges huge tax rises

2007-01-23T14:56:00.000Z

You can tell there's not much longer left for Tony..........

When left wing think tanks like Compass have the brass nerve to come out and shout for swingeing huge tax rises, when the old class war cliches get dragged out of the garbage can, when property becomes the target of the envious.

Today they get ready to prime Gordon Brown and whoever his new Treasury team will be with an agenda of pure take, tax, and apropriation that would hit most hard working families with an additional 6,000 pounds per year tax bill. Compass are even recommending a wealth tax for those with assets of over 200,000 pounds (see my previous post about house prices) and individuals with over 100,000 pounds, they would also raise the ceiling for national insurance contributions thus raking in even more tax from middle income earners, and they are calling for the portion that the state takes from national wealth to rise to around 50%.

Wasn't it this type of lunacy that created the conditions for Margaret Thatcher's long reign? If this is the route that the left wants to take after the demise of Tony Blair, then let's have more of it say I.

Link

Daily Express

Taxed after death

2007-01-23T14:32:00.000Z

More families dragged into Inheritance Tax

In a town like South Shields with it's roots firmly entwined around the old terraced houses of the industrial revolution, it's shipyards and coal mines, with a long socialist tradition, one wouldn't expect the subject of conversation to turn to Inheritance Tax. However since the late 1960's there has been a surge in owner occupancies and the percentage of homeowners in the town continues to grow, assisted by the recent growth in property prices.

If you were asked to suggest which streets contained property worth 2m. pounds, you would possibly come up with suggestions like North Avenue, Central Avenue, Cleadon Towers, or Westoe Village, South Shields. It might surprise you to know that the house pictured is in Cleaside Avenue, just off Sunderland Road, it is little more than a bungalow with a few added extras yet is up for sale for a cool 2.5 million pounds! Why do I tell you this? Because it illustrates in a nice simple easy to understand way that there are thousands of properties in this town liable for a big payment to the taxman when their owners pass the property on to the family after their death. Death Duties and Inheritance Tax kick in at a trigger point of only 285,000 pounds, almost 41% of homeowners are now liable for these additional taxes because of Gordon Brown's failures to raise the threshold in line with house prices! Yet Scottish Widows, the investment firm, reckons only 34% were liable 12 months ago.

The Chancellor, unfortunately, is unlikely to make changes before he becomes Prime Minister and even afterwards he is not going to encourage a new Chancellor to raise the thresholds. Why? Because Gordon Brown has built up massive debts for U.K. Ltd and he needs a strong tax revenue to help service them - that's why!

Link

The Daily Mail

South Tyneside Spins again!

2007-01-23T11:26:00.000Z

Dressing up the news.

In it's latest press release today the Borough Council of South Tyneside makes it look as though 4m. pounds are heading our way. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, the Government Office North East using a complex system of 151 key performance indicators to examine the performance towards the Local Area Agreement and the Local Strategic Partnership has determined that the Council can have a guaranteed additional one million pounds of grant aid.(You can be sure this money is already earmarked and will not be able to be taken into consideration as far as next year's budget is concerned.)

The rest is dependent upon achieving all targets at the project outcome, and as we have seen on the revenue budget, good progress in the first half is not necessarily repeated in the second half. Yet the headline to the press release suggests that a 4m. pounds cheque has already been written.

Cllr. Paul Waggott, Labour's Leader on the Council said:

" This a very encouraging report on our overall performance and gives us great incentive to continue with our strong partnership working with all sectors of the community. It shows beyond doubt that we are getting it right and we can be very pleased with our progress to date, without being too complacent about what still has to be achieved."

You see, the language he has been given expresses th true situation, the headline does not. Further on in the press release, however, Councillor Waggott highlights falling crime, reduction in levels of anti-social behaviour, improved GCSE results, increased recycling rates, falling levels of unemployment, more people quitting smoking and reduction in levels of obesity, as confirmation of the success of the Council's partnership priorities.

Improved GCSE results? Surely not - for the last four years we have consistently lagged behind the national average, and shown no signs of catching up, we only see improvements when key subjects like English and Maths, and Modern Languages are removed from the statistics.
Falling crime and reductions in anti-social behaviour? I suppose that explains why South Tyneside is on the government "hit-list" of the top 40 anti-social behaviour areas issued only yesterday!

Link

South Tyneside Council

Countess of Wessex - update

2007-01-22T22:58:00.000Z

Further engagements announced.

Just remember - you read it here first!

The Royal household has announced further engagements for Sophie, Countess of Wessex for her visit to South Shields and Sunderland on 30th. January. Whilst I had details of some of the places she was to visit when I first posted the story last week, it would have been foolish of me to post them before the Royal household had finished the business of running security checks of the premises involved.

The additional engagements announced today include a visit to the West Harton Churches Action Station in Boldon Lane, South Shields, and Sunderland AFC fans will be able to see her at The Stadium of Light for the home match against Crystal Palace, she will also be attending a reception at the stadium in the afternoon in her role as Patron of the SAFC Foundation.

Seems like two good reasons to get your tickets!

Link

Royal Diary

Who is David Lammy?

2007-01-22T16:04:00.000Z

Byker Wall 'listed'

David Lammy?

Apparently he's a Culture Minister in Tony Blair's government, and he has just decided that the monstrosity that I can see from the West Park in South Shields on a clear day (known locally as the Byker Wall) is to have "Listed status" following advice from English Heritage!

Heaven forbid, I take it that Mr. Lammy has never resided in a pigeon loft hitherto. If the Byker Wall is to be rewarded with the special protection of listed status, then I guess there is every reason to believe that the ugly lump of concrete and cedar known as The Quadrus Centre in Boldon might be protected too in years to come.

Link

GNN

"Shared space" traffic measures

2007-01-22T13:40:00.000Z

Tories to propose "naked streets" idea.

It's an interesting concept "shared space" and shared responsibility in the urban environment. Give car users, cyclists, and pedestrians equal responsibility to look after themselves and all other road users in our towns. It sort of works like this, you take away the road signs, and the traffic lights, and the road markings, and even (if you're brave enough) the kerbs, thus merging the street space into one broad unit and forcing road users to be much more wary of each other's movements.

The idea is being imported from Holland and the town of Drachten, where the removal of traffic lights at one major junction has resulted in accidents falling from thirty-six in the four years before the scheme was introduced to two in the next two years. The average time for each vehicle to cross the junction fell from 50 seconds to 30 seconds, despite a rise in the volume of traffic.

So if there is a mild anxiety in this street space, we will all be that little more careful and take a little more time, that's the theory. Perhaps people are that little more caring towards one another in Holland, I'm not so sure about the U.K. where we have at least 40 anti-social hotspots dotted around the country. Who would take a chance wandering up Westoe Road if there was no pavement and no kerbs?

Not me - it's just a little too adventurous for the moment.

Link

Times Online.

Defence spending lower than 1930's

2007-01-22T13:15:00.000Z

Warships threatened.

Our spending on defence in terms of it's proportion of the gross national product, is now so low that states in the eastern Mediterranean now spend more than us. Cutbacks in spending on the Royal Navy have reduced our surface fleet to little more than a coastal defence force incapable of ever repeating the feats of the Falklands campaign, we are so bereft of equipment that we recently hired aircraft from Monarch Airlines to transport troops home from the Gulf!

Despite the cupboard being bare, despite the lack of armour, despite the lack of logistical support, with little or no body armour, with our squaddies dealing in used boots with the Americans, despite the Royal Air Force being reduced from 16 to 11 offensive squadrons, despite the Royal Navy losing eight destroyers and six frigates, Tony Blair still insists on sending our forces to fight wars which are not ours to fight!

During the course of Blair's premiership defence spending has been steadily reduced while our forces have been sent out on operational duties such as Operation Desert Fox aimed at destroying Saddam Hussein's capability to produce weapons of mass destruction (1998), Kosovo (1999 ongoing), Sierra Leone (2000 ongoing), Afghanistan (2001 ongoing) and Operation Telic in Iraq (2003 ongoing).

Des Browne, the Defence Secretary will be challenged in the House of Commons today on whether the government is actually committed to delivering the two new aircraft carriers promised to the Navy, one suspects that he is going to need more than the metaphorical tin hat to preserve his little grey cells.

All the while Tony Blair struts the domestic and the world stage looking for the chance to mark out his legacy, looking to create that 'defining moment' of his political career, a grand finale. Unfortunately this moment might arrive for him at a time not of his own choosing, and in a small interview room of a London police station.

Link

Daily Telegraph.

Great! - We are now officially "Chav Central"

2007-01-22T10:28:00.000Z

South Tyneside named as one of Britain's "Respect Zones"

So we are now officially one of Ms. Casey's 40 'respect zones' that will receive 6m. pounds of tax payer's cash to hand out more Acceptable behaviour contracts and ASBO's and to set up more parenting classes. I suppose any little bits of help would be welcomed, but 6m. pounds could have provided a few more policemen to tackle some real crimes and catch the culprits and remove them from circulation!

I know that I complained that last year we were slow to take up the initiative in South Tyneside, and I guess that that reticence has resulted in us being put in this list of top 40 'hotspots' by Louise Casey and her 'Respect Agenda'. The Home Office said the 40 respect areas were not the worst in England and Wales for anti-social behaviour but had been chosen from a longer list of those with significant challenges. (If that doesn't sound like the top 40 Chav Cities, I don't know what does, joining us in the list of shame are Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland.)

