"Are they hiding something, or is it simply that they are so confused and divided by the outcome of the referendum that they daren't doubt its legality?" Paul Tyler asks why Labour is silent on the possibility that Russia interfered with the 2016 EU referendum. Judges in Canada are sentencing youth offenders to chess with promising results, report Monique Sedgwick, Jeffrey MacCormack and Lance Grigg. Chess joke: After 37 consecutive Berlins they break down in tears and promise to go straight. Talking of Chess, Sarah Hurst looks at the Kremlin's plans to maintain control of world chess. Ian Visits on ...
Wed 20th
22:53
Jeremy Thorpe's biggest contribution to British politics may well be his least well known
Jeremy Thorpe is one of those people for whom the volume of coverage does not beget breadth of coverage, for nearly all the coverage is drawn towards the one event. The one huge, tragic, bizarre, almost in the couldn't-make-it-up category event that saw him on trial for conspiracy to murder. No surprise this overshadows so much else of what he did. In those shadows, however, are perhaps his biggest contribution to British politics: the ending of the old election expenses regime that meant even national advertising at elections was avoided and setting the path towards the current ability of parties ...
Just a brief explanation for my current lack of posting: my in-laws have been staying with me for a week, over from the US; I've got a book that's quite a bit past deadline and a few other writing things ... Continue reading →
This afternoon, MPs who really shouldn't have been in the House of Commons, either through very advanced pregnancy or serious illness, had to go in and vote on that Brexit amendment. One of them was our Jo Swinson, who is two days past her due date with her second baby. It is entirely unsurprising that she made it in to vote. Anyone who knows how committed and determined she is will know that unless she was in fairly advanced labour, she would made it. She still deserves respect for doing so. Most women have stopped going into the office by ...
The Derwent Valley Partnership has set up a small grants fund to enable local groups to organise an event to celebrate the ending of the First World War. The fund will be available to local constituted community groups and organisations which meet the following criteria: – Event(s)/activities must represent a clear and distinct celebration of the WWI Centenary – Events /activities must be deliverable within one year of the date of the offer of funding – Funding requests of up to £1,000 (minimum £250) – Event(s)/activity must take place within the Derwent Valley Partnership area* – Event(s)/activity must be open ...
Every day we hear about the housing crisis. Politicians tell us we must build more housing urgently. Yet they say next to nothing about empty homes. There are more than 600,000 empty homes in England, enough to cut the housing waiting list by half. Here in Shropshire, there are 4,375 empty homes. That's more than 3% of the county's housing stock. If they were brought back into use, they could provide homes for four in five of the households on the waiting list. More than a third of the empty homes in Shropshire have been vacant for six months or ...
Embed from Getty Images It is a very interesting parallel. Firstly, we ought to say that, in contrast to Theresa May, Harold Wilson ran a pretty happy Number Ten at a staff level and had a quite brilliant political aura around him for his early years. As he castigated the old Tory aristocratic government and took over as PM, he got on well with the press and was pretty much in control of all he surveyed. I don't think T May has had that sort of period. It was only when he had to finally cave in to devaluation in ...
Photo of Broughton Astley from Geograph © Kevin Flynn Mark Graves, who represents the Astley ward in Broughton Astley on Harborough District Council, has switched to the Liberal Democrats. Formerly a Conservative, he has joined the Liberal Democrats and joined the Lib Dem group on the council. Phil Knowles, who leads that group, tells me he is delighted to welcome Mark to the Liberal Democrats: "He is committed to working hard for the community and brings with him many talents that will complement the Lib Dem group on Harborough District Council perfectly."Note that I have avoided using the word "defected," ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: The somewhat surprise election of U.S. President Donald Trump was followed by predictions of a collapse in the transatlantic relationship. President Trump, whose view of the world is highly transactional, had campaigned on a platform hostile both to NATO and even the general concept of long-term alliances. During the campaign, allegations were made of Russian interference. Charles Tannock is one of the two Conservative MEPs for London, and has been vocal in his despair at Brexit and his desire to minimise the damage that it will do to the UK. (He has taken Irish citizenship ...
The Federal Policy Committee is looking for volunteers to serve on two working groups which will bring forward new policy on crime and policing and on sharing the benefits of economic growth: The FPC is looking to appoint members of these groups to develop policy in each of these areas. Both working groups will take evidence in the second half of 2018, run consultation sessions at Spring Conference 2019 and prepare their final drafts over March-June 2019. These will be presented to FPC for amendments and approval. Subject to this approval, the final papers will be published in July 2019, ...
