Gently lifted from Perdysha so that I can join in too!
I'm told that the BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt.
I've managed to read 12 in their entirety and part of (or part of a series of) a further 10 books.
So there :-p
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma -Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Thursday 11 November 2010
Community Empowerment
On Monday I published a document outlining my vision and ideas on giving power to the people and restructuring the machinery of government accordingly.
At 14 pages long it's a brief foray into the realms of Localism and Devolution but hopefully it's long enough to provoke some discussion on the matter.
For me, the simple truth is that a lot of people in this fair country have become dependant on the State to do their thinking for them. This has led to a vacuum where the state has had to intrude further on our lives and 'nanny' us further.
I believe that the people of this country are better than that. I believe that, given the right tools and the right knowledge, they will come forward and help shape their own community.
If this has you intrigued, please have a read of my paper. I'd be interested to know what you think too, so feel free to comment or expand on my ideas further.
Community Empowerment
At 14 pages long it's a brief foray into the realms of Localism and Devolution but hopefully it's long enough to provoke some discussion on the matter.
For me, the simple truth is that a lot of people in this fair country have become dependant on the State to do their thinking for them. This has led to a vacuum where the state has had to intrude further on our lives and 'nanny' us further.
I believe that the people of this country are better than that. I believe that, given the right tools and the right knowledge, they will come forward and help shape their own community.
If this has you intrigued, please have a read of my paper. I'd be interested to know what you think too, so feel free to comment or expand on my ideas further.
Community Empowerment
Sunday 17 October 2010
University Fees
At the risk of inadvertently starting a fight...
I don't see why some people get so wound up whenever a rise in tuition fees is announced. Not these days anyway. Back when I was student and you had to pay for the tuition up-front, I could see the point and would agree with them wholeheartedly.
But since 2006 the tuition fees (along with any student loan) have been payable after graduation, once earning above a certain amount of money and even then only paying a small percentage on the salary above that threshold.
So it follows that an increase in the amount of tuition fee will have, in itself, absolutely no consequence on the graduates' income as the amount deducted from their wages would remain constant.
Yes, the total figure "owed" will grow. But this money is not owed in the traditional sense. It has no bearing on our credit rating, it does not affect obtaining a mortgage (the salary deductions would, but the total value of the "debt" would not) and my "student debt" has not interfered with any of my activities. So to say that graduates are "crippled by debt" is, quite frankly, nonsense.
Yes, if my salary stays at its current level I'll be paying a small amount of money to the Government (via the Student Loans Company) until I retire but that is a different issue in my opinion. It certainly doesn't seem to be the point being made by some in the National Union of Students.
Now if you want to have that discussion on whether I should be paying anything at all, then lets have it. Please don't be melodramatic and say that the lives of graduates will be ruined forever though - because they won't.
I don't see why some people get so wound up whenever a rise in tuition fees is announced. Not these days anyway. Back when I was student and you had to pay for the tuition up-front, I could see the point and would agree with them wholeheartedly.
But since 2006 the tuition fees (along with any student loan) have been payable after graduation, once earning above a certain amount of money and even then only paying a small percentage on the salary above that threshold.
So it follows that an increase in the amount of tuition fee will have, in itself, absolutely no consequence on the graduates' income as the amount deducted from their wages would remain constant.
Yes, the total figure "owed" will grow. But this money is not owed in the traditional sense. It has no bearing on our credit rating, it does not affect obtaining a mortgage (the salary deductions would, but the total value of the "debt" would not) and my "student debt" has not interfered with any of my activities. So to say that graduates are "crippled by debt" is, quite frankly, nonsense.
Yes, if my salary stays at its current level I'll be paying a small amount of money to the Government (via the Student Loans Company) until I retire but that is a different issue in my opinion. It certainly doesn't seem to be the point being made by some in the National Union of Students.
Now if you want to have that discussion on whether I should be paying anything at all, then lets have it. Please don't be melodramatic and say that the lives of graduates will be ruined forever though - because they won't.
Thursday 30 September 2010
Alternative Vote Referendum
Good news that Ed Milliband (and, by extension, the Labour Party) will be backing the Yes campaign. So far so good.
Some griping about the boundary review but since Labour appear to have a built-in advantage at present then surely any reduction of bias is a good thing? I'm no expert on boundaries, but that's my current opinion.
There was a news article about the wording of the referendum question today. I can see the point that the Electoral Commission are trying to make and I think it's worth putting to some other bodies - like the Plain English Campaign - to see what they make of it.
If there is a consensus, then I don't see why the wording of the question couldn't be changed and I would hope that the government will listen and make the logical choice. Even though the media will cry "U-TURN EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT COULD SPELL DISASTER FOR COALITION" or even "WORLD TO END IN 7 DAYS SHOCKER" if ANY changes get made.
For what it's worth, I have little opinion on the exact wording. Both seem quite clear to me, with the re-wording slightly clearer. Perhaps. So I'm open to negotiation, as it were!
For the benefit of my reader, here are the two wordings. First the question as it currently stands:
Now the question as re-worded by the Electoral Commision:
Some griping about the boundary review but since Labour appear to have a built-in advantage at present then surely any reduction of bias is a good thing? I'm no expert on boundaries, but that's my current opinion.
There was a news article about the wording of the referendum question today. I can see the point that the Electoral Commission are trying to make and I think it's worth putting to some other bodies - like the Plain English Campaign - to see what they make of it.
If there is a consensus, then I don't see why the wording of the question couldn't be changed and I would hope that the government will listen and make the logical choice. Even though the media will cry "U-TURN EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT COULD SPELL DISASTER FOR COALITION" or even "WORLD TO END IN 7 DAYS SHOCKER" if ANY changes get made.
For what it's worth, I have little opinion on the exact wording. Both seem quite clear to me, with the re-wording slightly clearer. Perhaps. So I'm open to negotiation, as it were!
For the benefit of my reader, here are the two wordings. First the question as it currently stands:
Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the "alternative vote" system instead of the current 'first past the post' system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?
Now the question as re-worded by the Electoral Commision:
At present, the UK uses the 'first past the post' system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the 'alternative vote' system be used instead?
Sunday 12 September 2010
Changes
Yes, yet more features have been added by Blogger / Google and so the template for this blog needed to change again. I hope you like the changes.
Further to a previous rant of mine regarding the unfair voting system we have in this country, I wanted to publicise the work of the Take Back Parliament group.
Specifically there are the party conferences coming up and Take Back Parliament are organising various events to gather support for the 'yes campaign' in the upcoming referendum on the Alternative Vote system.
The next major event (imho) is a rally being held in Manchester at the Labour Party Conference on the 28th September. The idea being to show whoever the new leader of the Labour Party is that the people want them to stick to their promise of a referendum on the Alternative Vote and so to support the yes campaign. More details on this link.
Further to a previous rant of mine regarding the unfair voting system we have in this country, I wanted to publicise the work of the Take Back Parliament group.
Specifically there are the party conferences coming up and Take Back Parliament are organising various events to gather support for the 'yes campaign' in the upcoming referendum on the Alternative Vote system.
The next major event (imho) is a rally being held in Manchester at the Labour Party Conference on the 28th September. The idea being to show whoever the new leader of the Labour Party is that the people want them to stick to their promise of a referendum on the Alternative Vote and so to support the yes campaign. More details on this link.
