tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179340232024-03-18T02:59:40.872+00:00Liberal BureaucracyThe musings of a liberal and an internationalist, living in Suffolk's county town. There may be references to parish councils, bureaucracy and travel, amongst other things. And yes, I'm a Liberal Democrat.Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.comBlogger3475125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-1773484151339512982024-03-17T11:56:00.000+00:002024-03-17T11:56:06.864+00:00The Conference speech I didn’t get to make<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNU5wVoLk-ehSOorgRCTzJQqU2k97WQgDIvZW8FrGOKs157mvhNZoEmQcsUH4NXjq4BYJDC026p9MjJjYrpMMs8dPevUWBu24MRm1Obf0eU1GrPMQXhv5akkfZVS5LWrIoFGZ7a9ENrvnXNsUSpPgEKR_It4gzJLH12H2KqmEfubY9I63FSr74Gg/s265/Liberal%20Democrat%20logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="265" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNU5wVoLk-ehSOorgRCTzJQqU2k97WQgDIvZW8FrGOKs157mvhNZoEmQcsUH4NXjq4BYJDC026p9MjJjYrpMMs8dPevUWBu24MRm1Obf0eU1GrPMQXhv5akkfZVS5LWrIoFGZ7a9ENrvnXNsUSpPgEKR_It4gzJLH12H2KqmEfubY9I63FSr74Gg/s1600/Liberal%20Democrat%20logo.jpeg" width="265" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br />In all honesty, the prospects for being called to speak in a forty minute debate on the crisis in local government finance were always pretty slim, especially in a Party whose strength in local government is very much on the up. But, given that I’d prepared a short intervention, and that nobody really touched upon the aspect I was going to, here it is…</i></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Good morning, Conference, from one of the more unlikely Cinderellas you’ll ever encounter. I’m here to remind my fellow Liberal Democrats of the bit of local government overlooked by the motion in front of you today.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For those of you whose knowledge of parish councils is perhaps limited to Jackie Weaver and the Vicar of Dibley, there are nearly 10,000 town and parish councils across England, ranging in size from Salisbury City Council (which will spend approximately £7.5 million in this fiscal year) to my own Creeting St Peter, with its rather more modest budget. They are led and run by 100,000 mostly unpaid volunteer councillors, spending more than £1 billion per annum.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And the anaconda-like squeeze on local government finance impacts on us too.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The amount we spend is growing fast, as our sector attempts to absorb some of the non-statutory services that hard pressed principal authorities are having to divest or abandon. We aren’t capped in terms of precept rises, which offers obvious opportunities and challenges. But because we are often hyper-local, deeply embedded in our communities, raising funds through precept rises is uncomfortable.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To take on those services that principal authorities cannot fund, and that our residents value, we’re having to gain new skills, professionalise as councillors, access new funding sources. As an example, parish and town councils are now able to apply for funding through the Community Ownership Fund, following a lobbying campaign led by Baroness Ros Scott in her capacity as Honorary President of the National Association of Local Councils.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We perform our role with little help - unlike the LGA, the National Association of Local Councils gets no financial support from central government - and often have a sense that principal authorities aren’t very keen on us.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, Conference, when you vote overwhelmingly in support of this motion, as I dearly hope you will, please don’t forget about us.</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-41178952301284269662024-03-13T10:03:00.001+00:002024-03-13T10:03:00.128+00:00Ipswich's Jewish community<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Having touched upon the subject of the Jewish community in Ipswich yesterday, and given that I've been studying the history of Ipswich at the Ipswich Institute for the past ten weeks or so, I thought that I ought to find out a bit more about the history of Judaism in the town, given the prominence of Ipswich as a trading hub in medieval times.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And sure enough, Ipswich has had a Jewish community at various points in the past, dating back to at least the twelfth century, during the reign of Henry II (1154-1189). But the initial community didn't last - there was a pogrom in Bury St Edmunds in 1190, with the survivors expelled - and was gone by 1290 as part of Edward I's expulsion of the entire Jewish population of England.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was not until 1730 that a Jewish congregation was again to be found in Ipswich, and they met in a room in St Clement's until they were able to gather the funds to build a synagogue in Rope Walk, which opened for use in 1795. There must have been a decent-sized population, or at least the expectation of one, because it was designed to seat "no more than a hundred persons". There was a cemetery too, a little distance away off Fore Street, which is still there.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxisbit_TMVfhD1W0G7xOZb2JtNr45qUaaY9nk8Gg4_xoZJHjMf5sOliDtCtxFhLwrUSu7xz2E4YvRlZkYq4e78lhtRrGkeLOjXSOnmvuvzqt_HwMWFjs-R3xAHvvz2kGGZx_NuYf1uSSkfl81oOnYYNollJoYJgr9qcg2IR50xpuKkAdBnr21Pg/s620/jewish%20cemetery%20ipswich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="620" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxisbit_TMVfhD1W0G7xOZb2JtNr45qUaaY9nk8Gg4_xoZJHjMf5sOliDtCtxFhLwrUSu7xz2E4YvRlZkYq4e78lhtRrGkeLOjXSOnmvuvzqt_HwMWFjs-R3xAHvvz2kGGZx_NuYf1uSSkfl81oOnYYNollJoYJgr9qcg2IR50xpuKkAdBnr21Pg/s320/jewish%20cemetery%20ipswich.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, by the 1860s, the synagogue had fallen out of use, and was demolished in 1877, leaving no trace that I can ascertain, and I can't easily find an image of it anywhere. The Jewish community continued to fade away, with apparently only three Jewish residents of the town remained in 1895. But the cemetery remained, with its walls preserved, and when there wasn't a Jewish community left to look after it, it was maintained by the business which occupied the remainder of the site, R & W Pauls Ltd.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The cemetery is now maintained by the growing Jewish community in the area, and the walls are Grade II listed, which should help to protect the site for future generations.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For the time being, there isn't an Ipswich Jewish community as such, but there is the Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community, which describes itself as "</span><span style="color: #2f2e2e; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">a small collection of people living in Suffolk and surrounding areas, who have a shared interest in meeting other Jewish people and pursuing Jewish matters". Given that Ipswich now has a Hindu temple, a Sikh gurdwara and a mosque, perhaps there will be a place for Jews to gather once again before very long.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-82966557748958094682024-03-12T22:03:00.003+00:002024-03-12T22:03:25.114+00:00Learning something new about blue octopi<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In apologising for attacking an innocent student on X, <a href="<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Following my public apology on X on 30 November 2023 and my private apology by personal letter on 1 December 2023, I wish to apologise to Ms Gorgianeh for my part in posts made about her on X on the 20 November 2023 following the airing of <a href="https://twitter.com/BBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BBC</a>’s University Challenge programme.…</p>&mdash; Baroness Foster DBE #FreeTheHostages🇮🇱❤️ (@jfoster2019) <a href="https://twitter.com/jfoster2019/status/1765296139828338945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>">Baroness Foster</a> introduced me to a concept that I had previously been utterly unaware of, that a blue octopus is a known antisemitic trope.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcWQ5Wi-jtVHwdCVumJbJ3LmDrcilrOqRcjlMH_oUnOAnzsGP-OHQKc1XU9Hsn0pjgy5tpjBag4NzbakmFYCK_CYlTCKpR25Lm3ya-LDDyMR41WyoSYYHjEG-AiPOFNpIDTbuuVxqNFWATiTCaY3Y18Sk6Un8a3DojSpGeLlcyovkQy7GH3dv0A/s260/Digby%20octopus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="260" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcWQ5Wi-jtVHwdCVumJbJ3LmDrcilrOqRcjlMH_oUnOAnzsGP-OHQKc1XU9Hsn0pjgy5tpjBag4NzbakmFYCK_CYlTCKpR25Lm3ya-LDDyMR41WyoSYYHjEG-AiPOFNpIDTbuuVxqNFWATiTCaY3Y18Sk6Un8a3DojSpGeLlcyovkQy7GH3dv0A/s1600/Digby%20octopus.png" width="260" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, I have to admit that, as a non-practicing Catholic, living in the county town of rural Suffolk with its very small Jewish population (there is a Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community, formed comparatively recently), this might well have passed me by. I did attend synagogue for a number of years, and perhaps it came up and I forgot about it. But one of the things about Ipswich is that we have a very prominent blue octopus, Digby, the litter picking octopus.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">He's a bit of a thing here. You'll find him on street sweeping machines, on dustbins, and most obviously of all, on the wall of the old R & W Paul Ltd building at St Peter's Dock.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEdeHeeKUetbcgUAwFKgY2mMeA9mFRKvQxsLS1CRbDgxZTy0HbPwLV0Kw0joaMBzc46EavkVu3S_ZpgKdRuVO9QOPAfn-vd0DnEicnOud_AXg1cLtoBdIwIraS5xmVCKQ3BUQZ6O-Jf6YDKzX8X8VdYqGyv4iv0MHKfUGjKy5tArruBJ6kT9FoQ/s1024/Digby%20on%20a%20wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEdeHeeKUetbcgUAwFKgY2mMeA9mFRKvQxsLS1CRbDgxZTy0HbPwLV0Kw0joaMBzc46EavkVu3S_ZpgKdRuVO9QOPAfn-vd0DnEicnOud_AXg1cLtoBdIwIraS5xmVCKQ3BUQZ6O-Jf6YDKzX8X8VdYqGyv4iv0MHKfUGjKy5tArruBJ6kT9FoQ/s320/Digby%20on%20a%20wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And it's not a recent thing, he's been there for more than a decade. He's so renowned in the town that, when they refurbished the children's playground in Holywells Park, they included a Digby the Octopus seesaw.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now I may have views about the competence (or otherwise) of Ipswich Borough Council, but I don't think that they, or the people of Ipswich generally, are antisemitic. Sometimes, a blue octopus is just something funny and amusing, rather than sinister and offensive. And perhaps, just perhaps, Baroness Foster may have learned that it is better to check first rather than display her evident prejudices on social media.</div></span>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-56523710144532078882024-03-10T10:03:00.001+00:002024-03-10T10:03:43.467+00:00An evening of passion in Ipswich’s heart<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ros and I took the short walk to St Mary-le-Tower last night, for a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion. Not a piece that I’d actually heard before, but I do enjoy his St Matthew Passion, so what could be the harm, right?