Hearts Of Oak - The Online Blog Of Ralph Atkinson

BACKING THE BOYS IN BLUE

2010-04-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday 23rd of March Jeff Bolter out UKIP Croydon South Candidate invited me to sit in on the Croydon Police Consultative Committee. On the way there I watched three lads attack a fourth outside East Croydon Station and the lot roll around on the tram lines whilst their girlfriends screamed. However there were no knives involved and the police arrived within minutes.

I won’t comment on the Committee itself since it is strictly non political, except to say that it was really brought home to me how Croydon is over stretched with a population of 350,000 and not only the same official resources from Central Government as smaller boroughs but a policy of directing resources into the inner city makes it suffer twice.

I was later, with input from ex copper Jeff Bolter, able to defend Croydon Police from the disappointment of Croydons population, one of whom wrote a letter to the press suggesting the only benefits of CCTV were that you could watch yourself being beaten up later. I pointed out that law breakers in Croydon were being arrested and CCTV had improved response times. But with the law courts unable to keep villains off the streets because the New Labour Government refuse to build any more prisons, re-offending tends to spiral out of control.

TRINITY TRIP

2010-04-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

TRINITY TRIP

Thursday 11th March - Having enquired to Trinity School why no UKIP candidate had been invited to their General Election hustings or indeed during the 2009 Euro Elections I persuaded them to invite me to address their A level Politics class on March 11th. Finding out I had worked at the European parliament Brussels for four years they became very enthusiastic. So, in the end I spoke about UKIP for ten minutes and spent the rest of an hour answering every question they could throw at me about the structure and workings of the EU. How many votes I got I don’t know, but I think I helped a number of young people up their chances in their politics mocks and the real thing later – a much more enduring result and one I hope will lead them to invite UKIP back in future!

As an aside; Croydon Central Independent MP Andrew Pelling later asked for the Croydon Central count to be moved from Trinity School on the grounds (as I understood it) that a Conservative opponent is on the board of governors.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY

2010-04-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats attacked the closure of the A&E and Maternity Wards at Croydons Mayday Hospital whilst Croydon North Labour MP Malcolm Wicks countered by claiming they were 100% safe. I got in there with fellow UKIP Candidates Jeff Bolter and Jonathan Serter, pointing out that the A&E ward and maternity are being downgraded not closed, accusing Labourite Malcolm Wicks MP of complacency and praising Andrew Pelling MP, (formerly Tory but deselected despite no charges ever being made and now Independent), for his call for a new hospital. Andrew decided to run for office once more shortly afterwards, splitting the Tory vote. Judging by the acclaim in the press, he would, in my view, have romped home as the Tory candidate. More fool the Tory Party.

MEMENTO IN MEMORIAM

2010-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Lunchtime on Monday 8th of March, I manage to get down to Croydon Parish Church for the Bernard Weatherill Memorial Lecture by Tony Benn. Bernard was a Croydonian and a former speaker of the House of Commons and a society has been formed in his name. Tony Benn gave a lecture on the State of the Nation and afterwards he took questions. I spotted local MP Andrew Pelling at the back testing the water by announcing himself as an Independent MP and asking a question on business in Croydon. Other candidates followed suit. I managed to get the microphone last in order that my words stuck in peoples minds, but declined to mention my Party since the Bernard Weatherill Society is meant to be non-political. I asked Tony about his views on the EU, and the Great Man gave a reply the gist of which was that he had always opposed it, that it was meant to be an economic community and now it had gotten out of hand, become political and undemocratic and needed to be reformed or stopped.

I thanked Tony and left through the departing crown with people wondering who I was, but well able to work it out since every other prospective candidate seemed to have announce themselves

GOING UP IN SMOKE

2010-04-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

New Labour put out a leaflet in Croydon South claiming they opposed the construction of an incinerator on the Croydon-Sutton border. I and Croydon South UKIP Candidate Jeff Bolter hastened to write in to the press to point out that they had in fact supported the EU Landfill Reduction Directive that encourages Councils to reduce bin collections (a bad thing) in order to encourage recycling (a good thing), but that this bill set impossible targets that no Council including Croydon can meet, and then fines them. The result is huge pressure to build incinerators.

