Doctor Who viewers may remember London landmark Alexandra Palace from such episodes as The One In The 1950s With The Angry Dad And Maureen Lipman, also known as The Idiot’s Lantern, a David Tennant/Billie Piper episode from earlier this year. The show may have been filmed in Wales, but, through the magic of modern technology, [...]
Not bad! Hat tip to Iain Dale for drawing my attention to it.
Moonlight Over Essex has discovered that Lord Liverpool, the long-serving but little remembered 19th century Tory prime minister, had a grandmother who was part Indian. The belief that Winston Churchill had American Indian ancestry, by contrast, does not appear well founded.
Rather appropriately, I was interviewed by the BBC earlier today about the threat to the historic TV studios at Alexandra Palace. The media coverage of the issue is hotting up - hopefully enough to add to the pressure on the local council to take action to save the studios. (And don't forget, you can lobby too to help save them - see my earlier blog posting for details).
The BBC records another triumph for the East Midlands: A cave believed to be the biggest in Britain has been unearthed in the Peak District in Derbyshire.Titan is thought to be almost 460ft (140m) deep, as high as the London Eye, sculpted out of limestone by rain water over millions of years. Local potholer and underground explorer Dave Nixon led the team that discovered it, near Castleton. He
They say that Barack Obama may become the first Afro-American President. (To be precise, his father was Kenyan and black, and his mother was from Kansas and white) Still, how many decades is it going to take before one of the main political parties in this country chooses a leader who is at least partly of Asian ancestry? What do you mean, The Tories did it 194 years ago? "Liverpool's
It'll be good, but not quite good enough - that appears to be your view on what the Democrats can hope to get out of tomorrow's US mid-terms. A whopping 80% of those who have so far voted in the poll over at my other gaff reckon the Dems will do enough to win control of the House of Representatives, but fall short of snatching the Senate away from the Republicans. There is, of course, one other
A letter published in today's Times: Sir, Saddam Hussein is to hang. Arguably, nobody deserves it more. Yet civilisation is always undermined by the passing of every death sentence. GEORGE BARBOUR London SW7
My colleague Cllr Helen Dick & I met with the new Tayside Police Chief Superintendent today and it was good to both meet him and discuss issues of concern and interest. For Helen, the issue she most wished to raise is a pedestrian safety & speeding cars issue in the Strathmartine area. For me, I dearly wish to see CCTV further extended in the West End. A helpful and positive exchange of views. Earlier on, a meeting with the Director of Housing about a number of matters, including overshadowing of houses by overgrown ...
From the BBC: Struggling young readers make dramatic improvements when they are given tailored one-to-one coaching by expert teachers, research suggests. Who would have thought it?
Respected public library campaigner and blogger Tim Coates has reported on the Hampshire Library Service in his "Good Library Blog". It doesn't make happy reading. When Winchester's new Discovery Centre opens next year to replace our old public library, will we see as many books on the shelves as before? I hope so, but I fear not.
Residents of Redcar and Cleveland have given their enthusiastic backing to a Borough-wide initiative aimed at winning the war against flytipping. The Council’s Clean and Green team launched its BOYD – Bring Out Your Dross - scheme in April, covering the Borough’s 22 wards on a rolling programme. With one ward to go - Coatham, starting on Monday, November 13 - staff has visited 10,444 homes, collecting a total of 247.95 tonnes of rubbish and unwanted items, including 60 gas bottles, 83 batteries, 190 tyres, 253 fridges and 399 television sets. The Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Improvement Councillor Bob ...
Liberator 314 is out, so it is time to reproduce the latest Lord Bonkers Diary. Monday The morning’s newspapers are full of reports that the authorities once feared that militant Suffragettes were plotting to assassinate Asquith. The first Lady Bonkers, I am proud to say, was a great supporter of ‘Votes for Women’ and never slow to take action to further her cause – an observer once remarked that
The latest blow to the credibility of David Cameron's attempt to create a more diverse and electoral Conservative Party has a Welsh connection. Ellenor Bland, who has been accused of sending out a racist e-mail, which features on a white supremicist website, fought Swansea East at the last General Election. Councillor Bland blames her husband for sending the e-mail but nevertheless implies on the BBC website that it takes a light-hearted view of some serious issues. As well as the poem the e-mail contains a picture of the white cliffs of Dover with the words ‘piss off - we’re ...
