<< Mar 2009 Listening & Speaking, both at the same time ... Saturday, February 28th, 2009 - 5:19 pm
A Keighley town councillor has told me that if I'd been listening I'd have heard a councillor near me saying the Town Council could save money by not providing refreshments before full council meetings. Well, not only was I listening I was speaking too! It was I who said it. Signs of spring Saturday, February 28th, 2009 - 1:14 pm
I love to see signs of spring. Our little patch of snowdrops has been in flower for a week now and I noticed crocuses and primulae in flower at the Town Hall Square yesterday. At last local communities might be able to make real decisions Saturday, February 28th, 2009 - 12:59 pm
In 2007 the Sustainable Communities Act was passed.
Central government may be going to relinquish some of the power that has been centralised more and more over the years. The act also gives the chance for parish councils to take more responsibilty for the communities they represent, instead of the major decisions being made by district councils, and in our case a very big metropolitan district council.
Keighley Town Council is a parish council representing 31,000 electors, (54,000 men, women and children) massive by the standards of parish councils, in fact bigger than many district councils. It's great that we might actually be able to take on more of the work and decision making for our own area.
There are one or two catches, however. First Bradford Met that has to agree to the transfer of power and secondly central government isn't being at all clear about what the funding situation will be.
Definitely a step in the right direction though. No one likes to pay more council tax.
Liberal Democrat policy is for a local income tax. Thursday, February 19th, 2009 - 3:49 pm
What would be the best way to deal with council tax?
I hold my hand up. This year I voted for an increase. In fact although Keighley Town Council's increase was a higher percntage than Bradford's it was actually a much lower amount. (Theirs was a lower percentage of a much higher amount, and in fact their council tax increase was nearly 9 times higher than ours.)
Given that local councils try (with varying degrees of success) to provide services for their local communities and that these services have to be paid for then it is necessary to raise money to pay the bills.
Every year councillors face a decision. We have to vote on the amount we are going to demand from the citizens of our areas, including ourselves.
If we vote not to increase council tax, or not to increase it enough to cover inflation, we are not going to be able to carry out services which people want and expect. The recent problems over lack of gritting in Keighley were almost certainly caused by Bradford Council not having put up last year's council tax by enough to cover the costs ~ and they were caught out by the worst weather for many years.
On the other hand voting to put up council tax is something that most councillors don't really like doing at all, especially when families are beginning to be hit by recession.
Liberal Democrat policy is that local council tax should be linked to income. This would mean that council tax would be linked to ability to pay. It has been our policy for many years.
Until local income tax becomes law councillors have the odious reponsibility of voting for block council tax bands, which may not relate to ability to pay. But that is the fault of this country's crass law. New law to prevent forced marriages Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 - 8:33 pm
I was interested to read in the Yorkshire Post last week that a Lancashire woman was able to use a new law to save her from a forced marriage.
The law was brought in as a result of a campaign by Keighley MP Ann Cryer. Well done to Ann for her work to protect women. EU 48 hour week a threat to Retained Fire Service
... and Life Boat Service, Mountain Rescue and Cave Rescue Friday, February 13th, 2009 - 2:16 pm
I've received an email from the Scottish Liberal Democrats campaigning on behalf of retained fire services:
Retained firefighters usually have full-time jobs outside the fire service. As a second job, they spend up to 120 hours per week "on-call" - in their own homes or at their regular workplaces, but there if we need them in emergencies.
An EU law limits working hours to 48 per week - and this includes the time retained firefighters spend on call. If this law is enforced in full, dozens of fire stations will have to offer reduced services.
"For some people, especially in rural areas, those firefighters on call can mean the difference between life and death" - Tavish Scott, Leader Scottish Liberal Democrats
WHAT HAPPENS IF I SIGN?
You'll be supporting the right to keep retained fire fighters.
We can use the petition to put pressure on the Westminster and Holyrood governments to work to protect the future of our firefighters. We're pro-Europeans - but that doesn't mean we shouldn't speak up if British interests are at risk. European law must work for everybody or the European Union won't work at all.
