French Socialist candidate Francois Hollande apparently is noted for his sense of humour as explained in this BBC story. To let loose a sense of humour can be a double edged sword in poltics. The agonising over whether to let loose Hollandes sense of mirth or not reminds me of the giant of Democratic politics Mo Udall. Morris (Mo ) Udall Udall was 6ft5in hight (when I said Giant I meant it literally) and was a liberal Democrat. He stood against Jimmy Carter in the 1976 Presidential elections and was deemed by one critic to be "to funny to be ...
Although late in opening by a few years, Turner Contemporary has so far proved a success, many of those, who were sceptical have since changed their minds, myself included. Put on the spot by a journalist last friday, I couldn't find anything to fault the establishment so far, and I couldn't think of anyone of consequence, who'd have anything much to criticise this little gem of culture and civilisation. Anyhow last years opening, certainly gave the town a lift in contrast an otherwise bleak background, one thing that impressed me was the positive atmosphere and genuine pleasure of those present ...
Two recent news stories have exposed how different are the arrangements for taxing the rich and for taxing the rest of us now are. The call for candidates for public office to be required to publish their tax returns would not have been made if people had confidence they were paying a fair amount of tax in the first place. Clearly we do not have that confidence, so we now prefer to rely on the threat of public ridicule rather than HM Revenue and Customs. And the row over the reduction of tax relief on charitable donations also reveals that ...
A fascinating travelogue around the ruins of the Roman Empire's frontiers, starting at Hadrian's Wall and ending at Septem, now the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, which was incidentally also the last Byzantine outpost in North Africa. Parker manages an admirable evenness of tone through some very different bits of territory, including debatable mounds in central Europe as well as the rose-red city half as old as time. Having finished Gibbon just a few months ago, I found Parker a useful adjunct; geographical clarity, especially at the margins, is not Gibbon's strong point, and Parker anyway has over two centuries' worth ...
Thanks to Eric Avebury for tweeting the link to this 90-minutes documentary on the Armenian genocide. It is an English-language version of the German original Aghet - Ein Völkermord. The last years of the Ottoman Empire are an obscure corner of history for us in Britain, yet they saw the mass slaughter of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians. The attitude of the government of modern-day Turkey is hard to understand when Atatürk's seizure of power marked such a clean break from the Ottoman past.
A common critique of education and family policy during the Blair and Brown years was that it was too interventionist - too many targets, too many boxes to tick, academic at too early an age. But any hope that the Coalition would reverse this trend has long since died. The review of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum presided over by Sarah Teather, for instance, did see a reduction from 69 to 17 of the number of targets for five year olds. But a wide range of voices criticised its failure to address the "'schoolification' of early childhood, with its ...
Andrew just got me some sweets as I had complained that he had eaten all the Maltesers from this morning. When he got in from the shop, I opened my bag and found individually wrapped MaltEaster bunnies. Five of them. The bag is not really worth £1.29 is it? - Posted using BlogPress from my ...
I have already snarked about the quality of the prose of this book; apart from that fairly major consideration, my only other objection is that it doesn't really deliver on the Miltonian reference of the title other than by having a major character called Angelchrist. The story is a workmanlike time travel tale with alien incursions, split between a rather vague future London and a more precise 1910 setting. In the audio version, Nicholas Briggs does a fantastic job of injecting life into Mann's prose (though I find his Eleventh Doctor too demotic). All but completists can skip the dead ...
According to Private Eye I'm not allowed to write this. They claim that LOCOG has "banned volunteers working at the Games from making Facebook posts", and since this is going to be reposted on Facebook maybe I am in danger of disciplinary action. (What form could that take, I wonder?) On Friday I got a chance to check what the rules were at my latest training session, and the truth was both realistic and unsensational. Of course they can't stop us from chatting online about the Games and our roles in it, but we are asked not to reveal operational ...
Party funding is back in the news, Ed Miliband shifted a customary 1/4 inch on his previous position to get a few headlines, now calling for £5000 cap that wouldn't include trade union donations. It's all a good start, but if were not careful this could turn into a trade union bashing exercise and that won't get us anyway. We can reform funding and take on the vested interests, but we have to do it right. Defending trade unions is not something I normally do, I've never much ideologically loved trade unions, or practically. In fact, in my last two ...
From Saturday 14th April, the X26 limited stop service between West Croydon and Heathrow airport will be operated by Quality Line (Epsom buses) under a new contract. As part of this new contract, the frequency will be increased in the evening from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes until the last bus. This is something ...
