Problem with the buses - keep your ticket! That is of course if you have been able to get on to a bus to get one. However this was the advice given by the bus operators who had come along to today's Disability Forum when faced with a number of complaints about bus drivers who had not been as helpful as they might to people trying to get on and off the buses. The ticket will be able to locate... 
Has someone ever annoyed you so much on the internet that the mere sight of their name makes you fly into a frenzy of incoherent rage? Yeah, {[info]} theferrett posted again, and someone on my f-list linked to it, and I clicked the link... Mat tells me it's a good post, but I can't even read it without getting the stabbity rage. I expect this is because it's The Time of the Moth, eh, {[info]} theferrett? Still, the California Supreme Court have found a better way of celebrating Blog for Human Rights Day than me - they've unbanned gay marriage ...
Landmine Action director Simon Conway told In the News that; "It's terrible hypocrisy, on the one hand to say that these weapons cause unacceptable harm and ban them and on the other hand to give a sly nod to the US to continue using them," Moves to ban cluster bombs are due to be finalised at a conference in Dublin but the government continues to defend the retention of M85 submunitions and is seeking to exclude from prohibition its rocket-fired cluster munitions because they each contain less than 10 submunitions. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has published the results of a YouGov ...
We've all been there. It's a week from polling day. Everyone's hyper and exhausted from canvassing. You haven't really been thinking too much about the opposition party candidate, just concentrating on getting your own candidate to the commons. You've met him/her by now and they know your name so you feel obliged. If things turn out right you really will have helped get an MP elected! Little old you...until you sit down with a mug of PG Tips* and a hobnob with a couple of seconds to think. Christ, what if the Tories/Lib Dems/Labour really have worked harder/talked to more ...
‘Fraid there are no Lib Dem panellists on tonight's Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT). The panel includes Health Secretary Alan Johnson, shadow business, enterprise and regulatory reform secretary Alan Duncan, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and social services in the Welsh Assembly Helen Mary Jones, broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth [...]
You know, the whole job of councillor / local politician. Someone texted to ask me my availability in June, and my answer was: Sorry, 6th we’re giving freedom of city to to Alan Sillitoe and 7th I have public meeting with Lembit Öpik- have to pick him and Cheeky Girls up from airport. And the thing is - it’s almost entirely true! The Cheeky Girls almost certainly won’t be coming, but the rest is right.
Report to follow
Currently the West End area does not have a youth football team for Under 10 boys. Thanks to the offer to establish and run one by a member of West End Community Council - Paul Johnston - and the kind assistance of the City Council's Leisure and Communities Department and the University of Dundee's Institute of Sports and Exercise, an "Open Day" for boys of the appropriate age (Primary 4 - going into Primary 5 in August) together with parents/guardians is being held this Saturday (17th May) from 10am to 12 noon at the University of Dundee's football facilities at ...
Those clever folk at the PublicWhip website have produced a quick quiz to help you pick the political party closest to your views. It’s in the context of the Crewe & Nantwich by-election, but all the questions are on national issues - from post offices to fox hunting - so they apply wherever you are. [...]
London Mayor Boris Johnson will retain his Daily Telegraph column (worth £250,000 a year) he revealed today, making him the lucky holder of a triplet of jobs: Mayor of London, MP for Henley and newspaper columnist. Is there no end to his talents? 1 week, 3 days, 20 hours, 50 minutes of Three Jobs Boris so [...] 
Read Dean Godson's assault on many of the Left's failure to respond to the Hezbollah's assault on its fellow countrymen and women. You don't have to be a neo-con or a fully paid up war on terror warrior to oppose the violent actions of a deeply unpleasant movement which contains large elements clerical fascism. The Hezbollah is not the "victim". Yes the Shias of Lebanon have deep seated grievances which need to be addressed. But the Syrian and Iranian backed militant violence is not the way to do it. Just say no.
