Author: Martyn

Very Soon

Over the last couple of months I have been very busy.

Being a First Time buyer at 76 and moving into to a flat in Carlisle has been somewhat challenging.

Unpacking everything has also been a challenge. Though I have at last managed to resort all of my books and donated a lot of them to a charity shop.

Now I will soon be able to get back to some more campaign work and start on a few new projects.

What I am now trying to do is make contact with any vegans in the city and pacifists in the region.

There is a real need for a Vegan shop and cafe in Carlisle.

Ditto there is a need to set up a pacifist group.

So any contacts to make this happen would be most appreciated.

Ecological Damage Information Needed.

It’s Not Logical.

In many of the current news reports and commentaries about the Trump bombings, wars in the middle east, and the shipping delays are focused upon the price of oil.

Not that we need to use oil if an ecologically transport system was in place.

Yet very little information is available about the ecological damage being done right now.

The same applies to the war between Russia and the Ukraine.

We need to focus upon this information as a part of our peace campaigning activities.

Over The Last Couple Of Months

During the last few months I have had a lot to focus upon, and thus been unable to add much to my blog,

During November I finally purchased my new flat which is in the centre Carlisle.

That has been a real first for me, as I am a first time buyer at 76.

I’m currently in the process of moving in, unpacking boxes, making contacts, and finding out about the area.

The long term aim is to engage in campaigning throughout Cumbria and get over to Northumberland which is not that far away.

Sideways Derailment

The train derailment which happened this week in Cumbria is the kind of thing that might take place at any time that a DRS nukiller waste train passes by.

We have been very lucky so far that it has not occurred.

There might be a speed limit on the waste flask trains, but there is no such low speed limit on passenger trains passing by.

This is just one of the railway safety regulations which we need to focus upon.

Our Current Housing Crisis

Aspects Of The Current Housing Crisis.

There are a lot of major criticism about how air hotels are taking up flats which should be used as homes for people to live in.

Yet they produce several orders problems.

Those who own or use them do not contribute towards the cost of local council services, yet they still benefit from them.

That is a part of a much larger argument about just why the grossly inequitable council tax system should be scrapped.

While there’s still a shortage of decent affordable accomodation, and it is not uncommon to see people sleeping on the streets.

Yet there is something else which people forget, and especially those who talk about community or social action.

Communities destroyed

The large number of air B&Bs in city centres destroys communities, and makes it very difficult to become involved in local affairs.

This all needs to be stated time and time again, especially as many decision makers do not live in our city centres and are not effected by these issues.

A Different Kind Of Screen

Like many people I do not own and do not want a television.

So the news that older pensioners are to be exempt from paying for a television licence makes no difference to me.

In contrast I really think we need to campaign for all pensioners to have a free broadband connection.

With so much now been done online it would be a very efficient way to deal with everyday tasks, and overcome a lot of the isolation problems many elderly individuals have.

DRS – A Priority Campaign

The fewer people working on an issue then the higher a campaigning issue it should become.

This is especially so with DRS and the Nukiller Waste Trains.

The greater need to do so is Illustrated by this news story.

The ONR are concerned about the operating practices of DRS and so should we all be.

https://www.railfreight.com/business/2025/07/16/drs-gets-nuclear-rocket-from-uk-regulator/

I

What I Just Don’t Understand

Every so often I look at the cost of living statistics,and wonder just how little they relate to just what really goes on in the real world.

First of all they do not equate with rental inflation, or that of public transport costs.

More importantly they only equate to a carnivorous diet, as opposed to a vegan one.

So perhaps both interest rates and the inflation figures should reflect all of these factors.

I Wish – I Wish – I Wish – I Wish

Having now completed my specific contribution to the spycops inquiry, and a few other smaller projects, it is now possible to get on with working out just what I am going to do next.

So my main question, or set of issues, comes down to housing andjust where I move on to next.

I am at an age when it is wise to consider just what kind of place or location it would be wise to live in.

Having good transport links is a must as it would be very easy to become socially isolated.

A lot of old friends of my generation are no more, or have various medical conditions to deal with.

Thus I know just what I might have to face over the next 20 years.

At present I am in the process of trying to find a flat to buy, but it is proving to be much more problematic than I thought it might be.

Once I have managed to find a place it will be a case of writing up some of the issues which come with this process.