The Art of Writing

Sparks of creation happen when you turn your life into words on a page. For me, writing these memoirs, and the thoughts that fed them, has been the most reliable therapy I have ever known. No couch, no hourly rate, no polite nodding from a stranger. Just me, the page, and the slow, merciless honesty when the mind starts exercising and stretching.

Talking is different. When you speak about pain, joy, regret, or triumph, the words leave your mouth and vanish into the air. They are shaped by the listener’s face, by the need to be liked, by the rhythm of conversation. You can skim, you can soften, you can laugh and change the subject in the same breath. The story stays half-formed, half-owned. But when you write, the words have nowhere to hide. They sit there in black and white, staring back at you. You see the contradictions. You feel the gaps where memory blurs. You cannot interrupt yourself or wave your hands to distract. Writing drags the truth out by the collar and makes it sit still until it is fully seen. That single difference, visibility, turns confession into excavation.

Some of us are born talkers; the world pours out of our mouths before it is properly sorted. Others, like me, are writers by temperament. We need the silence, the friction of pen on paper or fingers on keys, the tiny physical resistance that slows thought just enough for insight to catch up. Neither way is superior. Both are necessary. The brain is not a single-track machine. It is a symphony of senses, and the more instruments we play, the richer the music becomes.

Cognitively, writing lights up regions that speech alone leaves dark. You engage vision (the forming letters), touch (the pressure of the pen, the warmth of the laptop), proprioception (the movement of wrist and arm), and the deep internal orchestra of memory, emotion, and language all at once. Every extra sense you recruit strengthens the neural pathways. You are not merely recording experience; you are rewiring yourself. The more senses you involve, the more intelligent you become, not in the narrow sense of facts memorized, but in the wider, wiser sense of knowing your own mind. You grow larger on the inside.

That is why I learnt to trust both my rational thoughts and my beliefs with equal seriousness. Writing taught me they are not enemies; they are dance partners. The rational mind supplies the questions and the evidence; the deeper self, the gut, the intuition, supplies the felt sense of truth. When I write, I practice letting them speak in turn. I watch how a rational analysis of the past slowly softens into compassion once the intuitive voice is allowed. Over time, the two grow closer, until rational thought and gut feeling start finishing each other’s sentences. That is what I mean by developing intuition: not magic, but repeated, deliberate activation of the neural highways that connect head and heart.

So I write, often. And along the way I take photographs. Not polished Instagram moments, but raw, unfiltered slices of living: the outrides on eddy, the clouds, the way the sunlight crashes into my room. The camera is another sense. It anchors the words in light and colour and exact time. Later, when I sit with the photos, the memories leap into three dimensions. The neural pathways fire again, stronger. The story deepens.

If you are reading this and wondering whether your own life is worth writing down, let me tell you what the page has taught me: every life is. The act of writing it is the therapy. The slowing down is the growth. The seeing is the healing. Trust the process. Pick up the pen, open the camera roll, and begin. Your future self, clearer, calmer, more whole, will thank you for every word and every frame you dared to keep.

Ronald Bartels | LinkedIn | Instagram

Words

My life, woven from the dusty fields of Oakvilla farm in the Midlands of Natal to the quiet corners of introspection that followed, there’s a peculiar grounding known as “Calliope Syndrome.” It’s not a medical diagnosis you’d find in textbooks, but rather a whimsical label for a phenomenon that afflicts special individuals like me: the chronic mispronunciation of words encountered solely on the page, never in conversation. Named after the mythical muse of epic poetry, whose name itself is a trap, often butchered as “CAL-ee-ope” instead of the proper “ka-LYE-o-pee”—this “syndrome” arises when the written word outpaces the spoken one. You absorb vocabulary through silent immersion in books, building vast mental libraries, but without the auditory cues of everyday dialogue, those words emerge from your lips twisted, unfamiliar, and sometimes hilariously off-key. It’s the brain’s way of prioritizing comprehension over phonetics, a byproduct of solitary reading in a world that values the ear less than the eye.

For me, Calliope Syndrome took root in the fertile soil of my childhood isolation. Growing up on Oakvilla farm, my earliest interactions were a babel of languages, Zulu conversations with farm workers echoing across the fields, while my German and Afrikaans parents navigated our home in their native tongues. Then, in a pragmatic pivot to prepare us for school, they switched us to English, a language that felt as foreign as the distant cities it promised. As the youngest sibling, I was often left behind when my brother and sister went to class, marooned in a sea of solitude with only the farm’s rhythms and my imagination for company. That’s when the books found me, or perhaps I found them, dog-eared volumes stacked in corners, whispering adventures that drowned out the loneliness.

My reading began innocently enough, but it quickly became an obsession. Enid Blyton’s tales of secret seven and famous five were my gateway, their simple enchantments pulling me in. But I outgrew them swiftly, hungering for more. Willard Price’s adventure books transported me to exotic jungles and savannas, teaching me about wildlife and survival in vivid detail. The Hardy Boys fed my detective dreams with mysteries unraveled page by page. I devoured the Oxford Encyclopedia, its entries a feast of facts that expanded my world beyond the farm’s horizons. Then came Eugene N. Marais’s poetic observations on nature and the soul of the white ant, stirring a deeper philosophical bent. A even read some of the Good News Bible. Wilbur Smith’s sweeping African epics and James A. Michener’s historical sagas painted grand narratives of continents and cultures, shaping my opinions on history, resilience, and human folly. These weren’t just stories; they were my companions, my educators, my escape.

