Rutland: BBC recognised

Fairly major news today as one of the local RAF bases, RAF Cottesmore, faces closure.

What staggered me this morning is two-fold. First, the BBC news website has the word Rutland on its front page. Normally heralded under the banner of 'East Leicestershire', Rutland finally gets the recognition it deserves.

Secondly, the Rutland Times website, one which I usually enjoy reading, has nothing on the story. Amazing.

What a day!

Top Raddlemen on Twitter

Hiatus over, it's time to just mention some of the excellent Raddlemen I am following on Twitter.

It proves that Rutland isn't still in 1954.

@Mercury1695 For the near up to the minute happenings of my part of the world.

@rutlandweather is someone I have followed since my humble beginnings in social media. A 4-hourly service telling me the weather in my home county. This isn't, however, a 'bot account', or that posts automatically. The gentlemen behind it also runs a weather blog. Unbelievably, I can't find it currently, as the post it was on is now too old.

@Rutlandbubble , part of the FORC family, has been on Twitter a month less than I have. Following mainly his musings on life at the cutting edge of rural insurance, as well as his occasional commentary on home life, proves incredibly useful.

@M4ryLamont I discovered when our local radio joined the service.

@RutlandRadio , Though humble in it's followings, keeps me up to date with the station when I am away at University. Whether its a winning weekend or a now - playing mention, it's just great to get niche updates from my local radio.

Of course, this correspondent's old school chum @Odbe34 who talks politics and other Rutland stories needs a mention

Finally, for the definitive list of Raddlemen on Twitter, check out the Rutland Radio list here. A collection of 8 or so others on Twitter from the smallest county in England.

UPDATE 1: @konin , owner of the Toots Sweets of Oakham. A store of old fashioned sweets in Oakham, is the latest addition to this growing list

UPDATE 2: @M4ryLamont has come up with the following:

@lisabatty

@nicomorgan

@BigPinkHeart

@bubith

@TrevorLamont

@DiscoverRutland

@Mysitcomlife

@lamontplumbing

Thanks for the help!

Twittering, Live from the #admeet

Here's my tweets from Alan Duncan's expenses public meeting. I'll try and find newspaper comment alongside this, but use this as a gist of the meeting. #tcot is posting it to Topconservativesontwitter.org, #uktcot is the equivalent for the UK, and #rutland means it is more searchable for Rutland News

The bottom of the post is the beginning of the Tweet list. Sadly, the formatting from Twitter doesn't allow otherwise.

The end of te meeting, had to thank the chair. Chec the blog later for further comment and analysis. Thanks all #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

Vicar is rounding up now. He's hada really tough crowd. #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

Answer the question are cheers from the crowd. Ill try get a photo of this silly hat this socialist is wearing #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

More socialist comment. He called rutland a state of anarchy, having lived here 27 years. What a douche #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

And so the socialists stand up. A cartoonist im next to said shes f***ing mad! #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

Rutland is the biggest open prison in the uk! When is there a byelection? #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 23 hours ago from txt

'why pay back if you haven't done anything wrong?' #tcot #uktcot #rutland great one from the chair, even if it isn't impartialabout 24 hours ago from txt

@konin is asking a question now.... #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

#tcot #uktcot #rutland interesting, he's been asked what should he be paidabout 24 hours ago from txt

#tcot #uktcot #rutland ad answering questions about unemployed n. Hang on, isn't this about expenses?!about 24 hours ago from txt

#tcot #uktcot #rutland willetts (oo) mum here I think, and saying she has 3 jobs speech etc, and now talking about absenteeismabout 24 hours ago from txt

Dangerous assumptions in the crowd: they're playing into his game #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

True: he has never flipped homes #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

Now blaming hignfy edititng team for 'disaster' edition last time he was on #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

Round of applause for his speech. Overall, yes, he deserved it, just..... #tcot #uktcot #rutlandabout 24 hours ago from txt

Come on, we're over time now. Lol @ his comment 'ive been drawing off savings' major draws of breath at that #tcot #uktcot #rutland1 day ago from txt

'theres no market (wage) rate for mps' #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:17 AM Jun 13th from txt

Valid point from ad: he published expenses on the web before other mps. #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:16 AM Jun 13th from txt

Nick clegg charging 1400 for food? Can some tweeple check that out? #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:13 AM Jun 13th from txt

And now a policeman is in the room... #tcot #uktcot #rutland. Intimidation or what2:13 AM Jun 13th from txt

History behind 2nd homes. Come on, get to the gritty bits! #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:12 AM Jun 13th from txt

Justifying travel expenses. The crowd is now muted #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:10 AM Jun 13th from txt

Now explaining the green book.... #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:08 AM Jun 13th from txt

He's about to have 10 mins to himself. Oh god, he's on to democracy #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:06 AM Jun 13th from txt

Another joke, another heckler e #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:05 AM Jun 13th from txt

Art of public meets lost?! No shouting?! He's in for a treat...2:04 AM Jun 13th from txt

Nice intro for the mp, vicar cracks a joke #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland2:03 AM Jun 13th from txt

Wow, the room is filling up! Worryingly think im the youngest here #admeet #tcot #uktcot #rutland1:58 AM Jun 13th from txt

Just at the alan duncan public meeting and its looking fairly quiet #tcot #uktcot #rutland

A (hopefully) welcome return

After a few weeks off from the ol' blogosphere, the Rutland Correspondent returns

After meeting up with Twitterer @JayRutland and another drama-group buddy from those hazy old days in Oakham, he asked me (amongst a few things) for comment on the expenses scandal. Having purposefully kept quite on the issue, because of the ad nausem coverage by New Labour same old biased BBC and the good people at ITN, I shall now break silence. 

