Paul Johnston

Who said this about whom?

"xxxxx has been losing control... His projections... have been consistently wrong. He has been wrong about both revenues and expenditure... xxxxx took risks... he is imprudent... a great worry... very worrying... he simply wanted to win the next election-if he can... it does not matter what happens afterwards... xxxxx went in for an orgy of self-congratulation... deceiving other people... complacency... he is not prudent and responsible, and not a person to be entrusted with the management of anybody's finances, let alone the country's finances... unattractive and frankly problematic... an absolutely devastating misjudgement and mistake-the destruction of our pensions system... We have not had a word of apology from xxxxx... He was just incredibly imprudent... extraordinarily incompetent... extraordinarily naïve... desperately complacent... As a result of that self-congratulation and complacency, xxxxx is becoming so cut off that he is beginning to underestimate the intelligence of the electorate... I trust and believe that something nasty will happen to xxxxx in electoral terms before too long. He will have no one but himself to blame.

CLUE: HC Debs, 16 Mar 2005: Column 309-318″

Daphne and I took a cruise in the Mediterranean on the QE2, hence the inactivity for a couple of weeks. This picture was taken from the top of a hill in Barcelona, one of our ports of call. I decided not to try long distance blogging. We are rather upset that the ship has been sold to Dubai just at the point where we have been able to make her acquaintance from the inside. However we have booked a couple more sails on her before she goes to (probably) her final resting place. She's the most travelled ship in world history and, I believe, the last ship of her size to be built in Britain - the QM2 and the new Queen Victoria being built elsewhere.

I can't help recalling that we are still an island surrounded entirely by sea and that the abitiy to build ships is one that we should foster rather than discard. Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned........ 

I have just rung the firm that supplies the bags to order two. One is entitled to order two. To qualify for the concessionary price one has to be either a state pensioner or registered disabled. I was told that I could expect delivery 'within 28 days', so I will have to wait from tomorrow to an unspecified day 4 weeks hence for the bags to arrive. I shall faithfully record this event here.

Meanwhile anyone else wishing to obtain a bag or bags should ring 0845 0738990. 

A resident raised the question at last week's Neighbourhood Committee of the operation of the new hessian bag scheme for collecting green waste.

Instead of the plastic bags one could buy for 75p from the Library, one now has to ring a number at the Environment Dept. and have a green hessian sack delivered at a cost of £35 (£20 for pensioners and disabled). This bag is reusable and designed to be used for one year after which it will be collected and recycled. For next year you will need a new bag, probably differently coloured, costing as above.

The resident pointed out that he had been charged the full annual fee for his bag when the scheme only came into force on 1st April and he has learnt that his bag will not be usable after 1st January 2008, so he will only have got 9 months use having paid for 12 months.

That this is indeed so was confirmed by the Executive member for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Cllr. Liz Shard (LD St. Mark's Ward), who went on to point out that a bag bought next January for 2008 use may not actually be usable after September 1st. when a new waste contract comes into force. This could leave residents paying charges for two calendar years but only receiving 17 months-worth of service for their money.

I have already had discussions with Council officers about what may be done to improve safety in the area. After this latest incident I have contacted them again and also involved Tony Arbour, our local GLA representative (Ewell Road is the A240 and Transport for London has a major interest in it.) Any works will need funding and we will need their help with that.

We will report progress through this site. Meanwhile i'd be grateful if Ewell Road users could let us know what they think is the cause of the problem and what might be done to remedy the situation.