Sounds like PNE should have won but didn’t really do the stuff. Over 21,000 there as well.
Even if PNE get max points they’ll be struggling to get near the top 6. Stranger things have happened at sea though.
Blackpool could overtake PNE. Things that strange don’t happen at sea though.
Interesting programme on BBC last night. John Harris a Mancunian living in the south travelled to Yorkshire, Godalming and Cambridge to find out if there was a north south divide. Apparently people in the south don’t recognise such a thing but that seems to demonstrate their insularity. People in the north recognise it but seemed to be involved in small project lower return activity, or blindly smug like in Harrogate.
One researcher commented that the north had its time when industry was a force but now that services and intellectual products are prominent with trade to Europe there is a natural drift to the south that is only inhibited by planning laws. This is something that I’d sympathise with as I’ve wondered what is the purpose of the north of England? It no longer has a differentiating factor like textiles or shipbuilding. Trade no longer mainly points across the Atlantic so the north west is on the wrong side. Theoretically an intellectual product can spawn anywhere there is a group of like minded people. However being close to a market and a community of like people, e.g. Cambridge, gives an advantage. Only Manchester in the region has this.
Also how many in the population are capable of doing these jobs? The textile industry employed mainly manual workers so what are they going to do. It does seem that sources of intellect like universities need to spawn local businesses. Government jobs need to spread around. Fast communications like High Speed Rail and very fast broadband needs to be built into the whole area to keep it above water. On the other hand if you’re retired like me it is less hectic but we need to make work for our younger ones.
I keep reading about the difficult times the local newspapers are having. I don’t buy the Lancashire Evening Post but I look at their website a lot and enjoy reading some of the comments people make under the articles.
The Scottish company, Johnston Press founded in 1767 owns the Lancashire Evening Post, Blackpool Evening Gazette, Lancaster Guardian and several other local papers like in Chorley and Leyland, and websites like Blackpooltoday.
Newsquest, part of an American company, own the Lancashire Telegraph and Bolton News. Don’t hear much about this company.
The Lancashire Evening Post newspaper and website provide a lot of good local information and it isn’t obvious how this source would be replaced if it didn’t exist. Radio Lancashire and local TV provides an overview but it doesn’t match the newspapers. The Times says that interaction in their websites is a good thing, for example commenting on news articles demonstrates people are viewing it and enables advertisers to be encouraged. So support your local newspapers or you won’t appreciate what you’ve got till it’s gone.
EMCON Technology are an American company who make vehicle exhaust products at factories at Warton and Squires Gate, Blackpool. The Blackpool Evening Gazette says it was announced today that 100 jobs will be moved abroad from Squires Gate and the plant closed due to over-capacity. This is the second note this month on this blog where an American company has moved work from Lancashire to the continent. The pound may have gone down but it isn’t making us cost efficient against more centralised facilities as demand has dropped.
The company said they’d looked at logistics and transport when making their decision. Maybe north-west England is at a disadvantage for European routes and whatever transport improvements are made they can only lessen this disadvantage not remove it.
It also said that they supply Toyota and Jaguar in the UK so that is a bit less UK benefit from those companies as well.
I was reading that the US defence budget has been cut and it sent BAE shares up as it’s thought their business might actually increase. At risk are some of the big US projects like the Raptor for which BAE, in the US, supplies electronics. Increases to the F35 JSF budget next year and potentially for maintenance of vehicles being kept in service longer are thought to be positive. On the downside the UK is looking at delaying its defence budget commitments possibly Typhoon Tranche 3 and the new Carriers. Although Harrier life might be extended for use on the new carriers.
So locally there might be some effect via the F35 and Typhoon and maybe the Harriers. Work for several years should get through this recession.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust got funding to turn the gravel workings by the River Ribble and M6 into a wetland and has now received more funding to create a Visitor Centre which will open in 2010. The official name is the Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve although I don’t think it is open at the moment. Driving by the other day it has started to look like a more pleasant area that birds would use, although being next to the motorway is a bit of a blight.
The gravel diggers are now working on the other side of the motorway, the west side, and it looks a real eyesore considering it was a nice bit of the flood plain.
