Podcast appearances and mentions of Eric Pickles

Back in March 2024 friend of the podcast Catriona Riddell gave a lecture at UCL's Bartlett School of Planning that she called ‘Strategic Planning in England - Where did we go so wrong?'. Sam Stafford couldn't be there that night, but Catriona shared her slides on LinkedIn and they read to Sam almost like a ‘Brief History of Planning 2010-2024', which he thought a good subject for an episode. As well as Catriona, who was Director of Planning at the South East England Regional Assembly when the Coalition Government came to power in 2010, Sam approached another friend of podcast, Steve Quartermain, Chief Planner between 2008 and 2020, who was also keen to be involved. Sam felt though that a political perspective on things was also needed so he approached Greg Clark. Greg was appointed Director of Policy for the Conservative Party in 2001 before being elected as MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells in 2005. He has held a number of senior Government roles, including, and of most relevance to planners, Minister for Decentralisation and Cities within the Department for Communities and Local Government between May 2010 and September 2012 and Secretary of State for CLG between May 2015 and July 2016. Greg was also briefly Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities between July 2022 and September 2022. Greg, pleasingly, was also keen to be involved, and the four of them finally got together at Soho Radio Studios in early October 2024. There were many, many topics of possible conversation in Sam's notes for the recording. They did not actually get to the latter part of the 2010-2024 period, so they did not get to, for example, the Standard Method, the 2020 White Paper, and the Theresa Villiers / LURB amendments brouhaha, but that was because they ended up dwelling on arguably the big three topics of that 2010-2024 period, which are the revocation of the Regional Strategies, Localism and the NPPF. They did also touch, right at the end of the conversation, on permitted development rights. Standby for insights into what Eric Pickles had DCLG staff do on his first day at the Department, the amount of thought that was given to what would replace the RSSs (spoiler alert, not much…) and how the NPPF came into being… Some accompanying reading. Has the localism genie been put back in the bottle? https://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2024/09/has-localism-genie-been-put-back-in.html Some accompanying viewing. Catriona's Bartlett School of Planning lecture - Strategic planning in England: where did we go so wrong? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D2xXMwVNrk Jerry's Final Thought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7h0mIy6Jho Some accompanying listening. The Wheel – Bill Callahan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjxq2-j6xY 50 Shades T-Shirts! If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that... 'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'. Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html Any other business. Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford). His blog contains a link to his newsletter.

Ali Miraj sits in and is joined on Cross Question by Conservative peer Lord Pickles, economist Linda Yueh, Labour MP Torcuil Crichton and Tortoise political editor Cat Neilan.

Matt sits down with MPs leaving Parliament at the next election to find out their highs and lows, their best and worst bosses, and the lessons they've learned from politics. Conservative Brandon Lewis reflects on his time in Parliament, explains why he thinks Rishi Sunak is 'managerial', and why he hosted a radio show with Eric Pickles.Plus: Columnists Rachel Sylvester and James Mariott discuss the march of the right in European elections, and Labour's tangle over plans for VAT on private schools. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Hitting the High Notes episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals. And, so that Listeners can get to know people a little better personally, for every project or stage of their career Sam also asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period. Think of it as town planning's equivalent of Desert Island Discs. Unlike Desert Island Discs you will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land Sam in hot water, so, when you have finished listening, you will have to make do with YouTube videos and a Spotify playlist, links to which you will find below. Sam's guest for this episode is Nick Kilby, founder and now Chief Executive Officer of Cratus Group, who kindly took the time to meet Sam at Soho Radio Studios in early April 2024. Nick trained as a Stage Manager and Lighting Designer at Mountview Theatre School and worked in the early 1980s as a stage manager at the Edinburgh Festival and the National Theatre. Having produced his own shows Nick then got into cinema management, including the first Imax at the Trocadero Centre. He then got into politics and in 2006 was elected on to the Royal Borough of Kingston Council, which led to being asked about campaigning and lobbying. After being involved with the Abbey Mills ‘Mega' Mosque at the end of the 2000s Nick then founded Cratus. As Nick takes Sam through his six projects they talk about the keys to successful engagement and the role of the councillor in that. They talk about how consultants are only as good as the client lets them be; about what it really means to build communities; and they talk about localism and a certain Mr Eric Pickles.  Some accompanying reading. All The Lonely People – Mike Gayle https://www.mikegayle.co.uk/my-books/all-lonely-people Want to build? Better hire a good lobbyist https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/want-to-build-better-hire-a-good-lobbyist-rc6gsg7qs (£) My Favourite Building: Sam Stafford – The Piece Hall https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/117312-prop-my-favourite-building-sam-stafford-the-piece-hall Some accompanying viewing. You See Me Laughin': The Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW3oPv1vZc Some accompanying listening. McCartney: A Life in Lyrics https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/mccartney-a-life-in-lyrics Nick's Spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0bwjKHMaDAsodUAddsBpyr?si=0gPfuF0QTzSdwastIl-w9w&pi=e-D-xwFvBMToSz&nd=1&dlsi=dfe4a97887be4cb4 There is Power in a Union - Billy Bragg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbzxemJZIc We can Work it Out -The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-0if-ca6CE Elgar Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61: 11. Andante - Nigel Kennedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLD0jOyTnwU A Father Now from 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down - Original Off Broadway Cast https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nlSUmGk0G9IMZQDCW2uVCm3eZlrr8yD6U Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuS5NuXRb5Y Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMZvAbk1kXQ 50 Shades T-Shirts! If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that... 'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'. Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html

