Though Europe is often cited as the most contentious issue between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government partners, another important area of divergence is multiculturalism. David Cameron famously used a speech in Germany to suggest that multiculturalism in Britain has failed, by stressing people's differences rather than what unites them. But that prompted Nick ...
President of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron MP, has written to Lib Dem members today. Here's his letter in full:- Are two Eds better than one? I'm not sure – but the two Eds said something very interesting over the weekend: apparently they don't have a 'Plan B' for the economy after all. You'll have heard Simon Hughes and I over the weekend rightly calling on the two Eds to apologise. We want them to apologise to the British public for deceiving them for 18 months. However, there is one apology we didn't call for publicly, but which they still ...
The SOPA/PIPA effect
Further to recent items on this blog, the Courier and on Radio Tay, I gave an update on my concerns about the closure of the Royal Bank of Scotland University of Dundee Branch on Wave 102 today:
Conservative MEP Julie Girling has this evening released her January video blog from Strasbourg. In this edition she discusses the elections in Parliament of a new President and Vice-Presidents ("staged and stage managed; not exciting and not many surprises"), the launch of her new healthy living campaign (some of her ECR colleagues have signed up to the initiative with WeightWatchers!), the
This morning I had an interesting twitter conversation with twitter user @urbsmanchester. They tweeted praise for Manchester City Council in house agency's recent "Plans for tonight?" campaign for contraceptive usage. My response is a little nuanced so maybe needs more than 140 characters. I did reply to @urbsmanchester about whether Manchester City Council's Labour bosses should be proud that only 29% of kids in Manchester get grades A-C at GCSE. The response was "they probably think it would be worse with more teenage pregnancies" This was exactly what I said to my boyfriend when I tweeted a reply in the ...
[IMG: 20120118-214016.jpg] That clip is from the Ephraim Hardcastle column in the Mail today. I would complain to the PCC about this, but they'd just give me their normal response about me not being personally affected. All those inverted commas... But the one that takes the biscuit is: Lady John (as he'd be called if he was a woman) As they say in Twitterland: FFS. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
This post is a reproduction of my Op-Ed on Lib Dem Voice. Alex Salmond's SNP have a political mandate to hold a referendum on Scottish Independence. With an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament and a manifesto pledge, the question is not if we have to confront this issue, but how. Leaving aside arguments about the Scottish Parliament's legal authority to legislate on an independence referendum (this can be resolved amicably through Westminster legislation) the Scottish Liberal Democrats must engage with the merits, not just of independence, but also "devo-max". Although Liberal Democrats generally support the Union, not all members ...
The next meeting of the City Council's North Area Committee will take place on Thursday 26th January. It will be at Shirley School, Nuffield Road, Cambridge CB4 1TF - note that this is a change from the usual venue of the Manor on Arbury Road. The agenda for the planning part - which starts at 6.00 pm - is here. The agenda for the main meeting - which should start at 7.30pm - is here. The main meeting will start when the planning items are completed, if that's after 7.30. The main items on the agenda (aside from the planning ...
In about five minutes, discussing the Euro crisis.
Coming into work yesterday morning I was gnashing my teeth at 'commentator' Neal Ascherson who called for the English to discover their nationalism and sense of identity. Oh dear, Neal, that's just what we don't need. England is a settled country which is at ease with itself. It is big, diverse and, over many centuries, it has absorbed different cultures into its social make up, generally successfully, whatever some critics might say. The last thing we need is a homogeneous sense of identity. We need a shared pride in all the good things in England, not to mention a shared ...
A reminder that Liberal England is now accepting guest posts. So far 24 (count 'em) have appeared: In praise of slow government - Simon BeardChildren and the surveillance state: Will the Coalition keep its word? - Terri DowtyStandards matter in higher education, not just participation rates - AnonymousA Woking class hero is something to be - Lisa HardingThe campaign for a Robin Hood Tax - Ian SullivanThe limits of the Big Society - Martin VeartCan hyperlocal news sites be the future of journalism? - Niall SullivanHow Edward Stourton misunderstood The Orange Book - Simon TitleyWhy I caged my son: The ...