The number one topic for Cornwall Council at the moment is the new waste contract which is suffering failures all over Cornwall. From people who have not had their new recycling containers delivered to the inability to get through to the call centre. And many thousands of residents have not had their waste picked up - some for as long as 15 days. All this tells the story of an administration that has failed to deliver on a major new project. If you can't trust them to empty your bins, what can you trust them with? And whilst many of ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 269th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (8-14 April, 2012), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Now people don't ...
Today being a Sunday, and me not having time to write such an extensive and lengthy post as I'm prone to when talking about politics I have settled for a different theme for this post. I'm going to talk about Religion... Over the years and centuries, religion has been used as an excuse for all ... Read more
Fascinating TED talk by Frans de Waal on the origins of moral behaviour. The concept of evolved morality (as opposed to some kind of "divine" morality) is compelling, and the evidence he presents includes some great videos of animal behaviour studies. Particularly like the final one (about 3 mins from the end) on the evidently strong sense of fairness in Capuchin Monkeys!
In what is quite an interesting story about taxation and charitable giving Labour's Gareth Thomas (a name that causes much nostalgic giggling among schoolboys of my generation) is quoted as saying: "David Cameron needs to stand up to his chancellor..." What does that even mean? Has Labour got people in focus groups saying that they don't think that David Cameron "stands up" to George Osborne? Is Mr Thomas suggesting that David Cameron wants to change course on tax relief on donations, but cannot do so because it would mean "standing up" to the Chancellor? By all means let Labour ...
Over at his personal blog, Steven Fielding, Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham, takes a look at the work of Lucy Beatrice Malleson who, under the nom de plume Anthony Gilbert, wrote 10 books featuring the gentleman detective — and Liberal MP — Scott Egerton. Here's an excerpt: Malleson's Egerton stories follow a clear pattern in that he usually intervenes on behalf of someone falsely accused of murder and proves their innocence by finding the real villain. ... If Egerton closely follows the model of the amateur upper-class detective, one best exemplified by Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord ...
The results of the Scottish Cup semi Finals have left us with the first all Edinburgh Cup final since 1896. Most Hibs and Hearts fans hate the idea as pessimists that we all are we always think we are going to lose and to do so to our biggest rivals would be an enormous humiliation - the stakes are simply too high. Victory, on the other hand, would be so sweet! What will this mean for the players and the fans? Hearts have won the cup twice in the last few years so a cup final victory would be great ...
In February the people of Liverpool were told three things by the Labour Party: That they had negotiated the best possible deal with the Government to use new powers and attract new money. That the deal would be the biggest ... Continue reading →
Well, after 'involving himself' with a wrestling match, getting people to queue up to go behind curtains to see Lembit Opik gurning at them can only be a small step away... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: Stroud Green Road drain] Regular readers of my website know I'm always happy to help sort out a problem the Council hasn't resolved for weeks (and engage in a bit of of pointing if necessary – see picture). But this Easter I encountered one of the worst examples of Haringey incompetence yet – a blocked drain on Stroud Green Road that a resident has been complaining about for three and a half months. He first contacted the Council on New Years Eve – but its still not properly cleared now. Twice the Council has declared the drain fixed - ...
Sun 15th
15:57
LDVideo: So you want to watch 6mins 23secs of Lembit Öpik in a wrestling ring? You got it...
This weekend Jonathan Calder brought us the news that Lembit Öpik had contrived an appearance in a wrestling ring at Welshpool Town Hall. Distressingly, video footage has now been unleashed: (Available on YouTube here.) Ironically, today's the day another Lembit story has appeared — that the former Montgomeryshire MP has thrown his hat into the ring for the role of Northumbria police and crime commissioner: Mr Opik, a former Newcastle councillor, added: "The ball is definitely in the regional party's court. But I have always said Newcastle is my favourite city in the world and it would be no hardship ...
I have been putting together a set of the Annual Reports from the Interception of Communications Commissioner for future reference, so in case anyone else finds it useuful too... Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2001 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2002 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2003 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2004 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2005 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2006 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2007 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2008 Annual Report Interception of Communications Commissioner – 2009 Annual ...
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The link is to a further story in the Daily Mail about George Hibbert. More cases of reports being written about people that have not been seen are coming up.
In the middle of the local election campaign, Federal Conference Committee have decided to ignore last September's conference vote against their controversial CRB checks for delegates, and are holding a one-week "listening exercise" advertised on an unofficial party-aligned website. I've drafted the following response, and post it here for two reasons – to check I've ...
Sun 15th
14:15How would you answer the question about the Lib Dems the Indy asks all with an open mind to consider...
