Chris Whiteside's Blog

Thank Goodness! Traffic patterns have returned to something resembling normal in Whitehaven as the roadworks next to McDonalds have finished,

Conservatives locally in West Cumbria have been campaigning to keep services at West Cumberland Hospital and exercising our rights to say so under the terms of the consultation now under way. The Prime Minister has written to the local MP explaining what she has been advised the "success regime" think about the maternity proposals as you can read here . This does not mean that individual members of the Conservative party are required to support the "success regime" proposals where we think they are not in the interests of the area and we have no intention of doing so.  I believe I speak for the vast majority of active Conservative members in West Cumbria when I say that we have no intention of supporting any option other than Consultant-led maternity at West Cumberland Hospital or anything else which reduces the provision of safe, accessible services at WCH.

Average weekly earnings grew by 2.3% in the year to August, which compared to the inflation rate of 1% released earlier in the week suggests real incomes are rising.   Meanwhile the UK Unemployment rate held steady at a near 11-year low of 4.9% in the three months to August, figures show.   Unemployment saw a "small" rise of 10,000 to 1.66 million, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) . "These figures show that employment continued to grow over the summer and vacancies remain at high levels, suggesting continuing confidence in the economy," the statement said. ONS statistician Nick Palmer added that although there was a "small rise" in unemployment, it was accompanied by more people actively seeking work. The figures also showed the total number of people in jobs remained at a record high of 31.8 million. In the three months to August, 73.4% of women were either in work or seeking jobs, the highest rate since records bega...

The provision of 24 hour emergency care at West Cumberland Hospital was raised today at Prime Minister's Question time. The "Preferred option" recommended by the "Success Regime" is to retain that cover but there are other options which would not and it is important to send a strong message. The consultation is still open and will remain so until December - if you have not yet had your say please do so at http://www.wnecumbria.nhs.uk/

There is a consultation at the moment about proposed boundaries for parliamentary constituencies in the North West, held by the Boundary Commission for England, They have been holding hearings in Carlisle yesterday and today, which are open to the public. I went ahead to have my say. The Boundary Commission is an impartial body set up to review constituency boundaries on a regular basis defined by law to ensure that they reflect where people now live. Since 2011 it has been part of their remit to ensure that within a defined limits constituencies have the same number of  electors so that the vote of a resident of, say Barrow, is the same proportion of the electorate as a voter in, say, Witney. They have put forward new proposals for the North West which you can find and read at https://www.bce2018.org.uk/node/6487 If you have views on this you can make them known up to 5th December by responding to the consultation, which can be done using the above link...

Figures released today by  Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the Consumer Price Index for the 12 months to September has risen to one percentage point compared with 0.6% in the year to August. This is still only half of the government's inflation target, and although it is the highest figure for nearly two years it is low by recent historical standards Clothing saw its biggest price rise since 2010 and fuel, which was falling a year ago, was also more expensive. However, the ONS said there was "no explicit evidence" that the 18% drop in the pound since June 23rd was a significant factor in the higher prices seen thus far. It is probable that this will eventually feed through into higher prices for imported goods, but that does not appear to have  happened yet. The CBI, representing business, saying: "It's still too soon for sterling's recent depreciation to affect today's inflation figures, however we do expect it to push up prices thr...

Stephen Wolfe MEP, who at various stages was considered favourite in both this year's UKIP leadership elections, has resigned from the party, saying that it is " ungovernable " and comparing the party's trajectory to a " death spiral ." He write in an article for The Telegraph , that the party “lacks direction, it lacks a purpose and it lacks any semblance of professional organisation”.

After a Brexit debate of depressingly poor quality on both sides we now have a post-Brexit debate of depressingly poor quality on both sides. Where the national debate needs to centre now is what sort of relationship with the EU we want when we leave. Some people are indeed doing that, though rather too often in unhelpful terms like "hard Brexit or soft Brexit." I say this because the President of the EU Council, Donald Tusk, has said that soft Brexit is not available and he may be right. The real question is whether, regardless of how nasty some of our former partners try to be - and that's not under our control - we build a global-facing open Britain, open to people, ideas and goods from both the EU and the rest of the world, or retreat into isolationism. Other people, however, are still refighting the EU referendum campaign. It is far, far too early to judge whether either side has been proved right in the arguments they used. Of course, every sane person alr...

