Members of the public turned out in strength to voice their disapproval of a planning application for a Petrol Filling Station on the site of the former Netto store, currently being run as a Morrison's store in Cemetery Road. The earliest decision on Planning Application CB/12/02909/FULL will be taken on 16 / 09 / 2012. The decision will be made by Central Bedfordshire Council. Apart from the Town Council, other consultees include a) Highways Team b) Rights of Way Officer - Central South c) Disability Discrimination Officer d) Public Protection South e) Bedfordshire Police. Public comments are encouraged; Click the ...
I went up to Trafalgar Square to see the Athletes Parade today. Like all the other Games Makers I was asked to wear my uniform for one last time, and as usual complete strangers smiled and chatted with me. The main question they asked was why I wasn't in the Mall with other Games Makers. I explained that there was a ballot for tickets for the Mall, and only 9000 out of the 70,000 volunteer Games Makers were lucky - I wasn't one of them. But not all volunteers at the Games were Games Makers - that was the name ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. May I give a special welcome to the new readers that we have this week.Thank you for the feedback on last week's newsletter. More than one person contacted me to ask why there was nothing about the proposed Toton development in it and I'm afraid that this was a pure error on my part. I'll start with that today. 1. TotonThe developers who want to build a new housing estate in Toton have come back ...
Jeremy Thorpe, Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, a butcher from Kingstanding, Margaret Thatcher, Cyril Smith, Hester Smallbone, David Steel, Enoch Powell... And proof it was true even 38 years ago that, whoever you vote for, David bloody Dimbleby gets in.
Just a quickie for now. I brought back from Hungary two bottles of white wine from Thummerer in the east of the country. They specialise in reds, but I liked their whites better. One bottle is now finished and it was marvellous - crisp and quite dry but grapey. It's not normally on sale in the U.K., but is in some other foreign countries. It's EGRI KIRALYLEANYKA (can't do the accents). This may seem like a commercial, but I don't do commercials and this isn't one. It's just an excellent white.
In the course of a characteristically sparky performance in the Commons last week, making a statement on House of Lords reform and answering questions, Nick Clegg uttered said something that worried me: For now, the immediate decision for the Government is how we fill the gap in the legislative timetable. We will bring forward measures to promote growth—the Government's priority and my priority—and the Prime Minister and I will shortly be announcing details of that package.This seemed to constitute a tacit acceptance that it was foolish to pursue reform of the House of Lords at a time when the economy ...
Black Dog in the Mail on Sunday provides an insight into the character of Andrew Mitchell, the new Conservative chief, er, whip: New Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell spent much of last week trying to live down his Rugby schooldays nickname of 'Thrasher'. It won't be easy. Fellow ex-pupils say that by the time Mitchell became head of house at Rugby in the Seventies, all the boarding houses had abolished beatings - except one, Tudor, where self-proclaimed disciplinarian Mitchell was in the all-powerful position. 'The cool set had a spliff in one hand and a Hendrix LP in the other,' said ...
As East Midlands Diversity Champion, Issan Ghazni met this week with members of Boston and Skegness Liberal Democrats to look at ways of promoting diversity, inclusivity and more effective engagement of both existing minority members of the party and from ... Continue reading →
Head to Head is a BBC Radio 4 series in which Edward Stourton revisit broadcast debates from the archives, exploring ideas, the great minds behind them and echoes of the arguments today. This morning's programme - which will be available on BBC iPlayer for the next week - dealt with an encounter between the philosopher Sir Karl Popper and the neurophysiologist Sir John Eccles. It was not exactly a debate, as the two were in agreement, but it examined Popper's idea of falsifiability as a criterion for what is or is not science. As a young man Popper had been ...
Fugar Bar is a historic area of my ward which was the crossroads of the Tanfield Railway, the oldest railway in the world, the turnpike road to Consett, now the A692, and a possible medieval road that connected various great houses in the area. One of those great houses was Fugar House which, alas, was demolished in the 1950s before serious consideration was given to protecting historic
I was going to try to write something special for this thousandth post, but actually my head is full of writing that isn't really appropriate. I'm currently working on something that won't be out for a year, that I can't seralise here, and that I can't talk about yet. I'm also planning my post on ...
