Petition to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

In the UK any citizen has the right to create an online petition to the Prime Minister on a subject of importance to the petition creator and anyone else who may feel moved to support the aims and objectives of the said petition. A deadline for signatories is set and upon reaching that deadline the Prime Minister has undertaken to reply by e-mail to everyone who signed the petition. The one that has prompted me to post these details on my blog has been submitted by Nick Aldworth and concerns the interference by this Government in the provision of police pay, conditions of service and pensions. Whilst this primarily affects new recruits it can, and should be, perceived as the thin end of the wedge. How long will it be before our pensions are modified or diminished?

This is the actual wording of the petition;

Since 1979, the police have had an effective and fair means of negotiating their pay through the Edmund-Davies formula. This recognised the unique status of police officers and their inability to take industrial action to secure fair pay deals. The Home Office are now seeking to undermine this agreement and create disturbance and unrest in the police service.

The petition calls upon the Prime Minister to stop the Home Office from interfering in the negotiation of police pay. As of today there are 26,798 signatories and it is growing rapidly. The deadline for signatures is 3rd February 2008. I believe, most sincerely, that we retired officers owe it to our serving brothers and sisters to support them in their campaign to stop any further erosion of their pay and conditions of service. If you share my views I invite you to add your name to the list of signatories by clicking on the link below or copying and pasting this link into your browser. It requires a UK postcode, however if you're an expatriate, you're in an overseas territory, a Crown dependency or in the Armed Forces without a postcode, you can still vote by selecting from a list of appropriate options;

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Fair-Police-Pay

The Word For Today. God's still in charge!

'Are you not Ruler over all...of the Nations.' 2 Chronicles 20:6 NAS

This country we call 'home,' exists only by God's permission and power. 'He made from one man every nation...having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation' (Acts 17:26 NAS). In the final analysis summit conferences don't shape the geography of countries, God does. Leaders don't determine the future of countries, God determines the hearts of leaders. 'The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes' (Proverbs 21:1 NKJ). The stubborn will of the most powerful politician can be directed by God as easily as a farmer reroutes a shallow canal on his farm.

Remember the account of Cyrus, King of Persia? When God wanted the Jews to return to Jerusalem He simply prodded him to make an 'official announcement' (Ezra 1:1 TM). God not only set the Israelites free from 400 years of slavery in Egypt, He caused their captors to equip them with supplies.'[They will] load you down with gifts...so...you will [not leave] empty-handed' (Exodus 3:21 TLB). That would be like post-civil war plantation owners signing their cotton fields over to the slaves.

If we enjoy a great economy, personal freedom and a high tide of justice, we don't limit our thanks to politicians. No, we thank God: 'He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them' (Job 12:23 NIV). Tally this up. God sets national boundaries. He determines leaders. He dispenses blessings. And we are the privileged recipients of each and every one of His blessings. Can we afford to forget this? Only at a terrible risk!

http://www.ucb.co.uk/word_for_today

Diana, Princess of Wales 1961 - 1997

With acknowledgement and much gratitude to the eminent royal photographer, Tim Graham, for this stunning picture of Diana taken by him on her last official engagement in Britain in July, 1997.

Friday 31st August, 2007, will mark the 10th anniversary of the death, in a car crash in Paris, of our much loved Diana, Princess of Wales, affectionately known as England's rose. She has gone but she is certainly not forgotten. First and foremost she has given us two wonderful Princes in William and Harry. She would be so proud of them and their achievements. Talking of achievements, I believe she achieved a lasting place in our history books by helping to modernise the Monarchy without sacrificing all of our traditions, thereby securing its future for the 21st century. A miracle in itself. She was a person full of Heavenly compassion. Her charitable work on behalf of Aids patients, her care for terminally ill children, her tireless efforts to rid the world of landmines and hundreds of other causes benefited from her care and love.

As Sir Elton John sang in his Candle in the Wind tribute at her funeral service in Westminster Abbey, "We have lost our nation's golden child. Your candle burned out long before your legend ever will. Goodbye England's rose. We will miss your compassion more than you will ever know" How right he was! I will be thinking of her on Friday 31st. August and remembering her in my prayers. I invite you to do the same. She truly was The People's Princess. We miss her so much.
Forever in our memories. Rest in peace Diana.

