2nd ANNUAL CYCLE OR WALK THE MUDWAY to get it transformed - on Sat 3 Aug 24 and Sat 10 Aug 24

Dear friends - please do join us for active travel under our own steam

Saturday 3 August and Sat 10 Aug.  I'll do both.  You choose either Saturday - for the weather you want!  Anyone and everyone is welcome.  We return when we reach the 'end' (20 Kms?) or whenever you have had enough.  The Dudley section is the worst, so choose the driest Saturday!  Bring lunch if you want to do the lot, as far as Shropshire Union Canal Mainline.

You cycle as much or as little as you want.  You cycle as fast or as slow as you want.  You are responsible for your own safety.  You can't get lost!  ALL TRAFFIC FREE.  Use a robust bike (or boots).  It's not that bad, honest!

10 am start at Fens Pool Avenue, Brierley Hill at Stourbridge Rd end on both Saturdays.  Maps:

 Disgraceful Dudley BC Cycle-Walk Mudway 01.pdf

 Disgraceful Dudley BC Cycle-Walk Mudway 02.pdf

HIGHLIGHTS to enjoy - the mud should be dry by now!!:

3 nature reserves - Fens Pools SSSI, Barrow Hill, Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve.

2 disused railway lines

2 refreshment stops at two Victorian railway stations in Wolverhampton

1 Woodland Trust property - Himley Plantation

1 Monarch's Way

1 S Staffs Railway Walk

Our ideal mini power station of a home

The inclusion, below, of what I've written about 28 Hunnington Cres is so important to me and why, ideally, I would like it to remain within the Weller/Willson family - for one of the grandchildren, perhaps.  But whoever does live in it, I don't want the next occupants, after mum and I, to revert back to how the house was.  Jonathan has said, and I agree, that gas has to go for everyone one day.  Therefore, the two gas heaters must eventually be taken out.  They have served us well, are still working but both are now inefficient.  It is even much more comfortable to have the infra-red heaters in front of you or even on the settee, as I like to have.  They are slower at heating the room, so you do have to dress accordingly but, that has never been a problem for those of us who so love the outdoors!  We all have to tread more lightly on the planet.  Upstairs living during the daytime is very important for maximum warmth, minimum bills and lowest impact.

ON LIVING SIMPLY TO SIMPLY LIVE!

We two frugal fossil fueled OAPs finished our transition to low impact living on the 30 November 2023 when the gas meter was removed for free by our energy provider, Octopus.  From then on monthly bills inclu VAT were:- Dec £50, Jan £42, Feb £22, March £28, April £23, May £24 and, £21 on 21 June.  Averages out at £30/mth when 50% of that is standing charge (50p/day).

July: £21

Aug: £21

Sept: £22

Oct: £25

OUR MINI POWER STATION of a home in Halesowen:

1967/68 three storey, 3 bedroom, mid-terrace, townhouse.

6.24 kWp east/west, solar array fitted Nov 2013 (difficult to keep clean, however on high roof!)

14.40 kWh batteries in garage

Infra-red portable heater panels that are so flexible and are slim and white, that we love.  You sit in front of them.

Induction electric cooker

10/12 kWh instant electric water heater behind shower on top floor does all hot taps, too.

3 kWh unit for hand washing in downstairs toilet.

Sleep on the ground floor because you don't need any heat when in bed.

Live above bedrooms, where it is naturally warmer.

Go for a smart meter and batteries BEFORE solar panels to then go on a tariff that uses cheaper night time electricity stored in the battery.  You then use the elecy from the battery during the coming day.

Solar is very necessary, however, to go off grid as much as you possibly can.  Saves on big power stations and pylons!

Has anyone tried a wind turbine on the roof?  Or, seen one?

These texts to a friend summarise longer pieces on my blog

We Brits (and France) are to blame for the Middle East today, especially from 1917 to 1948. Perfidious Albany, duplicitous Britain all helped the 1948 catastrophe for both Israel and Palestine continuing to this day. 

Your voting Labour is fair enough and understandable. For me, I am horrified by Labour's unprincipled, 100% support for the most ever, extreme right wing, ultra-nationalist, Israeli government committing acts leading to genocide, under the guise of a righteous War of Self Defence that never ends.  With Labour supporting arms, ammunition to Iniquitous Israel and, fully supporting the American weapons going to Israel, still.  I cannot bring myself to vote for any of the parties. Perhaps the SNP if I was in Scotland.

