Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Free tickets for young people at Spalding Theatre...
Great opportuninity for young people in south Lincs to experience live theatre for free in Spalding...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Every little helps...Tesco 'scrooges'.
Tesco bosses have been dubbed scrooges after docking wages of low-paid workers who were snowed-in last week and unable to get to work.Tesco is renowned as an employer that values it staff.
But their decision to make their workers pay the price for one day's bad weather tarnishes their hard-earned reputation for decency.
I don't know if anyone employed at the Deepings branch of Tesco failed to make it to work through the snow: but I wouldn't be surprised.
Frankly, anyone who attempted to drive through the worst of the local snow should be banned from driving - that's why there were sensibly no buses until after lunch on one of the recent snow-days.
I am surprised Tesco appear to be treating thousands of their shelf-stackers and till operators in such a miserly manner.
A company that posted profits of £2 billion last year can surely afford to make a gesture to keep their low-paid workforce on-side, particularly as Tesco are said to be losing market-share to Asda.
The irony is of course, that if their own workers couldn't get to Tesco's, they were probably not needed anyway, as the shoppers couldn't get there either..!
I hope Tesco do the decent thing and quickly announce a u-turn.
Making savings to protect profits is sensible: but by docking wages loyal staff who were unable to get to work in a once-in-20-year weather event, Tesco are skating thin ice.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Football Quote of the Day...
You have to win these games to win them.Former West Ham manager Alan Curbishley shares his words of wisdom on BBC TV's Football Focus a few minutes ago.
I hear Portsmouth have shortlisted Curbishley after they sacked Tony Adams earlier this week.
Clearly a no-brainer.
Martin's 'Titian moment' over BNP victory...
Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council Martin Hill is unlikely to have won any friends on Fenside, Boston with his analysis of why they voted for a BNP councillor.
At Friday's county council meeting in Lincoln, Mark Anderson (Skegness, Labour) linked BNP winning their first seat on Boston Borough Council with lack of a coherent regeneration plan for the poorer parts of Lincolnshire.
In an astonishing outburst, Martin Hill blamed Labour for the BNP’s by election victory.
Martin insulted Fenside people, describing them as traditional Labour “who would vote for a dog” providing it was wearing a red rosette. But he said the BNP won because Fenside had given up on Labour.
Boston councillor Paul Goodale rose to his feet to say proudly that some years ago he was elected as a Labour candidate for Fenside…
Paul didn’t bark, but kept his cool, saying he now knew what the Council Leader thought of him.
Paul went on to point out that when he won his Fenside seat, the result was a LABOUR GAIN and he had in fact defeated a sitting CONSERVATIVE councillor.
I wonder if it was a donkey in a blue rosette…!!
In the coming months, I'm sure Paul will be making sure that his friends on Fenside get the knowledge on what the Tory Leader at the county council thinks of them.
I couldn't help thinking that this was Martin's 'Titian moment'...
At Friday's county council meeting in Lincoln, Mark Anderson (Skegness, Labour) linked BNP winning their first seat on Boston Borough Council with lack of a coherent regeneration plan for the poorer parts of Lincolnshire.
In an astonishing outburst, Martin Hill blamed Labour for the BNP’s by election victory.
Martin insulted Fenside people, describing them as traditional Labour “who would vote for a dog” providing it was wearing a red rosette. But he said the BNP won because Fenside had given up on Labour.
Boston councillor Paul Goodale rose to his feet to say proudly that some years ago he was elected as a Labour candidate for Fenside…
Paul didn’t bark, but kept his cool, saying he now knew what the Council Leader thought of him.
Paul went on to point out that when he won his Fenside seat, the result was a LABOUR GAIN and he had in fact defeated a sitting CONSERVATIVE councillor.
I wonder if it was a donkey in a blue rosette…!!
In the coming months, I'm sure Paul will be making sure that his friends on Fenside get the knowledge on what the Tory Leader at the county council thinks of them.
I couldn't help thinking that this was Martin's 'Titian moment'...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Decision on gypsy sites delayed until June...
South Kesteven District Council are under fire for the time they are taking to make a decision over gypsy and traveller sites.
Given the local storm that was sparked when Grantham-based SKDC announced their shortlist of possible sites almost two years ago, it's probably not surprising they're not keen on re-opening the debate...
