I have settled into routines. My brain likes this and so does my body: the simple act of regulating the last things I do at night and the first things I do in the morning makes my ME/CFS happier. I even stick to it on my day off (partly because of fixed mealtimes, and partly because even one day off the routine will mess me up for a week or more). My routines look a bit like this: At night: clean my teeth and top up water supplyfill kettle to min lineset up AeroPresscleanse, tone and moisturiseplug phone inchange into ...
Jon's answers are ( below the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Tue 9th
23:10
The politics of sluggish growth: good for the Tories, bad for Labour, and as for the Lib Dems we'll ...
Today saw the publication by the IMF of its latest growth forecasts. UK growth prospects are downgraded once again. Growth in 2012 is now forecast to be -0.4% (the most recent quarter's strong showing is anomalous) and an anaemic 1.1% in 2013. As The Spectator's Jonathan Jones observes, the only thing new here is that the IMF is falling 'into line with the consensus'. On the face of it this is bad news for the Coalition, further evidence that the economic strategy of deficit reduction driven forward by David Cameron and George Osborne, and endorsed by Nick Clegg and Vince ...
Those of us who are members or supporters of the Heath Library in Hampstead were treated to a preview of Michael Palin's new BBC TV travel series (and associated book) on Brazil when he came to give a talk at the library this evening. Most of Michaell's previous travelogues have involved crossing many, often difficult ...
This BBC interview by the creator of James Bond of the creator of Philip Marlowe took place in London in 1958. The introduction claims that it is the only known recording of Chandler's voice. The interview proper does not start until towards the end of part 1 (embedded here), but there are three more parts to enjoy. Namely: part 2part 3part 4
If you want to contact Mark he's on twitter here, and gives more contact details in his answers below. And ( his answers are below the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
It appears so... At last night's rally Boris Johnson suggested a politicians' Olympics, including "Jeremy Hunt banging the bell-end"- so says the Gruaniad. Sadly this section of his speech doesn't appear to be available on YouTube or (unsurprisingly) on the Conservative's official website.
From the Guardian yesterday: A teenager who posted explicit comments and jokes about April Jones on his Facebook page has been jailed for 12 weeks. Matthew Woods, 19, from Chorley, Lancashire, made comments about April and Madeleine McCann, the three-year-old who went missing during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007. Woods was arrested for his own safety after about 50 people descended on his home. He pleaded guilty at Chorley magistrates court to sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive. The chairman of the bench, Bill Hudson, said ...
I've always encouraged free flow of comment, unfortunately in recent times, I've intercepted and had drawn to my attention defamatory comments added to postings made some years ago. A few weeks back I started using comment moderation on older postings Earlier today some crank left yet another albeit oblique reference to some long standing feud. I've no wish, to spend time acting as an arbiter, as to what is and isn't acceptable, so no more comments. Thanks to those who contributed to 13555 published comments. And thanks to the F wit (AnonymousTuesday, 9 October 2012 16:38:00 BST) for giving me ...
Politics eh, bloody hell. Just as we thought things couldn't get even more interesting before next Tuesday's vote of no confidence in Alec Robertson as Leader of the Council, tonight Jim Currie has resigned from the cabinet. You can read his resignation letter on Andrew Wallis' blog. So whilst the council is preparing its draft budget for next year, the cabinet is without a member responsible for corporate support (ie the budget) and a deputy leader. Tweet
Stockport Lib Dems have secured new Christmas lights across the Borough for the coming years – we believe they're an important part of Christmas and give a real boost for Christmas shopping. But the previous lights are getting old – some have been around for as much as nine years and it shows (particularly on the reliability side – we always have more than we'd like not working). So we're moving to leasing LED lights for three years. They'll be new, look good and use less electricity. After the three years, we can lease new lights. Everywhere that had lights ...
If you live in Stockport – or anywhere in Greater Manchester – you have until the end of December 2012 to get your completely free cavity wall and loft insulation. Call 0800 009 3363 to make an appointment for a surveyor to call. Anyone in Stockport who is having problems affording the heating they need can call Clare Redfern, our Affordable Warmth Officer (0161 474 4397 or email clare.redfern@stockport.gov.uk) for a wide range of help and advice. Don't miss out on your free insulation. This is an offer open to everyone!
