Is West Cumbria disadvantaged?

A recent report said that people from Cumbria are at a disadvantage to those in the South. Well I say yes and no. Anything is possible with effort.

Cumbria Disadvantage?

Personally I love it here and am not disadvantaged except - to get anywhere else in the country you have a 1 hour drive to the M6 or mainline trains

I was born/brought up in West Riding of Yorkshire, and lived most of my life working in Leeds/Bradford/Halifax/Sheffield

We moved here about 2 years ago from living on the East Coast of Lincolnshire for 10 years. It is very similar to West Cumbria. The problems there are similar.

We suffered from no big businesses not even something like Sellafield

Nearest A&E was 30miles/45 mins drive away and "big" hospitals 40/50 miles away.

It was over 1 hours’ drive from the nearest Motorway

No trains

Buses stopped running at 6pm and on Sundays at all in the winter.

Broadband was poor.

Electricity was dodgy especially in bad weather.

The doctors could not recruit new doctors/nurses when the staff left and were short. Even the Big hospitals tried recruiting from Spain etc. but they left after a year or two as they felt so "cut off".

There were some good schools - still the Grammar school system flourished but teachers were hard to get.

Young people left for Uni and to get jobs as there were none locally. No one moved in as why would you come to an area with no "night life", no culture, no communications, no population (except old people)?

There were some big nice houses for bargain prices if you were moving from the South but don’t try to go back!

Same here in West Cumberland. It is perceived by outsiders as above. Hence people won't come to work - where is the business, communications, culture etc. Yes beautiful scenery and surroundings much better way of life, (in my opinion) then living in the cities. 

If you go down south it definitely changes Manchester southwards. You see that hustle and bustle and things are happening, things are being built, business expanding, recruiting there is nightlife/culture.

Schools here in West Cumberland? - in West Yorkshire you had a choice of several within 10miles. There were "Private schools (very good), there were Private Hospitals. Trains, planes, you can get to London etc. in a couple of hours. I'm sorry but "Professionals” will not move here if they can get these things. The world has changed from 50 years ago and people demand these things for their way of life.

There most definitely is a North South divide and it’s growing.

Inappropriate behaviour -Sex Wars?

This current trend of ladies to accuse men of inappropriate behaviour at levels up to including rape has to me a sinister undercurrent. Yes some behaviour is definitely wrong and the men need to be punished. Not by social media but in a court. 

Let's be honest we are social animals have hormones drives and behaviours. This has evolved over thousands of years. Social media has only been around in a blink. Things will change. Meanwhile we are in dangerous territory, women alienating all men as ergo they are all potential rapists? and a danger to women! This is patently rubbish but a real danger. These women need to act immediately to bat back the sex pests, or report them. Not waiting decades. Also with historical child abuse what purpose is served by endlessly chasing dead personalities?  Yes it was wrong and it did happen but everyone's perspective changes over time and things may not be actually real.
Where should behaviour go now. Let's calm the Social Media down. It's too easy to condemn men by Facebook without real justice. Do women really want a world with no flirting, they do it too. Women manipulate men to achieve their goals, how do men fight back?

Trump wants to Ban Internet?

Trump wants to Ban the internet to foil terrorism? Maybe a bit simplistic but I sort of agree with the idea.
I've argued that the internet is a wonderful tool for all criminals including terrorists. But no one can truly be anonymous there. To get on you need an IP address, much like a car number plate. All IP addresses relate to countries and are obtained from companies who own them. So if the authorities want to know who is saying what track the IP address down. EASY. Yes I know they try to hide, spoofing or using proxies, but also all internet traffic has to be routed. So just like Trump wants to Mu slims entering USA, then track the IP addresses as far as you can then where it stops the company routing it should be locked down. The message wool echo across the internet and the company's don't want to lose business. Maybe whole countries need blocking? Can be done, till they root out the criminals. It's not just Google,  Facebook, Microsoft to blame they just sit on the internet but they should too take down the vile information hosted. They should give up all information on the people behind the names used.

