If the government wants to sell the Crown Jewels

 

Why don't they get on with it ?

And keep their greedy hands off our woods and forests

See this site for what's happening:

Save the Lake District's Forests

So will you vote for Tim Farron if he doesn't oppose this proposal.

I won't - beware Tim - dissolve the Coalition if this kind of thing is going on.

This proposal is sheer madness:

1. It is to sell assets that we should be bringing in a steady income. Once sold - no income. This is very much a short term solution.

2. In private hands the aim will, and has to, be to generating money. Thus needs that not not do this are bound to be marginalised wherever possible - it will be a continuous battle to prevent the loss of facilities. Furthermore our forests generate income indirectly for the wider tourist industry; unless the private ownership benefits from tourism it has no incentive to make our open spaces accessible. The private ownership would therefore have to make money out of the forest  itself (say wood) and tourism say hotels outdoor pursuits etc to have this incentive.


Surely the best course of action is to run the forests more effectively by, for instance, improving attractive access and promoting tourism.

Why is everything so quiet here?

I'm immersed with preparations to take over the running of Flag Fortnight.

In order to take over all the assets - flags poles etc - from the group that want to pass it on, I need to form a group of people who are answerable to a constitution.

I have now a commitment from a small group that are going to take full reponsibility for the Flag Festival and am working on the final details of a suitable constitutuion.

We shall be ready for the handover by formal agreement on Thursday 20th January.

Then will follow the handover of the flags and all related equipment.

At this moment we are active in making contact with a large number of people who want to support this project, one that I have been enthusiastic about and have already worked on for several years.

We are in touch with John Fox and Sue Gill who initiated this festival when they led Welfare State some twenty years ago.

This Sunday we are having our first Flag making workshop led by the people who were involved with flag making in the very beginning.


We are all very optimistic of doing a good job and welcome anyone who would like to get involved or support us in anyway.


Messages of goodwill made here will be passed on to those who stand up and 'do' but who avoid computers like a plague !

Enjoyment

A lovely quote from the obsessive Jonny Wilkinson as he learns not to hammer himself for failure on the Rugby field:

" I appreciate now that performance stems from enjoyment"

"Looking back at the end of the day : "Have I enjoyed myself, and in doing so , have I helped others to enjoy themselves?" "

I too find this a good question to continue to ask myself:

Am I enjoying this?

If not  - stop.

Find another activity - no matter how hard - that you enjoy.

I'm off to see the wizard

The wonderful wizard of  . . . .

Kendal.

Where they say the power lies. (Could lies be the right word?)

I thought I'd just 'drop in' on some notables!

Later at 16:30 on returning.

This was the right thing to do and I got the impression I got my message across.

Yhis can be a very effective way of communicating , I believe.

Why am I feeling so positive these days?

For several weeks now I've been ignoring our politicians.

For the most part, I regard them as 90 % useless. More than this some of them are even harmful to what most agree are things that are needed in the town. They actually stop good initiatives taking place. Something I have said before and caused some people offence.

However for me, blotting them out from my thinking has meant that I am more relaxed and able to work hard on things that achieve results.

So much of my contact with our local politicians has led to frustration because I have been expecting them to act in a way they find is beyond them.

I have not tried to explain why here, as this only reminds me of issues that frustrate me. It has been bliss to forget about them completely.

I have come to identify more and more with the view of Carl Fine of South Ulverston who refuses to go to any meeting where a politician is in the fore because what has happened in similar meeting makes him so angry.

I am getting close to being able to talk about these issues in a way that you can understand. When I do you may then agree that they have serious shortcomings.

In a sense it is wrong to criticise them - they are presumably those that are believed to be the  best of the people that are on offer.

I believe it is the system that is at fault in that the wrong kind of people are attracted to run for office so that the choice is very limited.

Sadly I have to go to Tim Farron MP before I find a politician that I really respect and he sadly isn't one of those that represents me in any way.

If I want to find people that I do respect then they are in roles outside politics. They are people with character who struggle against the odds and are very positive and take risks that benefit us all - often indirectly. I have featured many of them here on my blog. They are people who really lift our spirits and who gain our respect.

Increasingly we are entering into times when many people will feel that the standard of politician must be raised because they are aware that things are going on that hurt us all. Things that could be handled a lot better.

I only hope that people are waking up to the opportunity to get involved with doing things differently. Doing things with an absence of involvement of most of our present politicians.

Maybe life has always been this way. . . .

Hit them where they are sensitive

JAK points out :

"Radio Cumbria spoke to the county council rep for Highways re potholes and he stated that they were so proud of coming 3rd in the country for response and action on the Cyclist's Touring Club's (CTC) site."