Monday 23 August 2010
Iceland Part 3: Excursions.
As I said yesterday we went on 3 excursions. The Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon and the Landmannalaugar and Saga Valley tour. These were three of the so-called "must-do" trips around southern Iceland. We enjoyed the trips and took a lot of photo's (just look at the smile on Tracy's face if you don't believe me!). I doubt any description or amount of photo's will do justice to the things we saw, but I'll have a go nonetheless!
The Golden Circle or "if you get lost in an Icelandic forest, just stand up"
You read correctly - the quote is but one of the many pearls of wisdom imparted to us by our tour guide. Our distinctly Euro-sceptic tour guide. The driver on this trip looked very happy to be there - smiling most of the time he was driving. I think he may possibly have been high!
First stop was a geothermal power station where we had a little presentation, got to walk around the visitor centre and take some pics. What I didn't realise is that this power plant also supplies most of the hot water needed in Reykjavik.
Another thing I didn't realise is that the city centre has heated pavements and heated car parks. Seriously - there are hot water pipes beneath the pavements and other key public areas to save the effort of snow ploughing. Since the hot water is supplied by nature there's no worry about having to heat the water in the first place. How cool is that?!
Anyway, off we went across the lava fields (I got the impression that anywhere that wasn't mountain/volcano, glacier or lived on was a lava field) and we eventually arrived at the Gullfoss waterfall.
Wow, it was stunning. All the water, if I remember correctly, was running off a 'nearby' glacier. Words, indeed pictures, can not do this justice. It was beautiful and I managed to take a hundred photos there alone! See Flickr and YouTube for more.
After the waterfall, we went to the Geyser Park. Home to the first geyser known to academia - Geysir. It was also home to Strokkur, who erupts every 4 to 8 minutes and it was this one we went to see.
It was just a big hole in the ground with some bubbling water in it. Then, after a long wait, a big bubble came to the surface and popped. Some people were saying "is that it?" but the pro photographers knew there was more to come.
Then, a few moments later the water level dropped rapidly and up shot the geyser. Easily 20 to 30 feet into the air!
That was my first geyser experience. I was impressed.
Landmannalaugar or "on your left is a prison for white collar crime... it's full of bankers... the bankers who ruined our economy with their greed!"
Our very cheerful driver/tour guide was kind enough to take us on a couple of rants and I mean proper rants - he must have gone on for 15 minutes. I think I was the only one actually listening with interest though :-s
The rants were about the state of Iceland's economy and it was quite clear who he blamed for it. He was in the pro-Europe camp as well so you can't say we didn't get a balance of opinion over the two trips!
Anyway, to business. First stop, random waterfall. Not as impressive as Gullfoss but nice.
Then we pressed on into the highlands and even further away from civilisation. Off-roading in a minibus! Didn't know it was possible.
We stopped by a lake in the crater of a volcano. Now that was impressive. Again, in the middle of nowhere. Little sign that we were anywhere near other people.
Then we pressed on, complete with flat tyre and huge chip in the windscreen, to the Landmannalaugar camp-site. Now this, if you like camping, is the place to go! Lots of hikers and campers use this place as a hub. Not only that - but it has its own thermal pool - what more can you ask for after a day or 4 of hiking?!
Being in the area, we went on a hike too, only for a couple of hours though. Up to and across another lava field, up the mountain and to a geothermal area. Some of the hills were streaked in different colours; reds, greens, blues and oranges. Very striking.
Then while the minibus was repaired we ate lunch and took lots of random photos. Like we need an excuse to do that though ;-)
We then made our way out of the fields of Cotton Grass, across the plains of volcanic ash to a vantage point where we could see the volcano known as Hekla (the same name as our plane if you remember from earlier in this series). Though it had been quite cloudy all day, there was enough of a break in the clouds to get a half decent photo!
So that was it. We made our way home after the volcano. Okay, so we had to stop to allow a veritable armada of horses to pass. But after that, oh and removing the brick stuck between the rear tyres (using an ingenious method), we were merrily on our way.
I think you could safely say we got our money's worth! It was planned to be a 12 hour day but ended up at just over 13 hours! The driver was kind and stopped off at a service station when we were nearly back in Reykjavik so we could pick up some food for an evening meal.
The Blue Lagoon or "shit fucking holy christ"
Ah, this beautiful specimen of Anglo-Saxon came out of the mouth of a man whom I don't think was British. The accent seemed German or similar. The outburst, though really quite offensive to anyone of a Christian disposition, was almost justified.
You see, the blue lagoon (and I mean the lagoon itself) is outdoors. Okay, so that's no big revelation but picture this...
I should probably talk a little about the lagoon. We enjoyed our visit and we spent 3 or so hours bathing there. We didn't take advantage of the other stuffs such as steam rooms, massages etc. but were content and very chilled out never-the-less.
Not sure on why we had to shower before going in the lagoon though. That remains a bit of a mystery and if anyone would like to explain, then please do so.
I thought it was a good idea for the tour operators to offer people the option of stopping at the blue lagoon on the way between Keflavik (airport) and Reykjavik. After a long journey I can imagine that the lagoon and a massage would be most welcome! We didn't do this though.
As I said yesterday we went on 3 excursions. The Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon and the Landmannalaugar and Saga Valley tour. These were three of the so-called "must-do" trips around southern Iceland. We enjoyed the trips and took a lot of photo's (just look at the smile on Tracy's face if you don't believe me!). I doubt any description or amount of photo's will do justice to the things we saw, but I'll have a go nonetheless!
The Golden Circle or "if you get lost in an Icelandic forest, just stand up"
You read correctly - the quote is but one of the many pearls of wisdom imparted to us by our tour guide. Our distinctly Euro-sceptic tour guide. The driver on this trip looked very happy to be there - smiling most of the time he was driving. I think he may possibly have been high!
First stop was a geothermal power station where we had a little presentation, got to walk around the visitor centre and take some pics. What I didn't realise is that this power plant also supplies most of the hot water needed in Reykjavik.
Another thing I didn't realise is that the city centre has heated pavements and heated car parks. Seriously - there are hot water pipes beneath the pavements and other key public areas to save the effort of snow ploughing. Since the hot water is supplied by nature there's no worry about having to heat the water in the first place. How cool is that?!
Anyway, off we went across the lava fields (I got the impression that anywhere that wasn't mountain/volcano, glacier or lived on was a lava field) and we eventually arrived at the Gullfoss waterfall.
Wow, it was stunning. All the water, if I remember correctly, was running off a 'nearby' glacier. Words, indeed pictures, can not do this justice. It was beautiful and I managed to take a hundred photos there alone! See Flickr and YouTube for more.
After the waterfall, we went to the Geyser Park. Home to the first geyser known to academia - Geysir. It was also home to Strokkur, who erupts every 4 to 8 minutes and it was this one we went to see.
It was just a big hole in the ground with some bubbling water in it. Then, after a long wait, a big bubble came to the surface and popped. Some people were saying "is that it?" but the pro photographers knew there was more to come.
Then, a few moments later the water level dropped rapidly and up shot the geyser. Easily 20 to 30 feet into the air!
That was my first geyser experience. I was impressed.
