…Meet up on a Friday with my CORGI Registered Friends…

Half Man Half Biscuit, 16 February 2007: Manchester Academy

With a near capacity crowd in the Manchester Academy, Birkenhead’s answer to Shakespeare had a solid performance, with this gig surpassing the Holmfirth one last September.

Opening the gig was fellow labelmates Calvin Party, in front of about 400 people, with their Echo and the Bunnymen meets James style of Indie music.

By 2115 hours, came the main feature, Half Man Half Biscuit who ran on to a snatch of ‘13 Eurogoths Floating In The Dead Sea’. Fifteen minutes before then, the Manchester Academy saw an extra 800 HMHB fans surge towards the venue. As with Holmfirth, they opened the gig with ‘S*** Arm Bad Tattoo’.

Friday’s gig saw a rather tight performance by Half Man Half Biscuit, with a mix of excellent new material from ‘Achtung Bono’ and a few oldies. Within the latter category were ‘4AD3DCD’, ‘Albert Hammond Bootleg’ and ‘Turned Up, Clocked Off, Laid Off’. Unlike the Holmfirth gig, ‘24 Hour Garage People’ lacked the musical samples (probably due to copyright issues).

Before the encore, HMHB dedicated their last song, ‘Joy Division Oven Gloves’ to Tony Wilson, given his recent battle with cancer. This was met by rapturous applause by the 1200 - 1500 fans at the Academy. Continuing the trend of using a cover version for the encore set, their choice was ‘Containers’ by The Fall from their 1980 album ‘Grotesque: After the Gramme’.

Ending with a snatch of ‘The Best Things In Life’ and ‘We’ve Built This Village on a Trad. Arr. Tune’ before then, Half Man Half Biscuit left me wanting a second encore and a week’s worth of cold turkey, cured only by listening to ‘Achtung Bono’ and ‘Back in the DHSS’ several times.

A fantastic night, and long may they continue. When’s the next gig in the North West…?

Five Years To Save Public Transport in Greater Manchester

The Congestion Charge is coming to Greater Manchester

Announced on Sky News on Monday 19th February, it was announced that congestion charging will be coming to Greater Manchester in 2012.

Backed by bus company bosses and the subject of negative reaction by its motorists, the conurbation populated by 2.2 million citizens, will become the second city outside London to impose road pricing. One MP, David Heyes (Ashton-under-Lyne), had stated his opposition to the congestion charge - if no improvement to public transport has been made. Hopefully, by 2012, Phase Three of the Metrolink should be completed and by then, the buses may be re-regulated.

My personal view favours congestion charging, but, like the member for Ashton-under-Lyne, I would only back road pricing if suitable car alternatives are available. This should mean:

• The re-regulation of buses, leading in time to the public ownership of bus operations on ‘unprofitable’ but important routes;
• The doubling of capacity on railway services, in the form of carriages and infrastructure;
• Continued extension of the Metrolink system;
• Subsidised transport fares with group discounts;
• A moratorium on bus and rail service withdrawals in the run up to congestion charging.

At present, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive have been the prime mover of re-regulation, as with other PTEs in Tyne and Wear and South Yorkshire. Since 1997, the big two bus owning groups, FirstGroup and Stagecoach had operated most services in the Tameside area. Most of their passenger growth has come from acquisitions rather than organic growth. Despite consolidation, the network is still seen by many users as constantly shifting. Even though changes have been minimised by each company, there is still confusion, due to the varying dates set by each operator.

If changes are to be made, a much easier idea would be standard changeover dates for all operators, with the same changeover dates as train services on Network Rail metals. This could be enforced by local councils and Passenger Transport Executives.

If the public transport system of 2012 continues to ape the system of 2007, then the congestion charge will be seen as an annoyance by its drivers - whom, because of ineffective public transport - are forced to drive.  They will see it as another form of taxation, if the streets of Ashton are blocked despite road pricing.

We have five years to get public transport back to the organised state it was before the 26th October 1986.  This will mean a return to British Rail, Greater Manchester Transport, et al, and a change of perception.  That perception is the concept of public transport being a utility like gas, electricity and fast broadband access.  The right to move should also mean integrated public transport at affordable prices and realistic frequencies as well as clear roads and an unblocked Denton Island.

Thatcher’s Children from Hell

Daily Mirror, 16/02/2007

‘The Awful Legacy of Thatcher’s Orphans’.

Today (16/02/2007) Paul Routledge was on form and remains one of my reasons as to why I still buy the Daily Mirror.  This article has hit the nail on the head as to why the UK has the worst child poverty and deprivation record out of twenty developed countries.

For further evidence of this, I recommend visiting at least one of the mining villages abandoned, since the Tories decimated the mining industry and their right to work.