Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. May I give a special welcome to the new readers that we have this week. We now have a record number of readers, having just passed another significant milestone in the volume of subscribers we have. 1. Chilwell and Toton By Election Thank you to everyone for the reception that you have given Barbara Carr, myself and our team as we have been campaigning for the County and Borough Council by elections on 15th March. ...
As promised (to Sandra) a copy of her appearance on the Sunday Politics last week discussing the NHS Bill. [IMG: media] [See post to watch Flash video]
At some point I want to get my soon to be 2, daughter her own touch screen device. She often "borrows" my Samsung Galaxy SII or Heathers iPhone 4, and they are rather valuable. It doesn't need to be great spec, but should: Play most video formats (MP4, DIVX) without a struggle, nor need for me to convert them first. Play the BBC iPlayer Play Youtube Play MP3s (if it's doing the above, it really should be doing this) Have games like Angry Birds available Not be massive (ie, not a tablet) Cheap and most importantly it must not be ...
Seventies favourite ...
With thanks to @lordbonkers for refreshing my memory... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Another Eighth Doctor Adventure which involves the Fendahl, the Cthulhu mythos, and the future beings into which Time Lords will evolve, but which is less than the sum of its parts. I hope that this series picks up soon; I've been rather underwhelmed by the last few.
A truly powerful memoir, partly telling Malan's own story as a lefty journalist of hardline Afrikaner stock, and partly also an introduction to the dialect and grammar of South African political violence, particularly of the 1980s (the book came out in 1990, when it was clear that change was coming to South Africa but not at all clear what it would be or even how it would come). The accounts of the various atrocities carried out by South Africans on each other are pretty stark, but Malan's message is clear: this was a racial problem, not a class war (of ...
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Residents in Scott Street are rightly angry at the mindless vandalism of 16 vehicles in Scott Street overnight on Wednesday/Thursday. Our local Police Inspector Graham Young updated the West End Local Community Planning Partnership meeting on Thursday evening about this disgraceful vandalism of residents' cars and gave assurances that the police putting resources into catching the person or persons responsible. I spoke on Wave 102 news about the matter today - click 'play' to listen:
The Electoral Commission website is a data-mine of information for those interested in all aspects of party political funding. For those who'd rather not get their hands dirty doing the mining themselves, below you'll find 10 interesting (in my opinion) facts I discovered there. But for those of you interested in excavating further, I've uploaded Google spreadsheets of the three main parties' donations received between 2001 and 2011 (incl.): Liberal Democrat donations, 2001-11; Labour party donations, 2001-11; Conservative party donations, 2001-11. And here are those 10 interesting facts I promised you... 1) In total, the Lib Dems raised £33,742,984 in ...
As Richard Morris noted earlier today, the Liberal Democrat blogerati are well represented among the entries for this year's Orwell Prize for Blogging. Some great bloggers have entered their work, including Richard himself. The tone is lowered somewhat by the fact that I've entered again this year. While the Orwell Prize is undoubtedly an exercise in self-promotion, it raises the profile to some excellent writers from across the political spectrum. I've encountered some fascinating perspectives that I doubt I would have encountered through any other route. So it is well worth scanning the list of entrants for unfamiliar names. You ...
One of the advantages of having your own blog is that you have total control over its content, especially important when it comes to comments.That control is important for two reasons - it allows you to block offensive comments, often but not always anonymous, and it allows you to set a tone for debate which is appropriate to your readership (it never ceases to amaze me when people tell me that they've read posts here). However, ownership allows a degree of certainty, almost a dogmatic one if you let it.But now that I am part of the Liberal Democrat Voice ...
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader... Here's the Coalition's Work & Pensions team — former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and Lib Dem pensions minister Steve Webb — enjoying the sight of fully-stacked shelves at a supermarket. What do you think might be being said or thought by or about them? And the winner of our last caption comp is... Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, Ed Miliband "Basking in The Sun" Edition. The winner, according to The Voice's judging panel of one, was this ...
I used to get the Dozois anthology every year and read it immediately, but this habit faded out a few years back, so I am now reading his 2007 collection of the best stories of 2006 for the first time. Most of these stories were indeed fresh for me; four (I think) were Hugo nominees, and I'd read a couple of others in other collections (or possibly even in the original magazine publication). As usual, Dozois shows excellent taste, though my 2007 records are not in good enough shape to tell me if I think he got a better or ...