Iain Dale interviews Lord Pickles ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day. They discuss his role as Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues, how important it is to remember the Holocaust and his desire for a permanent memorial in Westminster.

Our two guests today make their first appearances on the “podcast of record”, and you might say after 120 plus episodes of Jonny Gould's Jewish State, they've been a rather glaring omission. The Right Honourable, Lord Eric Pickles and the Right Honourable, Joan Ryan are in conversation. We focus on the future of Holocaust remembrance, including a serious attempt to get to the bottom of what actually went on in the only concentration camp built on British soil by Hitler, at Alderney in the Channel Islands. We also discuss the UK government bill to quell the racist endeavours of BDS. The Anglo-Jewish community owes a debt to those in our political class who stood up to the growing scourge of antisemitism which followed Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party. And typically, proof that the “oldest hatred” stands above party politics is the cooperation, even camaraderie, which exists right across party lines. Joan's Labour, Eric's Tory. Once again, I handover the interview microphone for a deeper conversation between these two comrades. The Rt Hon. Joan Ryan in conversation with Lord Eric Pickles is brought to you with Elnet UK, dedicated to strengthening relations between the UK, Europe and Israel based on shared democratic values and strategic interests.

Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith discuss war crimes in Ukraine, the Energy strategy paper, Mrs Sunak's woes, the first For the Many Live! Event, refugees, Changing solicitors, the French election, the cancellation of the LGBT+ conference and Eric Pickles at the Grenfell Inquiry. Smut quota: Middling but off the scale at the end.

This week, three politicians gave evidence. Eric Pickles, former housing secretary, told the Inquiry that he could not understand how the government's deregulation agenda could have discouraged civil servants from tightening fire safety standards, describing this as “inexplicable and unjust”. Stephen Williams, the minister responsible for implementing the coroner's recommendations after a previous tower block fire, admitted he had never read the coroner's original letter. And former minister Gavin Barwell told the Inquiry that his private office didn't receive key information.       Presenter: Kate Lamble     Producers: Sharon Hemans, Kristiina Cooper & Ben Henderson    Researcher: Marcia Veiga     Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones      Editor: Hugh Levinson

While the athletes  are the real superstars, few can dispute the fact that live TV coverage of the Paralympics has helped change perceptions of disability sport and alter attitudes in society.  We have a lot to thank Clare Balding for: In 2004, the BBC decided to show the Paralympics live for the first time and Clare was the host.  Fast-forward to London 2012 and, after a prominent Olympics for the BBC, she was the face of Channel 4 for the biggest, most ambitious, most successful coverage of a Paralympic Games in TV history.   The coverage pushed boundaries and won a BAFTA.  Clare wasn't afraid to ask questions we wanted to but were perhaps afraid to ask.  She talks about how she took on the role, how things have moved forward with every games and the challenges still being faced by those athletes with disabilities.  Lee McKenzie joins the Sport and the Feels team for this second episode in the series.  She claims Clare helped her drink Rio out of gin.  Clare blames Lee's "ring-leader" tendencies.  Which she disputes. Plus a kitten update and a surprise mention for Eric Pickles.

