Chris Whiteside's Blog

And yet another baking hot, beautiful day in Whitehaven I know I keep writing this, but I think this has been the warmest and driest spring since we moved to West Cumbria in 2004. It is often said that the rise of social media and particularly the ability to post anonymous insults, has meant a reduction in civility and I think there is a great deal of truth in this. But I had a reminder today that, historically, extreme rudeness is nothing new. Indeed, in the 18th century, political and social discourse was often nearly as rude as it is today. Even the existence of a functioning if illegal duelling code - one with such overwhelming social force that  even very powerful men who strongly disapproved of the whole business were forced to take part in duels - did not always prevent people being very rude about one another. In fact the very powerful were often in an impossible position when harsh words were exchanged, in that they would be seen as cowards and lose face if they...

I've been asking my colleagues on the county council whether there is any news yet on when the new planning proposals from West Cumbria mining might come to a special meeting of the Development Control and regulatory committee of CCC. My understanding is that it is impossible to give a definite date until the consultation period ends on 15th June and it is then possible to assess the representations received. A provisional date has now been given to the Whitehaven News for the meeting, which is not a firm guarantee but a best estimate of when a decision might come to committee if all goes to plan. A council spokesman told the paper “ Cumbria County Council welcomes the decision on behalf of Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole to withdraw from the judicial review proceedings. We stand by our belief that all planning procedures and considerations were correctly followed throughout by the council. We therefore believe it would be in no one’s interests to hold a lengthy and costly jud...

In the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic, while churches were still holding services but were already starting to think about how to increase social distancing, we needed to find an alternative greeting to the handshake which was traditionally given while sharing the Peace, and which did not involve direct physical contact. People had various ways of dealing with this: I gave a court bow (a bow from the neck) but my wife used the Vulcan Salute This salute, originating in the original Star Trek TV show, was created by the actor who played the half-Vulcan Commander Spock, the late Leonard Nimoy, and associated with the words "Live long and prosper." In his autobiography, Nimoy wrote that he based it on the priestly blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the gesture. The letter Shi...

From Monday, professional sport will be allowed to return behind closed doors, so long as individual sports and elite athletes follow strict rules that will help control the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives. Live sport is a cornerstone of British society, and for many it will be hugely exciting and welcome that we have reached the point where it can begin to return in a safe and carefully controlled way.   The Government has worked with sports and medical bodies to devise a framework for sports to resume, so long as certain conditions that ensure safety are met. Individual sports will know when it’s right for them to restart, and as long as they can meet these protocols, such as competitions taking place without spectators, they can now start planning to return.   T he government is also working hard to find safe ways to get grassroots sport back up and running. While those teams can’t compete together yet, the rules on exercise as being slightl...

From tomorrow, the 2.2 million people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and have been ‘shielding’ will be able to go outside, as the government continues to ease restrictions in a cautious and gradual way which aims to ensure we can control the virus. Those advised to shield can now go outside with members of their household or meet one member of another household if they live alone, providing a much-needed boost to people most at risk who have made huge sacrifices. Social distancing must be followed strictly at all times.   We recognise that the last 10 weeks have been particularly challenging for everyone following shielding guidance, and it’s thanks to their resilience and sacrifice that we have been able to control the virus, avoid the NHS being overwhelmed and save thousands of lives.   Thanks to the efforts of everyone, we’ve managed to get the R rate beneath 1. This means we can gradually ease restrictions. But the clinically extremely vul...

In the Pentecost service broadcast from St James' church Whitehaven this morning (see previous post) the Revd Robert Jackson quoted a line from scripture, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." The delightful anthem below is a 16th century setting of those words to music. I once read a humorous book about Anglican church music, which included a glossary which defined the word "Anon" as "A composer with many pseudonyms including Farrant, Tye and Redford." I strongly suspect that the composer of this anthem, usually now given as "Anonymous" but previously often attributed to John Redford, was one of those in the writer's mind when that passage was drafted.

