Well, actually, thirty years and two days ago, the first commercial CD was releasedvia. Which got me thinking. I bought my first CD player, and my first 2 CDs, on holiday in France (I'd been saving up for ages to buy one but the holiday cottage Dad'd rented was so horribly remote we were dying of boredom in the evenings). They were: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Art of Noise The Best of The Art of Noise I was approximately 16, so this was roughly 1990. I've still got both. What was the first CD you ...
At long last another step forward. Today Stockton Council issued the necessary notice, granting permission to demolish the burnt out shops. I've spent a lot of time in recent weeks working with council officers to try to find a way to speed matters up and finally this announcement came today. Of course it's only the next stage. Getting rid of the burned and charred remains will make a huge
The graphic designer Miljenko Licul first made his name working for commercial and public companies in Tito's Yugoslavia, but it was Slovenia's declaration of independence 21 years ago that really provided him with a niche. Born in Pula, Croatia, Licul had by then been living for some time in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana and he successfully tendered ...
With the plaudits from pundits across the political spectrum ringing in his ears, Ed Miliband must be pretty pleased with his conference platform speech. Interestingly, I listened to it on the radio and it came across much less well - the confidence was missing and the oratory more faltering. But whether you saw it on the telly box or listened to it on the wireless, what did come across was a complete lack of awareness of the culpability of Labour (and Mili minor) for most of the issues which came under his criticism. A widening gap between rich and poor, ...
In addition to visiting a number of constituents today on a variety of issues, I also: * Participated in the City Council's Waste to Energy Plant Working Group meeting at which there was a lengthy discussion about Dundee Energy Recycling and the forthcoming reinstatement of the plant at Baldovie, following a fire in May of this year. * Attended the October meeting of the Community Spirit Action Group, the community group for the "north" part of West End Ward, coering Tullideph, Pentland, Ancrum and the Cleghorn area. There was a very detailed and interesting presentation by Kathy Longmuir of the ...
A win for Powys in the shape of the County Times: Rogue cow causes chaos in Welshpool as police cordon off street
It is one of the most used put downs in politics "you're/you're party are out of touch". The reason it is so popular is simple, it is easy to say, hard to prove otherwise* and can be thrown as an insult at anyone any time without the responsibility of actually finding a criticism in your rivals policy through research or a policy of your own that would stand up to examination. No all that have
Two ideas have emerged in recent days, one of which I can support and one I can't. First the good news. Leicester's elected mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is talking about opening a museum and visitor centre to mark the discovery of Richard's bones (if they are Richard's bones) in the city. According to the Leicester Mercury (though it is not clear on what authority) one of the buildings under consideration is the old Alderman Newton school, which stands right next to the Greyfriars site where the bones were found. It is shown above in a photo I took on one ...
This post isn't even meta. It's meta-meta. Meta2, if you will. It's about bloggers blogging about blogging. And in case that's not niche enough for you, it starts off about Lib Dem bloggers blogging about Lib Dem blogging. On the plus-side that bit will only take 250 words and then I give vent to 3 reasons why I still Twitter (aka love blogging more than Twitter). Lord Bonkers' alter ego Jonathan Calder — "the Lib Dem blogfather" as I once, rightly, termed him — kicked it all off, picking up on my remarks at the recent LibDemVoice Blog of the ...
In many ways the Liberal Democrat conference felt more at peace with itself last week. It was not just that it was rediscovering its mission-talking seriously about enhancing liberty through redistribution of assets -Land tax and employee ownership- but rather that it was doing these things in the context of asserting its identity with far more confidence that it has in recent times. One thing was missing-the rest of the world! I can't ever remember a time when Liberal have believed that the international dimension was not central to our thinking and policy making. This detachment from the international dimension ...
Colin Rose, Consett's roundabout artist, will be at St Patrick's Hall from 10.30 till 2.00 on Saturday October 6th. There will be display material about the roundabouts project and Colin himself will be there to meet people and answer any questions about what is a really exciting project. I know there will be plenty of people willing to question whether it's a good way to spend money in the present climate, but having levered in private company money as well as contributions from a range of different pots I'm looking for a really positive result. It will be good to ...
