[IMG: Spotify logo] For the last few weeks I've been trying out the music service Spotify. So far I've been impressed. I enjoy spending time creating playlists, often based around a theme or a mood, and exploring online music sources for tracks to put in them. Some of these end up becoming complicated productions as I spend ages trying to judge what would be the perfect track to fit in a particular musical sequence. Given that my sources tend to end up being iTunes and Amazon I have at times ended up spending too much money on this — if ...
Turning on the BBC, I was startled to see that the top television news story was about some sort of challenge to the authority of the Prime Minister. Complete with archive footage of Harold Macmillan talking about "a little local difficulty". What can have happened? Who has resigned? Who is in and who is out? The story so far: in 1958, Macmillan, as Prime Minister, was hit by the resignation of all three Treasury ministers, including the Chancellor, and responded with a display of his trademark 'unflappability' by embarking as planned on a Commonwealth tour and saying that he wasn't ...
In the past, I might have noted the concerns that my fellow parish councillors have traffic speed through our village. So, when the opportunity arose to nominate a member of the Stowmarket and District Road Safety Committee, I had rather expected one of my colleagues to step forward. Expectation is a funny thing though, so when it became apparent that there wasn't going to be a volunteer, I could see that my future would include the occasional debate about pedestrian crossings or road layouts. And it hasn't been so bad, made easier by the expert chairing of Keith Scarff and ...
The juxtaposition of the Number 10 cat, a dead mouse and Mr Yeo calling his boss out with reference to said rodent, has led to the odd comment on Twitter. Most recent from Isabel Hardman of the Spectator who said "I never met a mouse I liked. One ran up a boy's trousers leg when I was at school." And that in response to the inimitable Peter Mannion who had let us in to the astonishing revelation that "yes there was a tipexed outline marking spot of dead mouse found on Indie press office floor." All of which reminded me ...
Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, As his corse to the rampart we hurried; Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot O'er the grave where our hero we buried. We buried him darkly at dead of night, The sods with our bayonets turning, By the struggling moonbeam's misty light And the lanthorn dimly burning. Charles Woolfe's "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna" was once a widely memorised and recited poem. Moore won the 1809 battle, which formed part of the Peninsula War, but lost his life in the process. The bearer of the lantern (or ...
From The Guardian: Britain's wealthiest people should face an emergency tax to avoid a breakdown in social cohesion as the country fights an "economic war" caused by a longer than expected recession, Nick Clegg has said. In the first interview by a senior member of the cabinet to mark the new political season, the deputy prime minister told the Guardian he is embarking on a battle to persuade his Tory coalition partners of the need to ensure the rich shoulder a greater burden of the economic pain... "While I am proud of some of the things we have done as ...
This morning, I had the pleasure of touring the very impressive new entrance to the Matthew Building at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, on Perth Road, and at the invitation of the University of Dundee. The new entrance (pictured below) is nearing completion just as the new academic year is about to commence and it greatly enhances the Duncan of Jordanstone entrance. The next phase of improvements at Duncan of Jordanstone will see the upgrading of the plumbing system and the fire alarm system in the adjacent Crawford Building.Thereafter, I attended the latest committee meeting of the ...
Welcome to conference season. Nick Clegg has returned from his summer holiday's and is flexing his muscles. In an exclusive interview with The Guardian Nick Clegg is proposing a "time limited contribution" from the richest. Clegg is quoted as saying: ... Continue reading →
I'm surprised I didn't call a press conference and/or issue a press release on this but I have actually had a few people ask me what the latest was with my online dating adventures that I have blogged about previously. Well there is news but the retirement is not because of any great success. I have watched many people that I know have success in the online dating world and that has been heart-warming. I have seen these people say they are the happiest they have ever been thanks to online dating. However things have not exactly been the same ...
There was a genuine party atmosphere at Holmesdale Technology College on Thursday, with balloons, banners and a buffet laid on for 180 students collecting their GCSE results. Students, staff and families alike were whooping with delight as they learned that the number of Holmesdale students gaining 5 A*- C grades including English and Mathematics were up by a whopping 15% on the previous year to 55% overall, flying in the face of the well reported national trend which is downwards for the first time this year. Bucking the national trend, at Holmesdale there were A* and A grades across the ...
Students at The Malling School are once again celebrating their best ever GCSE results. There has been a full 10% increase in the number of students achieving 5 A* to C grades including English and Mathematics. With a 100% pass rate at A* to G, no student leaves the school without qualifications this year and many had exceeded their own expectations.
