The other night Rod Furlong's chimney ctashed down into school road. Doubtless this will be pit down to an act of god.
God has a lot to answer for. If he is not blowing down unsuspecting pensioners chimneys, he is flooding out all and sunfry in low lying areas He is a menace to society. Its about time he was issued with an ASBO.
and as for some of his followers, if they are not telling you that you will go blind if you have impure thoughts, they are telling us that gays were responsible for Hurricane Katrina. Then you get the Muslim clerics who tell you that loose women cause earthquales and the catholic priests, who when they are not touching up little boys, sit in their little boxes giving themselves a quick hand job whilst Mrs O Grady tells him what the next door nieghbour did with her behind the potting shed.
Personally, I think the Devil might be a better bet. You might end up stoking the fires of hell but at least you can get in a bit of drinking and fornicating along the way, guilt free.
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
omething We Should Know ?.
Whilst perusing the candidates list for the forthcoming scottish local elections , I noticed that the candidate for the Scottish Socialist Party in the Johnstone North area of renfrewshire is one, Geoff Knowles. Does the former chair of Silverton Parish Council have a secret double life ?.
Open Mic.
I was interested to hear that The Stoke Canon Inn is now running open Mic nights where musicians turn out for jam sessions, mainly Jazz and Blues, apparently. These sessions seem to be gaining quite a following. Hopefully, one of our local hostelries will take the hint and follow suit.
May Day Greetings.
As we always do, we extend May Day greetings to all our readers wherever they may be.
Baxk To The Old Routine.
Sorry that the blog has been dead of late. Having aquired a new dog I have not been out and about as much as I was and therefore have not picked up any information worth imparting here. Unfortunately, my return to dog walking seems to have coincided with trhe start of the monsoon seadon, accompanied by occasional near hurricanes, so whilst I might be getting the excersise its far from being a pleasent experience/
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Wired Up.
I heard recently that David Cameron's favourite TV programme is the US TV drama series, 'The Wire'. The series, which ran for five seasonsm revolved around the efforts of the Baltimore police department to defeat the drugs trade in that city, whilkst at the same time bayyling against internal police politics and political corruption.
What the series illustrated well was that the so called 'war on drugs' is ultimately unwinnable. No sooner is one drugs network dismantled then another one moves in to fill the vacuum, Given the size if the international drug economy, the state, even the US with its mass of police departments, FBI, CIA, DEA and the rest can only fight a war without end, costing bullions of dollars and tens of thousends of lives, as is being brutallyillustrated at the moment in Mexico in the struggle between the Mexican state and the drug cartels and amongst the cartels themselves. In Britain, the same struggles go on at a much lower level but, apparently with as litle chanve of success. Even in a village like Silverton mosty people have friends or aquaintences who engage in the use of illegal drugs for recreational purposes.
Twelve years ago, when I lived in Scotland, the Scottish Socialist Party called for the legalisation of cannabis and thedecriminalisation of other drugs such as Heroin, and was widely attacked in the scottish press for doing so. In the years since, drugs decriminalisation gas become policy in countries such as Switzerland and Portugal, and allied to active medical intervention to break users from addiction has led to a fall in overall drug use in those countries. These policies have now recieved support from the Global Commission on Drug Policy that includes former UN secretary General, Kofi Annan, Former US secretary of State, George Schultz and Sir Richard Branson. Unfortunately it seems, that the current US administration, undeer constant threat from yje christian, conservative, fundamentalist Right. and the British government, as usual, in thrall to its American masters, seem to see no alternative but to keep going down the road to nowhere where drugs policy is concerned., What Cameron should learn from 'The Wire' is that the War On Drugs not only has failed, but untimately corrupts all those who involve themselves in it.
What the series illustrated well was that the so called 'war on drugs' is ultimately unwinnable. No sooner is one drugs network dismantled then another one moves in to fill the vacuum, Given the size if the international drug economy, the state, even the US with its mass of police departments, FBI, CIA, DEA and the rest can only fight a war without end, costing bullions of dollars and tens of thousends of lives, as is being brutallyillustrated at the moment in Mexico in the struggle between the Mexican state and the drug cartels and amongst the cartels themselves. In Britain, the same struggles go on at a much lower level but, apparently with as litle chanve of success. Even in a village like Silverton mosty people have friends or aquaintences who engage in the use of illegal drugs for recreational purposes.