Today is Pentecost Sunday in the church's year. Here is a short Pentecost services published online this morning by my local church, St James' Whitehaven.

Yet another gorgeous day spent at home in Whitehaven. Some of it enjoying our garden. It does look as though one of the compensations of a terrible year may be a magnificent summer. In the evening my wife and I watched the film "The Guernsey literary & Potato peel pie society" based on the book of the same name, set mostly in the channel islands shortly after and referencing back to the Nazi occupation. There were some extraordinary parallels to today, and not just because we have just had the 75th anniversary commemoration of VE day which almost exactly co-incided with the liberation of the Channel Islands. Early on in the film one of the characters refers to the events which lead to the creation of the society included that the people of Guernsey felt hunger not just for food but for human companionship under the restrictions imposed by the German occupiers, something which inevitably strikes a chord in 2020 when the restrictions imposed to limit the deaths caused...

You know it's a slow news weekend .. When the news headlines devote a significant amount of time to the fact that some social media celebrity has been removed from the  Forbes list of billionaires because they now think her financial assets are only worth £900 million ... And more to a report from the Resolution Foundation that people who own their own homes are having less difficulty with their housing costs as a result of the pandemic than people who rent ... (For the avoidance of doubt I am not criticising the Resolution Foundation who have produced very good reports but the media who are spending far more time on this utterly unsurprising conclusion than on what measures the Foundation is recommending to actually do something about it.) Coming up - reports on the death of Queen Anne, the religious affiliations of  Pope Francis, the toilet habits of bears and the wetness of water ….

Like, I suspect, many people, I have been rediscovering the joys and pains of Ebay during the pandemic. So I thought today's Music spot might be Weird Al's Ebay anthem - one of his performances which is musically so good that I am convinced he could have made it as a "straight" singer rather than America's answer to the UK's Barron Knights. I have read that the Backstreet Boys brought out a parody of this called " I want it that way " ...

"Internet users are reminded to be careful of what they read – and to remember the important rule that if you can summarise a complex position with a single line of text and an attractive picture, it’s probably not true any day of the year and not just on April the 1st." Proof that many a true word is spoken in jest - the above self-evident truth is taken from a spoof article on the NewsThump website published on April 2nd (2016) with the caption   " People go back to believing everything they read on the internet ." )

I keep writing what a glorious day it has been in terms of the weather, and it seems to want to prove it can do better. Today was a baking hot day in Whitehaven - more like midsummer than May. As from Monday I will rename this diary "Coronavirus diary" but keep the numbers in the same sequence, as from that point, although movement and social contact are still severely restricted, it seems better to focus on the main issue which is affecting all our lives, COVID-19, rather than risk getting into an argument over whether we are still locked down or not. Keep well.

Another briefing, this one on the announcements Chancellor Rishi Sunak made today. It reads as follows. "Protecting jobs, businesses and livelihoods as we begin to kickstart our economy Our top priority has always been to support people, protect jobs and businesses through this crisis. The furlough and self-employment schemes have been a lifeline for millions of people and businesses. Moving into the next phase of our response, we are focussed on not just on saving lives, but also saving livelihoods. As we begin to re-open our country and kickstart our economy, these schemes will adjust to ensure those who are able to work can do so, while remaining amongst the most comprehensive and generous in the world. The Chancellor has today announced that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended for three months with a second and final grant. Self-employed workers will be eligible for further support worth 70 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, cap...

I turned off comment moderation on this blog many moons ago, with the result that if a comment on a recent post does not get interpreted by blogger's systems as SPAM, it appears almost immediately and stays up unless it falls foul of one of the criteria which I do occasionally revisit and publish - don't attack the dead in an obit post, don't put up anything which might expose me (or blogger, or the author) to legal action, don't put up anything I consider highly offensive or insulting. However, comments on a post which is more than a few weeks old do go into the "Awaiting comment moderation" folder. Because this only affects a small minority of posts I probably don't check it as often as I should, and there can be a delay before I notice them, and either publish or delete them depending on whether they are still relevant or have been made out of date (for example, because the author has posted them somewhere else. I notice that three comments went i...