I was so pleased to see Dr Shiv Pande MBE recognised in an article in the i-newspaper for his service to our City and our Country I was delighted to be reading a copy of the i-newspaper yesterday to see ... Continue reading →
We have all got used to the Labour leadership opting out, abstaining, even penalising their MPs who actually vote to oppose the Conservative Government. So I suppose we should not be surprised when they stay mum, sit on their hands and pretend it is not important to investigate whether the Russians interfered with the 2016 EU Referendum. This was the issue I raised with the Minister in a Topical Question in the Lords on Tuesday. I warned that the "piecemeal approach" currently adopted could prove dangerous; I had in mind the lack of effective protection of our electoral system if ...
View Poll: World Cup, Day Eight You should be able to vote using your Facebook or Twitter account, even if you aren't on Livejournal. For yesterday's matches, nobody foresaw Senegal beating Poland, which just goes to show. Both yiskah and trepkos called Japan as well as Russia.
What is the matter with Theresa May? Is she really the untrustworthy and uncompassionate minister she has been portrayed, or does she just surround herself with advisers who are like that? This morning on the Today programme Dominic Grieve spoke with barely veiled anger at the way he and others were let down by the PM last week over Europe amendments. Well, that's politics you may say. But this interview followed soon after John Humphreys interviewed a mother who had been trying to get special cannabis oil for her epileptic child. Not the mother who was interviewed by him yesterday ...
As a former pupil, and a councillor whose teenage constituents largely attend Whickham School, I was interested to see that the planning application for the replacement buildings are now lodged with Gateshead Planning Department. A decision will come before the planning committee in the near future. The proposals include a new, three to four storey 'superblock' to the north of the current site
Norman Lamb MP The Independent has the article on its web site – see link above What a truly shocking series of events With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting
miss_s_b | An Update on the Ashdown Prize for Motherhood and Apple Pie has arrived... I posted An Update on the Ashdown Prize for Motherhood and Apple Pie has arrived... to my dreamwidth blog Poll: 73% say 'Brexit dividend' is a lie Interesting and concise on confirmation bias A ruff guide to dog body language If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] [IMG: Buy Me an uncaffeinated beverage (because I'm allergic to coffee) at ko-fi.com] [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
As a lad in London's East End, Lee McQueen (later to be rebranded with his posher-sounding middle name Alexander) had little interest in the subjects he was meant to be studying, instead spending most of his time in class drawing. His taxi-driver father would have liked him to become a mechanic or something similarly practical, [...]
The Tanfield Railway is partly in my ward in Gateshead and on Sunday, they hosted a steam gala. Of particular interest to me was the Dunston No. 15, a steam locomotive that was built in Newcastle in 1942 and was used at the Dunston power station until 1972 when it was retired and moved out of the North East. This was its first return visit to the region. There was also a vintage car rally at
It's certainly not my place to tell the Labour Party what they should and shouldn't be doing, but aren't they, by their own rhetoric, trying to bring down the government? Isn't their main goal to end May's premiership in the hopes of bringing on a general election and then winning that plebiscite? Given communication from the Shadow Brexit Secretary to his colleagues last night on the topic of how to vote in today's "meaningful vote" amendment, we should all have strong reason to doubt this is the case: "Dear Colleagues: "Tomorrow is the final chance we will have to guarantee ...
Former Liberal Democrat Health Minister Norman Lamb has reiterated calls for cannabis to be legalised for both medicinal and recreational use following former Conservative leader William Hague voicing his support for reform. Mr Lamb said: "The evidence showing the benefits of medicinal cannabis for those with chronic illnesses has reached tipping point, but the Prime Minister must heed this warning from a former leader of her own party and admit the case for legalising cannabis for recreational as well as medicinal use. "The Liberal Democrats are the only party campaigning for a regulated cannabis market in UK, with robust and ...