I had two competing emotions as I attended this. Firstly my inner "Pagan" was awakend by the magical site of the moor flooded in near full moonlight at its zenith over the freshly lit fire. What I would have given for a power cut for a few minutes and just enjoyed the sight without electricity. Until civilisation quickly slid back to the stone age that is but perhaps just for a few minutes.... The Second was a sense of sadness that this is not the event that it once was. 5 Years ago Woodhouse Moor was Council event on a ... 
I must have finally become part of the local establishment to be invited to be the Guest speaker at this. They once famously refused to let me join when I was a mere Council candidate living outside the area. I enjoyed this enormously. Its an odd thing thing to have a "favourite" local residents association but I'm in love with the news letter they produce, so full of detailed activism with a real care for the green spaces they look after shining through. I would say about 30 people in total huddled in Wrangthorne Parish Church just off Hyde Park ...
The Guardian is running a story on the suspension of a conservative councillor who sent around a racist poem. "Old style tory dinosaur" you might think...you´d be wrong.
In an earlier post I commented that it seemed reasonable to me that sections of the anti-war movement are in fact pro-dictator. Now, right on cue, The Guardian newspaper - once a worthy liberal newspaper, now a mouthpiece for the woolier ends of the commentariat - provides us with this article entitled "Tribute to Saddam" (I kid you not) by David Cox: The final objection to Saddam's rule, on which more and more weight has necessarily had to be placed by those responsible for his downfall, is that he abused the human rights of Iraqi citizens. Quite clearly he did. ...
The BBC reports on its website about the case of Conservative Councillor, Ellenor Bland, who stood for parliament for the Tories at the last election, who has been suspended pending an investigation in to an e-mail sent from her e-mail account. What I found most odd though was Cllr Bland's explanation of the situation. " It was forwarded on by my husband, who took it in the form that he thought it was sent and that was a light-hearted view, which, again, anybody broadly thinking would not have made anything out of it, as has been made to be at ...
Back in November 2004, England Rugby Union Head "Coach" Andy Robinson hauled Henry Paul off the park after only 24 minutes against Australia. It did Paul's confidence no good whatsoever and he never played for England again - and fairly shortly after departed for Rugby League. Then, in February 2005, "Coach" Robinson picked 18 year-old Matthew Tait and then immediately dropped him. Tait's confidence suffered terribly as a result. Yesterday, a rather poor England side lost to New Zealand. Head "Coach" Robinson had picked Anthony Allen, a 20 year old centre who has only played 23 times in first ...
The "Liberal Democrat led" administration of Leeds City Council successfully pushed through its plans for an Incinerator at last Wednesdays meeting. The vote was slightly surreal with the Green Leader and Cabinet member voting against his own administrations policy and speaking against it from the front bench. Meanwhile all 6 Independent councillors voted in favour despite technically being in opposition. Most disturbingly the BNP Councillor voted against which I fear is politically very savy. The Executive board paper we were voting on was a "direction of travel " paper but it clearly sets out a PFI Incinerator at the heart ...
After the excesses of the weekend, it was back to Earth with a bump today, and a return to the office. Tonight though I am preparing the next edition of St Mary’s Focus. I have asked to have a go, and so I have obtained a copy of “Page Plus,” which is the software we use, and am going to give it a go tonight… So, if the next edition of Focus is a bit wonky / blurry / doesn’t arrive for six
And no, I’m not belatedly referring to Nigel Farage and the UKIP Conference (although I would like to belatedly thank Nigel personally for placing into the public domain proof of what we as Liberal Democrats already knew, that the hallowed “centre ground” means authoritarian, racist pandering to the Murdoch/Desmond agenda)No, I refer instead to one of the great threats to the environmental aspect
Every year Transparency International release their index of corruption perceptions. For a student of freedom this index is a very interesting read- it reminds you that governments can be thieves as well as enablers, and that there is no such thing as a perfect government. It also reminds us that the more corrupt a society, the poorer it tends to be. The tragic list, this year is headed by Haiti- little raised in misery since the time that Graham Greene wrote about it in "The Comedians". From the Central European perspective is the marked improvement of Latvia and Lithuania- the ...