From now on, can we please call it the allowance scandal? They are, after all, allowed such finance as part of the job to supplement wages and other taxed income.

I would put forward the Simon Woodroffe argument(another name amongst Old Oakhamian rankings). By paying MPs more, we wouldn't have this issue. Alright, they've fiddled allowances, but tell me who else doesn't in middle management across the UK. In the words of Simon Woodroffe (roughly) 'if we pay these people peanuts, we're going to get monkeys. Give them more and we'll have a better quality of MP'. Woodroffe, founder of the YO! empire, has some most excellent words.

On a more Rutland-centric note: Alan Duncan, ha'way now. He's actually not too bad, though not too good either on the old finance front. Let's take a quick look at public information on his wallet here. Cutting through some of the Grauniad spin on things, he's a fairly straight up guy (excuse the pun)

To end with, lets just bask in the glory of song. The O'Jays, famed for their music from the US' Apprentice television series, provide the song 'For the Love of Money'. Poignancy, current, satirical, whatever.

Viva la Capitalism/Conservatives

To tour or not to Tourism, that is the question

All of a quandary, I looked at the following story in the Rutland Times.

Rutland's tourist officer should be a crucial job. As one of the county's, sadly, popular industries, I would agree that the position is tenable.

However, I can' t seem to agree with financials. If anything, it should be a volunteer position, and should be fielded by more than one person

I seem to get the feeling that Rutland County Council office is sometimes like the video below. Class characters, but sometimes, they are silly enough to believe some of the paperwork. 

The Long Good Friday....Oakham

Good Friday in Oakham, a perfect time for some photos for blog followers to put a 'face to the name' of the town of Oakham, Rutland

1) Oakham School's School House, the 7th From Day Boys end. One of the Rutland Correspondents old stomping grounds

2) Shop frontage of Hambleton Bakery

3) Whiper In, the town's equivalent to the old Plaza, New York

4) All Saints Church

5) The mystical Oakham Castle. Home to the UK's biggest collection of ceremonial horseshoes.

Rutland Prison Riots!

HMP Ashwell has played host to a 400-man prison riot!

Details can be found here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7994616.stm

UPDATE: I will be uploading the photos from Oakham in my next post, as promised. I thought the Ashwell riots took precedence.

Easter Holidays

Spring Term has finished at Sunderland university, bringing with it a holiday of (hopefully) Morcott sunshine, many trips to Uppingham & Oakham market, and other Rutland curiosities.

I shall be uploading a few photos of things that happen around Rutland, and try to put 'a face to a name' to the towns of Oakham & Uppingham.

If there is anything in particular you would like to know about Rutland, leave me a comment and I shall do my best to answer your question/request.

Is it all really just an April Fools?

Today's news that unitary authorities, opposed by many who work in local government at the minute, are being rolled out across the UK should be seen as an April fools.

Full details here

Targeting predominantly Conservative Councils, our Labour government really are plucking at straws to distract from another recent bout of bad news.

But targeting Conservative councils? That's just cheap.

Also in Rutland News was the potential loss of full-time firefighters in the area: details found here

It can already take Police just under 2 hours to respond to an emergency call; do we really need a slow/non existent fire service? 

Oakham & Stamford police effectively work 9 till 5, with calls then being shifted to Leicester Police. If the same were to happen to our fire service, Raddlemen would be lost for words.

We can only hope that this is all just an April fool, for those not just in the new unitary authorities, but also to all Raddlemen.

Rutland's news is a bit like Preston Hill...

On the up-side:This week Sarah Outen, of Oakham, heads into waters known along the the Indian Ocean, and you can follow her progress with her blog live from the boat here. We wish our intrepid Raddleman well.

On the down-side: It was a sad story this week to hear RPC, one of Rutland's biggest employers, is set to make redundancies. Based along the Pilling's Road industrial estate, RPC is well known for it's plastic works within several key industries.

Previously along Uppingham's High Street West

While Obama is losing the battle in DC, the Uppingham Raddlemen are triumphing over the town's great 'parking war'. 

Viva la Conservatives

Rob Toy, 1940 - 2009

Well known Raddleman Rob Toy sadly passed away on Wednesday this week.

Tributes can be found on the Rutland Times Website here.

Welcome To Rutland

From Our Rutland Correspondent is live! In the coming weeks I hope to comment on news and politics from the UK and US! Be sure to have your RSS feeders digesting any new posts.