Help us protect our fire service - and prevent unnecessary deaths: www.keeptheoptout.com.
Every signature is another voice, so please sign now.
I used to live in a village in Cumbria with a retained fire service and before that by the sea in Yorkshire where the life boat service was also a matter of life and death. I've signed the petition. Social workers always seem to get the blame Friday, February 13th, 2009 - 2:02 pm
Yesterday's post about social workers was partly about how we like to blame social workers whatever they do. As I said, "We expect them to get it right day after day, year after year."
Maybe my meaning was not entirely clear. I'd like to add, "And most of the time they do get it right." Someone claiming to be our Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Thursday, February 12th, 2009 - 12:14 pm
This morning we got two leaflets from a Zahid Iqbal, claiming to be our parliamentary candidate. No, I don't think you are, Mr Iqbal. Sparrows and rooks Thursday, February 12th, 2009 - 10:38 am
Our sparrows are having a right old chirp today. (They're not exactly ours but some live under our eves.) Yesterday I heard some rooks. Neither of them are the most musical of birds but it's nice to hear them. Hot water bottle fights global warming Thursday, February 12th, 2009 - 10:31 am
It was a very cold night last night but instead of turning up the bedroom radiator I went back to the old fashioned hot water bottle. Bliss! And a kettle full of water must surely have used a lot less energy than heating up a whole room all night. Clear Sky Last Night Thursday, February 12th, 2009 - 10:19 am
Yesterday evening the sky was clear and it was very cold and still. A friend nearly slipped on black ice as we left choir practice. Gerald told me there was a chance to see this satelite that people have been talking about so we went out with the binoculars. We saw something that looked like a star; it was rather orangey and extremely bright. It was in a westerly direction. I couldn't be sure what it was until I saw an astronaut waving at me! Social Workers. Wrong whatever they do? Thursday, February 12th, 2009 - 9:54 am
News Broadcast 11 February 2009
My heart goes out to the couple who lost their three children as a result of a wrongful conviction for child abuse. It turns out their son has a genetic condition which makes him susceptible to broken bones. When they took him to hospital with a fractured leg a train of events began which resulted in the couple being convicted of child abuse and their three children being taken from them.
The truth of the little boy's condition has now been established, but those children have already been adopted.
The couple seemed to accept that for their children's wellbeing they should not now be moved away from their adopted family(ies?) This to me shows real love. The judgement of Solomon was that the mother who was prepared to give up the baby for the child's good was the one who truly loved the child and therefore was the true mother.
I do hope that visiting rights can now be established for the children to get to know their parents and their little sister.
In this case social workers who had a good (though incorrect) reason to suspect abuse decided that for the good of the children they should be removed from their birth parents.
News about this family makes you realise how difficult it must be for social workers. We really do expect them to have the wisdom of Solomon; and to get it right day after day, year after year. Pavement Advertising: Could it Trip you up? Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 - 3:30 pm
I was asked by a blind person to raise the issue of pavement advertising boards. So this was discussed by the Watch (old fashioned word for policing) and Transport Committee of Keighley Town Council.
It was thought that it would be difficult to deal with the boards as the question had already been looked into; the traders had not changed their practice of putting the boards out on pavements. It was decided to ask the Town Centre Association to discuss it.
I have to declare an interest: my husband has a book shop in Keighley. It has always been our policy not to obstruct the pavement.
In any case I can honestly say that I have never been influenced by a board into going into a shop. Spouting about housing Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 - 2:56 pm
There are quite a few sites of local flooding in my ward ~ and probably many more in other wards.
Keighley Constituency is built in the foothills of the Pennines, on layers of pervious and impervious rock. There are more springs and water courses in Keighley than is common for a town; where water seeps through pervious rock and meets up with impervious rock it has to come out as a spring and these springs tumble rapidly down the steep hillsides.
Keighley is built on hills surrounding the valleys of the River Aire and the River Worth; Ilkley's river is the Wharfe.
