Is Cameron and the Tories Pandering to the British National Party Voters? Is racism the true driving force in the immigration agenda?

There are increasing cracks appearing in the Conservative/Lib Dem partnership. Labour recently accused the government of being racist. Now the tit-for-tat is between Cameron and Cable.

Just a few short days after Cameron acused Oxford University of racism agains black students, he sets out a view of immigration that appears itself to be racist. All very confusing.

Needless to say, the BNP jumped in the bandwagon of the Oxford row – and suddenly Cameron appears to be pandering to their cause. Vince Cable is wholly right to raise issue with the Prime Minster – urging caution.

All this is important to society in England. For leaders to be seen to have a racist bent will, of course be reflected in society and betweeen neighbours. We could be on the start of a slippery slope to hell. Again. Perhaps more race riots on the way. The danger is that immigration becomes the blame game and that the average imigrant becomes the enemy.

For a State to whip up such sentiment is incredible in this day and age. WIth some major Landlords already admitting a segregationist policy towards tenants there will be little recourse as those affected attempt to assert their rights.

We must fight against such policies.

Perhaps others in the Lib Dems will stand up and support the viewpoint of Vince Cable – though the real test will be whether Clegg is too caught up in ‘power’ and too little caught up in representing the best interests of the electorate.

Of course, the real issue that Cameron’s policies seem to reflect is not so much an issue of immigration as it is an issue of Islam and of Muslim immigrants – and that’s what makes his policy statements so dangerous. The message appears to be that White European and largely Christian immigrants are welcome and acceptable – but those who are non-White and from largely non-Christian countries are not wanted.

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• Immigration speech was a dog-whistle for the right | Daniel Trilling (guardian.co.uk)
• Cable attacks PM over immigration (guardian.co.uk)
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• Cable declares war on Cameron (newstatesman.com)
• David Cameron locks horns with Oxford over racism, as dons demand he withdraw ‘one black student’ claim (dailymail.co.uk)

More reading at portmanestate.com

Bad Ass in Marylebone

Image by aurélien. via Flickr

Private gardens gardens in Central London are to be abolished. Portman Square, Manchester Square and other ‘private gardens’ thoughout Central London are to have their gates torn down. These and other public squares such as Cavandish Square are to be put to good use.

Farming is coming back to Marylebone with a vengence.

What is now known as the Portman Estate was originally acquired for the Portman Family donkeys. Asses, if you will. Now they are coming back. The trendy Farmer’s Market off Marylebone High Street every Sunday has renewed interest in the origins of the area. In addition to the reintroduction of small farming into the areas squares, parts of Hyde Park and Regents Park are to be set aside, with financial support from Europe, for city farming.

Plans will see a herd of 200 cows providing fresh milk to the local eateries, locally produced butter, cheese and yoghurt with several local supermarkets having signed up to buy locally produced produce. Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and Tesco are among the local retailers commited to supporting the initiative.

The number of donkeys and sheep will be limited to 90 and 250 respectively. A number of food establishments have expressed interest in using donkey carts for local deliveries and Westminster Council are offering substantial reduction in business rates for premises converting garages into stables.

According to Westminster City Council, local residents are to be provided kits to grow vegetables and fruits. Two designs are available – one designed to hang off window sills, and the second and larger option to be placed on the pavement outside properties throughout the area.

A spokesman for Westminster City Council says “The intention is to turn the whole ara into one big farm. This is an initiative about sustainability and self sufficiency and we may also consider making allotments available to residents depending on the success of the initial scheme. We encourage everyone to get involved and to ‘grow your own’. Kits may be requested from Westminster’s main phone number 0207 641 6000.”

The spokesman also comented on the reintroduction of farm animals to the area saying, “The animals will provide a much needed ‘return to basics’ for the area and we are very excited about the partnership between the local major land-owners, retailers and the Council who are all commited to making this initiative a success.”

The local residents associations and representative groups, meanwhile, are not happy. None of these groups have been consulted and some are concerned about the effect of asses and odour from so many animals within the area. Peter Wiley, spokesman for the Association of Resident Groups in Westminster says “Broadly speaking, we welcome the encouragement to increase the ‘greening’ of the local area and to abolish the ‘private gardens’.

But we object to having so many animals trust upon us without any local consultation, and we will oppose the plans vigorously. Cities are not places for animals. We have managed to keep fouling of pavements in the areas to the lowest levels in the UK by discouraging ownership of pets in the area. But what can we do to prevent horendous fouling of our streets, parks an gardens with so many animals being introduced? What of our air quality?”

None-the-less, many local residents are happy with the plans. Several of the schools in the area are also excited and there is a general feeling that the children in the area will benefit every bit as much as the businesses supporting the scheme.

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Normally Abnormal: Lord Portman, Adulteration and an Evil Cow

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The wealth of Viscount Portman today is estimated at below £1billion – reflecting the loss through bad tax planning and bad management of the family assets. This includes the continuing demise of the Portman Estate in London – now a third of its original size; the loss of the valuable Portman Estate lands and holdings in Dorset and more. Down, but not out, and still with a healthy portfolio of assets to dispose of against future contingencies.

But in 1881, the Portmans, missed perhaps their single biggest opportunity. It was there. Uniquely worldwide. On the plate. Proffered and available. Mind-blowing.

But the then Lord Portman was shortsighted to the extent he was commercially blind.

We are talking billions and billions of pounds. In the UK alone the opportunity is currently worth over £2billion annually. Had the then Lord Portman worn his glasses and had he ensured a clear vision, the ongoing demise of the Portman Estate would never have happened.

The Ford Model T, the first spacecraft, the invention of the wheel, the lightbulb, electicity and other great inventions have changed human history. Great brands have changed consumer habits immensely to the commercial benefit of Goliaths of the food industry. But one product has survived and grown and diversified like no other down through the annals of history.

A global market that’s mind-boggling in size and value, yet almost brand agnostic here in the UK where own-labels proliferate.

Milk. Plain and simple. That ‘glass of goodness’, we all take for granted. Perhaps not all so plain and simple any more, it seems.  We now have filtered, flavoured, healthier, sporty, green, value-added, enhanced and many more types of milk.

But the largest and biggest and best commercial category is low fat milk – accounting for about 60% of the UK’s milk consumption annually out of a market worth £3.6billion per year. Roll that out to the European market or globally and the value of Microsoft, for example, pales by comparison.

And there it was, in 1881.

Low fat milk on the Portman Estate in Dorset. Normally abnormal, as the courts decided. The healthiest milk in the land and worldwide. There for the taking, there for the breeding. A revolution in the making. World changing potential. The opportunity to dominate, to own and to exploit.

Indeed, Lord Portman, had he embraced this normally abnormal product, might have lived longer, been healthier and may have produced more offspring. The demise of his assets, reflected in the vastly reduced Estate of today, would never have happened. Indeed, the opportunity was there for the Portman Family to become and remain among the wealthiest in the World. Britain might still be considered ‘Great’!

But no, – the erstwhile Lord Portman was not a clever chap and rather than investigate scientifically this wondrous product, he set out to ruin the owner of the ‘evil cow’. Dragged to court, the poor man, as is still often still the strategy of the Portman Estate towards those who displease them.

