Before Facebook and Twitter, it wasn't unusual to be deluged by e-mails of jokes and cartoons. One that I remember well - particularly as I first saw it when I worked for a German company - involved a plan to introduce "EuroEnglish" throughout the European Union. Just don't tell the Daily Mail... The European Union Commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has ...
This is St John the Baptist in Clarendon Park Road, Leicester. It is not a cathedral, but it has been described as "one of the best Victorian Churches in the Midlands". It was built in 1884-5 by the Leicestershire architect Joseph Goddard, who was also designed the new church at Tur Langton. St John the Baptist is a tall brick church rather in the North European style. It has its buttresses inside and they are pierced to allow for narrow aisles on either side of the nave and a gallery around three sides above. But there could have been a ...
Good evening from the Ballroom at Bonkers Hall. It is used for numerous functions throughout the year - that's a lot of balls - but surely none as glamorous as tonight's ceremony? The cream of Rutland society is mingling with the great and good of the Liberal Democrats. On the stairs, the elves of Rockingham Forest are attempting to share a joke with Sarah Teather. Through the French windows I can see Meadowcroft chasing stray guests off his lawn with a broom. In a few minutes the winner of the quiz will be drawn from the correct entries received. Lord ...
That even Labour councillors are anxious about the way Cllr Mark Dowd behaves as chair of Merseytravel is not news. It is fairly openly discussed. But like an old style city boss he turns on those who challenge him. But now it appears he has exhausted their patience. The Liverpool Post is now carrying two stories on it's website. One by the City Editor which begins: Merseyside's transport authority is in chaos over possible broken contract laws, reports City Editor David Bartlett reports It includes in its appendix a review of consultants, compiled by a Merseytravel official, that had been ...
Today was the launch day for the Love Launceston loyalty card and I spent all day in the town square handing the cards out and explaining the scheme to locals and visitors. I was with Paul and Jeremy Loft from Gillards who have been the main organisers of the scheme and fellow councillor Phil Parsons. The scheme is an attempt by the towns traders to encourage people to come shopping in the town centre. At the last count, 66 local shops and businesses have started offering discounts or special deals to their customers on production of their loyalty card. These ...
With eight days to go before the Scottish cup final between Hibs and Hearts, here's the Edinburgh Evening News sports desk's take on it:
Today's latest revelations from the Leveson Inquiry are a reminder of how wise it was to create a judge-led inquiry with wide terms of reference and powers. And who was it who did that when the Coalition Government was drawing up the plans, rejecting the talk of a lesser inquiry? Step forward, Nick Clegg. PS I should have added that it was of course Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders who was the first in the party to be calling for a judicial inquiry, following his experience on the DCMS Select Committee. * Mark Pack is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice ...
Considering he is the only British prime minister to be assassinated, Spencer Perceval is surprisingly little remembered. That assassination took place on 11 May 1812. The Victorian Web gives details of his life before he became PM: Perceval was educated at Harrow and Trinity , Cambridge, being awarded his College's Declamation Prize for English. He was awarded an MA in 1782 and was called to the Bar in 1786, practising on the Midland Circuit. He became Deputy Recorder of Northampton in 1790, the year in which he married Jane Spencer-Wilson in 1790: the couple had six sons and six daughters. ...
A tale of two Oakeshotts (Robert and Mathew) and how together their impact would be stronger....... What about the workers? I found myself demanding of the radio last week. The shareholders revolt over top pay was the topic under discussion. Now the problem I have with shareholders-a problem shared with most Liberals for the last hundred years-is that their interests are solely getting the biggest return on their capital. They are here today and gone tomorrow-or even quicker than that if the shares are bought and sold on line in the twinkling of an eye. Liberal have always argued that ...
As far as I am aware, there are no Blyth Town Council meetings next week. At last week's Annual Council there was a shuffle around of Committee members, and some new chairs elected. As soon as I have had full details confirmed I'll post details of the Lib Dem members of the committees, and some of the other "prominent" positions. However, Lib Dem councillor Lesley Rickerby was elected Chair of the Events Committee (to murmurs from Labour members that we're "playing politics" ). Believe me, we weren't playing.
In Victorian times Southport used to advertise trips to the town under the marketing slogan 'visit the Lancashire Riviera'! Later on we promoted the resort as somewhere to come in winter because of our micro climate which produced mild weather when all around were suffering a freeze. It is well known that it is not just meteorolgically that we have a micro climate. For generation Southport has demonstrated that it can buck the national trend in politics. Southport is one of those northern chapel towns where Liberalism refused to lie down and die in the post war years. The Jewish ...