Tue, 12:56: RT @StefaanDeRynck: This set of slides ended on Friday what was a busy week of the EU27 working party on #brexit. The slides deal with acti... Tue, 13:38: World Cup, Day Seven https://t.co/JEAKmdlVLl Tue, 16:05: RT @tgeducation: Every World Cup goal, from 1930 onwards, and when they happened, via @TheEconomist https://t.co/3D3VWUZIDl Tue, 18:18: Penric's Fox, by Lois McMaster Bujold https://t.co/ruiVetUcZT Tue, 19:30: Why you should vote for Rufus Arnold Alexis Keppel, 10th Earl of Albemarle, in his own words: https://t.co/UmVbkkYED1 Tue, 19:35: Why you should vote for Cody Charles Edward Tennant, 4th Baron Glenconner, in his own words: ...
One of my reasons for reading old election manuals, aside from the love of the physical format of old books, is the insights they give into trends in political campaigning which otherwise get missed.
As predicted by some of us during the European referendum campaign two years ago and foreshadowed in various articles ever since, Europe's chief negotiator has now confirmed that Britain will be locked out of EU policing and security databases after Brexit. As the Independent reports, in a speech in Vienna Michel Barnier said the UK would also lose access to the European arrest warrant and that UK representatives would no longer have a role in managing agencies such as Europol and Eurojust: The chief negotiator said EU security cooperation was based on "trust", but said: "This trust doesn't fall from ...
Wed 20th
08:44
Bootle – Pugh lambasts Council over yet more money public being thrown at Strand Shopping Cent...
Bootle New Strand shopping centre Following the recent news that Sefton Council intends to throw another £3m+ of public money at the Strand Shopping Center in Bootle the Leader of the opposition on the Council, Cllr. John Pugh has this to say:- "Having burdened us with £32 M pounds of debt buying the asset, Sefton Council wants to spend another £3.I million pounds this year on their new toy to enable councillors to play "shops". The council should concentrate on its day job and stop pretending it's a player in the risky retail market. The fact that a year after ...
I voted Remain, I must admit through slightly gritted teeth – and mainly for one reason above all others: I didn't feel comfortable on the same side as Boris Johnson. This sounds glib but I mean it quite seriously. Brexit might have some benefits in a world that appears to be turning against cross-border trade [...] The post Why does the May government love white elephants? appeared first on Radix.
"The case of Billy Caldwell who needed cannabis oil for his severe epilepsy again highlights legalising cannabis not only for medical but recreational use. Although the Home Secretary (Sajid Javid) made an exception for Billy (by allowing cannabis oil use for 20 days) cannabis is still banned for recreational use. Sajid Javid said this week in the commons the position "We find ourselves in currently is not satisfactory". Cannabis contains active ingredients called cannabinoids. These are used to relieve the pain of muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis or used to relieve sickness in people having chemotherapy for cancer. Other ingredients ...
Wed 20th
07:03
Yet another burglary in our town - we have a 44% higher burglary rate than the rest of Shropshire
The night before last, Busybodies Childcare Centre next to the police station in Lower Galdeford was broken into. Fortunately, nothing was stolen though a door was badly damaged. The police response, when the crime was reported this morning, was swift. An officer came from Kidderminster and scene of crime officers were also dispatched to the site. It is always bad when a crime occurs. People feel violated and less confident. Along with businesses, they are also hit in the pocket. It is a shame then, that Ludlow has a higher rate of crime per head than the rest of Shropshire. ...
From Sheena Wellington : St Paul's Cathedral, 1 High Street - Saturday 23rd June, Lunchtime Concert, 1pm Fliskmahoy! Frances Cooper (Soprano), Emma Versteeg (Soprano), Carole Clark (Alto), Rebecca Clarke (Violin) - Fliskmahoy! is an all-women group, three singers, and a violinist. Various musicians have been keen to arrange or write new pieces for them. One composer friend, Stuart Murray Mitchell, wrote one of the suites that Joanna Nicholson and Frances Cooper performed in concert at the Wighton last year. He has also made a brilliant job of arranging some of the pieces found in the Wighton Collection. He has called ...
A short film by Adam Scovell: With the film, I wanted to try and surmise two things that seem inherent to Garner's work. The first is the special relationship Garner has with the landscape of his native Cheshire, of Alderley Edge and the surrounding rural locations. Tying into this was the second aspect, of how this landscape allows the questioning of the role of time, its effect on space and the philosophy behind it
Embed from Getty Images Let's give Sir Christopher Chope a hearing: "The objection was to do with the bill not being given enough time to be heard and debated properly. "There are concerns surrounding the details of this bill and these need to be debated properly. "If the government want this bill then there is nothing to stop them giving more time to it and I would welcome that. The objection is not to the bill in principle. "Any concerns that we do have could be addressed if we are given more time. "I've got broad shoulders so I can ...
