Questions for the Secretary of State for Transport

Suggestion for MPs to put down a question to the Secretary of State for Transport.  May I suggest, this question?

Why, in the Black Country, is the UK's last remaining, unopened, north-south inter-city rail line to be relegated to a test track for a still to be developed Very Light Rail (VLR) tram train, that may be appropriate for branch lines and road running, only? Especially, when there is an unused branch line in the same borough of Dudley that would be a more appropriate alternative.

(NB: The Black Country Rail Line of 13.5 miles is in your constituency and is one that you could use to and from Parliament - if you and I were allowed to!)

Further possible question:

Why, in Birmingham and the Black Country, are there 45 miles of double track rail lines that, for 100 years had passenger trains but, only freight trains for the last 50 years?

Very many thanks, if you can help us all in this way, please.

Scandalous, stupid neglect of our rail network

Since the December 2014 announcement we have all four transport authorities (DfT, Network Rail, ITA, Centro) backing not only light rail Metro but, the still to be developed, Very Light Rail (VLR) on the most important UK north-south rail line that can be but has not been reopened since the Beeching cuts of fifty years ago.

Having failed with light rail Metro, over the last 34 years, the transport authorities are now trying their hand at VLR and, on 2 Km of the only, unopened, north-south, inter city line between the Hereford-Shrewsbury line in the west and congested New Street Station in the east.  This was the line that they failed to get Midland Metro light rail on.  Not to be put off, they are now seeing if they have better luck with VLR.  If they succeed, it will prevent for ever, inter-city trains from London to Glasgow or Bristol to Edinburgh, returning to this nationally important but forgotten heavy rail line.

This is truly bizarre behaviour when all they have to do is to return existing inter-city and commuter, diesel trains on a line that literally runs alongside or near to commuter congested roads through the heart of three Black Country boroughs.  VLR and LR are great to replace the buses feeding into and out of the rail network.  But re-opening our closed rail network must have top priority.

Hundreds of million of pounds have been found to re-open the Scottish Borders Railway of 48 Km but nothing for the 21 Km Black Country inter-city Line that should then be extended to Lichfield, in my opinion - a further 17 Km of re-opened track.

My map of Birmingham and the Black Country has one Metro line out of the dozen or so Metro lines that ITA/Centro wanted after these last 34 years.  The map also shows the 45 miles of double track freight lines that have no passenger trains and stations.  Yet, for about 100 years these empty, unused lines did have passenger trains and stations.  For the last 50 years - nothing.  In fact, for 100 years, there were about 100 miles of passenger trains and stations in our growing but far less populated and congested, urban conurbation than it is now.  For the last 50 years, nothing, as we all have to rely on the roads and a much diminished rail network.  This, at a time when rail passenger numbers have been rising for many years!  Is lack of capacity also, partly, due to so many heavy rail lines having been built on and given over to trams and guided busways?

"Remembrance is not enough"

(banner, Peace Museum, Bradford)

Remembrance over these last 100 years has meant, for us good angelic Brits, remembering to wage war on foreign countries in every single year since, at least, 1914 (source: Guardian 12 Feb 2014).

Perhaps, we need to try forgetting our war heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in killing and being killed. How about remembering my heroes like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jnr and Jesus of Nazareth and following their more worthy example?

We have difficulty in remembering Magna Carta - admittedly, it was over 800 years this year. For example, the illegitimate Guantanamo Bay has gone on for over ten years in order to get round the US constitution that has Magna Carta at its heart, apparently. Magna Carta was imported to America with the British and European settlers.

We have difficulty in remembering our own British wars of religion and our own barbaric behaviour by pious monarchs down the centuries. Particularly brutal and barbaric in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Upping the anti; more militarism; and, Western warring with more Trident

For me, it's immoral and unacceptable to threaten to wipe out much of humanity with these Western weapons. We used them twice in 1945, too and that was a spur to the Soviet Union also getting the ultimate WMD. And, we can't blame the Muslims for this barbarity that also sets them a very bad example.

Network Rail has questions to answer

1. Do you agree over the 45 miles for 50 years of no passenger trains and stations in Birmingham and the Black Country?
2. How many Rail Utilisation Studies has Network Rail written over these 50 years?
3. How many miles of new rail lines have you and your predecessors actually utilised?
4. Why has £750m just been spent on "reducing passenger congestion" at New Street Station (David Golding in phone conversation with me last month) but nothing to reduce rail congestion?
5. Why are the approach roads to New Street so congested that it takes half an hour from the far side of Holloway Circus to get into the 'Stop and Crawl' tunnel?
6. Why is that tunnel perfumed with a cocktail of poisonous gases to harm the health of all of us?
7. When is NR going to start agitating for new rail tunnels on both approaches for trains to get more easily into the platforms to reduce the glorious new "passenger experience" as we wait, up above in the shopping malls spending more money, for our delayed or never to appear train?