This led to a wild counter attack by a Mr Pitt who called myself and my fellow candidates badly briefed and then trashed whatr I thought was a well researched reply as out of context and disingenuous etc, whilst claiming to be politically neutral himself and having no axe to grind, even if he did develop refuse and energy solutions for the third world. Croydon North Green Candidate Shasha Khan promptly rubbished Pitt rather expertly. Another victory, but one shared with Greens, whom I would like to thank.

HUSTINGS HULLABALLOO

2010-04-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

My personal General Election Campaign really kicked off with the Croydon Area Gay Society Hustings on February 2nd 2010. The main topic was the EU equality bill. Asked whether I was pro a quota of gay and transvestite employees in schools and given that members of the audience had been calling for funding to be cut off to faith schools that refused to comply with the bill, I simply replied that “It is irresponsible to endanger the education of children over a political disagreement between adults”. I followed up with outlining the UKIP policy which is that head teachers and boards of governors should decide the ethos and who is employed in their particular school. That neatly parried (as I thought) I could concentrate upon answering Jane Avis, Labour Candidate for Croydon South who laying into myself for raising the issue of rampant crime in Croydon and then into Croydon North Tory Jason Haddon for no reason at all. A robust exchange followed but Jane blew it at the end by announcing that ‘Gordon Brown had saved the world economy’. Even her own supporters were not immune to the laughter at that one.

A few days later, Gordon Ross, the Green Candidate for Croydon South was accusing me of homophobia and Jason and myself of having had a go at Jane Avis and being against human rights, all on his blog. He refused to apologise. I regarded this as an opportunity not to be missed and promptly sent his material and my responses to the Croydon Advertiser pointing out I was out there supporting the rights of faith schools and family values. Not only do I think I won the exchange of letters in the press (and Many thanks to the Monster Raving Looney Candidate John Cartwright for defending myself and Jason Haddon), but the Pope visited the UK a few days later and new Labour shelved the EU Equality Bill this side of the election. I haven’t heard from Gordon Ross of the Greens since, but in contrast to him the members of CAGS were always supportive and behaved fairly to all concerned throughout.

As for the Human Rights issue I pointed out that in fact Tory Jason Haddon was quite clear that the Conservatives will replace the EU Human Rights Directive with a ‘mirror image’ UK Human Rights Bill. Only UKIP will go for outright abolition and we don’t want to be accused of complicity with Conservative half measures thankyou! But no one took me up on that one.

CROYDON CENTRAL. MY GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

2010-04-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have been surprised to receive a few complaints about my not keeping up with my blog. I suspect people miss my entertainment value more than wanting to decide whether to vote for me, since the main UKIP website has a full list of policies… But I took the decision, when I began planning the Croydon Campaign for UKIP, that local coverage in the Croydon Guardian and the Croydon Advertiser newspapers would be my priority. They reach thousands of people in Croydon together and for free, and many of those people aren’t on line. Then the time lapse until publication makes my material slightly out of date for my blog. Also I need to be out there on the streets of Croydon meeting people not sat behind a computer. However for those who could still use a summary, it follows.

MANY THANKS TO ALL KIPPERS

2009-06-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

Well we did well across the nation on Sunday night didn’t we? 13 MEP’s is a great result!. It was a great shame it was not 14 as we only missed out getting a second MEP in the North West by 1,200 votes – a narrow squeak in an election involving hundreds of thousands if not millions of votes.

Nationally we rode a 3.5% surge for UKIP based largely on the Westminster expenses scandal. Unfortunately in London, although we got 188,000 votes this time as compared to 110,000 last time, our vote was actually proportionately 2% down (5.5% behind the National surge) so we only got one MEP and came within a few thousand votes of losing the seat. This means that if we want to retain the seat in 2011 we will have to really pull our socks up. And this is all the more urgent as the general election cannot be far off.

I was disappointed for London Region that I was not elected, however I am very grateful to all the volunteers who worked with me at the National Call Centre near St James's Park and to all the branches that supported me. Especially Croydon and Bromley Branches who got out on the street throughout. Many thanks also to former Greenwich Leader Arnold Tarling for the loan of the public address system and Bexley Branch who, through Paul Cronin, provided a vehicle emblazoned with flags and magnetic stickers for my tours of South London.

