Chris Whiteside's Blog

A poet and a military historian (whose ideas were adopted far more rapidly by our country's enemies than our own, to our enormous cost) both make the same point about the risks of being too ready to compromise to achieve peace. 

I did like Mark Dolan's Big Opinion this evening - it is far too common for people to start running our country down.  A certain healthy scepticism and ability to see your own failings and those of your country is a good thing, but it becomes destructive when you lose all pride or self-confidence as a nation and downright malignant when you start being unable to see the good things about your own country or the positive things your fellow-citizens have worked to achieve, at worst openly despising your own country, and become, in the words of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado," You tell 'em, Mark!

The government has launched the first ever UK-wide survey for veterans and their families   – as we continue to improve support for veterans in their civilian lives.    Our armed forces have always stood by our country in times of need. Sadly, in the past, they have not always found that loyalty reciprocated. This must not happen again: we have a duty as a country to do our bit and support veterans in their civilian lives.  That is why the government launched the first ever UK-wide survey for veterans and their families last week, ensuring we better understand the unique challenges faced by veterans and giving them the opportunity to shape the future of public services.   The government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran – giving veterans every chance to thrive in the workforce and prosper in civilian live. 

This morning at 11am I took part in the Remembrance Day Commemoration at Egremont and laid a wreath for the fallen on behalf of Cumbria County Council. I also attended the commemoration ceremony in Moor Row at 1pm Both ceremonies were extremely well attended, as I know similar ceremonies were in Whitehaven, St Bees, and around the whole of the United Kingdom. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the organisation of both events. I hope it would not be invidious to single out one body for particular praise, but I will do so anyway: the music provided by Egremont Town Band was quite exceptionally good.  

  (The "Kohima Epitaph")

This week the value of Russian assets sanctioned or frozen as part of UK sanctions on Russia's illegal war in Ukraine reached  £18.3 billion   – as we continue to crack down on individuals propping up Putin’s military effort.  Putin continues to rely on his cabal of elites to maintain control of his industrial complex and fuel his illegal war in Ukraine. That is why, alongside our allies, Britain has imposed the most severe set of sanctions Russia has ever faced – sanctioning more than 1,200 individuals, over 120 entities and freezing the assets of 19 banks with global assets of £940 billion to cripple Putin’s war machine.  Britain continues to take a leading role in supporting the people of Ukraine, targeting all those who aid and abet Putin’s illegal war to ensure Ukraine ultimately prevails. 

I don't usually re-use a quote so quickly, but even though I used Winstonn Churchill's words below about the victory at El Alamein quite recently, it is so much the obvious response to the Liberation of Kherson that I feel justified in using this quote again.  For all that the Russians pulled out their troops in Kherson before they could all be killed or captured, and the withdrawal of forces itself - far and away the most difficult military operation to execute - appears to be one of the vanishingly few military actions since February which the Russian army has executed with something resembling basic competence, the need to withdraw is a massive strategic and moral blow to Russia and a massive boost to Ukraine.  It is arguably the most serious defeat for Russian arms since World War II.  Six weeks ago President Putin held a big ceremony at which he illegally claimed to annex four occupied provinces of Ukraine, including Kherson, and that they would "forever" be part...

 

 

  (From, "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon)

 

Reminder - important repair work will be taking place on the Moresby Embankment section of the A595 just north of Whitehaven and next year (2023) after Easter this stretch of the A595 will be closed for a number of weekends. Rescheduled public engagement events to tell people about what is happening will take place over this coming week as follows: Monday 7 November – The Beacon  Museum, West Strand,  Whitehaven  CA28 7LY Wednesday 9 November – Cleator Moor Civic Hall & Masonic Centre , Jacktrees Road, Cleator Moor CA25 5AU Thursday 10 November – Gosforth Public Hall , Gosforth, Seascale CA20 1A Friday 11 November – Workington Town Council Community Centre , Princess St, Workington CA14 2QG On each of the above dates there will be three drop-in sessions throughout the day: from 11am to 12pm, 2pm to 3pm and 6pm to 7pm. National Highways have promised that as the project progresses there will be further opportunities to speak with the project team. Details of these drop...