Landmannalaugar or "on your left is a prison for white collar crime... it's full of bankers... the bankers who ruined our economy with their greed!"
Our very cheerful driver/tour guide was kind enough to take us on a couple of rants and I mean proper rants - he must have gone on for 15 minutes. I think I was the only one actually listening with interest though :-s
The rants were about the state of Iceland's economy and it was quite clear who he blamed for it. He was in the pro-Europe camp as well so you can't say we didn't get a balance of opinion over the two trips!
Anyway, to business. First stop, random waterfall. Not as impressive as Gullfoss but nice.
Then we pressed on into the highlands and even further away from civilisation. Off-roading in a minibus! Didn't know it was possible.
We stopped by a lake in the crater of a volcano. Now that was impressive. Again, in the middle of nowhere. Little sign that we were anywhere near other people.
Then we pressed on, complete with flat tyre and huge chip in the windscreen, to the Landmannalaugar camp-site. Now this, if you like camping, is the place to go! Lots of hikers and campers use this place as a hub. Not only that - but it has its own thermal pool - what more can you ask for after a day or 4 of hiking?!
Being in the area, we went on a hike too, only for a couple of hours though. Up to and across another lava field, up the mountain and to a geothermal area. Some of the hills were streaked in different colours; reds, greens, blues and oranges. Very striking.
Then while the minibus was repaired we ate lunch and took lots of random photos. Like we need an excuse to do that though ;-)
We then made our way out of the fields of Cotton Grass, across the plains of volcanic ash to a vantage point where we could see the volcano known as Hekla (the same name as our plane if you remember from earlier in this series). Though it had been quite cloudy all day, there was enough of a break in the clouds to get a half decent photo!
So that was it. We made our way home after the volcano. Okay, so we had to stop to allow a veritable armada of horses to pass. But after that, oh and removing the brick stuck between the rear tyres (using an ingenious method), we were merrily on our way.
I think you could safely say we got our money's worth! It was planned to be a 12 hour day but ended up at just over 13 hours! The driver was kind and stopped off at a service station when we were nearly back in Reykjavik so we could pick up some food for an evening meal.
The Blue Lagoon or "shit fucking holy christ"
Ah, this beautiful specimen of Anglo-Saxon came out of the mouth of a man whom I don't think was British. The accent seemed German or similar. The outburst, though really quite offensive to anyone of a Christian disposition, was almost justified.
You see, the blue lagoon (and I mean the lagoon itself) is outdoors. Okay, so that's no big revelation but picture this...
You're in the lagoon. You've been in there some time. Salty, opaque, slightly blue water surrounds you at an ambient temperature of between 30 and 38 degrees Celsius (that's 86 to 100 Fahrenheit for you old skoolers). It's a pleasurable experience. The water isn't that deep so you're crouching to neck level in the warm soothing blanket that is the water.The swearing guy in this story had to wait in the wind and the rain. As he almost forced his way through the door, that is when he made his little outburst. So you see - justifiable. Well, aside from the blasphemy.
Above you it's started raining. The air temperature is around the 14 degrees Celsius mark (57 Fahrenheit) but with your body immersed in the lagoon and your head so close to the warm water, the rain is merely a refreshing spray on your face.
Then you need to go into the main building. Perhaps you want something to eat, need the toilet or are going for a massage. Maybe you just want to get something from your locker?
So you make your way to the exit of the pool - some steps at one end of the lagoon.
You stand up to go up the steps.
Most of your body is now out of the water and, crucially, above that layer of warm air hugging the surface. The cold air and the colder rain assaults your warm flesh and you look up to see that the door into the main building is still another 7 metres (21 feet) away.
You climb the stairs and start making your way along the path to the door. You feel the cold air against your skin and for the first time notice that it's really quite windy. The wind in Iceland is chilly at the best of times.
So you make your way along the path, trying to tread quickly but carefully so as not to slip, gusts of icy wind blow cold raindrops onto your already shivering form. That door isn't getting closer fast enough and it seems to be taking ages to get there.
And then you see someone about to come out of the building and there's only the one door. What do you do? Do you throw open the heavy and slow moving door and thrust yourself into the warm interior or do you stand and wait for the others to come out?
I should probably talk a little about the lagoon. We enjoyed our visit and we spent 3 or so hours bathing there. We didn't take advantage of the other stuffs such as steam rooms, massages etc. but were content and very chilled out never-the-less.
Not sure on why we had to shower before going in the lagoon though. That remains a bit of a mystery and if anyone would like to explain, then please do so.
I thought it was a good idea for the tour operators to offer people the option of stopping at the blue lagoon on the way between Keflavik (airport) and Reykjavik. After a long journey I can imagine that the lagoon and a massage would be most welcome! We didn't do this though.
~ In Conclusion ~
We had a great holiday to Iceland and really enjoyed exploring the country and seeing the dramatic scenery first hand. I think we'll definitely be going there again. I'd be happy to return to Reykjavik but I'd also like to visit the north of the country. Which would mean getting to Akureyri but that's not that big a problem. Well, not in the summer!
Thanks for reading this account of our holiday and I hope it has been interesting and possibly even helpful. So until the next post, take care all :-D
Thanks for reading this account of our holiday and I hope it has been interesting and possibly even helpful. So until the next post, take care all :-D
Sunday 22 August 2010
Iceland Part 2: Hotel and the Journey.
We stayed at Hotel Frón which is in the centre of Reykjavik on the main shopping street, Laugavegur. It was excellently located for everything we wanted to do (excursions, food, visiting attractions etc.) and I would recommend it.
It wasn't perfect - the breakfast area used the hotel restaurant which wasn't big enough for all the hotel guests to use at once so breakfast times tended to get a bit crowded. We managed to get a seat every day but on a couple of occasions we did have to wait a while. In fact, on one occasion we were sat with a random French family.
The hotel restaurant was a Mexican restaurant and served good, traditional Mexican food. Though we only ate there once it was always our backup if we couldn't find a place to eat elsewhere and we could have happily ate there more.
Most (if not all) the fittings in the hotel room were from Ikea. I suppose that, in a Scandinavian country it is to be expected! It was the same In Denmark if I remember correctly.
The room was decent. It was okay for sleeping in but you couldn't otherwise relax in there. We had twin beds instead of a double which was a slight nuisance and only one pillow each - though I'm sure if we had asked we would've been given more.
The staff at the hotel were friendly and spoke good English. In fact, that could be said of most of the Icelanders we met. At a lot of hotels in the city you could book excursions from multiple tour operators and, depending on hotel and operator, you got picked up and dropped off at the hotel.
You could also book excursions from the many tourist information centres dotted around the centre but for the sake of simplicity we stuck to the one company - Reykjavik Excursions (RE). I think they were the biggest of the operators and provided the largest language selection for their tours. Though cheaper options existed.
We were pleased with the tours we went on with RE. We went on the customary Golden Circle tour, Landmannalaugar and Saga Valley tour, a trip to the Blue Lagoon and used their Flybus service to and from the airport.
We had planned on going on the Super Jeep tour which would have taken us (as close as was safe) to the latest volcanic action to witness the "devastating" and "ferocious" after-effects first hand. Sadly this got cancelled due to bad weather. Apparently, and I may have mis-overheard someone, you could still hear/feel the glacier settling back after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
More on the excursions tomorrow though, right now I want to focus on the journey to and from Iceland and our accommodation.