For me getting a whole hour on local radio and being invited back the following week to make a speech to community leaders that also went out live was a great learning experience. As was speaking for an hour without notes to Bromley Branch(sorry about the over-run Sid!)and successfully fielding every question on the EU the members could throw at me. I may not have got elected but I enjoyed every minute of the campaign.

Cheers everybody!

Q & A DAY BROMLEY WAY

2009-06-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 2nd May – Bromley Branch kindly gave me a 45 minute slot at their monthly meeting. I intended to speak about my campaign but in fact most of the members wanted detailed information about the EU so I ran an off the cuff speech taking questions as I went along.

I recommend off the cuff speaking as it allows you to respond to what your audience want. The downside is that if it does not go well you can be quite reasonably blamed for not having prepared something. The answer is to have a broad and detailed knowledge of your subject to draw upon. Luckily I am ok there - Having had the good fortune to work for the cause of British Independence as a researcher backing up our MEP’s in the European Parliament for the last four years.

In the event things went so well and I had to field so many questions that we over ran to just under an hour. Indeed I found myself still answering questions between gulps of tea in the mid evening break. Many thanks to the lady who gave me a second cuppa. Public speaking is thirsty work.

Bromley Leader Sid Piggott was kind enough to praise me for speaking without any notes and ask if I could return to Bromley shortly.

After the break we all watched a video interview of Nigel Farage. I had seen it once before but was glad of the opportunity to study it some more and pick up the odd speaking tip from the UK’s fastest rising Political Leader.

Bromley Speech

2009-06-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

I am following up my South London Flag tour with an ad lib speech on the campaign so far at Bromley Branch tonight at 8pm. The meeting is at the Evangelical Church on Park Road, Bromley at 8pm Tuesday 2nd June.

SOUTH LONDON FLAG TOUR

2009-06-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

Monday 1st and Tuesday 2nd June - Many thanks to former Member Arnold Tarling for the loan of a of a public address system and To Paul Cronin of Bexley Branch for dressing up his car with UKIP flags and Magnetic Placards for me. We had a campaign vehicle ready in under sixty seconds.

Over Monday and Tuesday we took the UKIP message on the EU costing us forty million pounds a day and the unelected EU Commission in Brussels imposing 75% of our law upon us.

Our flag tour took us to visit the parts other Parties and our existing UKIP Branches cannot reach. On Monday we set off around Lewisham, Catford, Sydenham, Penge, Crystal Palace, Dulwich, Clapham, Brixton Wandsworth, Richmond, Putney, Battersea, and Lambeth, with several places in between and on Tuesday to Greenwich, Deptford, Bermondsey, Lambeth, Brixton, West Norwood, Streatham, Palace again, Streatham, Mitcham, Merton and home again. Only a short pit stop for a sandwich each day kept us from getting UKIP’s message out there back and forth through London’s streets. Judging by the waves and honking of car horns we have a lot of support out there. On route we have not spotted a solitary Labour or Conservative billboard. The Christian Peoples Alliance have quite a few – though nowhere near as many as UKIP.

ALL DAY ACTION IN CROYDON

2009-06-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday 29th May – Tracey and I headed for Croydon High Street to join the branch campaign. We went via New Cross Gate Station and East Croydon (Predictably There were engineering works cutting off West Croydon). The Croydon Branch Gazebo had been moved from their usual pitch opposite the Alms House to make way for a Euro Fair. However, we were nevertheless getting so much support at the UK Independence Party gazebo that instead of clocking off at 2pm as intended we carried on until after 5pm. People were coming up for a chat about our policies and leaving with posters for their windows. A great many people told us they had already voted by post, for us. All in all I was leafleting on the street for over eight hours. My feet ache and hopefully what looks like sunburn now will turn into a healthy (non-orange) tan later.

Liberation Day Live Radio Hustings

2009-05-26T03:30:00.000-07:00

Bank Holiday Monday 25th May - London’s African community had a ‘Liberation Day’ celebration. The original event was cancelled after Mayor Boris cut funding. Voice of Africa Radio 94.3fm led by Mr Space Clotty decided to host it instead and ran an evening of entertainment with African food and music. I was asked to do an off the cuff speech to a crown of 200 plus community leaders about the EU and how it affects the UK and Africa. My speech went out live on 94.3fm Voice of Africa Radio.