Gibraltar has moved a step closer to becoming a member of UEFA after they were admitted on Monday as a provisional member at a meeting of the European football governing body's Executive Committee in Russia. Unsurprisingly, the Spanish were not happy and immediately declared they will contest the decision with Spanish Sports Minister Jose Ignacio Wert reportedly telling Spanish TV broadcaster
Sorry for the relative lack of updates, but I've been travelling, unwell, and going to a few gigs, as well as working on the novel. (I actually had to take today off work ill because the mild cold I had set off my asthma and kept me awake all night). There *will* be an extra-special-super-double-length ...
Police reported 7 calls since the last meeting in May. Fortunately none was recorded as an actual crime on the estate. More worryingly, in the Blackhill and Shotley Bridge area there were a couple of disturbing reports, one about an attempt to entice an eight year old girl into a car, the other a heavy knocking on a door where a wire and a magnet were found at the scene. In both cases the incident was not reported until some time after the event, which makes investigation more difficult for the police. If you see or hear anything suspicious please ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19795642 "The UK economy returned to growth in the third quarter, according to the British Chambers of Commerce. Based on its survey of 7,593 UK firms, the BCC says the economy grew by 0.5% between July and September, after three consecutive quarters of contraction.The BCC said it did not agree with the Office for National Statistics' "gloomy estimation" that the UK has been in recession for the whole period." http://jiltedgeneration.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/growth.html I like being right. :)
Wed 3rd
18:55
Another idea Ed Miliband is supporting that Liberal Democrats have heard - and done - before
In Saturday's Times (£), Ed Miliband talked about helping poorer households with their fuel bills. His "unprecedented scheme" where the party will mobilise communities to buy electricity at lower prices than individuals could manage. The scheme will be run by iChoosr, which will negotiate on consumers' behalf with big power companies. The more people who sign up, the harder the bargain they will be able to drive. It will be tried out in three areas, starting next month, with the aim of securing cheaper bills by the New Year. Volunteers will leaflet the pilot areas with an emphasis on reaching ...
... in perfect harmony. Grow apple trees and honey bees... Actually, I wouldn't. But someone really needs to explain the 'new media' to him. As at 6 p.m. this evening, the blog on his website read; Another Post August 28th, 2012 by admin This is just another blog post... test??? Posted in Uncategorized Hello world! August 22nd, 2012 by admin Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! Posted in Uncategorized You're not taking this seriously, Tim, so explain why I should take your candidacy seriously?
The leader of the Alliance Party David Ford has issued an apology following the way only half his party voted in line with the party policy on marriage equality on Monday and one actually voted against. I would also like to apologise to anybody who was unhappy with the outcome of the vote on the Assembly motion on equal marriage. I recognise that many people, particularly those in the LGBT community, are disappointed that not all Alliance MLAs voted in support of the motion. At the September meeting of our Party Council, an overwhelming majority of 81% voted for our ...
Last week saw the regular spectacle of various people cooing over a list of 'the most influential Liberal Democrats' compiled by someone who has nothing to do with the party and seemed to be little more than a list of 'Liberal Democrats I've heard of' coupled to a random number generator. While the sensible reaction to that would be to draw up an alternative list with a properly defined ranking system that's open to scrutiny and challenge, it would also be the time-consuming one, so I chose to do something silly instead. And thus, I present to you the five ...
It's amazing what you miss in this ever-changing, fast-moving world we live in. But you'd think that I might have caught this... The notion of a 'Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee', dated 23 May 2001, is not, I admit, likely to be a serious e-download, any time soon (there are lots of references to discipline, but little sex, I suspect). On the other hand, the phrase that follows, "Tax policy in the European Union - priorities for the years ahead", might just ring alarm bells in some quarters. So, ...