Rather like a dam bursting after a almighty rain storm, suddenly 12 comments have blurted out below Linda Jack's post entitled: Man Woman Woman Man...........its all of no consequence in a by election, isn't it?????? . This post of Linda's beautifully answers the question "What is Lindylooz Muze for?" and tells us that if Lindylooz Muse didn't exist we would have to invent it. I love Linda dearly
News reaches The Voice of the death of Peter Thurnham who was a Lib Dem MP for just a few months after his defection to the party in October 1996. You can read more about his career, and tributes from colleagues, in the Manchester Evening News
The disintegration of Iraq used to be big news but it has faded from the headlines of late as the worlds eye roves elsewhere. However, there is still the small matter of Iraq being an occupied country and ordinary Iraqis struggling to exist and get to grips with their countries future. The Internet is proving to be one of the main mediums through which ordinary Iraqis can make their voices heard. Hometown Baghdad is less a blog and more a 'Vlog'. The videos are short but informative; one shows Saif, a resident of Zayounal, attempting to barricade his house with ...
There were some ugly scenes in Manchester last night when trouble erupted amongst Rangers fans and there was for a short time some serious public order offences and, for want of a better name, acts of hooliganism occurred. Nobody can be proud of what happened, least of all Rangers fans who were, according to radio reports I have heard to day, overwhelmingly well behaved and deeply apologetic about the behaviour of a minority of their own fans. Sadly they have a lot to be ashamed about with reports of sickening attacks on paramedics, police and police dogs. The question is ... 
The BBC reports that members of around 100 Liberal parties from across the world are gathering for the conference in Belfast. And it quotes Alliance leader David Ford: "Getting the chance to host this congress is a massive boost for Belfast. "This is the first time that Northern Ireland has ever hosted the prestigious Liberal International Congress. This gives us the chance of a lifetime to showcase Northern Ireland to powerbrokers from across the globe. "The Alliance Party's global links within Liberal International are extremely important, and I only wish all other parties in Northern Ireland took such a broad ...
The winner is Peter Dowd, leader of the Labour group on Sefton District Council. According to the Bootle Times, at last Thursday's full council meeting he: accused the Lib Dems of creating "apartheid" after one leaflet attacked a candidate for coming from Bootle.
The Manchester Evening News reports the death of a former Lib Dem MP: A colourful politician who defected from John Major's Conservative government to join the Liberal Democrats has died. Peter Thurnham represented the Bolton North East constituency from 1983 to 1997. He made headlines after leaving the Tories to join the Lib Dems in October 1996, towards the end of the Major government, over its refusal to hold inquiries into allegations of sleaze. He did not contest his Bolton seat at the 1997 general election and was succeeded by Labour's David Crausby, who remains the constituency's MP. Mr Thurnham ...
{Bloggers Unite} Just blogging as part of the Amnesty International initiative today 'Bloggers Unite'. Really just a very quick observation, sorry it couldn't be more substantial. Remember recently when David Miliband admitted that the Government had become aware of the passage of rendition flights through Diego Garcia? Diego Garcia is British dependent territory but essentially an American/British military base (and intelligence hub) in the Indian Ocean. Well there are still unanswered questions about who amongst the Secret Intelligence Service and British Officials knew about the flight and when they became aware? In other words, did they refrain from telling their ...
Here and below is David Howarth MP being interviewed by Iain Dale about his Fixed Term parliament bill which is coming before Parliament on Friday. The video is on a thing called Friction TV which sounds like something vaguely salacious.
Just been looking at the self-satisfied sanctimonious ramblings on www.theleftcoaster.com. This used to be a highly respected US Liberal blog - yet the way they’re responding to Edwards’ endorsement making Obama the unofficial presumptive nominee is churlish to say the least. This site has got to resemble one of the biggest intellectualised jokes on the blogosphere. Still, [...]
CNN reported today that Sen. John McCain envisions that by 2013, the Iraq War will be won but the threat from the Taliban in Afghanistan won’t yet be eliminated, even though Osama bin Laden will have been captured or killed. Perhaps a little risky, or just a pre-election campaign scheme, I can’t be sure. He assured spectators in Ohio, troop numbers will be reduced as the war in Iraq is won, and that by his “first term as president” he believes the war will be over and the United States will no longer need to be the predominant force for ...
