Just in case you ever needed to know, there are 55 positive integers whose square root √n is less than or equal to their number of divisors τ(n). √n < τ(n) in 53 cases and in two cases √n = τ(n) - 1 and 9. They are: n τ(n) √n 1 1 1 2 2 1.41 3 2 1.73 4 3 2 6 4 2.45 8 4 2.83 9 3 3 10 4 3.16 12 6 3.46 14 4 3.74 15 4 3.87 16 5 4 18 6 4.24 20 6 4.47 24 8 4.90 28 6 5.30 30 8 ...
Monday Apparently, there's a new political absolutely-not-a-Party-unless-you-ask-them-nicely on the block. Hilariously, their website gives a list of their value, and only gives you the option to agree with all of them. Which, as I understand it, was their problem with Mr Corbyn. But there you go. Let's have a look anyway, and see what they believe in and see if we agree to tick any boxes, shall we? Number 1:Ours is a great country of which people are rightly proud, where the first duty of government must be to defend its people and do whatever it takes to safeguard Britain's ...
Cllr Richard Kemp CBE Liverpool Liberal Democrats 16, Dovedale Road, Liverpool L18 1DW Richardkemp68@yahoo.co.uk 07885 626913 Luciana Berger MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA 18th February 2019 Dear Luciana, Re: Your new Independent Group I am writing to you ... Continue reading →
Mon 18th
15:27
Book review: The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman, the bomb and the four months that changed th...
While in Washington DC, I made a pilgrimage to the large "Prose and Politics" bookstore in Connecticut Avenue NW. As one would expect, it was bursting with political books. I would have quite happily walked away with an entire wheelbarrow load of books, if my airline baggage weight limit had allowed it. In the end, I bought one paperback, which was "The Accidental President" by A.J.Baime about Harry S. Truman's first four months as President in 1945. I was not disappointed. It is a brilliant book – a real page turner. By coincidence, Harry Truman lived with his family from ...
The Independent Group's statement of values is mostly a pile of centrist mush that very few people could disagree with, apart from the very first bit under "we believe", where they dog-whistle racists with stuff about how the first duty of government - the first duty, mark you - is to do whatever it takes to secure our borders against all those nasty immigrants. I would have thought the first duty of government is to look after its citizens, or maybe uphold the rule of law. There's also the wishy-washy (at best) commitment to international co-operation, including no mention whatsoever ...
Eating Disorders Awareness Week this year takes place between 25th February and 3rd March. Eating disorders can affect anyone, anywhere. This National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), want to change the conversation around food, body image, and eating disorders! This year's theme is Come as You Are to encourage inclusivity. The eating disorders charity, Beat, estimates that there are over 1.6 million people struggling with an eating disorder throughout the UK. Everyone should be able to speak out, share their experiences and connect with others. The week also aims to start conversations with a variety of ...
Information from Bury Council regarding the 'Working carers Hub': "Juggling the demands of life, work and care giving Working and caring for our loved ones and everything this involves can sometimes overwhelm us. That's why we have set up a new communication platform specially designed for working carers at Bury Council and Six Town Housing. Called 'The One Community Working Carers Hub' It's private, it's confidential and a place where we can listen to you and act on what you tell us. Once you have joined you can: · take part in polls and discussions; · tell us your ideas ...
Every time I think British politics couldn't get any dafter it does. We have the most incompetent government since that of Lord North, daily making itself more and more foolish, and so what happens? Not a split in the Tories. Oh no - though the soi disant European Research Group, the ERG, have been acting as a party within a party for months, forming a tail which is very effectively wagging the dog. No, the split is in the Labour Party, from which seven of their MPs have decided to resign. It is not even clear why. Their chief spokesperson ...
The situation with Shamima Begum has been one that I have been ruminating over for the last few days, whether it has been the racist headline of the Metro on Friday ("Jihadi Bride wants baby on NHS") or the utterly appalling misogyny and unconscious racism displayed on this topic by politicians, friends and others on social media. For those of you who may not remember, at 15, Shamima Begum left the U.K. with two friends to go to ISIS-controlled territories in the Middle East. There, shortly after arrival, she was married to someone she had been introduced to online who ...