The Eastern Daily Press reports today on the £500,000 study on whether to introduce a congestion charge in Norwich. Whilst I have been vocal in my support of environmentally friendly measures, there are question marks over this scheme, particularly for those of us living North of the city. Firstly, if you are going to introduce a congestion charge in order to keep people out of certain parts of the city, is there an alternative route or alternative mode of transport to take ? It's no use pricing people out of travelling through Norwich if this instead forces us down ...
Larry Neild's piece in the Post today takes a swipe at rudeness and lack of service, particularly on public transport. And it is annoying to have to queue for ages and then get the miserable treatment. But I have to say I find nothing but helpful people at my local station. The nearest railway station to me is Liverpool South Parkway. The staff there make a point of approaching anyone who looks lost. The other day I had a complicated journey to make (to Blackburn) and there had been some sort of a problem on ...
The Prime Minister has today praised ID cards and tried again to make the case for them. He has argued that it is an issue of "modernity", and not one of civil liberties. I would argue that it is a case of stupidy and political control freakery over logic, and here is why. 1) One argument Blair gives for ID cards is that they will get rid of the need for other forms of ID which are easily forged. However, one of the ways that you are to apply for an ID card is to provide the very ...
Every so often I return to thinking about the supposed divide in the party between the so-called economic and social liberals. Personally I think that in these terms the divide is mostly manufactured by journalists and some in the party who wish to push an agenda which they feel isn't being heard. There is however a continuum of positions in the party (being a broad coalition as all parties are
Yesterday I attended the Birmingham City Council Fireworks Spectacular with Councillor Dave Radcliffe. They certainly lived up to their name. There were three shows in total, I could only stay for two but around 20,000 people would have seen some of the shows.
Ed Davey has today written to the Commission for Racial Equality providing details of an offensive email sent by a Conservative councillor and parliamentary candidate. Ed has also written to David Cameron and Francis Maude calling for the Conservatives to take swift and decisive disciplinary action. The email - which contains an inflammatory ‘poem’ that features on a [...]
As we approach the end of this year's Parliamentary session and look forward to the new legislative programme that will be announced in the Queen's Speech next Wednesday, the Government is pushing thr...
Went to the fireworks at Callendar Park last night. I know size isn’t everything, but I’ve decided I like the really big explosions that fill the sky accompanied with loud booms that reverberate in the ground beneath your feet. And the glittery ones. Managed to get there in time for the fireworks but sufficiently late not [...]
The register reports that despite assurances from the Secretary of State for Health patient records will be put on the centralised NHS medical records database without consent and without the ability to opt out. This an extremely dangerous invasion of privacy, which will lead to the leakage of medical details and their use by the police and security services. Government reassurances over safeguards cannot be taken seriously, medical professionals are as open to corruption as any other group of people. There have already been cases of errors being caused, there will be serious errors, which could lead to death or ...
What do Virgin Radio and the New Scientist have in common? They’ve both been graced with Tony Blair’s presence over the past week. Blair phoned Virgin on Friday (which by chance I heard) to ask listeners to support the Freeman Heart and Lung Transplant Association. Meanwhile, he is in the New Statesman this week [...]
The Peers List results are out, they are below, special congratulations to Phil Bennion, Christina Jebb and Robert Woodthorpe Browne, the three West Midlanders to be elected. Now a plea to Sir Menzies - can we have a West Midland Peer next time please. I find it bizarre that we have no West Midland representative in the House of Lords, we have some wonderful people who would not only do an excellent job but have worked very hard for the Liberal Democrats, many people have been appointed for less. 
Looks like Saddam’s going to swing. Not much to add to the bulk of liberal sentiment on this – right verdict; wrong sentence. Broadcasting House on Radio 4 played some chilling footage on Sunday morning. It was of the failed attempt on Saddam’s life in Dujail, and his address to the rightly terrified crowds afterwards. They were whooping and cheering him in a clearly strained and ultimately fruitless attempt to save their lives. As history recounts, he executed 150 young men and tortured or imprisoned ten times that number, before finally destroying the whole town.