Persecuted, but righteous – a poor farmer willing to defend his reputation, the slur against his character, willing to defend against the might of the oppressor. Willing to defend his cow, a loving soft-natured nurtured friend. A true David and Goliath story – and David won.

The story as originally reported:

NORMALLY ABNORMAL MILK.

The Veterinary Journal, 1881. Men of science have determined that it is possible to have secretions so far at varience with the natural constituents of a secretion normal, that the term normally abnormal can be accepted to convey the impression that, although the secretion is abnormal, it is normally so.

The object is to impress this on the minds of members of the profession, and to record an instance of recent date, which may be interesting.
Mankind has hitherto been accustomed to repose implicit confidence in the intrinsic and unswerving honesty of the harmless necessary cow.

It seems particularly hard upon trustful natures that their faith in the moral integrity of so mild-eyed a quadruped should be shaken by the unprincipled conduct of a “milky mother” arraigned by Lord Portman before the Dorset county magistrates for wilfully violating the provisions of the Food Adulteration Acts.

This unconscionable animal’s owner had been prosecuted for selling milk deficient in cream, and convicted for that grave offence. But, conscious of his own innocence, and only too well acquainted with the lawless proclivities of his cow, he appealed against the decision, and invoked the aid of the Inland Revenue Department Laboratory to prove him guiltless.

Tbe official analysts, after careful examination of the criminally implicated milk, pronounced that its deficiencies were exclusively attributable to the cow from which it was obtained — a quadruped of so disaffected a disposition that she obstinately refuses to produce milk of the quality enacted by tho law.

Persuasion and menace have alike been employod to modify her resolve, but in vain.

Her milk is officially stated to be “normally abnormal,” and it appears that existing statutes, which she boldly defies, have made no provision whereby a contingency of this sort may be met.
We presume that it would be useless to urge upon so hardened an offender that she is casting discredit upon her kind, heretofore universally respected, by such reprehensible behaviour. Probably swift and final retribution at the point of the butcher’s knife will befall a delinquent who, not content with breaking the law and getting her proprietor into trouble, malignautly persists in setting an evil example to all other cows.

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Racism Back in Fashion with the Tories and Lib Dems, according to Karen Buck Labour MP

Image by Labour via Flickr

We appear to be living in a world going backwards in Britain. EU law saw off the ‘No Blacks and No Irish’ racism – at least in its explicit form. The UK implemented EU imposed race relations legislation and even created a race and equality commission to police, the politicians, the royal family (Philip what’s his name?), business and the general public. Racism was banished – except for the race riots (such as those in Brixton and Bradford) and the persistent racist actions by the police and others.

We all believed the lie that the law creates that ‘all men (and women, and children) are equal’. A few discenting businesses, police forces and individuals were sued and subjected to the strong arm of the law. And the press played along – except for the occasional reversion to anti-German and Anti-French sentiment.

The World saw South Africa bend and abolish apartheid and by all accounts we all seemed to be living in a better place. The Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq aside, of course.

But it was a false reality. Racism was never abolished. It was hidden, but witnessed in outbursts such as on Big Brother (on Indians) and even Ken Livingstone made the fatal public but unrepentant slip about Jews.

But more quietly still, in places like Marylebone the resident community is markedly lacking ethnic diversity. When challenged, for example, the Portman Estate in 2009 confirmed that it had no Asian residents among its 550 directly managed residential properties. It’s employees also reflected a lack of ethnic diversity at the time – unusual in a city where Asians make up about 20% of the population and ethnic minorites as a whole make up a large percentage of London’s population..

Now we get a further glimpse of possible racism among politicians – particularly Tory and Lib Dem (The Government) and thanks to the Labour MP Karen Buck who is one of the few seemingly brave enough to speak out. The London Evening Standard quotes Karen Buck in asserting that the Government does not want Muslims living in Central London.

Ms Buck claims that Government policy on housing is politically motivated to force out poor and ethnic minority families from Central London. She is quoted saying “They do not want lower income women, families, children and… they don’t want black women, ethnic minority women and Muslim women living in central London.”

Could there be a deeper agenda? Is the government acting alone? Is Karen Buck correct in what she claims? Surely her claims and position demands independent investigation and, where any impropriety is substantiated, those responsible must be held fully accountable in Law.

more reading at portmanestate.com and blog.

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Historic Event on the Portman Estate

Image by Dhammika Heenpella / Images of Sri Lanka via Flickr

The Portman Estate boasts a long, not always proud, history in Mary-le-bone (Marylebone). The Estate and it’s agents have overseen and been witness to the changing World over a period of centuries.

Life on the Estate, depending on whether one was ‘master’ or ‘servant’ reflected either comfort and excess, or hopelessness and abuse.

Catholics were martyred wholesale within the boundaries of the Estate, and perhaps thousands of London’s poor and destitute shared the same fate – simply for taking bare necessities to feed and keep alive their children in a society that afforded rights only to the privileged few.

The scourge of poverty in the midst of excess. Marylebone was where the rich and their minions lived a stone’s throw from desperate and extreme poverty and inhumane living conditions.

Conditions that even the world’s poorest countries today would be ashamed of.

The main thoroughfares of the Portman Estate became the centre of society’s excesses for the World’s civilised elite during the many years of the now-fallen Great British Empire.

Greatness and despair lived alongside each other. The back streets were filthy, rotten, stinking and a dumping ground for the chamber pots and the sewage of the excesses of life on the ‘other side’.

The famine years in Ireland saw masses of Irish swell the masses , and much of Marylebone, now fashionable, became a mixing pot of human misery. A slum in the worst meaning of the word. Death was as prevalent as life among the poor and downtrodden. Poor houses and workhouses struggled to make an impact and there was little political support for change and no prospect for even basic human rights other than for the rich.

This was where ‘segregation’ and ‘apartheid’ grew up. Not whites against blacks. No, it was segregation and apartheid of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. It was segregation of the oppressors from the oppressed. And yes, this area played it’s own unholy role in the transatlantic slave trade. Slave traders were part of the so-called elite of London’s society and many lived in Marylebone. Many too kept slaves, and many benefited greatly from the government compensation to slave owners on the abolition of slavery.

In more recent time, as elsewhere in London, the persecution of the ‘blacks and the Irish (and dogs) continued the area’s discriminatory history. “No blacks, no Irish”, and not uncommonly “No blacks, no Irish, no dogs” became the mantra – whether it be pubs or clubs, employers, retailers or landlords.

Change has been slow, but steady. Last week, change was momentous. The Portman Estate effected an agreement for one of its residential properties with an Asian. Oh Lord!

2011. And it’s taken all those hundreds of years of history to reach this point. This happening. Momentous. Nothing less. And perhaps not willingly done. An outcome of legal wrangling where the devil lay betwixt and between.

Are the Portman Estate to be applauded for their entry into the Modern World?  The proof will be in the pudding and the ‘pudding’ will be seen in whether the ethnic make-up of the Portman Estate residential properties starts to slowly reflect the ethnic diversity (including statistically) of the wider London population.

more reading at portmanestate.com

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Poll Suggests UK Landlords Still Guilty of Ethnic and Racial Segregation

Image by San Diego Shooter via Flickr

A poll on this blog has thrown up shocking results with 50% of respondents indicating that they have experienced racial discrimination by landlords.