What should a liberal make of the Arab Spring as it becomes a bloody winter? The recent wave of violent protest at a mindlessly Islamophobic YouTube video is not an isolated incident. In Tunisia in June, hardline Salafists attacked an art gallery and a trade union office. Since Egypt's revolution there have been regular attacks on Egypt's Coptic Christian minority. An Islamist-dominated panel reviewing Egypt's constitution is likely to water down women's rights, making child marriage easier and withdrawing from international conventions protecting women and children(£). Husni Mubarak, Egypt's former President, must be wailing "I told you so" from his ...
Today the Liberal Democrats have released what they hope will be a devastating new poster, featuring Ed Labour leader Ed Miliband as a banker's lapdog. It is quite frankly, rubbish. Not only is it poor politics (banker bashing is, like, ... Continue reading →
Cllr Allan Knox, Leader of the Opposition, has submitted a motion that will be debated at the meeting of Ribble Valley's Full Council on Tuesday 9th October, that addresses future workings of ESAG – the organisation responsible for providing safety advice to events in the Ribble Valley. The motion is as follows: Council notes with regret the announcement of the cancellation of Clitheroe bonfire. Council also notes the advisory nature of ESAG. Council calls upon the Chief Executive to review ESAG's policies and procedures to ensure that all advice it provides is done in a constructive and timely manner. Council ...
Wed 3rd
15:38
Exciting times at Southport College, a Green Technology Centre, a big boost in apprenticeships and H...
Yesterday I paid a visit to Southport College. I must admit that it is some years since I was last at the college and I was really quite inspired by what I saw. There was so much I could put in this posting but I want to stick to just three items: apprenticeships, The Green Technology Centre, and the exciting new Higher Education Centre. Now for some time I have been banging on about apprenticeships. Where I grew up in Warwickshire we were surrounded by the manufacturing heartland of country. Many of the people I went to school left at ...
An email has just dropped into my inbox which makes some interesting comparisons and which I have used as the basis for this blogpost: Both Alec Robertson and George Eustice have appeared on Radio Cornwall and argued that Cllr Robertson and his Cabinet were justified in refusing to accept the legitimacy of the vote on privatisation because an unusually small number of councillors were present at the full council meeting on September 4th 2012 and this somehow invalidated the result of the vote. 73% of councillors attended the debate and voted or chose to abstain and the motion was passed ...
Nick Clegg is on a trade mission to Turkey today, and has announced £500m of business deals and £1m of funding for the Turkish Red Crescent in Syria. He wrote this morning in Turkey's Sabah newspaper, on the Turkish economy, trade between Turkey and the UK, visas for Turkish travellers, and the the response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. You can read the article in Turkish over at Sabah; the English translation is below: This summer for a few, glorious weeks the United Kingdom became the centre of the world as we hosted the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. ...
On the 18th August I wrote about the success of FirstGroup in winning the franchise for the West Coast Main Line. I did not understand how this company could do so much better than the current provider, Virgin, and shortly afterwards we heard that Virgin didn't understand it either. Now the Government don't understand it. The Department of Transport tell us today that the contest was flawed but Richard Branson knew that the system was "flawed and insane for some time". I know that it is an expensive mistake and just paying the four companies back for the cost of ...
The Lib Dems have for some years been working on improving the Kingsway junction – built back in 1959, far too small by modern standards and one of the busiest junctions in Greater Manchester. The left-turn lane from Gatley made a difference. The new slip road off the motorway, and the timing change at the lights that will follow, should make a big difference when it goes in later this year. Now the Lib Dems are proposing changing the lanes northbound, which could cut up to seven minutes off the journeys of people travelling into Manchester along Kingsway. Think about ...
The UK Border Agency's recent decision to hire G4S and Serco to deliver the housing scheme for asylum seekers is not only a bad one in its own right. It is symptomatic of the deep inadequacy of an organisation that exists purely to deal with people, but which lacks the same standards and people-focused ethos we expect of other organisations responsible for looking after human beings. Last week we discovered that asylum seekers in the Midlands have had their doors painted red by the company responsible for housing and accommodating them, G4S. G4S did not think this would be a ...