I’d read anywhere, anytime, perched in the dog box of our yellow VW Kombi on bumpy rides to school, the world blurring past as words held me captive. On holidays at my grandparents’ house, I’d sprawl on the cool floor, oblivious to family chatter, lost in paragraphs. Conversations faded into background noise; people might call my name, but I was elsewhere, ignoring the pull of the spoken world for the allure of the printed one. This immersion built my inner lexicon brick by brick, but it came at a cost, or rather, a quirk. Words like racist (you pronounce it ray-shist) or “Worcestershire” (a really common one that trips me up) slipped into my vocabulary unseen and unheard, only to betray me later in speech.

Now, well into my mature years, the echoes of Calliope Syndrome linger like a cherished scar. I still stumble over pronunciations, words that feel intimate on the page but alien on the tongue. Yet, I see it not as a flaw, but a blessing, a gift forged in those quiet hours of self-discovery. It reminds me that true expression often lies in the written form, where ideas flow unhindered by the clumsiness of sound. In a life shaped by farms, languages, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge, this syndrome is my badge of honor: proof that books didn’t just inform me, they transformed me, one mispronounced syllable at a time.

Kath’s parents were teachers and would constantly correct my pronunciations, especially at the syssitia. Ironically, they did not understand the syndrome. My brain was hardwired and could not relearn. I just repeated the offense. They just corrected me again. I cannot even recall what those words were, they get deleted.

Ronald Bartels | LinkedIn | Instagram

Dealing with gaslighting

The extract below explores the profound distinction between passive resignation and the authentic practice of acceptance regarding emotional or physical distress. The author argues that true acceptance is not a deceptive strategy to eliminate pain, but rather a process of consciously creating space for uncomfortable sensations without trying to alter them. By utilizing mindfulness and breathing techniques, individuals can observe their internal struggles with a sense of curiosity and compassion instead of resistance. This shift in perspective reveals that a person is stronger than their discomfort, allowing them to acknowledge its presence without being consumed by it. Ultimately, the source suggests that halting the internal fight against pain preserves vital energy that can be redirected toward meaningful life goals.

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From the book: “Holding the Heavy Stuff: Making Space for Critical Thoughts and Painful Emotions” by Ben Sedley.

“Acceptance is a word that seems to be used everywhere now. Sometimes, it’s used dismissively. People might tell you to just ‘accept it’, meaning ‘suck it up’, ‘ignore it’, or ‘stop talking about it’. Others were taught to associate acceptance with surrendering, giving in, or putting up with injustice. I’m sorry if you’ve had this experience.

Acceptance can also be confused with tolerating a feeling. You might tell yourself you can ‘put up’ with a feeling, as long as it doesn’t get too intense or stick around for too long.

Other times people try to treat acceptance as a clever therapy trick. If you can just ‘accept’ this sadness or anxiety or trauma or chronic pain, then you won’t have to have it anymore. Wouldn’t it be great if this were true? If you could just use acceptance as a tool to avoid accepting what you’re feeling? But acceptance isn’t a trick or a technique. It’s about genuinely making space for discomfort. So, why on earth would we want to learn to hold our internal pain? It’s heavy. It hurts. And right now, you have it whether you want it to be there or not (although I’m not making any statement about whether you will always have it).

So, let’s use our curiosity and noticing skills to get to know our pain.

Take in a breath.

As you breathe in, what does it feel like to be breathing in?

As you breathe out, what does it feel like to be breathing out?

Now have a look around inside your body. What feelings, emotions and sensations can you notice? Are there any that feel raw or uncomfortable? Let’s spend some time with those. Don’t try to remove them or change them; rather, notice them with curiosity. Like you’ve never felt these feelings before.

Where do these feelings sit inside your body? How big are they? Do they have a shape? Do they have a particular texture or colour? Are they jagged or smooth? Are they heavy or light?

As you observe these feelings, are you also able to observe your breath? Watch as your breath comes into your body, passes around the feelings wherever they are sitting, and goes out of your body again. Let your breath do whatever it needs to do to care for you and nourish you. Observe this for a few cycles of breath.

Your mind might tell you that there is no room inside you for these feelings. Yet, what is your experience telling you right now? You can breathe around these feelings. There is room inside you for these emotions and sensations, even the feelings that are uncomfortable and you really wish weren’t inside you. Notice your breath is able to pass around these feelings too. Keep coming back to your breath. You’ve got this.

Now I invite you to take a warm compassionate hand and place it on the part of the body that is experiencing these feelings. What does it feel like to have the feelings and to have the breath and to have the warmth and compassion? Can you observe them all? Observe this as you breathe in and breathe out. Then slowly, when you’re ready, take three more breaths before bringing your focus back to the world around you.

Now, take some time to notice what it was like to do that. What was it like to observe your discomfort rather than fight it? To see the discomfort for what it is rather than to listen to your mind telling you that it shouldn’t be there or that you won’t cope if it continues?

