Down On The Farm Music Festival 2014

Poster copy.pdf

Would you trust private companies like G4S, Atos or Serco to look after vulnerable children? Or to influence decisions about taking children into care? Protecting children is one of the most difficult and sensitive roles for a government to perform. But education secretary Michael Gove is consulting on whether to outsource this role to profit making companies. [1]

Alcohol is a wonderful thing isn't it? Especially when you don't consume it as often as I do. Folk who limit their consumption to a few pints a week tend to lose all self control and start gibbering on about what they've heard at the Council.

T'other day, I was sat in the Commercial holding Court and addressing a number of the Yazor Brook Toad Sexer's who were describing their confrontation with a particularly aggressive Natterjack Toad that did not want to open its back legs and display its sex. Whilst engrossed in this bucket of tripe of a conversation, there was a tap, tap, tap on my shoulder. Turning in the belief that my wife had tracked me down and was about to hit me in the face with her frying pan, I was met by a young suit who'd decided to pour his heart out about what he'd learned whilst at work with the Council.

I said, 'don't tell me the Council are going to knock down the Cathedral because I won't believe you'.

And then it started. He pulled up his chair, he was clearly out of his mind after consuming to much ale and he began to tell me things that made me nibble fast on my packet of Pork Scratchings.

Basically the Department of Environmental Health is going to be released from the Council. Because they need to make two million in savings there is a discussion now ongoing that'll see it taken away from the Council, another Arms Length Company like Hereford Futures or Hoople may be created and it'll take with it, Licensing, Trading Standards, Noise and Pest Control, Fly Tipping and a whole raft of other things.

Course, these were the ramblings of a drunken idiot and this information may be wrong but when he told me that Customer Services at Franklin House are to go as well, and be replaced by an online service that would require everyone, old and young to become Computer literate in order to be able to communicate with the Council, my immediate thought was, 'Hi up. This is so ridiculous it's probably true.'

You have to ask yourselves this one single question. Given the limited areas of business the Council now are involved in, why on earth do we sit back and pay the Council Tax?

Course, my source could be a complete idiot and as mad as me but somehow or other, I think he told me these things because he was frightened about his future and being required to step into the 'Pen' that collects all the good people who are next in line for redundancy.

Coucillor this is your opportunity to do something for your constiuents...

 

So let me get this right, some nightclubs can stay open until 3 or 4am but HOT FOOD places can't?

 

I repost exactly what I said previously:

 

Hereford Council destroyed Hereford long ago! They killed the shops in Widemarsh Street n broad st by putting in poxy 1 way systems where people couldn't access them and weren't allowed to park for any sufficient length of time and why pedestrianise everywhere? when there are no decent shops (except if u want to drink coffee all day n just hang out if u havent gor a job - Oh yeh there are no jobs because there are no shops because you can't get to them easily by car - silly me) #justsayin.

 

I moved away from Hereford over 3 yrs ago and have access to everything right here. Hot food, cold food when ever I want, swimming facilities x 3, shopping facilities x 10, traffic jams don't exist n I can walk my dogs without having to worry who's behind me! Goodbye Hereford n enjoy your cold pasties!!

I completely agree Adrian.

I see that a new footpath is currently being installed, I do hope that they get this one right!
This is long overdue, I hope it will be lit up during the hours of darkness.

During the past twelve months I've become increasingly concerned at how frequently my wife is playing bingo. It was only after I became stuck in a traffic jam on the New Bridge and a group of five Doggers suddenly leapt out and began Dogging on the bonnet of my car, did I realise that she wasn't playing bingo at all. Brazen strumpet!!!

Yes, we've all been aware of the growing membership of the Hoarwithy Dogging Association and, to some degree, we've all given their numbers tacit approval to carry on in their pursuit of personal gratification, but other Associations affiliated to Dogging are springing up all over the bloody place and its becoming nigh on impossible to fish down by the sewage works without people jumping out and writhing around whilst Im watching me Shimano quiver tip.

I for one have had a 'guts full' of it and I'll be damned if I stay silent anymore. From hereon, if any Doggers start writhing around by me Im going to tell them to 'clear off.'

During the last quarterly, we've now got The Tupsley Ten, the Dormington Dozen, the High Town One and the Holmer Hoard and I ain't for putting up with it any longer. Just because our society is on the fast slope to ruin, we're fiscally skint and bereft of hope, it doesn't mean we have to hurtle headlong into the depths of depravity. I say, to avoid lustful couples writhing around on the bonnets of our cars, lets switch the lights off, avoid traffic queues and get home and inside our houses as quickly as we possible can.