I watched Ed Miliband's speech yesterday and, to give him his due, it's one of the best speeches I'd heard him deliver. He was much more confident and positive than he has been in the past. His delivery improved and some of his ideas sat quite comfortably with me - I certainly didn't sit through the speech feeling nauseous like I inevitably will when Cameron makes his speech next week. How could you possibly argue against us all being one nation? Those words, of course, have a particular resonance up here where we face a referendum which could split us ...
Yesterday, you will recall, I was somewhat bemused by a contact from a woman claiming to be acting on behalf of David Icke. When I left off, I had just discovered that there is an apparent market of people who think the same way that he, and the Liberal Democrat Voice team, think. I wasn't immediately convinced... From:Mark Valladares [mailto:markv233[at]aol[dot]com] Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 11:21 AM To: Jessica Oiler Subject: Re: Cooperation opportunities enquiry Dear Jessica, Having reviewed the website in question, it is unclear to me as to how, exactly, we fall within the same sector, although your ...
Wed 3rd
13:36Kirsty Williams AM writes: Welsh Liberal Democrats will fight for more for disadvantaged children
Yesterday the Welsh Labour Government submitted its £15 billion draft budget which reveals its spending plans for the next year. In its current form, the Welsh Liberal Democrats cannot support this budget as we don't believe it goes far enough to tackle the problem of making sure that children from deprived backgrounds get the fair start in life they deserve. Last year, the Welsh Liberal Democrats vastly improved the Welsh Government's budget by agreeing to support it in return for the introduction of a Welsh Pupil Premium. Despite failing standards in our schools and an ever growing spending gap per ...
So Branson has got his way after all. The franchising for the West Coast Main Line has been scrapped after "significant technical flaws" were discovered following a review by the Department for Transport. This has to be viewed as a significant victory for the Virgin boss. He was very active in the media in the days following the initial announcement of the awarding of the franchise to First Group and it is almost certain these flaws would not have come to light had it not been for his campaign and the threat of legal action forcing the DfT to review ...
Labour conference delegates and Manchester residents will see an interesting sight as they pass the Conference Centre. With many thanks to Liberal Democrat Kat Dadswell for tweeting the picture, the Voice brings to you: After Ed Miliband's "one nation" speech yesterday, the Liberal Democrats fight back with a graphic demonstration of how much income tax has been cut for those earning the minimum wage. Struggling low paid workers handed £1018 to Alistair Darling in 2010. Their tax bill will be just £573 in 2013. This is part of the Fairer Tax campaign which you can join here. * Newshound: bringing ...
They say those who can't, teach. Well I'm living proof boys and girls. I don't have the chutzpah to pull off online dating very well however I can offer some advice on how to do it far better than I ever did. I know all the theory but putting it into practice in a different kettle of fish. I will give a quick overview of the online dating scene to give novices a bit of a heads up. First of all men and women are different. I know people who want to talk about equality all the time don't want ...
What to make of Ed Miliband's speech to the Labour Conference yesterday? I did not see it. On reading that it lasted 65 minutes I'm afraid I ducked out of watching it or reading transcript. So what I am relying on is a very indirect impression – much as the rest of the public gets. One thing is clear: it was a big success. This shows that Mr Miliband is a leader who learns from his mistakes, and is consistently raising his game. In my view Labour are now odds-on to win the next General Election with a full majority. ...
This week is the final opportunity to make comments on the Local Plan before it is submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by a Planning Inspector. Your representations need to be received by the borough ... Continue reading →
Although we might not have the millions of pounds London has been able to put into its "Boris Bikes" and cycle highways, in Stockport we're good at making effective use of what we do have. That's why I'm putting around £100,000 into improving cycle facilities in our district centres across the Borough, and asking councillors in each area what they think should be the priority in their patch. The options are: Cycle stands for secure parking Canopies for groups of cycle stands Good quality padlocks for shoppers Contra-flow cycle lanes on one-way streets Review "No cycling" orders on paths and ...