Did you notice that there is room inside you for the discomfort? For the emotions or judgemental thoughts? Even for those things you really wish that you didn’t have to be holding? You are bigger and stronger that any of these thoughts or emotions or sensations or urges or memories. Knowing that doesn’t stop it hurting, but maybe the awareness that you can hold it frees up some energy that you would have spent fighting it, and allows you to do things that matter to you.”

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My personal opinion is that these things reside inside your body around the stomach, the second brain.

Ronald Bartels | LinkedIn | Instagram

Marais’ broader vision of a group soul remains unverified, yet perhaps still tantalizingly plausible

Long before modern science unraveled the intricate symbiosis between fungi and termites, Eugene N. Marais wandered the dusty mounds of South Africa, observing with keen eyes and a poetic mind. In The Soul of the White Ant, he proposed a daring, and some would say mystical idea: a termite colony is more than a collection of insects; it is a single composite organism, a living animal where individual termites are akin to cells, and the mound itself forms the body.

While contemporary research has confirmed the central role of fungi in termite nutrition and colony health, Marais’ broader vision of a group soul remains unverified, yet perhaps still tantalizingly plausible.

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Fungus & the Superorganism

Many termite species, particularly the fungus-growing termites that Marais studied, cultivate fungus gardens within their mounds. These gardens are far from decorative; they are the colony’s digestive organs.

Here’s how the process works:

• Worker termites gather plant material (wood, grass, or leaves) and chew it into a pulp.
• This material is inoculated with fungal spores, often from the genus Termitomyces.
• The fungi break down complex cellulose and lignin, substances termites cannot digest efficiently on their own.
• The colony then feeds on the fungal mycelium and the partially digested substrate, a nutrient-rich fungus comb.

In Marais’ metaphor, the fungus gardens are analogous to the stomach, liver, and intestines of a single organism, processing food for all. Workers and soldiers act like blood cells, transporting nutrients and defending the colony. The queen, meanwhile, serves as the brain, orchestrating the colony’s growth and reproduction.

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A Group Soul?

Where Marais truly diverged from modern entomology was his speculation about the colony’s collective psyche. He observed how termites meticulously tended their fungus gardens, balancing growth and harvest with remarkable precision. To him, this was evidence of a unifying “soul” that guided the colony beyond instinctual behavior.

Today, scientists describe termite colonies as superorganisms, coordinated through chemical signals, pheromones, and social behaviors—but they stop short of endorsing a literal “soul.” Marais’ vision remains in the realm of philosophy: an early attempt to capture the emergent intelligence and unity of complex life in metaphorical terms.

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Insights Ahead of Their Time

Modern research validates the fungus-termite symbiosis Marais described: the intricate balance between fungal cultivation and termite labor is essential for colony survival. Yet, science has not, and perhaps cannot, confirm or refute the existence of a group soul.

Maybe Marais’ insights were not just ahead of his time, they may still be ahead of ours. His work invites us to consider life not only in terms of cells and biochemistry but also in relationships, coordination, and collective intelligence. Even in an age dominated by molecular biology, there is room for wonder at the possibility that life, in its many forms, may have layers we have yet to fully understand.

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Final Thought

Whether you take the “soul” metaphor literally or as poetic philosophy, The Soul of the White Ant challenges us to see termite colonies (and perhaps all superorganisms) as more than the sum of their parts. In the silent, bustling chambers of a termite mound, there is a story of cooperation, complexity, and mystery that science continues to explore, and Marais’ vision continues to inspire.

Ronald Bartels | LinkedIn | Instagram

Je pense souvent à cette phrase de Mercédes dans le Comte de Monte Cristo.

Elle dit exactement : « Comment pouvez-vous vivre ainsi, sans rien qui ne vous rattache à la vie »

Mes dépressions reflétaient l’idée qui se cache derrière cette phrase.

Sans un centre, une ancre, une attache, la vie ne fait plus sens.

Vivre pour les autres ou vivre pour soi ? En sachant que sans l’autre, le soi n’est pas grand chose.

J’aimerais ça. Vivre pour quelqu’un.

My Greatest April Fools’ Triumph (That I Almost Missed)

Every year on April 1st, the internet fills with the usual suspects: fake product announcements, photoshopped disasters, and companies pretending they’ve pivoted to selling socks or something equally ridiculous. Most of them land with a thud and disappear by lunchtime.

But the truly legendary pranks? They don’t scream “April Fools!” They whisper it... and then let the world do the screaming for them.

This year, someone pulled off a doozy. They managed to get the White House switchboard phone number showing up on certain Android devices (especially Pixels) as “Epstein Island.” Reporters dialing in got the surprise of their lives. Google quickly killed the edit and blocked the culprit, but for a brief, glorious moment, the prank was perfect, timely, topical, and technically cheeky. It was the kind of Google hacking that makes headlines without anyone getting arrested.

It felt eerily familiar.

Because a decade ago, I did the exact same type of thing. And it became my greatest prank ever.

The Setup

Back in 2017 (or thereabouts, the details are fuzzy in the best way), I decided to play with Google Maps. South Africa was in the middle of the State Capture saga, the Guptas were everywhere in the news, and Saxonwold was basically the punchline of every political joke. Brian Molefe’s infamous “Saxonwold shebeen” excuse had already entered local folklore.