Needless to say South Tyneside Council will put the best possible 'spin' on the situation, Cllr. Joanne Bell, the Lead member for Safer and Stronger Communities said:

"This is good news for the Borough and the Council. We want to enhance our current work by deepening our approach to tackling the underlying causes of anti-social behaviour. This means intervening early where problems occur and broadening our efforts to address other areas of poor behaviour."

Make of that what you will, it remains to be seen what effect a few additional evictions will have (these people have to be rehoused somewhere), it remains to be seen how many ASBO's will be breached, it remains to be seen how many better parents are created. I will reserve judgement to see how effectively the money is spent.

Nationally the Conservative Shadow Police Minister Nick Herbert said:

"The government has cut 4,000 promised police community support officers from the forces covering these so-called 'respect areas'. Communities don't want gimmicks like 'respect handbooks' - they want police officers on their streets to take real action against anti-social behaviour. Today's announcement conspicuously omits any reference to Asbos - hardly surprising when over half are breached and teenagers now treat them as a badge of honour."

The news today can make all mention of "Respect" look pretty silly when a top judge, Lord Justice Richards is arrested for allegedly indecently exposing himself to a female passenger on a train - just who wrote today's script?

Links

BBC News
South Tyneside Council
The Times Online

Council Taxes to rise 3.5%

2007-01-22T10:09:00.000Z

Cuts in services for elderly.

It looks as though the average rise in rates for Council tax this year will be 3.5% with many councils cutting back on services such as home care for the elderly. Of 127 councils surveyed only a few were said to be planning a reduction in council tax, amongst those were Hammersmith and Fulham in inner London which has announced a 3% reduction in the charge to it's residents, financed by a drive towards efficiency.

At present South Tyneside council has not announced it's plans for next year's rise, but you can be fairly certain that an increase is on the cards after tight financial control in the first half of last years failed to last the course and expected savings in the council's expenditure were not achieved. The 10 million pound saving in the first half was achieved without any pain or hurt, and with no reduction in front line customer facing services.

It does make you wonder what could be achieved if their minds were really put to it, but let's not expect them to make it any easier for those of us who have to pay!!

Link

BBC News

Blair's fear!

2007-01-22T00:17:00.000Z

Top quality blogging!

"His eyes snapped open. The sheets were soaked in his fear, the air still thick with slowly dissipating ghosts.

'Help me, Cherie, help me,' he whispered, unable to find his voice. 'I am God's lonely man.'

Cherie didn't stir. She snored contentedly. If the dreams of avarice can be described as content."

Read the full post in Chicken Yoghurt, it's worth five minutes of your time, honestly!

Does my bummer wife look big in this?

2007-01-21T16:25:00.000Z

Leave my perks alone cries Cherie!

If Cruella de Blair wishes to flounce around in the designer froth virtually given to her during her husband's tenure in office, one might have thought she would follow the trends of the designer and model sets by getting into shape, or producing a fitness DVD to add to her growing wealth.

The Mail on Sunday today reports on the dreadful frostiness between Cruella and two Cabinet Secretaries who had the misfortune to have to meet her in the course of their (very civil) duties. Apparently she wears creations valued at 10,000 pounds , more than most working people would pay for a used car! Cherie would be getting these creations at discounts of up to 50%, made a little easier by virtue of her position.

A former colleague of Cabinet Secretary Lord (Andrew) Turnbull said:

"Margaret Thatcher was punctilious in understanding the distinction between what had to be paid for from her own pocket and what could be paid from taxpayers' money. Andrew had to stop her paying for things herself when she didn't need to. It is the opposite with the Blairs. All Ministers have to realise that there are three pots of public money they can draw on: as a Minister, as a Party member and as an MP. The fourth pot is their own. Each has to be kept separate. In terms of ethics, this is crucial. With the Blairs the lines are dangerously blurred."

The Conservatives have already accused the Blairs of encouraging a national sense of personal greed pervading from the top to the bottom of society - make your own minds up.

Link

The Mail on Sunday

Who is running the BBC News?

2007-01-21T11:43:00.000Z

The "Big Brother" issue just does not feature today!

Just what is happening at the BBC? The news that the whole nation is talking about today just doesn't get a mention from the organisation which wants to grab more money from license fees. Whilst just about every quality newspaper in the U.K. is covering the story of Ruth Turner's arrest and Labour's attempts to 'have a go' at the police, the BBC studiously ignores the story. Have they become an official mouth piece for Blair's sleazy regime?

Andrew Raunsley in The Observer writes:

"Once he was Teflon Tony, the Prime Minister to whom nothing ever stuck. He is now Toxic Tony, the Prime Minister whom the voters regard as presiding at the apex of a sleazy regime. Whatever happens next, the public have already slapped a pair of metaphorical handcuffs on his wrists. Poll after poll indicates that voters think that peerages are traded for cash and that Tony Blair has dishonoured his promise to clean up public life"

Whilst the story is also featured in The Times, and given greater depth here, as well as here, here, and here. The whole scenario is of the British press reporting on the single most important issue to face a Prime Minister and his government that we have ever know. The man who brought us the "big brother" state with one fifth of the world's cctv cameras is now very much under the spotlight, in a "Nixonesque" fashion, as police strongly suspect a big cover up. It is time we started to prepare for a Big Brother style eviction, but without the expensive vote to go with it!

Yet the BBC wants nothing to do with the issue.

If the corporation wishes to retain it's previously respected independence then it ought to pay less heed to Dr. John Reid and his spinning stunts at the Home Office, and turn away from it's current position of "Big Brother's Claptrap"

Hat Tip - Beau Bo D'or

Yates has documentary evidence

2007-01-21T08:33:00.000Z

It's all in the Little Red Book!

Is this the same Little Red Book that Inspector Yates was recently photographed with on his way to work last week?

Joe Bonamassa

2007-01-20T11:47:00.000Z

A 'big' discovery!

One of the advantages of being at home recovering and recuperating from a heart attack is that people visit you, sometimes people who you haven't seen for a number of years, sometimes your family and best friends, and sometimes just neighbours and passing acquaintances.

I had such a visit last week from a very old friend of mine, we go back a long time, his mother was a bridesmaid at my mother and father's wedding, and 'Saus' and I have known each other since the age of four! He brought with him, not grapes, or oranges, or books and magazines, but a carrier bag full of CDs, and knowing the vast majority of my musical tastes they were mainly blues and rock music.

"Do what you like with them" said 'Saus' "play them, tape, them, rip them copy them, or just enjoy them. Why don't you start with these six" he exclaimed!

"Hmmm............ Joe Bonamossa" I mused, "Who is he, I've never heard of him."
"Never heard of him? He's the new kid on the block, better than Clapton or Hendrix were at such an early stage in their careers" he said. "I'll be back to collect them next week".

So I set about listening to this new kid rock blue genius, I should not have been so flippant and offhand, this is brilliant virtuoso guitar playing of the highest quality imaginable, he can play any type of blues, blues rock, country blues, accoustic delta blues etc. Mind blowing! He played at the Customs House, South Shields in October last year and by all accounts was 'electric'.

If you are a fan of blues and rock music can I recommend that you have a look through these links and get to know Joe Bonamassa, view some of the video clips and watch the fingers of his left hand, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Links

Joe Bonamassa Wikipedia entry.
Official site
Listen to tracks or download .wmv clips.

Everything that's wrong about our immigration laws.

2007-01-20T11:27:00.001Z

Boris in defence of Mark Coleman

"It seems so unfair that we turn the full force of the law on someone who is totally British by descent, who complies with the law, who turns up at the police station every two weeks as required to do, and who refrains from working or claiming any benefits. For all his obedience, we reward him by sending him back to a dictatorship with which he has severed all links. At the same time, there are hundreds of thousands of others who thumb their noses at the law and abscond into society, and we are not able to know even their names or their number. The whole thing is an outrage, and if any Home Office minister knows any better, perhaps he or she could inform us."

You may or may not like Boris Johnson the somewhat outspoken and colourful MP for Henley, but can I urge you to read this item in his blog which sets out everything which is wrong about our immigration policies in this country. Boris is defending a man (Mark Coleman) who is threatened with deportation to the dictatorial regime of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe simply because his grandparents, who were British citizens, were born in India rather than on British soil.

Here we see a man whose grandfather served the Crown in the last World War, whose other grandfather was imprisoned by the Japanese as a POW and helped build the bridge over the River Kwai, whose great grandfather was a surgeon major in the British Army, and how do we treat him? Send him back to the thugs of Mugabe's regime, whilst at the same time we have no idea of the numbers of illegal immigrants sneaking into this island, and we allow foreign terrorist suspects to sneak out of the country unhindered.

If you have any sense or values of what is right then please read the story in Boris Johnson's blog and consider asking YOUR MP to back Boris in his fight for justice for Mark Coleman.

Link

Boris Johnson MP

Miliband has a go at Charlie

2007-01-20T08:48:00.000Z

Pot calling kettle...................?

It seems that our MP for South Shields David Miliband is having a go at Prince Charles for his intention to fly to America to collect an environmental award. The trip and the award collection are engagements being undertaken at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to emphasise the importance which the British government attaches to climate change.

Now considering that Miliband has spent almost 2.6m. pounds on air travel, don't you think that this sounds a little like the pot calling the kettle black?

