After the 10k, whilst I wanted to lay down and die, there was work to be done. I joined Cllrs O'Hanlon, D'Albert and Andrew Garner, as well as Sedgley campaigner Steve Wright in a spot of leafleting this afternoon in the Kings Road / Albert Avenue area of Sedgley. I felt as if my hips were shot to pieces, and they weren't best pleased that I'd chosen giving them another workout over giving them a
Never one to be troubled by the maxim “Once bitten, twice shy,” I failed to learn the very good lesson of the Birchwood 10k by this morning competing in the Accrington 10k. “Competing” is perhaps an over-statement, given that the man who finished just ahead of me was apparently 77 years old, but I completed the course if nothing else. It was described in the race-guide as “undulating” compared to
Yesterday was the Liberal Democrats North West Region Autumn Conference. It was the first time I had attended a conference (my holidays always seem to clash with them, as if I purposely avoid them…), and had little idea what to expect. My only ideas came from snatched glances of the Democratic Convention from “The West Wing.” Sadly yesterday was somewhat less of a grand affair than that, taking
Don't you just love sundays- the day of rest. The one day of the week that you take things that little bit easier, sit back and enjoy the simple pleasures in life (Stephen Tall watched the last session of the West Wing- that will have to wait for February half term for me). Sadly not today and not for me. After breakfast I went straight to Homebase to get some materials. A friend of mine was
I have remarked before that many literary scholars regard Nevill Holt in Leicestershire as the model for Bonkers Hall, the ancestral home of my old friend Lord Bonkers. With this in mind, it is interesting to read a Times feature on David Ross, co-founder of the Carphone Warehouse, who bought the old pile when it closed as a prep school and converted it back into a private house. Its author, Caroline Donald, describes the character of the place: The 30,000sq ft house sits on top of a gentle hill ... with huge views over ...
FreeThink points us towards an article in the Daily Mail.
Porter now occupies the role that Nick Cohen used to have in the Observer. He is the columnist who makes you cheer by exposing this government's assault on liberty. Today's piece is especially good: What runs through all this seems to be a rather surprising dislike of the British people. It was once possible to believe the government's unusual attention to law, order and behaviour was benevolent yet ill-conceived. Now it looks more like the result of late-onset sociopathy, influenced by a long period in power and the degenerate entanglement between Downing Street and the seething red-top newspapers.
I was having a productive Sunday, work-wise. Then this happened: Sure-fire way to lose that extra hour I gained. (And some.)
Was in Clepington area this morning helping my brother-in-law with his FOCUS leaflet deliveries and shocked by the mindless vandalism at bus shelters (see right) - its not the part of the City I represent but I e-mailed into Planning & Transportation to advise them. Have no doubt however that they will have been advised by more than me ... the Courier called me this afternoon (i.e. with "Finance Convener" hat on) about the cost to the City Council of vandalism each year. Although we deplore this sort of mindless vandalism and work with Tayside Police to tackle it, I ...
COURT 27 Before MR JUSTICE BENNETT Monday 30 October, 2006 At half past 10 Applications for Permission CO/2164/2006 The Queen on the application of Zaluska v East Devon District Council CO/4705/2006 The Queen on the application of Hemming Mp v The Prime Minister CO/2173/2006 The Queen on the application of Mehmood v SshdCO/1917/2006 The Queen on the application of Arpa v Sshd CO/2803/2006 
Sorry to Iain Dale and any other West Ham fans around who read this blog. I saw this on the BBC website earlier and thought they might be one season early. Do you think this is the Beta version of next year's league that they are testing ? {Posted by Picasa}
Here's a serious story that made me giggle a little: Transgender MP in toilet fracas An Italian opposition MP and former showgirl has expressed outrage after meeting a transgender colleague in the parliament's ladies' toilets. Elisabetta Gardini, spokeswoman for former PM Silvio Berlusconi's party, said she felt ill after the encounter during a break in Friday's session. They certainly don't do things by halves in Italian politics do they? Surely the show girl must be used to having all sorts of strange sexualities parading around her in dressing rooms, make-up areas and so on? But ...
Very busy weekend, yesterday we attended the Liberal Democrats North West Conference at the Jans Centre in Blackburn, excellent venue and good to meet so many fellow Lib Dems from across the North West. As Chair of Campaigns for the N W it was my responsibility to arrange for the fringe training events - which were all well attended and successful - a big thank you to all the training providers
A good slogan, isn’t it? Trips of the tongue. It’s about time we made more of it. Here’s why. This past week has seen the LibDems hit the headlines for our green tax policies. Well done, Richmond, for getting a positive press for their plans for variable residents parking permits (here in Oxford charges for parking outside your home – of the flat-rate variety – are an imposition of the Tory County Council). And over this weekend, many a kagooled activist up and down the country will have been spotted persuading an unwary public to join ...
Surbiton Rotary Club is 70 years old - and their celebrations featured their best known member, Rupert Bear. Of course, it was really his illustrator, Alfred Bestall, who was a member. At a special anniversary party today the club had invited Caroline Bott, the author of Bestall's biography, to tell us about his life and work. She referred to him as Uncle Fred...
Hot news from the BBC that Tony Blair has made his first ever call on a mobile phone has certainly got the pulses racing in my part of the country. Friends of mine have been calling me all day to talk about this joyous news whilst people down my street have held an impromptu street party ! Does anyone really care ? The only thing I can imagine though is that the phones earpiece does not work because lets face it, Blair is not really someone who wants to listen is he !
