Two bits of news over the weekend - the first that a senior police officer has called for the DNA database to be widened to include eveyone, and the second that the Crown Prosecution Service has admitted it failed to run checks on 2,000 crime suspects for over a year. Both are worrying.

The failure of the CPS to carry out these checks is yet another example of the public having been put at risk by the slapdash way that data is handled across Government departments.

The Government is investing a huge amount of money and faith into the power of databases without having the faintest idea of how to run them properly, and calls for the national DNA database to include details of everybody regardless of their criminal record should be seen in this light.

The DNA database has grown at an enormous rate, including the addition of many people who have not committed any crime, but it still needs basic human competence to work. Regardless of the civil liberties arguments against the database, which I think are absolutely compelling, it should be clear even to those who disagree with them that this government (and perhaps any government) cannot be trusted to handle incredibly sensitive and personal data without hitches.

Rick

I’m back from Christmas excess now, although with eight tons of chocolate and thirty bags of crisps in the house I don’t think the excess itself will stop with my return.

I read a blog post by a fellow Lib Dem Councillor, James Barber, today. It was about the digital switchover and the money we all have to pay for new equipment. James calls it a regressive tax and I have to say that I share some of his concerns. We are being forced by the government to pay for set top boxes or new TVs (or Sky) whether we want to or not. Now there is the odd town in the country where analogue TV just won’t work any more. By 2012 it won’t work anywhere.

I am as much in favour of progress as the next guy, don’t get me wrong. It’s not digital TV itself that I object to (although most of it is rubbish. But then, even digital TVs have “off” switches). Apparently it’s a leap forward in picture quality, not that I can tell the difference. And by flogging the analogue frequencies we’ll make lots of money for the treasury. Great.

What I object to is another example of the government’s casual disregard of the people of this country, and their interference in our lives without giving us a say.

I was never asked whether I wanted digital TV. The government saw the opportunity to flog off the analogue signals, and away they went. Were we asked? Was there a consultation? Were we given the chance to have our say and point out the potential flaws? No.

And now some people are getting into difficulties. The “regressive tax” argument is fading away for set top boxes themselves. They’re just a tenner now from Tesco. But even with the boxes, if come 2012 millions still don’t have them then it’ll be a big problem which may fall to Councils to pay for if the government won’t.

And there are other problems - my VCR won’t work in these new digital times. That’s a new one, which has been publicised a lot recently. It’s a bit better for DVD players (only “some” won’t work), but why the hell are government making my VCR and DVD players obsolete?? Where can I get my refund?

Where can I get my new TV with the second SCART socket to plug in both the set top box and the new digital recorder? I have a perfectly good TV thanks, so are you going to pay for it Mr Brown? It isn’t very environmentally friendly is it? Chucking out these good TVs?

I am OK. I can afford Sky and I’m going to get a shiny new TV. But the elderly and those on lower incomes may have a problem. And we should have thought about this before we started.

Digital has lots of potential, and we should embrace it. But yet again the government has missed the opportunity to sign up everyone by rushing things, not talking to us, and leaving us all feeling a bit dizzy with the pace of a change lots don’t actually want.

Rick 

I’d like to wish all of my Jewish constituents a happy Chanukah! The Jewish festival of lights has begun, and continues for a week now. The story of Chanukah tells how the Jews only had enough oil to keep the light at the Temple burning for one day, but managed to keep it burning for eight days until more could be found, due to God’s miraculous intervention.

Not enough oil? Miracle needed to make it last longer or we’re all gonna be in a lot of trouble? Sounds oddly familiar, eh?

Rick

This week saw the Annual General Meeting of Bury Lib Dems, which took place at Elton Liberal Club and saw me elected Secretary of the local party. It was lovely to meet up with members I don’t see very often, as well as the familiar faces who I see rather too often… The new Executive Committee of the party has a big job keeping the momentum going over the next twelve months, especially since I failed in my first secretarial duty of recording the minutes of the AGM by completely forgetting to record my predecessor’s annual report. Never mind…

This weekend sees more Focus delivery, as well as me continuing my hunt for a new house in the ward. We recently sold our flat against the backdrop of the impending collapse of the housing market. I think this was quite an achievement, and certainly saved what little was left of my sanity after eleven months of trying to flog it whilst newspapers screamed about imploding property prices each and every day. So this weekend we are gleefully rushing around trying to re-invest in the very same teetering market by viewing about a dozen Prestwich pads.

Maybe by Monday I’ll have found my dream house. And to think, it will only take 25 years of hard slog to pay the bank twice the asking price in interest.

Oh what a joy it is to be alive.

Rick

This weekend is of course Remembrance weekend, and I have the privilege of joining the parade on Sunday from the church to the war memorial to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of our ward. Last year I joined the parade as well to lay a wreath for St Mary’s Lib Dems, and it was a genuine honour to join the other local people in remembering the incredible sacrifice of those who have fought for our country.

It was brilliant to see so many young people join the parade and stand to remember, and of course this year I hope for even more. Everyone will have the opportunity to fall silent and remember at 11.00 on Sunday morning, but if you would like to join us then we will be at the war memorial at the junction of Rectory Lane and St Mary’s Road in front of PADOS House.