Mark Pack has posted excerpts here from Nick Clegg's interview in the Independent today — but it's worth highlighting also the conclusion of the paper's leading article today assessing the Lib Dems' contribution during the first two years of Coalition Government: There remains much to criticise this Government for, and The Independent on Sunday disagrees with its policy on tax and spending, higher education, the NHS and much else besides. But there was no possible government after the last election that could have delivered all that this newspaper wanted. The effective choice was between a Conservative minority government and a ...
I've had mixed luck with Karen Armstrong's books, but this is pretty readable; it's a potted history of theology in the three major monotheistic religions from early Old Testament times to the present day. I'm not an expert in the field, so didn't spot any inaccuracies, but basically she is able to convey fairly succinctly what key figures and traditions believed, and why we should care. She is particularly good at spotting contemporaneous and similar developments in the last 500 years or so in Christianity, Judaism and Islam; and I had not previously encountered the idea that the Young Turks ...
An article in the Guardian today (Saturday 14 April 2012) highlights the growing menace of the far right across Europe and the USA. It provides the link between the phenomenon of home-grown EDL street fascism and the recent tragic murders ... Continue reading →
Next week, the futuristic Qatar National Convention Centre will be hosting the 13th quadrennial gathering of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development — the first time such an UNCTAD event has ever taken place in an Arab country. The theme of the conference is "Development-centred Globalisation: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Development" and a Civil ...
Women and children last - from @thesundaytimes As men tend to be physically stronger than women, they have a greater chance of survival. The Titanic and HMS Birkenhead, which grounded in the Indian Ocean in 1852, are the only maritime catastrophes studied to have had a greater percentage of female survivors than male. In both cases, the captains told men to stand back and used the threat of violence to enforce their orders.
Sun 15th
11:55Miliband moves on party funding: offers £5k cap including union donations (but what about memb...
Three weeks after the latest funding furore to hit politics — when Tory co-treasurer Peter Cruddas touted influence on government policy for £250k a pop — Ed Miliband has seized the initiative, proposing to limit all donations from individuals, organisations and unions to a maximum of £5,000. Here's the BBC report: Labour leader Ed Miliband has offered to limit donations to his party from trade unions to £5,000, as leaders discuss how to change the system. He told the BBC this would remove the influence of "big money" on politics. The issue has been the subject of an ongoing row ...
I was shocked to discover that it is more than three years since John Barleycorn featured as a Sunday music video. Last time the song appeared - in December 2008 - I chose a live performance by Traffic from their great 1972 Santa Monica gig. This is a recent Steve Winwood solo performance and it suggests that his voice has improved with the years. I see that the late Helen Elsom left a comment on that 2008 post suggesting that John Barleycorn is not a true folk song but, at least in part, the work of a modern antiquarian. The ...
5039 Titanic and Stedman Cinques for Titanic100 A peal rung on the bells on which I learnt to ring, with at least one ringer I know ringing. Rung on the eve of RMS Titanic striking an iceberg.
Language Log » Lots of planets have a north A linguistics blog discusses Doctor Who. (tags: doctorwho linguistics ) What's your favourite colour? Stephen's is one you can't see. (tags: science physics ) Two Titanic survivors' tombs in London One of the more interesting posts you'll see about the centenary. (tags: ) Why Airport Security Is Broken—And How to Fix It Former TSA head speaks out. (tags: waronterror ) What Amazon's ebook strategy means - Charlie's Diary Stross predicts death of DRM. (tags: internet ebooks ) Twitter helps free kidnapped South African from trunk of his car It helps if ...
The UK is approximately 3687 miles from the United States of America, and separated by an ocean. The UK is approximately 22 miles away from France, and separated by a channel. Yet there has already been more coverage expended on the race for the Republican nomination than there has been on the battle to become President of France. The White House trumps the Élysée Palace every time in the mind of the media even though France is closer and the result is more likely to impact directly on the UK. However, there is good coverage available if you seek it ...
I'm absolutely delighted for Nico Rosberg after he secured his first-ever F1 win in China today. It follows in the footsteps of his father Keke (right) who won the World title in 1982 and who won his last race in Australia in 1985. This makes them, if I am not mistaken, only the 3rd father-and-son partnership in F1 history to have won a Formula One race after Graham/Damon Hill (left) and Gilles/Jacques Villeneuve (below). It is also the first win for the pure Mercedes constructor since Juan Manuel Fangio's victory at Monza back in 1955 - when Ross Brawn was ...
Yesterday, a full peal was rung at the Parish Church of Our Lady & St Nicholas, Pier Head, Liverpool, for the Titanic Centenary. The details can be found on Campanophile. Our Lady & St Nicholas' is the Parish Church of Liverpool. Related articles Halifax to remember the Titanic with Night of Bells ceremony (cbc.ca) Filed ...