Nearly 44% of respondents report that they know of others who have experienced racial discrimination by landlords with just 5% saying they don’t believe it happens.

It is time the Government looked closely at landlord racial and ethnic discriminatory policies. British society needs to embrace multiculturalism. Landlords have a responsibility to play their part. A policy of ‘Whites Only‘ has never been acceptable. Nor has any policy that precludes ANY person on ethnic grounds from having the same access to living accommodation as anyone else.

more reading at portmanestate.com

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Catastrophe of 41 Deaths in Regents Park

From:  Otago Daily Times , Issue 1631, 23 March 1867, Page 5

A catastrophe has happened which will render it mournfully memorable for years to come. A fatal accident took place on the ornamental water in Regent’s Park, by which more than forty lives were sacrificed.

The tragedy has sent a thrill of horror through tbe country, which is aggravated by a sense of the astounding foolhardiness of a London public in all matters involving risk and danger. The sight of ice seems to rob the English people of all caution and common sense.

Had ordinary prudence been observed by the people composing the crowds that rushed to the parks as soon as a film of ice coated the water, the month’s annals would not have been darkened by this disaster.

On Monday, the 14th (March), there were about 3000 people on the ice in Regent’s Park in the morning; in the afternoon, when the number was diminished by perhaps a third, the ice gave way under one of the skaters.

As usually happens, there was a general rush to the dangerous spot, anil in a moment twenty-one persons were immersed; but thanks to the prompt assistance of the icemen, all were rescued alive.

Surely that ought to have operated as a warning to skaters sliders, and idle prople on the same piece of water next day. It had apparently just an opposite effect. Thousands swarmed to the spot, and ventured on the ice. which the attendant ice-man pronounced dangerous. Particular parts were marked off by a cordon as specially unsafe, but the unruly folks were not to be so restrained.

The greater the peril the greater the enjoyment, is the motto of such headstrong fools.

In the middle of the day the ice had been cut: near the shore, to feed the water-fowl, and to prevent trespassing in private gardens. This undoubtedly had not a little to do with the coming catastrophe.

A great many persons fortunately had quitted the ice as dangerous previous to four o’clock, but there were still about 200 skaters and sliders upon if, when it gave way all at once in a hundred different places, and most of them on the ice fell into water twelve feet deep.

Much the greater number were eventually either able to escape for themselves or were rescued, but no less than forty-one corpses have been already found.

The agitation and screams of the bystanders, many of whom saw their children, or brothers, or husbands, drowning before their eyes, were even more terrible than the cries of the drowning. One lady saw her husband drown, while two others were screaming in the greatest agony for some one to save their brother. Children went down crying to their mothers for help where none could be given. The ice was too rotten to hold, and too thick for swimmers to penetrate.

The boats crushed their way through ice at a snail’s pace with the greatest difficulty. Many were saved by ropes, of which, however, there were not a quarter enough at hand for an accident on such a scale.

It was more than an hour before all those who were clinging to the floes were rescued. Several died afterwards who were not drowned, and almost all these, it is said, were delirious, supposing themselves to be swimming matches during the night.

Many of the rescued were taken to private houses in the park, others to the Marylebone Workhouse, where Mr and. Mrs Douglas’s arrangements and care seem to have almost surpassed praise.

The search for the bodies was continued from day to day under great difficulties owing to the necessity of having to break up and clear away each morning the ice produced during the night.

The scenes at the Marylebone Workhouse, whither the corpses were taken for identification, were harrowing beyond expression, “From an early hour on Wednesday morning,” says the Daily Telegraph, ” the doors of the workhouse were besieged by people anxious to view the bodies.

Hundreds of these were evidently actuated ‘by no other motive than that of curiosity; but, as there was a possibility that they might recognise some of the deceased, the master (Mr Douglas) gave order that every facility should the afforded to. the pubic.

As the bodies were brought in they were placed on beds, lying on tbe ground, in an open ward, with doors at each end. Officers belonging to tbe union were stationed in the chamber, and there was a party of police in the ward to give information, and to assist those who required to inspect the corpses minutely.

As they were identified, the bodies were removed to other wards, where they were properly placed and named, that the relatives might be able to find and remove them, immediately after the formal identification, before the coroner.

At one time there were seven bodies lying unrecognised in the outer ward ; but there were not generally more than two or three. Such was the morbid feeling of some hundreds of men and women, that after passing through the inspection room, tbey would remain in, the street until tbe next body was brought in, when they would again ask to be admitted.

The sorrowful scenes which took p!aca on Tuesday night, when the deceased wero identified, were re-enacted, in the same heart- rending manner. Rich and poor, men and women, alike gave way to the most passionate outbursts of grief. There were a few mourners, the intensity of whose sorrow prevented them from giving utterance to it, Others, again upon. perceiving a husband, brother, or son, became greatly excited, uttered shriek after shriek, and had to be supported from the shocking scenes in a fainting condition.

Those belonging to the more respectible class of society were the more anxious that the bodies of their friends should be removed from the common gaze as soon as possible, and were extremely grateful for the tender care with which the authorities treated the remains. It was calculated that upwards of 6000 persons visited the wards on Wednesday.

Besides the use of the drags, several divers have been employed during the last six days in exploring the bed of the water in all directions; but, although some sixteen persons are stiil misting, nobody has been found since last Saturday. The total number recovered is forty-one. Happily, a sudden thaw has come to facilitate the painful search.

more reading at portmanestate.com

Who will stand on the Ramparts of London, and will ye fight for ye’re rights?

Image by pangalactic gargleblaster via Flickr

The current turmoil in Libya and the Middle East is reflective of Britain’s past (some not even so distant at all). An uprising of the downtrodden, of the oppressed and of those less favoured by the ruling class.

That great British word, ‘Class’. has been left to rot and ferment in the former colonial desert outposts.

‘Class’ and land ownership are intrinsic to autocratic rule, to maintaining the wealth gap and to avoiding the merging of society in a manner where the more privileged would feel and become less privileged.

Such was the lie of the land in England in 1884 when a stand for the ramparts took place. A long stand, as it turned out and the order to step down has yet to be issued. The cry of ‘will ye fight for ye’re rights still echoes yet in England – in the leasehold city of London and in other leasehold towns. The blood that spilt has seeped across oceans and and deserts to mire the life of many and more, still.

Who will stand on the ramparts of London now? Who will ring the bell calling time on the oppressors, those whose tactics have little changed in history and in present times? Who will take up the stave of Randolph Churchill and who will action his words in 1884 when he asked “Who was more likely to be a contented citizen, the man who was a freeholder and who was safe in his property, or the man who was at the mercy of a colossal landowner?”