As I mentioned above, we used the Flybus service (a coach provided by RE) to get between our hotel and the airport. Some people took a taxi, some used other coaches, some rented a car. Either way, if you're flying to Iceland from abroad then you are going to need a way of getting from the international airport in Keflavík to Reykjavik. It's a 40 minute journey by road, when the weather's good!
Keflavík airport was very nice actually. Easy to navigate, not overcrowded. The opposite of Heathrow then - but I suppose this is another thing you have to expect!
We flew with Icelandair who provided us a decent Boeing 757-200 (with Rolls Royce engines) called Hekla. Hekla being one of the most famous volcanoes in Iceland. Coincidentally, we had the exact same plane on the flight back to London as well! I don't think you can say that very often.
Even though we were the lowest of the low (i.e. in economy class) we still got treated okay. We got a complimentary can of pop and if you had your own headphones then you could take advantage of the in-flight entertainment system (a touch screen TV embedded in the backs of the chairs) that provided films, TV shows, music and more. The prices of food (and headphones) weren't that expensive and the food was almost nice!
We used the self-service check-in machine at Keflavík, which was a novel experience. So instead of queuing we just checked in, printed off and attached our luggage tags and boarding card, then went to the queue-free baggage drop desk to have our luggage taken to the plane and that was it! It felt so quick and simple.
Both times I had to go through Security I got angry at the invasion of my civil liberties but at least I didn't have to go through the body scanner thing at Heathrow. You know, that thing that strips you naked so's the security people can check to see whether you're secreting a weapon. Sorry, not a 'traditional' weapon, one of the things that has already been used as a weapon and so a knee-jerk response had been made to ban all items like that.
Sorry, but overly-zealous misdirected airport security really hacks me off and I could rant for hours on how annoyed it makes me but I shall spare you that displeasure and move swiftly on to the journey home.
I decided that we would break up the journey home so as we were only travelling at a 'civilised' time of day. That meant we had an overnight stay in a hotel near Heathrow. Specifically Travelodge Terminal 5 and I would like to say a few things about it.
Firstly we had to get from terminal 1 to terminal 5. There was a free train - the Heathrow Express. It was nice. It looked like a lot of money had been spent on the London to Heathrow link and on terminal 5 itself.
A quick bus ride out to the hotel and then we had self-service check-in. A woman was on hand to help anyone unfamiliar with the technology and if she saw you pausing (if only to read what was on the screen) she would start telling you to "just press next".
Room was nice though. Breakfast was a little disappointing. Plenty of food, and a cooked breakfast after a week of bread and meat was nice but it wasn't good quality food. Filled a hole but nothing special.
And that was it, we were home. On the bus from the coach station (oh yes, we got the coach between Birmingham and Heathrow) back to home I got a bit down. Parts of Brum can only be described as a shit hole - and even then that's just me being polite. But once I got back and had my own creature comforts around me I was happy again after a fantastic holiday.
So that's the end of part 2. All that's left to share is the excursions we went on so come back tomorrow for the final instalment!
We stayed at Hotel Frón which is in the centre of Reykjavik on the main shopping street, Laugavegur. It was excellently located for everything we wanted to do (excursions, food, visiting attractions etc.) and I would recommend it.
It wasn't perfect - the breakfast area used the hotel restaurant which wasn't big enough for all the hotel guests to use at once so breakfast times tended to get a bit crowded. We managed to get a seat every day but on a couple of occasions we did have to wait a while. In fact, on one occasion we were sat with a random French family.
The hotel restaurant was a Mexican restaurant and served good, traditional Mexican food. Though we only ate there once it was always our backup if we couldn't find a place to eat elsewhere and we could have happily ate there more.
Most (if not all) the fittings in the hotel room were from Ikea. I suppose that, in a Scandinavian country it is to be expected! It was the same In Denmark if I remember correctly.
The room was decent. It was okay for sleeping in but you couldn't otherwise relax in there. We had twin beds instead of a double which was a slight nuisance and only one pillow each - though I'm sure if we had asked we would've been given more.
The staff at the hotel were friendly and spoke good English. In fact, that could be said of most of the Icelanders we met. At a lot of hotels in the city you could book excursions from multiple tour operators and, depending on hotel and operator, you got picked up and dropped off at the hotel.
You could also book excursions from the many tourist information centres dotted around the centre but for the sake of simplicity we stuck to the one company - Reykjavik Excursions (RE). I think they were the biggest of the operators and provided the largest language selection for their tours. Though cheaper options existed.
We were pleased with the tours we went on with RE. We went on the customary Golden Circle tour, Landmannalaugar and Saga Valley tour, a trip to the Blue Lagoon and used their Flybus service to and from the airport.
We had planned on going on the Super Jeep tour which would have taken us (as close as was safe) to the latest volcanic action to witness the "devastating" and "ferocious" after-effects first hand. Sadly this got cancelled due to bad weather. Apparently, and I may have mis-overheard someone, you could still hear/feel the glacier settling back after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
More on the excursions tomorrow though, right now I want to focus on the journey to and from Iceland and our accommodation.
As I mentioned above, we used the Flybus service (a coach provided by RE) to get between our hotel and the airport. Some people took a taxi, some used other coaches, some rented a car. Either way, if you're flying to Iceland from abroad then you are going to need a way of getting from the international airport in Keflavík to Reykjavik. It's a 40 minute journey by road, when the weather's good!
Keflavík airport was very nice actually. Easy to navigate, not overcrowded. The opposite of Heathrow then - but I suppose this is another thing you have to expect!
We flew with Icelandair who provided us a decent Boeing 757-200 (with Rolls Royce engines) called Hekla. Hekla being one of the most famous volcanoes in Iceland. Coincidentally, we had the exact same plane on the flight back to London as well! I don't think you can say that very often.
Even though we were the lowest of the low (i.e. in economy class) we still got treated okay. We got a complimentary can of pop and if you had your own headphones then you could take advantage of the in-flight entertainment system (a touch screen TV embedded in the backs of the chairs) that provided films, TV shows, music and more. The prices of food (and headphones) weren't that expensive and the food was almost nice!
We used the self-service check-in machine at Keflavík, which was a novel experience. So instead of queuing we just checked in, printed off and attached our luggage tags and boarding card, then went to the queue-free baggage drop desk to have our luggage taken to the plane and that was it! It felt so quick and simple.
Both times I had to go through Security I got angry at the invasion of my civil liberties but at least I didn't have to go through the body scanner thing at Heathrow. You know, that thing that strips you naked so's the security people can check to see whether you're secreting a weapon. Sorry, not a 'traditional' weapon, one of the things that has already been used as a weapon and so a knee-jerk response had been made to ban all items like that.
Sorry, but overly-zealous misdirected airport security really hacks me off and I could rant for hours on how annoyed it makes me but I shall spare you that displeasure and move swiftly on to the journey home.
I decided that we would break up the journey home so as we were only travelling at a 'civilised' time of day. That meant we had an overnight stay in a hotel near Heathrow. Specifically Travelodge Terminal 5 and I would like to say a few things about it.
Firstly we had to get from terminal 1 to terminal 5. There was a free train - the Heathrow Express. It was nice. It looked like a lot of money had been spent on the London to Heathrow link and on terminal 5 itself.
