Responding to Michael Gove's comments that there might not be a Brexit deal until December, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said: "The Conservatives are making a mess out of Brexit."Theresa May is trying to run out the clock and push Parliament into a bad deal, or no deal at all. The future of this country must not come down to diplomatic filibustering."MPs must not allow this form of legislative blackmail. Instead they must give the people the final say on Brexit and an option to remain in the EU."
The talk of the town today has been the slapping of a parking ticket on a bus. This happened yesterday. The bus was a scheduled service parking outside the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Mill Street. It is a parking bay dedicated to local buses. But this seems to matter not one jot to Shropshire Council's civil enforcement officers. One in four of their yellow tickets are cancelled. But they remain slap happy. I have received a long stream of complaints on penalty charge notices being slapped on cars and vans. I have no sympathy whatsoever with people who park in ...
So, for work reasons, I shall be in the USA (specifically Orlando in Florida) for a week from Thursday 25th October to Thursday 1st November. I'm absolutely bricking it. I've never been outside the EU before, haven't been on a plane since I was 13, I have no idea how to behave in customs, I haven't got travel insurance, and ARRRRRRRRRRGH. Boss is paying for everything, but even so. Anyway, if any of you is near Orlando there may be an opportunity for drinks or something? IDK. I'm basically surfing a wave of panic right now. [IMG: comment count unavailable] ...
Monday afternoon Theresa May in parliament looked like a rabbit caught in headlights because it became clear she had no answers. There was plenty of blusters, but it was also clear that she was very unsure of herself. Taking stock on some of the comments made reveals the misdirection by Tory politicians. Do you remember Liam Fox claiming that a free trade deal with the EU would be "the easiest in human history?" Alternatively, David Davis who envisaged that we would by now have signed dozens of free trade deals with many countries, in fact, they were queuing up to ...
My heart sped! Beats quickened, intensified by sound, rising and inspiring: a duo sharing songs – by reeded living breath, by hammered vibrant strings – in forms which forswore words to throw off sentiment and strip their meaning bare; mere sequence graced by notes, patterns based in number, yet speaking to our souls. Advertisements
The coalition government has always been difficult for Dutch social liberals; but that never discouraged us from taking responsibility in the national interest. Both the VDB of the years 1901-1946 and my party D66 (founded 1966) have suffered electoral losses because they participated in coalition governments (and Dutch politics always have those), limiting their ability to build profiles on all possible subjects. Another similarity is that the VDB was the first in the 1930's to attack principle the pro-Nazi party NSB, and under the party leadership of Alexander Pechtold (2006-2018; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pechtold ) we were and are the first, and the ...
The BBC has the story on its web site – see link below www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-45877305 What I'm about to say will not be at all popular in some quarters but my view is that if you treat people like wild animals don't be surprised if they behave just like that. Prison has to be about reform where that is possible. Yes there will always be a hard core that are probably beyond any kind of reform but if we are to look upon ourselves as being a civilised society we have to treat prisoners in a humane way. I also worry ...
In 50 years, total tax receipts will cover projected spending on healthcare, long-term care, pensions and pensioner benefits. But nothing else. Continue reading →
Second paragraph of third chapter: Even so, Josh didn't have high hopes when they finally reached the dining room. He was used to carryout meals, or eating on the run in fast-food places, because his mother was always rushing off somewhere or too busy rehearsing or studying parts to do any cooking. Uncle Ryan said that Aunt Stacy was a great cook, but it was obvious that he was totally bowled over by his new wife. He probably thought that everything she did was great, no matter how bad it was. In any case, it didn't seem possible that the ...
When the late,great Ken Dodd sang his most well-loved song, "happiness"and made people happy he was singing about the most important thing in our lives that keeps us from needing the NHS If I wanted to make a controversial statement ... Continue reading →
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 16-10-2018 I posted The Blood is the Life for 16-10-2018 to my dreamwidth blog On new political parties and their prospects for success (tl;dr: they haven't got much prospect) 'Hyperalarming' study shows massive insect loss - The Washington Post We're all doomed. Least gifted children of wealthy parents graduate from college at higher rates than most-gifted from low-income families, study finds (US data) March with LGBT+ people For a People's Vote on October 20th Gay Star News is arranging this. If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) ...
Tue, 12:17: Eating lunch comfortably outside - in the middle of October! (@ 黑板 Kokuban Schuman in Brussels) https://t.co/4dKU4KZk07 Tue, 12:28: RT @gavreilly: Reply from @MichaelDHiggins' campaign to @seangallagher1, after Gallagher left a letter at the Áras last night complaini... Tue, 12:56: How Genetic Sleuthing Helped a Kidnapped Girl Recover Her Identity https://t.co/TTTfmZ8tu0 ...but not to justice for her mother's murder. Tue, 16:05: Confessions of a Fake News Writer https://t.co/6SKBkZbjDP Chilling. Tue, 18:29: About Time vol 8: 2007, Series 3, by Tat Wood and Dorothy Ail https://t.co/43F3E1tb3J Tue, 20:48: World map shows newest and oldest international borders https://t.co/XfsW6cBbHt All tide ...