So on April 1st, I made a small, anonymous edit. I pointed the address for “The South African Presidency” to Saxonwold Drive, Randburg, right in the heart of Gupta territory. Nothing too on-the-nose at first, but close enough that anyone paying attention would get the joke. It was a classic Google Maps business/listing hack: suggest an edit, wait for moderation (which was... relaxed back then), and cross your fingers.

I hit submit, chuckled to myself, and went about my day.

Then... nothing happened.

No immediate outrage. No viral tweets. No frantic calls from the Union Buildings. I figured it had either been caught instantly by Google’s filters or it was too subtle. “Ah well,” I thought. “Better luck next year.” I completely forgot about it.

The Slow Burn

Two weeks later, I’m driving through Johannesburg, radio tuned to 702. The headlines come on, and suddenly I hear it:

The South African Presidency’s address on Google Maps had been changed to a location in Saxonwold, right near the Gupta compound. Some outlets even called it the “Saxonwold shebeen.” It was front-page news. Papers like MyBroadband, The Citizen, and News24 ran stories. People were losing it. Google eventually noticed and quietly moved the listing back to the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

I nearly swerved off the road laughing.

It wasn’t discovered on April 1st. It simmered. Someone else stumbled across it days later, the media picked it up, and suddenly the entire country was talking about how the Presidency seemed to have relocated to a dodgy shebeen in Saxonwold. The timing was accidental perfection, it landed right in the middle of the political fever pitch, making the joke hit ten times harder than if it had exploded on the day.

I sat there in the car, anonymous and triumphant, thinking: That was me. I did that.

No one ever traced it back (as far as I know). I never claimed credit publicly. It was pure, clean chaos, the best kind.

Why This One Was Special

Most pranks are loud and obvious. They beg for attention. This one was elegant. It used a tool everyone trusts (Google Maps) to subvert something serious (the seat of presidential power) in a way that played perfectly into existing South African satire. It didn’t need a big announcement. The absurdity spoke for itself.

The 2026 White House “Epstein Island” prank is cut from the same cloth: a targeted edit that slips past the gates and lets reality do the heavy lifting. These Google hacks work because they feel plausible for just long enough to make people do a double-take. In a world drowning in obvious fakes, the best April Fools jokes are the ones that make you wonder, even for a second, if it might actually be real.

Lessons from a Master Prankster (Me, Apparently)

1. Timing is everything — but sometimes delayed timing is even better.

2. Subtlety beats spectacle. Let the audience connect the dots.

3. Strike where people least expect it — official listings, maps, phone numbers. Places that feel too boring to prank.

4. Never confess immediately. Let it breathe. (Though writing about it a decade later on Substack is probably safe.)

If you’re planning your own April Fools mischief this year or next, remember: the greatest pranks aren’t the ones that trend on the day. They’re the ones that make the news two weeks later, when the perpetrator is already sipping coffee and grinning like an idiot in traffic.

Mine did exactly that. And I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled off — or fallen for? Drop it in the comments. I’m always looking for inspiration.

(And Google, if you’re reading this… no hard feelings. It was just a bit of fun.)

Ronald Bartels | LinkedIn | Instagram

Ho appena finito un colloquio con un ragazzo. Prima di salutarci decidiamo di fermarci insieme per un cattè e un dolce, in uno di quei locali storici del centro raffinati che sembrano custodire un pezzo della città. Ci sediamo e ordiniamo. Poco dopo un giovane addetto al servizio arriva al tavolo con il dolce. Sta per appoggiarlo, poi si ferma e, con grande naturalezza, mi fa notare che forse quel dolce potrebbe non essere adatto e propone subito di cambiarlo. Tutto qui. Una cosa piccola e talmente “normale” che non dovrebbe nemmeno meritare di essere raccontata. E invece mi colpisce. Forse perché siamo diventati tanto bravi a parlane e molto meno a praticarla. Accorgersi dell'altra persona prima che sia costretta a chiedere, fare attenzione senza invadere, rispettare una differenza senza trasformarla in distanza. Nessuna domanda. Nessuna differenza da sottolineare. Nessuna identità da interrogare. Nessuna gratitudine da esigere. Un dolce cambiato, un movimento che non cambia niente e che rivoluziona tutto.

ok let’s unload

First time I watched Gilmore Girls, I identified with Rory. Being young, doing things for the first time, Over the subsequent rewatches, over the years, I’ve identified instead with Lorelei, gradually of course!

And now, twenty six years later, I’m starting to feel more and more like Emily.

And one day, I will die.

Monday Night Football.

My game of choice tonight comes from the NFL and has the (4-3) Seattle Seahawks hosting the (5-2) Chicago Bears in a game scheduled to start at 7:15 PM CT. Given my schedule it's unlikely that I'll be able to stay awake for the entire game, but if I can stay with it through halftime I'll be satisfied.

And the adventure continues.

The holidays are here and it’s awesome. However, out of the three fall/winter holidays I like the least it’s Halloween. I liked celebrating it when I was a kid, but by the third grade I was bored of dressing up. To this day, I don’t remember why.

Maybe I found out buying candy at the grocery store was easier, or finding a different costume every year was a hassle, or going through and knocking on strangers’ doors was exhausting. Anyway, it’s too much work.

