If it isn't obvious from my blog posts, as well as from my facebook updates and tweets, running has kind of taken over my life (or, at least my social media life, because I can't/won't talk about work in these fora). Turns out running sometimes takes over my entertainment choices, too, and in between listening to podcasts about running, watching movies and documentaries about running, stalking running blogs, and planning to watch races on tv, I also read about running. My latest running book was Kathrine Switzer's Marathon Woman. Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as ...
Posted this to Facebook, but then thought it might as well go here too. I'm having a lot of difficulty in discussing politics at the moment. The problem is that so often debate is polarised between two false alternatives, and actually trying to even express an opinion makes me either have to equivocate so much ...
Living on Words Alone is not impressed by a Liberal Democrat letter than raises the spectre of the BNP in an attempt to win votes. Certainly, things have rarely ended happily when Labour has tried this tactic. Joe Paxton writes on Comment is Free about the experience of being unemployed in Britain today: "The Jobcentre has done nothing but hinder me in my search. When I was asked what qualifications I had, and I told them about my degree, Btecs, A-levels, AS-levels and GCSEs, they responded with "Are you sure? Have you got certificates to prove that?" "Meanwhile my youngest ...
I didn't watch the BBC series Protecting Our Children, but the reviews and the reactions of people on Twitter suggested that it was very good. But I sensed from this reaction that behind it was the idea that if a child was taken into care then, if it could hardly be called a happy ending, it did at least mean that the child was no longer at risk of harm. Judging by a report in the Guardian this morning, that may be an overoptimistic view: More than half of children in care are given less than a week's notice before ...
Why is it that the establishment doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference between criticising the behaviour o the big banks and being anti-business? David Cameron's speech yesterday certainly didn't. In fact, being pro-business and pro-enterprise ought to mean major criticisms of the dysfunctional banks, who are really failing to support productive business, and real action on monopoly power - because that is what UK business needs:
The eyesore buildings at the bit of St Mary's Road by James Street look like they are going to get demolished. These are the ones virtually opposite the Co op and so very very obvious to anyone shopping there or visiting Garston village. The Council is talking about compulsorily purchasing a few on St Mary's Road and a couple just round the corner into James Street. The decision should get taken next Friday although I am not sure how quickly the demolition would follow on. This is good news for everyone who has worried about the appearance of this end ...
After many months of campaigning on behalf of local residents for proper resurfacing of the badly potholed Roseangle car park, I was pleased to advise last month that the City Council had agreed to fully resurface it and have it properly relined. Slightly ahead of schedule, the council's contractor, Tayside Contracts, will commence resurfacing works on Monday morning (27th - weather permitting), with the car park closed from teatime on Sunday for 3-7 days - the time taken will really depend on weather conditions. I have advised all nearby residents of the temporary car park closure and the City Council ...
The City Council's planning committee decided earlier this week to give permission to Veolia for a development to its King Street location treating a lot more solvents. I objected to this, mainly because of a gas leak last year. Actually Veolia still need to get clearance from the Environment Agency (which is a different process) so its not all done and dusted. You can see the minutes from the committee Two Lib Dem Councillors disagreed with the decision (they are listed on the minutes as dissenting)
The reason for Scott Mann's resignation as Deputy Leader of the Conservative group (at least, the first reason he gives in his letter) is that there is a secret plan to put council money into the stadium project despite the Conservative group twice voting that there should be no such funding. At full council on Tuesday, my colleague Doris Ansari asked Chris Ridgers - the Cabinet Member for the Economy - to repeat the assurance given by his predecessor that there would be no more public money for the stadium (beyond the £120k given for the feasibility study). Chris's reply ...
The Independent tells us that Royal Bank of Scotland yesterday launched a concerted fightback against the mounting outrage over its decision to spend £785m on bonuses despite reporting a £2bn loss - almost double the previous year's figure.And it quotes the bank's chief executive Stephen Hester: "The noise around RBS is damaging to the prospect of achieving the goals everyone needs of it. So far in the latest three years we have overcome that noise, and we will try to keep doing that, but no one should be under any illusions that you can't have your cake and eat it."In ...
Yesterday, along with council colleagues Cllrs Richard McCready and Bob Duncan, I had the pleasure in taking part in a tree planting ceremony at Riverside Nature Park, with representatives from Dundee and Abertay Rotary Clubs who have kindly donated trees for the park. Both Rotary Clubs do great charitable work and the new tree-lined path near to the park's east entrance will greatly enhance the park. Riverside Nature Park is going from strength to strength, with good visitor numbers and a Friends' group getting established.