May 19th from 11.00 to 1.00 p.m. for fun, frolics, free food and a celebration of the re-opened steps down the Blue Heaps. It's been a long hard project to get the steps down the Blue Heaps replaced and the area improved, and much is owed to the dedicated perseverance of the Consett North Partnership which, in conjunction with Groundwork, has accessed funding from the National Lottery and the Derwent Valley Partnership to do the work. It's been a pleasure to be associated with it, and to save my grandaughter and me from muddy feet as we head for the ...
With no party winning a majority of seats (much less votes), two years ago today the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats did the responsible thing and reached an initial agreement on Coalition. Since then, some Tories have been wailing that they can't do everything they want because the Lib Dems won't let them (and because the voters didn't let them), many Lib Dems have been suffering and most voters have been wanting to have their cake and make cuts to everyone else's. Soon, I'll be looking at some of the effects and just what the Lib Dems stand for in detail. ...
The BBC tells me that David Cameron was once in the habit of signing text messages to Rebekah Brooks "LOL". What, THE David Cameron? The Prime Minister? Not some other David Cameron - Mr Cameron, the Prime Minister, right? And this mere weeks after a Tory MP said on television that one corporate lobbyist should not be taken seriously as "he is a PR man who uses emoticons". What does that make the Prime Minister - "a PR man who uses text speak"? What would Nancy Mitford have said about this latest development? What makes it better (or worse) is ...
FROM: Dale Brashcon,Strategic Deputy Director of Transformational Excellence and Strategic Vision TO: All Transformational Excellence and Strategic Vision Hi! Good news! On the 24th we're all getting together for the most marvellous experience which I'm sure everyone will find fun as well as really helpful in doing our jobs better. You had the date already, but please note that because of the flood of ideas for what should happen and consultants' advice on the optimum time space for such events, it's now a full-day event instead of just in the morning. We're all meeting at the West Odanglesex Childhood Experience ...
From "Five-a-side" by Ace – from the John Peel archive. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
From Stockport Council: Adult Learners Week celebrations in Stockport start with a day of events at the Stopford Open Learning Centre on Saturday 12th May from 11am-3pm. The themes for this year's events, organised by Stockport Council's Continuing Education Service, include Learning through Art and Culture, Learning with your Family/Community, Learning for Health, Learning through Sport and Leisure, Learning through Technology and Innovation, Learning for Work and Learning about your World. During the fun afternoon, people can try out different activities for all the family. Staff will be on hand to help you improve your English and maths, advise about ...
From Stockport Council: Stockport Council is urging borough residents to help stop scam mail by supporting a Scams Awareness initiative. Residents and businesses are being urged to 'turn them in and turn the tide' by reporting any scam mail that they receive to Action Fraud – the UK's National fraud and internet crime reporting centre 0300 123 2040 or www.actionfraud.police.uk Misleading mailings make false promises of huge bogus lottery wins or other high value prizes, but they always insist on payment to the sender before any winnings can be claimed. Targets of these scams are often elderly or vulnerable people ...
Stockport Council is again supporting Foster Care Fortnight (the annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering) and is re-launching the "You Can Foster" regional campaign aimed at raising awareness of fostering and helping to recruit new foster carers for Stockport. The campaign has been funded by contributions from all 23 North West Local Authorities and has been supported by all Directors of Children's Services in the region. Watch out for the TV adverts running during Foster Care Fortnight (17-27 May) on Granada which will feature foster carers from across the region and our own Stockport foster carer Pat. There ...
At the 64th IOC Congress in Rome in 1966 it took only 2 rounds of voting to decide where the Games of the Twentieth Olympiad should go. Indeed it was almost all over in the first round when Munich secured 29 votes to 16 for Spain and 6 each for Montreal and Detroit. Nations 121 (+9) Competitors 7134 (+1618) Sports 21 (+3) Events 195 (+23) 26 August to 10 September, 1972 hosted by Munich, West Germany and IV Paralympics Nations 41 (+12) Competitors 1004 (+254) Sports 10 (NC) Events 187 (+6) 2 to 11 August, 1972 hosted by Heidleberg, West ...
