Newton Harcourt church (like the Manor House opposite - once the home of the Leicestershire architect Joseph Goddard) is separated from the rest of the village by the railway and canal. The attractive tower and west end stand right beside the lane, though the rest of the church was rebuilt in undistinguished 19th-century red-brick Gothic. It is easy to mourn this, but the Victoria County History makes it clear that if the Victorians had not taken radical action the church would not be here for us to enjoy today. And I suspect that is true of thousands of churches across ...
George Osborne's decision in his recent Budget to limit the tax relief available on charitable giving appears to have been inspired by Nick Clegg's idea of a 'tycoon tax'. And that idea was strictly back-of-an-envelope and helped take the idea of a mansion tax off the political agenda just as the some of the more thoughtful Tories were becoming willing to consider it. So in many ways I am happy to see the limit scrapped in the latest U-turn. But I cannot quite share the enthusiasm for it of our own Stephen Tall: Kudos to the Coalition for unequivocally defusing ...
One of my reading challenges at present is to get through the entire Bible in a year. (This is not actually all that tough as an assignment - yer average Bible has around 1400 pages, so we're talking 4 pages a day.) I have to say that some of it has been a bit of a slog, even at that pace, particularly the one-sided propaganda of the history books and then the not terribly profound fables of Tobit, Esther and Judith. (I am reading the Catholic version, so I get these extras that Protestants miss out on.) And then you ...
Why is Jeremy Hunt not being investigated for breaching the ministerial code? Let's just take a few steps back here and look at the chronology of events. Firstly a mass of communications between Hunt's SpAd (Adam Smith) and News International were released into the public domain. From this it was abundantly clear that Smith had overstepped the mark in communicating privileged information to a commercial party with interests in the decision that his boss was going to have to make in a quasi-judicial role. Despite his initial protestations, Hunt eventually sacked Smith acknowledging that he had gone too far although ...
To mark the start of its new 'Safer in Stockport' initiative, the Safer Stockport Partnership has revealed that crime has fallen in the borough for eight consecutive years. The Safer Stockport Partnership, which includes Stockport Council and Greater Manchester Police, is working to ensure that the downward trend continues into 2012-13. Stockport's eight year reduction in crime means it is currently safer than the Devon seaside area of Torbay. In Stockport between 2007-2012: · There were 12,087 fewer victims of crimes (a fall of 40%); · Serious violence has reduced by 48%; · Burglary has reduced by 962 victims or ...
Non-fiction 6 (YTD 22) The Word in the Desert, by Douglas Burton-Christie The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, by Thich Nhat Hanh How to Sharpen Pencils, by David Rees The Great O'Neill, by Sean O'Faolain Tickling the English, by Dara O'Briain Unpublished manuscript Fiction (non-sf) 0 (YTD 11) sf (non-Who) 7 (YTD 32) Leviathan Wakes, by "James S.A. Corey" Deadline, by "Mira Grant" The Moon and the Sun, by Vonda McIntyre Countdown, by "Mira Grant" Silently and Very Fast, by Catherine M. Valente Surface Detail, by Iain M. Banks Unpublished manuscript Doctor Who 5 (YTD 33) The Taking of Chelsea ...
From the Mansfield College, Oxford (my alma mater) website: In 1970, in his last year as a DPhil candidate at Mansfield, Peter Armstrong created a film to commemorate the retirement of our then-Principal, John Marsh. The Development team recently came across this wonderful insight into the life of the College as it was, and into the lives of those inhabiting it, at a formative time in Mansfield's history. And here is the film: John Marsh (obituary here) was Principal from 1953 to 1970. He was preceded by Nathaniel Micklem, who served as Chairman of the Liberal Party from 1957-58 and ...
I've just been reading through the Parliamentary Debate which honoured the Queen's Diamond Jubilee yesterday. Each Party leader, including Patrick Harvie, made a short speech and I felt that they captured what the Queen means to Scotland and its people. Even though they weren't all united - Patrick wanted to discuss the possibility of an independent Scotland not having the Queen as Head of State. I'd have quite liked to have seen that pressed to a full debate, just to see whether the SNP would have held together. You get the impression that some of them aren't so keen on ...
I'm not that fun at parties. I spend too much time in my own head over analysing everything and looking at historical context and in a new exciting/boring train of thought - political impact. So today whilst sat at my daughter's nursery Jubilee celebration surrounded by Union Jacks and red, white and blue I got to thinking about the Jubilee and whether it was necessary. I should also briefly add that the greatest influence on my life, my Grandfather, was a staunch Cromwellian who thought that Monarchy was a thing of the yesteryear that should be abolished as soon as ...