Link

Times Online

Ruth Turner arrested

2007-01-19T20:16:00.000Z

"Water now lapping around Blair's neck" - MacNeill

Ruth Turner, the Director of Government Relations (just another posh title for one of Blair's 'spinmeisters') was arrested at 06.30 a.m. this morning in the continuing "cash for honours" enquiry headed by Metropolitan Police Assistant Chief Commissioner John Yates. She was later released on police bail without charges, it is speculated that the police have used this method to attain access to further documents and records as they continue to probe deeper into the heart of the government.

Ominously Tony Blair has offered Turner his "full support".

News of the arrest was broken first to the blogosphere by The Daily at 1.22 p.m. a little while before the BBC published the news on it's website.

Angus MacNeil the SNP MP who sparked the cash for honours enquiry said:

"I think it just underlines the seriousness of the situation facing Downing Street, something they haven't fully faced up to. Water is now lapping around Tony Blair's neck and I hope Downing Street will not try and spin its way out of the situation."

It seems that Yates' investigations will go on just that little bit longer, and go that little bit deeper, as the machine at No. 10 starts to shiver and shake - was Gordo aware of something before he made a quick exit to India?

Link

BBC News

Someone's idea of a joke?

2007-01-19T19:37:00.000Z

South Tyneside Primary Healthcare Trust in planning application for Temple Memorial Park!

Just take a look at all the fuss that was created the last time - go on, pick any of the links you care!

One might wonder at the audacity of any South Tyneside Borough councillor who might deem to think that this is a suitable application, the use of any building or resource on Temple Memorial Park in South Shields for any reason which is not for leisure or recreation is expressly forbidden. The people have already spoken with a loud enough voice in the past, and you as one of our representatives should have our interests at heart. Just remember, dear councillor, the fight over Temple Memorial Park in 2004-5 did not make pretty reading and you would not care to run the same episodes over again.

Somebody please tell South Tyneside Primary Healthcare Trust to reconsider and go look for somewhere else!

Link

Shields Gazette

Big Brother..........

2007-01-19T14:15:00.000Z

....................again!

I personally thought that Conservative Leader David Cameron has one of the best ideas about this bloody awful show, use the BIG REGULATOR, it's called the "off switch".

Labour adds another layer of bureaucracy

2007-01-19T12:45:00.000Z

Neighbourhood team adds to the weight.

The Labour Party in South Tyneside seem to think that their new Neighbourhood Teams are an avenue towards devolved responsibilities for local residents. The inward investment for these teams, I assume, will be tax-payer funded for a limited finite period, but until then we will see citizen representatives elected, officers employed, offices acquired, equipment utilized, and further monies granted to achieve a mini empire of neighbourhood cells.

The small team now working in Jarrow has a manager, an office in the Mid Tyne Activities Centre , and is working with the interim partnership board towards the priorities it agrees with local residents. Shortly, five community representatives will be elected to the board for areas like Central Jarrow, Hill Park, and Low Simonside.

So, a partnership board, elected local representatives, staff, managers, offices and facilities, a complete cadre of a new layer of democracy. Do we really need the future expense of this extra layer?

Which begs another question; if these small groups of people are to decide the priority actions for their local areas - then what is the point of electing three ward councillors?

Link

South Tyneside Council

Miliband to face High Court Action

2007-01-19T10:33:00.000Z

Secretary of State sued for 40m. pounds.

In an amazing twist the Association of Swill Users have lodged a High Court action against the Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. It is alleged that the 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease which resulted in the slaughter of 6.5m. animals could have been far less severe if Defra appointed vet Jim Dring had been more stringent in his testing of the swine herd kept by Sunderland man Bobby Waugh at a farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland.

Defra has refused to comment on the action.

We might of course be used to reading blog posts relating to snouts in troughs when it comes to politicians, but to think of rotters from Sunderland, vets, and dead pigs is a different matter altogether! It's unlikely, of course, that Miliband will personally appear to defend the actions of his department, however, after the scandals of the Rural Payments Agency he might be forgiven for thinking that this might be another department best described as "not fit for purpose".

Link

The Journal

Prescott - Collected Poetry and Prose

2007-01-19T10:07:00.000Z

New Book reviewed

Can I recommend the tremendous review (high satire) in today's post in The Spine, if this doesn't raise your chuckles then you need a chipolata transplant.

Link

Book Review at The Spine

Miliband's air miles

2007-01-18T20:44:00.000Z

Highflier flies much!

Dizzy has come up with an interesting piece on David Miliband's flying habits and hotel expenditure, rather than just point you towards it, I'll copy the whole post here if Dizzy doesn't mind too much.

"You'd think that if you wanted Foreign travel the best place to work would be the Foreign Office, but actually, being in David Miliband's DEFRA isn't too bad.

David "I love the planet" Miliband managed to spend just under 2.6m. pounds on foreign air travel last year. He also racked up just over a million on foreign rail travel, and spent just shy of 800K pounds on foreign hotels.

Now perhaps I'm being mean but 2.6m. pounds seems an awfully excessive amount of air travel spend for the Secretary of the State for the Environment at a time when he says we're all doomed and must change our environmentally unfriendly ways.

On the other, what is effectively 2000 pounds per day on foreign accommodation must buy a hell of the lot of room service and *cough* movies."

Link

Dizzy Thinks

Energy Costs still on the up?

2007-01-18T18:36:00.000Z

What are our MPs doing about it?

The price of gas and electricity has gone up by extortionate amounts over the past year, a 12 month period which has seen the wholesale price rise (especially when supplies were hijacked by the Russians) and fall again. Are you lucky enough to be paying less again?

Tom Clarke the Labour MP for Coatbridge Chryston and Bellshill has tabled the following Early Day Motion in the House of Commons:

"That this House is concerned that energy companies have not passed on to consumers the recent reductions of wholesale prices of gas and electricity; notes that average annual gas bills have risen by 63.3 per cent. since 2003 while average annual electricity bills have risen by 44.2 per cent. during the same period; further notes that consumer bills have not yet come down, despite the fact that wholesale gas prices have fallen by 25 per cent., and electricity prices by 30 per cent., in the past few months; and is greatly concerned that low income families and pensioners are suffering most, while other families are also struggling to meet the unnecessarily high cost of domestic energy bills despite the Government's unprecedented good work in this area through the introduction of the winter fuel payment."

So far it has been signed by 41 MPs (convention dictates that government ministers do not sign EDMs so Mr. Miliband is excused). I am just a little surprised that the Member of Parliament for Jarrow, former Cllr. Stephen Hepburn has not seen fit to sign this motion, perhaps he believes that it's o.k. for the rest of us keep paying loan shark prices for our energy!

Link

E.D.M.

Gordon Brown not dour - Miliband

2007-01-18T18:18:00.000Z

Pull this one it's got bells on it - Curly

In an interview with Chris Robinson in this evening's Shields Gazette, South Shields MP and Environment Secretary David Miliband said of the Prime Minister elect;

"He is a serious person but he is not a dour person, he has a good sense of humour and I think when he becomes Prime Minister people will see the full side of him - which is, he's serious when he wants to be serious, but he doesn't need to take himself too seriously"

Should we detect a hint of 'come on you Scottish boor, you're going to become PM so you'd better lighten up a little'?

Link

Shields Gazette

Hebburn to get security lamp at last!

2007-01-18T18:07:00.000Z

Flash@Hebburn may be exposed by security lamp.

Funny how some schemes just sound hare-brained from the outset, and invariably you can count on an element of art being involved. So for the couple of dozen boats and the green hillside of Hebburn's (remember , this is the place to confuse with Heaven) Riverside Park, there will be a 150k. pound scheme to set up the worlds biggest security lamp!

So if you are planning to sneak through the bushes to Flash@Hebburn forget it! Pervs like you will be spotted a mile away. Similarly don't count on counting the stars when the light is on, get yourself out to a proper park in the dark without urban light pollution, that'll do the trick!

Link

Shields Gazette.

Tory reorganisation for North-East

2007-01-18T14:16:00.000Z

Welcome news of party plan for North

Conservative Home reports today on the re-organisation and restructuring of the party in the North of England and the welcome appointment of William Hague as Chairman of the Northern Board. Michael Bates , the former MP for Langbaurgh, becomes Deputy Chairman of the Party (North) and North-East Project Director. The idea behind these moves is to give the Conservative Party in the North greater autonomy, within set budgets, and to enable it to plan and organise it's own campaigns. In many respects it's an admission of the electoral problems besetting the party in the Northern Region and this restructuring should go some way to helping retrieve lost votes at the next election.

I bring you this news because South Shields Conservative Association are unable to (i.e. they don't have the most efficient 'webmaster' to give it 30 minutes a day! )

Link

Conservative Home.

'Food police ' role for schools

2007-01-18T12:42:00.000Z

Even Jimmy Foreman couldn't agree to this!

Department of Health official s are trying to encourage schools to act as state police and snoop in our kids' lunch boxes!

This nanny state mentality gets worse by the day! Sure, there is a place for education, information, encouragement, and motivation, but the issue of what children bring to school is not one for which policy should be adopted! This moronic idea is a sure-fire way of putting everyon's noses out of joint, a perfect way of causing a parents' revolt, it is sheer nonsense.

We all know that our children should be eating a balanced and nutritional diet, we all know that they require more exercise too, and our schools cannot be faulted for the provision of excellent variety and high quality school meals, (just ask Cllr. Foreman, he'll tell you), but we all know too that there are certain foods and tastes which some children will just not stomach! So what's the point of packing lunch boxes with items which will invariably go to waste?