I told them about the EU being undemocratic and imposing Economic Partnership Agreements on African Nations, preferential status being given and taken away, tariff barriers on their produce and drew the parallel between the EU takeover of UK fishing grounds and the EU fishing fleet scouring Africa’s coast. I sat down to cheers and handshakes to find myself brought back to answer a barrage of questions on UK Independence Party policies including immigration.

Afterwards many of the audience agreed with me on the need for immigration controls. Although a Rastafarian gentleman did criticise my speech and sing rather well about an African Union, many were unconvinced and told me they would be supporting UKIP. I also spoke to Winston MacKenzie, a former boxing champion and independent candidate for Mayor of London who plans to found his own Party next Autumn. Winston made an impressive speech on the way the Blasck vote is being ignored in London and about dealing with youth crime. He was good enough to tell me I had done UKIP a big favour by coming and that in addition to everyone else he would be asking his supporteds to vote UKIP in the Euro Election on June 4th.

No other party sent a representative although all were invited.

MAKING A SONG AND DANCE OF IT - Two New Members for UKIP Bromley Branch

2009-05-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday 23rd May I and my other half – Tracey Adams, set out to Bromley High Street to help out at the UKIP Gazebo. Predictably the Local Tory Council had double booked us. A Euro-Dance troop had turned up and wanted us to move. However as we had set up the UKIP Bromley gazebo over a street bench we politely moved about two feet. When Regional Organiser Lawrence Webb arrived he was concerned that having a series of Croatian circle dances and Bavarian thigh slapping a few feet away would render the Bromley stall pointless. He and Gerrard Batten MEP shortly moved on to New Addington to support Croydon Branch. Tracey and I however stayed at Bromley because we saw the Euro dance troop as a big opportunity – and it was.

The Euro-dancers drew a big crowd and we were able to leaflet hundreds of people many of the eager to vote UKIP. Many dozens of others were open to persuasion. I even leafleted a member of the Euro Dance Troop just to see if I could get her to wave our leaflet whilst dancing. And she did – Enthusiastically as a good Austrian Euro Sceptic.

About halfway through the entertainment the second shift of Bromley members arrived and the Euro-dancers took a rest in favour of a troop of Scots. The bagpipes and the kilts drew an even bigger crowd. Many people assumed they were there on UKIP’s behalf and I told them Bromley Coucil had obviously decided to support us. Just before taking Tracey off for a very late lunch I was able to sign up two new members for Bromley Branch. Result! Many thanks from Tracey and I to Bromley Branch for supporting my campaign - and for a really good day out!

Hustings with Amnesty BOND and the Jubilee Debt Campaign

2009-05-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

The Amnesty hustings was about Human Rights and development. I presented a stark message and many of the audience were on my side.

The EU can take away your human rights in time of war or civil disturbance, (like now in Afghanistan or when you demonstrate against the G20 summit).

It imposes Economic Partnership Agreements on third world nations, uses aid to gain power and awards and removes preferential trading status to keep nations in line (eg offering Thailand £1.5bn aid just after costing them £3bn in lost trade) It uses tariff barriers to stop Africa exporting its produce to the EU and sends EU fishing boats to scour their seas. These vessels fish inshore illegally at night and often run down local fishing craft. Deprived of a living many of the fishermen set out with their families in small boats for the Canary Islands. Those who do not drown become illegal immigrants into the EU.

The Tories declined to attend – their plan for the Euro elections is not to talk about the EU. The Labour candidate pleaded for a socialist agenda until I pointed out that the Party of Euro Socialists is in alliance with the Euro Peoples Party (Tories) in the European parliament to keep the Liberals and the Greens out of power. Then he said he was a consensus politician.

One member of the audience asked why UKIP had not sent someone likely to get elected so I told them of the Tuesday 19th May Sky News poll.

Tories 31%
UKIP 19.7&
Labour 11.5%
BNP 9.5%
Lib Dems 8.5%
Greens 6.7%.