Forest fires in the Canary Islands

With reference to my earlier postings concerning the recent forest fires in the Canary Islands. Thanks to the kindness of a personal friend of mine in Gran Canaria who has sent me an article from the island's RTN newspaper I can describe the latest information available to me. It is reported to be the worst ever ecological disaster to hit the islands. 4,200 people on Tenerife and 5,200 on Gran Canaria were forced to evacuate their homes. More than 500 people were fighting the flames on the ground with dozens of fire-fighters airlifted in from throughout the Canary Islands. Ten special fire fighting helicopters joined the efforts to stem the blaze. The flames have now affected 10,000 hectares of land in four separate municipalities on Gran Canaria. An area of more than 13,000 hectares has been zoned off on Tenerife. Temperatures have reached a sizzling 122 degrees Fahrenheit and strong winds aggravated the problem.

A forest guard who has admitted setting light to the fire, and also gave the warning to the authorities, when his contract was due to run out, has been remanded to prison without bail.

The blaze was, at its height, travelling at a speed of 13 metres per second!

Sadly, fire-fighters had to abandon their attempts to save Palmitos Park and the nearby hotel. Unconfirmed reports indicate that around 60 per cent of the animals perished in the fire, despite initial reports that they had all been rescued.

This is certainly a disaster that will live in the minds of Canary Islanders and thousands of loyal regular visitors for many years to come and my thoughts and prayers are with them every day.

Funding for historic places of worship

I recently signed an online petition to our Prime Minister calling upon the government to increase funding to help preserve our ancient churches. The petition read as follows:-

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to arrange for the cost of repairs to C of E church buildings to be reimbursed to help preserve our archeological & historic heritage for the future."

Details of Petition:

"Churches are a valuable part of our heritage and a major tourist attraction, yet the funding of repairs is left to the parish in which the building is situated. Thus the cost of maintaining a national asset is left to the minority. This is grossly unfair and should be rectified."

The Prime Minister has now responded to the petition and here is his response:-

The Government is committed to the preservation of our historic churches and faith buildings, in view of their contribution to the heritage of this country and the vital community services often undertaken by those associated with churches and faith groups. There is a substantial package of support, both directly, and through sponsored bodies and Lottery schemes which averages around £60 million each year.

Over 8,500 faith buildings have benefited under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which has made grants totalling over £54 million since 2001. The scheme was extended in the 2006 Budget to cover further elements of expenditure on church repairs, including professional fees and repairs to some fixtures and fittings. One thousand buildings have benefited from grants made under the joint English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund repair scheme, which has this year paid out nearly £25 million. The Churches Conservation Trust also cares for 340 churches that are no longer required for worship, and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport funds the Trust with £3 million each year.

Any decisions on the level and nature of future Government funding for church buildings will need to be taken as part of the ongoing Comprehensive Spending Review, and Government spending plans for the 2008 to 2011 period will be made public later in the year.

Thousands flee fires on Canary Islands

More than 11,000 people were evacuated from homes and holiday resorts in the Canary Islands as soaring temperatures and high winds fanned a number of fires.

Firefighters are struggling to extinguish fires on two of the archipelago's popular tourist islands.

About 6,000 people were evacuated from homes in Tenerife, where 11,000 acres of forest on the western part of the island have burned since Monday, said Paulino Rivero, the president of the Canary Islands regional government.

He described the situation as "dramatic."

Tenerife authorities said they were fighting fires on four fronts, only one of which was under control. Many roads in the area were closed.

Authorities said winds of 40 miles per hour and temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were spreading the flames across the tree tops.

In Gran Canaria island, a four-day-old fire has charred 25,000 acres of woodland in the south-west Mogan region.

About 5,200 people, including some tourists, were evacuated from the area as dozens of homes were engulfed by the flames, said a spokesman for the emergency service of the regional government in Gran Canaria.

The fire has burned 65 percent of the Palmitos bird sanctuary park and it was feared some toucans and other exotic birds may have died, the national news agency Efe reported.

Please see the previous two postings concerning my recent holiday visit to Palmitos Park. This news is devastating. I am deeply shocked and greatly saddened by this tragic turn of events. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this catastrophe.

Army troops, along with eight firefighting aircraft, were trying to smother the blaze.

Photographs of my recent vacation to Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

<>Here is a selection of photographs taken by me on my holiday in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, in June 2007. They show scenes from my excursions to Puerto Mogan and Palmitos Park in the south of the island. For more detailed information please see my previous posting