Cheadle Area Committee considered an application for an IVF clinic at Cheadle Royal. The clinic will be in an existing building which already has office permission, but has been unlet for some time. It's expected to employ around 28 people. When considering the application, we looked at the issue of parking from Cheadle Royal on St Ann's Road North and nearby roads. We felt that the clinic was less likely to create additional off-site parking problems than an office (which could have opened tomorrow without additional permission) and the nature of an IVF clinic meant that there would be more ...
It's been a pretty exciting launch for the Dispatch Box – a growing number of subscribers, and some excellent, exclusive stories for them to enjoy. Now though. it's time to ramp things up. Instead of being a simple newsletter with ... Continue reading →
Thanks to Neville for being the first one to dip his toe in the water. If you want to contact Neville he's on twitter here. And ( his answers are below the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here (once there are some more!) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Dear Amber, I am sure you realise how many people across Hastings & Rye will be concerned by the comments that your 'new' boss, George Osborne, has been making at Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, about further billions-of-pounds-worth of cuts to the Welfare budget. Not only has he made these announcements without any agreement from ...
Stephen's Liberal Journal has some advice for Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, who made a fool of himself on the fringes of the Conservative Party Conference today. "All of this sound familiar? - a well funded group of free market believers taking over a party" Birkdale Focus draws parallels between the Liberal Party history of the 1950s and the Liberal Democrats today. Note the name check Edward Rushworth - William Wallace's father-in law and three times Liberal candidate for Harborough. Stephen Williams MP (Lib Dem, Bristol West) pays tribute to the Chartists. Writing on the British Politics and ...
The threatened closure of 3 of Southport's libraries took a new twist today. I was reading a report in the Liverpool Echo which featured the strong views of Southport actress Jean Alexander. The comments placed online by readers included the following: MikeyB4:55 PM on 9/10/2012Perhaps if Sefton Council stopped spending so much money on projects in Southport, there would be some left in the pot for other parts of the borough. They have just refurbished Southport Market at a cost of 8 million pounds. Now they are refurbishing the Atkinson Art centre for 15 million pounds, and they've just spent ...
Recycling centre in Bath, the dates are confirmed as 8th October to 3rd December
is my comment piece about lobbying in last week's Jewish Chronicle. So, what do others think of the points that I made? Comments welcomed as usual below.
Lord Carey Has Spoken! Shamefully though, it is to compare supporters of gay marriage with the Third Reich on the rather dubious basis that "Let us remember the Jews in Nazi Germany, what started against them was when they started to be called names. And that was the first stage towards that totalitarian state." Leaving aside the playground taunt of invoking Godwin's Law and Mister Carey automatically losing the argument, I have yet to find a supporter that will advocate Christians wearing a triangle to mark them out as "The Other"; packing them off en-mass to concentration camps; depriving them ...
I would not normally ask you to sit and watch a 15 minute video of a political speech, but this one is an absolute diamond. It's Aussie PM Julia Gillard taking apart her opposite number Tony Abbott. He had proposed a motion of no confidence in the Parliament's Speaker over inappropriate sexist text messages. There had been some falling out between Speaker Slipper and Abbott following Slipper's appointment, although they had been close before then. Abbott had attended Slipper's wedding in 2006. Slipper's acceptance of the role of speaker had in effect got Gillard's coalition out of a hole. But ...
The first batch of emails has been sent to those that I have email addresses for. Once I receive answers I shall post them in a separate post per candidate and link to the post from the (somewhat huge) list of candidates below Aladdin Ayesh - FPC Alec Dauncey - FPC Andrew Wiseman - FCC Antony Hook - FPC Arnie Gibbons - FCC Brian Mathew - FPC Carl Minns - FPC Charles West - Both Chris Carrigan - FPC Chris Maines - FCC Chris Rennard - FPC Dave Goddard - FPC David Boyle - FPC David Grace - Both David ...
In his speech at the Conservative Party Conference today , Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has revealed that he wishes to set up dozens of "free schools" across London and is looking at old fire and police stations as potential new sites. This has been a tricky policy for the Liberal Democrats. The party is ...
Sharon Bowles MEP with outgoing ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet Dacorum resident and Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England, Sharon Bowles, has applied to replace Mervyn King when he retires as Governor of the Bank of England in the New Year. Sharon Bowles is currently the Chairman of the powerful Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, a post that gives her stature on the world financial stage and influence far beyond Europe and the UK. Sharon said in an interview in Brussels today that her many years of experience at the centre of financial affairs means that ...
