It's Lincolnshire Day

Happy Lincolnshire day to all Yeller-Bellies everywhere. Happy Lincolnshire Day to all who reside in this great county, no matter where you originate from.

If you miss a bit of proper Lincolnshire then have a listen to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi_CTuo7g5o

Lincolnshire is a great county with a long and important history. A great place to live and work.

Lincolnshire Digital Radio Goes Live

To update my post of a couple of days ago, digital radio for Lincolnshire becomes a reality on 1st October 2015 according to BBC Radio Lincolnshire. This is the date that they will begin broadcasting on the digital platform.

If you don't have a digital radio receiver then now is the time to go and invest in one. Exceptionally easy to use. Got DAB in your car? Give it a go you will be amazed at the quality.

Excellent news. Long awaited. Improved reception and coverage.

Digital Radio For Lincolnshire Now Very Close

If you have a digital radio then our local stations will very soon be available for your listening pleasure on the DAB platform.

I picked up two different multiplexes yesterday which were titled Lincs FM and BBC Radio Lincolnshire. The signal was booming out here in Skegness.

The broadcasting on these channels is due to begin next month October 2015.

I would encourage any radio stations based in the County to contact MUXCO if they are interested in broadcasting in the digital realm. I have no idea what this entails but you can get information and contact details here:
http://www.muxco.com/multiplexes/lincolnshire/

Digital Radio for Lincolnshire has been a long time coming but it really looks as though we shall be able to benefit from it very shortly. Hooray says I.


This is a link to my previous blog on this subject:

http://steveodare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/dab-radio-for-lincolnshire.html

Twenty Thousand Thank Yous

Hugely pleased that my blog has now passed the 20,000 views mark. Very gratifying. Thank you one and all for your interest.

Steve

Labour Farming Shadow Minister - Treat Meat Eaters Like Smokers!

Labour's Shadow Farming Minister, Kerry McCarthy an ardent vegan, has announced that meat eaters should be treated like smokers.

Expected NHS poster - Not all bad then!

 It is expected that, if Labour win power at the next General Election the following policies will be put into place:

• A Meat Tax will be put into place which will be revised each year in the budget.
• It will be illegal to serve meat to anyone under the age of 16 years.
• Meat will not be able to be consumed in any government buildings.
• Eating meat will be banned from the grounds of all NHS establishments.
• Meat will have to be consumed outside of all restaurants and pubs unless a special "meat-eating room" is provided in these establishments.
• Meat will have to be sold in plain packaging and carry a health warning "Meat can Kill".
• Those retailers selling meat will have to have the meat placed in a container so that the meat will not be visible to the public. This will obviously include butchers shops.
• The eating of meat in a car when children are present will be banned by law.
• The advertising of meat products will be banned.
• Special anti-meat eating programmes will be established free on the NHS and the government will fund research and development into the following: Meat Eating Patches, Meat Eating Chewing Gum, Electronic Meat and in addition all GP Surgeries will provide anti-meat eating clinics.
• Further measures will be announced as time goes by.

Ms McCarthy MP for Bristol East, well done the voters in Bristol East I say, said last night "The dangers to health of eating meat and of second-hand meat eating are well known. We need to crack down hard on this iniquitous practice for the good of our children, their children and their childrens children. In addition, and this is something that will be great news for all football fans, Forest Green Rovers will receive immediate promotion to the Premier League".

Further to this meat eating news it is also believed that if he becomes Prime Minister all shaving products will be treated in the same way under his own special Hirsute Agenda.

Welcome to the wacky world of Corbynista government.
                                         

2015 An Excellent Season

Now that we are nearly into October it is a good time to look back over the last few months and see how it has gone.Well. From all the reports in the local press and from conversations I have had it would appear that 2015 has been an excellent season here in Skegness.

The hotels have been very busy and the local holiday businesses have reported having had good takings.

Great to see the new Skegness Aquarium up and running and from reports it would appear that they have made a good start. It is really good to see an attraction that is truly 12 months of the year on our seafront. I hope that there will be more of this excellent type of development in the future. Add this to the established attractions in the town and it is easy to see why the resort remains so popular.

