http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articlearchive.php Recent Press Articles from David Chappell en-GB David Chappell http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2010 David Chappell 2010-07-31T11:56+01:00 United Kingdom http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000055/offshore_renewable_power.html There has been a lot of nonsense spouted by some correspondents about the viability of offshore windfarms and their value in the campaign to reduce carbon emissions. Some have argued that they do not produce sufficient power, and others that the cost of building them is greater than the money generated by them. 2010-05-22T00:00+01:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000054/making_the_coalition_agreement_work_in_bury_st_edmunds.html The Coalition Agreement between the Liberal Democrats and the Tories is going to see a lot of changes enacted and many can be done now without any primary legislation. 2010-05-22T00:00+01:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000053/thank_you.html I would like to thank all those people who voted for me and the Liberal Democrats in the General Election. 2010-05-10T00:00+01:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000052/24000_die_each_year_from_air_pollution_in_uk.html With 24,000 people in this country dying each year due to air pollution John Culverwell show casual disregard to the fate of British Citizens when he calls for withdrawal from the EU (EADT 27/3/10). Britain cannot deal with pollution on its own and wind, rain, and tide pay no regard to the political boundaries that divide countries. 2010-04-08T00:00+01:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000050/residents_pay_for_tory_incompetence.html I read with interest Cllr Mildmay-White explanation of the £7.5 million in which she cited investment of £100 million in the town. Perhaps she is not aware that consultants fees are normally paid by the developer and by the builder, not by the Council in which the development takes place. Direct investment by the Council has been in the public venue which Cllr John Griffiths reported would have a total cost of £9.5 million when he chaired the Policy Development Committee. Residents would be shocked if they knew the current cost of the public venue but this Council have made it a 'blue paper' to prevent me telling you about it. Don't expect the true figures to come out until the General Election is over! 2010-04-02T00:00+01:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000051/how_do_we_get_fairer_tax.html There has been a lot of pressure on George Osbourne to come clean on the policies he intends to implement in the increasingly unlikely event that we have stand alone Tory Government. He seems to want the public to trust him and elect a Tory government, but doesn't seem to trust us to elect the Tories if he tells us what he plans. Perhaps he has good reason to have such fears since it is possible that he might have some plans and he may know those plans may alarm ordinary voters. Even if he does make a promise can we trust such promises? After all Margaret Thatcher made a clear promise not to double VAT in 1979 and she didn't. She increased it from 8% to 15%, which was not quite double. That decision triggered rampant inflation. 2010-03-29T00:00+01:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000049/we_are_in_a_state_of_crisis.html I can sympathise with the concerns of Brain Pinner (EADT 18th March) but he should not forget the last time the lights went out it was Tory Government running the country! 2010-03-23T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000048/better_health_care.html The report on incompetent nurses continuing to treat patients issued by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (another quango - CHRE) is disturbing. It seems the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) are accused of closing investigations prematurely without proper authority. Ordinary people might well wonder what is going on? Surely hospitals employing midwifes or nurses should be able to act promptly and quickly when problems arise in their hospitals with patients properly protected and investigations carried out swiftly with expertise. 2010-03-08T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000047/reform_the_nhs.html I share the concern of Anne Berry (BFP 26/2/10) over the issue of meals in our hospitals and the lack of understanding of the basic care needed by patients in terms of nutrition and cleaning patients. It is not simply a matter of targets and cost cutting. Surprisingly we seem to have fallen victim to our own success in training nurses to the very highest standards. Our University Hospitals simply teach us our nurses to be the best! 2010-03-05T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000046/market_call_in.html In January I 'called in' the Council's decision to employ consultants to review our unique and historic market. 2010-02-26T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000045/getting_out_of_the_recession.html The collapse of confidence in the Greek Government's debts has spread to Spain and now the stock markets around the world are tumbling threatening the double dip recession that Vince Cable forecast. What are the policies that will guide us through this economic turmoil? Certainly not a rush to cuts in government spending, and a freeze on public sector wages will hurt the majority who already work for the community on low wages. Cutting jobs and putting people on the dole will reduce tax revenue while adding to government debt from increased benefits. 2010-02-13T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000044/getting_our_schools_right.html Tuesday's edition of the EADT (2/2/10) showed the confusion in Tory Education policy in the region. 2010-02-08T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000043/combat_aircraft_programme_97_billion_over_budget.html Leon Stedman (EADT 30/1/10) is sadly mistaken if he thinks the British public will continue to accept that a rebuke to a civil servant brought about by a question from an MP constitutes bringing a civil servant to brook is sufficient to address mistakes made. The British public want an end to bonuses to civil servants and quango managers and for serious mistakes sacking should be an option we have in dealing with serious failures, and serious failures we have in abundance. 2010-02-04T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000042/cctv_costs_out_of_proportion.html It was disappointing to see an experienced Councillor like Sarah Mildmay-White seek to justify the annual cost of CCTV cameras (BFP 19th January). As Councillors we are guardians of the taxpayers money and have to look hard at the choices available. The Council hope to save £1.64 million over 2010/2011, and may have to cut back much further if George Osbourne has his wicked way with public spending. 'The fact is that the police say 80% of CCTV coverage is unusable in Court' and that is a quote (23rd June 08) from the former Tory Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, so he should know. 2010-01-13T00:00+00:00 http://www.davidchappell.org.uk/articles/000041/rights_what_rights.html On 28th December Barrie Skelcher blasted away again with his blustergun on Europe. Now I can't tell if he is attacking Europe or the European Union. Neither is governed as he claims by a President so it is very confusing about what he is actually complaining about this time. What was starkly obvious was his lack of knowledge of British traditions. We are not citizens! The French and Germans are citizens, but we Mr Skelcher are subjects! Subjects of the Crown, and long may it remain so! 2010-01-07T22:29+00:00