An e-petition asking Brighton & Hove City Council to do all it can
to keep alive the Hippodrome for live performances is now on the
Council's website at
http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?Id=400
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Monday, 4 November 2013
The sin of not voting
Jeremy Paxman's interview with Russell Brand on Newsnight continues to make waves and has been watched by well over half a million on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYcn3PuTTk)—maybe a lot more if viewing figures for the alternative versions on YouTube can be aggregated. It would be all too easy to dismiss Brand as a self-publicising showbiz personality with the gift of the gab and no more reason for being on the lighter-weight Newsnight than anyone else, if it were not for the fact that he has clearly struck a chord with many people, especially among the young.
As someone who has never missed a chance to vote—and would vote more often if given the chance by those who limit the extent to which we, the electorate, get to judge them—I am unlikely to condone his stance that he has never voted and never will. Not to vote is tacit complicity with the status quo. It can be dismissed as the inaction of someone who can't be bothered.
The true action of an objector to the status quo is to make the effort and go to the polling station and spoil ones ballot paper. If enough people who want change were to do this it might start to have an impact.
There are usually at least 30 per cent of the electorate that abstains with its feet in parliamentary elections, double or treble that in other elections. Imagine what would happen if we followed Australia's example, had compulsory voting and all the erstwhile abstainers chose 'none of the above'. Probably the end of the world as we know it.
Meanwhile, disillusionment with the way democracy works in practice under the dead hand of party politics will continue to spread. The electorate will engage with 'single issues' rather than endorsing a wholesale package of party policies. In the absence of referendums, petitions launched through social media become potent. This may not be a better model of democracy but it is more immediate, more responsive and more engaging. Nonetheless, it will have a hard and long struggle displacing the regime that Russell Brand and so many others despise.
Historical context
Incidentally, back in 1911 that great Sussex man Hilaire Belloc and his friend and fellow distributist Cecil Chesterton (GK's brother) wrote a book called The Party System. This expressed, a century ago, the same disgust at the parliamentary set-up that motivated Brand but in a more sustained and informed way. The Grumpy Old Voter is currently reading the book and will quite possibly return to the subject.
TTFN
As someone who has never missed a chance to vote—and would vote more often if given the chance by those who limit the extent to which we, the electorate, get to judge them—I am unlikely to condone his stance that he has never voted and never will. Not to vote is tacit complicity with the status quo. It can be dismissed as the inaction of someone who can't be bothered.
The true action of an objector to the status quo is to make the effort and go to the polling station and spoil ones ballot paper. If enough people who want change were to do this it might start to have an impact.
There are usually at least 30 per cent of the electorate that abstains with its feet in parliamentary elections, double or treble that in other elections. Imagine what would happen if we followed Australia's example, had compulsory voting and all the erstwhile abstainers chose 'none of the above'. Probably the end of the world as we know it.
Meanwhile, disillusionment with the way democracy works in practice under the dead hand of party politics will continue to spread. The electorate will engage with 'single issues' rather than endorsing a wholesale package of party policies. In the absence of referendums, petitions launched through social media become potent. This may not be a better model of democracy but it is more immediate, more responsive and more engaging. Nonetheless, it will have a hard and long struggle displacing the regime that Russell Brand and so many others despise.
Historical context
Incidentally, back in 1911 that great Sussex man Hilaire Belloc and his friend and fellow distributist Cecil Chesterton (GK's brother) wrote a book called The Party System. This expressed, a century ago, the same disgust at the parliamentary set-up that motivated Brand but in a more sustained and informed way. The Grumpy Old Voter is currently reading the book and will quite possibly return to the subject.
TTFN
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Gender and faith in traffic
A survey about proposed 'improvements' for cyclists and pedestrians in Dyke Road, Brighton/Hove (one side is Brighton, the other is Hove) is currently online at http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/parking-and-travel/travel-transport-and-road-safety/dyke-road-improvements.
Apart from the fact that the biggest problems are illegal parking and invariably lengthy queues approaching the junction with Old Shoreham Road, this is another small-scale, piecemeal scheme that is largely cosmetic, adding little to the quality of life for residents or the attractiveness of the city to visitors.