This seems to be another diagnostic of child abuse. The real question is how valid it is as a diagnostic. There is no question that it has been used. The Webster Family is one family with many children taken off them because of "metaphyseal fractures". Of all the injuries observed in child physical abuse, none is more specific than the metaphyseal fracture. First described in 1957 by the eminent
There seem to me to be three main things that we need to inquire into: 1. The process by which the decision was made to go to war in Iraq. This needs to include the questions about the intelligence and the use of intelligence on WMDs, questions about when Blair decided to press for an invasion - and how that interacted with Bush's decision, because some of the information that has come out suggests that Blair had reached his decision independently even before Bush was firmly committed to war. In looking at intelligence, we need to ...
Young people across the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland are being urged to bring their own cheerleaders to auditions that offer them the chance to show off their talents when Redcar's Christmas lights are switched on next month. Redcar and Cleveland Council's Mayor Councillor Mary Ovens will be chairman of the judging panel in the church hall at Christ Church, Coatham on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11, in X-Factor style auditions, when entries are invited to bring along family and friends for support. Councillor Ovens said: "It's going to be a busy couple of days and I'm really ...
I find it suspicious that the announcement of Saddam Hussein's death sentence comes a day before the US mid term elections. It reminds me a little of the President's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech from the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln- it is meaningless to the actual situation on the ground in Iraq. I do not believe in the right of the state to take life. That includes even the vilest tyrant- which Saddam certainly was. If Hess or Speer were not executed (and if Stalin and Mao and their henchmen) for their crimes, then I see the execution of ...
There's a story in The Times today about the threat to the TV studios at Alexandra Palace, which were the site of the first public TV broadcast.
In addition to the film featuring Chris Huhne, Sheila has also done a film of Saturday’s march with two of our other MPs - Simon Hughes and Lynne Featherstone: Campaigning climate change climate chaos global warming Lib Dem TV lynne featherstone simon hughes
I made another film - this time with Simon Hughes - on Saturday on the march against climate chaos - including my favourite topic, why people should go and see Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth. You can watch it here: Running time: 98 seconds
The chair of our local party forwarded details of this group and their website which can be found here. According to the blurb on the website.... "I Count is the campaign of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, the ever-growing coalition of more than 35 organisations, has over 700 years’ experience working for a safer, fairer world." They are calling on the government to: Take a lead on the global stage, working for an international agreement to cut climate pollution. World-wide this must be in decline by 2015. Cut the UK's emissions by at least 3% year on year. Help ...
You Are 28% Capitalist, 72% Socialist You tend to be quite wary of businesses, especially big business. While you know that corporations have their place, you tend to support small, locally owned shops. As far as the rich go, you think they're usually corrupt and immoral.Are You a Socialist or Capitalist? At least according to this Quiz at Blog Things
Jackie Ashley in today's Guardian reports that Labour plans to open its winter assault on David Cameron's Conservatives for being soft on crime; 'the friends of yobs; hoodie-hugging, wet, limp-wristed, liberal, namby-pamby, bleeding-heart do-gooders.' The Queen's speech, says Blair, will be dominated by the Home Office - new laws on terrorism, crime, yobbery, immigration, you name it. Brown has decided that extra funds must be spent. Everybody in the cabinet seems to believe that by asking us to understand disaffected youths a little more and condemn them a little less, Cameron has left himself open to a serious kicking. ...
Playing into the hands of the media who love to run ‘gaffe’ stories Ken Livingstone has heaped praise on the Cuban regime telling journalists: “What’s amazing here is you’ve got a country that’s suffered an illegal economic blockade by the United States for almost half a century and yet it’s been able to give its people [...]
...there's one missing from this list. Can you guess? No, how could you. Every four years members of staff at Oxford Brookes University get to elect two members of the Board of Governors of the university. One from the teaching staff and one from the non-teaching staff. I have run twice now, in 2002 and in 1998. And I intend to run again. Nominations close this coming Friday. From what I can gather, for that last sixteen years the non-teaching staff position has been carved up between two of the leading UNISON branch ...
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