Private firm 'may run' phone log

"A private company could be asked to run a huge database containing details of everybody's telephone calls, emails and internet use, it has been reported."

"The database, which critics claim would cost up to £12bn, is not intended to record the content of communications, but only the details of internet sites visited and what emails and telephone calls have been made, to whom and at what times. "

As reported today on BBC News

This is getting perilously close to George Orwell's 1984 vision of society.

Liberal Democrat Lords challenge telephone and internet record database proposals

Mon, 17 Nov 2008

House of Lords

Liberal Democrat peers have defended a person’s right to privacy, as the Government continue with plans to compile a huge database, containing records of all telephone calls, emails and text messages.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer described the measures as a "huge step" towards "a person with a right to privacy...being treated as a suspect." She questioned how effective the costly proposals would prove, given the vast amounts of correspondence the database would contain.

"With 3 billion e-mails - that is, 35,000 every second - 18 million internet connections and 57 billion text messages a year, does he think that this is really likely to prove the most effective way of fighting terrorism, given that the estimated cost will be up to £12 billion?"

Lord Avebury supported Baroness Miller's comments, highlighting the distinction "between looking at individual accesses with a view to the detection of particular crimes...and the collection of a record of every telephone conversation, every internet access and every text message made by you and me across the board, to be kept in a government-held database for ever." He called on the Government to publish a PowerPoint presentation given to internet service providers explaining the proposal in detail.

Lord Thomas of Gresford suggested, "that the information should be available only for the solution of serious crime" to safeguard against government abuse.

Read the House of Lords debate here

List of Labour's failures to date in IT related projects:
£13 billion on an NHS record system that is a complete failure
£200 million wasted over the past five years on IT projects that were never completed

Nick Clegg's New Year message

New Year message here on
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6B1cqj-oVdY on Digg here - so please take a moment to visit Digg and to click the 'digg it' button on the left to cast your vote.

Each vote helps get the film seen by more people.

Is carbon offsetting ever ok?

In Cllr Alexis Rowell's Blog Monday, 29 December 2008 he asks the question is carbon offsetting ever ok?

He writes: "The current edition of the Ecologist has an article castigating carbon offsetting Carbon Offsetting: forgive my carbon sin?. I have a lot of sympathy with the sentiments expressed. The price of carbon used in the offsetting business is far too low, because the market price of carbon is far too low, and investing in trees on the other side of the world, trees which might be chopped down one day, has never seemed to me to be a very sensible way to deal with the carbon problem."

I agree that the price of carbon is set too low to make carbon offsetting less attractive, I know from experience in dealing with blue chip companies tasked with reducing the company carbon footprint, carbon offsetting is "currently" very attractive to many organisations precisely because it is cheaper than directly dealing with the problem of carbon reduction.

Therefore, I would not directly advocate using carbon offsetting as it currently stands as a control method of dealing with climate change. However, if the carbon offsetting "cost" was increased to the point of being more expensive than "implementing" energy reducing solutions, I feel confidant that this would achieve a better outcome for the planet.

Author: Nigel Rumble

BLACK MOULD (FUNGUS) hits the Chalcots PFI £150M project

Black mould (Fungus) growing on the NEW window frames hits the £150M PFI "Chalcots" project. This serious and potentially hazardous situation has continued to become worse due to the moisture condensation during these cold and dump winter nights.

The new "state-of-the-art" window metal frames (with poor internal thermal insulation) conduct heat from the warm inside surfaces to the colder outside surfaces. Therefore, all the inside metal frame surfaces become very COLD which acts as a condensing surface for the moisture in the air of resident homes.

It is believed that the condensates (upto 50ml per window) which collects on the lower window frame and window ceils is responsible for the development of black mould spores in the "silicon" sealant, which appears NOT to be the "anti-fungicidal" type which would have helped to control these bacterial growths.

It will be asked at the next PFIC meeting that all 710 properties be checked and repaired to comply with building regulations and Health and Safety legislation of mould spore prevention.