At 6.20 AM on the 21st of September 1914 Leutnant Weddigen of the Kaiser's Imperial Navy gave the order to fire the first torpedo from U-boat U9. HMS Cressy The torpedo struck HMS Aboukir and she came full stop and began her 35 minute futile struggle to stay afloat, the order was given to abandon ship as her sister ships HMS Cressy and HMS Hogue, the other two vessels in the patrol fleet, moved to assist and launched boats believing the flagship (under the command of Captain Drummond. Rear Admiral Christian who had commanded the flotilla had been force to ...
I've been entertaining myself o the commute for the last couple of weeks with episodes of the mid-noughties BBC sf sitcom Hyperdrive, which managed two series of six episodes in 2006 and 2007. The only core cast member who I was familiar with was Miranda Hart, whose own sitcom I have caught occasionally; the star is Nick Frost as Commander Henderson, charged with protecting British interests in a changing galaxy through his command of the spaceship H.M.S. Camden Lock, and somewhat reminiscent of David Brent of The Office except nicer (and therefore less interesting). I can see why no third ...
Here's your starter for ten in our weekend slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate... This week Labour MP Tom Watson and others made a fair amount of fuss on Twitter about 'Blue Labour's' Lord (Maurice) Glasman intending to write for the new 'Sun on Sunday', Rupert Murdoch's replacement for the disgraced News of the World. Watson's position seems to be that anyone associating themselves with the Sun or the Murdoch press is tacitly condoning their behaviour over phone hacking. So firstly, should we as a party boycott the Murdoch press because of their behaviour over ...
There are two meetings at Blyth Town Council next week. Both are additional to the published diary, and I will have difficulty attending both , having other appointments that week. Tuesday 28th February, Policy Working Group, 6pm at Ebor House I urge everyone who can attend to get to this meeting. It is an all-member working group, so there is the possibility that all 16 Blyth Town Council councillors attend, and it is arranged in a building where the most that it can comforably hold is eight. As a working group , it may not be open to the public, ...
I don't know how this has come about, but over the last week or so there have been numerous occasions when my Twitter feed has contained calls for 20 miles an hour speed limits in certain (sometimes all) residential places. I see the point, speed kills, it is a fact that two identical accidents, one at 20mph one at 70mph the latter would be more likely to have fatalities. Therefore surely by reducing the maximum speed a vehicle is legally allowed to go there will be fewer accidents and even lower fatality rates, right? Well this is where I disagree, ...
The Beach Boys are a hard band to get into. When Mike Taylor asked a while back in the comments to one of my posts which Beach Boys albums someone should try, I actually drew a blank. This is because the Beach Boys rarely made consistently good albums. They started their career when singles, not ...
No. It's not the worst line up ever conceived on Question Time. It's four of the 226 people who have entered the 2012 Orwell Prize for Blogging. Important I should add that the sole criteria for getting on this list is the ability to throw all modesty aside and enter yourself. No wonder I'm on it! However, the entry list is a good summary of many (though not all) the interesting political blogs out there right now. Including a fine selection from the Lib Dem blogging fraternity like George Potter, Caron Lindsay, Nicola Prigg, Alex Marsh, Andrew Page, David Allen ...
One likes to believe in the freedom of music, But glittering prizes and endless compromises Shatter the illusion of integrity. For the words of the prophets were written on the studio wall, Concert hall And echoes with the sounds of salesmen. Of salesmen. Of salesmen. 'The Spirit of radio' by Rush, inspired by Toronto's station CFNY. There are some very interesting notes on this song here. I think I have more or less settled on this song (full album version) to be played at full tilt at the end of my funeral – date to be arranged by the great ...
With amendments to the Health & Social Care Bill being tabled and ongoing debate whether the Bill should be abandoned altogether, Paul Burstow is addressing South Central Lib Dem Conference, followed by a fringe debate on the Bill. This is some of what he has to say:- The principles of the NHS, unchanged since the 1940s, are as relevant today. Lib Dems are making a difference to the Bill, and as the minister for integration, talk about the work ongoing to integrate health and social care. On carers, our manifesto promised more respite care so carers can have a break, ...