If your child is allowed to take a packed lunch to school, tell the school to KEEP THEIR NOSE OUT of it!

Link

The Journal.

Brown grilled for wrong reasons.

2007-01-18T10:21:00.000Z

Chancellor fleas from 'frying pan to the fire'.

Does one feel just a little bit sorry for the Chancellor Gordon Brown or not? He fled the country on Tuesday 16th. February to go on a trip to India (which he had apparently first turned down some months ago), by doing so he missed out on a party that he had sent out the invitations for, thus rudely snubbing his guests.

The party at No. 11 was to celebrate the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Act of Union between England and Scotland, which is only being celebrated by the release of a two quid coin a year later. Mindful of the fact that he wouldn't have wished to become embroiled in any devolution issues when it is thought that the Labour Party is about to get thumped in the forthcoming elections for the Scottish Parliament, and that there may well be some negativity over a Scot becoming Prime Minister for Great Britain, he decided last minute to jet off to India!

Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire! The dour Scot has been bedevilled by questions about racism in Channel 4's Big Brother and dogged by jibes about him being psychologically flawed, following the debate on 18 Doughty Street the other night.

The great shame of course is that despite the 21,000 complaints to Ofcom there has been very little in the way of overt racism, but much in the way of female bitching and carping from someone who might be described as "fick". Jade Goodie, is more likely to be evicted sooner rather than later, a prospect equally faced by Mr. Brown in Downing Street.

Link

BBC News

Five things that cheered me last night!

2007-01-18T09:35:00.000Z

Freddy's Dreamers

McSheffrey 5, Solano 45 og, N'Gotty 59, Larsson 83, Campbell 89.

Oh dear what went so horribly wrong? Only the evening before I had been reading Freddy's comments in the Gazette of his ardour and praise for the young lads who were to carry the flag for 'The Toon' during their injury crisis!
Who needs young lads when old hands like Nobby Solano are around to help out eh?

Oh well, it's back to following the Lads in their bid for promotion!

Royal visitor for South Shields

2007-01-17T23:27:00.001Z

Sophie, Countess of Wessex to visit South Shields at end of month.

Curly learns that H.R.H. Sophie, Countess of Wessex will be visiting the South Tyneside Arts Studio in Derby Terrace, South Shields on January 30th.

This will be her third visit to the town having visited the Simonside Youth Centre in 2002 when she received a fluffy yellow duck, comments were also made about her likeness to the late Princess Diana of Wales. She returned to the town last year to visit a Mencap facility in Candlish Street, South Shields where she joined residents for a cup of tea in her capacity of President of the charity.

It is understood that further engagements in the town are planned for the Countess at the end of this month.

(Looks like a good photo opportunity for Curly's Photoshop!)

Link

Royal Diary

Classified Ads

2007-01-17T11:27:00.000Z

"I think honourable members should leave any cheeky business completely to me."

Click here for story.

Hat Tip - The Spine

I cannot sing to save my life - Miliband

2007-01-17T10:54:00.000Z

Curly ain't musical either!

In his ministerial blog, South Shields MP David Miliband admits to being unable to sing (despite singing like a canary yesterday of Labour's likely election defeat), he says:

"I cannot sing to save my life"

The blog post deals with the music curriculum in schools following Education Secretary Alan Johnson's drive for music in schools and the announcement of an additional 10m. pounds funding to the 25m. pounds already budgeted. This money will go towards further instrumentational tuition and the competition to find (in schools) a National Singing Champion! Composer and broadcaster Howard Goodall has been named as the government's national ambassador to lead the new singing campaign. Just to add that little extra nanny state ingredient to the recipe there will be a regulated 21st. Century Songbook to provide a top 30 list of approved songs for children to sing.

Unfortunately this blogger, and I suspect around 80% of the rest of us, has never heard of Mr. Goodall, and worries intensely that ministers and officials can sanction the spending of so much money to teach our children how to sing, or what to sing!

David Miliband is pleased that this programme is to be launched at last, seeing as it was his idea originally in the music manifesto of 2004 (just shows how long it takes New Labour to get some projects under steam.) Perhaps one of the reasons he can't sing to save his life has nothing to do with the fine education he received, but more to do with the fact that he spent so long stood on Arsenal's North Bank where it would have been easier to break into a panic rather than break into song. Curly of course matured his singing voice on the packed terraces of the Fulwell End at Roker Park!

Link

DfES Press Release.

The big tea debate

2007-01-16T19:11:00.000Z

With or without milk?

Dizzy hasn't missed the piece on tea research, even going to the extent of finding an early Day Motion set for the Commons by Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski praising the benefits of adding milk to the great British cuppa, there are others currently arguing that the addition of milk counteracts the natural benefits of tea.

Typical of most Corner Shop proprietors I couldn't get through a tedious day without resort to a gallon of tea, and would probably give up drinking it completely if milk was to become unavailable!

So what do you think, with or without?

Link

Dizzy Thinks

Labour to lose election? - Miliband

2007-01-16T10:23:00.000Z

South Shields MP seems convinced of Labour defeat!

David Miliband in an article written in today's Daily Telegraph appeals to the Labour Party to find a new set of policies and initiatives for the next year. The article is penned in typical Miliband 'wonkspeak' and as such will only be deciphered by the academics and international sephologists, it's way over our heads. Fearing defeat at the polls Miliband writes on how NuLabour must reorganise:

"Therefore Labour must broaden and deepen its agenda. In 1997, New Labour promised to remove the false choice between wealth creation and social justice. This is now conventional wisdom. In 2007, we must again expose false choices: the argument that a thriving voluntary sector is incompatible with active government; that economic dynamism cannot go alongside the new imperative of environmental sustainability; that patriotism cannot go alongside deeper engagement in the EU and international institutions; that strong, cohesive communities cannot go alongside open and multicultural societies. Broadening our agenda to take on new ideas and new concerns is essential if we are to maintain the new coalition that brought Labour to power."

Err, O.K. David, I'm sure that will go down well with the electorate in the council estates of South Shields.

The more important parts of the Secretary of State's public wailing are contained in the introduction to the piece;

"Government or Opposition?", he asks, and

"After 10 years in power, Labour needs to defy political gravity to win the next election."

At last - something refreshingly simple that we can all understand, an admission that defeat stares them in the face!

Link

Miliband article

South Shields to get revamped Metro Station?

2007-01-16T09:57:00.000Z

Plans reveal major spend for town centre station.

Sometimes the old sayings can prove to be very true, in this case "every cloud has a silver lining". Nexus the public travel operator for Tyneside has been looking towards a private finance initiative for further investment in the future, they had been hoping that an operator in the private sector may be interested in running the rolling stock on the Tyneside Metro System in a similar fashion to the present state of affairs with trains and Railtrack.

However, this was not to be, private operators showed no appetite for taking an interest in the trains unless they were allowed to own the rest of the system, the track, the stations, the maintenance etc. Fortunately Nexus were about to give up it's public stake in the transport systems of the North-East and it's briefing paper went on to outline it's spending and investment plans for the medium term future.

Featured amongst the planned investments are 'major redevelopments' to stations at South Shields, North Shields, Heworth, Sunderland, and Newcastle Airport, these to take place after 2009.

The plans will be considered by the Passenger Transport Executive next week.

Perhaps it might be worthwhile considering a partnership deal with someone like Richard Branson's Virgin outfit to operate the Metro system along the lines of the partnership at Newcastle Airport?

Link

The Journal

South Shields policeman jailed

2007-01-16T09:39:00.000Z

Jason Singh gets "six of the best"

He almost became a professional football for the "dark side" (Newcastle Untited), he failed, - instead he became a policeman serving in South Shields, he failed, - so he tried to become a leader of a smash 'n' grab gang, and failed again.Jason Singh represents all that is wrong about cocaine users, they think that it's only a soft drug with little in the way of side effects, they don't think it's too addictive, but Singh found his addiction was costing him up to 600 pounds per week and he had 30,000 pounds of debt because of it.

In a calculated attempt to clear his debts he formed a gang with the intent of stealing cash machines and their contents, they also intended to steal the life savings of a vulnerable woman, he roped in his brother and friends and dragged them down with him.

One can only congratulate Northumbria Police and their Integrity Unity for having the right suspicions about Jason Singh and investigating his activities with a ruthless impartiality, today because of their actions he is starting a six year jail sentence and the reputation of the Police in South Shields is restored.

Cocaine - NOT to be sniffed at!

Link

The Journal

Worth 1000?...........

2007-01-15T13:55:00.000Z

Words, that is........

They do say that a picture can be worth a thousand words, hence the need for modern journalism to include pictures of immediate impact that can almost tell a story on their own. This is true of the 'new media' (internet etc.) as well as the traditional dead tree press, which is why I was so impressed with the picture of the strawberry in this piece!

Update

New readers may wonder what the fuss is about here.....don't worry too much, I was only pointing to a piece of errant photojournalism which has now been corrected!

Cameron moves to head off UKIP

2007-01-15T13:32:00.000Z

I am a true Tory.....

After another week which saw a few more defections to UKIP, David Cameron writes in the Daily Telegraph to head off the revolt and claim to be a true carrier of the Tory flame of freedom.

