Government warned of "descent into chaos" over revamp of NHS computer

Posted by on Aug 31, 2006 in Uncategorized | 10 comments A multi-billion-pound revamp of the NHS computer system is “descending into chaos”, warned MP Richard Bacon. It is the biggest computer project in the world and has been blighted by technical problems and spiralling costs. The on-the-ball South Norfolk MP, who was chosen by MPs as Backbencher of the Year for his work in exposing the foreign prisons scandal, has urged the Government to...
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Happy International Blog Day

Posted by on Aug 31, 2006 in updates | 3 comments Today is International Blog Day and Radio 5 Live is plugging it like mad. They want bloggers to recommend sites. The aim is also to travel out of your normal comfort zone and explore some new sites. This is a great idea as I do think some blogs are a little clique. This site tells you how to mark the day, and with 52.6 million blogs to check out, you should have lots of fun today. I shall be...
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How much will you bid for Churchill’s partly smoked cigar?

Posted by on Aug 30, 2006 in updates | 10 comments Churchill could never have imagined that a partly-smoked cigar he discarded in an ash tray at Chequers Court more than 50 years ago would end up being offered for sale in a fine art auction. And the 12cm weed is expected to sell for up to £120. I have no idea who has offered it for sale, or how it came to be in his/her possession. Why wasn’t it thrown out in the bin? Why was such a large...
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My screen test for TV

Posted by on Aug 30, 2006 in updates | 7 comments I’m heading off to London today for a screen test with a TV company, the first time I have ever done anything like this. It is for an exciting new programme which is due to be screened on Channel 4. All will be revealed in due course, whichever way it goes, but I can tell you it is not Countdown or Deal or No Deal – and I will need my passport if...
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Where were Kennedy’s courageous colleagues?

Posted by on Aug 29, 2006 in Uncategorized | 1 comment It takes considerable courage to tell the truth, especially if you fear the future success of your political party could be at stake. Concealing the truth and taking the easy way out is never the answer. But who really cared about what would happen to Charles Kennedy the man, as his drinking continued to spiral out of control? Why didn’t his colleagues intervene and force him to consider...
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David Mills and those "bad pennies"

Posted by on Aug 29, 2006 in Uncategorized | 7 comments David Mills, estranged husband of Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell who is to stand trial for alleged fraud, explains his demise after mixing with “one or two bad pennies, or in Berlusconi’s case, a bad pound”. Janice Small was involved in breaking this story for Legal Business mag, which has an exclusive interview with Mills further pleading his innocence. From what he says, he...
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Would you like your medical info sent by text?

Posted by on Aug 29, 2006 in updates | 7 comments   How would you feel if important medical info was sent to you by text or email? This is what a Suffolk hospital is considering to save on postage costs following Royal Mail’s new pricing system. Although concerns about confidentiality have been raised, there is also the chance that vital info could accidentally be deleted by the recipient, causing distress and considerable...
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Why Blair and Bush were wrong about Lebanon, by Terry Waite

Posted by on Aug 28, 2006 in Uncategorized | 1 comment Former Hezbollah hostage Terry Waite has joined critics who have condemned Tony Blair’s handling of the Middle East crisis. He knows more than most about Lebanon. It is 15 years since the former church envoy was released from captivity by militants in Lebanon. In an interview with his local press (not available on-line due to the lack of Bank Holiday updates), the humanitarian explains why...
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More criminals on the loose if John Reid gets his way

Posted by on Aug 28, 2006 in Uncategorized | 5 comments If John Reid wants magistrates to use electronic tagging as an effective alternative to prison, I suggest tags are used that cannot be removed. At the moment it is all too easy to slip the net and commit further crimes and the Home Office has not even kept vital records on this. This is a flawed system that has not proved itself. Magistrates must despair at this kind of interference, being told...
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Meet a new blue female blogger

Posted by on Aug 28, 2006 in updates | 3 comments Welcome to a new female blue blogger – only this one wears a uniform and gives some interesting inside info about life on the beat . PC Bloggs gives useful tips on what to avoid saying if you don’t want to get booked for speeding; certainly best not to blurt out that you pay their salary! She is also conducting her own survey on police overtime as the much derided Home Office wants...
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Why can’t this Govt deal with our rubbish?

Posted by on Aug 27, 2006 in Uncategorized | 7 comments I find it extraordinary that electronic “spy bugs” have secretly been planted in hundreds of thousands of household wheelie bins. It is hardly the best way of getting the message across about recycling, engaging with the public and gaining their full support to ensure the government meets strict targets set by the European Parliament – else face a hefty fine. A few years ago,...
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No more WordPress worries

Posted by on Aug 27, 2006 in updates | 2 comments A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders – thanks to the brilliant new Windows Live Writer which is the simplest way I have come across of writing posts and adding pics for WordPress. It is an absolute godsend and I shall be eternally grateful to Bill Gates and his creative team for designing it. I was struggling with this after launching my new site recently, but I am confident it...
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Do MPs have happy marriages?

