Politics

  • Lampeter: fears of council divide over language

    Steve WoodsLanguage, Media, Politics

    Lampeter Town Council crestLampeter Town Council could have translation at its council meetings to allow more Welsh to be spoken after the mayor said she felt “guilty” that the council doesn’t use enough Welsh, according to a report in Cambrian News Online.

    Mayor Cllr. Elsie Dafis is reported as saying that her term in that office had brought home to her the fact that the council could do more to promote the Welsh language and stated that the town council must do more, starting by enabling more Welsh to be spoken at council meetings.

    Nevertheless, Cllr. Ellis’ idea did not find favour with a colleague – Cllr. Kistiah Ramaya. The latter had concerns that the move could divide the council and was concerned that having translation could sideline councillors who didn’t speak Welsh and might even dissuade non-Welsh speakers from joining the council.

    Cllr. Ellis informed her colleagues that council could have a translator and equipment at their meetings for under £1,000 a year. However, Cllr. Ramaya said that while he supported the Welsh language, he felt that discussions could move on before non-Welsh speakers had received the translation of comments made.

    Lampeter is the smallest university town in the UK, with a population including the university of some 4,000 people.

    According to Wikipedia, Welsh is no longer taught at undergraduate level at the University of Wales in Lampeter.

    Hat tip: Yelena McCafferty.

  • The birds are nesting; time to fell more trees

    Steve WoodsBristol, Oddities, Politics

    The weather is warming up, summer migrant birds are returning to the UK to breed in the trees, shrubs and other traditional nesting sites; and as regular as clockwork, Bristol City Council sends workmen out to destroy those same traditional nesting sites, as witnessed this morning at the junction of Lawrence Hill and Croydon Street.

    three mature trees being felled by city council contractors

    During the few minutes it took me to buy a tin of coffee up the road, the two trunks seen standing in the photo had been felled, joining a previously felled companion. All three felled were – as far as I could see – healthy specimens.

    As regards protecting breeding birds and mitigating harm during the breeding season, Natural England’s advice (PDF, p. 4) is as follows:

    The main mitigation route to reduce the likelihood of harm to breeding birds is to undertake clearance or destruction of any vegetation or structure which may be used as a breeding site outside the bird breeding season when breeding birds are unlikely to be present (based upon habitat features) or where survey work has confirmed their absence. Avoidance of such features is best achieved through timing of work (see below) but may also be possible by temporarily preventing birds from using these features, before they start doing so. Examples include physical exclusion (preventing access to potential nest sites) or use of visual or audible deterrents. Such measures should only be undertaken following the advice of a suitably experienced ecologist, taking account of relevant legislation and welfare considerations.

    The bird breeding season will be dependent upon weather conditions and will vary from year to year, but in general is the period between early March and late August.

    Natural England acts as an adviser to central government on the natural environment, providing practical science-based advice on how best to safeguard England’s natural wealth for the benefit of all.

    By carrying out such works at this time of year, Bristol City Council is not only disregarding the advice given by Natural England, but also its own advice which it gives to community groups (PDF) carrying out conservation works involving trees. Page 2 of this document clearly states in relation to coppicing that this should be carried out between October and February. In the exact words of the guidance (page 2), this

    Should be done during the dormant season and outside the bird nesting season.

    In another city council document (PDF) entitled Tree Management Standards, page 4 clearly states:

    Nesting birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (and other related wildlife law).

    All this is happening in the year when Bristol is allegedly European Green Capital. However, the city council seems more interested in press stunts than in sound environmental practice that protects the environment and wildlife.

    Readers with long-term memories may remember that scrub clearance took place last year nearby at Lawrence Hill roundabout (posts passim).