A direct challenge to the landowners of London and of other leasehold towns was mounted in 1884 by the Leaseholds Enfranchisement Association, an organised pressure group which advocated legislation to entitle leaseholders to purchase the freehold. The shopkeepers, professional men and small capitalists who made up the movement were vexed by the restrictions on the free disposal and the use of their premises and resented the erosion of their capital as leases approached their termination. For the prosperous trader this meant a sharp increase in rents, a costly bill for ‘dilapidations’, a hefty premium, and a set of lawyers and surveyors fees.

For example, on Sunday, 25^th March 1888, 1786 ninety-nine-year leases on the Portman Estate in Marylebone fell in. Rents were raised seven and eightfold, and substantial premiums were extracted. Renewals were only offered for much shorter periods. As unearned increment of some £1.25 millions was harvested in Baker Street and its precincts alone.

Tory Randolph Churchill realised that property owners were potential ramparts of property, and introduced one of the first leasehold enfranchisement bills in March 1884.

He asked of those present, on presenting the bill, “Who was more likely to be a contented citizen, the man who was a freeholder and who was safe in his property, or the man who was at the mercy of a colossal landowner?”

Echoes of the throes of the masses in England and in the Middle East today!

Quotes from page 153 of Property and Politics 1870-1914: Landownership, Law, Ideology and Urban … By Avner Offer

more reading at portmanestate.com

The Ass of Old Age

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The Glasgow Herald of April 24th 1835 contains an interesting titbit  on page 4 (England Section). It reports that “A donkey has died at Keighley, last week at age 94.”

When Poet John Cooper Clarke declared of Keighley in his poem, Burnley, “I’ll tell you now and I’ll tell you briefly, I don’t never want to go to Keighley” – he was obviously ignorant of the Ass of Old Age. Had he known, he would likely have been on the first train to the town!

Official: Private Sector Landlords Attract Greatest Number of Consumer Complaints in UK

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Not news – but confirmation that things have not changed down through the centuries. Landlords are not nice creatures, it seems!

The press release in full:

Ratings website for private renters could help show bad landlords the door says consumer watchdog

Published: 26 February 2011

The private rented sector generates more complaints than almost any other. According to a new report issued today by Consumer Focus, the consumer watchdog, one of the biggest issues is that private renters often know very little about their landlords before signing a tenancy agreement.  Today the watchdog has written to some of the largest letting agents and deposit schemes in England calling on them to explore how online feedback could empower tenants by giving them a better insight into their potential landlords.

The new report – ‘Opening the door’ – outlines the information imbalance which works against consumers in the private rented sector. Just 15 per cent of tenants surveyed were able to find all of the information they wanted about a prospective landlord or letting agency. Over a quarter could find very little or even no information and a third who had found information obtained it from the landlord¹ themselves. By contrast landlords or letting agencies can ask tenants for references, deposits, guarantors or other personal and financial information.

Almost nine in ten renters agree that a website to share experiences of landlords would help them to make better decisions before signing a tenancy agreement. Renting is one of the biggest financial commitments consumers make, with private sector renters paying an average of £816 a month for a one bedroom home and this rises to £1,406 in London.² Yet worryingly, Consumer Focus research shows that over a quarter of renters had cause to complain in the past two years, making the private rented sector the second most complained about market.³ Many of the 1.1 million households who sign up for a new tenancy experience problems with their landlord which only become apparent after signing a legally binding agreement.

Reputational regulation has worked well in other sectors with commercial sites, such as eBay or Amazon, displaying consumer reviews and feedback to people have access to a range of information before they make a decision on what to buy. Consumer Focus believes that a similar site based on constructive feedback could help solve the information imbalance and help people seek out more reputable landlords and avoid the bad ones.  Research by the consumer champion has found that websites where consumers share experiences are influential and that, perhaps surprisingly, most people leave positive not negative feedback.⁴ The site would also reward and incentivise the better landlords in what is a rapidly growing market.⁵

Claire McAnulty, Policy Expert at Consumer Focus said:

‘Currently the landlord is firmly in the driving seat despite rent being a massive outgoing for many of us. People often sign up with little more than a gut feeling after a cursory tour of the property – if they are lucky, they might have a word of mouth recommendation. The best way to help private renters is to ensure they have the information to know what they are getting into.

‘There is huge potential for a feedback website to give tenants a better idea of whom they’re renting from. Getting behind a feedback website could also help the industry establish a better reputation and build up much-needed trust with renters.’

Shelter Chief Executive Campbell Robb said:

‘Shelter welcomes the findings of this report which clearly highlight the need for better regulation in the private rented sector. The findings echo complaints we hear every day from private tenants about the limited protection they have when they rent privately and the desperate lack of available information on landlords to help them make an informed decision.

‘We are particularly keen to see the use of landlord accreditation grow.  It is vital to raise standards, help tenants get information about their landlord, and provide landlords with the advice and support they need to offer a professional service to their tenants.’

In 2008, the last Government published a review of the Private Rental Sector in England (the ‘Rugg Review’). The review concluded that there is a supply and demand imbalance, particularly for properties affordable for tenants on low incomes. As a result, there will be a continuous demand for properties even if they are owned by landlords with a bad reputation. Consumer Focus’ report argues that for this reason market forces alone cannot be relied upon to ‘regulate’ the sector.

To help address consumer protection issues in the private rental market, Consumer Focus would like to see:

• The introduction of a pilot tenant feedback website, ideally in conjunction with one of the tenancy deposit management schemes⁶.  With input from tenant and landlord bodies a successful pilot would ensure that a robust, balanced and large-scale scheme could be taken forward in the long term.  Initial support would be needed from a third party to fund and independently evaluate the pilot website.

• A minimum common standard and quality mark to be introduced for all private landlord accreditation schemes. There are at least 80 different types of voluntary schemes operating in England⁷, meaning the standards that landlords must meet vary considerably. A common quality mark would act as a benchmark to reward good landlords and offer assurance to their tenants.

Original article….

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A Discreditable Affair

A Discreditable Affair.

A Discreditable Affair

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The True Witness and Catholic Chronicle – Nov 1, 1850: A Discreditable Affair – At the Board of Guardians in Marylebone Workhouse, on Friday (so say the Sunday papers) Mr. Churchwarden Bridgeman asked whether the report that a pauper dressed in a surplice officiated as a clergyman during the chaplain’s absense, was true.

The Rev. Mr. Moody, the chaplain, was sent for, and the question put to him.
The rev. gentleman said, very indignant and much excited “I will not answer the question, as I know nothing about the occurance. Send for the man Langrage, who asts as a clerk, and he will be able to say whether it occured or not.”

Langrage, who is a pauper, and clerk to the chaplin, having made his appearance, gave the following version of the affair:- “During the absence of the chaplin, the gentleman appointed to act in his place absented himself on a Wednesday when he should have performed Divine services for the paupers. After waiting some time, and the congregation betraying unequivocal  symptoms of impatience, I went to the master, and asked him if I would discharge the congregration. He replied no, and desired me to put on the surplice and read prayers. I accordingly put on the parson’s surplice -(laughter), and, proceeding to the chapel, mounted the desk and read prayers – (increased laughter). THe congregration tittered while I was reading prayers”- (loud laughter).

The Rev. Mr. Scobell: “Are you aware the pains and penalties to which you have subjected yourself by taking upon you the office of priest?”

