On the move to a new start

After nearly two years of blogging with blogger I have decided to move on to a new platform.

In future you can find me at www.kevindavis.org.uk or www.kevindavis.wordpress.com

Many more things I will be able to do and I look forward to seeing you all there.

This site will remain for a while as a signpost for those not on RSS and who lag behind.

Surbiton pub gains award

This local pub has gained an award. It appears dropping the name "Rat and Parrott" might have helped. Should the people who drink there be worried that the profits at the St. Mark's Tavern have surged by 700%?

The Publican - number one for licensed trade news, and Proud of Pubs - Award for Spirited publican

a UK bIll of Rights

It has become apparent that the Human Rights Act that the Labour Government signed us up to has become something of a joke. I am no legal expert but even if the HRA was working in the way it was designed then it is still a mess. It is a mess because its implementation has allowed the type of stupid cases that originate from Europe on a regular basis.

It has become the fear of the HRA that is the worse aspect.There was the recent case of the roof top protester who "had" to be given Kentucky Fried Chicken because not to feed him was against the Human Rights Act - there are many more examples. We are now afraid not to feed the chap because he might sue someone.

So why should Britian not have its own Bill of Rights? Germany have one so why not us?

But there is another issue. The HRA enshrines in UK law the right of Judges to argue that parliament, in setting a law, has acted in contravention of the HRA and therefore the law should be changed. I accept that Parliament frequently makes a pig's ear of framing new laws but the idea that a democratically elected institution is not able to make law unless the judiciary decides is absurd.

Before the HRA the system operated that EU Judges could decide whether new law was in contravention of the Convention on Human Rights and the Minister in London could decide what he was going to do about it. It seemed to work quite well and during the period between 1975 and 1996 only 316 cases were considered and in 16 of them a change was made. In the 18 months after the UK implemented the Human Rights Act some 431 cases were considered and in 316 of them the outcpme was affected.

At least a UK BIll of Rights would allow us the opportunity to clearly define what are the rights and responsibilites of UK citizens.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Tories want a UK Bill of Rights

UK parking system is 'inconsistent and confused'

I cannot believe there are many who will disagree with this report that MP's are investigating and calling for reforms of the parking system.

Interestingly I saw earlier in the week that one London Borough was introducing new parking meters that accepted credit cards. I am not able to find the site but have this reference in the US.

Abortion dates to be reduced

This was an issue that launched itself into the General Election campaign last year. It even featured at one the church hustings that were held. As I said then it is my personal view that the law should be reviewed as it is clear that the advnace of medicine has meant that unborn foetuses of much earlier dates than 24 weeks have a chance of survival.

Vote for a new Tory logo

 


Over at Conservativehome they are asking you to vote for what you think is the best new logo for the Conservative party. The result gets announced tomorrow at 9am.

Will it get taken away?

I found this washing machine dumped in Kingston. I have tried to report it to the Council using their website which has a "Report It" function. Unfortunately it will allow me to report graffiti and uncollected bins but not fly tipping. I have therefore had to used the dubious excuse that it has graffiti on the side and report it as 'graffiti'.

Will it get collected? I shall have a look again tomorrow and report back.

What a mess they have made of Memorial Square

Memorial Square in Kingston needed money spent on it. They have been spending over £500,000 upgrading the pavings but the contractor has made a total pigs ear of it. It was due to be finished in early 2006. Boards then went up saying it would be finished by the end of April 2006. They missed that target and then went away for the May Merrie. They are back now trying to finish it. But even when it is finished the standard of the work is rubbish. Badly filled in holes, uneven pavings - I just hope the Council is doing something about this appalling state of affairs.

More damage to cars - is it really a middle aged man?

Yet more damage has been done to cars in Kingston. This time the vandal struck in the Blue Bridge area in Grove ward. It is reported that the vandal was a man in a car - not what you would have expected and certainly not the same method used when he attacked my road (the cars were parked in driveways).

Apparently the Police have offered a £10,000 reward.

Update: I hope the Police in Kingston are talking to the Police in Bath who are today reporting a similar problem. Not paintstripper this time!

Trust fund for former Surbiton boys who lost their parents in dhow tragedy

I am putting this report up because it appears the two twin boys who lost their parents in the dhow sinking in the Middle East came from Surbiton. They left in 2004 to go to work for WS Atkins in Bahrain. It may well be that someone who reads this might have know them. If they did they might want to contribute something to the fund that has been set up to provide for their future.

Too big to die

This is a quite amazing story of a local council who has been turning away grieving families from cremation because the cremator is too small to take "oversized" people. In one instance the family were made to travel 120 miles to a larger cremator. It sounds as if this is not just a problem because people are heavier than ever before but also because they are taller. This is a terribly sensitive area and one wouldhave thought that the investment would have been made where it needed to be made.

Is this a national problem? Is this something we need to do about in Kingston?

The Institue of Cemetery and Crematorium Management

Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidates flee to the Conservatives

Following the earlier defection of two other Lib Dem PPC's we now have a Welsh Lib Dem councillor and PPC who feels more at home with the Conservatives. It cannot be too much longer before we see one of the small band of Lib Dem MP's decide their future is better with us.