Talking about our seafront it is undergoing and has undergone a lot of changes over the last few years. Some would say it is for the better and some would say that it is not. Whatever your view the town cannot stand still or it will fall behind and the seasons will go into decline. The town and the businesses in it need to be creating more job opportunities for the local people. I know that in years gone by there were lots of open green spaces and few neon lights etc., but, as has been said many times in different quarters, the town needs to develop to keep attracting the business.  You cannot have development and change and expect everything to stay the same. It doesn't work that way.

As a town and a local population, we need to be welcoming to new businesses that wish to come to us. It is external investment that is needed as well as local business expansion, such as the very welcome Aquarium.

A good season then and lets look forward to the next one, not forgetting of course the out of season offerings between now and then. That is for next time!

Whining Grimsby MP Onn Gets Front Bench Position For Labour

It really is unbelievable. Melanie Onn the MP for Grimsby has been made Shadow Leader of The House of Commons. This is the woman who described the front-bench Shadow positions of Health and Defence amongst others as "tea-making" positions, whilst whinging about there not being any women in power in Corbyn's Cabinet.. That really shows the contempt she holds the NHS and the Armed Forces in!
Please see here for my original post on this: http://steveodare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/labour-mp-looks-down-on-armed-forces.html

The Leader of the House of Commons and the Shadow Leader are normally senior members of Parliament with the experience needed to be able to organise the business of the house i.e. the subjects that are allowed for debate and ensuring that the policies and bills etc. that need to be debated and voted on are on the agendas. As can be seen the roles are very important.

In the case of Miss Onn,she has been an MP since May 2015. She has held no positions of authority or responsibility in the Commons. She has no experience of parliament or the way it runs and should be run!

Compare this with the Leader of the House Chris Grayling, an MP since 2001 who has been Shadow Secretary of Sate for Transport, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Shadow Home Secretary. Since 2010 he has served as Minister of State for Employment, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice before becoming Leader of the House.

So why do we think that Miss Onn has been given this, presumably in her eyes, non "tea-making" position? The only answer I can come up with is that she has a big gob and her big gob has frightened the the totally inept Corbyn into giving her a job! If anybody can think of another reason please do tell!

What a way to run a party!

The Only Way To Be!

I have thought long and hard about this.

I have looked at it from all angles.

THE THINKER

I have dissected this.

I have analysed this until it feels dessicated.

I don't think I have missed anything, so I don't feel it is really worth going over this for the umpteenth time.

Yes I think I can say that I really do believe one thing:

Spontaneity is where it's at!

Labour MP Looks Down On Armed Forces and Health Services

Just heard the new female Labour MP for Grimsby, Melanie Onn, describe the jobs that the female members of Corbyns Shadow Cabinet have been given as "tea making" jobs. That will be Health and Defence amongst others then. I am sure all the doctors and nurses and the soldiers, sailors and airmen will be so pleased that she views them, the organisations they work in and the jobs they do so highly!

I served 23 years in the Army and worked in the NHS for 10 years. I am so glad she respects my efforts!

The positions that the female MPs have been appointed to are full Shadow Cabinet positions. "Tea making" jobs? I ask you?

Where do Labour get these idiots from?

Complete German Balls-Up

Germany have seriously misunderstood the rufugee/migrant crisis that the continent of Europe (not the EU) is facing. To encourage people to travel to Germany by stating they would take 800,000 refugees and then to close the border with Austria, which is the natural entry point into Germany, when as few as 13,000 to 18,000 arrive in Munich and there is no accommodation to give to them is such a poorly thought out policy that they have irreversibly worsened the whole situation. I have no idea what can be done to alleviate the problem that is being faced but encouraging people to head for a specific country only to then close the border to those you have encouraged is disgusting!

Wilkommen in Deutschland! I think not!

To my mind it shows the rational approach that has been taken by the government of the UK to not only identify the refugees that will be allowed to settle here but also to identify a number that can be handled within this country is completely the correct approach.

One In The Eye For The PC Brigade. Lingerie And Foxhunting!

This is all in a good cause! Enjoy. I wonder what the female solicitor would make of this?

http://www.foxyhunters.co.uk/

Get yours now!

Feeling just a little bit naughty now. No tittering at the back of the class!

A Real Word Of Warning - Socialism!