Langrange – (much terrified):- “Oh, dear sir: I only did as I was ordered.” The guardians agreed that the affair should be entered on the minutes.

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Immigration into the UK up 22% Creating Opportunities for Landlords and Service Suppliers

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Britain continues to reap the benefit of its colonial past with continued surges to immigration and helping to grow and develop Britain’s multicultural society. Britain is fast becoming a model for racial integration worldwide.

Whilst there are many benefits to this immigration – including greater demand demand for property rental and purchases, greater demand for goods and services etc, society needs to remain vigilant to any racism or discriminatory practices and particularly in housing.

Landlord balance sheets and rent levels will benefit from this continued influx and population growth and those landlords who hesitate to embrace diversity and greater levels fo ethnicity omong their tenancies must be held to account

UK Government Opens Door to Mixed Race Adoption – will landlords follow with a more progressive attitude to mixed race resident families or those of ethnic minorities?

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As the UK Government finally opens door to mixed race adoption – will certain landlords follow with a more progressive attitude to mixed race resident families or those of ethnic minorities?

It is hard to believe that in 2011 many vestiges of race segregation and discriminatory attitudes persist in Britain. Why race or skin colour is or should be a factor in adoption is beyond comprehension.

Yet the State mechanism for adoption has maintained an effective policy of apartheid – operating an unbending policy that kept black, mixed race and Asian orphans out of adoption.

Delve into Britain’s history and the so-called ‘White English’ race is a myth. There is likely to be 8 – 9 million of Irish (who the English long maintained were a barbaric low caste race) descent.

Throughout history peoples from outside Britain have arrived and integrated into the population and even the monarchy is imported. Britain has long been an ethnic stirring pot – a microcosm of global tribes and ethnic diversity.

Despite this reality the State has maintained that the population is predominantly White British and that racial mixing is not in the interests of society. That such a policy and stance is contradictory to European equality laws has been conveniently ignored.

Adoption of minority children by members of the majority ‘white tribe’ was disallowed. The life chances of very many children was put well behind a principle of ‘whites only families’.

Very frustrating for the many caring members of British society who wanted and were willing, down through the years, to adopt irrespective of and without prejudice to skin colour, ethnicity or race.

The need for a written English constitution is very apparent in this deplorable state of affairs – despite the fact that Minister Michael Gove has indicated that things will change. According to The Times, Mr Gove has indicated that there will be no change in the law –  but that race should not be a “deal-breaker” if the prospective adopters show that they are able to parent the child.

Are we to applaud this man? This Government? Should we accept that the ‘law’ should effectively (as he suggests is the case) maintain the legality of differentiation based on Race and Ethnicity?

Certainly not. It is time for Britain to rid itself of discriminatory legacies and to enact true laws of equality.

Perhaps then we might expect others operating policies of ‘differentiation’ to follow suit (not necessarily by choice). This includes landlords in Britain – including a certain major London Estate – who appear to operate a policy of segregation or effective apartheid in residential tenancies where Asians, Pakistani’s and possibly Muslims are noticeably absent and wholly not reflective of the ethnic make-up of Britain today.

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Portman Estate Marylebone’s Glorious Past – Death Sentence For Servant Girl Accused of Taking a Few Coins

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Marylebone today is far from it’s murky past which contained slums, poor houses, bandits, highway robbers, extreme poverty and a body of desperate people. Poverty sent people into crime – usually by necessity – the theft of money, food, clothing, bedclothes and even sometimes passers by were stripped naked for their under clothes.

Marylebone was a filthy place in 1727. The majority of inhabitants were desperately poor and were maintained the downtrodden by the upper class. Misery was the bread of life for the masses whilst the privileged few exemplified excess and lived by exploitation.

Servants were regularly abused – physically and sexually and the area was not a safe place for children. Nor for many of its citizens – be they old or young. The masters kept their servants in a state of want and obedience. In a state of oppression where aspects of normality in human nature was totally and fully absent. Servants were ‘things’ and not ‘beings’ and when the master found reason the servant would fear even death.

A child or a wife might take the master’s shilling, or his ring or other effects to use as coinage for small pleasures regulated or held distance by the master. Men were allowed to drink and be merry, to languish in the private members club, to enjoy excesses and to be and act the superior being. Not so the wife and children as often was the case. So sometimes they would pilfer a few coppers to enjoy merriment whilst the master was out.

And the servant was often blamed when the master remembered his effects and noticed their absence. Sometimes the servants simply reached out and pocketed a little of the excesses in the masters house. And many poor servants were put to death, flogged, branded with hot iron on the face or hand, or transported. A life of hopelessness, of servitude without mercy.

Ann Senior was such a servant whose master was Mr Samuel Thresher of Marylebone. Accused of theft a few small coins – three guineas to be exact – for which she was to face the punishment of death. No access to legal representation and no entitlement to legal rights. Remember Ann as you enjoy Marylebone today. Remember what she represented and remember her blood and the blood of so many of her kind that has seeped and soaked below the streets of Marylebone. A history that warrants remembrance.

Court record from the Old Bailey

Ann Senior, Theft > theft from a specified place, 5th July 1727.
Reference Number: t17270705-48
Offence: Theft > theft from a specified place
Verdict: Guilty
Punishment: Death

Ann Senior of St. Mary-le-bone was indicted for feloniously stealing three Guineas, in the Dwelling House of Samuel Thresher .

The Prosecutor depos’d, That he had taken the Prisoner in as his Servant , and that missing his Money out of a Chest of Drawers, he had Suspicion on her, and sent one to enquire after her character, and that in the Interim the Prisoner ran away, but pursuing, he took her before a Magistrate, where she confess’d the Fact, and returned two Guineas.

Anne Cornish confirmed the Evidence of the Prosecutor, by making Oath that the Prisoner confess’d, the Fact to her, and that she was present when the Prisoner returned Part of the Money, confessing at the same Time, that she had dropp’d the other Part in a Value.

These plain Evidences, and the Prisoner having nothing to say in her Defence, she was found Guilty . Death .

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With Love from Marylebone

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Elizabeth Barrett Browning – 1844 Valentine love lines from Marylebone

What is under the rose

You will find in my heart;

Though the petals may close,

And we sojourn apart.

 

And a little dove takes you

This stanza to say,

That the love in it, makes you

My lady today

 

So crown all my doings

With Garlands more rich

Than this columbine which

Would grow well on ruins,

But a love true as mine, that can never

decay like a ruin, and fall,

Deserves the best that the Fairest can say

And a smile that means ‘yea’

For Columbine’s nothing, and valentines all.

 

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Celebrating 185 Years of Recycling in Marylebone

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The Green movement is claimed by many advocates to be a modern phenomena – underpinned and dependant on legislation. To a large extent it has failed to slow the steady mass of trash going to landfill and the steady export of trash to developing economies. The air is more polluted by a greater number of contaminants and poisons than in the days of industrialisation and the continued use of vastly excessive packaging on goods purely for marketing and branding benefit remains at shockingly excessive levels. The sea, the creatures therein, the ecocosm and, in fact all life is affected by our polluting habits and our excessive consumerism.

