NEW LABOUR LIES NOW NEW TORY LIES

After nearly 12 years of New Labour porkies, involving WMDs, War mongering, the NHS, and finally a referendum on Europe, we have become accostomed to what we all really knew already, ie; our Government cannot be trusted and any promises made are just hollow posturing. Now we find that Camerons New Tory project is coming apart at the seams even before they get to Government.

At least New Labour waited till they got in power to begin breaking their promises to the electorate, but now, not to be outdone, Cameron has already broke his promise for a referendum even before he gets in. There will now be no referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Of course he must have known this before he made the promise, after all its easy to make promises when you know you wont be able to keep them. At least we now know that we definately cannot trust either New Labour or Camerons Conservatives and will have to look elsewhere for someone we can vote for.

Obviously Griffins bunch of thickos are beyond the pale and other than a small handful of worthy independents, we are really left with either the Lib Dems or the Greens. Both of these are unknown commodities other than at the local level but I am fairly sure that neither of the above will lead us into another senseless and unwinnable war which is at least a step in the right direction. And, they are also much more likely to approach Green issues with a bit of practicality and common sense rather than the "do as your told, not as we do approach of the two major parties.

Common sense is needed most of all at this time because not voting is not an option if you believe in any kind of democracy and want to see it realised for a change. The internet is playing an important and growing part in the electoral process. Face book and its childlike offspring Twitter are being taken seriously by politicians because of the damage the can do to political reputations in no time at all. but in the case of Twitter i am not sure that rule by text message is a step forward rather than merely another example of the dumbing down of the population.

Certainly bloggers can do a lot of damage to old myths and misconceptions and some of them are actually very good although my own efforts are probably below average except in my areas of expertise. Even if i cannot be a mover or shaker of governments and a catalyst for regime change, at least i can get a lot of my chest and clear my psyche for more ennervating matters.

MUSIC INDUSTRY SCORES OWN GOAL OVER ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING

Research published by Demos today shows that the Music Biz has got the wrong end of the stick yet again over people who are allegedly illegally downloading. It turns out that those who admit to illegally downloading are actually spending much more money on music than those who claim they dont download music illegally

.

People who illegally download music spend more on official releases than those who obey download laws, a survey suggested.
The think-tank Demos said it found illegal downloaders spent an average of £77 a year on genuine music, £33 more than those who claim never to have wrongly accessed music for free.
Nearly two thirds of people who admit to downloading music illegally also said that new and cheaper music services would encourage them to stop accessing illegal services.

The results come amid warnings from the Government that people who persistently download illegally face being disconnected from the internet.

The average "spend" on music by normal Joes and Josephines, is around £44 per ye

ar whilst those who admit to illegally downloading spend and average of £77 per year

Lets hope that this is not yet another bit of expert advice which our no nothing government ignores.

LOW ENERGY STREET LIGHTING SPREADS

A few months ago I talked with several local and County Councillors about low energy street lighting. The reasons were fairly obvious. not only does the Sodium glare rob us of the glory of the Night Sky its public money down the drain and a major component of CO2 emissions which helps to fuel climate change.
I put the case for low energy lighting, not the types using the traditional mercury filled orange bulbs so common on British Streets, but the even newer and lower energy LED lights we are so familiar with in our electronics in the home. LED lights have become much more efficient in producing light of virtually any colour and higher intensity. A standard lighting unit as seen on your street would probably be using 40 or 50 watts of energy but the new LED units being developed use as little as ten watts, a considerable saving for the council and our council tax bills. They also last up to ten years, Illuminate the street or pathway rather than your house or nearby fields and the blue white colour is much less strain on the eye and is more aesthetically pleasing.
The really good news is that work has been going on behind the scenes to help meet the UKs energy and CO2 emissions reduction plans. Here in Pendle i have already noticed some of the new lights appearing on our lanes and when i contacted Lancashire County Council for more details i was told there is now a plan to roll out 30,000 of these new lights ASAP. I also discovered that there is a similar plan being hatched in West Yorkshire.
Its nice to get a bit of good news for a change and it could get better. As newer and higher intensity bulbs are developed we could see them spreading to our major dual carriageways or motorways and as the technology developes, truly interactive lighting which turns itself off when there is no traffic or people on the roads. If security lighting can work this way then why not the majority of our unneeded lighting. Who knows, we may soon be able to see the stars again. I for one look forward to that.

