28 June 2007
Have had a brilliant sleep, up at 11.30.
First job of morning, shop, baccy, milk, then dustbin out.

Today, we have sunshine; the sky is still grey and overcast but at least the sun is shining and I presume there will be a lot of people glad of that fact.
There has been a lot of damage done by the recent rains and there is still a lot more to come down.
Farmers and householders alike will be praying the rain clouds will pass over and give them some respite.

After a gap of 17 hours without baccy, the stomach is churning and lapping up the intake.
Bloody tinnitus is loud again, but on a lighter note, at least the Internet radio is back on.

I really shouldn’t have got the baccy, do not feel better for having a couple of smokes.
Today is to be a day of action and all those jobs that have been waiting in the wings will be dealt with.
Hopefully.

Checked my lottery tickets, two numbers so no luck there.
E. Mail sorted. Confirmation of contact lens order, hope the planned postal strike will not delay the arrival too much.

Must have been in a bit of a rush yesterday, I forgot to publish the prepared post, no problems, on site now.

Nice to have sounds back, amazing how you miss something you have taken for granted for so long.

I know that the Southerners think we all go round wearing a flat cap with a whippet at our sides, eating black pudding.
Just to prove it we are unveiling a new statue to one of our local heroes in print.

A statue of flat cap northern anti-hero Andy Capp is unveiled in his Hartlepool hometown today.
The cartoon strip character will come to three-dimensional life in the form of a 5ft high bronze statue to be unveiled on the Headland.
The effigy of the loveable rascal - who has entertained generations since he first appeared in the Daily Mirror in 1957 - will be unveiled on the seafront near the Harbour of the Refuge pub by Jean Smythe, widow of Andy Capp's creator,
local man Reg Smythe.

I was brought up with Andy Capp and his wife Flo.
As I said earlier the only newspaper allowed in our house was the Daily mirror and Andy featured daily.
The portrayal of the typical couple, he laid on the sofa or in the pub, she struggling to keep the house tidy, and the bills paid.
The constant struggle with poverty and male chauvinism kept Flo very busy indeed.
Almost daily the lines of the cartoon could be heard in the conversations of the folk of the village.

I note my parents have just this year stopped getting the newspaper delivered, after being a regular for over 50 years.
My father now uses teletext and his frequent attention to the various news channels to keep abreast of any worthwhile stories and sports reports.

The week so far has travelled by at a reasonable speed, soon the weekend will close the curtain, and another week will come towards me to challenge.

I must be sleeping better lately, for I cannot think of another reason why I should be getting this degree of pain relief.
The muscle groups of the lower back relax only during good quality sleep and that is what I must be getting.
I have not attempted to improve the sleep save for waiting till I’m very tired or going to bed when I feel the need.
For example I had an hour’s sleep yesterday tea time from 6-7 and I believe if you take advantage of an hour or so when your body is telling you it needs a nap, must be beneficial.
I did realise a few nights ago that my usual sleeping position involved fists being clenched and some muscle groups being permanently tense.
I changed positions and finally adopted more relaxed postures which may have helped.

Whatever the reason, I’m grateful for the respite.

When you have learnt to live with pain24/7 you obviously fail to think about its presence until it becomes noticeable by its removal or partial alleviation.

What a bloody idiot I am.
I thought the time was 11.30 when I got up,
Apparently the battery has run out and it is in fact only ten to ten!
Should have realised last night when the alarm was barely audible.
Not bad though the battery has lasted since Christmas, god knows how long the clock was in the shop.
Hope father has a replacement; he will undoubtedly have a sheet of those cheap batteries off the market.

I feel more, relaxed knowing I have indeed time on my hands.
Another cuppa, with REAL milk is called for.

I boosted the electric this morning and now have £15 to last me.
Meter does seem to be running down quite quickly lately despite all my best efforts to save as much as possible.
Fridge, freezer, kettle, computer, and monitor are daily users, with occasional use of microwave; grill being only other major consumers.
Limited use of hoover and washer will do little to increase my “carbon footprint.”

As he got away with taking us to the cleaners as Chancellor, I worry that he will be even worse as P.M.He should do the decent thing and call an early Election, to prove or not whether he has a mandate.
If he wins we only have ourselves to blame.
Let the people speak!
A J Cook, Sherborne

Perhaps the people have got too apathetic when it comes to politics and simply want to be left alone to live their lives and let the other proportion of the country which we seem powerless to control get on with whatever they do to warrant the huge payments.
I suppose he will be to busy re decorating and spending time celebrating to hit us with any tax hikes for a while.

Neil R,from Stevenage, UK says

Don't bother wasting taxpayers money by getting Nº10 redecorated.
David Cameron will be doing that when he moves in after the next general election.

The person on the streets or trying to eke out a living for themselves and look after their families on the council estates have more to worry about than any potential threats from “our new leader”.

jennyleoni, from Milton Keynes tells him to,
Be fair and open with the electorateNo more cronyismPut our country and it's people first by not allowing them,
To become second-class citizens in their own countryDeport those that should not be hereTighten our border controlsFly our national flags, to show our pride in our country..............For starters.............

