The Daily Teaser — 7-11-2014

Hmmm … 

You know, child abuse is … not a good thing.

And I think we can say that’s understating thing, just a touch.

After all, I’ve know people who’ve been the victims of abuse: they’ve not had an easy life, recovering from it.

So I think I, like others, have had half an eye on the progress of the Wanless enquiry.   That’s been trying to track down what’s called the Dicken’s Dossier, after it disappeared: the dossier was a collection of documents that MP, Geoffrey Dickens handed over to the Home Secretary, back in the 80s, that detailed allegations of abuse committed by senior MPs and public figures.

Which is a scandal.

One I’m wondering about.   You see, I had a friend who used to work at the Royal Courts of Justice: Britain’s central and highest courts, in other words.   (The Old Bailey, Britain’s central criminal courts, are a separate entity: about half a mile away.   The RCJ deals with everything else: including some criminal matters.)

He alway’s used to say — with something of a knowing smirk — that evidence in various pornography/obscene publications cases used to go — AHEM — missing in transit.

He never specified exactly what sort of pornography.   And, at the time, I assumed the stuff concerned nastier versions of stuff anyone could get in their locals newsagents.

These days … ?   I have to admit, these days, I wonder one thing.

What sort of porn went missing … ?

~≈ß≈~

Nigel Evens, MP

Do you follow the news, at all … ?

I’m fairly sure you do.

I’m also fairly sure that — as I — you have various bits of news that catch your eye.

One that’s caught my eye, in the past few days … ?

Is the news that MP, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Nigel Evans, has been acquitted of several counts of rape and sexual assault: a case that followed on from several similar trials — and acquittals — of men in the public eye.

Congratulations to him.

But one thing about his acquittal has caught my eye.

His claimed belief that Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service should pay his bills.

My first thought, there … ?

Was “Excuse ME … ?”

~≈Á≈~

Eric Pickles: Possibly At It Again

You know, every-so-often, you HAVE to ask questions, don’t you?

Don’t you … ?

“Do you want fries with that?” is a perfectly valid one, for example: although obviously, only in very specific circumstances. (None of which will involve Clint Eastwood saying “Well? DO ya … ?”)

“How did that photo get THAT size,” is another: I wish I knew, I’d be able to do something about it!

And a third … ?

Actually, a third is all about Brentwood and Ongar’s much loved MP, Communities secretary, Eric Pickles.

And I’ve got to admit, the question in question is “HOW MUCH … ?”

Because I’ve got to admit, I’ve just seen this article on The Guardian’s website — there’s a hoop or two to jump through, first though, they don’t make it easy … — and that’s the first thing I thought.

Whatever else one says of the man — and in person, he’s somewhat affable — I’m thinking if he’s paying that sort of money* to one man, for barely a year’s work, I have a couple more questions to ask.

Firstly … ?

“If you’re paying THAT much, Eric, will you be giving the likes of me a jobº?”

And secondly … ?

Secondly, given that Mr P’s noted for giving local councils hell in a bucket for overspends?

Secondly, I’d have to ask this:

“Mr Pickles, how do you justify paying one of your staff members that money: when it’s more than Joanna Killian — Essex County Council Chief Executive — got for the same sort of periodª?”

After all, he DOES encourage councils to spend less: he should SURELY do likewise.

Actually, there’s a thirdly, as well.

“Mr Pickles? Where EXACTLY did that money come from?”

Because if that’s public money, I think we have a right to complain …

* £580, 000, just over half a million, for 16 months: which works out at something like £36, 000 per month. Hell, I’ll work for THAT … !

º I refer my honourable readers to the footnote just above this one! (Actually, Debbi, Nina, I don’t how much that is in Euros or dollars: but it‘s not exactly potato peelings.)

ª Going by this article, she got £289,173 for 2010 to 2011: £385, 564 would be the equivalent figure for the 16-month period. (IE from January 2010 to April of this year. I divided her pay by 12, then multiplied it by 16, to get that figure.)

Visiting Big(Non)wigs …

Hmmm …

Now, I don’t know if I’ve made an impression, or not.

I hope I have …

But suspect I haven’t.

You know, you’d POSSIBLY be thankful if I actually told you why, wouldn’t you … ?

»»·««

But at ANY rate … ?

I’ve got to admit, my street got a badly timed visit from Brentwood’s MP, Eric Pickles, this morning.

Badly timed, you say … ?

Well, yeah.

I’d run out of tomatoes.

And as I said earlier … ?

I’m none too sure if he’ll remember, but I’m hoping he will.

Because …

Well, I’ll be frank, here, if I may, I’ve always been something of a fan of the basic idea of open source source software and operating systems.

Operating systems in particular.

I’ve always liked the idea that there’s should be more than one choice for ways to run a computer: I’ve always suggested Ubuntu as a very user friendly Linux distro, for example, to any who’ve asked.

Now in the past, the current Chancellor, George Osbourne has always spoken well of using open source software … but never seemingly done much about it.

So, me being me … ?

I handed him a copy of Ubuntu 11•04.