I want a unity, Coalition government to urgently address the climate and resource shortages and other multi-crises.

My first action would be to stop arms, ammunition going from our shores.

LEGACY OF OUR NOT SO GLORIOUS EMPIRE

It is unheard of for ordinary Christian believers to condemn militarism, imperialism, displacement of peoples and to condemn aggression rewarded by the keeping of land as we have allowed the State of Israel to do for 76 years.  We don't allow other countries to be rewarded for land grabs but it's fine for our side to do it!

British Thuggery Around the World!:-
The Brits were responsible for the Palestine catastrophe in 1948, Kashmir impasse, the opium wars on China, South Africa war, Bengal famine, Amritsar massacre, solid support for numerous coups and SE Asian wars from our best mate USA, theft of the Chagos Archipelago that is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory and forced displacement of their people, Bloody Sunday in 1972, the 1840s Irish famine ...

The Great Bengal famine of 1770 struck Bengal and Bihar between 1769 and 1770 and affected some 30 million people.

FROM:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943

The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine in the Bengal province of British India (present-day Bangladesh, West Bengal and eastern India) during World War II. An estimated 0.8–3.8 million people died.

FROM: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/29/winston-churchill-policies-contributed-to-1943-bengal-famine-study

More recent studies, including those by the journalist Madhushree Mukerjee, have argued the famine was exacerbated by the decisions of Winston Churchill’s wartime cabinet in London.

Mukerjee has presented evidence the cabinet was warned repeatedly that the exhaustive use of Indian resources for the war effort could result in famine, but it opted to continue exporting rice from India to elsewhere in the empire.

Rice stocks continued to leave India even as London was denying urgent requests from India’s viceroy for more than 1m tonnes of emergency wheat supplies in 1942-43. Churchill has been quoted as blaming the famine on the fact Indians were “breeding like rabbits”, and asking how, if the shortages were so bad, Mahatma Gandhi was still alive.

Mukerjee and others also point to Britain’s “denial policy” in the region, in which huge supplies of rice and thousands of boats were confiscated from coastal areas of Bengal in order to deny resources to the Japanese army in case of a future invasion.

Repentance and reparations should "begin in the House of the Lord" (even the House of Lords where all the Bishops sit and ponder!)

CtS Hustings Questions

Very well attended, excellent questions and organised but, no Farage type fireworks to liven things up!  The best hustings I attended was at the Methodist church in Stourbridge in 1992.  The fairly small attendance got so uppity that they almost took over the meeting from the Chair and the four of us on the platform.  Great fun and it was public participation!  Tim

