The registration service offered by RegisterToVote.eu, as reported earlier this week, which offered to submit details for people who filled in a form online, has been closed down by the Electoral Commission.
The Electoral Commission said: “We urge EU citizens that [sic] want to vote in the European parliamentary elections in the UK to only apply to register to vote through their local council or official websites. We welcome efforts by campaigners to encourage eligible electors to register to vote. However, our advice to anyone not yet registered is to only apply directly at www.gov.uk/registertovote.” (From: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/04/site-claiming-to-help-eu-citizens-register-to-vote-is-shut-down)
Postal applications must be received by Tuesday 7th, which is difficult at the time of writing, as it's now Saturday May 4th, and Monday is a bank holiday. It is believed that very few of the over 3 million EU citizens in the UK who need to register to vote in the European Parliament elections have done so.
There is still a possibility that the elections scheduled for May 23rd might be cancelled but that becomes ever more unlikely as days go by.
Saturday, May 04, 2019
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
The thoughts of Red Woodward
1. Never trust anybody honest.
2. This everybody dying malarkey has got beyond a joke.
3. What a person says a lot about says a lot about a person.
4. Minimalism is the biggest load of crap ever.
5. There's no such thing as waiting. You are either doing something useful or you are doing something useless.
6. Meditation? It's a racket.
7. You can put me in a box when I pop my clogs but not before.
8. Evidently I'm past my sell by-date but not my use-by date.
9. In life, you either do something and feel guilty about it, or do nothing and feel guilty about it. There is no in-between.
10. You can't put everything right in the fourth act of a three-act play.
11. The only review worth a damn is written on a cheque.
2. This everybody dying malarkey has got beyond a joke.
3. What a person says a lot about says a lot about a person.
4. Minimalism is the biggest load of crap ever.
5. There's no such thing as waiting. You are either doing something useful or you are doing something useless.
6. Meditation? It's a racket.
7. You can put me in a box when I pop my clogs but not before.
8. Evidently I'm past my sell by-date but not my use-by date.
9. In life, you either do something and feel guilty about it, or do nothing and feel guilty about it. There is no in-between.
10. You can't put everything right in the fourth act of a three-act play.
11. The only review worth a damn is written on a cheque.
12. In the end we all move to an address with no letterbox.
13. We're not about to go bang.
--
Feargal Mooney
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
South Vale, Harrow this morning
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| Chestnut tree in bloom at the corner of South Vale and Wood End Road |
Sunday, April 21, 2019
EU elections: 96% of over 65s can vote, only 60% young
Register to vote: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Deadline 7 May 2019.
If the elections to the European Parliament go ahead next month, it will very likely be the last chance to vote to say "Stop Brexit."
The neo-fascist sympathiser Farage and his fellow-travellers in parliament are out to seal Britain's fate of isolation from our European hinterland, at the mercy of ruthless grabbers in the Kremlin and the White House and at the cost of disruption and misery in Ireland.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Grove Farm, Local Nature Reserve, Ealing today
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| First view of Grove Farm beside David Lloyd sports centre |
Thursday, April 18, 2019
What has the ECHR ever done for us?
Re-publishing this as a little reminder about the craziness the UK is subject to under the government of Theresa May. It owes something to Monty Python's "What have the Romans ever done for us?" sketch in The Life of Brian.
* ECHR = European Convention on Human Rights
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Need a laugh these days, by any chance?
The best bit about this is the last cat who does the Scooby Doo 'run on the spot for a split second before actually moving' pic.twitter.com/ltQhF2HDCl— Olaf Falafel (@OFalafel) April 11, 2019
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Indicative votes: Results in sequence and plan for Monday
Analysis of Wednesday's "indicative votes" on the way forward for Brexit.
Results in the order voted on and announced, For-Against:
160-400 No Deal
188-283 Common Market 2.0 (aka Norway+)
65-377 EFTA & EEA (single market without customs union)
264-272 Customs Union (basic permanent customs union for starters)
237-307 Labour's Plan ("a" customs union and strong single market links, rights etc.)
184-293 Revoke Article 50 (if necessary to avoid No Deal)
268-295 Public Vote
139-422 WTO Terms
Arguably, Speaker Bercow made a mistake in declaring after each verdict "The Noes have it" because no one option "has it" yet. Instead, if you take account of the difference between Yes and No, you get this sequence:
Results in order by "goal difference" (all negative):
1. Customs Union: -8
2. Public Vote: -27
3. Labour's Plan: -70
4. Common Market 2.0: -95
5. Revoke to avoid No Deal: -109
6. No Deal: -240
7. WTO Terms: -283
8. EFTA & EEA: -312
However, it's simpler to forego "goal difference", and you get almost the same sequence by taking number of Yeses for each option, though the top two options swap places, which clearly could be significant*.