It is widely recognised by medical experts that mould spores are responsible for potentially causing allergic reactions and respiratory problems. Some moulds also produce mycotoxins that can pose serious health risks to humans and animals. Exposure to high levels of mycotoxins can lead to neurological problems and in some cases death. The health hazards produced by mould have been associated with sick building syndrome.
If you are concerned and wish to know more Read Wikipedia here, APSNET

The thermal efficiencies of the NEW window frames is thus compromised by not having any thermal insulation properties, heat (energy) is being conducted straight out from all the window frames in this £150M PFI scheme, this energy conservation inefficient and poor design requires an investigation at the highest level.

PFI Contract info here

Author: Nigel Rumble

Nick Clegg: Latest film looking back at the past 12 months

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOqr0XwldBM

Sustainability and the Altered Towers - Chalcots

The rain screen cladding applied to the Chalcots is being well tested this winter with below freezing temperatures having been reached, residents are reporting improvements to energy consumption reductions and improved heating to rooms with exposed corner flanking walls. What a pity that Black mould (Fungus) growing on the NEW window frames hits the £150M PFI "Chalcots" project. This serious and potentially hazardous situation has continued to become worse due to the moisture condensation during these cold and dump winter nights. See update for more info on the rise of the mould.

The cladding to these exterior walls has increased the thermal efficiency of the building as a whole, although only to just what is now considered the building minimum standards, it is a welcome improvement on what residents living in the 1968 design buildings had experienced for the past 40 years.

Reported by Stephen Kennett in Building Sustainability "Chalcot estate: Altered towers, 2008 Issue 19" Refurbishment is increasingly seen as the sustainable option when tackling social housing, and in the process of overhauling the Chalcot estate’s 717 flats, the London Borough of Camden is aiming to deliver a 30% cut in CO2 emissions.”
Author: Nigel Rumble

Chalcots PFI enters the Christmas shutdown

It is hoped as the £150M PFI "Chalcots" project enters the Christmas shutdown period that any emergencies such as lift breakdowns; etc will be dealt with the urgency that is required of buildings housing 161 properties.

Last year an emergency contact number was published and circulated that had a "out of service" number advising all callers "this line does not receive in-coming calls".

And on the Christmas Eve 2007, site lights for one of the buildings failed! So lets hope that this Christmas will be uneventful and all emergency protocols are in place.

Liberal Democrats latest TV film broadcast on Friday

Last Friday the latest Liberal Democrat TV film was broadcast, and it's now up on YouTube here

Dioxins in "our" food supply chain

Animal feed is one of the most prevalent causes of ingested dioxins. Farmed salmon feed on contaminated pellets with high concentrations of dioxins many years ago. This continues to be a problem also for most seawater fisheries taking fish from the sea, which in many locations around the world have high concentrations of dioxins.

I disagree with the lead story quote from the referred BBC News story that, a Food safety expert Professor Hugh Pennington who told the BBC the health risk was very, very low. He said: "You have to have a lot of these compounds. You have to eat a lot of them, enormous amounts to have any visible effect." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7769391.stm

In an isolated incident such as this it would probably be true, but the Professor is not taking into account the constant exposure to dioxins in our food chain, mostly as a result of contaminated animal feed. In point of fact we do consume considerably more dioxins than “official” reports suggests. It is sustained “life time” exposure to dioxins that carries greatest risks.

Read for further information about dioxins:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/medical_notes/358889.stm

Author: Nigel Rumble 7th December 2008

Health and Safety on the Chalcots

The low levels of light to the entrance ways and underground car parking continues to be a very considerable concern to all residents in the vicinity of the Chalcots.

The situation has been currently under review for some time. Irrespective of whether the properties are responsibility of the PFIC group of companies or ultimately the Local Authority. It must be remembered that the Local Authority is the primary "Social Landlord" and the "Landlord" for all properties. Under Health and Safety Protocols and Security provision Protocols have a direct "Duty of Care" not only to all residents but also all residents in the Belsize area that may be affected as a "knock-on consequence" of the above mentioned low levels of lighting provision and inadequate security.