At the recent sheltered housing tenants' meeting I held with the residents at Ancrum Place and Morven Terrace, the residents raised their concerns that the "SLOW" markings on the roadway in Morven Terrace, coming in from Tullideph Road were badly worn. I contacted the City Council's Head of Transportation regarding this, pointing out that the SLOW markings are important in an area where there are many elderly pedestrians, and he agreed that the markings should be repainted. I am pleased that this has been done very promptly - see above right.
I self identify as feminist. This means I quite often get randomly ascribed opinions to which I do not subscribe - I am in favour of positive discrimination, for example, or I am a man-hating1 hairy-legged1 lesbian1. These descriptions are almost alwast phrased more as accusations than anything else, and are clearly meant to be Bad Things. I self identify as bisexual. This also means I am randomly ascribed lots of opinions and behaviours, some of which I do and some that I don't, but which are almost always painted as negative by the person who assumes that if you're ...
In what has come to be known as the 'post-democratic era' at Cornwall Council, I thought there was very little that could still surprise me about the endless conspiracy and back-biting that swirls around the authority's Conservative Group. All that changed today, however. As you may have seen elsewhere, the Deputy Leader of the Tory ...
Saturday 3 March 2012 12pm - 1pm Basketball 1pm - 2pm Tennis 2pm - 4pm Football 4pm - 5pm Rounders 5pm - 6pm Badminton FREE ENTRY All Indoors - Strictly Women Only William Hulme's Grammar School, Springbridge Road, Manchester, M16 8PR Event organised by Muslim Women's Sport Foundation. For further info contact Lily.Frederick@mwsf.org.uk
An evening of information and discussion on how to make our homes warmer, more energy efficient and cheaper to run. Chorlton Refurb presents: -Local home owners describing successful improvements. -Energy efficiency experts to answer your questions. -News on the Government's Green Deal. -Findings from Chorlton LEAF. Chorlton homes are some of the least energy efficient homes in Manchester as they are older, bigger than average and solid-walled. What can be done? Chorlton LEAF, funded by Dept of Energy and Climate Change, is a project that aims to find out. 20 comprehensive energy assessments are being carried out on typical Chorlton ...
We were pleased to see the laying of the new path through the Gatley Recreation Ground in progress earlier this week – here's Keith on site. The Recreation Ground is well used and we're very pleased to see the new path being laid. Money permitting, we look forward to seeing the tennis/basketball court being relaid in the next year.
In a two-part investigation, Joe Bourke looks at youth unemployment. Sunday's part two will have details of policies designed to provide guaranteed employment for 16-24 year-olds. In part one, we discuss changes to the tax system that would make such policies affordable. If the 2012 budget sees the personal allowance increased to £10,000 we will have achieved a key plank of the 2010 manifesto and provided some welcome relief to the squeeze on incomes that has come not least from the increase in VAT to 20%. Whether the increase in the personal allowance is achieved in this budget or subsequently, ...
I have received notification that an application has been received by the City Council for a new Premises Licence for premises at Zaika, 203 Upper Chorlton Road, Manchester, M16 0BH. The application's Proposed trading hours for the supply of alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises are as follows: Mon to Thurs 1400 to 0000 Sunday 1400 to 0000 Fri and Sat. 1400 to 0130 Also delivery service to regular customers Proposed trading hours for the provision of late night refreshment are as follows: Mon to Thurs 1400 to 0000 Sunday 1400 to 0000 Fri and Sat. 1400 ...
Fri 24th
17:40
On Sentient Universes, The Problem Of Evil, Grant Morrison, Doctor Who and other such stuff
Blame Philip Sandifer for this. I meant to write another short story today (I still might). I thought I'd said everything I had to say about Grant Morrison, and more, between my book on Seven Soldiers and Sci-Ence! Justice Leak!. But then Sandifer (who, if you don't know, is the writer of the alternately wonderful ...