DANDELION RADIO

Thanks to the On the Wire Blog for the following information about Dandelion Radio. Its an Internet Radio Station for those who like me stayed a loyal listener to John Peel and his shows no matter where or when the BBC suits dumped him.

His programs were and still are unique, he inspired and encouraged thousands of new bands and artists and played music which just could not be found anywhere else on the BBC schedules. The most notable and honourable exception being On the Wire itself, which John Peel himself listened to and enjoyed.


He even gave his name to the campaign to save On the Wire when the Birtistas at the BBC parachuted in a new manager to destroy the stations individuality. On the Wire listeners wont forget Johns help, energy and enthusiasm and it therefore gives us great pleasure to honour him and Dandelion Radio which is a part of his legacy.

As Andrew Morrison says on the Dandelion web site....
"Dandelion Radio marks the 5th anniversary of John Peel's death with "Peel Legends" month in October. Andy's 3-hour show features brand new sessions from past session guests on John's BBC Radio 1 show. You'll hear exclusive material from Eat Static, Davey MacManus (of The Crimea), The Aphrodisiacs, Decoration and Martin Carr, as well as some classic tracks from Extreme Noise Terror. On top of all this is a "New Legends" session from Atomizer, whom Andy feels John would've approved of. You'll also hear a New Order jukebox track from their 1998 Peel session; Teresa and Scott's monthly selections; and details of the 2009 Festive Fifty."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ON THE WIRE NOW YOU ARE TWENTY-FIVE

Last week I had the pleasure of joining with some familiar faces and voices from the last 25 years of On The Wire at BBC Radio Lancashire's studio in Blackburn. Most notably an old and outrageously talented friend called Adrian Sherwood the Genius behind On-U-Soundz who has recently released another Lee Scratch Perry album. The entire show lasting 4 hours featuring an interview or two with Adrian is available for download at this link http://otwradio.blogspot.com/2009/09/playlist-19th-september-2009-on-wire-is.html which you may have to paste into your browser. When you get to the page look for the audio link and you can download a podcast of the full show. The same will apply to the next couple of shows which will be featuring more special anniversary guest mixes from stations in the USA.

On the Wire is still available each Saturday night in the North West of England on FM at 10 pm, British Summer Time and via the BBC Radio Lancashire Website and later on listen again and at the On the Wire Blog address above.

In this increasingly commercialised and dumbed-down world, music programs catering for more rarefied and diverse musical and cultural tastes are about as rare as rocking horse shit and since the sad loss of John Peel it has become glaringly obvious how blinkered the BBC has become. It tried to end On the Wire in the early nineties when the John Birt reign of terror and rolling news threatened to squeeze every bit of individuality and regional accent from Local Radio in the UK. Only thanks to a truly enormous and indeed magnificent response from its many loyal fans was it saved at the last minute.

The North of England and its major cities harbour a truly extraordinary volume and quality of musical talent but without programs like on the wire and the work of Steve Barker and Michael Fenton (Fenny) much of it would probably never even get a first chance to be heard. And this dedication to music and creative talent rather than merely the latest D rated Celeb which has earned not only its loyal audience here in the UK but also many new fans via the net and even DJs and presenters on stations across the Pond. Maybe its now impossible to credit all who have contributed in their various ways but there's no harm in trying. It gives me great pleasure to reprint the Roll of Honour of those involved with On the Wire over the last 25. Thank you one and all and here's to the next twenty five.

Mike Martin, Jethro Binks, Steve Baldwin, Nick Shimmin, Gaynor Hegart, yAjay, Sarah Champion, Allison Martin, John Kerr, Roger Brough, Dr. Steve Redhead, Dr Alan Woods, Uncle Joe Wilson, Twin Boys, Mark E Smith, Mike Chapman, Ian Cooke, Christian Virant. Baked Goods Boys, Comix boys & girls,Black Banana, Brian Jackson, John Peel, Andy Kershaw, Harry Hawk, Terry C,Dr Starngedub, Eastern Bloc, Martin & Graham & 808 boys, Action, Gordon & AckerBoomkat, Shlom & Alex,Probe, Annie & Bob, Steve Hardstaff, Geoff Davies, Roger Eagle, Gary Hickson, Daniel Miller, Mrs Cakehead, Adrian Sherwood, Kishi Yamamoto,Blood & Fire boys, Dom, Bob and Steve Barrow, Alex Fenton, Brian Cox, Hovis Presley, Fredd Dootson, Phil & Mick Orch, Nigel Blackwell. John Tree, Buzz Bury, Pete Haigh, The Madhatter, Colin Joseph, Jah Wobble, Alan Bishop, Paul Rooney, Enrico la Rocca, Andrew Neal, Marvin Scott. Professor Les Scott, Neil Robbins, Phil Smith, John Cuckold, Astonihing Sounds, Beatherder Boys Nick & Tim, Gary Ward @ Darwen Music Festival, Richard Finlayson, Mr Wiz, Krispy, Gerry & Brenda Kenny, Coldcut, Negativland, Dave Katz, Martin Kelner, Russell and Melissa at Dubhead, Ray Hurford, Paul Meme, John Eden, Laurent at WTM, Martin Mills, Annie Bandez, Alison at Southern, Tony, Chris and all at the Wire, Charlie Gillett, David Toop, Dennis Bovell, Jan & Christoph at Jahtari,