Given the local storm that was sparked when Grantham-based SKDC announced their shortlist of possible sites almost two years ago, it's probably not surprising they're not keen on re-opening the debate...
Tories reject council tax 'freeze'...
Prudent calls by Labour for a council tax freeze were rejected today by the Conservatives who control Lincolnshire County Council.
The Tories decided to demand an extra 1.75 per cent from every council tax payer in Lincolnshire.
The last thing Lincolnshire people who are struggling to pay their bills need is another Tory tax hike.
But the Tories weren't listening.
Labour demonstrated how services could be improved without any increase at all this year - largely thanks to a more than generous Government grant of more than SIX per cent.
That's on top of last year's even more generous in Government funding to Lincolnshire of more than NINE per cent.
So a 15 per cent increase in two years.
But still the Tories still can't manage without hiking council tax yet again.
The words 'total' and 'incompetence' comes to mind...
UPDATE: Coverage in the Lincolnshire Echo.
The Tories decided to demand an extra 1.75 per cent from every council tax payer in Lincolnshire.
The last thing Lincolnshire people who are struggling to pay their bills need is another Tory tax hike.
But the Tories weren't listening.
Labour demonstrated how services could be improved without any increase at all this year - largely thanks to a more than generous Government grant of more than SIX per cent.
That's on top of last year's even more generous in Government funding to Lincolnshire of more than NINE per cent.
So a 15 per cent increase in two years.
But still the Tories still can't manage without hiking council tax yet again.
The words 'total' and 'incompetence' comes to mind...
UPDATE: Coverage in the Lincolnshire Echo.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Cameron's Tories caught trying to change history...
This one will go down in history as a classic.
It clearly shows there no depths or lies Cameron's Tories will not sink to...
Rather than admit that he was wrong in his crass attack on the Prime Minister yesterday, Cameron's Tories have been caught red-handed attempting to change a date in history to match his claim!!
The farce demonstrates that Cameron's Tories are more interested in stupid schoolboy stunts than the serious business of running the country and helping people through the global economic crisis.
As ever, the Tory cover-up is always worse than the gaffe itself.
Same old Tories. Or what?
UPDATE: Kerron Cross has an excellent post on how typical it is that Eton educated Cameron thinks that the date an artist died four hundred years ago (or 500 for all I care) was more important for a Leader of the Opposition than asking questions that might actually have some relevance to people's lives in the 21st Century...
It clearly shows there no depths or lies Cameron's Tories will not sink to...
Rather than admit that he was wrong in his crass attack on the Prime Minister yesterday, Cameron's Tories have been caught red-handed attempting to change a date in history to match his claim!!
The farce demonstrates that Cameron's Tories are more interested in stupid schoolboy stunts than the serious business of running the country and helping people through the global economic crisis.
As ever, the Tory cover-up is always worse than the gaffe itself.
Same old Tories. Or what?
UPDATE: Kerron Cross has an excellent post on how typical it is that Eton educated Cameron thinks that the date an artist died four hundred years ago (or 500 for all I care) was more important for a Leader of the Opposition than asking questions that might actually have some relevance to people's lives in the 21st Century...
Monday, February 09, 2009
Golly-gosh: Boris defends Carol Thatcher in BBC row...
Not surprised Boris Johnson defends Carol Thatcher after she described a black tennis player as a 'gollywog'...
After all, wasn't it Boris himself who described African people as 'piccaninnies with water-melon smiles...?'.
Same old Tories eh?
After all, wasn't it Boris himself who described African people as 'piccaninnies with water-melon smiles...?'.
Same old Tories eh?
CCTV and Police catch suspects after card-skim scam
While most of us were still safely tucked up in bed early this morning, local police gave chase after two men were spotted apparently attempting to remove a carsd-skimming device from the hole-in-the-wall cash machine at the Rainbow Supermarket in The Deepings.
They were spotted tampering with the machine by South Kesteven District Council's closed-circuit TV controllers at about 5.30am. Police were called and chased two men.
A 32-year-old and a 29-year-old were arrested and taken to Spalding Police Station, where they are currently said to be helping police with their enquiries.
They were spotted tampering with the machine by South Kesteven District Council's closed-circuit TV controllers at about 5.30am. Police were called and chased two men.