The deaths of two Western journalists in Homs on Wednesday 22nd February appear to have been a critical turning point in the Syrian conflict. The Assad regime's continuing refusal to halt its relentless shelling of the city are now leading ... Continue reading →
Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make. 096370/FO/2011/S1 - ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Where I stand on the new Lib Dem groupings (42 comments) by Stephen Tall "A shitty time to be a liberal": The Economist's must-read piece on the Clegg paradox (and 2 reasons why it's wrong) (15 comments) by Stephen Tall Opinion: Work-fare or work fair? Why I shan't be shopping at Tesco (46 comments) by Rebecca Tidy Health and Social Care Bill: a letter from Ed Milliband (42 comments) by Mark Valladares LibLink: Are the Lib Dems ...
"Hang on!" you say, "Last week it was the V Olympiad. I know my Roman numerals what happened to the VI Olympiad?" Ok, here is what happened, the games of the VI Olympiad had been awarded. In 1912 work on the Olympic Stadium designed to seat 18,000 spectators began. On 8 June 1913 it was dedicated (pictured) with 60,000 people in attendance and 10,000 pigeons released. The issue of course was timing and location. The games of course would have occurred in 1916 in the middle of World War I, the location as shown by the flag of the German ...
Andrew Wallis has published the resignation letter from the Deputy Leader of the Conservative group - Scott Mann - to Alec Robertson, Leader of the Tory group and Leader of Cornwall Council. Scott certainly isn't pulling his punches as the following excerpts show: "I'm afraid that the straw that broke the camels back is the funding of the stadium for Cornwall. Although the group are generally supportive of the stadium they have made it clear on two separate occasions that no tax payer funding should be used. However a report is now being presented asking for 12-16 million pounds worth ...
Just in from Yahoo news Ancient documents have revealed the birthplace of Clarkson was signed over to Scotland in a treaty 900 years ago as part of the Treaty of Durham after King David successfully stormed large areas of northern England. It is worth reading the article as it reads like a parody but appears genuine. The findings have also been welcomed by colourful Mayor Peter Davies "It's clearly in the interests of Doncaster to be in Scotland: we'll get free prescriptions, free tuition for students and free care for the elderly. The town has a lot to offer Scotland ...
The week before last I wrote about my dislike of the way the word "ideological" is used as if it were a self-evident insult, mistake and appalling blunder. By chance, The Economist's Lexington column shortly afterwards* took up the same issue, coining this rather neat turn of phrase: Ideology is just a pejorative word for principles in which you happen not to believe. * At least, I presume by chance. However, if Lexington does scour my blog for inspiration then expect shortly thunderous denunciations of over-zealous councils putting up signs warning us against everything or outrage at the Home Office ...
A detailed new study showing the number of vacant shops on every street in Stockport Town Centre has proved that, far from having the highest number of vacancies of any large centre, as a recent study claimed, the town is doing much better with only one-in-five units empty. Councillor Iain Roberts said "Stockport Council is working hard to boost the town centre, looking at every level. Whether it's the £16 million investment in Grand Central, the new £6 million multi-storey car park due to begin construction, the £9 million purchase of the Debenhams site, encouraging pop-ups and innovative uses for ...
The Council is teaming up with town centre businesses, Merseyway Shopping Centre, community groups, market traders and residents in a bid to become a 'Portas Pilot'. Mary Portas, who carried out an independent review of high streets last year, is working with the Government to offer grants of up to £100,000 to the most innovative ideas to rejuvenate local high streets. Stockport's bid will be based on showing strong leadership and commitment, innovation and potential for improvement. Part of the bid will be to form a 'town team' made up of different groups, to drive forward innovation and improve the ...
A million pounds more will be spent on fixing potholes across Stockport over the next year, thanks to a Lib Dem initiative. The amount – borrowed over 25 years – will allow the Council to properly resurface sections of residential roads where there are lots of potholes close together. At the moment we only have enough money to patch them. Lib Dem campaigner Keith Holloway said "This is excellent news. There are many smaller roads – particularly rat-runs – where potholes are being patched, but more open up soon afterwards simply due to the volume of traffic. This money will ...
Labour's 2006 NHS Act deliberately opened up health services, including acute hospitals, to wide-ranging competition on price, not quality. Labour's legislation allowed private companies to receive £250m for contracts which they never delivered. Liberal Democrat peers are working hard to ensure that the NHS, including Foundation Trusts (FTs), remain public services. Indeed, in order to protect them from the full force of competition law and the threat of takeover by American healthcare companies, hospitals must not be deemed 'undertakings' or look more like private sector bodies. One way to achieve that is to make it explicit in law that the ...