A quick bus ride out to the hotel and then we had self-service check-in. A woman was on hand to help anyone unfamiliar with the technology and if she saw you pausing (if only to read what was on the screen) she would start telling you to "just press next".
Room was nice though. Breakfast was a little disappointing. Plenty of food, and a cooked breakfast after a week of bread and meat was nice but it wasn't good quality food. Filled a hole but nothing special.
And that was it, we were home. On the bus from the coach station (oh yes, we got the coach between Birmingham and Heathrow) back to home I got a bit down. Parts of Brum can only be described as a shit hole - and even then that's just me being polite. But once I got back and had my own creature comforts around me I was happy again after a fantastic holiday.
*****************************
So that's the end of part 2. All that's left to share is the excursions we went on so come back tomorrow for the final instalment!
Saturday 21 August 2010
Iceland.
In a previous post I talked about the trip to Iceland we had planned. Well, thankfully, Katla didn't erupt and we have been to Iceland and have now safely returned. This past week I've been busy sorting out the 600 or so photo's and the video's for presenting to your good selves.
We've decided to create a photo-book (a good idea from Sharon that I've shamelessly copied) but it's taken a lot longer than expected to create. It's more or less finished now (just awaiting finishing touches) so I'm free to write this blog entry and update Flickr, Facebook and YouTube.
Why do I give myself so much to do?!
To minimise the amount of writing that you, my long suffering reader, has to wade through, I have decided to serialise the report and release the entries on a daily basis.
For the longer excursions I wore hiking trousers. They were expensive but they were comfortable, kept the wind out and they dried quickly so I reckon they were worth it.
It was warm in the sunshine but if you got yourself in front of the unobstructed wind or if the sun went in the temperature dropped rapidly. So I nearly always wore a coat when out and about. I also kept a spare pair of socks with me and some extra layers to wear if I got cold.
Reykjavik itself seemed to cater very well for tourists as long as you were in the city centre - which is where most of the restaurants and bars were. Worthy of note is that most of the shops and attractions don't open until between 10am and 11am. There'll be cafe's, tourist information shops and hairdressers open but not a right lot else. So unless you're going on an excursion you don't need to be getting up at silly o'clock.
In total we spent 3 days wandering around the city centre visiting various museums, galleries and parks/gardens. We found getting around quite easy even with a pretty low resolution map from some tourist booklet.
The sightseeing highlights for me were the National Museum, the Settlement Museum and the Hallgrímskirkja. We ate well in Reykjavik even if it was a little on the expensive side. All these places, and more, are detailed below:
The layout of the settlement exhibition got quite confusing at times - even with a map that showed the order you were supposed to view the exhibits! But apart from the wondering around like a lost chicken, it was a very informative and interesting day.
There was some clever interactivity in the museum and being able to get right next to the long house was great. Well worth a visit but will only take a couple of hours to get through.
The parish church of Reykjavik, on top of a hill and so visible across the city, was interesting in an architectural sort of way. It has a fairly original style and made for some good photo's. You could also go up to the top of the tower to see unobstructed views across the city.
There is a lift up to the top of the tower and the owners had changed the sign stating the lift capacity was 8 people to 6 people. Some Canadians next to us commented that that must mean the lift would manage 8 normal people or 6 Americans!
The Culture House
We also visited the Culture House which had an exhibition of medieval manuscripts. It was interesting enough, but I wouldn't go out of your way to visit it if you get what I mean.
I would now like to present my top 3 restaurants. If, when you go, it is anywhere near as good as when we went then you won't be disappointed!
That's it for part 1, come back tomorrow for part 2!
In a previous post I talked about the trip to Iceland we had planned. Well, thankfully, Katla didn't erupt and we have been to Iceland and have now safely returned. This past week I've been busy sorting out the 600 or so photo's and the video's for presenting to your good selves.
We've decided to create a photo-book (a good idea from Sharon that I've shamelessly copied) but it's taken a lot longer than expected to create. It's more or less finished now (just awaiting finishing touches) so I'm free to write this blog entry and update Flickr, Facebook and YouTube.
Why do I give myself so much to do?!
To minimise the amount of writing that you, my long suffering reader, has to wade through, I have decided to serialise the report and release the entries on a daily basis.
Part 1: Iceland and Reykjavik
We expected it to be cold but prepared for all weathers. This meant stealing some proper suitcases from my parents [thanks guys] and buying some more clothes. We really weren't sure what sort of clothes were required and I wish to state (because I couldn't find it written down anywhere else) that you won't look out of place wearing denim jeans. If it rains, you'll feel bloody uncomfortable but you won't be the only one.For the longer excursions I wore hiking trousers. They were expensive but they were comfortable, kept the wind out and they dried quickly so I reckon they were worth it.
It was warm in the sunshine but if you got yourself in front of the unobstructed wind or if the sun went in the temperature dropped rapidly. So I nearly always wore a coat when out and about. I also kept a spare pair of socks with me and some extra layers to wear if I got cold.
Reykjavik itself seemed to cater very well for tourists as long as you were in the city centre - which is where most of the restaurants and bars were. Worthy of note is that most of the shops and attractions don't open until between 10am and 11am. There'll be cafe's, tourist information shops and hairdressers open but not a right lot else. So unless you're going on an excursion you don't need to be getting up at silly o'clock.
In total we spent 3 days wandering around the city centre visiting various museums, galleries and parks/gardens. We found getting around quite easy even with a pretty low resolution map from some tourist booklet.
The sightseeing highlights for me were the National Museum, the Settlement Museum and the Hallgrímskirkja. We ate well in Reykjavik even if it was a little on the expensive side. All these places, and more, are detailed below:
The National Museum
The main exhibition at the museum was the history of Iceland from the time of settlement to the present day and was spread over two large floors. There were other exhibitions but we didn't have enough time to look at everything in the settlement exhibition, let alone the rest of the building! Entry is free on Wednesdays but if you want a proper look round you'll need more than one day.The layout of the settlement exhibition got quite confusing at times - even with a map that showed the order you were supposed to view the exhibits! But apart from the wondering around like a lost chicken, it was a very informative and interesting day.
The Settlement Museum
This museum dealt specifically with the settlement of Reykjavik. The main feature was an excavated (and preserved) long house. Next to the long house though, were the remains of a wall which dated to around 871AD - making it the earliest known evidence of human settlement in Iceland.
There was some clever interactivity in the museum and being able to get right next to the long house was great. Well worth a visit but will only take a couple of hours to get through.
Hallgrímskirkja
There is a lift up to the top of the tower and the owners had changed the sign stating the lift capacity was 8 people to 6 people. Some Canadians next to us commented that that must mean the lift would manage 8 normal people or 6 Americans!
The Culture House
We also visited the Culture House which had an exhibition of medieval manuscripts. It was interesting enough, but I wouldn't go out of your way to visit it if you get what I mean.
Food
Well, there was no shortage of restaurants around our hotel. Some looked a bit scabby and some looked really fancy. We stuck to the middle ground (being adorned in merely smart casual clothage) but still had some fantastic food. It can get a bit pricey over there so a good tip is to go to a supermarket outside the city centre to stock up on lunches - especially if going on all day excursions.