Polls are not definitive but UKIP is doing better than ever.

UKIP on Voice of Africa 94.3 fm London

2009-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

We in UKIP London have known since Frank Maloney’s Mayoral campaign in 2004 that hard working, church going folk from the Caribbean are big on the Mother Country and many vote UK Independence Party. However being invited on Radio Africa to talk about the UKIP line for over an hour, 4-5pm on Tuesday 19th of May was a real first for the UK Independence Party.

Space Clottey of Radio Africa was very interested to hear of the EU’s economic Partnership Agreements imposed on African Countries, of EU protectionist tariff barriers making African produce uneconomic, and about EU fishing vessels scouring the African coast of Fish, (just as they scoured the UK coast) forcing Mauritanian fishermen et al to emigrate to the EU via the Canaries in open boats with many deaths at sea on the way.

I pulled no punches on green issues, the expenses scandal at Westminster and in the Euro Parliament, or indeed about UKIP's firm immigration policy, but the fact is it does not matter what colour you are. No UK worker welcomes the 500m EU citizens who have a legal right to come here and undercut UK wages under the EU’s freedom of movement of workers legislation. It’s an EU race to the bottom and so much for the protection of a trade union.

I may have opened up a whole new constituency for the UK Independence Party. And it was my first time on radio. Was I any good? Well Radio Africa are talking about inviting me back to face down the BNP. Will the BNP have the nerve to take them up on it? I doubt it somehow. But if they do I will be there doing my bit for UKIP, common sense and a rising vote for my fellow UKIP candidates.

Red Hot Call Centre

2009-05-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

There has been a huge upsurge in interest in UKIP, due in part to all the main political parties being embroiled in expense scandals in our Westminster Parliament (and the European Parliament). We are up 12% in the polls, topping 19% Nationally on Friday 15th May.

As a result our National call centre at 50 Broadway near St James Park is being swamped with calls and a good candidate gets in there and joins the fight alongside the troops. Thus Friday 15th found me helping to man the phones for the day. All the calls are incoming and the phones ring the moment you finish a call. I expected eight hours of hard graft but in fact there is a lot of banter in the call centre sharing incoming information. Also as a candidate and Brussels researcher I get to answer all those difficult questions about party policy and our regional candidates. People are joining UKIP, making donations, talking about their issues and supplying the bureaucratic nightmare stories that we pass on to help our press office.

Ok I admit I staggered home exhausted but I had had such good fun I had had them put me down for most of next week including some evenings – other engagements permitting. I would urge all members to come and join in especially for the evening shift. This is a big opportunity to beat the number of MEP’s we got elected in 2004. A couple of your hours after work will boost our membership and could really make the difference for some of our regional candidates.

EU Intelligent Transport Control Freakery

2009-05-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

The EU Commission wants intelligent transport systems and is floating the idea at Own Initiative level in the Euro Parliament and on our radio’s and TV’s. ITS means your car will have a computer installed which (for now) offers you choice of an ‘advisory’ system giving you a smiley face when you speed, and a ‘voluntary’ system (note the word – it means it’s not compulsory – yet!) which takes control of the speed of your car away from you. But what happens if you need to speed up to avoid an accident?
ITS will also include centrally controlled route finding, electronic road signs, and driver identification. The aim is to reduce road transport to the status of a train and have offenders obliged to turn themselves in for say smoking or eating at the wheel or making a mobile phone call without a hands free set. Yes it’s rightly illegal and its dangerous when you are in motion but what if you are stuck in a traffic jam?
ITS could even shut down you car and make you walk to limit congestion. It will allegedly reduce road accidents but how many State sponsored computer systems do you know that actually work? UKIP is against EU control freakery and for the freedom of the road. I myself, as a regular user of public transport, do not want motorists reduced to joining me on our train and tube system, they are overcrowded and expensive enough thank you and if I wasn’t at the Euro Parliament in Brussels such a lot I would be buying a car.

Why Gordon Says NO to Joanna's Ghurkas

2009-05-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

I am sure every right thinking British person admires Joanna Lumley’s fight to get the Ghurkas indefinite leave to stay. As the daughter of a Ghurka officer she understands tradition and responsibility and common decency. Ideas our government have clearly long forgotten. However what Chris Huhne MP the Home Affairs Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats who is spearheading the Ghurka fight in Parliament will never tell you is why Gordon Brown will not allow the Ghurkas to stay.