I have been told by several people that they have to combat local flooding problems on a frequent basis and are at their wit's end. As far as I can tell problems often arise after new building has been allowed, apparently damaging existing land drains or altering water courses.
Keighley had widespread flooding in 2000, particularly affecting the Stock Bridge area, where the Aire and the Worth meet. The wall of one man's house stood where the flood waters from both rivers met; the force threw his cemented garden wall over.
Many people had to be evacuated. A good job has been made of flood defences and so far there have not been major floods since. But there are frequent localised floods.
And now ..... central government is urging the district council to accommodate thousands of new houses. I don't think that makes sense with our topography. Beepers and Spinners Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 - 2:44 pm
Quite a few spinners and beepers aren't working in Keighley. They help pedestrians with sight problems to cross the road safely. When they are in working order beepers beep, giving an audible signal when the green man crossing light is on; spinners spin giving a touch signal. However I've been told there are quite a few broken ones.
At my request Keighley Town Council has asked the Highways Department (Bradford Council) to check them and mend the broken ones.
So far I haven't heard they've been mended.
It's a human rights issue. People with sight disabilities have a right to go to any location that is accessible to anyone else. Snow Joke this Lack of Salt! Sunday, February 8th, 2009 - 6:00 pm
Gerald thinks we should request the Diddy Men to switch from the jam butty mines at Knotty Ash to the salt mines. He thinks there'e some at Seaton Carew. But I don't think they'll like it! Shoesmith: In the Wrong Job? Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 12:03 pm
From guardian.co.uk
Sharon Shoesmith, the children's services chief sacked in the wake of the Baby P tragedy accused the children's secretary, Ed Balls, last night of "breathtaking recklessness" in his handling of the affair, claiming his actions had fuelled a blame culture that had left social workers demoralised and put child safety procedures at risk.
Speaking for the first time since her removal by Balls on live television in December, she claimed political opportunism and press hysteria had created "a local tragedy and a national catastrophe".
I don't agree with that. I think Ed Balls was right to sack her.
In her defence Sharon Shoesmith was not a qualified social worker. Her background was in teaching and in Schools' Inspection and yet she was given a job in charge of the social care team because Haringey had combined education and social services under the heading Combined Children's Services. What could the local council have been thinking of to appoint someone without qualifications or experience to such a sensitive post? And was she overconfident to take it? Surely she could not have believed that she had enough experience.
Woman's Hour Interview by Jenni Murray
In her interview with Jenni Murray on Woman's Hour, 7th February 2009, Sharon Shoesmith said there had been a media witch hunt against her. I would agree that the instances of press behaviour she gave were out of order.
However Jenni Murray brought her back to the subject of the death of Baby P and asked, "How much responsibility do you take for this child?"
The answer was somewhat equivocal. Ms Shoesmith said, "Of course, I have been distressed," but then followed up by suggesting she was no more responsible than a police chief would be if a teenager were killed in his area through a knife crime.
Again Jenni Murray brought her back to the subject saying, "What we're discussing is a child being constantly observed and on a Child Protection Register, but not being protected." Murders of Russian Journalists Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 11:52 am
What is going on in Russia?
Several Russian journalists have been murdered recently. Are they returning to the nightmare days of Stalinism? Or is it a Mafia type progrom?
I've heard these murders may not even be followed up.
The Russian government should get its house in order! Buses, Trains and Gritters Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 11:49 am
At the end of another "snow event" week I can report that all Keighley's trains and most of our buses ran. Congratulations to all concerned, not forgetting the gritting teams. And credit where it's due, to Bradford Council as well. They got it right this time. Sign of spring Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 10:52 am
In spite of the snow I saw a pair of doves atop a lampost this morning. Are they a week early? I think birds are traditionally thought to pair up on Valentine's Day. Not sure. Education Bonus Instead! Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 10:11 am
An extra £2bn in education spending on Britain's most disadvantaged four-to six-year-olds will be a key Liberal Democrat demand in the event of a hung parliament, rather than their traditional call for electoral reform, Nick Clegg says.
