Davey: we need a devolution revolution to drive the green revolution Govt decision on arms sales to Saudi Arabia shows lack of humanity Govt green recovery plans do not match ambition of other countries Davey: we need a devolution revolution to drive the green revolution Today Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has delivered a keynote speech to the Local Government Association outlining his plan for a devolution revolution to drive a green revolution. Ed Davey called for the government to make £45bn new funding available to local authorities over three years alongside a range of new powers ...
You remember Ryan Coetzee. He was Nick Clegg's special adviser and then director of strategy for the Liberal Democrats' 2015 general election campaign. That was the campaign that saw the party reduced from 57 MPs to eight. Nothing daunted, he then served as director of strategy for Stronger In, the official pro-remain campaign in the EU referendum. After that, he went a bit quiet. But today's Guardian brings us up to date with his career:Hong Kong has turned to the former director of strategy of the UK remain campaign in the Brexit referendum to revive its reputation, amid further scrutiny ...
Well, 50 years ago this month, because I have seen various release dates quoted for Traffic's LP John Barleycorn Must Die. It began as a Steve Winwood solo album, but he soon decided he needed to get the gang together. The critics like it:"Winwood. Traffic. Here is some group," raved Circus magazine, when the group reconvened for the John Barleycorn Must Die album. "There is no better," drooled their reviewer Jonathan Eisen. "It is not Cream or Blind Faith. It is not Miles Davis. It is not The Beatles. It is not the Traffic of yore. It is merely the ...
One of my reading programmes is to go chronologically through the winners of the BSFA Award for Best Novel, the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Otherwise Award (formerly the James Tiptree Jr Award). In order to keep up momentum, I've decided to do all the winners of a given year simultaneously, for a better comparison. So this takes me to the awards made in the year 1999 for work done in 1998: the Clarke Award went to Tricia Sullivan's novel Dreaming in Smoke, the BSFA Best Novel to The Extremes by Christopher Priest, and the Tiptree, very unusually, to ...
A Liberal Democrat press release brings the news: Responding to a written statement from the Secretary of State for International Trade confirming that the UK will resume selling arms to Saudi Arabia, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: The situation in Yemen is horrific, with Saudi Arabia persistently violating human rights and the rule of law. Arms sales to the regime should be banned until further notice. Last year the Conservative Government breached the Court of Appeal ruling on the licensing of arms for use in Yemen and now they are trying to make out as though Saudi ...
Tue 7th
13:30
Book review: Diane Reay's "Miseducation - Inequality, Education and the Working Classes"
I had been seeing a friend and was on my way out when she picked up a book and said - you must read this. I found it a shocking revelation. Diane Reay published Miseducation Inequality, and the working classes in 2017. The eldest of eight children, her father a miner, she is now an Emeritus Professor at Cambridge and visitor professor at the London School of Economics. Diane writes that her book is intended to provide an understanding of the working class experience of education together with her sadness and need to make sense of the resulting damage. There ...
Add caption Plans for 2 houses and a bungalow in the woodland behind Station Lodge have been refused. Yate Councillors objected and this time the planners backed them - because of the impact on the woodland, wildlife and the important listed buildings around it - the Station Lodge and the raised history footpath for reaching the old station.This week we have reported on some cases where planners have now backed locals, here is a case where they have listened to local objections.
As our media concentrate almost entirely on the coronavirus pandemic the government is working outside the glare of publicity to bring about an exit from the European Union way beyond anything that was suggested in the Referendum Campaign or promised in parliamentary debates before and after. The "easiest trade talks in history" look headed for collapse and a No-deal Brexit The establishment of customs posts between Britain and Northern Ireland, something which "no British prime minister could ever contemplate" were discussed by a minister (of the Northern Ireland executive, I think) on Radio 4's "Today" programme this morning. Concerned as ...