It has been obvious for some time that Vladimir Putin's Russia is no friend of the western democracies, enthusiastically supporting political forces determined to undermine the existing consensus, as a means of weakening our political structures and our economies. Such a strategy is so much cheaper, and more effective, than military action, and whilst Russia has a nuclear arsenal, its conventional military is less of a threat then it theoretically was during the Cold War. And so, if you can level the playing fields by using the strengths of western democracies against themselves, why not? Vlad does enjoy his judo, ...
Liberal Democrat party members in Loughborough and Charnwood have selected Ian Sharpe to be their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for the Loughborough constituency.
Not every nuanced political point is a dog whistle for it's crude cousin, and case in point is Nick Clegg's recent column in the FT, arguing that the EU needs to consider wider caveats to the principle of freedom of movement that already exist, for its own sake and not just to improve the prospects of rapprochement with the UK. The belief that freedom of movement is an untouchable principle cannot remain unchallenged. EU leaders increasingly recognise this, and an overture to the U.K. on both external and internal immigration could be a crucial move. My new @FT column https://t.co/GMdukgPSDg ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: The chapterhouse of the Bastard's Order lay two streets behind the great stone bulk of the city's, and the Weald's, main temple. The old wooden merchant's mansion that had formerly housed the servants of the white god had burned down twenty years ago, and been replaced with a fine new edifice, built more to the purpose, in the cut yellow stone of this country. As the chief chapterhouse of the realm, and in close competition with its sibling Orders for the other four gods, its architecture was high, balanced, and austere, not nearly as makeshift ...
No, not that C word. And not 'Chope' either, though goodness knows his antics and those of his filibustering friend have made me furious over the last few days. The C word this blog post is about is cancer. A few days ago I noticed this tweet – and it moved me sufficiently to object. (There's that O word again ... The post The C word appeared first on ten pence piece.
For this edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire I'm focusing on how a key part of the party's recovery should be a good registered supporters scheme - and tell you about the mostly secret registered supporters scheme the party created by accident and currently runs.
Over at Politics Home, Celia Thomas criticises the assessment process for Personal Independence Payments, highlighting the very large number of decisions that are found wrong on appeal and the 'hostile atmosphere' for claimants. The Government has lost court cases on two issues - mobility and mental health, and managing therapy, resulting in thousands of cases having to be re-examined. Why hasn't PIP bedded down by now? Are the assessors from Atos and Capita up to it? In the old days of DLA, a lot of the assessors were doctors, but now they are likely to be nurses or physiotherapists. Does ...
I suddenly remembered why I stopped watching England play football whenever possible about ten minutes before kick off last night. I can say with absolute certainty that I watched every single England senior men's team football match between around 1998 and the 2010 World Cup. I know because often times, when England were playing say, a really guaranteed to be dull friendly against Luxembourg, I would resolve to not watch it – until I found myself in a pub somewhere, watching the match, as if I had no will to resist. But the 2010 World Cup broke me; or more ...
Tue 19th
13:02Extended closure of rural maternity units is an excuse to close them permanently - it's wrong
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust today announced that the rural maternity units at Ludlow, Oswestry and Bridgnorth are to remain closed for births indefinitely. This decision has been made ahead of a public consultation on the future of the MLUs. It is obvious that SaTH intends to close the three MLUs permanently. It claims that 98% of women are "choosing" to give birth elsewhere. Of course this is so. The rural MLUs are rarely open for births. This has been a cynical exercise to shut the MLUs by stealth. Tracey Huffer Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East says: "I am ...
View Poll: World Cup, Day Seven You should be able to vote using your Facebook or Twitter account, even if you aren't on Livejournal. drplokta and I both called all three matches yesterday.
A third of employers 'less likely' to hire trans workers, report says ... and a further 47% were "unsure". Jesus. If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] [IMG: Buy Me an uncaffeinated beverage (because I'm allergic to coffee) at ko-fi.com] [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
... and it looks like, for reasons know only to the actual drafters of the motion, they've decided to lace the apple pie with arsenic. You'll recall that party members were asked to submit ideas, on the basis that the best of them would be turned into a conference motion. Party members submitted over a thousand, which were whittled down by Unknown Actors to a top ten, which were further whittled down to a top 3 by Illustrious Judges, and then those three were punted out to the membership to be voted on. And all this was run by the ...