One of the architects of the equal marriage debate at Thanet Council, Cllr John Worrow, recently received a homophobic message. It has today come to light that this was the work of Cllr Ken Gregory who is a Tory. Here's a statement from Cllr Worrow: If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist
Dear IDS, I want to register how angry and dismayed I am that you want to close down the Remploy factories. I cannot believe that as work and pensions minister, with unemployment over 2.5 million, you are voluntarily throwing over a thousand people out of work - especially this group of disabled people, who you know have little chance of getting another job. How can you justify closing British factories and putting disabled people on benefits like this? The people who work for Remploy are proud of being able to contribute to our economy and our society, and you will ...
Never take a Shropshire newspaper too lightly. Here is the Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser making a cool appraisal of the Conservative member for West Worcestershire, whose constituency includes Tenbury: It is notable that the town's MP Harriett Baldwin kept her head down over Tesco. Her silence on the biggest issue to affect the town for many years was as shrewd as it was deafening.
Just off Park Road, Blackhill, is the intended site for a rehearsal room and recording studio. The full application for this change of use can be see by linking here
There's plenty to look forward to this weekend in Shepway, from the local street parties to the Folkestone Airshow and other organised events. A large floral tribute to Her Majesty The Queen is in place on the Leas, shops are putting up their bunting and posters are up for both the lighting of the Jubilee lantern and the fairground on the old Rotunda site. But there's one little bizarre thing that I don't think Shepway thought through correctly. The other day I got home to find a large Union flag flying outside my house. I smiled and thought it was ...
All credit to Alastair Humphreys' blog for this one: "People look at me like I'm an insane person. Do you know what I think is crazy? Waking up at 6am, eating breakfast, getting in a car and sitting in traffic for an hour on your way to work, sitting in a box for eight hours, sitting in traffic on your way home, eating dinner in front of the TV and then going to sleep. Then repeating that process for the next 60 years of your life until you retire and then die. I think that's completely and utterly insane." - ...
It's Parliamentary recess so you might think that MPs and Government ministers (at least those not appearing at Leveson) would be chillaxing with their iPads in the sun. Not so for Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore, who is in the middle of a tour which is taking him all over Scotland. He phoned me as he was driving along the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was practically passing my house – if we'd planned it better he could have come in for a cup of tea. As it happened, we did get cut off due to dodgy ...
The Independent gave a pithy headline to the issue of public sector pensions for Doctors today. Lets be clear at the outset. Doctors have every right to ballot on Industrial Action and Striking and they have every right to take part in any action that is called by the union they belong to. They are already sensitive to the issue of "abandoning patients" but they are only withdrawing non-urgent care. This is a world of difference from standing outside surgery or hospitals round the brazier. This attitude is similar to how the Fire Brigades Union conducts their disputes and even ...
We can all welcome Nick Harvey's work with Phillip Hammond in producing what appears to be the first balanced MoD budget since at least the 1997 Defence Review: time will tell if their projections hold water. However, Mr. Harvey's article is redolent of MoD Press Office spin, and has several important elements that need debating. Moving back to the vertical take off and landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) – known as the F-35B – is hardly the panacea the Minister pretends: there were several reasons that the military warmly welcomed the switch to a conventional cats 'n' ...
There's a lot going on this weekend - see this posting on our sister site - WestHampsteadSpotlight. But in addition to all those events - the Fordwych Road Diamond Jubilee Party is also set to be a fun afternoon. Based around St Cuthbert's Church towards the Maygrove end of Fordwych Road from 2:00-5:00pm there will be fun for all the family. More details on the Fordwych Road Residents Association website. I'll be there - so hope lots of others will also be along to celebrate the jubilee and support the social side of a hard-working residents association.
Not much causes shock in the goings of local democracy even with the somewhat crazy elements that have cropped up in this current Thanet council. Still news comes of the suspension of Cllr Ken Gregory, apparently for having received a police caution for an offence against another councillor. This comes from what I see as a background of tensions within the council that are effecting the governance of council and the zealous pursuit of the slightest non politically correct comment or the mildest of perceived slight is becoming untenable. I'm quite clear that I have been threatened by councillors on ...
When George Osborne launched his 2012 Budget, I was one of a minority of people to praise it. I admired the boldness of his move on the top rate of income tax, even if I did not approve of it. And often Budgets look better (or indeed worse) in hindsight that they do at the time. But that happy fate will not await this Budget. Today the third successive retreat was announced from its proposals, this time on tax relief for charities – following VAT on hot food, and the taxation of caravans. I haven't followed the issues on hot ...