This is the comment piece published inside the Telegraph today. It's an interesting question and a pressing one in the debate around equal civil marriage. It is owned by neither the state nor the church, as the former Archbishop Lord Carey rightly said. So it is owned by the people. The fierce debate over the past few weeks has shown people feel very strongly about marriage. Some believe the government has no right to change it at all; they want to leave tradition alone. I want to challenge that view - it is the government's fundamental job to reflect society ...
The position of the ruling Conservative group on the County Council on the controversial lights switch-off proposals was illuminated at the Full Council on Tuesday, 21st February, when one of the Conservatives suggested that she didn't know what people were doing going around past midnight, and that anyone who objected to the plans "should buy a torch." Chris White, the Lib Dem Group leader and Councillor for St Albans Central, commented: 'The Conservative councillor's comments show just how out of touch they are. When we recently showed the plans for the switch-off to the public- something that the County Council ...
There's a horse running in the 5.30 at Chepstow this afternoon called 'The Mad Robertson'. When even sport is against you, what hope have you got? UPDATE - The Mad Robertson came third.... Tweet
When Boris Johnson promised that if elected Mayor of London he would introduce a new Routemaster bus, I don't think many expected him to interpret that quite as literally as he has. For by the end of his term in office, there won't be hoardes of new Routemaster buses on London's roads. Not even scores or dozens. But there will be a new Routemaster bus. One bus. Just the single bus. As London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon puts it: We were promised that the new Routemaster bus would be up and running in 2011, but the harsh reality is that ...
The cream of Scotland's Lib Dem blogosphere was invited to put questions to Scottish leader Willie Rennie in Edinburgh on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately Caron Lindsay was unable to attend, but myself, Douglas McLellan, Gavin Hamilton and Nicola Prigg were present to ask Rennie some timely and sometimes challenging questions on a range of issues facing Scotland and the party. "I'm a Home Ruler" Given my often expressed support for constitutional change and Scottish independence in particular, I kicked things off with a question on the position the party will take during the coming referendum campaign. "Do you recognise the liberal ...
From the BBC Earlier this month, Lord Carey said legalising gay marriage would be "an act of cultural and theological vandalism". However, Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay, lesbian and bisexual charity Stonewall, said: "Our strong advice to anyone who disagrees with same-sex marriage is not to get married to someone of the same sex." Quite
On the 10th of February the Council launched its public consultation on the Core Strategy, a detailed document that will shape the borough. Regardless of your views, I would encourage as many as possible to take a look and make comment. After the consultation is complete, councillors will consider the comments and make changes where possible (if the Tories allow it) If the public don't make a
This week the Office of National Statistics published its latest round-up of electoral registration figures for the UK, showing a 0.6% increase in 2011 for the total number of entries on the electoral register. As the UK has a growing population, it is likely that this growth was in large part caused by an increase in the total number of people theoretically entitled to register. Electoral Statistics for the UK – 2011 Technical note: although the ONS talks of "the total number of UK parliamentary electors" having risen 0.6%, this includes double counting where people are legally allowed to be ...
From the Independent: A day after resigning as David Cameron's jobs adviser, Emma Harrison last night also stepped down as chairman of the Government contractor A4e amid investigations into accusations of fraud at the company she founded. Ms Harrison, who took home a dividend of £8.6m last year despite concerns that her company had not met government standards, said she did not want the "continuing media focus" on her to be a "distraction" for A4e. The firm and a subcontractor are currently at the heart of police investigations into fraud and four former A4e employees have been arrested and bailed. ...
On feminism (tags: feminism ) Doctor Who - New Series: New Details! YAY Rupert Graves! ... No lady guest stars? (tags: DoctorWho ) UK Polling Report on accusations thrown at pollsters (tags: politics ) The Gendered Advertising Remixer | A Media Literacy Web Application (tags: gender ) Construction firm aims at space elevator in 2050 : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri) Awesome (tags: awesome ) Results of The Buttermind Experiment | Quantified Self Butter makes you smarter; coconuts make you stupider. I want to see more data. (tags: Science ) We, the Web Kids - Pastebin.com Fabulous, ...