Philmo Phlegm's Cut-out and Keep Guide to British Newspapers This is a really useful thing, since I often see (particularly) American blogs taking things seriously which appear on the websites of various newspapers. My optional addition: definition to the Daily Fail's "their" - "they" are clearly women, gays and immigrants. Bisexuals and Transfolk don't exist, except as horrors, in the Mail's fevered collective "brain" (tags: media ) Germany - Books - Price Fixing - New York Times Can has German book-pricing system pls? (tags: books ) Brain in a Jar Bug report sent to the creator of humanity (tags: ) ...
Pictures of Ken Livingstone crying after watching his own campaign video have already gone viral and led to much discussion in the media. This morning's Sunday Supplement on BBC Radio Wales for example had a piece on the place of emotion in politics. The Independent on Sunday though, poses the question as to whether the tear were genuine or as fake as the video itself, which apparently featured scripted contributions from paid participants. The paper says that Mr Livingstone's campaign team spent another frustrating day yesterday fending off these questions: His lachrymose moment was brought on by a highly professional ...
Friday evening saw a lovely party at the West Hill Café to say goodbye and good travels to Dave Newman and his wife after 21 years of service at the Plynlimmon and Whitefriars Road grocery shops. I have written before (in my wine column for The Hastings & St Leonard's Resident) just what a wonderful ...
The latest motion to appear from the Cambridge Labour Group alarms me greatly. They are raising concerns about shared houses, and propose the following motion. The motion asks for a report on limiting houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) - this would include homes with lodgers as well as shared houses such as those shared by young single people. I fear for its effects on those who cannot afford to buy in Cambridge, as well as for the many families who depend on extra income, say, from renting out spare bedrooms to students. Here is the motion, proposed by Petersfield councillor ...
Interviewed in today's Independent on Sunday, Nick Clegg has called for 65,000 nursery workers to be recruited as part of his social mobility drive: "Every parent wants their child to do better than they did, and every parent wants their child to fulfil their potential," he said. State intervention to teach children as young as two will form the centrepiece of his "obsession" which will see childcare made the coalition's highest priority social policy. Next month he will make a major announcement on his "passion" for shared parental leave and for extending the rights of flexible working. And he pledged ...
From WalesOnline: Labour has pulped 5,000 copies of a Cardiff council election leaflet because it contains a resident's comment that they "can't apply for most jobs in Wales because you need to speak Welsh"... A Welsh Labour spokesman said: "Following external production of a leaflet for the Ely ward in Cardiff, the local party identified a small paragraph which contained words from a local resident that clearly ran contrary to Welsh Labour's policy position and core beliefs... "The leaflet in question - leaked to the South Wales Echo with the claim that it was being distributed - was stolen from ...
As a nation and indeed local Southwark community we seem to be floundering how to solve the root causes of last summers riots and how a significant proportion of our communities are so disengaged from the majority. The recent report seemed to blame the problems on everything from schools having pupils leaving who couldn't read to rampant materialism. Harlem under inspired insight from Geoffrey Canada has the Harlem Children's Zone. This is a long term scheme to raise expectations of the whole community not just save the lucky odd child or family. Focus initially was on the first three years ...
Yesterday I featured Tim Minchin and his Three Minute Song. In another version of that song, he name-checks Victor Borge who becomes the subject of this week's Sunday Sound with a version of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1. performed with The Muppet Orchestra... Andrew
On behalf of West End constituents, I recently contacted Stagecoach Strathtay regarding the operation of the Service 73. Constituents have complained that on a regular basis passengers are having to change buses at Whitehall Crescent - so when a resident travels back to the West End from Broughty Ferry, a change of buses is necessary midway through the journey as the bus travelled on from Broughty Ferry terminates in the City Centre. The other complaint regarding Service 73 is the difficulty getting a bus at the Seagate travelling back to the West End between 3pm and 3.30pm and buses then ...
Not far from here, the European weightlifting championships are taking place. This is apparently very important to the Turks: the triumphs of their countrymen Sibel Şimşek and Fatih Baydar are matters of national pride, lauded in newspapers and on television. I watched some of the competition on Eurosport in my hotel room (much to my ...
Residents are naturally concerned that, since the resurfacing, the hump – and thus the traffic calming – has become ineffective. Chris has raised this with Herts Highways and has been told that it is as effective as before. Clearly this defies logic and we will keep pressing for the hump to be raised in height. Meanwhile Chris continues to press Herts Highways to take on board the state of the pavements in this street.
