kevinjohnsonmbe

Don’t panic Mr Mannering! Found it: Rail Minister launches review of tree cutting alongside rail lines - GOV.UK WWW.GOV.UK Review of Network Rail’s tree cutting and vegetation management has been announced.

Can’t, already moved on! Separate subject, do you recall some sort of legal challenge to NR doing line clearance in nesting season a year or so back? I’ve got something of a memory of them being told something like - just because you didn’t get it all done in time is no excuse for carrying on into nesting season. Ring any bells? Can you point me in right direction for references?? PS - one of my regrets of leaving the Andrew was that I left before QE was commissioned and I missed the opportunity to be transported around the global cocktail party circuit. PPS - there are considerably less regrets than there are jubilations for leaving when I did ??

I’ll switch target to the boiled egg! Come on egger, it’s not Dixon of Doc Green, Ford Anglias, roller-Dex, pencil and note book any more. Data collation, analysis and exploitation is the future of policing. Of course there will always be the community role of the Bobby on the beat but not to the same degree as in your distant yoof of getting your collar felt! Service manpower cuts are an inevitable consequence of digitisation in ALL walks of life (and links nicely to the UBI argument.) Its old hat for died in the wool socialists to constantly ‘blame the Tories’ for job losses (past, present and future) whilst burying their heads in the sand and trying to ignore (never mind embrace) the INEVITABILITY of significant streamlining of future actual paid employment opportunities.

I didn’t miss it, as I hope you haven’t missed mine ? I very much enjoy / appreciate our exchanges and I DO recognise a kindred (sarcastic) spirit ??

Grandfather’s fav tipple. He would get wild if the bottle went in first and the draft on top. Draft first, bottle part poured then taken to table to top up at leisure. Im sure it was the thought of getting a little bit extra draft that appealed to him... I think it was called thrift back in the day... I think I got the tight barsteward gene from him ?

Maybe ‘rainbow’ as a deferential nod to the ‘alternatives’ and ‘unspecified / undecided?’ Maybe black as a nod to the revolutionary Marxists at BLM? Maybe some sort of ocre in recognition of the ‘new wave’ from HK? The options (in pursuit of the avoidance of offence and overt declarations of empathy) are almost limitless. Prob just as well stick with ‘blue’ as a historic norm and so as not to bruise delicate sensitivities? Or is there some sort of sub-conscious micro aggression linked to Empire associated with blue.....? Cant be white for obvious reasons of impracticability on duty - I mean, imagine a coloured officer in a white uniform on a zebra crossing! It’d set off all epileptics within line of sight and that would be epilepsy-ist!! Its all got so terribly complex....

You’ve both completely missed the f point - for different reasons. Having separate and distinct silos of public sector, all with (maybe) enough resource to manage ‘normal’ circumstances and with additional capacity to surge (to a degree) when required, whilst sitting idle through lengthy periods of inactivity is a luxury the tax payer should not be expected to finance - nor should they tolerate the burden. An example of such combined output is the tri service responder - part fire, part ambulance, part PCSO. A single bod in a medium sized vehicle - agile, adaptable, VfM. It’s taken generations to get that far, all the while whilst fire service, for example, have such generous terms and conditions to allow them regular second jobs and sleep whilst on duty. The military, generally, has high tempo high intensity periods of warfare punctuated by decades of relative inactivity. After Labour’s great balls up of the economy and Tory austerity it’s time for a different approach to the spending of tax payers money and if it takes the likes of Dominic Cummings to force change through them system’ (and the thick skulls of the public that keep slaving to meet the tax burden) then I for one wish him all the best. It’ll be an uphill struggle against entrenched resistance to chance. Oh, and as for ‘brown shirts’, no, they’d need to be blue uniform so as not to upset the hard of thinking. ??