I cannot lay claim to the story below. I only wish I could. I have to say though that this is one of the best descriptions (if that is the right word) of what Socialism does to both the individual and the community.

It may seem simplistic to some but I do think it hits the nail squarely on the head.

As far as I am aware this story is from an anonymous author but if it is known who penned it I would gladly give them the credit they richly deserve.

So here goes:

An economics professor at a college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. The class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on your plan. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A”.... (substitute grades for money - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that. These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, then the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for.
That is the beginning of the end of any nation.

So think on folks!

It's Tom and Jerry

You just couldn't make it up could you.

The Labour Party now in the hands of this pair:

Hard left it is then!

Dogs In Swimming Pools

Really. This is happening at Heckington in Lincolnshire. Providing a period of time when dog owners can go swimming in the pool with their dogs. Why?

A few questions come to my mind:

• Do they drain the water and refill the pool before admitting the general public again?
• What do they do if a dog goes to the toilet while in the pool?
• Main concern: Is it good for the dogs to be in a pool that is treated with chlorine.

I have done a bit of research and this is what I have found which seems to be the general opinion. This from an American vet where, apparently, pool owners appear to encourage their dogs in:

One question that tends to come up is whether chlorine is safe for dogs to ingest. Overall, the amount of chlorine in a pool is not likely to be harmful to dogs if they’re simply swimming. The main concern is that dogs will also ingest large amounts of pool water while they’re swimming. This can lead to salt poisoning or an electrolyte imbalance similar to drinking ocean water, and may cause vomiting or loose stools. To prevent this, keep plenty of fresh water available while your pets are swimming. The fresh water will be more appealing to the dogs than the pool water. Additionally, chlorine and other commonly used pool chemicals can irritate the eyes or skin of some dogs.

Given that. If I was still a dog owner I would not wish for my dog to go swimming in a swimming pool! I hope this rather silly idea does not take off in a big way!

Big Failure Regarding Refugee Situation

I expect there are many mistakes or failures that could be pointed out about the present refugee situation but there is one that to me is such a glaringly obvious failure that I am totally surprised that it has not been rectified or should I say it was not something that was put into place earlier.

That big failure? Germany making statements to the world media that it would take 800,000 refugees and/or asylum seekers this year but it has made no attempt to ensure that those people that fall within the category can actually get to Germany to register and take up the offer!

Where are the ships and the planes that should have been immediately despatched to the Mediterranean area to collect those wishing to go? They are not there. Germany, as well as every other country in Europe are more than aware of the problems that were already being caused by people crossing the Mediterranean Sea prior to the announcement by Chancellor Merkel. The announcement, in my view, has made matters worse which was something even a blind man should have been able to see but Germany was obviously oblivious to the outcome of the announcement.

Now that other European countries are also making announcements about their intentions to take in refugees there really needs to be a transport system put into place that allows for their humanitarian gestures to become reality.

To expect countries such as Greece, Italy and Hungary to be inundated with refugees and asylum seekers and then to organise their onward movement, something that will have to be done if the refugees and asylum seekers are going to make it to the destinations they are looking at, is ridiculous and needs sorting out yesterday!!!!

A pan-European emergency transport system for these people? Will it happen? I will leave it to you, the reader, to decide but without it there is going to be no improvement in the situation for either the people or the countries that are being hugely affected.

BBC Funding

Much has been said recently, and indeed over the past years, about funding the BBC. The Licence Fee, should it have to be paid etc. etc.?

While all of that has been going on the BBC has actually been missing out on millions of pounds. How you may ask? I will tell you.

On nearly every chat show on the BBC and on every chat show on the radio, what is the most talked about item? I will tell you.

The most talked about item is some band or artiste or some author who has a new album or a new book or a new film or a new play or West End Musical about to be released or opening that they want to sell. They just parade themselves for free across the BBC getting publicity, reaching into our homes and being seen and heard by millions. The One Show is the biggest culprit by far in my view.

Why does the BBC not sell them the air time that allows them to tell us all about their wares? They could do that and make millions over the years couldn't they?

At least the ITV network is honest about its advertising and the people that use it actually contribute towards it!

I was actually going to make this article a bit jokey but the more I type the more I cannot understand why this happens. So this has turned into a bit of a rant.