My first Nebula winner of the year (only five more to go). In a lot of ways this is a very good book - excellent that Griffith has nested three different strands of plot, her heroine's childhood and then two different phases of her recovery from a kidnap ordeal, with some very sensuous descriptions of setting (Hull, of all places) and passionate yet thoughtful reflections on class and gender. My one reservation was that I wasn't sure how central the sfnal elements were to the plot; perhaps this is partly because quite a lot of the stuff that seemed futuristic ...
This really is a must-have book for fans of New Who. It has shaken off some of the extra material of last year's equivalent, and settled down to being a damn good guide to the 2011 series (and 2010 Christmas episode), including interviews with the key crew and cast, very short pieces of fanfic for each episode by established authors (James Goss, as usual, scores with the adventures of madame Vastra) and some nice reflections on how some of the episodes fit into longer Who history. I found it very helpful in reviving my memories of watching it first time ...
The proposal for a Boris Island airport in the Thames estuary have put me in mind of the debates of the late 1960s and early 1970s over whether London needed a third airport and, if so, where it should be sited. Writing on a Guardian blog, Andy Beckett reminds us that Edward Heath's government fully intended to build a similar scheme at Foulness (or Maplin as it more euphoniously came to be called) in Essex: t would have multiple runways and new transport links to London, to relieve the already-notorious noise and congestion at Heathrow and help regenerate the poorer ...
.... on Liberal Democrat Voice every Wednesday now. They haven't quite given me the key of the door, but the boys are putting up rather well with my ditsy ways. I had a bit of a crisis this morning, though. There I was, mid merengue in my Zumba class, and I just had this terrible panic about the Nick Clegg intiative on mental health I'd set to post while I was out. I was scared that I'd misread the Telegraph article I'd quoted and my boasting about half a million people helped should only have read 50,000. Thankfully that was ...
My first Irish history book of the year, this one looking not so much at the big picture of Irish history as specifically at the colonisation policies pursued by English (and Scottish) officials in Ireland from 1580 until the Cromwellian settlement resolved the land issue for three centuries. Canny argues persuasively that the intellectual agenda for colonisation (or 'plantation' in local dialect) was set out by Spenser in both The Faerie Queene and the View of the Present State of Ireland, and while it wasn't the whole-hearted policy of either the royal court in London or of the Dublin Castle ...
Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore MP writes a regular column for local newspapers in his constituency. Here's the latest edition, covering his busy week at Westminster and in the Borders. Independence Referendum Deciding on the future of our country and whether it remains in the UK or becomes independent will undoubtedly be the most important decision we Borderers make in our lifetime. Here in Berwickshire, we are very close to our English neighbours and enjoy the freedom of travelling and trading between the two countries. With questions which need answering on the SNP's plans for an ...
Forcibly seizing people's financial assets on pain of punishment? That's back in style at Labour HQ with its demand that local Labour Parties sign over their properties to the national party or face expulsion from the party:
This site is blacked out today in support of the SOPA Protest. Come have a look at the header.
Brent and Barnet Councils have secured funding for improvements to Cricklewood Town Centre. We'll be following developments to make sure the area makes the most of this investment - but for now you can see coverage in the local paper and on the Barnet website (there's also a rather impenetrable Mayoral press release).
Tomorrow is Election Day in the Newcomen Ward By-Election to replace my wife Glynis who died on 7th November. Within less than 24 hours of Glynis's funeral Labour's smear leaflets started dropping through the letterboxes of local residents, including that of my daughter Kelly and her family. Labour have reached new lows with smear after smear, lie after lie, allegation after allegation and absolutely nothing about what Labour are doing on the Council or plan to do in the future. We knew from what people were saying to Lib Dem canvassers on the doorstep that many residents were complaining about ...
