Clearing Snow Off The Pavement- Get Out And Do It

Now to completely upset a number of people who don't or won't clear the snow from a pavement outside their own home because they believe (genuinely) that if someone slipped up they can be sued.

There's no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside your home. It's unlikely you'll be sued or held legally responsible for any injuries on the path if you have cleared it carefully so just follow the snow code when clearing  and you're in the clear.

Grit, Gritting And Some Coalition Councillors Opinions

Well alright, I'll admit it, my road does get gritted only because it's used by the ambulance's stationed around the corner to get to their patients. That said and done, I've had numerous complaints from residents about when they went to the grit bin, the grit bin was bare. Someone had been there and emptied the contents for their own personal use, clearing their own drive and footway crossing. Whilst its tax payers who pay for the grit, the taking of it, is theft and if anyone was to bother looking at a label on the bins it clearly states that.

Grit bins are put in locations where no gritting lorry will drive around and is for good community spirited residents to either shovel spread on to pavements and roads, not personal, private driveways.

Now lets move on to the roads, it seems that the Councils Coalition administration themselves are not all singing from the same hymn sheet, with comments from very senior councillors, even the deputy leader of the Lib-Dems making comments about making motorists having to fend for themselves, rather than relying on the council to help them, which is rather alarming.
Here are just a sample of comments they have made in numerous emails over the weekend and today, which alarms me.

• “ ‘EMERGENCY PLANNING’  this is not an emergency,  it is the bloody winter, you expect snow and we should have in place a program to deal with it”.

• “I have to admit that I’m not impressed with the level of gritting on our roads”.

• “What gritting????”

• “If this kind of winter weather is going to become a regular event we will have to increase radically the level of resources we have to deal with it and that includes individual requirements such as everyone having snow chains for their cars”.

• “How many of you remember several years ago, when it was either Sweden or Finland decided they could no longer afford to grit each time it snowed, so they told everyone no more grit”.

Now with comments being made by the above and they are in charge of Birmingham, it makes you wonder if they have got a grip on reality and the problem that this snow has created for us mere mortals of Birmingham who have suffered and will continue to suffer because of them.

England Expected

We expected, but on the fourth day with five wickets standing they just folded. Alright its one all now, but there is still a strong possibility, we'll come home with them.
Now we're off to Melbourne, see ya there.

Where Were The Gritters?

Well we had the snow fall and roads were blocked. All around Monyhull Hall Road and Parsons Hill was a no go area for motorists, as were other areas of the city. But where were the gritters?

We all knew that it was to snow,  Birmingham Council knew it was to snow on Saturday morning,  the last Saturday before Christmas, the busiest shopping day before Christmas, but customers couldn't get to the shops and shops sales were lost.
But even if you thought you would be clever and go in to the city, well before the snow caught, thinking that you could get the shopping done, you missed out, as the snow clearers, who spread the crystal mixture on the walkways were missing or at least they seemed missing. This allowed inches of snow to build up so if you were in a shop, when you came out, there was a surprise waiting for you, then there is the journey home,
If you needed to wait for a bus, there was hours to wait, did they take them off, well no, they just couldn't get around the city. Deciding to walk there is the threat of slipping and sliding, and no one wants to fall and feel foolish as others come to your aide.
For motorists, once out of the underground car park, they too have slipping and sliding to contend with, but always keeping a very watching eye on cars in front of you and those passing.
The old adage, Birmingham has more hills than Rome really hits home and you wish our city didn't have as many hills as you gingerly drive up one, heart in mouth, various lights flashing away on the dashboard, hoping and praying you don't look a fool, that you're in the right gear, the engine isn't revving too high, worse still that you don't become stuck and another statistic.
Did I put my wellingtons in the boot of the car, before setting off, just in case I've got to walk home? Will I be warm enough walking home dressed like this?  More importantly if I stick at this speed and no one bothers with me, will I make it home in the car?
Well I did, unscathed and in my car.

