Sometimes our town seems a bit anonymous, but underneath the tame exterior an unrelenting cultural heart throbs.
Bag Lady eulogises about the haven for thirty-somethings that is the (legendary) After Dark club. She notes how the much-loved cultural hub could easily be missed as it is "tucked away down a short alleyway, the front door hidden from view".
She notes how the "feeling is definitely different" to other places and picks out the camaraderie and the general unpretentious nature of the atmosphere which she finds completely uplifting. Nostalgia - it's the feeling of being in a place where you belong!
Mr London Street responds with another of his exquisite 100-word prose poems about the place he lives (thanks).
Meanwhile Wendy waxes lyrical about the standard of poetry on offer at Reading's poetry cafe which can be found only a few short steps away.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Greenspin Or Whitewash?
The contentious election battle to win Park Ward gets nastier by the week as prospective candidates continue their war of words.
The recent council meeting saw ambitious Green Party activist Rob White present a petition and ask a question about the protection of Alfred Sutton Playing Fields which he claims Reading Borough Council wishes to concrete over with housing.
He makes an inspecific attack on the Labour administrations 'poor record in this area' for failing to implement a blanket protection order on all playing fields, which he says Cllr Page 'attempted to rubbish'. He says it is a 'issue of trust' that has not been helped by 'Labour councillors [...] sending out mixed and unclear messages about what would happen'.
Labour's Richard McKenzie gets angry that Mr White neglected to print the full reply to his question which describes how he
Meanwhile Labour antagonist Jane Griffiths has become sucked into the debate as she expresses her scorn for her former colleagues by 'fisking' the reply Cllr Page provided.
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NB. Park ward has been the location of a furious political battle over recent years. Long regarded as the heartland of Labour activism to the east of Reading, it is now at the junction of a four-way battle. Internal splits in the local party organisation saw growth in Green party support which enabled a Conservative councillor to sneak in.
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Previous: 'SADs', Dams And Lies In Green-field Dispute
The recent council meeting saw ambitious Green Party activist Rob White present a petition and ask a question about the protection of Alfred Sutton Playing Fields which he claims Reading Borough Council wishes to concrete over with housing.
He makes an inspecific attack on the Labour administrations 'poor record in this area' for failing to implement a blanket protection order on all playing fields, which he says Cllr Page 'attempted to rubbish'. He says it is a 'issue of trust' that has not been helped by 'Labour councillors [...] sending out mixed and unclear messages about what would happen'.
Labour's Richard McKenzie gets angry that Mr White neglected to print the full reply to his question which describes how he
"prefers to campaign on the basis of spreading false rumours and thereby raising unjustified concerns amongst the local community."Apparently the nomination of the Alfred Sutton playing fields was made by landowners TVU for consultation on, rather than RBC, and although they were included in a 2008 consultation document they have been removed from the areas under current consideration. However there is no direct protection order on them.
Meanwhile Labour antagonist Jane Griffiths has become sucked into the debate as she expresses her scorn for her former colleagues by 'fisking' the reply Cllr Page provided.
-
NB. Park ward has been the location of a furious political battle over recent years. Long regarded as the heartland of Labour activism to the east of Reading, it is now at the junction of a four-way battle. Internal splits in the local party organisation saw growth in Green party support which enabled a Conservative councillor to sneak in.
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Previous: 'SADs', Dams And Lies In Green-field Dispute
Potholes Get Political
Cyclists obviously obsess about potholes and the recent 'big freeze' has only given given them more reasons to get annoyed at the state of road maintenance in the area.
As an example a complete road closure along a cycle route is chronicled by the local print media.
Meanwhile LibDems have called for an investigation into the problem.
Cllr Benson explained how diversions cause inconvenience but the expense of damage to motor vehicles is a real issue which hits all residents in their pockets indisciminately, "Everywhere you go in Reading the evidence of the impact of the recent bad weather is staring you in the face - massive potholes."
Chair of Reading's Environment scrutiny panel Tilehurst's Cllr Ricky Duveen agreed, saying there are plenty of questions to be asked of the council about their priorities.
The issue has caused some controversy among commenters as some accused the parliamentary hopeful of wasting time 'looking into holes', while others were full of praise saying this is a direct example where public money has diverted from basic services to politically expedient luxuries.
Oranjepan asks:
As reported previously the cheaper option of making patchwork repairs is only a temporary solution which is exposed during periods of bad weather. How many temporary cures must we put up with before we start looking at the underlying problems to find lasting preventative measures?
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Update: BBC South's political correspondent Peter Henley featured the subject in his weekly slot on the Politics Show.
West Berkshire cyclist Dougie Lawson broke his wrist when he was unable to avoid a pothole, while Will Wilson argued recent bad weather was just blame shifting, saying, "the impact was so bad because of the already poor state of the surfaces".
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Background: Beneath The Surface; Filling A Gap
As an example a complete road closure along a cycle route is chronicled by the local print media.
Meanwhile LibDems have called for an investigation into the problem.
Cllr Benson explained how diversions cause inconvenience but the expense of damage to motor vehicles is a real issue which hits all residents in their pockets indisciminately, "Everywhere you go in Reading the evidence of the impact of the recent bad weather is staring you in the face - massive potholes."
Chair of Reading's Environment scrutiny panel Tilehurst's Cllr Ricky Duveen agreed, saying there are plenty of questions to be asked of the council about their priorities.
The issue has caused some controversy among commenters as some accused the parliamentary hopeful of wasting time 'looking into holes', while others were full of praise saying this is a direct example where public money has diverted from basic services to politically expedient luxuries.
Oranjepan asks:
As reported previously the cheaper option of making patchwork repairs is only a temporary solution which is exposed during periods of bad weather. How many temporary cures must we put up with before we start looking at the underlying problems to find lasting preventative measures?
-
Update: BBC South's political correspondent Peter Henley featured the subject in his weekly slot on the Politics Show.
West Berkshire cyclist Dougie Lawson broke his wrist when he was unable to avoid a pothole, while Will Wilson argued recent bad weather was just blame shifting, saying, "the impact was so bad because of the already poor state of the surfaces".
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Background: Beneath The Surface; Filling A Gap
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