This is the Collingwood Monument at Tynemouth, which looks out across the Tyne estuary to the sea. The statue of Cuthbert Collingwood, who took command of the British fleet after Nelson's death at Trafalgar and completed the victory, is some 23ft high and stands on a massive plinth. Four canon from Collingwood's ship in the battle, The Royal Sovereign, can also be found there. An inscription on the monument reads: THIS MONUMENTwas erected in 1845 by Public Subscription to the memory ofADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOODwho in the Royal Sovereign on the 21st October 1805, led the British Fleetinto action at Trafalgar ...
Today, everything is frustrating. There are THINGS and STUFF that are IMPORTANT and everybody else seems to be concentrating on things that are not important* and it's WRONG and people are making stupid facile blog posts** and even Alan Rickman can't make tea properly*** and we're still living in a shitey unfair world and I want to blow things up. I blame hearing lots of news stories about that tosser Assange after having watched an explodey film yesterday. * like putative cabinet reshuffles and other Westminster Bubble bollocks ** like this one *** see tomorrow's linkspam [IMG: comment count unavailable] ...
The Pass Notes column in tomorrow's Guardian: Do say: Proalition - often. If you say it enough, perhaps it won't sound quite so weird. Don't say: "Noalition, more like!"
In my post Olympic round up I forgot to look at my blog post of the Lesbian Gay and Bisexuals in Team LGB and how they did. Not least because reports before the Games seemed to miss out some of this team which grew over the 16 days of competition. If they had been a separate nation they would have been part of four gold medals, won one silver and been part of two bronze putting them in 20th place on the medal table ahead of North Korea and kust behind the Czech Republic. The golds went to Carl Hester ...
Having picked up on Twitter and elsewhere a few further examples of new school playing fields which have been created in the last few years (and so which count towards offsetting those sold off), here for my future reference and your possible interest they are: West Thurrock Primary School markpack yup, they gained an all weather netball court, too. — Fat_Jacques (@Fat_Jacques) August 19, 2012
Success can be bad for some bands - in particular the need to have music that sounds good when played in stadiums. Even REM suffered from that after Automatic for the People. This was certainly true of Queen. When they first appeared they looked as they came from the heavy metal scene (at least to this innocent 14-year-old), but they had a wit and a musicality that made them stand out from the glam dross around them. For me, that period lasted up to and including the massive success of "Bohemian Rhapsody". After that, I liked them far less. There ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 287th 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 (12-18 August, 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. Cabinet Reshuffle Rumours. ...
I spend a week away only to come back to fevered speculation about ministerial reshuffles. I was even telephoned whilst on holiday to establish my view as to whether Cheryl Gillan should be replaced and if so by whom. I actually refused to comment on that as I don't see how my views are (a) relevant or of any consequence (b) helpful and (c) fully formed. In truth I do not really care one way or another if we have Cheryl Gillan, Maria Miller or Stephen Crabb in the job. I do agree with Jenny Randerson though that if there ...
Hoping to have a piece up on Mindless Ones tonight, and I've got posts planned for here for the next few days, but for now, links: Brad Hicks pastiches Damon Runyon, to explain a real-life stock trading scam. Jac Rayner wrote a nice piece about girls' comics in the Guardian Jeremy Browne on new measures ...
Bike parking at Cambridge train station has been a bone of contention amongst cyclists for many years. There are not enough spaces for the bikes available, a problem caused partly by the fact some bikes are left behind by their owners when they leave Cambridge, and never collected. Because the parking is cramped, it's also easy for bikes to get damaged by others. Finding your bike at night if you get home late is an interesting challenge! So it's good news that the train operator Greater Anglia has got together with Cambridgeshire County Council to instal some new racks. To ...
101 Ways To Win An Election is a welcome and pleasant surprise. Now that might seem a lukewarm introduction to a review of a book co-written by my co-editor, together with fellow Lib Dem Edward Maxfield. But it's not intended to be either ironic or half-hearted because what makes this book such an excellent guide to political campaigning is that it succeeds in being a whole lot more than that. In fact, its 308 pacy pages cheerfully zig-zag between marketing manual, self-help book, and campaigning A-Z — with dollops of political history and pop-psychology behavioural economics thrown in for good ...
We would like to wish all our Muslim residents Eid Mubarak. Have a greatI Eid-ul-Fitr today.
It's Sunday Afternoon (just). Why don't you go and pour yourself a Brandy, don your Smoking Jacket, light a Cheroot and - when you're quite ready - settle back and enjoy Herbie Hancock and Annie Lennox performing Every Time We Say Goodbye? Andrew
Local police have reported that on Thursday 16th August 2012 PCSO Northover and PCSO Barfoot carried out a 'day of action'. The purpose of the 'day of action' was to specifically target traffic related concerns highlighted by local residents including speeding issues, parking offences, vehicles displaying out of date tax discs and to raise awareness of vehicle crime and offer prevention advice. According to the police update, "Speed checks were completed at both ends of Gunthorpe Ridings,[and] on Gunthorpe Road...." with results showing "...nine speeding motorists on Gunthorpe Road and fifteen speeding motorists on Gunthorpe Ridings..." Commenting, local LIB DEM ...
"Labour lead narrows as Tories enjoy Olympics bounce" "Boris uses Olympic bounce to taunt government" Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce. Talking about whether or not a politician or a party has had one as a result of the Olympics is the epitome of silly season nonsense. Firstly, any "bounce" is bound to be transitory. I'd be amazed if any blips in the polls were sustained beyond the next few weeks. And the next general election isn't until 2015. Even the Corby by-election and the PCC elections are not for another 3 months by which time any poltical Olympic feel-good factor ...