News from the Conservative Party conference confirms a key Liberal Democrat influence in government: RT @richardheinrich: Grayling makes plain that the only thing standing between Tories and scrapping the HRA are the Liberal Democrats #cpc12 — Ed Fordham (@edfordham) October 9, 2012 (For other examples of Liberal Democrat achievements in government, take a look at my infographic.)
The Telegraph reports of the Liberal Democrat MEP: Sharon Bowles said that being a "woman and an outsider", as well as her deep knowledge of financial regulation, made her a strong candidate to become the first female Governor of the Bank of England in its 318-year history... "I know more about financial services legislation than anybody else which fits well with the new expanded remit of the Bank of England," the chairman of the European Parliament's monetary and economic affairs committee told The Daily Telegraph. She said that compared to the other applicants, that include Paul Tucker, deputy Governor of ...
At a time when we are cruelly cutting benefits for those who desperately need them it does seem stupid to be dishing out freebies, or "universal benefits," (bus passes and a winter fuel allowance for all the over-60s, free TV licences for the over 75s) not just to millionaires but also to the thousands of comfortably-off such as myself. However, those who are familiar with social history know that making benefits selective, ie "means testing," is not only a humiliating but also an inefficient and expensive business. There seem to me to be two simple solutions. 1. Don't give these ...
The Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that's fine, we're grateful for people taking the time to read the site. You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are four simple ways: 1. Let us have your tips for stories. Perhaps there's something outrageous going on in your local council? Or you're an expert in a particular area and have spotted a story other people have missed? Or ...
Tue 9th
16:50
How dare the Taliban shoot a 14 year old girl who just wants to go to school! #dayofthegirl
I look at the two 13 year old girls in my lounge just now. They've had a great day at school, learning about all sorts of things. One of them had a profound exchange with her science teacher about gender and sex being two different things. Every day they pile into the car with a new story to tell, a discussion had, a maths problem solved, some new controversy in science. They are having a great time. I think of my niece, just started studying Psychology at Edinburgh University with all the opportunities that await her. It breaks my heart ...
It's a well-documented phenomenon in British politics that the Conservative Party Conference is where some of the oddest ideas in British politics go to get an airing. As Political Scrapbook points out, there are many made ideas getting out into the open this week, but I wanted to highlight a couple. First up, we have Tony Baldry MP, who has clearly discovered the history of the National Liberals and seems to think it would be a good idea to resurrect them. And just as the National Liberals were eventually subsumed into the Tories, so would their new version – in ...
Last week, over in the Guardian, Vince Cable wrote: A common complaint I hear when I am out and about meeting sole traders or entrepreneurs is the struggle to get finance through mainstream sources. This is a serious challenge to UK growth. It's why I have made it one of my priorities to get credit flowing again and why only last week I announced further detail of the government-backed Business Bank. This will facilitate the provision of loans to more firms through banks and other financial institutions. But what about those firms and organisations which still need finance but struggle ...
I'm currently (with the help of a few awesome people) populating a list of contact email addresses for all the candidates for these two elections. If you're a candidate and your email address isn't findable by google could you email me your preferred contact email at jennieDOTriggATgmailDOTcom? Also, a bunch of the candidates are people I contact by email regularly anyway; for some of these I have a different problem - which email to use? Again, if you have a preference, email me and let me know. Thanks. The question lists are now finalised, and there are eleven questions on ...
This is a conversation I have had recently with a Tory councillor. Me: Why is the Tory Party obsessed with gay marriage and Europe? Tory: Yes no-one really cares about these things outside the Party Me: So where do ... Continue reading →
We all know Britain's relationship with Europe is a fault-line for the Conservative party. Equally, we know that Labour has its own divisions. In both parties, the split is between pro-Europeans and anti-Europeans, between staying in Europe or getting out of Europe. Affirmation of the Liberal Democrats' pro-European position comes from the findings of a survey I conducted among 457 Liberal Democrat councillors in the South West region at the beginning of September, which delivers an unambiguous message of support for the Party's Europe policy*. However, one revealing division in opinion is apparent, namely the wisdom of holding a referendum. ...
