Jonnie sends this snap
he took when he popped up to TV Centre with Chris Jarvis.
In the meantime, my newsletter from yesterday just arrived. We're doing well, aren't we. Suspect we won't bother today.
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PM The evening news and current affairs programme presented by Eddie Mair.
iPM The programme that starts with its listeners. Join the discussions online and contribute ideas for a weekly programme presented by Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey.
The PM Privacy Commission
Read the final report of the PM Privacy Commission.
- Full Audio and Transcripts
- Hugh Tomlinson QC
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- John Kampfner
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Meet the commissioners, view the terms of reference and hear the Commission Chair Sir Michael Lyons explain his approach.
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There's an idea, Eddie (or should I say, Chairman Mair?) - Howzabout a similar mural for the PM presenters past and present? Instead of Pets you could have Frogs. :o)
Just an idea.
Let the Heaving Begin.
Oh go on - it was worth the wait!!
Perhaps you should talk to No.10, the PM managed to send me a personal email about road pricing first thing this morning, way before your Newsletter for Tuesday.
He must have been up all night sending all those emails...
You shouldn't have let on....I thought it was today's
Wow, Mr. Mayor, what did the newsletter say? I still haven't got mine and as I missed most of last night's prog it might still make an interesting read before I use the listen again thingy during lunch (which starts at 1pm).
H.
PM Presenters and Frogs.
Just a suggestion, you understand.
Let the Heaving Begin.
(Oh, and if my earlier, similar posting begins, it'll be a double-heaving moment)
Oh go on Eddie.....they are worth it, and what's a day or two between friends eh?!!
And Jonnie - when are YOU going to make a personal appearance on cbeebies? I'm watching out for you..........
Yippee! I've just this minute received yesterday's Newsletter. Any chance of getting today's before March?
Confirming safe, if belated, arrival of yesterday's newsletter...24 hours late!
I haven't had any newsletters for days. If not weeks. I thought you weren't sending them any more. Now I know it's just me. I didn't think I was being paranoid, but, well...
Yes 24 hours late, now think about it. If you send Thursday's Newsletter now it will look quite timely!
Regarding Tony Blair's email skills overnight I think this would make a good blog item in its own right. So that those who didn't get a personal copy can see the arguments put forward and the frivolous response on the issues around privacy.
For those who didn't receive a copy here is mine
E-petition: Response from the Prime Minister
The e-petition asking the Prime Minister to "Scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy" has now closed. This is a response from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Thank you for taking the time to register your views about road pricing on the Downing Street website.
This petition was posted shortly before we published the Eddington Study, an independent review of Britain's transport network. This study set out long-term challenges and options for our transport network.
It made clear that congestion is a major problem to which there is no easy answer. One aspect of the study was highlighting how road pricing could provide a solution to these problems and that advances in technology put these plans within our reach. Of course it would be ten years or more before any national scheme was technologically, never mind politically, feasible.
That is the backdrop to this issue. As my response makes clear, this is not about imposing "stealth taxes" or introducing "Big Brother" surveillance. This is a complex subject, which cannot be resolved without a thorough investigation of all the options, combined with a full and frank debate about the choices we face at a local and national level. That's why I hope this detailed response will address your concerns and set out how we intend to take this issue forward. I see this email as the beginning, not the end of the debate, and the links below provide an opportunity for you to take it further.
But let me be clear straight away: we have not made any decision about national road pricing. Indeed we are simply not yet in a position to do so. We are, for now, working with some local authorities that are interested in establishing local schemes to help address local congestion problems. Pricing is not being forced on any area, but any schemes would teach us more about how road pricing would work and inform decisions on a national scheme. And funds raised from these local schemes will be used to improve transport in those areas.
One thing I suspect we can all agree is that congestion is bad. It's bad for business because it disrupts the delivery of goods and services. It affects people's quality of life. And it is bad for the environment. That is why tackling congestion is a key priority for any Government.
Congestion is predicted to increase by 25% by 2015. This is being driven by economic prosperity. There are 6 million more vehicles on the road now than in 1997, and predictions are that this trend will continue.
Part of the solution is to improve public transport, and to make the most of the existing road network. We have more than doubled investment since 1997, spending £2.5 billion this year on buses and over £4 billion on trains - helping to explain why more people are using them than for decades. And we're committed to sustaining this investment, with over £140 billion of investment planned between now and 2015. We're also putting a great deal of effort into improving traffic flows - for example, over 1000 Highways Agency Traffic Officers now help to keep motorway traffic moving.
But all the evidence shows that improving public transport and tackling traffic bottlenecks will not by themselves prevent congestion getting worse. So we have a difficult choice to make about how we tackle the expected increase in congestion. This is a challenge that all political leaders have to face up to, and not just in the UK. For example, road pricing schemes are already in operation in Italy, Norway and Singapore, and others, such as the Netherlands, are developing schemes. Towns and cities across the world are looking at road pricing as a means of addressing congestion.