A 32-year-old and a 29-year-old were arrested and taken to Spalding Police Station, where they are currently said to be helping police with their enquiries.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
snowed in, be patient...
Ok, so it's only six, possibly eight inches of snow here in the Deepings, and there are many who would question whether we've become a nation of softies saying 'it's not like in 1948 or 1962 when we made it through ten foot drifts in flip flops and no shirt and only an cold oxo for dinner...'
But most people in the Deepings have rightly decided to take the safe option and stay at home this morning. We're a sensible lot.
So far the vehicle count down Church Street, each one skidding precariously on top of the packed snow is barely one an hour. As yet, you can't see any tarmac. No buses yet today.
I'm told there's rain forecast for later which will hopefully thaw things out this afternoon. I'm reassessing my planned journey at noon!
Just be patient.
Better to be a live softie than a dead macho-man...
But most people in the Deepings have rightly decided to take the safe option and stay at home this morning. We're a sensible lot.
So far the vehicle count down Church Street, each one skidding precariously on top of the packed snow is barely one an hour. As yet, you can't see any tarmac. No buses yet today.
I'm told there's rain forecast for later which will hopefully thaw things out this afternoon. I'm reassessing my planned journey at noon!
Just be patient.
Better to be a live softie than a dead macho-man...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tories back softer gambling laws - then collect the jackpot
Another story to damage politics itself.
David Cameron is under pressure to pay back £200,000 received by the Conservative Party. The Times reveals today that that the cash was paid by companies owned by a slot-machine tycoon shortly after Conservative calls for gambling laws to be relaxed...
David Cameron is under pressure to pay back £200,000 received by the Conservative Party. The Times reveals today that that the cash was paid by companies owned by a slot-machine tycoon shortly after Conservative calls for gambling laws to be relaxed...
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Watch out, there's a sneaky burglar down our street...
A cheeky burglar has robbed one of my neighbours right here on Church Street, DSJ...
The thief walked in through an unlocked backdoor last Friday lunchtime while the victim was at home and helped him - or her - self to a purse containing about £40 from a bag which was on a chair near the unlocked door.
Police are advising people to keep doors locked even when you're at home and keep your valuables out of sight.
Anyone with any information should call Stamford Police on 01780 752222, quoting the relevant incident number 193 of January 30. Or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
The thief walked in through an unlocked backdoor last Friday lunchtime while the victim was at home and helped him - or her - self to a purse containing about £40 from a bag which was on a chair near the unlocked door.
Police are advising people to keep doors locked even when you're at home and keep your valuables out of sight.
Anyone with any information should call Stamford Police on 01780 752222, quoting the relevant incident number 193 of January 30. Or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Snow's gone, but local schools closed...
With tube and London buses at a virtual standstill and train companies advising only travel if absolutely essential, I decided to stop at home today.
True, there was only a light covering of snow on the ground first thing this morning had melted by mid-morning. But experience as a former commuter tells me that it was probably the wrong kind of snow! If I was lucky enough to make it to central London by lunchtime, I might arrive just in time to turn for home!
Right now, it's a beautiful clear winter day, but I understand the worst of the weather is expected to hit Lincolnshire later this afternoon with a forecast of four to six inches of proper snow overnight.
The Stamford Mercury has a list of local schools closed by today's snow.
UPDATE: No sooner has I posted than the snow started - and it seems to be settling...update from Peterborough Evening Telegraph.
UPDATE 2: Two dozen Lincs schools have looked at the forecast and already decided not to open tomorrow (Tuesday).
True, there was only a light covering of snow on the ground first thing this morning had melted by mid-morning. But experience as a former commuter tells me that it was probably the wrong kind of snow! If I was lucky enough to make it to central London by lunchtime, I might arrive just in time to turn for home!
Right now, it's a beautiful clear winter day, but I understand the worst of the weather is expected to hit Lincolnshire later this afternoon with a forecast of four to six inches of proper snow overnight.
The Stamford Mercury has a list of local schools closed by today's snow.
UPDATE: No sooner has I posted than the snow started - and it seems to be settling...update from Peterborough Evening Telegraph.
UPDATE 2: Two dozen Lincs schools have looked at the forecast and already decided not to open tomorrow (Tuesday).
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