Regular readers of The Rambles of Neil Monnery will have no idea who Sam Ficken is. As I'm kind I shall put you out of your misery. Sam Ficken is a student-athlete who attends Penn State University. He is the kicker on their football squad. He had what you might call a rather bad day on Saturday. When I say bad day I'm talking like he did a Ronnie Rosenthal but not just the once – several times during the game. You felt for him but despite the loss so much felt so right. Ever since the Jerry Sandusky sex ...
Today's results: Hb 10.3 g/dL [13.0-16.5] WBC 4.2 10^9/L [4.0-11.0] Neutrophils 2.2 10^9/L [2.2-6.3] Platelets 384 10^9/L [150-450] So the platelets are well inside the normal range and the Hydroxycarbamide is to continue as at present, with the next test in 6 weeks' time. Dr L wasn't prepared to say anything about my likely span of useful existence and I think there is a collective reluctance to make even rough predictions about patients with the W515L mutation, because the records don't cover enough of them to achieve statistical validity.
If there ever had been any doubt as to whether Boris Johnson was on a collision course with the Prime Minister the it has been dispelled by this article in today's Telegraph. They report that the London Mayor is to defy David Cameron by holding a rival inquiry into the future of aviation capacity which will specifically exclude a third runway at Heathrow. They say that the "call for evidence" will hear from airlines, airport operators, local authorities and aviation experts, gleanings their views on his proposal for a new airport in the Thames estuary or expansion on alternative sites ...
In amongst the fall-out from the reshuffle last week at Number 10, another reshuffle was somewhat lost in the news. In Scotland, Alex Salmond decided it was time to change things around a bit in Bute House - though unlike David Cameron, it was more a case of rearranging the deckchairs than bringing in new furniture. The only departure of note was Bruce Cameron, along with two junior ministers, and in all those cases it was for genuine personal reasons. However, the big change was the move of Nicola Sturgeon - Deputy First Minister – from Health to take charge ...
the winning sunflower with its victory garland On Saturday, I enjoyed taking part in two prizegiving ceremonies at Rock Road Library, where prizes and awards were given to young readers and gardeners. The Friends of Rock Road Library have run a Sunflower Competition for local children. Back in March, children planted the sunflowers in the library garden, which is maintained by the Friends. The grower of the best ones was awarded a prize in the form of a signed book by celebrated local children's author Martin Jenkins. Martin's books include "Grandma Elephant's in Charge", "Chameleons Are Cool", "Gulliver" (an adaptation ...
Mon 10th
15:04
Cable and Balls cosy sofa body language - while Cable is (reportedly) at loggerheads with his Tory m...
There is wall-to-wall Cable in the papers today. Vince Cable will make a statement in the Commons this afternoon about industrial strategy. The Telegraph says he will "hold the hand" of certain growth industries and encourage them to have a "Team GB" mentality – Learn from Team GB's success, Cable tells businesses. The FT says Cable will light a "red tape bonfire". ...Whereas the Guardian, (apparently) au contraire, says Cable rebuffs Tory right on dergulation. There will be no "fire at will" though, says Cable, putting him at loggerheads with his new minister Michael Fallon – Independent – Cable on ...
Aldi's communications consultatants have written to your local councillors letting us know about their consultations on the proposal to open a new Aldi superstore on Bury New Road (current site of HPL Motors). Apparently 102 people have responded to the consultation and 77.4% are either unanimously supportive or supportive with comments. I know many people have raised concerns about whether another supermarket is appropriate for Prestwich, and also whether Bury New Road can cope with another major traffic source. What do you think? Let me know as your local Councillor or you apparently you can email feedback@consultations-online.co.uk.
Brilliant. Tom Holland's Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic is simply brilliant. An account of the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, ending with the first emperor Augustus, the book makes full use of the cast of fascinating characters, including Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, to give us narrative history at its best. As Holland acknowledges at the start of the book, the range of surviving evidence makes our knowledge of the times somewhat lopsided, dominated by the writings of a small number of powerful Roman men. It is as if writing a history of the Second ...
COUNCIL 6th September 2012 Agenda Item 6 Question submitted by Councillor Brodie-Browne to the Cabinet Member - Older People and Health (Councillor Cummins) Can the Cabinet Member comment on the late issuing of bills for home care which are reported to be several months in arrears? This is causing elderly users of the service concerns. Response: I do recognise and apologise that bills for certain adult services are subject to delay. This situation has risen for a number of reasons:- • Staffing difficulties within the Financial Assessment Team in Adult Social Care. • The Council has taken on responsibility for ...