My wife loves Halloween and it’s her favorite holiday. We do like driving around to find all the houses who took the time to setup decorations. My kids liked trick or treating around our complex.

It may not be my favorite holiday but at least my family loves it.

#candy #costumes #family #holiday #Halloween

In an audit of a database written by the chatbot, one of the issues had as a consequence that SELECT * FROM t WHERE 4 = 5 returned a row...

So I now propose that we call people who think “vibecoding” will replace people thinking “inhabitants of the land where 4 equals 5”.

Lech Walesa, appearing at George Washington University, 27 Oct. 2026.

Jessica Tarlov at Center for American Progress, 27 Oct. 2026.

New recent photos of government and media leaders, including historical figure Lech Walesa, are now available in the TechNewsLit portfolio at the Alamy photo agency. In addition, new photos of Medicare and Medicaid administrator Mehmet Oz and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, also taken in late October, are available for download from the TechNewsLit collections.

Lech Walesa, a shipyard labor organizer in Gdansk, Poland, become the leader of a nationwide anti-Communist movement in Poland in the 1980s, leading to the collapse of the country’s Communist government. Walesa received the Nobel Peace Prize and later became Poland’s president from 1990 to 1995. He spoke at the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University on 27 Oct. 2026.

Jessica Tarlov is a Democratic party strategist and co-host of the public affairs discussion program The Five on the Fox News Channel. She is also a podcaster, co-hosting the Raging Moderates podcast with Scott Galloway and Aaron Parnas. Tarlov appeared at the Center for American Progress discussing her new book, also on 27 Oct. 2026.

Dr. Mehmet Oz at Punchbowl News, 21 Oct. 2026.

Mitch Landrieu at the Arlington, Virginia Democratic gala, 24 Oct. 2026.

Dr. Mehmet Oz trained as a cardiac surgeon, and went from his medical practice to become a popular television personality, with his own Discovery Channel program. After an unsuccessful Republican run for senator in Pennsylvania in 2022, Oz joined the second Trump administration as administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Oz was interviewed by Punchbowl News, and photographed by TechNewsLit, on 21 Oct. 2026.

Mitch Landrieu served as lieutenant governor of Louisiana and mayor of New Orleans, where he led much of the recovery from Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city. In 2021, president Joe Biden named Landrieu a White House advisor and coordinator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He appeared as keynote speaker at the Arlington, Virginia Democratic party gala on 24 Oct. 2026.

These photos are available in special collections for government and political leaders, and media and business leaders, as well as the general TechNewsLit portfolio at the Alamy photo agency.

Copyright © Technology News and Literature. All rights reserved.

After a gap of about five years I recently attended a Police Powers Scrutiny Panel and was struck by how much the process has improved since I was last there.

The panel is now far more representative of our community, bringing diverse voices to the table to examine police body-worn camera footage. It is encouraging to see a genuine effort to engage citizens in the oversight of policing powers.

However, I feel that this progress in representation stands in stark contrast to a worrying regression in the data that feeds the panel.

The 'community complaints trigger', the automatic mechanism that once ensured community oversight and continuous improvement, has long gone. Now, complaints are largely kept within the constabulary's internal systems, with a very slim chance of ever reaching their scrutiny panel.

The result is that the panel, however well-composed, is left to review only a tiny fraction of stops and 'use of force' via dip samples. On complaints, the panel is blind.

I've also been very concerned, for some time, about the Constabulary's use of strip search. I raised it at the last Gloucestershire Police & Crime Panel and although I asked for a 'considered response' my request didn't make it into the draft minutes; the PCC chose to answer a different question.

This structural gap is not just anecdotal. It has now been illuminated by the latest Home Office data for Gloucestershire, year ending March 2026, which reveals deep-seated issues that our current scrutiny model is ill-equipped to catch:

• Accountability Gaps: In the realm of strip searches, the data is more than alarming. Of the 38 full strip searches conducted, one involved a child, yet it is recorded as “not known” whether an appropriate adult was present. Furthermore, for 97% of these searches, the location was “not known”, and supervisor consultation was “not known” for all of them.
• Disproportionate Impact: Black people were stopped and searched six times more often than white people relative to their share of the local population.
• Low Yield: For most searches (57%), the reason was drugs, yet 60% of all searches resulted in no further action, with only 18% leading to an arrest.
• Use of Force Disparity: Black people were involved in use of force reports 7.8 times more often than white people relative to population proportions.

These statistics suggest that the problems here in Gloucestershire are not merely about the outcomes of individual searches, but also about the systemic recording and oversight of the encounters themselves. If a force cannot reliably record the location of a strip search or confirm the presence of an appropriate adult for a child, how can a Scrutiny Panel effectively review the conduct? A strip search of a child where it is 'not known' whether an appropriate adult was present is not a data quality issue. I consider this a serious safeguarding failure.

I've reviewed the minutes produced by the Police Powers Scrutiny Panel and these have improved immeasurably, however it was clear from conversations that there is no staff capacity to adapt them for release into the public domain. I have not been able to find published minutes since March 2024; I'm told this is due to budget cuts. If I'm wrong, I'd welcome correction. HMICFRS noticed similar in the latest PEEL inspection saying that “publishing this more often should help to build public trust and confidence”.