These two terms are much bandied about. The first demands some questions, particularly, "Equality of what outcome?". It often refers to wealth or income (which are not the same), but also to health and other measures of a good life. Absolute equality of outcome would require that if you and I were born on the same day, we would die on the same day with the same amount in our bank balances. That's a reductio ad absurdum: obviously if you aim at equality of outcome, you try to reduce income differentials and things like big differences in life expectancy between ...
How best to help people make their circumstances known There is still a campaign to run and there are things we can still win and things we can avoid losing. Lord Freud made a number of concessions last night, and technically he must hold himself to those. But we know already that he is a master tactician and will use any means he can to get his way. I expect no less of the rest of the DWP. I'm not by any means an expert on Parliamentary procedure but I know enough to know that there are many ways to ...
Transition West Hampstead, a local group dedicated to making West Hampstead and Fortune Green a more sustainable place to live has been promoting a series of Draught busting workshops. Anyone with an old West Hampstead property will know that sash windows can be a real bain if your trying to keep your home warm. These workshops should give you some great pointers and lead to you spending less on your energy bill and causing less carbon emissions at the same time. Details of many of them in the series below (you only need to go to one!) Although the venue ...
As reported here on Liberal Democrat Voice on Sunday, the election of a new President of the European Parliament took place yesterday and, as expected, Martin Schulz, from the German Social Democrats, was elected with a plurality of votes in the first round of voting. The result was as follows: Martin Schulz 387 votes Nirj Deva 142 votes Diana Wallis 141 votes Giving his acceptance speech to MEPs, Mr Schulz told MEPs: "Those who have voted for me can take pride in having done so. Those who didn't vote for me will be pleasantly surprised.". However, the result implies a ...
The good news: the Met Police's expenditure on phone calls to the speaking clock fell by 8.3% in the last year. The bad news: the Met still spent £16,879 on around 55,000 calls to the speaking clock. Hat-tip: Evening Standard
We were very pleased to see a strong turnout from residents of Marchbank Drive, Cheadle at Tuesday's Area Committee. Residents on this small road are concerned about the level of burglaries seen on the road over the last few years and the message to burglars is clear: residents are watching out for each other and watching for you, police have stepped up patrols and the community is working together to increase security. The move by neighbourhood police to the Police Post in Cheadle means officers are now just around the corner and able to respond faster when there's a problem. ...
What's happened to democracy in the Liberal Democrats? Is it dead? Or is it just comatose? The reason I ask this question comes from my own experience of our internal democracy. When I joined the party at the age of 18, I was impressed by how, unlike any other major party, ordinary members had a real say. That I, as a member, had a voice equal to anyone else in the party, be it my local councillor or the party leader and that everyone's vote was equal. So, last year, when I learned about the shocking plans by the government ...
Whilst preparing my post earlier this week on Michael Gove and broccoli, I happened across Wikipedia's talk page on broccoli. Why do I share this with you? Well, because it contains such gems as: That is the dumbest question I've ever heard. It was also the exact same question I was going to ask. Is it necessary to state that George H.W. Bush was in the first generation of american children to have broccoli? that seems fairly meaningless and random. Shouldn't there be more on the consumption of broccoli in other cultures, particularly China? It would be nice if anyone ...
Wed 18th
15:38
The received wisdom says coalition government has ruined the Lib Dems' chances. But it's too early t...
There is a website called Nick Clegg Looking Sad devoted to photographs of the Deputy Prime Minister with a long face. Whether he is sitting next to David Cameron on the Commons front bench, walking into No 10 for Cabinet or gathering his thoughts before a speech, the Liberal Democrat leader has, in every picture, that mournful, slightly tortured look that seems to have become his default expression. His theme tune could be Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now — if only the Prime Minister had not deprived him of even that pleasure by claiming the Smiths as a favourite band. ...
Charlotte Henry has a curious article on the Total Politics blog, suggesting that Clegg's speech on a more participatory form of industrial democracy will help us to seperate the "real liberals" from the "SDP-statist-sandal wearers". There are several problems with this diagnosis. For one thing, the famed "sandal wearers" and the SDP members are very different people. Indeed, when I joined the party in the mid-90s, the two were at daggers drawn. The "sandal wearers" – a term generally used to describe the aging young liberals "red guard" of the 60s and 70s would cling to their copies of Liberator, ...