Clegg said: "We have, even after 12 years of Labour, one of the most socially segregated systems of education in the world, where the circumstances of your birth determine everything from your educational attainment to the length of your life. From the moment I was elected leader I have made the whole issue of social mobility an organising principle for us. You cannot overcome inter-generational, class-based deprivation unless you start young; you give them one-to-one tuition and you dramatically reduce the class sizes."
And I say Amen to that. Bonuses for Bankers Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 9:17 am
Should we pay bonuses to bankers?
Well, let's think about this carefully .....
The bankers have made such a mess of it that they've had to be bailed out by the government.
The government gets its pennies from us.
So you and I own a majority share in the banks.
So it's up to us.
Or is it?
Here's a way of rewarding the bankers:
Sack them.
Offer them new contracts.
The new contracts should not include any bonus nonsense.
Give them a probationary period of a year.
Review their progress after a year.
If they are up to standard let them keep their jobs.
But who will do that? Oh, yes, the FSA. To quote Dad's Army:
Don't panic!
We're doomed!
I apologise if in the opinion of any reader I've muddled up any Bs and Ws. Interest Rates Down - Again! Thursday, February 5th, 2009 - 4:49 pm
Interest rates going down yet again can't be filling everyone with joy. There must be others like myself who feel panicky every time it happens. Last time I got a projection of my likely income from the small pension fund that I've been paying into for years it was laughably tiny. Maybe it would keep a goldfish alive, but not me as well.
At this rate (pardon the pun) I'll be paying the pension company instead of the other way round; er, more of the same then?
Anyway, guess I'd better go and get a goldfish before the price goes up too much, what with it being gold. Total Honesty? Thursday, February 5th, 2009 - 9:21 am
Well, the Total dispute seems to be drawing to a close with a promise to employ 50% British workers. This implies that the company did not in fact do so to start with ~ but they had claimed they gave Brits an equal chance of employment. It seems to me that this was not the case. Surely discriminating against Brits is just as illegal as discriminating against any other EU workers under EU law.
In any case it seems to me that the EU law was to cover the situation where individuals needed work and there were jobs available in other EU countries. It doesn't seem to me to be in the spirit of the law for companies to get contracts and then ship in workers from another country en masse to do the work.
I saw an interview with a Portuguese employee of Total on TV last night who was returning to Portugal. When asked if his pay had been the same as a British worker would have got he said it was not, it was lower. I'm not certain if he meant it was below the UK statutory wage. If so why isn't the company being prosecuted? (No doubt they will claim their palatial accomodation made up the difference.) Keighley Ukrainians and Medals Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 - 9:48 pm
This evening several of the town councillors and the mayor, Amjad Zaman, went to an event at the Ukrainian Club, a buffet given by Nick Lajsczczuk by way of celebrating having received the Ukrainian President's Medal of Honour. It's the equivalent of an MBE.
Charlie Bhowmick, a great friend of all Keighleyans, was there as a guest too, wearing his MBE medal.
After speeches and buffet we were invited to watch a film made by one of the Keighley Ukrainians about Holodomor. It included the receiving of the Holodomor Torch at Keighley Town Hall by Amjad, the remembrance ceremonies at Westminster and finally film of Nick and a councillor from Rochdale receiving their medals from the Ukrainian ambassador.
Whilst watching the video I spotted Leonard Muggeridge in the congregation at the laying of a wreath in honour of the Holodomor victims. This was at the Tomb of the Innocent Dead outside Westminster Abbey after evensong. It reminded me what had happened when we had got to the Abbey.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 people walked in procession from the Westminster Central Methodist Hall to Westminster Abbey. I was with Leoanard Muggeridge, Charlie and Mary towards the back of the procession. When we got into the abbey the seats were all taken. Mr Muggeridge is quite elderly and it was extremely cold. I went up to a line of vergers or guides and told them he was Leonard Muggeridge, son of Malcolm Muggeridge, and was a special guest at the occasion. He was meant to have a seat in the choir stalls; could they help?