Disappointing to see a factory closure imminent, not too far away in Blackburn. An American company called EDC, Entertainment Distribution Company, is closing the CD replicating facility that employs over 200 people in mid-year. The factory was bought by EDC in 2006 and was to provide a UK base and to enable them to increase production without buying new equipment at their Hanover factory and distribution centre (ref the Manufacturer magazine). Also it appears to enable more consolidation in a contract with Universal.
They are now saying the change in technology to music download and the recession is making them move production to Hanover. Workers at the factory are saying production has recently increased. Jack Straw has said he will speak to the head of EDC and it would be a coup for him if he reversed the decision, otherwise it will appear to many that British jobs are sacrificed too often for ones in Europe. Reverse jobflow being scarce. It could be the lower pound will help and in this case possibly make it less urgent but it isn’t clear if Hanover is running with spare capacity.
We read that the Antiques Road Show was filming in Blackpool Tower Ballroom today and decided to take a look. After a sunny week it was misty on the front with a cool breeze at 9am. We arrived just after it opened and were allowed free into the tower, a place I’d not visited for over 40yrs. The entrance didn’t look up to much but inside it is quite a building and the queue was already long, snaking through the aquarium and a dinosaur land.
We eventually got to the ornate ballroom which was full of more snaking queues, bright lights, camera’s and the familiar faces of the experts and Fiona Bruce. So first stop a reception stand to be given tickets to two tables; collectables and ceramics. My wife having found 2 items that pass as possibly worth asking about.
Once inside the ballroom the interest begins watching the ‘form’ and listening to what experts are saying as you pass as part of the queue. The camera crews carefully manage their shots by asking the queues to snake a bit closer to fill spaces and hide things and not move too fast. On the TV it comes over as spontaneous but each slot takes about 20 minutes and one man who wanted to leave was told to get back or he’d spoil continuity. The whole thing does have the geniality and general pleasantness of the TV show, the experts and Fiona are friendly and genuine and it’s a great experience.
My wifes broach that she literally found a few years ago and got restored wasn’t worth much but it was said to be 120yrs old. Eric Knowles looked at the childs cup that came from my own family and said it was 1830, much to my surprise although not worth much. All the experts were very approachable and gave information without hurry despite the length of the queues. There are some members of the public who seemed to be following the cameras, some who came to take photos. Some had large artworks and there were large items of furniture being brought out filmed and taken back. Fiona had brought her children. Pride of place on stage was the Wurlitzer and there was a large silver model of the tower. A good day out.
Beautiful day. Drove from the M6 along the A59 towards Samlesbury. New traffic lights outside the Swallow Hotel controlling traffic from Walton Le Dale. About time really, it always was a close your eyes and hope for the best type of junction. Then the old gates outside BAE SYSTEMS have been closed and new ones with traffic lights built further up. Large new office block inside the site, looks impressive. Remember reading about that in the Evening Post something to do with the JSF although that seems to have gone quiet lately. Samlesbury looks a big site now.
Nice country drive towards Ribchester, recall a spell of going to the Lode Star pub many years ago but it seems to have disappeared. Noticed an attractive early 17th Century (think) house by the River Ribble bridge before Ribchester, need to look that up.
PNE won Best Fan Marketing Campaign at this years Football League Awards ceremony last night. They were also nominated for two other similar awards.
It’s only on the BBC at the moment, here is a link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7971194.stm
It’s not on the PNE website yet but there is a fullsome explanation of what it is for; http://www.pnefc.net/page/NewsIndex/0,,10362,00.html
Also a link to the Football League awards webpage. http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/FLAwardsSection/0,,10794,00.html
Found a blog today called ‘Save the Ribble’. It’s against the Riverworks project but has a posting dated 15th February where the writer rode the Ribble Tidal Bore and got stuck on mud flats. An enjoyable read with humour reminiscent of Three Men in a Boat.
It’s on the blogroll but also linked here.
How far out of Preston can I write about, probably not as far as Salford but here goes.