From Stockport Council: Stockport Council is re-launching its successful 50:50 Apprenticeship Scheme, to encourage employers to offer employment opportunities for 16-18 year olds. The scheme will be launched with an event at the Town Hall on Monday 6th February during Apprenticeship Week (6th to 12th February), from 10.00am to 2.00pm. The event is for both young people and local employers. The Council's 50:50 Apprenticeship Scheme will offer 50 Apprenticeship grants to employers who take on a 16-18 year old Stockport resident who is unemployed or not already in education, training or on an apprenticeship. Employers must commit to taking on ...
It feels as if there's a little bit of history repeating on the news yesterday that Bruno Senna has signed to drive for Williams F1 this season. Ayrton The timing for me is particularly poigniant. I recently watched the film Senna on DVD which chartered the career of Bruno's legendary uncle, Ayrton Senna. Uncle Ayrton Senna with a young Bruno As a connoisseur of Formula One and of its history and heritage in particular, the film was an absolute triumph. I was absolutely blown away at the raw archive footage and family sanctioned home videos that was used to guide ...
Parliament yesterday spent over 6 hours debating the future of our high streets and town centres. The debate came on the back of the Portas Review of the High Street, commissioned by the PM and DPM. Mary Portas made 28 recommendations, most of which I endorse. Bristol's retail scene has been a hot topic for ...
Police have been reporting that, whilst crimes like anti-social behaviour and burglary are down, shoplifting has been on the rise in the last few months. Action has been taken, with traders working more closely together to identify shoplifters and let each other know when known individuals are spotted in the area. Police have made four arrests recently, with the four people responsible for tens of crimes – mostly around Cheadle, but also some at Stanley Green. Work to tackle the recent rise in metal theft continues – this is a problem right across the country as the price of scrap ...
At 1.15pm today the police received a 999 call reporting an armed robbery in progress at Carphone Warehouse, High St, Cheadle. As the local Neighbourhood Policing team are now based at the police post in Cheadle, officers were in the area and immediately attended the scene. The two offenders were detained as they were fleeing the premises having threatened staff with an axe. We would like to congratulate Stockport West police on an excellent result, which certainly backs up the decision to relocate the neighbourhood team back into the heart of our community.
Am I very shallow for rather loving Tim Farron's latest missive to the troops? Here it is... Dear Richard,Are two Eds better than one? I'm not sure - but the two Eds said something very interesting over the weekend: apparently they don't have a 'Plan B' for the economy after all. You'll have heard Simon Hughes and I over the weekend rightly calling on the two Eds to apologise. We want them to apologise to the British public for deceiving them for 18 months. However, there is one apology we didn't call for publicly, but which they still should make ...
Tuesday: An update for those people who think the Curse of the BOTYs has got me at last. Yah boo! Still here! Daddy Richard has finished writing his book, or at least volume one (the madness never ends!). It is called "Anarchy Rules: Before Dawn". We might have a look at publishing it now. Some cover art would be nice, if anyone has any ideas. Something with chessboards, perhaps. And fractals. We're also having a look at collecting my "Mysteries of Doctor Who" into a book as well. This involves Daddy writing some linking material, plus THREE bonus, never-before-published Mysteries, ...
Chris has received the letter below: I'm writing to share the news that Mediation Hertfordshire has successfully gained funding from St Albans District Community Grants Fund to involve local residents in workshops, offering practical skills in dealing with conflict and anti-social behaviour within their own communities. As community leaders are best placed to identify local concerns, we are aiming to help them address these by offering practical skills - learned over many years as a community mediation service helping to resolve neighbour disputes. In your role as a councillor, you will come across situations and individuals who would benefit from ...