I would now like to present my top 3 restaurants. If, when you go, it is anywhere near as good as when we went then you won't be disappointed!
- Thai Reykjavik
Fantastic meal, not too expensive either. Excellent service and decent beer! You have to go to this place, seriously!
Located on Lækjargata, closer to the lake than to the harbour. Map - Geysir Bistro and Bar
We had lunch here and the food was gorgeous. Again excellent service and a reasonable price. Well worth a visit if you're down by the art gallery. Location map is on their website (the green dot). - Rossopomodoro
An Italian restaurant where we got forgotten about so I wouldn't say the service was good and it was the most expensive meal we had. That said, the food was very nice and largely made up for the negatives. Map.
**********************
That's it for part 1, come back tomorrow for part 2!
Sunday 25 July 2010
Gloucester.
Back during the World Cup, while England were still in it, me and Tracy went down to Gloucester for the weekend and I've been meaning to write a bit of a review, as is my custom.
We stayed at a hotel called The New Inn. It was a 15th century inn built to house pilgrims to the Cathedral (and quite probably King Edward II's shrine). So, given the history, we had no choice but to stay there!
Sadly though, I have to give our stay there an average rating. Even though it was a 4 star hotel, the place felt a bit jaded. As if it was great a few years ago but that the odd thing here and there had been allowed to slip.
Now don't get me wrong, it was a comfortable stay (despite noise from pigeons and seagulls but there's not a lot that can be done about them!) and the bars were good. Breakfast was served in a buffet style and was okay, though I would question the wisdom of letting scrambled egg stand around on a hot plate.
We went around some of the many MANY tourist locations - there was no shortage of things to do! Gloucester Cathedral is well worth a visit. For me, who likes his early English history, there was a lot to read and learn about. There were a few activities for kids too surprisingly.
We went to the City Museum & Art Gallery which was also well worth the visit (and free). They were celebrating their 150th birthday when we were there and again, had lots of activities for kids to try.
We didn't get to go to the folk museum unfortunately but it looked good from the outside.
We went to the local cinema to see Death at a Funeral. I really struggled to find the film entertaining or engrossing. I found myself day dreaming and getting restless. I don't think Americans can do 'farce'.
The city itself was easy to get around - we never really got lost. It was a very nice few days and I'd recommend a visit to Gloucester - but stay more than a few days and don't expect many things to be open on a Sunday.
Back during the World Cup, while England were still in it, me and Tracy went down to Gloucester for the weekend and I've been meaning to write a bit of a review, as is my custom.
We stayed at a hotel called The New Inn. It was a 15th century inn built to house pilgrims to the Cathedral (and quite probably King Edward II's shrine). So, given the history, we had no choice but to stay there!
Sadly though, I have to give our stay there an average rating. Even though it was a 4 star hotel, the place felt a bit jaded. As if it was great a few years ago but that the odd thing here and there had been allowed to slip.
Now don't get me wrong, it was a comfortable stay (despite noise from pigeons and seagulls but there's not a lot that can be done about them!) and the bars were good. Breakfast was served in a buffet style and was okay, though I would question the wisdom of letting scrambled egg stand around on a hot plate.
We went around some of the many MANY tourist locations - there was no shortage of things to do! Gloucester Cathedral is well worth a visit. For me, who likes his early English history, there was a lot to read and learn about. There were a few activities for kids too surprisingly.
We went to the City Museum & Art Gallery which was also well worth the visit (and free). They were celebrating their 150th birthday when we were there and again, had lots of activities for kids to try.
We didn't get to go to the folk museum unfortunately but it looked good from the outside.
We went to the local cinema to see Death at a Funeral. I really struggled to find the film entertaining or engrossing. I found myself day dreaming and getting restless. I don't think Americans can do 'farce'.
The city itself was easy to get around - we never really got lost. It was a very nice few days and I'd recommend a visit to Gloucester - but stay more than a few days and don't expect many things to be open on a Sunday.
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Budget 2010.
Please note that this post refers to the text in the Budget document. You can get a copy here. Having that document open alongside this will help put my comments into context although the post is perfectly readable without it.
I fear that the Lib Dems will be disappointed with this budget. Not against it, just a bit miffed that there is only lip-service to some of the key policies that were carried through to the coalition agreement. Paragraph 1.96, regarding the modest (possibly pointless) increase in Capital Gains Tax, is (for me) a good example. That said though, there is a lot of deregulation [Paras 1.65 and 1.66] that I think will cheer them up. It certainly pleases me (though I may regret saying that!).
The decisions that relate directly to the existence (or otherwise) of public sector jobs have been put to a spending review [Para 1.38 - 1.39]. Hopefully, with the various interested parties on-board, a deal can be reached to save money while protecting as many jobs as are necessary. I would hope that, where jobs do need to go, that a little extra help is given to those people to find work. It seems fair to me that if you're sacking someone for no other reason than you can't afford to keep them, that you help them out in some way (especially if extra help can lessen the potentially massive redundancy-pay bill as part of a wider redundancy package).
To my inexperienced eyes there are a couple of interesting overtones in this budget.
Firstly, the treating of the Royal finances like that of any other government department. This, to me, implies that the government sees The Queen as an extension of it, rather than the other way round. This may have been the case before (formally, not informally) but I hadn't noticed until today. See paragraph 2.173 for details. Seems fair to me as long as there are no privacy issues (and I don't foresee any).
Secondly, there seems to be increasing recognition of England as a distinct entity - is this a prelude to action on the West Lothian Question? I cite paragraph 1.87 (a growth fund solely for England) as my flimsy shred of evidence.
I think it's good to see that the Fuel-Stabiliser idea is still being considered [para 1.121] but I would like to see more action taken against the investment banks. You know, the ones that helped get us into this mess. So I'd like to see more than just a bank levy [para 1.63]. I'd like to see state owned banks being forced to lend; which is far more than the budget proposes in paragraph 1.78 but at least it's something.
Please note that this post refers to the text in the Budget document. You can get a copy here. Having that document open alongside this will help put my comments into context although the post is perfectly readable without it.
~ Initial Reaction ~
The first budget of the coalition government has arrived and my initial reaction is one of cautious optimism. Without going through every single policy decision it seems to me that business (especially new businesses) have been well catered for while looking after the poorest in society also seems to have been allowed for despite some significant cutbacks.I fear that the Lib Dems will be disappointed with this budget. Not against it, just a bit miffed that there is only lip-service to some of the key policies that were carried through to the coalition agreement. Paragraph 1.96, regarding the modest (possibly pointless) increase in Capital Gains Tax, is (for me) a good example. That said though, there is a lot of deregulation [Paras 1.65 and 1.66] that I think will cheer them up. It certainly pleases me (though I may regret saying that!).
~ Closer Inspection ~
The decisions that relate directly to the existence (or otherwise) of public sector jobs have been put to a spending review [Para 1.38 - 1.39]. Hopefully, with the various interested parties on-board, a deal can be reached to save money while protecting as many jobs as are necessary. I would hope that, where jobs do need to go, that a little extra help is given to those people to find work. It seems fair to me that if you're sacking someone for no other reason than you can't afford to keep them, that you help them out in some way (especially if extra help can lessen the potentially massive redundancy-pay bill as part of a wider redundancy package).
To my inexperienced eyes there are a couple of interesting overtones in this budget.