Missing breakfast, Eric Pickles, Mother-die, and giant hogweed. Plus telling lies, conferred legitimacy, and disguised advertorial. Cheating at dice, it’s Skeptics with a K. Note this episode contains discussion of fatphobic language and attitudes. Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Me and Marcus Brigstocke have had a couple of Twitter skirmishes over the years. So after the most recent one I thought 'why not take it to a podcast' like real men. We ask challenging questions. It's political, sometimes intense, sometimes a laugh. I'm really glad we had this chat. There's also the usual bollocks at the beginning an end, from why Henry Cavil is a d**k and who would've won in a fight between Eric Pickles and John Major.

The stomping majority for Boris Johnson's 'Get Brexit Done' message went down well with white working class men but foreign workers and educated women are not happy with the result. Henry McKean met experts and voters outside Westminster as this massive Conservative landslide becomes clear. Henry met Cockney voters, Eric Pickles former Conservative and former Labour politician Baron Desai. Henry also met Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid who declined an interview.

Brandon Kenneth Lewis CBE PC is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Minister of State for Security and Deputy to Home Secretary Priti Patel for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation since July 2019. Eric Jack Pickles is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from the 1992 general election to the 2017 general election and was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government until May 2015. Iain Dale All Talk brings a sold out Edinburgh Fringe show to the podcast world, where he interviews some of the most high profile names from the world of media and politics. Rate and subscribe on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts and connect with Iain on Twitter: @iaindale

Chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel Sir Eric Pickles talks about new Prime Minister Theresa May, Jonni Berger tells us about relaunching the #Spit4Mum campaign following Sharon Berger's second Leukemia diagnosis, Louise Hager from Chai Cancer Care on the services they provide and on the Schmooze we discuss the affects of Cancer in the community. This episode is dedicated to Willie Cohen, Amanda Coleman and Simon Cooper.

You know what would really get this party started? Sacrificing one of the weaker of us to a couple of the stronger to be torn to shreds and really get the blood pumping. I know that’d launch my rocket for sure. So listen as STAB! host John Ross tosses lame pup after sad pooch at … Continue reading »

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Sam Coates, Daniel Finkelstein and Anne Ashworth. The panel discuss David Cameron's employment manifesto pledge, the response of the Muslim Council of Britain to the letter from Eric Pickles plus the astounding response to the National Savings & Investment Pensioner Bonds. Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Public council meetings in England can now be filmed and tweeted about, following the introduction of new legislation. Local government secretary Eric Pickles today signed a Parliamentary order allowing press and public to film and digitally report from all public meetings of local government bodies. It follows a spate of cases where journalists and bloggers have been asked to stop filming or recording proceedings at meetings, despite the, 'open government' doctrine. Steve Hewlett talks to one blogger, ejected for reporting proceedings, and Ian Murray, Southern Daily Echo editor-in-chief and President of the Society of Editors about the opportunities this ruling could yield for local news. Jon Snow has stepped out from behind the neutrality of his newsreader's desk to present a piece to camera on his recent trip to Gaza, where he described being haunted by the horrific injuries inflicted on innocent children caught up in the conflict. The video has reopened a debate questioning where an appropropriate line lies between impartiality and so called, 'attachment journalism' for reporters. Steve is joined by David Loyn, the BBC's Afghanistan correspondent who says that, 'emotion is the stuff of propaganda', and Newsweek correspondent Alex Perry, on how they navigate the emotional turmoil of covering conflicts. A well-respected radio industry executive says he's concerned that some presenters in commercial radio are working for free. John Myers says he's been contacted by a number of people including some who work for national services at profitable major media organisations. He talks to Steve Hewlett about his calls for an industry review into pay. Producer: Katy Takatsuki.

