greenknight

Sadly the way our democratic process is going I would rather cast my vote with an individual who has the right mindset, courage and commitment to their community and not necessarily to offices of state. So what is my vote...well not necessarily a cross in a box after all we may have had options at local level but for Members of Parliament ...well I voted because that was my right but if there had been a little box that said "none of the above" then thats where my mark would have gone. Serving Councillors are given a mandate based on a supporting cross which gives them the pass card to sit in meeting rooms and make decisions on behalf of the supposed electorate but as we all know these are not necessarily your personal beliefs. I am of the opinion now that if the people can get behind an individual or group based on the way that he/she or they compose themselves well this is the way forward. I don't care if they are vigilanties,troubleshooting,residents associations...these are the people that drive opinion and action and although they might not sit in a council chamber with a cup of tea and chocolate biscuit they ultimately make these elected individuals take notice. For me a councillor can carry the robes of office however it's these other groups that ultimately provide the ink in his/her pen to sign off on matters of state be it at local or national level. So Glenda for me it does not matter that you have given up your councillor badge because the Residents Association badge is shinier comes shaped like a star and enhances your credibility further. Go Marshall.

Good Morning Bobby.I have kind of lost touch with the mysteries of the education system so any suggestions here come from an aging old fool who can only comment based on practicalities and as we all know these are not often recognized in financial economics. I read the last Ofsted Report (2013 I believe.. a good school with potential). Any school with a particular set of skills needs to be protected and encouraged for its services will be needed no doubt as population grows within the County. It's located within the heart of a community not chased off in some backwater so it's children can engage with everyone and everything around them and this has so many benefits for both family and community. So in my mind it needs protecting and we could all put a little weight behind this..even a website project would be good which I would be happy to contribute to. Perhaps a supporting letter or two in the right direction. It's time to give the head a hand and raise the profile of Blackmarston School.

So no bouncy castle money Denise!

Gotta say I would like an answer to this one! Personally I'm hoping some of it goes to subsidize the kiddie ride next to HSBC. It brings so much pleasure to the little ones....and so much pain to certain members of the public....I've suggested a permanent red bouncy castle...surely Roger getting the colour right counts for something😉

Yep that's the way I'm thinking mate.

I think they will turn to the Russians Cambo, I also reckon that Putin will make a nuisance of himself this winter in Europe.

Back in the 80,s Roger the endowment mortgage was the way to go. It was only two thirds in when you were made aware that a lump sum shortfall at the end meant you might have to cough up for the rest. To be honest at the time I moved house I changed mortgage type thank god and went for straightforward repayment option. It could have been interest only which is the new nasty on the block. I feel many people forget what type of mortgage they are on until it gets close to the maturity of it.

Schools favour strongly on the internet pages of HT today but nothing about ROFS.

Sadly it is my understanding that there are to be no objections from Herefordshire Ornithological Club and the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust has not carried out a survey of the route. I do believe that an objection was being submitted by the Woodlands Trust.

Actually Denise I think the government will be shown possibilities for the line that runs from Newport to Shrewsbury but only by way of getting freight off the central rail network especially now as many big projects are being shelved with capacity running at max on most lines to the city. Who knows if things continue to deteriorate on Dover/Calais crossing whose to say that haulage companies might seek alternative road/rail routes to cross the channel! I believe freight is already up on our line running North/South.

And this is the problem because at this time most transport systems are publicly funded and I can only see this funding going one way and it sure isn't up. Subsidized travel will be gone and sadly so will many current local bus operators who can only function based on these subsidies.So ..no tram, no buses it's just the push bike or car and what you will use will depend upon distance,health or wealth. ...a tradegy yes but a reality quite possibly. Of course the council's solution will be a poison pill.." let us build more houses and just maybe ..maybe we will allocate more funds for alternative transport schemes" I can see this coming regarding their response to the proprietary new road objections otherwise known as SC2 relief road.

Ok so generalizing is not a good thing however my lovely old mum now 80 lives in sheltered council accommodation and she is registered blind but she does very well on a small council pension and benefits which only just fall short of my other halfs take home salary. My wife and I both know that we will not see any of these hand outs in fifteen/twenty years time and we both started full time employment at 16. My mother was a home help my father a cleaner and they both worked until they were in their sixties. Sadly Denise in general terms I don't believe as a generation they have had it that bad (65-75 age group), no significant wars, health and social care, council housing, strong trade unions and reasonably safe environments. Things may start to get a little difficult now as they move into their eighties however try explaining that to someone who lived throughout the second world war, lost family and friends, faced rationing the loss of their homes and had just a radio and neighbours for company....they were still happier even in these darkest of times.

And this is the dilemma..commercially run public transport in the UK is now to expensive for most and as the government and local councils don't have the money or the mindset for alternative thinking it's either walk, cycle or car and for many one is far to convenient.