Immigrants to this country have to support themselves whilst they go through a lengthy and expensive process. Ghurkas are for the most part poor and have to work. Immigrants have to prove an ancestral link, most Ghurkas cannot. Immigrants, even Australians and New Zealanders have to take an English test, which may be a difficulty for the odd Ghurka. ( Their British Officers are rightly made to learn Ghurkali in order to lead them ). The above represent serious obstacles to most legal Ghurka immigration which is why they are instead seeking indefinite leave to stay.

EU migrants on the other hand can come and go and work or not work as they please and the economic crisis means many of the EU’s unemployed are heading for Britain. What is more the EU has virtually open borders and has abolished its internal borders across the Schengen area. The UK has fared little better, despite being outside the Schengen area and an Island, because we offer such generous social security and housing rules that the lure proves irresistible to illegal immigrants. Calais is suffering from a crime wave by people waiting to cross the channel. There have even been cases of people coming to the UK to commit crime, just in order to enjoy the comfort of our jails.

The EU makes noises about doing something about this – like introducing an EU ‘blue’ card that decides who can work here. However many Euro MEP’s are calling for illegal immigrants to the EU to be awarded the same rights as EU citizens. This ‘amnesty call’ is being spearheaded by the EU Liberals the Euro Parliament ALDE Group led by British Liberal Democrat Graham Watson MEP.

The Ghurkas are not EU citizens and not illegal immigrants, they would frankly be better off if they were the latter. They are law abiding soldiers who have done more for the UK and are still doing more for the UK in places like Afghanistan than any Romanian or Bulgarian.

Last week The Czech senate voted to ratify the Lisbon Treaty and only Czech Premier Vaclav Claus refusing to sign until the new Irish Referendum is over has held up Czech ratification. Ireland Voted NO in 2008 but is being made to vote again. France and the Netherlands voted NON and NEE in 2006 and their referendum results have been ignored.

The moment the Lisbon treaty is ratified the EU has control of our immigration policy because the other Member States can overrule us by Qualified Majority Vote. Only the second Irish referendum voter stands between us and the Lisbon Treaty that Gordon Brown signed before even reading it. Even if he had read it, it would not matter since it is self amending. Once ratified the treaty can be changed into whatever the EU Commission wants it to be.

UKIP belives in controlled immigration, greater links with our Commonwealth and replacing our EU membership with a free trade agreement. The Liberal Democrats who allegedly support the Ghurkas believe in the Lisbon Treaty.

If Gordon Brown gave the Ghurkas indefinite leave the EU would simply overturn it for any more of them the moment the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. The Fact that the Ghurkas have earned Britain’s thanks and the EU Member States have not is no defence against a body that controls 75% of our law and will soon decide all of it. The only way for the UK to be able to treat the Ghurkas fairly is to leave the EU and make our own decision.

New Labour Attack on Corner Shops and the Right to Choose

2009-05-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

As if helping the EU close down our rural post office shops was not enough our government is now attacking inner city corner shops as well. New rules forcing tobacco under the counter will force many to close. Tobacco is not illegal, so why should it not be displayed? This legislation will just create a black market in tobacco. UKIP believes in the right for adults to choose - and in proper enforcement to stop children buying cigarettes. A government that cannot or will not enforce our existing drug laws should not be enacting new rules.

Mother Faces 12 Months For What MPs Do Every Day

2009-05-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

Mrs Mranil Patel used her mothers address to place her son Rhys in the catchment area for Prestigious Pinner Park School in Harrow. She now faces 12mths in jail for ‘fraud by false representation’. So much for a mothers love. Meanwhile many of the MP’s who failed to provide this Country with enough good schools, have lied about where they live in order to get a second home allowance. Isn’t it about time they got their collars felt? (And don’t get me started about MEP’s).