Sources close to Mr Cameron insist that he is not reacting to the renewed threat of UKIP but restating his existing position. But in an interview on BBC1's Sunday AM, the Tory leader refused to withdraw his famous dismissal of UKIP as "fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists, basically".

In his leading article in the Telegraph there is even a hint of tax cuts as he says:

"It is why I have made the strongest commitment to supporting the family and marriage that any Conservative leader has made for a generation.
It is why we are pledged to share the proceeds of economic growth between public services and lower taxes, thereby ensuring that over time the state takes a smaller share of national wealth."

A smaller share of national wealth? Does he mean it? Does that mean he expects the economy to grow massively under a Conservative government, but that taxation will remain as it is now, or does it mean there will actually be a reduction in the levels of taxation?

Curly wonders if I should shudder with excitement, or carry a pocketful of cynicism?

Link

The Daily Telegraph

Situation Vacant

2007-01-15T12:36:00.000Z

Prime Minister in search for a butler!

It come as no surprise to learn that Tony Blair in his rampant Americanisation of the Prime Minister's position has taken the spending of tax payer's money on 10 Downing Street to Presidential extremes. Taxpayers outgoings on Downing Street since Blair replaced Major have shot from 6m. pounds a year to almost 18m. pounds a year, a 300% increase, yet inflation over the same period has amounted to only 26%.
He is even seeking a new butler, even though he intends to leave in the near future (click picture to enlarge)

Figures were obtained about the Prime Minister's spending by Oliver Heald the Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary through Freedom of Information requests. Mr Heald said:

"While Gordon Brown's NHS cuts bite deep in local maternity services and A&Es, millions of pounds are spent on bankrolling Tony Blair's vast entourage of staff and spin doctors. Not only is such proliferate expenditure a questionable use of taxpayers' money, but such a presidential-style office undermines collective Cabinet government and our parliamentary democracy."

Has Blair gone totally delusional? Who would want to apply to be his House manager knowing they would be out of work in a few months time?

Link

Times Online

Bela Berbatov

2007-01-15T01:25:00.000Z

Footballing Nightmare

I seem to be having trouble sleeping again tonight.

Yesterday I had to make do with the pleasure of listening to Sunderland battle to a 1 - 0 win against Ipswich Town and the elements on radio, and today I had the terrible misfortune of having to see Newcastle United beat Tottenham Hotspur on the television. Now I know that one or two fans of the "Dark Side" (a.k.a. Cllr. Jim Capstick) visit this blog, and I wondered if, like me, they thought there was a striking likeness between Spurs Transylvanian import Dimitar Berbatov and Bela Lugosi Jnr.'s Dracula?

Is this the horrifying nightmare that is keeping me from my sleep?

Click the picture to enlarge.

Public transport - what's that?

2007-01-14T21:11:00.000Z

Hypocracy of politicians.

Today the Express bleats on about politicians who like to tell us all what to do, but do something entirely different themselves, nothing new there then. They even have the temerity to illustrate the piece with a picture of our beloved Member of Parliament David Miliband.

The whole essence of the Express report is to follow up the research of Lib Dem MP Bob Russell who wanted to find out how many of NuLabour's Cabinet have actually used a train or a bus in the last year. So it should not surprise him, or us, that only Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander has used a bus or a train in the last year (and only because it's his job.)

We all know of course that it is not necessary for David Miliband to use a bus, he walks faster than most modes of public transport anyway, and can be regularly seen walking from Chichester Metro station carrying his six ministerial boxes, an umbrella, a case containing his laptop, a suitcase, the Shields Gazette tucked under his arm, and a wrap of fish and chips from Colman's under his other arm as he makes his way home to the Redhead Park area. (Or so he would have us understand!)

Harking back to the taxi company who have yet to "fess up" Mr . Graham Robson proprietor of Westoe Taxis recently ~~confided to me~~ blurted out that..........(no I'd better not repeat what he said.)

Link

Daily Express.

Britain must retain it's war fighting role -Blair

2007-01-13T17:46:00.000Z

Blair's warning for Brown!

In an article in today's Times, Prime Minister Tony Blair makes the call for our defence spending to be maintained or increased. In a lecture defending his policy of interventionism, the Prime Minister said that the new challenges from worldwide terrorism required new commitments to be made to the Forces.

I find this a bit rich coming from the bloke who is prepared to send our boys to Basra without body armour, working radios, and SA80 rifles that jam in the sand, notwithstanding the latest cuts to the Royal Navy that will see it shrink below the capacity of the Dutch Coastal Defence Force!

Grrr.....

Walking back in time.

2007-01-13T16:34:00.000Z

Pounding feet open the eyes!

As part of this fitness regime to help return me to fuller health, I am now walking a minimum of two miles per day around the streets of South Shields. I intend to double this length over the next month, in a gradual manner.

Whilst out today, I ventured towards Tyne Dock Metro Station in South Shields, and came across The Crown Bingo and Social Club in Hudson Street. The club, which has been owned by the Hearn family for many years holds an interesting secret in it's buildings. Looking at the picture here you will see the left hand extremity of the club just opposite the Metro Station; as I looked at the building I recalled reading somewhere on this internet thing that there used to be a school here built for poor children by the railway company.

So I returned home to try and find the information again, and fortunately found this piece which describes how the school was built on land donated by the railway company, designed by their architect, and paid for mainly by their employees. The school was to cost 2,250 pounds to build and a public subscription of 300 pounds was asked for, the rest to be raised from raffles, bazaars, tombolas etc. Incredibly the school, whose name I don't know, was to educate up to 800 children and had four "efficient" certificated teachers, up to 400 children attended on a daily basis.

This British School had a boys schoolroom and a girls schoolroom, with an infant's section separating them in the centre.

The only remaining portion is the boy's schoolroom which is now part of the Crown Bingo club, one can clearly see the boy's entrance with it's stone facing above and triple arched window still in situ. It's fascinating to think that a building raised using gambling, still exercises the same means to facilitate the entertainment of locals in South Shields.

The illustration is from the Illustrated London News of 1869.

Link

London Ancestor.com
Google Map

Server problems

2007-01-12T18:25:00.000Z

Apologies for lack of entries.

Curly has been blighted by transatlantic problems today, experiencing difficulty accessing Blogger.Com's servers from time to time (more often than not just at the time when I wanted to make a post), and has also experience problems with ImageShack, which hosts some of the pictorial content on this blog. I apologise for the lack of decent content today, perhaps our American friends may be a little more co-operative tomorrow.

Multi-story car park

2007-01-12T18:09:00.000Z

"Blot on landscape" to be demolished soon.

Curly is glad to note that the multi-story car park in Mile End Road will eventually be demolished and should be gone by the end of spring. Described as a "blot on the landscape" by Cllr. Eddie McAtominey, the nasty looking car park will at last give way for a prestigious office development that Cllr. John Anglin believes will "kick start the evening economy" in the town centre. He rightly makes the point that parts of the town centre become morose between 4.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. and the addition of a couple of hundred office staff may help local bars and restaurants get the evening going just that little earlier.

Curly is quite supportive of the planned development but insists that an opportunity for niche shopping is not missed in the rush to build a new office block, as I have argued before this is an ideal time to create the small retail, small rent, units necessary for independent retailers, and would offset the loss of the shops that resided on the ground floor of the car park. I also believe that it would be right to insist on the highest standards of "green building" policy utilizing renewable materials wherever possible when the new development is eventually started, and this must also include an environmental travel plan to lessen the need for additional parking places.

Link

Shields Gazette

Blair Foundation

2007-01-11T20:08:00.000Z

PM building for a future outside of politics.

Tony Blair has began moves to create The Blair Foundation, somewhat along the lines of the models used by former American Presidents. You can foresee a future jetting around the States picking up fat cheques for after dinner speeches, unfortunately some keen "net-head" has already "bombed" the idea!

Link

The Blair Foundation

Labour to field "straw" candidates at election?

2007-01-11T19:55:00.000Z

Blogger suspects election spoiling tactic.

Just came across this piece from a few days ago on Rossinisbird's blog, where he writes of his distrust at rumours spreading locally that the Labour Party in South Tyneside might be willing to field sympathetic supporters as "Independent" candidates in this year's local elections in South Tyneside. This, if true, would be an attempt to deliberately split the opposition vote to help secure safe seats for the Labour Party.

"Some of the independents councillors and hopefuls are concerned that the local Labour Party will stand a notional 'independent' straw man (or woman) in several of the wards, particularly those where an independent councillor already stands, or where Labour consider a seat loss to be likely. If true, it means that the local Labour party is cynically attempting to dilute the independent vote, hoping that voters will mistake their chap for the real independent."

You can read the full post - here

Diet for life

2007-01-11T13:42:00.000Z

Eating for a healthy heart.

I have no intention of becoming a boring lecturer on the rights and wrongs of how to live and enjoy life after a heart attack, but personal experience may help others either come to terms with why it happened and 'why I survived', or how one can prevent it happening.

What has been stressed to me over the past couple of weeks are the four main risk factors that combine to produce the circumstances leading to coronary heart disease (and it is this disease which is the cause of heart attacks.) These risk factors are smoking, high blood pressure, diet, and exercise - or lack of to be precise! Reducing these risk factors helps promote a strong and healthy heart muscle and prevents the coronary arteries from being furred up with cholesterol deposits, once a major coronary artery becomes more than 50% blocked the risk of a heart attack suddenly increases by a massive degree.