Complete with making the point it’s free software.

And the (only mildly bitchy) point that as he’s using a version of Windoze on hit by now notorious £7, 000 laptop, he’s handed control of his machine to Bill Gates.

A foreign power, if you chose to look at it that way.

His reply was a “Well it could …”

I’ve got to admit, I told him — politely enough, I think — that there wasn’t a could about it.

So …

Well, I don’t know if Eric Pickles is reading this.

But I’d dare him — if he is — to use that Ubuntu live disc on an older machine he, parliament or party headquarters may have access to.

And use that machine as his main working machine, for a week or so, to make himself familiar with it and the software it contains.

And to see how much use he can get from it.

And then starting costing replacing Windozes.

MP’s and Rich Media Content: How to Oggle HTML5 and write to Your MP

Which I know is a bit of a gobful of a post-title.

But I think it sums up what I’m trying to say …

Possibly …

At any rate, one thing I know I managed to find in my letter box, today, was a very polite letter — about wheel-clamping — from Brentwood and Ongar MP, Eric Pickles.

At last …

But just to keep you abreast, I’d written to him, recently: mostly to ask him his stance on the Freedom Bill, due before the House of Commons.

I got a reply from him.

And I think we can say he’ll be voting for the Bill.

Double click on the scan of the letter, that SHOULD show you what I mean …

At any rate, I’ve fired off …

A reply … !

You’d guessed, hadn’t you … ?

Here’s what I asked him …

Dear Mr Pickles,

Firstly, let me thank you for answering my email with your letter of the 26th August of this year, in regards to wheel-clamping.

However, I also believe I have not had my questions answered to my personal satisfaction.

I’ll happily agree that there are some companies in the wheel-clamping industry that are as unscrupulous as you say.

However, I live in Rollason Way, near Brentwood Station.

And the wheel clamping company that my landlords — South Anglia — use have been, bar the usual teething problems one expects with type of scheme, fine.

In fact, they have been so successful in keeping commuters and non-residents out of our street, that residents had recently voted to retain the scheme.

So the government announcement about the Freedom Bill … ?

Caused a lot of heated discussion at the subsequent residents meeting, as I’m sure your colleague, Councillor Joan Holmes — the one Conservative councillor for Brentwood West — will be able to tell you. She was there, as was Councillor Karen Chilvers of the Brentwood and Ongar Liberal Democrats.

So I would like to reiterate my initial question, and — if possible — add another to the list.

Firstly, I would like to know if the government had — or is — considering making the current voluntary code of practise. As I stated in a recent letter to the Brentwood Gazette, I feel that better regulation, rather than an outright ban, would be a preferable course of action.

Secondly, I’d like to reiterate that I’d like to know which you — personally — intend to vote on the Freedom Bill, when it comes before the House in November. I believe that I — and many of my neighbours — would be comforted knowing our MP is voting against this bill: one that makes our lives more complicated, and one I think that goes against David Cameron’s much-talked-about ‘Big Society’.

Yours,

There’s hoping I get a reply to that: I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed, but let’s wait and see, shall we … ?

‹‹‹◊›››

The other part of the title … ?

Refers to the fact I found a rather nice website, earlier tonight, that’s all done in HTML5.

Which was rather fun, something I’d not knowingly come across, and was amazing — to me, at least — to experience.

Go have a look at it: I think you’ll be impressed!

Mr P’s At It Again …

Hmm …

Well …

I seem to have got a response, there …

Remember, a few days ago, I told you about the whole wheeling clamping situation, here in Rollason Way … ?

Now, granted it’s gone quiet about it, in the media.

But at least I can tell you that, after emailing Eric Pickles, the MP for Brentwood and Ongar, has sent a response.

Or rather, I should say his Parliamentary Assistant has: the former Brentwood Borough Councillor, Karen Sheehan.

Hmmm …

Who I’ve got to admit never impressed me, when she was in post. (Councillor Holmes and Chilvers, on the other hand, did. Well, Councillor Chilvers did and does: Councillor Holmes is also one of Brentwood’s Conservatives: but, much like Councillor Chilvers, at least got herself in the papers, occasionally, and tried to at least look like she was making an effort on behalf of her constituents.)

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

My point is that — so far — I’ve had a response from someone.

It does leave me with a question I think I’d like an answer to.

May be a couple …

Firstly, I’d like to ask you, if you’re one of my neighbours, to email or write to Eric Pickles, yourself: here’s the link to do that.

I think the more of us who write to him to complain about this bill — or, at least, this provision of this bill —, the better.

Secondly … ?

I think I’d like to ask both Councillor Chilvers and Councillor Kendall — who’s the Lib-Dem leader for the area — to comment on this post: I think I’d like to hear their views and have them publicly available.

Yes, I know both their and Councillor Clarke’s* view on this: after all, many have said that the Lib Dem’s and Conservatives aren’tin a coalition locally.

But I think we should hear what they have to say.

* Councillor Clarke is the other Lib-Dem councillor for the Brentwood West ward. So you know!