more ‘My Work’ can be found in the gallery.

I enjoyed my recent visit to Westminster Abbey. One of the things that particularly caught my attention was the painting of Queen Elizabeth II which was displayed in the Chapter House. The artist Ralph Heimans painted the portrait during the Queen’s Jubilee year:

THE CORONATION THEATRE: PORTRAIT OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Ralph Heimans (2012)
Oil on canvas

This unique painting of Her Majesty The Queen
standing on the Cosmati pavement in Westminster Abbey
has been purchased by the Abbey thanks to the
generosity of Lord and Lady Harris of Peckham.

This official portrait was painted during the
Diamond Jubilee Year of Her Majesty the Queen

A week after my visit I was quite dismayed to hear that the painting had been vandalised with spray paint.  After reading more of the story I understood why the man did what he did.  The man is a member of  Fathers4Justice (although it was not an official protest) and it was just four days before Fathers day and he would not be able to see his children on that day.

Desperate means lead to desperate measures.  I think he managed to highlight the problem but I think his actions might put some people off the cause.

It is a shame that the paint can was not noticed on entry into the building, during the obligatory bag search.  If a search is necessary (for whatever reason) it should be done properly.

In  January 2007, RAF Cosford learned that their bid for the Defence Training Review contract had failed.  Following that announcement there have been many delays and setbacks, causing the proposed move to St Athan to go over-budget and behind schedule.  No surprises there then!

You can follow some of the twists and turns of the campaign here.

Over the weekend it was reported that although planning permission for building the new academy had been granted by Vale of Glamorgan council in September 2009, the decision to go ahead has been delayed until July this year.  After the general election…

From Wales Online:

David Cameron attacks Government over St Athan plans Jan 09 2010

CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron yesterday attacked the Government for not making a clear decision about the future of the proposed £13bn Defence Training College in St Athan ahead of this year’s general election.

He did not pledge to support the landmark project – predicted to create more than 5,000 jobs – but condemned Labour’s stance as “disingenuous”.

On Thursday, the MoD confirmed the final sign-off would not take place until after the election, meaning the decision may fall to an incoming Conservative government.

Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell said: “Plans have advanced considerably, but the work has exceeded the assumptions made in 2008 and hence the change to when the investment decision will be taken…the project is on track for an investment decision in the summer.”

Mr Cameron said: “We recognise the importance of this project and totally see the logic of bringing together these services. I think the Government is being disingenuous with their announcement.

“They are still the Government and they have had plenty of time to make a decision about this. After all, the Vale of Glamorgan council granted planning permission for the scheme last September.

“We will have a proper strategic defence review if we win the election.”

This drew a fiery response from Labour Rhondda MP Chris Bryant.

What Chris Bryant said

He said: “He’s the man who’s been refusing to sign on the dotted line. He’s the person committed to swingeing cuts.

“He’s the person who’s been saying that in this present year we should be making cuts.”

Mr Bryant was adamant the proposed training centre, which was suggested as a possible target for cuts by Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable last year, would save money.

He said: “It wouldn’t save any money not to do it, which is why I think Vince Cable was so daft when he said what he said and why I think Cameron and the Tories have not understood the situation.”

From BBC News:

A final decision on a proposed £12bn defence academy will not be made until the summer, the UK government says.

The Defence Technical College (DTC) is set to create more than 2,000 jobs at St Athan, by providing specialist training for all the armed services.

Armed forces minister Bill Rammell said extra work on the deal meant a delay to plans to make a decision in the spring.

Vale of Glamorgan MP John Smith said there could be “no doubt whatsoever” at UK ministers’ commitment to the scheme.

Planning permission for the DTC was granted by Vale of Glamorgan council in September last year, although the final say on the go-ahead rests with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Construction was due to begin late this year, with the college billed to provide specialist engineering, communications and information systems training to all the UK’s armed forces, bringing them together in one location on new premises.

During recent weeks PCS members and reps have been speaking and writing to MPs who will be standing in the upcoming election.  The results with only 2 days left before polling day show that most of  the Conservative or Labour candidates are not interested in engaging in the process:

PCS and its members asked a series of questions as part of the union’s Make Your Vote Count campaign, which also saw 34 candidates’ question time events organised by PCS reps and members across the UK.  The purpose of the survey is to find out the views of the various candidates on where they stand in relation to public services.  The answers are then published on the PCS website, this allows people to make an informed choice before voting.  It also seeks to get people more interested in the election process and encourage them to go out and vote.

To find out where candidates stand on key issues such as jobs, privatisation and European co-operation to close tax gaps, European election candidates were sent a questionnaire. While the union does not recommend any party or candidate, candidates’ responses are then publicised to members to assist them in deciding who to vote for.

Labour and Conservative candidates mostly either failed to respond to the survey or simply referred voters to a national manifesto.

This shows a worrying contempt for the public at a time when politicians ought to be talking to the electorate to regain some of the trust lost through the scandal over MPs’ allowances, the union says.

Delegates at PCS’s annual conference last month overwhelmingly agreed to build on the MYVC campaign, and over the coming year members will be consulted about the possibility of standing or supporting trade union candidates in some elections. There will then be a ballot of the union’s 300,000 members on the issue.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “You would think that in the current climate, with public trust in politicians at an all-time low, that candidates would want to talk to the public. Instead what we have seen is either a refusal to participate or a robotic response referring us to a manifesto. This is simply not good enough.

So after all that hard work helping out with the campaign I had better go and cast my vote hadn’t I