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Choir of St Mary-le-Tower were joined by the Tower Sinfonia and, whilst the acoustics seem somewhat flawed, it was enjoyable enough to reward the attention of a decent enough audience. Daniel Joy, appearing as The Evangelist, as well as the odd additional aria, held things together rather well in what is an arduous role, and his placement above and behind the choir (in the pulpit, no less) was well chosen.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">St Mary-le-Tower has a solid choir, befitting of being Ipswich’s civic church, its own musical director - a bit of a step up from Creeting St Peter, I admit - and a series of lunchtime concerts (note to self, check for chamber music…). And funnily enough, I’d never been in the place, so the concert offered an opportunity to study the architecture highlighted a few weeks ago in an instalment of our course on the history of Ipswich.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what do I think of the St John Passion? On the whole, I still prefer the St Matthew Passion, which came three years later, but possibly benefits from a greater freedom to experiment. Nonetheless, it represents a pinnacle in the output of one of history’s greatest and most prolific composers, and I rather enjoyed it. And I note that there’s a splendid recent recording featuring the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists under the baton of John Eliot Gardner, whose recording of the St Matthew Passion I deeply enjoy.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, live music adds another string to Ipswich life as I adapt to urban living. Who would have thought that what began as a means of simplifying and future proofing our lives would pay such additional dividends?…</span></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-35382706131760145572024-03-09T16:06:00.004+00:002024-03-10T08:48:46.284+00:00Federal Council - the bureaucrat cut<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b></b></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-nGVEJC15LGkL4JD5aS_MA1hcyoUgUr-cStDTDb7OQ872Ns4bFTvFRBSf8qD3MRyZjNkHMQNWO9LxC1_-Mb1Wub98faO8LvAWQJFqaSLJtlRGLFnIwpXLhybGoMR3eeK6JuJm65ZabFcIWJ0gk0t3RBxM0RckhdPzgZIb-e9WZ8vtcT8hUHctA/s265/Liberal%20Democrat%20logo.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="265" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-nGVEJC15LGkL4JD5aS_MA1hcyoUgUr-cStDTDb7OQ872Ns4bFTvFRBSf8qD3MRyZjNkHMQNWO9LxC1_-Mb1Wub98faO8LvAWQJFqaSLJtlRGLFnIwpXLhybGoMR3eeK6JuJm65ZabFcIWJ0gk0t3RBxM0RckhdPzgZIb-e9WZ8vtcT8hUHctA/s1600/Liberal%20Democrat%20logo.jpeg" width="265" /></a></b></i></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b><br />I did promise in my manifesto for Federal Council that I would report back, and so I offer some personal thoughts on Wednesday night’s meeting.</b></i> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s2"></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our agenda revolved around three key items - a briefing on General Election planning and organisation, a review of the Federal Board’s decision making on the fate of Autumn Conference, and a briefing on the revisions to the Party’s disciplinary processes.<span class="s2"></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bearing in mind that I’m really not a campaigner, and perhaps don’t match the classic definition of activist these days, I thought that Neil Fawcett explained the strategy with a level of credibility that you might (a) hope for, and (b) expect, from a hardened campaigner like Neil. There will doubtless be an inquest into the outcome, regardless of what it is, but decisions should only be made on the basis of the available facts and I think that, as far as medium and long term strategy can be deduced, I’m content that the decisions are in good hands. As for short term strategy, we can probably only hope that those in the campaign’s wheelhouse have the good sense to respond rather than react, and resist the temptation to chase rainbows.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There has been a great deal of unhappiness about the suggestion that Autumn Conference might be axed in anticipation of a General Election after the summer. And I do wonder whether or not the risks have been selectively placed before members. But I suppose the argument rests on a number of key points:</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Opportunity cost - does cancelling, or truncating, conference risk the loss of valuable media coverage?</span></li></ul><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Staff cost - can our limited professional team cope with both an Autumn conference and a General Election?</span></li></ul><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Financial cost - what effect would proceeding with Conference or cancelling it have on the funds available for a General Election campaign?</span></li></ul><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was prepared to be swayed on the decision, and listened to the arguments as they flowed backwards and forwards. But overshadowing the discussion is the uncomfortable truth that we have a Conservative administration whose decision making is difficult to assign logic to. And with the media all over the place in terms of opinion, I don’t envy Federal Conference Committee in their choices.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It isn’t necessary to make a decision quite yet, but my suspicion (and it’s no more than that) is that some sort of glorified rally will take place if Rishi doesn’t go in May. If our campaigning is still ramping up at the end of the summer, will activists in target seats want to up sticks and head to Brighton for a few days? I’m not sure that I would. But I’d want the decision to be based on an airing of all of the facts, and I’m not sure that they’ve all been made available yet.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But Council have made some recommendations for any decision making process that follows, and hopefully that will help.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The disciplinary process has been an area of much concern in some quarters within the Party and, as a former member of the Appeals Panel for England, I’m more aware than some of the ramifications of getting it wrong. But political parties are increasingly bound by the impacts of legislation and case law, which place a potentially heavy burden upon them in an increasingly litigious society. Doing what’s right, philosophically and legally, becomes an increasingly costly “luxury” when placed in the context of financing political campaigning yet, if you yield to anyone who threatens you with lawyers, what hope is there for philosophical coherence or political unity?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span class="s2"></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unfortunately, by the time we got to the presentation on it, we had overrun somewhat, and members were drifting off. That meant that a useful discussion was missed by some colleagues, and we may be obliged to address the issue further in the future.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I do wonder though if part of the problem is a sense of distrust in some quarters as to whether or not any disciplinary process might be used to ensure adherence to one particular view or other. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is that distrust supported by the facts? I’m not convinced that it is but must accept that others have a different perspective.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As someone who believes in an element of policy difference within a broader party canvas, I tend to the view that behaviour is more of a problem than policy disagreement, and respectfully arguing your case shouldn’t be, in itself, a reason for disciplinary action. But if, in expressing those views, you disrespect or otherwise mistreat others, then there probably ought to be consequences.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, an interesting and occasionally challenging meeting, albeit we still feel reactive rather than responsive. But it’s for members to draw a conclusion as to whether or not we add value either collectively or as individuals, and we can only strive towards doing so.</span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-36833127216761729512024-02-15T15:33:00.000+00:002024-02-15T15:33:34.097+00:00Some old thoughts on the Israel/Palestine situation…<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s said that those who ignore history are destined to repeat it, and whilst it would be difficult to compare the current crisis in Gaza with previous ones, if only because of the scale of the resulting deaths, those who have observed events there over decades will have shuddered at the prospect of an Israeli response of the type we have seen since 7 October.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But I am reminded that I wrote the following fifteen years ago…</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">To be blunt, most of those who entirely support the rights of the Israeli people to live in peace and security within recognised borders within our Party are rightfully uncomfortable with the results of the Israeli campaign. Most people will have no objection to Israel defending itself against attack, as long as that response is proportionate. However, the deaths of innocent civilians in large numbers is not something that many people can endorse with a clear conscience, and I would be disappointed if there was a Liberal Democrat who could find it in themselves to do so.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">However, you are entirely right in one sense. Whilst my point about the use of conventional warfare methodology against terrorists said exactly what I intended to say, I could, and probably should, have expanded on that point. So I will.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">In recent years, we have seen a move away from wars of nation against nation towards more random attacks by small, ideology-driven groups of fanatics against predominantly civilian targets. The campaign by</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">Hamas</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">against Israel is, to a great extent, an example of just such a conflict.</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"> </span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hamas</span> 'fighters' launch hit and run attacks, and are extraordinarily difficult to confront and defeat by the use of aircraft and artillery in an area such as Gaza. Their willingness to use densely populated areas and public buildings as a base for rocket launches means that any counter-attack using conventional methods will simply lead to collateral losses that are unaccepted to a viewing public easily swayed by pictures of injured or dying women and children. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">As integrated into their communities as they are, if Israeli forces attack, they can melt back into the populace and disappear, waiting for the next opportunity to probe at possible Israeli vulnerabilities.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">Lest we forget, we are talking about an organisation that has cynically played upon the heartstrings of the world's media. Accusations that</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">Hamas</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">have prevented the injured from being evacuated in order to generate more martyrs demonstrate that all that matters is the ability to generate undeserved sympathy whilst blackening the reputation of the Israeli people in the eyes of neutrals beyond the region.