From Stockport Council: At its Budget Council meeting on Thursday 23rd February, Stockport Council agreed not to increase Council Tax for residents for the second year in succession. The Band D Council Tax for the 2012-13 financial year remains at £1,559.96 which includes the Greater Manchester Police and Fire and Rescue precepts which have also been frozen for the new financial year. Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Executive Member for Finance, said: "The Council Tax freeze for the second year in succession is really good news for all Stockport residents. We have made some challenging decisions to ensure the Council produced a ...
I wonder when Sean Penn will hand his real estate, in Malibu, back to the Chumash people – the Native Americans who inhabit California. Observing his left wing political activism, I am unable to find anything related to the indigenous population of North America. Yet, he condemns Britain to colonialism over the Falklands. Oh dear. ...
[IMG: Drop kerb works underway in Brambley Crescent, Sandgate] Drop kerb works underway in Brambley Crescent, Sandgate Sandgate Councillor Gary Fuller has welcomed the start of work in Golden Valley to install new drop kerbs. County Councillor Tim Prater got the work agreed to make access easier for everyone - especially those with buggies and wheelchairs. When complete, the works will give dropped kerb access routes from both Cheriton High Street and Folkestone West train station to the Golden Valley shopping centre. Gary Fuller says: "It's great to see the absence of drop kerbs in the valley being tackled. "It ...
Conservative MPs are just back from a corporate away day at Portcullis House. Since they work in Portcullis House anyway, that is not so much an away day as a here-we-are day. Jacob Rees-Mogg was just on the BBC explaining that he addressed the dinner at the end of the day, giving a speech in which he explained why the Liberal Democrats are his second-favourite of the two parties in the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. As I am a Vice-Chairman of the Liberal Democrat Friends of the Conservative Party, I've had a chance to see the menu for the dinner ...
Northern Democrat 61 Feb 12(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();This si the February edition of the Northern Democrat, edited by me for Lib Dems in the
Paul Waugh*, writing in July 2000**: OMG! High cost of fig trees for Portcullis House! Rest of press pack, writing in February 2012: OMG! High cost*** of fig trees for Portcullis House!**** * An old journalist interjects: I wrote about it back then too! ** A young journalist objects: oi! some of us were still in school back then. *** A defensive Parliamentary accountant writes: have you noticed that the annual cost of the fig trees has not gone up in 12 years? **** A Liberal Democrat press officer adds: hey, but have you noticed how each time it was ...
Some 18 months ago, just before the Liverpool conference, The Voice kindly carried a piece by me about the need for a body I call LibsLeft. It is a slight play on words, aimed both at those who felt excluded from the party of coalition, and indicating our direction of travel if the party is to survive the 2015 election. Liberals have always fared badly from coalitions, readers were reminded. I wrote that the only party to emerge victorious from a coalition was Labour in 1945 - on the back of a Liberal programme. They stole Beveridge's ideas for a ...
Like a prophet in exile, the former MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, let it be known this morning how his many followers should vote in the Plaid Cymru leadership election. In what must be one of the more pompous utterings by a Welsh politician (and there is a lot of competition), Mr. Price informed the Western Mail that: "I have this morning posted my ballot paper for the leadership election on Beacon Hill in Boston, not far from the site of the home of John Hancock, first signer of the American Declaration of Independence. I have done so in ...
From the billboards outside newsagents... ...to the teaser story on the front page of the Islington Gazette... ...to the page three splash story... ...verily the local news this week is dominated by this one humble blog post of mine.
As part of the long-standing Liberal Democrat commitment to fair taxation, expressed so clearly by David Laws, the party has often called for a greater emphasis on wealth taxes. As a direct result of these calls, it is now clear that the government is considering some form of wealth taxation to help deliver another long-standing Lib Dem tax policy – giving millions of low- and middle-earners a welcome boost by raising the income tax threshold to £10,000. The precise nature of increased taxation on wealth is a topic of much discussion. Radio 4′s Today programme carried an interesting discussion of ...
ALDC has recently completed a recruitment process for new staff members to join the team at ALDC. The new staff will be starting during March 2012. They are: Development Officers Neil Fawcett and Mike Bell Neil Fawcett has a long history of working as a campaigner within the party, most recently as Deputy Director of Campaigns during the last Parliament. Neil is based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Mike Bell is our Group Leader on North Somerset Council, and based in Weston-super-Mare. He joins us from the office of David Heath MP and has previously worked as a regional campaigns officer in ...