The sight of refugees arriving on the Greek coast in 2015 will never leave me. It's not the sort of thing you forget. Parents and children were packed onto makeshift boats in search of safety, fleeing Syria, Iraq, Eritrea and other brutal conflicts around the world. This isn't a 'refugee crisis', even if that is what we have ended up calling it. It is a crisis of violence and persecution, with dictators and murder squads killing and displacing families across the world. Refugees are the human face of what has gone so badly wrong. Refugee Week is underway (it is ...
Mon, 13:09: World Cup, Day Six https://t.co/1GTRirTq7r Mon, 18:08: Monday reading https://t.co/ucIVJsPeVv Mon, 18:35: RT @cbwrangler: .@RomeluLukaku9 heads it into the back of the net to give Belgium the 2-0 lead. Great service from @DeBruyneKev #WorldCup #... Mon, 20:48: RT @PascalLTH: I have been pretty critical of the way polling data is (or is not) used when discussing European politics so going to do my... Mon, 21:18: According to @FiveThirtyEight England now have only a 50% chance of winning. https://t.co/Ue4rnaLIw4 Mon, 21:24: According to @FiveThirtyEight a draw is now the most likely result. #EngTun https://t.co/iNA8NJbBTD https://t.co/yJ9KxH4Bhb Mon, 21:37: Draw now ...
Highways England is to begin work to improve the bridge on the A56 Bury New Road roundabout above junction 17 of the M60. This will involve upgrading the four existing bridge barriers by increasing their height to 1.8m plus 'anti-access' measures to prevent unauthorised pedestrian access onto the bridge Work is due to start on or shortly after 22 June for approximately 20 weeks with enabling works commencing 11 June 2018. A lane closure will be in place on the roundabout and a second lane while the works are happening. Works will take place · Monday to Thursday: 8pm to ...
The trouble with HM Treasury is that it "is simultaneously short-termist, obsessed with controlling spending, but unable or unwilling to do anything to boost growth ... fixated on 'policy wheezes', short-term fixes and initiatives, and over-centralised". And don't take my word for it. This was the innovation thinktank Nesta's judgement in 2014, as quoted by Duncan Brack in his essay on Greening Government in the SLF book Four Go in Search of Big Ideas. I became fascinated by why the government machine creaks so badly, and takes such poor and contradictory decisions, during the coalition years. And particularly during period ...
Eden Gardens Allotments presents it's Annual Open Day on Sunday the 8th July between 12 noon and 4pm. The allotments are off Derwent Avenue in Whitefield. They say: "Visit our lovely award winning allotment attended this year by the Mayor of Bury Our Cafe serves tea, coffee, soft drinks cakes and sandwiches, BBQ, Home made jams and honey from our own bees. A Raffle and Tombola with great prizes and games and activities for the kids. Fresh produce and plants. GM Fire Service and Police together with Home Watch. Our resident bee keepers will show and talk about the bees. ...
Bury Liberal Democrats have organised a public meeting on the theme: "Democracy needs you: why you should get involved in politics today". "Democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted" former USA President Barack Obama says. We will look at how democracy works, why sometimes it doesn't and how you can be part of fixing it. Remember - decisions are made by those who show up! Wednesday 27 June, 18-30 -20.30, St Margaret's Church Hall, St Margaret's Road, Prestwich. Our speaker is Councillor Lisa Smart, Deputy Leader of the Opposition on Stockport Council, and the Liberal Democrat Target Parliamentary ...
Bury Council is currently looking to fill a number of apprenticeship opportunities. These include: Organisational Development team, Street Lighting teams, gym and swimming instructors, waste management, market administration and highway maintenance. To apply please visit their jobs page on greater.jobs. Find out more about what existing apprentices say here.
Just to let residents know about recent planning applications in our area – Bury Old Road, Warwick Avenue, Polefield Grove, Walker Avenue and Perrymead. Note the application for a change of use of the former British Legion on Bury Old Road to a Kitchen showroom, and a proposed new permanent classroom at Prestwich Arts College. Please just let us know if you have any queries. Change of use of former British Legion club to kitchen design studio and showroom (Class A1); Ext... 225 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1JE Ref. No: 62775 | Received: Thu 03 May 2018 | ...
