PRAISE FOR THALASSITES AND A SENSIBLE READER'S LETTER

This intelligent reader talks about 'in vogue' campaigning groups. 

These groups who pretend to 'spiritually enlightenment' are carrying a vicious vendetta against Georges Assi for doing no more than sounding out public opinion.

Assi represented a huge number of residents and businesses who understood that the experiment in Kensington High Street was an utter disaster.

It now seems the staff of Fox Primary School are getting in on the act despite never needing to use the Ken High St cycle lane.

The staff should be getting on with teaching instead of joining demos.

Dear Dame,

Thank Heavens the sordid cycle lane is being torn down from High Street Kensington. Cars were backing up to the Albert Hall, like the queues of a Soviet breadline. Credit to RBKC council for listening to the residents and reversing the decision. 

Call me ungrateful, but I am still not content. According to an article in the Evening Standard, the cost of construction was £300,000. How can painting a white line on the road and installing some plastic bollards cost so much? 

If RBKC council had properly consulted residents before building the cycle lane, taxpayers money could have been saved.

I am not opposed to measures improving conditions for cyclists on the road. However, some creativity is needed from our leaders. We all saw how popular cycling was around Hyde Park in the summer. Perhaps the council could introduce a temporary cycle lane, operational during the summer months but reverting back to a normal road for most of the year. This common-sense policy should be seriously considered - it would be good for both drivers and cyclists.

Drivers are currently being treated as some sort of embarrassing remnants of an antiquated age. Most London politicians would prefer to leave us in the lurch while they go ahead building their lovely, cycling, car-free utopia. 

Thus, I applaud Councillor Thassalties for standing up to the in-vogue campaigning groups and urge other councillors to represent the interests of almost 50% of constituents who own and operate cars in our great borough.

Anonymous

MICHAEL STEPHEN SPEAKS THE TRUTH TO POWER!

                                  Ex Conservative MP, Michael Stephen

A letter to Greg Hands from Michael Stephen.

It should also be read by Felicity Buchan.

This is a government descending into crypto fascism and Mr Stephen is right to give this warning.

Bizarre...a government making enemies of its voter base...

Greg,

I do not think the facts justify the government's lockdown policy.  

At the beginning of November, the UK was “locked-down” again, but why?  

Whitty and Vallance should be ashamed of the graphs they produced and should resign.

 

95.6% of those who have died “from COVID” had a serious pre-existing medical condition – and sometimes more than one, which would probably have killed them soon anyway.

 

53.7% of deaths “from COVID” were people aged over 80! I doubt that anyone in this age group would think it right to inflict massive damage on their children and grandchildren just to keep themselves alive for another year or two. 

 

In any event, the average death-rate for people aged over 75 was significantly lower this October than last October.

 

A person killed in a road accident is recorded as a COVID death if he had tested positive for COVID within the past 28 days - this is ridiculous.

It is obvious that if you test more people you will find more "cases" but that does not mean that the number of infected people is increasing.  In any event how many of these "cases" result in death or even a hospital admission? 

 

So what is going on? What is the real reason for the “lock-down”? 

The UK government urges us all to “work together” as if that were an end in itself.  

Work together for what?  – to destroy the economy and to drive people into despair and bankruptcy?

 

If you challenge governments today on COVID and on the vast financial sacrifices they are demanding, the zealot’s answer is to invoke the “precautionary principle” – the perils are so great they will always say, that we must err on the side of caution.  So, you don’t need a solid case – all you need to do is to scare people, and if you have a compliant stooge like the BBC the task is easy.

 

The people of the UK are not the fools the government imagines them to be, and they will soon stop obeying a government which makes hugely damaging decisions on a completely inadequate basis.  

It seems to be the same in many countries around the world.  

We have all become characters in a novel by Kafka, who face situations that are disorienting and illogically complex in a surreal and nightmarish way.

Regards,

Michael Stephen

A CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT MORPHING INTO A POLICE STATE?

                                                         The Genesis Of A Police State

Dear Dame,

Priti Patel is so inept that she cannot even organise resistance to boatloads of illegal entrants crossing the Channel. Yet she has the resources to deploy thousands of police in Central London to violently crackdown on peaceful demonstrators horrified by the totalitarian regime this government is morphing into. What has our two MP's Hands and Buchan to say about this blatant police brutality? 

Zilch!

On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered near Marble Arch protesting loudly against totalitarian CV19 restrictions and lockdowns.

Police were present in large and aggressive numbers.

 Dozens of police vans were driving around the city centre, hunting for protesters. Police on foot were splitting up groups, harassing and arresting people. Like in a cat and mouse chase, the protesters were scattered all over the city centre whilst trying to gather in a new location. The protest was meant to begin at Kings Cross, but police made it impossible for anyone to gather there. Later the venue changed to Angel then Marble Arch and Hyde Park Speakers Corner.

Police have been stopping people on the streets and telling them to go home. 

Many peaceful protesters were arrested simply for standing up for freedom. One member of The White Rose was also arrested, along with several others, while she happened to be strolling behind a group of marching protesters. They were taken in custody and kept there until evening. The police confiscated protest material from her. Police also issued fines.