So at the Coalition for Marriage rally on the fringe of the Conservative Party conference the former Archbishop of Canterbury resorted to inferring many involved in the campaign for equal marriage Nazis including the Deputy Prime Minister. He seems to have lost the plot as well as the dictionary when he said in response to the press release that was retracted by Nick Clegg over the word bigot he said: "Let's have a sensible debate about this, not call people names. Let us remember the Jews in Nazi Germany. What started against them was when they started to be called ...
Dear Eric You always give a fine performance. Yesterday you told us with passion how you became a Conservative. It was a nice story, but does your claim to have a developed a "burning dislike of oppressive state bureaucracy" match the reality? Do you remember localism? You did not mention it yesterday. The great localism project, you might recall, was launched on the twin platforms of the Big Society and Open Source Planning. The Big Society has slipped through the cracks of the political stage, but you enshrined localism in the Localism Act 2011. Your intention was to empower local ...
Liberal Democrats from Hastings & Rye won a significant victory at their Conference in Brighton after party members overwhelmingly passed a policy to improve the lives of sick and disabled people. On Sunday 23 September, Lib Dem members voted through 21 year old George Potter from Brede's motion with only one vote against. The policy ...
Tue 9th
14:39
Lib Dem PCC Candidate Warns Of Danger Of Tories' Tax Freezelib Dem Pcc Candidate Warns Of Danger Of ...
PCC Candidate Ruprt Moss-Eccardt and Local Parish Councillor Andy Pellew Lib Dem Police and Crime Commissioner candidate, Rupert Moss-Eccardt has warned that the county's police budget could face severe cuts if the Tories push ahead with a council tax freeze. Mr Moss-Eccardt spoke out after Chancellor George Osborne announced plans to freeze council tax at the Conservative Party conference yesterday. He warned the move would mean the maximum increase in the police precept - used to set the amount of money raised for the force through council tax - would be fixed at two per cent. This is the same ...
There were no principal local council by-elections held on Thursday 4th October. There were two parish or town council by-election results reported to ALDC a Tory hold and a Lib Dem gain from Independent. Baildon is a parish that roughly coincides with the Bradford City Council ward of the same name. In 2004 in the all-out elections we held two of the three seats. We gradually lost those seats but have recently been staging a comeback. In May this year Ian Lyons came within 212 votes of retaking the seat, and his constant local campaigning paid off when the by-election ...
Ealing Liberal Democrats have submitted their formal response to NHS North West as part of their hospital consultation to downgrade a number of local hospitals. The Liberal Democrats have been very active and took part in the march on Ealing Common two weeks ago, where I spoke to the thousands of people who had gathered to share their opposition to the proposed closure of many local Accident and Emergency wards. Councillor Nigel Bakhai on Ealing Common at the rally Councillor Nigel Bakhai sent in the Liberal Democrat's submission and said this to me about the issue: "There is a case ...
Tue 9th
14:18
I am a duly nominated candidate for a place on the ELDR Council Delegation... and I am not alone, it...
Courtesy of David Allworthy, who published the list of candidates at 6.39 a.m. (get some sleep, David...), I can stop worrying about whether or not my nomination papers arrived or not. So, what's my opposition like? Well, six are incumbents - Ruth Coleman-Taylor, Jonathan Fryer, Jo Hayes, Gordon Lishman, Peter Price and myself. Seven - Aladdin Ayesh, Ian Bearder, Bob Blezzard, George Dunk, Edward Keating, Brian Mathew and David Simmons - ran last time. The rest - Jeremy Bell, Nasser Butt, Neville Farmer, Paul Hienkens, Antony Hook, Doreen Huddart, Allis Moss, Turhan Ozen, Iain Smith, Winnie Smith and Allan Siao ...
In which I write the piece on thinktanks Dsquared promised – Alex Harrowell offers an interesting perspective on where think tanks fit into the political and economic ecosystem. Most Citizens of the Star Wars Galaxy are Probably Totally Illiterate – Very interesting theory and the wider point about literacy in other fictional universes is worth noting. The Utopia of "Everyman" Toryism – A Very Public Sociologist on how Toryism has destroyed its own base. Fool me once... – "The pattern is clear. Conservatives get the Liberal Democrats to sign up to something unpalatable and in return promise to deliver something ...
