Reasons to be cheerful.

Britain. What a crappy place, eh? Road pricing, dwindling pensions, crumbling schools, shambolic public transport. It all seems to be getting on top of us at the moment. So, in response to this nationwide epidemic of low morale, here are a number of reasons why Britain is Great.

1. Things we take for granted. Heat, light, clean water, uncensored media. We complain that our fuels bills are outrageous, and sometimes they are, but at the touch of a button we can be sitting in a warm, well lit house, watching 1000 channels on Sky. It's expensive, but it's all something which we take for granted, and which we would miss beyond measure if it wasn't there. Imagine getting home from a miserable day at work and finding you've no central heating, no running water, and the tv has packed in. Sometimes we forget how awfully lucky we are.

2. The history. Australia and the USA, or "The Colonies" as Stephen Fry calls them, look at us with envy because of the heritage which we have amassed. History is all around us, from Stonehenge to the Tower of London. And the best part of it is that, in the main, we have preserved our history rather than bulldozing it. The magnificent Natural History Museum in London is a shining light in what historians can achieve. But it's not just in the capital that we can find history. From the Black Country museum, which has a working tram, a mineshaft and a canal basin, to the Museum of Welsh Life outside Cardiff, where important historical buildings from all over Wales have been reassembled bit by bit and help to explain how we used to live. A society cannot progress without an appreciation of it's past.

3. The architecture. Just look up, look around you, next time you're in town. It's the best way of going back in time. The plastic shop fronts which we see everyday can conceal hundreds of years of architecture. And it varies so wildly across the country, from the magnificent Georgian Esplanade at Weymouth, to the gothic Castle and alleyways of Edinburgh. But sometimes it's not particularly tourist spots which can boast the finest architecture, sometimes you can find it in the last place you expect. For example, the exterior of St Pancras is almost Cathedral-like, but rarely seen as most of it's travellers head straight for the underground station.
And in London's financial district, the City, the "Gherkin" stands opposite the Lloyds Tower as wonderful examples that not all modern constructions are eyesores. Even football stadiums are great examples of what we can achieve, and the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff soars above the city skyline without scarring it.

4. The NHS. It gets pilloried everyday in the media for hospital closures, waiting lists and MRSA. But what people forget is that it's completely FREE. This is unheard of outside of the UK where medical insurance is imperative. And we have choice as well because if we don't want to wait for a free operation, we can go private and pay for it straightaway!

5. Greenery. Even in the centre of London there are St James's Park, Hyde Park and Regents Park, providing beauty spots and somewhere to unwind amongst the hustle of bustle of one of the busiest cities in the world, whilst simultaneously oxegenating the air for all its residents. But this green and pleasant land extends beyond this from the moors of Devon, to the Yorkshire dales and the Lake District. There is such natural beauty around; the mountains of Wales, the Jurassic coastline of Dorset and the canals of Norfolk.

6. The people. We live in one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the world, and we strive to be tolerant of one anothers cultures. Earlier this month London hosted four international football friendly matches, none of which included the home nation! South Korea, Greece, Denmark, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal and Brazil were all supported by their colourful fans and the reason the games were played in London was because of the high prevalence of such nationalities in the capital, that it made more sense than to play the matches in their home countries. We can be so proud of ourselves for helping to create such a multi-national culture.

It can be Great in Britain. We just need reminding every so often.

"Pay as you drive" Road Tax

I'm not normally one to vent my spleen about Politics, as you're never quite sure who you're going to offend. But goddamnit, this proposed new Road Tax is making my blood boil I can't hold my tongue any longer.

I want to help the environment. I recycle, I turn off all the electrics at the wall, I car-share. I do my bit. And I realise that congestion is a growing problem within the UK, and that action must be taken. But the government's proposal to charge £1.28 per mile on the most congested roads in the UK is backwards.

Implementing road tax will not disincentivise road users as we have to use the roads to get to work. It's as simple as that. However, I have some suggestions which do not involve taxing the poorer drivers off the road.

1. Car share lanes. Especially around the urban bottlenecks. Encourage more and more people to travel together, and leave at least one car at home.

2. Park and Ride schemes on the outskirts of town. Free parking and £1 for the bus to work everyday, along pre-designated bus lanes. That would be a huge success around most towns!

3. A subsidised commute. It's so expensive for people to commute to work, and the idea of sitting in cramped conditions on run-down trains and buses is one of the main reasons that people learn to drive. So a government subsidy for Employer-sponsored travelcards used by people getting to work would be an excellent incentive to not use their car.