Catch a grip BBC. You are being taken for a ride!

A52/A158 They Are Our Arteries - East Lindsey Coast

It is normal perhaps for coastal areas to have poor roads leading to them, unless of course they are close to a motorway network such as Blackpool but that is an exception. On this coast we do not have the benefits of motorways, or even for that matter dual-carriageways. We rely on the "A" roads to bring in the business. Are the "A" roads we rely on a help or a hindrance in that regard?

My view is that they are a hindrance.

Every summer, every busy weekend, every Bank Holiday and throughout the main holiday season this coast is let down by the two main roads leading to it.

For instance. Last Saturday I travelled up to Lincoln at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The traffic heading west, away from the coast was running smoothly but travelling in the opposite direction the traffic was horrendous. Slow moving traffic and stationary traffic for miles. The worst section was that section heading into Horncastle. The traffic was backed up and stationary all the way to the Caistor turn-off, several miles in length. The reports on the radio told me that Wragby was just as bad but as I turned off the A158 on the Bardney road I will have to take their word for it.  Radio Lincolnshire were also reporting the "normal problems" on the A52 as well.

This issue has been known about for decades and very little has been done about it. A bypass was provided for Burgh-Le-Marsh some 8 years ago. Whilst roads have been improved in the west of the county, with a lot more to come, specifically to deal with bottlenecks and known problems, little has been done in our area. It is not good enough.

Sad to say that there is little that is going to be done in the foreseeable future as there is no mention of our area in the Lincolnshire 4th Local Transport Plan 2013/14 - 2022/23 a link to which I have attached at the bottom of this article. In brief the projects that will be/are being implemented over the next 10 years are:

• Lincoln Eastern Bypass
• Grantham Southern Relief Road
• Spalding Western Relief Road

The Transport Strategies for individual towns are:

• Boston Transport Strategy
• Grantham Transport Strategy
• Lincoln Transport Strategy
• Gainsborough Transport Strategy.

What does that mean for this area? Simply that there are no plans whatsoever in this area for the next 8 years and if there is a 5th Local Transport Plan and this area was lucky enough (sic) to be considered then it could be 10 years after that before anything is done and then there is no guarantee!

When I have raised this issue previously I have been told that the problem we have is that our issues are seasonal and therefore not as high a priority as other areas! With that in mind it is difficult to see any hope for the improvements we desperately need is there?

It was also pointed out that we would be getting a Western Relief Road for Skegness which will link the A52 and the A158. This would relieve the congestion is Skegness Town Centre. Perhaps it would but at what cost? The A158 is already nose to tail for miles out of Skegness at busy times so pushing the traffic from the A52 to the A158 is only going to make things worse in that area! Indeed with Roman Bank (A52) heading north being an absolute nightmare already, it makes even less sense. Without a road running north from the A158 towards Ingoldmells and beyond, extending the relief road, there will be little if any improvement to the overall traffic congestion.

I think folks that we are the forgotten area when it comes to road infrastructure. A decent road from Boston to the coast and a decent road from Lincoln to the coast would open up the whole of East Lindsey as well as the coast. Decent roads would encourage more inward investment, creating businesses and jobs for this area.

In addition it would make the journey far more pleasant for the hundreds of thousands of people that come to the coast for a break. That would surely encourage more to come? Given that one of the priorities of the County Council is to double the worth of tourism to the county, then surely money spent on making the primary tourist area in the county more accessible should be viewed as a priority? I live in hope rather than expectation!

As I referred to in the title of this piece. The A52/A158 are our arteries. We all know what happens when arteries become blocked don't we?

Skegness Lidl Reopening Date

I have been amazed by the amount of interest that there has been in my article from earlier in the year entitled Skegness Lidl Closing For Refurbishment which has become the third most viewed article on my blog.

The article can be viewed here:

 http://steveodare.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/skegness-lidl-closing-for-refurbishment.html

The interest prompted me to contact Lidl to enquire as to how the new store is coming along and when it will be reopening. The answer I have been given is that the store will reopen for business in the brand new and much enlarged store on 10th December this year. There was a caveat to this statement which was that this information is correct at the time of sending and could be subject to change.

I for one will be very pleased to see the store back in business. If I get any other information I will post it on here.

Regards.