Earlier in the month your local councillors met with Heaton Park managers and representatives from Bury Council's Highways team to look at some of the problems with parking in the residential areas around Heaton Park. The concerns we raised were around the significant parking problems that residents can experience who live near to the park. The particular areas we raised were: St Margaret's Road and Close, Middleton Road/Baguley Crescent, the Upper Wilton Street Area, the Milton Road area and Carver Avenue. We identified different types of parking pressures: – Very major events (Parklife, Bonfire Night) where a proper traffic management ...
A new, innovative, 'Red Bag' scheme has launched across Bury to ensure care home residents receive quick, personalised and effective treatment should they be admitted to hospital in an emergency. The scheme, which launches this month, will see care homes for the elderly in Bury provide their residents with a Red Bag. The Red Bag contains a patient passport holding important information about the individual's health, medication and personal decisions. It also has space to store personal belongings such as glasses, slippers, hearing aids and dentures - items which are often easily lost during an emergency admission - along with ...
Wed 17th
10:26
Another look at a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. The question is not whether it would be good o...
An article in the Telegraph this morning declares, "US ready to negotiate free trade deal with UK 'as soon as' Britain quits the EU, says Trump envoy". This, of course, has nothing to do with the timing of May having to come to terms with the EU on the Irish backstop question this very day. I would never suggest such a thing, obvs. The bun fight that emerges is predictable: Best for Britain, the anti-Brexit group, are quoted in the same Telegraph article as saying a US-UK trade deal "could be a disaster for the UK and shred our animal ...
It was in France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, that the South Korean President began, on October 13, an eight-day visit to Europe to explain his strategy of détente and reconciliation with North Korea. It was important for Moon Jae-in to speak one-on-one with Emmanuel Macron, who until then had been rather [...] The post The courage of the South Korean president appeared first on Radix.
Bury Libraries and Archives has been awarded Archive Service Accreditation, the UK standard for archive services. Throughout the UK there are 2,500 archives.141 archives have gained accreditation meaning that Bury has joined the top 5% of services to earn this prestigious award. Archives Service Accreditation defines good practice and standards and supports the development of excellent archive services. During the accreditation process, the panel were particularly impressed by the positive, enthusiastic and dedicated staff who work hard to deliver a high quality service. Whether you are interested in the history of Bury or want to research your family's past, Bury ...
This week is National Hate Crime Awareness Week. The week aims to bring people together, to stand with those affected by hate crime, to remember those we have lost, and support those who need our ongoing support. Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person's: disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender identity. More information about the week and what it stands for here. How can I report hate crime? In an emergency call the police 999, if it is not an emergency call 101 ...
Just to let people know about Healthwatch Bury's upcoming public meeting to be held on Monday, 22nd October 2-4pm at Bury Unitarian Church, Bank Street, Bury, BL9 0ND The meeting will include updates on Fairfield General Hospital and BARDOC (the organisation which runs the current Walk-In centres).
On 15th October, Sheffield South East selected me as their parliamentary candidate. The city has six constituencies. Sheffield Hallam members selected Laura Gordon to replace Nick Clegg last year, leaving five Sheffield constituencies needing candidates selected that evening. Though Sheffield Central was contested (congratulations to Shaffaq Mohammed), the remaining four were not. Sheffield South East is not a target seat. Although 40 members were present, only two were eligible to vote in my selection. Had I not attended, I may still have won. In uncontested selections at both council and parliamentary level, candidates understandably do limited preparation for their speeches ...
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Jo Swinson MP has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling on him to throw his weight behind a new EU tax on tech giants. Leader Vince Cable has co-signed the letter, which urges Philip Hammond to use the Budget to set out how he will incorporate the EU's initiative into any Treasury initiative to tax big internet firms. Following reports that a new European tax on internet companies could be agreed by the end of the year, Jo said: "I urge the Chancellor to focus his energy on making this EU-wide tax happen. This ...
Tue 16th
22:12
Conservative council leader attacked over Nazi remark, ousted by own group, then replaced by Labour
Very unusual goings-on in South Ribble, following Liberal Democrat councillor David Howarth calling a council meeting to debate a motion of no confidence in Conservative council leader Mary Green. She had hit the media for comparing the Labour Party to Nazis, triggering the motion. Before the meeting was held, however, she was ousted as Conservative leader. As a result, when the councillors convened for the meeting they turned to what to do about a successor. But not all the councillors had turned up which turned out to be rather significant, as the local newspaper recounts: Deputy leader of the authority, ...
Glorious defeat is meant to be glorious. But it's also a defeat. Which for those who pay the price is rather different from the glories of inspiring rhetoric.
[IMG: Meet Rob Blackie, Lib Dem shortlist mayoral candidate] I have known Rob Blackie for 8 years and am absolutely delighted that he has made the Lib Dem shortlist to stand as the party's mayoral candidate. Rob is a Lib Dem legend and is well... The post Meet Rob Blackie, Lib Dem shortlist mayoral candidate appeared first on FeministMama.
