The government today announced a new £5 million support package for public works and small businesses in South Wiltshire. Well, that’s nice of them. It’s good to see money going to Wessex for a change, instead of London and its immediate surroundings. The reason for this largesse? The two novichok attacks which were undoubtedly carriedContinueContinue reading “Any Porton a storm”
Category Archives: Public Services
Coming attractions
We may soon be adding a fourth campaign to the three already featured on our website. We can’t say too much at the moment, but it involves a Wessex public utility which may be fraudulently overcharging customers. Watch this space.
More, or Less? You Choose
Yes, you do. Because just when you think that London, after all it’s had so far, can’t get greedier yet, along comes Crossrail 2. The ‘National’ Infrastructure Commission last week recommended that the scheme – a north-south rail link across the capital – should be funded at once, “as a priority”, so it can openContinueContinue reading “More, or Less? You Choose”
The Value of Difference
We recently reiterated that regionalisation doesn’t stop just because the ruling parties at Westminster have an ideological blindspot about it. Budgetary pressures are forcing all the emergency services to think about sharing work to spread the burden. The ambulance service is now fully regionalised, apart from the Isle of Wight. Fire brigade mergers are allContinueContinue reading “The Value of Difference”
Wilful Neglect
We try, within the limits of our resources, to report and comment on what’s happening in Wessex. That’s to say, what’s actually happening and not what we or anyone else would like to be happening. Political correctness has been described as a war on noticing. The blinkers were well and truly on in Oxfordshire recently,ContinueContinue reading “Wilful Neglect”
The Extravagance of Austerity
Good chancellor, bad chancellor. George Osborne played a little double act with himself this week. It started with lots of spending announcements. A whopping £15.1 billion on roads and £2.3 billion on flood defences. Oh, and Bicester is to be a new town.Then there was the Autumn Statement, seized on with the claim that publicContinueContinue reading “The Extravagance of Austerity”
Scared As A Bully
On 9th November 2014, Catalonia voted 4 to 1 for independence from Spain. Madrid isn’t ready to begin talks on separation. Instead, it’s determined to prosecuteCatalonia’s leading nationalists for organising the vote. Will David Cameron protest? Will there be airstrikes? On 20th November 2014, the French Parliament voted to abolish many of the historic regionsContinueContinue reading “Scared As A Bully”
Getting Our Own Back
Wessex Electricity, Wessex Trains, Wessex Water. All run by managements located solely in Wessex. All democratically accountable to a Wessex Witan. Interfering London lawmakers and exploitative global finance just a fading memory of less pleasant times. We can dream. And why not? A poll last autumn showed that two-thirds of the public – including someContinueContinue reading “Getting Our Own Back”
Tunnel Vision
“You can’t play politics with our prosperity.” With these words, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin tried this week to push the lid down hard on the HS2 debate. You must do what corporate capital wants. Or else. It looks like we’re all in transition from evidence-based policy to policy-based evidence, and it’s a worldwide trend.It’s widelyContinueContinue reading “Tunnel Vision”
Serfs For Sale?
“Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor liberty to purchase power.” Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1738)If you’re going to keep on repeating lies, the risk isn’t that others will start to believe them. It’s that you’ll start to believe them yourself and end up trapped inside them.Thatcherites are now in that position, confronted byContinueContinue reading “Serfs For Sale?”
Wessex Regionalists 