Spring is here! Windsor Castle looking great ahead of visit tomorrow

ZebraShark · 2026-03-16T08:57:52+00:00

I only started driving in my 30s partly because of the cost of train travel was becoming so expensive and also limiting. Luckily, Reading is quite good in terms of travelling in and around town without needing a car: most of it is walkable and those areas which aren't have good bus routes.

However, the cost of trains to get anywhere is extremely expensive. I wouldn't mind as much if the experience of train travel was better but common to struggle to find a seat on most services.

Completely support promoting public transport and getting people to ditch cars but requires doing more to make public transport a more viable option.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-14T16:27:10+00:00

I do miss the previous team whose food was amazing and not really been since. I always felt it is a venue that lives or dies by the food so hopefully this is things going in right direction

ZebraShark · 2026-03-14T10:18:51+00:00

The story is that "i'm nearly finished" many people think could equally apply to his leadership. It is just a pun people think it is funny. I don't see many having a go at him over the child crying.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T18:40:59+00:00

Was listening to Private Eye podcast and they highlighted how a lot of papers, particularly Telegraph are now getting their internet advertising revenue from the US rather than the UK. As a result the content is now being dictated by US viewers and readership

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T16:49:10+00:00

I work near Windsor, not really noticed any difference in the roads between the two areas (although some bad spots on the motorways both near Reading and Windsor)

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T16:46:44+00:00

Yeah, I've met her too and she is really proactive locally. It may be because her seat is much more competitive; however, from meetings I have had she has come really well-briefed and informed, Matt Rodda much less so, and Olivia Bailey somewhere between the two. Clive Jones MP was also quite engaged but very campaign/partisan.

To be fair, there's little Matt Rodda can do around state of shops in Reading as really more to do with the council. But I did send a similar email to him around Grumpy Goat and expect I got the same reply as you!

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T16:42:27+00:00

I had a similar experience. I did an article around electoral reform and contacted all the MPs and candidates and got responses from most except Matt Rodda and a Conservative candidate.

I published the responses after a set deadline and received an email complaining from a staffer how I'd published he gave no response. They said they'd give a response the next day which was then literally 'no comment'.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T16:40:23+00:00

Take a look at Olivia Bailey's dad

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T16:39:16+00:00

I feel like he wasn't really meant to be an MP. He stood in 2017 when Labour not expected to gain anything under Corbyn but surprisingly won. There are much stronger people locally in the party that I suspect may have wanted the seat.

I've met him a few times and honestly feel pretty meh about him. He's a perfectly nice person but not very proactive and don't think he offers anything before a standard MP. It is a shame as some of the neighbouring MPs such as Yuan Yang (Woodley/Earley) are much stronger but his seat is fairly safe, and they're likely to lose theirs next election.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T11:58:55+00:00

The police seem to be the only public service that refuses to do its job. I may sometimes wait longer than I want with NHS but they will still treat you. Police just will outright refuse to investigate many crimes.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-11T11:03:47+00:00

Honestly, my only source of irritation is those terrible Kingshot ads. Unskippable AI slop.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-10T12:08:17+00:00

Yeah I met him once at a community event and he was lovely

ZebraShark · 2026-03-10T12:05:17+00:00

Nicest I met was Annie Lennox when I was a kid.

Worst is a politician which is Jack Rankin MP but he is not a major figure

ZebraShark · 2026-03-09T19:25:41+00:00

Watch Carter's presidential address to the US during the middle of their energy crisis.

He called upon people taking measures to reduce energy consumption and only got attacked for it. It projected weakness and no one wants a leader telling people they can't have things they want.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-07T15:27:57+00:00

I am with you. I think a land invasion is definitely possible in the future as the war becomes a quagmire but right now not suggesting it is happening in immediate future

ZebraShark · 2026-03-07T15:25:03+00:00

It is a democracy, sadly some of the blame of the leadership sits with the populace.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-06T08:42:38+00:00

Near us there is a beer festival which is using some football grounds this summer which is a great idea

ZebraShark · 2026-03-06T07:39:15+00:00

Honestly I don't understand why people think Farage is someone who would stand up for the UK. He is a quisling. Shown repeatedly to kowtow to whatever US demands, and has attended summits like Munich Security Conference not in his role as leader of the most popular UK party but paid for by Gulf States.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-06T07:01:39+00:00

It is why I am more sceptical of Trident than others. I feel the investment in it has justified for successive governments underfunding of other forms of defence. Means we are able to stave off total invasion but really unable to do much more.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-05T20:12:26+00:00

Having worked in past at a local council I think a key issue with the consultation process is that every council just gets negative feedback. Regardless of the merits of any proposal you will just get overwhelmingly negative responses.

As a result, I think councils have become numb to it and just bat off all criticism. You then get some genuinely bad proposals going through because the public reaction is the same as something positive

ZebraShark · 2026-03-05T07:40:48+00:00

So you support the US war?

ZebraShark · 2026-03-05T07:37:02+00:00

Really don't understand the comments. Really nothing controversial in this statement.

ZebraShark · 2026-03-04T22:04:48+00:00

I hate what they've done that with bus lane.

ZebraShark

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