A trip along the old North Staffordshire line from Uttoxeter to Macclesfield. There is plenty of interesting industry, but it also takes in some lovely countryside. We follow the Churnet valley which, for a stretch, contains s river, a canal and a railway, but no road. That stretch now forms part of a modern heritage line - the Churnet Valley Railway. We also pass Rudyard Lake reservoir, after which Kipling was named. There is now a narrow gauge steam railway there in the form of the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway.
This country is currently on a path to economic self-destruction because of a narrow vote to leave the European Union in 2016. Today we discovered that the Vote Leave campaign had cheated. And, by the way, that monumental news isn't even on the BBC's front page any more. Tonight, this country was helped along its path to economic self-destruction because of a narrow vote – 307-301 against an amendment which would have kept us in a customs union with the EU after Brexit. The desperate Tory government pulled a particularly dirty trick to win that vote. The pairing system has ...
The BBC News Derbyshire pages win our Headline of the Day Award. Well done everybody.
Embed from Getty Images It's amazing the things you forget. When I was in my twenties I knew loads of chess opening theory. A few years before that I was a whiz at symbolic logic. And when I was 11 I could have told you the names of all the Tsars of Russia in their correct order. Nicholas II, the last of the Tsars, and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks 100 years ago today. Before the family's remains were found and DNA tested, there were theories that some or all of them had escaped. When I was a ...
Remember the Oakham South West by-election last week? It was the one where the Independent candidate Richard Alderman was elected by the drawing of lots after he and the Liberal Democrat Joanna Burrows tied at the top of the poll ahead of the Conservative. Mr Alderman is in the news again today. He has been reported to the police and Rutland County Council's monitoring officer over his Facebook posts. Dan Martin writes in the Leicester Mercury: Today the Tory leader of the council Oliver Hemsley issued a statement saying he had been made aware of Facebook posts on the new ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: "But the Ulster men, father, didn't they fall out with the others?" Available for free at the UCD archive, this is an anonymous near-future Awful Warning, written in 1885, of the inevitable consequences if Irish Home Rule were to be passed by Westminster and implemented. Over the course of 72 pages, the evil Irish nationalists seize control of the judiciary, fiscal system and security forces, gallant Ulster resists despite getting no help from London, and in a climatic battle in The Glen in Newry (now a residential street, then a gentleman's estate) the forces of ...
Today I woke up to hear that the Tories had nearly lost a couple of Brexit votes last night but that they had scraped home with majority of just 3. But it turns out that a handful of Labour MP's had voted with the Government and 2 Lib Dem MP's were missing in action during the vote. The Tory Government was there for the taking, the Labour Leadership had finally sobered up and decided to do what they should have been doing months ago i.e. be the Official Opposition, but even then 3 of their MP's went into the Government ...
Responding to Michael Gove's comments acknowledging that he misled voters on Turkish immigration during the EU referendum campaign, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said:"Gove's acknowledgment of the fearmongering at the heart of the Leave campaign just goes to show that high profile leave campaigners, such as Gove and Johnson, were willing to say anything to secure a leave vote. "Gove's admission only strengthens the Liberal Democrats' call for a final say on the Brexit deal and an opportunity to Exit from Brexit."
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael has issued a statement following yesterday's vote on the Taxation (Cross-border trade) Bill: Brexit is the most important issue in a generation. And as Liberal Democrats we have taken on the responsibility of stopping it. We're the only Party united in this aim. Last night I messed up. The government squeaked home by just 3 votes in a key amendment. It should have been 1. I was not expecting a close vote – up until 8pm, Labour were planning to abstain which would have meant the vote would be lost by hundreds. In fact ...
Yesterday the Parliamentary Labour Party voted to adopt the IHRA definiton of anti-semitism, in defiance of Labour's NEC, which recently produced its own definition: LBC exclusive: Labour's new guidelines on anti-Semitism. Key paragraphs: 7). Contentious views will not be treated as Antisemitism unless.... evidence of anti-Semitic intent. 9). Labour adopts just seven of the 11 IHRA examples of anti-Semitism. pic.twitter.com/DKv5lP4LCP — Theo Usherwood (@theousherwood) July 5, 2018 While Labour's internal machinations are in a sense none of our business, I do think there are lessons to learn for all of us here. Anti-semitism is by no means confined to the ...
[IMG: Apologies for the glitches on my blog] Eeek, I am doing some work to my blog and, in the process, old posts are being reposted. Bear with me please while I sort it out. Thank you. The post Apologies for the glitches on my blog appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.
Tue 17th
12:13
Sensible, unfortunate and frustrating: the three reasons three Lib Dem MPs missed Euro vote last nig...
With a close and controversial vote on Europe last night in the House of Commons, the absence of three Liberal Democrat MPs have raised more eyebrows than a complete back catalogue of Roger Moore appearances. For Jo Swinson, her absence was sensible. She is on maternity leave. Parental leave exists precisely so that parents can take time being parents, and they, their children and our society are better for that. She was also 'paired' with another MP, which is the process by which two MPs who would otherwise have voted opposite ways both agree not to vote and so their ...
Either / And: Change for the better? Jen Yockney says what I have been thinking about the changes to BBC political programming. On Second Referendums | Sci-Ence! Justice Leak! Andrew says what I'm thinking. Again. Tim Farron missed knife-edge Brexit vote to deliver lecture on Christian gay sex row ... I'm just so tired, you guys. So, so tired. 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
Tue 17th
11:54
Why Remainers really shouldn't see the Electoral Commission Vote Leave decision as being a gamechang...