I watched Terry Christian on a chat show recently…I LOVE this fella…he says it like it is…he said the public should be allowed into Parliament to ask questions and the MPs should be put on lie detectors. He totally shares my views about the lying,thieving,selfish shower of public schoolboys who supposedly run the country…and have you seen Miliband lately?...he’s had a major make-over…hair,teeth,the lot…he looks even more slimy and slithery than he was before….and Cameron with his botoxed forehead and Eric Pickles looking like he needs a fork sticking in him to see if he’s cooked…it’s a freak show. I also watched an interview with Tony Blackburn who has been around for 50 years…what a great bloke…he’s on 7 radio stations he was saying and deservedly so…should be knighted. Here we go again…it those “scientists” again….these “experts” have come up with a brilliant discovery….last year we had to eat 7 portions of fruit a day….but that’s all wrong!!!...these experts have decided that any more the 5 portions a day does NOT increase your life expectancy…AND what’s more…if you drink heavily in mid life it could affect your memory in later life…hmm….I wonder how much these people get paid for this drivel….oh yes and you only need 5 minutes exercise a day….I assume that includes steering clear of the pies. I was very very upset to hear that British Gas had suffered a drop in profits because of the hot weather…and one of the other energy companies are also whining that their profits have also dropped to just OVER A BILLION!!!....I’ll be losing sleep over this….all this together with the banks ripping everyone off it’s all good stuff…the latest garbage is that the ridiculous bonuses they paid out to their top men for losing all that money will have to be returned…OH SURE…I can see THAT happening…it’s a joke. The problem with the inhabitants of this country is most of them need to get a life….they love to grovel and courtesy to those “above” them….personally if His Royal Highness Prince Philip asked me to get him a glass of champagne I’d tell him to get it himself…it’s that word “Highness” that gets me…for goodness sake….my band used to play for a local member of the royalty (mentioning no names) and I was chatting to his gardner/butler who was so proud to have served his lordship for nigh on 30 years…and his father before him…I thought wow two generations of doormats. And THAT my friend is the problem. Track 9 on my CD takes those of a certain age right back to their youth….I tried to make it in a “street corner” style…so it should bring back a few memories.

I watched Terry Christian on a chat show recently…I LOVE this fella…he says it like it is…he said the public should be allowed into Parliament to ask questions and the MPs should be put on lie detectors. He totally shares my views about the lying,thieving,selfish shower of public schoolboys who supposedly run the country…and have you seen Miliband lately?...he’s had a major make-over…hair,teeth,the lot…he looks even more slimy and slithery than he was before….and Cameron with his botoxed forehead and Eric Pickles looking like he needs a fork sticking in him to see if he’s cooked…it’s a freak show. I also watched an interview with Tony Blackburn who has been around for 50 years…what a great bloke…he’s on 7 radio stations he was saying and deservedly so…should be knighted. Here we go again…it those “scientists” again….these “experts” have come up with a brilliant discovery….last year we had to eat 7 portions of fruit a day….but that’s all wrong!!!...these experts have decided that any more the 5 portions a day does NOT increase your life expectancy…AND what’s more…if you drink heavily in mid life it could affect your memory in later life…hmm….I wonder how much these people get paid for this drivel….oh yes and you only need 5 minutes exercise a day….I assume that includes steering clear of the pies. I was very very upset to hear that British Gas had suffered a drop in profits because of the hot weather…and one of the other energy companies are also whining that their profits have also dropped to just OVER A BILLION!!!....I’ll be losing sleep over this….all this together with the banks ripping everyone off it’s all good stuff…the latest garbage is that the ridiculous bonuses they paid out to their top men for losing all that money will have to be returned…OH SURE…I can see THAT happening…it’s a joke. The problem with the inhabitants of this country is most of them need to get a life….they love to grovel and courtesy to those “above” them….personally if His Royal Highness Prince Philip asked me to get him a glass of champagne I’d tell him to get it himself…it’s that word “Highness” that gets me…for goodness sake….my band used to play for a local member of the royalty (mentioning no names) and I was chatting to his gardner/butler who was so proud to have served his lordship for nigh on 30 years…and his father before him…I thought wow two generations of doormats. And THAT my friend is the problem. Track 9 on my CD takes those of a certain age right back to their youth….I tried to make it in a “street corner” style…so it should bring back a few memories.

