New David Attenborough Fake Footage Row?

My retired Guide Dog Brandy Died today, but lives AGAIN!

Christmas is a time for miracles, so it is said, and today I think I've experienced one.

My retired Guide Dog Brandy, who worked at my side from 1999 to 2006 died earlier today when he choked on half a joint of pork that had fallen to the floor.

He retired on November 26th 2006 after an exceptional working career, and he literally means the world to me. Brandy is a pure yellow Lab, despite his parents both being black, and his love of food must rival my love of him.

Although he never stole food from the table, or indeed an unattended plate, one particularly amusing memory came in Easter 2000, when a young Brandy stole a Cadbury's Cream Egg from the shelf in Tesco in Penarth. In mitigation, as a gun dog of exceptional breading, he was used to carrying raw eggs without breaking them - but I suspect in retirement, that skill does not survive.

So imagine my shock when I was told this afternoon that Brandy had died but successfully resusitated. My world collapsed, but was instantly lifted back up by the news.

My father, who owns Brandy in retirement heard a noise (the pork dropping off the surface and to the floor we now believe), then about 10 seconds later, he heard Brandy making a noise as if he was choking, and so he came in from a house he has been renovating and in to the temporary mobile home on the building site o find Brandy lying on the floor, tongue inside the back of his throat, eyes fixed an heart stopped.

Fortuitously, my father is a professionally trained first aider, and has resuscitated many people over the years... but he told me on the phone that he had no idea what to do with a dog... fortunately again however, he guessed correctly that the technique is to hold the dog's mouth shut and blow down the nose after having punched down on the chest as you would a human.

Now dog's aren't like humans. When they lose consciousness, their organs go in to almost instant shut dow. If it wasn't for my father's quick actions, Brandy would not be with us now and this Christmas miracle would have been a Christmas horror.

Just as a side note to all this, Brandy is eating, drinking, and acting quite normally now... and now I feel safe in laughing after hearing that within minutes of coming back literally from death, Brandy tried to re-eat the half pork joint that had literally been fished out from deep inside his throat.

But that's Brandy for you - and this is undoubtedly my Christmas miracle.... so thank you!

A positive update on the @british_airways disaster

Merry Christmas to all,

Many of you, particularly my friends will know why posts have been infrequent in the past four weeks or so, but come the end of January, they'll be rolling thick and fast.

Given the time of year, it gives me great pleasure to report a good result to you following my rather unfortunate, and frankly shocking experience with British Airways recently.

And no, before you start reading this post in a certain light, BA haven't offered me any complimentary flights, discounts or other freebies, or indeed a refund to the charity that bought the ticket for the unforgivable experience described in an earlier post, so this positive update hasn't been influenced by any such motivation.

Regular readers may remember a slightly miffed post from me the other week following well over a week of being ignored by the BA complaints system - or more accurately, having the issue swept entirely under the carpet. I returned on a flight from Bucharest to London a few weeks back, and guide dog Chipp not being well at the time, I was travelling with only a white stick for mobility. I would have needed assistance anyway, but this magnified the need somewhat. You can scroll down for the story, but the long and the short is that it took me JUST under 90 minutes to leave the airport, and even then, only because I made a real fuss and insisted that I wouldn't wait for up to an hour at immigration, or up to 45 minutes at the special assistance desk.

You may remember that the manager of Omniserve, a company contracted by BA to provide assistance called me up to justify their complete failure, and I was told by them that they didn't think I was waiting for an excessively long time, despite documentary evidence to the contrary. They admitted that staff were "insensitive" to speak about me, in front of me as if I wasn't there, including such gems as "is he blind", or "can he communicate", but they didn't admit that they have totally failed to train the staff.

You may also remember that following an email from CEO Keith Williams who said his office were looking in to the matter, I received an email from someone on his behalf telling me that they're glad I have spoken to Omniserve and that I am totally happy now, without asking me whether I was. In fact, I had emailed BA to tell them I was totally unhappy with the conversation - and the long and the short is that ONLY by tweeting and posting the story here did my very concerning complaints get listened to.

But I can today tell you that a very helpful lady called Lucy called me within the last half hour to tell me that backsides have been kicked, and from now on as a direct result of my complaint, all blind and partially sighted customers will be met off aircrafts, WITHOUT FAIL, and crucially, without a wheelchair in future.

This means to say that there's an acknowledgement that my experience was unacceptable, and that BA are grateful to a point for the issue having been raised ahead of the Paralympics.

I am happy with this result since it means my issues, which effect others, were eventually listened to. I hope BA will introduce some system where non journalist disabled passengers who are frankly abused can raise the issue and be listened to but in the meantime, I certainly welcome BA's eventual attention.

In closing however, BA might still like to refund the charity ticket, or make a donation either to that charity, Light in to Europe, or indeed my fundraising branch for guide dogs here in the UK (Stevenage and District) and I will update this post to reflect the matter... but this is a matter for their own conscience, and though I was expecting this, I am personally happy that my enforced moaning will help others in the future.

So a good result, of sorts for British Airways.

PMQ's: 2 Questions or NOT 2 Questions: What is the answer?

Yesterday, during my usual PMQ commentary on twitter, I tweeted on Ed Miliband's third question to David Cameron that the leader of the Opposition had done well, but should move on to another issue now. My friend Tom Watson tweeted back that everyone knows better than you when you are the dispatch box, but my suggestion (unknown to Ed M and team clearly) was taken up by coincidence.