Are you taking part in healthy living week in the South West of Bath if not why not there is something for the whole family? Healthy living week has been running in the South west of Bath for a number of years now so why not take part this year and feel the effects of better health. I have attached a PDF of the Healthy living week brochure if you would like to see...
The folks from www.publicwhip.org.uk have just released a vote-match style website for the Crewe & Nantwich Parliamentary by-election. It serves up a number of different policy questions, and then tells you which party is the best fit for your answers. As their news release says: While activists are descending from all corners of the country to Crewe & [...]
According to the papers, so-called ‘girl crime’, that is, crimes committed by girls, has soared by 25% this year - 59,000 offences in were committed by girls aged 10-17 in 2006-07 - up 12,000 on 2003-4. This still puts the figure much below that committed by boys in the same age category (236,000 crimes), but crimes by boys fell 2% from 240,000 in the same time period. The government and other commentators have suggested several reasons for the spike. They suggest it could be due to a rise in the total number of girls of that age as well as ...
The results of Madame Tussauds’ Gordon Brown in or out poll have been released: With a face like this: Who can blame them?
Friction.TV has done an interview with David Howarth MP ahead of tomorrow’s debate in Parliament on his bill to introduce fixed term Parliaments. I won’t spoil the fun by telling you who the presenter is… Â
President George W Bush on the sacrifice he made for the Iraq War effort: "I didn’t want some mum whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a [...]
Tactical Voting: Myths and reality - Voting TaKtiX I wrote this 18 months ago, but I've linked to it increasingly recently to explain points, so I'm bringing it to the top. The electoral system encourages broad church coalitions and two main parties. Every vote is thus, in some way, tactical. (tags: politics voter+behaviour) The Fermi Paradox revisited - Charles Stross Charlie goes back over Fermi's classic 'if they exist, why aren't they here' paradox with a bunch of possible explanations. (tags: science space charles+stross) Vatican says aliens could exist | BBC NEWS Follow up from Fermi - Father Gabriel Funes, ...
well, most of his liberty. After being caught drink driving with no insurance last month the magistrate has given Paul: A 3-month curfew order, applicable between the hours of 9pm-6am An electronic tag An 18-month supervision order, and A 3-year driving ban So, early nights and a bit more exercise for ol’ Guido. Might do him some good. (HT: Chicken Yoghurt and the Ministry)
News announced today is that former US Democratic Presidential contender John Edwards has endorsed Barack Obama for President. Despite Hillary Clinton's big win in West Virginia this Super-super Delegate endorsement will undoubtedly harm her chances of gaining the Democrat Presidential nomination, as will the other two Super Delegate announcements for Obama today. Speaking at a rally in Michigan with Obama, Edwards said: "The Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I, There is one man who knows and understands that this is a time for bold leadership...there is one man who knows in his heart that ...
The expression, 'cake and eat it', springs to mind ..
Has someone slipped some hallucinogenic substance into my coffee or are there really 8 pantomime horses racing round a track, which has four hurdles, on George Square today? Wish I had my camera with me to prove it to you all!
Well as the Chancellor he once littered his budget speeches with prudence, or some other word derived from that stem is passing the buck regarding all things economic. However, as is the way of the Tim'rous Beatie as things are going wrong the Prime Minister instead of taking the plaudits once thrown at him for a stable economy, he's papering over the cracks as subsidence sets in, not even a year
Anatole Kaletsky does a good job summing up the Government's current difficulties in his piece in The Times today ("It all looks like Enron Government")In it he not only gives reasons why Gordon Brown is in the position that he is - but also suggests that things are likely to get worse rather than better:"...if Mr Brown's fiscal rules could be ignored so easily this year to accommodate a £2.7 billion tax cut... why shouldn't they also be ignored to satisfy fuel-tax protesters and pensioners and underpaid public sector workers and bankers demanding bailouts and homeowners struggling with their mortgages ...
Of recent I have not been blogging much, the odd paragraph here and there - the reason is twofold.