The Culture Secretary is in a tight political spot. He showed overt political support for Rupert Murdoch's News International media empire, and especially its attempt to consolidate its hold in the highly successful British satellite broadcasting business BSkyB. Today was supposed to be his moment of truth, in front of the Leveson inquiry. There is much speculation that he will be forced to resign. That may be so, but based on today's evidence I don't think he's the main culprit in a shabby episode. The story so far. Back in 2010 Murdoch launched his bid on BSkyB, which his empire ...
As far as I am aware there is only one meeting next week. Policy Working Group, Thursday 7th June, 6:30 pm, at Isabella Centre, Ogle Drive, Blyth As it is a working group, members of the public may not be able to attend, but it's yet to be seen what would happen if the chair of the WG (The Mayor) were to enforce that rule. As Monday and Tuesday are the Queen's Jubilee holiday, the Office at Ebor House will be closed those days.
We're looking forward to welcoming the Papua New Guinea Olympic team to Cheadle, where they'll be staying in the Village Hotel in the run-up to the Olympics, and training at Woodbank Park in Stockport. I'm sure we'll have the chance to show the team some local hospitality for the few weeks they're with us and wish the Papua New Guinea team every success in the Olympic Games. According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth with over 841 different languages spoken and a population of a little ...
I'm currently sat at the pub with fellow young Liberals, young Labourites and young Conservatives. Now, we all face the same problem: how do we engage with voters? The young Labourites and the young Conservatives are bankrolled to success, they have media and policy training and, more importantly, they are made to be the future leaders of their party. But what do young Liberals get? For a long time the Liberal Democrats has been a party that has seemed to make its young members campaign fodder, instead of supporting their personal development. Lib Dem members are fantastic in supporting young ...
Launceston Town Council have just got in touch to tell me that they are making the multi-storey car park free all weekend from Saturday until Tuesday. Cornwall Council car parks will be charging as normal on Saturday between 9am and 4pm. Parking on Sunday is free but charges will apply on Monday and Tuesday from 9am until 4pm. With all the Jubilee weekend events and the Charles Causley Festival happening too, you won't have to worry about paying for parking thanks to the Town Council. Tweet
Oh dear. More woe from the 'Yes for Scotland ' Campaign. Their Twitter biography is rather peculiar. Here it is. Why the health warning? Well it's because the campaign has been displaying the pictures of 'supporters' of the Yes campaign who, it turns out, are not supporters. In fact - they are active opponents of Scottish Independence. As the wonderful Caron Lindsay, who's face adorned the front page of the Yes campaign website on Tuesday, put it... "I mean, I follow lots of people on Twitter that I don't agree with: Mitt Romney, Larry the Downing Street Cat, Ed Miliband.....I ...
On 4th May I wrote that only the LibDems are untainted by NewsCorp. Despite frenzied efforts to find something,all that has been discovered is that Fred Michel, before he worked for Murdoch, attended a fund raising dinner for Nick Clegg in 2007 before Clegg became LibDem Leader. Despite the fact that the ConLab party can commit a score of misdemeanors and get away with it whereas LibDems may only commit one, this hardly ranks at all compared to what has emerged today from Jeremy Hunt at the Leverson enquiry.The suggestion that Hunt could dismiss his personal, very pro-Murdoch views, from ...
Lib Dem MP for Southport John Pugh today offered his full support to local businesses looking to secure Government funding to rejuvenate Southport's shopping streets after the town failed to secure cash in the first round of bidding to become a 'Portas Pilot'. The Government is offering grants of around £100,000 to towns across the UK following the publication of the 'Portas Review' in December which called for action to reverse the decline of British town centres. 12 towns from across the country were chosen to become 'Portas Pilots' and receive their share of the funding pot following the initial ...
The planning policy it is a changing: the Government has proudly announced that over a thousand pages of national planning rules have been replaced by fewer than sixty – mostly written in plain English. An initial draft version was substantially amended and the general consensus seems to be that they've actually done a pretty good job. But what difference will it really make to planning applications? Presumption in favour of sustainable development Since 1947 there has been a presumption in favour of development in this country – a planning application succeeds unless there are good reasons not to grant it. ...
While it is true that poverty is often associated with a range of other Bad Things, from stressed out families to poor grades at school and that causation can work both ways, this does not mean that they are the exact same problems. But when the CSJ proposed new measures of child poverty, they induced exactly this sort of confusion. Below are just two examples: 1. Unstable family structure. The CSJ suggests that one of the new measures of child poverty should be the percentage of children growing up in married households. However, many rich families get divorced, as do ...