Industry and governments alike claim to be green, to be involved and leading the way in recycling and to greening the Earth.

But recycling and reuse is not, in fact, a recent phenomena. We are now forcing the masses to adopt green habits and practices with the use of a whip – legislation, threats and prosecution.

185 years ago, Marylebone played a role in recycling and reuse. Certainly one of the drivers was purely an economic one – the opportunity to make money from dust and dirt, for example. But consumerism had not yet arrived and the practicalities of wastw management had evolved as a natural process in human evolution.

Our ruination of the Planet began in earnest after the 2nd World War – a case of ‘waste after waste’. Lessons could and should be learned by looking back and to understanding the simplicity of recycling and reuse as a function of consumption.

185 years ago, recycling and reuse was commonplace in Marylebone and is as good a starting point in learning as any.

The Adams Sentinel, December 27 1826. It is stated that each parish in London claims the privilege of collecting the ashes and cinders from all the houses & applies the proceeds to the relief of the poor.

A single parish, St Marylebone, sold the privilege of the parish in these articles to the dustman, in a single year, for wpwards of 2 thousand pounds.

The dustmen take the ashes and cinders to a yard, sift them, and sell the dust to brickmakers to be mixed with clay, and the cinders to burn bricks.

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Suffer Little Children: Trafficking London Marylebone’s Poor Children to South Africa as ‘Indentured Servants’ (child slaves)

St Patrick’s day is generally associated with celebration worldwide. It is a day associated with friendship, community and caring. But St Patrick’s day in 1833 was to seal the fate of 20 young children as slaves in Africa. Trafficking of children. An occurrence that formed a central pillar of the Great British Empire and which sadly was to continue even up to 1967.

This is the history of human misery, of oppression and oft brushed aside as an inconvenient truth. For these poor children, society deemed it easier to erase them locally than to provide a caring and supportive environment where they belonged – in this case, Marylebone. That they would live a life of misery was not a consideration. These children were to remain uneducated and would work in harsh conditions for no payment.

Definition:

Indentured servant – in this case, young children sent abroad to work unpaid.

Comparison to slavery (from Wikipedia)

Like slaves, servants could not marry without the permission of their owner, were subject to physical punishment (like many young ordinary servants), and saw their obligation to labor enforced by the courts. To ensure uninterrupted work by the female servants, the law lengthened the term of their indenture if they became pregnant. But unlike slaves, servants could look forward to a release from bondage. If they survived their period of labor, servants would receive a payment known as “freedom dues” and become free members of society. One could buy and sell indentured servants‘ contracts, and the right to their labor would change hands, but not the person as a piece of property.

On the other hand, this ideal was not always a reality for indentured servants. Both male and female laborers could be subject to violence, occasionally even resulting in death

From the Sunday Times on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March, 1833

The Society for the Suppression of Juvenile Vagrancy. – The committee of this Society assembled on Wednesday, at their rooms in Sackville-street, to receive the report of the chairman’s application to the parishes of Mary-le-bone and St Giles’s and St George’s, Bloomsbury, to ask the society in sending out their paupers as agricultural servants to the Cape of Good Hope.

Captain Brenton informed the meeting that the guardians of the poor in Marylebone, having consented to advance the sum of £200 towards the expense of sending out 20 of the parish boys, provided the vestry approved of the proposition, he (Captain Brenton) attended before that body on Thursday, when a motion was made and carried, that if Viscount Golderich, as Colonial Secretary, would pledge himself that the protection of Government should be extended to the boys after their arrival at the Cape the Society should have the sum in question at their disposal.

The Secretary announced that Lord Kenyon had transmitted a donation of £20., and Major Revell had collected £63

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Should Sunday be a day of Rest? No Blogging?

And no blog!

Forget Cigarettes, Renting Can Seriously Damage Your Health

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What’s the riskiest thing you have done in your life? Smoking? Drugs? Perhaps you’ve been a soldier on active duty or have visited a country at war. Or you might consider things like crossing the road, cycling or driving to be dangerous.

Keeping a poisonous pet snake or an alligator in your sitting room might be up there with the best dangers. Or jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Paragliding might win you the prize.

But, no – truly the most dangerous thing you can do, if you are resident in jolly old England turns out to be the mundane rather than the adrenaline rush of extreme sports or activities that you feel inherently could be life threatening.

Renting a home! Yes this, it seems is the real danger facing a substantial portion of the population in England. And landlords are to blame.

1.5 million properties owned by private landlords in England, accounting for nearly half of all privately rented homes in the country, are substandard, with one million classified as dangerous to live in according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). And the problem is expected to get worse.

This at a time where the demand for rental properties is increasing whilst at the same time rent levels are showing decrease. If your property falls into the category of substandard or dangerous you should seek legal advice immediately. Where the landlord refuses to act the best option is to sue in the courts.

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Miracle of the loaves at Marylebone workhouse – the year was 1854 and the French were in town!

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It occurred not once, but twice in all history. Well known to all is the miracle of the loaves and fishes performed many years ago performed by Jesus following the death of John the Baptist, few of us living today know of another miracle of the loaves performed by French bakers in the Workhouse in Marylebone in 1854. A time of shame for England‘s Landlords. A period reflecting desperate times for the multitude in England. A beacon for a better future perhaps? For a more righteous and equitable society?

One has to think back to life in Marylebone in those times – whence the few lorded it over the many (has London really changed?) – London and Marylebone as a dreary, oft filthy place, overcrowded, ragged, dangerous and with chamberpots regularly emptied from the upper floors onto the unsuspecting traveller passing by. The back roads of Marylebone, itself considered fashionable, were slums containing all that could be wrong with society.

And then the French arrived and life brightened up. Words were whispered and repeated and crowds gathered. Right into the heart of misery, the heart of the slums, marched the French with a declaration of hope for the masses – a miracle was to happen. Food for the multitude. Lots of it! Maybe the Germans would later arrive, it was hoped, and balance the ability of the French by preforming the other half of the miracle – that with the fish! Life could change for the better. New clothes and decent jobs might follow!

And so the excitement mounted and grew. The crowds included London’s bakers, lured by the promise of riches. It included legal minds and those who considered themselves scientists. The few were allowed inside and the masses waited, huddled in groups outside. Waiting and hoping.

To a roar of applause and great whoops, to a rain of hats thrown into the air it was announced the miracle had happened. The loaves had become many! Attendances at Marylebone’s churches and prayer meetings surged and one only wonders whether the mutterings of unbelieving scientists was to have the effect of muting the benefits.

From ‘Scientific America’, May 13, 1854

New Process of making bread. – Important

“A very remarkable exhibition took place recently at the Marylebone workhouse, London by Messrs. Morlan, Martin, and Journet, a French firm, who undertook to demonstrate before a committee of the board of the guardians that, by a peculiar modification in the fermenting process, the amount of bread from a given weight of flour could be increased to at least 50 per cent.

This singular method was invented by a French Gentleman, a pupil of Ofgila.