Firstly, the treating of the Royal finances like that of any other government department. This, to me, implies that the government sees The Queen as an extension of it, rather than the other way round. This may have been the case before (formally, not informally) but I hadn't noticed until today. See paragraph 2.173 for details. Seems fair to me as long as there are no privacy issues (and I don't foresee any).
Secondly, there seems to be increasing recognition of England as a distinct entity - is this a prelude to action on the West Lothian Question? I cite paragraph 1.87 (a growth fund solely for England) as my flimsy shred of evidence.
I think it's good to see that the Fuel-Stabiliser idea is still being considered [para 1.121] but I would like to see more action taken against the investment banks. You know, the ones that helped get us into this mess. So I'd like to see more than just a bank levy [para 1.63]. I'd like to see state owned banks being forced to lend; which is far more than the budget proposes in paragraph 1.78 but at least it's something.
~ In Conclusion ~
Thank you to the government for producing a budget document that I could actually read and understand without my head feeling like it wanted to explode!!! Though some of the graphs and data may possibly be regarded as 'spin' the overall theme is that the poorest in this country will have to pay a lot less than the richest. Which is a good thing in my opinion.
However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and, as some commentators have said, there is a gamble here. The private sector needs to grow and confidence needs to return to the markets. Lets hope it happens.
Thank you to the government for producing a budget document that I could actually read and understand without my head feeling like it wanted to explode!!! Though some of the graphs and data may possibly be regarded as 'spin' the overall theme is that the poorest in this country will have to pay a lot less than the richest. Which is a good thing in my opinion.
However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and, as some commentators have said, there is a gamble here. The private sector needs to grow and confidence needs to return to the markets. Lets hope it happens.
Monday 21 June 2010
An Appeal for Calm.
There's a lot of posturing ahead of tomorrow's Budget (mainly unions and other NIMBY's). There's a lot of speculation too. Then there's the Labour party getting wound up at the speculation and just generally shit stirring.
So I would like to ask everyone to please take a deep breath, relax, and wait for 12:30 tomorrow before going off on one.
Thank you.
There's a lot of posturing ahead of tomorrow's Budget (mainly unions and other NIMBY's). There's a lot of speculation too. Then there's the Labour party getting wound up at the speculation and just generally shit stirring.
So I would like to ask everyone to please take a deep breath, relax, and wait for 12:30 tomorrow before going off on one.
Thank you.
Monday 17 May 2010
Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull and Holiday Planning.
As some may know, we currently have a holiday to Iceland booked for later this year. We planned it before this latest demonstration of the striking and munificent power of nature.
We thought that it would be wise to cancel our bookings but we soon ran into a problem with the tickets for the flights to/from Iceland. Notably that we can't. We could if we'd paid for insurance and one of us had died or if we'd paid for insurance and one (or more) of us was dismembered in a manner that meant a doctor would be willing to certify that travel was inadvisable.
But not simply because the chances of actually getting to the advertised location are seeming increasingly slim.
Now I could accept a deadline for cancelling air travel with, presumably, a decreasing scale of repayment depending on how close to departure you are. This would give the airline (under normal conditions) plenty of time to flog the tickets to someone else. Besides, they'd be charging more for the tickets anyway. What's the problem with doing things like that?
So now we have to sit and wait. Maybe the eruption will end, maybe Katla will go nova and mask the skies of northern Europe; thus depriving us all of sunshine for a few months. But at least, if the flight is cancelled, we will have the option of a full refund. Even if we have to go all the way to London and back for no reason. And pay for a days stay at two hotels.
But it's ok - we can go somewhere else instead. I'll just send the invoices directly to the airline.
Are there any 'fairer' airlines out there? None of the ones to Iceland allow refunds unless the company cancels the flight.
Hopefully this will be much ado about nothing.
As some may know, we currently have a holiday to Iceland booked for later this year. We planned it before this latest demonstration of the striking and munificent power of nature.
We thought that it would be wise to cancel our bookings but we soon ran into a problem with the tickets for the flights to/from Iceland. Notably that we can't. We could if we'd paid for insurance and one of us had died or if we'd paid for insurance and one (or more) of us was dismembered in a manner that meant a doctor would be willing to certify that travel was inadvisable.
But not simply because the chances of actually getting to the advertised location are seeming increasingly slim.
Now I could accept a deadline for cancelling air travel with, presumably, a decreasing scale of repayment depending on how close to departure you are. This would give the airline (under normal conditions) plenty of time to flog the tickets to someone else. Besides, they'd be charging more for the tickets anyway. What's the problem with doing things like that?
So now we have to sit and wait. Maybe the eruption will end, maybe Katla will go nova and mask the skies of northern Europe; thus depriving us all of sunshine for a few months. But at least, if the flight is cancelled, we will have the option of a full refund. Even if we have to go all the way to London and back for no reason. And pay for a days stay at two hotels.
But it's ok - we can go somewhere else instead. I'll just send the invoices directly to the airline.
Are there any 'fairer' airlines out there? None of the ones to Iceland allow refunds unless the company cancels the flight.
Hopefully this will be much ado about nothing.
Thursday 15 April 2010
On The General Election and Voter Apathy.
Let me get one thing straight - I am glad we live in a democracy and so have a chance to have our say on matters. I just think it could be better. Allow me to explain...
We appear to have an electorate who do not feel that there is any point to voting. Why is this? Some would say that it is because the ideological differences between the main political parties is small and so there is no real choice. Others may say that no politician (or prospective politician) has any intention of serving the interests of the populace and therefore they have nobody to vote for.
While there may be strands of truth in the above, I believe the media has a lot to answer for. For me, it all comes down to a simple observation that could be made by a lot of people.
As we approach 6th May, the opinion polls are, increasingly, being reported daily with every fluctuation and variation being analysed and the election result being extrapolated. Is this really necessary? I think it's doing harm to our democracy because, for the people who haven't taken part in the opinion polls (i.e. most of the populace), is not the following thought a logical conclusion?
This brings me to my next point. Surely the idea of a 'safe seat' only adds to making people feel like there is no point in voting since their existing candidate (or party) is "guaranteed" to be re-elected. Add to the mix how very little campaigning is carried out in safe areas and you surely have yourself a circular situation where only a few people vote (the 'regulars' who probably always vote the same way anyway) and little effort made to change this situation through campaigning. So of course the result is going to stay the same!
As a quick aside I'm glad the internet is making it easier to keep track of what work an MP is undertaking on behalf of their constituency and our country as a whole. So while it is easier to hold your MP to account it is still disappointing to me that the only time you see any campaigning is in marginal seats at election time.
It does annoy me when people vote habitually and not for any thought-out reason. Saying "I vote for Labour because I'm working class" (or the other way around for the Tories) is nonsense these days. For a time, yes, this was true but I don't think that being of a certain social class has to inevitably lead to you voting for a particular party anymore. Besides, in our current voting system I believe we are meant to elect our best representative and not necessarily a political party. Not that I believe in a two party political system - but I'll come back to this later.
So in theory at least, the MP for a constituency is supposed to represent the people of their area at a national and international level. I believe that their political allegiance should be used only as a shorthand to gauge a candidates ideology but that they should, primarily, represent the interests of their constituents. I won't go into my dislike of the party whip system since I've discussed that here before (though saying that I can't find the link!) instead I'd like to question what happens in the case of an MP (or a party) with a safe seat? Where or what is their impetus to improve things for their electors?