One option would be to allow congestion to grow unchecked. Given the forecast growth in traffic, doing nothing would mean that journeys within and between cities would take longer, and be less reliable. I think that would be bad for businesses, individuals and the environment. And the costs on us all will be real - congestion could cost an extra £22 billion in wasted time in England by 2025, of which £10-12 billion would be the direct cost on businesses.
A second option would be to try to build our way out of congestion. We could, of course, add new lanes to our motorways, widen roads in our congested city centres, and build new routes across the countryside. Certainly in some places new capacity will be part of the story. That is why we are widening the M25, M1 and M62. But I think people agree that we cannot simply build more and more roads, particularly when the evidence suggests that traffic quickly grows to fill any new capacity.
Tackling congestion in this way would also be extremely costly, requiring substantial sums to be diverted from other services such as education and health, or increases in taxes. If I tell you that one mile of new motorway costs as much as £30m, you'll have an idea of the sums this approach would entail.
That is why I believe that at least we need to explore the contribution road pricing can make to tackling congestion. It would not be in anyone's interests, especially those of motorists, to slam the door shut on road pricing without exploring it further.
It has been calculated that a national scheme - as part of a wider package of measures - could cut congestion significantly through small changes in our overall travel patterns. But any technology used would have to give definite guarantees about privacy being protected - as it should be. Existing technologies, such as mobile phones and pay-as-you-drive insurance schemes, may well be able to play a role here, by ensuring that the Government doesn't hold information about where vehicles have been. But there may also be opportunities presented by developments in new technology. Just as new medical technology is changing the NHS, so there will be changes in the transport sector. Our aim is to relieve traffic jams, not create a "Big Brother" society.
I know many people's biggest worry about road pricing is that it will be a "stealth tax" on motorists. It won't. Road pricing is about tackling congestion.
Clearly if we decided to move towards a system of national road pricing, there could be a case for moving away from the current system of motoring taxation. This could mean that those who use their car less, or can travel at less congested times, in less congested areas, for example in rural areas, would benefit from lower motoring costs overall. Those who travel longer distances at peak times and in more congested areas would pay more. But those are decisions for the future. At this stage, when no firm decision has been taken as to whether we will move towards a national scheme, stories about possible costs are simply not credible, since they depend on so many variables yet to be investigated, never mind decided.
Before we take any decisions about a national pricing scheme, we know that we have to have a system that works. A system that respects our privacy as individuals. A system that is fair. I fully accept that we don't have all the answers yet. That is why we are not rushing headlong into a national road pricing scheme. Before we take any decisions there would be further consultations. The public will, of course, have their say, as will Parliament.
We want to continue this debate, so that we can build a consensus around the best way to reduce congestion, protect the environment and support our businesses. If you want to find out more, please visit the attached links to more detailed information, and which also give opportunities to engage in further debate.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Blair
Good Lord! For a moment I thought Tony Blair was posting here !
Not very well written, is it?
Young people today have so little grasp of English ...
I propose a similar theme with PM Announcers and Froggers. Enclosed is my photo.
The picture is not very clear on the blog and it's a little hard to identify the names of the various presenters. The wall is just adjacent to the entrance of the Blue Peter garden. All very beautiful.
I've put the original pic here. Click on the link, wait 20 seconds and press download.
"Our aim is to relieve traffic jams, not create a "Big Brother" society."
Nuff said!
andyc - What a lot of sentences beginning with 'and'. And what's more ....
Now then:-
The results of the PM Extra vote!
The proposal was:-
The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to use it. On top of this increase in tax, you will be tracked. Would you vote for it ?
Total of votes 19
4 voted yes (21.1%)
16 voted no (79.9)
A new Poll from Humph will be up shortly
Hey Guys,
The 3pm pips did not appear today. And I'm sure that 11am pips were not around either yesterday or today.
Is the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ giving up on the pips (except in news programmes?)
I didn't get my email from TB, boo hoo, so thanks for sharing the content.
Roberto: Estamos de acuerdo*
*(Mods: This means 'we agree' - but I'm trying to keep in the spirit of our poster from Florida.)
Andyc - you are quite right it is appallingly written. And sadly for some of it I could hear either Tony Blair or Jon Culshaw saying it, not sure which of them it was. But it had all those stupid little silences in inappropriate places just like our hum hum beloved Prime Minister.
I really couldn't believe it actually contained the phrase 'full and frank debate'.
Deepthought - re the pips - I believe the official line is "We sent the pips, but they didn't arrive. They may arrive at 5pm. Or tomorrow. Or not at all."
Perhaps the pips issue relates to the increasing spread of digital and that infamous two second delay - they've just delayed them to infinity!
bit like the Newsletter really...
no that was unkind (slapped wrist...)
Annasee (22)
;-)
Just like the silence at the beginning of Moneybox last Saturday.
Will it strike PM on the ice at 5?
Jonnie....were you there for an interview? Have you an announcement to make? Did you get to jump on the trampoline?
Admin: Oh gosh! What must you make of my postings? Beta minus at best, but probably a D.
Re Pips, You can get as a phone download (or could). You can then pip when you want!
Re Tony Blurs Letter. I'm glad I did not get round to reacting to the survey. I don;t want spam lik ethis in my in box.
Saying that there is a need to change how we pay for our road usage and no method will please everyone.