Responding to the release of the report containing the Rail Delivery Group's proposals to the Williams Rail Review, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Jenny Randerson said:"It has been long overdue for the Conservative Government to introduce the legislation needed to reform our outdated and unfair rail fares system. The proposals put forward by the industry which would modernise the way in which we pay for our train tickets are encouraging and it is now essential the Government sets the wheels in motion."Simplifying the system and introducing smart ticketing would help transform what is an incredibly outdated system, invented before people bought ...
Responding to the Government's launch of a number of consultations looking at overhauling the waste system, cutting plastic pollution, and moving towards a more circular economy, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael said:"Whilst the Government fail to get a grip of the crisis facing our environment, the detrimental effects to the UK's wildlife continues. The Liberal Democrats have been clear about the need for a plastic bottle deposit scheme and the Conservative Government must follow through on these consultations with action."The Liberal Democrats will also continue to fight for a ban on all single-use plastic within three years and the ...
Responding to the Labour party split, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said: "It is not unexpected, or unwelcome, that a group of Labour MPs have decided to break away from Corbyn's Labour; in part motivated by his refusal to follow the party's policy on Brexit. "The Liberal Democrats are open to working with like-minded groups and individuals in order to give the people the final say on Brexit, with the option to remain in the EU. We will be engaging in talks to progress both that campaign and a wider political agenda."
Responding to the Justice Secretary's speech this morning where he advocated abolishing prison sentences of six months or less, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: "I'm glad the Justice Secretary is finally accepting what the evidence - and the Liberal Democrats - have been saying for years: short prison sentences are destructive and just lead to more crime. "But even as he makes that admission, his Tory colleagues at the Home Office are busy introducing more short prison sentences in their Offensive Weapons Bill. "This Tory Government is saying one thing and doing another, and the Liberal Democrats demand ...
Labour's split today has formalised something that has been gradually underway for months. But how does it affect matters up here in the North East? My main concern is about whether or not the Labour party will back a referendum on the Brexit deal. I suspect the departure of the 7 MPs won't change Corbyn's position - he is a Leaver and has done everything he can to resist a further referendum.
Sun, 12:56: Brexit: The Compromise (PDF) https://t.co/XoHcycmRfM @AndrewDuffEU sees a way forward. Sun, 13:49: RT @AlbertoNardelli: 1) measures have been covered multiple times by multiple outlets since first set out 2) it's not a secret deal, but un... Sun, 14:21: RT @Dublin2019: Don't forget, deadline for nominating in @TheHugoAwards is the 15th of March. Sun, 20:48: Stanley McChrystal: 'I Think I Am at Peace' https://t.co/OSWHQELz5C Fascinating @FT interview by @JananGanesh. Sun, 22:06: Return to Bosnia and Croatia https://t.co/NgmXWStTDS Mon, 08:53: RT @Jack_Blanchard_: Britain in 2019: They're selling copies of the latest Ivan Rogers speech at the counter in Waterstones https://t.co/Wy... ...
From the BBC: Seven MPs have resigned from the Labour Party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's approach to Brexit and anti-Semitism. They are: Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey. Ms Berger said Labour had become institutionally anti-Semitic and she was "embarrassed and ashamed" to stay. Mr Corbyn said he was "disappointed" the MPs had felt unable to continue working for the policies that "inspired millions" at the 2017 election. The MPs are not launching a new political party – they will sit in Parliament as the Independent group. * Paul Walter ...
So, it's finally, finally happened: the Labour Party has split. Now that it's gone down, it feels inevitable – yet it really took its time in finally taking place. Anyhow, now starts the questions: will the Independent Group succeed? Will other Labour MPs follow them soon enough? Will Tory MPs quit their whip and join the Independent Group as well? Will this be like the SDP, meaning it ultimately won't work as intended but will keep the Tories in power for a long time? What interests me more in the immediate is how Corbyn responds to what's happened this morning. ...