17th CENTURY MANOR HOUSE INTERIOR TRASHED

2009-05-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

The Manor Houser at Lee, Lewisham AKA Baring House is my local Library. It reopened last Tuesday after a long refurbishment. I was in Strasbourg Tuesday April 28th but the guided tours were this Saturday. Thanks to the Users and Friends of Manor House Library (For whom I was the founding publicity officer) we managed to stop Lewisham council trashing the 17th to 19th century exterior with a huge glass box, and got them to blend in the wing they rebuilt. The law was on our side as the Manor House is Grade II* Listed – however the listing does not protect the interior. The council went to town with dumbed down post Soviet boutique brutalism. It used to look like those blue and white Wedgwood plates. The new main lift is a glass column. The ceilings have quartered lights and rising sun ventilation grills inset Pizza café style. The children’s areas inside and outside look just big enough for an energetic three year old to set off and instantly bounce off the far wall - get some bouncy turf padding please! And gone are the lovely old sustainable wood book cases and the quiet alcoves for study. Now we have Tetley Meccano Shelves – bolted assembly but thousands of perforations, pale green strip lighted easy-wipe metal. At first I though I was looking at New Labours dream – acres of shelves covered in salads. The one good thing is what we have been agitating for, for years – lots of new books. So I shall certainly be visiting. Its just that every time I go in I am going to shudder.

BARING ALL

After the Manor House Tour I and my fiancé Tracy stayed as security for a display of pictures of the Baring Family whilst Peter, the Leader of our User Group, grabbed some lunch. The Barings founded the bank Nick Leeson Trashed. Sir Francis, the founder, presided over the Louisiana Purchase, where Napoleon sold the French Empire in the USA, everything from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Borders (British by then) was sold to the USA, more than doubling their land area for $8m. Napoleon used the money to end the Peace of Amiens, and finance the second half of the Napoleonic Wars. Not a very nice man Sir Francis. On the other hand his grandson became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and at least he was qualified in finance. Our last but one Chancellor, now an unelected PM had no experience at all. And it shows.

Back From Strasbourg

2009-05-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, home to London from the Last Strasbourg session of this European Parliament. As an experiment before heading home I piled up all the EU legislative reports I have had to go through this week on my desk. Sure enough I could not see over them sitting down. With all those political assistants poring over all thosedocuments to produce all those voting lists I wonder how many trees died for the Green Party alone in the last five years?

Anyway my campaign starts here and now. I'll keep you posted.

Fisheries

2009-04-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

Fishermen blamed for crisis in stocks (The Herald, p.4): "The European Commission will deliver a hammer blow to the remains of Europe's fishing fleet today. New report on the future of the controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) effectively admits that many years of conservation measures have failed - and blames greedy fishermen. Fishermen have been told for years they must endure short-term sacrifices to allow main fish stocks to recover and secure the fishing industry's long-term future .But today's report confirms that stocks are still in dire straits, with fleets accused of prolonging the agony by exceeding annual catch quotas and delaying the time when fish are plentiful once more. he finding is a damning indictment of the CFP, established in 1983 to carve up EU fishing waters between the national fleets." (Geoff Meade)

Ralph's Comment - The EU aren't just wrong but they won't take responsibility or alter their barmy laws - the Fishermen are just the latest scapegoat. EU regulations make fisherman throw back large parts of their catch into the sea dead as they are not allowed to land it but can't avoid trawling it up. We need a system like that of Iceland. They fish a sector of sea for a set period or until they have a set catch tonnage - then that sector is closed for the rest of the year and patrolled. If UK politicians had stood up to the EU like Iceland did to the UK in the cod war then our fishermen could still make a decent living.

Kumarasiri

2009-04-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

letter from N. J. Beresford, Calverton in the Nottingham Evening Post, p 14, 21 Apr: "Mr Kumarasiri didn't expect to lose his job? If I was employed to serve customers but instead turned them away to promote my own political agenda I would expect to be shown the door fairly rapidly. Does his next potential employer need to speak perfect English and be aware of, in his own words, his legendary status, and the fact that he is, in his own opinion, the mouthpiece for the majority of ethnic minorities? ... Does our country need another right-wing MEP living it up in Brussels at the tax payers' expense, telling us how to live our lives? Aren't there more important issues than whether people live up to Mr Kumarasiri's patriot standard?"