Twelve years ago, when I lived in Scotland, the Scottish Socialist Party called for the legalisation of cannabis and thedecriminalisation of other drugs such as Heroin, and was widely attacked in the scottish press for doing so. In the years since, drugs decriminalisation gas become policy in countries such as Switzerland and Portugal, and allied to active medical intervention to break users from addiction has led to a fall in overall drug use in those countries. These policies have now recieved support from the Global Commission on Drug Policy that includes former UN secretary General, Kofi Annan, Former US secretary of State, George Schultz and Sir Richard Branson. Unfortunately it seems, that the current US administration, undeer constant threat from yje christian, conservative, fundamentalist Right. and the British government, as usual, in thrall to its American masters, seem to see no alternative but to keep going down the road to nowhere where drugs policy is concerned., What Cameron should learn from 'The Wire' is that the War On Drugs not only has failed, but untimately corrupts all those who involve themselves in it.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Silly Fuel
It now seens that there is to be no tanker drivers strike over Easter. The recent fuel buying panic must be one of the few occasions in modern history where a government has actually gone out of its way to generate panic amongst its citizens. The irony of course is, that had there actually been a strike, government ministers and senior civil servants would probably have been the last people to be affected as no dout, they have contingencies to cober such situations,
I suspect that one of the reasons for the panic may well have been that there has been an almost continual decline in the number of fuel outlets in recent years. Gone are the days when Silverton had Brady's or West's Garages to turn to. Now its the Speedway Garage on the Exeter road 2 miles away and thats it. I expect the recent panic will have done the sale of Bicycles no harm at all.
I suspect that one of the reasons for the panic may well have been that there has been an almost continual decline in the number of fuel outlets in recent years. Gone are the days when Silverton had Brady's or West's Garages to turn to. Now its the Speedway Garage on the Exeter road 2 miles away and thats it. I expect the recent panic will have done the sale of Bicycles no harm at all.
Kicking Them where It Hurts.
Occasionally, we comment on events beyond the parish bounderies and today isone such occasion. I feel the victory of George Galloway in The Bradford West by election overnight deserves some comment.
I make no secret of the fact that I have little time for Gallowat as a person. Whilst I am sympathetic ro his views on Palestine and on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when it comes to actually building movements in support of the causes he supports, Galloway is congenitally incapable of doing so. Every cause becomes a vehicle for Galloway the self publicist and an opportunity for him to tour the world accepting hospitality from some of the most dubious leaders on the planet. Whilst I have no time for US foriegn policy, I do not, asa Galloway seems to, consider that every leader who opposes US and its allies, military adventures are necessarily heroes of the anti imperialist movement.
Its also worth noting that, when it comes to actually influencing events through the political process, Galloway has proved a consistant failure. He was not noted for being a sucessful leader of Dundee City Council and was a poor constituancy MP both in Glasgow Kelvin, and after his expulsion from the Labour party as Respect MP on Tower Hamlets. He built few effective alliances when in parliament, preferring to operate as a one man band His Respect party has never developed as anytghing more then a support network for his ego and has mainly been the preserve of activists from the Muslim comminity. There seems no reason to think he will be any more successful as the MP for Bradford West then he has been elsewhere.
What then does the Bradford East by election tell us ?. The columnist, Steve Richards, speaking on Radio 4 this mornung, saw Galloway's victory as a continuing part of growing mass disillusionment with the main parties that has been slowly growing for years and is illustrated by the Nuck Clegg phenomenon at the last general election and the rise of the SNP on scotland. I think you also have to add to that, the continuing success of the Green Party in establishing iyself in some areas The success of UKIP in the european elections as well as, unfortunately, the election of two BNP mep's at the same time. There is a growing anger, I believe, both on the left and the right of the political spectrum at a political establishment that increasingly appears to be interested in talking to itself and consulting the piblic only to the extent of getting the answersit has already determined. It is also an establishment that has no interest in any agenda that deviates from pro finance capital, pro US agendas.