Digital media strategist Jon Bernstein and Professor Suzanne Franks join Paul Blanchard to discuss the latest media stories. As Jeremy Paxman exits Newsnight, what's the show's future? With 'data journalism' on the rise - is it time for trainee journalists to stop learning shorthand and open their database textbooks? And as Eric Pickles slams "town hall Pravdas," are these local council freesheets killing the local press?

Skepticule 069: Abhishek Phadnis; Image censorship; Anon Steve in the matrix; Eric Pickles and the militant atheists; More Unholy Questions; Read more »

Chat on topical issues of the day from a Christian perspective. Peter Cooper and James Byers are in the TGNSUK studio with a wry but Biblical look at stories out this week. Also a new regular feature: "Is Wiki Right?"Peter's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGwCncsQ8nl59ElDWQuKP7g,Articles referred to in the show: http://www.lumobodytech.com/?gclid=CLygvZ_91b0CFZQZtAodgjgAcQ, http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/06/eric-pickles-britain-christian-nation-atheists, http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/care-for-poor-rooted-in-gospel-not-communism-pope-affirms/, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10745248/Christians-form-human-shield-around-church-in-Chinas-Jerusalem-after-demolition-threat.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_again_(Christianity)

Chat on topical issues of the day from a Christian perspective. Peter Cooper and James Byers are in the TGNSUK studio with a wry but Biblical look at stories out this week. Also a new regular feature: "Is Wiki Right?"Peter's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGwCncsQ8nl59ElDWQuKP7g,Articles referred to in the show: http://www.lumobodytech.com/?gclid=CLygvZ_91b0CFZQZtAodgjgAcQ, http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/06/eric-pickles-britain-christian-nation-atheists, http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/care-for-poor-rooted-in-gospel-not-communism-pope-affirms/, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10745248/Christians-form-human-shield-around-church-in-Chinas-Jerusalem-after-demolition-threat.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_again_(Christianity)

The Colonel and Sage return with the Loon Goon in the studio - an Irish revolutionary who witnessed Theresa May boiling immigrant children cackling with a salivating Eric Pickles sat at the table waiting for his din dins

Don came back from the Lakes last week and had to go straight out to Anglesey to sort my caravan out ready to be stored for the winter….stayed a few days and the weather was fabulous….23 degrees and clear blue skies…went for a walk along Rhosneigr beach and never saw a soul….there was no wind and there was absolute silence except for the breaking waves…doesn’t get any better than that. So it’s bye bye to the Island til next April….but I do love Autumn…my favourite season. A bit of sad news…Jackie Lomax (ex Undertakers) has recently died…..Jackie moved to America and worked with George Harrison and many top bands…he was great guy and each time he came over from the States he would appear at our weekly Cheshire Cats bash with Geoff Nugent and Brian “Saxophone” Jones….he went to our school and was a great lad…he’ll be sadly missed. Also another local musician has also passed on…Tommy Hughes who was the original singer in The Swinging Blue Jeans….and was one of The Kansas City Five….he was a good pal of mine and a true gent….he was a great keyboard player and has played in many bands over the years…I’ve worked with him on many occasions….these guys are irreplaceable. On a lighter note…Mr.Milliband has been wandering around with a fixed grin on his face pretending to be one of the lads and has announce if Labour get in next time he is going to freeze energy bills….I don’t know who writes his script but you can freeze your own bills on several deals with suppliers TODAY….so I haven’t quite worked out what he’s on about…..and Eric Pickles has stepped away from the pies for a few minutes to announce that CCTV parking cameras will no longer be used…the fact these make millions for local councils doesn’t seem to come into it….”it’s interfering with human rights”…so let’s all park anywhere and gridlock the country…get back to the buffet Eric. The Firemen have had a short strike over pay and pensions…they are now expected to work until they are sixty to receive a full pension….I think their salary is 29 grand on average,,,how much are those back benchers on again?..seventy grand?.....and who would you rather have in a crisis….quite…..not to mention the soldiers. Brian McFadden is on tele a lot (he’s in a programme called “Stepping Out” which is a rip off of Strictly Come Dancing…except the celebs dance with their real life partners)…now I’m not a fan of boy bands…Boyzone only had one singer – Steven Gately- and he died…I wouldn’t pay the rest of them in washers…similarly Westlife only have one singer – the gay guy … BUT I do have a lot of time for McFadden…he made a few good records on his own AND can play….he recorded an incredibly brave song before he went to Australia called “Irish Son” which heavily criticizes his vicious Catholic upbringing…I have a lot o f respect for the lad.