Philip Price interviewed standing by ESG on ITV news Midlands today.

How embarrassing. 

Hereford wants to attract business and has food and security service as the main attraction to businesses, according to Cllr Price.

Foodies alert!!  Typical!  The same old same old food chains attract foodies?  Pull the other one!  Must be joking!  (shaking head)

I honestly think he really believes these food chains are something special.  He is showing Herefordians up as if we were ignorant country yokels - which we certainly are not.  The new chains Nandos etc are welcome here for people who enjoy that kind of choice for eating out, but none of us think they will attract visitors.  May as well advertise the two MaccyDs!?

Sadly, the ESG looked dull, soul-less and pretty poor on the big screen.

The elusive 800 new homes due to be on the site were also mentioned.

Introduction explained livestock market moved to Roman Road as it was hard to access for farmers.  

The ease of access to the new shops and cafes was not touched on.

Due to the lack of grass cutting within the city and county, this sign suddenly seems a bit pointless!!

Still made me laugh.........

Bank Holiday Monday 26th May

Garage sale

Holmfirth Close Belmont

numbers 7,9,31,and 33.

10am-4pm.

A Donation will be made to St Michaels Hospice.

The Council recently posted this link on their Facebook page, they wanted to share it with us 

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/democracy/council-finances/budget-consultation/to-achieve-our-priorities-we-have-to-radically-reduce-our-costs-in-other-areas

I always though that the junction at the top of King Street where it meets Bridge Street was bad and totally the wrong priority since they changed it several years ago, hence all of the accidents and the local traders campaigning to get this changed. It was better when the give way junction was at the top of Bridge Street, it made more sense in my opinion.

Today I drove through town and could not believe how NARROW they have made this! Is it me or is this WORSE THAN EVER?

Nice to see Bill is on this. This council ducks and dives to push it's agenda through and forced an affected individual, Mrs Srodzinski through the High Court, to protect her interest - well done to her.

It is almost four years ago that the popular local fishmonger Dave Benjamin died suddenly.  He was widely admired throughout Hereford as a doughty city and county councillor (he represented St Nicholas Ward); he was a vocal Chairman of the Butter Market Traders Association; and at his memorial service at Hereford Cathedral it was 'standing room only'.  Something even the Blessed Diana didn't achieve.

So the Butter Market traders clubbed together and commissioned a modest commemorative plaque, which was duly affixed to the market building's back wall, at the closest possible point to Dave's fish stall - which mercifully (thanks to the stolid Jason) is managing to surive against all that Messrs Morrison and Waitrose are throwing at it.  But try to find the Benjamin plaque today. 

In its wisdom, Herefordshire Council has approved the installation of an ugly Tardis-like cash dispenser, alongside the back door to the Butter Market, placed just 8" away from the modest Benjamin Memorial!

I have heard today that some elderly residents have got confused as to who has to pay and who does not in regard to bedroom tax, if you are over 65 like myself you do not pay. Or If you live in a property that now doesn't meet your needs and you wish to move into something smaller. Please contact me and I will help you!!!

I've many friends who are employed in the public service sector. They know how I see things. I value all the wonderful things that the public servants provide me and my family but, after the tenure of New Labour and the massive national public service job creation excercise they implemented, the ethos of public service somehow or other became lost on the hirearchy that now dominate the corridors of power.

These people are not like you and I. They are very different. They see a wonderful institution like our Council as a vehicle to create for themselves, power, influence, contacts, personal wealth and the opportunity to 'climb'. Climb the ladder of success and create for themselves a huge pension pot that we will never, ever be able to realise and enjoy.

They are now our ruling elite and we are their host body. We're little more than worker ants destined to work, pay and be directed by those who, before the emergence of the liar Blair, were our servants who's role it was to put in place things that made our lives easier and enable us to work in the private sector and help create the wealth.

In many ways this was the covenant between us and them. They provided our much cherished front line services and we paid happy in the knowledge that our roads were maintained, our grass was cut the rubbish was collected and removed and the vulnerable amongst us were cared for and treated with dignity and respect.

That covenant between us and them has been broken and we didn't do the breaking. They've become an arrogant, fat and bloated clique of people who've attached themselves to us and they treat our funds as though its their money. Whenever people become to powerful, no matter the circumstances and no matter what their role in life, the outcome is often much the same. A loss of any sense of right and wrong and a deluded notion of self entitlement that sees them doing whatever they like and not giving the consequences of their behaviour any self critical examination.