Even after a coronary, occurs one can massively reduce and remove the risks of a second or further attack by removing all four of the risk factors. This is where the change in lifestyle comes in. I have to say that I am enjoying my diet which now precludes fatty foods like pastry, pies, pasties, fried fish and chips, bacon butties etc., and includes far more fresh fruit and vegetables than I was consuming previously. There is still a little room for oven chips and the odd cake, BUT one must learn to burn calories at the rate you consume them. This is where the exercise comes in, and I am now walking far more than I have done for a number of years too!

If you are in the same boat as I, or know someone who is recovering from a heart attack, can I recommend that you read this BBC article, The Truth About Food. It certainly gives 'food for thought' , and with the addition of a little lean meat and oily fish it will make a wholesome, nutritional, and cholesterol free diet for those who need it.

Link

BBC Magazine

Tories build election war chest.

2007-01-11T11:35:00.000Z

No wonder they want a quick election!

The Conservative Party, nationally has spent the last couple of weeks appealing to Tony Blair to get out of No.10 sharpish and to allow the dour Chancellor, Gordon Brown to take over, then they want a quick election to prove whether or not Brown has a popular mandate.

The polls still show the Tories maintaining a healthy lead over New Labour and perhaps this could be why they are pressing for an early general election - or perhaps there is another reason.

The Labour Party is in a financial mess, donations have stopped arriving since Yates of the Yard started investigating the "cash for peerages" affair and some of the huge loans are now being called in. David Cameron on the other hand is honing his skills at money raising and has become a dab hand at the dinner circuits sliding pound notes into the coffers of the Conservative Party. George Jones the Telegraph's political editor reports today that the party already has a war chest of 21 million pounds put aside, just in case Gordon is tempted!

Link

The Daily Telegraph.

Government sneeking in new road toll legislation.

2007-01-11T11:05:00.000Z

Motorists could face six months jail for obstructing officials!

Ray Massey in the Daily Mail reports that legislation is being sneaked through Parliament in the guise of the Transport for London bill, which paves the way for nationwide charging of motorists in a pay as you drive scheme. Motorists will be charged up to 1.50 per mile for certain toll roads across the U.K. and could face fines or six months imprisonment for tampering with road toll devices installed in their own cars, or for failing to allow officials access to their vehicles to check these devices.

Don't be deceived into thinking that New Labour is a middle of the road cute and cuddly political mother, it is nothing of the sort, it is still full of Stalinist control freaks who want to regulate every facet of our lives from conception and birth until the day we die, they are the architects of the "Big Brother" state, the divas of the database.

They are clearly not to be trusted, and this is more than illustrated by the 235,000 people who have signed the online e-petition to Tony Blair to scrap the planned vehicle and road pricing policy, by far the largest of the petitions on the No. 10 Website.(Go on - you know you want to!)

Link

The Daily Mail

Education League Tables highlight Labour's 'spin'.

2007-01-11T09:12:00.000Z

There can be no excuses, our record is poor, very poor.

I wait to hear what the official 'spin' from South Tyneside Council is on the issuing of the English Secondary Schools League Tables which clearly show that Labour politicians have been successfully pulling the wool over our eyes for at least the last four years. These League Tables now have a special weighting built in for the 'basic' subjects English Language and Mathematics, put there by a Labour government determined to raise the bar in educational standards. Having made use of Education Maintenance Allowances as a 'carrot' to keep youngsters in education and out of the dole queues, the government wanted some proof that our students and teachers were doing something useful, positive, and worthwhile with their time, they wanted to know that our young people would eventually leave the education sytem well prepared for the outside world and ready to hunt down their first job.

Well the bad news, in this Borough, is that they are not! Many of our secondary schools lag far behind the national averages and have done for at least the last four years, we only have a handful of schools that could claim to be keeping up, and only two schools that could claim to be making great progress with our children.

Less than half of our pupils are attaining five GCSE's at grade C or above, this is a terrible condemnation of Labour's educational policies in South Tyneside, and a disastrous waste of talent, potential, and opportunity. Years of spin and deceit have deluded our politicians into thinking they had 'got it right' in the 'award winning' arena of South Tyneside, they had built a culture of accepting every 'award' handed out like confectionery and hyping up it's importance well beyond the level that ought to have been attached to these computer generated certificates that even our children could make. Yet the real awards, the GCSE's, have failed to materialise, only two of our schools, Whitburn Church of England and St. Wilfred's Roman Catholic returned figures showing more than 50% of pupils attaining the necessary benchmark GCSE's, the rest fell from 50% at Harton Technology College down to a miserable 26% at Mortimer Comprehensive. Our schools don't even fare well against our neighbouring authorities in Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle, and North Tyneside.

The average percentage of pupils gaining five or more GCSE's at grades A-C (including English and Maths) is 45.8%, these are the figures for the Tyne Wear area:

North Tyneside 47.9%
Gateshead 45.0%
South Tyneside 39.5%
Sunderland 33.9%
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 33.5%

However, within each borough there are schools where more than 50% of the pupils gained five or more GCSE's at grades A-C (including English and Maths):

Newcastle-upon-Tyne 7 schools
North Tyneside 6 schools
Sunderland 5 schools
Gateshead 4 schools
South Tyneside 2 schools

There is no way to put 'gloss' on these results, they show clearly that our pupils will take the money, take the easy options and shy away from the subjects that prospective employers want them to do well at! I shudder to think what type of "spin" will be produced by the manadarins at the Town Hall, I have already posed questions to the Press Office and Cllr. Jim Foreman the Lead Member for Lifelong Learning, and suggested to them that the time has come to introduce an element of compulsion to ensure that English Language and Mathematics get the importance they deserve.

Link

League Tables from the BBC.

Update

As expected the Labour controlled South Tyneside Borough Council, and the local press have both managed to "spin" the results out of all proportion and claim massive achievements and progress - surprise, surprise. Both focus their attentions on a handful of schools including Whitburn Church of England School, and St. Josephs Roman Catholic School, and both make great play on the "value added" results. It's odd that the local newspapers go out of their way to heap praise when clearly the only real improvements to be gleaned from these figures happens after the English and Maths results are excluded!

Misfiring strikers set to go!

2007-01-10T18:20:00.000Z

It was only a matter of time............

......before local lad Chris Brown was shown the exit door at The Stadium of Light by Roy Keane following his involvement in the "Stevie" video, it looks as though I was right when I suggested the players had made it easier for Keane to determine their futures. None of the four are now at the club as Keane has a clear out to make way for Antony Stokes.

It was announced by Sunderland AFC today that they had accepted offers from un-named clubs for Chris Brown and Jon Stead, and that the players had been given permission to enter into negotiations. Neither striker really set the world alight having contributed less than a handful of goals between them this season. Stead will be glad to get away and try and rebuild his career - he will NOT be going to Derby County according to the club, whilst Brown, who has shown a fair bit of promise needs to find a club he can mature with.

Meanwhile Kevin Smith has been loaned out to Dundee, managed by former Black Cat favourite Alex Rae, until the end of the season.

Perhaps these moves might encourage a sharper performance from the likes of Darryl Murphy and "Sleeves" Elliot, who have yet to flourish during this campaign.

Link

Sunderland AFC

Central surgery

2007-01-10T13:39:00.000Z

Blood quick as a flash!

Does everything seem to happen so quickly these days?

Yesterday I was visited by the Health Visitor, as a registered nurse she will be popping in on a regular basis to help me follow through all of the life plans in the Heart Manual that I was given after being discharged from hospital, lovely woman too. She told me it was necessary for a blood sample to be taken at this stage and then rang my GP's surgery to arrange it, but, as seems common for January anyone of any importance was on holiday. "Oh dear, you'll have to go to the hospital to get it done", she said.

No problem, thought I, it would be nice to try a decent walk to extend the mileage I'm putting in these days (I was wondering whether it may be a little too far at this stage, there and back.) She was back within minutes with the necessary paperwork and "green" envelope for the blood sample, I was astounded with the speed! A little later I took a phone call from an old friend who advised me that I could have a blood sample taken at the Central Surgery, which is at the rear of Stanhope Parade, South Shields, this seemed a much better idea, and less of a distance to walk.
So I went there this morning.

I had intended to get some pictures for Curly's Photoshop whilst I was out, got some at the Snooker Centre on Chichester Road, South Shields, and I also thought I'd get a macabre shot of the needle in my arm as they drew out some blood, thought I'd try it in black and white then add some colour to the blood later - you know, kind of "arty farty". I didn't have to wait too long as we were brought into the clinic by a nurse in pairs, so there I was sat in this huge armchair with two slanted arms watching the fear on the face of the lady opposite me (she didn't look the fearful type as we chatted amiably in the waiting area.)

"When did you have the heart attack Curly?" asked the nurse,
"Oh, on Boxing day" I replied,
"You must be the bloke who was in the Shields Gazette then" exclaimed woman with eyes closed, but with a hint of excitement,
"How do you know, they didn't show my picture?" I asked,
"You're the only one the Gazette wrote about last week, I saw it too" said the nurse,
"If you just hold that still, can I take a picture" I asked,
"What of" asked the nurse,
"You taking the blood out" I said,
"I'm busy sticking the plaster on now, I'm finished" she said.

That was that then, photo opportunity gone in a flash, didn't even feel the hypodermic going in, blood gone in a flash too!

Amazing service girls, mind if I come back soon?

