If memory serves me German Author Heinrich Heine once said; Where a state burns books, one day they will burn people. (Dort, wo man Bucher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen) This is a fact that is frighteningly relevant. A book is more than a papery object bound together full of words. It is a summation of ideas and beliefs and means a great deal to the author and many readers. I should rapidly point out that for the most part I'm talking about the Non-fiction variety. I can't imagine many people, beyond maybe me, becoming upset about the ...
This is the latest in my series of Random Thoughts posts with links, things found on the web and other stuff that has occured to me. Not had one for a while so this is the bumper August edition. [IMG: Picture of a baby hippo named Hula] Lets start with a double helping of baby animals at Whipsnade Zoo: Baby hippo makes debut dip Triple celebrations as lynx kitten triplets are born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo I found this rather amusing; Charles Kennedy: Gonzo Is My Favourite Muppet For some reason I am not surprised. [IMG: :-)] Buddha Machine! I ...
There has been a lot of talk about rape in the past week. Whether it be about Julian Assange or Todd Akin, but we've had another case right here in Northern Ireland. When I was working for the Yes! campaign in Northern Ireland I had to walk past The Family Planning Association on the way to get my lunch. Quite often there were pickets outside. Because unlike anywhere else in the UK abortion is still illegal in Northern Ireland. It does not of course prevent Northern Irish women seeking abortions, indeed over 1000 traveled to seek one last year alone, ...
What do I think of Prime Minister David Cameron's meeting the King of Bahrain in Downing Street (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19355337)? I don't know. I guess I am still of the view that it is useful for UK leaders to meet such people in pursuit of Middle East regional peace, an end to human rights abuses and other matters of mutual interest ("A Downing Street source told BBC correspondent Nick Childs the meeting would be focused primarily on trade, but the pair would also discuss the situation in Syria"). As I wrote in May 2011 Cameron has been roundly attacked for recently ...
Only fools make predictions. So here are my predictions on the future of social media. In the original days of computing, every user had their own computer. Well, Turing had his own computer... Then, everyone had to timeshare on a massive mainframe. Later, every user had their own computer. Now, we're back to mainframes. Sure, we call it "cloud computing" or "thin clients" but it amounts to the same thing. That's the way technology works. It yo-yos between extremes. Think about web hosting. Originally, each user had their own web server. Well, Tim Berners-Lee had his own web server... Then, ...
Yesterday I posted part 1 of this essay, which I contributed to Graham Watson's 2006 collection Liberalism - Something to Shout About. Here is the second and final part - again, I have turned the original references into hyperlinks for this blog. You can find details of how to order the book in that earlier post. Towards a Liberal answer Ask Liberal Democrats if they believe in children's rights and they will say they do with some vehemence. In most Liberal and Labour circles, a reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is seen to ...
Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, has launched a Cycle Rail Toolkit aimed at providing thousands of cyclists with easy access to rail travel. The Toolkit, produced in partnership with the Train Operating Companies and cycling groups, will provide specific guidance to railway companies on how they should improve cycle-rail integration. It includes clear recommendations on 'U' shaped channels, which should run out at ground level, a key issue among cyclists at Cambridge station. It comes after the Minister announced an extra £7 million for cycle-rail integration earlier this year, on top of the new ...
In the early hours of yesterday morning, our daughter Matilda Alice was born at King's College Hospital in Camberwell. While the vast majority of my family on both sides hail from either Somerset or Devon, I recently learned that my great-grandmother's family, the Kuhlickes, lived in the wider Camberwell area throughout late nineteenth and early ...
The North Pier at Tynemouth runs out to sea for a 1000 yards. At the far end is a lighthouse, and on the morning I walked to it the fog horn was sounding and the lighthouse came and went in the mist. Across the river is the South Pier, which is even longer. You can see it emerging from the gloom here in a photograph taken from its northern sister. The two piers define the estuary of the Tyne. The old guide books talk of the constant stream of shipping that passed between them, but today the only ships you ...