Lord Bonkers comments: "They don't like it up them!"
Last year after the Lib Dem Voice Blogging Awards one or two people were unhappy about who won and who'd been shortlisted. This year it is the quality of the Lib Dem blogosphere that is in question. As we all look inwardly about what the point of blogging is – certainly with regards to a politico – I'll lob my 2p worth into the fountain. It all started with an excellent post by Lond Bonkers entitled 'Time to Freshen Up the Lib Dem Blogging Awards' as he mused about the awards being too narrow. With the 'Best Post' award culled ...
[IMG: University campus] The Institute For Fiscal Studies (IFS) has been running its calculators and slide-rulers over the new system, and here are some of the key points that it has concluded: "The new system eventually saves the taxpayer around £760 million per year, driven by a dramatic cut in direct public funding to universities." "But for universities, this cut is more than offset by almost £15,000 in additional fee income per graduate – a 140 per cent rise over the old system. Thus the total amount spent – from both private and public sources – on higher education is ...
How much can you earn before the government charges you income tax?
Fleet street fox: Blinded by the obvious << Best piece I have read on how the "Savile problem" had a blind eye turned to it for years Labour conference: the anger of voters » Spectator Blogs via @frasernelson This is an example of why the mantra of "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." is bollocks. Liberal Democrat conference must urgently accommodate speeches via Skype* via @libdemvoice and @paulwalteruk < +1 Damian McBride, The Seven Year Hitch << McBride is an excellent chronicler of New Labour back-room shenanigans. I expect a memoir from him would do ...
Reblogged from John Leech MP: In my 15 years as a Councillor and MP, there is one golden rule. Councillors , MP's and Ministers don't get involved in the details of the awarding of contracts. They don't check the maths. ... Continue reading →
Last week I said And look what's now touring the streets of Manchester.. Of course, I suppose they MAY have thought of it themselves. :-) '
In my 15 years as a Councillor and MP, there is one golden rule. Councillors , MP's and Ministers don't get involved in the details of the awarding of contracts. They don't check the maths. They don't ask if inflation ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone MP (Centre) with Barclays and Macmillan staff in Barclays, Wood Green] On Friday last week (September 28th), Lynne Featherstone MP visited two coffee mornings which were being hosted in Hornsey and Wood Green. The Liberal Democrat MP firstly dropped in on residents at Minster Walk in Hornsey, and then visited a local Barclays Branch in Wood Green. The coffee morning at Minster Walk was hosted by local resident Phyliss Grant. The MP spoke with residents at Minster Walk about their own experiences with Cancer, and also took the opportunity to discuss a mixture of local and national ...
The Liberal Democrat tradition is a proud one when it comes to democracy. We don't just value it as a system in the wider political arena, whether in response to Scotland's democratic deficit in the 1980s and 90s, or to reform of the Westminster institutions and electoral systems. We do genuine internal party democracy too. Just look back at our week in Brighton, where journalists and commentators alike continue to be perplexed by just how intensely relaxed our leadership are about us openly discussing things from assisted death, to the government's troubled civil liberties agenda and even the economy. We ...
Another week - another unacceptable pile of rubbish at the Ridgegrove Estate collection points. The photo on the left shows the state of the top area this morning before the scheduled collection was made. The bins are full and rubbish is spilling out onto the pathway and into the street. Why is this happening? Principally, because although Cory collect twice a week, they insist that Wednesday and Friday are the only days they can do so. The bins are, at most, half full on a Friday and by Wednesday are over-flowing in the way shown. I have asked the Council ...
I joined the Liberal Democrats in 2009 in the fug of the expenses and media scandals. The media wasn't giving me a window, just leading me into a maze of distorted mirrors. With a slap to the forehead, it finally dawned on me that democracy is not something we wait to have thrust upon us at an election every 4-5 years, but something which we do. If I wanted to find out what was going on, I would have to go and look for myself. And if I wanted to change any of it, I would have to put my ...
