Chris Whiteside's Blog

 

 

I attended the first hour of the public consultation event this afternoon about Belltown Power's proposal for an enormous Solar Farm east of Egremont at Dent Fell. A large number of members of the public attended, and it would be fair to say, indeed putting it very mildly, that there is a lot of public concern and opposition. It will be interesting to see whether Belltown take this feedback away and rethink their proposals. It is pretty clear that a complete rethink, at the very least, is what residents of Egremont would like them to do.

Donald Trump calls his decision to impose massive tariffs on almost all the USA's main trade partners "liberation day." Some might argue that the impact on the economy, both for America and it's trading partners, if everyone engages in a round of tit-for-tat trade barriers is less like liberation and more like an economic version of Mutually Assured Destruction. There is a small kernel of truth at the centre of the huge poisonous plant which is protectionist trade policies. The first part of that kernel of truth is that some countries - the most egregious example being, certainly not Canada, but China - have been taking advantage of the free trade policies of other nations to pursue economic imperialism. There is a case for measures to counterbalance this - though there is no earthly reason to apply those counterbalancing measures to trade partners which have not behaved in that way. The second part of that kernel of truth is that the enormous benefits of trade have n...

"The notion that somehow through a trade war or protectionism or magical thinking that we're going to return to a romanticized economic past is, in the end, going to be an illusion. And a severe disappointment to millions of decent, hard-working people." David Remnick

Proposals are likely to come before Cumberland Council planners at some point this year for an enormous Solar farm east of Egremont at Dent Fell. The plans have not yet formally been submitted but Belltown power, the company which is planning to apply for the solar farm, have published their current proposals on their website where they can be seen by following the link below: Belltown Power proposals for a Solar farm at Dent Fell to be called Cobra Castle Solar Farm . About 120 acres of the 200-acre site would be covered with large solar panels which would be 80 cm off the ground at their South ends and three metres – ten feet – off the ground at their North ends. The proposed solar farm would be in operation for 40 years. There will be a public exhibition and consultation on the proposals tomorrow,  Thursday 3rd April, 3 - 7pm, at Egremont Market Hall, Market Street, Egremont CA22 2D

The latest More in Common Opinion poll has the Conservatives leading on 26%, Reform UK second on 25%, and Labour third on 21%. Like almost all opinion polls over the last six months the first three parties are the Conservatives, Labour and Reform, all of which are polling in the twenties. All three parties have come everywhere from first to third, but the margins are usually mostly within margin or error. In other words there is everything to play for any any of these parties could win, or lose, the next election which is still probably more than four years away. I am posting this poll because the left-wing media always reports on polls which have Labour winning, and another section of the media always posts polls which have Reform UK winning; but polls which have the Conservatives ahead, or which there have been a fair number, only seem to get publicised if Conservative activists post and share them.   

 

I did consider posting an "April Fool" gag this morning. The trouble is, we're living in a world where Rachel Reeves is still chancellor, and is still insisting that despite having imposed the biggest tax hike on business in history on top of a position where due to the pandemic we already had the highest peacetime tax burden in history, she's committed to getting Economic Growth Vladimir Putin still claims he invaded Ukraine because a county which had never attacked Russia and has elected a Jewish President has a Nazi regime and is a threat to Russia And don't get me started on some of the things happening on the other side of the Atlantic. Just at the moment I don't see how anyone could come up with an "April Fool" crazier than half the real news.

I've previously posted about the history of this lovely Adagio for strins.. As I wrote then, most if not all of this piece was actually composed by 20th century Italian composer and biographer Remo Giazotto who claimed to have based it on a fragment allegedly found in the ruins of a library wrecked during the RAF and USAF bombing of Dresden, of a piece he thought had been composed by the the 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni.  The Saxon State Library which was destroyed in the 1945 Dresden bombing raids did indeed contain a substantial and irreplaceable collection of Albinoni's work sadly, it is almost certain that much of the composer's work was lost forever to allied bombs.  However, it is more than a little suspicious that neither Giazotto (who died in 1998) or his heirs have ever produced the manuscript fragment supposedly recovered from the museum, and sceptics have described the attribution of the Adagio to Albinoni as arguably " the biggest fraud in m...

"There has clearly been a fundamental breakdown in relationships between a school and parents that shouldn’t have become a police matter. I will look at what more can be done with mediation services in Hertfordshire to help amicably resolve disputes without police involvement. While people should be courteous and go through the proper channels when raising concerns about a public service, the public should be able to express their views without worrying they’ll get a knock at the door from the police. The public want the police on patrol in communities, fighting crime, catching criminals and keeping people safe. That is my priority and the focus of the new Chief Constable. My new Police & Crime Plan asks the Constabulary to prioritise tackling neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and violent and sexual offences. Following The Times’ story, I have been in contact with the Chief Constable to ask for an explanation. The Chief Constable is undertaking a rapid and thorough re...