Our electricity system is broken - soaring fuel bills, an over-reliance on overseas fossil fuels and an urgent need to tackle climate change highlight the severe energy crisis the nation faces. So the inclusion of an Energy Bill in this week's Queen's speech to overhaul the UK's failing electricity market was long overdue. The Bill is a once in a generation opportunity to secure our long-term opportunity to make our power system cleaner, more affordable and less reliant on increasingly imported fossil fuels. Such a move would be popular, too. A recent YouGov poll Friends of the Earth published to ...
Here is the official briefing document on the Queen's Speech (my own views of which are in Queen's Speech: the good and the worrying for Lib Dems): Queen's Speech 2012 Briefing Notes
It is one of the most striking landmarks in the Medway towns resting on the top of the Great lines visible from as far away as Strood and Rochester. The Navy memorial commemorates the fallen sailors of Chatham based warships and the towns lost sons, husbands and fathers who gave their lives at sea for Britain and her Empire. There is even a plaque on the tragic loss of the crew of HMS Bulwark killed in an accident off the isle of Sheppy. There are 1800 names on the memorial and it is the only place that most of these ...
Good heavens, no, not that Labour Party, but the Darbo Partija of Lithuania, who are currently leading in opinion polls there. When asked why they had taken the name 'Labour Party', their representative noted that they were a party for all who worked. This is in itself, an interesting twist, as it begs a question, i.e. since when was the Labour Party back home representative of the working class, given how few such people now represent it in Parliament? So, one out in Lithuania, and one in...
Fri 11th
15:00
Day 4147: From Rose Garden to Glorious Make Tractor Factory - How the Coalition Failed
Wednesday: When the Coalition was formed, in the sunshine of Mr Balloon and Cap'n Clegg's Downing St bromance, hopes of genuine renewal were high. In spite of the economic calamity, we would disassemble Hard Labour's authoritarian apparatus of big government. I.D.iot cards, databases, targets and Whitehall micro-management would go, freeing up funds for frontline services. More freedom, more delivery. But this week, Mrs the Queen's speech, while not quite as bad as COLD SICK, has gone down like TEPID TEA. Where did it all go wrong? I point the fluffy foot of BLAME straight at the Prime Monster and Chancellor. ...
Before you read this - if you haven't filled in your response yet, you must do so by the end of today. Go there right now and get it done. It'll take you five minutes. You don't have to live in Scotland to do so. I put in my response this morning and I thought I would set it out for you to see. If any of it looks familiar, much of it is the same as the one I did for Mike Moore's consultation in March. QUESTION 1: What are your views on the referendum question and the design ...
I'm not ecstatic about Hollande's victory, but it might mean a more decisive move towards growth, which started back in March (partly as a result of Mario Monti's push). Growth, however, is not given by spending per se. There is a difference between spending on all the things that western European states have been providing generously to people, and investment spending. We need to spend on
Just been forwarded the attached via Neighbourhood Watch: Police and partners will be holding a community meeting for the residents of Weeke, Teg Down, Harestock, Littleton and Fulflood areas of Winchester. The first PACT (Partnership and Communities Together) meeting for these areas will be held at 7pm on Friday, May 25 at Peter Symonds College. Sergeant Matt Fancett, said: "The aim of this meeting is for members of the public to set local policing and community safety priorities by discussing local issues with the police and our key partners locally. "If you believe that there are issues within your community ...
Last week I wrote about reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the work of two Liberal Democrat MEPs, Phil Bennion and George Lyon, in successfully driving that reform. At the moment the CAP is going through another round of reforms ahead of the EU's next financial precept. Phil Bennion explained to me what the priorities of George Lyon and himself and other Lib Dems were when approaching these negotiations. In his 1987 paper on the CAP Phil Bennion looked at ways of cutting payments to the largest farms on the basis that they had considerable economies of ...
Always the optimist I looked for table-tennis in Middle Street today. It had been advertised from 10.00 – 12.00 (reference here) and I'd hoped to hone my skills, but predictably there was nothing to be seen but a rather bedraggled set of market stalls. Since my other idea for the day was to go and watch my boyhood heroes, Somerset County Cricket Club, take on Durham at Chester le Street the weather certainly put a damper on my day. Instead I found myself walking round the ward, picking up a number of jobs and talking with quite a few people ...
[IMG: Daily Mail] No further comment needed.