Mr Kinzett said: "It is only David Cameron's modern compassionate Conservative Party that offers a realistic and progressive alternative to this tired, worn-down Labour Government.

"I know that I will be campaigning hard for a party which is serious about changing itself so it can change Britain for good."

ASBO's for animals?

The Sunday Times is reporting the antisocial behaviour of pets. One example is a couple in Surbiton whose own pet has caused about £7,000 of damage to their home.

“He has pooed in two pairs of my girlfriend’s expensive shoes and he
ripped the lining out of my £500 Hugo Boss suit which was hanging in a
cupboard. The scratched carpet was £600 to replace, the clawed sofa
£1,500, a set of vases £300, leather kitchen stools were £400 and vet’s
bills have been £800; he has also dug up four calla lilies at £70 each
and smashed a set of wine glasses. He wrecked a couple of my Paul Smith
shirts at £120 each and some Patrick Cox shoes."

Let's hope Mani the Cat is not let loose on the streets of Surbiton!

Rubbish collections

This is a road in Berrylands just after the collection of rubbish last Friday. This is not the first time that this has happened. It is probably not the fault of the bin collectors but more likely a result of the urban fox. Still, I would have thought that the bin collection contract would have the bin men tidy up this type of problem - obviously not?

Daily Mirror slams Kingston road humps

This story in Friday's Daily Mirror concerns a cyclist who had to get the bearings replaced on his expensive off road bike because of the road humps in Kingston. I drive a SMART car and am forever grounding on the damn things - who nows how much damage they are doing? I do not agree with some of these 4X4 cars but it is about the only thing you can guarantee not to get damaged by Kingston's traffic calming.

I really believe that the Council should now be consulting residents on the removal of road humps whenever they resurface a road (which I admit is not that often).

Happy Father's Day

Here, here to this article.

"I love my job, and I passionately want to have the chance, as prime minister, to help improve people's lives." Said David Cameron

"But the fact is that whatever I do or don't achieve in politics, nothing
matters as much as my family. Nothing is tougher, or will give me
greater satisfaction, than raising my children properly.

"Andit goes without saying that my children couldn't care less whether I
become prime minister or not. On fathers' day we should remember the
simple truth that a successful dad spends time with his children."

Electoral Commission says Kingston voters were "swindled"

This article in the Independent highlights the report from the electoral commission on the recent local elections. It specifically talks about Kingston and the anomaly that despite the Conservatives "winning" the election on votes cast the Lib Dems gained more seats and a majority.

Their natural conclusion is we should have PR. It seems such a simple argument but I am not convinced.

The reality is that one of th biggest distorting factors is the boundary changes of 2002. We could debate where the boundaries now go and how stupid some of them are but the more important facet is the distribution of seats. Kingston used to be composed of  both 2 and 3 Councillor wards. The Electoral Commission applied the principle that all wards should be of similar size and therefore all have three Councillors. This means that in terms of the total outcome of seats won large distortions can occur. Its impossible to predict what might have happened under the old boundaries becuase they changed so much. But clearly winning and losing two seat wards is less distorting than winning and losing three seat wards.

New Priest for Kingston parish Church

On Tuesday I had the pleasure to sing at the installation of the new Team Rector (designate) of Kingston Parish Church (All Saint's), the church in the Market Place.

The Revd Jonathan Wilkes, aged 39, was ordained in 1996 and started his title in the Hackney Team, based principally in the church of St John-at-Hackney. In 2000 he moved to Paddington to be Priest in Charge of St Peter's, Elgin Avenue, and then in 2004 extended his ministry to become also Priest in Charge of St Mary Magdalene Church, Rowington Close.

During his years in Paddington, Jonathan developed his interest in community ministry, seeking ways to allow the life of the Church to be relevant and accessible to local people, as well as an enthusiasm for the open and creative use of Church buildings. He is strongly committed to the central place of children within both Church and Society.

He is extremely pleased to accept the post of Team Rector in the parishes of All Saints with St John’s and is looking forward to working with them to further their excellent commitment to the different communities that they serve. He has said “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity of coming to serve among the people of Kingston and greatly look forward to taking up the post in June.”

Jonathan is married to Linda, who is a teacher.

Where does your family come from?

Thanks to James Cleverley for this very clever website.

This surname profiler enables you to track the growth of your family surname by analysing the quantity of people with your name in a specific county. You can do a comparison between two years (1881 bottom and 1998 on top) to see that growth.

Are the Lib Dems anti nuclear?

Ming decided to have a go at Blair over the nuclear power issue. He argues that the issues of "cost and waste" should rule this out.

Both he and Ed Davey should know the facts without asking Blair because it appears they have an insider on the nuclear industry association. The NIA's Communications Manager is a Kingston Lib Dem Councillor, one Simon James. He spends his time promoting the nuclear power option and supporting organisations in the industry.