The main bus route along the road is the 27, which is also nominally a park-and-ride service. In other words, the one that visitors to the city are encouraged to use. What sort of welcome of a Saturday morning is a 10-minute hold-up southbound, even alongside the delights of Dyke Road Park and BHASVIC?
The survey ends with a page asking for personal details about the respondent. It begins with this rubric:
The reason why we ask you these questions is so we can:
IF this is so, then, in the words of Mr Bumble, the law is a ass—a idiot.
What difference does gender (male/female/other/prefer not to say) make to using the road? The next question is 'Do you identify as the gender you were assigned at birth?' A serious issue in some contexts but in a traffic survey? Do ethnicity, gender orientation and religion/belief affect motoring, cycling or pedestrianship? The only relevant issues are age and infirmity, perhaps whether the respondent is a carer and, in this unique case in Brighton, membership of the armed forces. (There is a TA base along this stretch of the road.)
If the survey results reveal that no gypsy, transgender person, Jain or pagan has responded, will that invalidate the survey? No, it won't. Nor would it if everyone ticked the 'prefer not to say' option for every question. So why ask in the first place?
Of course, the real matter of equality is between pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and motorists. To which we shall return.
TTFN
Apart from the fact that the biggest problems are illegal parking and invariably lengthy queues approaching the junction with Old Shoreham Road, this is another small-scale, piecemeal scheme that is largely cosmetic, adding little to the quality of life for residents or the attractiveness of the city to visitors.
The main bus route along the road is the 27, which is also nominally a park-and-ride service. In other words, the one that visitors to the city are encouraged to use. What sort of welcome of a Saturday morning is a 10-minute hold-up southbound, even alongside the delights of Dyke Road Park and BHASVIC?
The survey ends with a page asking for personal details about the respondent. It begins with this rubric:
The reason why we ask you these questions is so we can:
- Make our council services open to everyone in the city,
- Treat everyone fairly and appropriately when they use our services,
- In consultations, make sure that we have views from all across the city.
IF this is so, then, in the words of Mr Bumble, the law is a ass—a idiot.
What difference does gender (male/female/other/prefer not to say) make to using the road? The next question is 'Do you identify as the gender you were assigned at birth?' A serious issue in some contexts but in a traffic survey? Do ethnicity, gender orientation and religion/belief affect motoring, cycling or pedestrianship? The only relevant issues are age and infirmity, perhaps whether the respondent is a carer and, in this unique case in Brighton, membership of the armed forces. (There is a TA base along this stretch of the road.)
If the survey results reveal that no gypsy, transgender person, Jain or pagan has responded, will that invalidate the survey? No, it won't. Nor would it if everyone ticked the 'prefer not to say' option for every question. So why ask in the first place?
Of course, the real matter of equality is between pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and motorists. To which we shall return.
TTFN
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Saving the Hippodrome for live performance
This is the wording of the e-petition submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council to appear on its website. Assuming it is accepted, it will appear at http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgePetitionListDisplay.aspx
Watch @DavidF_Brighton on Twitter for news about the petition going live.
TTFN
We the undersigned petition the council to use its best endeavours and take every opportunity to bring the Hippodrome in Middle Street back into use as a versatile space for live performances in accordance with aspirations expressed in the CP5 Culture and Tourism section of the proposed City Plan (February 2013).
As a Grade II* listed building with an interior of national historic importance, the Hippodrome is the only surviving space of its kind and size in the city. It is top of the Theatre Trust’s list of English theatre buildings at risk.
In seeking to promote cultural tourism, the City Council should be aware of the need for a larger theatre capable of attracting top-class theatrical, musical and dance productions. The Hippodrome could be used in a variety of modes: as a proscenium theatre, as a theatre-in-the-round or with a thrust or open stage, or for ‘circus’ type of performance, similar to the Roundhouse in Camden, London.
Such a venue would significantly enhance the city’s appeal to visitors, attracting audiences from across a wide area, including London, helping to make Brighton the principal cultural hub of the south-east region. It should be recognised that converting the space into a multi-screen cinema would not contribute anything to this aspiration. Indeed, over-provision of cinemas, leading to unsustainable competition, could lead to a net loss of venues.
