let's fix Britain!

From today's Echo.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/display.var.1758017.0.heritage_praise_for_our_resort.php

I have looked at the relevant documents on helm.org.uk and there are several questions which arise. Why, for instance, are we classified as a "set piece" resort? (see section 2.1 in the longer pdf file) What do they mean by this? Fishing and other local industry is not taken into account. What do they think happens over the winter?

The documents are based on "vignettes" and "case studies"of various locations, one of which is Weymouth. It appears that for each place a congratulatory tone is adopted and criticism is never applied. It was not clear how the information for each location was gained. Was it simply provided by the Council to English Heritage who, in turn, congratulates each place unquestioningly on the information given? In this case we would have one emanation of the State, English Heritage, backslapping another emanation of the State, the Council. We need clarification on this matter ie did English Heritage send "assessors" or did they gain their information in another way? One has to be aware also that English Heritage has been in partnership with Councils over projects mentioned in the reports so in no way can information from this source be considered unbiased.

I do not disagree that there have been some great improvements in Weymouth. There are, however, also significant problems and issues for this town which are not alluded to in our pretty little vignette.

Poole is, as it's own advertising suggests, a beautiful place. It also has a beautiful quayside with the option of taking boat trips to various lovely locations which indeed I did today. Of course, the spanner in the works is parking in Poole. It is not a problem of not enough spaces but instead the rapacious manner in which parking charges are levied. If you go on a fairly short boat trip you are likely to pay five pounds to park ON A SUNDAY! I do not know whether they are in some sort of competition with Bournemouth as to the exploitation of their populace, not to mention the negative impact on town centre businesses. As trade moves away to places like Castle Point I can only feel pity for town centre businesses who are treated by councils as if everything will be alright when patently it is not. However, if any competion over parking charges is to be held, then the runaway winner must surely be Weymouth where charges apply in the town centre even at 3am in January! Their failure to liase effectively with the RSPB at Radipole and the Fleet nature reserve demonstrates an environmental hypocracy. Pull over to look at the wildlife by all means - but don't forget to pay your 2 hours parking extortion.
For my readers who come from out of this area please remember that Dorset is beautiful and is a must to visit. But please, especially in Weymouth, budget in the cost of parking. I say this with shame in my heart as I love this place and hate to say things negative about it.

Unfortunately, parking policy has been a subject of much debate in the local press over some years but all that ever seems to happen is more increases. The effects are becoming clear. In the East of the county residents are spending more time at weekends at Garden Centres or out of town shopping centres like Castle Point. In Weymouth, if you have reasonable access to Dorchester, where charges are tolerable, then you go there instead. And on top of all this we have the rise of internet shopping. So, just as town centres need the public to be there they are discouraged from going there. I can only expect that the Councils will continue to be "behind the curve" and at some time in the future they will have to react too late to the fact that peoplle do not want to go there anymore. Already we have many charity shops (great for charity, but what does it say about the health and viability of conventional businesses in the area?), a plethora of mobile phone shops (when it is cheaper and easier to get them on the 'net), a range of banks and building societies at a point in our history when more and more banking is done online, in such a way as you never need to visit a branch. What does that leave? What we need is a set of policies to suck in a variety of businesses to town centres to prevent their future demise, and I am afraid charging them the earth in order to look at mobile phone shops and walk past banks they don't need anymore is not the answer.

"NEW rules which restrict movements of pigeons in the wake of the bird flu outbreak could spell the death of cross-Channel racing, an expert fancier claimed today."
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/local/display.var.1395865.0.0.php

More political madness! How exactly do they plan to quarantine the thousands of migrating geese? Not to mention warblers, swifts, martins and swallows, Bewick and Whooper swans, to name just a few. Pigeon racing is a tiny proportion of bird movement in relation to what happens naturally.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2519036.ece

In this article there are references to blog activity that suggest that as the father is a cardiologist he should have known better than to leave his daughter in a bedroom where she could be abducted. What ignorant class hatered this betrays. Do we all have to behave ALL THE TIME as if our children are about to be imminently abducted? How unsympathetic can people be? Let us hope that the girl is found soon and that the Portuguese authorities learn important lessons for the future.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/local/display.var.1384417.0.0.php

Littlemoor enters competition for best village.