A new series by him is a television event, but the BBC has allowed Jonathan Meades on France little publicity. So let me tell you that you can see the first part, Fragments of an Arbitrary Encyclopaedia, on BBC Four tonight at 9 p.m. The BBC Four website tells us: Jonathan Meades travels through Lorraine and explains why, although close to its eastern border, it has become the symbolic, or even mystical, heart of France and a stronghold of a romantic nationalism that is also expressed by such diverse means as typography, music, engineering, exquisite urbanism and, above all, a ...
Recently Sheffield Hallam student Richard O'Dwyer lost his court case against extradition to the USA for running a website that provided links to websites where users could illegally pirate copyrighted TV material. He will be lodging an appeal with the High Court and he cannot be extradited without the specific permission of the Home Secretary Theresa May. Richard's actions were not a crime in the UK because his website did not host the files but rather hosted links to the websites that did host the files, like Google does. Quite simply, it goes against the terms of the Extradition Treaty ...
Too often we forget that the British Labour movement is built upon a Socialist foundation. Although Blair and Brown sought to create a new, pragmatic version of Socialism, as Harold Wilson tried to do before them, the reality remains that the deepest instincts of the Labour Party remain collectivist and tribal. Since the fall of the Brown government in 2010, the party has struggled to address the root causes of the financial crisis- which are as much about the follies of the state as about the follies of the bankers. Until this week, the leadership of Labour rejected the idea ...
The wall across the side of Greenhall Bridge, Cheadle was knocked down last year and for some time fencing has protected it. This is the bridge that marks the historic boundary between Cheadle and Gatley on the Gatley Road. Repairs have now been scheduled – weather permitting, work should begin later in January and continue through February. Unfortunately, the driver who crashed into the wall is unknown – if anyone has any information about the culprit, please let us know. View Cheadle and Gatley in a larger map
Are 2 Eds better than one? I'm not sure – but the two Eds said something very interesting over the weekend: apparently they don't have a 'Plan B' for the economy after all! As I drove into the village of Haverthwaite on Saturday morning to do some residents' surveying, I was preparing to turn the radio off and then Ed Balls popped up. I listened with amazement. In his interview he admitted not only that the programme of cuts being carried out by the Coalition government were right, but that Labour would not over turn them if they were in ...
When I have spoken to parents and children about the facilities in Beech Road Park they have often told me that they wished there were more natural play facilities in the park. As a result I have been trying for about a year to get the Council to move a tree into the park for natural play. When A sixty year old Lime tree that once stood proudly on Chorlton Green (on the corner of Chorlton Green and St Clements Road) was blown down during recent gales I asked the Council to move the 15 meter tree 300 meters down ...
Wed 18th
11:53
Opinion: No is not enough; Scottish Liberal Democrats must embrace independence referendum
Alex Salmond's SNP have a political mandate to hold a referendum on Scottish Independence. With an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament and a manifesto pledge, the question is not if we have to confront this issue, but how. Leaving aside arguments about the Scottish Parliament's legal authority to legislate on an independence referendum (this can be resolved amicably through Westminster legislation) the Scottish Liberal Democrats must engage with the merits, not just of independence, but also "devo-max". Although Liberal Democrats generally support the Union, not all members are so-minded. Some (myself included) are ambivalent or notionally support Scottish independence, ...
With the government pushing ahead plans to build a high speed rail link at the bargain price of £32 billion, so that you can have the dubious pleasure of arriving in Birmingham 20 minutes earlier than currently, it's no surprise that the same government are to launch a consultation to build a new estuary airport in North Kent. Many of us thought that this crazy idea was dead and buried, but hey London elects eccentrics, Boris Johnson a man who cannot steer a brush through his hair, has a vision of how to navigate Britains future air transport policy, and ...
Thanks to Ian Sales I have just caught up with the controversy regarding Liz Bourke's review of Michael J. Sullivan's novel Theft of Swords. For those who want to read the full debate, which has spilled far beyond the review's original publication on Strange Horizons, Bourke herself has helpfully listed all the links she could find here. I am impressed by Bourke and baffled (and slightly worried) by some of her critics. I want to pick up one of her arguments in particular, because I think it's important. Bourke takes issue with one particularly purple paragraph of the book which ...