Please bear in mind that for hacks like me, it's not about taking sides, but scoring the result - and to my mind, a feisty David Cameron, who stood up well to the onslaught in the Chamber was beaten slightly by Ed Miliband as a direct result of knowing when to shut up.

Some colleagues in the Lobby however were taken aback by Ed M's decision because they say David Cameron was on the ropes and the attack should have been continued.

Now I think if you want to be heard, speak up, if you want to be seen, stand up, and if you want to be respected, shut up. But what do you think?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pic of the week, credit to &reporterboy

Thank you to @reporterbpy , aka Giles Dilnot for posting this wonderful pic, and to my producer Sheun for describing it.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

@british_airways not too fussed about disabled passengers: read all about it!

Last Monday, I returned to Heathrow Airport at 10am on British Airways Flight BA885, but rather than being greeted with the usual assistance that is common to most BA flights, and for that matter, in common with the cheapest of airlines, the genuinely helpful Cabinet Crew (who’s professionalism is beyond reproach) tole me that the system failed and there would be no one to meet me for 20 minutes.

20 Minutes passed and a helpful BA staffer escorted me, while cane in hand (No Guide Dog Chipp because he was unwell) inside the terminal building, where after about 8 - 10 minutes, a dippy chap came along and spoke to the BA staff member telling her that he would get me a wheelchair. I pointed out that I am blind, not without the use of my leggs, and reluctantly, he agreed that I could follow along while he was with someone else - so now we’re about 10:30. After a short walk, we waited another 15 minutes for someone to come along with one of those drivable mini car things - again, struggling with the concept that I can walk I think.

After a journey in the buggy thing, I was left with another person at a special assistance point. After 5 minutes, I was told, “we’re really busy and it will take at least half an hour for someone to help you”. At this point - probably around 45 minutes post landing here, I appealed for them to find someone quicker to go through immigration and collect my bag in case some thief decides to nick it, but no joy. At this point, I called a helpful chap (and he really was and is) called Philip Alport int he BA Press Office who invited me to get in contact after I managed to get help, which the lady at special assistance told me would be within 5 - 10 minutes while on the phone.

After a few minutes, possibly 5 or 6, a passing porter chap with a non EU customer was wheeling someone towards immigration, and the lady at special assistance asked whether he would take me, “no” he replied, “I’m busy”. She pleaded with him, and after about 5 “no, no, no’s” he agreed I could grab an arm. This chap, rather nice, but spoke little English and seemed to have little to no training in sighted guiding. We got as far as immigration where my papers were viewed, and I was waved through, but the non EU passengers needed to wait (apparently for up to an hour) for immigration to interview them or something. I pleaded politely, but firmly for assistance to find my bag, which I was convinced had been stolen (it hadn’t been by the way) since I had been told I would need to wait in immigration for the man with the wheelchair and passenger. After a few moments, he agreed to walk me through to the baggage area and hand me to yet another member of staff.

And so a few minutes later, I was handed to a very polite member of airport staff, and another came up to us both. While standing within four inches of my face, the second man asked the first, “erm.... is.... errr... is he blind?”. I replied to the first man, who the second was talking to, “erm.... does your colleague normally speak to you to communicate with passengers, or is it just special ones that he perceives are incapable of communicating”. I continued, “Could you ask him to speak to me directly since I’m capable of communicating”. The first chap, love him, repeated this to the second, and after 8 minutes or so, we found the bag and made our way to London Underground. I was handed to underground staff at 11:28, and alas missed an important interview with a Cabinet Minister at midday in Westminster.

Thank you British Airways.

So why am I now taking this online, and possibly further? Well simply because British Airways thought the best thing they could do is pass me on to the company who THEY contract to provide special assistance. The company called me, and a polite chap did assure me that staff were “insensitive” and “would be spoken to”. Now I was not then, nor at this point do I want any staffer to get in to trouble, but the bottom line is that British Airways let me down as a blind passenger, and above all they let themselves down. The contractors didn’t see that the 90 minute exit time was excessive, and didn’t accept that they’d done much wrong.

My take is that this was the most unpleasant journey I have ever made, and frankly British Airways now need to show they’ve understood, but instead, I got this email back this afternoon.

Dear Mr Dilley

Thank you for your acknowledgment to Keith Williams of the high standards we set ourselves at British Airways.  He has asked me to reply on his behalf.

I am pleased to hear you had a conversation with Martin Benfield and he was able to offer you a full explanation regarding the issues you raised. 

Please be assured you have our personal attention at all times.  Thank you once again for letting us know of the situation and allowing me to respond on Keith's behalf.

Best regards

*********** *******
British Airways Customer Liaison Executive
Your case reference is:9532699

Please use the following link if you need to send us a reply:
http://britishairways.com/travel/webforms/public/en_gb?eId=120001&wfpId=custrelreplies&case=9532699
Please quote your case reference 9532699 in any correspondence with us.

******

That’s the best BA can do is it? Let’s start small fry and see if this post makes any difference, and we can move up from here. I have told BA that I would like them to take responsibility themselves rather than trying to get ME to deal with THEIR contractors, and I would like some kind of acknowledgement that this was a humiliating abortion of a journey. Further, I feel they’ve a moral duty to refund the charity that paid for the ticket (I was in Romania giving a talk to light into Europe, and raising money). Frankly I don’t care about any personal gain here - this is about changing this awful system so no one else has to go through this awful  experience.

TO BA - you have my details, and you should use them. I will happily post any reply here, or indeed, remove this post once you have demonstrated a genuine understanding, and done something to fix this unacceptable situation.