Sorrow be damned and all your plans. Fuck the faithful, fuck the committed, the dedicated, the true believers; fuck all the sure and certain people prepared to maim and kill whoever got in their way; fuck every cause that ended in murder and a child screaming.
Our village Heelweg is split into two halves – East Heelweg and West Heelweg – separated by 1.5 kilometers.
There are two connecting routes: the Molenweg, which loops between the two centres and is 2.2 kilometers in length and the Bosboombroekerweg, which is the most direct route being 1.6 kilometers in length. The problem being that the Bosboombroekerweg is a track for parts of the route, and unsuitable for vehicular traffic other than farm machinery for large parts of the year. This also goes for cyclists who must then use the Molenweg. The issue there is that the road is narrow, and can be dangerous for cyclists as a result.
The village School is in West Heelweg, so schoolchildren living in East Heelweg are subjected to dangerous situations on schooldays.
In 2017, our village community council (Heelwegs Belang) wrote to our local authority (Oude IJsselstreek) proposing that a cycle path be laid along the Bosboombroekerweg tracks so that schoolchildren – and other cyclists – could travel safely and more directly between the two parts of the village.
The local authority did initiate a project to make a plan for the construction of a cycle path. However, it took several years and discussions with landowners before a final design was ready:
As part of the work, an ecological study was carried out, and a camera placed along the proposed route captured a photo of a weasel going about its business.
Stock image of a weasel; CC0 public domain license
Unfortunately, the weasel has thrown a spanner into the works.
As a result of the proof of the presence of a weasel, the local authority was obliged to seek a permit from the provincial authority for the work to be carried out. We were told that a decision on the granting of the permit would take a maximum of 26 weeks.
We’ve been waiting to hear the result of the decision for almost a year now.
The upshot is that work on the last section of the cycle path has been halted by the local authority until the provincial authority pulls its finger out and deigns to give them a decision on the permit.
It is five years and counting since we first proposed the cycle path… We’re still waiting…
Half a pound of tuppenny rice, Half a pound of treacle. That’s the way the money goes, Pop! Goes the weasel
Addendum 21 February 2024: the provincial authority has finally announced its decision and allowed the construction of the last section of the cycle path to begin. That won’t be until mid 2024 now, but at least the final hurdle has been overcome.
Addendum 2 September 2024: well, it wasn’t “mid 2024”, but work will finally begin on the 9th of September. The end is finally in sight…
This year’s Tory Party Conference had more than enough moments of speakers sounding unhinged, not to mention the presence of Nigel Farage looking like the cat that got the cream.
If it wasn’t Suella Braverman channelling Enoch Powell and his appalling “Rivers of Blood” speech, then it was Mark Harper embracing the conspiracy theories swirling around the excellent goal of 15 minute cities.
However, for empty rhetoric Penny Mordant takes the prize…
… is the title of Daniel Finkelstein’s memoir about his family, and his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. It is very powerful and impressive; a real “Lest we forget” must-read.
Perhaps the more people that read this brilliant book, the less likely it will be that our liberal society ever disintegrates. But that faith in rationality was what Finkelstein’s grandfather, Alfred, believed in too, and it didn’t change a damned thing.
By way of contrast, last Wednesday evening, I went along to an event organised by our Local Authority, which essentially asked its LGBTQ+ community: “What can we do better for you all?”
I heard personal stories from members of the community, songs from our local gay choir: Shansons, and was able to contribute ideas for improvement to the local authority for consideration.
I know which society I want to live in – and I’m there now.
Uganda’s President has signed the anti-LGBTQ+ law, which allows the death penalty for homosexual acts and up to 20 years in prison for “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities”.
An appalling act from an appalling President that will damage the lives of innocent people. The witch-hunts will continue and grow in ferocity.
I’m a couple of months younger than King Charles III. Since I’m not a monarchist, I won’t bother watching the coronation today – I’ll be doing something useful, like working in the garden. I suspect that the glory days of the British monarchy have passed with the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The annual members’ meeting of our local village community council, Heelwegs Belang, was held on the 7th March. I had been a board member for a total of nine years (three terms of three years) and the statutes rule that this is the maximum that I could serve, so I stepped down. The post of secretary has passed to another board member. Although no longer on the board, I remain as their webmaster and the IT department, administering the Microsoft 365 Business system for Heelwegs Belang.
