kevinjohnsonmbe

Anyone seen the (or even better been on the seminar) 31 May post on Jeremy Barrell's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Heritage-Tree-Management-573985506028429/ Interesting stuff, looking forward to hearing more when (if) the details are available.

Green! What do you think the odds would have been Mr E?? :lol:

DUP. I have to agree. A dirty business politics. Mark, in the spirit of glasnost, it's has predominantly been your passion and persistence that has kept me engaged and commenting for so long. I actually voted Green in the end. It had been troubling me all day, went to the polling station at about 18:00, stood looking at the card for 10 minutes (staff were getting anxious.) Despite having a strong aversion to Labour and Lib Dem, the truly appalling personality and performance (lack of) of our constituency Tory, meant I could not, with a clear conscience, endorse her. Didn't make a toss of difference of course. As didn't the Facebook campaign to expose her inadequacies - it would be funny if it wasn't so tragic, worth a look: https://www.facebook.com/shezzaexpose/ Last bloody constituency to return the results, ruined my morning!

Come on now Mark, it's all over and we've dodged a bullet. The potential of a Marxist revolution has been averted, the possibility of plunging the UK back into the clutches of the vast, crippling, inefficiency of militant unions and nationalised industries, blackouts, 3 day working weeks, bins left piled on the streets... It's OK, it's passed, for the time being at least. We can all just settle down and get on again now.... Peace & Love brother....

It's alright petal, we'll forgive you, you didn't really know what you were voting for.... :lol:

Did an AIA last week AFTER the Decision Notice (refusal)!!

It would have to be Brizzle or (if tied in with a trip to the in-laws (be a good escape plan for me!)) Staffs. David delivered the QTRA course a couple of years back in Exeter, really enjoyed his delivery style. 10 minutes is doorstep! Across the Tamar is foreign!! You doing AA conference Gary??

That's a secondary / consequential purpose perhaps Gary?? Surely (maybe in an ideal world!!) the actual purpose is to inform the design parameters of the potential build project... "...the results of the tree survey, including material constraints arising from existing trees that merit retention, should be used (along with any other relevant baseline data) to inform feasibility studies and design options..."

Have to agree with Lord Sugar.... Lord Sugar: Corbyn voters 'not experienced in life' and 'didn't know what they voted for' Bless them, they didn't really understand what they were voting for (apart from the free stuff...)

Keen, but balancing the time and 4hr round trip proving difficult.

124 views 20 pollsters... Come on folks, lets see if AT can mirror the exit polls... Maybe it does already with a vast majority of "can't be bothered to vote" but the guys at the polling station said they'd had a big turn out earlier.

Yep, feeling that feeling! I will kick myself if I vote for the idiot local Tory candidate because if she is returned she'll think it's an endorsement of her and we'll continue to receive inadequate and inept local representation, but I'll kick myself harder if I don't and the idiot Labour leader gets in and we end up with inadequate and inept national / international representation.

I'll just keep slugging away at it, we'll get there in the end!!

Not the most compelling set of references to support the text.

Any interest in a "making the news tomorrow" thread? Not strictly restricted to tomorrow, maybe a week or 2 ahead?? Starter for 10: (1). After historic Tory gains in Scotland, Labour's elimination N of the border and mediocre the polling S of the Midlands results in (another) leadership battle. (2) Abbot makes full recovery after mystery 48hr tummy upset. 🤔

After about 20 failed attempts to get through on the phone, on the 18 May I sent a hastener email to the County Court Business Centre asking for a progress report. Auto reply - we'll be in touch within 10 days.... Tried the phone again the next day and after waiting for 12 places in the queue, finally got through. Me - where are we with this it's been a while now. Her - Oh, it's been sent to mediation, you'll have to speak to them. Me - It can't go to mediation unless both parties agree to mediate (I did, they didn't) Why has it been sent to mediation? Her - It has to go to mediation before a court hearing. Me - It can only go to mediation if both parties agree, the other party did not agree. Her - Can you send me a copy of their form. Me - No, you must have your own copy, you know, the one you must have looked at before sending it to mediation. Her - oh, you'll have to talk to mediation. Me - (thinks) (much swearing) another ½ day on the phone waiting in a queue to talk to some leg iron that shouldn't even be drawing oxygen let alone a salary. (says) Perhaps you could re-check your procedures, extract it from mediation and do your job properly? Conversation discontinued :confused1: Anyway, yesterday, 20 days after the email that should have been replied to within 10 days, I get a reply! Classic!! Sorry we can't answer your question since the case has been sent to Bodmin County Court. At least it's progressing but not through any effort, professionalism or competence on the part of those involved thus far!