Never winter and always Christmas!

There has been no public consultation, as yet, on the VLR proposals for the Black Country passenger line.

FOR EASE OF READING, THEY ARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, dated 30 January 2015.  Nick is Nick Mallinson of WMG who wants his VLR project in Dudley.  My suggestion gives all of you all you want - Christmas every day!:

Dear Nick

Could your ultra light rail project and the Innovation Centre go on the cleared site of the former Brierley Hill Steel Terminal at Moor St, Brierley Hill DY5 3AG?  It could then be tested and developed using the 3 Km line from there to north of Pensnett High Street to terminate at Tansey Green Road or Stallings Lane (B4175).  This is Shut End on my A-Z.  Earlier this month, I walked the length of the old line and nothing has been built on it.  One new bridge over the canal would have to be built.

Once perfected, the tram train would be ideal for road running to Merry Hill Shopping Centre and, a second line to Stourbridge Town interchange.  Intu, the current owners of Merry Hill might provide funds, as Nigel Hugil, MD of Chelsfield was prepared to do in the 1990s for Metro going to his shopping centre.  If I remember correctly, he was offering £25 million!

Best wishes

From Nick Mallinson:

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your email and your suggestion of an alternative site for the Innovation Centre and test track.

I am not familiar with the site and track formation so I cannot say whether or not it would be a suitable alternative.  In practical terms WMG is in the hands of our partner, Dudley Council, with regard to the siting of the centre in the Borough.   I note that Martyn Holloway has replied to you and explained that the present proposal delivers benefits other than VLR research capability and jobs to the Borough – the Castle Hill to Dudley Port rail link will reconnect Dudley to the line into Birmingham and provide a channel for many tourists to reach Dudley and visit the Zoo and Black Country Living Museum.

It is the sum of the benefits that has made this proposal so compelling to the Black Country and other public bodies including Future railway. DfT and Centro.

Kind regards,

Nick

From Martyn Holloway (Roy is Roy Burgess, who first told me of the Black Country Rail Line 20 years ago):

Tim/Roy,

The line to Pensnett is still protected from a planning perspective and so could be available for the test facility as you suggest. 

The old Moor Street freight liner site is well placed for ultimately serving Stourbridge and Waterfront but there are operational issues with the live freight line that still need to be considered.  Primarily this is over the mixing of heavy and light rail systems but that applies to any proposals on live (track) line.

However, what your proposal does not do is address our current objective to build on investment in Dudley town centre and Castle Hill by reconnecting it to the national rail network.  This is integral with the proposals for the VLR centre.

As Roy will attest, I am always open to constructive proposals but in this case it doesn’t deliver the objectives for Dudley

Cheers

Martyn Holloway

Head of Traffic & Transportation

Directorate of Environment Economy and Housing

Telephone 01384 815426

Many thanks, Nick for the e-mail.

Below is my reply to Martyn's e-mail that I will paste, here:-

Thanks, Martyn for your e-mail, that was good to receive.  It was kind of you to reply promptly.

What WOULD "address our current objective to build on investment in Dudley town centre and Castle Hill by reconnecting it to the national rail network" is to have the national rail network come to Dudley Castle Hill.  This can be done, much more quickly, by returning diesel trains from Oxford, Worcester and beyond to the heart of three Black Country boroughs and then going on to Crewe and the NW in one direction and, Derby and the NE in the other.

In this way, investment would come to Dudley and to the to the somewhat rundown but still attractive Waterfront area of Brierley Hill, that would get a new lease of life.  In fact, why not have the pleasant Waterfront as the new administrative centre for Dudley MBC that would then be, directly, on the national rail network?  And, without waiting the many years for the ultra light rail tram train to be developed and tested before, finally running up and down Castle Hill in public service?

In this way, you would be returning passenger trains to the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Company line that saw passenger steam trains for about 100 years until the 1960s when the line was closed.  For 50 years, no passenger trains have been seen on the 13 miles of double track line from Stourbridge Jct, Castle Hill Dudley, Wednesbury and on to Walsall.  Your proposal continues the tragedy of your good self missing out on the sheer wonder of seeing the delights of Dudley from the window of a commuter or inter-city train as it powers to and past our Castle, Zoo, Canal Trust and Museum.  My proposal puts a stop to this disappointment of yours!