I had to roll one up just to steel myself to read this: University announces smoking ban Newcastle University is banning smoking anywhere on its campus from next year. Staff and students are being warned if they want to smoke after 1 January 2007, they will have to leave the university site - not just buildings. Now, I don't know Newcastle University at all. I presume it's a city centre type affair where it won't be too much of an inconvenience to step onto the public highway (until smoking is also banned there of course). ...
Just noticed this on the BBC’s ‘Have Your Say’ about flag-burning (which features occasional moments of sense breaking out amongst all the usual ‘ban anything that might offend me’ comments): Will these proposals risk driving political protests underground? Leaving aside the question of what the point of a secret protest might be, one wonders what sort of [...]
The Christian Science community in Kingston is based as its beautiful modern church in Penrhyn Road. But yesterday they held a public lecture in the Market Hall and invited me to attend and introduce the speaker. They welcomed me very warmly. Marta Greenwood grew up in Iran, but came to London to study nursing and midwifery. She is now a renowned Christian Science practitioner and...
Sometimes, the internet gives us a constructive way to use our spare time, for example looking at Wikipedia all day is without a doubt, learning, even if it is mainly learning about theories that Hitler escaped to an underground lair in the Antarctic . Then something like Witty Comics comes along. I can’t be bothered to register so have cheated. I use it to bid farewell to this blog’s most frequent, and in fact virtually sole commentator, a conceited and aloof but basically decent young pedant named Paul Davies, who is, following concerted state, community and personal pressure, quitting the ...
Police chiefs are, apparently, calling for a new law against flag-burning. We don't need it.
Don't tell Tony Blair, but even the government's own reports say that the war in Iraq is fuelling terrorism in the UK. The BBC and the Sunday Telegraph report today. Blair has denied and refuted this obvious fact for over three years. Now even government reports are stating it. Tony Blair makes himself look more and more stupid every time he says it. What ever next Tony, "black is white ?"
A couple of weeks ago there was a justified story from the Tories about how inspectors were going to peer into every house to check whether it had double glazing or gaudy wallpaper to add to the council tax valuation. I blogged flippantly about that one. Now today there are lots of media (e.g. Telegraph: "Council tax to soar 300% for homes in nice areas" and BBC: "Council tax 'to be crime based'") who have picked up on another Tory criticism of what appears to be going on in Northern Ireland. That the government have invested in sophisticated ...
Well, it wasn't that muddy, but the week's rain had softened the ground up a bit which made yesterday's bulb planting easier. As part of Make a Difference Day, Fulford Councillor Keith Aspden and I spent the morning with the BTCV and a few local residents planting 1000 daffodil bulbs in Fulford and then in the afternoon we planted another 1000 in Heslington. The planting sessions are part of a...
No prizes for guessing why we're telling you this.....
This was an interesting piece on Prison Planet The article refers to a meeting of EU ministers who were meeting in an effort to make the internet a more hostile place for terrorists. This was reported by the BBC here. If you read this piece it all seems perfectly reasonable except for the bit where "Home Secretary John Reid said they would seek to crack down on people using the web to share information on explosives or spread propaganda." If you read that piece without thinking it too seems entirely reasonable but if you think about it more carefully ...
In case anyone was wondering, yes, I'm still alive. If you were also wondering why I was calling this blog "Liberal Legend" it's a tribute to Lloyd George, one of my political heros. I'm vain, but not THAT vain.
There is a fuss brewing already about the halloween episode of South Park to be aired next week. Initially my thoughts were that this was offensive and really a joke too far to include Steve Irwin and that you need a certain amount of time before you can really contemplate making a point from something so tragic and arguably it is never acceptable at any time to make a joke in such circumstances. However, reading a New Zealand blog offered a different perspective on things. it hasn't altered my opinion that it is wrong for the South park creators ...
The BBC reports this morning that the Tories are concerned about a possible replacement for the Council Tax and the possibility that it might be trialled first in Northern Ireland. Didn't the Tories trial the Poll Tax in Scotland first ? Have the Tories got any replacement at all for the Council Tax ? Of all the taxes most loathed in the last 20 years, the Poll Tax and the Council Tax are surely top of the list. Both ill conceived, both have nothing to do with anyone's ability to pay, and both were Tory policies. I hope ...
If Assistant Metropolitan Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur has his way this Act will: Criminalise flag burning: It has been proven that flag-burning is a "gateway crime" that can lead on to much more serious acts of anti-social behaviour, such as standing on the left on escalators and swearing. Police chiefs are especially concerned that those that engage in such activity might soon be thinking
A coda to last week's post in which I suggested Jack Straw's typically authoritarian approach to problems in society - slap a law on it - was pointless in the case of those idiots who choose to advertise their crimes on YouTube. Mr Straw had argued: "This is a really serious issue about how these kind of videos should better be controlled." I suggested: "if a criminal offence has been committed,
As reported today Tarique Ghaffur and the Metropolitan Police have called for more laws to prevent the covering of faces by demonstrators and the burning of flags. The demand for these new laws appears to be an attempt to deflect the legitimate complaints by those dismayed at the police decision not to arrest protesters who incited [...]
I turn 31 today, so don't expect much from me today! Last time my parents were up they brought up all my baby things they have kept, including the newspaper from when I was born - below are some highlights of what happened 31 years ago (well I guess the news is actually from October 28 1975 so 31 years and a day). Also for the record, from my baby book, I was born at 4.39pm weighing it at 7lb9oz and 52cm long - how times have changed!
Ian Blair must resign says Alex. But don’tworry if he does go, because Tarique Ghaffur is putting in a bid to replace him as the senior police office most likely to suggest stupid things. Yes, because coming up with plans to stop the growing menace of flag-burning and the wearing of balaclavas on demonstrations should [...] | < | October 2006 | > | ||||
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