Tomorrow's Guardian has an interview with the Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister: Britain's wealthiest people should face an emergency tax to avoid a breakdown in social cohesion as the country fights an "economic war" caused by a longer than expected recession, Nick Clegg has said. In the first interview by a senior member of the cabinet to mark the new political season, the deputy prime minister told the Guardian he is embarking on a battle to persuade his Tory coalition partners of the need to ensure the rich shoulder a greater burden of the economic pain.You can read ...
Holmesdale Technology College's 2012 A level results are yet another barometer of all round improvements at the Snodland school. Initial figures indicate that 95% of students gained 2 or more A level passes, an increase of 3% on last year. 80% of students gained 3 or more A level passes. This figure represents a massive 17% on last year's results. The overall pass rate has increased by 4% on the previous year to 98%. The net result is that this year more Holmesdale students will be taking up well deserved places at university, in employment or in further training than ...
Liberal Youth has launched Bears for Belarus, a campaign to raise awareness of the Lukashenko dictatorship. "He was never destructive, but he spoke up when he wasn't happy and spent his time developing ideas. He had that winning combination of the sharpest of minds, the most liberal of hearts and the most determined of mindsets." Caron's Musings brings together some tributes to Donald Gorrie, the former Edinburgh Lib Dem MP who died last week. "Sure, the 2010 Tory campaign was riddled with mistakes and poor judgments, but that 37% is essentially the Tory ceiling. That's why Cameron wanted the boundary ...
South Cambridgeshire District Council is currently running a consultation on revising it's 20-year plan for new jobs and homes in the district. The Consultation started on the 12 July and runs until noon on Friday the 28th September (who picked noon?! I think someone has seen a few too many westerns... ) In addition to having a website where you can submit responses; http://www.scambs.gov.uk/ldf/localplan The District Council is also inviting paper responses via a form available from the above website (see here), and you can also choose to attend a number of public events across the Division; Monday 3rd at ...
The first episode of Radio 4's series Education Debates (last Wednesday at 20h00, still available on their "repeats" facility) was worth listening to, even if only to learn the astonishing fact that John Humphreys, who chairs the series and has terrified a host of prevaricating politicians on the Today programme, left school at 15 because he didn't like it. This first programme dealt with what should be taught. Sadly but perhaps inevitably most of the comment from the panel of experts consisted of predictable clichés, but one splendid head of an 11 to 16 school put up a strong case ...
During the last few days universities have been concentrating on Clearing, the process whereby students can find places in university courses in the days after they receive their A-level results, and change their plans if their A-levels are significantly different from predicted grades. The two weeks after results are published are also the period when universities find out whether they have been able to hit their admission targets, and since funding is increasingly determined by student numbers, it's a nerve-racking time, when those academics and administrators who handle admissions frequently get visits from colleagues with the question 'how are the ...
TV historian Dan Snow is the great great grandson of David Lloyd George.
Peter Kelner's latest commentary for YouGov makes sobering reading for Liberal Democrats: Most right-of-centre voters place the Lib Dems on the Left - and most left-of-centre voters place the party on the Right. Few voters feel that the party's ideological location is the same as their own. This is especially marked among voters who have switched from Lib Dem to Labour: they are overwhelmingly on the Left themselves, but feel that the Lib Dems no longer are. The problem the Lib Dems face is the opposite of the benefit they enjoyed at the height of Cleggmania two years ago. Then, ...
Tue 28th
18:15
In other news... Teather on pupil premium, State of play for Welsh Lib Dems & other stories
Here's a round-up of stories we haven't had time to cover on the site this past few days... Teather: Pupil premium 'changing the way schools think' (BBC) The Liberal Democrat MP and minister at the Department of Education Sarah Teather, said the policy is about "changing the whole way schools think". Speaking to The World At One, she said there is a "scandalous gap" between those from poor backgrounds and those from wealthier backgrounds. "[This is] about focusing money on the individual child regardless of where that child is," she told Martha Kearney. Under the policy, by this September schools ...
2:54 | The Official 2:54 website: US TOUR DATES SUPPORTING THE XX: twofiftyfour: We're extremely excited to announce our forthcoming US tour dates supporting The xx! We also have four of our own US shows: one in San Francisco, Toronto and two in New York x 10/11 San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar 10/12 Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Palladium ! 10/13 Los Angeles, CA -...
Filed under: catholic
Very soon, we'll see for ourselves how Armando Ianucci and co have transformed The Thick of It to take account of coalition. It has been away too long. I need to hear some good old fashioned Malcolm Tucker profanity again. The writers have been teasing us. Last week they gave out some information about the plot and this week, to whet our appetites still further, they have released a trailer. Enjoy!