Seriously, Martyn (and Roy) don't you think this makes Dudley a double winner?  The 13 miles Black Country Line is a huge asset for regeneration, employment and economic growth.  Perhaps, more choice for some car commuters to leave their motors behind and use the train, too.

It would still leave 32 miles of freight lines in Brum and the Black Country with no stations or passengers - let alone the trains.

With every good wish

My scathing denunciation of UNUSED, urban rail lines!!

End 34 years of apathy, drift, indecision, fudging and failure over Midland Metro trams.

You wanted a dozen tram lines throughout the West Midlands.

They have NOT been built - anywhere!

One tram line, on almost all of a passenger rail line that you should never have closed, is very poor performance.

GET A GRIP AND RAISE YOUR GAME, LEADERS.

Reject today's report for a review of Metro - more time wasting.

STOP wasting our taxes.

Instruct your officers to scrap Metro and to work on URGENTLY re-opening our urban passenger rail lines and rebuilding the stations.

STAND UP to Network Rail and order them to co-operate with you.

Send a delegation to see George Osborne and Patrick McLoughlin to get them to make the funds available for something worthwhile, at long last:

45 MILES OF UNUSED OR UNDERUSED DOUBLE TRACK RAIL LINES IN BIRMINGHAM AND THE BLACK COUNTRY MUST BE FULLY USED - for commuters and inter-city passengers.

GOOD NEWS: Public transport is looking up. We have a new Vision of the future!

"the refreshed rapid transit proposals": -

• All our West Midland councillors are now ambitious for "public transport connectivity" (report on website http://www.wmita.org.uk/media/1296/item-11-black-country-rapid-transit-review.pdf)
• To this end, they formed themselves into the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority last year.
• This year, if they approve a report on WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY, the seven leaders will form a steering group to review snail-like progress, since 1980, on getting a comprehensive network of trams across the West Midlands.
• In 34 years of fruitless endeavour, one line from Wolverhampton to Birmingham has been achieved when the Birmingham city centre extension is finally opened to New Street Station - THIS YEAR.  Praise be!
• The late arrival of the trams has been cleverly designed to coincide with the £600 million cosmetic refurbishment of New Street that is designed 'to enhance the passenger experience' as they wait for their (very, very occasional) delayed or cancelled train or tram.
• Not content with their lack of success over light rail Metro, our leaders are now wanting VERY light rail while not abandoning light rail Metro on the same one mile line that for 100 years had passenger trains on the Oxford, Worcester, Wolverhampton Railway Company line that took hundreds of thousands of passengers to Birkenhead and the NW.  This was a journey that was considerably longer than the one mile that is their medium to long term ambition, now.
• Umpteen reports, studies and plans are sweated over, poured over and finally produced.  But to what effect?
• NO!  That's not fair.  We have had 50 years of ghost trains on 45 miles of our unused or grossly underused double track freight lines - all from our Integrated (no less) Transport Authority.  Extraordinary performance!

Douglas Murray and my reply to his militant, militaristic extremism!

​

How we love to think that we are God's gift to humanity!
I read every word of the Quran in 2010.  Nowhere does it say, "to ‘slay’ non–believers and chop off their heads", as Douglas Murray believes in this article.  Long, long ago I read, nearly, every single word of the Bible more than once in my evangelical and literalist, fundamentalist, 20s.

On the other hand, the Bible has 'Rules for Waging Holy War' in Deut 20 v 1-20.

The Bible has God telling the people of Israel to commit genocide in order to gain the Promised Land.

Israel gained the Promised Land a second time in 1948 by violence, by terrorism and by overthrowing the League of Nations mandate granted to Britain to rule over Palestine.  The state of Israel continues to extend its borders to more and more of the original Promised Land (Judea and Samaria) by settlement activity, in contravention of international law and the flouting of United Nations resolutions.  Yet, the righteous of the Lord view all this as part of God's plan for Israel and for the end times.  Israel's activity is of the Lord God Almighty and is a sign of His blessing.  Especially, when they win every war they fight against the Muslim Arabs!

During the 10,000 day war by the Judeao-Christian West (France and USA, with the tacit support of the UK and other western European countries), we killed and injured an unknown number of godless Communists in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  Encylopaedias have varying figures from one to three million deaths.  Evangelist, Billy Graham went out, not to condemn the illegal occupation and war, but to give succour and comfort to the troops in Vietnam.  Not just once but twice!

We cannot blame extremist Muslims for all that bloodshed.  Nor, for the two World Wars turning the 20th century into the most destructive and bloody in the history of humanity.

We cannot blame jihadists for WMD - and, for their use, too!  The Muslim extremists see us lot as the Christian West and are not impressed with our Bible and with our Christian beliefs.  They see us as immoral and decadent.