  • Courts interpreting fiasco rumbles on… expensively

    Steve WoodsLanguage, Media, Politics

    Although it may not be hitting the headlines in the way it was a couple of years ago, Capita Translation & Interpreting’s cack-handed execution of its interpreting contract for courts and tribunals with the Ministry of Justice continues to waste public money, as well as delay and deny justice (contrary to one of the few clauses of Magna Carta still in effect. Ed.), as evidenced by this cutting from the latest edition of Private Eye.

    cutting from Private Eye

    Hat tip: Sarrf London.

  • Non-English and non-Welsh speakers to be charged premium rate by DVLA

    Steve WoodsLanguage, Politics

    In what appears to be a last-ditch swipe against foreigners, motorists who don’t speak either English or Welsh and want to use DVLA’s translation service will pick up the costs under changes announced on 25th March 2015 (the day before Parliament was prorogued. Ed.) by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer.

    telephone
    Picture courtesy of Holger Ellgaard and Wikimedia Commons
    The changes, which take effect from 29th April 2015, mean callers who request a translation service will now pay for the cost of the call. Currently, the cost of providing a translation service is covered by DVLA.

    Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “The vast majority of calls to DVLA are either free or charged at local rate. However, it is only right that the cost of using translation services is paid for by those who use them. The change will help encourage individuals who don’t speak English very well to learn the language and also help when accessing government services.”

    Under the changes, those who need a translation service will need to call the premium rate numbers, which will be publicised by DVLA closer to the implementation date of 29th April.

    The numbers will be available from 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday and from 8am to 2pm on Saturday. Calling these telephone numbers will cost £1.03 per minute from a landline and may cost considerably more from a mobile.

    All other public calls to DVLA contact centre are either free or charged at local rate.

    Hat tip: Yelena McCafferty.

  • Evolve OS changes name to Solus

    Steve WoodsLinux, Open Source, Politics, Tech

    This blog reported yesterday that the developers of the Evolve OS Linux desktop operating system had received a letter from lawyers acting for the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation & Skills informing them that BIS’ OS trade mark was being infringed and that the developers would have to pick a new name.

    Evolve OS screenshot

    Ikey Doherty of the development team has now posted the following statement on Google+:

    Thank you, everyone for helping us in the naming process! In that time, one name cropped up time and time again. A name we do own, and one indicative of our history and roots. Most importantly, the longevity, history and direct, traceable link of this name provides absolute and irrefutable evidence of prior art, and all rights to the name within this context. We have purchased solus-project.com and solus-project.net. Thus, Evolve OS will now be known (once again) as Solus. The full name for the operating system component of the project (i.e. the Linux distro) is Solus Operating System – the entirety of the project is the Solus Project.

  • Evolve OS name change forced by trade mark dispute with UK government

    Steve WoodsOpen Source, Politics, Tech

    The Evolve OS desktop Linux distribution is being forced into a change of name due to potential trade mark problems with the UK government, Softpedia reports.

    Evolve OS screenshot

    The bone of contention is not the Evolve element, but OS, which is apparently a trade mark registered to registered to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whose trade mark agents are a company called Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP.

    In its headline, Softpedia describes this trademark registration as “stupid“.

    Writing yesterday on Google+, the developers stated:

    This is not an April Fools post

    We will be required to change the name of the Evolve OS project, to avoid unnecessary legal action. All I will say right now is that the dispute is UK specific, and I have been informed that the relevant trademarks are held by the Secretary of State.

    The letter goes beyond asking for a withdrawal of trademark application and asks we stop using the “mark”.

    Clearly this is going to be an expensive and painful road in either direction, so we shall go with a rename.

    The developers have also asked for the help of the free and open source community to come up with a new name that would be free of trademark infringements.

    Reposted from Bristol Wireless.

  • PI4J launches manifesto at election time

    Steve WoodsLanguage, Politics

    PI4J logoProfessional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) is an umbrella group an umbrella group representing over 2,000 interpreters on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) and 300 British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

    It has been campaigning since the Ministry of Justice signed an agreement with ALS (later Capita Translation & Interpreting) for the provision of interpreting services for courts and tribunals on the basis that reliable communication provided by qualified professional interpreters and translators is an essential resource which ensures that justice and human rights are upheld for non-English speakers and deaf people. This is put at risk if standards are dropped and quality is sacrificed for profit.