As soon as you see an article has been written by an ex-President of NUS, you know there's a fair chance it's bollocks. OK, that's my prejudice but it's born out by experience of this group of people which includes Jack Straw, Charles Clarke, Sue Slipman and David Aaronovitch all of whom supported the Iraq War. What is it about NUS ? In this case, Lorna Fitzsimmons condemns Nick Clegg for
John Stuart Mill, whose philosophy "On Liberty" which forms the basis of Liberal Democrat philosophy, wrote that a majority that can get itself as "accepted" can force their will and standards onto those that aren't "accepted". This is called the "Tyranny of the Majority." and is to be treated in the same way as tyranny from above.People are free to act as long as it doesn't affect another person's or group's Liberty and all people are treated equally.There is due to be another Conservative rebellion over Coalition plans to lift the ban on Civil marriages for Lesbian and Gay Marriages. ...
My short story Bubble Universe is eligible for Hugo nomination for Best Short Story, An Incomprehensible Condition is eligible for Best Related Work (and Sci-Ence! probably is as well), and I would be eligible for Best Fan Writer. Note that I do not expect to get nominated for any of these, but someone asked, so ...
One of Nick Clegg's first major speeches as leader of the Liberal Democrats, as Lib Dem Voice reported way back in February 2008, was on the subject of mental health, of ensuring much faster access to therapy for those affected. In Government, he is able to put his ideas into practice, last year allocating £400 million to talking therapies. I wrote then about why I was so pleased to see that much needed investment. Today's Telegraph reports that half a million people have entered treatment under the Coalition's mental health strategy. Last night, Nick Clegg held a reception in London ...
Fall of Giants, Ken Follett This is the first time in my '100 words' series when I've reviewed a book I started but failed to finish. That's because normally it's my fault, I've simply been distracted by the shiny-shiny novelty of the new. But this time I blame the author. It's a shame because I loved Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, a fantastic doorstop of an historical saga which makes you care not only about the large cast of characters but also about the geometry of C.12th Gothic cathedrals. It's a fantastic achievement, a book which for once merits ...
Earlier in the month I shared my two favourite clips of political canvassing going wrong from TV drama shows. Today it's the turn of the best spoof interview, courtesy of Australian TV in the 1990s. Enjoy:
From April 2011 Labour led Southwark Council increased council garage fees by a whopping 50% to £18.62 per week per garage. Ouch. Well for 1,000 garage renters this has proven no problem. They were moved wrongly to the concessionary rate of £5 per week saving so far over £500 each. This has only just come to light after a number of residents, scared at running up huge back bills, complained and raised the alarm. Whoever you are thank you. The Labour cabinet member has made it clear they wont be collecting any back rent owed and put the 1,000 mistakes ...
I scraped the ice off my window screen this morning wrapped up in a warm overcoat and a heavy tweed suit I still felt I was ill prepared for the weather. At lunch time I entered the Mayor's Parlour to attend the unveiling of a Blue Plaque (possibly the only one in Southport) to commemorate F J Hooper -Percy to his friends. Percy was the Town Hall Keeper from 1922-1955 only breaking his service to serve in the armed forces. He joined Scott's expedition to the South Pole (as the youngest member) as a steward but soon became part of ...
Stockport Council is encouraging parents/guardians of young people to come along to an information evening to find out about the options available in further education, apprenticeships or employment when their child leaves school at 16. The event, at Stockport Town Hall on Tuesday 24th January 6-8pm, is for parents/guardians of pupils in Years 10-11 – the final two years of school. The event will give people the chance to meet over 30 colleges, training providers and support agencies – including the National Apprenticeship Service, Jobcentre Plus and Council staff – face to face to answer questions about courses and what ...
Gyronny Herald has gone black for the day. Stop SOPA, Protect YourOnline Rights Right Now.