It is 48 years ago today that Airey Neave was assassinated by Irish republican terrorists. During World War II, Airey Neave fought against the Nazis, was decorated for bravery, and escaped from Colditz. As a statesman he was one of the first to spot the potential of Margaret Thatcher, did a great deal to help her become Prime Minister and was tragically and foully murdered a few days before he would have seen her elected to that office. Rest in Peace.

 

At the conclusion of the month of Ramadan, which is holy to Muslims, this is to wish Muslims celebrating in the UK and around the world a blessed and joyful Eid-al-Fitr. 

Today is Mothering Sunday: time for us all to say a big thank you to all mothers everywhere who are still with us, and remember with thanks those who are not. A mother's love is something very special. The following quote expressing this could be seen as a bit unkind to fathers. I quote it because it is funny and because I agree that it is not easy being a mother, not because I am having a go at fathers!   

It is often said that the month of March "Comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb:"

  Clocks go forward an hour in the UK this evening at 1 am GMT which becomes 2 am British Summer Time. So please do not forget we lose an hour!

I managed to complete the Swimathon today in two hours and ten minutes (to swim 200 lengths of Copeland pool in Hensingham.) Quite tired but very pleased! Thank you to those who have already sponsored me. Not too late to sponsor me at  Swimathon 2025 - Please support these life-changing causes

"The more industries you have in the hands of government, the more the bureaucrats run things...Bureaucrats on the whole are not good at business, they're not good at industry. They shouldn't have the running of it. The more powers you put into the hands of government, the less the powers of the people. The more in the hands of the bureaucrats, the less in the hands of the electors. So of course we reduced that. It not only puts the industries back to people who know how to run them but it extends share ownership. We've extended capital ownership far wider than ever before. Capital ownership should be something that every single person feels that as they begin to prosper, they can put money aside and build up capital; build their own security. It makes them much more powerful against a government." Margaret Thatcher

 

Britain's largest charity swim, the Swimathon, returns this weekend and starting today, thousands of swimmers will head to hundreds of pools around Britain to raise money for three great causes. These causes are Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, and the Swimathon Foundation. Each of these organizations plays a vital role in improving lives and advancing research. Tomorrow, Saturday 29th March 2025 I plan to complete the Swimathon 5000 metres challenge, swimming 200 lengths of Hensingham pool to raise money for these excellent causes. I have been taking part in Swimathon for thirty years. Thank you if you have supported me before. Please join me in backing these excellent causes. Your support makes all the difference! You can sponsor me online on my Givengain page, which you can find by clicking on the following link: Swimathon 2025 - Please support these life-changing causes

Three candidates have come forward for the vacant seat on Egremont Town council, so there IS going to be a contested election on 24th April. Here are the candidate details: It will probably not surprise readers of this blog to learn that I will be supporting Jeff Hailes , who has lived in the area for many years and is involved with a number of local activities and causes including the Rugby club and Credit Union. Jeff was an excellent Borough Councillor for St Bees. What probably will, and should, surprise both readers of this blog and residents of Egremont South is that there will not be polling cards sent out for this election.  As per my previous post and link, The Cumbria Chronic has published a piece on the decision of Egremont Town Council not to send out these cards, which you can read by clicking on the link immediately below: SHHH! ELECTION TAKING PLACE… – The Cumbria Chronic Most of the time Egremont Town council works together pretty well in a constructive and not-parti...

 

"Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts" which is from Purcell's music for the funeral of Queen Mary, was expertly performed by the Choir of Selby Abbey at their communion anthem this morning. (It was, of course, also sung at the funeral of her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II.)

"Ed Miliband is so far out of his depth he needs a dredging vessel to rescue him." James Melville on X, formerly Twitter, yesterday.,

  "Economic Policies need to be analysed in terms of the incentives they create, rather than the hopes that inspired them." ( Thomas Sowell )

 

Out today (22nd March) as part of a campaigning session supported by the National Conservative Convention for Anne Handley, Conservative candidate for Mayor of East Yorkshire

Election Maps UK have published the latest roundup of council by election results since the 2024 gerneral election. By far the largest group of these were seats Labour was defending - 111 out of 225 seats, so nearly half the total - so this produces a very different picture from what can be expected at this years' local elections, when by far the largest share of seats being defended are currently Conservative held. Because Labour was defending lots of seats in these by-elections they came first in terms of seats won but had far and away the worst net losses, while the Conservatives came second in terms of seats won but first by making far and away the largest bet gains. In May, when the Conservatives will be defending lots of seats won in a very good year for the party at the height of the "vaccine bounce" we can expect the exact opposite - the best the Conservatives can realistically hope for is to come first in terms of seats won but inevitably to make significant net ...