Earlier today Tony Blair's former chief Pin doctor, Alistair Campbell tweeted this: "If there are any Tories following me, can I ask you to name one single thing that has improved in our country under your decade plus in charge." I don't follow him but Twitter displayed it on my timeline anyway. And here's my answer. (I had to shorten the twitter version a bit to meet the character limit.) "The facilities at my local hospital. We're now on the third phase of major rebuilding at West Cumberland fully funded by the coalition or by the Conservatives, each phase delivering magnificent fully equipped buildings including new wards, new maternity facilities, new cardio facilities, new maternity facilities. Something which the pathetic government for which you were chief spinner promised again and again to do but never funded and never delivered. And it's not a PFI 'Get one hospital, pay for six' Ponzi scheme like the one you did elsewhere in Cumbria ...

Out campaigning in Saughall today, with Cheshire Conservatives, for Liz Wardlaw, Conservative candidate in the City of Chester by-election on 1st December. So here is some seasonally appropriate music to relax after campaigning!

 

This week the British government and international counterparts started talks on shaping a legally-binding global treaty that aims to end plastic pollution by 2040 , fulfilling this generation's responsibility to that of our children, grandchildren and to future generations on the environment. Plastic pollution has a direct and deadly effect on our wildlife, our oceans, and on the whole planet. That is why the British government has initiated talks with businesses, environmental groups, scientists and civil society on shaping a legally-binding global treaty that aims to end marine plastic pollution by 2040, taking a vital further step in our plan to protect our environment. Protecting our environment for future generations is vital and must complement our commitments to tackle climate change, including seeking to achieve net zero in the UK by 2050.

 

Reminder - important repair work will be taking place on the A595 just north of Whitehaven and next year after Easter the A595 will be closed for a number of weekends. Rescheduled public engagement events to tell people about this will take place as follows: Monday 7 November – The Beacon  Museum, West Strand,  Whitehaven  CA28 7LY Wednesday 9 November – Cleator Moor Civic Hall & Masonic Centre , Jacktrees Road, Cleator Moor CA25 5AU Thursday 10 November – Gosforth Public Hall , Gosforth, Seascale CA20 1A Friday 11 November – Workington Town Council Community Centre , Princess St, Workington CA14 2QG On each of the above dates there will be three drop-in sessions throughout the day: from 11am to 12pm, 2pm to 3pm and 6pm to 7pm. National Highways have promised that as the project progresses there will be further opportunities to speak with the project team. I asked today at Cumbria County Council if CCC can help publicise these events. Details of these drop-in sessions...

This week   the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland held talks with Northern Ireland political parties , following on from the efforts which have been made to restore executive government in Northern Ireland and demonstrating our commitment to the Union. Regional executive government, with local politicians making decisions for Northern Ireland, is the best outcome for everyone in the region. That is why the secretary of state continued talks with political parties in Northern Ireland yesterday to encourage them to form an executive government. Despite the talks, no agreement has been reached and the government is now under a legal duty to call a fresh election as set out in the New Decade, New Approach agreement. Chris Heaton-Harris, Secretary of State, said after the meetings: “I had conversations with party leaders today and expressed how disappointed I am that under current legislation the legal duty now falls on me to call an election. I listened to the party leaders’ vari...

 

The government has announced that it is extending the deadline to claim an £150 council tax rebate   – ensuring everyone receives the support they are entitled to, helping millions of households with the cost of living. 19 million homes have received their £150 council tax rebate – covering 99 per cent of eligible households – but Conservatives are determined to ensure everyone has the time to access this vital support. That is why the government has extended the deadline to 30 November for claims to be processed, helping councils support the hardest to reach households – and urging councils do everything they can to encourage households to claim their rebate.  This rebate is part of the £37 billion of government cost of living support for the most vulnerable – including £1,200 extra support for millions of low-income households to help with the cost of living.

 

Councillors and others have been sent a letter from the department of levelling up: the decision on the West Cumbria Mining planning application for a coal mine to produce metallurgical (coking) coal to make steel has been deferred for a month and is now expected on or before 8th December. Deeply depressed by the amount of nonsense talked about this today - hardly any of the people who discussed it on TV or radio appeared to know the first thing about the real facts about the case, not even that it is an application for coking coal to make steel rather than thermal coal to burn in power stations.