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">But enough of the context. What are my thoughts on how to proceed? Any successful attempt to combat terrorism is based on an effort to deny oxygen to terrorist movements, to cut off the flow of new recruits, to isolate them from the communities they purport to fight for and, finally, to persuade communities that these people present a risk to their peace and security.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">Such a campaign comes in three parts, political, moral and military. In the first instance, it is necessary to stop the bloodshed. Given the imbalance of casualties, it is perfectly legitimate to take obvious steps to achieve quick gains - one presumes that preventing the deaths of innocent civilians is a legitimate aim - and if cutting off the flow of armaments to Israel is one means of doing so, then I'm comfortable with that. If it requires a guarantee from the United States to defend Israel whilst the next stage proceeds, so be it. A </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">ceasefire secured, action is then required to build a meaningful civil society in the West Bank and Gaza. It means investment in infrastructure, in building a politically neutral military and police force, in developing independent media and genuine political parties founded on ideas and not hatred. By building up the Palestinian economy, citizens will develop an interest in maintaining peace. Here, I plead the example of Northern Ireland, where investment flourished and wealth increased accordingly after the bombing stopped.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">Alongside this, work must be done to root out the terrorists. This is, perhaps, an opportunity for the Arab League to demonstrate their commitment to a two-state solution. Whilst a working civil society is being created, those within the community who seek peace need support to overcome those who believe in the bomb and the bullet. Whereas a wholly military answer is unlikely to succeed, an effective police action is far more likely to work. I believe that a contingent from other Arab nations could do the job effectively,</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;"> </span><strong style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">if they are genuine in their willingness to find solutions</strong><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">. The European Union, if it can get its act together (and here I am less optimistic), can also play a major role.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">The reward for compliance? More investment, both for Israel and Palestine. In the long run, both sides will be better off, better able to protect and nurture their citizens and, perhaps one day, normalise relations and work together for the good of all. Alright, that last bit might be a bit naive, but it does at least indicate that there is hope for a positive outcome. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">In return, the Israelis can address those issues which have so inflamed Arab opinion. Illegal settlements can be dismantled, the wall demolished where it lies in disputed territory - there can be no objection to a nation building a wall on its own border.</span> </blockquote><blockquote><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 15.84px; text-align: start;">Establishing genuine peace requires a different mindset on the part of the two sides in this dispute. An eye for an eye has, so far, left both sides blind, and yet there are so many in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities who yearn for peace and a better life for their children. The regional powers and the United Nations have an opportunity to achieve something that has evaded us all for sixty years, and if preventing the Israelis, albeit temporarily, from shooting themselves in the foot is the price, then perhaps it is a price worth paying. Otherwise, we will, all of us, continue to suffer the costs of international terrorism and instability in a region that influences us all.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is rather depressing that this might still represent some, perhaps many, elements of a potential way forward, although the prospects of US intervention are probably weaker than they have been in times past. On the other hand, a regional peacekeeping force might have greater credibility than it did given (at least until recently) improved relationships with neighbouring Arab nations, including key power brokers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That Liberal Democrats are calling for an immediate bilateral ceasefire strikes me as something that is right both in humanitarian and political terms, even if our voice is unlikely to be heard by those with the ability to directly influence events. We’re fortunate to have, as our Foreign Affairs spokesperson, someone with a meaningful perspective on Gaza and who has been remarkably measured in her comments given the personal impact on members of her family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It will be a long road to recover from the catastrophe that was 7 October and the events that followed. The people of Gaza and Israel will have their lives clouded by it for years and years to come, with lost ones to mourn, the wounded to live with physical and mental scars. But the rest of the world will need to find ways of encouraging a long-term peace in the region, which will include investments in essential infrastructure in Gaza, pressure on political leaders to adhere to international law, encouragement of steps likely to aid reconciliation and efforts to support mutual security moving forwards.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am not an optimist in terms of the Israel/Palestine situation. There are too many people on both sides in key positions who appear to see no benefit in compromise - at least, no benefit until their side is in a dominant position over the other. And the fear and distrust that has been struck into so many ordinary people in both Gaza and Israel will be difficult to shake.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the effort must be made, for if the international community is unable to influence events positively, it augurs ill for the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-60824011385652374142024-02-07T00:17:00.000+00:002024-02-07T00:17:11.746+00:00Is it really popular if you have to tell people it is?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8COO2vQSqzcTw40huQ9o42HLaVXnUhStzOA0aZ-Ykk4zUguBk2hCN6faGS6EwXkBIK8ggYi1Wz8fjfzB6P_M-G2hbud42kbgw5D-N02SiXJu9O90mk2-njHetxTmlbglSAqxgkK8JiyEomaUgnKHe96-IHii6RdC7La6aouLDqJsdUyDSyiBgoQ/s680/IMG_0507.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8COO2vQSqzcTw40huQ9o42HLaVXnUhStzOA0aZ-Ykk4zUguBk2hCN6faGS6EwXkBIK8ggYi1Wz8fjfzB6P_M-G2hbud42kbgw5D-N02SiXJu9O90mk2-njHetxTmlbglSAqxgkK8JiyEomaUgnKHe96-IHii6RdC7La6aouLDqJsdUyDSyiBgoQ/s320/IMG_0507.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It is perhaps a sign that a number of senior figures in the Conservative Party are looking towards a future out of office where their particular world view defines where it goes from here. And today’s launch of “Popular Conservatism” suggests that, if you are enthused by the idea of a sensible conservative political force, you may have to wait a while for one to emerge from the expected electoral wreckage.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A group led by Liz Truss, managed by Mark Littlewood and with Lee Anderson and Jacob Rees-Mogg as key figures is likely to be pretty disruptive as the Conservative Party seeks to recover in the next Parliament. It does strike me though as having some built-in self-destructive tendencies though.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Firstly, the whole low-tax, small state libertarian schtick, much beloved by Liz and Mark, and based on the idea that allowing people to spend their own is better than having the state do it for them. It’s superficially beguiling - who likes paying tax, after all? - but given Mark’s record of claiming that the public support the notion without telling them how he proposes to do it (answer - a whole bunch of things that a large majority of people would be horrified by), and Liz’s utter incomprehension about markets, you can hardly expect honesty in terms of the choices to be made.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But how do you marry libertarianism with the “Red Wall interventionist” stance of Lee Anderson and the moral hypocrisy of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Anglo-Catholicism?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, I do see some emerging themes - opposing the “nanny state” in the form of a smoking ban, for example, is consistent with support for personal freedoms. And whilst I don’t take a particularly strong view on Rishi Sunak’s approach, it does seem an unlikely policy from a Conservative Party. But modern-day Conservatives do have a very erratic approach to personal liberty based, it seems, on their personal prejudices. They’re currently against the right to protest, the right to organise, and free and fair elections. You might, and I would, suggest that their support for freedom extends as far as that which they approve of and no further.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, when Mark talks about “transferring power to families, communities, businesses and individuals”, he <i>might </i>be talking about balancing the needs of those different groups, but he’s more likely to be calling for a minimalist state where no group has protection from the predations of others. In other words, don’t be poor, don’t be vulnerable, don’t be a minority, for might is right, weakness is to be punished.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, if he’s serious, he and his friends are going to have to undue vast swathes of Conservative legislation designed to limit our freedoms and to make it difficult for us to choose who rules over us. And he’s not going to do that, partly because his friends ultimately won’t let him, but also because freedom requires transparency, and his record at the Institute of Economic Affairs demonstrates his lack of commitment to that.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For me though, the biggest thing that stands in the way of this new ginger group is the word “popular”. Having one of the country’s least successful and most ridiculed politicians at its head isn’t a great start but, if you have to explain to people that what you are calling for is popular, that suggests that you’re simply trying to convince yourself that you have support beyond your narrow circle of friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wish them luck though, for if they succeed, the Conservative Party could be out of power for a generation…</span></div>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-538723117507720002024-02-04T20:46:00.006+00:002024-02-04T20:46:52.535+00:00Civil Service reform: another Minister speaks<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’ll be honest. When I hear that a Government Minister has made a speech on Civil Service reform and modernisation, in my heart I expect not to like what they’ve got to say. More often than not, I don’t. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s a tendency for politicians to see us bureaucrats as being an obstacle to change, a barrier between the world they want and where we are now. Accordingly, reform and modernisation are a shorthand for giving the Civil Service a bloody good kicking.