The improved composition and working of the Police Powers Scrutiny Panel is good news for local democracy. However, the Terms of Reference for the panel remains elusive, I've asked for sight of it but it's not been forthcoming. Personally, I think that document should be signed off by the Gloucestershire Police & Crime Scrutiny Panel. But without transparent data and a mechanism to surface complaints that bypass internal filters, the Constabulary's own panel risks becoming a forum that reviews a minute selection of events rather than the reality of policing on our streets.

Trust and legitimacy are built on the assurance that misconduct and procedural failings will be detected and addressed. By allowing critical data fields to remain blank and removing the automatic triggers for community review, we are eroding that trust.

We must ensure that the Police Powers Scrutiny Panel has the tools and the data it needs to hold the constabulary to account, rather than watching from the sidelines as the feedback loop remains broken. I am asking the OPCC to assist in getting the Police Powers Scrutiny Panel's Terms of Reference and summaries of their minutes into the public domain.

For Wotton-under-Edge, North Nibley & Stinchcombe

Along with residents' casework and in addition to council and training meetings at Ebley Mill, Cllrs Kitchen, Braun & Cohen attended the regular council meetings at North Nibley, Stinchcombe & Wotton-under-Edge.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government announced on 29th October that it is 'minded to' confirm a single unitary authority for Gloucestershire. A pause in the LGR process and a full review of decisions had been announced in September following legal challenges. A final decision is expected before Christmas, and in the event that the single unitary council decision is confirmed, elections to the new Gloucestershire Council would take place in May 2028, ahead of vesting in April 2029. There may also be elections to Stroud DC in May 2028 for the final year of the district council.   

Council meetings

Link to meeting agenda and documents in the committee title.

Strategy and Resources Committee – 8th October 🔗

• The Old Town Hall, Stroud – A Community Asset Transfer from SDC was agreed to the Stroud Valleys Artspace and Stroudwater Textiles Trust of the Old Town Hall for a nominal sum to develop a Centre for Textile Arts.
• Woodchester Mansion Agreed £245k to support the Woodchester Mansion Trust in funding the next stage of project development and an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in order to secure a sustainable future for the council-owned Grade I listed building, in partnership with the National Trust which owns the surrounding Woodchester Park.
• Kingshill House An urgent funding request from the trustees of Kingshill House Limited was not supported by the Committee as it was assessed as not being permitted under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and not compliant with the council’s fiduciary duties. It was however agreed that the council officers would urgently meet with the Trustees to see whether a long term restructuring plan can be found which would return the trust to long term viability.
  
• Compulsory Purchase, May Lane/Prospect Place, Dursley The committee authorised compulsory purchase powers to acquire land for a scheme delivering up to 17 new affordable council homes, along with service road widening.
• Warm Homes – Social Housing Fund The committee recommended to Council to accept an increased grant offer from Government for an additional £550k of 'supplementary solar funding' to increase the number of homes delivered under the Warm Homes Wave 3 programme and raise more homes to EPC C standard. SDC had already been awarded £5.3m to deliver retrofit works to 507 properties. The additional funding will allow an extra 65 properties to receive solar PV and battery installations, reducing energy bills for tenants and helping SDC to ensure all council homes are at least at an EPC C efficiency rating.
• Local Authority Housing Fund An additional grant offer of £3.9m from Government was recommended for approval by the Committee which would enable 16 new homes to be purchased in the district, with 8 to be provided for people on the Afghan Resettlement Programme and 8 to be provided for temporary accommodation for homeless people.
  
• Housing Capital Budget Committee recommended that a further £10m be included in the Housing Revenue Account capital budget to acquire new council homes. Demand for affordable housing in the district remains high, with over 3,000 households on the Homeseeker Plus register and 1,169 assessed as being in significant housing need. This additional capital funding will enable the council to partner with developers to buy new s106 affordable homes which may otherwise be converted to open market housing. A financial assessment for each property would ensure that the ongoing borrowing costs by the Council are fully funded from the ongoing rental income.
• Summary of Member/Officer Reports
  • Leadership Gloucestershire Proposed abolition of the Police and Crime Commissioner model by May 2028 and replacement by Policing and Crime Boards (PCBs) comprising local authority Leaders, Mayors and independent co-opted members. These boards will be responsible for budgets, precept setting, scrutiny and appointing or removing the Chief Constable. Functions are expected to transfer to a new PCB rather than council leadership directly, though the OPCC may remain as a separate legal entity. Discussed the new Gloucestershire Business Board, comprising up to 15 senior business leaders, to give local businesses a stronger voice in shaping the county's economic future.
    
  • City Region Board Investment of £279m by government at the barracks in South Cerney for the Army's cyber unit; though local recruitment is not guaranteed despite construction and contractor opportunities. There was also an update on the Golden Valley development in Cheltenham with a cyber sector focus. The county-wide business rates poolhad generated an £8m gain in 2025/26 with over £1.5m allocated to the Strategic Economic Development Fund. No further contributions are expected due to the Government's reset of business rates baseline. A Local Plans update noted progress across the county with local plans and the consultation on a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) to create a more strategic planning framework across Gloucestershire which is now open – from 2 Nov to 14 Dec 2026, and includes drop in events and online webinar sessions.
    
