Tag ArchivesFor the word: uk
Rant: Terrorism Power Abuses – Off and Running
News this week that Poole council has used legislation designed to combat terrorism, to spy on a family suspected of trying to cheat the school catchment system is the first publicly reported abuse of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), but I’m sure it won’t be the last…
Civil rights groups such as Liberty (rightly it now appears) have expressed concerns about these powers since the tabloid-led knee-jerk reaction policy frenzy, which followed 9/11 and 7/7 which created acts such as RIPA. They argued that existing anti-terrorist legislation already in place in the UK since the early 1970′s to combat terrorist attacks by IRA cells were still relevant enough to be used to deal with the new threat of Islamic extremism. There was therefore no need to introduce further legislation.
+21Winter returns
This morning we woke up to the rather picturesque sight of an unexpected snowstorm on Saturday night. 4 to 5 inches of snow and not a tyre track or footprint to be seen.
See the photos.
It’s not unknown to have snow in April, but it’s been a fair few years since we had such a heavy dusting, especially after such a mild winter and with an early spring.
The view certainly beats any TV rubbish and being on a Sunday I didn’t have to drive in it (result!)
Shortly after the photos were taken, the sun peeped out between a break in the clouds and within an hour it was all slush. Never mind… 
+12Rant: Spare Capacity – a concept of the past?
While driving home on the M4 a couple of weeks ago, I heard a story on the radio that the department of transport is extending use of the hard shoulder to more motorways up and down the UK, in an attempt to reduce congestion.
A week later the news reported that an increasing number of prisoners are now being released, earlier than expected in an effort to reduce overcrowding. An recently, the Ministry of Justice reported that the prison population in England and Wales has exceeded its highest normal level for the first time.
+18So Long GLA
It’s been interesting, but my time back in the smoke is over (at least for now).
I’ll shortly be starting work in Slough (nowhere near as nice but a lot closer and cheaper to get to) and I just hope the traffic wont drive me too mad.
Farewell web team – it was nice working with you.
+12NEWSFLASH: Machines join Humans for Sickie Day
Following yesterday’s National Sickie Day where an estimated 300,000 people in the UK skived off work, it seems that today the machines are following suit.
My train into London was delayed this morning due to signal failure. When I finally reached London Waterloo, I discovered that a power failure on the Jubilee line had created the usual tube chaos.
In desperation, I fought my way through the throngs to the Bakerloo line, only to be delayed there due to some unspecified problem or other, for 20 minutes. Eventually I switched back to the Northern line to be told that passenger congestion at bank station (caused by ongoing escalator problems) meant I was delayed further.
+23Rant: British Gas (it’s all cash! cash! cash!)
Friday’s announcement that British Gas is increasing it’s prices by 15% would have been a bit easier to swallow, if it wasn’t for the increase in February 2007, the 12.4% increase in September 2006 and the 14% increase in 2005.
This represents an overall increase of 61% in the last 3 years, with a 37% increase in the last year alone.
+20Rant: 2012 Olympics Carnival Goes Critical
Insane!
That’s the only adjective to describe today’s news in the Evening Standard (and briefly on the Beeb before it seemed to mysteriously vanish!) that “The organisation in charge of keeping the costs of the 2012 Olympics down is to receive a £10 million bonus in recognition of its success”.
OK…let’s just rewind slightly…
Did I imagine it or isn’t the Olympic budget currently under scrutiny – largely because the estimated cost has exploded to a gobsmacking £9.3 billion – more than 4 times the original estimate (with 5 years still to run)?
+12