This review appears in today's Liberal Democrat News. There are three more points I would have made if space had allowed. Secular politicians can find it useful to deploy the concept of religious offence. Pussy Riot, whose real crime was surely to attack Vladimir Putin, were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" - a charge that manages to combined elements of Soviet and Tsarist tyranny.Nick Cohen quotes the observation of Chris Dillow that those who are convinced that a secretive centralised state is bound to be inefficient are nevertheless convinced that style is the best way to run a ...
It's a wee while since I've been to Church. In my teens, I went a lot, as I'd become involved with a lovely group of evangelical Christians in Wick. I'd initially come to know them because they were about the only people in the whole school who didn't bully me but some have been lifelong friends. Even at the beginning, though, I felt that my instinctive liberalism was in conflict with what was asked of me as part of that group. A casual comment about how I was going home to watch the Snooker after youth group on a Sunday ...
As you may have heard on the news, the dig in Leicester to find the body of Richard III will begin tomorrow. The story was on the front page of the Leicester Mercury and there is a good report in the Daily Telegraph among many others. The dig is being conducted by archaeologists from the the University of Leicester, on whose website you can read more about the dig: The University of Leicester and Leicester City Council, in association with the Richard III Society, have joined forces to begin a search for the mortal remains of King Richard III. On ...
Two contrasting stories this week tells the tale of how we might approach the ever thorny issue of Press Freedom post-Leveson. We have Julian Assange using his soapbox on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to rally his troops that he is defending freedom of the press, i.e. his own Wikileaks website. Which is ironic considering Ecuador's record in its treatment of journalists and an independent press. We have The Sun boldly going forth and publishing photos of Prince Harry in Las Vegas. Julian Assange is wanted under the European Arrest Warrant to respond to allegations regarding rape. ...
Stumbled across this on YouTube a few days ago - David Frost with John Betjeman (among others) from 1968 with the Stones opening the show. Sadly parts 2 and 3 don't appear to be available. But enjoy anyway.
Why recycling is important. Story of Stuff, Full Version; How Things Work, About Stuff, You Tube, 21 minutes.
"A BIG congratulations to all those involved!" That's the message from local LIB DEM ward councillor, Darren Fower, who was asked by organisers of the Werrington Show to present this years awards. Click here for a list of the winners! Commenting, Cllr Fower said: "I've never seen so many top quality presentations of things like flower arranging, cookery, preserves and photography! I understand that there were around 665 entries received by organisers and that around 140 people, of all ages, visited Werrington Village Centre, which shows the commitment of our community to such events and facilities, which is great!" CLICK ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Lib Dem members split 47%-46% on whether Nick Clegg should fight 2015 election as party leader (54 comments) by Stephen Tall John Prescott should ignore this post. It asks you to think. (25 comments) by Stephen Tall What do we Lib Dems want from a reshuffle? (35 comments) by Stephen Tall Have I gone mad? (50 comments) by Mark Pack Opinion: It's time for Assange to stop using WikiLeaks as a smokescreen (88 comments) by Nick Sutton ...
"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.' For me, that time is now." These words of Lance Armstrong today have far reaching ramifications for cycling and the Tour de France. World Anti-Doping Agency chief John Fahey, said: "[Armstrong] had the right to rip up those charges but elected not to. "Therefore the only interpretation in these circumstances is that there was substance in those charges. "My understanding is that when the evidence is based upon a career that included seven Tour de France wins, then all of that becomes obliterated." Ullrich ...
So - what is a vomitory? Yes, I had assumed it was something that made you sick, but apparently it's also the name for an entrance or exit in a theatre. I must admit I had never come across it before, and it certainly isn't a word in use in the Rose Theatre where I can sometimes be found ushering. Yesterday I heard the word used in all seriousness in that second sense. I was attending a training session for team leaders at ExCel, and we were looking at the layouts of the arenas for the Paralympics and the positions ...