Watch @DavidF_Brighton on Twitter for news about the petition going live.
TTFN
Monday, 21 October 2013
Transport for delight
The good citizens of Brighton and Hove have many bees in bonnets about various aspects of traffic and transport in the city: the 20mph speed limit, exorbitant car park charges, town-centre congestion, lack of a park-and-ride scheme, expensive and underused cycle lanes, high bus fares, parking zones, conflicts for space between cars, cycles and pedestrians, etc, etc, and, crucially for a tourist centre, the alienation of visitors.
Not only does this show how much the general public and local businesses are concerned about these issues, it is clear evidence that the city lacks a coherent and integrated transport, traffic and parking policy. Brighton and Hove seems to be slipping inexorably behind other English towns and cities.
This is not an easy matter, which may explain why successive administrations have failed to tackle it. Fear of upsetting one or other of the conflicting interests is an inevitable political reaction.
So I am proposing an Independent Transport Commission and have posted an epetition on the Brighton and Hove City Council's website, which you can access (and SIGN!) here: http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=398&RPID=10939932&HPID=10939932
This is what it says:
We the undersigned petition the council to appoint an independent transport commission to apply some bold and imaginative thinking in drawing up a comprehensive, integrated plan for the city's public transport, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
The city's traffic, transport and parking problems are tackled, if at all, in piecemeal fashion. The 20mph speed limit, exorbitant car park charges, town-centre congestion, lack of a park-and-ride scheme, expensive and underused cycle lanes, high bus fares, parking zones and, crucially for a tourist centre, the alienation of visitors are all subjects of regular comments and complaints in the press and in other e-petitions.
All of these are symptoms of the lack of a coherent transport, traffic and parking policy.
Successive administrations have failed to tackle the issues together in a bold and creative way. As a result, Brighton and Hove seems to be slipping inexorably behind other English towns and cities.
Effective management of the urban infrastructure is vital to the city’s future prosperity and quality of life. Too long has this been fudged and sidelined. Let’s make this the top priority at the next local elections.
The petition will be considered by Full Council on 30 January 2014.
There are no easy answers and no scheme will be perfect for everyone. If you think this is a Good Idea, please sign. Tell others about it. Tweet and re-tweet. If all those who are unhappy about the various aspects of an unjoined-up policy were themselves to join up and urge the Council to be positive and adventurous we might get somewhere—like, around the city without so many hassles.
TTFN
Not only does this show how much the general public and local businesses are concerned about these issues, it is clear evidence that the city lacks a coherent and integrated transport, traffic and parking policy. Brighton and Hove seems to be slipping inexorably behind other English towns and cities.
This is not an easy matter, which may explain why successive administrations have failed to tackle it. Fear of upsetting one or other of the conflicting interests is an inevitable political reaction.
So I am proposing an Independent Transport Commission and have posted an epetition on the Brighton and Hove City Council's website, which you can access (and SIGN!) here: http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=398&RPID=10939932&HPID=10939932
This is what it says:
We the undersigned petition the council to appoint an independent transport commission to apply some bold and imaginative thinking in drawing up a comprehensive, integrated plan for the city's public transport, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
The city's traffic, transport and parking problems are tackled, if at all, in piecemeal fashion. The 20mph speed limit, exorbitant car park charges, town-centre congestion, lack of a park-and-ride scheme, expensive and underused cycle lanes, high bus fares, parking zones and, crucially for a tourist centre, the alienation of visitors are all subjects of regular comments and complaints in the press and in other e-petitions.
All of these are symptoms of the lack of a coherent transport, traffic and parking policy.
Successive administrations have failed to tackle the issues together in a bold and creative way. As a result, Brighton and Hove seems to be slipping inexorably behind other English towns and cities.
Effective management of the urban infrastructure is vital to the city’s future prosperity and quality of life. Too long has this been fudged and sidelined. Let’s make this the top priority at the next local elections.
The petition will be considered by Full Council on 30 January 2014.