In several cases police were brutally bringing protesters down to the ground, hurting them, harassing and violating their basic rights. This is pure fascist: the UK has become a police state.

Regards,

A Free Man

REMOVAL OF TEMPORARY CYCLE LANES: A VICTORY FOR SENSE

 

                                           Leader Material?

What a change Thalassites makes from 'we hear but we don't listen' Cllr Weale. 

He does something quite extraordinary for this council: he actually HEARS AND LISTENS!

Cllr Thalassites is honest enough to admit the lanes were an idea that didn't work and that they were to be removed at the behest of residents and local business. 

Imagine if Cllr Weale was running Planning, Place and Environment. We would have been stuck with them for decades.

REMOVAL OF TEMPORARY BICYCLE LANES ON KENSINGTON HIGH STREET
I am writing to let you know that I have asked Council Officers to begin removing the temporary bicycle lanes on Kensington High Street from 2 December 2020.
In the spring, different layers of Government instructed the Council to build a ‘pop up’ route “within weeks”. We had hoped that a scheme might help local businesses attract shoppers to the high street; and that residents would regard as useful an east-west path.
Alas - more than two months after installing temporary ‘wands’ on the road - it is clear that large majorities of local businesses and residents do not think the experiment has worked.
Kensington Business Forum and Kensington and Chelsea Chamber of Trade and Commerce have asked the Council to take out the lanes, so that they can make the most of a busy holiday season; as have our resident associations across the high street, due to increased congestion.
We understand this ask is supported by disability groups, such as Action Disability K&C, who are anxious about impacts on their members (including visually impaired people); as well as by Felicity Buchan MP and Tony Devenish AM, who ran a local survey on the subject.
We want to listen to local businesses and local people. That is why we have acted to get the high street moving again.
Nonetheless, we know there are some residents who liked the project. We will continue to promote cycling and walking in the borough. To that end, we want to build on popular actions - from upgrading quiet bike routes on side streets, to a trial closure of Portobello Road on 'market days'.
We expect work to take the lanes out will last five days. Some of the work will depend on weather, but I have asked our engineers to progress as quickly as it is safe to do so.
have also asked for non-emergency highways and utilities works along the road to be suspended in December.
I wish you all the best - and a happy Christmas - in these uncertain times.

Yours faithfully,

Councillor Johnny Thalassites Lead Member for Planning, Place and Environment Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

"WE HEAR BUT WE DON'T LISTEN" SAYS CLLR WEALE

The next leader of our council needs to be very special to do battle with Doctor Quirk. 

The good doctor has populated the senior team with sidekicks from his old stamping ground in Lewisham and is hell-bent on keeping his hands on the levers of power.

"Dame, what sort of leader can best prise Quirk's pudgy fingers from those levers of power"

A good question....

The new crop of Conservative councillors is actually rather good. 

From the north of the Borough, some of the Lefties tell the Dame they have time for Cllr Cyron and that is echoed by others who know. 

Cllr Thalassites is also proving the Dame wrong by understanding the absolute need to heed residents.

What worries the Dame are rumours that Cllr Weale is jockeying to succeed Cllr Campbell. 

                                                         

                                                                                         Weale 

                                                                   Saddling up for an £80,000 allowance

It's not because Cllr Weale is one of the tainted Grenfell 'old guard' that makes the Dame toss and turn in her massive Empire style Louis Quinze bed.

In all the years that Cllr Weale has been a ward councillor she has been invisible to residents. 

The heavy lifting working has always been done by her fellow ward councillors.

Every resident should do their best to ensure Cllr Weale is never made leader.

She is lazy and lacks the motivation to promote the interests of residents. 

At one meeting she was heard to say, "we hear but we don't listen"....that about sums her up.

There is only one potential leader in the wings and that is Cllr Cyron.

WAITROSE TELLS ITS KNIGHTSBRIDGE CUSTOMERS TO TAKE A HIKE AND KEEPS ITS BUSINESS RATES RELIEF

                                           The end of a great brand?

Corporate hypocrisy reaches new heights when the ghastly, syrupy John Lewis ad extols us 'to be kind this Christmas'.

That kindness doesn't seem to extend to its staff whose disinterest in customers knows no bounds nor residents of this Borough. 

Waitrose has made tens of millions during the pandemic. Despite this the chairman, Sharon White who used to work at the Treasury refuses to hand back the business rates relief....

Quite shocking! The Dame will cease shopping there and recommends her readers follow her example.

There was a day when Waitrose was the epitome of grocery excellence..happy partners...great food....good value and a welcoming ambience.

Those salad days are long since gone. 

Waitrose like other John Lewis brands is a mere shadow of itself...surly partners...haphazard service and shelves bursting with imported stuff easily obtainable in the UK.

Little Waitrose in Brompton Rd sums up all that is wrong with this once great brand. You are greeted by a lounging 'security person' and then a wall of indifference from staff.

A long time customer of the Partnership( a bit of a misnomer!) returned a water bottle with a razor-sharp piece of metal protruding.

