Derek Evans Thoughts

We have just seen the end of an era with the final touchdown of the space shuttle atlantis. This leaves the Russians and potentially the Europeans and maybe the lesser space nations in carrying the can for the International Space Station. In many respects this ending is similar to that of Concorde. The financials did not add up and yet this is what sometimes happens to a technically advanced piece of kit. Consider this that the Shuttle was effectively a reusable vehicle although rocket boosters were not really recyclable and that such a gliding plane like configuration was generally well received. Also like Concorde it had its defining disaster (not totally killing the project at the time but effectively ending development). So will there be another like it for manned exploration at least up to an orbit around the planet Earth, or just like Concorde is the possibility of this sort of travel off limits for at least the next generation of 15 years or more.

The problem with politicians is that they can make some really dumb decisions and this is a good one. This authority had such a unit a few miles south of the town of Maidenhead, at the village of Holyport that had been in use for some time. I am not aware if the building was deteriorating beyond repair (probably not) but to go and build what was the special school at Holyport at this site and then expect income from other authorities that use this facility to go from £35 per night per person to £350 per night per person is either extreme optimism, a lunatic, or a ploy to get out of the provision and to convert it quickly to an equally income/margin generating facility. I thought local authorities were there to provide services that benefit their population and as sharing has to go on in this highly devolved environment as it currently is then is this not self defeating. Could this be a case of a white elephant?

Whether the Murdoch empire at least in the UK implodes due to the NoW affair or not is not my concern but what does concern me is the whole method of what could be described as investigative journalism. Phone hacking is an illegal activity. However call or information interception undertaken through official warrants and other statutory instruments by authorities is not, be that the police or the other security services. Unfortunately, the conduct of the police with preventing such illegal activities or enforcing the law where it is not does not give the public confidence. Therefore, we need to ask what is investigative journalism today. Has it beoome one where the speed of getting the story has superceded the need of getting it done thoroughly and comprehensively and therefore getting it quick using such activities is what has made it important.