Cumbria Crime Commisioner cracking down on Cyber Crime

Reportedly Cyber Criminals are getting into your living room so Cumbria's Police Crime Commissioner is doubling his Cyber Crime budget. good but last year when I reported two attack s of Ransomware on my school last year, all they could do was give me a crime number. Even though I had plenty of evidence to add, not interested. It's only by collecting intelligence and working with our European crime agencies can we tackle the criminals behind it. Remember their attacks over the internet can strike thousands but it only takes a fraction to succumb for it to be worthwhile.
They want you to pay a ransom in Bitcoins, you have to contact them. The website's used were traceable and identifiable. They have to be registered somewhere with IP addresses. They are allocated to countries/organisations, they can be traced. I know they NAT them and use proxies but in my book anyone translating these addresses should be shut down. They'd soon stop allowing it. They need the legitimate business. If they don't block their countries. They'd soon find them and lock them up. Easy.

Ban on veils

so Belgium has had its veil ban upheld as lawful by the EU court of human rights.
I have always wondered why they're not banned here ? You can't go into a bank with a motorcycle helmet on for obvious reasons. In our society we are are all open about our identity and are suspicious of those who hide.

Education is undervalued

Student Loans at 6.1% interest is outrageous. It would be cheaper to get a commercial loan, if you can without an income. (Bank of MumnDad?). anyway, when I went to Uni (40+ yrs ago) we had Grants. Means tested yes, so the poor got the money. Also only the top 20% went to Uni, the elite yes? The point is why does everyone have to go to Uni.? Surely the value of a “Degree” is devalued. The Best Unis – yes they are still the best but there are so many “Degrees” now Employers I’m sure don’t value your “BA” in “Economic prestigitation”. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for Education . the more the better but we need Better schools. So many have now failed and kids are not being educated. Yes, when I went in the ‘60s I was in a class of 48! Sat in rows, one teacher, no support – but we all got educated. The numpties weren’t pandered too they got on with it (with parents support) education was valued. SO many now say “I don’t need to learn that , I can google it, or I’ll get a job at Lidl. My Mam and Dad don’t work so why should I?” and so on. It’s heart breaking. The good, the elite, the rich, they get educated and get the best jobs but we’re failing so many. Yes in my time there were those who actually were abandoned by the system and I wouldn’t want that to happen again.  Now we have Policemen and Nurses have to have a degree – why? I think they should be allowed to study and get degrees but surely we

are losing the bottom end. Would you want to wipe bottoms and clean floors if you had a degree? We are a rich country and we should value education, we should look after the sick and vulnerable but help them not pander to them. Also not expect everyone to go to Uni. Taylor education to the right skills for the right people. Everyone has a place in society and should be valued. Education is NOT a commercial business it should be a right and Teachers should be valued, respected and repositioned as the Elite in Society.

Another ransomware attack.

I don’t understand why our Security services (and others) can’t find these criminals?

As I see it the Internet depends on a web of connections across the globe, but fundamentally underneath all the names and trickery at hiding YOU have an IP address. All computers must have a unique IP address. Like your car registration plate. If it is duplicated then the massages fail to get through correctly.

To get their money these people must have a base somewhere to “host” their systems and to get their ransom must be able to be communicated with. The authorities can track where their IP address goes to. They can “translate” it to another address by using proxies but in my book anyone actually involved in this process should be warned to stop allowing it or they will be shut down. This may be a whole country, Tough! Until we get tough with these criminals then it won’t stop. Do we want a few idiots to undermine our whole society?

Manchester. How do we stop ISIS?

I am old enough to remember the IRA and their bombs and atrocities but at least they usually gave warnings. Today what/who are these terrorists? The main difference is they seem to be loners and suicide bombers. At least they won't do it again and saves us the bother of jailing them.