Posted by on Aug 27, 2006 in updates | 4 comments So men should not marry career women if they want to have a successful and happy life, they should stick to someone who has no desires other than pampering her man, dusting the house and doing the school run. This advice has propelled Michael Noer, news editor of Forbes.com, one of the world’s leading business magazine groups, into notoriety and condemnation after his controversial...
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No ordinary holiday

Posted by on Aug 26, 2006 in updates | 10 comments It is my insatiable curiosity about people’s lives, meeting so many interesting fellow shipmates, that made my holiday so memorable. This is the first time we have ever had a holiday of this kind, and I tell you cruising must be the best stress free way for three generations to go away together and have a ball. (I even heard of five generations doing this, the eldest cruiser being a cool...
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Taking to the high seas

Posted by on Aug 10, 2006 in updates | 6 comments It’s time for our family hols, to literally push out the boat and cruise around the Med for a couple of weeks. We are being joined by my incorrigible mum Loula, as well as and some friends and their three young kids. And for those of you who lament the fact that there are fewer women bloggers than men, I will leave you with this parting shot from Ann Hawkins, which should remind you that...
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Antonia’s 5 mins of fame

Posted by on Aug 10, 2006 in Uncategorized | 1 comment It appears Antonia has had her 5 mins of fame after the Evening Standard picked up this story from my blog a few days ago. I guess they read it on ConservativeHome where it was plugged with their best of blogsphere. And thanks to Dizzy too for following it up...
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Sweet 16 and never …..

Posted by on Aug 9, 2006 in updates | 9 comments Sweet 16 today, that is my son David, pictured here with his prom date Laura, who he insists are “just good friends”. He had one birthday wish, he desperately wanted a Samsung D600 mobile phone and after trawling a dozen stores, we discovered that Carphone Warehouse offered the best price. Only they had sold out at their three Cambridge shops, but one of their helpful assistants said...
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Getting the hang of WordPress

Posted by on Aug 8, 2006 in updates | 14 comments I’m beginning to find my way around the labyrith on WordPress, it is “awesome”, as they say over the pond. I spent last night updating my blogroll, it should be easier to follow now compared to the mish-mash I had before, but please let me know if I have accidentally missed anyone out who includes me on their list. Geoff showed me how to write posts in flickr (very clever...
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Thanks Geoff for a great birthday present

Posted by on Aug 7, 2006 in updates | 10 comments Geoff, originally uploaded by elleeanne. This is 007 Geoff who I met in Cambridge this February and started me on my blogging. He has given me this great new site as a birthday present. Lots of bloods, sweat and tears to install all the plug ins and themes – but he is still smiling! *Many thanks to Dizzy for...
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Cheque book journalism shoud be banned

Posted by on Aug 7, 2006 in updates | 6 comments Jubilant Gail and Tommy Sheridan The fight to get that great scoop has led to a sleazy, grubby form of journalism; in fact, it’s not journalism, just titillation, writing about coke-fuelled celebs smashed out of their head taking part in orgies, for example. Why don’t the tabloids realise that if they refused to pay for these “dishing the dirt” stories, the chances are...
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Govt also paid towards jaunt to Budapest

Posted by on Aug 6, 2006 in updates | 15 comments At the same time that Defra officials enjoyed a three-day waste disposal junket in Germany, the Government helped fund a trip for local politicians to Budapest to learn about blogging and e-democracy where they stayed in a sumptious 5-star hotel. It was an international event which included the Mayor of Washington as a speaker. Among those who attended from the UK was Oxford Labour councillor...
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A great discovery

Posted by on Aug 6, 2006 in updates | 8 comments Neville Hobson is to social media what Iain is to Tory bloggers – an icon, of a kind. He is always one step ahead of the game, what he doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing. So you can image how flabbergasted I was when I was idly flicking through Technorati and discovered he had been writing about me, recommending me as an excellent woman blogger. I feel terrible for not promoting...
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Suzy’s appeal on animals and hols

Posted by on Aug 6, 2006 in updates | 2 comments We are a renowned nation of animal lovers, hence a timely appeal that has been made by Suzy Gale to report back any cases of animal cruelty and neglect that you come across during your hols. Suzy set up a new organisation called Animals Worldwide, a non political group, along with a number of major UK animal welfare charities, including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and The Dogs Trust, to tackle...
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If I had time today, I would…

Posted by on Aug 5, 2006 in updates | 5 comments Bee catching in the 11th century If I had time today, I would spend hours delving into Domesday online, discovering curious facts about life in 11th century England, when William the Conquerer reigned and commissioned this masterpiece. The Norfolk rag the EDP has already taken a peek and discovered a few treasures: “It is an insight into a time when Yarmouth paid 12 pence in land tax to...
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My moan of the day

Posted by on Aug 5, 2006 in updates | 11 comments I am a snap happy journo and recently bought a fab new camera to take even better shots. It has not disappointed me. My moan is about a new memory card I ordered yesterday so I can take dozens of pics. I ordered it from Amazon and delivery was promised within 1-2 days. I need it by next Thursday as I am off on a 2 week trip the day after. Later in the day, I had an email from their distributor...
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