JamesCousins.com

Vote Conservative for Better Hair

Not seriously, but it’s a short video I did to serve as an example for the competition House of Twits are running until the election. The idea was to stimulate some other entries – so far they are in short supply! Not really sure if this is any good or not, but since I made it [...]

Yet more LGA banned words ranting

It is a tedious subject for many, I’m sure, and maybe I need to learn to relax, but I got a spam email referring to the LGA’s banned words list at the weekend. The spam was from Ticketmedia, an advertising company that sells advertising space on public transport tickets (and presumably thinks I am going to [...]

Crime briefing, 4 – 11 March

The map below details crimes reported in Wandsworth between 4 – 11 March 2010. If you have any information on any of these crimes you can get in touch with the local police on 020 7350 1122 or via Crimestoppers (anonymously, if you wish) on 0800 555 111. You can click on the individual markers for more [...]

Tweets for week ending 2010-03-15

Blogged: Tweets for week ending 2010-03-07 http://bit.ly/bhYLBB # Discovered at the weekend that some colleagues had nicknamed me Robocop. If only they'd added I, II or III to show if it's good or bad. # My God there are some mean toddlers around. This is why I'm trying to teach MiniMe doctrines like justifiable force. # This playgroup [...]

Banned words and the point of lobbying

I’m surprised by the reaction to my post on the Local Government Association (LGA) banned words story yesterday. Generally, people have tended to agree with me – the point of lobbying is not to do something that results in people having a lower opinion of your client, especially when that opinion is because you’re implying [...]

Support Battersea Summer Scheme at Waitrose

I’ve no idea how many people who read this blog shop at Waitrose on St John’s Hill in Clapham Junction, but if you do you will know about their Community Matters scheme. Essentially each month, the store nominates three local charities and they each receive a share of £1,000 in proportion to the green tokens placed [...]

Council wastes money on jargon shock

It’s amazing to think that one of the highest rated councils in the country with the lowest council tax, wastes money on jargon. But it does. Like hundreds of other councils Wandsworth pays an annual subscription to the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA, according to their website “is a voluntary lobbying organisation, acting as the [...]

Wandsworth sets lowest council tax, again

It’s not really news, since the intention has been known for weeks – and could have been guessed for months, if not years – but Wandsworth formally set a 0% increase in council tax for 2010/11 last night at a special meeting of the full council. They are always odd meetings. You would expect them to [...]

Selling Putney

I’ve spent a fair chunk of today at an inward investment event for Putney Town Centre. Although Nine Elms and Tooting have been getting a fair degree of attention recently, the council has continued to promote the rest of the borough as a destination to businesses, retailers and investors. Today’s event was aimed at attracting [...]

I am the Conservative Party’s Samson

One of the givens of any election campaign is that you need a decent portrait photo. After all, who is going to vote for anyone who doesn’t have a decent portrait photo? That would just be crazy. And now that my 2010 one has finally appeared on a leaflet I thought I’d dig out the photos [...]