From a Left perspective, there is a crying need for an anti austerity, anti war party that will formulate and develop alternative economic and social policies to those on offer at the moment. Most other european countries have such parties who have had greater or lesser electoral succes, but admittedly the British electoral systen is heavily weighted to the rise of political parties beyond those established already. Bradford West afain shows potential for support for such a party, but the record of Galloway and his allies gives little hope that his victory will aid the processes that would allow such a party to emerge.
I make no secret of the fact that I have little time for Gallowat as a person. Whilst I am sympathetic ro his views on Palestine and on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when it comes to actually building movements in support of the causes he supports, Galloway is congenitally incapable of doing so. Every cause becomes a vehicle for Galloway the self publicist and an opportunity for him to tour the world accepting hospitality from some of the most dubious leaders on the planet. Whilst I have no time for US foriegn policy, I do not, asa Galloway seems to, consider that every leader who opposes US and its allies, military adventures are necessarily heroes of the anti imperialist movement.
Its also worth noting that, when it comes to actually influencing events through the political process, Galloway has proved a consistant failure. He was not noted for being a sucessful leader of Dundee City Council and was a poor constituancy MP both in Glasgow Kelvin, and after his expulsion from the Labour party as Respect MP on Tower Hamlets. He built few effective alliances when in parliament, preferring to operate as a one man band His Respect party has never developed as anytghing more then a support network for his ego and has mainly been the preserve of activists from the Muslim comminity. There seems no reason to think he will be any more successful as the MP for Bradford West then he has been elsewhere.
What then does the Bradford East by election tell us ?. The columnist, Steve Richards, speaking on Radio 4 this mornung, saw Galloway's victory as a continuing part of growing mass disillusionment with the main parties that has been slowly growing for years and is illustrated by the Nuck Clegg phenomenon at the last general election and the rise of the SNP on scotland. I think you also have to add to that, the continuing success of the Green Party in establishing iyself in some areas The success of UKIP in the european elections as well as, unfortunately, the election of two BNP mep's at the same time. There is a growing anger, I believe, both on the left and the right of the political spectrum at a political establishment that increasingly appears to be interested in talking to itself and consulting the piblic only to the extent of getting the answersit has already determined. It is also an establishment that has no interest in any agenda that deviates from pro finance capital, pro US agendas.
From a Left perspective, there is a crying need for an anti austerity, anti war party that will formulate and develop alternative economic and social policies to those on offer at the moment. Most other european countries have such parties who have had greater or lesser electoral succes, but admittedly the British electoral systen is heavily weighted to the rise of political parties beyond those established already. Bradford West afain shows potential for support for such a party, but the record of Galloway and his allies gives little hope that his victory will aid the processes that would allow such a party to emerge.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Road Works.
Hopefully, there will be less road rage in Wyndham Road, and elsewhere in the village, now that the highways department are undertaking a serious programme of 'patching'. One of the drawbacks to Wyndham Road becoming a bus route has been the dteady deterioration in the condition of the road surface due to the constant use of heavy buses on the road, Hopefully, the 'patching ' operation wil be enough to prevent weakened road surfaces fturning into potholes over the coming months and tears. Given the current cutbacks in local government spending, it could be the last serious road repair work we see here for some considerable time.
New Photo's.
In honour of Spring I have added some new photo's of the village and hope to add some more soon. I have added some photo's ftaken around the village plus some that were taken at the start of the Silverton Mile. Later in the year, I am hoping to repost some of the photo's that first appeared on the 'Silvertonia' blog between June 2008 and August 2009.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Spring Comes To Silverton.
The sun is out, The temperature is rising the daffodils are in bloom and it looks as though spring has come to Silverton. I am hoping to have some photo's of Silverton in spring on the blog within the next few days, also, some photo's of places that are mentioned here, especially for the benifit of our readers from outside the village.
Silvertonians On Stage.