Survivor Is Back, This Time In Whitehall

The Coalition Government has been in place for six months and various party grandees will have already been talking to David Cameron on what that want to see happen next. Now while I will agree that Cameron has given the impression that he's in charge to the public at large, he is clearly a tool of the grandees.
The big question is, has he the full support of his own Members of Parliament, well time will tell, after all he is the one who has allowed his minister to give prisoners the vote, has gone back on a promise to ensure that persons carrying knives are given stiff penalties in the courts and finally there are Ken Clarke's plans to reduce the prison population by introducing alternative short term sentencing.
Now when you look at all of the Tories in the Cabinet, Ken Clarke stands out as the odd man out, he's the only one as such to have previously held a high powered Government post under two previous Prime Ministers, so has some experience. Apart from his attire, sports jackets and hush puppy shoes, no one would believe he had liberal views, would they? It is his liberal views that would/could be the key to him, hanging on/ loosing position,  within the cabinet.
The real question is can David Cameron keep the Grandees happy and keep Ken Clarke in the Cabinet, otherwise will the Lib-Dems cause mayhem if he is forced out or sacked, after all he is instrumental in introducing liberal views in to bills and ultimately law.
Only time will tell and my guess not too much time at that.

It Pays To Question Their Decision

For a long time now, Industrial Relations at Birmingham Council haven't been quite what they should be, between an employer and employee.
With the enforced pay & grading debacle, and more recent problems around street cleaning and refuse collection, we now have the icing the this cake, the number of appeals by staff to the regrading process, where we hear that nearly 6 out of ten appeals have returned successfully for the employee, costing the council an additional £9million and there are a further 1,000 appeals still to hear.
Now what really takes the biscuit is that the Council Officers and Executive Councillors only budgeted for £3.5 million in wages to be paid to successful employees, so there is a massive hole to be filled.
We now know that to fill the gap either the Council Tax needs to rise, which will be debated early in the New Year. Will it  have to go up by an additional 2.5 % or are there planned additional cuts to services needed. I believe the latter will be the option taken by this authority, rather than lose face with their ongoing 1.9% rise year on year.

Make Those Who Can, Pay

The US after President Obama was sworn in, created 'The Tea Party', with an agenda of smaller government and a lot less taxes, meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, after the creation of the Coalition Government, we have UK Uncut, whose agenda is to make businesses pay their proper level of taxes and not transfer earnings out of the country.
So far their campaigns have included taking over a number of Sir Philip Greens retail empire store, as his wife, who is the owner of Arcadia Group and now lives in Monaco, (where there is none or little taxes) as they export all of the business profits there. Similarly Vodophone have also been targeted again for moving earnings around the world and in doing so not paying the legitimate levels of tax.
Now we are not just talking about not paying a few £millions, it is estimated in £billions that is being avoided, UK Uncut have banded around a figure of £25billion a year is missing from the British Exchequers money pot, through large business tax avoidance. So the question is, should more effort be made to tackle business tax avoidance or more effort on benefit fraud?
My money would go on Tax avoidance as there is much more at stake and a better chance of return for such little effort. Make those who can, pay for it, says a good socialist.

It's Day Three in The Aussie Field

391 is POSSIBLE, a good run in with strong partnerships and it'll be 2-0

It Could Have Been A Better Day

Today hasn't been a good one in Perth. Nevertheless, tomorrow is another day.

Sorry I Don't Quite Understand, I'm Going On Leave

Here you are, this is what really annoys me, in particular it's annoying because its Birmingham City Council managers who don't seem to have a grip on reality or what's going on around them.

Yesterday I sent an email out to a manager of a section within the Council, following a case at one of my advice centres, I had a reply back which said "I will be out of the office starting 16/12/2010 and will not return until 29/12/2010. Any urgent enquires please contact ********or ************on 464 *****. Thank you". So I redirect to one of the named alternative officers to get another email back which went like this "I will be out of the office starting 16/12/2010 and will not return until 04/01/2011. I will respond to your message when I return".

Now the second officer is managed by the  first officer, so do you really think they have a grip on whats going on around them, because I don't.