1. What do you see as the role of faith groups in the life of the local community?  John Nightingale and Chris Martin are exemplary in being active from two faith groups.  I wish more were standing up for social justice and climate justice in the way they both do.
2. Everyone, at some time in their lives, relies on services provided by the health and social care sector.
   How does your party plan to resolve the present problems and provide world leading healthcare from which we will all benefit?  I would dump all the lengthy OTT assessment writing I did as a social care worker.  Adopt the best NHS from around the world.
3. Difficult ethical issues often arise when we talk about healthcare.
   What factors are most important to you and how might you vote,
   with regard to legislation that concerned ending the lives of the unborn or of the terminally ill?  Abortion laws are as essential as contraceptives that must remain more used than abortion.  I support and help fund 'Dignity in Dying'.
4. Our churches regularly assist those experiencing poverty, and together we set up and support the Black Country Food Bank, and the Life Centre in Stourbridge which provides debt advice.
   How will your party tackle the injustice of poverty, so that all members of our community can flourish?  I want to pay more income tax IF it supports the poor at home and abroad, is used to build a more sustainable, equal and fair society and NOT yet more WMD and other armaments that get sold on to dodgy regimes all over the world to kill people like me.
5. Charity begins at home, but it doesn’t end there. International Aid provides our nation with considerable international soft power, reduces economic migration, and promotes peace.
   Will your party restore the development aid budget to 0.7% of GDP (or perhaps increase it?) and what other measures do you propose to take to support the poorest nations, especially as they face the worst impacts of climate change?  I want 1% to go to NGOs with a good track record of practical work on the ground to alleviate suffering and who use solar power and other sensible technology.  Try and bypass government departments.  My own charities do excellent work.
6. As churches, we are increasingly hearing of young couples not wanting to have children because they are concerned about the future, with the risks associated with climate change, war, and financial pressures.  How will your policies inspire children to have hope and ambition and equip them for an uncertain future?  I'm responsible for two children and wanted no grandchildren because I am so concerned about our unsustainable lifestyles and warnings from prestigious bodies and respected people like David Attenborough.
7. The Nolan Principles of Public Life
   - selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership - were established in 1995.
   To what extent do you believe these principles still to be relevant?
   And how do you expect to uphold these principles personally, and amongst your political colleagues?  I have written two pages of evidence to show how the WMCA has broken all seven principles in connection with their 43 years over one futile, foolish transport development, still nowhere near completion.  I would be happy to be picked up if anyone thinks I've broken any of the seven.
8. We’ve heard great ideas from each of you this evening, and whether or not we agree with what you’ve said, we’re inspired by your desire to serve all the people of our community and to improve life and lives here. Given that you are all so brilliant, how would you set about working more collaboratively with those in other parties, for the good of our community and for the country as a whole?  I've been suggesting and writing for years that the two main parties on Dudley Council should work together in a mature and responsible way.  Leadership should be shared and, following a party line be kept to a minimum.  Public participation must be allowed at WMCA committee meetings, as Dudley has had for years.

Please read and comment and put me right over my disquiet that every Nolan Principle has been broken by the West Midlands Combined Authority.  What I wrote was sent to their Chief Executive, Laura Shoaf who knows me, has met me but, she has refused to comment.  Always silence, apathy, acquiescence.  Like Royalty, "We never comment"!

I have just listened to Richard Harries, the retired Bishop of Oxford and former army officer who did today's 'Thought for the Day' on Radio 4's, 'Today', just now.  I am also simply a guy who shouts the truth, as I see it, from the rooftops.  I am desperate to be corrected that things are not as bad as I think!

Climate and the poor get subordinated to power, privilege and wealth

17 April 2024

Hi Siobhan

Climate and the poor get subordinated to power, privilege and wealth

The first duty of regional government is to protect the interests of the poor and the weak.  You don't do that by spending £15 billion by 2040 on a gross, grandiose, but very nice, 150 miles of tramways when urban railways are unused or partly used and the existing bus network needs car commuters rewarded for leaving their motors at home to travel on a bus, train, tram to work.  This, to free up road space and bring greater efficiency for essential vehicle users.

The second duty of government is to do what it says.  It piously declared a climate emergency in 2019 but then carried on with business as usual.  It was all words and no action apart from the most determined action, from the 1980s, to rebuild the tram network the powerful elite had completely destroyed in the 1950s.  And, what was more, to simply rebuild it on the urban railway network that they had not obliterated in the last decades of the 20th century!  That action, far from mitigating climate breakdown, accelerates climate disaster.  Concrete and steel, heavily used in High Scam 2 and Metro construction, are both very energy intensive and, therefore, accelerate climate catastrophe.

Throughout, integrity and honourable behaviour (the Nolan Principles) are meant to be at the heart of government.

 How the Nolan Principles are applied by the WMCA

PHOTO - the likes of which you have never seen before, I'm pretty sure!:-

 NOLAN cannot possibly approve this two tier practice

Yet, morality is sadly lacking in regional governments as well as national.  The people and politicians are quite happy to support a never ending war of self-righteous defence in wiping out Palestinians because they cannot hit back.  Murdering them, in their case, is morally acceptable and reasonable because of 7 October.  However, it's a very different matter when it comes to attacking Iran for their 300 drones and missiles on 13/14 April or, fighting Russia to the death for invading and attacking Ukraine.

Bankrupt Brum means poverty for more and deepening poverty, too.  Is it, therefore, acceptable to pour billions, in price and in weight of greenhouse gases, into flaunting our wealth in a very fine and prestigious new tramway system of 150 miles, 8 lines and 380 tram stops, as the WMCA wants?