By focussing on the number of Yeses, it's easy to see how many votes are to be redistributed, each time the option with the least votes is eliminated. More importantly, the Noes are irrelevant for these purposes, since what we want to discover is the option of which most MPs are in favour. If someone doesn't put a Yes beside an option, that's effectively a No anyway. Therefore let's just count the Yeses from now on.
Results in order by number of Yeses:
1. Public Vote: 268
2. Customs Union: 264
3. Labour's Plan: 237
4. Common Market 2.0: 188
5. Revoke to avoid No Deal: 184
6. No Deal: 160
7. WTO Terms: 139
8. EFTA & EEA: 65
So on Monday, eliminate number 8 (EFTA &EEA) and ask its 65 supporters to vote again for one of the remaining seven options (eight if Mrs May's Deal is added). The next option to be eliminated would be whichever one ended up last out of the remaining options, probably either WTO Terms or No Deal - but we will only know when the votes are recast.
The process of elimination should be repeated, preferably discounting the Noes as irrelevant, till only two options remain. At that point the top one is the most favoured compromise option and should be adopted by the government.
Rearrangement of the ballot paper to separate two procedural options
1. In Wednesday's selected options, the Public Vote option was an anomaly, as it doesn't describe a future relationship. This can be resolved by moving it to a separate section of the ballot paper, to apply irrespective of which option is selected.
2. The same can be said for the Revoke to Avoid No Deal option, as that is not a way forward, simply an emergency brake in the event of no other plan being agreed. That too could have its own separate section on the ballot.
Suggested ballot paper layout & possible wording for Monday's vote
The option "EFTA and EEA" has been eliminated, having received the fewest votes. Additionally, the options "Public Vote" and "Revoke to Avoid No Deal" have been separated from the rest as they are procedural matters, which apply regardless of the other results."
Vote for one only of the following options. The option with the fewest votes will be eliminated and the voting procedure repeated with the remaining options:
1. The government's recommended withdrawal agreement and future arrangement
2. Customs Union basic foundation for a new deal as proposed by Kenneth Clarke
3. Labour's Plan for a form of Customs Union, close single market arrangement, rights etc.
4. Common Market 2.0 aka Norway+ which joins EFTA but not necessarily indefinitely
5. Leave with No Deal
6. Leave on WTO Terms
Answer Yes or No to the following questions:
a) In the event of no deal agreed with two days to go, revoke Article 50?: Yes or No
b) Should the eventual deal agreed be put back to the people with an option to Remain?: Yes or No
* 29/3/2019: Correction: Changed text to show that you don't get the same sequence by taking only the Yeses, rather the top two options swap places. Also added a mock-up of the possible ballot paper as a basis for Monday's votes.
Results in the order voted on and announced, For-Against:
160-400 No Deal
188-283 Common Market 2.0 (aka Norway+)
65-377 EFTA & EEA (single market without customs union)
264-272 Customs Union (basic permanent customs union for starters)
237-307 Labour's Plan ("a" customs union and strong single market links, rights etc.)
184-293 Revoke Article 50 (if necessary to avoid No Deal)
268-295 Public Vote
139-422 WTO Terms
Arguably, Speaker Bercow made a mistake in declaring after each verdict "The Noes have it" because no one option "has it" yet. Instead, if you take account of the difference between Yes and No, you get this sequence:
Results in order by "goal difference" (all negative):
1. Customs Union: -8
2. Public Vote: -27
3. Labour's Plan: -70
4. Common Market 2.0: -95
5. Revoke to avoid No Deal: -109
6. No Deal: -240
7. WTO Terms: -283
8. EFTA & EEA: -312
However, it's simpler to forego "goal difference", and you get almost the same sequence by taking number of Yeses for each option, though the top two options swap places, which clearly could be significant*.
By focussing on the number of Yeses, it's easy to see how many votes are to be redistributed, each time the option with the least votes is eliminated. More importantly, the Noes are irrelevant for these purposes, since what we want to discover is the option of which most MPs are in favour. If someone doesn't put a Yes beside an option, that's effectively a No anyway. Therefore let's just count the Yeses from now on.