Amen to that! 👍🏻

What do I say about it? Same as I've always said / thought: There are long and particularly undistinguished lists of examples of DFID and internal funding for unsavoury cover groups that support activities that are dubious. Priti Patel is the first DFID Minister I can name than has taken anything like a proactive (all be it long overdue and still desperately insufficient) stance in getting a grip on overseas funding. It's about time similar scrutiny was applied at home too. (I hope the slight delay responding was OK, I just wanted to give Steve a chance to tell me what I was thinking 😁)

Not a big twitter user, but rather liked this and thought it tied in nicely with the "police cuts" element of the discussion: From a friend I am posting this so we can get a few things sorted out in our minds before Thursdays General Election - so OK Corbyn, let's get a few things clear: 1 million more police officers would not have stopped the Manchester Bombings 3 weeks ago any more than the numbers in 1996 stopped the IRA bombings. 10,000 more police in London would not have made the2 minutes response and 8 minutes end time quicker last Saturday. What would make a difference is Anti Terror legislation. Now, where do you stand on that?! 1. Addressing a Stop The War Coalition conference in 2011, you told the crowd: “I’ve been involved in opposing anti-terror legislation ever since I first went into Parliament in 1983”. 2. You voted against the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Bill in 1984. It introduced police powers to arrest a person suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism connected to Northern Ireland. Looking back, in 2011, you said: “It probably generated more support for those who wish to commit those acts than anything else, because it criminalised large numbers of people who had committed no criminal wrong.” 3. You opposed the 1989 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Bill, which proscribed the IRA and Irish National Liberation Army. 4. You voted against the 2000 Terrorism Bill, which introduced police powers to stop and search anyone in a designated area without having to show reasonable suspicion for doing so. 5. You opposed the 2006 Terrorism Bill, which outlawed the glorification of terrorism, cracked down on jihadists attending terror training camps and prohibited the circulation of terrorist publications. 6. You opposed the introduction of Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs) in 2011. The measures, which replaced control orders, imposed restrictions on individuals suspected of being involved in terrorism but where there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them. 7. You voted against the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014, which provided authorities with emergency access to phone and internet records and required communications companies to retain data for 12 months. And you want to be our Prime Minister????

Just for context.... This was tweeted by Lord Sugar, a Labour Peer who paid in excess of £58 million in personal tax in January.

Brilliant - a Labour enthusiast debunking the theory that Labour are the financial guardians of the public sector.... A fully costed manifesto" - that REALLY is a joke. It's costed against ASSUMPTIONS of economic activity. When the assumptions are exposed as unfounded, the costings become nonsensical.

Ms Brown to step in as "temporary" Shadow Home Sec. That'd be the Ms Brown that resigned her previous shadow cabinet role following a vote of no confidence in Corbyn's leadership.... Open to interpretation I suppose?

She is, without a doubt, a total liability. We've all seen it, why hasn't Corbyn? Either she has some SERIOUS leverage over him - Bastard love child maybe? Or, if not that and he genuinely rates her, then it must be his judgement that is so obviously flawed. Maybe she is genuinely unwell. I wonder if she's on NHS or gone private like she has for her children's education - what a good socialist eh.

So, Abbott to "temporarily" step down as shadow minister.... Is that to save her doing any more damage prior to Thursday then wheel her out again once it's too late, or is it another example of her using "the migraine" cop-out to avoid the tough work... Comedy gold! http://news.sky.com/story/diane-abbott-stepping-aside-as-shadow-home-secretary-for-period-of-ill-health-10906891 http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/762412/Dianne-Abbott-faces-calls-to-resign-from-John-Mann-MP-over-Brexit-vote