I'm not being vainglorious – I did have a part to play, and it gives me no pleasure to say so. Let me explain. Horton is eking out his last days as chief executive of the scandalously dysfunctional Govia Thameslink Railway, operators – among others – of Southern Rail, Thameslink and Great Northern. He resigned [...] The post Charles Horton: My part in his downfall appeared first on Radix.
Below is a press release from Les French Chairman of the Frank Hornby Trust who manage the Frank Hornby Heritage Center in Maghull's Meadows Library and Leisure Center:- 'We are absolutely delighted to announce that the FRANK HORNBY HERITAGE CENTRE is now BACK OPEN FOR VISITS following the completion of the move from the ground floor of Meadows Leisure Centre to our very own dedicated space above the library. This means that as of NOW, our Heritage Centre, which is the only one in the world solely dedicated to Frank Hornby, his life and his products, is available to everyone ...
Responding to reports that at least 40 children have been held in solitary confinement, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:"It is hard to imagine any circumstance in which detaining children in solitary confinement is appropriate."When it comes to offenders, our emphasis must be on rehabilitation rather than retribution. Solitary confinement has been proven to be ineffective and numerous human rights groups have spoken out against the practice."We are traumatising the very people we should be protecting and this Conservative Government has a lot to answer for, starting with the former Home Secretary, the Prime Minister."
The Liberal Democrats welcome the announcement that June 22nd will become National Windrush Day, after long campaigning for this decision.Liberal Democrat Baroness Floella Benjamin said: "I am delighted that the Government are announcing a National Windrush Day. The Windrush Generation have contributed a huge amount to British society, and an annual day will help ensure this is never forgotten. "The Liberal Democrats are the only party who have been calling for this to happen for many years, and certainly long before the recent high-profile coverage of this issue. "National Windrush Day is more than simply symbolic event, but will be ...
The Liberal Democrats have declared victory in their bid to make 'upskirting' a specific criminal offence. Following Tory MP Christopher Chope's shocking move to block Wera Hobhouse's Bill last week, the Justice Minister met Wera Hobhouse yesterday afternoon and, on behalf of the Government, agreed to take her Bill through Parliament. Wera said: "I'm very happy that the law is changing, this is a huge victory for women across the country. I hope this can go through on Friday 6th July with my Bill, but my main concern now is that the law is changed as soon as possible and ...
(R-L) Vince supports the "upskirting" bill with campaigner Gina Martin, sponsoring MP Wera Hobhouse and Ms Martin's solicitor, Ryan Whelan The Liberal Democrats have declared victory in their bid to make 'upskirting' a specific criminal offence. Following Tory MP Christopher Chope's shocking move to block Wera Hobhouse's Bill last week, the Justice Minister met Wera Hobhouse this afternoon and, on behalf of the Government, agreed to take her Bill through Parliament. Wera said: I'm very happy that the law is changing, this is a huge victory for women across the country. I hope this can go through on Friday 6th ...
Residents have drawn to my attention the poor condition of the pavement on Lochee Road from Mitchell Street to Black Street. I highlighted this with the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership and have received the following helpful response : "This section of Lochee Road footway between Mitchell Street to Black Street has been identified for including in the 2018/2019 footway slurry seal programme subject to budget availability. The works have yet to be programmed."
Two news items yesterday have highlighted the extent of the disarray into which the Welsh UKIP group have plunged themselves once more. Having effectively ousted Neil Hamilton as leader, UKIP then attempted to secure a sinecure for him as the party's member of the Assembly Commission. However, Hamilton's failure to back a new dignity and respect policy counted against him and the appointment was voted down. During that debate, Mandy Jones, who was elected on the UKIP list in North Wales but who is sitting as an Independent after a row over her staff, spoke against the appointment. She has ...
Tue 19th
00:15
Ireland's libraries to open seven days a week till 10pm: In Northamptonshire 21 are being closed
Add mismanagement by its ruling Conservative group to the huge cuts made to local council funding by the Coalition and Conservative governments, and you have a crisis at Northamptonshire County Council. One result of this is that the council is proposing to close 21 public libraries across the county. Meanwhile in Ireland: The public will be able to use most libraries seven days a week from between 8am and 10pm under new plans to double the number of visitors over the next five years. Nearly 200 of the State's 330 public libraries will open for longer, while the public will ...