Its good to hear that a number of younger Silvertonians aquitted themselves well in the production of Les Miserables at Clyst Vale Community College last night, Its good to see younger Silvertonians getting noticed for some staged drama, rather then for some of the other drama we have become rather too well known for lately.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Spooky.
I notice that I seem to have regular readers in The US, Russia and a follower called Smiley . I hopr that this is not a case of various intelligence agencies filling in their time and seeking to justify their budgets by monitoring the random musings of some bloke in a small Devon village by claiming that this blog throws light on the more general mood within the UK.
It Does not.
It Does not.
Party Suggestion.
Returning briefly to the Section 30 issue, I have suggested elsewhere, that when, as we hope, the section 30 order is lifted in August, we should organise a village party to celebrate the lifting and to invite the media along to show the world that the village is putting iys troubles behind it.
On the other hand, of, for some reason, the order is not lifted, we could organise a 'Rock Against The Section' event with bands like Idiom.'
Come to think of it, perhaps it would be more fun.
On the other hand, of, for some reason, the order is not lifted, we could organise a 'Rock Against The Section' event with bands like Idiom.'
Come to think of it, perhaps it would be more fun.
Community A ClassIssue.
In a comment on the Express and Echo website today in regard to the Silverton section 30 affair a correspondant commented that they would rather live on Exeter's notorious Burthouse Lane estate then in our own dear village. This attracted some amused responses on the 'What's On In Silverton' facebook page, including a somewhgat ironic comment from yours truly, but there is an interesting contrast involved here.
Thr Burthouse Lane housing estate is a large public housing estate that lies on the south side of Exeter, It was largely vuilt in the post war period to house those who were noved out of Exeter's historic West Quarter after it recieved heavy bomb damage during the blitz by the Luftwaffe during the second world war. It was fhe result a rather nore drastic form of slum clearence then elsewhere, but it has, in common with estates like Pollock or Castlemilk in Glasgow the fact that often close knit, working class communities were uprooted and moved to outlying estates. Over the years after the war, and in the period since, Burnthouse Lane aquired, sometimes rightly and sometimes not, a reputation for being a hotbed of crime and not the sort of place one would venture at night. Whats interesting is that, over the years and for all its undoubted troubles, Burnthouse Lane has retained a sort of community solidarity and self organisation that many other similar areas lost long ago.
As described on this blog previously, Silverton lost its old sense of community long ago and, because of the transient nature of much of its current, and increasingly middle class population, is forever engagrd in a struggle to hold on to a new one. There seems to be little continuity to what happens in the village these days with many having little, or no knowledge of what went on here before they came. Much of the automatic denigration of Estates such as Burnthouse Lane, noth here and elsewhere often has distinct class overtones but its not the black and white situation that some would have us believe.
Thr Burthouse Lane housing estate is a large public housing estate that lies on the south side of Exeter, It was largely vuilt in the post war period to house those who were noved out of Exeter's historic West Quarter after it recieved heavy bomb damage during the blitz by the Luftwaffe during the second world war. It was fhe result a rather nore drastic form of slum clearence then elsewhere, but it has, in common with estates like Pollock or Castlemilk in Glasgow the fact that often close knit, working class communities were uprooted and moved to outlying estates. Over the years after the war, and in the period since, Burnthouse Lane aquired, sometimes rightly and sometimes not, a reputation for being a hotbed of crime and not the sort of place one would venture at night. Whats interesting is that, over the years and for all its undoubted troubles, Burnthouse Lane has retained a sort of community solidarity and self organisation that many other similar areas lost long ago.
As described on this blog previously, Silverton lost its old sense of community long ago and, because of the transient nature of much of its current, and increasingly middle class population, is forever engagrd in a struggle to hold on to a new one. There seems to be little continuity to what happens in the village these days with many having little, or no knowledge of what went on here before they came. Much of the automatic denigration of Estates such as Burnthouse Lane, noth here and elsewhere often has distinct class overtones but its not the black and white situation that some would have us believe.
Another International Reader.
I always like to say hello to our international readers, so a big hello to our newest visitor, from Malaysia.
Additionally. I note this evening that we have had two views from India. Welcome to the club.
Additionally. I note this evening that we have had two views from India. Welcome to the club.
