January 2009 Archives

Arsonists set fire to a bin on Saturday January 24 in Parsonage Road, Englefield Green, at about 10.20pm.

Firefighters from Egham put out the flames and there was no damage to any other property.

At the thought of being defeated in the LHR 3rd Runway debate, that he was close to tears! It was not reported why he was so upset. Sadly, his tears were not for the unfortunate residents of the area who will now have to suffer increased levels of pollution, noise, and general discomfort in this hell hole called Heathrow. His crocodile tears were for himself. Like the spectator seeing how easy the professional makes the game look, and thinking to himself, "I can do that". Watching artful dodger Tony Blair, perform with ease, in the top job, and forgetting that he and his team were a mixture of inexperience and old hat, He found himself on the pitch with the ball at his feet. Poor old Grumpy, he forgot that just like Super Tony, He and his pals had run out of steam, cash and creditability. Here he was standing on the world stage, in command, the whole country waiting for him to reveal the intelligent leadership, that we all thought he possessed.

The Egham and Staines Conservation Volunteers will be doing coppicing work on behalf of the National Trust, at Coopers Hill, on Sunday, February 8, at 10am.

Volunteers should park in Coopers Hill Lane near the Air Force Memorial, OS Map 176, grid reference TQ 998 718.

For information call 01784 456105.

Dear Geoff Hoon,
The conduct of Labour politicians over this Heathrow debacle (Ruth Kelly, Gordon Brown and yourself) is a classic example of the duplicity practiced by this Government. More than once we were promised that if the majority rejected the proposed third runway, then the project would not go ahead. Because I feared that HMG would declare that the margin was not enough to carry the day, I twice wrote to Ruth Kelly and Gordon Brown and asked what majority was necessary to secure a rejection.
I am still awaiting a reply to my letters. Which rather indicates that the outcome of the consultation was not germane to the operation? It would be of interest, albeit academic, if the audited result of the consultation could be published.

St Jude's Players is looking for new members to join ahead of a busy year of performances.

In May, the group will perform Hugh Whitmore's Breaking the Code, the story of how Alan Turing broke the Enigma system at Bletchley Park followed by the Woking and Spelthorne drama festivals in October and finally its end of year pantomine.

It rehearses on Tuesdays and Thursdays and perform at the St Jude's Theatre, The Social Hall, Harvest Road, Englefield Green. They are looking for anyone to join, front or backstage and for more information call chairman Kathryn Ward on 01932 701166.

Surprise, surprise, the third runway at Heathrow has been given the go ahead in Parliament. What about a vote demanded MP's. Don't be silly, said the Secretary of State, without the slightest hint of embarrassment. What about the people in the 700 houses that will be demolished? There will be more jobs for the local community was the response. What about the pollution and noise that the hundreds of extra flights will bring to the area? Aircraft are now a lot quieter and pollute a lot less then they did, was his stubborn response - if these aircraft do not conform to our stricter standards then they will not be allowed to use the third runway. Which, even our Village Idiot would say was rather Cart before Horse way of working. It looks like this Government are quite prepared to flatten the village of Simpson and pour concrete over the whole area, then try and discover if the new aircraft are fit for purpose. The main argument seems to be that LHR must be the top Hub airport in Europe, if we are not number one, then trade will be lost and this country

Burglars used the festive season to their advantage by raiding unoccupied student residences in Englefield Green.

Surrey Police received six reported incidents of burglary between December 18 and the new year and believe student properties, where the occupants had returned home for Christmas, were deliberately targeted. Items such as televisions, jewellery and other electrical equipment were stolen.

Anyone with information or witnessing suspicious activity shoud call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222.

..........The famous motto of the London Stock Exchange. For over 300 years those few words have stood the test of time. No need for legal papers or Lawyers. My word is as good as an oath taken on the Bible. The difference between The City and Parliament is very different. If memory serves, when MP's take the oath, it is of allegiance to the Sovereign, which dates back to the times when relations between the Sovereign and MP's were liable to end in tears. Two or three years ago Transport Minister Ruth Kelly when introducing a
Bill on Heathrow, promised that if there were overwhelming opposition to the Third Runway then it would be abandoned. Just after Mr Gordon Brown became Prime Minister he reitiated
this statement and added that if the pollution limits were exceeded, the third runway would not be allowed.

Comedy in the Green returns on Tuesday, January 20, with top quality comics appearing at the Social Hall, Harvest Road, Englefield Green, at 8.30pm.

The popular stand-up comedy night will feature headline act Josh Howie, with support from Joe Wilkinson, Rich Wilson and compere for the evening is Adrian Poynton.

Tickets are £7 in advance and are available by calling Keith Pullen on 01784 464132 or emailing keith_pullen@msn.com, or are £10 on the door from, 7.45pm.

This was said by comedian Bob Hope as the reason why the United States was ahead of the Russians in the race to outer space - The story goes that after the war the US and the USSR bribed top German scientists to work for them and win the race to be first to the moon. This thought occurred to me when reading about the current controversy over installing incinerators nationwide, hopefully to cure our rubbish problem. As that the majority of residents are vehemently against these factories, planning permission, it is thought, will be decided in the courts.