dippyhippy

Not sure about you Biomech........after all, you did manage to get banished twice! A feat that no other poster has managed!

No worries Ubique! It was just a quick one!!

Hi GDJ! I mentioned this on the Petition to Get the Grass Cut, thread.......as Fffiona has written a piece about it on the "Opinion" section. Quite possibly her final offering! The new editor also said " The development of newspaper websites alongside traditional print editions, means we are reaching more people than ever before, and The Hereford Times and its website is a tremendously powerful combination." (But not as powerful as the Deleters' Button!!) Will the Mendacious Oddities miss her??? Just a little bit perhaps! There's always a positive though isn't there??....... .........maybe your ban will be lifted now!!

" Prisoner 47". Bobby stood up in the dock, He held his head up high. As the judge passed down his sentence, He didn't bat an eye. "Is there anything you'd like to say?" The judge then asked the King, "Now's your opportunity, Before you're hauled off to C Wing". "I'm a diligent re-cycler, Who likes the grass cut neatly, I shall never pay my council tax, 'Til this cabinets gone completely!" This war cry, it was echoed, By Posters right across the 'Shire, But Johnson wasn't listening, And the grass grew ever higher. As the city succumbed to the weeds, The future looked quite grim, And all because they pulled the plug, On those folk who mow and strim!! (A dodgy poem by D. Hippy!)

Thanks for the update Glenda, I have to say the bit about requiring "long grass mowers" jumped out at me as well!! I see in this weeks HT, that council leader Tony Johnson says he is prepared to talk to "anyone" who could make a contribution to the grass cutting. He also goes on to inform us that none of this is BB's fault...."They are doing what we asked of them". This following an accident where the warning sign was apparently obscured by overgrown vegetation. Good to see that Colins petition features in this weeks "Opinion" piece. Which is Fffiona's last one. She leaves this week.

Succinctly put Denise!! By the way, I have been mingling and people watching at Hay this week, but alas, I don't think I'm mingling with the right people......!!! Story of my life really!!

Yes, Top Marks go to Jim! Well done Sir!!

I can see it now......... Front page of The Hereford Times...... "Free The Hereford One!" Petitions, protests, and limited edition souvenir T-shirts!

For the first time in years, we have just been driving up and down, rather than staying in the van!! Its been pretty muddy....but my trusty wellies have done me proud! Lots more to see on Friday and Saturday......but tomorrow I shall stay at home....in the dry!!

It's nothing short of criminal Cambo.

Bobby's had years of practise at deflecting blows to his face....usually via the wife's frying pan! A couple of smacks in the gob from C Wings finest will hold no fear for him!

I have to be honest Megilleland, it was the taxi issue that first sprang to mind with me. When this issue was covered over at HT, many local business owners commented about the problems with Bewell Street, not just the taxi situation, but the apparently unenforceable parking restrictions which had caused havoc. You certainly don't have to drive for a living to realise the extent of the problems we have in Hereford.....actually, I'd be quite interested on his opinion if he got out of his car, and tested the "infrastructure"on a bicycle!! It may give a completely different perspective!

Mad?? As a box of frogs! Guilty as charged!

I would hope that whoever is tasked with this is fully up to speed.....but I have serious reservations.

Given his new role, I think I may have to agree with you, Megilleland!

When I first started this blogging lark, one of the first things I posted was that just because some services are statutory, it doesn't mean that they will be delivered in the same way. Safeguarding is one of the most sensitive subjects.....yet there is talk of even this area of council responsibility being outsourced. This cannot be allowed to happen. Private companies benefitting from personal misery. The line has to be drawn somewhere. Some may say that private companies already have a foot in the door, with private fostering , specialist "educational"provision, and all manner of other associated businesses. I await the latest OFSTED report for Herefordshire, due out at the end of June. I truly hope that enough improvement has been shown, so that whatever "hit list" of authorities Michael Gove has in mind - we aren't on it.

What a great idea GK! However, knowing what a warm welcome Harry Bramer gives to the great unwashed....I think I'll give his place a miss!