Today, why is it different. I have a theory. I don't think the authorities and medics have realised yet and they won't like it. Today we have a class of people (not all terrorists thankfully, they are just the extreme end), who I believe have a dissociative disorder. They have brainwashed themselves by viewing things on the internet, using social media and playing computer games. They have little or no family life and probably live alone, (or at least isolate themselves from the rest of their family). They have been loners for most of their teenage years. They feel different and don't relate to/interact with their peers. They have a disorder that allows themselves to exist in a fantasy world but yet at the same time can live with you and me and seem relatively normal. They may go out shopping, may even have a job, but one where they don't need much interaction. The problem is that the fantasy world in which they live can exist in parallel to their "normal" selves. 

Unfortunately I blame the rise of technology. This didn't exists in the IRA days. They lived in NI they were fanatical about the situation there, they wanted change and were prepared to go to almost any lengths to get it. Yet it was ALL NI based. Hardly any technology involved. They bombed and killed on the "Mainland". Our so called ISIS fanatical terrorists exist worldwide but what is their cause and what do they want? They haven't really got a country. There are obviously some people here who must get online and find info relating to them and in their fantasy world as described above they "believe" that they must do what they must do to exist in this "ISIS" world. They find info on bomb making and via social media/email/text they communicate with other fanatics (maybe even in the Middle East, they could be anywhere) and because they believe anything that comes over the internet (their version) they enjoy the experience just like computer games. Only this is at the highest level almost real! The ultimate end game is to do what happened last night in Manchester. Only unlike computer games there is not a reset and the game starts again. This time they are really DEAD and other people are dead, maimed, injured and traumatised.

Currently the authorities have no real way of finding tracking and stopping this carnage. You might as well lock up every spotty teenager playing computer games in his bedroom. However this is very real and growing problem. Even if these people don't become suicide bombers we are allowing our children to be perverted into and abnormal behaviour. Look at our teenagers today. They all exhibit the traits described above to a greater or lesser degree, dependence on the electronic communication, games and a fantasy online world. We must tackle it. At the earliest age children are using tablets/phones/computers. Parents see it as an innocuous way to occupy their children. A 2yr old watching Paw Patrol on YouTube is harmless? NO, the eye is a direct connection to the brain. Sitting and being transfixed by a video image for hours on end is conditioning the child in ways we are yet to understand but it’s not what we evolved for. We need the traditional interactions with people, children, the environment. Learning that it hurts when you fall over in the yard and graze your knee but what fun it is to look at the world from up a tree. It’s your Castle? Talking to parents, peers etc. teaches you social interaction not Peppa Pig videos although they could teach middle class ideal family values. Then they look at their dysfunctional family and are confused. This is the start. Later they use the same technology to build their fantasy world to escape from what they don't like. At the same time this fantasy world can exist in their head quite separately from the real" world and even in their head the two worlds don't interact. That's how we end up with suicide bombers.

The authorities need to monitor Internet usage and find the people/sites that these nutcases are communicating with and shut them down. Also somehow we need to be monitoring the rise of online gaming, the effect it has on young people, and control what is available and what can be done with it. It is NOT just a game.

Just reset and all will be fine and we start again.

Fuss over Hijabs

Ridiculous, do the religious police seriously consider it an offence for a lady to wear a head scarf?
I'm old enough to remember when ladies always covered their heads, especially in church. This was a Christian custom too.
We were a Christian country. It was out custom for ladies to cover their heads, men, because they all wore hats too, took them off in defference.
Look back in the Bible at 1 corinthians 11. Paul's letter states, every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven."

The Queen is often seen with a headscarf on. Does this make her disrespectful? She is the head of the Church here after all.
Isn't this all rather silly, a fuss about scarves.

Professional Footballers?

So we've seen recently several professional footballers convicted of serious crimes yet seem to be able to continue playing. Why?  Adam Johnson is a convicted paedophile. There seems to be a campaign to find so called paedophile coaches going back decades. They never work with children again, quite right. I ask why the difference. Teachers, council workers etc. Lose their jobs if convicted of crimes, so how can footballers continue? They are very much role models for the young and are very privileged and well rewarded. Isn't it about time the FA had rules to bar convicted criminals from the game regardless?