For our heroes

2007-01-09T19:53:00.000Z

Gazette campaign draws response

I was heartened when the Shields Gazette decided to get behind a campaign to raise the last 3,500 pounds needed to finance the erection of two statues in South Shields Town Hall commemorating the heroic efforts of local recipients of the Victoria Cross.

I had first blogged on this subject back on November 7th. last year when opined that the statues to commemorate Annand and Young will highlight their individual efforts, and they will be seen as representing all the finest of South Tyneside's young men during one of our darkest of hours. So far the Gazette's campaign is progressing well, but I am disappointed to read that some firms are donating as little as fifty pounds each! Poor Geoff Ford, who appears to be coordinating the efforts will need to find at least 70 donors at this rate to reach the target. Surely the business community in this Borough can be a little more generous?

With the suffering that happened along this southern bank of the Tyne as a result of German bombing during the last World War, one might have thought that our "captains of industry" might find it in their hearts to donate somewhat more than a paltry fifty pounds, a sum well within the reach of most individuals. However, it was industry which profited most from the rebuilding work after the Second World War and it's profits were made with the contribution of those who had returned from the fronts to help rebuild South Tyneside.

Come on then businessmen, match the efforts of those who gave a lot more than us in the heat of battle, there are some of you out there who could cover the total costs of this memorial as a solo effort!

Phil Brown

2007-01-09T14:50:00.000Z

Update from Curly's Cornershop customer

Just received this mail from an old school pal now in Canada - thanks "Barney".

Hi Curly;

impressive blog! Well done, and congrats on your recovery.

I saw your write up on Phil Brown and may have some more details.

Phil was a Whiteleas kid, and I believe went to St Oswald's then St Cuthbert's schools.

I know in the mid-late '70's he was involved with the Red Duster football team, and may have had something to do with the South Shields team under Bill Robertshaw. Shortly around the time I moved to London (Nov. 1980), I heard about him getting involved with Hartlepool, but they were early days, and none of us were sure it would amount to anything, but Phil certainly made a career out of that, didn't he.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, and keep bloggin'!

Paul Todd (aka Barney).

One legged Councillor hops to it!

2007-01-09T14:10:00.000Z

Smith shows how it's done!

Undeterred by the Shields Gazette's Photoshop surgeon, Coun. Moira Smith (click picture to enlarge), the chairman of South Tyneside's Children and Young Peoples Scrutiny Committee, hopped along to Fellgate Primary School to show off her one legged skills.

"Their seems to be an ambition amongst youngsters these days to emulate the older generation who excelled in all type of sport when we were younger" exclaimed Cllr. Smith as she hopped around with the aid of two hockey sticks before smashing the ball into the groin of Gazette photographer Sam "Snapper" O'Flash.

O'Flash had attempted to get the semi-legless Councillor to show him and the boys and girls how to 'slam dunk' a netball but his pathetic attempts to keep up with the high flying Councillor were hampered by the swelling and bruising from the earlier incident. O'Flash then agreed to send his pic to the man in the Gazette's Photoshop department who executed the amputation, it is still unclear what the technician's intentions were.

Sunderland sign Stokes

2007-01-09T08:16:00.000Z

Striker joins "Sunderland Irish"

Roy Keane finally got his man late yesterday afternoon as 18 yr old Arsenal striker Antony Stokes joined the Black Cats in a 2 million pound move after signing a three and a half year deal.

Dublin born Stokes had set Premiership clubs into a buzz of frenzied scouting activity after twice winning Scotland's Young Player of the Month Award during his loan spell with SPL's Falkirk, where he weighed in 16 goals in 18 games during his loan spell, these included the SPL's first back to back hat tricks when he netted three against Dundee United and Dunfermline.

This is the sort of news which will excite Black Cat fans and if he can quickly get his foot in the door and build an understanding with David Connolly we might have a strike force to be reckoned with at last. He becomes yet another Eire born player to join the ranks of the "Sunderland Irish". Stokes certainly looks like the twenty goals a season player that we have missed since selling Kevin Phillips. My guess is that we will see him start this Saturday against the Tractor Boys of Ipswich.

Links

BBC Sport
Sunderland AFC

Tory council to reduce tax

2007-01-08T17:55:00.000Z

Tory controlled Hammersmith and Fulham in the West End of London will reduce it's council tax rates by 3% to bring it back down to the 2004 rate after a 14.5 million pounds efficiency drive.

Just a thought - South Tyneside Council almost saved this much money without even trying in the first half of the current financial year, any chance of making a real effort next year?

Same services, same obligations, but on a smaller budget - why not?

Confusion over organic food.

2007-01-08T17:31:00.000Z

Organic is no healthier says Miliband.

One of the great things about lifestyle change in the aftermath of a heart attack is the radical return to a sensible healthy nutritional diet. I now need to take five portions of fruit and vegetables every day along with good old lean meat and healthy spuds. I was considering trying to go organic too, and reduce the amount of pesticides and other chemicals being taken into the body, as well as helping to reduce their effects upon the environment and soil, but then I discovered (after a hard search for the organic sections in our local supermarkets - well hidden) that the prices are simply outrageous. So it's back to the fruit and veg at the front entrance, wondering why they are always the first things that they put in front of you? I'm sure too that the chicken, turkey, beef, and pork come from animals that don't see too much of the glorious British countryside, don't get too much fresh air and exercise, don't get to eat our healthy grass, and don't have too much sleeping space either! But do we care too much?

Well, - no to be honest. We want our food easy, partially prepared, cheap, and ready to cook. Our own MP and Environment Secretary, David Miliband appears to agree and opines this weekend that 'organic' is simply a "lifestyle choice" for those who can afford it, and that there are no scientifically proven benefits to it compared with mass produced chemically sustained foods. In an interview in the Sunday Times he stated that he wouldn't want to see 96% of our food being viewed as inferior simply because it is not organic.

So there you are, eat on the cheap to your hearts' content, let the countryside be sprayed with even more chemicals, let's see the organic growers suffer a little more at the hands of the giant supermarkets, it's o.k. the minister said so!

Link

Daily Mail.

MOD goes MAD!

2007-01-07T20:15:00.000Z

Taxpayers to fund 2.3 bn modernisation

Following the revelation last week that the Royal Navy is to be cut down to a couple of dozen skiffs and rowing boats, it should not surprise us to learn that profligate spending will be the order of the day at Ministry of Defence HQ in Whitehall.

While Army Chiefs can complain of the squalid conditions that squaddies have to live in on their return from operational tours, and whilst Defence Secretary Des Browne continues to insist that the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq is fully equipped, mandarins in Whitehall will enjoy a modern open office environment costing over 27,000 pounds per square metre.

More than three miles of walls are to be demolished to create an open-plan “highly innovative” office space, costing 27,302 pounds per square metre, with marble and oak features restored to the “highest quality”.

For staff, the refit highlights include:

Luxury office chairs worth more than 1,000 pounds for each of the 3,100 civil servants.
The purchase of more than 3,500 oak doors for a total cost of 3m pounds, or up to 1,200 pounds each
The restoration of a "terrazzo" marble and stone floor in the renovated "pillared hall"
A restaurant, a coffee bar, three large plasma screens on each of the 10 floors, a gym and "quiet rooms" where staff can take a break.

Over the next decade, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend the equivalent of more than 75,000 pounds for each top official working at the ministry's headquarters on refurbishments, repairs and services. In contrast, it has budgeted just a third of the amount - only 25,000 pounds per person - for refurbishment and repairs to soldiers’ living quarters.

One day politicians will learn to put themselves firmly in control of the nation's finances and remember too that they are the stewards of OUR money, and that they are accountable to us as a consequence of the decisions that they take - civil servants of course, are not.

Link

Times Online

Woman mown down by mobility scooter

2007-01-07T19:48:00.000Z

94 year old may lose leg!

Without fear of raising the hackles of the Jack Nutines of this world, I really consider it is time to start some gentle regulation of mobility scooters. having already made the observation last year in October and November, of the dangerous and reckless manner in which some of these electric scooters are driven it comes as no surprise to learn today that someone has been seriously injured in an accident involving a mobility scooter.

94 year old Margaret Quarrell has been told that her right leg is so badly shattered after the collision that it may have to be amputated. The pensioner was busy shopping in Barking, Essex when she was struck from behind by the mobility scooter which ended up on top of her leg, complete with rider.

Store manager Lesley Bownes, 51, who saw the collision, said:

"The driver was going much too fast. I've seen him before - he parks outside my shop and walks in without sticks or crutches, carries his shopping to the scooter and then off he goes. He doesn't look disabled to me. And he certainly isn't very old."

One of the points I have made in the past is that the ease of access and the ease of use of these scooters is discouraging users from exercising their own legs, effectively harming their blood circulation, weakening major muscle groups, and making their mobility even worse than it was originally.

Whilst progressing myself carefully with my own rehabilitation following an angioplasty I am wary of venturing to the town centre too often after similar incidents with motorized mobility scooters, it is easy for some of us to quickly dodge them, but for the slow or unwary they can be somewhat a hazard!

They have an electric engine, they can be driven on the road, they have wheels, they have lights, they have a warning horn - so does the Toyota Prius. The Toyota requires a driving licence, motor tax, registration, and insurance, these scooters ought to face the same regulation.

Link

Mail on Sunday

EMA eroding educational standards?

2007-01-06T18:31:00.000Z

Was it such a clever idea?