Ralph's Comment - Mr Kumarasiri simply pointed out that it would shorten queuing times in his post office if immigrants would learn to speak English. When I go to someone else's country I at least try to learn their language and I speak Spanish because I lived in several parts of the Hispanic world. I expect immigrants to my country to make an effort. Given English is our National language in England and a major international language it is clearly of advantage to those immigrants seeking work to learn English. As for accusing Mr Kumarasiri of being right wing he was a Lib Dem councillor before being unfairly ejected - their loss is UKIP's gain. I would happily accept an immigrant of Mr Kumarasiri's calibre and attitude for every white member of the chattering classes who agrees to leave and never return.

BUREACRATIZING THE BURGERWALD

2009-03-24T04:36:00.001-07:00

As a complete aside those interested in the Teutoburgerwald (Where Herman trashed Varus's three legions, might like to know that last week in the Euro Parliament in Strasbourg, the EU were displaying a cluster of pseudo Roman standards topped with grimacing theatre masks in order to celebrate the battle as a great moment in the formation of a United Europe.

GENDER BENDERS

2009-03-24T04:35:00.001-07:00

The Euro Parliament has been obsessing about 'Gender Neutral Language for years. I remember a UKIP MEP interrupting a diatribe on the subject in 2006 to ask if Manchester would have to be renamed. I passed him a quick note whilst the jeers died down and he went on to congratulate the German MEPs present on the name of their National hero 'Herman the German' being safe.

IT'S PLAIN ROBBERY

2009-02-13T07:18:00.001-08:00

Just how good is the security of the European Parliament? EUseless and it's a fact. As long as you have a credit card sized piece of plastic in cerulean blue you can flash it on your way through the security gates to indicate you are a member of staff. (Trainees get red and visitors get white) If you are at one of those entrances where you have to place it on the gate activator and it doesn't work, a helpful security guard will use his ID and wave you through. If you go PING! in a metal detector along the way, the guards simply ignore it. Today someone wandered through security and onto the indoor street of the main EP concourse then proceeded to rob the EP branch of the ING bank. Then they walked back out of the Parliament. Because the three banks inside the Parliament are deemed secure the staff do not even have a transparent security screen to hide behind.

The story broke as EP security dashed about telling people to lock themselves in their offices whilst they scoured the labyrinthine buildings. They were phoning each other to find out if they were allowed out to the bathroom yet. The Euro Parliament news service kept staff officially in the dark for four hours after the 4pm raid and when people complained sent out a snooty e.mail stating that it's remit was to talk to journalists not MEP's and staff.

Of course if the bank raider chose to stick around there are lots of unlocked empty rooms to hide in odd corners of the Parliament, then there are several cafeterias, a canteen, a gym, a barbers, a laundry, a newsagent, a supermarket, a travel agents for when he's ready to take a holiday with all that cash, perhaps using the Commission to Cayman Islands Shuttle. If he or she fancies another go there is a choice of three bank branches in one EP building and two more in another, an international cash till and a post office are also available.

Then again the EU is plain robbery to start with.

BABY SPIES AND BEAUJOLAIS

2009-02-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

The European Commission fears that its confidential documents are increasingly at risk from spies "We are not only pointing the finger at journalists. It could be the pretty trainee with the long legs and the blonde hair," commission spokeswoman Valerie Rampi said on Wednesday (11 February).

UK (Tory) MEP Brigadier General Geoffrey Van Orden formerly of the intelligence Corps pointed out that the EU is institutionally incapable of keeping a secret. 'Vin Ordinaire' as he is known to his friends when they want to make his face twitch, is a typical Tory of the Janus Club. Two faced like the Roman New Year God, a sceptic to his constituents, but a Europhile in Brussels. It is unusual of him to criticise the Commission but then he is only stating the obvious.

Nevertheless a big bold beaujolais for the brigadier.

I myself have heard that the Euro Commission and Parliament are so wide open that Brussels is where the World's baby spies are trained. They can hang around in cafe's around the Commission picking up juicy gossip before moving on to a job infiltrating the Commission as a Eurocrats assistant then moving up to being a cleaner - It would take more humility to be a cleaner - a commodity Eurocrats are short of.. Presumably the baby spies have to take on NATO to graduate.