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Don’t get me wrong. As a bloodied veteran of the public sector trenches, I would be the last to suggest that all is well. But, living the experience every day for more than thirty-seven years gives you a perspective that politicians seldom see. They’re, for obvious reasons, several steps removed from the reality of service delivery, the daily battle to achieve not the targets set necessarily, but to do your best and achieve something tangible that is for the public good.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, John Glen’s recent speech to the Institute for Government, just ten weeks after he became the Minister for Civil Service Reform, was always going to grab my attention.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And, actually, it wasn’t a bad speech. Yes, he talked about reducing numbers - hardly novel, or a surprise for that matter - but there was a sense that he perhaps understands some of the changes that are needed. His speech revolved around three key themes -<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">embedding technology, embracing simplicity, and enabling people’s potential. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">There can be no doubt that we need to use technology more effectively and I’ve seen much new technology introduced over the course of my career, some of it better than others. But AI is, according to Mr Glen, a potential game changer. Admittedly, for a dinosaur like myself, the impact is likely to be minor but, if it can make it easier for our customers (a word that I still vaguely struggle with in this context) to comply or to get what they need, then it can only be a good thing.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">That might also allow for a smaller Civil Service and, whilst you never want to see jobs lost unduly, we will never be a group that attracts mass public support. If the public want fewer bureaucrats and administrators, that’s what they should get, so long as the potential consequences are broadly understood and accepted. Alternatively, it might free people up to do the jobs that currently aren’t done and might benefit from attention.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">I’m slightly more cynical about “embracing simplicity”, in that much, if not all, of the complexity is the result of Government intervention, passing more laws. Now I’m not saying that Government shouldn’t be doing that, but the consequence of more complex legislation is that it becomes harder to administer. But, coming back to how technology can be our friend, enabling more and more people to get the information they need without the need for human intervention should be a good thing.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">As for “enabling people’s potential”, there does appear to be a little wishful thinking going on. To suggest that sinews are being strained in order to make pay rates in certain key roles become competitive might imply that salaries have been too low for too long. And I cannot bring myself to believe that Ministers really want to make Civil Service salaries properly competitive, especially after everything that has been said by Government ministers in the recent past.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">The rest of it was a bit “motherhood and apple pie”, talking about making it easier to get rid of poor performers and improving management skills. And there was the mandatory warning about staff working from home. I've already addressed this - it's about where people are most effective, and about management that addresses poor performance and has the right data to judge - but it's clear that the Government aren't going to let up on this.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(11, 12, 12); color: #0b0c0c; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Of course, the probability that Mr Glen is going to be around long enough to actually have any impact appears to be vanishingly small. I wonder what the Labour Party is thinking...</span></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-27522272589153565212024-01-22T23:14:00.000+00:002024-01-22T23:14:02.686+00:00À la recherche d'un village perdu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVm0hA-YET2IKHmHQB5DDucrGGXBM8t-qJDcxzRCfXcOH61kdoTWn31PwZ2j0YhX8vlxDxQ6AOIW0FGk6PgH2c0ayx00D2kAbKySH23FV3lDszlP4S7r-yDl8kHow35OLo6ObmwAs5ZdISz65U6apRvX_d4FU8tk4-d6V5u6MuRh2hPvKFd3QNSg/s528/Creeting%20St%20Peter%20sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="528" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVm0hA-YET2IKHmHQB5DDucrGGXBM8t-qJDcxzRCfXcOH61kdoTWn31PwZ2j0YhX8vlxDxQ6AOIW0FGk6PgH2c0ayx00D2kAbKySH23FV3lDszlP4S7r-yDl8kHow35OLo6ObmwAs5ZdISz65U6apRvX_d4FU8tk4-d6V5u6MuRh2hPvKFd3QNSg/s320/Creeting%20St%20Peter%20sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As some of you will know, I am now the remote Chair of Creeting St Peter Parish Council, in that I don't live there any more. And you aren't alone in wondering whether or not this is a good idea. There is, I suspect, every possibility that you come across as the Parish Council equivalent of a colonial administrator, without any real skin in the game.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've been conscious of that all along, and am entirely up front about being willing to go should Council conclude that the arrangement doesn't work for them or for the residents of Creeting St Peter. But, for the time being at least, everyone appears to be content and are happy for me to continue.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so, this evening, I made my way back to Creeting St Peter on a cold, damp evening for our first meeting of 2024.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luckily, we'd made most of the difficult decisions in our November meeting, including settling on our 2024/25 budget, so the meeting was mostly about reports and "box-ticking", in the company of our Liberal Democrat District Councillor, Terry Lawrence. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">And that meant that I was able to steer us through the business in about fifty minutes, allowing me to catch an earlier train back to Ipswich.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the things about having an efficient Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer is that everyone can read the papers in advance, minimising unnecessary debate and make quick decisions, even allowing opportunities for councillors to raise any point they feel they need to. And that means that business is brisk but open - I'm even relaxed about bringing in members of the public to speak should they wish to.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I'm fortunate in that my fellow councillors, Ayse, Dan, Davin and Lynne, are committed to their responsibilities, are active in village life, and pay attention to what's going on around them. Not every Chair of a Parish Council is as lucky.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So my <strike>reign of terror</strike> leadership continues, at least until May, and the Annual Parish Council Meeting. May everything continue to run as smoothly as it has so far...</span></div><p><br /></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-37330299615201213732024-01-21T23:30:00.001+00:002024-01-21T23:30:14.143+00:00A windy walk in the park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2l_Mdcr2VfYOSl49Zw0rXVQoq_bEOTaCI9ELer-EAdSnEwyhnhtlMqnxRbwrztVlqF_GxqDAY_O_3Nxiz8fZJ9mHRjze_AGmjuE2GWX0zpR-c4mlGkgKbicCcViQBYwPQ99O8Cl_5b8mPunmIFHctwi9NQKfkNzBF4R2QvXhR56K43DB3tdKKrA/s4032/IMG_0429.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2l_Mdcr2VfYOSl49Zw0rXVQoq_bEOTaCI9ELer-EAdSnEwyhnhtlMqnxRbwrztVlqF_GxqDAY_O_3Nxiz8fZJ9mHRjze_AGmjuE2GWX0zpR-c4mlGkgKbicCcViQBYwPQ99O8Cl_5b8mPunmIFHctwi9NQKfkNzBF4R2QvXhR56K43DB3tdKKrA/s320/IMG_0429.jpeg" width="320" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As part of our adaptation to urban life, Ros and I have taken to exploring the wider town, and this morning, we took a short drive to one of Ipswich’s less crowded parks (especially on a windy, grey day), Bourne Park, in south-west Ipswich</span>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's not a park I was terribly aware of, although it can be clearly seen from the train as you approach Ipswich from London, out of the left-hand windows. So, what's there to do?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The park is based around Belstead Brook as it flows towards the Orwell at Ostrich Creek (no, I didn't know that either until I looked at a map just now), and includes a rather nice playground with a children's paddling pool which, I guess, is quite lively on a summer afternoon. There's also quite a nice looking picnic area and some public toilets (no, they haven't all been closed!).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was formally opened by Prince Henry, the third son of George V, on 7 October 1927, and Ipswich Borough Council have kept the dedication in surprisingly good condition, which is nice.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We walked the length of the park and back, sticking mainly to the path as the ground is a bit soft what with all the rain we've had lately, before heading to the nearby supermarket for some provisions.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I rather think that we'll be back...</span></div></div>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-11666283869640365812024-01-20T23:43:00.001+00:002024-01-20T23:43:54.459+00:00It’s the little things…<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Living in a small village does little for the concept of spontaneity. Indeed, I began to make the case for the benefits of having to plan things in advance, something I didn’t really do much of as a Londoner, back in the day. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, having now reverted to urban living, I’ve begun to realise just how nice it is to have things on your doorstep.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today, a lampshade was purchased for the lamp in the living room, one a bit larger than we’d previously had. As a result, it needed a support, and the wonderful lighting store on Butter Market sold us just the thing. But the man in the shop said that, if it was the wrong height, we could replace it. So, we took the lampshade and support home, tried it out and found that, yes, we needed something a little shorter.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The four minute walk back to the shop meant that the job could be done, the light fitting restored. Very nice, very efficient.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This afternoon, we had a yearning for ice cream. There’s an ice cream parlour close by, which we studiously avoid most of the time - we try to avoid temptation where we can. But, as a treat, it’s very nice.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s little doubt that urban life is simpler in a range of ways, some obvious, some not so. The trick, I guess, is not to take it for granted…</span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-38331303713817864452024-01-19T23:58:00.001+00:002024-01-20T02:09:45.227+00:00The medieval churches of Ipswich<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Day 2 of our course on the history of Ipswich took place last night and it was a slight diversion from the timeline, as we considered the surviving Domesday churches in the town.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have to admit that I'm not a huge architecture enthusiast. Yes, I can admire a well-turned arch as much as the next man but, in general, I'm not really a detail person. However, Elizabeth Serpell was a lively guide to Ipswich's collection of old churches.