It appears that the next phase of the coronavirus pandemic is the blame game, where the government tries to get in its excuses ahead of a public inquiry so that all their mistakes can be attributed to somebody else. We have already seem ministers lining up the scientists in this regard, arguing consistently that they are following the science, when in reality they are making decisions on the basis of a large range of information, some contradictory, and in some cases putting off decisions at a huge cost. The Guardian reported only a few weeks ago, for example, the view ...
The haunting theme tune of what would have been a long forgotten TV series 'The Life and Times of David Lloyd George' sprung to mind as soon as I heard of the death of Ennio Morricone. There's a link to this now iconic theme tune on You Tube below:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajI2OPRfTps I recall buying a 45rpm single of it back in 1981 and if you were around at the time you'll recall it became quite a hit, possibly quite unexpectedly so. This is a scan of my copy of the record:- RIP Ennio Morricone a great composer Here's a Wikipedia link ...
On a quiet evening recently I watched the 2015 film "Carol" which is set in the 1950s and based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith. The "Carol" of the title is a wealthy middle aged woman in a marriage that is breaking up, who has a four year-old daughter she adores. On a pre-Christmas shopping trip she meets a young shop assistant, Therese, and they have a connection. Carol's husband, who she is divorcing, knows that she has had same sex relationships in the past and uses this as part of a custody battle – citing her 'immoral behaviour' to ...
Mon, 18:16: De dag waarop de bus zonder haar vertrok/ ze haar vlucht nam, by B�ka, Marko, and Ma�la Cosson https://t.co/cbxz4te3PP Tue, 09:30: Whoniversaries 7 July https://t.co/P67GZ5Q6RW Tue, 10:45: RT @garethharding: Good news for dad-dancers: In #Belgium you can invite 50 people to your wedding, but they cannot dance. Only the first d...
Tue 7th
09:25
Parents should not be fined if they don't send their children back to school in September
Cllr Liz Makinson the Lib Dem Spokesperson on Education in Liverpool has urged that Liverpool schools should not fine parents in September if they decide to keep their children at home. In her statement Cllr Makinson says: "The Government's position is ... Continue reading →
I figured that last weekend would be a bit crowded in pubs, so I reserved time in my (not-so)busy diary to visit the pub yesterday. Monday is the new Saturday. All went well. The pub I visited seem to have lots of measures in place, and well-trained staff. I enjoyed an excellent couple of pints of a local brew (Loddon Brewery's Citra-Quad, since you ask). I had a meal which was obviously well-familiar with the inside of a microwave but still, as they used to say, "filled a hole". So far, so uncontroversial. ....Until I tell you the name of ...
i) births and deaths 7 July 1919: birth of Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor, star of the show from 1970 to 1974; the first Doctor I can remember, the gentleman wizard who spends a lot of his time on Earth. 7 July 1948: birth of Mat Irvine, responsible for many of the special effects on the show in the late 1970s. He wrote a book about it. 7 July 1985: death of Ewen Solon, who played Chal in The Savages (First Doctor, 1966) and Vishinsky in Planet of Evil (Fourth Doctor, 1975). 7 July 1997: death of Royston Tickner, who ...
The Liverpool Echo has the article on its website – see link below:- I've previously blogged about the architect of the North Western Hotel, Liverpool's very own Alfred Waterhouse, back in March 2019 – Here's a link back to that posting:- Let's hope that the present refurbishment is finished and that this iconic listed Liverpool building has many more years in front of it.
I had determined to stay out of the leadership election. Part of that was undoubtedly because, to be honest, I'm still really sad that we don't have Jo any more. I really didn't want to have this contest and there ... Continue reading →
Further update - for Tuesday 7th July - from Councillor Fraser Macpherson (West End) and Councillor Craig Duncan (Broughty Ferry) PHASE 3 AND 2 METRE GUIDANCEAt the end of this week, we may enter phase three of the routemap. In general, the 2-metre guidance will remain in place, but hospitality, retail and public transport may be allowed to operate on 1-metre if they agree to the implementation of measures such as improved ventilation; perspex screens; customer flow and seating plans. It would also include the collection of names and addresses of customers, to help with contact tracing. However, until then ...