When a board member steps down, it is usual for them to be formally thanked in the members’ meeting and presented with a bunch of flowers and a small gift. So I was expecting this as part of the proceedings of the members’ meeting. What I did not expect was that the Mayor (Burgemeester) of our Local Authority also showed up and thanked me for my work, not only for Heelwegs Belang, but also for my work in bringing the fibre-optic network to the area. He presented me with the obligatory bunch of flowers, but also a wünderkamer – a “cabinet of curiosities” artwork made by a local artist.
Photo: Roel Kleinpenning
I was also pleased that the board did not forget that another member of our community, Jan Geert, had worked with me on the network project, and he was formally thanked by the board that evening for his efforts.
The board presented me with a certificate proclaiming that I was now an Honorary Member of Heelwegs Belang.
Martin had apparently been plotting this together with the other board members for over a year beforehand. I was totally unaware of all this, so it all came as a total and pleasant surprise on the night.
John Major, in this interview with Andrew Marr a few weeks before the Brexit Referendum in 2016, has been proven right in every respect. Brexit has proved a disaster.
I see that the Financial Times has at last weighed in with a film on the effects (mostly malign) of Brexit on the UK Economy. Well worth watching – but depressing as hell as an example of seeing a country indulging in an act of self-harm…
So Liz Truss has been anointed by a small bunch of elderly, well-off, white men as the next Prime Minister of the UK. The silver lining is that at least the disgraceful Boris Johnson no longer holds that office, after having consummately trashed its reputation.
The citizens of the UK, I fear, cannot afford to breathe a collective sigh of relief with the coming of Truss. If she puts into practice what she has promised with her views on economic policy, we are likely to see things in the UK getting worse, rather than better.
William Davies, in the Guardian, has a good analysis of the flaws in Trussonomics. He appears to hope that Truss will recant, but my fear is that she believes her ideology to the extent that it will not just destroy her, but the country as well. Beware the true believer.
I had read about a new series on Netflix called Heartstopper, the coming-of-age story of a gay teenage boy. It’s based on a webcomic by Alice Oseman.
Martin and I sat down to watch the first episode, and were delighted by it. It’s warm and funny, and shows the joy and angst of teenagers beginning to navigate their way through relationships.
Two things struck me. The first being how “normal” it seemed; Charlie, a 15-year old boy, is out at school, and being gay is not “a statement”, but just part of him, like his hair colour. He’s got a small group of supportive friends, and he’s able to ask an openly-gay teacher for advice.
The other thing was that the very normality was so very different from what I experienced growing up gay, and it made me somewhat sad to think back on how much I had missed out of life as a teenager.
Heartstopper is a little marvel – I hope that it shows some LGBTQ teenagers that they do not need to hate themselves, and that things will get better.
Addendum 27 May 2022: I just found out today that Joe Locke – who plays Charlie in Heartstopper – is another gay Manx lad! More power to your elbow Mr. Locke. You’ve made this old gay Manxman very proud of what you and your fellow actors and crew have achieved with Heartstopper.
I’m currently about halfway through Chris Grey’s magisterial flensing of Brexit in his book: Brexit Unfolded.
He takes us through the events of the five years since the fateful referendum, recording who said what, and whether what was said made any sense, either at the time or since. Disingenuousness, or downright deception, particularly from the Brexiteers, reaches stratospheric levels time and time again.
I remain convinced that leaving the Single Market and ending Freedom of Movement for citizens was a huge mistake, one that began with the fluttering of Cameron’s butterfly wings and his ill-judged referendum, and that has ended with the ongoing catastrophe that is Brexit.
I’ve been following Chris Grey’s Brexit Blog for some time, where he does a weekly analysis of the current events related to Brexit. This book is, in large part, a distillation of the contents of his blog, and is eminently readable, if depressing in its message.
That’s the title of a documentary about the LGBT+ activist Peter Tatchell, which is now available on Netflix.
It is very good and well worth watching.
I have always liked and admired the strength of Tatchell’s convictions and his willingness to keep on battling against all odds. Seeing the rerun in the documentary of the time of Thatcher’s Britain with AIDS and Section 28 and that awful woman was painful.
It was only the activities of Outrage and people like Peter and Derek Jarman who really got things moving to repeal Section 28. I used to be a member of CHE back in the 1970s, but I always remember that it was the UK’s GLF that galvanised me into becoming a soft activist, doing what I could in my small way.
Peter is rightly celebrated in this film. He’s paid for his actions with his health, but long may he continue to speak truth to power.
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