The Electoral Commission has this past week published the latest donation and borrowing figures for the political parties, showing that the Lib Dems raised £1,076,469 between October and December this year. (At the foot of this post is the full breakdown of donations (excluding public funds) received by quarter since 2005, and annually between 2001 and 2004.) By comparison, the party raised £1,724,842 in the fourth quarter of 2006 (the equivalent stage of the parliamentary cycle). This is the first time since I've been covering the Lib Dem donation figures I can recall the figure for donations received being lower ...
The Death of a Traitor the grisly fate of Hugh Despenser the younger (tags: archaeology ) BBC: 49% of British homes get less than the national average Broadband speed. - bengoldacre - secondary blog "Don't ever rest, not until more than half the UK has better than average broadband speed"! (tags: internet mathematics ) John Peel's record collection to be made into online museum | News | NME.COM (tags: music ) Iapetus' peerless equatorial ridge (tags: astronomy )
The first episode of Homeland was broadcast on Channel 4 last Sunday. The drama comes from the Showtime stable. The production company has brought us Dexter, Nurse Jackie, Brotherhood and Sleeper Cell. With that sort of pedigree, Homeland was bound to have a certain quality. It also has a great cast, including the leads Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. In the first episode we are introduced to Carrie Matheson, a rather intense CIA operative and an American Marine, Nicholas Brody. After being held by terrorists in Iraq for eight years, Brody is freed and returned to the USA. Matheson believes ...
I took a bit of a gamble when I was Mayor. All Mayors use their year to fundraise for their chosen charity, but in my case I decided to set up a new one, Young Kingston. There was a risk that people would not get behind my vision, that little money would be donated and that the charity would not be sustainable. But it worked. We raised over £23,000 during the year, which was a terrific start, and we have added to that figure since, with sponsorship from Chessington World of Adventures and Kingston Philharmonia among others. For me, the ...
I seem to be making a lot of these AFK posts lately - my head is still spinning from my trip to Germany, but I'm off to Norfolk with my keep fit group this weekend. As always, text will be the best way to reach me while I'm away. Back on Sunday evening. This entry was cross-posted from Dreamwidth, where there are currently [IMG: comment count unavailable] comment(s). View DW comment(s).
Yesterday I blogged about the problems facing the Liberal Democrats on the NHS Bill: Despite the wishes of some members, unless something goes completely wrong in the next couple of weeks the party overall is unlikely to push for the withdrawal of the Bill. That is because it contains many policies the Liberal Democrats have long-called for, such as the better integration of health and social care and the shift of powers to local councils - and complete withdrawal would raise more awkward questions about why the leadership had backed the reforms in the first place. However, anything short of ...
How do you know if you're fit to go to work? You would think, wouldn't you, that being able to get ready and out, get yourself to your place of work, work your shift and get home again would be just ever so slightly relevant, wouldn't you? Most people's work shifts are at least 4 hours long, so given everything else, you need to have at least six hours' stamina in the tank, and much more if you do anything physical. Everyone's situation will be variable and unique to them, and if they're very sick, they're likely to have a ...
Eric Pickles recently sent forth an encyclical and counterblast to the "illiberal and intolerant secularists" seeking to overturn "the right to worship [which is] a fundamental and hard-fought British liberty" and reverse "the fight for religious freedom in British history, deeply entwined with our political freedom". Our Town Clerk at once e-mailed us all a copy – on the very day, as it happened, that I went to Hertford for a County Council Meeting. As usual, the meeting started at 10 30 a.m. And as usual those councillors who wished to pray met in the Council Chamber a little earlier ...
BBC News - The myth of the eight-hour sleep My sleep pattern tends to be 4am till 8am then 10am till 2pm. I have been beating myself up about this for years. Maybe I should stop... (tags: sleep ) A week of picking on trans people Cthulhu, sometimes I think we haven't made any progress at all in recent years :( Why can't we just let people live how they want to without having to be horrible to them in the press? (tags: lgbt ) Labour suspends MP Eric Joyce after Commons 'assault' Cheap subsidised booze in the commons causes ...