Two sacks of flour were made use of, both under seal, and issued by the authorities of the workhouse. One of these was manipulated in the ordinary way, the other by the associated French manufacturers. The first sack converted into bread by the usual method, produced 90 loaves weighing 360 lbs. The second bag of flour, placed in the hands of the French bakers, produced 154 loaves, weighing 520 lbs giving an increase of nearly 50 per cent under circumstances very disadvantageous to the owners of the secret. The place, the oven, and apparatus were all new and strange to their workmen, who had many difficulties to contend with. It was admitted by the spectators that in consequence of such drawbacks, there was a considerable waste of bread in the oven. There as a large attendance of scientific men as well as bakers from the country and city, who witnessed the process with the keenest interest.

This marvellous in crease in production does not arise from any weighty substance mixed with the dough, as no extraneous ingredient can be discovered in the loaf by the most rigid chemical analysis.”

We have seen the above copied with eclat into quite a number of our daily and weekly contempories, as something grand and wonderful in the line of new discoveries. It is a grand piece of nonsense.

In the first place, it is stated that the weight of flour is increased by this process, from 360lbs by the old process, to 520 lbs by the new. That is a gain of 130 lbs coming from nowhere – something made out of nothing.

Who among us has the organ of credulity so large, as to believe that a London baker loses 64 loaves in every sack of flour? According to a good authority, 7 lbs of flour yield 10 lbs of dough and 8 3/4 lbs of bread. – (Accum)

If there is a grain in this new process of weight in the bread, we suspect it is the water of the dough that is retained in it, consequently, those who purchase such bread, pay for water instead of flour. And in connection with this, let us say, that the process of working it must be effervescence, not fermentation, and in all likelihood some deleterious substance is employed, which takes up and retains more water than yeast. Thus in experiments made for the Analytical Sanatory Commission in London, bread with 2 lbs of flour and the necessary quantity of water and yeast, had acquired, on its removal from the over, 8 1/2 oz of water, while the same quantity of flour raised with an alum and soda mixture retained one ounce more of water. A few years ago, bread made by effervescence was quite fashionable, but such bread is not so easily digested, nor is it so pleasant as fermented bread.

(note – grammar and spelling as per original article)

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London’s Marylebone Workhouse

The papers from January 1897 reported that there is a young girl in the workhouse at Westminster that has hands and feet like lobster claws. Her mother used to send her out to beg.

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The Incredible Shrinking Estate – Portman Estate Achieved £18,571 an Acre in Marylebone

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For centuries the Portman’s and a handful of other families enjoyed life at the expense of the many in Central London.

Owning vast swathes of the City and County, these landlords benefited from leasehold income from the few (the wealthy) and the many (those who worked for a living).

And so it remained until the late 1800’s when the advent of the Railway era was to set  in train a process that has continued to this day – that of eroding the expanse of, the value and the continuity of these estates.  The ‘Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Company’ became the enemy and the consequences of their action continues today.

Portman Estate lost a sizeable chunk of its estate to the railway construction in Marylebone.

Had the then Lord Portman and his erstwhile employees been clever, or had they shown any sense of business acumen, the Estate might have negotiated from a position of strength and might be still gaining financially from the railway.

But no. It was a case of ‘give up and give in’ – a mentality that has continued to blight the family fortunes up to the present time. The Family simply complied with the demand for 14 acres and not even by sale or lease. Forfeiture was the name of the game with Lord Portman left to chase ‘compensation’ through arbitration.

The Portman legal counsel proved every bit as inept as the Estate. They presented a case and arguments making a claim of £400,000.

The railway’s land grab would see the demise of 700 separate buildings, a number of pubs and would result in substantial damage to the Estate property and roadways – some of which would be truncated. In place would be the railway, the station building, a hotel and coal sidings.

So 14 acres of the estate were lost. The Portman’s sought compensation rather than effecting a long term lease or other commercial agreement with the railway company. Compensation was relied upon from an arbitration board in a case displaying weakness in the person of legal counsel and by the Estate managers.

At stake was the future of the Estate. This included the opportunity to enhance leasehold income at the expiry of each leasehold period, and the long term viability of the Estate. Also at stake was the eventual impact of this action on the other major London landlords.

It was the feudal land system versus commerce and the march of democracy. And Democracy won. It was a landmark case which the Portman’s and the other major landlords of the time failed to recognise.

Since then times have witnessed progressive erosion of the London estates – particularly the Portman Estate – though levy of inheritance taxes, debt, inefficiencies as well as outright bad management and planning.

The Estate has shrunk in London by two thirds of its original size to about 100 acres and enfranchisement will see its eventual demise. A march the Estate seems to be still reluctant to accept – at least not publically!

And of the £400,000 claim for compensation – the eventual award was just £260,000 representing a miserly £18,571 an acre. Even in 1897 that was a pittance!

One wonders if the Arbitrator, a Mr Clutton is from the family who established the well known Cluttons estate agency in London! It is interesting to see the current CEO at the Portman Estate, another Mr Clutton is a managing partner at Cluttons! History seems to have a habit of bending back on itself at times….

A RAILWAY ARBITRATION.

Timaru Herald, 21 November 1896

CLAIM OF £400,000. In London on October 6th arbitration proceedings were commenced, before Mr .Ralph Clutton as sole arbitrator, m which Lord Portman claimed from the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Company about £400,000 in respect of portions of his estate in the neighbourhood of the Marylebone Road, and for the consequential damage which it is alleged the contiguous portions of the estate will sustain by the works.

Mr Dugdale, in opening, said the claim was m respect of over fourteen acres of Lord Portman’s Marylebone estate, on which the company wished to build a station, hotel, and coal sidings, and on which at present some 700 separate premises stood, having from five to fifty-one years yet to run.

The ground rent of this property was £3610, and the rateable value rather over £28,000.

Counsel pointed out the absolute security of the income, which thought was equal to Consols, its improving nature, and that as the leases fell in, large increases of rent would probably occur. There were a number of public-houses on the property, and in respect of these a cash claim of £42,000 was made. He also referred to the consequential damage which would be done to the surrounding portions of the estate, especially m the way of stopping up and cutting off of streets. The total amount of the claim, he added, was nearly £400,000. — Mr F W. Hunt, agent to Lord Portman, gave the items of the claim.

Manawatu Herald , 7 January 1897

The award in the arbitration case in (which Lord Portman claimed near y £400,000 from the Manchester, Sheffield, ‘ and Lincolnshire Railway Company, in respect of some 14 acres of his Marylebone estate, which the Company require in connection with the extension of their line to London, and the construction of a station, ‘ hotel, and coal sidings at the terminal, has been recently made known, the total allowed by the arbitrator, Mr B. Clutton, being £260,000.

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Did the fight against Hitlerism start in Marylebone? 1933 and the British crack down on London’s anti-Hitler Communists

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Yes, you read it right. No mistake. It was the year 1933 and London’s public led the field in campaigning for human rights. Hitler was on the ascent – admired by some and reviled already by many more. Hitler had come to London and was on show in Marylebone.

Not the real Hitler, you understand. No, it was his likeness, his ‘effigy‘, you see. At Madame Taussauds -the waxen man stood to greet all those kindly residents, tenants and Lords from Marylebone and beyond. Those were the days before Ryanair and long before the Irish made international travel so cheap and easy.