There are no easy answers and no scheme will be perfect for everyone. If you think this is a Good Idea, please sign. Tell others about it. Tweet and re-tweet. If all those who are unhappy about the various aspects of an unjoined-up policy were themselves to join up and urge the Council to be positive and adventurous we might get somewhere—like, around the city without so many hassles.
TTFN
Thursday, 10 October 2013
What happened next
OK, so it's taken only three years and nine months to update the last post. For the record, you can read about the outcome of the successful campaign to save the Brighton History Centre at http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=83. This is reported to celebrate the revival of the Grumpy Old voter blog and as a reminder that citizen power can be effective. Watch this space.
TTFN
TTFN
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Save Brighton History Centre
Time to get back on the trail. There is so much that is not being done and so much that is being done wrong. All rather parochial perhaps, but for those of us who live in Brighton & Hove these are important issues.
To start catching up with pressing issues:
The council cabinet voted on 9 December to close the Brighton History Centre. This is a wonderful facility, full of all the resources the city owns in a purpose-converted space and with an experienced expert and helpful staff. It opened in the former reference library in summer 2002 and has featured on the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?
It is probably underused because it is barely publicised. People I have taken there—including keen members of Friends of the Royal Pavilion and Museums (ie, friends of the estimable branch of city government that runs the Centre)—have been amazed at its existence. I have used it frequently and intend to use it a lot more in the near future for research on a book I have scheduled for this coming spring about one of the key aspects of the city's history and culture. The book would still appear without the Centre's existence but it would not contain much of the information.
More important is a letter to The Argus from Tim Carder, author of the incomparable Encyclopaedia of Brighton. He argues that this and his other books were only possible because of the resources that are now in the Centre. Ironically, the new edition of the Encyclopaedia is to be published in May by the City Libraries, who repay his efforts (and mine, come to that) by closing the Centre that makes such things possible.
The book I am soon to publish will make a small contribution to promoting the city's cultural tourism. A film festival I am organising for next year's festival fringe—in premises that are owned by the same council department as the BHC—directly links research done at the BHC to cultural events. We have applied for lottery funding with a specific aim of attracting visitors to the city. The BHC has been vital to allowing these things to happen.
So I am in the process of setting up an epetition that will be hidden away on the Brighton & Hove Council website. Watch this space for details.
Meanwhile, to combat the council's argument that the BHC is underused (not helped by their hiding it away with minimal publicity), go and use it. Read the old newspapers on microfilm. They are unbelievably fascinating. Look in the old street directories to see who lived in your house years ago. Enjoy (while you can)!
To start catching up with pressing issues:
The council cabinet voted on 9 December to close the Brighton History Centre. This is a wonderful facility, full of all the resources the city owns in a purpose-converted space and with an experienced expert and helpful staff. It opened in the former reference library in summer 2002 and has featured on the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?
It is probably underused because it is barely publicised. People I have taken there—including keen members of Friends of the Royal Pavilion and Museums (ie, friends of the estimable branch of city government that runs the Centre)—have been amazed at its existence. I have used it frequently and intend to use it a lot more in the near future for research on a book I have scheduled for this coming spring about one of the key aspects of the city's history and culture. The book would still appear without the Centre's existence but it would not contain much of the information.
More important is a letter to The Argus from Tim Carder, author of the incomparable Encyclopaedia of Brighton. He argues that this and his other books were only possible because of the resources that are now in the Centre. Ironically, the new edition of the Encyclopaedia is to be published in May by the City Libraries, who repay his efforts (and mine, come to that) by closing the Centre that makes such things possible.
The book I am soon to publish will make a small contribution to promoting the city's cultural tourism. A film festival I am organising for next year's festival fringe—in premises that are owned by the same council department as the BHC—directly links research done at the BHC to cultural events. We have applied for lottery funding with a specific aim of attracting visitors to the city. The BHC has been vital to allowing these things to happen.
So I am in the process of setting up an epetition that will be hidden away on the Brighton & Hove Council website. Watch this space for details.
Meanwhile, to combat the council's argument that the BHC is underused (not helped by their hiding it away with minimal publicity), go and use it. Read the old newspapers on microfilm. They are unbelievably fascinating. Look in the old street directories to see who lived in your house years ago. Enjoy (while you can)!
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