Today, the Electoral Commission announced the findings of its investigation into Vote Leave and BeLeave: there was deemed to be definite collaboration, meaning that Vote Leave overspent their official limit by £625,000. The organisation has been fined £61,000 and the responsible people for both organisations, David Halsall and Darren Grimes respectfully, have been referred to the police for criminal investigation. A lot of Remainers think this is a gamechanger; that this will be the thing that kills Brexit. There are three major problems with this idea. One is that what makes Brexit a legal reality isn't the referendum result, which ...
Mon, 12:56: Trump's Feud With Europe Is Worse Than You Think https://t.co/dlEPwHjcsd Yep. Mon, 16:05: My Grandmother's Desperate Choice https://t.co/vaBvKFvdxD Abortion in America in the 1940s. Mon, 18:03: Monday reading https://t.co/OtVpXuRz4Q Mon, 18:48: The 2018 World Cup https://t.co/Ku6r0i76qL Mon, 20:48: U.K. Poisoning Inquiry Turns to Russian Agency in Mueller Indictments https://t.co/lFXvxmNQMm No big surprise that... https://t.co/jhNeChzM6p Tue, 07:41: RT @lowflyingrocks: 2018 NM, 14m-31m in diameter, just passed the Earth at 7km/s, missing by 537,000km. https://t.co/HELqAr0pEh Tue, 08:01: RT @JohnOBrennan2: Image of the day https://t.co/ZMIoJljF3l Tue, 10:45: Sorry, friends. There will be no second referendum. https://t.co/e7nhV62i0z
Pah, who needs the Single Transferable Vote when you can go for the Venetian electoral system.
Leader Vince Cable was absent from last night's votes. This is a question social media is asking, after three Lib Dem MPs were absent on the Customs Bill votes. The government narrowly escaped defeat by three votes on amendments relating to EU tariffs and withdrawal from the EU VAT regime. The missing three Lib Dem MPs were deputy leader Jo Swinson, leader Vince Cable and former leader Tim Farron. Many who are pro-EU have expressed disappointment that some Lib Dems were not present for the vote - after all, if we are not the party of the EU then who ...
Since 2015 and the formation of City of York Council's Joint Administration, York has continued to develop as a leading city in the UK, receiving much praise and attention along the way. However, it is important to reflect on what we as Liberal Democrats have achieved for local residents and for the City. In 2015, in a difficult set of elections for the party nationally, we gained four councillors in York. This was a great achievement and in this article, I outline seven of our major achievements to date, both in administration and in serving our local communities. I also ...
Tue 17th
07:42Vote Leave campaign broke law finds Electoral Commission: fines issued, police called in
The Vote Leave campaign for the 2016 European Referendum broke the law: that is the conclusion of a long and detailed investigation by the regulator, the Electoral Commission. The Commission has both fined the Vote Leave campaign and Darren Grimes, and also called in the police to look at further potential enforcement action: Electoral Commission concludes investigation into Brexit funds *Vote Leave broke £7m legal spending limit by £500,000 *Vote Leave made inaccurate spending return *Darren Grimes of BeLeave fined £20,000 and reported to police *David Halsall of Vote Leave also reported to police — Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) July 17, ...
[IMG: Launch event of 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance'] DESCRIPTION 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance' is being launched by Compass and Jane Chelliah, the blogger 'ambitiousmamas', to push for those issues that affect mothers to be adopted as a cross-party effort. 'Mothers for a... The post Launch event of 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance' appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.
[IMG: The Role of Women in Chess-an International Women's Day Event] DESCRIPTION Jane Chelliah, the blogger at ambitiousmamas, is holding an event on the influence of female chess players in history in celebration of International Women's Day. Chess is traditionally seen as a masculine game and... The post The Role of Women in Chess-an International Women's Day Event appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.
[IMG: 'Skin & Feminism' - a evening of lively discussion in celebration of Intern...] DESCRIPTION Jane Chelliah, the blogger at ambitiousmamas, is holding an event on the theme of 'Skin & Feminism'. Come along and celebrate the racial diversity within feminism in recognition of International Women's Day. There will... The post 'Skin & Feminism' – a evening of lively discussion in celebration of Intern... appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.
Ronald Reagan will be spinning in his grave. The 45th President of the United States of America standing alongside the leader of what Reagan might still term the 'evil empire' or at least its successor, siding with Russia against his own intelligence agency. This is the same US President who only five days ago accused Germany of being a 'captive of Russia.' Now, after a face-to-face meeting with President Putin, Trump has stood up in front of the world's media and defended Russia over claims of interference in the 2016 presidential election. In doing so he contradicted US intelligence agencies, ...
Tue 17th
00:22
If the Liberal Democrats won't defend liberal democracy, we might as well give up on it
Tonight Vince Cable (current party leader) and Tim Farron (previously party leader) of the 'Liberal Democrats' failed to turn up to the House of Commons and vote on key Brexit amendments. As a result, they contributed to the craziness of a government victory which overturned the government's own position, making a No Deal Brexit substantially more likely. ... Continue reading If the Liberal Democrats won't defend liberal democracy, we might as well give up on it