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's my suspicion that Ipswich's gradual fade from one of England's major towns to a relative backwater meant that its churches survived, after a fashion, in that most of them survived, albeit rebuilt and, in some cases, drastically redesigned.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are exceptions. St Mildred's, which was on the Cornhill, became the Guildhall and was then demolished to make way for the Victorian-era Town Hall. But churches like St Mary Elmes, St Helen's and St Clement's, which are in locations that are slightly off the main thoroughfares, tend to go unnoticed. You know that they're there, but their exact location tends to escape your mind when asked.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In truth, you could argue that Ipswich's churches are not particularly marvellous, particularly in the context of Suffolk. Indeed, Simon Knott, in his glorious paean to the churches of the county, doesn't include a single Ipswich church in his <a href="http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/suffolktop60.htm">top sixty in the county</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-22182746288305709062024-01-15T09:48:00.003+00:002024-01-15T09:48:46.110+00:00The Conservative dilemma over when to call a General Election reminds me of a poem…<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Framed in a first-storey winder of a burnin’ buildin’</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Appeared: A Yuman Ead!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jump into this net, wot we are ‘oldin’</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yule be quite orl right!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But ‘ee wouldn’t jump …</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And the flames grew Igher and Igher and Igher</div><div style="text-align: justify;">(phew!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Framed in a second-storey winder of a burnin’ buildin’</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Appeared: A Yuman Ead!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jump into this net, wot we are ‘oldin’</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yule be quite orl right!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But ‘ee wouldn’t jump …</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And the flames grew Igher and Igher and Igher</div><div style="text-align: justify;">(strewth!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Framed in a third-storey winder of a burnin’ buildin’</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Appeared: A Yuman Ed!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jump into this net, wot we are ‘oldin’</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yule be quite orl right!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Honest!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And ‘ee jumped …</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And ‘ee broke ‘is blooming neck!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Anonymous)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You do have to wonder at this point whether or not, in holding onto power as long as possible, the scale of the electoral train wreck that ensues when Rishi Sunak does go to the country gets ever greater.</span></div>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-45887963752998757692024-01-13T23:45:00.001+00:002024-01-13T23:45:07.218+00:00It's going to be a cold night in political hell on Monday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauk4qLvgRs2eJj4Rj3lvr9OeTK2niIwoioehuG6J-2Hou0_cblLbuIr1qusGaxuijNMnJTNsDoAh2RUwJrkt9yUifwZNr8oLwjgjv2MofE5M0W22AqGFUS1zoAsRRC2onPwiLZM9VsRsVU8dK9oQ8Um-nEmrPjXF_ShxzhmvuOSd2LwfEmuXRjw/s2556/IMG_0400.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2556" data-original-width="1179" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauk4qLvgRs2eJj4Rj3lvr9OeTK2niIwoioehuG6J-2Hou0_cblLbuIr1qusGaxuijNMnJTNsDoAh2RUwJrkt9yUifwZNr8oLwjgjv2MofE5M0W22AqGFUS1zoAsRRC2onPwiLZM9VsRsVU8dK9oQ8Um-nEmrPjXF_ShxzhmvuOSd2LwfEmuXRjw/s320/IMG_0400.png" width="148" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was drafting a piece for Liberal Democrat Voice to be published on Monday morning, and I was reminded that there's a pretty brutal weather system in America's Midwest at the moment.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, I turned on the weather app on my phone and found this...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And that's in Celsius! Yes, on Monday, it's predicted to be no warmer than -19°C (-2°F</span>) <span style="font-family: verdana;">in Des Moines, the state capital of Iowa, where the first Republican caucuses are due to take place.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But is it likely to have any major effect?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You might reasonably argue that the more fanatical Republican activists will turn out regardless, but that urban delegates (perhaps more socially liberal) might be more likely to reach their caucus venues. Research published yesterday by the Washington Post suggests that Democrats are more deterred by bad weather than Republicans. But bad weather also depresses risk tolerance amongst voters.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm not sure what that means in a Trump/DeSantis/Haley contest. From a European perspective, Trump looks like the risky option, but he is the former President, after all, and so many American voters seem to have decided that Trump is a victim and not a criminal.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, we'll see if Iowa throws us all a curveball in the early hours on Tuesday morning...</span></div>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-23148776764443943822024-01-12T23:13:00.002+00:002024-01-12T23:13:21.387+00:00Local Government finance: it seems that I may have been right all along...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It would be fair to say that I am a fiscally cautious soul. I've loathe to borrow in order to fund expenditure, I believe in balancing the books as far as possible, although I do endorse the notion of investing to save. A</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">nd as a Parish councillor, I am not bound by legislative restrictions on precept increases, unlike principal authorities.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a result, most town and parish councils are in modestly good financial shape. The same cannot be said for our principal authority counterparts, many of whom are showing increasing signs of financial stress.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here in Suffolk, our County Council is looking to make £64.7 million worth of savings over the next two years, and has borne the brunt of increases in costs of children's services and social care. And that has meant something of a slash and burn across the non-statutory services - funding for the arts and culture will be reducing to nil in 2024/25, for example. It hasn't been popular, to say the least.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am sympathetic... to an extent. The Council is where it is, and to continue spending as it had would be catastrophic in pretty short order. Hard choices have to be made.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, the Suffolk Conservatives brought this upon themselves with their rather fanatical devotion to freezing council tax under the leadership of the likes of Colin Noble - they didn't increase council tax at all between 2010/11 and 2015/16. By doing so, rather than essaying modest increases in council tax charges year on year, they effectively denied themselves income in each successive years by increasing amounts and, with the Government's cap on council tax increases squeezing increasingly tightly thereafter, it was inevitable that the financial settlement would get more and more uncomfortable.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There were those of us who warned of that at the time but we weren't heeded - the desire for electoral success trumps financial reality most of the time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And Suffolk is far from the worst affected authority. Counties didn't get involved in commercial property for the most part, and the series of calamitous failures that have dotted the past two years or so tend to feature Boroughs, Districts and big city Metropolitans, but they're now sending up distress signals ever more frequently.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's no obvious signal that the Government is going to appear over the horizon like the Seventh Cavalry, and an incoming Labour administration may have plenty of other calls upon the resources it can muster. Which means, I fear, that life in our communities will become that much more basic, and councillors will be reduced, effectively, to delivering services specified by Central Government. So much for local democracy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is a small (very small) consolation, in that some of the slack may be taken up by Town and Parish Councils. And we've seen recently some of the fruits of that, with nineteen Local Councils successfully bidding for grants under the Community Ownership Fund - the first time that they've been able to do so. That had to be actively sought through the lobbying efforts of the National Association of Local Councils, something that Ros played a leading role in as part of her role as its Honorary President.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, regardless of what happens this year, an incoming administration needs to think seriously about giving local authorities the freedom to make their own choices, to raise funds according to their needs and to encourage them to innovate, rather than apply centralised shackles. And whilst I'm not convinced that the control-freakery tendency within the Labour Party will want to relinquish that power, I would suggest that, if they want much local democracy to survive, it is a road they need to travel.</span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-18023798600555177772024-01-11T23:13:00.004+00:002024-01-11T23:13:53.737+00:00The first (of many) evenings about Ipswich<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48RnJs0kmLYhfZodsci7qRt3F2AN-va68qCsbb_gcadLy0wTc7t4w4j_QUJ_oXxMXn62v7-KHMXDr6j8D1mh4sdPtwXGa10C1eMxbmBs84HH0h0cchp4AeZVE2WsyOl3yuxaPVID0lKW6nZh95uiXSAEPv7LdeoIt-Y48eKPz81ifDCPzA6dWXQ/s1024/1780%20map%20of%20Ipswich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1024" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48RnJs0kmLYhfZodsci7qRt3F2AN-va68qCsbb_gcadLy0wTc7t4w4j_QUJ_oXxMXn62v7-KHMXDr6j8D1mh4sdPtwXGa10C1eMxbmBs84HH0h0cchp4AeZVE2WsyOl3yuxaPVID0lKW6nZh95uiXSAEPv7LdeoIt-Y48eKPz81ifDCPzA6dWXQ/s320/1780%20map%20of%20Ipswich.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">1780 map of Ipswich, credited to<br />http://www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/map1780.html</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Ros suggested that we might join the <a href="https://ipswichinstitute.org.uk/">Ipswich Institute</a>, and take a course on the history of Ipswich, I was, I admit, slightly sceptical. But I was persuaded and, this evening, the first part of the course, on Saxon and early medieval Ipswich, took place, led by the former head of the County's Archaeology Unit, Keith Wade.