Perhaps too late.

I am still a little confused as to how he even got the position without unveiling any plans or having the support of the electorate.
But saying that, what is the alternative?

I had my political head on a couple of days ago and that is sufficient for me.
Their lives and the rules governing same are so remote from the average Joe as to be almost unbelievable.

He will no doubt follow his pal Tony, serve his time, and make his millions from contacts gained.

All I would ask is for him to think very seriously about adopting any more American ideas.
Our education, national health, and security will not be improved by any Americanisation thank you.
Forget I.D. cards and put the money into where it is needed.
He will have only a short time to get the people behind him sort out the bloody mess Britain is in both at home and abroad.

If he is going to allow the flow of people into our country to continue unchecked,
Then give some incentive to the increasing amount of people who would like to get out and live abroad.
Give the retired and elderly something to look forward to in their latter lives.
Stop penalising anyone who has been frugal and saved a couple of bob.
Plug the loopholes used by the rich and punish those who have used same.
Punish improper behaviour among his ranks by removing their right to office, any office.

We are all aware that the population is changing, people are living longer, many are working longer remaining active; he will have to start to listen to this growing “voice.”
· Personal security;
Families and individuals need a safer environment. People need to feel safer on the streets and in their homes.
· Social stability;
Communities and regions need assistance to grow and mature.
· Better care;
We need more health workers and less managers. Less paper work, statistics, and league tables and more “ground workers.”
· Law enforcement;
Allow the police to concentrate upon the problems of the people in and around their homes not merely to safeguard the premises of businesses.
There are enough CCTV cameras in the streets and in pubs etc. make the owners more accountable for the actions of their customers.
· Education;
Stop pressurising the children until there are sufficient opportunities available, or until there are concrete plans for the future of Britain laid down.
· Transport;
Allow the rail network to increase by private funding, if the supermarkets are going to be allowed to continue to mushroom make them use private rail for transportation of goods to delivery/supply centres.
Use congestion charges but make sure any tolls are collectable.
· Agriculture;
Stop strangling the farmers with red tape.
· Expenditure;
Stop wasting millions on useless fucking enquiries which drag on forever and fail to provide solutions.
· Justice;
Stop the use of valuable court time by rich individuals trying to sue each other for trivialities.
· Stop wasting Lottery funds on projects which benefit only minorities of selected communities. It is easy to calculate how much each area has contributed to the lottery, have these sums redistributed to same area.
It is not simply an endless pit of money, into which anyone can dip into.
· Make the financial details of anyone employed in local or central government available for public scrutiny.

I fear it may too late to listen to the people because most have simply given up any thoughts of being heard.
We go about our daily lives and see many things which anger us but simply accept them as being part of life and resign ourselves to the fact
”There’s nothing we can do about it.”

The apathy party has indeed become more prevalent these last couple of decades.

A vision of prosperity, security, environmental protection, and human rights,
This British vision is also a European vision, so lets get our financial security sorted out, embrace the monetary system, and get ourselves into the role of being an active partner.
We are no longer simply an island, we have to become part of a global community, and once we accept that, then perhaps the rantings of politicians in London about the rights and wrongs of fox hunting will be replaced with more meaningful discussions.

“The EU was meant to bring us a golden future, but instead it has brought us stagnation, unemployment and social discontent” has become a familiar refrain.
What is worse, lest we abandon our relentless pessimism, our eternally optimistic American friends excel at reminding us that they are richer, enjoy faster growth with lower unemployment and are generally better off in every way.

Lots of sensible folk buy into this story; but is it borne out by the facts?
The right answer is not a simple yes or no,

The main reason the US is richer is because, first, a higher proportion of Americans are in employment and, secondly, they work about 20 per cent more hours per year than Europeans.
When we look at GDP in 2005 per person per hour worked, there is virtually no difference between Germany, France, and the US.

Economists often speak of this as revealing different American and European social preferences for work and leisure.
In truth, both the employment rate and how long the average person works are explained mainly by political history.
Until the late 1970s total hours worked was falling in Europe and in the USA; since then, total hours worked have continued to fall in the EU-15 but have risen again in the US.
Equally, if we look at employment data by age group,
Americans join the work force earlier and leave it far later than Europeans.
The key to understanding why this has happened is the change in US income distribution over the past 30 years.

Since 1979, the bottom 40 per cent of income earners in the US has been treading water while the bottom 20 per cent has become poorer.
US workers have needed to put in more years and longer hours simply to maintain their real income position.

Comparing the economic performance of the European Union and the USA does not lead one to conclude that America has the more dynamic economy, or that it has performed better in the past or will do so in future.
The most crucial feature of the comparison’ is neither the growth nor the unemployment record of the US and the EU.
It is, rather, that US growth, unlike that in the EU, is funded by a dangerously high mountain of foreign debt.
US external indebtedness in turn is driven by the US house price bubble, enabling US consumers to spend more than they earn.
Ironically, the EU continues to lend the money to the US which keeps their households spending and their economy growing.