"The great escape of our times is escape from personal responsibility for the consequences of one's own behavior." Thomas Sowell , from “Dismantling America and Other Controversial Essays," (2011) 

Well, what else could one use as the music spot for the 21st of March?

  "Spring is a season of second chances, where nature proves that no matter how harsh the winter, beauty will return." (Anon - I have not been successful in tracing who first said this.)

The Cumbria Chronic has published a piece on the Egremont South by-election, which you can read by clicking on the link immediately below: SHHH! ELECTION TAKING PLACE… – The Cumbria Chronic Most of the time Egremont Town council works together pretty well in a constructive and not-particularly partisan or party-political manner. A vote which took place this week about the forthcoming by-election was, I think, the most controversial since I joined the council two years ago. Normally polling cards are sent out when there is an election to make sure everyone who is entitled to vote knows that there is an election, when, where and how to vote etc. But apparently this is not automatic and when there is a Town Council by election, the council gets to decide whether or not to send out polling cards. If there is a contest when nominations close for the vacant town council seat representing Egremont South at 4pm next Wednesday, 26th March 2025, then there will be a by-election on Thursday 24th ...

A by-election has been called, for which nominations are now open and will remain open until 4pm next Wednesday (March 26th 2025) for a vacant Town Council seat on Egremont Town Council, to cover the ward of Egremont South. If it is contested - as is likely - the election will be on 24th April 2025. More details in next post.

Congratulations to new Councillor Ian Campbell on being elected to Three Rivers district council in a by-election yesterday, gaining the Abbots Langley and Bedmond ward from the Liberal Democrats in a council by-election. 

The 21st of March is traditionally the first day of Spring. It seemed much more spring-like yesterday, but we can tell that the winter is indeed passing!

 

Dan Hodges on Labour's economic strategy: "To repeat. Labour's current strategy is economic and political insanity."

Let me be absolutely clear - almost every recent poll has all three of the Conservatives; Labour and Reform UK parties somewhere in the mid twenties, all three parties have come everywhere from first to third in different polls, and the differences between the parties has usually been well within the margin of error for the respective polls. If any political activist from any party or any journalist tries to spin you a line suggesting that any party has established a decisive lead or that any of the three parties is finished, they are a fool or a liar. There is everything to play for. As Reform UK shouts from the rooftops every poll which has them in the lead, I might as well report on some of those which have the Conservatives in the lead. Conservatives. And we have one today from Deltapoll UK 🔵 CON 25% (-) 🔴 LAB 25% (-4) 🟣 REF 23% (+1) 🟠 LD 11% (-) 🟢 GRN 9% (+1) Via @DeltapollUK, Fieldwork 14-17 Mar (+/- is the comparison with their previous poll 17-20 Jan)

Prince William has led tributes to John “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, after his death aged 105. The Prince of Wales wrote on social media that he was “sad” to hear about the passing of the last of “The Few”. He added: “We owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today. Their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered. We shall never forget them.” Born in Dublin in 1919, Group Captain Hemingway enlisted in the RAF in 1938 and soon became one of the young pilots who fought in the Battle of France. Two years later, he was among the men known as “The Few” , a term coined by Winston Churchill to describe Britain’s Battle of Britain pilots. Chief of RAF Air Staff Sir Rich Knighton passed condolences to Mr Hemingway’s family and friends. “I am thankful that I was able to meet and spend time with him in Dublin, most recently in January this year,” he said. “Paddy was an amazing character whose life story embodies all ...

 

 

"Until this week Labour's strategy was to stimulate growth by hiking taxes, increasing workplace regulation and imposing net-zero. Now it's to stimulate growth by hiking taxes, increasing workplace regulation, imposing net-zero and cutting spending.  This is Truss level madness." Former Labour and trade union staffer, now journalist, Dan Hodges on X. I agree with most of what Dan says. For the avoidance of doubt - I didn't agree with the Truss strategy which is why I voted for Rishi Sunak. But there are two specific reasons why the comparison between the economic policies of the present government and those of Liz Truss is if anything unfair to Liz Truss. The first is that Truss set out in advance when standing for Prime Minister exactly what she was going to do, and did it. Rishi Sunak correctly predicted what would happen as a result, and those of us who thought he was right had the opportunity to vote accordingly. Starmer and Reeves are following policies whic...

