Early Risers.

[Barry O]

Herbert delivered for train in time (just ..as a Politics doctorate student he was very intent on listening to theh results which could have b&ggered his thesis!).. Moreasosn shopping ..done, unpacked, housework.. done... yipppeeee! As her indoors has gone to have her hair "done"  (is that lightly battered or...)  I am off to the work room to do some.... work!

 

pictures will appear shortly .. seems I ma moving headlong towards the Stay option...

 

Baz

 

PS NHN stop putting temptation towards me... I don't need a railcar... but I want one!

[gordon s]

Morning all.  Back from three days in the beautiful sunshine after doing battle with the French.  I think we won the beer and wine drinking event but lost narrowly by just three points in the golf stakes.  I guess we'll call that a draw then...

 

St Omer was real mountain goat stuff and made my course look like something from the Fens.

 

Great news from Jock and hoping something similar for Don soon.

 

Back to the bubble wrap and brown paper now.  140 items gone and a few more to go….

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Great stuff for Jock, and good news for Scotland and the UK - where Mr Cameron is telling us that at last we'll have an answer to the West Lothian question, just hoping that it isn't 42 and they then set off to find out what the question was.  And apart from anything while there is a lot to be said for various forms of devolved/federalised Govt I sincerely hope that it won't increase the cost of governing us (but I wouldn't be surprised if it does).

 

Stage 1A of front garden work completed yesterday with the help of the good Doctor - areas of geotex carefully taped together (on both sides), mucky black bitumen slapped down in places to hold down bitumen and some pea gravel applied on top.  Stage 1b to be done today if the weather, and geotex, is ok after the rain I might get round to trying 'glued pea gravel' in places at the edges where it could get displaced, shame there wasn't a drop of washing up liquid in the rain.  And glue means the next oik to walk on it could be in for a sticky time, grr.

 

Oh, and Dom - I have always liked the103s ever since I saw my first one at the Munich transport exhibition, hmm, 49 years ago.  The IoM is also looking rather attractive - nice stuff there Neil.

 

Have a good day folks.

 

PS Daily Wail link added as it gives the results -

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/index.html

Edited September 19, 2014 by The Stationmaster

[trisonic]

What is the West Lothian question? Is it the 21st century equivalent to the “Schlesweg - Holstein Question”?

 

Enquiring minds need to know....

 

Best, Pete.

[shortliner]

Pete the simplest answer is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Lothian_question

[Barry O]

it started a long time ago Pete.. Enoch Powell (who then handed it on to Tam Dalyell although the version that follows is from Tam Dalyell via the BBC)...  Tam Dalyell asked how it could be right that a Scottish MP at Westminster after devolution could vote upon matters such as education affecting English seats - but that same MP could not vote on such matters affecting his own constituency because they would have been devolved to a Scottish Parliament.

 

So all of the cr£p we have had from a certain first Minister acutely avoided mentioning this always stating that Westminster shouldn't be running Scotland.  What it should mean is a real democracy where Westminster looks at the overall picture while England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland look after the local issues - how it will be done in England is yet to be decided... but the vote in Scotland should pave the way for the removal of the increased spending on certain areas of the UK as they will be controlling there own budgets

 

and next ... Yorkshire declares independence!!

[Oldddudders]

 

and next ... Yorkshire declares independence!!

I was under the impression that Yorkshiremen had long held the right to Boycott the rest of the UK.....

[Ref44]

The bottom line of all this devolution talk is what will it cost us taxpayers? The cynic in me suspects that all local (at which ever level that is decided to be) politicians who get more powers will all decide they need a massive pay rise to compensate them for the extra responsibility. That won't of course include providing improved services to the bill payer!

[trisonic]

Baz,

Interesting. I think more power to the regions a la ‘States over here will be the benefit. Like Yorkshire I’d like to see it for East Anglia (or call it just Anglia preferably). Imagine it around the whole country and then London will be the equivalent of DC over here. It ain’t perfect but I think it will work....

 

Best, Pete.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all, just. Had to visit the docs this morning and got good and bad news. The good news is that the kidney stone should dissolve and disappear of its own accord. The bad news is that I might be diabetic, so goodby to the cakes and biscuits.

[PhilJ W]

I was under the impression that Yorkshiremen had long held the right to Boycott the rest of the UK.....

Yes, but we keep sending him back.

[beast66606]

Morning all,

 

Good news for Jock

 

A bit of interest for me appeared last night. I have mentioned the railcam website which has live diagrams of various power boxes around the country - well last night I discovered that the Ely panel at Cambridge (and Cambridge itself) had been added which means I can watch trains heading in my direction, it also means they can't sneak into Brandon loop and confuse me ! Using the Peterborough map I'm watching a loco hauled empty stock head my way, it will vanish for a while as it passes the manual signalling between Peterborough and Ely and then I can track it's progress and - hopefully - get out to photograph it.

 

Have a good day all.