Welcome to the second day of our week of publishing the Party's press releases as we receive them. Do let us know in the comments if you find this valuable... Government must improve care for those with eating disorders Today Wera Hobhouse will lead a Westminster Hall debate on the role stigma plays in preventing people with eating disorders from accessing early treatment. Eating disorders affect 1.25 million people in the UK and despite evidence showing early intervention is critical to a recovery, people wait three-and-a-half years, on average, between the onset of symptoms and starting treatment. Liberal Democrat MP ...
Second paragraph of third chapter (on The Shakespeare Code):Firsts and Lasts To disentangle the whole story from various tie-in works and three previous broadcast stories, it's simplest to say that this is the first time Shakespeare has met the Doctor, rather than the other way around. (We'll elaborate later.)Second paragraph of essay accompanying third chapter ("Why Does Britain's History Look So Different These Days?"):Rather than just making a big thing of a character coming from Africa and being allowed to answer the phones on a starship, in "The Tenth Planet" (4.2), the minor character of Williams - written as Welsh ...
If you were at the Conference rally in Brighton, you'll have seen the fantastic speech given by our amazing candidate for North East Fife, Wendy Chamberlain. She hopes to take the seat, currently held by the SNP's Stephen Gethins. He and his wife account for his entire majority. Wendy has many talents and was featured in this week's Scotland on Sunday for her work on Scotland's governing body for the sport of Shinty. It's a world which has, until fairly recently, excluded women from its management. When Wendy Chamberlain became the first woman to join the board of the Camanachd ...
COMMENT | Fighting Transphobia and How to be a Trans Ally | THEGAYUK Doctor Who: The Ghost Monument Reactipoll Overwhelmingly positive so far :) House of Commons culture of bullying and harassment starts with senior officials Expect this to be swiftly swept under the carpet. 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
The by-election in Watton-at-Stone in August saw Liberal Democrats take 67% of the vote in a ward we'd not contested in three decades. This is in East Herts District, where we lost our last councillors in 2015 and all the sitting councillors were elected as Tories. Can we do this elsewhere? The local party benefited considerably from the help and expertise of Paul Zukowskij from HC3, and through him from other people in Hertfordshire, and also from Cambridgeshire (particularly from Mary Regnier Wilson who ran the committee room on polling day). The stark contrast in my mind is with another ...
The Prime Minister Theresa May recently suggested that "austerity" was coming to an end. That word is one of the political left's most successful abstract nouns; that Mrs May is now using it shows just how successful it is. Alongside the word comes an austerity narrative that is nowadays largely unchallenged. This is that the ... Continue reading Was austerity a horrible mistake? Three challenges to the left's narrative
Mon, 12:56: What the gut knows https://t.co/wZkLWxpKTS @NaomiAllTheNews on digestion. Mon, 18:34: https://t.co/QoRvCD1pEh Mon, 20:08: Monday reading https://t.co/i9KljcRf7C Mon, 20:20: RT @tnewtondunn: It's clever No10 spin to suggest the EU have come up with a 2nd Irish backstop to slap onto the initial one; but the truth... Tue, 10:45: All Those Books You've Bought but Haven't Read? There's a Word for That https://t.co/4SanFtbRA6 Considering tsundoku.
The decision to transition had taken me several years. Early life was just about trying to understand why I was different, later life worrying about how I could make such a change in my life. Eleven years ago I decided the time had come to deal with these feelings and that resulted in a lot of research, and a lot of soul searching. I saw two different medical professionals, both of whom confirmed with weeks their diagnosis. They even supported me early on to undergo medical intervention. Work stood in the way of transitioning as they had made me reapply ...
Last week (9 October) I stood for the first time in the City of London elections in Castle Baynard ward that stretches from Fleet Street to Blackfriars, taking in St Paul's Cathedral. It was a 3-week whirlwind of a campaign. The by-election was called as one of the Common Councilmen in the ward was elected as an Alderman elsewhere and created a vacancy. There were 8 of us contesting one place. My fascination with the City started way back when I landed my first real job as an articled clerk in the City firm of Norton Rose and then working ...
How long will it take for the so-called liberal elite to work out two key things: (i) most people don't think like them/us; and (ii) defending the status quo is becoming politically dangerous. Mr Bolsonaro, a politician with authoritarian instincts, has convincingly won the first round of the Brazilian presidential elections. As my friend Renaud [...] The post We have to wean ourselves off the status quo appeared first on Radix.
Yes of course Momentum is tightening its grip but on Merseyside, as it's doing across the Labour Party, but they are known as Militant to Scousers. But let's look beyond the headlines, the questions being are Momentum becoming more Militant or are Militant gaining Momentum? It seems as though some on Merseyside are now looking back at the 1980's with very rose tinted spectacles on. It was not a good time for Liverpool but Militant made it worse with their political posturing and false hope. Yes it was some 30 years ago so many who want to celebrate the return ...
An event next Thursday - 18th October - allows you to take a guided stroll along Discovery Walk and find out more about the history, design and stories around the ten bronze plaques that celebrate the gifts that Dundee has given the world and those inspiring individuals who were behind some of the world's most ground breaking discoveries and contributions to science and society. With phase three of Discovery Walk starting soon you will have the chance to talk to the creators of the walk, Susanne Scott and Kelly-Ann Marr, about who you think should be the next individual to ...