Our slave trade was more extensive and worse in every way than the Arab slave trade.  As was our Christian Western empires around the globe that thrived not on the biblical injunction, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" but, on the old Victorian slogan, "Grab and brag; occupy and fortify!"  Not for us the silly nonsense of 'yield not to temptation for yielding is sin' (hymn lyric).  Oh no.  We always knew better than Jesus and gladly embraced the devil's offer to bow down to him so that all the kingdoms of the world would be ours!

The hated Islamic jihadists see the Judeao-Christian world and have now joined in the blood letting, the warfare and the horrors that we have visited upon the globe in every single year since, at least, as far back as 1914.  They have a long way to go to match us, the upright Brits, in that aforementioned terrible trinity of torment.  Such is man's inhumanity to man.

May God forgive US - not them!

from Avaaz on Israel-Palestine

As a new round of violence kicks off in Israel-Palestine and more children are killed, it's not enough just to call for another ceasefire. It’s time to take definitive non-violent action to end this decades long nightmare. 

Our governments have failed -- while they have talked peace and passed UN resolutions, they and our companies have continued to aid, trade and invest in the violence. The only way to stop this hellish cycle of Israel confiscating Palestinian lands, daily collective punishment of innocent Palestinian families, Hamas firing rockets, and Israel bombing Gaza is to make the economic cost of this conflict too high to bear. 

We know it works -- when EU countries issued guidelines not to fund the illegal Israeli settlements it caused an earthquake in the cabinet, and when citizens successfully persuaded a Dutch pension fund, PGGM, to withdraw, it created a political storm.

Inter-city and commuter Black Country Rail Line now has another obstacle placed in its path!

​

Dear Mr Ian Austin - and copied to a few of the decision makers and people of influence

The unused, nationally important Black Country Line is the only north-south rail line between New Street Station in the east and the Hereford-Shrewsbury line in the west.

I am attempting to see all the MPs on the Black Country Rail Line to show how advantageous it would be for their constituents.

Thanks very much for your prompt reply that came this morning.  However, you are not on my side at all, as the fine letterhead would have me believe!

In addition, you need to intervene not on my behalf but on behalf of your constituents who might like to have a direct rail connection to all parts of Britain, now.  Do you not feel able to make representations on behalf of the Zoological Gardens, the Castle, Canal Trust and Black Country Museum who might like to be connected, once more, to the national rail network in this decade rather than the next?  And, in this life rather than the dreams of the next!

For about twenty years I have been working, from time to time like you, in trying to get "Dudley town connected to the wider transport network, for businesses to locate here and to bring jobs to the area."  You write, "that the plans are finally making some progress."  They are not, in my opinion.

These are the obstacles:

1. The plans are still to put light rail Metro trams on a heavy rail double track line.  But, now, the latest plan is to put very light rail tram trains as well as the light rail Metro trams that have failed to turn up even late, in 34 years!  This is absolutely absurd.  The 13 miles is reserved for freight, only and never for poor passengers - and, for only a little matter of 50 years, too!
2. Only one tram line in 34 years of fruitless endeavour is a truly shocking and laughable record.  'Private Eye' would have a field day, if they knew!
3. Don't you think that putting existing passenger trains back on the 45 miles of heavy rail lines they were designed for, would be more sensible - economically and ecologically and improve capacity on the rail network in Brum and the Black Country?
4. At least, the light rail Metro was fully developed, tried and tested before it was put on the Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level rail line.  The ultra light tram train is under development by the Warwick Manufacturing Group.  How many more years will have to creep by before the tram train is sufficiently safe and reliable for the public to use?  For the Parry People Mover, it was getting on for twenty years.  It is now on the Stourbridge Jct to Town branch line - ideal for light rail.
5. In the meantime, why not put existing diesel trains and stations back on the Black Country Rail Line that would also include inter-city trains from London and Glasgow?  More capacity is urgent - now!
6. Would you support the Innovation Centre being built at Trindle Road/Castle Hill and using the mothballed line out to Wolverhampton via a new rear entrance to the Black Country Living Museum and directly to Dudley Canal Trust?  Could the Museum and Trust contribute funds?
7. Alternatively, would you support the Innovation Centre and its ultra light rail, tram train being developed on the flattened Brierley Hill Steel Terminal site at Moor Street (opposite Lindsey Place)?  There is a 2Km line there that could be brought back to test the tram train, instead of the 50 year old, mothballed inter-city line.
8. Would that not be more sensible than preventing inter-city and commuter trains being returned to 13 miles through the very heart of three Black Country boroughs?
9. How very strange that passenger numbers and robust business cases all confirm that it is economically viable to have light rail Metro and, now at the same time, an untried, very light rail tram train but, never for run of the mill, inter-city and commuter trains on our unused Black Country Line.  The simple solution is all too obvious!
10. Are you not intrigued that, including our forgotten inter-city and commuter Black Country Line, there are 45 miles of double track freight only lines in our densely populated and congested urban conurbation of Birmingham and the Black Country?  WHY?  Not just intrigued but pretty livid would be a more appropriate reaction!
11. ​
    ​To the best of my knowledge and belief, in our six council areas out of the seven in the West Midlands, ​
    Network Rail has never allowed passenger trains and stations to return to what are now, freight only lines.  Did you know that?  Is there anything you can do to stop this piece of complete idiocy, please?
12. In summary, in my opinion, stop all light rail plans until the heavy rail network in Brum and the Black Country is fully used, open and is at least as good as the average on the mainland of Europe.  And, until additional tunnels are built on both approaches to New Street Station - "the UK's rail congestion bottleneck", according to the BBC's Peter Plisner from very many years ago.  This applies, even more, after £600 million has just been spent/wasted in dealing with, not rail and road congestion but passenger congestion - to improve the passenger experience while we all wait for our delayed or non-appearing trains!!

