Saturday 14 February 2009

Where a request is not a requirment

Over the past 7 years my protocol with our corporate hotel booking service has had a note on it saying that I will not accept being placed in a smoking room.

The booking form they send had the words "non smoking room requested". Now in my ignorance I have always assumed that when a hotel accepts a booking with a request they will honour it on the day or inform the agency the request could not be met.

It would appear I was wrong.

Twice in the past fortnight I was told oh no it was only a "request" so we put you in this one from our allocation as I coughed my way down the internal phone. In both cases a new room was found.

But my protocol has now changed the latest booking now reads "non smoking room required contact guest direct is not available"

Tory attacks core of Scouting values

As an Englishman living in Wales I have always been amazed at the depths some on the fringes of Welsh politics will go to attack all things English. However this latest news that a Tory Councillor in Abergele is up in arms about the Scout movement holding a parade to celebrate their patron saint takes the biscuit.

Anyone who like me has been an active member of the Scouting movement would know that the saint chosen to represent the values of the association is shared with the Malta, Gozo, Beirut oh and England.

They would also know that the nearest Sunday to the 23rd is when most scout groups will hold a local parade and promise renewal service for many it is the only act of religious observance they have.

Now is a fit of what appears to be Welsh nationalism Cllr Sam Rowland is urging the association to change the focus of the event. The movement should he claims should do so because they don't march on St Davids Day.

How pathetic can you be. Far from attacking this celebration of honour and community involvement he ought to dig out a tent, pair of boots and get out with a local scout group and serve his community instead of using the organisation for a few cheap political points

Sunday 8 February 2009

Passport vs Driving licence online

Having moved recently and with an expired passport I finally got around to starting to sort the situation out this morning.

First off the Passport. A google search gets me to the relevant agency and apply on-line forms a series of questions a postcode based address finder (with accurate information)and a return button promised me a pre filled form in the post in the next couple of days.

So far so good

Now the driving licence find DVLA, redirect to Direct Gov single free-form text to request the relevant paper document with a promise of 7-10 day deliver.

Now I realise there are differences in the service but surely someone should be looking at this incredible oversight to ensure the technology the passport agency have secured for their forms could also be deployed by other government agencies