Should Ed Miliband (Labour leader) step down?

As a real "floating voter" I honestly have no idea which party I shall be voting for in the General Election next year.  I have some sympathy with some of the policies of each party. We need to cut our deficit (we are living beyond our means), we need some control over our population explosion (mainly as a result of net immigration), the EC is still a mess etc.. I have no idea whether or not we should quit the EC. There are good points and bad about it. It is not what we joined years ago and I feel it lacks something.

At the moment, I am not happy with the leader of the Labour Party. Ed Miliband, who was elected Labour leader some years ago.  He seems poor: his speeches and actions seem weak and ineffective. There is some pressure for him to be replaced, but by whom? I scratch my head trying to think of a better Labour leader to replace him. The choice is poor. We lack real charismatic leaders in waiting. All seem to be "also rans".

No single party fits "my bill". In a way another coalition government would be good.  UK General Elections are "first past the post" unlike the recent European Elections in which I voted Green, but voting for the Greens in a General Election is likely to be wasted, in this constituency certainly.  I need to vote for a party that has a realistic chance of being "first past the post". That means voting Conservative, Liberal Democrat or Labour. Although I quite like David Cameron, I feel the Conservatives are more in favour of the rich, whereas Labour is more concerned with "the common man". Lib Dems, we are told, will lose lots of seats. I cannot abide UKIP, who seem a "one issue" joke party.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29935172 .

Anglesey Abbey - Nov 6th 2014

This morning we went for an autumn walk at Anglesey Abbey, our local National Trust property. In the weeks, it is quiet and at this time of year a lovely place for a walk. Even at weekends, there are plenty of places to roam to get away from others.

Actually, it is beautiful at any time of year: there is always sometime to see in the gardens, and the house is also lovely. See http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/anglesey-abbey/ .

Anglesey Abbey - Nov 6th 2014

Windmill at dawn

We are very lucky to live overlooking a restored 200 year old windmill. The sails turn some Thursdays and Sundays.

This was the view from our kitchen window early today, before breakfast time with the autumn sun shining on the mill from the east.

Safer cycling

I know of 2 decent local cyclists who were killed by cars. In my view headphone use should be totally BANNED when cycling, it should be compulsory to wear bright, reflective clothing and a cycling hat should be a legal requirement. Also if cycling lanes are provided their use should be compulsory. Cycles and cars are NOT good together.

It is true that most accidents are a result of motorised vehicle driver error, but cyclists often make it harder for motorists because the cyclist is hard to see. Cyclists give yourself a decent chance!

Senate now under Republican control in the USA

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29910542 . After mid-term elections in the USA the Republicans now control the US Senate. This must weaken the powers of President Obama, who is , of course, a Democrat.

I keep out of US politics but the so called Tea Party faction does seem to be a group of head-cases.

Last sweet peas

Yesterday (Nov 4th) we cut our last bunch of sweet peas from the garden. They have been flowering since June. We have put a fresh vase of sweet peas on the kitchen table every few days since June. This is a picture of Lis with this last bunch.  We'll grow more next year.

Also, our cosmos flowers have been good.  We took them out a week ago to make way for daffodil bulbs. Every day Lis dead-headed these at a rate of about 100 dead heads a day!

Rolls Royce cutting 2600 jobs

Sad news that Rolls Royce is to cut 2600 jobs next year. It is not yet fully clear where the jobs will go but most probably the aerospace division.

In WW2 my dad was a flight engineer in the Pathfinders, flying Lancasters with Rolls Royce Merlin engines. He was very lucky to survive the war. Many brave men did not survive the war on both sides. Wars are always a tragic waste of lives. WW2 was no exception. Fighting the evil of the Nazis was arguably "right" but many innocent people on both sides lost lives as a result. Was there a better way?  My dad rarely spoke of his war years. I think it troubled him that innocents died as a result of his actions.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29900087 for more on Rolls Royce job losses.