Alan Turing

In my post yesterday, I wrote that I had to go to Bletchley. Well, it's not that far for me - Bletchley is now part of Milton Keynes - and I can walk to Bletchley Park in much less than an hour. During World War Two, the parish in which I live, was home to Alan Turing. He cycled in to Bletchley Park - and the old Shenley Road passes through Furzton. In fact there was a lesser used route, which he may well have used - which passed yards from my home.

The Inn is now a private home - but, if you know what you are looking for, the building is quite obvious.

I took this photo on Friday of his teddy bear "Porgy", which - it is reputed - Turing would practice his lectures at Cambridge in front of.

Cycling Around Furzton

I was so nice to see the sunshine! I decided to go for a cycle around Furzton, which is part of Milton Keynes. I know I won't be in line for an Oscar - this was a video cam strapped to the front of my bike - and the "soundtrack" is from the editing software. But if you have any preconceptions about Milton Keynes being a concrete city - see what it's really like. The Lake is a balancing lake designed to limit the flooding which used to occur in the Loughton Valley. This winter it has been severly tested!!!

Alan Turing

This Saturday will be the centenary of the birth of Alan Turing. His significance (for Mathematics; Computing and the winning of World War II) is great - and has been internationally recognised in recent years. (President Obama has often mentioned him).
...and most days he cycled through Furzton (where I now live) on his way to Bletchley Park. Between 4 September 1939 and the summer of 1944, he lodged at The Crown Inn, at Shenley Brook End (It is now a private home). Ronald Lewin has written

"in the first week of June each year he would get a bad attack of hay fever, and he would cycle to the office wearing a service gas mask to keep the pollen off. His bicycle had a fault: the chain would come off at regular intervals. Instead of having it mended he would count the number of times the pedals went round and would get off the bicycle in time to adjust the chain by hand." He is also reputed to have "occasionally ran the 40 miles to London when he was needed for high-level meetings" (he was a talented long distance runner - he also qualified for the 1948 Olympics!).

The most intriguing story is of his silver bars. "In 1940 he buried some silver bars near Shenley. In 1944, 1946 and 1952 he tried to find them and failed. No-one knows what happened to his buried treasure!" As the Shenley Road runs through Furzton - it might be that the silver bars still lie within Furzton! Perhaps another reason why (when the ground has stopped being waterlogged) I should be digging in my back garden.

(for an earlier post - and video on Bletchley Park go to http://washminster.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/special-relationship.html)

Keeping an ear on Brittany

With the legislative elections in France just days away (1st Round 10th June – 2nd Round 17th June) – you might like to listen to some French radio. For these elections, I will be keeping a special eye on Douarnenez in Brittany (for background – see my post on The Furzton Blog).


The widget below will enable you to listen to France Bleu Breizh Izel (from Quimper). France Bleu is a network of local stations around France (someone likened it to the BBC local radio network).

 

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Douarnenez is the 7th circonscription in Finistere (Like the districts in the US House of Representatives – the constitutency is given a number within the State – but the ‘departement’ is the unit used for French national elections) The candidates for the 7th circonscription are - Serge Defrance, Sophie Niderkorn (LO) Didier Guillon, Valérie Dreau (UMP) Janick Moriceau, Jean Cathala (EELV) Evelyne Delgrange, Yvette Fournol (FN) Michel Canevet, Isabelle Clement (AC) Annick Le Loch, Paul Gueguen (PS) {CURRENT MEMBER} Jean Jouanno, Marie-Claude Le Guen (AEI) Françoise Pencalet-Kerivel, Jean-Yves Leven (FDG)

NOT a bank holiday weekend

Normally today would be be the middle of a long weekend. The last Monday in May is traditionally the Late Spring Bank Holiday (it used to be the Whit Monday holiday), but not this year. Next weekend is a super-long weekend – with this holiday shunted back a week (Monday 4th June) and an additional holiday for the Diamond Jubilee (Tuesday 5th June).


However, it is still a day off work (well I will be doing some more marking) – and this afternoon the Milton Keynes City Pathfinders will be playing in Emerson Valley. They are the local American Football team, and whenever I can I go over to see them play. If you are able to get to the Emerson Valley Sports fields (off Bowland Drive, MK4 2DN) – for 2-30, it would be great to see you. It should be an entertaining afternoon. If you want a short introduction to the game of American football, press this link.