After some hesitation one of the guides took him up to the choir stalls and found him a seat, thank goodness. Mary and Charlie and I had to stand for the whole of the service. It was a beautiful evensong, but they'd chosen a particularly long setting and it must have been, er what is it? psalm 118, I think, because it seemed almost everlasting. Bet they haven't had standing room only at Westminster Abbey for a very long time! Sparrows chirping Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 - 4:09 pm
Can hear sparrows chirping outside. No, haven't got "Birdsong" on the radio. This is the real thing. Blue Badge Sites in Keighley Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 - 3:33 pm
Recently I researched for the Town Council a list of parking spaces for disabled people in Keighley.
During 2008 Ukrainians commemorated the 75th anniversary of Holodomor, "Death by Deliberate Starvation".
In 1932 to 1933 Stalin had deliberately ordered the removal of food crops from the Ukraine. It was his way of forcing Ukrainian farmers to comply with the collectivisation of farms in the Soviet Union. Ukrainians defied his rule and he ordered Russian troops to seize their harvest. Those who resisted or hid food in their homes were shot or exiled to Siberia.
The result was a deliberately imposed famine of massive proportions. There are no exact figures but it is believed that seven million people, including millions of children, died or rather were murdered.
The dictator Stalin tried to suppress any bad publicity and only two Western journalists dared to go and see what was happening and report on it. They were Malcolm Muggeridge and Gareth Jones. As a result Muggeridge lost his job and Jones lost his life.
In September 2008 Keighley Town Council became the first local council at any level in the UK to recognise Holodomor as genocide. We were followed by Liberal Democrat Rochdale District Council.
In November 2008 there was a big commemoration event in Westminster, including eye witness testimony and posthumous awards for Malcolm Muggeridge and Gareth Jones.
Because of Keighley Town Council's leading role in recognising Holodomor Keighley's mayor, Amjad Zaman, along with a past mayor, two long time supporters of Keighley's Ukrainian community and I were guests at the event and were treated as VIPs.
Nick Lajsczczuk of Keighley has now received an award from the Ukrainian ambassador in recognition of the work he has done to raise awareness of this crime against the people of the Ukraine. Why has the Glenrothes Marked Register been lost? Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 - 2:28 pm
Lib Dem blogger Mike Smithson is asking what has happened to the marked register of voters in the 2008 Glenrothes By-election. This register shows who voted, not how they voted. It does not necessarily mean the result isn't valid.
The by-election was won by Labour by a big majority after having been widely predicted as a Scottish National Party win. Glenrothes borders PM Gordon Brown's constituency and losing the seat would have been a huge humiliation.
Cock-up or conspiracy?
Probably cock-up, but then I have heard of some Labour wins in local elections around here with heavy postal voting that have alledgedly not been squeaky clean. Gold Leaf Thief Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 - 11:37 am
Quietly, I crept into the room.
Father's special cupboard was in the corner,
Packed with Father's special treasures.
We children never touched it.
I was nine years old and filled with curiosity.
I'd glimpsed some of the contents
When he'd opened the door ~
Lettering pens, parchment, enamels,
Heraldry notebooks filled with scores
Of shielded sketches in primary colours
Collected over the years;
A hand grenade ~
We never knew whether it might actually go off!
And, most precious of all,
The real gold leaf.
Father always told us
No-one should touch it, "Or else!"
Or else what?
I wanted to see the beautiful sheets of pure gold:
And for me, seeing meant touching.
I picked up one sheet by the corner.
It instantly crumbled to dust!
I looked in horrified disbelief
At my gilty fingers,
The empty finger and thumb
Which had held the delicate film of gold.
Now I knew why I must not touch.
I stood still,
Not daring to move,
Wondering what Daddy would say
If he discovered me.
Footsteps on the stairs:
Father came into the room.
