Archive | May, 2007
Long live Cheeserolling!

Long live Cheeserolling!

Tweet CRW_2945 Originally uploaded by mike warren A wonderful image of Gloucestershire cheeserolling taken by Mike Warren. During this fine annual Whitsun bank holiday tradition people from all over the world chase (roll) in pursuit of a rather large Gloucester cheeses down Coopers Hill, Gloucestershire. See more cheeserolling photos here. News stories seem more concerned [...]

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18p extra on petrol fuel duty – it's a snip for world-class rail

TweetIn the response to a recent e-petition against levels of Inheritance Tax, 10 Downing Street reasoned that if they did not have this tax in place, revenue for public spending would have to be found from elsewhere to the tune of £4 billion. That would be like adding about 18p on petrol duty. I’d pay [...]

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First Great Western (train operator) responds

TweetHere is the reply from Alison Forster, Managing Director of First Great Western to my letter of concern regarding the decimation of the services provided on the TransWilts line. The reply is dated 17 May 2007. A superb bit of verbal engineering in the second paragraph. And also note that although my concern was for [...]

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Wiltshire County Council (local transport authority) responds

TweetHere is the response to my letter of concern regarding the decimation of services on the TransWilts line from a representative of Wiltshire County Council, dated 15 May 2007. At least two other campaigners received the same reply (word for word) though from different people in the council. Dear Tehmina George Batten has asked me [...]

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Campaigning for the TransWilts Line

TweetIn December 2006, many First Great Western services in the South West were cut. This was, of course, due to franchise agreements that passenger provision would be cut by well over 7000 seats by December 2007. The new May 2007 timetable does not re-instate the decimated services on the TransWilts line that connects north and [...]

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Network Rail using prisoners as cheap labour

TweetNetwork Rail are using convicts who are still serving time to help fix the railways. Apparently they are not involved in any safety-critical work and helps rehabilitate prisoners. Union bosses say this is at the expense of industry workers as prisoners are paid less. I’m not sure what I think about this. On the one [...]

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