In responding to Archbishop Desmond Tutu's call for Tony Blair to face the International Criminal Court, I made clear my view that the 2003 Iraq invasion was an illegal - and criminal - act of aggression. John Rentoul of the Independent on Sunday angrily disputed this on the BBC World Service's "World, Have your say", and other commenters here on LDV have asked for an outline of my reasoning. Aggression - known at Nuremburg as "crimes against peace" and "aggressive war" at the Tokyo trials - has been a crime under customary international law since at least the 19th century. ...
Hey! This is cool - Select and Speak - works really well on my PC in Chrome browser. Highlight the text on a web page, click the button, and have it read out loud back to you. Select Options, and select from a range of over 40 language accents in male and female voices, and change the speed of speech delivery, too. Used in conjunction with Google Translate, you could even have a free "learn-a-language" tool.
Tory Councillors in Northumberland last week attempted to get the council to adopt an anti-windfarm policy which, if implemented, would almost certainly have put the authority on the wrong side of the law and opened it up to expensive legal challenges in the courts. The Tories in the county, with ever more threadbare credentials on green policies, were however, not entirely united in their
Reece Edmends is a new member of the party. Here, he discusses his reasons for joining. On Sunday 25th August, I joined the Liberal Democrats, which must make me one of the party's newest members. Furthermore, I've only been a definite supporter of the party for (let's see) a good two or three years. So, ...
One challenge faced both by Cambridge cyclists and motorists is finding somewhere to park in central Cambridge. The lack of places to lock a bike up securely in town is one of the key factors in the high level of bike theft in Cambridge, so I am pleased that the Lib Dems on the Council are proposing an extra 1,000 more spaces. The proposal is to spend half a million pounds on parking for up to 1,000 bikes in on-street or 'just off' street locations, and to identify places for a third new cycle park like the one in the ...
Why was I not surprised? The knee-jerk, short-sighted reaction of Tory backbenchers to dwindling airport capacity was simple: Bung another runway onto the sprawling tarmac at Heathrow. The airport already pumps out pollution and noise affecting hundreds of thousands of people and a moment's respite lasts 90 seconds until the next jet swoops from the skies. It would be hilarious, if the Conservative rabble-rousing on the matter were not so serious. I then have to sit down for a moment on realising the man leading the charge is the head of the parliamentary climate change committee. Tory Tim Yeo, a ...
Horrifying prospect that Alzheimer's may follow the explosion that our society has seen in people suffering Diabetes. Our societies high calorie, fatty, sugar and salt rich diets have seen an explosion in Diabetes but research is now suggesting that the next stage of this explosion will see rocketing numbers suffering from Alzheimer's. I sincerely hope they're wrong. But if they're right the implications could be devastating. Huge increases in the number of people with dementia with all the heart ache for family and friends and costs for society. Five a day seems lame against this.
A lot of funding for all sorts of projects has always come from external bodies. This is Stockport Council's regular newsletter to let groups know what potential funding is out there, from the Government's High Street Challenge X-Fund to Comic Relief. If you want to receive the newsletter directly, or get more information or how your organisation might access funds, contact the Council's Funding and Programmes Team on 0161 474 3748. This and previous newsletters can be found on the Council website. Stockport Council Funding News, Sept 2012
Despite the fantastic weather this weekend, don't worry winter is on its way, how can you tell, well pick up any newspaper today and you will no doubt be able to read how unions mainly public sector are planning to go on strike, coordinating action for maximum pain to those of us in the wealth creating side of the economy If that isn't enough you can expect a never ending stream of ungrateful union officials and others bleating about cuts, one thing they won't be worried about is the plight of the those in the commercial sector who have seen ...
Another day, another silly MP tweet: Delighted to have followed Mike Penning to Northern Island as his PPS — Alec Shelbrooke (@AlecShelbrooke) September 10, 2012 Update: Dam you auto correct. Northern Ireland not Island!!!! — Alec Shelbrooke (@AlecShelbrooke) September 10, ... Continue reading →
This morning a range of quotes are emerging, said by senior Lib Dems over the weekend, that are rather bizarre and attention seeking. First of all, Vince Cable 'did a Farron' on Marr yesterday , as Tim Montgomerie blogged: "[Cable] ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Twitter logo] Welcome to the latest in my roughly annual series of posts looking at how Liberal Democrat MPs are doing on Twitter. As with any league tables, the figures should be taken with a pinch of salt, all the more so given the vagaries of attempts to boil down someone's Twitter use into a single figure (see Am I really more influential than Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg? for more on that). When you are comparing like with like, such as MPs with other MPs, the figures can be useful even so. Like Klout, PeerIndex gives a rating ...