The news today is full of Tory 'initiatives' such as 'cutting red tape for police officers', 'giving head teachers powers to smarten up teachers', opposing a 'bin tax'. What is telling from all these ideas is firstly that they are about as novel as the gramophone, secondly that they demonstrate a shocking absence of a 'big picture' for the Tories. Hasn't every Tory Home Secretary since the Ark said they would 'cut red tape for police officers'? Didn't crime rise exponentially under the Tories between 1979 and 1997? Hasn't every Tory Education Secretary wanted to smarten up teachers, go back ...
What on earth is going through Lembit Opik's mind? A pint of beer for the best answer!
My bold prediction that Hillary Clinton would be gone by the weekend proved sadly incorrect. She continues to fight on despite the impossible odds she now faces - at least until Kentucky and Oregon next tuesday. Despite Hillary's overwhelming and entirely predictable win in West Virginia, John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama is dominating the current news cycle. And rightly so - although the impact and leverage of an Edwards endorsement has been reduced by holding out for so long, it is still important in a few key ways.1) It moves the news away from West Virginia and gives Obama ...
Only a brief post today, because I am struggling to breath under the weight of work I keep putting off to do Council things… Yesterday’s Annual Council was a remarkably dull affair. The whoops, screams, and general childishness I expected from the ruling group on their assumption of overall control for the first time in Bury sine 1986 didn’t emerge. So credit to them for that. It beats their various displays in Council over the last twelve months. Instead, the historic moment passed in a grumbled “aye” when the motion to let the Conservatives form the Executive was put to ...
It's said that you learn something every day and that's the great thing about this history malarky - you actually do... So I was dashing through Holborn and glanced up and there it was a plaque to the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine (University of London). I knew about the Eastman, off Gray's Inn Road, and of course the Royal Free Hospital itself of the 1972 construction up in Pond Street, Hampstead... but, of the School of Medicine. In short the School of Medicine was established in 1874 by an "Act of Faith" and by 1898 was in a ...
As promised, here are the answers to my Europe Day quiz. many thanks to those who puzzled over it and it's a familiar name who wins the ALDE goodie bag. Take a bow Stephen Glenn! ROUND ONE 1. How many stars does the European flag have? Twelve 2. Name one of the two top wine producing countries in the world? France (1st) & Italy (2nd) 3. What is the name of the Festival which takes place in Munich every Autumn? Oktoberfest 4. Which country has borders with Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia and Russia? Latvia 5. How many countries are currently part ...
Peter Black has the details of how our good results in this year’s Welsh local government elections are translating into increasing amounts of power and influence across Welsh councils.
The sad news of the all too early death of Celtic legend Tommy Burns was announced today. Tommy died from the recurrence of skin cancer for which he was first treated in 2006. This is very sad news for all fans of football up here in Scotland. A full tribute can be fond on the BBC News website.
Call me a fuzzy-headed old numpty if you will, but I was reasonably impressed by the tone and seriousness of Gordon Brown's appearance on Today this morning. (Mind you, after 10 minutes I thought I'd better get into work, so perhaps if self-combusted after that...I know not.) He's had a lot of derision fired at him, but I find it very difficult to imagine that Cameron could do any better in
'Process Guy' has been rather quiet of late. This is not because there has been any shortage of things to write about. Far from it. I've been getting exercised at varying levels of intensity about a wide range of topics. Yet, while not exactly writers block, a number of things have been getting in the way. In part it has been a curious mixture of when I have had the inclination to put together a
{[info]} pickwick: Reproductive Freedom is something we tend to take for granted in the UK. We have free contraception, and we have abortion available to us, even if it is only available through the arcane and byzantine systems put in place by the 67 Act (yes, we DO still need to obtain the permission of two doctors before we are allowed an abortion; the only other thing which needs two doctors is being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Oh the irony). Therefore when nutters like Dorries and Cardinal Cormac O'Murphy want abortion restricted, there is a tendency for those ...
Hurrah...now we will all be able to take a nice long stroll around the island we can no longer afford to live on...