  • Regeneration and Investment Board Brimscombe Port following positive market engagement, procurement for a developer for the site has now launched, with a contract award targeted for April 2027. Cheapside and Stroud station work is progressing with rail sector partners including the station forecourt redesign and wider regeneration plans. Canal Project – the project to create a new canal channel under the M5 is on target, but the programme is forecast £1.9m over budget, with a partnership approach needed to close the gap. Funding programmes impacts and legacy – Noted that the UKSPF, REPF and Market Town Vitality Fund delivered significant benefits to market town projects (£200k, and Wotton received funding for our Christmas lighting). No further Government funding is available for these schemes. But SDC is launching a new Sustainable Economy Fund for the district (see Other news section below for details). A Cultural Asset Audit is proposed in partnership with councils and Arts Council England. Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and data centre proposals there are emerging energy and digital infrastructure proposals within the Severn Edge area (Berkeley and Oldbury), including discussions relating to SMRs and associated data centres. Proposals are at an early stage, with no planning applications submitted.

[ ▶︎ ] Video recording (241 views)

Licensing Sub-Committee – 15th October – Postponed 🔗

• New date 6th November 2026

Full Council – 15th October 🔗

Recommendations from Housing Committee – To accept a £3.9m grant for the HRA capital programme, to deliver additional housing for those fleeing conflict and those in need of temporary accommodation. – To accept a £550k grant through the Social Housing Fund Wave 3 project, which will allow Stroud District Council to further increase the number of homes delivered through the Wave 3 project, and increase the number of homes to EPC C. – To agree an additional £10m into the Housing Revenue Account capital budget for acquisition of new homes, mainly from developers via S106 agreements.

Recommendations from Strategy and Resources Committee – Budget Strategy and Draft Medium Term Financial Plan: This will be used in setting the budget for the 2027/28 year. A 2.99% increase in Council Tax is planned, as this is expected by Government. The Council faces a considerable decrease in funding over the coming years. – The Old Town Hall, Stroud: Following the S&R Committee decision to approve the transfer of The Old Town Hall, Stroud, to Stroud Valleys Artspace to develop a 'Centre for Textile Arts' Council agreed for £70k to be added to the capital programme (from earmarked reserves) to replace the gas heating system as the council had required.

Updates to the Constitution. Amendments to the Constitution were approved. Most changes were mundane but the paper also contained changes necessary to reflect the Government's new National Scheme of Delegation which took effect on 31 October 2026. This aims to streamline the planning decision-making process and means that most minor applications (including developments up to 9 homes) will be decided by a planning officer and cannot be referred to the council's Development Control Committee for wider debate.
There was unhappiness with these imposed changes which reduce local voice and participation in the planning process and led to 21 abstentions.

Appointment of Independent Persons. Agreed to appoint Duncan Chittenden and Alan Darlington as Independent Persons to assist the council when making its decisions on an allegation that there has been a breach of the code of conduct and Cllr Richard Halpin as a Town and Parish representative until any merger takes effect.

[ ▶︎ ] Video recording (82 views)

Development Control Committee – 20th October 🔗

S.26/0850/COU – Permitted Change of use from residential dwelling (Class C3) to residential institution (Class C2) as a children's home for up to two children.

Parish council objected because of impact on the adjacent properties, unsuitability, limited parking provision. Residents have similar concerns.

The Local Plan also supports the provision of new care facilities within the district with a strategic objective to provide 950 care home spaces by 2031. [ ▶︎ ] Video recording (75 views)

Audit and Standards Committee – 27th October 🔗

An overview of the more interesting snippets at the meeting.

Revised Strategic Risk Register. The most significant takeaway is that the Council is adopting a clearer, more transparent approach to managing its biggest strategic risks.

Annual Complaints Update. In April 2025 the council introduced a new complaints case management system which has improved the data available for reporting. Councillors discussed SDC's commitment to effective complaints handling, transparency and continuous improvement while noting that performance in some areas remains below expectations. e.g. Only 55% of complaints were responded to within the Council's published service standards. Council Housing is by far the most complained-about service, receiving 266 accepted complaints. Of these, 41% were Upheld (the Council admitted fault), 37% were Partially Upheld, and 23% were Not Upheld (%'s rounded). The vast majority of complaints were resolved at Stage 1. It has been noted that complaints are becoming “more complex and voluminous”, partly due to the increasing use of AI by complainants. SDC has plans in place to improve performance.

Annual Performance Review of Our Service Standards.The Customer Contact Centre now handles 60% of all calls to the main council number. While they resolve 95% of Waste & Recycling calls and 90% of Council Tax calls at the first point of contact, resolution rates for Environmental Health & Licensing remain much lower.

The council has implemented a new cloud-based contact centre solution (Liberty Converse CX) which includes features like real-time dashboards for managers, call recording for training, and a planned chatbot/live chat capability.

Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Policy The report explicitly states that while the Council is governed by the same legislation as banks, it is considered “low risk” in terms of exposure to money laundering.

Q1 Treasury Management Activity Report The Council's investment portfolio holds an overall low exposure to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) risks and a blended credit rating of A+.