I broached the subject yesterday of the government's EMA's (Employment figure manipulation Applications) which pay young people up to 30 pounds a week to stay in education, however, they do have to kind of prove that they are learning something.

This something lies at the heart of the problem. Kids are empowered and enabled to make their own choices of subjects, hence those subjects that employers are looking for (English, Maths, History, Business Studies, Physics, Chemistry, French, German, etc.) are being ignored as the easy soft subjects become more popular. Music Studies, Leisure, Tourism, Health and Beauty are far more popular with students, and it is the pass rates in these vocational studies which is making Labour's educational targets look so rosy.

However, of course, the ability to write and understand six major tabs or chords for the guitar is unlikely to impress many prospective employers at Boldon Business Park.

I stand by what I said yesterday.

Link

Daily Telegraph

Corner Shop suffers

2007-01-06T18:09:00.000Z

Brown batters us all!

It's official, we are all feeling the pinch, Labour's taxes are at last biting hard!

Many retailers and independent shop owners enjoyed what turned out to be a rather miserable Christmas as the number of customers visiting our establishments (in some cases) was a little less than last year, those who did come through our doors didn't want to spend as much money as usual. Was it all our fault, did we fail to make our shops look inviting enough for the Christmas period? Were our shopping centres and malls lacking in the festive spirit? Was there a failure in marketing and advertising? Did the "dumbing down" of Christmas gain favour as a factor?

Plain truth is none of these, the good old British public just doesn't have the money to spend, there are too many fiscal pressures from the dour Scot Gordon Brown, who has almost battered us into submission with his rates and amounts of taxes. One day, Labour (and other centralist) politicians will learn that lower fiscal rates produce higher fiscal revenue and boost the economy by allowing us all more of our own hard earned cash to spend!

Link

The Times

Progress report

2007-01-06T17:16:00.000Z

Curly no longer a fat kid!

I've had an interesting week following the publication of the story in the Shields Gazette, for three days the telephone hardly stopped ringing with a succession of well wishers and old friends, some of whom I hadn't spoken to for years. It's heartening to know that so many people are concerned about my well being.

My fitness targets for the week have easily been achieved, even though there are those who say I am overdoing it! I'm amazed at how far I can walk in half an hour at a good pace, yet without feeling too breathless. The cardiovascular exercise regime is also feeling a little "puny" for my liking, and I think I will be transferring to my old bicycle shortly for a more strenuous workout. My old friends Pat and Billy, as well as Alf up the street, and my father, have all commented that I appear to have lost a few pounds of weight from the mid section already. Mrs. Curly and myself have argued over this, but seeing as we are looking at it every day, the difference may not be so readily apparent to us. I will be seeing specialist nurses during the course of next week to get a more accurate assessment of my fitness and suitability for an increase in the rate and intensity of the exercise regime.

I was never overweight when I was at school and enjoyed most team sports including football, swimming, and rugby, rather unlike the generation of children that we have today. According to this evening's paper 22% of children entering the reception classes in our schools are already classed as obese - at five years old!! More alarmingly, by the time we look at ten year olds the number classed as obese has shot up to 37%. I have witnessed this myself with some relatives on Mrs. Curly's side of the family, and was even discussing the role of nutritionalists with Cllr. Jimmy Foreman last night.

Of course as we all know exercise and diet go hand in hand, and I await the days when local authorities (or even government) impose physical exercise on children as a larger part of the schools curriculum.

I must now congratulate Paul Myles Kelly for working so well with his pictures editor at the Gazette, the combination of picture and headline in the printed edition was priceless! Perhaps they were trying their best to explore the school dinner theme? (Unfortunately the online edition doesn't do it justice.)

Link

Shields Gazette

Miliband connects with the kids.

2007-01-05T19:28:00.000Z

Environment Secretary interviewed for First News

South Shields MP and Environment Secretary David Miliband has been talking to a group of nine to twelve year olds about climate change. They were interviewing him for their First News magazine, you can see the online edition - here. (Interestingly they show Miliband as a God-like figure holding the future of the world in his hands!)

I digress, BBC News reports the following statement from David Miliband to the children:

"Every part of the way we work, go to school, the way we live is going to have to change. Not change for the worse, but change so that we live in a way that respects the environment rather than abuses it."

In response to a question about developing countries he said:

"They're worried that any decisions they'll make about the environment will compromise their ability to tackle poverty among their population. We have to show there will be money to follow going green and that's a really important part of the plan."

Now, political 'wonkspeak' might be o.k. for the technocrats, mandarins, spads, and permsecs, but I have a feeling that this type of semantics rich dialogue would fly straight over the heads of my kids!

Apparently nobody had the nerve to ask where the owl was today.

Links

BBC News
First News

Toxic waste dumped off Souter Point

2007-01-05T17:06:00.000Z

Further environmental worries!

South Tyneside Council is currently considering a scheme to build an armoured revetment at Graham Sands, Trow Quarry, South Shields to contain the erosion of the seaward facing side of the old landfill site which contains toxic chemicals that fall to the beach from time to time. This ought to safeguard us for some time, but further worries and concerns are being expressed at the likely levels of toxins in sea life that is entering the food chain as a result of a trial by the Port of Tyne Authority where they have dumped 84,000 tonnes of river bed sediment, containing dangerous toxins, just four miles off Souter Point.

Engineer Bob Latimer, 63, of Whitburn, South Tyneside, is a member of Marinet, the marine arm of Friends of the Earth.

He said:

"They have tried to bung this waste in the sea and forget about it. They have tried to pass it off as normal dredge waste, but it contains harmful toxins. TBTs are designed to damage sea life so it seems ludicrous to me to put this toxin into the sea."

The Newcastle Chronicle has obtained official documents from Defra revealing the extent of the operation and the failure by the Port of Tyne to cap the site with a deep enough sand 'cap', although Port of Tyne managing director Keith Wilson said the trial had been successful and was being constantly monitored.

For the meanwhile, therefore, Curly will not be tempted by any of Mr. Angry's lobsters!

Link

The Chronicle

Shock new use for Marine Park?

2007-01-05T16:38:00.000Z

Royal Navy to dock in South Marine Park.

In a shock development it has been revealed that council workers have secretly drained the lake in the South Marine Park, South Shields (see picture) in readiness for it's future use as a Royal Naval Dockyard.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman has confirmed the story leaked to today's Daily Telegraph, and expressed his thanks to South Tyneside Council for making the offer of a new naval dock, saying this magnificent gesture will see the Royal Navy through the next few decades, and that this new facility on the Tyne will be more than adequate for our requirements.

A senior officer, currently serving with the Fleet in Portsmouth, said:

"What this means is that we are now no better than a coastal defence force or a fleet of dug-out canoes. The Dutch now have a better navy than us."

Defence sources said it would be unlikely that the Navy could now launch an armada of the kind that retook the Falkland Islands in 1982.

Steve Bush, editor of the monthly magazine Warship World, said the MoD was bankrupt following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"After 10 years of Labour government, the Royal Navy is on its knees without immediate and proper funding. I cannot see how it can recover - especially if Mr Brown becomes the next prime minister."

Curly thinks that everyone is making a drama out of a crisis and that we should be o.k. so long as we are not attacked by any more than twenty pedaloes at a time!

2000 South Tyneside students get EMA

2007-01-05T16:01:00.000Z

Kids paid to stay off the dole?

I never really realised that education was such a good earner until I read Cllr. Jimmy Foreman - he's our man in charge of Education and dinner ladies in South Tyneside - pronouncing effusively on the matter in tonight's evening paper. Cllr. Foreman said:

"It is our goal to make South Tyneside a place where there is a brighter future for all children and young people, and this allowance exists to enable young people to continue with their education.
We don't want money to be a contributing factor in young people dropping out of education and training, and schemes such as this can have a real impact on helping them fulfil their potential."

These 'allowances' can be worth up to 30 pounds a week each for a student from a family with an income of less than GBP 30,810 p.a. therefore it comes as no surprise to learn that almost 2000 students are in receipt of this money (Education Maintenance Allowance) in South Tyneside.

Cllr. Foreman will remember, as well as I, that when we were in our teens thousands dropped out of education and money was not a factor at all then, it simply was not available. Jobs too, were not available, and for some a start to life 'on the dole' was the prospect they yearned for. Those who wished to fulfill their potential had, perhaps, already had shown signs of their willingness, by achieving good exam grades by the age of sixteen and planning their future educational needs in the colleges and universities of metropolitan Britain.

Cllr. Foreman (and others) will remember too, similar 'training' schemes designed to keep the young away from the social security systems of the day, E.T. (Employment Training, more popularly named the 'extra tenner') being one of the most noteworthy.

I can see the admirable intentions of the scheme being to add value to young peoples knowledge, rather than languishing, learning nothing, in the unemployment queues, but unfortunately the experiences of prospective employers suggest that the majority are indeed learning nothing. Young people attending their first interviews for a job show an alarming lack of written and oral skills in the English language, and mathematically they are inept at best and unable to do simple additions at worst! The damage, of course had happened before they even reached the age of sixteen. Rather than reserving this cash to keep an illiterate generation in education for a while longer, it would be better invested in education for a younger age group, thus ensuring that basic skills are in abundance amongst our teenagers by the time they might be looking for work. Surely this would be a greater boost to their's and the nation's confidence and future prospects!

Meanwhile EMA ought to be renamed Employment figure Manipulation Application.

Links

Shields Gazette
EMA