The BBC report that the scheduled debate on the order that would exempt film and TV sets from the smoking ban has been put back so that the Welsh Government can better explain their intentions to Assembly Members. Ministers want to change the law because they fear producers will not come to Wales if actors are not allowed to smoke when filming. However, anti-smoking groups question whether there is evidence to back those fears and suggest that such a change will be the thin-end of the wedge in terms of undermining the smoking ban. This rowing back by the Welsh ...
Monday: Chancellor George Osborne has announced that he wants to cut TEN BILLION POUNDS from the welfare budget. I will pause while you throw up. Right, back with me? OK, here's a reminder of the BACKGROUND. The Government's total spending is, very roughly, SEVEN HUNDRED BILLION pounds every year. The total amount spent on what we call "benefits" in the United Kingdom is in the region of TWO HUNDRED BILLION pounds per year. It's the BIGGEST "BIG TICKET" item in the Budget. So you can see why it's such a TEMPTING TARGET for a rapacious fiscal shark like Master Gideon. ...
I must admit as I read George Osborne's plan for the future of our workforce I became frightened, angry and then laughed at the irony. The basics of stage one is good. Offering employees the chance to buy shares in their companies and so they get a say in its direction. For smaller companies it means there is a definite togetherness and ethos that if this ship sinks we all go down and must pull together. For larger companies it offers the chance for those in the frontline to voice their ideas and concerns, something that a lot of us ...
I passionately believe in the railways. They have the potential to bring the UK huge economic and environmental benefits. But ever-increasing train fares could also turn people away and back onto the roads. As a sustainable form of transport, trains need our support and in return they will help deliver growth and a cleaner, low carbon economy. It's so important that we let rail passengers and the public know that we really are on their side. Ending inflation-busting rail fare hikes has been a Lib Dem policy for a long time, which is why I have been pushing within government ...
Last week saw the celebration of Nation Poetry Day so let us start with a poem. It is often said that the poems you learn by heart as a child stay with you. So here is the beginning one my English teacher, Mr Russell, made me memorise: WHY is it that the poet tells So little of the sense of smell? These are the odours I love well: The smell of coffee freshly ground; Or rich plum pudding, holly crowned; Or onions fried and deeply browned. The full text can be found here Those words came to mind when I ...
That Gladstone moved from Rodney St in Liverpool to Seaforth is well known. The indefatigable local historian Brenda Murray has wanted a statue erected in Seaforth for sometime and being Miss Murray has not just dreamed about she has got on and done something. Tom Murphy, the Liverpool sculptor has designed the statue and Miss Murray has got on with the fundraising. Am initial target of £19k is now achievable and at the last count only three thousand pounds is needed. The statue will stand in the grounds of the Star of the Sea Church in Seaforth looking out towards ...
The Telegraph brings news this morning of Conservative plans to bring in new rights to defend homes against burglars. This is typical red meat thrown to the grassroots troops during their party conference. The Right ...
George Osborne's statement that senior Liberal Democrats have agreed in principle to a further £10bn of welfare cuts in 2015-16 has prompted a strong reaction from many party members and a TV rebuttal from Nick Clegg. But the issue is one worth pausing on, for it raises some important questions for Liberal Democrats. Starting at the beginning, the first question raised is how we wish to close the deficit that will now exist in the first years of the next Parliament following the Chancellor's decision in last year's autumn statement to push back the period in which the structural deficit ...
I think it goes without saying that pretty much everyone agrees that what's happened to April is tragic, my thoughts are with her family. I really hope she is found soon, although it is inconceivable that she'd still be with us. How anyone could do that to her is completely beyond me, I hope that the truth comes out, the correct person is found and sentenced accordingly (I always believe in innocence before proven guilty but it sounds like the police are confident that it's Mark Bridger). However, I don't want this post to be about this horrible story, I ...
To judge by the delegates I met at Confrence David Howarth's demolition of Richard Reeve's arguments at a fringe meeting was most welcome. Reeves-who it must be said wrote an excellent biography of J S Mill - has been peddling some odd ideas since he left Clegg employ. He has produced a pamphlet and that was the basis of the discussion at the fringe meeting. Howarth had the advantage that he had read the pamphlet in advance and so was able to un-pick the argument. to make sense of the rest of this posting you will need to watch the ...