We've seen big falls in crime in recent years, which has continued over the last few months. But, sadly, that doesn't mean crime's down to zero and we still need to be alert. A 17 year old male was punched and had his Blackberry stolen when walking from Belmont Road to the park at the end of Leyland Avenue/Sevenoaks Road in Gatley. The attack happened on August 19 at 8pm. Police describe the robber as a white male, aged 16 to 18, 5ft 10in tall and with a shaved head. This crime follows a pattern we're seeing right across the ...
Part 1 was posted on this blog yesterday. Thanks to voiceforchildren.
Back in the Spring the Lib Dems were pressing the Parks people to sort out an issue with the new toddlers' play area at Bruntwood Park – drainage was poor and it was getting waterlogged. It took a bit of time to get it right, but the problem was solved and we're grateful to the team who fixed it. So I took the rare opportunity of some decent weather to take the kids to Bruntwood Park today. We cycled over (by going along the shared pavement/cycle path on Kingsway, then under the Cheadle Royal roundabout straight onto the park, we ...
There are martyrs who will do anything for the Liberal Democrats ... except ask for help. They drive themselves to an early grave delivering thousands of leaflets, canvassing, and organising everything else in their local party. Nothing scares them ... except asking for help. They've bought into the myth that, supposedly, recruiting is something only a handful of experts can do, and they aren't an expert. Which is why the Bristol Regional Action Day on the 11th August was so encouraging. Fifty-plus people knocked and dropped residents surveys, delivered a ton of leaflets, and recruited a bunch of deliverers. Their ...
I've been mulling this post over for a while, ever since Jade Holden wrote a piece against a second question on her blog. I was glad to read that the fringe event at Scottish Liberal Democrat conference and my speech to the floor of conference, made her agree and excited to join the campaign against ...
Local Liberal Democrat city councillor, Darren Fower, says he's been contacted by several residents who are unhappy at the regularity of the lights being turned off at night along stretches of parkways in Peterborough. One individual, via the FixMyStreet website, asks, "Please can you tell me why half the parkway lighting is not working, its very off putting driving around at night.." Commenting, Darren said: "As the resident has used the FixMyStreet website, their message will have been passed onto the City Council and so we will have to wait and see what sort of response they get. I myself ...
21% reduction in street crime 18% reduction in violent crime 17% reduction in car crime 14% reduction in burglaries *Official figures released by GMP for the year 2011-2012 MANCHESTER LIBERAL DEMOCRATS have welcomed figures released by Greater Manchester Police that show that during the last year crime has fallen by 9% across Manchester. CRIME DOWN The reduction in crime was the largest decrease in the North West. Across England and Wales, overall crime was down 4.2%. Leader of Manchester Liberal Democrats, Cllr Simon Wheale said, "I welcome the reduction in crime across Manchester and the North West. Greater Manchester Police ...
Let the squirming commence... At least Tuckker is back.
I see that the Guardian's political reporting seems to be stuck in "stating the bleedin' obvious" mode at the moment. Not only is there the discovery that people think that George Osborne is liability to Tories but they also have the news that a senior Labour figure thinks that at some point in the future Labour might have to work with the Liberal Democrats; 'Peter Hain says Labour should get ready to do business with Lib Dems'. I mention this because the Guardian includes this startlingly silly quote from Hain; "It seems likely that the 'Orange Book' Lib Dem leadership ...
I've been highlighting some of the scary things Republicans have been saying as regards rape today and a friend of mine sent me something that shows that it's not just politicians from the US right who say stupid and dangerous things. Step forward Senator Morgan Femai from Zimbabwe. Hot on the heels of the Iranian clerics who blamed women wearing a bit of make up and mini skirts for earthquakes, in May a Zinbabwean senator said that beautiful women were to blame for HIV and they should be made to shave their heads and take fewer baths. Really. Well, it ...
This weekend I was trawling the blogosphere, trying to bring myself up to speed again and see what was going on. I was most disappointed to read the following quotation; It seems once again that those with a limited understanding of local history are trying to distort the Labour position on the Estuary Airport and claim we are 'scaremongering' the local public. This was clearly directed at me for my previous post. It is true I'm not a professional Politician, indeed I'm a trained historian, mainly of the Red-coated or Jackboot clad parts of history. However I was writing my ...