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm not a historian, although I do have an interest in history, and I was somewhat surprised to be told that there wasn't much documentary evidence if Ipswich prior to the seventh century, but I presume that there wasn't much documentary evidence of many places where the Romans weren't until they became properly established.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But it is clear that Ipswich was an important place in the pre-Norman period, as both a point of entry for East Anglia and as a community. And, unusually, Ipswich is pretty much where it has always been, with a modern town plan heavily influenced by developments prior to the Norman Conquest.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a relative latecomer to Suffolk, most of what I know about the county and its history is what I've picked up as I've gone along - the wool trade of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the fishing industry of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, for example - so there was clearly a lot to learn about our county town.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Keith took us through the development (or, in some cases, the regression) of the town through the Saxon and Norman periods, noting that Ipswich had suffered from Viking predations and then, after William the Conqueror came, from royal vengeance in 1075. He also told of how Ipswich's influence in the region declined as other centres (Norwich and Thetford) emerged as competitors.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And, now that we live in the heart of the town, the logic of the street layout makes perfect sense - why streets run as they do, why key thoroughfares are where they are. What did surprise me was that Ipswich developed on both banks of what was a very wide river, far wider than the current River Orwell, as that seems quite unusual based on my experiences of European geography. Keith suggested that the Orwell may have been bridged more than 1200 years ago which seems remarkable to me, albeit logical.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, it was a fascinating two hours or so, and if the other ten weeks are as interesting, I'm going to be much better informed about the place I now call home. Next week, we look at churches, something that Suffolk is famous for...</span></div><p></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-88978579730512566822024-01-10T22:27:00.003+00:002024-01-10T22:39:26.335+00:00A very interesting question indeed...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsm6_tgxeoVHKqb_fcwIpoP97yhwGD3WHQsEaTaefHHHL-dSu_jAG3kTwz0nvCFAAP-FuAe5UZhZa2X8bVS4GZEa5FNjQ2hRJvnX15VcpLZcMzL3HC70eLPTcS9zminGs1lIwQxCZeX3C33sY1v3GQXpVLm_NCQHwNgVRWQ04_F1MLz6ivpjP9Ng/s203/Hector%20the%20taxman.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="152" data-original-width="203" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsm6_tgxeoVHKqb_fcwIpoP97yhwGD3WHQsEaTaefHHHL-dSu_jAG3kTwz0nvCFAAP-FuAe5UZhZa2X8bVS4GZEa5FNjQ2hRJvnX15VcpLZcMzL3HC70eLPTcS9zminGs1lIwQxCZeX3C33sY1v3GQXpVLm_NCQHwNgVRWQ04_F1MLz6ivpjP9Ng/s1600/Hector%20the%20taxman.jpg" width="203" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In preparing the Liberal Democrat Voice preview of the week ahead in the Lords, I had noticed an intriguing question from one of the new Labour Peers, Lord Sahota, on the question of tax return processing. Intriguing, because it isn't that often that the Lords addresses the management and effectiveness of HM Revenue & Customs. </span>And, given that I didn't even know if there was a Treasury Minister in the Lords, I was also curious to see who would have to get up and defend us on behalf of the Government.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The answers turned out to be:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">criticism of HMRC's handling of telephone calls</span></li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Baroness Vere of Norbiton</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In fairness, the decision to direct as many callers as possible to HMRC's digital offering has been the subject of much criticism, especially at what is the busiest time of year for Self Assessment tax return completion. That said, we do allow a relatively generous amount of time for returns to be completed and submitted (nearly ten months compared to, for example, three and a half months in the United States) and, whilst human nature tends to leave unpleasant tasks to the last minute, most people have the information needed to complete their returns by mid-summer. And yes, I've been guilty of leaving it until late in the past too.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was the usual cheap jibe at civil servants working at home (yes, Patrick McLoughlin, I did notice...), but I have to say that my personal experience was of being flat out on calls and hanging on to clear the backlog after regular working hours. And I can testify to Charlotte Vere's reply that contact centre staff are keenly monitored to ensure that their performance meets the targets set, regardless of whether they're working from the office or their home.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Whilst Lord Sahota referred to staffing numbers - dramatically understating them by claiming that there are 19,000 staff when there are, as of November, 66,256 - nobody seemed to conclude that, perhaps, there might not be enough staff to do what Ministers require of HMRC.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's a question that's above my paygrade (in every sense) but, as in so much public administration, if you will the ends, you must furnish the means.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But it was brave of Charlotte Vere to admit that she had personally had to call HMRC earlier this week, and that she had waited about twenty minutes for her call to be answered. Most people wouldn't be terribly pleased to wait that long, although it seems to be increasingly standard for private companies too - don't start me about banks, airlines and furniture companies.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'll be intrigued to see if there is any follow up as a result of the brief debate, but I'm not expecting much, based on experience...</span></div><p></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-41744068500232752502024-01-09T23:01:00.000+00:002024-01-09T23:01:23.644+00:00Twitter, or X, and why I'm planning on hanging around for a while yet...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6sy8JY64qkUFAM_6J1oegMvV2LXB1OQpn1JdoV4inZlFYD0et4HrLPFJrTGD-N4YlBfuySGYOF1Gd7TSiVWkwcTsdWPejfzNziTxprUtEo4n-linn1qGoEWR9Vef82H972bM8aC-7ULzejCDCzY55VmLK0b1l0MJhu8Ijic0PghaXcPQgGW5Aw/s2453/logo-black.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2453" data-original-width="2400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6sy8JY64qkUFAM_6J1oegMvV2LXB1OQpn1JdoV4inZlFYD0et4HrLPFJrTGD-N4YlBfuySGYOF1Gd7TSiVWkwcTsdWPejfzNziTxprUtEo4n-linn1qGoEWR9Vef82H972bM8aC-7ULzejCDCzY55VmLK0b1l0MJhu8Ijic0PghaXcPQgGW5Aw/w196-h200/logo-black.png" width="196" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've watched as a number of my friends and colleagues have given up on Elon Musk's train wreck. And there's no doubt that, for a variety of reasons, it isn't the site it was.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The quality of the advertisements - mostly for unknown companies selling things that I don't want or, occasionally, for scantily clad women - has certainly fallen off, and whilst blocking them gives me a certain degree of grim satisfaction, it is a bit of a nuisance. And the "For you" option seems to specialise in vaguely annoying people who paid for their blue tick status, thus demonstrating that they almost certainly wouldn't have earned it on merit.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can see why some would find that sufficiently annoying to just throw their hands in the air and walk away. I certainly wouldn't be critical of anyone looking for a new "home".</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It perhaps helps that I don't tend to follow anyone who is trying really hard to be edgy. I do follow my friends and acquaintances, and I'm happy to discard those if they become annoying rather than fun, but I've always tended to use it as a means of steering information towards me from sources that I'm interested in, or are useful for my various roles and interests.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That means that the feeds I follow are local government based - partly because of my roles as a Parish Councillor and with the National Association of Local Councillors - or sports based (I follow a range of mostly unsuccessful sports teams) so that I can keep up with their progress (or lack of it) without having to go to a website. I also follow a bunch of Liberal Democrats and a small, highly curated range of politicians from other parties.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What that means is that my "following feed" isn't anywhere near as annoying as the rest of X. That certainly helps to persuade me that it's worth sticking around. Not worth enough for me to pay Elon anything, you understand, but enough to stay, at least whilst the medium exists in a functional form.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But that, I fear, might not be true for very long at the rate things are going...</span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-50600359152227303322024-01-08T22:22:00.003+00:002024-01-08T22:22:26.428+00:00My e-mail from the Conservatives cometh...<span style="font-family: verdana;"><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>Mark,<br /><br /></i></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>We have halved inflation. Reduced our debt. And now, we are able to focus on the long-term decisions to strengthen our economy.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>We will CUT TAXES for 27 million working people, helping people keep more of their money. We are doing this by cutting the main rate of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from 12% to 10%. For the average worker earning £35,000 a year, that means a £450 tax cut.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i>That means we can now CUT TAX for 27 million people. Rewarding hard work. With the largest ever NI tax cut.</i></span></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, I got my e-mail from the Conservatives - it took about sixteen hours but it did come. Do they have a bank of people in Bangladesh or somewhere hand typing them - that would be the sort of inefficient operation that they seem to be specialising in at the moment?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR7R7SBgXwb9dViw7_aifVbsGMAiGi08xXwB74Lkz6RuilbCqzeMY1c9mA1xlgkfDiyRQy4Y0NBB9CZ1S0RGFVgJ2b5Oq7czK2VgqgfZU8CVPdRJM9oI6w8W1-xfT7Dcvy8kqlz68__mrIAAl_fxWVQrABiPFNvwc9jPhG55TDHHUPHXDjorsAA/s609/long_tailed_weasel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR7R7SBgXwb9dViw7_aifVbsGMAiGi08xXwB74Lkz6RuilbCqzeMY1c9mA1xlgkfDiyRQy4Y0NBB9CZ1S0RGFVgJ2b5Oq7czK2VgqgfZU8CVPdRJM9oI6w8W1-xfT7Dcvy8kqlz68__mrIAAl_fxWVQrABiPFNvwc9jPhG55TDHHUPHXDjorsAA/s320/long_tailed_weasel.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>But nonetheless, it came. Such a pity that it contains so many inaccuracies...<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Firstly, whilst the deficit may have been reduced, there is still <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicspending/bulletins/ukgovernmentdebtanddeficitforeurostatmaast/june2023">a significant deficit</a>, so debt continues to increase. You might argue that it has stopped increasing as a percentage of GDP, but that's a technical argument which hardly reflects what the ordinary voter will think.