pilgrim

Malcolm - the other half read this and would like to point out one thing you missed - in prison the food is required to be of a particular standard which is higher than that required in nursing homes!! (double bonus)

..I wonder if GCHQ will have picked up the phrase 'shoot four politicians' -- set your alarm for 3am each day and take the dog for a walk, that way you will be out when they give you a visit at dawn.

..boll(it)ics...

free pencils for all schools should be the thing that would swing it for any party in a vote!! (but strict usage controls of the eraser!! - one dare not use the word rubber these days!! not PC.)- (although that might be a problem as we would have to find someone to teach them to write) - 16,000 million years of evolution since 'the big bang' and the epitome of our evolution is typing with our thumbs?

summat went wrong somewhere...

(I think I could get into the 'disgusted of Tunbridge' thingy -- might have to change my address to 'a small village locally' - 'Teetering on the Brink' twinned with 'Verging on the Ridiculous'

strange how you recall things -  I was just thinking about the jackdaw and recall a man had a fox as a pet (that would be about early 60's as well) - he used to walk it on a lead - Im not sure if he lived at Barrington or Scotland Gate, or even possibly on one of the farms on the way to Bedlington from the 'Station' anyone any ideas ??

That takes me back!!!!

must have been about early 60's - I had a jackdaw also called 'Jack' (what else could you call one??)for a couple of years maybe 3. He would come down from the trees when called and sit on my shoulder. I got him as a very young chick that had fallen from a nest. A wonderful companion and never had any problems with other birds but he died because, as they did, he sat on the chimney stack and I think he was overcome by the CO/CO2 and just fell off.

I had a golden retriever at same time and they had a sort of grudging mutual respect.

I had a rather large chopper!!!

OMG -- in all my life I never imagined I would become Maggies mother -- I way have to go a and lie down quietly in a darkened room!!! (let me know if you need any other info Maggie)

I may have to write to the 'grauniad' and sign myself as disgusted of somewhere!!

I think its absolutely shameful that we as non residents cannot have exclusivity views on who lives where we don't!!!

We need a xenophobic and fully non democratic view of this and I demand that we be twinned with Keswick as they have a damn fine history of pencils there - further to that I also demand that road signs leading to the shire demand that visitors turn their watches back 50 yrs before entering and anyone visiting has to watch at least 4 episodes of 'the league of gentlemen' and the 'Shire' is also twinned with 'Royston Vasey'

now perhaps that is a potential to boost local economy?? anyone shopping has to be asked 'ARE YOU LOCAL THEN?' if not 50% surcharge -- easy - local economy solved

free sharpeners?? or do you propose a national curriculum change in that all children should be taught the art of 'sharpening'?  (I can still make a pen out of a quill) id vote for that!!!! (would you be based in Keswick??)

nice thought that Malcolm about it being a part time job - must get myself down to the job centre and see what vacancies are out there for that sort of pay and expenses (plus housing 'benefit' ahem etc etc.) -- nice to think of being voted in at that level and thinking that your electorate only need you part of the time (in no way take that as any jibe -- was all very tongue in cheek!!!)

I will make no comment about the latest in a very long series of bungs for favours as I would expect nothing else -- and after all that has happened !!!

yes mercury -- suddenly it doesn't become so attractive- although I suspect the 'ego trip' is a big part of it!

It makes me wonder - against all I would fight for, that  a real democratically elected and representative government is a utopian dream  - maybe we should, as a nation, 'bite the bullet' -ditch the commons and appoint a board of professionals to run UK Plc. after all we are all shareholders in our country - or maybe not?? there is so much in the running of the state that shareholders would not tolerate in any company, or indeed the management of a successful company would not even countenance.

we, as citizens, entrust our elected members to ensure that the ill get treatment, the elderly don't starve or die alone, our children get educated, we can actually get work and use decent roads to travel to work, that our streets and property are safeguarded  - to mention but a few of the basic precepts - alas it appears the system has failed in all these areas to a greater or lesser degree.

nice to see that our elected representatives get their new £75000 salary from May (that is only an 11% rise when they have capped public sector at 1%) but they have to suffer some hardships of course - only state funded taxis after 11pm - they wont get the full £65000 golden handshake for being booted out after an election - and not all evening dinners paid for - tragedy!!!

It does make me wonder where any of these 'makeweights' could get work in the 'real' world at anywhere near this income?

and even at those rates of pay and 'extras' they still had to have a nose in the trough of expenses, and to compound the insult to the population even after the first tranche of exposures of expense abuses came to light they carried on!!

when anyone mentions politics I immediately think of Marcellus in Hamlet - 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark' - a situation rife with errors and rotten from top to bottom

Maggie - Shelley's is a house now. Ben Shelley ran it and had a stroke then lost a leg (he was in the sheltered accommodation along from the police station.- I haven't heard from him for about 10 yrs so not sure of present situation.) Maureen died many years ago. Their daughter,Anne is a reverend now.

On the mention of butchers - I remember there used to be an abattoir in Vulcan Place. - oh and the trips as a child to the 'baths' at Ashington then along the road to the butchers for a 'saveloy dip' afterwards on the way back to the 'bus station.

