Wednesday 25 April 2007

Yesterday's EADT

Laurence Cawley did a fair job of trying to balance the views of the parties in his article on page 19. However I don't think either "heritage" or "bin collections" are really "at the top of the agenda". St Eds spends far more on the former than other councils (£6M on leisure, including parks and heritage) and is a national leader in the field for the latter. The only reason these issues would be so important is to show what a competent Conservative administration has existed since the ghastly "rainbow" coalition left us with a council tax rise of 9.9% - now down to 2.9%. Isn't that an important issue? Labour and LibDems are jumping on the middle school bandwagon, their representatives having originally voted for the schools review. This has nothing to do with these borough council elections and is blatant and negative political opportunism. Hardly surprising that Labour "leader" Mark Ereira, apparently with half the number of Conservative candidates, would "work with all groups" - he has already proposed the nomination in Abbeygate ward of the so-called "Independent" and "Green" candidates. Who does he really support - anyone who will work with him to try to make another rainbow? The Liberals want to "extend recycling" (difficult to do more than is being attempted already), "rethink spending priorities" (which means increasing them?) and be more "representative and responsive" - they could hardly be much less active than the present LibDem group on the Borough Council. As for UKIP and the Green Party...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Councillor Farmer,
As much as we're rooting for you, please give us some news on the lighter side of your life!

Charlotte Howard said...

Sorry. It's all so heavy at the moment. However a collared dove did get into my neighbour's bedroom yesterday. We were chatting outside when we heard it flapping about and then saw it sitting on the windowsill looking like a piece of porcelain.

Also, the garden is looking good despite the drought, and my recently planted pond plants are doing extremely well.

I'm sorry that there are no photos for a while longer. My camera will be hot on May 4th onwards.

I see they are televising Diary of a Nobody. Perhaps I should call this Blog of Nobody?

Charlotte Howard said...

Here's something else light. My resident blackbird is singing this repeatedly:

C# C# DC#BE C#

Lyrics?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps all blogging diaries are Diaries of Nobodies.

Have you read "Diary of a Nobody"? It`s very funny.

Anonymous said...

Blackie, Blackie, Blackie oh I love your song, Blackie, Blackie. Blackie, Hope it won't be too long...Oh Blackie, Blackie, Blackie, won't you just come on and fly right through my window...........

Hoffy said...

Steve. Another modern classic! Have you thought about becoming a pop star?

Anonymous said...

oh - just read your lyrics, Steve!

Great!!!

Joe

Anonymous said...

What an abuse of good technology. I thought there might be something of interest here. You really are sad people. No wonder the general public have so little faith in government. Get a life!

Hoffy said...

anonymous - Do you not like blackbirds then?

Charlotte Howard said...

Whoever thinks this is an abuse of technology is sad enough to leave a comment anonymously. Why not be brave and say who you are...?

By the way I have a resident Thrush who sings beautifully and loudly all morning and evening. This morning at 6am it sounded as if I was waking up in a distant jungle - then I realised I was living in one, politically speaking.

What a perfect May Day. I wish I had been in Oxford at dawn to hear "Now is the month of Maying" - one day...

Anonymous said...

Now is the month of Maying!
And merry,merry lads are playing
Each with his bonny, bonny lass
Upon the greeny,greeny grass
Fa la la Fa la la Falalalala Falalalala FalalaFalalaFalalaha!!!

Oh yes - reminds me of choir practice!

How beautiful is May - I have swallows in the roof, pigeons by the pond, a blackbird with a dab of white on its head, and cuckoos galore when I go cycling!!!!

Anonymous said...

Did someone paint your blackbird's head then, anon?
I'm sorry to hear about your thrush, PSF.
What are your usual facilities?

Anonymous said...

...or to be more accurate:

Now is the month of Maying, when merry lads are playing! Fa la la la la!
Each with his bonny lass, a-dancing on the grass, fa la la la la!

The Spring, clad all in gladness, doth laugh at Winter's sadness! Fa la la la la!
And to the bagpipes’ sound, the nymphs tread out the ground! Fa la la la la!

Fie! Then why sit we musing, youth’s sweet delight refusing? Fa la la la la!
Say, dainty nymphs and speak! Shall we play barley break? Fa la la la la!