Don came back from the Lakes last week and had to go straight out to Anglesey to sort my caravan out ready to be stored for the winter….stayed a few days and the weather was fabulous….23 degrees and clear blue skies…went for a walk along Rhosneigr beach and never saw a soul….there was no wind and there was absolute silence except for the breaking waves…doesn’t get any better than that. So it’s bye bye to the Island til next April….but I do love Autumn…my favourite season. A bit of sad news…Jackie Lomax (ex Undertakers) has recently died…..Jackie moved to America and worked with George Harrison and many top bands…he was great guy and each time he came over from the States he would appear at our weekly Cheshire Cats bash with Geoff Nugent and Brian “Saxophone” Jones….he went to our school and was a great lad…he’ll be sadly missed. Also another local musician has also passed on…Tommy Hughes who was the original singer in The Swinging Blue Jeans….and was one of The Kansas City Five….he was a good pal of mine and a true gent….he was a great keyboard player and has played in many bands over the years…I’ve worked with him on many occasions….these guys are irreplaceable. On a lighter note…Mr.Milliband has been wandering around with a fixed grin on his face pretending to be one of the lads and has announce if Labour get in next time he is going to freeze energy bills….I don’t know who writes his script but you can freeze your own bills on several deals with suppliers TODAY….so I haven’t quite worked out what he’s on about…..and Eric Pickles has stepped away from the pies for a few minutes to announce that CCTV parking cameras will no longer be used…the fact these make millions for local councils doesn’t seem to come into it….”it’s interfering with human rights”…so let’s all park anywhere and gridlock the country…get back to the buffet Eric. The Firemen have had a short strike over pay and pensions…they are now expected to work until they are sixty to receive a full pension….I think their salary is 29 grand on average,,,how much are those back benchers on again?..seventy grand?.....and who would you rather have in a crisis….quite…..not to mention the soldiers. Brian McFadden is on tele a lot (he’s in a programme called “Stepping Out” which is a rip off of Strictly Come Dancing…except the celebs dance with their real life partners)…now I’m not a fan of boy bands…Boyzone only had one singer – Steven Gately- and he died…I wouldn’t pay the rest of them in washers…similarly Westlife only have one singer – the gay guy … BUT I do have a lot of time for McFadden…he made a few good records on his own AND can play….he recorded an incredibly brave song before he went to Australia called “Irish Son” which heavily criticizes his vicious Catholic upbringing…I have a lot o f respect for the lad.

