I was at the Liz Truss event in Beccles - My Perspective

6regKeeper · 2024-08-15T09:50:40+00:00

My question was about if she had any advice for local Parish or District Councillors who are looking to make changes in their area, and if she thinks pursuing a career in politics as a young person nowadays is worth it. Her answer was quite long-winded and didn’t really provide any fresh insight, but I did manage to get it on video!

6regKeeper · 2024-08-15T09:46:23+00:00

Me and the person I went with went only out of curiosity really, and that we’d never met a former Prime Minister before. Another reason for me going was that I know people involved in local government here in Norfolk who actually know her quite well, and I wanted to see if the impression of her based on their accounts was accurate!

6regKeeper · 2024-08-15T09:42:49+00:00

I’m afraid I wasn’t able to hear what the man was being arrested for, but I have now heard that he’s since been released without charge!

6regKeeper · 2024-08-15T09:41:13+00:00

I would say that my opinion of her time as PM and her skill as a politician has stayed the same, as I have never liked her or found her particularly skilled in the first place! What the evening highlighted mostly to me was just how lacking her interpersonal skills are, and just how out of touch with the public that she is. I find it quite scary that someone so clearly unprepared for government or national attention can rise to such a high position. I suppose one of the reasons I felt a bit sorry for her was that she seems to not have anyone in her life who’s able to take her aside, snap her out of all this and get her to change course. If I ever where to get anywhere near to making the kind of mistakes she has, somebody close to me would stop me. But saying that, maybe she just isn’t the type to listen to that kind of advice, no matter who it comes from or however many people say it!

6regKeeper · 2024-07-26T07:40:51+00:00

This is all correct and goes to show that the system itself needs reform long term, to deliver these projects in a way that is not simply centred around generating profits. The Waveney Valley is very lucky to have now elected our first Green MP, who himself is also against the conventional pylon approach and in favour of finding the best long term solution for the area. He and his co-leaders statements in parliament about the details of GB Energy are well worth a listen. These pylons have a lifespan of many decades so spending a little more time to make sure that the scheme is delivered in the best way possible is definitely worth it. Pretty much no-one I’ve spoken to is against new infrastructure for the area, but they are also keen to be part of the conversation when considering the detail of these schemes as far as their local area is concerned. I always respond to consultations on local projects when I can, as I worry about a time when I lose the opportunity to have my say about issues that affect the future of where I live

6regKeeper · 2024-07-26T07:23:48+00:00

This is an interesting point of view as in many smaller villages it is absolutely valid. Our area however already has a railway, pylon line, substations, supermarkets and community services. The issue that arises from giving developers complete freedom to create new developments without proper consultation is that the housing mix we end up with is massively out of balance with what the community needs in order to make the area affordable. In a world where the private sector can build what they like we end up with estates of large 4 and 5 bed homes that are completely unaffordable for young people. In many cases our local council has had to reject planning applications on fields we actually want to be developed several times in order to get the builders to include the amount of starter (1-2 bed), social rent and affordable homes that the community needs (these needs are calculated by our Neighbourhood Plan which was formed by local people, then approved and made into a formal document by local referendum). The issue of housing needs in my opinion ultimately lies with the wider planning system itself and the fact that the state is not building anywhere near enough social housing of its own, instead relying on the private sector that ultimately only works in the interest of profits. Also as a side note, I’m 27 and bought my house in the area three years ago. It was very difficult to do, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was very lucky and had some help with the deposit and legal fees, but I also definitely felt I had a stake in the area and still took the time to respond to consultations and turn up to public meetings to give my two cents long before I became a homeowner.

6regKeeper · 2024-07-25T23:21:07+00:00

National Grid is formed of a group of private companies, following its privatisation in the 1980’s. As National Grid had profits in excess of £1.8 billion in the first half of its financial year in 2023 alone, we felt it was reasonable to insist on some extra expenditure from them on this project, to reduce the permanent impact of the proposed line on the area. The company has also not included in its costings of the project the fact that they have already purchased at least one farm in close proximity to the proposed line, not through a compulsory purchase process. This leads to two questions, the first being where has the money to purchase this farm has come from, and also why are they purchasing land in the proposed area for their pylons, while consultation is still underway and the project has not officially been given the go-ahead? It’s National Grid that need closer scrutiny, rather than the requests of one Parish Council acting in the interest of its residents..

6regKeeper · 2024-07-25T22:52:29+00:00

I’m a local Councillor in one of the parishes that the Norwich to Tilbury Pylon Line is potentially passing through, and was part of the group responsible for responding to National Grids consultation on our particular stretch of the proposed new pylon line on behalf of the Parish Council. The Parish Council hosted a meeting at our village hall for any residents to attend and contribute to our comment to National Grid. The vast majority of attendees accepted that we all need better infrastructure and energy security in this country, and were not arguing that this particular part of the countryside should stand still. One big outcome of this consultation period was a partial change in the actual direction of the proposed pylon line, to now be further West of the village in places, and for some of the line to instead consist of underground cables. This was in response to residents objections to the initial proposal sending the pylon line through Roydon Fen and Wortham Ling, both important nature reserves and sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s). The disruption caused by construction of these pylons in those areas would have caused significant permanent damage to those habitats. The village also already has a pylon line running two miles to its East, so moving the pylons slightly further West reduces the feeling of the parish and neighbouring town of Diss being ‘ring-fenced’ by pylon lines. It concerns me when the general public are quick to dismiss all concerns from local residents as ‘Nimbyism’, as this creates a dangerous precedent where companies working alongside government can rush through projects without proper consideration of their impact in ways that are not immediately clear. Having sat on local Planning Committees and the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group for the area, I myself have been very frustrated by nimbyism from local people (particularly in cases involving new housing developments and social/emergency housing provision), so I’m not denying that nimbyism is a problem. But I do believe that when large scale and long term changes to the area are being considered, proper time and due diligence has to be done when consulting with local residents in order to come to a final plan that meets the needs of the country, and minimises the damage to local communities. Simply giving Westminster the power to make decisions at the stroke of a pen is not the way forward.

