Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

Continuing a long tradition of protest against central government policies (now joined by Australia’s Juice Media with their NSFW Honest Government Ad!) – with some links to publications about our civic, campaigning and political past. You can read the reports in the Cambridge Independent and the Cambridge News. Also not forgetting north Cambridgeshire & PeterboroughContinue reading “The Cambridge Strike March – 01 Feb 2023”

Above – from Juice Media in Australia lampooning the state of UK politics – have a watch of their video here, published in August 2022. (This is the NSFW version!) Overhauling what we mean by public life needs to be part of the wider overhaul of our political, economic, democratic, and constitutional institutions, structures systems,Continue reading “Standards in public life – or the lack of them?”

It took Members of the Youth Parliament of November 2022 to spell it out far more eloquently and more powerfully than many of the present cohort of backbenchers could. Here’s one outstanding speech by Izzy Garbutt MYP (Wigan and Leigh 2022/23) Above – Ms Garbutt’s speech, which you can also watch with the rest ofContinue reading “On ‘being educated to be ignorant’ – ministers not learning from the mistakes of their predecessors”

Still no deal with controversial property firm regarding the Castle Hill site on which once stood the county gaol Some of you may have picked this up from the County Council’s Strategy and Resources meeting papers. It’s the bit at the end following the *You can’t see this bit!* notice in today’s agenda at itemContinue reading “Please can we have our Shire Hall back?”

…a phrase heard far too often in these parts. Every so often, second hand copies of this excellent book on some of Cambridge’s worst buildings come up for sale. Messrs Jones & Hall could easily publish a second edition given the buildings that have been put up since they published this a decade ago inContinue reading ““How in the world did that monstrosity get planning permission?!?””

2024 will be the 50th anniversary of the last major restructure of local government and public services in England. So who is keeping count of how things have gone? This stems from responses to a report published 20 years ago covering Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. Ye olde structure planne They don’t make them like they usedContinue reading “Evaluating half a century’s worth of public services – county by county”

Lots of local political fun and games following the spinning of a successful Levelling Up funding bid going out of control – but there are a series of serious issue behind it. #ChequeGate, #StationGate, you name it. You can read the article here by Mr Elworthy, …noting a hastily-edited video with the Conservative Party logoContinue reading “Why the future of Peterborough matters to Cambridge – and even more so to Cambridgeshire”

I missed the initial early consultation at the time, but as the main planning application has not yet been submitted, it’s not too late for people to comment and share. Breakthru? I’m thinking Queen on a train I remember not liking this track at the time – my older brother liked it though, so itContinue reading “‘Breakthruuuuuuu these planning rules of pain!’”

There have been two article that caught my attention this week – one US-based, and one Manchester-based. Cambridge – and national politicians need to pick up on the lessons before the existing financial, planning and urban development systems repeat the same mistakes of the past. To summarise, the two articles are Class-based friendships This articleContinue reading ““Multiple shared interests, multiple shared experiences” – and the challenge of community building”

The passionate disagreement between objectors and one of Cambridge University’s oldest colleges exposed the longstanding tension between the desire of senior Dons for continued expansion in the face of both opposition from local residents and the symptoms of environmental limits to growth. Before I start, there’s a big East of England Development Conference happening atContinue reading “Queens’ College clashes with local residents and environmentalists over proposed student flats in Cambridge”