Anyway it’s the content we enjoy not the wrapping paper. If it’s not broke ….

Keep up the good work. The number of hits you are receiving is in a large part due to the quality of your writing (much better than the Martian’s smug self promotion), but I wonder if it also reflects a general need for a wider forum in the Fens.

Moderator (Steve Tierney)’s Comments: There are technical reasons why I’d like to move to the new version right now - the longer I leave it the harder it will get to do later. But I’ve had a few comments that the old site is “hard to read” and so I the redesign was to address that, making the test brighter and clearer and the site look more “clean”. In regards to the space on the right hand side - that’s because you are using a high resolution monitor. Most people do these days, but there are still people browing the web on old dinosaur machines who would see the page full rather than empty. Also, I suspect you are viewing the site on “maximise”? If you click the “restore down” button (next to the big red X top right of screen) you’ll see how the page looks when viewed that way (again, no white space.) Trouble with modern web design is you have to try and think your way around all the various permutations of usage and equipment.

Moderator (Steve Tierney)’s Response: The imagine in my post about traditional games had a link attached which took you to the blog from which the image was previously used. I suspect you probably clicked on it. Embedded links wont do you any harm and are nothing to do with viruses or spyware, but I usually try to make sure they are clear where I use them. I’ve removed that one, which wasn’t really supposed to be there and came with the image I used to demonstrate my point. Apparently judgex.com is the blog site of a keen gamer. Quite a fun blog actually. I had a read of it while investigating your problem.

Moderator (Steve Tierney)’s Reply: I never said Reg Kemp was a “looney”, they was D.Nyle’s words, not mine. He’s colourful and interesting. That’s not the same as ‘looney’ at all. I’m sure he’s a dedicated and decent man.

Moderator (Steve Tierney)’s Comments: Yes. Of course it does.

I’ve got a badge. It says “the Tories are the cream of England, rich, thick and full of clots !” Well Rich they are.The last accounts posted by North East Cambs Conservatives (December 2004) show over £80k in the bank. That’s how they’re able to afford to employ Debbie as their Agent. March West is a 3-member ward. Poor old independent Reg will have to pay for 14,000 leaflets, then try and individually deliver them. An almost impossible task for a younger man let alone one over 70! The Conservatives can produce a glossy advertising brochure, and it won’t even make a dent in their bank account. Of course they’ll win the by-election. It’s a no brainer.

Last District election only 4 people stood for the 3 March West seats: -
Stephen Court (LibDem) 727
Jan French (Con) 1045
Kit Owen (Con) 1049
Peter Skoulding 883
Stephen Court (not Steve Count) wasn’t too far behind! Particularly when you consider that the last named candidate owned two old people’s homes in the ward. It looks likely that there will be more candidates for this one seat, than there were for all 3 seats last time. I suppose that’s the nature of by-elections. Lets just hope that when, inevitably, yet another Conservative gets elected, he’ll have the balls to serve his electorate, not the puppet masters!

Moderator (Steve Tierney)’s Response:
Mr. D, you are either being deliberately unfair, or my ability to communicate is lacking. If its my fault, I apologise. But I’ll have to address your points anyway.

You say: “Mr Tierney appears to have a downer on just about everyone who isn’t true blue”.

Huh? I’ve had a problem with only one independent in my blog so how that translates to “just about everyone” I don’t know. I’m a Conservative so I support my conservative friends quite often as you’d expect, but I think it unfair to characterise me as ’slavish’. I’m sure some of my colleagues must actually think I’m a royal pain in the butt : ).

You seem to suggest I have a ‘downer’ on Mr Kemp. I don’t. Nor did I say anything of the sort in my blog entry. Might I suggest a reread? I don’t have a very high opinion of the Jury Team, which seems to me to have been a silly idea and a failed project. But that’s not a personal issue with Mr Kemp. I commented on the fact he lost in the county elections, but I can’t see how the stating of this fact could be characterised as any sort of personal attack. I commented on the well-known issues he’s been involved with in the past, but took no view on them and didn’t criticise him for his views. In fact the only thing I did say about him which was ‘personal’ was: “An interesting character who will be entertaining during the short campaign, I’m sure.” If you consider that as meaning I have a “downer” on him or as any sort of attack on him you must have a very different understanding of the English language than I. In actual fact, while I will fall short of wishing Mr Kemp “good luck” for obvious reasons, I certainly respect anybody prepared to make a stand for office the way he is going. And I rather like all the pictures of him covered in UK Flags. http://static.socialgo.com/cache/47187/image/410.jpg He seems like somebody I’d get along with just fine.

In regards to your comments about Cllr Archer, my ‘disapproval’ (your word not mine) of the Manea councillor is not personal, nor have I ever said it was. I had an issue with the way he ran his campaign, I expressed it clearly and I think fairly. That was that. I don’t hold any grudge against the man, he seems perfectly nice, and I have said as much several times. If he does something that I think is cool, I’ll say so. I would add that I don’t really understand the rather personal remarks you made about him in your comment, but I felt that even if they were a joke it would be a good idea to edit them out. I don’t like censoring words, but it seemed a little disrespectful and I didn’t really want it in my blog.

Finally, you said: “I do appreciate that this is a Conservative Party blog…”.
This is NOT a Conservative Party Blog. This is a personal blog from a Conservative’s viewpoint. A subtle, but very important distinction. See more here: http://blog.stevetierney.org/important-information/
I should probably change the wording on my masthead which may not make this clear enough and I thank you for your comment which made me realise that.

My son had tremendous problems at school and it was only when the special needs department manufactured a pupil inviting him to come along to the Warhammer Club, he found a traditional game, also complex in its nature, that held his concentration and proved the turning point in socialising with, and being accepted by, other pupils. It also improved his manual dexterity as the models (most of which are very small) needed assembling and painting.

Online gaming is his other love, but nothing in my opinion compares to the face to face interaction traditional games provide.

Moderator (Steve Tierney)’s Comments:
hugh-briss said:
Mind you, your next commentator, Selby, is fortunate to have as his District Councillor the sole independent not slavishly bound by a party whip

And I said:
And given the plug for He-Who-Shall-Remain-Unnamed I suspect you are another (or the same) supporter of my Manea buddy and so a little … uh … biased?

Looking at the unnamed person hugh was referring to and then my reference to that same unnamed person I’d think it not too tough to work out. I’ll give you a clue, his name rhymes with Park Larcher. : )