A Smal Light In A Dark World.
One good point that emerged from a pretty crap budget was thar Osborne decided not to increase duty on alcohol. As regular readers of this blog will jbow, we have for some tine been pointing out the detrimental effects of increasing taxation on alcohol in terms of the way that tax increases impact on theBritish pub, Sadly. the chancellor did not also find some way of levelling the playing field when it comes to the big supermarkets selling cheap boozr, but I suspect that we may see something along these lines when the government unveils its new alcohol strategy later this year.
Personally, the budget had little impact as far as mt life is concerned but I suspect that things may well be different when the next round of public sector spending cuts come along. Having begun to attack somewhat wealthier pensioners then myself, I would expect that Osborne will be soon messing around with other things that make life tolerable such as the bus pass and the winter fuel allowance. The people I really feel sorry for are those aged fifty and under who seem to be neing prepared for the day when they will have to work tikk they drop.pub. Sad;
Personally, the budget had little impact as far as mt life is concerned but I suspect that things may well be different when the next round of public sector spending cuts come along. Having begun to attack somewhat wealthier pensioners then myself, I would expect that Osborne will be soon messing around with other things that make life tolerable such as the bus pass and the winter fuel allowance. The people I really feel sorry for are those aged fifty and under who seem to be neing prepared for the day when they will have to work tikk they drop.pub. Sad;
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Beering Up.
According to The Campaign For Real Ale, quored on the radio this morning, this tear, for the first time, more beer will be sold through shops then through local pubs. CAMRA use this to call for a freeze on neer tax in tomorrows budget and their statement seems to be part of a growing realisation that where pubs are concerned, the endless tax increases are having the effect of throwing the baby out with thebathwater by destroying the local pub as a vital component of Camerom's much vaunted 'Big Society'.
in Silverton, we are lucky to still be able to sustain three pubs and this blog has pointed out in the past the role of the Public house in controlling alcohol consumption. , This blog expects and asks for little from the ConDe, voalition but support for the call by CAMRA for a freeze on beer tax would be a small step in the right direction.
in Silverton, we are lucky to still be able to sustain three pubs and this blog has pointed out in the past the role of the Public house in controlling alcohol consumption. , This blog expects and asks for little from the ConDe, voalition but support for the call by CAMRA for a freeze on beer tax would be a small step in the right direction.
And Yet More.
Today, The Daily Mail and The Metro, koin the coverage of our dispersal order. The Right Wing press seem to be having a field day with this. I suspect it is because it plays into the Tories 'Broken Brotaon' agenda, the subtext being that if you can get this sort of gehaviour in 'the quintessential English village' that is Silverton, you can get it anywhere and that no where is safe without a few more doses of social control of one sort or another.
How nice to be part of someones political agenda.
How nice to be part of someones political agenda.
Monday, 19 March 2012
When Will It Ever End ?,
Just when you might think that its safe to by the papers again, Today, The Daily Telegrah decided to give the dispersal order story one more outing. I am not hoping to post a link to this as I dont want to give this load of old nonesense any more pubkicity then it deserves, but one featore of The Telegraph story is noteworthy.
Rather then sending a photographer down, or even reprinting the, by now well known picture of The Square, The Telegraph decided to illustrate their story with a photograph of a bunch of kids sitting on a wall somewhere, certainly not Silverton, wearing trainers certainly a bit too 'urban' for these parts. The Telegraph has a reputation for being a serious newspaper but its a reputation that is certainly not going to be enhanced by publishing this particular load of reheated old mince accompanied by a photo with no connection at all to the story or its contents.
Lazy journalism at its worst.
Rather then sending a photographer down, or even reprinting the, by now well known picture of The Square, The Telegraph decided to illustrate their story with a photograph of a bunch of kids sitting on a wall somewhere, certainly not Silverton, wearing trainers certainly a bit too 'urban' for these parts. The Telegraph has a reputation for being a serious newspaper but its a reputation that is certainly not going to be enhanced by publishing this particular load of reheated old mince accompanied by a photo with no connection at all to the story or its contents.
Lazy journalism at its worst.
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