Results in order by number of Yeses:
1. Public Vote: 268
2. Customs Union: 264
3. Labour's Plan: 237
4. Common Market 2.0: 188
5. Revoke to avoid No Deal: 184
6. No Deal: 160
7. WTO Terms: 139
8. EFTA & EEA: 65
So on Monday, eliminate number 8 (EFTA &EEA) and ask its 65 supporters to vote again for one of the remaining seven options (eight if Mrs May's Deal is added). The next option to be eliminated would be whichever one ended up last out of the remaining options, probably either WTO Terms or No Deal - but we will only know when the votes are recast.
The process of elimination should be repeated, preferably discounting the Noes as irrelevant, till only two options remain. At that point the top one is the most favoured compromise option and should be adopted by the government.
Rearrangement of the ballot paper to separate two procedural options
1. In Wednesday's selected options, the Public Vote option was an anomaly, as it doesn't describe a future relationship. This can be resolved by moving it to a separate section of the ballot paper, to apply irrespective of which option is selected.
2. The same can be said for the Revoke to Avoid No Deal option, as that is not a way forward, simply an emergency brake in the event of no other plan being agreed. That too could have its own separate section on the ballot.
Suggested ballot paper layout & possible wording for Monday's vote
The option "EFTA and EEA" has been eliminated, having received the fewest votes. Additionally, the options "Public Vote" and "Revoke to Avoid No Deal" have been separated from the rest as they are procedural matters, which apply regardless of the other results."
Vote for one only of the following options. The option with the fewest votes will be eliminated and the voting procedure repeated with the remaining options:
1. The government's recommended withdrawal agreement and future arrangement
2. Customs Union basic foundation for a new deal as proposed by Kenneth Clarke
3. Labour's Plan for a form of Customs Union, close single market arrangement, rights etc.
4. Common Market 2.0 aka Norway+ which joins EFTA but not necessarily indefinitely
5. Leave with No Deal
6. Leave on WTO Terms
Answer Yes or No to the following questions:
a) In the event of no deal agreed with two days to go, revoke Article 50?: Yes or No
b) Should the eventual deal agreed be put back to the people with an option to Remain?: Yes or No
* 29/3/2019: Correction: Changed text to show that you don't get the same sequence by taking only the Yeses, rather the top two options swap places. Also added a mock-up of the possible ballot paper as a basis for Monday's votes.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Short Story of the Month, April 2019
The Willesden Herald New Short Stories Story of the Month
April 2019: Name by Sergey Bolmat
He looks at Anne with marked indifference, as if expecting her to introduce herself and explain the purpose of her visit, and then, after a second, makes a little twitch with the left corner of his lips indicating a smile.
‘Well,’ he says, ‘look who’s here.’
April 2019: Name by Sergey Bolmat
He looks at Anne with marked indifference, as if expecting her to introduce herself and explain the purpose of her visit, and then, after a second, makes a little twitch with the left corner of his lips indicating a smile.
‘Well,’ he says, ‘look who’s here.’
 |
| Photo by Natalia Nikitin (detail) |
Sergey Bolmat published his first novel in Russia to great critical acclaim. To date, he has published three novels, two collections of short stories, many articles and essays in various periodicals, and a biography of Nikolay Chernyshevsky. Some of these books were shortlisted for literary awards, translated into many European languages, adapted for radio, and optioned and developed for film. His first short story written in English appeared in The Higgs Weldon.
Friday, March 15, 2019
The old dead tree has fallen
Willesden Herald Exclusive (tada!)