Thanks to Daryll Chamberlain of 853 for highlighting this on Twitter. Priceless! Perhaps it shouldn't be given anymore publicity but this comment in Horse and Hound magazine about the Greenwich park equestrian venue ,by one of the protestors, is so extraordinary that I thought it worth posting the link as well! It must rank as one ...
As part of the regeneration of Stockton's riverside area new lighting was installed last month along the section between the millenium bridge and the Princess Diana bridge. Last night was the first opportunity I'd had to go and see the lights in action. Red, white and blue chased along the river bank and over the bridge, changing to gold in honour of Kat Copeland, the borough's very own
I am not aware of any meetings this coming week. As ever, if I become of any meetings that have been arranged outside the agreed calendar of meetings I'll post details
[IMG: Thanks I'll Eat It Here] Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence. Conservatism is distrust of the people tempered by fear. – William Gladstone Honesty, as we all know, is not always an easy principle to live up to. That's even more the case in politics, a field that has led many a good person into a moral trap or three. Have a little bit of understanding and trust in people, though, and it gets easier to be honest with them. "Honest Man" is a great old 70s track on that very point written by liberal counter-culture ...
[IMG: Posted by Picasa] When it rains heavily in Birkdale the same streets have problems. I am not here referring to an overflowing drain that clears by itself but significant flooding and the fear that the rain water is mixing with the foul drain. Essex Rd has been badly hit as has Guildford Rd. Southport MP John Pugh has been out and about meeting residents and has working hard to get United Utilities and the Council to act . I am informed that the problem in Essex Road has been responsible for flooding on at least five occasions during the ...
Councillor Haydn Preece has received a number of concerned enquiries from Ainsdale residents relating to changes this summer in the 49 bus service timings and route. In partnership with Councillor John Dodd he has received this summary of the changes from Merseytravel. The good news for residents is that the service will revert to a ten minute timetable in September but the route does, as it stands cause problems for residents in Gleneagles requiring a direct route for Woodvale. Therefore Councillor Preece is asking for feedback as he has been assured the route will be reviewed if demand indicates the ...
I keep seeing the phrase "power-hungry" used in conjunction with the Lib Dems. Admittedly it is often amongst the frothing anti-coalition comments on a "Comment is Free" or "New Statesman" article but there is a perception that is gaining momentum that the Lib Dems have done and pretty much will do anything to get and retain power. The thing is, that doesn't really make any sense, at least from a Westminster perspective. Let's imagine that you are a fresh-faced Nick Clegg embarking on your political career in the mid-Nineties. You are working for the European Commission in various jobs and ...
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 500 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Today we focus on the performances of the leading lights of the Liberal Democrats — those of our MPs in the cabinet, those occupying ministerial positions, and other leading Lib Dems. LDV asked: How would you rate the performances of the following leading Liberal Democrats and government ministers? Full results are published below, but here's three key lists for those ...
So this week, we hear that yet again rail fares are to rise at above inflation rates. Articles in today's papers describe how some Govt MP's are to challenge George Osborne on this because they fear loss of voters in ... Continue reading →
After seeing the terrible arguments put forward by the SPUC, I thought I would start checking out other organisation's arguments against marriage equality. I immediately stumbled upon this page from the Christian Medical Fellowship which purports to offer strong arguments against marriage equality that would appeal to those with no faith. It is good to see them trying to move beyond religious arguments, which only work on those with a shared belief, and try to argue more generally. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly given my bias, I found these arguments to be extremely thin. So I thought I'd deal with them one ...
As you read this, I am safely ensconced on holiday several hundred miles away, in some way insulated from the abuse that shortly may be heading in my direction. Here's my thought. Let's do a George W Bush, and give future fiscal stimulus direct to the consumer in the form of a cheque. OK. Deep breath. Here's my back of an envelope logic. So far we have seen £375 billion of quantitative easing. This has gone directly to the banks. Of that sum, some 58% is estimated to be...in the banks. They've kept it to shore up their tattered balance ...
Residents have complained to me regarding the state of the roadway of Grosvenor Road - and at the adjacent west end of Shaftesbury Road. The white lines at the Grosvenor Road junction with Perth Road are also very worn - see below:I have brought this to the attention of the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership, requesting repairs.
Cycling in the dark, alone, is a unique experience. I've done overnight before, with [IMG: [personal profile] ] damerell on the London to Brighton night ride, but going it alone is a whole different kettle of fish. I've also ridden in the city at night - well, 10pm or so - but that again is different to the countryside. Riding alone, there's nobody to talk to, and I felt so infinitesimal. Every sound was magnified, from the wind rippling past my jacket to the owls hooting in the trees. I saw bats, and rabbits, and foxes, but no humans - ...
- Chuck Norris is harder than all the other Expendables AND all the baddies without even trying. - Chuck Norris is SO hard he can steal Clint Eastwood's theme tune and nobody tells him off. - The Governator still can't act, and is looking pretty scrawny these days. - a film can always be improved by the addition of MOAR ACTION HEROES. - Jet Li does a great Jackie Chan impression if you make enough saucepans available to him - Jean Claude Van Damme's party piece flying kick would lose him both bollocks and a kidney if he tried it ...
There are options for Syria, but none of them is attractive nor likely to be conclusive.