I support Malcolm and his team. I support anybody who tries to support improvement to their community. Readers must look at the aims of this contest which are in the last two lines of the artice -
"He added that the aim of the best village category was to highlight efforts in improving the community by a number of methods.

These include conservation, enhancing the environment, stimulating village life and caring for all inhabitants."

i.e. It is not for the best village but for the most improved. I do, however, consider that Littlemoor is a village, in the generally accepted sense of the term, only by a considerable stretch of the imagination. It has also appeared to me to be occasionally threatening and unsafe. But these are factors that need to be, and can be, sorted out. Best of luck. If you can fix Littlemoor it is one more step on the way to fixing Britain.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/local/display.var.1383629.0.0.php

This looks like another "social engineering" project from Red Central Quote: "It's a brilliant idea. Down here we are by and large Anglo Saxon Christians and students don't get exposure to different ways of life and thinking about what's important." I thought that was because we are primarily an Anglo Saxon country. And the last time I looked the established religion was the Church of England (although many people do not consider themselves Christian). And what is meant by "thinking what's important?"
Quote "They need to be prepared, with the influx of people from all parts of the world because of the Olympics. It's going to raise all sorts of issues." Is this suggesting that if we don't let kids communicate or exchange with these other schools then there are going to be unspecified problems with the acceptance of people from different backgrounds at the Olympics? What are "the issues"?

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/local/display.var.1384417.0.0.php

Littlemoor enters competition for best village.

I support Malcolm and his team. I support anybody who tries to support improvement to their community. Readers must look at the aims of this contest which are in the last two lines of the artice -
"He added that the aim of the best village category was to highlight efforts in improving the community by a number of methods.

These include conservation, enhancing the environment, stimulating village life and caring for all inhabitants."

i.e. It is not for the best village but for the most improved. I do, however, consider that Littlemoor is a village, in the generally accepted sense of the term, only by a considerable stretch of the imagination. It has also appeared to me to be occasionally threatening and unsafe. But these are factors that need to be, and can be, sorted out. Best of luck. If you can fix Littlemoor it is one more step on the way to fixing Britain.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/local/display.var.1384362.0.ministers_use_loaves_to_save_british_bread.php

The general will of the British people is to retain Imperial measures. And that should be an end to it. Nonsense such as this coming from the EU should be regarded with suspicion and treated with ridicule. It appears more like something from Comecon than anything else. All it does is fuel anti-EU sentiment, already at high levels. The much cited argument that it would be easier for business is a fallacy. A calculator will work things out in an instant.

From The Echo.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/display.var.1384462.0.dorset_crime_on_the_decline.php

Statistics claim crime in Dorset is down.
Firstly, don't blame the police for crime - it is the criminal justice system which lets criminals off, or out of prison, to reoffend. Secondly, I am highly sceptical of the figures as it just does not seem to reflect what I see and hear. Just look at the pages of The Echo. Even if crime is down, it is not down enough for us to make any celebration out of it - there are still far too many victims. Quote from The Echo : "The end-of year results are being promoted in a publicity campaign funded by some of the cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act." In other words paid for out of Council Tax! Instead of obtaining money that can be offset against next year's tax they are squandering it!

dorsetpoliticalcomment.blog.co.uk

From The Echo.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/display.var.1384462.0.dorset_crime_on_the_decline.php

Statistics claim crime in Dorset is down.
Firstly, don't blame the police for crime - it is the criminal justice system which lets criminals off, or out of prison, to reoffend. Secondly, I am highly sceptical of the figures as it just does not seem to reflect what I see and hear. Just look at the pages of The Echo. Even if crime is down, it is not down enough for us to make any celebration out of it - there are still far too many victims. Quote from The Echo : "The end-of year results are being promoted in a publicity campaign funded by some of the cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act." In other words paid for out of Council Tax! Instead of obtaining money that can be offset against next year's tax they are squandering it!

dorsetpoliticalcomment.blog.co.uk