I have just seen a clip of Morricone saying his music for spaghetti westerns was not his best work, but I still think this is wonderful.
The PM blaming care homes for his failure is shameful Landmark domestic abuse legislation passes House of Commons The PM blaming care homes for his failure is shameful Responding to the Prime Minister's comments today saying that "we discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have," Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: For weeks Boris Johnson told us he and his ministers had put a protective ring round our care homes. That was a lie and the public knew it. Today he is trying to shift the blame ...
Melissa Black argues that our system for diagnosing mental disorders doesn't work and offers a humane, clinically sound alternative, "'Build build build; is the wrong starting point. Planning is dominated by a target of building 300,000 homes each year, and the prime minister's rhetoric reinforces that narrative. But one simple quantity metric on housing is dangerous and limiting when planning encompasses so much more." Alister Scott calls for any changes to the planning system to take account of the full range of problems we face. Should the Guardian be accepting a subsidy from this government? asks Brain Cathcart. Jonn Elledge ...
Tonight, the Liberal Democrats have hailed the passing of the "landmark" Domestic Abuse Bill. The Liberal Democrats tabled a number of amendments designed to further support survivors of domestic abuse. Ahead of the Commons debate, the Liberal Democrats had succeeded in pushing the Government to ban alleged domestic abusers from cross-examining survivors in family courts and to properly recognise children as victims of domestic abuse. Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine had secured cross-party support for two amendments to protect migrants who experience domestic abuse. Neither was put to a vote, but the Government agreed to introduce a pilot ...
Responding to reports that the UK Government is considering whether to participate in the EU coronavirus vaccine scheme, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs and Brexit spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: "When it comes to saving lives, there should be no mulling to do. Joining the EU's coronavirus vaccine scheme is not about the old arguments of Brexit. It is simply the right thing to do."It is all very well Boris Johnson claiming he regrets the loss of life but if he then refuses to do something because of politics then his regret is worth nothing more than a bucket of cold sick. ...
What do the Liberal Democrats stand for, and why vote for us? That's my lead question of a set I've just now sent to Liberal Democrat Leadership candidates Layla Moran and Ed Davey. I've asked each the same three questions about values (each framed by a contentious scene-setter) and a different two individually targeted mean questions, because I want to be inspired - but also I don't want another Leader self-destructing. Liberal Democrat Bird of Liberty as blazing phoenix I ask about values because those are what motivate me - and because for people to vote for us, we need ...
Mon 6th
19:30
Urgent parish council meeting to discuss closure of Bromfield Post Office and Village Store
As I reported on Friday, Bromfield Post Office and Village Store is to close at the end of August. This doesn't just affect Bromfield. Emails and calls to over the last few days have demonstrated how important this rural post office is to the area between Ludlow and Craven Arms. We need to have a democratic debate about the closure. We need to examine whether the current services can be maintained, which seems unlikely, or replaced by an outreach service. A post office a few hours a week. Two days a week? One day? We need to debate that. This ...
The roadworks in Acocks Green Village as Cadent renew the gas mains, will not now be finished on the 10th July as originally planned, but are likely to overrun to 24th July. This is particularly disappointing as businesses in the Village attempt to rebuild trade as lockdown restrictions are eased. While it made sense to arrange such disruptive work when traffic was lower in lockdown, these delays are undoing the benefit this brought. There will be a new Traffic Management layout on site from tomorrow, which we are promised should improve traffic flow. There will also be additional advance notice ...
Mon 6th
17:16
De dag waarop de bus zonder haar vertrok/ ze haar vlucht nam, by Béka, Marko, and Maëla ...
Second frame of third chapter of De dag waarop de bus zonder haar vertrok: This time nothing else can go wrong... Second frame of third chapter of De dag waarop ze haar vlucht nam: *giggle* For the first time in my life I am doing something crazy! I am heading off! Just like that! I'm taking a plane to go visit people who I don't even know! These looked promising on the shelf in FNAC, so I bought them for Anne for Christmas, and have now got around to them myself. I was a bit annoyed to realise, soon after ...