Having just listened to a wonderful and amusing Radio 4 programme on 'Archive Hour' about complaining, is there anything here that you think, Mr Austin, might be a justifiable cause of complaint over the work of our transport experts and professionals; officers and members?

'Focus on Israel'

Dear friend

My son, this morning, gave me the Summer 2014 issue of 'infocus', that I read at the time when my copy was sent to me - thanks.

My Bible believing and Zionist Christian family are in full agreement with Israel continuing to wage war on Gaza to teach them a lesson that they never seem to learn. Would you, perhaps feel able to write a short piece in the next issue of 'infocus' on the following lines?

TELL THEM TO TALK TO THE TERRORISTS!

This must be one of the most important and tragic unresolved nightmares in the world today.

Over the years, tight road blocks and checkpoints, strict restrictions and searches, invasions/occupations, suicide bombers, rockets and aerial bombing raids have all failed to bring peace with justice for both sides. Three wars on Gaza have all failed.

In our church, it seems that I alone think that non-violent actions must be tried, in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ of the gospels. Bizarrely, it is not our political leaders with their Judeo-Christian upbringing - nor our church leaders in sermons - who have ever uttered the sentence, " We must use non-violence". In fact, it was a Palestinian MP, Mahmood Bagooti on the Radio 4, 'Today' programme last July. I counted four utterances of the all too rare two words, as he was interviewed by John Humphrys, showing what he was doing to persuade his side to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jnr and, above all, Jesus Christ!

Israel must talk to the terrorists with the help of their ally, the USA, as Margaret Thatcher began to do with the IRA, when she was Prime Minister. John Major and Tony Blair continued to success.

Israel and Palestine MUST talk to each other.  Make friends of your neighbours, O Israel, rather than deepening the enmity!

"The same old story" means never ending violence and aggression - for even the righteous of the Lord/Yahweh. A dismal outlook!

The tram train on the Black Country Rail Line

Here are my points for being apprehensive over ultra light rail going on the Black Country Line:

1. It gives you all an excuse for further delay to get down to increasing rail capacity, especially when it is so important to take the pressure off New Street Station.
2. Once ultra light rail is in place, it will be very difficult not to extend it in bite sized chunks, as was the intention with Metro.  The bite sized chunks business never materialised for Metro, so that is a bad omen for very light rail.
3. Once ultra light rail is in place, it will be difficult to then rip it up and replace it with heavy rail.  Better to put back the everyday, well tried and tested, heavy rail trains, with stations.
4. Heavy rail can be put back quicker than an innovative tram train that still needs much development.
5. Nick Mallinson confirmed that what his WMG is developing is unheard of on the mainland of Europe that is generally considered to have an excellent rail service from Spain and Italy to Scandanavia.
6. Ultra light rail would be ideal for urban areas that have no heavy rail tracks already in place.  Best to use existing heavy rail tracks for heavy rail trains.
7. Nick wants one track as a test track and the other one for a shuttle service for the tram train.  From John Parry's experience in taking very many years to put his already tried and tested PPM on the Stourbridge branch line, it is bound to take a similar number of years to get permission for the tram train to be able to be safe for a public service.
8. John Parry had his own circular test track for many years at his business address in Cradley.  Should Nick not be using that?
9. In other words, it will take years for the tram train to be safe and sufficiently reliable for a public paying shuttle service between Castle Hill and Dudley Port.
10. There are two possible better locations for an innovative vehicle to be tried and tested.  One might be the open space that once took the Dudley to Wolverhampton rail line before it was built on, further on.  There is space there for them to test the tram train between Station Drive and on to the rear of the Black Country Museum and directly to the Dudley Canal Trust.  The other might be the old line, branching off the Black Country Line, from Silver End in Brierley Hill, through Brockmoor to Pensnett.