Not the most dramatic, shocking or even surprising event, Thanet Times last edition, which has sort of just petered out, with a brief fizzle of nostalgia at the very end, one can only imagine the professionalism required to bash out the last edition of a newspaper that had existed for well over a hundred years. Migration of readers from paper to electronic screens has resulted in papers like Thanet Times no longer being viable. A maudlin event for the local community, a loss, where else, are we to learn of events mid week, with respect to Thanet extra, and the ...
Thank you to everyone who was able to come along to the workshop at the Drill Hall on Monday evening where we looked at some of the problems facing Cheadle and some possible solutions. Thank you too to the Council officers who attended. Issues raised includes the state of the pavements, volume of traffic in the village, the challenge of crossing the High Street and parking issues. Some of the possible solutions suggested include: Relaying the pavements Additional crossing points on the High Street and/or Wilmslow Road (could be zebra, puffin or toucan crossings) Looking at the parking outside the ...
Councillors surgery this Saturady 2pm in the Library on Liverpool Rd. No appointment needed.
[IMG: Vince Cable and Paddy Ashdown] Not only do you not need to be a conference rep to go to conference, you don't need to go to federal conference to become a federal voting conference rep. It's often assumed that it is only worth becoming a conference rep if you are going to go to conference, and as a result local parties further away from the venues in particular often do not elect a full slate of conference reps. However, whilst this is the primary role for voting conference reps, it is not the only role. Notably, it is the ...
sir_guinglain | Doctor Who VII.12-18: The Ambassadors of Death - colour recovery (tags: ) Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. character details revealed | Den of Geek (tags: ) The view from Creeting St Peter: David Icke is not dead, and he wants to advertise on your website... (tags: ) For all the claims made about wealth taxes, it's not correct to say the rich are paying their fair share - Comment - Voices - The Independent (tags: ) BBC News - What happened when MPs took a maths exam (tags: ) cherryflip — MasterCard want control of benefit claimants This is bloody ...
There has been a recent and very welcome burst of histories of Liberal (Democrat) activism being published, such as Graham Tope's A Life in Politics, recording the contributions of people whose names will otherwise slip by the history books. In doing so, they paint a picture of what grassroots politics is actually like, often rather different from the sort of politics recorded in the memoirs of former ministers or analysed by political scientists. Martin Kyrle, a Liberal activist for over 50 years, is the latest to join this trend with a 69 page volume of his reminiscences and anecdotes, intended ...
I blogged a week ago how the pronouncement by Scottish Labour Leader. Johann Lamont that Scotland cannot continue to afford policies such as free personal care, free prescriptions, free university tuition and a continuing freeze on council tax has left Welsh Labour isolated within the UK. At the time I suggested that her position left Carwyn Jones out on a limb within his own party on issues that chime with the social democrat consensus that Ed Miliband is looking to embrace. Well judging by signals being sent out by the shadow work and pension secretary, Liam 'there is no money ...
...as Lord Eldon, Lord Chancellor said in the 1820s. Birkdale Focus reminds us of Paddy's wonderful speech on foreign affairs at a conference fringe, full of poetry and history but sadly no substitute for the lack of foreign policy debate on the floor of conference. For the full speech see here. Paddy was somewhat disparaging about the EU, saying rightly that it does not connect with the
It dawns on me that it isn't really enough for Returning Officers to understand our internal selection rules, but might be useful to tell other interested parties. If you like, it provides an insight into the process for those who might choose to take part in the future. Besides, I'm quite proud of this, as it was something that I had been pushing for... One feature of the new selection rules is the change from dictating the number of pieces of paper etc. that each candidate may produce and send/give out, to having an overall expenditure cap for the selection. ...
We Liberal Democrats pride ourselves on being the most democratic Party in the UK. We were the first (and so far the only) major party to have members electing the leaders in a one member, one vote, election. Our Conference is not just a rally; it actually makes Party policy and key committees are elected by members, not appointed by the Leader. But we are failing to make use of technology to deepen our members' participation in the Party. Firstly our main conference is still dependent on people travelling from around the country to stay for 5 days debating policy, ...