We collectively passed the tipping point the night Mr Jarvis demanded five hundred thousand pounds to keep Stanhope happy and senior Council Officers began rewarding oneanother Gagging Payments, or as they like to describe them, Compromise Agreements, as they move from County to County feeding off another host who willingly sit back accepting of the mantra, 'I am passionate about public service and I will not eat, sleep or drink until I've fulfilled my unquenchable desire to deliver a positive outcome to the service users of this fair County'.

Believe me, these people are incompetent bungling idiots who've no grasp on reality and despite the fact that we are near to fiscal ruin, still it has no impact upon them and the gimmicks and the rubbish they serve up to us on a daily basis.

Now, more than ever before, we are now reliant upon those who work within the public sector to find a way of reporting wrongdoing and become a whistleblower. It's no easy step to take. It's not easy at all. In fact, for those who work within the public sector, where often they are surrounded by bullying, a constant fear of redundancy and a design within to do as your told and don't rock the boat, its nigh on impossible to make up ones mind, take that first step, and report any wrongdoing.

I have sources within the Council and I also know that many, many staff read these pages because they've become horrified by the culture that the senior Management have created. They don't visit pages like this to simply report back to their masters. They read these things because it brings them comfort and reassurance that they are right to feel that things are wrong within the Council.

I'd say to any employee who is unfortunate enough to be working for one of these idiots, to take heart, take a step forward and report your concerns to someone you can trust and do all you can to erode the power that these people have created for themselves. Remember, if you don't think it's right it doesn't feel right and it doesn't look right then invariably its not right. It's wrong and becoming a Whisteblower about wrongdoing is a brave and honourable step to take.

Me? I admire any of our public servants who conclude, 'this is all very wrong' and they then decide to do the right thing, which is, to become a Whistleblower.

I'd urge any Council employee who is in turmoil because of what's happening around them and above them to do something. Anything that will bring back the days when we knew that those at the top of the public service tree had walked in our shoes and they were able to know what was right and what was wrong.

Don't be afraid of these people. There's nothing to be afraid of. Don't let them frighten you. Take a leap of faith. Take luck and good fortune by the hand and report your concerns and in doing so you might just inspire others around you to conclude 'I ain't staying silent any longer'. Don't be bullied into remaining silent.

My warmest regards to you.

Future Development Of Belmont Rural

What's this all about then?

Nice to see our money being spent on fancy glossy flyers advertising the BRPC's AGM...

There's a book out right now, titled, ' Living in the Past'. It's a wonderful read that celebrates the discovery of the medieval village of Studmarsh or, as it was known before the Doomsday document, 'Ye Ole Stud'y'.

This book, produced by a much celebrated academic, outlines how a number of local people, many with mental health issues, came together, dug and successfully found the place.

It's a remarkable find when you consider that this old village predates the Roman occupation, The Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the emergence of Wassailing in High Town and the English Civil War.

There is if course another book that is based upon this search for Studmarsh. It's hugely unpopular and once correctly described by Richard & Judy as the work of an idiot who'd successfully produced a bucket of sh.ite!

Of course. I wrote it. Im the author. It's titled, 'Digging for Studmarsh in the Wrong Place' and its a piece of work that describes a thirty year dig without finding a single thing of archaelogical significance. Have I regrets about it?

Indeed I have. With hindsight I should have given it the title Digging for Studmarsh. Had I done that then folk in the library may have picked it up, taken it away and read it. Understandably, the whole 'Wrong Place' bit tends to put people off and mutter,'the fool didn't find it because he was looking in the wrong place. Lets wait for another book to come out that says, 'Digging for Studmarsh In the Right Place' and we found it. I know which bloody book I'd have chosen!

Of course, hindsight being what hindsight is, I should have paid more attention to the many historical documents relating to Studmarsh that clearly indicated that the remains of the village were definitely to be found in close proximity to Bromyard. My mistake was I convinced myself that all these dead writers had colluded with oneanother and were deliberately pointing folk like me in the wrong direction. And whatsmore, if ever it was to be successfully located , you'd be better off digging and burrowing anywhere else other than Bromyard. That's where I went wrong. I chose to completely ignore Bromyard and hamlets in close proximity to the Town and I began to dig in an isolated area just outside Kington.

When did I realise that perhaps I was digging in the wrong place? It's a toss up really. Either pretty much straight away on day one of the dig or eleven years later when I'd burrowed from Kington and found myself emerging beneath the Corn Square in Leominster.

Anyway, my book is available at most Car Boot Sales.