I think you missed my basic point that there such no such thing as 'party' politics. In the upper echelons they are no more than self serving power brokers. The back benchers do as they are told and make up the numbers. As for being taken for granted by the 'Westminster Elites' can anyone actually honestly say that they personally have a say in the governance of the country via their elected representative?

'a labour vote is a vote for paedophilia by proxy' in Rotherham?? is that the labour party or the MP's or the councillors?? or does it go further back to what used to be called the 'Council for civil liberties' now called liberty, and its backing by the labour party and Harriet Harman and her husband for PIE but that seems to have been expunged from the 'official' records.

I would like to see what 'evidence' there is to link Rotherham labour party with paedophilia - although there is plenty to show political correctness and ineptitude being more prevalent than any basic ability or common-sense to take ones head out of the sand!! 

the link you posted - saw that today and it personifies the arrogance of those in some seats -- how long has the present incumbent of Blyth Valley been there?? and before the changes how long did Morpeth have the same man?

Alan Beith has been in his seat for many years but at least has actually tried !!!

You must enlighten me which, if any, if elected, would not be patronising and elitist???  they are all promises until they get your vote and then its -- so long and thanks for all the fish....

I love these spurious 'scientific' surveys --  pete you are a closet tory!!! take yourself off to Plessey woods in women's underwear and do the 'right thing' with a revolver and a single bullet!!  - and think of the publicity!!! (my point exactly)

interesting -  mine came out as;

83% labour

79% lib/dem

77 Ukip

74% con

66% green

which just goes to show -- it all depends on how these things are worded -- lies - damn lies - and statistics.... and give no true idea of how I think or would vote if I did..

(call me cynical - I have been called worse!! but  do I sense a callous manipulation of saying what the spin drs. tell the parties to say what that people want to hear??)

I used to commute to London - park on platform at Newcastle central 7am, train  - finish work at 4;30 -  5:30 train back and home for 9pm - a long day but it was what I did. although I visited London many times for many reasons and never liked it -- too hot - too busy - but magic for the likes of the British museum and the imperial war museum!!!!

mick grants mechanic used to live in cramlington and often stored the race bikes there - first time i ever saw titanium bolts!

met Mick grant a few times and he was the speaker at the NE road Race Association at the annual dinner etc.

exactly right -- re the ace café

Malcolm - now that would prove the omnipotence of a divine being!!!!

I have seen a few items listed by 'Robson Greene' along the Tyne valley etc.

Anyhows - we have 80 mile of coast which is mostly unused - there are regularly days when you can wander about for a couple of hours without seeing anyone and the same applies to the Cheviots. We might only have one day of summer a year, but look on the bright side -- if it was ever warm up here you would have 80 miles of tourist resorts in a solid line right along the coast!!!

Say nowt and keep it to ourselves!!

(oh and the county has about 365 castles, bastles and fortified towers dotted about)

On a typical day within a mile of home I can see deer, red squirrel, more buzzards than you can imagine, and kestrels, all of which used to visit the garden in our old house, and that was on a toad migration route so once a year for a couple of weeks you swept young toads out of the house daily - its amazing to see the grass in a paddock 'moving' with them on their travels.

There are some fantastic geological sights and amazing rock pools along the coast, and all for free. I often moan at the child and remind her there are downsides to rural life but folk actually pay good money to spend a week here on holiday and we get it all year round for nowt! 

just to hoy in a dafty -- there were 45 MPs in the house today - ooh last day of term lets pack our bags and go off on a jolly for the half-term recess.... or were they all in the bar having end of term frolics??

herself brought some samphire home the other day and said 'here whats this and what do you do with it?' oh dear it grows 2 mile away and is magic with salmon -- and other fish - she was impressed with it though - amazing how much basic knowledge we have lost. I would recommend any book by Richard Mabey to see what is on your doorstep.

50?? just a young thing then!!

The bondagers were a respected and an accepted part of rural living along with the 'hirings' - and were no different from the 'tied' housing associated with so many industries. 'Bonded' labour can be many things -- the requirement in past times of the occupier of the land to provide free service so many days a year to either the feudal estate and/or the church. The name of 'tithe' barns relates to the 10% precept that any producer had to give to the church.

Articles of apprenticeship were actually 'bonded' labour within that definition.

The concept of full time employment is relatively modern, for example the shipbuilding industry - where the tradesman was employed for that element of his skill and then moved on to another contract when he had completed his particular area of work.

Perhaps a bit of research into the Truck Acts might be of benefit, the most wide ranging being introduced in 1887 when Victoria was on the throne and a 'Tory' government was in power.

I seem to think that in the two terms of post that the last 'labour' government had they did not address 'zero hours' contracts and spent more parliamentary time on fox hunting than if we should go to war? however they did introduce over 3,600 items of legislation which went a long way to criminalising a large proportion of the population.

no secret -- I blagged a lift on the opossum - last diesel electric - Oberon class - endless supplies of pussers - magic (that was the one that dinged a Russian trawler at the fleet review after the Falklands  -  although the skipper did have a history of 'dinging' harbour buoys (er check the spelling -- nothing else was implied!!!)-- have an officers tie from the old Arc Royal as well, given to me for being exemplary in drinking - I almost remember being on board lol