"The Universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship, everything has its time. And everything ends." (The late Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, from the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion")

I read with great amusement Boris's "pro-remain" draft which was described today in the Sunday Times, and had some fun noting the contrasts with things he has said since. But although there are plenty of valid reason to criticise Boris Johnson for things he said and did during the EU referendum campaign, the fact that he wrote draft newspaper articles for each side of the argument really isn't one of them. If you are trying to decide which of two courses of action is the best one, I can think of far worse ways to try to make up your mind, than to sit down and write an article putting the argument for each course of action and then decide which one you think makes the strongest case. And that is equally true if you are trying to pick the best course of action for your country, not just for yourself. Now of course, I thought his arguments for Remain for stronger than his arguments for Leave, even though I also thought they cou...

Reports from Syria suggest that DA'ESH (the so called "Islamic State" caliphate) has withdrawn it's forces from the town of Dabiq shortly before it would have fallen to a Turkish-backed rebel faction in Syria, which has now liberated the town. Because of an old prophecy based on a line in the writings of the Prophet Mohammed, to the effect that Dabiq would be the scene of a final battle between Muslim and non-Muslim in the last days of the world, DA'ESH regarded their possession of this town as very important and gave their online magazine the same name. Realising that they could not hold Dabiq, DA'ESH recently renamed their magazine. The fact that they were unable to spare the resources to hold Dabiq is an extremely encouraging indication that DA'ESH is losing the war. There is a long way to go before this death cult is deprived of all the territory they hold - and longer still before the ideology of extremism and murder is erased from men's hea...

Due to road works on the A5094 at Flatt Walks opposite MacDonalds, driving into the centre of Whitehaven on that route, or getting in or out of the Flatt Walks shopping centre by car, is absolute murder for large parts of the day at the moment, including at weekends, as the A5094 is blocked by queuing traffic, backing up in both directions. On Lowther Street traffic often backs up as far as the Library, while in the other direction Northbound traffic is often backed up as far as the Flatt Walks/Back Corkickle/Coach Road junction which can stop that junction working properly and create serious gridlock in that section of town. At rush hour the A5094 sometimes backs up as far as the junction with the A595 Loop road. There is some knock-on effect on other routes into Whitehaven such as New Road. Depending on where in the town you are trying to get to, routes which completely avoid the A5094, particularly at Flatt Walks, seem to be less ...

Written for the original version of "The Thomas Crown Affair" and first performed by Noel Harrison in that film, this has always been one of my favourite modern songs, and has been performed by too many artists to list: I really like this King's Singers version with some very clever matching graphics.

"Politics is not a 'normal' job. It is a competition for power pursued by people who are often powerless; a race for voters' affections by people who are invariably held in contempt by them; a clash of high ideals steeped in petty rivalries; a vocation devoted to shaping the future, conducted in an out-of-date setting; a game of teamwork populated by fragile egos and loners; a profession that requires calm, considered judgement, composed of individuals who are strung out and exhausted; a trade that relies on the semblance of normality, conducted according to the most peculiar traditions in the land." ( Nick Clegg , in his book "Politics: between the extremes")

Sam Dale has a good article on Labour Uncut, " Sure, let's laugh at the Republican implosion, but Labour's next " which draws some strong parallels between the probably impending electoral disaster for the Republicans thanks to Donald Trump and the chances of something similar happening to Labour under Jeremy Corbyn. And he might well be right. Trouble is, you can never take the electorate, here or on the other side of the pond, for granted. People thought that Trump had no chance of staying ahead in the republican race once it was down to two or three contenders, that the GOP would always nominate a moderate "grown up" candidate as it usually does.  But he got the nomination. And having proved most people wrong by doing that, he stayed in the race, and not far behind, after errors which would have forced most candidates to withdraw. I still don't think Trump is likely to win, even against a candidate as unpopular as Hillary Clinton. But neit...

Robert Courts , a local councillor, shown here campaigning with DC and the PM, is the Conservative candidate to succeed David Cameron as MP for Witney in the by-election on Thursday.

It's a nice piece of music, but what this particular piece from "HMS Pinafore" celebrates for me, as much of Gilbert and Sullivan's output does, is that one of the particularly British strengths is the ability to laugh at ourselves. (Even when the Aussies are the ones singing it!) You wonder what the Australian performers who were singing this thought about it: but I'm sure they appreciated that " For he is a Pommie B******" would not scan or rhyme properly ...)