Here are the initial reactions of a range of Liberal Democrats to the departure of seven MPs from Labour (whose policy statement you can read here): The Liberal Democrats are open to working with like-minded groups and individuals in order to give the people the final say on Brexit, with the option to remain in the EU. We will be engaging in talks to progress both that campaign and a wider political agenda. #LabourSplit — Vince Cable (@vincecable) February 18, 2019
The newly formed Independent Group of seven Labour MPs has the following as their launch policy statement. What do you make of it?
It's easy to forget how many Party members are of very recent vintage sometimes. Given that our membership at the time of the General Election was in the region of 45,000, and is now more than double that, many of our readers will have no reason to be aware of the history of the post. So, here are some of the things that might be of interest... Sal Brinton is the ninth person to hold the position of Party President, and the longest serving of them all – her second term is of three years, the first of such length. ...
Our Lib Dem tabloid has started to hit the doormats of Gateshead. Bensham (part of Lobley Hill and Bensham ward, which we will be targeting in future elections) and Saltwell started to receive their copies this morning. Delivery will be rolled out over the next few weeks over other areas of Gateshead. The lead story is the £700,000 spent on building a car park by Labour-run Gateshead that
A select committee report argues that Facebook deliberately broke privacy and competition law and should urgently be subject to statutory regulation, and denounces the company and its executives as "digital gangsters". The Guardian reports that the final report of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee's 18-month investigation into disinformation and fake news accused Facebook of purposefully obstructing its inquiry and failing to tackle attempts by Russia to manipulate elections. The report: Accuses Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's co-founder and chief executive, of contempt for parliament in refusing three separate demands for him to give evidence, instead sending junior employees unable ...
I have been part of various online forums that have been discussing the "Green New Deal" being championed by some in the US Democratic Party. These forums are made up mainly of academics who have an interest in climate and environmental policy. What was striking about the various discussions is that they were all technical/ideological. [...] The post If you want a green new deal, you have to win first appeared first on Radix.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been US Representative for New York's 14th District for less than two months, but she has already made waves in US politics so large that they have spread across the pond. Last week, Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC, as she is popularly known) tabled House Resolution 109. The "Green New Deal" it outlines would transition the US to a carbon neutral economy and 100% renewable energy generation within ten years. These changes would be accompanied by massive investment in infrastructure, from improving the energy efficiency of buildings, to developing new transport links to reduce domestic air travel. AOC is ...
Mon 18th
07:46
Paying your bus fare on Merseyside cashless but there have to be concerns about the move towards a c...
Cash is of course still accepted on buses, but the option to pay by the Contactless method has to date only been available on Merseyside via Stagecoach buses. However, Merseytravel want to make this option more widely available, which helps both passengers and the bus companies, as they don't have deal with so much cash at the end of each day. Plus, there's less chance of ne'er-do-wells robbing a driver. Cumfybus have recently upgraded their ticket machines in order they can accept Contactless payments. However, there do not seem to be any notices on the buses to inform cash passengers ...
The new episode of "A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" is up. This one's on Bill Haley and the Comets, and Rock Around the Clock. But that's not all... There's a second new episode, on "Cry" by Johnnie ... Continue reading →
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2019 Bellfield Street - off-peak (9.30am - 3.30pm) stop/go traffic control on Monday 18 February for 2 days at new housing development for road and footway reinstatement works.
I recorded this at the end of January - it was after a Gateshead Council advisory group that had been held to consider the budget. The Council has a £29 million funding gap to bridge so some painful decisions have to be made. Nevertheless, there were some proposals in the budget which, even in the times of pre-austerity, would have been the right ones to take. A couple of examples spring to
Lib Dems: Divert our flightpath away from Brexit mess Responding to reports that the East Midlands airline FlyBMI has collapsed amid the uncertainty caused by Brexit, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said: While the Government claim that Brexit provides the opportunity to create a Global Britain, the evidence is to the contrary; FlyBMI are naming Brexit as one of the reasons for their demise. The truth is, any Brexit is bad for UK Plc, and puts jobs and livelihoods at risk. It is time to divert our flightpath away from this crisis, with a People's Vote and a chance ...