For our economy to prosper and grow we need to reform our economic system. At the heart of this debate is the issue of ownership. The extreme libertarian view of ownership which has led to the dominance of the PLC model of ownership where improving shareholder value is the over riding objective of the company is part of the problem and a chief cause of the economic collape Will Hutton, who chaired the Ownership Commission, previews the report and draws out key areas for reform. Interestingly when Labour set up the Commission their chief concern was related to so called ...
(Being the first, and possibly last, of a very occasional series) From an Express and Star piece on the appointment of Norwegian Stale Solbakken as the new Wolves manager: Like his nation's record on human rights and equality legislation, he has a record for progressive thinking
[IMG: Lib Dem News cartoon] By Howard Woodall, Lib Dem News * Mary Reid is one of the Day Editors on Lib Dem Voice.
I have written on the Welsh Liberal Democrats performance in the Welsh local council elections here.
I've already blogged about the Leveson Inquiry's disturbing habit of releasing evidence as scanned in PDFs. I had a suggestion from digital journalist Kevin Anderson @edent Put the Leveson docs up on Google Docs. I'd be curious how their OCR could handle them. Then click 'make public' [IMG: Brooks Witness Statement] Why Is This ImportantThe journalist Heather Brooke has been ranting for some time about the closed nature of the British Courts. It's close to impossible to get verbatim or accurate information about course cases. This means as citizens, journalists, or archivists, we can't accurately search documents. We need access ...
Mark Cavendish holding daughter Delilah on the winners podium yesterday Yesterday Mark Cavendish resumed his place on the podium as he won the sprint against Matt Goss. He took his place there for the first time in his 80 professional wins with his daughter one-month old Delilah in his arms. But I don't expect to see Mark up there as stage winner today. The reason quite simply is that the tour goes uphill. Not massively so, but enough that expect to see all the sprinters in a Gruppeto at the back of the field. There are three category three climbs ...
The rest of the delegation have arrived in the nick of time, having set off this morning. Apparently, the roads between Tbilisi and here aren't great... Meanwhile, in their absence, I've been holding the fort at the Resolution Working Group meeting, speaking against a common consolidated corporate tax base for a EU (rejected by the group) and in support of the rights of the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus with reference to trade access (accepted). But Council is about to open...
After an eventual slew of 26 by-election results on May 3rd, it was a relatively quiet day at the office for Lib Dem campaign teams across Britain. There were two principal council by-elections, and one reported town council contest, and very little of significance to report. In the Kidsgrove ward of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Labour held their seat with a substantial 18% increase in their share of the vote. Our candidate came third, dropping just over 7%. Unfortunately the drop was enough to put the Tories into second place in a ward that we have held in recent years. Whilst the 105 ...
Mary Reid over at Lib Dem Voice has the story of the fake election leaflets used to smear Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrat candidate in the recent Richmond Council by-election. There is a nasty racist element to all this as among the false claims made were invented stories about using a local hotel to house immigrants and turning a local pub into a home for released prisoners and drug addicts. This was a deliberate attempt to stoke up extremist views through scaremongering based on invented stories. But worse than that – and what makes this worse even than the Phil ...
1000 years since St. Alefege was boned to death, reportedly on the site of St. Alfege Church in Greenwich, today sees the bicentennial of the murder of Spencer Perceval the British Prime Minister, buried in St.Luke's Church Charlton, so what is the third local murderous anniversary of 2012 to look forward to? I would ...
Hats off to Harry Shindler and his just fight for the voting rights of Britons living and working overseas. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18017198
There are painful lessons from the Rochdale sex abuse scandal for those of us from Rochdale who are concerned about the welfare of looked-after children or good community relations. We need to have a full and frank discussion, unafraid of the strictures of the politically correct brigade or the far right. While it is definitely not a religious issue the attitude of a significant percentage of men from a South Asian background towards women is a matter of serious concern that needs addressing. I say women in general, rather than an attitude to white women in particular, because my case ...
Rumours are abounding this morning following yesterday's ruling that Motion 8A was 'out of order' at Church of Ireland General Synod in Dublin. Having seen a rather large number of conservative members of the Church on the Enterprise train from Belfast, once in Dublin the news on the proverbial jungle drums is that all three ...