Having watched 3 Ed Miliband interviews last night, Labour's economic policy seems perfectly coherent, logical and straight forward to me. So as a public service for the greater good, let me clarify, for example, the Miliband position on public sector pay.I am paraphrasing his words here... "The public sector pay freeze is an assault on the worthiest and often most poorly paid sectors of society, driven not by economic necessity but by political philosophy and general spite. It is nothing less than a disgrace.I have therefore decided to embrace it for the good of the economy and the nation. For ...
What would you consider to be our successes and failures since being in Coalition? These, simplified, will come to define us when it comes to the General Election. I recently looked at how each issue will be seen by the Tory and Lib Dem voters to show how we can look at each issue in ...
Norwich South MP Simon Wright has today met with RAPt (Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust), who deliver programmes to rehabilitate addicted prisoners in HMPs Norwich and Wayland. Simon Wright said: "I was very keen to meet with RAPt. More than half of all new prisoners are known to have recently taken drugs, and many of those have long term addictions. Rehabilitating addicted prisoners plays a really important role in reducing re-offending and making our communities safer. I wanted to hear from RAPt about the programmes they were delivering locally and the impact they were having. "Getting offenders off drugs and ...
I built a TARDIS - YouTube Vid This lady tardis constructor is very cool indeed. (tags: doctorwho ) Flog secondhand MP3s at your peril This all seemed self-evident to me, but then I did do IP law in my degree... (tags: law ) Falling for REICHENBACH (or, The Birth of a New Fannish Obsession) With regard to New BBC Sherlock: I agree with this post. Moriarty is not my cup of tea at all, and although Martin \Freeman's performance WAS astounding, I loved the respect for Molly. (tags: sherlock ) Smoking is good for you Also eating salty fatty food ...
Private Eye has welcomed a newcomer to its Rotten Boroughs column in its past 26 issues: Cotswold District Council. Here in the idyllic Cotswold constituency, neighbouring David Cameron's Witney, there has been massive fraud, resulting, so far, in the prosecution and sentencing of former Cotswold Water Park Society CEO Dennis Grant, who embezzled £700,000 of the charity's funds. Now an independent, external police force has been brought in by the County Council to investigate further allegations. One of the key campaigners leading the way in exposing these dealings is Liberal Democrat Councillor Esmond Jenkins. Elected to represent the Water Park ...
Somehow, the entire 2008 McCain oppo file on Romney has made its way onto the internet. You can read it in full on Scribd here. It's extremely thorough. As a taster here is what is says about one of one of the "Top Hits" - Abortion: Abortion Romney says he changed his mind on abortion meeting with Harvard stem cell researcher Romney claims the doctor said scientists "kill" embryos after 14 days, but doctor later said Romney "mischaracterized myposition." Months after his "conversion," Romney stated his commitment to upholding Massachusetts' abortion laws and appointed pro-choice judge to state district court. ...
Stockport's FLAG ("For Local Advice and Guidance") organisation offers confidential, free and independent local advice and guidance about adult health and social care services. More than 2,200 customers were supported in 2011 from right across Stockport, aged 16+. Issues and concerns people went to FLAG for help with include finance and benefits, disability, carers and caring, active lifestyles, mental and physical health, transport, employment and family issues. To access the FLAG service: Drop in to 39 Chestergate in the town centre. Call 0161 474 1042 visit www.mycaremychoice.org.uk or www.stockportflag.org.uk Email info@stockportflag.org.uk See FLAG at outreach locations and local events
What is it about Michael Gove and public funds? Firstly, he moots the idea of the nation buying a new yacht for the Royal family to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee only to be forced into back-pedalling by Clegg's 'yachts and have-yachts' remark into setting up a private trust fund instead. Now, his initiative to send personally engraved bibles to English schools has run into similar problems. Yesterday's Guardian says that the plan by the education secretary, to send a copy of the King James Bible to every school in the country, each including a personal inscription from him, has run ...
