ASDA 24 Hours - but not really

I'm puzzled as to the ASDA definition of 24 hour opening.

One of the highlights of our successful Stockton on Tees holiday was the ASDA which was a stone's throw away from our camp site (the one with the top notch showers).     It proclaimed 24 hour opening but as we battled our way with the kids through the bucketing rain we couldn't work out why the masses of Stockton we not taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity.  The car park was empty - not a sole to be seen.

The answer?  24 hours didn't really mean 24 but only 14 and on a Sunday only 6.  Or did it only apply to the cash machines?  Do ASDA work on constantly switching time zones?

I can tell you we are only just recovering from the unfulfilled expectations.  ASDA - we need answers.

www.asda.co.uk

Stockton on Tees - a wasted opportunity

Former industrial areas can be transformed into attractive tourist
spots. Look at Glasgow's riverside and Leith. Liverpool is another that
has transformed with restaurants, conference facilities and more.

After a week camping in beautiful Northumberland I dragged my young
family to Stockton on Tees to a camp site that received an enthusiastic
review from Dom Jolly. For a couple of days we planned to use this site
as a central location for day trips to North Yorks, Hartlepool Maritime
Museum, the cinema and bowling.

The Caravan Club camp site was pristine with first class showers. The
cooling towers, sewage works, overhead flight path and motorway didn't
put us off too much (!) although it was quite a contrast with Hadrian's
Wall country.

What was truly disappointing was how millions of pounds of investment in
the development of the Tees barrage and riverfront had been wasted.
There were new bridges, walkways and the creation of a permanent high
tide for the full gamut of water sports.

This was a real opportunity to turn a depressed town into a bright
attraction. Yet when we visited there few boats and canoes in the water,
walkers on the bridges and walkways or foodies in the few pubs and
restaurants.

Instead the river was full of rubbish, the walkways were full of weeds
and the only wildlife I saw was a rat.

The investment had been a fine one but come on Stockton get your act
together.

FSA mute commentators

If admitting mistakes is a crucial step in the healing and learning process then the Financial Services Authority will never heal nor learn. They are supposed to be the guardians of our financial sector but have failed to admit their part in the demise of Scotland oldest and biggest building society - the Dunfermline.

There are strongly competing claims about whether the Society could have been saved earlier this year.

The advocates for survival claimed that the over stringent capital adequacy requirements combined with the short sited Treasury which didn't recognise the society's importance to confidence in the 'safe' mutual sector meant it was sacrificed. They point to the recent West Bromwich solution as the model that could have been adopted for the Dunfermline.

The Treasury believed that the society would not have been able to service any injection of capital and was not sufficiently important to the financial sector to warrant an investment of public funds to keep it an independent Scottish mutual. They also point to the partially failed IT system which cost the society dear with millions being written off.

To me it's quite clear that the damage was done between 2005 and 2007 when the society diversified into more risky ventures including commercial lending, buy to let mortgages and second hand mortgages. Yet all this was done with the knowledge and acceptance of the Financial Services Authority.

In fact the FSA recommended the services of an independent expert to review their commercial lending portfolio. I assume, because it is not said, that the FSA were satisfied with outcome of that experts report because no action/recommendations were made following the report. That's when the damage was done - and yet the FSA was just a blind observer and mute commentator.

The society's management admitted their mistakes, not just as some means to deflect any further criticism but because they truly cared for the institution that they devoted many years of their lives to and wanted to explain what went wrong.

The Scottish Affairs Select Committee report into the break up of the society is a good report. It would have been even better if it had also taken evidence from members and staff from the society and senior executives like Peter Weanie who was a driving force behind the more risky strategy. But it was a good report none the less and should help members, staff and the wider community understand what happened so we can learn and move on with the Nationwide.

JT

For many years a jovial ex miner called JT would enjoy his early morning constitutional from Lochore, where he lived, along the coal road to Kelty road end.  Most mornings my son, Alexander, and I would join him on the short trip to the school bus at the end of the road. 

JT always had a new tale to tell, a colourful anecdote or a bit of political commentary.  He would speak to everyone - whether he knew them or not.  A friendly face.  He never failed to cheer up my morning.

Last week JT Murphy passed away, at the ripe old age of 94.  Like so many I'll miss him. <<JT.JPG>>

The world has changed

Thanks to Labour's mismanagement and the world economic crises the public finances here in Britain have been devastated. That's why everything we wanted to do when the public funds were available will not be possible to do now that they are not.

Of course we can reallocate budgets, cut waste and ditch projects that we don't need but funds are now tighter so we need to make choices. Labour and the Tories may wish to try to fool voters but the Lib Dems will be straight about what needs to be done.

Fresh Start for Britain builds on Nick Clegg's successes of recent months. It sets our our values and principles in a way that I am confident people will warm to. It promotes our desire to make this country a fairer, safer, greener place and stronger in the world. Take a look - it'll be worth your time.

SNP academic snobbery

I'm fed up with snooty people like the SNP's candidate for Glasgow North East, David Kerr, belittling the achievements of those of us who were educated at Paisley (now West of Scotland Uni) and Glasgow Colleges (now Glasgow Caledonian Uni).

It's far too easy to run us, and those institutions, down without recognising what we and they achieved and continue to achieve.

I am proud to say that I was educated at Paisley, where I secured my degree in biology, and at Glasgow, where I secured my diploma.

The institutions have a good reputation for their partnerships with industry and for improving the life opportunities of thousands of people of all ages and from a wide diversity of backgrounds.

In fact I would argue that Paisley and Glasgow Colleges gave a bigger lift or added value to their students than those institutions that Mr Kerr thinks are only worthy of any consideration.

Now I'm not seeking a battle with the ancients. I have worked closely with academics and management from their science departments and have the greatest respect and admiration for their achievements. It's people like David Kerr that give the ancients a bad reputation. All I'm asking is for a bit of mutual respect.

Trident - initial gate delayed

It's good news that the Government has decided to delay the initial gate decision on Trident until after the Non Proliferation Talks next year. It'll help to give those talks a chance.

We had strongly criticised the Government's rushed decision on Trident in 2006. We said that the big decisions should be delayed until after the NPT talks - actually in 2012 - 2014 at maingate.

However, what this does show is that the Government are either playing fast and loose with their timetable or it was never that tight anyway.

It calls into question Labour's original proposition on Trident. What can we believe now? There must be a full debate on Trident and soon. We are at a crossroads and we need to openly debate the choices.