Oh....I should have mentioned free love , drugs and rock & roll compliments of a tiny little pill!

You might be right Clarkester but so is Jonny!The post war generation have done very well..emerging NHS, improved transport, travel, holidays,state pension, housing...its a big list most of which won't be applicable to us not quite there g yets! Both sets of the wife,s in-laws are retired before 60..final salary schemes,lump sum payments most of which comes compliments of strong unions back in the 70,s... they really don't know where to take their next holiday yet still they moan.

Gotta be honest I do tend to live in my car so guilty of polluting the atmosphere however I learnt that a jumbo 747 drinks fuel at the rate of 4 litres every second so for anyone planning a nice long trip for their holidays please work this out. I calculated that a 12 hour trip even shared by fellow passengers would cover the cost of fuelling your car for one year if averaging 15,000 miles per annum...and let's not forget that this is a holiday not work and you still have to fly home!!! South America anyone or perhaps Australia!

All I'm seeing at the moment is the cancellation of bus routes and the withdrawal of major rail expansion programmes. I agree this is not ideal however could this give more shove for a tram system?

Agreed Roger but like Megilleland I don't understand why hoppers aren't used. Surely they would be more economical?

These days Cambo it's all about time sadly and yes it's all about 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there. From town to Tupsley in a car avoiding the worst bits 5 minutes but in a bus ages, walking twenty minutes but in a taxi expensive. In the morning a road trip to Reading well you go early because a 5 minute delay driving to Ledbury means an extra ten minutes at the Air Balloon and then more time to wade through Swindon and so on...it's all about time which is why the school run fouls up the local traffic in the mornings because mums and dads save a little bit of time which can be acquired for another task. Five years ago I boarded a bus through Stoke Prior to Bodenham and Hereford ...it takes half a morning to achieve its objective and for half the trip I was the only passenger. When everyone begrudges paying their council tax should money go here or perhaps social care?

Well the Friar Street Depot is pretty big and surely backs onto the old hospital? Brownfield site perhaps?

I guess I have to put my cards on the table because although I strongly object to this proposed road build ( still waiting for my formal objection to present on planning website), I don't object to the idea of a bypass around Hereford...sorry. I see roads as corridors and corridors in nature are prooving the lifeline to many species. Certain species in isolation are heading for extinction because their numbers cannot be sustained. Roadside verges,railway embankment,canal systems are now holding higher numbers of mammals, birds,invertebrates etc because traditional farming methods have gone, set aside a passion for the few and hedgerows baron of the wild flowers we used to know. I have seen more bird species in my back garden in Tupsley in one year than the whole eight years from a similar idyll in a North Herefordshire village. A few weeks ago I stepped out of my car near the Bird Lip roundabout in Gloucestershire..I stepped onto a verge where orchids grew and Marbled White Butterflies danced around the Cow Parsley. We need a bypass one with supporting cycleways with long sweeping banked verges where life can be restored and left managed with wildlife in mind. We need houses but houses with privacy and gardens big enough for children to play and where food could be grown because in the future it may well be that we will have to grow our own food and our children may have to live with us ...so no boxes please for they are the gettoes, the shanties of tomorrow. One final thing ..it's great that the M50 is now finally back to the two lanes. The bridge work has gone...this modern bridge that needed repairs that took longer because under its skirt it provided a home to a colony of rare bats..you see modern concrete if done properly can work with nature and us. Just food for thought.

The band were great , a fantastic event and it was good to meet Ubique ( very much alive and kicking).

Have been away for the last few weeks (not holiday) and only back late yesterday however at some point will be in town today to support this important event. External factors are trying to intimidate people into staying away from such events. This must not happen!

Would make sense Roger as before it was operating as a private hotel. Exmed acquired it as a training facility offering medical courses tailored for specific environments. Candidates are often ex military (specific regiments!) Looking for alternative work in the private sector where private security work and medic duties work hand in hand. UK healthcare professionals like paramedics also attend as there courses for those working for charities overseas.

This guy clearly strayed from the brief however some of this is not uncommon in battlefield medicine. Things have moved on from the days of the stretcher carrier and the 21st Century Combat Medical Technician can do great things in the field including tourniquet application, chest drain insertion, chest seals and improved intravenous access via the shin bone (as described). Insuring that a medic can catheterise a male patient can be demonstrated on manikin so to a penile block. Ketamine is the drug of choice these days in pre hospital medicine and blood recycling has emerged from emergency medicine in Afghanistan however to practice some of these techniques on students particularly those that have sexual connotations goes wide of the mark. It always pays to ensure good diligence if bringing individuals in to provide bespoke consultancy training on behalf of your organisation because reputations can be destroyed by the actions of just one individual. Let's see what comes from it.