[IMG: Fish and Chips] Before the rise in popularity of Indian curries, kebabs and Chinese take aways, battered fish and chips were considered the British national dish. Rock salmon was a staple – among the cheapest offerings in fish and chip shops around the country. However, demand for "rock salmon" devastated the shark's population off the coasts of Britain and France, where the spiny dogfish is widely considered to be critically endangered. The Common Fisheries Policy was introduced by the European Union in the 1970s to ensure a profitable and sustainable fishing industry - an objective in which it has ...
I was disturbed to read in the MEN last weekthat women under the age of 25 are routinely turned away and denied a smear test by their general practitioner. Unprotected sex and protected sex is proven to cause the majority ... Continue reading →
Have you been inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games? If so, a special event to highlight the local sport and physical activity opportunities in Redcar will take place on Thursday, August 30. As well as finding out about local clubs there will be a range of free activities available for you to take part in, including; volleyball, orienteering, archery, hockey and Tees Valley Leisure will be operating a leisure challenge! Local sports clubs will be also be on hand to promote their club and the activities available. The event is being held at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar between ...
I think I've got it now. If enough Republicans say enough ridiculous and offensive things about rape, then Mitt Romney's position, which would radically reduce the rights of women to seek termination of pregnancy, might just look mainstream and moderate. Romney's position is anything but mainstream and it certainly isn't moderate. If he got his way, abortion would be illegal except in cases of rape, incest and where the life of the mother is in danger. The latest Republican to say something outrageous is none other than Romney's own ultra conservative running mate, Paul Ryan, again pointed out by the ...
After a short Bank-Holiday-induced delay, here's an update on what happened at the meeting at which the Lib Dems were challenging the decision by the Conservatives to pay 6 councillors £6K a year each extra for being appointed non-executive directors of the 3 limited companies that are wholly owned by Wokingham Borough Council. The committee considering this consists of 9 Tories, 2 Lib Dems and 1 Independent. The outcome overall was about as good as we Lib Dems had hoped, given that we had no expectation of any of the Tories voting against a decision by their own group, especially ...
There are reports today of the results of a long term study conducted in New Zealand which show a link between heavy use of cannabis before the age of 18 and a concomitant reduction in IQ levels. This is indeed worrying and it is a good thing that such a study has been conducted. I have not seen much political reaction to this yet but I am willing to bet a sizable amount of money that the bulk of it from the mainstream parties will be in the vein of "This is why cannabis needs to be kept illegal" and ...
This short review appeared in Liberal Democrat News a couple of weeks ago. A Cog in the Wheel Adelade Lubbock (edited by Sara Goodwins) Loaghan Books, 2012, £9.95 Adelaide Lubbock, the mother of the Lib Dem peer Eric Avebury, must have been quite a lady. Born in London, she spent much of her childhood in Australia where her father was the governor of Victoria. She returned to England and, the mother of a young family, became a professional singer and actress - she was appearing with the Crazy Gang when Word War II broke out. Rather than become an entertainer ...
At an ALDC conference a number of weeks ago now I was encouraged by Nick Clegg's call to be brave enough to "deal with our critics on our own terms" rather than accepting the (often false) basis for their criticisms and trying to explain away the difficult choices our party has had to make since May 2010. So it got me thinking: why not develop our own narrative about the issue that has arguably caused us the most grief? By accepting the premise of calling the charges incurred by students entering university from this year "tuition fees", we tacitly accept ...
BBC News - Wayne Soutter makes history with North Channel swim First person to swim from Scotland to Ireland (as far as we know). (tags: sport ) Amazon.co.uk: Customer Reviews: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) - Black Hilarious. (tags: funny ) My son's tattoo hurt me deeply | Life and style | The Guardian A psycho mother writes. (tags: psychology )
I have little time for science ignoring climate change deniers, and don't agree with most members of the GOP, but it is ridiculous that George Monibot of the Guardian thinks this is ok: If #Republican convention – mostly #climatechange deniers ... Continue reading →
For most people bank holiday is a relaxing extra day off, to be spent doing not very much with friends and family. Or dancing in the street in Notting Hill. Either way, it is not normally the time for attacking ... Continue reading →
I have enjoyed the pictures on the Ardnagashel blog, documenting contemporary life at a historical estate on Bantry Bay in west Cork. A little of its history in the care of the Hutchins family is described here. The family's origins were in Devon and Somerset; the estate came into their ownership in 1800, the year in ...
We're all pretty much agreed that it would be good if housing supply were a bit perkier. That is, perhaps, an understatement. The housing world is broadly united in the view that residential construction is currently in a parlous state, the housing supply deficit is chronic, and it lies at the heart of many of the housing affordability problems that have afflicted the UK housing system for a long time. Affordability is improving in many parts of the country and for certain types of household. But the continued shortage of mortgage finance means that many potential buyers are shut out ...
