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Freedom Of Speech.
Together with the United States of America, Britain was once the land of hope and dreams and a place where you could excercise your right of freedom of speech and say exactly what was on your mind without fear of prosecution. Indeed, whatever it once was that you wanted to say, no matter how tasteless or insensitive it was, as a British citizen you were allowed to say it and the State and its citizens would defend your right to say it because we were free.
Now it's gone. The United States stands alone as the only place on Earth where there is true Freedom of Speech and Britain has now joined the ranks of all the other countries who want to control the thinking of their citizens and stop everyone from saying something that could offend another.
Today in the Hereford Times it reports the conviction of a young lady who posted something on Facebook which was mocking and offensive toward some minority groups. Despite the young woman deleting it quickly from her FB page it was brought to the attention of the West Mercia Police and in partnership with the Crown Prosecution Service the young lady was prosecuted resulting in a 'guilty' plea and a criminal conviction that'll impact upon her for the rest of her life.
I couldn't care less about the content of her now notorious FB post. Chances are I wouldn't have liked or agreed with it but that really isn't the point. The point is the State have intervened, they've clearly used this young lady as a vehicle to promote their agenda and their interpretation of multicultural Britsh ideology and they've used their power and their privileged position to smash her into tiny pieces so as to send a message to all Hereford social media users that you shouldn't say, think or transmit anything that goes against the so called shared values of our so called modern Britain.
In this place, Hereford Voice, many things have been written that I completely disagree with but just because I personally consider those views as abhorrent to my way of seeing the outside world it shouldn't be that I, you, or someone else should be prosecuted just because 'someone' took offence to a transmitted opinion or their opinion is very different to yours.
If just one British citizen can be permitted to spout hatred in the name of their chosen religion and their ideology is defended and protected by the State and our Police, then why can't we protect the rights and the freedom of expression of those who take to social media and transmit something that makes some a little or a lot offended?
Quite simply, from an original position of a noble cause where the State wants to create the perfect happy tolerant society that prevents anyone becoming offended by anyone and anything we've managed to haul a silly young woman before a Hereford Court and thus limited her future prospects of ever getting the job she wants. Where's the justice in that?
Why, when someone, perhaps stupidly makes a silly quip about a pork product or something else that could be interpreted in a negative way, should the State and the Police become involved to further dilute one of our freedoms. The freedom to say what you think even if it could cause someone to take offence!
The conviction of this young silly woman who posted a poem that she found online is something that everyone should be alarmed with and sadly, its just the beginning of the State intervention into your daily online chat about this, that and the other.
Smoking in Bed Causes Fire at Henffordd Gardens
Cycle Lengthsman Pilot Scheme
Cycle Lengthsman Pilot Scheme
Hereford Council secured funding from the Department for Transport to deliver a three year programme of initiatives to increase walking and cycling in the County.
As part of the programme, the Council has contracted Pedicargo to deliver a 12 week pilot scheme working as a lengthsman on parts of the traffic-free network in Hereford
The aim is to improve the traffic-free network for walkers and cyclists by keeping the routes clear of vegetation, litter, cleaning signage and lots more . . .
The pilot will run from September to December 2017 and will help shape the Lengthman project for the following two years.
Email: move@herefordshire.gov.uk
Spoke to them today working on the verges of the cycleway opposite ALDI. Doing an excellent job tidying up the route. Any suggestions or particular issues email them at above. I mentioned the build up of compressed leaves on the bends under the railway bridge at Barton Road. It's turning into a skid pan.
ATM Machine In The Old Market?
I am posting from my mobile and we are currently sat in Costa Coffee, can anyone please tell us where the nearest cash point is because we cannot see one?
VDS Cleaning
Election of Councillors for the Kings Acre Ward
Election of Councillors for the Kings Acre Ward
DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL
Date of Election : Thursday, 26th October 2017
I, Colette Maund, being the Deputy Returning Officer at the above election, DO HEREBY GIVE NOTICE that the number of votes recorded for each candidate at the said election is as follows:
Name of Candidates Description Votes Recorded (E = Elected)
Anderson, Stuart Paul Conservative and Unionist Party 302 (E)
Bushkes, Matthew It's Our County (Herefordshire) 156
Fenton, Clare Jane Independent 162
Hurds, Lucy Liberal Democrats 90
Lewer, David Philip Sharland The Labour Party Candidate 75
The Number of Ballot Papers Rejected was as follows:
(a) Want of Official Mark 0
(b) Voting for more candidates than the voter was entitled to 0
© Writing or mark by which the voter could be identified 0
(d) Being unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty 1
(e) Rejected in part 0
Total spoilt votes: 1
AND I HEREBY DECLARE that Stuart Paul Anderson has been duly elected.
Turnout: 28.74%
Hereford Link Road
They have now demolished the BP garage in Edgar Street. Here are a few pictures I took over the weekend.