Questions for Opposition Leader Peter

You said you would give me one hour to discuss other matters but not the 3 Ts: trains, trams, transport

I would like to have, please, one hour to chat over and, hear your views, over these varied matters:

1. What is the health job that you do, Pete?
2. Why were you not selected to be the Labour candidate for Stourbridge?  Or, are you standing elsewhere?
3. Out of our national Labour Party leaders, since and including Tony Blair, which one was nearest to your own views and convictions?
4. What are your views on how to deal with small-boat immigrants?
5. How would you deal with the growth of net, legal, authorised migration into Britain?
6. Do you want more pedestrianisation in Stourbridge to make it more like my home town of Halesowen?
7. Would you support a BID for Stourbridge?
8. What do make of the Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway from Merry Hill to NW Wolverhampton?
9. What would you do to protect nature and increase its cover at Merry Hill?
10. How can you put a non-violent bomb under the authorities to put housing at Merry Hill for the most badly housed in Dudley?
11. Will you do all you can to protect and enhance the public open space at Merry Hill?
12. Do you support incentives to boost the growth of farming in tune with nature in our countryside surrounding Dudley Borough?
13. Do you agree with the four new Trident nuclear submarines being built?
14. Does Israel's War of Self-Defence have your full support?
15. Are you concerned about the council's self-declared Climate Emergency?

One legacy of Empire attitudes

One legacy of Empire attitudes:  The 76th Windrush anniversary on 22 June, of the arrival of the passengers of the Empire Windrush in the UK. The day celebrates the contribution and achievements of the Windrush generation and their descendants.

Such is our perverse thinking to this day, black and brown people are penalised by 2012 Home Secretary Theresa May with her hostile environment policy.

"It is a set of policies introduced in 2012 by then-Home Secretary Theresa May, with the aim of making life unbearably difficult in the UK for those who cannot show the right paperwork. Or, as she said at the time; “The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants.”

THIS:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/20/fossil-fuel-use-reaches-global-record-despite-clean-energy-growth?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

PROMPTED THIS:

Mike Berners-Lee

So frustrating and basic. For the 1000th time: renewables don’t replace fossil fuel unless that fossil fuel is separately constrained. Otherwise more renewables will always mainly mean more energy use. How can this concept not yet be grasped by all?

DIRT CAR RACING IN SCOTLAND - we are all climate deniers

6 May 2024

Lovely to hear from you, John and to write in the way you have.

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG but just read what you want to read and scrub the rest.  I had fun writing it!

Five years ago, the authorities around the land declared local, regional and national 'Climate Emergencies'.

For five years it has been a complete joke.  Their net zero has not made a scrap of difference to a single policy.  All the politicians and officers have spewed out their totally unachievable net zero but it has not, of course, made a scrap of difference to the way they have actually behaved.  Totally unnecessary, climate devastating schemes like High Scam 2, tramways and Sprint routes have continued here in the West Midlands.  150 miles of trams, alone, to come by 2040!

The authorities have behaved as climate deniers.  And we, too - for your writing shows that you also have not made the slightest concession to climate, even though you acknowledge, correctly, that "the human race has left it too late".  We have known for 200 years that burning coal and oil emits CO2 and that CO2 is a global warming gas.  Scientists have repeated the experiments, ad nauseum but, we've continued in our warfare and killing of one another and with our warfare on Nature as we have exploited finite fossil fuels for all they are worth.  We foolishly behave as though we are a cut above nature rather than part of nature..

The people in power and the people who vote for them are in total denial over climate.  They do not believe that it is an emergency and should be acted on urgently.  For example, one simple measure is for the 70 mph speed limit to be treated as strictly as 40/50 mph average speed limits through road works on public roads.

The authorities should not be allowing the public to walk through the Forrest Estate on its roads when they know of "Possible Walkers" at certain points.  I saw these two words on their official racing circuit plan of the course.  Presumably, there hasn't been an accident - yet!

Our blind leaders are leading the blind.  They are deceiving the blind (us lot) into thinking we can carry on with our overpopulation and overconsumption for an eternity in defiance of the warning from the Royal Society in the 1990s that these are the two main drivers of global destruction.

WARNING!:-

I'm having a go at the thoughtless, rich racers to greed and luxury, living infinitely on a finite planet and unnaturally on a natural planet. 