[Debs.]

and next ... Yorkshire declares independence!!

 

The Aye`s have it!  

[trisonic]

The bottom line of all this devolution talk is what will it cost us taxpayers? The cynic in me suspects that all local (at which ever level that is decided to be) politicians who get more powers will all decide they need a massive pay rise to compensate them for the extra responsibility. That won't of course include providing improved services to the bill payer!

I think that the real issue will be reducing headcount/departments of the central units in Westminster (I’m using that as a casual reference). They will have to be ruthless.

 

As I said it works over here - but the USA is a much larger country - what you end up with is a local government that better represents the area. Iowa concentrates on agriculture, New Jersey more on chemical/ pharmaceutical/ HQ's . Again that is put very simplistically but each local State can attract what they believe works for them.

 

As they say no one understands their own area more than the locals themselves.

 

Best, Pete.

[Smiffy2]

Baz,

Interesting. I think more power to the regions a la ‘States over here will be the benefit. Like Yorkshire I’d like to see it for East Anglia (or call it just Anglia preferably). Imagine it around the whole country and then London will be the equivalent of DC over here. It ain’t perfect but I think it will work....

 

Best, Pete.

There's an argument for organisation along the lines of the Great Earldoms of 1066!

[Killybegs]

Yes, but we keep sending him back.

So did the umpires!!

[Killybegs]

Disaster. I have done so much washing I have run out of clothes pegs! 12.20 and I haven't been into the train room yet!

 

John

[Oldddudders]

Interestingly, here in Froggy France the move seems to be in the opposite direction. The "Communautes de Communes" , i.e. groups of communities within a larger entity, are being increased in size by being reduced in number. This will tend to water down the local element a little. Despite the greater power this would provide for those who lead such things, there is a lot of resistance.

 

No doubt Smiffy, as a political enthusiast, will be well aware of this - and may explain better!

[The Stationmaster]

Baz,

Interesting. I think more power to the regions a la ‘States over here will be the benefit. Like Yorkshire I’d like to see it for East Anglia (or call it just Anglia preferably). Imagine it around the whole country and then London will be the equivalent of DC over here. It ain’t perfect but I think it will work....

 

Best, Pete.

If they called it 'Anglia' you'd then have an 'Anglian Government' and everyone would think they make double-glazing.

[byron]

If they called it 'Anglia' you'd then have an 'Anglian Government' and everyone would think they make double-glazing.

That would be a bit of a "pane" then!

 

Mike

[Smiffy2]

My understanding of French local politics is pitiful - but in my defence I should say that our commune has 247 people and the 11 conseillers (including our neighbour Claude) are invariably elected unopposed, and are all independents. The maire is also maire of somewhere else and all the work is done by his secretary. It's not the cutting edge.

 

As I understand it the local area (commune) deals with minor issues, like most planning, waste collection, water and sewage. Then there is the département (ours is Manche), and then the region (Normandy) which deal with appropriate issues like transport and taxation at their own level. The commune can, and does, set taxes on property, national taxes are set by the National Assembly. I think.

 

There aren't really any plans for the UK yet, as far as I know, but I suspect something like the French system of Regional Assemblies feeding to the National Assembly might evolve. How the monarch would fit in that I don't know. I wasn't entirely joking when I suggested the Earldoms c1066. That would be Wessex (Hampshire west and up to Oxford), Kent (probably including Surrey), East Anglia (possibly including Lincolnshire), Mercia (midlands and Welsh marches), Northumbria (Yorkshire, Co Durham and northumberland) and London, which is already part devolved through the mayor and GLA. You would need to add something for Manchester and northwards into Cumbria. Just guessing, really.

 

The devil will be the negotiations over which powers each of the major parties are prepared to devolve to which level of government, and I really can't see that happening by next year - or November, Cameron promised today. Though that may be interpreted as having the structures for making decisions in place.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Smiffy2

[PhilJ W]

That would be a bit of a "pane" then!

 

Mike

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE can we have a groan button?

[station cat]

I'm pleased that the Scots have voted no and I hope we can look forwards to much more regionalised government in the UK. The country I consider to be setting a good example is Germany which seems to have factories and freight yards everywhere - it would be great if the UK regions were able to develop their own economies in the same way. It would certainly be good if the neglected and deprived South West got a bit more investment and political power. It would be nice if future votes in the UK could match the turnout in Scotland.

[New Haven Neil]

Umm. I think I'd call that County Donegal railcar #19? Great it's working on Man, but provenance is everything!

 

Oh REALLY, Ian!    Honestly, I am surprised you didn't know they (19 & 20) have been on Fraggle Rock since 1961!!    Unfortunately they are half restored and basically sidelined now, not likely to re-appear under the current administration.

Edited September 19, 2014 by New Haven Neil

[New Haven Neil]

As they were in 1986, the last time I saw them - Douglas shed.

 

As they were in 1986, the last time I saw them - Douglas shed.