I’ve been highlighting this as part of my day job but haven’t said anything about it here. Anyway, David Howarth’s Fixed Term Parliaments Bill is being debated in the Commons tomorrow and you need to do something about it. Write to your MP about it and ask them to sign EDM 1528 - Fixed Term Parliaments. More details here and here. Meanwhile, here is David talking to that nice Mr Dale: Share This
Spent yesterday in Crewe helping with the by election campaign. Another day of great weather - to the extent that the HQ was offering sun tan lotion before we went out. A very efficient operation - hardly any waiting, jobs given out straight away.
From the outset, I think it's important to say that, in principle, I throughly support the governments plans to extend Flexible working rights to all parents with children under the age of 16. However, speaking as a married man in his late 40s, whose children grew up and flew the nest years ago, I do feel a little discriminated against. Why should I, someone who is, in effect, childless, not be afforded the same flexible working rights as people whose children still live at home? Having worked all my adult life I too would like the 'right' to work flexible ...
Peter Black has welcomed a government commitment to improve youth services - but warned that the new guidance may not be enough. Peter's attempt to use the Assembly's legislative powers to improve youth services were voted down by the Labour/Plaid government. But children ' s Minister Jane Hutt has pledged to toughen up guidance to local authorities to achieve the same aim. She said the new guidance would be issued "as a result" of Peter Black's work. Peter said: "I am delighted that the Minister has expressed her support for the principle of this Measure. "From talking to her, I ...
This was the import of a Radio Wales news bulletin this morning. Welsh Liberal Democrats emerged from the 1st May elections, and the resulting negotiations, as the major power in Welsh local government. It appears also that there is a possibility that Labour will no longer control the Welsh Local Government Association.
"NEW BIN TAX BOMBSHELL" screams the Daily Express headline this morning. Sometimes I wonder how Express readers make it to elevenses without having a nervous breakdown...
As if it wasn't fairly obvious to sceptics among us, the revenue gained by the Government from the auctioning of emissions allowances in future phases of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) appears to have been laid open for clandestine departmental bids by Treasury Minister Angela Eagle. In a response to a question by Mark Lazarowicz yesterday over where the money would go she replied: "Any revenue raised through the use of auctioning would be considered part of general revenue streams, and the spending review process ensures that resources are allocated efficiently to deliver Government objectives."So much for earmarking. Oh ...
We’ve decided to switch our office to using electricity from Ecotricity - so the press turned up yesterday to take some pictures in the back garden of our office. Reassuringly, it doesn’t cost any more than the standard tariff from a non-green supplier. We’ve had pictures of Mark and I waving low energy lightbulbs around before when we switched all the bulbs in our office. Here’s one of the rare pictures from yesterday where we’re not all waving light-bulbs around - only one of us is: {Lib Dems switch office to ecotricity} On a more substantive note, the head of ...
Three days ago at Full Council, my Lib Dem group on Nottingham City Council voted to support the introduction of a Workplace Parking Levy in our city. The scheme charges large employers with more than 10 parking spaces for every space they have. The fee begins in 2010 at around £15 per month per space - [...]
Gordon Brown was on GMTV this morning doing his "I feel your pain" and "Believe me I am human, not a robot" turns. The usual unconvincing performance. No matter how much he tried to smile rather than snarl, he just does not convince anyone. But what caught my attention was the discussion about the Crewe by-election. To give Brown his due, it was Penny the interviewer who raised the by-election
Down to the Carrick Sports Hall for a committee meeting last night. Like many committees in Cornwall it's composed of a number of very dedicated, but elderly people. Without their efforts the Sports Hall, or Hendra Hall as some call it, would have fallen into disrepair long ago. They spend most of their energy fundraising and applying for grants to keep the building going. Carrick send two Councillors along, myself and John Dyer to assist. Mr Dyer, having been there a lot longer than me has done a great deal for them, over the years. But what will happen with ...
I'm rather torn over posting this because I like Julia Goldsworthy and I completely agree with the sentiments expressed in her petition presented in Parliament yesterday. On the other hand every petition costs a fair whack to you and I, and I'm not sure imploring the DCMS minister to ask Facebook to recognise Cornwall as a region is really the best use of taxpayers' money. More importantly, its difficult to argue against evasive or equivocal Government answers to written questions in Parliament on grounds of wasting taxpayers money if we put forward indulgent petitions - even if there are many ...