Cyclists are obviously far more vulnerable than car drivers.

Being third, ( now forth ) is an impressive feat with 97% of the 355 reported holes being fixed. You have to come down to Lancashire with its 450 holes fixed to find other authorities with more holes fixed.

The county will be anxious to maintain any record that makes them look good. They also have a new guy in charge of this area who will want to correct the poor impression left by his predecessor, the arrogant Nick Raymond.

So which site is the one that generates these reports?

It's Fill That Hole run by the CTC.

This is the site to use and Fix my street coming a close second - the latter covers far more features - Fix that hole is specific to holes.

Well done Cumbria County - keep up the good work - especially in Ulverston where you have your most enthusiastic supporters.

We'll be keeping an eye on that league table - sad that Cheshire have knocked you down to fourth.

Time to climb back and regain third - second and first a virtually unattainable at present !

Note I've videoed the stretch along Victoria Road - will have to find the time to edit it.

Pot Holes - Now's the time to use this site

It's brilliant and has been recommended more than once on this blog.

Fix My Street

If you have street damage due to the snow and frost get cracking and report it using this site.

Others have found it is effective in getting as rapid response as any other known method.

Be prepared to give your name and details though these won't be published.

It's best to be armed with a photo to support your report and if you can give a reason as to why it should be fixed early so much the better.

I've just done the ones in Stanley St - I'll let you know how I get on.

Snow Heroes live here as well

Look at this pavement and the cleared street - before the thaw.

Everyone seems to have got involved - must feel great living here.

I can't believe any of the 'army of social security scroungers' live here. If they are out of work they are using their abilities effectively.

How's this for an idea :

In order to qualify for social you had to produce a photo of a cleared drive and a stretch of pavement.

Just how much effort does this really require?

Ten minutes with a brush if you get out there before anyone else treads on it.

Thirty minutes if you only have one leg, one arm that works and do it on your back with a toothbrush.

Anyone else with photos to brag about?

Thanks God that's over

Now life can return to 'normal'.

Christmas and New Year are for me a time to get through rather than enjoy.

There's nothing on television of interest other than repeats along the same theme.

All my friends are off doing stuff and out of circulation.

I repeated get hailed with what I find to be stupid statements to which I'm supposed to give a reply:

"Happy Christmas ! " - what does this actually mean? Is it a command or has someone got a magic wand.

Does it not stem from an unreal expectation that life at this time has a different set of rules.

"Did you have a good Christmas?"

Is my answer "yes" - because I more or less succeeded to ignore the event? - It did give me time to do other things like begin to tidy up and prepare new projects; like enjoy a quieter world with shops closed and few people on the roads and public places. The weather provided an opportunity for much more meaningful activity. Thank you, weather, for giving us some problems to work together on - a kick in the teeth to challenge our humdrum way of thinking and now some problems that will tax our 'system' to the extreme. - Some people may even start to feel that they need to effect a change and do some serious rethinking.

Or was it "No" - because it made little difference to me  and I'm glad this farce is all over?

I can honestly now look forward to 'life back to normal' which is something I love and can look forward to rather this visit I've had inflicted on me from another world that most of my sane friends seem to get dragged into rather unwillingly.

Now all we've got to get through is perhaps a week of this New Year lark and bliss - 'normality'.

Attitudes to work

I've had an interesting comment from someone on the Absolutely lethal posting, who chooses to be anonymous but I believe is quite a regular here and operates very close to or possibly is Phil Lister (Phil can deny it if he wishes): (my comments )

"Your blog is getting to be ever more extreme and right wing.
 (I do hate people who try to put people in pigeon holes what is 'right wing')

Compulsory work fare for benefit claimants, or the 'army of social security scroungers' as you prefer for them to be called?
 (presumably the you is not me)

The problem isn't lack of work ethic but lack of available work.

If there is valuable community work to be done, wouldn't it make more sense to employ people at a decent wage to do it, and get them off benefits?

Mind you, this isn't going to happen any time soon this Con/Dem government you're so keen on.
 (who is keen on? Where does this assertion come from?)

Moreover all the evidence from places where work fare has been tried shows it doesn't work.

It doesn't equip claimants with the skills they need to get a job, because they're compelled to do it they're, not surprisingly poorly motivated and it takes time away from them actually hunting for work. "

This comment, I suggest, comes from someone with very inflexible views.

They are certainly held by some people and are worth discussing.

Who's going to kick off while I try to sort out the issues here.

I believe they are fairly complex.