There may be trouble ahead: Join UNISON

Hat tip Notts UNISON and their excellent Comms Officer(s)

"PLEASE JOIN UNISON BEFORE YOU NEED US. We can't represent you for your first 4 weeks after joining #1, but we can offer advice to our new members. So, in an increasingly insecure world of work, you can never know for certain when you could need us and your fellow UNISON members to help with work related issues etc.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO FACE THE MUSIC ON YOUR OWN! Join UNISON, and we'll all be singing from the same hymn sheet".
https://join.unison.org.uk/

(#1 Normally, nor for any issue that began before this date as well - I use to work as a barman in a dodgy nightclub in Edinburgh many,many years ago and the DJ used to play this song every night as the last track)

Why Eric Pickles is an eejit

Guest post by our Edinburgh Correspondent  shows why Eric Pickles proposal to allow 15 minutes parking on double yellow lines is a really bad idea.

"At about 18:25 last Sunday 4th August I left Maxies Bistro and emerged onto Victoria Terrace. I soon became aware of an open-topped tour bus stopped below in West Bow. The driver was headed from Grassmarket for George IV Bridge, but could not get round the bend into Victoria Street.

Someone had parked a car on the double yellow lines on the off side of the bus. Much consternation and discussion of what to do about it. Eventually 10 concerned citizens grabbed hold of a perfectly reasonably parked car on the near side and moved it. Two Lothian buses inspectors appeared and carefully avoided getting involved in that.

The 10 concerned citizens then crossed the road and moved the obstruction. Tourist bus departed and one person wrote an abusive message on the back window of the former obstruction".

ill Manors Review by born and bred Forest Gater

Check out this post on Labour List by Ellie Robinson on the film "ill Manors" which is set in Forest Gate, East London. Ellie is born and bred in Forest Gate and is now a local Councillor for the area.

I have lived there also for the past 20 odd years. It is actually a fantastic place to live but like most parts of London there is a tiny dark side which I think Ellie addresses very well in her post.

This is the second link to blogs by Ellie this week. Check out her thoughts here on a recent visit to Israel and Palestine.

The rather graphic picture above is the "official movie" poster for the film. I think it partly depicts the two tower blocks overlooking Wanstead Flats in Leytonstone rather than Forest Gate. One of which is the Fred Wigg tower which may hoist anti-aircraft air to air missiles during the Olympics.

Ironically I use to live and work in Edinburgh in the middle/late 1980's. Is this film a 2012 "Trainspotting"?

Update: Sunday Times yesterday refers to the film being set in Forest Hill not Forest Gate!