This is one of the times in the year when political differences are cast aside, and we all come together to remember a higher cause, and one without which all of our political arguments would be meaningless. I take the responsibility of continuing to uphold this vital tradition of paying our respects very seriously. And as a relatively young Councillor I am keenly aware of the need for people of my generation to realise the sacrifice of generations past.

So I will be there on Sunday morning, and I hope as many local people as possible join us in showing our gratitude to the fallen and our thanks to those who fought to protect our way of life and extend freedom around the world.

Rick

In light of the recent furore regarding the dodgy fireworks container selling fireworks from the street, I have today written to the Chief Fire Officer for Greater Manchester asking whether he was aware that fire service licences had been issued. And if he was, I have asked whether he has any answers to resident concerns over these sales.

I will give an update when I get a response.

Rick

Further to yesterday’s news about the fireworks shack plonked on the road by St Mary’s Park, I have heard back from Trading Standards, and the news is not good.Their role is only to make sure the fireworks are made to the required standard (which apparently they are in this case) and that they are not sold to under 18s.

According to Trading Standards, if I were to acquire the same storage licence this fella appears to have, I could flog the fireworks from my front room and there’d be nothing that they could do to stop me. Which is bizarre.

It looks unlikely that we can do anything to stop this guy this year (by the time the bureaucratic wheels of action have creaked into motion he’ll be long gone), but we need to make sure that he isn’t back next year. I am going to see if I can raise this issue at the next Prestwich Local Area Partnership.

Either that or go into the quasi-legal firework-selling industry of course…

Rick

Walking outside at this time of year is often quite surreal. For most of the English winter, a dry, cold evening is a time for venturing forth hearing only the crispy leaves and seeing only your breath in the freezing air.

But for the first week in November there is a Kate Adie war report soundtrack and an apocalypse-mist foggy backdrop added to the mix, as hundreds of tonnes of grade-A ordnance is blown up in gardens nationwide for bonfire night.

It is a depressing but winnable bet that most of the people blowing up their fireworks have little knowledge of why precisely they’re doing it. And I’ll make that bet a double-header by wagering that more people create explosions in honour of the failure to blow up Parliament than actually vote in elections these days. But I have neither the time nor the inclination to think about who’s to blame for that.

What I do know is that stepping outside now looks and sounds like I am momentarily leaving the safety of Prestwich for the streets of a war-zone somewhere. It’s very bizarre. But comforting in a very English way. I may well be running scared of the faint but scary possibility of feral hooded BMX-ers lobbing lit roman-candles my way, but at least I know I’m home.

It has been brought to my attention that someone has dumped a cargo container on the corner of Bury New Road and St Ann’s Road and is flogging fireworks from within. I have alerted the Police, and both the Police and I paid the container a visit on Friday. The proprietors claim to have both the fire service licence to store fireworks, and the trading standards licence to sell them. And, according to the Police, they can prove the first of these claims. So the Police can’t shut them down.

I have left an urgent message with Trading Standards (who are closed at weekends) to verify whether or not they are legally trading. If they are, I would very much like to know why Trading Standards thought it a wise idea to allow them to start peddling explosives from a street corner in my ward out of the side of a cargo container dumped on a pavement. What next? Arms dealing from a portakabin in the park? At a time when we are all trying to make Bonfire Night as safe as possible, I am far from comfortable seeing fireworks sold from a place that looks like it’s run by Del Boy Trotter.

And of course, if they are trading illegally, I have asked that the Trading Standards staff head down there with the Police in tow on Monday morning and not only shut the operation down, but arrest and punish those selling the fireworks. We cannot have dangerous fireworks being sold illegally anywhere, and I won’t allow it here.

The container and its cargo will be gone by Tuesday of course. But even if nothing can be done in time, we need to make sure that this isn’t repeated next year.

Rick

Yesterday saw the start of the “I’m a Councillor… Get me out of here” competition. For the next two weeks, to coincide with Local Democracy Week 2007, five Bury Council colleagues and I will be answering questions from young people from across the Borough. In the second week one of us will be “voted off” each day, until the eventual winner is crowned Bury’s Youth Champion. This is a national event and there are Councillors from all over the country linking up with schools and colleges in their local areas.

Yesterday I received 8 questions, on a variety of topics from youth crime to skateparks, and from cinema prices to whether or not I like ham! You can see my answers, my manifesto for young people, and all the details about the other competitors and the event itself by visiting the website at www.bigvote.org.uk

Rick

Last night I attended a training session at Bury Town Hall on budget setting. Also in attendance was the Executive Member for Finance. I don’t know whether to feel happy that he was conscientious enough to attend, or worried that he needed to be there… It’s a bit like boarding an aeroplane and seeing the pilot carrying a copy of “Flying for Dummies.”

It was an informative course, and now I know much more about Council budget setting than I did in the past. And it isn’t simple! So much more money is needed just to stand still, once you’ve added in inflation, rising staff costs, grants ending here and pension costs going up there. I don’t envy the accountants charged with balancing the books, but I do know that now I am much more able to join my more experienced Lib Dem colleagues on the Council in proposing alternative budget ideas which are fair, green and sensible. We did it last year with the Blue Bin Budget, and we’ll do it again this time round I’m sure.

Rick