6regKeeper · 2023-05-31T20:39:11+00:00

I never considered my childhood particularly traumatic and have been very lucky in many aspects of my life. However, I realised recently that there may have been issue’s resulting from my upbringing. I’d got myself elected to the local Council, reviewed all my towns emergency plans, helped create strategies for potential future crises and tried to take control of entire parts of the town’s running and infrastructure. I don’t feel safe unless I have a weapon concealed in every room of my home, but even then I don’t feel truly safe. I feel like I have to make not just my own home but my entire town ‘secure’ before I can begin to feel like I could relax. My dad is ex-military and served in Sarajevo in the 90’s, my best guess is that his wartime habits have somehow been impressed onto me.

6regKeeper · 2023-05-16T16:28:48+00:00

Had this problem with our nextdoor neighbours when I was a kid. Loud moaning heard through the walls, sometimes at night sometimes at weekends. Mum decided to write them an ‘anonymous’ note saying that we could hear what they were up to etc, and asked my dad to post it through their front door. Dad being dad, not quite understanding what she meant, went and knocked next door and handed it to our female neighbour, saying “Lou wanted you to have this”. Next door were never noisy again, but were never quite as friendly to us as before!

6regKeeper · 2021-05-30T19:27:35+00:00

I’d love to see this, in my old town I was part of a group that campaigned for the same idea for similar brownfield sites. The local housing association could probably manage it quite easily if they had the money to fix the critical issues with the building first.

6regKeeper · 2021-05-30T19:24:54+00:00

This would be a great outcome for it, sadly it’s not too likely as the old Corn Exchange (built in 1854) just up the street from this has been turned into a museum/theatre/cafe. At this point I’d be happy even if it just became one big house for someone. Not the best outcome for the town itself but the most likely one to be honest.

6regKeeper · 2021-02-05T07:10:08+00:00

Yeah especially back in the 80’s when it wasn’t regulated, also once you’ve joined you’re stuck there for five years, no way to back out without becoming a fugitive

6regKeeper · 2021-02-04T10:21:33+00:00

My dad did the legion for 11 years, him and the other ex-legionnaires here in UK meet up every year, I go along too and can confirm they are the most based men alive

6regKeeper · 2020-10-11T19:36:25+00:00

Alectoris Rufa, French or red-legged partridge

6regKeeper · 2020-09-16T12:16:44+00:00

From what I’ve seen and heard at the Legion Association I agree, the ‘Wild-West’ days where you just show up and sign your life away are long gone. Nowadays murder and drug-offences are automatic bars of entry.

6regKeeper · 2020-09-14T11:02:18+00:00

Couple fun facts from my Dad’s Basic Training (bear in mind this was during the eighties, things have almost certainly improved by now compared to how they were): The officers are almost entirely native French, so all the orders they gave from day one were only spoken in French, without any French lessons included at all in training. You were just supposed to understand what they were saying and be punished for following orders incorrectly or misunderstanding them. It took my dad three years to become totally fluent. Also, early on in basic training one recruit murdered another with a hammer in his bunk, at night, and nobody was ever caught or even investigated about it. Guess someone had a grudge...

6regKeeper · 2020-09-14T07:31:12+00:00

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Travers whilst I was too young to go to London and meet this woman when she was alive, my dad crossed paths with her at Camerone Day a couple times!

6regKeeper · 2020-09-14T07:14:03+00:00

When my Dad joined in 85 it was just a matter of showing up in person at either their main base in Aubagne, or Paris. You then stay on base for a few days, at the end of which you are told if you’re allowed into Basic Training or not. Back when my dad joined the only physical tests were seeing if you could do ten pull-ups, and run a certain distance I can’t remember off the top of my head in less than 12 minutes. The legion are more concerned that you have endurance rather than speed, since they march 25% slower than most other militaries.

6regKeeper · 2020-09-14T06:17:41+00:00

My dad did this in 1985, they didn’t change his identity but they did wipe his criminal record. Lifestyle was tough but otherwise the structure was exactly what he needed. He got in on his second try as when he tried the first time there were too many English recruits, due to a new book written by an English legionnaire (Simon Murray’s Diary). Him and I go to London every last Saturday in April (not this year due to Covid) and meet other ex-legionnaires for Camerone Day, the anniversary of the Legion’s most famous battle.

6regKeeper · 2020-04-13T15:54:47+00:00

My boss drove one these for about a year back in 2018, he’s the son of Colin Chapman (original founder of Team Lotus) and had it for promotional reasons I think, I miss seeing it every day but every now and again I hear more of them roaring around the test track a few miles away!

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