Why not make harmless concessions to Muslim extremists - God forbid! Whatever next?

Like, refraining from exercising all our rights of free expression and not publishing images of the Prophet or making fun of him or Islam.
Like, restraining our natural instincts and not invading and occupying Muslim lands or killing Muslims - or, anyone else for that matter.
How about becoming less dependant on Arab oil or refraining from attacking Gaza?
What about the French allowing Muslim women to wear the full burqa, if they so wish?
And letting them have their mosques in western Europe, even with minarets?

Muslim extremism but Jewish and Christian proportionality and utterly reasonable responses to their outrageous attacks on us. And they started it; so there!

Muslim extremism but Jewish and Christian proportionality and utterly reasonable responses to their outrageous attacks on us.  And they started it first, anyway - so there!

Do we accommodate ourselves to Muslim extremism and show restraint to extinguish extremism or, carry on regardless with our behaviours to offend and insult (to satisfy our free speech) and generally dominate the Muslim world to get what we want out of them and for our own ends?
Israel is seen by some as a Jewish/Christian and powerful Western state in the heart of the Arab Middle East.  That US backed State is enough to be a red rag to a bull for some extremist, fundamentalist Muslims who also view Israel as a cuckoo in the nest.  As is our 100 years of military intervention and drawing of boundaries for the Arab countries in the Middle East.  Like the chart of all the cuts of meat that is sometimes displayed in butchers' shops (simile is courtesy of Jewish born Jonathan Miller).
We have had 100 years of official Western Great Powers interfering and setting up, first their empires and then their spheres of influence to counter that of our number One enemy, evil Communist USSR then, slightly less evil capitalist Russia.  Great Powers was how we referred to ourselves before our European empires started to crumble, as one result of the Great Glorious War to end all wars.

Someone else wrote this but ...

.. I would put it like this:

Our religious beliefs can be part of the problem.  Violence is pretty universal for all.  Our faith beliefs control 

our behaviours.  We all want land for ourselves.  And it can be all too easy to say that God gave us the land to 

justify our occupation - the people of Israel taking over Canaan 3,500 years ago or, us lot taking over the land 

from the native American Indian inhabitants.  We brought them God, germs and guns.  Our ancestors thought 

that God was confirming the rightness of their occupation and takeover of what became the USA, by 

wiping out the earlier inhabitants, quite naturally from disease.  But it was disease from germs, unknowingly 

brought by the good Christians from England.

Terrorism can be state terrorism and by others.

Empire building by the traditional Christian nations, who should have known better, is at the root of the 

problem - the going and getting and controlling other groups and lands and their inhabitants . 

The Cold War was also worked out in the Middle East and made the problem worse.

Control and coercion; grab and brag; occupy and fortify.

Those who lose out from those with the power don't always appreciate it.  The battle between Jews and Arabs 

originated three and a half thousand years ago but 95% of the intervening years has seen inhabitants of the 

Holy Land live in peaceful co-existence with one another - until more and more Jews returned in the 20th 

century as they fled persecution from anti-Semitism by our ancestors in Christian majority Europe.

Sadat and Rabin set a good example of compromise to try and get a settlement.



"FINALLY, a much more fair documentary (by Peter and Dan Snow on the Yom Kippur War of 1973).

I am NOT anti-Jewish, nor am I PRO-Arab or PRO-terrorism of ANY KIND!!!

The truth needs to be understood AWAY from any and ALL religious, prejudiced and other biases that totally 

control the conversation on both sides of the situation!!!  The truth is that there were and are terrorists on both 

sides, initially the terrorists were mostly of the Jewish, population, quickly followed by the Palestinian 

population; now, BOTH.

The Jewish state is still a terrorist one; morally and factually, the declaration (and following codification by 

the UN and the US) does NOT allow the now-state-status to continue or began acts that are terrorist in nature.  

The Arab, Persian and others that comprise the opposite side are egregiously horrible as well!!!!!!!!

The problem is a result of Colonialism and imperialism of the West.  If PEACE is ever to be achieved, the true 

facts must be known and acknowledged on all sides.