Oh dear, I see my 3rd pip fell out again, and has taken the others with it.
Nothing's built to last these days.
Re congestion ... in Mr B's case 'PM' should stand for 'Patronising Mostly'.
Congestions isn't THE problem. It's a SYMPTOM of the problem. (Sorry to shout!)
The problem is, too many people living far from where they go to work and to school. Look at the difference on the roads during the school holidays!
So, what are we doing about it? Building more houses, and making people send their children to school far from where they live, as well as commuting to work from where they can afford to live.
(Or in some cases, commuting from where they have to live in order to keep the family together, to where the only available work is that pays for it all.)
Taxing the victims of congestion makes as much sense as taxing patients for taking up hospital beds, instead of investing in preventative medicine.
(a very angry) Fifi
Re the pips,
Of course, Annasee is right, and don't you recall when the pips suddenly start up at quarter past an hour, in the middle of "All in the mind" or whatever...they've got stuck in a bloggage...
Next we'll have PM starting at 18:00....
Big Sis - do you use stupid cliches like 'full and frank debate? No you don't. Ergo, do not worry.
x admin A
...and I note the 21:00 pips were missing as well...
Oh - and I thought he'd just written to me :o(
That applies to either Tony B or Eddie M with his Tuesday newsletter, naturally.
Sparkles - I suspect I may be the one up with gastric problems tonight, not my own, but ministering to a dog who indulged in my secret stash of chocolate raisins which he found in the door pocket of my car. Many thanks to Jonnie for his support and advice!! I'm hoping that the fact that they were from A*da, means that the actual chocolate content was neglible enough not to have poisoned him. As for the raisins....So far, so good.
Andycr? good to see you about :o)
I didn't get the Tony Blair email either, so thank you Mark Drew. I read a bit of it, but really so wanted to read it out loud with the appropriate hand gestures & pauses. I'm afraid the urge to choreograph it rather detracted from the undoubted worthiness of the sentiments. Thank goodness Eric doesn't blog like that.
Jonnie (17), I see I am first to mention this, so do I win a prize? -- 16 plus 4 is not 19, but 20:
Total of votes 19
4 voted yes (21.1%)
16 voted no (79.9)
Or do I have to go to the naughty step for being picky?
Re: Gillian -- My visit to TV Centre was a while back - Not an Interview, and no announcement, just a look around with Chris J
Re:- The Pips:- This site will tell you all the historical facts of the pips, Greenwich time signal (GTS)
(AFAIK) As far as I know, they pop up on a fader in the control room (booth) on the quarters of the hour. If the fader on the GTS channel is left open, then, for example, at a quarter past five, the pips will blast forth!
We used to have them at LBC and they were for ever popping up. In the, as I recall, a big light was put on top of the open fader in an attempt to make us realise!
Here is an example from Radio 4 when Ruth and Sam were having their affair on The Archers.
It made me laugh in the car when I heard Ruth say 'I just need time' and a couple of pips popped up to grant her wish -- I quickly dubbed it off from 'listen again' so the quality isn't special. It's in Fifi's bits or on the link below.
Just forked out for muy Pro Flickr account -- so will post the pic's up for GM, Molly etc, asap -- they are very boring unlike other Froggers Flickr accounts though.
PIPS (GTS) Greenwich time signal
Doh! Sorry forgot to post the link, a couple of comments back :-
Oh Appy, No naughty step for you.
I've just re-logged in to check!
It was 4 voting yes
and 15 voted no
The problem is, the voting bit -as is the Froggers refuge- is held on a secure server. It will not allow me to copy and paste. So I was flipping between two windows and manually writing it in! I added it myself but miscopied the 15 no's as 16. Anyway they are all still stored on the server and the percentages will be correct hopefully !
Unfortunately it's the same when I set it up so there will probably be the odd spelling mistake on the current humph one -- not attributable to Humph!
Yes you win a prize! - You can have my Walnut whip when I get it from BigSister :-)
Jonnie (various),
But am I the only one to notice that the pips are not appearing at all on the hours at times. I noticed it twice yesterday, once earlier in the week. In the past I would have assumed if a programme ended just before the hour, the pips (or Big Ben) would appear to mark the hour.
Or perhaps they are getting in the way of precious traillers.
Re; Deepie (JW)
No I hadn't noticed that the pips were not always appearing.
Can only presume, as you pointed out, that it is either an editorial policy or one thing or another has led to the 'out times' being wrong. Or (which I'd doubt) a fader not being opened up or GTS not being switched through.
Perhaps Eddie will see this and tell us which scenario is the closest.
Jonnie (35). Thanks for the link - though you should have warned us that the price of enjoying the lonesome pip was having to listen to Ruth and the Cowman snogging again. Euuw.
The pips aren't precise either -- I'm not just talking about the analogue/digital difference. I set my (electric) bedroom clock -- among others -- by them (using the same radio). Next time they go you can bet they'll be 10-15 seconds out -- in either direction. Time after that they'll be 2 seconds the other way. After that, precise again. My theory? Those who "let the pips out" during each programme have not synchronised their watches!!!