Fallen tree at the corner of South Vale and Wood End Road, Harrow
The old dead tree has fallen in the recent gales (Wednesday night, I think.) It's lying across the path that starts the walk along this small section of the Capital Ring.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
End of the line for the Water Poet pub
According to this, the Water Poet corner pub in Folgate Street is closing to make way for "a corporate plaza." London is disappearing, welcome to nowhere.The Water Poet in Folgate Street closes thanks to British Land's redevelopment of Norton Folgate for a hideous corporate plaza! pic.twitter.com/ftCTwjfWU2— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) March 12, 2019
Thursday, March 07, 2019
EU Settlement Scheme sign
 |
| Bus shelter, Greenford Road |
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
Car wreck on Wood End Road
 |
 |
Car wreck on Wood End Road, Harrow today. Let's hope no one was badly hurt.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Plankton: Minemizu "Black Water Dive"
Japanese Underwater Photographer Ryo Minemizu (@ryo_minemizu) captures the beauty of plankton. Minemizu developed the Black Water Dive, a night dive with underwater lighting to bring out the best of larval plankton pic.twitter.com/TbV1VuRKKz— 41 Strange (@41Strange) February 26, 2019
Monday, February 18, 2019
Keep Saturday March 23rd free! #PutItToThePeople
#PutItToThePeople March.— People's Vote UK (@peoplesvote_uk) February 16, 2019
Join us in London on March 23rd for the ‘Put It To The People March’ to make the calls for a #PeoplesVote too loud to ignore. Please RT:https://t.co/z4hWRpcCPT pic.twitter.com/ey8kWVMEhK
Saturday, February 09, 2019
Friday, February 08, 2019
Storm Erik - a timely warning
This is the moment a man fell from a promenade into the water in 2018. Passers-by naturally rushed to help. They too found themselves in difficulty. All escaped with their lives. If you see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/GrFc265HIu— RNLI (@RNLI) February 7, 2019
Don't get near the waves in a dangerous place like this (above, from 2018). I was nearly swept off my feet into the sea from some huge rocks many years ago. You just don't know when a bigger wave will crash in. (Ed.)
Sunday, February 03, 2019
A walk through Grove Farm, North Greenford
 |
| "The road not taken" (took the right hand one, left goes west) |
 |
| The not very narrow path to the not very deep north |
 |
| Not much of a path here. Go up left towards exit or right to follow the stream. |
 |
| View towards the landmark Kellogg Tower (now flats) across the stream |
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Views from the rail bridge on a cold but sunny day
 |
| Chiltern Line going west away from Sudbury Hill Harrow |
 |
| Chiltern Line going east towards Sudbury Hill Harrow |
Update: Later in the afternoon, the sky became completely overcast and it rained steadily with some sleet and snow at times, till nightfall.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Spare poems going cheap
Breda Rainey
Breda Rainey you would
hammock in the rainy box
chaps sodden from the night dew.
Breda Rainey you wear
tiny leaves of the hedgerow
in your hair.
Breda Rainey you are,
though you heave a pushchair,
forever garlanded in box.
.
The Weight of Words
The number of all the raindrops that have ever fallen on Ireland,
in words,
would not outweigh
a jinny-joe.
The number of all the snowflakes that have ever fallen on Japan,
in words,
would not outweigh
a cobweb.
The glints of sunlight on every ocean,
the birth cries of every newborn,
the sighs of every unrequited lover since Eden,
in words,
would not outweigh
a horse.
.
.
--
Stephen Moran
Breda Rainey you would
hammock in the rainy box
chaps sodden from the night dew.
Breda Rainey you wear
tiny leaves of the hedgerow
in your hair.
Breda Rainey you are,
though you heave a pushchair,
forever garlanded in box.
.
The Weight of Words
The number of all the raindrops that have ever fallen on Ireland,
in words,
would not outweigh
a jinny-joe.
The number of all the snowflakes that have ever fallen on Japan,
in words,
would not outweigh
a cobweb.
The glints of sunlight on every ocean,
the birth cries of every newborn,
the sighs of every unrequited lover since Eden,
in words,
would not outweigh
a horse.
.
Canal of Days
Life is a canal, on which we are narrow boats
with no reverse gear.
Each night, each sleep, is a lock.
We enter the lock and the water of yesterday is released,
till we emerge into tomorrow, to another gated day.
Behind us and above that again,
lie the days gone by. Ahead only today,
its prospect, its gate, its fall.
Gone the hundreds, hail the one.
.
Stephen Moran
Saturday, January 05, 2019
Superb John Prine session w/ Gordon Lightfoot in the room
Great atmosphere, anecdotes, wonderful songs and a brilliant performance.
And it must be said, "not a dry eye in the house." "Laughter through tears" is another stock phrase that comes to mind.
Tuesday, January 01, 2019
Police appeal: Murder of Jason Isaacs
Seen suspicious-looking two mopeds with pillion passengers not wearing helmets?: read this. The photo is of a poster on Whitton Avenue near Oldfield Circus: it's been damaged. "Appeal to find Jason Isaacs' killer: police re-visit murder scene in Northolt" https://t.co/dvAQAdPkgq pic.twitter.com/jEyvRMnyGm— Willesden Herald | New Short Stories (@storyofthemonth) January 1, 2019
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