No apologies for repeating this one  I was absolutely going to get one of those mugs until I saw that they cost £21 and I wasn't sure that paying so much above the odds for a mug just to own one with a really cool slogan was a good trade-off Thomas Sowell also wrote that Trade-offs have been with us "since the late unpleasantness in the Garden of Eden."

 From the ONS (Office for National Statistics) GDP is estimated to have fallen 0.1% in January 2025, mainly caused by a fall in the production sector. Read the release https:// ons.gov.uk/economy/grossd Former Labour staffer Dan Hodges made the following comment on this: "Said it before, say it again. It was political madness for Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to pivot and claim growth was their number one priority whilst simultaneously implementing policies that could only suppress growth." Or as CCHQ put it, "Labour inherited the fastest growing economy in the G7, and ground it to a screeching halt. And it's the British people who will have to pay the price. omesticproductgdp/bulletins/gdpmonthlyestimateuk/january2025

"My request to all fellow broadcasters  discussing a possible Ukraine peace settlement: don't forget to ask about what happens to the 19,000 Ukrainian children abducted by Putin and the Russians?   We must keep their fate in the worldwide public eye.  Don't let them be ignored." Michael Crick posting on X, formerly Twitter yesterday

 

 

When Bashir Assad's regime in Syria fell, there was widespread and understandable rejoicing in many quarters. Not only had one of the most murderous and brutal regimes in the world been overthrown, two other ghastly and very dangerous regimes - that in Iran and Putin's regime in Russia - had been seriously embarrassed and hampered in their ability to cause trouble. I shed no tears for Assad or his murdering butchers, but feared that we might be celebrating too soon, and this is starting to look increasingly likely.  The trouble is that regime's like Assad's all too often go after their more moderate, reasonable and democratic opponents first. Consequently, as depicted in the deeply sad 2014 cartoon below, by prominent Iranian artist Mana Neyestani, the most extreme and unpleasant opponents are left standing and the tyrant can present the world with an awful choice, pointing to an alternative like DAESH and  saying "It's me or him." Those who consider thems...

Ronald Bing's classic "Elizabeth Serenade will be familiar to many people. Here is an alternative version performed by Ryan Walt & Deon van der Merwe

 

 

 

"How on earth can any farming business expect to plan for the future when this vindictive Labour government change the rules without any notice. They literally said ‘if we need to close applications we will give you 6 weeks notice’ But instead - give no notice whatsoever.  Hugely damaging for business, for food production and for the environment - and of course detrimental for our farmers own health and wellbeing." Robbie Moore MP , shadow farming minister on the latest Labour broken promise - having previously said that if they needed to close applications for the Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) they would give at least six week's notice, they have suddenly closed them with none. Here's what the National Farmers Union thinks about what they call a "shattering blow.": NFU responds to sudden closure of SFI24 applications – NFUonline . Here is a screenshot of the page on the DEFRA website which promised six week's notice of any such change. It's a...

This was recorded before I was born. You probably could not make it now, but the comic genius of Peter Sellers and the acting skill of Sophia Loren works so beautifully with the music and lyrics.  

"When the 10  year government borrowing rate hit  4.38% for one day in 2022 Rachel Reeves said this crashed the economy. All  this year the 10 year rate has been higher, hitting 4.84% and now at 4.6%.  Overall debt  interest payments  are much higher, requiring cuts in spending." John Redwood today on X, formerly Twitter.

 

I do not aften agree with the present Labour administration in Downing Street. However, the response of a Downing Street today to absurd comments from the Putin regime about Britain being the "primary instigator" of global conflict are entirely correct. Russia appeared to blame Britain for starting World War Two - an utterly ridiculous suggestion as that war was begun by the Nazis with an unprovoked invasion of Poland. An invasion which the USSR had given Nazi Germany the green light to launch through the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and indeed, in which the Soviet Union subsequently joined. As a Number Ten spokesman pointed out, it was Vladimir Putin who "launched an unjustified invasion on a sovereign country" with his brutal onslaught in Ukraine.  Asked about the Russian comments, the spokesman said: “Well, it's completely farcical. "There is just one country that has launched an unjustified invasion on a sovereign country that has abducted around 19,000 chi...