The planning application to build a new student block on the Lower Bristol Road to house 333 students next to the current block was deferred by the development control committee of Bath & North East Somerset Council last night. The reasons for deferral were for a 106 legal agreement to be put together that would include the installation of an off road lay by for buses to pull off at...
Because they are wrong. I am living prove that they can. However, before I go on and explain, I understand that it is normal practice to issue an advance warning when you are about to say or show something controversial. For example; "This commercial for Jodie Marsh dolls contains scenes of extreme violence and has nudity from the very beginning. Viewers of a nervous disposition are asked to look away... now." I feel what I am about to say now could well be considered one of those moments. As some of you may already know, had you read his blog, ...
I went to see 17 St Augustine's Road yesterday. This is a Victorian house in a conservation area that is owned by the Council and is being refurbished with an additional £140,000 of sustainability investment (ie over and above what we would have spent on refurbishment anyway). That includes huge amounts of insulation, replica double glazed sash windows, heat exchangers (which expel stale air but retain the heat to warm incoming fresh air), solar thermal (hot water), solar photovoltaics (electricity) etc. It is expected to reduce carbon emissions compared to pre-refurbishment by 80%. It will remain as social housing with ...
If the Welsh Government's Deputy Housing Minister is not red-faced with embarrassment this week then she should be. She fought tooth and nail during Committee hearings into her proposed Legislative Competence Order to give the Assembly the power to suspend the right to buy, to prevent it being widened out into a more meaningful bid for powers over affordable housing. As soon as the LCO got to Westminster, UK Government Ministers overruled her and changed the order. This must be the first instance of MPs giving the Assembly more powers than they asked for. And what party does the Deputy ...
The Health Warehouse has been awarded four stars for "Very Good Food Hygiene" by the Environmental Health Department, as part of the Tees Valley Food Hygiene Awards. This was our first inspection since the scheme was launched. We are inspected, without notice, every 18 months or so. An Environmental Health Officer inspects the premises, observes our food production methods and inspects our
The BBC report that 13 of the 22 Welsh Councils are being run by a coalition which involves Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillors. Three of these Councils are led by the Welsh Liberal Democrats. In Swansea, Wrexham and Cardiff the party strengthened its position. In actual fact the BBC may have underestimated our strength. On their list of Councils they have failed to account for the fact that Powys is run by a board, which includes three Welsh Liberal Democrats. On the assumption that we will be involved in the administration of one of Gwynedd, Torfaen or both then this means ...
A bit late I know but hey, this is not a news site. Chancellor Darling's supplementary budget may well have taken the sting out of the doubling of the 10p tax rate for many but it has still left 1.1 million low-paid taxpayers worse off. It also smacks of desperation, something that the Government could still be punished for in next week's Crewe and Nantwich by-election. It is little wonder that former Labour Assembly Member and by-election candidate, Tamsin Dunwoody, is in a state of uncertainty as to whether Gordon Brown is an asset or not. All the evidence is ...
At tonights Prestwich Local Area Partnership (6.30-8.30pm Longfield Centre) the “URBED” design consultants who have been appointed to come up with plans for the future of the Prestwich Village Centre will be making an initial presentation of options to local people. As your councillors we got a “sneak preview” last night, and there are some excellent ideas, but ones which give us all lots to think about. Issues we need to consider include: - the link between Tesco’s and the Village, and whether Tescos should/could be rebuilt on the “road front” to bring it closer to the village centre. - ...
Ah happy memories. Remember the glories of last summer and the Ealing Southall by-election when the Conservatives sanctimoniously threatened the Liberal Democrats with legal action over use of an image in a leaflet, saying that this was an outrageous breach of the law, would result in a huge financial penalty, the end of the world etc [...]
A number of local people will have noticed the signs that have been put up at the “Cash Office” at the Library announcing its closure. We have been assured that these have been put up in error (!) and the office is not closing at the present time. Prestwich Councillors all met with Mike Owen, the Council’s Director of Finance and E-Government yesterday, who answered questions on the cash office. The Council does want to review whether the Office is viable nowardays and will be consulting on this over the summer. We made some very strong points about the benefits ...