It's an awfully long way from mid-Suffolk to the Scottish border, about five and a half hours by train, but as the son of a Scot, I take a passing intellectual interest in the debate that so dominates all political discussion up there.So, let me nail my colours to the mast. If the Scottish people, however defined, decide that their desire for freedom is such that it can only be exercised through an independent state, it is not for the rest of us to say that they can't.However, there is a catch. A free nation is also a community of ...
Thu 31st
13:03
Coalition's Charity Tax U-turn: the lessons that charities and the Government need to learn
I asked two days ago if the Government's 'Pasty Tax' U-turn would herald a reversal of the 'Charity Tax'. I got word this morning that this was indeed on the cards: Charity Tax U-turn imminent from Government? That's what I'm hearing. Here's what I wrote on Tue: bit.ly/KDPu9I #giveitbackgeorge — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) May 31, 2012 And the formal announcement has just been made. Here's the BBC News report: Chancellor George Osborne has dropped plans to limit tax relief on charitable giving announced in March's Budget following protests from charities. There will be no limit – as existed before the ...
There has been some chatter amongst the Southend politico blogosphere in the past fortnight or so about having the council meetings streamed on the internet so people can watch what is going down at the Civic Centre for full meetings of the council. I think we can all safely say that it is the most excellent idea. I know some will they that those who are seriously interested will go down to the Civic and watch and listen in the public gallery but in reality if it was available at the home or on the move then many more would ...
South Glos council has announced that all waste and recycling will be collected as normal on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 June. Collection times may vary in order to avoid street parties or similar events, so please put all waste and recyclables out for collection by 7am on the correct day. Residents organising a street party can contact the council on 01454 868 000 if their event falls on their scheduled collection day, and every effort will be made to collect from their road before street party preparations begin. Additional waste outside wheeled bins can be taken to the nearest ...
Thu 31st
12:18
The final proof that I was right over Yes Scotland's web scam - attacked by Newsnet Scotland
So, Yes Scotland has been forced into a third climbdown and has said it will no longer harvest the details of its Twitter followers. In the future, those pictured on the website will have signed up actively in some way to support the campaign or have signed the Declaration of Cineworld. I get a mention in the article in the Herald. I take slight offence to not getting any credit in the Scotsman article. For me the final proof that I actually had a point comes from a post on that Cybernats' Haven, Newsnet Scotland. When I went to the ...
Running a Council is tough. Times are hard, budgets feel like they are shrinking. It was said before the 2010 General Election that the measures needed to put the economy right would be so harsh that whoever won would be out of power for a generation subsequently. All the more reason for Councils and Government to ensure that there is sensitive handling and community working on a very local level. So as a councillor in Queen's Park, Brent, I have been shocked, appalled and ashamed at the handling of the proposed closure of libraries in my area by the Labour ...
It was a short meeting of the Parish Council on Tuesday evening, as much because neither Steve, our Chair, Rosemary, our Parish Clerk, or I were 100%, but also because much of our business had already been dealt with at the Annual Parish Meeting just a week before. Indeed, most of our discussions were about the newer parts of our empire, the Nature Reserve, the small piece of woodland and our playground. However, at the end of the meeting, when talking about wildlife, it was decided that we should have a 'point man' for non-nature reserve related wildlife, and that ...
In the latest letter to the troops (a note from a senior Lib Dem, not sent out mid crisis - there must be something TERRIBLE happening we don't know about), Nick is kind enough to big up our Facebook page 'Liberal Democrats for Lords Reform'. So I'll return the favour and big up his letter to the troops. That's the sort of democratic organisation we are. Dear Richard, We are reaching an important phase in our challenge to reform the British establishment. David Cameron, Ed Miliband and I all have to step up, and make sure we don't let this ...
The selection process for our candidates for the 2014 European Parliamentary elections is now starting. The formal advert will be published next month, and the closing date for applications is likely to be 20 July. All applicants must be approved European candidates by the date of the close of applications. Anyone interested in being a candidate should apply for approval as soon as possible - you can get the necessary application pack from the Candidates' Office at Party HQ: email jonathan.davies - jonathan.davies.hat.libdems.org.uk.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real ...
With the two day holiday for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, all bin collections are being put back two days. So, if your normal bin collection is Monday, it will be put back to Wednesday, if it's Thursday it will be put back to Saturday etc (I'm sure you get the idea ...) Full confirmation on the Northumberland County Council website -- And to confirm, next week is a Blue bin (ie recyclable waste ) collection
The fish fingers that weren't fish fingers. Shocking news. The iconic fish fingersa and custard in the eleventh hour WEREN'T ACTUALLY FISH FINGERS (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
An interesting challenge over on Crooked Timber: given the willingness of liberals to dismiss the religious metaphysic of morals through the likes of the Euthyphro dilemma, are they able to provide a metaphysic that justifies their moral claims? While the instinctive response of a liberal may be to dismiss such requests as irrelevant, or metaphysical ...