Applications are now open until 12 noon on Monday 13 July for a second round of Discretionary Small Business Support Grants.The Discretionary Small Business Support Grants Fund provides support to some small and micro businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are able to demonstrate a significant drop in income because of pandemic restriction measures. The grants help support businesses that did not meet the criteria for the existing Business Support Grant Schemes.You can read more
One of the weirdest moments in my childhood was finding an English-language copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf hidden in the bottom of a wardrobe in the nursery of my (adoptive) maternal grandmother's house in Derbyshire. "Brown Grandma", as she was always referred to at home because she always wore brown clothes (as opposed to "Black [...]
The Guardian reports that the Treasury are considering radical plans to give all adults £500 and children £250 in vouchers to spend in sectors of the economy worst hit by the Covid-19 crisis: The proposals, drawn up by the Resolution Foundation thinktank, which has had recent talks with the Treasury about its ideas, are aimed at kickstarting economic recovery by triggering a highly targeted surge in spending. Under the plans the vouchers could only be spent in certain sectors, such as hospitality and "face to face" retail, as opposed to online. The proposals are similar to successful schemes already used ...
Sun, 12:22: RT @pmdfoster: Police smash car window of man on way home from TV interview about police racism - this footage is very disturbing indeed.... Sun, 12:56: RT @hugobrady: Gaelic influence hides in plain sight everywhere in #Iceland: placenames, beehive huts, folklore, encoded in the sagas and a... Sun, 13:09: RT @ChildFocusNL: Kiara #POOT is veilig en wel teruggevonden. Hartelijk bedankt voor het retweeten van het verdwijningsbericht. Sun, 15:49: February 2007 books https://t.co/CUq68uMRDu Sun, 19:43: Doctor Who Annual 2020 https://t.co/vXrsY0JbWC Sun, 21:43: RT @JohnOBrennan2: She is the President of the European Commission. She can only speak as President of ...
Nick Clegg is one of our most well-known figures. But he has abandoned our principles, and we must now condemn him for it. Splashed across the news are stories of Facebook defying a boycott aimed at getting them to tighten up on hate speech and information on their platform. And just behind Zuckerberg is our former leader, massaging the facts and spreading his own misinformation in an attempt to ameliorate his boss's critics. "Facebook does not profit from hate", he says. This is an obvious lie – Facebook profits from advertising, and so profits from every piece of content and ...
i) births and deaths 6 July 1935: birth of Derrick Goodwin, director of The Invisible Enemy (Fourth Doctor, 1977). 6 July 1979: death of Malcolm Hulke, co-author of The Faceless Ones (Second Doctor, 1967), The War Games (Second Doctor, 1969) and (uncredited) The Ambassadors of Death (Third Doctor, 1970), sole author of Doctor Who and the Silurians (also Third Doctor, 1970), Colony in Space (Third Doctor, 1971), The Sea Devils (Third Doctor, 1972), Frontier in Space (Third Doctor, 1973), and Invasion of the Dinosaurs (Third Doctor, 1974), and writer of seven novelisations (DW&t Cave-Monsters, DW&t Doomsday Weapon, DW&t Sea Devils, ...
Health Secretary failing to create comprehensive and trace system Lib Dems secure cross-party support to protect migrant women in "historic" Domestic Abuse Bill Health Secretary failing to create comprehensive test and trace system Responding to Matt Hancock's interview on The Andrew Marr Show, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and care spokesperson Munira Wilson said: The Health Secretary talks a lot about wanting to protect our NHS, but the best way to protect it is by actually creating a comprehensive Test and Trace system that allows local authorities to keep the virus under control. Ultimately if we want to avoid a second ...
The University of Dundee Botanic Garden has recently published a very informative and interesting newsletter, keeping everyone informed whilst the garden has been closed. You can access this here