Come and LIGHT UP TRING for the PARALYMPIC TORCH RELAY as it passes through Western Road and the High Street, Tring on Tuesday night, 28th August. 10.00 P.M. REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE In St Peter and St Paul Church, Tring At the High Street Baptist Church On Church Square, Tring High Street Restaurants and pubs will be open. 10.45 P.M. LIGHTING THE BEACON Meet on Church Square to watch a beacon being lit on the church roof and then cheer the torch relay as it goes past. Bring a torch of your own! 11.09 P.M. TORCH ARRIVES (yes, it's that precise – ...
BOJO: "The real scandal would be if you went all the way to Las Vegas and you didn't misbehave in some trivial way," he told the BBC. — Royalist (@royalist) August 24, 2012
I've never met Katie Ghose. I'm sure she's a very nice person. But why am I still receiving e-mails from her under the auspices of the Electoral Reform Society as if last year's Yes2AV campaign never happened, and wasn't a disaster? I've kept quiet(ish) about this since last May apart from a brief rant shortly afterwards and I guess I have been hoping that even if there was not going to be a public accounting for what the campaign did wrong, at least behind the scenes there might have been some? But it's been 15 months now and Ms Ghose ...
Almost two years ago, a fortnight after my daughter confirmed her GCSE choices; Michael Gove announced his latest bright idea for the nation's schoolchildren. The English Baccalaureate was originally intended to 'be the equivalent of the old School Leaving Certificate', but the EBacc, as it became known, has turned into just another of Gove's personal follys, greeted with less than lukewarm enthusiasm by pupils, teachers, parents and employers. I'm all for pupils studying a good range of subjects, at a level that reflects their abilities and supports their future studies and career paths. But the EBacc does nothing for pupils ...
By Howard of Lib Dem News
From the 2011 England & Wales Census, it has been revealed that 39,200 relationships were edited/"corrected" due to an apparently invalid combination of relationships that would indicate a Polyamorous household. Firstly, I'll note they only did this where there was also a marriage or civil partnership involved – I.e. a triad or V where one side of the relationship has been legally recognised, so the figures will be low. Secondly, the reason the Census office edits these figures is because they believe in the majority of cases this is probably an error by those filling in the form. Still, the ...
There was but a single by-election contest taking place on Thursday 23rd August, a town council contest in Westhoughton, just outside of Bolton. Here's our special report on our gain from Labour in Hosker and Hart Common. This second by-election in Westhoughton (the first, in Chequerbent ward, was an Independent gain from Labour on July 26th) was, almost unbelievably, also caused by a Labour councillor's failure to attend any meetings for six months. The fact that two local Labour councillors had been disqualified for non-attendance within the space of a month gifted the local Lib Dem team an early campaigning ...
I have, in the past, touched upon my Parish Council's difficulties with social media, in particular the divergence of views between myself and our Chair, and the Parish Clerk. Our Chair is deeply suspicious of individualism, pleading collective responsibility as grounds to discourage personal commentary on the activities of the Parish Council. Given his background, such a stance is understandable, even as it vaguely bothers me. Our Parish Clerk is more interested in using our website to communicate, and has initiated a Twitter feed (@creetingstpeter) which occasionally broadcasts news of potential interest - flood warnings, local events and the like. ...
Cornwall Council has received a planning application to turn the old Railway pub in St Thomas Road into two flats and to turn the majority of the car park into a second hand car dealership. If you have a view on this or want to see the plans, you can do so on the Cornwall Council planning site - here. The reference number for this application is PA12/06988. Tweet
Liverpool's Liberal Democrats will call for urgent action on growing problems with private sector landlords at the next meeting of Liverpool City Council on 12th September. In a hard hitting resolution to be moved by Group Leader Cllr Richard Kemp ... Continue reading →
The Paralympics begin on Wednesday 29th August and Team GB is hoping to win even more medals than they did earlier this month. For the Olympics I ran a competition to guess the medal haul and with the Paralympics almost ... Continue reading →
Chris Bryant is not known for his subtlety. He frequently moans and rants, both online and in the House of Commons. Today he has decided to start his bank holiday weekend winging at outgoing MP Louise Mensch, criticising her for ... Continue reading →
Spotted in the window of a local charity shop was this clever poster which captures the two main reasons why people volunteer: People help both for what they get out of it (fun, learning a new skill, meeting others and so on) as well as what they know the cause gets out of it. Appealing to both motivations is what gets the most help (as explained further in Chapters 26-29 of 101 Ways To Win An Election).