We had a day out there earlier this week, not a bad drive along the M602 and a couple of right turns. Has grown since we last went, a new Media City is springing up and looks smart. We parked in the Outlet car park and unfortunately needed more than 6 hours which is the point where the charge goes stratospheric despite it being half price for buying a cup of coffee it was £6.50. The Imperial War Museum was very good and there was a nice lunch. Then we had a guide explaining about L.S. Lowry in the Lowry Gallery.
Our main purpose was to see a stage version of ‘Brief Encounters’ by Kneehigh Productions at the Lyric Theatre. It was excellent with great use of props and well adapted. Driving home in the rush hour wasn’t too bad although getting off the M602 onto the M60 was queueing.
I was reading about a politician in Dundee who moved from Labour to the SNP and handed over power in the city council. Independence is only a step away maybe. Wonder if it could happen to the whole country and if it would have any implications for Lancashire.
Maybe Mr Blair and Mr Browns biggest legacy will be to make Labour so unpopular in the whole of the UK so that England goes Conservative and Scotland goes SNP leading to independence. Maybe, quite a few if’s.
If Scotland was independent. Scotland seems fairly close to Preston which has benefitted from being in the middle of a London Glasgow axis and the first major stop out of Scotland. What might change in the area? Would the West Coast Main Line and M6 still have the same importance north of Manchester or would there be a bigger emphasis on its benefits and who pays for it. I read that Scotland has very high government employment, more than northern England so would that move. Would subsidised work and military factories and bases remain in Scotland. Could tax or currency benefits be gained in the north of England trading with a European partner who would probably want to go into the Euro for protection. I guess any Scottish government might also be thinking of reverse effects.
Need to add that I think being British is a great thing. For such a small island to make such an impact on the world there must be something special. I read in an overseas newspaper that to the British the country is less than it appears to the non-British. That never applied to me as I’ve embarassing recollections of exaggerated statements in foreign company. Probably England is synonymous with Britain and that is why the English don’t think that much about it until some feel poked by Mr Salmond. So, back on topic, is Preston or the North West thinking about its position in such a scenario? Probably not, particularly if you’ve invested council money into an Icelandic bank. Then again it’s probably less than 50/50.
The RSPB listed the results of its Garden Survey 2009 today. The results for Lancashire in Birds per Hour (bph) are;
Starling 4.77 , House sparrow 3.50, Blackbird 2.77, Blue tit 2.25, Collared dove 1.60, Chaffinch 1.57, Long tailed tit 1.41, Goldfinch 1.30, Great tit 1.26, Robin 1.25.
Our garden bph would be: Great Tit 4, Blackbird 3, Chaffinch 2, Robin 2, Blue Tit 2, Coal Tit 2, Dunnock 2, Woodpigeon 2, Dove 2. With Thrushes, Long Tail Tits and Greenfinches occasionally, Goldfinches and Woodpeckers from time to time. Feral Pigeons sometimes arrive. Magpies are always around but rarely land and so are crows, jackdaws and seagulls. We don’t have starlings although we see them flying over.
Strange bird the Woodpigeon we had two sitting in a tree nearly all day. A bird of great body size with a small head and very timid with humans. Did they evolve to fill a pie. One of those in the tree has disappeared but it’s mate still sits there. There was a lot of wooing so maybe it was wooed away.
Check the bph of your county: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/results/top10.asp
Extreme bph are chaffinches in north Scotland. The sky must be thick with them. Quite nice birds though, very placid, just sit there looking from side to side chewing a sunflower seed while other birds skip about.
After a bit of watching the pecking order and temperament come out. The robin, a bit of a show off trying to mimic the tricks of more versatile birds and bullying smaller birds but occasionally meeting its match unexpectedly with a Great Tit or Chaffinch. Have a look yourself.
6 games to go, 3 at home. It will be a miracle if PNE get into the play-offs, they’ll need to win at least 4 games as they’re 5 points adrift assuming Cardiff make some use of their games in hand. PNE play Cardiff at Deepdale so that’s a small help.
Whatever happens Alan Irvine has done a good job although a little bit better would have made quite a difference. I’m sure Bristol C, Swansea and Ipswich are saying the same. Will anyone above falter? You can only hope and do your best. Preston expects……….
