Save Severndroog Castle

Atop Shooters Hill stands Severndroog Castle, a Gothic-inspired Grade II architecture the preservation of which, not for the first time, is under threat. It is currently on the "at risk" register.

In an age where the urge is for generic edifices which aspire to be no more than warehouses and in such a hilly location that is worryingly suited to phone masts, we need this lovely tower more than ever.

Any building which is architecturally exceptional contains a history that, all the time it stands, educates and reminds us about that history. It would be a great sadness if this historically - and architecturally - significant building could not continue in its present state due to lack of funding.

A brief encapsulation of the history is that: "It was built in 1784 as a memorial to Sir William James by his wife, Lady James to celebrate his most famous exploit in 1755 when he destroyed the fleet and stronghold of pirates on an island fortress off the west coast of India". (Quote extracted from the introductory text on the charity's website)

The charity which works to preserve Severndroog Castle (the SCBPT) requires funding and is running a sponsor-a-brick programme, more of which can be read at the Severndroog Castle website.

All Compass No Compassion

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary who doesn't lay awake at night worrying about population growth, has proved, yet again, in his assertion that he will not obstruct hacker Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US, how morally invertebrate the Labour government is.

If Gary McKinnon were to be tried at home then he could be hopeful of a fairer sentence. It is plainly obvious that Gary McKinnon is not a terrorist, is not a threat to national or international security and is a little too enthusiastic about computer techonology for his own good. These factors, I am sure, are more likely to count as mitigators on home soil.

That is, Gary McKinnon's case is a rare instance where you would prefer one of our liberal judges to preside.

However, Gary McKinnon is the latest in a catalogue of examples of this government's failure to understand the public's sanity and sentiment on popular issues - Recall, for instance, Labour's heavy-handed, objectionable treatment of the Gurkhas which was, perversely, the government's miscued attempt at demagoguery.

Clearly this government is insentient to the injustice and unfair treatment of one of its own citizens and unprepared - as it is in most things - to take action.

I wonder when Gordon Brown will realise that he should be eligible for a refund for that fabled moral compass.

Labour: Hitting the Bar and Moving the Goalposts

It is still hilarious, a couple of weeks later, Meg Hillier's argument that ID cards would be good for young people "going to bars". Identity cards are the zenith of the Labour Party's scheme to infringe, absolutely, upon our civil liberties and this latest sales-pitch proves how bad the ID bargain is for citizens.

Ms Hillier's argument about ID cards making it easier for eighteen year olds to buy drink is telling because it tacitly admits that the government's original apology for identity cards - that they will improve security against terrorism - is specious and hollow.

So hollow, in fact, that all they can do now is to appeal to nineteen year olds that they will be admitted to drink at the Stoat & Carburettor without interrogation from the publican.

That is, if Labour's mismanagement of the economy hasn't forced all the pubs to close by the time ID cards are introduced nationally...

Labour Plans £26.8M in Cuts

A leaked document has revealed that the Labour Council of Greenwich are proposing at least £26.8M of cuts to services.

This story was first reported a couple of days ago by Andrew Gilligan and has been circulated in various local blogs and newspapers but deserves as much publicity as possible so that Greenwich residents are fully aware of the Labour Council's lack of openness and honesty about these cuts.

As my colleague Simon Emmett from Shooters Hill ward points out: "The fact is that the Greenwich Labour party have a history of doing this. Shortly after the 2006 local elections, millions of pounds were cut from services, although much like the spin of the national party, they were dubbed 'efficiency savings'".

These are some of the services that Labour would have hoped to cut by sneaking them through the back door: Street cleaning, the Metropolitan Police Violent & Organised Crime Unit, voluntary sector contracts and so-called "low priority" projects.

Cllr Spencer Drury, leader of the Conservative opposition, said: “Labour have a hidden programme of cuts in place and are refusing to be open about their plans. Greenwich Council’s incompetence and inefficiency is what leads them to have to make these dramatic cuts. They have already wasted £27 million because they are three years late on their new school building programme. There are lots of ways they could have saved money by running themselves differently.”

Desi Spice

Good news. One of my favourite curry houses, Desi Spice, has re-opened. It's situated on Bramshot Avenue, by the underpass.

I've always enjoyed eating at Desi Spice and find their menu to be more extensive and their flavours more subtle than other curry houses.

It has been under a few different managements in the past so I do hope that the business it does isn't too modest, forcing it into temporary - and what luckily has never been transpired to be permanent - closure.

Not only is the food great but I've always felt reassured by its presence beside the underpass as it offers illumination & presence to an otherwise dark place.

Desi Spice,
27 Bramshot Avenue
London
SE7 7HY

020 88583777