MY REPLY John, for pointing the finger at F1 racing and to China, India, etc to justify ourselves, in the rich, greedy, lover of luxury Western world, to also joining in the high life, quite apart from ripping into the world's resources as if there is no tomorrow:

What I'm on about in the piece, below, is postponing the inevitable, not acting like eco-fools and hastening our own demise.

It's also about personal integrity and minimising our personal hypocrisy in the way we behave to one another.

It's about being honest, responsible, being true to your lights and what you think, personally, is right.

It's about keeping the law ourselves even though our prisons are jam packed with criminals who have broken the law.

It's about, if you want a less greedy, selfish and violent world to actually, yourself being more thoughtful, sharing and non-violent yourself.

Just because violence and warfare is so popular does not mean that you have to be joining in the revenge, the anger and hatred we see in Gaza/Israel since 7 October '23.

It's about standing up for what you want in building a more responsible, sustainable, socially just and other regarding world instead of the gung ho, live it up today and to hell with tomorrow; never mind the poor and future generations mentality.

I can take all I want for my own happiness and well being.

I only live once, anyway so why not be selfish and greedy and live for myself, alone?

SPECIFIC RESPONSES:

A bit of car racing in Scotland is peanuts when compared to global Formula 1, which in turn is minor compared to the industrial emissions by China, India, etc.  UK was the workshop of the world first and for a century.  Now its China producing many goods for us as the workshop of the world.  India was under the heel of the UK for a century and suffered much.  It also wants electricity to run a similar rich lifestyle to ourselves.  Who are we to stop them after our century of material excess and a century of ruling over India as the British Raj and, over so many nations, so unjustly?

I'm an optimist by nature but even I fear the human race has left it too late and is not acting in a concerted way - so don't get too worried about your individual emissions It has to start with individuals, with you and me, John - I'm not 'cos it's governments who need to work together to solve things.  NO!  We, as individuals have to live and be, in order "to solve things".  Governments are made up of you and me!  You and I are the leaders, not the failed governments of the world who can only govern if we let them.  Prisons only operate with the consent and co-operation of the prisoners.

 But oil & gas reserves running out would surely be a good thing in the prevention of global warming? YES!  But no point in hastening it.  Instead, minimise gas/oil burning and use renewables fully and living more simply so that others may simply live.  Oil is more important for 101 things than wasting it in burning the stuff in racing round and round in circles on roads that the public have been invited to walk round to enjoy the peace and quiet and tranquility of a forest.  The organisers plan of the race track that I saw does concede 'Possible Walkers' at points on the race track!  You can't drive or fly using coal!!  Might cause chaos in developed countries but so what if it saves the planet?  I can assure you, John, the planet will go on its merry way without us arrogant humans.

Cheers

QUESTIONS FOR GE CANDIDATES

Should our candidates now be speaking out against West Midlands armaments industry fueling the slaughter of wholly innocent Gazans (and West Bank Palestinians) who simply wish to LIVE and to live in peaceful co-existence with Israel?

Should our candidates be resisting the hundreds of millions going into multi-modal public transport that actually means regular trains and buses being swapped with the further roll out of Metro trams and Sprint buses?

Should the candidates be acquainted with the uncomfortable fact that these kinds of extremely expensive expenditure (armaments and multi-modal public transport) simply accelerate the climate emergency and divert private and public funds from helping low incomes with, for example, regional Fare-Free Public Transport for every citizen?

Do you accept the scandal of £15 billion (2020 figure) for 150 miles, 8 lines and 380 tram stops of Metro tramway expansion in the West Midlands?

Do you accept that, as with High Scam 2 billions being transferred to other transport and non-transport schemes, this £15 billion must go to insulate the homes of the poorest in the W Mids?

Do you accept that Metro expansion will accelerate the climate emergency and worsen the plight of the poorest in our region?
 
Do you accept that social and climate justice to benefit low incomes, at the expense of the rich and totally unnecessary flash, posh, plush, wealth flaunting schemes must be our top priority?

Stambermill Viaduct built at the same time as Parkhead but gets no strengthening!

Dear friends

ALL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION QUESTIONS for all of you to cogitate over with some deep, wise, long thoughts - please!!