Though it is a comment, from a Lib Dem Voice thread on Conference accreditation: It sometimes strikes me that some people see winning elections as an end in itself, without giving very much thought about why you are trying to win them or what you should do when you have. And paradoxically, it's that kind of attitude that has paved the way for electoral disaster.
The planned resurfacing work at the Union Place/Perth Road junction was undertaken yesterday morning and I have already spoken with a couple of elderly residents who are delighted that this bit of road that was a potholed mess to try to walk across now has a much-improved surface - see right. There are some minor potholes towards the bottom of the street and Tayside Contracts has assured me that these will be attended to as well.
Now, it probably comes to no surprise to many of my regular readers than I have been known to disagree with Nick Clegg on occasion (*cough* tuition fees *cough* *cough*). However, on this occasion, I think Clegg's wrong about something that I'm actually fairly supportive of. Let me explain. On Tuesday Nick Clegg talked to a group of organisations campaigning for reform of our democracy - groups like the Electoral Reform Society and Unlock Democracy about the need to "reform" our broken establishment. Clegg said: "I have looked at the institutions of our establishment close up," he will say. "And ...
This Sunday sees the start of the Summer Band Concerts on Magdalen Green, commencing with the Dundee Instrumental Band's free concert for the Diamond Jubilee - starting at the Bandstand at 2pm. Full details of the various concerts at Magdalen Green and elsewhere in the city are given below: You can download this poster as a higher-quality PDF here.
I took this photo 6.40am today. Exactly the same traffic managementwas in place at 6pm last night and a number of iterations of this have been proceeding south to north along Walworth recently. We also had the same issue at Goose Green in East Dulwich recently. I don't doubt that all these road works are necessary but why are lanes closed and temporary traffic lights in place for the hours outside when a whole lane needs closing? Other local authorities I've worked with would insist that the lane required by workers when working to ensure their safety are released outside ...
One of the biggest rows I had with government in my five years as Council Leader was measuring children's weight. Civil servants spent months asking, pleading, cajoling and blackmailing (not the brown envelope type) me into accepting a regime of mass measurement of kids followed by publicised targets where the Council would have to intervene in schools and individual parenting decisions. (unfortunately this did not stop letters below from the NHS) I kept refusing and I will never forget the words of one Council manager. "There is only one way this will end, we will have hundreds of kids worrying ...
From the BBC: Business Secretary Vince Cable has said "veiled threats" were made against the Liberal Democrats when he was assessing News Corporation's 2010 bid for BSkyB. He told the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics his party was warned it would be "done over" in the firm's newspapers if he ruled against its takeover attempt.
Earlier this month, I mentioned that I had raised with Dundee City Council the poor state of repair of parts of Seymour Street's roadway (see right) and the west end of Shaftesbury Road. The City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership has now updated me as follows: "With reference to your email below, the Road Maintenance Partnership inspector has raised an order for the repair of the potholes in Seymour Street and Shaftesbury Road with a timescale for repair of twenty eight days or sooner. He has also raised an order to re-bed the setts in the channel and this will be ...
Labour have suffered some embarrassment in Llanelli of late. Having won the seat back from Plaid Cymru at the last Assembly election by assuring voters that local health services were safe in their hands, they have now had the rug pulled from beneath them by the local health board. There was a huge protest outside the Senedd recently where, Llanelli residents, worried about the future of the town's Prince Phillip hospital, demanded action by the Labour Government to avert the planned downgrading of services there. Ironically, that protest featured a number of Labour Party activists having a go at their ...
I was amazed to discover that Southwark Council is considering switching of Southwark street lighting. Clearly adjusting street lights is an ongoing sage managing over 16,000 street lights in Southwark. What's really amazing is that this news is buried in Highway Electrical Newspage 12. The article is titled "42% of Councils in England and Wales Planning Some Street Lighting Cuts". It shows Southwark as one of of the local authorities in the "Councils planning total or partial night switch off". I haven't knowingly heard this before. Have you? It's the only London Authority listed in this category. No public announcement. ...
The next edition of the ELDR newsletter has been published: You can read it here. The UK Liberal Democrats are members of ELDR with our sister parties from all over Europe. Many of our sister parties are, like us, in government.
Ahead of tomorrow (31 May)'s meeting of members states' ministers at Europe's Competitiveness Council, Antony Hook has expressed concern at indications that the Horizon 2020 Report will glass natural gas as a "low carbon" energy source. Gas is cleaner than coal but is still a fossil fuel, in 2004 it added over 5 billion tons ...