Extension of Term of Office for Independent Co-opted Member Approval to extend the term of appointment of Jonathan Wood, the Independent Co-opted member of the committee.

[ ▶︎ ] Video recording (39 views)

Other news

• New Sustainable Economy Fund for Stroud district businesses, charities, community organisations and education providers are being invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000 through Stroud District Council's £100,000 Sustainable Economy Fund.
• Fly-tipping Make sure your waste ends up in the right place. Many people don't realise that they have a legal Duty of Care when arranging for their waste to be removed. If your rubbish is fly-tipped and can be traced back to you, you could still be held responsible, even if you paid someone else to take it away. Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnight.
• Award for the Canal Project Cotswold Canals Connected achieves prestigious building with nature award.
• Planning changes SDC are advising of forthcoming changes to the planning system in England being introduced by the Government from 31 October 2026.
• Museum in the Park shortlisted for two Cotswolds Awards in landmark anniversary year.
• Local Transport PlanIf you have any views on the priorities for transport in Gloucestershire, please do take a moment to complete the survey on the draft Local Transport Plan which is open until 15 November.
• Local Plan– SDC has now formally started the 30 month long process to prepare a new Local Plan, with completion of a 'Gateway 1' self-assessment. Feedback from the summer early scoping consultation and the proposed local plan timescale has also been published. The next formal consultation is planned for summer 2027.

Prepared by Cllr Gareth Kitchen 🔗 (Green) & Cllr Catherine Braun 🔗 (Green) based on councillor activity in October with updates from Cllr Linda Cohen 🔗 (Lib Dem).

Het kapittaalwonder van de huidige monetaire orde

het communicatie middel van het complete klooster en de overdraagbare maatschap pij

(de maatschap pij die draag jij)

Het zesde gebod° partitie twaalf b

Ik zal alles wat ze daar aan schappelijks naar buiten laten gaan via hun en al hunner voor verzenden van dergelijke inhoud ontwikkelde en gemaakte media en masse bij mij binnen laten komen daarna deze boodschappen met voorbeeldig gedrag keer op keer herhalen en dan echt stukken wijzer worden en elke dag op deze wijze blijven voortgaan

ex amen

Ik wil een speciale wil die omgezet kan worden in een lopende of spaarrekening een wil waarmee ik spullen en activiteiten kan betalen eentje waarmee ik kan tanken van alles kan bedrijven in een daarvoor opgerichte zaak deze wil nummeriek vermenigvuldigen daaraan mijn naam verbinden en als gevolg hiervan andere dwingen exact hetzelfde te doen zodat alleen wij de mensen die geschikt zijn om te leven en werken in kunstmatig intelligent klimaat en anders totaal niet zullen bepalen hoe het leven op aarde er voor ieder ander type elk etmaal uitziet

ex amen

Ik zal mijn snelheid en vermogen overal altijd zwaar overdrijven met alle mogelijke middelen machines, apparaten, automaten, pillen spuiten, instrumenten, scanners, klokken, verbeelding en geschriften vooral via taal zal ik iedereen en alles mijn wereld intrekken en er levenslang in opbergen ik produceer, repliceer, vernietig, verklaar ontwikkel, redigeer, beheer, amuseer lieg gedrukt, lieg verbeeld, onderdruk manipuleer, ambieer en maak gebruik van nog veel meer van dergelijke uitgewerkte woorden om mij 100000000000000 groter te maken dan ik echt ben

ex amen

° voltooid tegenwoordige tijd van gebed

Another Monday morning. We set the clocks back yesterday. They keep talking about not having to do that anymore, and then we keep on doing it. I think it is kind of pointless in a world that never sleeps. We have a lot of lights that are nearly as bright as the sun. Some wealthy fucking idiots are even launching mirrors into space now that reflect the sun back to earth in the night.

Changing the clocks makes me think back many years to when I was a teenager. I had a friend who had parents that were better off than my parents were. They were a blue collar family like my family, but they had jobs that paid a lot more. My friend always had nicer things, lived in a bigger house, and his parents went away a lot. We would spend the night there when his parents were gone for the weekend. Sometimes it was just us two boys, and other times it would be three four of us. We would hang out and smoke cigarettes while watching movies, or listening to music. Occasionally we would have beer that older boys had bought for us.

One night there was three of us spending the night when the rest of the family were away. The guy who lived there did what he always did, and went to sleep first. Then it was just me and another boy left awake in that big house. I guess we got bored sitting on the couch in the rec room smoking cigarettes. We started exploring the other rooms.

I don't know what the hell I was thinking, but suddenly I thought it would be funny if we turned every clock in the house back an hour. It was the middle of summer. The other guy that was still awake with me thought that was hilarious, and was totally into it. So we did it. Then we just went back to the couch and watched more television.

I sat there feeling guilty about it. Kept picturing the Monday morning everyone was going to have if no one noticed we had done that. My friend, his brother and sister would all miss the bus. His mom and dad would have both been late for work. His father was so mean, and a heavy drinker. He would have lost it. When my mind went down that path I also started to be scared as well as guilty. Then, feeling kind of stupid, I looked at my friend and said, 'we should really put them back.' He was apparently feeling the same way. Without hesitation we ran around setting them back again. No one knows that we did that. Well, until right now I guess.