He saw my dumb-struck face
And my fingers
Clad in gold dust.
A burst of laughter greeted me:
"I'd better show you how to use
Gold leaf," he said,
And demonstrated the skill
Of painting size on to the parchment,
Applying the gold by carefully sliding
A flat blade under its tissue backing,
Turning over the knife
And transferring the gold on to wet size.
And there was my name royally emblazoned.
Then he added flourishes of flowers and leaves,
Just like the parchment he'd made for the queen.
Now I knew what Father meant by:
"No-one should touch it."
He meant just that;
NO-ONE, not even he, could touch it ~
OR ELSE! Margaret of Scotland Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 - 11:18 am
Heard an item on Radio 4 this morning about Margaret of Scotland's Gospel Book. Apparently someone has found the actual volume. Margaret's husband, King Malcolm of Scotland, couldn't read but he used to sneak off with her books and bring them back covered with gold and jewels. Nice!
The woman talking about it said there were two ways of applying gold to a text in calligraphy. One was to powder the gold and mix it with some kind of paste and then paint it on. The other was to apply thin sheets of gold leaf. This took me back to my childhood when my father used to do fantastic lettering. He was asked to letter an address to the queen for her coronation and it was absolutely beautiful, with wonderful lettering and illuminated with painted decoration and gold leaf. I wonder where it is now.
One day I had a look in the cupboard where he kept his gold leaf. My father had told me never to touch it; it seemed quite magical stuff. I wanted to see it, and of course, because I was a child seeing also meant touching. The gold leaf instantly disintegrated into dust and clung to my fingers! Father walked into the room just then. He was so surprised that he burst out laughing. I didn't need any punishment. I never did it again.
I've written a poem about that, next post ..... Neighbours clearing snow Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 - 11:15 am
Two of our neighbours, a father and son, are clearing the snow from the side road and spreading salt from the grit bin. It's really good to have neighbours like that. Blue Badge Parking in Keighley Monday, February 2nd, 2009 - 2:11 pm
As a member of Keighley Town Council Watch & Transport Committee I suggested improving parking conditions for disabled people in the town. I've been having a look at blue badge parking spaces (parking for disabled drivers or passengers).
I suggested that it would be a good idea for Keighley Town Council to have a link to an item letting people know whereabouts in the town blue badge spaces are.
Having done some research and given a copy to the Assistant Town Clerk she has now put a list on the Town Council's website. I hope this will make it easier for people who need them to check up before they set out to town.
Whilst doing my survey I found several instances of non-blue badge vehicles parked in blue badge spaces. I think this is profoundly selfish!
I hope that misuse of spaces for disabled people will soon be seen as socially unacceptable. I've even heard of people misusing places when they park at the Leisure Centre to use the gym. February Snow Monday, February 2nd, 2009 - 1:28 pm
Lovely snowy weather again today. Ha! They've got some down South too!
Keighley had snow at the beginning of December and it wasn't cleared by Bradford Council: we just had to cope all week here. Bradford didn't get any snowfall to speak of until the Thursday, so the council didn't seem to notice what was happening here. The pavement to town from Thwaites Brow was covered in compacted snow because hundreds of folk had walked to town. When I got to work at Bradford there was hardly any snow to be seen. Yet BradMet claimed the ploughs and gritters were too busy to get out to Keighley. No wonder Keighley folk want home rule!
I saw a gritter up here last night and the buses are running so far today.
20 to 30 cm (12" - or one foot in old money) forecast to fall in North East England by the end of the day, possibly blizzarding. It's not very windy here at present. There are kids outside playing in the snow. Good for them!
Snow this month doesn't surprise me. My sister Julie's birthday is in February. It snowed the day she was born and it has snowed on many of her birthdays since. Date to watch: 26 February; I'm not taking bets, but ...
In today's news: Nurse Petrie suspended by North Somerset Primary Care Trust for offering to pray for a patient. I've emailed NSPCT promising to pray for them to make the right decision. Hope they appreciate that.
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