    To highlight the threats to justice and human rights by cost-cutting on the provision of interpreters in the justice system and against the background of the forthcoming general election, PI4J has published a 7 point manifesto (PDF), as follows:

    • The use of qualified interpreters: Only qualified and experienced Public Service Interpreters to be
      used within the current MoJ Languages Services Framework Agreement and in any future arrangements.
    • Full consultation with the interpreting profession: Future arrangements cannot succeed without the
      support of professional interpreters.
    • Sustainable terms and conditions to be offered to interpreters: to ensure the success of any future
      arrangements and quality of service.
    • Independent auditing of quality and performance: Credible scrutiny of contract management and
      adherence to its provisions is essential, and should be part of the role of an independent Quality
      Assurance and Quality Management body.
    • Independent regulators: Regulation and the maintenance of registers should not be in the hands of
      private providers. In line with government guidance, since 1 April 2011 the NRPSI has been a fully
      independent regulator of the profession, paid for by the interpreters and run solely in the public
      interest. PI4J is of the view that the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deaf Blind People (NRCPD) should also be independent.
    • Minimum levels of interpreter qualification: Interpreter training as well as language fluency with a minimum level of entry-level qualification must be required with skills maintained and developed
      through a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Provision should be put in place to encourage the supply of Rare Language interpreters.
    • Statutory protection of title: A working group must be set up to examine the feasibility of the
      introduction of statutory protection for the title of Public Service Interpreter.

  • Big turnout for the Big Clean

    Steve WoodsBristol, Media, Politics

    Saturday 28th March dawned grey and drizzly for the TidyBS5 Big Clean organised by Up Our Street and local residents.

    For your correspondent it dawned even earlier; the alarm clock was set for 6.00 a.m. to ensure he was sufficiently awake to be interviewed down the line about TidyBS5 and the event on BBC Radio Bristol by their Saturday breakfast show presenter Ali Vowles.

    However, the rain did not put off an amazing 33 people – including one PCSO from Trinity Road Police Station – turning up at Lawrence Hill roundabout at 11.00 a.m. to help remove litter from the area for a couple of hours. Indeed, such a number of participants was so unprecedented that more litter pick equipment had to be ferried down from the Up Our Street Office.

    Big Clean group photo
    Photo courtesy of Lorena Alvarez

    Also amongst the hardy souls who turned up was a contingent from the Good Gym, which takes exercise out of the gym. Members runs to a venue, help a local community project and then run back. Your ‘umble scribe is very pleased we attracted their support.

    Good Gym leaping about after collecting rubbish
    Photo courtesy of Lorena Alvarez

    Local councillor Marg Hickman also attended to show her support. Wouldn’t it be good if we could get Bristol Mayor George Ferguson to turn out for the next one and put some physical effort into Bristol’s year as European Green Capital? 😉

    After receiving safety instructions (avoid picking up broken glass, no needles, etc. Ed.) we then scattered to various sites around the area to get work.

    litter pickers between Big Russell and Lidl
    Photo courtesy of Anthea Sweeney

    Areas cleaned included:

    • The grassed island in then centre of Lawrence Hill roundabout;
    • The grassed area fronting Lawrence Hill at the end of Payne Drive;
    • Public open space along Croydon Street;
    • The old course of the River Frome beneath the railway adjacent to the Coach House off Stapleton Road; and
    • The area of grass and shrubbery alongside the former Earl Russell pub (the ‘Big Russell’. Ed.) and Lidl on Lawrence Hill.

    A fantastic amount of rubbish was removed and collected later in the weekend by Bristol City Council.

    collected rubbish awaiting removal by Bristol City Council
    Photo courtesy of Lorena Alvarez

    Well done and many thanks to all who took part.

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