I have received a briefing on the arrangements being made by the UK government  to slowly and carefully ease the lockdown which reads as follows. "The Prime Minister has set out a carefully-designed package to ease the burdens of lockdown to keep the virus under control. Everyone must stay alert to control the virus and save lives. We have been clear that our five tests must be met before any changes to the lockdown are made, because we must not risk the sacrifice of the British people.   Thanks to the public’s continued patience and hard work in helping to protect the NHS and contain the virus, the Prime Minister confirmed yesterday that the Government’s five tests are being met. This means we can now move forward to the next phase of adjusting the lockdown.   A series of measures will be put in place in England from Monday 1 June in three core areas – schools, social contact and retail 1) Firstly, as the Prime Minister set out on Sunday, we will re...

The UK, Australia, Canada, and United States issued a joint statement in response to China’s proposed new security law for Hong Kong which would violate the territory’s autonomy and freedoms. In response the UK government is examining how we would change the status of British National Overseas passport holders if China implements this National Security legislation. The national security legislation published by China is deeply concerning and undermines the autonomy and freedoms guaranteed for Hong Kong in the treaty agreed at the time of the handover from Britain to China.   China must step back from the brink and live up to its international obligations. If it chooses not to, Britain will take steps to protect British National (overseas) passport holders by extending how long they can come to the UK without a visa from six months and make it possible to apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months, which provides a pathway to future citizenship.   Re...

There are various versions of this quote, most often attributed to Henry Ford though there are other versions, mostly less concisely put, which go back much earlier, including a Latin version comprising part of the concept dating from the first century BC in Virgil's Aenid. The Quote Investigator website suggests that Henry Ford probably did originate a version of this saying in simple and clear language.

Another beautiful day in Whitehaven and it looks like I may need to conclude or rename this series of diary posts soon. Let's just hope we can get the economy going again without increasing the danger from COVID-19 The track and trace which launched today (fantastic news) should help with that. Keep well

From 9 am today, the new NHS Test and Trace service has launched across England - helping us to keep the virus under control while carefully and safely lifting the lockdown nationally. As Britain moves to the next phase of our fight against coronavirus, we must ensure we continue to control the spread and do not compromise the progress we have made.   The new scheme will mean anyone who tests positive for coronavirus will be contacted by one of the 25,000 contact tracers; they will help trace anyone who had been in close contact with the infected individual, ensuring they isolate for 14 days, thereby avoiding them unknowingly spreading the virus. These tracers will be capable of tracking the contacts of up to 10,000 new cases a day.    NHS Test and Trace will be vital to stopping the spread of the virus. It is how we will be able to protect our friends and family from infection, and protect our NHS. But everyone must play their part so together we can continue ...

Just taken part in the tenth, and probably last, "Clap for carers" to show support for NHS staff and other front line carers at 8pm this evening. Think there were more people out in Foxhouses Road than last week. One of the founders of the event, Annemarie Plas, told Good Morning Britain that it's time to move on but praised people who'd taken part. She suggested this evening's "Clap for carers" should be the last one. It  does make sense to stop while there is still plenty of enthusiasm and move on to other ways to support NHS staff and other key workers and carers.

(This was the answer the Iron Duke gave when asked if, given his life again, he would have done anything differently. Quoted because I don't think he was unusual in this respect.)

Another beautiful day in Whitehaven, looking as if we are on our way to a warm summer. Another long working day from my perspective. At least I am getting better at using the plethora of systems which various people and organisations are using for conference calls and online meetings. What a week! Keep well

On Monday, the Prime Minister outlined the next steps of the Government’s plan to safely reopen our schools and our economy. Thanks to this country’s collective efforts, the number of new Coronavirus cases is down, and evidence suggests the infection rate is falling. This progress means that we can make further steps toward rebuilding our country.   From 1 June, the Government intends a cautious, phased reopening of nurseries and primary schools starting with reception, Year 1 and Year 6, and then, from 15 June, ensuring secondary pupils with exams next year get some time with their teachers before their summer holidays.   The Government’s intention is also to allow outdoor markets and car showrooms to reopen from 1 June, as the risk of transmission of the virus is lower in these outdoor and more open spaces.   All other non-essential retail will be expected to be able to reopen from 15 June if the Government’s five tests are met and they follow the Covid-19...