Why did you join the third party? The party with no hope of winning the election? The party who now linger at 10% in the polls, under constant attack on all sides? Many commentators openly wonder why there is a Liberal Democrat party at all. In an unforgiving two-party system these doubts are not so easily dismissed: how is it that as a small, stubborn party polling just a core vote barely in double digits we are able to sustain our existence, and why do we? In brighter times it wasn't simply that we were persistent, or that there was ...
Wonder Woman And Superman Are A Couple Now OR Well, This Is Stupid « STRAITENED CIRCUMSTANCES: Tim Hanley on Wonder Woman and Women in Comics Nathanael's comment is excellent too (tags: ) Guest post: Batwoman: How Far The Mighty Fall | women write about comics I don't think the writing on Batwoman has slipped as far as this article does, but it has noticeably slipped. (tags: ) Review of Doctor Who 'Carnival of Monsters' (Series 10) Neela Debnath continues her series of reviews of old Doctor Who stories for The Independent (linking because OMG A NATIONAL NEWSPAPER IS PAYING A ...
The below press release from the Department of Communities and Local Government sets out a series of measures designed to open up local government, make decisions more open and reduce restrictions on reporting from meetings by the public. All seems to be good stuff - but the devil will be in the detail. A few thoughts: restrictions on people in the public gallery at meetings tweeting, blogging or even recording meetings has always been crazy. I hope that these changes fully, comprehensively and fully ensure no-one is barred from doing so in future. I've been to too many meetings - ...
In the months after the financial crisis in 2008, I recall a conversation with an American friend of mine; we discussed the fallout and numerous rescue packages by countries. Financial media outlets, such as Bloomberg and CNBC, described the capital injections into financial institutions as a sign we are "all socialists now" – according to my American companion, this was far from the truth. In reality, Western economies have turned the page to fascism, not socialism. When he mentioned this to me, I confess, it was rather amusing to listen to; very sceptical of such claims, until the request to ...
Today's Telegraph reports that former Labour Leader, Tony Blair's public duties since leaving office have cost the taxpayer £400,000 a year. They say that the former Prime Minister, who has become a Middle East envoy, continues to draw money from the public purse after leaving Downing Street five years ago: The bill to the public includes his maximum Prime Ministerial pension, which is worth around £70,000. He also receives £115,000 allowance to carry out his public work while his security team - including round-the-clock police protection - is believed to cost at least £250,000 a year, according to the Daily ...
As reported in last night's Evening Telegraph, I have condemned a highly irresponsible use of a laser pen last Sunday which was shone into the cockpit of the CityJet aircraft from London City coming into land at Dundee Airport. It was an incredibly stupid thing for someone to do and, speaking with a police representative at the West End Local Community Planning Partnership last night, I am reassured that Tayside Police is investigating the incident. I spoke on Wave 102 news about the matter this morning - click 'play' below to listen:
Just a reminder - you can still vote on my 'who is leaving the cabinet' poll. It's on the top right of the home page (if you are viewing on the mobile, scroll down, click on 'view web version' and you'll see the poll in the top right hand corner). Remember - you can vote for as many names as you like, but it's who you think WILL leave, not who SHOULD leave, which I think we all know are very different things... Have fun.
The first-ever Annual General Meeting of Friends of Riverside Nature Park takes place on Thursday 6th September at 6pm - details below - all welcome:A high quality PDF version of this poster can be downloaded by clicking here.
