Tom Lloyd On Prohibition

17:48 Wednesday 3rd July 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: The Government has announced that the herbal stimulant khat is to be banned, despite expert advice that it is generally safe to use. Khat, which is chewed, is popular amongst the Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities here in the Uk. Tom Lloyd joins us now, He’s a former Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire of course, and he’s now an international adviser on drugs. Hi Tom.
TOM LLOYD: Hello Chris.
CHRIS MANN: Your reaction? Continue reading “Tom Lloyd On Prohibition”

Egypt In Turmoil

08:27 Wednesday 3rd July 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Now for the latest on the uprising in Egypt. President Mohamed Morsi insists he remains Egypt’s legitimate leader, despite continued protests from the public. On Monday the army said if the people’s demands weren’t met by that evening, it would intervene. Now Morsi becoming the country’s first Islamist President a year ago, after winning an election considered to be free and fair by most, so what is going on? What has happened? Well let’s speak to Middle East expert Hazhir Teimourian. He’s with us now. Morning Hazhir.
HAZHIR TEIMOURIAN: A very good morning to you.
PAUL STAINTON: What has happened? What has gone wrong? I know it’s a country of many factions, obviously, but he was voted for by the popular vote. Why are people on the streets? Continue reading “Egypt In Turmoil”

The Parlous Condition Of Cambridgeshire Roads

17:07 Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: What do you think of the state of the county’s roads? It’s officially being admitted they need £300 million worth of work done on them. Yes, £300 million worth. That’s to fill in the potholes, shore up the subsidence, cover over the cracks in the cycleways, and repair the broken pavements. How many stories have you heard of people tripping on pavements, bikes and cars being damaged by holes in the road, even accidents being caused? It’s a sorry state of affairs that apparently is worsening to a cost of £50 million every year. The Council is planning to spend £90 million over five years, but simple maths will tell you that things are only going to get worse. So what can be done? Joining me, the opposition Liberal Democrats on the County Council are calling for a county-wide plan and a special task force to be set up to tackle the problem. Their transport spokesperson is councillor Susan van de Ven.
SUSAN VAN DE VEN: Hello Chris.
CHRIS MANN: And also with us is the Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning, Conservative councillor Ian Bates. Hello Ian.
IAN BATES: Afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: Would you deny there is a problem, and there has been for a while? Continue reading “The Parlous Condition Of Cambridgeshire Roads”

Matthew Dalton On Cutting Bus Subsidies

07:20 Tuesday 2nd July 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The amount of money used to subsidise bus services in Peterborough is being cut in half. It means that places like Maxey, Peakirk, and Etton could be left without a timetabled bus service. The City Council say they’ll invest in so-called demand responsive services instead. .. Joining me now to explain more about the changes in Peterborough is Cllr Matthew Dalton, the Cabinet Adviser to the Leader. Morning.
MATTHEW DALTON: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: So you’re going to save about half a million pounds here.
MATTHEW DALTON: That’s correct.
PAUL STAINTON: But didn’t you task a cross-party committee of councillors with coming up with some recommendations? They came up with something, you’ve ignored them, haven’t you? Continue reading “Matthew Dalton On Cutting Bus Subsidies”

Selected BBC Health Warnings

17:55 Monday 1st July 2013
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(MUSIC -START ME UP)
[C]HRIS MANN: Did you see the Rolling Stones last night?
KATE LAMBLE: I did.
CHRIS MANN: You did?
KATE LAMBLE: I did. Not live, unfortunately.
CHRIS MANN: Well, we’re asking why do so many people age so badly? The picture of the Rolling Stones you might have seen on the front page of many papers today, slaughtered on Twitter as “Walking mummys” and “very old Thunderbirds”. Well Kate Lamble from the Naked Scientists, they did look pretty grisly, didn’t they?
KATE LAMBLE: They did. They are starting to look their ages, even if they’re not acting it.
CHRIS MANN: I mean they are in their seventies. Continue reading “Selected BBC Health Warnings”

Nightingales At Grafham Water

08:54 Monday 1st July 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Protecting the rare nightingale bird has moved a step closer thanks to the work of Anglian Water and the Wildlife Trust. Last year they fitted ten of these birds with special GPS tracking devices to see where they went. You would have thought they weighed them down a bit, but .. Now two thirds of the creatures have returned to Grafham Water, and our reported Johnny D is at Grafham Water this morning. Morning Johnny.
JOHN DEVINE: Good morning Paul. I’m in a beautiful wild flower meadow here on the banks of the Grafham Water reserve, and what a fantastic scene it is. I’ve got with me Mike Drew from Anglian Water. Where do the nightingales go to? You track them.
MIKE DREW: Yes. We have been tracking them. Nightingales leave the UK, and they fly down to Senegal and the Gambia in West Africa.
JOHN DEVINE: What’s the scale of the decline? Continue reading “Nightingales At Grafham Water”

The Machines Are Taking Over

17:50 Friday 28th June 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: Over 300 of the world’s leading internet experts are gathering in Cambridge next week to try and work out the future of connected devices. The concept of the so-called Internet of Things in theory brings billions of devices together, but the question for the 5th Future of Wireless International Conference is how to use the data and the content that’s generated. Professor William Webb helps run the not-for-profit industry forum, Cambridge Wireless, and he explained more to me. (TAPE)
WILLIAM WEBB: The concept here is we’re more used to being able to communicate as individuals, but we are heading towards a world where lots of our devices will start to communicate all by themselves. And this is sometimes called machine communications, or the Internet of Things. And those could be devices like washing machines or smart meters. or a cat collar that’s helping us track our cat down. And this is an area that’s predicted to grow enormously over the next decade, with perhaps billions of these connected devices emerging. And the conference is trying to frame that whole area really.
CHRIS MANN: When you say they talk to each other, what do you mean by that? Continue reading “The Machines Are Taking Over”

Richard Taylor On Open Democracy

17:23 Friday 28th June 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: Should council meetings be recorded and filmed? Well the local Government Secretary Eric Pickles thinks so, and he told people recently. But when a Cambridgeshire man tried to follow his guidance and film in a meeting at Huntingdon District Council, he was threatened with arrest. Thirty three year old journalist and campaigner Richard Taylor, who is from Cambridge, joins me in the studio now. Richard, hello.
RICHARD TAYLOR: Good afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: So Eric Pickles told you personally? Continue reading “Richard Taylor On Open Democracy”