We all know the dangers of debt and living beyond our means, or at least the older members of society do because they were brought up that way by frugal parents.

I also see no reason for the long recesses which government enjoys; these people are there to serve and in return for the huge amounts of money they receive should be seen to put in the hours.

You wouldn’t expect any college student to be allowed to continue with their studies if they were regularly missing classes so why do some M.P.s seem to get away with only attending a small proportion of their expected duties?
And, still get paid.
(I am not singling out Mr brown but his previous attendance record was poor).

Government.
(From the Greek Κυβερνήτης kubernites - steersman, governor, pilot, or rudder)
Is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory.
There are several definitions on what exactly constitutes a government. In its broadest sense, "govern" means the power to administrate, whether over an area of land, a set group of people, or an association.

Ministers are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, usually from among the Members of Parliament belonging to the political party commanding the majority of seats in the House.
Together with the Prime Minister, they form the Cabinet.
Each Minister will usually head a ministry and he will be accountable to Parliament for the policies and programmes of that ministry. ...

Not accountable to the public, but to parliament.
Perhaps that’s where we are going wrong?

I wonder how a representative would feel if a member of the public was watching their every move, shadowing them, and providing feedback to the electors, not spin, just plain feedback.

We could start at community level with councillors and local M.P.s.

With electronic technology there is surely more avenues for the ordinary person in the street to air views about their immediate community,
Offer suggestions and point out areas of growing concern.

I remember some politician saying, “prevention is better, and cheaper than cure.”
For that to be true then problems surely have to be highlighted and nipped in the bud not left to fester unattended until they become big enough to warrant attention.
After all it is the person stood at the bus stop, who notices the disabled person failing to negotiate the pavement.
Residents being harassed into thinking green, notice the streetlights which never seem to turn off, they know which dark, dangerous walkways would benefit from being lit.
Which off licensees are supplying the groups of underage drinkers.
Which parking spaces are being abused, often by non residents.
How far do you go?
We all know of someone working on the side, selling smuggled or knocked off goods, or selling drugs.
We are aware of the minority who create havoc.

But the majority feeling they have no real power to influence, simply carry on and live their lives the best they can.
Making the best hand out of the cards dealt to them.
Possibly hoping for better times, which rarely materialise.

There used to be a phrase,
Civic pride; pride in your surrounding area.
Not used very often nowadays.

As more and more communities are swallowed up by the encroachment of larger neighbourhoods peoples’ sense of civic pride disappears as the problems of the neighbourhood grow with such amalgamations.

The recent threat of closure of many Post Offices has hit the news.
Smaller offices are simply not viable,
Does that mean the larger offices in towns and cities are making profit?
Then these profits should be ploughed in to support the smaller agents, surely.

Many smaller communities have seen their amenities eroded, transport links subjected to cuts; small businesses disappear, jobs become scarce, the area becomes another target for property speculators, green belt land becoming nothing more than parking areas and eventually the heart of the community is torn out.

Lets go back centuries, the businessmen started an industry and showed faith in its future by providing housing and amenities for the workforce.

The Irish have taken advantage of grants and seen their land divided up into plots, individuals building their homes on a predetermined size of plot.
I only hope our countryside will not suffer a similar fate.

I of course mention countryside, yet the politicians live in the metropolis.

“The capitol, the largest, or the most important city of a country. “
I think many of them forget there is life struggling outside the city limits.

CBI's press conference results were extremely interesting.
In short, demand and output continue to contract, especially for export; there is little sign of improvement in coming months; job cuts are accelerating sharply; and investment cuts are spreading to innovation and training.
'Manufacturers are really under the cosh, with many cutting prices sharply in order to keep customers.
So far, exporters have been worst hit, but the knock-on effect of job cuts will slow consumer spending and weaken the less downbeat domestic market.'

'Well, they can no longer blame the unions!'

The Government should decide whether it wanted a manufacturing sector or not, because 'in the short term industry is bleeding to death'.

Does our future lie in services?
According to some it does.

News from the British Chambers of Commerce that the damage was spreading to this sector as export sales plummeted in the last quarter and domestic service activity slid, as did investment.

The above is brought to you by,
“Have I got old news for you,”
it is five years old, yet seems to be relevant today.

Someone once said, you learn by the mistakes of others, so take notice of the mistakes of others because you will not have enough time to make them all yourself.
Perhaps that is Gordon’s plan.
He’s been around long enough, been involved with the financial side of the country and therefore should have sufficient knowledge to make plans for the future.
I hope so.

Even though he is the “superman” living in the metropolis his policies and decisions will have knock on effects upon every household in the land as they did when he was chancellor.Lets hope he makes the right ones not just for London but for the rest of the country.