The nearby railway viaduct, Stambermill, on the same line is still carrying freight trains. So was Parkhead until the 1990s. Why are both not in use over the full 120 Kms between Worcester and Derby on the London, Black Country, Edinburgh mainline to relieve road chronic congestion and climate disaster?

Were both viaducts built at the same time? They must have been because they are on the same principal mainline railway

 "of national strategic significance".pdf

Stambermill must be even weaker with more heavy goods trains over a much longer period - still to this day. It is even more important that it is strengthened. Has it ever been done? It is in use now, I understand. Is that correct?

If you have rebuilt/strengthened Parkhead, as you have done, should you not do that with Stambermill?

Why are you not doing so?

Has Network Rail paid for any of the work on Parkhead Viaduct? Of course not. Silly me!

How much has it cost, so far?

2010: WikiLeaks posts video of 'US military killings' in Iraq

In 2010, Wikileaks published a video from a US military helicopter showing the killing of civilians in Baghdad, Iraq.

A voice on the transmission urged the pilots to "light 'em all up" and the individuals on the street were fired at from the helicopter.

When a van arrived on the scene to pick up the wounded, it too was fired at.

Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his assistant Saeed Chmagh were both killed in the attack.

US Army Intelligence

Wikileaks has published hundreds of thousands of documents leaked by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

Documents relating to the war in Afghanistan revealed how the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents.

Further documents from the Iraq war revealed that 66,000 civilians had been killed - more than previously reported. The documents also showed that prisoners had been tortured by Iraqi forces.

One legacy of Empire attitudes:

One legacy of Empire attitudes:  The 76th Windrush anniversary on 22 June, of the arrival of the passengers of the Empire Windrush in the UK. The day celebrates the contribution and achievements of the Windrush generation and their descendants.

Such is our perverse thinking to this day, black and brown people are penalised by 2012 Home Secretary Theresa May with her hostile environment policy.

"It is a set of policies introduced in 2012 by then-Home Secretary Theresa May, with the aim of making life unbearably difficult in the UK for those who cannot show the right paperwork. Or, as she said at the time; “The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants.”

Sathnam is too kind about our fine Empire!

Balance and reasonableness and playing fair on the rich imperialists is only right (“playing cricket” as they instilled in the colonised!)

Hence, generous Sathnam wrote, “British imperial history was long and complex.  Lots of good and lots of bad things happened.”  (p 45 “Stolen History”, pub 2023)

GOOD THINGS:

“... by trading with them we made the local people wealthier too.  Many of the colonized people were happy the British were there looking after them.” (p 43 ibid)

In 1948 or ‘49, Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) asked the Baptist Missionary Society to recommend a white English pastor to be the Minister of their church.  My dad got the job when I was a one year old.

We gave India cricket and their railways sooner than they would otherwise have had them.

We gave them the East India Company that “was established in 1600 to trade in silk and spices from Asia.”  The British government gave it powers to colonise and run countries like India.  It printed its own money and had its own army that was twice the size of the British Army, Sathnam noted.

We got really rich on the backs of the poor unpaid but still forced to work very long hours, press-ganged, imprisoned, branded like cattle and abused slaves over 300 years.  How good of them.

BAD THINGS - outnumbering the good!:

We were NOT given

Tim Weller

Untold wealth flaunting for rebuilt tram network and the military

Untold wealth flaunting for rebuilt tram network and the military but never for the poor and climate -so pathetic

STOP the greedy billions being filched from the poor needed to feed them and to heat their homes, for ostentatious, plush and posh trams to impress and attract tourists. The political parties have despicable priorities that must be challenged by more than this old crock (me)!

Meole Brace Park and Ride

CABINET COUNCILLORS and Town Council TO REPLY, PLEASE

Permanent metal direction signs right up to the entrance to the site are really important.  And the accurate location map must be prominent on the website not tucked away as the very last on the list!

Yesterday morning, the directions to follow on the road led us a right ol' merry dance!  We added to the congestion and pollution by direction signs that suddenly stopped in mid journey as we tried to find the 'lost' Park and Ride site!

How are you going to get us all to drive less and use public transport more when you seem unable to give us clear metal direction signs that are continuous to the entrance to the P&R?  And cover or remove the old ones!