The night the Liberal Party merged with the SDP, I played Allegri's Miserere as an expression of my feelings. It was the famous recording made by the choir of King's College, Cambridge, in 1963, with Roy Goodman singing the treble solo. Here is a documentary Goodman made for the BBC in 2006, which tells the story of that recording and investigates the complicated history of the piece.
Two weeks ago, I took F on his first trip to Bosnia. I lived in Banja Luka, the main city of the Republika Srpska (the Serbian part of Bosnia) from January 1997 to May 1998, and was joined by Anne and B from that September (B, who was born in June 1997, was very tiny). We then moved to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, from May to December 1998, before I got my first job in Brussels at the start of 1999; by then, F was on his way, but did not fully appear on the scene until July. Since ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 543rd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (10-16 February, 2019), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Former Royal Marine Commadno Bruce Wilson selected ...
There is nothing more absurd than an Old Etonian posing as an anti-elitist. Anyone who has been taken in by Jacob Rees-Mogg's act should read this piece Andy McSmith published back in 2006: State school pupils are 'potted plants', says Tory One of the leading members of the David Cameron generation of new Tories created a storm yesterday by comparing people who were not privately educated and did not go to Oxford or Cambridge universities to "potted plants". Jacob Rees-Mogg, who will be fighting one of the Tories' target seats at the next election, also gave the impression that he ...
"First, some figures. From 1899 to 1902, roughly 48,000 people died in British concentration camps in South Africa. Of the 28,000 white deaths, 22,000 were children under the age of 16. More than 4,000 were women. The 20,000 Black deaths were less clearly recorded - a mark of official indifference - but most estimates suggest that about 80% were children." Robert Saunders puts Jacob Rees-Mogg right on British concentration camps in the Boer War. "Being Asian and a curry lover you would think that I would feel sorry for him but I don't. Those from immigrant communities who vote or ...
An example of what Jo Swinson means by in practice about the Lib Dem record in government played out recently on Twitter when she took Theresa May to task.
In the 70s, my brother and I were... planespotters. Home was near Windsor, and during the holidays we'd pester our mother to take us there to catch the 727 Green Line to Heathrow. She probably didn't mind, two boys out of her hair all day. In our bags went our tools – binoculars, log books [...]
Enshrining the 0.7% GDP for international aid provision in law was a brilliant Lib Dem achievement brought about by former Lib Dem Secretary of State Mike Moore. Now it is coming under threat by Tories who have always opposed it. In an article for Politics Home, Lib Dem peer Shas Sheehan writes a blistering defence of it. Enshrining in law the UK's aid commitment was a hugely progressive step. But it has been haunted by years of attack from Conservative MPs such as former and current DFID Secretaries Priti Patel and Penny Mordaunt. The latest person to take aim at ...
We are having an envelope-stuffing and Focus printing day today in the Lib Dem office in Consett. There are about 15 of us here. The letters we printed through the week and currrently being folded and inserted into envelopes. And more are churning off the printer, as is our next Focus, this time for Lobley Hill and Bensham ward. Meanwhile, lunch is served.
In a guest post for this site, Rabina Khan, Liberal Democrat councillor from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, takes a look at the issue.
[IMG: A Jacob R-M parody] The post A Jacob R-M parody appeared first on FeministMama.
The Prodigy's first single from 1991 and some good advice from Charley. Wikipedia explains the sample: Charley Says is a series of very short cut-out animated cartoon public information films for children, produced by the British government's Central Office of Information and broadcast in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s. Six films were made in 1973. Most of the topics dealt with everyday safety issues children face, such as not going off with strangers or not playing with matches. They featured a little boy called Tony (voiced by the seven-year-old son of one of the neighbours of producer ...
The latest controversy surrounding Chris Grayling, as reported by the Independent, prompted me to look back at past instances where the Transport Secretary has got himself in hot water. The latest incident relates to Grayling's time as Justice Secretary, when he effectively privatised the probation services. This has now come back to bite him with the collapse of Working Links, which owns three Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) delivering probation services in Wales, Avon and Somerset, and Devon and Cornwall. Under Grayling, ministers overhauled the arrangements for managing offenders in 2014 in a partial privatisation known as Transforming Rehabilitation. The National ...