A good memory is both a blessing and a curse. I recall 1997 very clearly: I was 25 years old and just getting started. At the time, I lived in my parents' home in west London. My bedroom was on the top floor of the house and from my window I could see the rooftops ...
The Guardian has been busy digging into three internet episodes revolving around the new Conservative party chairman, Grant Shapps: 1. Google blacklists websites run by family of Grant Shapps Google has blacklisted a network of websites run by the family of the newly promoted Tory party co-chairman, Grant Shapps, for breaching its rules on copyright infringement. A string of at least 19 sites run by the wife, sister or 75-year-old mother of Shapps have been banned from carrying Google's adverts and been relegated to the bottom of its search results. 2. Grant Shapps altered school performance entry on Wikipedia The ...
Whenever I try and be smart and use the internet remotely from a secret location there's always a cock up and I fluffed CoG 1 so here is how it was meant to look. Sorry everyone Yesterday morning I was temporarily excited that I'd received an email from Nick Clegg. I was hoping that I'd finally been recognised and was being lifted from servitude... then I realised it was a generic message. Anyway, here it is; Dear Chris, As you may have seen on the news, I've announced an ambitious package to get growth and housing building going. This ...
The next meeting of the Prestwich Township Forum takes place on Thursday 20 September 2012, at 6.30pm, at the Longfield Suite. All members of the public are welcome to attend. The next Six Town Housing 'Neighbourhood Matters' meeting is to be held at the Heaton Park working mens club on September 24th between 6.00pm & 8.00 pm if you require any further information please contact Claire Rogan at Sixtown Housing on 686-8000.
Chris Coltrane - Atos: A Privatised Service Provider In A Post-Satire World. (tags: ) Daily Dot | The demise of a social media platform: Tracking LiveJournal's decline (tags: ) Rev. Emily C. Heath: How to Determine If Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened in Just 10 Quick Questions (tags: ) What's wrong with Charity Workfare? (tags: ) Rape, abortion and the fight for women's rights in Turkey | Elif Shafak | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk Horrible article, and the comments below are the usual CiF clusterfuck nightmare, but this stuff needs to be known about. (tags: ) Is your ...
Mon 10th
08:45How much should we tax? How much should we spend? The great unanswered questions in British politics
A few weeks ago I took David Laws to task for proposing the UK needs to reduce public spending to 35% of GDP: it currently stands at 43%. I stand by the three points I made then: 1) Just because public spending is higher in the C.21st than in Gladstone's day is not in itself a sufficient argument. 2) Proposals for public spending cuts should be backed up by specific examples. (It's a favourite trick of Conservative right-wingers in particular, for example, to preach spending restraint while also wanting to build new prisons and buy new weapons systems.) 3) There ...
There was a fascinating poll published in The Guardian this weekend showing that 77% of MPs do not think current drugs policy is working but that only 31% of them would consider relaxing the current laws. This was done in secret of course. Had they been on the record I suspect far fewer would have put their heads above the parapet. As I often do with the articles I had a flick through some of the comments below, the vast majority of which were sensible pleas for relaxing of the laws. But one stood out for me in particular (from ...
So, unless they suddenly remember a third set of sporting events they'd agreed to hold in London this year, that's it for the 2012 Games. There's been a lot of talk about how we can carry forward all the good feeling and the spirit of the Games, but rather than go into a general 'why the Olympics and Paralympics prove we must support my politics' piece I wanted to look at sport on TV, following on from this post I wrote during the Olympics about BBC Sport. I was prompted into it by noticing that while Channel 4′s coverage of ...
Today is the World Health Organisation's World Suicide Prevention Day. As part of National Suicide Prevention Week World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity to raise public awareness of this serious and sensitive issue, in a focussed and active way. You can read more about Scotland's national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotlandby going to www.chooselife.net.
A new planning application has been received which is within the local area as detailed below:- Application number: 55604 Type of application: Full Date Registered: 31/08/2012 09:49:46 Location: 7 Mardale Close, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2RG Proposal: First floor extension at side (re submission) Plans will be available to view on the Council's website. Should you require further details please contact the case officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho on: 0161 253 5323.