Common sense prevails at Camden's PFIC

I reported yesterday "if you (Camden) don’t have temporary lights installed by the end of the next day (4/12) then I will take the matter to the local MP". Glenda Jackson MP was contacted. Senior officers of Camden and the PFIC were instructed.

I had an "official" walk-about yesterday with all the senior staff connected with the PFIC so they could see first hand the problem areas.

As of 8:45am today I can report that Bray now has the emergency temporary lighting asked. All that remains is that a permanent solution is found for the lighting problems.

Strength of resident feeling on Chalcots "escalate"

I was present at an ad hock walk-about with an Camden Project Manager yesterday evening and on the subject of NO lighting on the entranceways to Bray, which has been a ongoing problem for many years.

A resident knowing the Project Manager clearly angered at the situation, said to the officer "if you don’t have temporary lights installed by the end of the next day (4/12) then I will take the matter to the local MP". The deadline set is now looming.

I have had so many complaints now from residents about this Health and Safety concern that MP Glenda Jackson has now been notified.

This is an outrage; even the local Police have reported the matter of inadequate lighting to the Patch Manager for the estate.

Camden PFI Chalcots December 2008

Where we are now in December 2008

Bray, the third of the five blocks making up the Chalcots estate is due to be signed off by the Independent Certifier (IC) 19th December.However, problems still remain in resident’s homes, such as leaking radiators, faulty windows and poorly regulated central heating controls, despite the IC sign off process. All the remaining problems will be transferred to the "snagging" process.Security remains a "key" concern of the residents at Bray and indeed the whole of the Chalcots.Inadequate lighting and no provision of a canopy to the entranceways continue to be a BIG concern for all residents.

Back in July 2008
I had written a summary of the “key” problem areas of the PFI process

1. Output Specification
2. Role of the Independent Certifier (IC)
3. Sign-off and snagging
Only the misapprehension of the role of the IC has now been addressed.It was hoped that with the correct levels of “direct” management pressure would the other issues have been addressed too.

Conclusion
Apart from the previous misapprehension that the role of the IC was to actually check all aspects of the finished “home” and check for essential Health and Safety certifications. We now know that the IC primary role is to sign-off, thereby starting the “unitary charge” process for release of “real” money from the PFIC bank to the contractor.

There is no real demonstratable change of the current implementation model.
It has to be said that PR skills have considerably improved on this PFI project.

I would also now add a new key "problem" PFI and non-PFI word to the list;

4. Communications
This refers to both the PFIC as well as the Local Authority, which are in many cases the worst offenders.

PFI at Chalcots - Third block due to complete

Bray, the third of the five blocks making up the Chalcots estate is due to be signed off by the Independent Certifier (IC) 19th December.

However, problems still remain in resident’s homes, such as leaking radiators, faulty windows and poorly regulated central heating controls, despite the IC sign off process. All the remaining problems will be transferred to the "snagging" process.

Security remains a "key" concern of the residents at Bray and indeed the whole of the Chalcots.

Inadequate lighting and no provision of a canopy to the entranceways continue to be a BIG concern for all residents.

Offenders to wear community vests

Another crazy idea. How are the Public meant to distinguish between contractors, builders and offenders (without referring to the backs of the high visibility jackets or bibs).

If a person is seen fit to be returned to serve a "Community Service". Having a "Community Payback" will only serve to further distance the offender from mainstream society and may leave the offender open to abuse. This is back to the dark ages. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7757908.stm

Start of the 13 month 15% VAT Rate Today

But will it actually have the desired effect and who will profit?

Large e-companies (such as Amazon) clearly will have no problems implementing and passing on the lower rate to their customers. However, the "very type of smaller business" most affected by the credit crunch will have a much harder time to implement and pass on the savings in the high street.

The cost to small businesses to implement the VAT rate change will be high compared to turnover and it will be unlikely that the customer will see benefit at the till. A product or service that has been pitched at £9.99 will not be marked down to £9.77 for long.

The VAT rate change is a negative way of dealing with credit crunch; it serves to illustrate the despair that the New Labour Government is in.

It is back to the OLD Labour days of the past. History does indeed repeat itself