The bored manageress's languid reaction was, "no receipt; no refund" despite seeing it was a manufacturing issue.

Another neighbour returned a packet of frozen food which stank to high heaven. 

This manager again refused to refund and only replaced it when the customer threatened to take the toxic product to the Council. 

This manager, when told by the customer he had been coming to the shop for years, was told, "well, I have never seen you before". 

The fact the customer was wearing a mask rather escaped him!

There was a time when John Lewis customers were fiercely loyal: no longer...they are deserting in their droves to Tesco, Lidl and Aldi.

What do you expect when a Mr Bailey, a buyer from Sainsbury is appointed MD!

Come on, Mr Bailey, your staff don't even know who you are!

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE CONGESTED ROAD?

 To All Who Signed The Petition: We Have Traction!

This morning, following weeks of discussions and surveys, we were delighted to read the public support given to our campaign by Felicity Buchan (MP For Kensington) and Tony Devenish (Assembly Member for West Central on the London Assembly). (See below full statement).

Their announcement is an important step towards the termination of this failed Scheme and we now look forward to RBKC taking the final and courageous decision to put an end to the Cycle Lane Scheme on Kensington High Street, as soon as possible.

But this is not the end of the journey:

We also look forward to working with Cyclist groups (to whom we spoke in order to gain a better understanding of their long-term objectives), the council, as well as local resident and business groups, so that together we find better solutions to encourage active travel in a way that is safe for cyclists and pedestrians, balanced - distributing road network resources in a sensible manner between all users (cars, taxis, delivery vans, lorries, buses, emergency services AND cyclists), and green - reducing pollution from motor vehicles in our borough for the benefit of all.

The full text of the statement is as follows (we highlighted parts in bold) :

"25th November 2020 

JOINT STATEMENT ON THE KENSINGTON HIGH STREET CYCLE LANE 

As the Member of Parliament for Kensington, and as the Member of the London Assembly for West Central respectively, we want to start by making clear that cycling is an excellent way to travel, and we have both always been strongly in favour of encouraging active travel, especially now in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Cycling is a great way for people to get around, with physical and mental health benefits, the potential to reduce vehicle congestion in Kensington, and provides a valuable socially-distanced alternative to public transport.

This is why we did not oppose the process of installing the temporary lane and approached it with a positive mindset, hoping that this scheme would be a success, and actively encouraging Residents’ Associations and those with misgivings to have an open mind. We made clear that the cycle lane needed a fair period of operation to prove itself, and it was only if it was clear that the temporary cycle lane had failed in its objectives, that we would advocate for its removal.

Now that Phase 1 of the cycle lane is in place and has had a fair chance to operate, it is apparent to most people who use the High Street to travel, whether on a bike or other form of transport, that Kensington High Street is not an appropriate location for a cycle lane, either for cyclists or all other road users.

We have both had a vast amount of correspondence from concerned constituents, with the Parliamentary inbox receiving 96% of comments against and only 4% in favour. The resident's associations: VRARA; KSRA; ESSA; ECSRA; KCRA; Melbury Court; and Kensington Residents Group, also now oppose the cycle lane. The Kensington Society has urged the Council to remove the cycle lane; and the Kensington & Chelsea Chamber of Commerce opposes the cycle lane, stating that it does not benefit Kensington and Chelsea businesses in its current form. A petition against the scheme has now attracted over 3000 signatures, and a recent Survey by the Kensington Business Forum showed that a vast majority of the local businesses are against the Scheme. Finally, a survey conducted by Tony Devenish, found 80% of RBKC residents opposed the cycle lane.

TfL has always placed RBKC under immense pressure to implement a cycleway scheme, and have threatened to take over Borough roads. It is now clear that TfL severely miscalculated the impact of such schemes, which require careful analysis.

We would fully encourage RBKC to explore expanding their highly successful Quietways programme, and we note the success of other measures such as on Portobello Road. Anything that is done to promote active travel must be safe, fair, and balanced for all road users, including the elderly, children, and disabled. 

We would like to see the cycle lane remain until the end of the current lockdown on 2nd December. However, we believe that this scheme needs to be removed swiftly as soon as we exit lockdown, to allow businesses along the High Street a period of unimpeded business, in the run-up to Christmas, and following the very real difficulties they have faced during the coronavirus restrictions. Kensington High Street is simply not the correct location, and we must act in the interests of our constituents. 

Felicity Buchan, MP - Member of Parliament for Kensington
Tony Devenish, Member of the London Assembly for West Central 

WHITHER IVY?

 

It seems as if Mr Martin of Martins' Properties has taken over the licence of the Ivy in Kings Road. 

Could we see Mr Martin as 'mine host'?

Are rumours true that a CVA has been organised by the owner, Sir Phil Green's friend, Mr Caring?

Mr Martin's family started off with a Kings Road electrical shop selling Dansette record players in the 40's before buying local property at rock bottom prices. 

In fact, many of the Dame's friends remembered Tom Martin's father, Peter flogging them their first black & white telly. 

OK, not quite the stuff of the Cadogan Estate but even the Cadogan family had to start somewhere!