So Jacob Rees-Mogg, Boris and the rest of the European Research Group of 100 or so Tory backbenchers have been making an almighty fuss about the backstop. They don't like the part of the EU Withdrawal Agreement that would keep the UK in a temporary customs union in the (highly likely) event of a full trade deal not being agreed by the end of the transition period in December 2020. It has alway been clear that the EU will, quite rightly, to be honest, not consider any watering down of that commitment. There is no solution to the Irish border ...
As ever with opinion polls, it is best to look at the trend rather than one poll in isolation. Rather handily, the excellent @UKElectionMaps has just produced an updated graph...
Sat, 12:56: RT @simonjhix: This really is an extremely articulate explanation of the problems of Brexit, far clearer and more sophisticated than anythi... Sat, 12:59: RT @Dublin2019: Don't forget, deadline for nominating in @TheHugoAwards is the 15th of March. Sat, 14:45: RT @quartzen: It bothers me that I keep seeing posts about James Barry talking about his "secret." As far as I can tell, he was quite open... Sat, 14:45: RT @jimfitzpatrick: Found this old sketch of Bobby Kennedy, one of my heroes then+now. Bobby and JFK stood up to the White Suprematists of... Sat, 16:05: British Concentration Camps: A ...
I attended what turned out to be a packed out talk about the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway, which ran from Aintree Central Station, through Sefton & Maghull & Lydiate Stations and on through rural West Lancs to terminate at Southport Lord Street Station. The talk was given by Keith Hick on 13th February and when I say packed out I mean it! The studio at The Atkinson seats 260 we were told and they had to put extra chairs out to accommodate everyone wanting to hear and see it. Seems there are many railway enthusiasts in and around ...
I quote from one not of my own party, David Lammy, who, in a speech last week in the House of Commons, stated: "Your Department's treatment of the Windrush generation has been nothing less than a national scandal. In November, we learned that at least 164 Windrush citizens were wrongly removed, detained or stopped at the border by our own Government. Eleven of those who were wrongly deported have died. You have announced three more today. Every single one of those cases is a shocking indictment of your Government's pandering to far right racism, sham immigration targets and the dog ...
The next Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden talk is today in the garden's Education Centre at 2pm. The speaker will be Sally McConville, Environmental Assistant at Dundee City Council. Sally will talk about Bonnie Dundee and Beautiful Scotland. Bonnie Dundee works in partnership with Dundee City Council to support Dundee's entry into the Large City category of the Beautiful Scotland campaign. Volunteers are involved in a wide range of projects, from litter picks and tree planting to tending community gardens and the colourful planters you see around the city streets. Hope to see you there - bring ...
Wednesday 6 February saw the inaugural session of Ludlow Young Health, a wellbeing and mental health advice drop-in service. Nearly 50 young people and their parents or carers dropped in to the Ludlow Youth Centre in the first few hours of the service. It will now run every second Wednesday from 3.30pm to 7pm at Ludlow Youth Centre. The next drop-in will be 20 February. From left to right: Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North; Jane Hunt, Beam volunteer; Tim Gill, Mayor of Ludlow; Tracey Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East; Natalie Deakin, Children's Society; Erica Garner, Ludlow town ...
The UK airline Flybmi is going into administration, citing Brexit uncertainty as the reason; there is no guarantee they will be able to fly between European destinations if Britain leaves the EU on 29 March as scheduled. The company is just one of many that are closing or else shifting their operations to another member [...]
It is the season of dog poo. Dark nights encourage people ignore the mess their dog makes. It is left there for everyone to tread on. It looks disgusting and it is downright dangerous for everyone, especially children. A back of envelope calculation suggests dogs in Ludlow and the walking areas adjacent to it produce one tonne of poo every day. If a small fraction of that is left behind, we have a major problem with dog mess - and know we have a major problem with dog mess. This blog and the summit a result in a specific request ...