The problems were made worse when the US and the Soviet Union literally saw each country in the Middle 

East as "Us" and "Them".. The problems that resulted from this application of East/West conflict, especially in 

the 1980's, made the problems much worse.

Most IMPORTANTLY…This conflict is NOT thousands of years old, it is very recent in terms of history. 

Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak (Isaac) Rabin are true HEROES in this conflict!!!"

95% cloudless blue sky all day

For me, THE highlight of 2014 (even better than the glorious April day climbing the best mountain I have ever climbed with Northern England mountaineer, Nigel):

This Weller-Willson winter expedition to Aran Fawddwy was long in the coming but it was a perfect snowy day when it was finally accomplished - on Sunday 28 December 2014.  Also, I am sure, the first time I had been out on my own with just the two of them.

The three of us had a hard, circular walk from Llanymawddwy in the beautiful upper Dyfi valley.  It was made even harder for Tim who trail blazed through the often deep snow all day.  He was wearing a very snazzy black and brown skin layer of string on the front and two other clever materials on back, arms and armpits.  On top, a modern yellow, full zip, slinky top with hood.  To my relief, we chose not to do my suggestion of the straight on, steep rocky and vegetated rib directly above the sharp corner where we left the road for the gate and path.  As it was, we ended in the dark, as we were expecting and, for that reason also chose not to do my other initial suggestion of the final steep hill above Llanymawddwy.  That would have involved, in the light of our head torches, edging round by the forest fence above a steep drop.

On the summit, there was a gentle breeze.  With temperatures already below freezing, it felt even colder so we did not stop around too long.  However, long enough to take in the magnificent views all round.  We saw all the great mountain ranges of Snowdonia thirty miles away - the Carneddau, the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif, itself.  All of them seemed so small and insignificant.  There was a cloud inversion that meant that Bala and Llyn Tegid were both smothered in a lake of cloud.  In places, slightly higher prominences pushed through to make for small islands of land in the sea of cloud.

I think the snow had come two days earlier on Boxing Day, with probably more on the following day, Saturday.  Some of the fences were honeycombed in rime and Tim and Becky sword fought with icicles of ice from the wire.  In other places, grass sticking through the snow was so encased in icy snow that they looked like meerkats standing upright and staring out over the white wilderness.  Going up the first snowy 600m hill there was a huge field of white bumps that looked quite remarkable.  It was the cushion moss that is so common in upland areas; it makes for such a comfortable seat on a warm summer's day.  Tim gave us the footholds in the deep soft snow for me to put my own and then Becky, in the rear, in a perfect, trio line up, marching on.

We got back to the car after more than seven hours of hard walking and climbing.  I foolishly started driving through an enlarging slit of visibility in the windscreen.  Four miles down the road, the Red Lion in Dinas Mawddwy was more packed than I had ever seen it.  So crowded, that we got nowhere near the woodworm eaten table or the shire horse brasses and certainly not the blazing log fire.  Long drinks quenched our thirst before the two hour drive home.

NOT Second City but Tenth Rate City!

ABOLISH THE CITY COUNCIL AND RUN BRUM FROM ANYWHERE BUT BRUM - like in my backyard in dismal Dudley! 

It started with two out of the three city centre Birmingham rail stations being demolished; only to be rebuilt to make for fewer lines and platforms, certainly at Snow Hill.  The third, Moor Street, was closed.

In the 60s and 70s we had the wholesale closure of rail lines as road congestion slowly grew.  More stations were demolished and sites used for other purposes, as we foolishly put all our eggs in the one basket of fine new ring roads and road transport.

In 50 years of urban rail closures, Longbridge to Four Oaks rail line re-opened across the city and the Jewellery line via a re-opened Moor Street Station that was foolishly closed but, wisely was never demolished - thankfully!

Since the 1980s, some of the rail lines have been left unused or underused for Midland Metro trams to further fragment the once unified rail network that once saw only trains.  Trams are now unnecessarily replacing not only trains but buses!  No evidence of even one car commuter switching to trams who could not have switched to the train, if trains had been left on that urban rail line now used by trams.  (The line was closed, presumably, under Beeching and, after some years, eventually re-opened for trams.  Utter incompetence and idiocy!)

In 34 years of fruitless endeavour, only one out of a whole network of tram lines has been opened!  More failure, more negligence and more incompetence.  And, that one line went on a perfectly good rail line, apart from a short section on road!

Trams instead of trains on 11 miles of our crowded rail network, desperate for more capacity (but not even trams on 45 miles of empty, double track rail line in Brum and the adjoining Black Country - I exaggerate not!).