I believe that while the existing first-past-the-post voting system seems like a good idea on paper, I believe it is causing complacency in our politicians and is leading to a discrepancy between the share of the vote and the representation of those votes in the House of Commons.
To demonstrate this discrepancy I shall choose some choice figures from the 2005 general election results:
I do not believe those that say that coalition governments are weaker governments. Why should having to debate and compromise be a bad idea? Surely that's the the whole point of a parliament? Why should one political party (supported by a minority of the electorate) dominate and be able to force its ideas onto everybody else? Surely that is closer to a dictatorship than it is to a democracy?
I believe in a parliament that is representative of the populace and I doubt that the ideologies of the people of this fair country fall neatly into two groups (i.e. Labour & Conservative). With a proportional parliament I think we will get better governance. Okay, so there will be disagreements but if Parliament is truly representative of the electorate then surely the decisions taken will also be in line with the thinking of the majority of the country? Then the compromises hammered out in the House of Commons will be as if all of the electorate in this country had got together at a big table and discussed it themselves.
There are some schools of thought that say that PR can vastly reduce the effect of polls on the election outcome. So notice that I used the word "electorate" (meaning all citizens who are eligible to vote) in the above paragraph and not "voters" (meaning that proportion of the electorate who actually voted). I would hope that implementing a PR electoral system would go a long way to reducing voter apathy and increase voter turnout but I would not be adverse to making voting obligatory.
To be able to vote is a hard-won right that we in this country have taken for granted. Our present and previous governments have taken full advantage of this (and who can blame them). Our political system has worked well in the past but I think that we the electorate have now reached the point (like a coming-of-age) at which we are ready to take more control of our government. I think we are ready for proportional representation.
Let me get one thing straight - I am glad we live in a democracy and so have a chance to have our say on matters. I just think it could be better. Allow me to explain...
We appear to have an electorate who do not feel that there is any point to voting. Why is this? Some would say that it is because the ideological differences between the main political parties is small and so there is no real choice. Others may say that no politician (or prospective politician) has any intention of serving the interests of the populace and therefore they have nobody to vote for.
~ Opinion Polls and the Media ~
While there may be strands of truth in the above, I believe the media has a lot to answer for. For me, it all comes down to a simple observation that could be made by a lot of people.
As we approach 6th May, the opinion polls are, increasingly, being reported daily with every fluctuation and variation being analysed and the election result being extrapolated. Is this really necessary? I think it's doing harm to our democracy because, for the people who haven't taken part in the opinion polls (i.e. most of the populace), is not the following thought a logical conclusion?
"The result of the election is being reported as if it has already been made. Nobody has asked me what I think so surely I don't need to bother voting if the decision has been made without me?"I'm not saying that the media shouldn't report on the opinion polls but I do think they should give them less precedence and it should be reinforced that despite these polls, it is the electorate as a whole who decides and, if they want to go against the opinions of a minority, then it is quite possible.
~ Safe Seats and the First-Past-the-Post Electoral System ~
This brings me to my next point. Surely the idea of a 'safe seat' only adds to making people feel like there is no point in voting since their existing candidate (or party) is "guaranteed" to be re-elected. Add to the mix how very little campaigning is carried out in safe areas and you surely have yourself a circular situation where only a few people vote (the 'regulars' who probably always vote the same way anyway) and little effort made to change this situation through campaigning. So of course the result is going to stay the same!
As a quick aside I'm glad the internet is making it easier to keep track of what work an MP is undertaking on behalf of their constituency and our country as a whole. So while it is easier to hold your MP to account it is still disappointing to me that the only time you see any campaigning is in marginal seats at election time.
It does annoy me when people vote habitually and not for any thought-out reason. Saying "I vote for Labour because I'm working class" (or the other way around for the Tories) is nonsense these days. For a time, yes, this was true but I don't think that being of a certain social class has to inevitably lead to you voting for a particular party anymore. Besides, in our current voting system I believe we are meant to elect our best representative and not necessarily a political party. Not that I believe in a two party political system - but I'll come back to this later.
So in theory at least, the MP for a constituency is supposed to represent the people of their area at a national and international level. I believe that their political allegiance should be used only as a shorthand to gauge a candidates ideology but that they should, primarily, represent the interests of their constituents. I won't go into my dislike of the party whip system since I've discussed that here before (though saying that I can't find the link!) instead I'd like to question what happens in the case of an MP (or a party) with a safe seat? Where or what is their impetus to improve things for their electors?
I believe that while the existing first-past-the-post voting system seems like a good idea on paper, I believe it is causing complacency in our politicians and is leading to a discrepancy between the share of the vote and the representation of those votes in the House of Commons.
To demonstrate this discrepancy I shall choose some choice figures from the 2005 general election results:
- Labour received 35.3% of the vote which gave them 55.2% of the total number of MP's
- Conservatives had 32.3% of the vote, giving them 30.7% of MP's
- Lib Dems got 22.1% of the vote which equated to 9.6% of MP's
- UKIP got 2.2% of the vote but won no seats (so 0% of MP's)
- Health Concern won 0.1% of the vote and had 0.2% of MP's
I do not believe those that say that coalition governments are weaker governments. Why should having to debate and compromise be a bad idea? Surely that's the the whole point of a parliament? Why should one political party (supported by a minority of the electorate) dominate and be able to force its ideas onto everybody else? Surely that is closer to a dictatorship than it is to a democracy?
I believe in a parliament that is representative of the populace and I doubt that the ideologies of the people of this fair country fall neatly into two groups (i.e. Labour & Conservative). With a proportional parliament I think we will get better governance. Okay, so there will be disagreements but if Parliament is truly representative of the electorate then surely the decisions taken will also be in line with the thinking of the majority of the country? Then the compromises hammered out in the House of Commons will be as if all of the electorate in this country had got together at a big table and discussed it themselves.
There are some schools of thought that say that PR can vastly reduce the effect of polls on the election outcome. So notice that I used the word "electorate" (meaning all citizens who are eligible to vote) in the above paragraph and not "voters" (meaning that proportion of the electorate who actually voted). I would hope that implementing a PR electoral system would go a long way to reducing voter apathy and increase voter turnout but I would not be adverse to making voting obligatory.
To be able to vote is a hard-won right that we in this country have taken for granted. Our present and previous governments have taken full advantage of this (and who can blame them). Our political system has worked well in the past but I think that we the electorate have now reached the point (like a coming-of-age) at which we are ready to take more control of our government. I think we are ready for proportional representation.
Thursday 4 March 2010
Two Hours Later......and I've finished a short 12 mile bike ride. Not bad after so much non-exercise! I ventured along the Stratford Canal today. There are some seriously dodgy spots on the tow-path but it's a nice trip.
I was hoping to head a little further down the canal to Hockley Heath but the cold wind was getting to me so I turned back.
Once I'd got back in to 'civilisation' it was a bit warmer so I meandered my way back to the house.
While I was in Shirley I tried to follow the cycle path but it kept stopping suddenly and then reappearing a bit further down the road, on the opposite side! Not a very good way of doing things if you ask me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)