The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
What does it mean to have a right to a particular piece of property? This is a useful question. Understanding the way in which you conceptualise property rights can be an instructive way of gaining a fuller understanding of your own political intuitions. For example, in my pocket there is a pen, which I own. ...
On 15 August 2012, 14 Chinese from Hong Kong were arrested by Japanese coastguards in Diaoyu Islands by the East China Sea. Seven of the Chinese were returned to Hongkong by air on 17 August and another seven by boat on 22 August. Diaoyu (meaning "fishing" in Chinese) Islands are group of 5 very tiny islands situated in the East China Sea between Taiwan and Okinawa. Since the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese have used these islands as a military front against Japanese pirates and 17th century sources showed the maritime boundary to be between the Diaoyu (also known as the ...
Today's Independent sets out a compelling and insightful case as to why buying a home is so expensive and why prices continue to rise beyond the means of most of those seeking to get on the housing ladder. They say that an average three-bed house cost £2,000 in 1952. However, in 2012 it costs £162,000. That amounts to an inflation rate of 8,000%. Putting that into perspective, the average cost of a loaf of bread rose from 6p in 1952 to £1.25 in 2012, an inflation rate of 1,983%. An average pint of milk was 4p in 1952 and is ...
Tue 28th
09:15
Remember the teacher who said 'Sometimes ambitious children need to slow down'? Here's what happened...
Six months ago, a brief spasm of furore erupted following an article published in the TES by Jonny Griffiths, a maths teacher at Paston College in Norfolk. As I noted in this post at the time, it 'appear[ed] to show a lack of aspiration in the state sector for children to excel', and was alighted on as a prime example of how state schools let bright kids down. A few months passed, and I received an email from... Jonny Griffiths. It occasionally happens, with a Google-search resurfacing an article I'd more or less forgotten about, and the subject contacts me ...
Tue 28th
09:02
Scary Republicans Part 1 - comparing pregnancy from rape to having a child out of wedlock
As the Republicans gather in Florida for their Convention, they are all madly trying to make it sound as though they really aren't as bad as Todd Akin, the Missouri senate candidate whose assertion that you can't get pregnant from "legitimate rape" hit the headlines last week. Scarily, they don't seem to realise that they are just as bad, if not worse. Here we have, from the Huffington Post, a video of Tom Smith, a Republican Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, who dug a huge hole for himself when he compared pregnancy resulting from rape to having a child out of ...
In a mini series of posts I've been looking at the various Lib Dem "factions" (more like schools of thought than anything else) and so far I've looked at the Orange Bookers, Liberal Left and the Social Liberals. But now I'd like to have a brief look at how these factions interact with each other. The first problem with doing this is that the Social Liberals are a particularly ill-defined and fluid group with many people in it overlapping with those from the other groups. The second problem is that, with each "faction" actually being collections of like minded people, ...
It may only have been just over two weeks, but the Olympics seems to have been ages ago. A fortnight of sporting brilliance, in which Britain proved it could both efficiently organise and host the world's largest sporting festival and win bucket-loads of medals. Ah, the Games of the XXX Olympiad were truly Britain's Golden Fortnight... Should you still be suffering from the post-Olympic blues, fear not, it's just two days until elite sport returns to the East-End of London and just 18 hours to the Opening Ceremony of the XIV Paralympic Games. It's another chance for Britain to shine ...
Manchester City Council are going to consult on a new pay and display parking charging operation in Heaton Park. If introduced, it would mean that there was all year round charging in the park (at present it is just weekend and school holidays). The highest charge (presumably for the bulk of a day) will be £6.00. We are concerned that this will: - have a detrimental effect on the residential areas immediately outside the park. These areas already suffer from parking problems at peak periods, but if the charge is £6 a day surely this can only get worse. - ...
Doors Open Days takes place in Dundee on 22nd and 23rd September and there's many interesting local buildings to visit, some of which are not normally generally open to the public. In the West End, in addition to various University of Dundee buildings, Blackness Fire Station, Dundee Central Mosque, Dundee Rep, Maggie's Centre, Verdant Works, St Peter's Free Church and the Speedwell Bar, there's a number of new West End participating buildings for 2012 - Dundee Dental Hospital and School, Jericho House and the Vine. The Doors Open Days website is at http://www.doorsopendays.org.uk and details of Dundee activities is available ...
Before you echo Amen in your home or place of worship, think and remember. A child is listening.