Sandy Walkington St Albans has become the first parliamentary constituency in England to select its Liberal Democrat candidate for the next General Election. In a packed meeting at Verulam School on Saturday 6th October, local Liberal Democrat members reselected Sandy Walkington as the party's standard bearer in one of the party's top target seats at the next General Election.Sandy was the party's candidate in 2010 when he leapfrogged from third place over Labour to finish a very close second behind Anne Main. His 11% increase in vote share was the largest for any candidate of any party in the east ...
You may have heard the Leader of the Council on Radio Cornwall yesterday (there's a summary and response about 2 hours in) revealing the compromise on his privatisation plan that he agreed with the 'rebel wing' of the Conservative Group at their crisis meeting on Friday night. He also wrote to Councillors yesterday to outline the thinking ...
I have a long record of supporting teams that aren't, how should I put it, much good. My beloved Sussex County Cricket Club, where I would occasionally prop up the bar in the short period during which I was a member, went 164 years without winning the County Championship, before winning three in fairly short order. Sometimes, they were desperately bad, or equally desperately unlucky, but they were plucky underdogs, and were the county where my mother's family still reside. At football, I became a Luton Town fan after a brief flirtation with QPR in the mid-seventies. And whilst they ...
Good news – burglaries down from ten to just one compared to the same month last year. Police newsletter for Cheadle, October 2012
I have not been very good about blogging through Strictly these last few years. So, for 2012, I'm going to use the old Storify trick and let you have the benefit of my tweets instead. I'm dusting off the cobwebs on my Strictly blog, but I'll publish my views on the main shows on here. Some brief extras to mention: Darcey is very constructive - needs to be sitting next to Craig, but the constant "yeah" needs to go. Would have preferred Karen, though.Denise can act, and she's been on the West End stage, but she's taking some pasting online ...
As my Conservative doppelgänger (apparently) arrived to thunderous applause and chants at the Conservative party conference something more telling comes out. Though the nation is yet again pondering another party leadership challenge with many in the right of the party feeling David Cameron is too cosy with us whining work shy Liberals. Boris' star is very much in ascendence especially as he doesn't have to follow through on pledges if national policy gets in the way. There in lies the rub. Although he did rubbish the idea of expanding Heathrow - rightly so as all the major parties pledged this ...
No one condones benefit fraud but in the UK welfare fraud stands at £1.2bn (1% of welfare spend). Corporate tax avoidance is £25bn. We've clawed back £4bn from tax avoiders & evaders trumpets millionaire, George Osborne, at the Tory conference yesterday in almost the same breath as he wants to cut £10bn from welfare. Is this any kind of balance? Fairness? All in it together? George told a heartrending tale of a hardworking soul having to get out of bed on a dark, cold, morning, endure the daily commute, work hard all day & then repeat the process in reverse. ...
The news that Sussex teacher Jeremy Forrest has been arrested in Bordeaux on suspicion of abducting pupil Megan Stammers is a timely reminder of the value of EU cooperation to fight crime. The maths teacher, who now faces imminent extradition, joins a long list of suspects caught with a European arrest warrant and swiftly returned to face justice in the UK. But the Conservatives' dogmatic opposition to all things European is now putting the safety of Britons at risk. The European arrest warrant, in operation since 2004, has succeeded in cutting average extradition times in the EU from one year ...
Localism is a good thing. It means handing power down from government to local councils and from local councils to parish and town councils, community groups and even individuals. It's more than the old John Major-era concept of subsidiarity - which was all about decision making. It's about delivering services as well. And the coalition government has done a lot to make localism happen. Local groups can now challenge to run services themselves if they believe they can do it better or cheaper.Communities can 'list' assets of community value to stop them being sold from under their noses.Town and parish ...
The community feedback sessions have now taken place around the Stone Roses concerts in Heaton Park – so I wanted to feed back the main 'learning points' to local residents. This is a short summary of a larger presentation given by officers from Manchester City Council – the full version is here. Pre-event Communications - check up on the distribution of information leaflets so that all households receive a leaflet - target specific information at specific streets (e.g. on road clousures) Traffic and Transport -Need to sort out mini-bus and taxi pick up and drop off (particularly an issue on ...
Bogus tube signs - some of these are inspired What You Can Get Away With (Nick Barlow's blog) » Blog Archive » On Lib Dems and leadership Fool me once ... | Alex's Archives Why 'incumbency advantage' may decide the next election - and why the Lib Dems may do better than the polls suggest Damian McBride, 5 Years On: The Election That Never Was - More excellent back-room insight from Brown's former right-hand man "Tory MPs tend to believe that the Lib Dems are a millstone round their necks; ... they are more like life belts." Legalising marijuana: most ...