Green Energy swindle?

Green Energy like Solar panels on your roof or Wind Turbines are seen as green but HMG wants to cut subsidies to save money , why?

ls

A fraction of the Nuclear subsidy could be given back to encourage folk to put solar panels on their homes to save money on their bills. The energy companies don't like it but its still pennies compared to CONSTRAINT payments that Wind Farms get to NOT generate electricity. When it’s too windy we can't use all the power so they are guaranteed a refund for actually NOT being able to sell their electricity. Now that is true Alice in Wonderland economics

Well done Disney. Wire free charging.

WiFi charging is not new. It was discovered by Tesla, (the 18th century scientist not the electric car company that pinched his name), patented by Faraday over 100 years ago. Advances now make it feasible. I predicted years ago that this principle would be developed into practical technology. Next step, no need for batteries! Power picked up from WiFi.  Electric cars, no cables. Power picked up in the road. In years to come we'll laugh at these silly cables for charging cars for hours.

Cyclists can't win

DM headlines that Cyclists are anti-social, elite and reckless. I agree to an extent. I wish they would respect pedestrians and share. There should be a law that Cyclists can share pavements but have to give way to pedestrians. On the roads I'm terrified of motorists. They are in an a steel box,  cyclists are mere soft flesh.

I daren't ride on the roads. We need separate cycle lanes and zones. Next day DM headlines a cyclist killed by a bus, bet she was being careful.
Another cyclist killed. It's dangerous on our roads. The only sensible realistic solution is separate cycleways. If shared with pedestrians then there must be a RULE giving pedestrians priority.

What point to marriage?

Now I've every sympathy with the lady who suddenly lost her long time partner and yes they were going to marry but the fact is they weren't married. If the court rules that non married couples can have the same rights as married couples then I just can't agree. Sort  but what is the point of marriage?
It used to be the legal contract for two people to say we share everything for life. If you're not married the where do you draw the line. When do two people become a couple? A year, a month, a week, a day? Surely if you are really committed and want to share GET MARRIED.

Internet is harming our children

Dr MAX is right about pornography and its  insidious effect on children. He doesn't go far enough. Internet pornography and computer games have a permanent effect on children. Looking at these images directly affects these young brains.
The eye is connected to the brain so watching these images crucially affects growing brains irreversibly forever. We must be very careful about what they watch at their tender age.

Subsidise home energy not multi-nationals

A fraction of the Nuclear subsidy could be given back to encourage folk to put solar panels on their homes to save money on their bills. The energy companies don't like it but its still pennies compared to CONSTRAINT payments that Wind Farms get to NOT generate electricity. When it’s too windy we can't use all the power so they are guaranteed a refund for actually NOT being able to sell their electricity. Now that is true Alice in Wonderland economics.

Wipe ISIS out?

We seem to be obsessed and terrified by terrorism but I ask, how many people a year are killed by terrorists? Donald Trump wants to eliminate ISIS. In reality terrorists don't kill as many as are killed by DRUGS. Why aren't we at war with the countries who produce drugs? Over 3000 recorded drug related deaths in 2025 and who knows what misery and crime is drug related? So why aren't our Governments fighting this with all their effort. We should be at WAR with the purveyors of drugs, the countries that supply the drugs. Yes, I suppose they don't condone it but say Columbia is where heroin etc originates for one. What about border police/ customs stopping it coming in?

Housing crisis solved?

I think that given the extortionate price of property in London and  the south there was an obvious solution.
Anyone who has used a modern touring touring caravan knows how packed they are with all the mod cons for a couple in space barely 2x5metres. So why not use this technology to create affordable homes for homeless and single people or couples who want a compact home and spend a lot of time ofut?
You could build these in buildings like rooms in a hotel. Door inside in a corridor and a window out side where the front of the "van" would be. £20k each!

A rubbish Christmas

Yes, loads a rubbish after Christmas, so? We should make manufacturers use eco recycling friendly packaging then it would vastly cut down on rubbish