Demand for oil is going up; the supply MUST be going down!

Greenhouse gas emissions are rising fast to spoil things for all of us!

We have to use our cars LESS, much less and WALK, BIKE, BUS, TRAIN MORE!

It is URGENT that you leaders STOP ...

... your hypocrisy* in rightly joining me to save our Golden Green Triangle between M5, A456 and A491 but then steadfastly refusing to join me in calling for brownfield land at Merry Hill must be used for housing the most badly housed.

I am referring to High Plateau, as seen on this plan:

With our children and our long/high living lives, we have all contributed to the growth of our population and disastrous greenhouse gas emissions.  This is seen with homes being added on to existing villages, towns and conurbations. One example, is 'The Gables' in west Hagley on the A491/A456 roundabout.  Spacious and gracious living and many large detached and semi-detached homes in a lovely rural setting.

ALL of High Plateau MUST be used for 1/2 bedroom apartments in 3 storey blocks, with CO2 absorbing trees and shrubs.  Homes that are highly energy efficient, low cost and solar powered for the most badly housed who do not own cars.

The Metro tram must NOT take any of the 23,000 sq m of land set aside for housing since the 1990s, if I remember correctly but, never used for over 20 years.  This delay and your wish for Metro there is disgraceful and shocking.

THEREFORE, will you join me in sending this off:

2 mins to select, copy, paste

SEND THIS to the powers that be, to avoid levelling up the rich owners of Merry Hill Shopping Centre by giving them, for free, yet more wealthy assets - this time a tramway, from public funds, too.

Please select, copy, paste to customerservices@tfwm.org.uk with this suggestion, if you agree:

THE TRAM TO SHOPS OR STATION - to Merry Hill or railway network?

It will save over £100 m and, a similar weight of greenhouse gas emissions, if you abandon the plan to take the Dudley Tram off the railway line into Merry Hill to destroy public open space, nature, housing land and a vertical guerrilla garden.  Instead, keep it on the railway to connect it to the national railway network at Stourbridge Junction.

Your 400 m long, very energy intensive in construction, high climate impacting, concrete and steel tramway viaduct, is too destructive and the tram deposits Merry Hill shoppers on the high canal embankment towpath and not above the shops, as your previous monorail did.

  WBHE plan for Merry Hill.jpeg

Thanks so much.  Tim

* For most of my life I have been working hard to reduce my own Hypocrisy Quotient.

In defence of our green belt

For the 48 years that I have lived in Halesowen, I have been writing in defence of our green belt.  Is that longer than your good self, Ian?

In recent decades,

• I called it our Golden Green Triangle of 38 sq m;
• In the triangle, I have planted over 100 of the right trees in the right place, such as the 40 at Ben's Wood, Frankley Services Northbound and the over 30 along the post and rail boundary fence, there;
• and, I called for our 38 sq m to be included in Andy Street's West Midlands National Park in order to stop further built development.  You may recall what I said at the Green Belt Protection meeting at Earls High School at which James, Simon and Mick were on the platform.

I have attended many of Andy Street's public meetings in his seven years as Mayor and voted for him on all three occasions - 2017, 2021 and 2024.  And my wife did so, too.  I was even invited and attended the Conservative Party celebratory event at Edgbaston Cricket Club in 2017, after Andy's success.

I have always been a very good conservative, conservator of our precious resources and a nature conservationist (see my front garden at 28 Hunnington Cres Halesowen!)  We've even gone over to 100% electricity with most of that coming from our own mini power station of 24 solar panels, since 2013.  We are totally off grid for gas since last November.  How's that for being a good conservative and in compliance with our national Conservative government's wishes?

Unfortunately, not one local or Dudley political party has agreed with me over saving nature, public open space and housing land at Merry Hill SC.  Nor have they wanted the Black Country Railway

 "of national strategic significance".pdf

completed with local, regional and intercity passenger and freight TRAINS!  Hence, I have never voted Labour, LibDem or Green for very many years in local or regional or national elections.  Only for left of centre Conservative Andy in the Mayoral elections.

Please, Ian explain to me and argue your case for not supporting me over Metro trams staying on the nationally important railway down to Stourbridge Jct, to the national railway network.  I would love to have your reasons.  Please reply.