I never thought Trident was a particularly tuff name for the UK 'continuous nuclear deterrent' seeing as I'm more familiar with it as a cheap and cheerful brand of pot noodles and sticky sauces.  Having looked at the photo in this article about the probability that it'll be getting less dosh thrown at it, I can add "maaaaaan, that's ugly" to my deep and meaningful assessment.

But enough of things that go bang, because leading almost all the news today are cuts! strikes! unions!

In a cunning strike, thousands of BBC staff are set to walk off for four days, creating an effective telly blackout of, amongst other things, the Tory party conference.  (Those asking how the deprivation can be borne might perhaps head off to their local and keep real ale sales on the rise.)  I am slightly suspicious that this may be some sort of karmic retribution for the Tories delaying the Queen's speech (not that it's really hers) to ... 2012.  All I'm saying is hands off the Christmas message. 

Because everyone should have their media moment to mount a 'plaint about cuts, the Police are having a grizzle.  Britain's sweethearts are worried that they won't have enough funding to be able to go out and bash other people who don't have enough funding. 

In the midst of all this strikery, a Guardian editorial suggests that the unions 'learn the language of middle Britain'.  'Middle Britain', not to be confused with Middle Earth or Little Britain, is really a sort of nebulous throw-it-about-in-your-campaign-vid term, so I'm not convinced this is a deeply helpful suggestion. 

Lots of the strike talk turns to the North.  As a student of the North, and 'cos I've read books about this stuff y'know, I'm planning a whole post of its own about this at some stage this week.  Oooh!  Eeee! 

Speaking of the North, I commend this Hud Examiner reportage on light sticks on trains to everyone.  (Thankyou to the artist in residence for giggling at it earlier.)

Down south, Lymington, who headlined yesterday's newsfest, are still in the news, with Patrick Barkham suggesting they might not be quite as rebelliously anti-High Street as I had hoped.  I did rather enjoy the suggestion from some of the local young 'uns that the town might suit a Slug and Lettuce more than a Wetherspoon's. 

Since the Lymington coverage now comes with a whiff of nimbyism, and since wind farms are a classic nimby is-sue, everyone should be pleased that the world's largest offshore wind farm is opening off the coast of Kent.