THE NHS has paid out £1.7BILLION over the last 14 years to patients maimed in botched ops, official figures reveal.Eight patients a week are left brain-damaged, blinded, or have a limb amputated due to errors in NHS treatment. At least 1,500 people have sued over a lost limb, 2,860 for brain damage and 809 over being blinded, official figures show. One comment on the website said, "maybe we should rename it the International Health Service...we seem to spend more on bloody foreigners getting treatment free and paying for immigrants to work in the service than anywhere else in the world........no wonder we have have a national lottery.......when you go itno hospital if your number comes up they carry you out." UK POLICE spend just EIGHT MINUTES in every hour on frontline duties — despite a Government pledge to cut paperwork. New research shows they are out on patrol for only 11.8 per cent of their working day. On a typical 12-hour shift, an officer will spend just one hour and 25 minutes “visible and available” to the public. This prompted one comment from the website, "Just remember that the bobby writing up the paperwork that it is required by law in order to obtain a criminal conviction has to keep in mind that it may be used as evidence in a court. There it might be scrutinised word by word by the highly trained legal mind of a lawyer or QC, educated and now probably being paid for at public expense. COST-cutting minister Eric Pickles is under fire after his department, The Communities and Local Government office, blew £42,225 of taxpayers’ cash on snacks in just seven months. One comment on the website said, "snacks shd be paid out of salaries not expenses , no businesses paid for my snacks , even had pay from wages for coffee too , why do you fat barstards claim expenses for free food and drinks , other employess have pay from there wages / salaries , this is so wrong" FRAUD detectives were yesterday probing the secret world of the freemasons over the mysterious disappearance of £110,000 in funds. Horrified members of the society called in police after finding all its lodges in Essex were unable to pay their VAT bill. The meeting places are run from Colchester Masonic Hall — where books are feared to have been cooked for years.

THE NHS has paid out £1.7BILLION over the last 14 years to patients maimed in botched ops, official figures reveal.Eight patients a week are left brain-damaged, blinded, or have a limb amputated due to errors in NHS treatment. At least 1,500 people have sued over a lost limb, 2,860 for brain damage and 809 over being blinded, official figures show. One comment on the website said, "maybe we should rename it the International Health Service...we seem to spend more on bloody foreigners getting treatment free and paying for immigrants to work in the service than anywhere else in the world........no wonder we have have a national lottery.......when you go itno hospital if your number comes up they carry you out." UK POLICE spend just EIGHT MINUTES in every hour on frontline duties — despite a Government pledge to cut paperwork. New research shows they are out on patrol for only 11.8 per cent of their working day. On a typical 12-hour shift, an officer will spend just one hour and 25 minutes “visible and available” to the public. This prompted one comment from the website, "Just remember that the bobby writing up the paperwork that it is required by law in order to obtain a criminal conviction has to keep in mind that it may be used as evidence in a court. There it might be scrutinised word by word by the highly trained legal mind of a lawyer or QC, educated and now probably being paid for at public expense. COST-cutting minister Eric Pickles is under fire after his department, The Communities and Local Government office, blew £42,225 of taxpayers’ cash on snacks in just seven months. One comment on the website said, "snacks shd be paid out of salaries not expenses , no businesses paid for my snacks , even had pay from wages for coffee too , why do you fat barstards claim expenses for free food and drinks , other employess have pay from there wages / salaries , this is so wrong" FRAUD detectives were yesterday probing the secret world of the freemasons over the mysterious disappearance of £110,000 in funds. Horrified members of the society called in police after finding all its lodges in Essex were unable to pay their VAT bill. The meeting places are run from Colchester Masonic Hall — where books are feared to have been cooked for years.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles. After flirting with Communism in his teens he joined the Conservative party and enjoyed a heady rise through local politics, heading up Bradford City Council in the 1990s. He tells Kirsty about his early life above a shop in Keighley, how Mrs Thatcher got him an interview to be a candidate for MP, and how a prolonged hug from David Cameron softened the blow of a disastrous appearance on Question Time.Producer: Alison Hughes.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles. After flirting with Communism in his teens he joined the Conservative party and enjoyed a heady rise through local politics, heading up Bradford City Council in the 1990s. He tells Kirsty about his early life above a shop in Keighley, how Mrs Thatcher got him an interview to be a candidate for MP, and how a prolonged hug from David Cameron softened the blow of a disastrous appearance on Question Time. Producer: Alison Hughes.

Sarah Castor-Perry interviews our Bright Club performers and music from Rosalind Peters

Mark Ames writes ibikelondon, one of the best of London’s blossoming bike blogs. We discuss the city planning ideas of Jan Gehl, the intellectual godfather of Copenhagenization. We hear what British Cabinet minister Eric Pickles MP has to say about … Continue reading →