Easy Target for Rubbish

Two huge plastic dustbins arrived on my front path yesterday. My house is barely three metres wide, and is in the middle of a terrace of 12 houses. I have choices: leave these monsters in the front garden, where I'll have trouble getting past them to reach the front or take them on a march to my back garden, where even getting them through the garden gate is a struggle.

All this on a day when Tesco announce yet more profit.

About 13% of everything we buy from that store (and it seems most of us do buy) is the cost of packaging. Those plastic trays, garish cardboard boxes and assorted wrappings are not there for our convenience but to allow supermarkets to put stuff on shelves so we can pick it up ourselves, carry it to the checkout, and so reduce the number of staff required. There was a time when a piece of greaseproof and a paper bag was all that was required.

That packaging has now combined with sell-by dates so we now throw away up to one third of all the food we buy.

What a waste.

Like the chewing gum spattered all over our pavements it is not the makers or sellers of this waste who are forced to pay for its removal - it is us, the buyers, who pay the cost of disposal.

Now we are to be hit twice. The council dustcart has been replaced by high-tech waste disposal merchants keener to make more profit that they are to provide a better service. Waste recovery means we all have to consider what we throw and where.

Plasterboard is the latest hidden danger, where will it end.

I live in a conservation area. This morning my street is littered with bins: three for each household, and larger houses now split into flats have front gardens that look like dalek junkyards.

Service please... I say, what's happening here. Service please. I pay my taxes, can I have some service here - or am I just a way of making money, for someone else.

Elections

It's Election Day on Thursday. Will this be a turning point for British politics? It's probable that the apathy vote will gain the majority, leaving the doors open for a swathe of mediocrity to enter and lead us for the next few years.

The European elections seem a distant reflection for most of us. The constituencies are so large they cannot be covered effectively, and the media is barely interested in talking to candidates so those that do vote will choose an appropriate colour, or will make a protest against the whole debacle.

Locally we have County Council elections. A necessity it could be argued even though the Boundary Committee are about to announce their decision, which will sweep away our present councils and require another election in the foreseeable future. Given the parlous condition of most party finances that may be another damp squib.

We have places for three elected members in Felixstowe. Two for the Coastal Division, one for Felixstowe North and Trimley. In addition there are by-elections for a vacant seat at Felixstowe South East for both Suffolk Coastal District Council and Felixstowe Town Council. The candidates there are all going for the double whammy.

Felixstowe Radio invited all candidates for interview. The Green Party, The Labour Party and The Liberal Democrats all accepted that invitation. Just two Conservatives responded: Graham Newman for Coastal and Jan Garside for the South East by-election.

The interviews revealed particular interests, although with some exceptions they also exposed a lack of knowledge, and a desire to promote specific issues that were of interest to the candidates. None seem to have canvassed or be responding to the wishes of their constituents.

In some cases the misunderstandings were worrying. Facts were distorted, significant changes about to take place were not known, and some of the suggestions ran contrary to stated party policy, and even bordered on the bizarre.

Candidates for local elections just appear. The reality suggests that there's no real choice, and so we have little clusters of friends and family members presenting themselves for election, and then it's the colour of their banner which is of primary importance not the quality of the candidate.

Add to this talentless selection a cabinet governance and it's no wonder that a refined form of dictatorship seems to exist. Candidates may insist they will follow their conscience but history suggests that they must always be of the same mind as dissension from the party line is very rare.

On Thursday we vote, then the electorate is pushed aside for a number of years and the elected representatives can strut around with their mandates. It's not democracy. It needs to be changed, and not just at national level. Our local political structures are in dire need of reform. The public are too often unaware of what's being decided in their name.

It's been suggested that community radio may help. It's also been hinted that local politicians may try to close us down if we scratch too many sores. Time will tell. For now, get out and vote on Thursday. It's your chance at democracy.

Revelations

It's unsavoury. It may be corrupt, and will probably influence the next version of the Corruption Index, which places Denmark as the least corrupt country, and Somalia the worst. At present the United Kingdom lies 16th.

It's role reversal in a way. The Tolpuddle Martyrs fought for a fair wage for a day's work, and now we see sufficient apathy amongst the populace thanks to the minimum wage legislation, television, the motor car and cheap foreign travel for that not to be a concern. Even three million unemployed will not really upset our equilibrium, as we believe it was all caused by some foreign shenanigans and we must suffer, and pay for evermore.

The stoic English peasants know their place. Deference is acceptable in the depths of rural Suffolk, Cottage doors are still left unlocked so that the local Lord and Master may step across the threshold at will. From there the peasants were forced to move to towns and cities to find degradation and filth whilst the ruling classes passed the Inclosure Acts, sharing out the spoils to create the landed gentry who still enjoy a nice little earner, from jobs for the boys, EU farm subsidies and, it now appears, from parliamentary expenses.