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TRUST ?

As a grass roots community and environmental worker over the last forty years, I can say with confidence that the main cause of of lack of trust and waste of time and resources on both sides of the pond and the political devide are the political party systems and the absence of proportional representation which they protect like gold. This in turn acts as a template for the corporate financial and business systems.

I have met throughout my life only a small number of politicians and businessmen and civil servants who i can really say i trusted and even fewer who I still trust. The rest are at best unreliable, many are personally motivated and some have little concern for anything other than personal power and financial advantage over others. Especially when in a Party or a corporate body a good individual tends to be swamped by the collective desire for power, influence and advantage. and the majority close ranks when anyone strays from the local orthodoxy. The same applies when someone commits a criminal act, or merely displays complete lack of ability or reliability.

The Party and Corporate system always looks after itself and those who toe the party line. Good is swamped and bad is protected against exposure. Large political majorities only breed arrogance and high handedness. and when I got the opportunity and challenged our former "leader" Tony Blair in a live radio phone-in, a couple of days before the 2000 AD election, his only excuse was that it would only give power to minorities. Events since then have only proved that we really do need more power in minorities and PR as this would actually increase democracy, force proper debate and prevent bad legislation and the outrageous conduct of the Tories in the Thatcher Era and and the Labour party in the Blair era.

The parties are still at it. They exaggerate as a reflex action to defend their policies and telling lies has become a virtue. Not suprisingly greed and dishonesty are now being elevated to virtues in this far from Brave New World. Thatcher and the Tories promised prosperity and property ownership but only to the few and to the detrement of the many. She also released control to the financial and banking systems, paving the way to the Credit Crunch and the chaos we are now experiencing. In the process she virtually closed down industry in the North of England and transformed the UK into an unsustainable service economy. When Blair was elected after many wonderful promises, he merely picked up Thatchers baton and ran with it to the detriment of the elderly, the sick and disabled and of course the unemployed with helped him finance his war mongering.

As long as we continue with the Party System and First Past the Post, we will always be at the mercy of clever marketing, ruthless politicians and our own weakness. Its time to introduce PR as in the Scotiish Parliament and make it possible for more independent candidates. Only then will we be able to lecture the rest of the world on the meaning of Democracy and of course restore the badly needed trust in our political and financial system.

ON THE WIRE, BBC RADIO LANCASHIRE 25th BIRTHDAY PARTY

Here's the final reminder that on Saturday 19th September the long running and unique program for real music and real fans, will celebrate 25 years of shaking the North of England with its unique blend of Musics. Special studio guests should include Lee Scratch Perry, the true Genie of Reggae Music and Dub, Jah Wobble and Legendary music producer and operator of On-U-Sounds Adrian Sherwood music journalists and special dub mixes from the USA furnished by Doctor Strangedub and Andy Swiss at The Echo Chamber on KFAI Minneapolis and St Paul, and Terry Collins aka the Turntable Terrorist at Echo Beach from WLUW Chicago.
Normally On the Wire can be heard on BBC Radio Lancshire on FM in the North of England and of course Worldwide via the Internet. For this special the normal slot of 10 PM till Midnight on Saturdays will be extended to 2 AM which gives us four whole wonderful hours of fun and tunes. So to be on the bus rather than under it. tune in at 10 PM and Join presenter Steve Barker, Fenny and Jim Ingham and their guests. If you cannot be there, it should be on BBC Radio Lancashires Listen Again list for the next seven days. I will be there with my video camera hoping to catch some highlights from the occasion which will then be available on You Tube and also on this Blog and the BBC web site.