Tuesday 31 December 2013

New Year same old ramblings

Well I'm still skimming through the information regarding Buxton Social Services, that will have to wait for the New Year and I have spoken to quite a few people regarding it.

But in a look back at this year what has happened.

Well locally we found out that the Fire Brigade were as bonkers as the ambulance chaps with their wanting to close down stations throughout the High Peak and working on the spin that less is more and as forecast the public haven't fallen for it one bit. We will have to see if Labour run High Peak & Derbyshire County councils do I guess.

Speaking of the ambulance service in the High Peak, East Midlands Ambulance Service has had three chief executives this year. While West Midlands Ambulance Service, what EMAS based it's Being the Best reforms on have done a u-turn and started basing double crewed ambulances in the areas that it only said needed car response vehicles. Not that hitting targets rather than helping patients is the priority. Things like this I am sure will be having a factor on the 2015 general election.

More & more people are using food banks in the High Peak, we don't have any figures as the government decided it would stop collecting data on such things. The Coalition government certainly are not making themselves very popular in the county what with food banks, the Back-to-work-scheme which I have heard is around 3% effective and probably costing us tax payers an arm & a leg. The proposed cuts to ambulance & fire cover. Though a lot of people I speak to point the finger at the last Labour government for the financial mess we're in as a nation.

The area ground to a halt in March due to snow (which was brilliant I haven't seen it that bad for quite a while). Another good reason not to close your ambulance & fire stations.

Pavilion Gardens Buxton, in the snow.

Mrs Thatcher and Mr Mandela both passed away.

But what about next year?

Well we have the European Elections in May 2014 something which I think will be an indicator for the general election next year. I suppose it depends on how flooded the country gets with EU economic migrants as to how well UKIP does. The political theme of the town does seem very divided with the Labour supporters and those more to the right polarising more. Most people seem to be of the mind set that the Conservatives and Lib Dems haven't been able to get us out of the mess Labour landed us in. In truth most people I seem to speak to seem to be like Russell Brand that they're all as bad as each other and I'm not voting. It will be interesting to see what turn out there is.

Also the Scots will be voting to choose whether Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom or not. This I think will be a biggy. Most of the online 'action' I have seen is for the Yes to split from the rest of the U.K.

I don't know if anyone has told the U.K. OK camp that you need to be doing things online way before the event rather than three weeks before hand. I for one hope Scotland doesn't leave the U.K. I think it will lead to the break up of the rest of the nation and we'll all be worse off. But it's for the Scots to decide what happens in Scotland.

Anyway that's my mega hurried review of the year. Mrs Sea Duck is saying my fry up is ready so all the best for 2014 my friends and don't let the buggers get you down.