Hi Harry! I have had a look at the survey - very interesting! I started to complete it, then realised, on Page 3, that this survey is only designed for business owners!! Would it be worth publishing a shortened version to gauge the publics views??

Nozstock is growing year on year, and is great fun! Its on from the 1st to the 3rd August this year, and hopefully the weather, for hardy campers ,will be kind! I have spent much of this week travelling up and down to Hay, as where we usually stop in our van was way too waterlogged!! Still, its been a great week, even with the rain....and a few more days to go yet!! There is lots going on, right on our doorsteps.....grab your wellies and pacamacs and get out and about!!

I am hoping the "tough love" will really show its teeth at the next election Flam! I honestly don't things will improve until then. In the meanwhile, if my council tax has to be spent in its entirety on protecting those less fortunate, then so be it.....even if it means organising a litter pick, and a few more trips to the tip! In my optimistic mind, this situation will not last forever, and if I can do a little more, to prevent it getting worse, I will.....and I thank my lucky stars I am young enough(ish!) and healthy enough(ish!) to be able to do it!! But I make no bones about it - change cannot come soon enough for me!

Err, Flam.......neither of these links link to the IOC thread! I am probably about to make myself the most unpopular poster on Hereford Voice, but here goes...... I absolutely agree, that any shady goings on need investigating. Many questions to serious issues have gone unanswered by councillors of all political persuasions. I also am of the opinion that we need to stop farming out huge swathes of council departments to unaccountable arms length companies. And I will not rest until the whole of this cabinet have gone. But here's the rub. We have no money. I am beyond angry at the colossal amounts that have been frittered away over the past God knows how many years. But it doesn't change the fact that the purse is empty. We can point the finger of blame, Lord knows I do it often enough, but with no extra money forthcoming from central government, and the election still 12 months away, it truly is a mess. I would love the grass to be cut regularly, the bins to be emptied weekly, unfettered access to the library, and all front line jobs to be safe(and having been through restructuring more than once, I know how it feels to have the axe swinging above you) but in these uncertain times, none of that is a given. I have said previously, and I stand by it, adult services and children's services, especially safeguarding, HAVE to be priority. People have to come first. Whilst we are in these austere times, those of us that can do a little more, maybe should. I have no problem with community groups and individuals taking some of the strain, if it helps Our City get back on track. The real change will be in 2015, and even then difficult decisions will have to be made. I would hope that by then, all members of thispresent cabinet will be long gone, and at the very least, those difficult decisions wI'll be made out in the open, and not behind the infamous closed door.

Afternoon Flam! Just in case you've missed it, Liz Harvey has responded to your questions, on the "IOC hits out at patronage appointments" thread. Its a pretty lengthy reply.

Top Of The Pops......1986!! What a performance! I have that on Beta-Max video!!

For months, no, years now, we have been shouting for transparency and accountability. We quite simply are not going to get that until this cabinet have gone. They have too much to lose. We have to ensure that Bramer, Morgan et al, are voted out. We need to ensure that there is a better alternative. We desperately need councillors who have Herefordshire at the heart of all they do. In doing this, we will have the chance to start moving forward. It's not a quick fix. The only way I can see this situation changing prior to 2015, is if the In dependants and IOC can together, put forward a motion that they have no confidence in Herefordshire Cabinet. The people of Hereford tried to do this, unfortunately it didn't gain enough momentum. Perhaps now is the time for all those councillors, who say that they are as fed up with this situation as us, to stand together and do this? At least then we would know exactly who IS prepared to stand up and be counted??

Hey Flam, I know exactly where you are coming from. I too, get extremely frustrated that the wool seems to continually being pulled over certain peoples' eyes. You're quite right in some regards. It's not necessarily that some councillors are weak, but they are most definitely not as strong as those who constantly manipulate and out manoeuvre them. When will this end? Honestly, I do not know. But I intend to keep highlighting this administrations many, many mistakes as often as I can, in the hope that next Mays election will see folks get up off their backsides and vote. We had high hopes for IOC and the Independants working together. I can't see that happening. From the safeguarding of vulnerable children, to the cutting of the grass.....the whole thing is a mess. I fear that until the rotten core of this council is removed, we won't be seeing improvements any time soon.