The allowances granted to a Member of Parliament must only be made if they allow the Member to properly carry out his parliamentary duties. It's difficult to understand how our local MP can justify £9,000 a year for such tasks as gardening and cleaning. What's more worrying is the cavalier approach to such claims. Receipts for the work that are now being produced all appear to be identical (the Daily Mail reports), and some have been lost.

As the travesty unfolds we no longer need proof that snouts have been in the gravy, instead let's reveal those stout-hearts who have not abused the system. Then we should examine their contribution to the oligarchic system we call democracy and if all looks well they should be hoisted on our shoulders and carried through the streets as latter-day heroes.

We suspect politicians are a self-seeking bunch. This week will see leaflets fluttering through doors urging us to vote for someone we've probably not heard of, let alone seen, since the last time.

True democracy has a place. The fight to achieve anything close to public involvement will be long and hard.

It'll be fun trying.

Studio nears completion

This week has seen even more progress. Walls are in place, together with wiring, walls plastered and more gear arrived, including two sofas. How do I know that sitting in sunny Lisbon? Spies are always ready to inform.

Another encouraging factor is that volunteers are steadily appearing. All sorts of volunteers, and they are all needed. Just to run a community radio station requires about 100 people. If you want to do more than run a station, and we do, then the numbers required just keep on increasing.

A radio station is much more of a community resource than just a broadcaster. Experience elsewhere has shown that it becomes a community centre and that's just what we hope will happen in Felixstowe.

There's so much happening, and most of us don't know what's available. Providing that basic information is time-consuming but invaluable.

Next week will bring more progress, and we hope to put more volunteers to work. There's plenty to do.

Shop Refit continues

Another great week.

David Bell, one of the best studio designers in the world, gave us good advice before we started work on our studios. This week he came over to check on our progress, and was extremely pleased with our progress. There are too many folk to thank, but two individuals deserve special praise: Dan and Tony. They have worked tirelessly since they started with us, and have shown us all what can be achieved by dedication and hard work.

Stuart and Eileen have been equally fantastic, and without the contacts they have made, and the details planning and hard work we would hardly have started.

During this week Cris and Barry have also been invaluable, doing all those niggling little jobs that often go unnoticed but which help to present a professional approach.

Our technical team are also busy beavering away behind the scenes. A report has been sent to OfCom detailing our transmission plans, and we now await their response.

Our sponsors and suppliers have continued to delight. Their support has been tremendous and will be recorded in the shop, our web sites and on air, in due course. They will not be forgotten.

Volunteers continue to come in to the shop, email or telephone. Eventually we will involve them all, but we'd be able to move in the shop if they all arrived at once. Given time they will play their parts.

Gratifyingly our plans to involve local schools, to provide training courses, and to encourage anyone locally are also being recognised.

We always planned that Felixstowe Radio would provide a platform for local people. That dream is now being realised.

There are great times ahead - why don't you join in?

Studio progress

We are making good progress. Our two lads, Dan and Tony, are really motoring along. Framework for doors is now in place. A skip arrived, very late, but was filled in ten minutes. It'll probably be in the way of a market stall this morning, but that can't be helped.

Michelle, our beautiful bookkeeper brought her two lovely children to see us early in the morning. then Liz (another beauty) spent some time with us, followed by Penny (a wonderful woman) seemed a little overcome by Tony and Dan.

I had lunch on the beach, resting against one of the remaining groynes, away from the northerly wind which is still edged with Arctic chill. Very enjoyable.

The afternoon was spent moving more rubbish, some from my garden, to the skip, and then to Felixstowe Recorded Music Society. It's interesting that I can go there, sit and listen (and be accused of falling asleep) to music. If I had remained at home I'd listen whilst doing something else. All I can do at FRMS is glance at Rosalie's long legs occasionally. That's OK, she's a respectable married woman and will remain that way, but she does have fantastic legs - and I've told her so (as if she didn't know).

Back home to face an invite to a drumming session on Sunday, except I'm to cook the meal! Ah well, what it is to be loved...

Studio is coming along nicely

Our team started work on the new studio today, and did they make progress!

A partition wall, and all the old units were stripped out, and a start made on constructing a new doorway. Tomorrow looks set to be another bright day. Our book-keeper, the lovely Michelle, has promised to call in early, the skip arrives to remove all the rubbish, the doorway will probably be well on the way, and Malcolm has promised to skim the rebates from the doors.

Today saw more gear arrive. We have telephones but no line - whose fault is that (OK I admit it). It's all the small things that are so important. A toilet roll holder costs money, but when it's donated - what can we say but thank you.

Holding our breath as a major building supply company is considering whether to cover our order for plasterboard and studding. Free adverts for life if that does happen! It will be magic.

Watch out for our sponsorship board in the shop. It's now getting filled up. Our solicitors, Jackaman, Smith and Mulley have been fantastic - and will not be forgotten. Thank you Mark.

Hopefully this blog will become a record of our progress - if I have to keep up with the progress the team are making.