This is a reminder that on September 23, Chris Jennings sent you an invitation to become part of their professional network at LinkedIn. Accept Chris Jennings's Invitation On September 23, Chris
"We are the One Nation party," Nick Clegg will tell the Liberal Democrats in his speech to their spring conference tomorrow. Remember this headline? Probably not. Yet it dates from March 2012, just six months ago. So what happened? Two key things, I suggest. First, Nick's 'One Nation' message was drowned out by the furore over the NHS reforms which dominated the party's spring conference this year. Secondly, it was one line among many which was uttered and quickly disappeared, like a whispered greeting on a windy day. There was some snarky commentary from journalists who heard Ed Miliband address ...
In honour of today's selected video, I've slipped into a PVC catsuit, a pair of 4 inch heels and acquired a cane. And did I mention that everything about you was so sexy?: Yep, it may be cheesy, but I still love that song - a slab of pure pop! Andrew
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum before conference to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. More than 550 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Narrow backing for replacing GCSEs with EBacc LDV asked: Nick Clegg and Michael Gove this week announced that the GCSE exams in England will be replaced by a new qualification in core subjects called the English Baccalaureate Certificate from 2017. This will mean a single end-of-course exam sat by almost all pupils and one exam board for core ...
BBC news story about West Coast franchise Rarely can one awake to such welcome news, although we have yet to see what precisely happened and how the errors were uncovered. Some credit must go to Richard Branson for starting court action. Some must go to ministers for reviewing the work that led to the decision to award the franchise to First Group. Clearly there are civil servants at fault – and again ministers, who must ultimately carry the can: the decision was self-evidently wrong and there should have been greater challenge by DfT ministers before making the announcement. There are ...
I am on Wave 102 news this morning, speaking about Dundee and the Saltire travel card. Click 'play' below to listen:
Saltire Card would operate similarly to the London Oyster Card. I have called on Dundee City Council to be at the forefront in progressing the Scottish Government's "Saltire Card" by offering to be a pilot site for the proposed Scottish equivalent of the Oyster Travel Card that has been a huge success for public transport in London. Having been the City Council's Planning & Transport Convener and a former chair of the regional transport partnership TACTRAN, I am only too well-aware that there is a real need to make public transport as accessible as possible and having a card that ...
The resurfacing work on Blackness Road - between Forest Park Road and Abbotsford Street - obviously caused traffic disruption during the period it was carried out, but, now it is completed, residents have commented favourably on the significantly improved surface - particularly for the elderly residents at Blackness Court crossing to the shops on the south side. There's still an issue with regard to pavement condition locally and I have again highlighted this with the Roads Maintenance Partnership, but the road itself does look much better, as the photograph below alludes to:
St Albans City and District Council has been awarded £63,731 by Arts Council England to work with the local community in delivering the city's museums service. The grant will be used to fund three new projects that will provide residents with the opportunity to contribute to and shape the museum service. In addition, feedback from the projects will inform the Council's ten-year development plan for the Museum of St Albans and Verulamium Museum. The projects will include a variety of activities which the community can get involved in and will run from October 2012 to March 2013. They are. The ...
Rather foolishly, I decided to get up stupidly early (6:45?!) so that I could, in theory, get to Oxford for 9. This was far from the case. We got to Oxford about 10, but this was shortly followed by a long route around Oxford to try and get into Queen's Lane. Sure enough, after going
Whilst you may have read that I am upset about the Alliance Party's votes on equal marriage yesterday by far the biggest concern was the attitude of the majority of unionists. The obvious exceptions being Basil McCrea for his words and vote, plus Danny Kinahan and Michael Copeland. I would have expected to see long time friend of LGBT equality John McCallister on that list had he not been otherwise distracted by events yesterday. Roy Beggs opened his contribution to the debate with the words "I declare an interest as a committee member of Raloo Presbyterian Church." Danny Kennedy also ...