4. Some restriction on shorter journey's i.e. the school run. Within half an hour an average comprehensive school can see 500 cars come and go in the morning and afternoon. Let the children walk home. Let the parents walk them home. A little bit of exercise never hurt anyone, and if the recent statistics on child obesity are to be believed then it kills two birds with one stone.

5. Lorry lanes. Far too much congestion is caused by HGV's overtaking each other and using up two lanes. A system of lorry lanes, as used outside the UK, would keep the traffic flowing better and reduce congestion.

6. A higher tax for the 2nd car registered at a particular address. Two car families are one of the main causes of congestion. It would also encourage people to car share (see point 1).

These are only suggestions, but the government is claiming that until they are offerred alternatives, they can do nothing but press ahead with Road Pricing. Well, this proves that there are some alternatives, if only the government would listen.

There are other issues here. The £200 "tracker" box which you will be FORCED to buy and fit, and which will tell tales on you when you enter a congestion zone. It will also deny your civil liberties by informing the government of your daily movements. It only takes one bad egg at the end of your tracker signal to take advantage of the fact that they know you're not home.

They 'spin' it by claiming it will encourage people to use public transport. Which is all very well in theory, but most MP's live in or around London, and seem to believe that the whole country has access to safe and reliable public transport, just like them. London has at least 10 main line railway stations, the Docklands Light Railway, The Croydon Tram system, a comprehensive London Underground network and a massive fleet of buses.

The town in which I live doesn't even have ONE railway station. It has a few buses, which are always packed with school children, and there is no direct service to the town in which I work. So a 20 minute car journey would become an hour long bus journey. And even if I wanted to work nearer home, to avoid travelling through areas of congestion, I couldn't. Because there is NO employment in the South Wales valleys.

And it is precisely for this reason that a large percentage of the Valley's population make the long journey down to Newport and Cardiff. Because that is where the jobs are and we all need to work to be able to buy things! The government must presume that we enjoy sitting in traffic jams, or that we congest the roads simply to inconvenience others. I sit in traffic on the same road every day for no other reason other than it heads in the direction of my office.

If Welsh Assembly rumours are to be believed, then Gwent and the rest of South East wales are being considered for a pilot scheme of this proposed Road Tax. Because the M4 and the A470 and the A467 are so congested with people going to and from the places or work that they can't afford to live near!!

So my question to Mr Blair, and Transport Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman is this.

Why are we being punished for living in a poor area?

What's all the Fuzz about?

"It's like Lethal Weapon meets Midsomer Murders"

When a film is decribed thus, you know not to take it seriously. Hot Fuzz is a doff of the cap to all-action, gun-toting, "Cop-on-the-edge" films of the 1980's and 90's, but with a twist. It's set in the West Country.

Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright first collaborated on the cult Channel 4 comedy "Spaced", which rapidly became a hit due to it's frequent references to Star Wars and other classic movies. The cinematic feel which Wright gave to the show, using only one camera to film it, also gave it an other-worldly edge.

This success led to 2004's Rom-Zom-Com "Shaun of the Dead" which was a smash hit and made Simon Pegg a household name. As the success built, Pegg was asked if he would throw off the UK and make a career in Hollywood. He replied "I'm not exactly going to run off and film Mission;Impossible 3 am I?" Which, of course, he did.

Hot Fuzz had a much bigger budget than S.O.T.D., but still retains the small town feel, to which Sgt Nicholas Angel must adapt to following his reassignment from London. The story is simple enough - Sgt Angel is making too many arrests for the Met. police and making his colleagues look bad. So he is reassigned to Sandford and becomes shocked at the relaxed attitude to law enforcement. But soon enough, a number of locals meet grisly ends and Sgt Angel and his new colleague, Danny, investigate.

The friendship he strikes up with his partner, played by Nick Frost, is a real treat. Frost stood out in his role of "Mike" in Spaced, playing a gun-loving simpleton, but the character of "Ed" in Shaun of the Dead was thoroughly dislikeable from the first scene, and left staunch fans of Spaced a little flat.

However, in Hot Fuzz, Nick Frost again steals the show. His amiable character, whose life revolves around American Cop films and frequent visits to the pub, coupled with his morbid fascination with Sgt Angel's previous assignments, help the film rumble along to it's hilariously violent climax.

The assembled cast is outstanding, including legends such as Edward Woodward, Billie Whitelaw, Lethal Weapon 3 'baddie' Stuart Wilson, and the fantastic Timothy Dalton as the sneering, conniving Somerfield manager. There are also cameo's from Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy.

There are a number of stand out moments, including a gun-wielding Grannie being drop kicked over a wall, a gruesome murder of a pesky reporter and the climactic "battle of Somerfield".

Go see it, it's superb.