From a written Parliamentary question: The Local Government Ombudsman's data are about complaints relating to local authorities, the following table showing the 20 councils with the highest number of complaints in 2011. Birmingham City Council 257 Southwark London Borough 198 Lambeth London Borough 186 Leeds City Council 176 Cornwall Council 148 Kent County Council 143 Haringey London Borough 135 Camden London Borough 133 Croydon London Borough 121 Hackney London Borough 119 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough 115 Sheffield City Council 114 Islington London Borough 113 Ealing London Borough 113 Bristol City Council 108 ... These figures, in part, will reflect ...
I have recently developed an interest in Graham Wallas. One of the thinkers at the heart of Peter Clarke's Liberals and Social Democrats, he began as a thoroughgoing Fabian but later broke with them over their support for protectionism and because he came to distrust their rather mechanical approach to politics. There are two books devoted to Wallas: Between Two Worlds: Political Thought of Graham Wallas by Martin J. Wiener and Graham Wallas and the Great Society by Terence H. Qualter. I have recently bought both via Amazon. When the books arrived I was surprised to find they had both ...
That's how many miles county council employees drive each year on mileage allowances. The astonishing figure emerged through a report which included the decision to provide a mileage allowance to county council car users 3p per mile more generous than the Inland Revenue approved allowance. That extra 3p per mile will cost the county £290,000, which means that we must be paying for people to drive 9.7 million miles each year – enough to travel twice to the moon and back. Actually it will cost more than that because paying allowances above the Inland Revenue rate of 45 pence per ...
Sat 25th
07:50
LibLink: Lynne Featherstone on marriage - this is not gay rights versus religious beliefs
Writing in the Daily Telegraph Lynne Featherstone says: I believe that if a couple love each other and want to commit to a life together, they should have the option of a civil marriage, irrespective of whether they are gay or straight. We are not prioritising gay rights, or trampling over tradition; we are allowing a space for the two to exist side by side... Marriage is a right of passage for couples who want to show they are in a committed relationship, for people who want to show they have found love and wish to remain together until death ...
This is the BBC video of Wednesday's debate on AWEMA, tabled by the Welsh Liberal Democrats
Blogging is a fantastic medium for providing a brief statement of your views. Or for building an argument involving a small number of points. Or, perhaps, for giving a high level summary of a more complex argument. But it's not a great medium through which to appraise complex arguments or carefully weigh the evidence. Where a blog draws explicitly on evidence it tends to draw on one or two studies to illustrate its point. For some purposes that works just fine. But for others it can be misleading. It can give the impression that there is a robust evidence base ...
Last month I posted this blog about my relationship with Kylie over the years and featuring her first treat for fans - a superb rendition of Finer Feelings. Yesterday, the second recording from Abbey Road studios was released - an orchestrated, slowed down version of On a Night Like This, which was the follow up single to the smash hit which was Spinning Around. Enjoy!: Andrew
Professor Sir Martin Sweeting OBE, FREng, FRS, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd Sir Martin Sweeting Professor Sir Martin Sweeting pioneered the concept of rapid-response, low-cost and highly-capable satellites utilising modern commercial off-the-shelf devices to 'change the economics of space'. In 1985 he formed a spin-off University company called SSTL - Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd - which has now designed, built, launched and operates in orbit a total of 36 nano, micro and mini-satellites including the first Galileo satellite for ESA, the European 'GPS'. SSTL employs 450 commercial staff, has annual revenues of £100M and total export sales in excess of £600M. ...
ALDES Spring Fringe Event, Friday 9th March 2012 20:15 after the conference rally in room MEC 19 This spring, our conference is titled 'The UK Space Industry: An Unsung Success Story' and it promises to be an extremely interesting and uplifting debate about one of the UK's industrial triumphs; the high-tech satellite manufacturing industry. The UK space industry has bucked the national trend and has seen impressive growth during the recession. Areas such as satellite broadcast, communications, equipment and support services have grown by 5-10% year-on-year and are likely to continue to do so. Our fringe event will explore a ...
Here's Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart in 1989 sounding as fresh as they did 10 years earlier. Sadly my enjoyment was ruined by YouTube's insistent on advertising a One Direction concert...