Yesterday, the Health Secretary announced a significant boost to PPE supplies , with the Government signing deals with more than 100 suppliers around the world, as well as ramping up domestic production here in the UK. Worldwide demand for PPE has never been higher and it is vital that PPE continues to be delivered to where it is needed.   The government has signed over 100 new deals with suppliers across the world to boost our PPE supply, as well as signing contracts to produce 2 billion items of PPE right here in the UK; including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons.   Healthcare and social care workers are on the frontline of our battle with Coronavirus. This will help ensure they can do so as safely as possible.

Absolute day from hell today. Between my job and CCC business I finished work at about twenty to midnight this evening. Always difficult the day after a bank holiday when one is often trying to fit two days of business into one. Made it even more difficult when certain computer systems I was dependent on for information were running ludicrously slowly. Hope anyone reading this had a better day than I did. The one high point of the day was an online meeting of Cumbria County Council's local committee for Copeland which I thought was quite a constructive meeting. Keep well  

"I feel like I've been booked to be a talking head at the post-match analysis after the Salem witch trials" ( Alex Deane , former advisor to David Cameron, on the BBC following yesterday afternoon's press conference in the garden of No 10.)

Many years ago, at a count for a county council election, the Lib/Dem county councillor who I was standing against made the joke that if I won he might finally have time to do something about the weeds in his garden. As his pile of votes was a little higher than mine, and I've never seen in any point in pretending that you're doing better than you think you are in the period between the close of voting and the announcement of the results, I replied that it looked like the electorate had given the weeds in his garden a reprieve for another four years. The conversation came back to me today as I finished filling up the brown bin which Copeland Borough Council will be collecting tomorrow with weeds from my garden. Three years ago the electorate of Egremont North and St Bees were kind enough to give the weeds in my garden what we thought at the time was a similar four year reprieve. However, today they became some of the less regretted casualties of the Coronavirus pandemic. ...

A guarded welcome to this week's news that the Judicial Review application into Cumbria CC's decision to grant planning permission to West Cumbria Mining has been withdrawn. The reason I describe it as a guarded welcome is that, if the reason given to the Whitehaven News for their decision to drop by action by the protestors who brought the Judicial Review request is the real one, they have based it on a fundamental misunderstanding of the implications of the latest application on the site. West Cumbria Mining has submitted proposals to modify the original application. These are currently out to public consultation, which will last until 15th June. The company is proposing a change in the way it plans to process coking coal, meaning only premium metallurgical coal will be processed. Marianne Birkby, of the group behind the judicial review request, is quoted in the Whitehaven News as saying that the reason the judicial review was dropped was that: “The point of the judic...

Delighted to see that the recycling centre at Flatt Walks retail park opposite Morrisons in Whitehaven has re-opened. Sure I will not be the only resident of Whitehaven and surrounding area glad to have the opportunity to use it.

On Saturday, the Transport Secretary outlined new measures to protect and increase transport services , level up infrastructure and regenerate local economies after coronavirus. People across the country are all sharing the same public-spirited approach to tackling the spread of this virus and keeping others safe – with many playing their part by avoiding public transport.   T he government is investing an extra £283 million to increase the number of bus and light rail services as quickly as possible so people can reach their destination safely and quickly, while helping ensure there is enough space for them to observe social distancing guidelines. We have also set out the preferred route for the £1 billion upgrade to the A66 which will help to connect Glasgow and Edinburgh with Leeds, Sheffield and Norwich. Ten bids have also been announced to receive funding to develop proposals to build or reopen railway lines and stations, including those closed following the Beechin...