PMQs

I commented in yesterday’s post that I despised PMQs (Prime Minister’s Question time in the House of Commons). Don’t get me wrong – it can be tremendous fun. TV doesn’t do justice to the atmosphere – which can be electric. If you ever get the chance to see it in person – do go. But tremendous fun is praise for entertainment. Sadly, it’s the only coverage of Parliament that many people see – and it can be quite off-putting. It is of limited value for scrutiny. I fear that it has helped to lower Parliament in the eyes of the public.


Prime Ministers put a lot of effort into preparing for PMQs. They have extensive briefings – and both “do their homework” (reading the written briefings – preparing to answer what ever is likely to be thrown at them), and practice with colleagues (at what Americans would call murder boards). In any event, the parliamentary experienced on the way up is sufficient to make Prime Minister’s experienced at dealing with difficult questions.

There can be key “soundbites” – and the weekly battle between a Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition is closely analysed – and success at the dispatch box can have important electoral repercussions. However, imho (I’m getting better at the shorthand used in internet communications), more heat than light is generated, and a heavy price is paid for MP’s “fun”.

While I'm Working

I sometimes prefer to work in silence. This is particularly useful when when I am researching and writing. At other times I need to listen to music. One of the advantages of modern computers is that is possible to work on the computer – whilst also using the machine to play a CD or listen to internet radio. I’ve grown to enjoy French (language) music – which I have done since the mid 1980s as a way of improving my language skills. My favourite internet station is ChanteFrance (which is almost completely music – and plays a wide range of ‘pop music’). I also listen occasionally to Radio France London (which has a higher proportion of talk).


When not listening to French music – I will avail myself of the wonderful services provided by C-SPAN. I subscribe to the podcasts of “Washington Today” (which I tend to listen to when walking). At the computer I listen to (and watch sometimes) live broadcasts from the House of Representatives (C-SPAN 1) and sometimes the Senate (C-SPAN 2). I will also watch specific programmes – either because they have advertised on the C-SPAN website or I have discovered them through a search in the C-SPAN archive).

I may occasionally watch a broadcast from Westminster (though NOT PMQs – which I despise).

[David's other blog is - The Furzton Blog]

The Passage of Power

On 26th March I posted about the forthcoming publication of Robert Caro's "The Passage of Power" (original post accessible here). Well my copy has arrived at my home in Furzton, Milton Keynes. It was well worth the wait. Like the previous three volume of Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson - it is both scholarly (excellent details of the sources used) and enthralling. Caro has a style (and his subject, a Life) which means it is difficult to put the book down.

This volume covers the period from Johnson's run for the presidential nomination in 1960 (and his uncharacteristic slow start - Caro explains well this unusual behaviour by LBJ) to the State of the Union address given in January 1964. Caro notes the latter as the end of the transition period between Kennedy's assassination and LBJ making the presidency his own.

Although I have quite a heavy workload at the moment - with OU marking; writing up my Ph.D; and planning for the future - I will be giving time every day to reading this superb book.

In contrast with this blog - which deals with global matters - I have recently started a local blog called "The Furzton Blog" - about the estate in Milton Keynes where I live. Wherever you are, you are welcome to visit the blog at http://furztonmk.blogspot.co.uk/

Healthy Learning

One of the privileges of living in Milton Keynes is that talking a walk is so easy. I live in Furzton, just a couple of minutes walk away from Furzton Lake - which is 1.8 miles to walk around, and has wide enough pathways to allow walkers, joggers and cyclists to peaceably co-exist. Similarly the network of  "Redways" and linear parks allows pleasant and motor-traffic free walks - either to a specific place (I often walk the 2 miles from my home to Milton Keynes Central Rail Station - purely through parkland) or on a 'circular' route.

As well as being pleasant - and physically healthy - these walks offer an opportunity to learn more. I subscribe to a number of podcasts. The walk in the morning to the station gives sufficient time to listen to the overnight version of "Today in Parliament", and some of the previous evening's "Washington Today". During my walks around the lake I either listen to an audio book (from Audible - recent purchases have included "Master of the Senate"; Dallek on the American Presidency; Schrecker on McCarthyism "The Modern Scholar: American Inquisition) or one of the many C-SPAN podcasts .

Walks are also fantastic opportunities to think things through. Many ideas for Washminster posts arise and are developed on one of these walks. Minor episodes of "writers block" can also be ended that way.

Watling Street

This blog is often written at my home in Furzton, an area of the "New" City of Milton Keynes. (Some posts are written while I'm working away (for example the video posted yesterday was recorded whilst away just outside St Neots in Cambridge) or from Westminster.

While MK is a new city, in the sense that it is England's newest, and completely planned, city - it was formally designated as a "new town" on January 23rd 1967 - and has grown to 245,000 (2011 estimate) - it includes many sites of historic interest. Click here to see the Washminster post on the Roman Villa at Bancroft (very close to the "concrete cows").