So this waxen man, this wonderful man, as many would claim, was there for all to visit. No need to spend one’s life savings on a trip to jolly old Germany. Hitler was in Town!

But the enemy reared its ugly head and had the audacity to ruin the man. An attack in Marylebone on Hitler!

Scandalous!

No, ’twas not a thrust of a sword, nor a sharp twist of a knife. Not even an ‘off with his head’. Neary a bullet nor a bomb employed. No, paint. That was it. Paint. No record of what colour or even if it was only one.

Communists, the attackers were called. Dragged down to Marylebone Court and charged. No medal for Mr Bradley and no applause. Admirable man, though. Simply admirable.

They should have sent Mr Bradley off to Germany with his fellow ‘Communists’ to re-enact his assault on the real man. But no, too short-sighted, and Hitler was not viewed as a demon by all. Except for the dratted Communists, that is.

‘Wax Efficy Damaged’

‘United Press Association’, London May 14th 1933
The latest demonstration in London against the Nazis occured when three Communists were charged with throwing paint to damage Herr Hitler‘s effigy at Madame Tussaud’s waxworks exhibition.

A violent struggle occured in a Marylebone Court when the three Communists were charged with damaging Herr Hitler’s efficy at Madame Tussaud’s.

Mrs Bradley was charged with assaulting and obstructing the police, who were endeavouring to arrest her husband.

Madame Tussaud’s attendants, giving evidence, said that the renovation of the effigy cost £12.

Mrs Bradley declared that the paint-throwing was intended as a protest against Herr Rosenberg’s “representation of a murderous Government”. She was eventually discharged.

Others in Court attempted to make anti-Hitler speeches, shouting in unison, “Down with Hitler”.

The Magistrates ordered their removal and six policemen seized them, resulting in a violent struggle on the dock floor. The accused were finally overpowered and remanded in custody for a week.

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Forgive me Father, for I have Sinned – Major London Estates using charities for tax avoidance

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A quick street-based research in the past few days confirms a public  perception that charity shops are a Landlord’s tool to avoid squatters moving into empty properties. But the reality is no where close.

Landlords and particularly the poor major London Estates believe they have been hard done by in recent years as the impact of legislation has seen a trend in leaseholders forcing landlords to sell the freehold. Not satisfied with that, the Government decided to levy business taxes on empty commercial properties – which the landlords appear to have viewed as another nail in the coffin – but only if they comply. The nail can be avoided in large part using a simple tax avoidance tool – whilst further benefiting the landlords with a public perception that they are caring and charitable in supporting charities.

The tool is allowing charities to set up shop in empty premises. Charities are entitled to 80 tax relief on property tax. So the landlords effectively become subsidised by charities – and effectively benefit as a charity at the cost to the Revenue Commissioners and so too at a cost to the UK tax payer.

So as well as attracting European subsidies on their country estates, the needy owners of London’s large Estates additionally benefit from charities and avoid taxes which in turn increase the tax burden on the average Joe Public.

Fair practice? Yes if you are the Portman Estate or the ‘Howard De Walden Estate’ or one of the other large Estates in London and elsewhere. Fair indeed to the minority. Unfair in every respect to the vast majority of the public and unfair to Government coffers.

Sometimes the cat changes spots but the behaviour remains unchanged.

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Why all the furore about The King’s Speech film location more regularly being used for sex parties?

Marylebone has been in the global spotlight as the location of filming

for The Kings Speech. Accolades due all round. At least until the likes of the Mail tried to gain readership by introducing what it claimed to be a seedy background to the film set.

Sex, would you believe! The Press seem to think this is a rare act in Marylebone (is it?) or that it should not happen.

Not at all, never! Certainly not in association with the King! Not in his house, not withstanding that it was never the King’s house.

That the owner of the building used for filming The Kings Speech is enterprising and offers a location to the age old ritual of fun, parties and sex is less important than what is perceived to be a slur on the King. A man now dead for many a year and who, as himself, likely never set foot into the building.

Is there any sense in this story? Possibly it has sold a few more papers and upped the advertising revenue for those that chose to run this story. It is likely that the journalists behind the stories would likely jump at the chance of an invitation to a party at the venue and would likely not write the same sorid sounding details had they participated rather than learned of the activities in the said residence.

Surely the still remaining feudal land ownership of the area or the role Marylebone played in the transatlantic slave trade is more horrifying that fun and games?

Is it ‘shame on Marylebone’ or should we celebrate the diversity of the area?

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Wrexham and Shropshire Railways to close with the Unions reverting to anti-European rhetoric – blaming the Germans

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Wrexham & Shropshire Railways is to cease service according to an announcement of the company in the same month the £4m Marylebone Station roof is completed. The rail service has provided an important gateway directly into London’s West End including the Portman Estate as well as an easy link to the Heathrow Express serving Heathrow Airport.

The blame game began immediately with Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, claiming: “This is a bitter blow to the UK rail industry and it is a scandal that a giant company like Deutsche Bahn can play fast and loose with our rail services in this way and then and cut run when they decide the profit margins aren’t fat enough. Our immediate priority is to protect our members caught in the middle of this scandalous private sector failure.”

Of course, it’s business reality and not the Germans that are to blame. The train company was a joint venture between two existing railway companies: Renaissance Trains and Laing Rail. DB Regio, a subsidiary of the German state railway operator Deutsche Bahn, acquired Laing Rail in January 2008, and with it their interest in Wrexham & Shropshire.

Next in line in the blame game is likely to be Virgin Trains. Watch this space

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Tory run Westminster Council selling off the Marylebone Family Silver

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Marylebone Town Hall, an important community building for 100 years is to be off-loaded by the Tory led Westminster Council in continuance of a trend to reduce public amenities. The building, designed by Sir Edward Cooper, “is faced with Portland stone and is an example of Edwardian Graeco-Roman classicism, with a tower in the style of Christopher Wren and fluted columns” (Wikipedia) and is one of Marylebone’s finest.

In recent years the impressive building has been how to the Westminster Registry Office hosting cermonies for local residents as well as famous luminaries such as Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The building also houses the Marylebone Library – now expected to be axed.

Westminster City Council appear focused on commercialising every aspect of life for residents in Marylebone – mirroring some of the recent strategies of the area’s major landlords. It will be interesting to see whether organisations such as the Marylebone Association or even politicians of the areas minority political parties will stand up to this further and continuing erosion of what remains of the community spirit of Marylebone.

Do UK landlords or letting agents discriminate racially when choosing tenants?

Discrimination by private landlords

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A private landlord must not discriminate against you because of your disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexuality. This means that they are probably acting illegally if they:

• Refuse to let a property to you because of your disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexuality
• Rent a property to you on worse terms than other tenants
• Treat you differently from other tenants in the way you are allowed to use facilities such as a laundry or a garden
• Evict or harass you because of your disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexuality
• Charge you higher rent than other tenants
• Refuse to carry out repairs to your home, simply because of your disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexuality
• Refuse to make reasonable changes to a property or a term in the tenancy agreement which would allow a disabled person to live there.

See: Advice Guide

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