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Secondly, most of the long-term decisions being taken appear to be designed solely to box in an incoming Labour administration rather than to build a stronger economy going forward.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But the sheer gall of claiming that you've cut taxes when you've frozen personal allowances for the next five years, bringing more people into income tax, more people into the 40% rate band and more into the 45% rate band, really does take some beating.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">By raising tax on some of the poorest working people, rowing back on what was a Liberal Democrat policy to take the poorest out of income tax - and what is so clever about taking money from people with one hand and giving back to them with the other, anyway? - and then gaslighting them in such an obvious manner, they deserve some comeback.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And when people get their April payslips and discover that, rather than getting lots more money, they see very little difference or, more likely, a decrease, they might decide that punishing those who mislead them is a good idea.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So I won't be accepting the invitation to donate money to the Conservative Party.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was puzzled by one thing though. The small print at the end of the e-mail states:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-style: italic;">You're receiving this email because you signed up on </span>taxcuts.conservatives.com<span style="font-style: italic;">. If you'd like to unsubscribe, please </span>click here<span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span></blockquote><p>I'm puzzled because, whilst I agreed to receive this one-off e-mail, I specifically didn't tick the box to say that I would like to receive more e-mails going forward. So why am I being offered an opportunity to unsubscribe?</p><p>I shall be watching my inbox with interest over the coming weeks... </p><p></p></span>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-13227928905035964492024-01-07T23:04:00.003+00:002024-01-07T23:06:29.001+00:00As Conservative Party campaigns go, this isn’t a very good one<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMMh-Mk8WU3F4YuuO3B8YPZEgyXAYOTJ-pcTLxZeZUM8hzkkBaNma7ef2RlGssK7o3W-L1TqbzTLGrhnSe3ZSk-S8YK6DL_4A1n_3JsglU4cdO69CZmhcBdX9mcQYetxRR6CeE6Pr8S9RiSIQnb9ClSFgD4P6bzLf7PBckRCZe0KulgEBE-2pBQ/s347/pound%20sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="347" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMMh-Mk8WU3F4YuuO3B8YPZEgyXAYOTJ-pcTLxZeZUM8hzkkBaNma7ef2RlGssK7o3W-L1TqbzTLGrhnSe3ZSk-S8YK6DL_4A1n_3JsglU4cdO69CZmhcBdX9mcQYetxRR6CeE6Pr8S9RiSIQnb9ClSFgD4P6bzLf7PBckRCZe0KulgEBE-2pBQ/w200-h199/pound%20sign.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a service to my readers, I thought that I ought to test out this invitation from the Conservative Party…</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://x.com/rishisunak/status/1743568319582466303?s=46&t=XnCxlgeW8CvCxo3KZJE-5A"><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://x.com/rishisunak/status/1743568319582466303?s=46&t=XnCxlgeW8CvCxo3KZJE-5A</span></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Naturally, I was keen to test their figures against my own calculation, given all of the suggestions from public minded users of X that I might be disappointed. And no, I did not accept the kind invitation to be kept updated by them as to their campaigning - my e-mail inbox is quite busy enough as it is.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Having entered my details into the e-form - name, approximate salary and e-mail address - I was told that I could expect an e-mail to tell me how much more I would have to spend. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">But no such e-mail has come. And I am disappointed, assuming therefore that either I won’t be better off or, worse still, worse off than I previously was.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Either way, it’s a pretty poor show and, in the event that a Conservative campaigner comes to my door, I will make a point of noting that, if that’s the best they can do, no wonder the public are minded to give them a thorough electoral kicking.</span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-87033849548651977112024-01-06T23:15:00.001+00:002024-01-06T23:15:10.281+00:00Home again… to sleep, perchance to dream?<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, we’re back from another family trip to see our granddaughter (and her parents, naturally). I even found some time to visit my own family in New York, which was as wonderful as ever.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But all I want to do now is sleep. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s one of the things about getting older - jet lag hits harder and for longer.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> And I know the advice, try to get your routine back to normal, but the temptation of some horizontal oblivion is just too much.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luckily, having travelled on a Friday night/Saturday morning, I’ve got a weekend to recover, catch up on laundry and generally feel myself back into the day to day.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, if you’ll excuse me…</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-64376946019457034862024-01-05T23:14:00.002+00:002024-01-05T23:37:14.937+00:00Might the US Supreme Court actually rule that Trump is in breach of the Fourteenth Amendment?<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1" style="font-size: 18.24px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"></span></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Section 3.</span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic;"> No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, with Colorado and Maine currently ruling that Donald Trump is in breach of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the dilemma which has probably been keeping the judiciary awake at night has finally reached the U.S. Supreme Court, as we probably all knew it would.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And, with three members of the Court owing their appointment to Donald Trump, the pressure upon them is probably greater than it has ever been. If you’re a partisan Democrat, do you really believe that Justices Barrett, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are impartial, or that Justice Thomas, whose wife is a high-profile proponent of the theory that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen, could vote any other way than in favour of his wife’s bestest friend?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Partisan Republicans will assume that the perceived 6-3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court will favour their man, but what if they don’t?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It would be a terrible situation for nine impartial judges, but when most, if not all, of the Justices are seen by a sizeable minority of the population as unreliable, if only because they don’t see the world in the same way, it is a recipe for the sort of reaction that the extremists, particularly hardcore Trump supporters, keep threatening.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I tend to the view that there’s enough “wriggle room” for the Justices to rule in favour of Trump, and that they’ll be extremely loathe to take such a conclusive step unless a lower court, probably Georgia, determines that his behaviour was such as to represent “insurrection or rebellion”, and even then they would bend over backwards not to exclude him.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What that tells you is that the bar for exclusion is a high one, as it probably should be, but it leaves space for extremists to push the boundaries ever further until, inevitably, the guardrails that protect American democracy break. As an outsider, that worries me, as a potentially fractured United States offers risks for allies and enemies alike.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It also raises questions about a multi-polar world where the United States becomes ever more insular and transactional in its relationships, whilst the European Union struggles to establish a consistent voice and Russia and China undermine the democracies at every turn.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23.6px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s3"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We watch, nervously, for the Supreme Court…</span></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-71879664313977542432024-01-04T20:10:00.002+00:002024-01-04T20:10:44.206+00:00How you (don’t) end up with a May General Election<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMa0veNgiev-MHQzeoqkKld69pwbzZOU75YFFQaUmryNB3Ma91FPLZKLhnaA0NaRN4PAHrVxulZWxJ9mNmu_xSaoV1pZ0AJ8KljavmE0Yk9oSNjtqv7UmrSUrBqi61_gtHju2g692BuzcERXFHxVK-ZbdoeStDwGgpA_h799aFDya2GzOxQ6Tkw/s2048/Ballot%20box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMa0veNgiev-MHQzeoqkKld69pwbzZOU75YFFQaUmryNB3Ma91FPLZKLhnaA0NaRN4PAHrVxulZWxJ9mNmu_xSaoV1pZ0AJ8KljavmE0Yk9oSNjtqv7UmrSUrBqi61_gtHju2g692BuzcERXFHxVK-ZbdoeStDwGgpA_h799aFDya2GzOxQ6Tkw/s320/Ballot%20box.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s been a lot of debate about when Rishi Sunak will choose to go to the country, and a range of theories have been offered, many of them entertaining, credible or logical. And, evidently, with the Conservatives holed beneath the waterline, opposition parties would really like to get on with things.</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, the more I think about it, the harder it gets to formulate a credible path to a May election.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, it’s entirely possible that things get worse as time passes, suggesting that a May election might limit the scale of the seemingly inevitable defeat to be suffered. But we’re already talking about the loss of half of the current Conservatives’ Parliamentary Party so, how much worse could it get?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And the key decision maker is Rishi Sunak, who has been in post for little more than a year. Why would he give up some of the time available to him for so little personal advantage?</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ah, but yes, I hear you reply, he isn’t loved by his own party, and the MPs could get rid of him in order to go in May. Theoretically, they could, but the idea of a leadership contest in the run-up to a spring election would make them look even more shambolic. There’s also the question of whether or not such a process could be concluded in time, and that becomes less likely with every passing day.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The May local elections are likely to be bad for the Conservatives, with their position relative to 2021, when these seats were last fought, a pretty poor one (they then polled 36% against Labour’s 29% and our 17%), but it’s been a while since a ruling Party concerned itself terribly with its local government base when thinking about electoral strategy. So, I don’t see that as a factor in decision making either, even if they might retrospectively regret that.