So writes Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, setting out the party's plan for fairer fares on London's public transport: [IMG: Caroline Pidgeon, Lynne Featherstone, Martin Newton and Oyster cards] Boris Johnson has been Mayor of London since 2008. In just four years he has increased the cheapest bus fare from 90p to £1.35 - and he had planned to raise fares even further until the Coalition Government stepped in and helped limit the rise. As well as bus fares, the cost of travelling on the Tube, the Docklands Light Railway, the Croydon Tramlink and the London Overground have ...
As reported in a blogpost from our neighbours in West Chesterton the old play area on Woodhead Drive, just across Downhams Lane from Gladeside and Alice Bell Close is due to be removed shortly. Councillor's have been sent an email by officers with an update about the park.A project is about to be drawn-up to install a new play area at Woodhead Drive by the Summer of 2011 to replace the existing one which admittedly is not a fine example of the city's play facilities at present. The council has taken the view that pouring money into a temporary solution ...
Often when I'm reading, I notice unexpected connections between books - a common reference or location, the use of a particularly unusual word or phrase. These connections between books apparently chosen at random, albeit from a subset of published litrature entitled "Books Andrew Wants To Read", lend a superficial and arbitary structure and narritive to my reading. There is something of a parralel in the choosing of tracks for this series of posts. There will be links and themes that surface from the choices I make from the subset of music which is "Tracks From NOW! Albums That Andrew Likes". ...
Yesterday : * I attended the latest meeting of the West End Schools' Project Board, the group overseeing the construction of the new facilities for Park Place Primary School, St Joseph's Primary School and Park Place Nursery School, currently being built on the former Logie Secondary School site. It was good to hear of progress with the project and the autumn 2012 opening date on course. * Thereafter, I attended the latest committee meeting of the Sinderins and Pennycook Courts Residents' Association, taking place at Pennycook Court. We discussed various issues including progress with the new seating and environment improvements ...
I'm not an American, but I still think that the Stop Online Piracy Act should be killed. With fire. Then resurrected to be killed again, to emphasise it's a really bad idea. Watch the below video, or get involved at AmericanCensorship.org If you want a handy guide, visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I'm going to participate in the SOPA strike tomorrow, even though I don't live in the US and can't affect its legislators, because, like Milena says, if it affects the internet, it affects us all. I really recommend you read her post, actually. It's a very intelligent and well-reasoned one. Also, I like this one on The Hathor Legacy. This means that from lunchtime-ish tomorrow until the early hours of the morning on Thursday I shall be officially On Strike. And tomorrow being Wednesday, and therefore my day off, this will actually be more of a hardship than might at ...
Many of you have told me of your concerns about the deteriorating state of Chorlton's roads and pavements. Parents with buggies and prams, the disabled, the young and not so young are having particular difficulty. As the footpaths get worse, and rotting leaves are left for months, the dangers from trips and falls increase and some of our neighbours struggle to pop out to the local shops or amenities. This is unacceptable in a major city in the 21st Century. The problem is not just the footpaths. Many roads are in a poor state and this too raises many issues. ...
As some of you will know, Scottish Roundup does a sort of "What the Papers Say" of the Scottish blog scene every week. This includes covering some pretty momentous events that will affect Scotland and the entire UK over the next few years. I had the pleasure of reviewing the Macblogosphere in such a significant week. You can read the roundup here. Have a read and discover some first rate bloggers, if you don't know them already. PS I also highly recommend Frances Coppola's learned and very informative blog on the currency conundrum facing any independent Scotland.
Even by Ed Balls' standards, the mess he has got himself into explaining Labour's economic policy really is quite spectacular. As far as I understand it, Labour's policy hasn't actually changed. They are opposed to the way the government is tackling deficit reduction but accept they are unlikely to be able to reverse all the cuts they oppose after the next election. But Balls appeared to somewhat overegg the pudding over the weekend when he stated that his "starting point" is that Labour would have to "keep all these cuts". Milliband, Balls and Harman have since clarified, ad nauseum, that ...