Furzton is bordered by Watling Street - perhaps the most most important Roman road in England. It ran from the ports in Kent to Londinium (London) to Wroxeter on the border with Wales. Late it became the main route to Ireland - ending at Holyhead. Most of the route is now the A5.

In the Borough of Milton Keynes the main Roman settlement on Watling Street was Magiovinium, just to the south of Fenny Stratford - where the River Ouzel crosses Watling Street. (the garden centre Dobbies is on part of the site). The route (which of course, being a Roman road, was straight) goes in a north westerly direction until the crossing of the Great Ouse at Stony Stratford. This was itself to become an important centre in English history (Richard III - when he was Duke of Gloucester - intercepted and took into "protective custody" his 12 year old nephew, Edward V - at a inn in the town - the Rosé and Crown)

However, the town is of Saxon origin. Roman remains discovered north of the river suggest that "Old Stratford" (in Northamptonshire) was an administrative post on the ford across the Great Ouse. When England was split between an English Kingdom and Danelaw (Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum c 878) - the border was the Great Ouse from Bedford until Stony Stratford, whereupon Watling Street became the border (going northwards).

The Loughton Brook crosses Watling Street close to what is now Furzton Lake. I am trying to ascertain whether this is Harford Bridge - which appears on page 52 in "Britannia Depicta" of 1720. Any assistance would be appreciated (please email - friend@washminster.com)

Furzton, Milton Keynes - Result

Dawn had already broken before the result was announced. However the drama sometimes shown on TV when a result is announced does not reflect reality. The first stage is to check that the number of ballot papers equals the number issued. At that stage observers from the parties can "sample" - they note how each ballot paper has been marked, and estimate the probable proportion going to each candidate. Therefore I knew fairly on that I wasn't going to win.

The final result for Furzton ward was

Turnout 38.28%

Chris Williams (incumbent Liberal Democrat councillor). 1077. 43.29% (2007 - 1193)
Maggie Geaney (Conservative). 622. 25.00% (2007 - 622)
J David Morgan (Labour). 557. 22.35% (2007 - 299)
Stuart Henry Moore (UKIP). 161. 6.47% (2007 - 125)
Beverley Caprice (Green). 72. 2.89%

Election

Today is election (and referendum day) in Britain - so I thought I'd share this video with you



I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice
I wanna be elected
I'm your yankee doodle dandy in a gold Rolls Royce
I wanna be elected

Kids want a savior, don't need a fake
I wanna be elected
We're gonna rock to the rules that I make
I wanna be elected, elected, elected

I never lied to you, I've always been cool
I wanna be elected
I gotta get the vote, and I told you about school
I wanna be elected, elected, elected

Hallelujah, I wanna be elected
Everyone in the United States of America
We're gonna win this one, take the country by storm
We're gonna be elected

You and me together, young and strong
We're gonna be elected, elected, elected
Respected, selected, call collected
I wanna be elected, elected

(note: this was a bit of fun - heavily ironic)

Washminster Takes A Break

Washminster is taking a short break - to catch up on some reading; listen to podcasts - and to prepare some series which Washminster will be running from late August through to Christmas. (I'll also listen to some jazz & watch the pre-season games involving Washington Redskins). I'll be staying in Milton Keynes during this break - so here are a few photos of Furzton where I live.

Washminster will return on 25th August.

Local Government

In Britain, local authorities are the creation of Parliament - who can reorganise or abolish any of them. Unlike the states of the United States - they have no independent existence. Even the right for a community to call itself a "City" is dependent upon the Royal Prerogative.

The last major reorganisation took place in 1974. For most of England there was a two tier structure - with county and district levels. The metropolitan Counties were abolished - after resisting the policies of the Government in the 1980s. Some other authorities were given unitary status - combining and replacing county and district functions.

Milton Keynes is a unitary council. They have an extensive website accessible here. Citizens can access details of Cabinet and Council meetings - and read the reports which will be considered. Other documents relating to the council are available here. The Council is made up of 51 Councillors, elected for four years - with a third facing election each year (with 2013 being an election free year). The current list of councillors, listed by party, is available here.

The area is also served by a number of Parish Councils. I live in Furzton, which is in the south west of Milton Keynes city (the whole district includes rural areas to the north and east). We are served by Shenley Brook End & Tattenhoe parish council. Despite the name - this has nothing to do with church parishes - but is a local authority providing some vital services at a community level. For more details of parish councils in Milton Keynes press here.