Like (probably) all public sector finances, Defence procurement is, and for a long time, Has been a complete disgrace. 1 thing that absolutely does need to happen - for the sake of taxpayer VfM - is that military personnel stationed in major cities should be available to support police as special constabulary. Whilst currently there is the long established protocol of military aid to the civil community, this is only ever utilised as a very last resort and at the point where ‘other agencies’ are forced to acknowledge that they are overwhelmed. Hence the reluctance to admit defeat and ask for help. There is a fundamental barrier to accepting this type of thinking by military, civil service, police and government heads of sheds because they are all too precious about their own tribal silos. Of course there are elements of ‘presentation’ that need to be addressed -particularly in relation to law and order issues (not so much flood relief, Olympic security, foot & mouth, fire service strikes (quite a long list actually) - we’re not a banana republic after all. Current events with police in retreat from a baying mob however.... 1000 military personnel in a reduced special constable role would soon put paid to the sort of mob rule that has been evident of late. Let the coppers do the arrest / investigate / charge business as usual but give them some support in numbers so that they can stand their ground and provide order.

Wise words Jack.... You are a man of hidden depths....

Do you have a YouTube channel “Jack?” Maybe you could do some unboxing and user vids to finally answer the Husky / Sthil question , maybe some online business and operations tutorials? Training and mentoring? Im wondering if there’s any way I can attach a roller to a pole saw so that I can offer house painting and tree lopping without having to change tools? Any thoughts?

Blue passports, pounds sterling, and “fish” - according to James OBrrxit ?

Can’t argue with that ☹️

I made that very same point way, way back when.... ??

Housing market in Cornwall is going mad too. Cash rich urgent buyers snapping up smallish houses without even visiting and as soon as they hit the market. The thinking seems to be rather than a foreign holiday, grab a pad in the bundo and use it as a bolt-hole / holiday let. With entry level stamp duty rumoured to rise to 500k and a potential relaxation of planning laws think things might get busy.

Way to go! ??

Go on then..... Give him a job.... ?

I’m on side with Kriss now! I’d hire him for £450 x 4. If he’s useless at tree work he can finish painting the hoose for me ?

Come on, stop now Mr B, that’s just getting out of hand ?

I I had my suspicions that this was a wind-up for reaction from the get go. It’s turned from farcical drama to sitcom I’m having a punt that “Jack P” is actually Mr B starting ‘rage’ threads to keep the post count up ?

Are you sure that’s your ‘part of town’ Marcus?? Just asking loike, no judgement here....?

I’m ‘having’ that as a compliment! They’re few and far between so I’ll take’em whether intended as such or not ?

Here's a thought.... Plastic grass - not so good Woodchip - better, but not the best option Wildflower seed - a great option on many levels! Low cost & low maintenance. Looks like the ground would simply need a rake over. Sow from seed in September. Depending on seed selection (there are many proprietary suppliers that provide variations best suited to colour, bees, butterflies, flowering duration etc, etc - you have to put a bit of thought into what you deem most suitable / desirable.) 1 cut per year, just let it grow and 'do its thing.' A changing palette of colour and interest throughout the seasons. Cut in late Summer / Autumn, leave it lay for a few days after cutting so that the seeds fall to ground to regenerate next year (or provide bird food.). Clear and compost. It'll all come back stronger year on year. Pic's attached of a small section of garden I gave over to wildflower this Spring. It is beautiful, it is no maintenance, it is literally buzzing with pollinator activity, there are field mice in the bottom, the little one comes out each day to search for the latest new flowers. It might not be right for every situation but it is SERIOUSLY worth giving it some thought.

Best I can do is George Galloway.... True to his ideals (but not achieved much ‘effect’ (in comparison to Farage.))

Unlike the ‘knee-jerk’ party politicians that follow (what they perceive to be) the popular trend as a path to re-election and those condemned to perpetual chirping from the fringes, and noting that he certainly isn’t to everyone’s tastes, he HAS been absolutely consistent and unreservedly dodged (against all the odds and the best efforts of the ‘establishment’) in the pursuit of his ideals over the past 30 years. I’d challenge anyone to name any 1 other politician that can claim such consistency, determination and effect. Bonus point if that person has also achieved their aims and maintained their values whilst being ‘in the fringes’ rather than the mainstream..... ⏱