I've used this quote before but it seems particularly apt in the confusing world of 2016

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the wonders of the natural world, has been badly affected by increases in ocean temperature and acidification of the oceans brought about by increased carbon in the atmosphere. In May, researchers found that more than a third of the coral in northern and central parts of the reefs was dead, and 93 per cent of individual reefs had been affected by a condition known as coral bleaching, in which higher water temperature causes the algae who live in a symbiotic relationship with the coral to release too much oxygen. Although we depend on this element, it a very reactive substance - one of the most powerful "reducing agents" known - and is poisonous to coral in excessive quantities. There is a good description of how bleaching works here . Food and travel writer Rowan Jacobsen  has written an Obituary for the Great Barrier Reef  which may, however, be at least someone premature. Certainly there is agreement among scientists that t...

Patrick McLoughlin, Chairman of the Conservative party, writes to party members as follows: Trust me - this fight matters   "A few days ago you should have received a letter from the Prime Minister, outlining her vision of a country that works for everyone. We are incredibly grateful for your support and I hope that you are behind us in the months and years ahead. In Cabinet each of us are playing our part in building a better Britain. Philip Hammond is getting on with the job of building an economy that works for everyone. Michael Fallon and Amber Rudd are continuing the vital work of keeping our nation safe, at home and abroad. And Jeremy Hunt is working hard to deliver a National Health Service that is available to patients whenever and wherever they need it.   And unlike Labour, Conservative MPs and party members are out there backing our leader all the way. But I won’t make the mistake of underestimating our opponents, and I know t...

I will be celebrating today the fact that we pass the milestone of 950 years since the Battle of Hastings, but I certainly will not be celebrating the results of that battle. As far as I'm concerned the wrong side won the Battle of Hastings, and those of his contemporaries who referred to the victor as William the Bastard were correct in more than just the strict legal sense. William was a perfect illustration of the remark supposedly made  to Alexander of Macedon by a captured pirate that he who seizes property on the sea with one ship is called a robber while he who tries to steal the whole world with a great fleet is called Emperor. The  Harrying Of The North was a particularly indefensible crime and there are plenty of other reasons to regard William as a thoroughly nasty piece of work. Of course, I am probably arguing against my own existence by saying that the wrong side won Hastings, since the vast majority of those of us of mo...

David Dimbleby: "Did you vote Leave to take your neighbour's job away?" BBCQT Audience member "No, I did it to take Emily Thornberry's job away." (from last night's BBC Question time programme, which I was unable to watch live because BBC iPlayer kept interposing pop-up menus in Welsh asking if I have paid my TV licence fee. I have, but did not know how to give this response because I don't read Welsh. As readers who have seen my post last night may have deduced, as I live several hundred miles' drive from Wales this was rather annoying!)

So why on earth is it, when I try to watch BBC iPlayer on a computer, I keep getting a pop-up menu in Welsh which blocks whatever I am trying to watch,  which I think is warning me that I need a TV license to watch BBC services. Because the menu is in Welsh, a beautiful language which I cannot read which is spoken in  a beautiful part of our United Kingdom which is hundreds of miles by road or train from where I live,  it is extremely difficult to know how to get past this ridiculous and unnecessary notice, confirm that I have paid for a license, and get through to watch the services I have paid for. Well you incompetent BBC bureaucratic idiots, I already pay a fortune for a TV licence to make my contribution to your grossly inflated and entirely undeserved salaries. Sort your systems out and stop this ridiculous harassment of your paying customers!

Today the EU Commission issued a statement saying that the  European Court of Auditors have signed off the EU's Accounts  for 2015. On the basis of the same report by the Auditors, Guido Fawkes website alleges that the EU's accounts have not been signed off for the 22nd year in a row . Surely it must be a relatively simple matter to say which of them is right and which of them is wrong?   Afraid not.   The statement from the Commission is true but to some extent misleading: the form of words used by Guido Fawkes is wrong but insofar as he is writing that the EU Auditors have raised issues with the spending of EU money for many years and did so again in 2015, that IS true, and they did find that EU expenditure in 2015 was, quote, " materially affected by error ."   A "Remainer" who tells you that the European Court of Auditors have given the EU's finances a clean bill of health and a "Leave" supporter who tells you that the ac...

    And here is another reason why I treat the proposed bill announced today by the first minister as a gigantic bluff ...