Bristol C v PNE
PNE v Blackpool
Doncaster v PNE
PNE v Cardiff
Birmingham v PNE
PNE v QPR
I’ve been reading about poor care in hospitals, mainly the Stafford incident. They always bring out the complainers. Over a year ago I had two minor operations as a day patient at Preston in the plastic surgery ward. I want to say that I thought all the staff were excellent. From arriving to being treated I was well looked after; offered refreshments and given care and consideration. The treatment was well done and successful.
I’d also say that my treatment in the Dermatology Dept at Clifton Hospital has been very good in this time and the facility is very good.
Preston hospital itself is showing it’s age though and there was a wait as everyone was called in at midday for the complete afternoons appointments. It’s the treatment that matters and I have confidence in the RPH.
More shops are announced for the Capital Centre in Walton Le Dale. Quite a good spot, just over the boundary from Preston. It is on the flood plain of the river though. I don’t recall when Walton was last flooded but if you believe the climate forecasts then maybe it will happen more often. Flood plains are often the most fertile land so seems a shame that this area is being fully built over. Is there any coincidence that over hundreds of years very little has previously been built on the flood plain?
The Environment Agency has this area under watch so there’ll be a warning to get out of the shops although it’s likely to happen extremely rarely it seems to say. Also there are flood defences although I don’t know to what level of flooding they are effective as they aren’t prominent. Click here to view the flood map.
There are two main risks, one is from heavy rain flooding and the other is from rising sea levels making the tides higher. The river being tidal up to Walton.
Decided to look in at Blackpool today. The Green Party conference is there and we thought maybe we’d get some green ideas from some stalls. Their website wasn’t too encouraging as it said you needed a ticket but we thought there’d be some stalls around the entrance. You might have thought the Green Party would be hot on public transport but their website says rail services from London Kings Cross travel to Blackpool. When was the last time they got a train? Should it be Euston? A simple mistake but is it representative of their awareness?
We parked somewhere up north shore and walked into the centre. Mistake was to go along the front past North Pier as the road is fenced off almost up to Central Pier and we had to walk a long circular route to get back to the Winter Gardens. Getting into the Winter Gardens, which also has extensive roadworks outside, we were disappointed to find there were no green stalls and it was all inside a ticketed area. So we went into the new Houndshill and that is quite smart. It seems many shops have moved into there from other parts of the centre and so the area near the Winter Gardens now has a lot of discount shops except for Monsoon which stands out. If you want a mobile phone there are a lot of mobile phone shops very close together in Blackpool though.
Travelling south on the M6 yesterday there was a plague of interrupting traffic news about roadworks on the B6576 in Oswaldton from Radio Lancashire. Yet later heading back there was no news but I met a sign saying motorway closed ahead. Apparently the M6 had been closed for over an hour and there were 3 accidents. So where was Radio Lancashire?
Turning onto the A59 hit a queue into Preston so did a U turn and went back to Bamber Bridge just catching the Radio Lancashire announcement as I came off the motorway. Hard luck or rubbish service?
I could have gone via Penwortham initially if I’d known. Who let me on the motorway when it was closed?
It isn’t a rare occurance that there are accidents closing the M6 near Preston. Many seem to involve lorries and vans, very rarely 2 cars. Should lorries and vans be slowed down? Is Lancaster an M6 accident hotspot, should there be a compulsory stopping point on the motorway. Then there is that lane swapping approaching the M55 and blocking of the inside lane by tailgating lorries so you can’t get off the motorway.
Update: Motorway closed today north of Preston after an accident at lunchtime.
Schwan the American Pizza maker in Leyland has sold out to the German Pizza maker Dr Oetker. Reading newspaper reports this gives Dr Oetker 43% of the UK frozen pizza market and this might be too much. Dr Oetker previously had 12% so it has made a step increase. It isn’t clear to me if 30% of frozen pizzas are made in Leyland, but if so it sounds like the dominant factory so you might think would be able to take on work rather than lose it. At this time the market is growing though so if there is any spare capacity it must be filling. However I know nothing about it and that is only a guess.