It's not that I'm against gay marriage, I'm against marriage. I have nothing against people (of whatever sexual orientation) getting married religiously or wanting their relationship to be recognised publicly. What I don't get is why the law should grant rights and privileges on the basis of a sexual relationship. I much prefer the now forgotten Italian proposals, whereby the rights and
Karabakh: 'frozen' conflict nears melting point The ever shrewd Wayne Merry warns of the increasing certainty of war. (tags: war azerbaijan armenia nagornokarabakh )
I know. I'm getting a touch obsessive. But I've blogged that I think Zac Goldsmith may be off to UKIP. and I tweeted the blog to him. And he didn't respond. But that's just my humble blog. So then I referenced it in The News Statesman last week. and again, he hasn't denied it. And now there's something more. After the Queen's Speech on Wednesday, Zac tweeted this: Whereas UKIP policy on recall is rather more, I would think, to Zac's taste... · Introduce a right of recall whereby electors can challenge an errant MP and force a by-election in ...
The lovely folk of Occupy have finally put together a list of policy demands, which have been perhaps unfairly compared to the demands of every student union for the last century. It's true that they are long on rhetoric and short on actual research on how their world would actually work in practice and why ...
Parental leave is good for growth. And that includes fathers | Zoe Williams | Comment is free | The Guardian Comments, as usual for CiF, vary between pretentious, depressing, and horrifying (tags: ) BBC News - On-demand music gets own chart (tags: ) Rape culture: still around; still as grim as ever (tags: ) 9 Mother's Day Cards From Your Favorite Super-Heroes - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews I think I like the Shaft one best (tags: ) How Much Screen Time did Each of the AVENGERS Get? Witness my face of not-surprise at all ...
Last Wednesday, 9 May, was Europe Day. If celebration of this day here in Britain passed you by then you might enjoy Winston Churchill's Zurich Speech in 1946, calling for a United States of Europe. You can read the full text here and can listen to the former Liberal Home Secretary delivering the speech in two parts here and here. [IMG: Council of Europe] Churchill (right) with Adenauer, Spaak, Bevin, Schuman and de Gasperi as members of the Council of Europe In this seminal speech, Churchill said, "If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance, there ...
Alright, I'm here in Yerevan, I've made it to the venue for ELDR Council, and I'm in the resolution working group meeting. So far, so good. There is a catch though... where is the rest of my delegation? They were supposed to be travelling overnight from Tbilisi by coach, but haven't arrived yet. I am led to understand that, whilst the Caucusus was well known for banditry once upon a time, this shouldn't present any problem...
The common narrative coming out of the Lib Dems is one of "making ourselves distinctive", "emphasising the Lib Dem agenda" within the coalition, "differentiating ourselves" from the evil Tories; in short without the Lib Dems children would be sent up chimneys, the workhouse would return and the working classes would be under the heel of the avaricious rich. We ...
On Wednesday afternoon Stockton Council's planning committee met in public to discuss the Allen's West application. The agent, very predictably, talked about how good it would be for the borough - more housing, more money etc. I pointed out that the road infrastructure nearby, specifically Yarm High St, is creaking and although the application can't put that right we are convinced that it will
Weds night saw another conference call for bloggers concerning the Communications Capability Development Programme (CCDP, aka Online Snooping Charter), following the announcement of a draft bill in the Queens speech. On the receiving end this time were Julian Huppert MP, member of the Home Affairs Committee and a SpAd who asked to remain unnamed and off the record, which of course I will respect. In marked contrast to the last such call the tone this time was of understanding, of reassurance and very clear. Julian (and the SpAD) were excellent and it seemed clear to me that all the concerns ...
@sundersays Ben Ramm also. # From @libdemvoice earlier > Elections 2012: It's another bruising night for the Lib Dems http://t.co/by99MAPs # Off to Cambridge for friend's wedding this aft – nice way to remember there's more to life than politics. #foronedayonly # @sundersays edits defunct mag, The Liberal, & tho not a LD often labelled 'voice of grassroots' by media looking for rent-a-quote. in reply to sundersays # From me this morning > Elections 2012: It's another bruising night for the Lib Dems http://t.co/o0vFbCAe # From @libdemvoice > London elections results open thread – The count for the Mayor of ...
In the London Borough of Camden, Hat Trick productions ran into hot water after setting up a spoof but official looking polling station immediately outside a real polling station, encouraging members of the public into coming to vote before revealing to them that the polling station was part of a prank for a political satire show. Hat Trick also sent someone out door knocking, claiming to be a Liberal Democrat activist but really setting people up for more spoofs, to be caught on a hidden camera. One Liberal Democrat supporter was called on at home by the fake Liberal Democrat ...