If you were a passionate environmentalist, and have as part of your portfolio responsibilites as an Executive member on Kingston Council the promotion of green travel and transport, would you not find promoting more nuclear power somewhat embarassing or hypocritical?

Kingston Council spends £3m on agency staff

A new report published by the GMB Union (not sure why boilermaker's are still worthy of a union but there you go) has shown that Kingston Council spends over £3,000,000 a year on agency staff. Compared with other London Borough's it is quite low but then we are the second smallest in London. The Union is complaining that there are too many people employed in this manner who are not getting the employment rights of full time workers. Is this an issue for Kingston Council?

The Japanese in Kingston

I have wondered for some time which stores we were missing in Kingston. Now I know - Uniglo!

Residents to face rubbish bag tax?

The Government's review of local government funding appears to be taking an absolute age. They started it before the last election to stop the row over the the rises in Council Tax, for which they were taking the blame. The guy running the review now and again sticks his head above the parapet, floats a controversial idea, and then dissapears again.

Now we have this latest idea. He wants us to be charged for the amount of waste we put out for the bin collection. The problem with this idea is that we would be reliant on the bin men weighing the waste before chucking it in the truck. They then have to record that information and we get sent a bill. I am sceptical this will work or is practical although to be fair they manage it in other European countries. Firstly it will massively increase the bin collection costs and secondly I really question how many people will argue over their bill. Are you confident that Local Government could run such a scheme and charge you the right amount?

But then look at this quote from the accountant leading the review:

"I am clear that if people want more
services, want to tackle difficult problems like congestion,
environmental sustainability and water quality ... you can't just
tackle those problems and say you don't want to pay more tax."

He clearly does not understand that we are already paying a lot more tax and getting nothing new from our local authority for the money.We do get some things from our Council - we get "plans". If you go to the Kingston Council website and search for the word 'plan' you get 3,860 results. The first results you see are:

Local Implemetation Plan
Chidlern and Young people's Plan
School travel Plans
Sports plan
Best value Performance Plan
Forward Plan
Community Plan
Unitary development Plan
Area Action Plan
Workplace Travel Plans
Urban design Action Plan
Borough Spending Plan
Religious Education Development Plan
Thames Waterway Plan
and it goes on and on and on.........

We are employing people to sit around writing all these things. So if we are to have charging for the amount of rubbish we throw away how about we get a refund for all the useless plans the local authority produces.

Queen shot by Youth

Today is the 25th anniversary of the day the Queen was shot at by a youth as she rode past crowds on a horse. This in itself is not a remarkable story but it is interesting to muse what might have been had the gun not been loaded with blanks but with live bullets.

Had she been assasinated what would the country be like now? Would the country have changed? Only six week later Charles & Diana were to be married - would that have happened? The Falklands? Would Thatcher have continued to win? This year would have been the Silver Jubilee of Charles III.

You all get to pick the Conservative London Mayoral Candidate

The Conservatives have announced today that they are going to run the selection of a Conservative Mayoral candidate as an open primary - all Londoners get to vote. This is a high risk strategy - but then again finding a mayoral candidate is no easy task and engaging the public in the real election when it comes is equally difficult. It could be something like this might fire a greater interest in the voting mind. It will be interesting if the other parties adopt this approach.

I dislike Ken Livingstone; he is a bully and his fawning to tyrants and world leaders, that frankly no Government would want to officially speak to, distresses me and a good many others. Apart from the introduction of the congestion charge, which appears more about making money than doing anything real and lasting about climate change, what else has he done? He will claim the Olympics - but was that him? He will tell us "Safer Neighbourhoods" but even the public I speak to are beginning to doubt their effectiveness - just look at the two days off they all took at the same time in Berrylands.
Then there is the number of buses on our roads - let's not get started on the empty bus syndrome!

His electoral success has been in placing himself almost "beyond politics". He has become a celebrity rather than a politician and for this reason he has been succesful in keeping his post, even after he came back into what should have been a damaging Labour fold. He is the cheerful chappy, the only man who took on New Labour and beat their mayoral candidate as an independent. Given this you could argue that the Conservatives need a celebrity candidate, but do they?

So who should stand for the Conservatives. I gather Lord Coe is not interested - who would blame an Olympic champion wanting to run the games in his home country? Steve Norris again? Somebody from outside politics? It could even be you reading this if you are prepared to be a member of the party at the date you nominate yourself.

Think you can run London? Why not apply and click here.

Husband of Eastenders actresss jailed for Surbiton off-licence hold up

Can you believe that this chap donned a black curly wig to raid the Unwins store in Brighton Road. Still he has got a munimum of seven and a half years.

Drought order on its way

Hard to believe that we are facing a drought order now. It will mean that we have to halt all:

• Watering by hosepipe, sprinklers or other similar apparatus, of
  gardens, parks and any natural or artificial surfaces used for sport or
  recreation. (Private gardens and allotments are already covered by the
  current hosepipe ban.)
• Filling privately-owned swimming pools.
• Cleaning the exterior of buildings, other than windows.
• Washing windows with a hosepipe, sprinkler or other apparatus.