 

"Deeply concerning to see the government pull funding for Tell MAMA, an organisation described as ‘invaluable’ by police in fight against extremism. A worrying sign of where we’re headed." Kevin Hollinrake MP

Being a classic soggy Anglican,  but a devout one, I don't usually talk much about my religion because it does not come naturally to try to push that religion down other people's throats. I post goodwill messages at the time of Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter but will also often post similar goodwill messages to people of other faiths who are celebrating. One phrase which was a formative influence on me actually came from the then Primate of the Catholic church in this country, the late Cardinal Bail Hume, who said that "Since we are all made in the image of God, and we are all different, everyone can tell me something about the nature of God which no-one else can." So I try to respect the views about religion of people of all faiths and none and do not often post here about religious matters. I will make an exception but posting something which appear in The Times this weekend. I was particularly fascinated by this piece by Giles Coren, describing hi...

There was a very good piece by Douglas Murray in this week's Spectator on how the MAGA (Make America Great Again) section of the Republican party turned against Ukraine. I used an extract from it as one of my Quotes of the Day on Friday, see link:  Quotes of the day 7th March 2025 . If you subscribe to the Spectator online you can find the whole thing here: The MAGA movement is wrong on Ukraine | The Spectator The whole thing is incredibly odd. For most of my life it was the right which stood for strong defence, for NATO, for standing up to dictators and supporting allies including imperfect ones if they were menaced by people who we thought were a threat to us. While it was the left who often joined CND, expected our allies to be whiter than white but made excuses for the Soviet Union (or in Jeremy Corbyn's case, for Putin) Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine was a breach of the international order so obvious and egregious that initially everyone on both sides could see i...

Rupert Lowe, who until this week was one of Reform UK's five MPs, did not mince his words on Friday about the party ... Julia Stephenson, 62, a Reform party member who campaigned for Farage in the last election, said the WhatsApp groups of party members were “buzzing with horror” over the removal of Ben Habib as co-deputy leader last summer and the suspension of the whip from Lowe on the basis of charges she considered to be “trumped up” and spiteful. From Trump whisperer to trouble – angry Reform UK MPs turn on Farage “Nobody was a bigger fan than me of Nigel Farage, but I think he has been an absolute disgrace, ” she said. “He is a disrupter, but he isn’t very good at setting things up. “Nigel just wants to run a protest party. We have no way of removing him as leader. We only have five MPs and if they can’t get along, how on earth can we run a country?

 

 

Yes, this symphony is sometimes called "Elvira Madigan" because this second movement was used in the 1967 film by that name. I don't mean to insult the film, but Mozart's timeless music will long outlast it, and I think people now remember the film because its' name was sometimes used to identify this piece rather than the other way around!  

  Polish President Donald Tusk on X, formerly Twitter, in the early hours of this morning, apparently referring to the overnight Russian attacks by the Putin regime on Ukrainian civilians which murdered at least another 14 innocent people.    Ukraine updates: Fatal Russian strikes in Donetsk, Kharkiv – DW – 03/08/2025

From both the mainstream media and sections of social media, you might get the misleading impression that Reform  UK are walking all over all the other parties in local council elections,  The real picture is a bit more complicated that that. Here, courtesy of Election Maps, are the aggregate result of the 212 Council By-Elections (for 217 Seats) Since the 2024 General Election: LAB: 74 (-35) CON: 57 (+22) LDM: 41 (=) RFM: 12 (+12) IND: 11 (=) GRN: 10 (+2) SNP: 7 (-1) PLC: 3 (=) LOC: 2 (-2) In a certain number of the seats they managed to contest, Reform UK did pull off 12 wins, all gains, mostly at Labour's expense. This is the sort of performance which usually indicates an insurgent party capable of pulling off the occasional shock win - not the performance of a party on the verge of gaining power. Labour have been doing badly, losing 35 seats, though they did win more than any other party. That was because many of these by-elections were called in previously Labour-held c...

Congratulations to Councillor Josh-Mastin Lee, the Conservative candidate who won a convincing victory in the Finchley Church End by-election for Barnet council Full results: Candidate: DONNELLY, Brendan Patrick Description: Rejoin EU London Votes: 119 Candidate: FARBEY, David Samuel Description: Green Party candidate Votes: 147 Candidate: GOLDMAN, James Description: Liberal Democrats Votes: 213 Candidate: INGRAM, Brian Description: Independent Votes: 20 Candidate: KOTEY, Beverley Description: Labour Party Votes: 977 Candidate: MASTIN-LEE, Josh Description: Conservative Party Candidate Votes: 1,509 Candidate: RUTTER, Lisa Description: Reform UK Votes: 351 Josh Mastin-Lee was duly elected as Councillor for the Finchley Church End Ward of the London Borough of Barnet.  Conservative Majority - 532