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But for me, the best reason to expect an October election is the human one - hope. This Government is increasingly unlikely to see any substantial improvement in the economy anytime soon - GDP has flatlined, inflation, particularly as it impacts on the less well off, is still an issue, and mortgage payers will see their payments increase as their fixed rate deals expire. But you never entirely know what will happen, and an early election means that you’ll never find out.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, I’m hoping for a quiet April, with some potential light leafleting in Ipswich, where we elect in thirds, and are defending St Margaret’s ward. We’ll see if I’m right soon enough, I guess…</span></span></p>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-22438975428402668312024-01-03T21:55:00.004+00:002024-01-06T12:01:12.083+00:00By Amtrak to the Big Apple…<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Due to a technical complication with our flight home, our journey takes us not to Boston, but to New York, and so the question of how to get from Dover to New York arose. The typical answer is to look at flights, and that was an alternative, but luckily, Dover has that rare joy - its own Amtrak station. And I do enjoy a train ride…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For some rather absurd reason, Amtrak recommends that you arrive thirty minutes before your train is due to depart. Not because it will leave early, but simply because. So, Dover, with its limited hours waiting room, complete absence of places to sit and total lack of shelter, tends to encourage you to disregard that advice. Nobody ever said that Amtrak was entirely customer friendly…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’d shelled out for business class seats for the first leg to Boston’s North Station, which gets you a reserved (and slightly more comfortable) seat plus free non-alcoholic beverages. It’s not particularly expensive, and does make the journey a little less stressful. And the wooded scenery of New Hampshire and Massachusetts passed smoothly enough, albeit slowly - it’s barely competitive with buses, let alone cars, but it is mostly predictable at least.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At Boston, we switched from North Station to South Station for the rather more swish Acela Express service. A first class ticket buys you access to the Metropolitan Lounge, with free drinks and snacks in a rather unexpectedly stylish setting - a significant upgrade on the main train hall which is undergoing major refurbishment. There are even free gummy bears, a particular attraction for the travelling bureaucrat.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You also get complimentary red cap service, which enables you to board the train early, with someone to carry your luggage and load it onto your carriage - a plus if you’re a bit older or your luggage is unusually heavy.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Aboard the train, you’re offered a welcome (alcoholic, if you’re so inclined) drink and a menu, including real food. It’s a bit like what National Express East Anglia was like before Richard Bowker got his hands on the restaurant car service (I have a long memory for a slight…). There’s a steward, in our case, Cheryl, who looked after us efficiently and with good humour, and you can feel taken care of in a way that you don’t often get even in Europe.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And, because Amtrak have rather more control over traffic, the train actually travels at a speed familiar to Europeans, using proper trains rather than curiously underpowered locomotives. And that means that, even with a number of stops, Boston to New York takes three hours and forty-five minutes. Not spectacular, but competitive with the airlines, particularly given the centre city location of the Amtrak stations at each end.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, I’d describe the Amtrak experience, on the East Coast at least, as worth a look. I’d certainly do it again, perhaps in daylight for preference so as to benefit from the views out of the left-hand side as you head south and west from Boston.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And now for New York…</span></div>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17934023.post-80261931753416717172024-01-02T21:31:00.002+00:002024-01-02T21:31:40.407+00:00A few things on the itinerary for the new year…<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday’s post was a bit sombre, I guess, but as a way of feeling my way back into this blogging malarkey, it was a start. Perhaps a look forward might be interesting though - no promises, mind!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My role as a Parish Councillor became more “interesting” in 2023, as I’m now a remote councillor, following our move to (unparished) Ipswich in September. I would have been prepared to stand down and leave the opportunity to someone else, but Council want to keep me, and I’m content to stay so long as they want me. And whilst I suspect that this is at least in part because nobody wants to be Chair, I should celebrate the fact that they respect my ability sufficiently to feel it worth keeping me.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGETy3tKc0V_KR7dS5xN7nyMsCwkxYLaBXbfh_MCsSu4aJcf7M2d8U8XkKbGEwiaQoT4l_RwWAinXa9KO6qB6BPXaouv33rI7vBo5pvoljYTonTpjQrRNhaCg9FSSvDEIHSvhfLs8Wp9UW5cCETjkTQ2lw3CoptK4T-JlYF2kDsOk9tzNEUHp54A/s580/EF7AFC37-0889-4B6A-B060-FE7EA74B30BE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="580" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGETy3tKc0V_KR7dS5xN7nyMsCwkxYLaBXbfh_MCsSu4aJcf7M2d8U8XkKbGEwiaQoT4l_RwWAinXa9KO6qB6BPXaouv33rI7vBo5pvoljYTonTpjQrRNhaCg9FSSvDEIHSvhfLs8Wp9UW5cCETjkTQ2lw3CoptK4T-JlYF2kDsOk9tzNEUHp54A/s320/EF7AFC37-0889-4B6A-B060-FE7EA74B30BE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>That means that, by extension, my role as Chair of the Mid Suffolk South branch of the <a href="https://www.salc.org.uk/" target="_blank">Suffolk Association of Local Councils</a> (SALC) and thus a SALC Board member remains ongoing as well as my place on the <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W0SV6qXxtLtxiSbSzzmBUi3fLPPlBUyzP-U4lOPjfTvEQ2fU5P9Di4bmApIc-bSXb4OB58sYL3BF7viqHSn6Y1mcuxU8Ly8EHJAKrtxJm3KSB-RCb3SR7AOU7Pz15Mr96Hgh4gr8NVo1yz3HBNj9M9MGd7BxqF95DLQu8O9Gwh8mdzkAq6ds5g/s184/NALC%20logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="65" data-original-width="184" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W0SV6qXxtLtxiSbSzzmBUi3fLPPlBUyzP-U4lOPjfTvEQ2fU5P9Di4bmApIc-bSXb4OB58sYL3BF7viqHSn6Y1mcuxU8Ly8EHJAKrtxJm3KSB-RCb3SR7AOU7Pz15Mr96Hgh4gr8NVo1yz3HBNj9M9MGd7BxqF95DLQu8O9Gwh8mdzkAq6ds5g/s1600/NALC%20logo.png" width="184" /></a></div>National Assembly of the <a href="https://www.nalc.gov.uk/">National Association of Local Councils</a>. I am perpetually surprised by the level of competence credited to me by my colleagues, but enjoy the intellectual challenge that the roles offer. I’ve learned more about communities in these various roles than I imagined possible, and it has offered food for thought in terms of my own roles and my view of the world.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My hope in 2024 is that I can continue to make a contribution, both in terms of ideas and support, at all levels, and I’d like to improve my communication levels in order to aid my community and spread the word about our sector - there’s some incredible work being done out there, and a real opportunity to make lives better.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Politics has been a bit of a drag in recent times. And, whilst a General Election will have a national impact, Suffolk politics is a bit predictable and not exactly inspiring. Yes, we’ll almost certainly get a new MP - and Tom Hunt really won’t be missed - but with little prospect of Liberal Democrat success in the county, I feel that I’d be better off contributing some time and effort to a regional target seat. That means Chelmsford or South Cambridgeshire, I guess.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My place on Federal Council brought with it a little frustration in 2023. Admittedly, coming to the show late may not have helped - I was the first to join via a by-election after a resignation as early as April - but I sense that not only is Federal Council still in search of a role, but that some of its members have an agenda other than that of broad scrutiny. By their manifestos shall ye know them… I did have an idea late last year which might be developable though…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’ll be at Spring Conference in York - at least, I’ve booked a hotel - which will hopefully make me feel a bit more connected.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m still a member of the <a href="https://www.aldeparty.eu/">ALDE Party</a> Council too, something I really rather enjoy. It isn’t hugely onerous - two meetings a year isn’t going to require massive exertion - and because I stood back from Federal International Relations Committee, I’m a step removed from the day to day international work of the Party. But perhaps I should be a little more engaged with the <a href="https://www.ldeg.org/" target="_blank">Liberal Democrat European Group</a> (LDEG) and <a href="https://www.libg.uk/" target="_blank">Liberal International British Group</a> in the year ahead.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My other core activity is my day editorship of <a href="https://www.libdemvoice.org/#utm_source=m.libdemvoice.org&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=url?wpmp_switcher=mobile" target="_blank">Liberal Democrat Voice</a> - Monday is my day. It’s been a bit of a struggle of late to raise the enthusiasm to do the job I really ought to do, and I occasionally wonder if LDV really has a role any more. But we do retain quite a lot of credibility, offer an outlet for original and/or radical thinking, and maintain a space for courteous dissent from the leadership view of the world, so I’m going to try a bit harder to keep my bit of the show on the road in 2024.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s also my job, of which there is little I can publicly say. I can (theoretically) retire this year, but don’t see much to be gained by doing so - I’m likely to be a long time retired, and work provides a valued framework around which to organise my life. I also, curiously, enjoy my job, albeit it isn’t what I’d set out to do when I left university all those years ago.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But above everything is Ros. It’s sometimes hard to believe that we’ve been married for fifteen years, but <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Scott,_Baroness_Scott_of_Needham_Market" target="_blank">Wikipedia says that it’s true</a>, so it must be. I’m still not entirely convinced that she couldn’t do better, but I’m happy to count my blessings. We’ll doubtless continue to explore our new surroundings, travel and dote on our granddaughter, and contribute to making the world about us a slightly better, slightly nicer place than it might otherwise be. It doesn’t sound hugely ambitious, I confess, but in a world where there appear to be plenty of people whose ambitions run counter to that, it’s a contribution.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so, I’d better get on, hadn’t I?…</span></div>Mark Valladareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15773193846795037711noreply@blogger.com0