Your city council and PTA/Centro have plumped for Snow Hill Sta to link with New St Sta using trams instead of the nearer Moor St Sta.  This is a piece of idiocy, when all the trains that stop at Snow Hill also stop at the much nearer Moor St!  You could have spent a tiny fraction of the money now being spent linking Snow Hill and New Street stations with trams, on a simple travelator (or moving pavement) to help bridge the distance for passengers travelling between Moor Street and New Street Stations.

Safer movement for all road users, including cyclists - and freeing up the road network - by making:

1. all the existing bridleways, towpaths and cycle/walkways fit for purpose ie - free of mud, puddles and overgrowing vegetation;
2. completing white lines on pavements for cyclists by dropping the kerbs;
3. dropping all the kerbs on access/egress points on the Harborne Line Cycle/Walkway; STILL NOT BEEN DONE!
4. completing the Bourn cycle/walkway by doing the excellent job that was done there by doing exactly the same with the two rights of way in Woodgate Valley CP - one side of the stream for walkers and horses with a soft surface and the other side for walkers and cyclists with a hard, free draining surface (preferably, a convex rough tarmac surface);
5. promote walker friendly, super-courteous and responsible cycling on shared routes;
6. re-open the 38 miles of existing double track, unused or under-used rail lines in Brum and the Black Country to make for more people being able to use the much safer rail network instead of the car or bike - many miles are alongside commuter congested roads, too.  For many decades, this has been totally stupid transport policy by the city council and PTA/Centro who should know better.
7. fund the Canals and Rivers Trust to help them make all their urban towpaths available for buggies, wheelchairs, cyclists and walkers so that the towpath network is seen as the alternative to the road network for these users that it should be.

All of this really should not need spelling out - yet again!!

Sir Bob Kerslake wrote in a key report on Birmingham City Council, "Get the basics right."  Even the basics are all to pot, as I have shown, here.

Rethink Trident - and our persistent warfare in every year for the last 100 (no exaggeration)!

Trident is too destructive to be of any practical use.
It's a white elephant of white elephants.
It cannot possibly stop the UK from being attacked since plenty of other countries don't have this magnificent weapon of war but, have either NOT been attacked by anyone or, been attacked by us!
The countries with the biggest and most impressive arsenals of war, do the most aggression against weaker counties.

The ultimate challenge of barbarity

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY  -  18 DECEMBER 2014  -  VISHVAPANI

Of all the horrors we’ve seen in the international conflict with radical Islam, Wednesday’s massacre at

the army school in Peshawar must be among the most ghastly. When defenseless women and 

children are targeted on this scale, we’ve reached a new level of barbarism.

How did we get here? Without detracting from the attack’s distinctive horror, it stems from a spiral of 

violence and escalating conflict. When did it all start: the Pakistani army’s campaign against the Taliban? 

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? 9/11? The legacy of occupation and empire that stretches back over 

centuries? The causes are endless: perhaps that’s the nature of conflicts. And the solutions are 

doubtful. The Pakistani army may be victorious, but at what cost, and with what consequences? Perhaps 

this war will spread, or merge into the region’s other conflicts; or perhaps the barbarism will just continue 

to escalate.

Reflecting on the conflicts of his own time, the Buddha alighted on a singular term for what he observed: 

proliferation. Causes multiply into diverse effects, especially when ideology and beliefs magnify them. He 

made sense of this by noting the parallel with what happens in our minds: one irritable thought begets 

another, which becomes a compelling narrative about what’s happening; and, soon enough, we act.

This psychological approach led the Buddha to locate the ultimate causes of war and conflict in the 

minds of individual human beings. We’ll do anything to banish unpleasant feelings and put things right 

when we feel they’re wrong, even if that leads us to act in ways we’d otherwise condemn. That’s how 

otherwise decent people come to justify the use of torture.

In the Buddhist view, nothing good can result when we’re driven by hatred, anger and the desire for 

revenge. Blood will have blood. This doesn’t mean that force should never be used or that wars are 

never justified; but it’s a strong caution to check the impulse to act out of anger, to note the 

moral distortion that rigid ideology can bring, and to allow space for other wiser responses that 

come when we put anger aside.

Proliferation ends, the Buddha suggested, when we learn to tolerate pain, rather than reacting to it, and 

when patience and forgiveness give us the mental space to act with love. For me, that’s the ultimate 

challenge of the barbarity in Pakistan. The world is good at creating warmongers. Peacemakers have to 

make themselves.


SELF: The ultimate challenge is not the heroism and the ultimate sacrifice that gets lauded back home 

as you come home in a body bag but: - restraint, the quiet, soft answer that turns away wrath and the 

courage not to retaliate.