John Harris writes in this morning's Guardian: Essential Labour strategy is clear enough: not to concentrate on anything progressive or inspiring but to run instead on a mixture of the Dunwoody bloodline, utterly witless class warfare, and the politics of fear.One wonders what the more shrill aspects of the party's campaign will do for Crewe's community relations - but there again, it's doubtful that such thoughts are troubling many Labour high-ups. Misanthropic nastiness, after all, seems to be a central plank of the government's fightback.
Yesterday was the “Annual Council” meeting of Bury MBC attended by all 51 councillors - including the 17 that were elected or re-elected on 1st May 2008. Annual Council is in two parts - a civic “Mayor Making” and the Annual Meeting itself. At Mayor Making councillors elected Cllr Peter Ashworth to serve as the Mayor of Bury for 2008-2009. Peter is a Conservative councillor for Moorside Ward in north Bury and we wish him well in his year as the borough’s “first citizen”. Councillors appointed Cllr Farook Choudrey, who has been the mayor for the last year as Deputy ...
I have recently received a letter adressed to “Mr and Mrs (no surname) at my home address inside was a small note congratulating me and saying I had received a free gift. All I needed to do was phone a number and quote the hand written code on the note. Rather than phone the number I checked out the sender on Google and found a whole load of cautionary blogs. Check yourself for “Matters Consulting Ltd Survey UK”  Best advice comes from the Trading Standards as posted on moneysavingexpert.com I have received an enquiry from a NHW member who has ...
All along the issue regarding the initial rejection of Donald Trump's golf resort in Aberdeenshire wasn't about the foreign investment, wasn't to prevent job creation it was about the environmental impact. When the initial casting vote of Martin Ford went with the status quo thus rejecting development it was only under the plans presented at that time. All planning applications have to viewed
As a fully paid up member of the Apostrophe Protection Society, with my camera always loaded and ready, I offer you three examples from Darlington of all that's best in the world of punctuation. In order to avoid overload, I have not been to the Indoor Market this week.Perhaps the sandwich shop on Post House Wynd could tell us just how many northeasts there are in this country. Well done
Linda Jack has been airing her views on the selection of candidates in the by-elections which is fine, but her approach must be skewed by the fact that she is herself a female candidate. A general election where the MP defends his/her seat is surely not the same as a by-election where the rug is tugged hard from beneath everyone's feet? All the rules, all the predictions, all the issues are rearranged whilst thrown up in the air and resettle themselves oddly but mostly in our favour as shown by our excellent track record of by-election gains. A candidate that ...
We’ve all crunched numbers wrongly and had to backtrack. Embarrassing as it is, sometimes there is nothing to be done but bite the bullet, hold your hands up, make a clean breast of it, turn over a new leaf, dust yourself off and wake up and smell the backbench rebellion. So when it emerged that our [...]
Tuesday: What is really TRAGIC is that Sooty's fix doesn't even WORK: certainly the people who lose out are CUT from those earning between £5,000 and £17,000 to just those earning between £7,000 and £9,300, and the amount that the losers lose is a lot less (about £37 a year, rather than £157). But that's still SUBSTANTIAL gains for those people earning £30,000 while the lowest earners are PENALISED. I want to know whether this increase in allowance is permanent, or will it be reversed next year? And there's a SERIOUS question about whether Sooty knows how to do MATHS. ...
Friday: Always bracing to wake up to my chum, Professor Richard, coming on the radio to dice up Mr Humpy. "You wouldn't let a politician get away with saying these things without asking where's your evidence?" "Ah, but when it comes to faith it's a matter of what they believe..." "Precisely! There's absolutely no reason to take seriously someone who says, 'I believe it because I believe it'." Unfortunately an hour later Cardinal Carpark Mary O'Conman was on. With his claim that if Britain becomes "spiritually homeless" we'll be like the "godless" regimes of the Twentieth Century, like... the Nazis. ... | < | May 2008 | > | ||||
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