Things will be a bit brief today not least because in a few hours time I will be on the move to spend a few days engaging in the company of others my more little side given it is halloween so there's various events planned.
Have fun and see you all next week.
The Party Conference season has been and gone where traditionally the in office party congratulates itself and the opposition make their promises, calling on members and supporters to prepare for the Election and Government.
This year seemed rather different where the Conservatives didn't wish to talk around their record in this parliament or in a crazy period that started way back in December 2019 the three previous leaders although the last, Liz Truss did have a event taking place that created a good deal of interest from the political commentators and some members to the point that was at risk of overshadowing the main days debates.
The aim of a low tax, lower spending economy looking at growing rather than just doing a slicing up of what is there always had an appeal and in the medium to long term is needed, attempts to bring in more revenue only seem to cut more on the better off more aspirational working class so they shoulder more of the cost of looking after those unable or capable but not presently in work through taxes.
While no one on the right as much as left can truly argue there isn't a need for a safety net - and some of it is failing badly - the majority feeling is in the first instance we expect to ensure the individual has enough to look after and provide for themselves and their families.
That can't happen if we tax those people to the point they cannot and there is then a risk of creating a client state where rather than helping people help themselves we spend more where they could help themselves and maintain more of a sense of economic independence and even freedom.
Working class people typically feel they'd sooner help themselves only turning to other sources if they cannot.
This is something that needs to looked more at by all the parties rather than going for sectional appealling such as targeting the Pensioner Vote, Welfare Claimants, Young Adults and so on as everything any in those groups may need (and they do) ultimately has to paid for and we all pay for it.
Housing remains an issue - an appalling issue - with record waiting lists for people looking for homes, many who tried to buy their own struggling often feeling if they didn't they could be place anywhere where a substantial amount of private rented accommodation isn't merely poor quality it has damp, faulty electrical, plumbing and fire safety fittings.
One reason beyond this country's fascination, practically an obsession with private home ownership is difficulties with the cost of land, building materials mainly brick and labour not just price but shortages too.
Saying you wish to build 1.3 million new homes for rent in that context just isn't possible - no government since the sixties has built that many, approx 300,000 per year - and when they did the construction quality had major issues as just putting up buildings become the focus with repairs being needed.
And many new private builds are having quality issues as they struggle too.
We need to consider using more pre-fabricated buildings such as those used in Scandinavia and made by people like Ikea that have a long life and have all connections read to just couple so with the site prepared it takes less time, needs less skilled workers and can even allow for the tenants to make a contribution by helping out in the process so they feel a sense of ownership.
They do look attractive too for those who do get more concerned about environmental impact and local area character.
Talking of the environment, developers should be expected where they build a new development such as a new estate to make substantial contribute to upgrading water and electricity provision so not only are there not shortages but demands such as sewerage the management of which is a massive concern can be dealt with.
Having been given that funding Water companies should be closely monitored to ensure raw sewage isn't been dumped into rivers where it causes harm to both people and animals.
Well while war resumes between the Arabs and Israel coming through on your social media feeds, the "LIVE" updates on the BBC News site and your tv screen it kind of reminded me of 1973 all over again.
It's a pity no vinyl version of these Extra sets are offered as I'd of been interested in one.
Back the we were not so fussed about what E additives were in colourings in our sweets although I could get over active at the time which may of been down to that.
I have ordered up a Genesis super audio cd that is being released this week although it'll probably take a week or two to come into the UK to the store I normally use to buy them that by coincidence happens also to be from 1973.
Given my cd is fairly old one and the 2007 Genesis remasters were panned for their loud sound, being in a few instances remixed too I feel that's worth the expense.
Well the longest running saga on wheels has come to an end.
Way back in 2009, in the dying days of the last Labour government it was decided to spend some 37bn pounds on a massive railway infrastructure that would rival the bullet trains of Japan going at 250 mile per hour linking London, Big Bad Brum, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and Manchester feeding into a East West networking linking south Lancashire towns and the city of Manchester with West Yorkshire.
Over the years the costs grew and grew and measure to reduce them such as dropping the speed and axing all the spurs reduced the real gains while estimates were around 94bn pounds in 2019 and estimates for early 2021 were put at 110bn plus.
This was before the current inflationary pressures with materials and labour and a declining market for day long conferences as the Pandemic ushered in the era of Zoom and Team meetings over the internet and the shift to Work From Home (WFH).
The world has moved on even if some of us felt at the time the full business case for it wasn't there, the capacity which is an issue on the West Coast Line could of been met by restoring the additional rails taken up to save maintenance money in the last days of British Rail for a good deal less.
Wednesday's design to scrape Hs2 from Birmingham to Crewe and on to Manchester is for me well overdue and really ought to happened in 2019 when it was obvious the cost were substantially more than anticipated for a net loss on the public investment, not being help by modelling the route on a desk with little actual site surveying before deciding on the route.
Instead the Midland Rail Hub, the East-West lines at regular speeds across the Pennines and a mixture of schemes involving local rail, bus and tram services will be happening using some 36bn pounds that would of been spent.
The work already done from London to Brum will be completed as much is almost ready even if one may rather it hadn't of been started.
It's a reset for this whole connectivity scheme that lost its direction.