Is this where democracy is going?
New Tourist Information Centre Opens In Hereford
New Tourist Information centre opened by our Mayor Sharon Michael in the Butter Market today.
The Church of Freedom and Rough Sleepers
Recently I have noticed that most mornings there are two or more people sleeping rough in the doorway of the Freedom Church on Commercial Road.
Prince William Visits Hereford Cathedral
Prince William Visits Hereford Cathedral today, hence the large police presence in the city.
THE Duke of Cambridge met SAS soldiers and veterans at a ceremony to dedicate a £1 million memorial to their regiment inside Hereford Cathedral today.
Investigation launched following sexual assault in Hereford
Duck Pond Clean Up Phase 2
Well I have some good news :)
I have managed to secure funding to buy some decent Hammerite paint for the fence and aerating pumps for the pond.
I will have a chat with the other guys involved and we will agree another day here to finish off what we started.
Chadds has been sold
Hereford Duck Pond Clean Up
A few months ago we were walking past the duck pond and noticed how dirty and full of algae it had become and I commented at the time on how it had deteriorated over the years. A few days later I was invited to join a new Facebook group that had only recently been set up by local chap Keith Marston called 'The Duck Pond Hereford clean up' and I thought what a great idea, he asked me if I would help him move this idea forward using Hereford Voice as the platform. I joined the group immediately and said that Hereford Voice would help out and publicise this idea as much as possible. I have also contacted Cllr Jim Kenyon and he is also going to do what he can to raise awareness.
I took this photograph today, the pond is absolutely covered in green algae, a lot of this is because people are feeding these ducks with bread, most of us think this is kind but in reality, bread can makes ducks ill and certainly does not contain the right calories and nutrition to keep ducks warm during the winter months. Rotting bread pollutes the water and encourages bad surface algae which kill the fish and causes diseases in ducks as well making the water smell.
I also thought long term could we have a food vending machine like the one in the photo below installed and the proceeds from any profits made to go towards the maintenance of the duck pond...
Hereford Labyrinth
The Hereford Labyrinth has been given the go ahead to be installed on the Bishop's Meadows.
Hereford Times article:
A LABYRINTH inspired by part of the most famous map in history is to be installed on Hereford's Bishop's Meadow after the project got the go-ahead.Work is set to get under way on the scheme this week. When complete, the labyrinth – made up of a single, convoluted path which has a number of reversals of direction and eventually leads to the centre – will be a permanent installation measuring 20m in diameter.It is based on a drawing of a tiny labyrinth on the island of Crete, seen on the medieval Mappa Mundi which is housed at Hereford Cathedral.Following a successful Crowdfunding campaign, project organisers were waiting to hear whether they had been granted a licence from Herefordshire Council – and approval finally came last week.Mike Booth, from the South Wye Development Trust, which has been leading the project, said: "I am so pleased that it's all going ahead."Work started on Monday and we are now looking for volunteers to help with the installation this weekend."After initial work, it will then be left through the winter to settle before opening next spring.It is hoped that the labyrinth will provide space for fun, exercise, peace and contemplation and the project has received generous financial support from Hereford City Council, the Severn Waste Environmental Fund, the Seven Helpers Trust and the Rowlands Trust.
Anyone available to help work on the installation this weekend should email enquiries@herefordlabyrinth.co.uk
Hereford Library 31 Broad St Project On Hold
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
'PROJECT ON HOLD'
Hereford 21st September 2017: Members of the Hereford Library Users Group and the many supporters of the 31 Broad Street project deeply regret that the work on the '31 Broad Street Project' has had to be put on hold due to unforeseen circumstances.
The Herefordshire Council, together with the Museum Support group, have chosen to go ahead with a consultancy project into the future of the museum service, which cuts across the next stages in the work of the 31 Broad Street group.
The project to re-imagine and redevelop the building on Broad Street has always been predicated on including both the Library and Museum. Regrettably this will mean that it will not be possible to meet the deadline set by the Cabinet of the Council for the 31 Broad Street team to come back with worked up plans and a satisfactory business plan by May 2018. Nor is it possible to raise any further funds from grants or charitable donations to support its work due to the uncertainty that has been created by the museum project.
Les Watson, the chair of HLUG and the project leader for 31 Broad Street says “The 31 Broad Street group has worked very hard over the past 14 months, with consultancy support, to establish that it is feasible, and affordable to develop the Library and Museum building on Broad Street and that people want this to happen. For the Council to initiate a project that will explore alternative futures for the Museum at this stage completely undermines this work and makes a mockery of the considerable effort expended by the volunteers involved."
Gelpack Closure...
Breaking News:
We are hearing some disturbing reports that Gelpack Hereford told all of their staff to go home at 2pm today and to return for a meeting on Tuesday.
Further updates to follow.
Remember where you heard it first...