At the weekend I was over in Dollis Hill, helping the Brent team with some canvassing ahead of next month's by-election. The local party has now selected Alison Hopkins to be the Liberal Democrat candidate: A local through and through, Alison has lived in Dollis Hill for over 55 years, went to Braintcroft primary school and married her husband at the local church – St Mary and St Andrew – in 1974. Alison has a long record of campaigning for local people. As the Neasden representative of the Brent SOS libraries campaign she has been fighting the Labour Council's plans ...
Thats twice I have been let down again by South West Trains and their (unpoliced) cycle policy. The cycle policy is very clear. I live in Woking. This means that no full size bikes can be taken on trains as follows: At stations shown in red, cycles may not join or leave trains due to arrive at London ...
FT's Philip Stephens v good on newspapers' hypocrisy of hating to have to live by standards they demand of others http://t.co/4U5jVG1C # The government must not be blackmailed on Lords reform | Unlock Democracy: http://t.co/y4Ns4DJ4 via @AddThis # 'This is the biggest issue we face in education' < My boss in the TES on tackling the underperformance of poor children http://t.co/v9C4UPe7 # RT @eleanorlondon: Great interview with my brilliant boss at the EEF, Kevan Collins: http://t.co/4cHO5mZc in the @TimesEd # RT @bbcbreaking: Two teenagers who want to attend university partially win High Court case over planned tuition fees increase. More ...
An initiative to celebrate Consett's past and welcome its future is what Consett & District Heritage Initiative and the Consett North Partnership are currently working on. They're hoping to work in conjunction with old people and young alike to ensure that visitors arriving in the town, and local people, are reminded of our proud heritage in steelmaking, but also inspired with hope by the renaissance in industry and commerce achieved after the closure of the works in 1981. Their work was partly provoked by a report into Consett which said that there was no sense of "arrival" for people as ...
From the Shropshire Star: Telford & Wrekin Council is to borrow £5.6 million to help stabilise Ironbridge Gorge and avert a catastrophic collapse into the River Severn, it was revealed today. Town hall chiefs are now negotiating with the Government to secure an additional £14.4 million it is estimated will be needed for the work. Council deputy leader Councillor Richard Overton said the stabilisation work was absolutely vital. A total of £15 million has already been spent trying to save the Gorge from collapse at the Lloyds but no more has been done to shore it up since that work ...
Cllr Nigel Bell Two Cambridgeshire fire appliances, which cost taxpayers £1.2 million more than two years ago, are still inoperative as a leading Tory fights to delay consideration of a report into their safety and suitability. The appliances, one based at Cambridge and the other at Standground in Peterborough have never been officially put into service because of a series of mechanical and design faults. But as an investigation is underway into the safety and viability of the Combined Aerial Rescue Appliances, Cllr Roy Pegram, chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority is trying to delay the examination of ...
Cllr Nigel Bell Two Cambridgeshire fire appliances, which cost taxpayers £1.2 million more than two years ago, are still inoperative as a leading Tory fights to delay consideration of a report into their safety and suitability. The appliances, one based at Cambridge and the other at Standground in Peterborough have never been officially put into service because of a series of mechanical and design faults. But as an investigation is underway into the safety and viability of the Combined Aerial Rescue Appliances, Cllr Roy Pegram, chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority is trying to delay the examination of ...
Although I like to read, I haven't read a great deal of the classics - although I am slowly starting to rectify this. One author I intend reading at some stage is Thomas Hardy, author of Far from the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure amongst many others. As well as novels, though, he also wrote poetry, much of it dedicated to his first wife. This volume of his poems was one of the subjects of Radio 4's A Good Read this week and listening to the programme inspired to look up and read some of ...
[IMG: 20120224-015254.jpg] On Thursday I attended the Foyles launch of Regeneration, a collection of essays focusing on the theme of intergenerational equity. A number of my more talented past colleagues from the Yes campaign we're involved in the book (one or two are even brave enough to admit this past affiliation in their biographies!), so I thought I should show up in support. Having got back, I thought I would write a short post, not to criticise a book I haven't read (indeed I encourage people here to read it, which is free to download after all), but to pose ...
This week I went to my first meeting of Reading Borough Council. The Budget setting no less. Whilst some (most?) of the meeting was tedious, there was a particular point of interest - apart from the Liberal Democrat amendment to the budget which was accepted in full by the minority Labour-run Council. But first, some context. The Prologue The public rightly worries about what has been termed a 'revolving door' between big business and Government, as well as concerns over undue influence. In the US, the feeling of unease at big business and the revolving door between Government and big ...