I really detest it when I go several days without posting anything worthwhile and then posting a filler post like this to make up for it. My current excuses are: the local elections, the bank holiday, my brother's 19th birthday, flooding, and the drought. But anyway, the reason behind this blogpost is because this evening I will be attending an event entitled Hot Coalition Politics, organised by the Guildford Liberal Democrats, where I will be a member of a panel for a Question Time style event about politics under the coalition. The reason I've been selected to be on the ...
The Welsh Government is quite right when it told the BBC yesterday that there is no appetite for a bigger Assembly with 80 AMs. They were responding to the assertion by the Presiding Officer that there are not enough Assembly Members to do the job they were elected to do properly. Rosemary Butler added that "If you take out the government it does reduce the number of members available to do the work quite considerably. "I'm not saying we won't manage it, because we'll do it and we'll do it very well. But you ask me the question did I ...
A reminder that, to mark his re-election as Mayor of London, Liberal England is offering you the chance to win a Boris Johnson finger puppet. Many thanks to Rubbish for their generosity in donating this prize for Liberal England's latest quiz. To win the puppet and have BoJo on the end of your finger as often as you want, just email me the answers to the following five questions: Which magazine did Boris Johnson edit between 1999 and 2005?Which Westminster constituency did he sit for between 2001 and 2008?What did Johnson call "an inverted pyramid of piffle"?Which city did he ...
From Dundee City Council : DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL (COUPAR ANGUS ROAD, RIVERSIDE DRIVE/RIVERSIDE AVENUE AND MONIFIETH ROAD/DALHOUSIE ROAD, DUNDEE) (VARIATION TO SPEED RESTRICTIONS) ORDER 2012 Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the effect of which will be to increase safety on the highlighted lengths of carriageway and to decrease the potential for potential accidents. Full details of the proposals are contained in the draft Order, which together with a Statement of the Council's reasons for proposing to make the Order may be ...
Yesterday I attended a training session on the workings of the immigration/asylum system in the UK. I heard that one chap, who claimed at his hearing to be a Christian, was asked to prove it by a) naming the date for Easter next year* and b) describing how to cook a turkey. Another chap's claim to have been tortured was turned down because he couldn't state the colour of the torturer's tie. His explanation that his mind was filled with other things at the time was not accepted. *Had this unfortunate person been, like me, a choirboy in his youth, ...
Cllr Andy Pellew The vast majority of children in Cambridgeshire will be starting Reception in September in their first choice primary school, according to new figures. A total of 91.57% of children applying for a place in Reception this September by the deadline have been allocated a place at their first choice school. This is an increase on last year's 90.6%. A further 6.06% have been offered a place at their second or third choice primary school, while fewer than 2.5% could not be offered any of their preferences. This increase has been achieved by Cambridgeshire County Council's Admissions Team, ...
Download poster here.
Cllr Andy Pellew The vast majority of children in Cambridgeshire will be starting Reception in September in their first choice primary school, according to new figures. A total of 91.57% of children applying for a place in Reception this September by the deadline have been allocated a place at their first choice school. This is an increase on last year's 90.6%. A further 6.06% have been offered a place at their second or third choice primary school, while fewer than 2.5% could not be offered any of their preferences. This increase has been achieved by Cambridgeshire County Council's Admissions Team, ...
I'm not at all excited about the new Beach Boys album. People who've heard it have been saying good things about it — it's the best since LA (Light Album), or the best since Holland apart from Love You — but frankly if you put out half an hour of me busking old Monkees songs ...
A question usually answered with a resounding - meh... But a routine by-election hold by Zac Goldsmith's well (extra virgin olive) oiled Tory machine on the day Boris won a second term has turned into something much more interesting. Apparently a large number of fake Lib Dem leaflets were delivered from about 10pm until about 1am on eve of poll which claimed the Lib Dems were to build new tower blocks full of immigrants, social housing tenants and unemployed people. Other than the three main English parties, there was a Green and an eccentric independent - Marc Leslie Cranfield-Adams who ...
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, David Rimmer and Nigel Ashton are holding their next monthly advice centre on Saturday 12th May, from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We hold our advice centre every month (except August) on the second Saturday of the month at St John's School.
Most men, if they're honest, have wanted to drive a train at some point in their life. Others want to whizz round in a racing car or score a goal for England or a try for Wales. Anyone who's seen me try to kick a ball (and I avoided this as much as possible in ...