How far you can go in defending yourself, your family and home is to be made clearer. Back in the early 1990's I was in bed after a night shift when I was awakened by the sound of glass breaking. I dived out of bed and ran downstairs to confront two burglars in my kitchen. On seeing me, they ran out of the kitchen door they had just smashed in. Although I wasn't wearing anything at the time I was determined to arrest them and followed them onto my driveway. As I grabbed one he turned, and I saw he ...
George Osborne doesn't like it if your blinds are down in the morning (tags: ) How Male DNA Gets in a Woman's Brain - Newsweek and The Daily Beast (tags: ) Google's privacy policy: EU data protection chiefs 'to act within days' | Technology | guardian.co.uk (tags: ) The Kissing Sailor, or "The Selective Blindness of Rape Culture" (tags: ) Free birth control leads to fewer abortions Today's does of Pope shits in the woods news (tags: ) Caron's Musings: Nick: Just say no to the Tories on more welfare cuts (tags: ) Liberal England: Time to freshen up the ...
In some ways it's good Matt J McLaren didn't get called to speak at Liberal Democrat conference in the mental health debate. He might not have published his speech on his blog if he had been. And these are remarks that deserve a much wider audience. He talks about his struggle with a mental health condition, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and how his doctor told him he'd have to wait 18 months to get the treatment he needed for it. Imagine that - over 500 days of living with the acute distress of this condition before the treatment even begins. He challenges ...
I live in the country, a fact which is probably familiar to regular readers. One of the things that this means is that I take a rather greater interest in my community - it's small enough to do so, and most of us know each other. So, when Ros mentioned that the Harvest Festival service was coming up, I was stirred with enthusiasm. So much so, indeed, that I indicated a willingness to get up early on a Sunday morning in order to attend the 9.30 a.m. service at St Peter's, our parish church. Well, earlyish, at least. Actually, I ...
Tomorrow is the centenary of the fall of the Chinese Empire. 2000 years of Imperial rule ended following a military uprising in Wuchang. A complex series of events followed before Sun Yat-Sen was installed as the first president of the Republic of China. Sun was an interesting choice as president. As well as being a revolutionary he was a congregationalist Christan, a bigamist and a physician. He is credited with defining the "three principles of the People" - nationalism, democracy, and the people's livelihood. A such he is one of the few statesmen revered in both the Peoples Republic of ...
Re:Chris Grayling on Today. It is not often I can simply repeat a blog post I wrote in January 2010 when Caroline Spelman said exactly the same thing as Grayling (very fishy) said today: The law allows "reasonable force" to be used by householders, outlined here in elaborate detail by the Crown Prosecution Service. There was a lot of talk on Question Time last night about the word "reasonable" not being clear. Codswallop. Claptrap. Hogwash. Tiddlyfart. "Reasonable" is the most clearly defined and well established term in English law. Juries know instinctively what it means after a few moment's explanation. ...
Note from district council: Following the consultation the "result" for Glenferrie was inconclusive. Whilst the response rate was an encouraging 65%. There were 30 responses for Glenferrie, 15 in favour and 15 against. I am in the process of preparing an update to residents of the consultation area (including Glenferrie Road) advising that it is not proposed to introduce parking controls for the time being. This could change in the future depending upon developments at Verulam School. Whilst the planning application makes no reference to Sixth Form numbers further pressures could develop if the number attending the Sixth Form expand ...
Last week the results of the elections for positions within the English Party were emailed to members of the English Council. Given that for all of these positions, with the exception of the role of representative to the Federal Executive, the number of nominations matched or were less than the places available, all candidates were elected unopposed. The results were as follows: Chair of the English Party - Peter Ellis has been re-elected Chair unopposed. Chair of the English Candidates Committee - Margaret Joachim has been re-elected Chair unopposed. Representative to the Federal Conference Committee and to the Federal Policy ...
So has reported the Metro: Although such a levy has been ruled out by both David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne, their Liberal Democrat partners are all for it - as are 57 per cent of those questioned in the Harris Interactive poll for Metro. The same number would support higher levels of tax on foreign-owned second homes, while 45 per cent back the idea of an increased levy on empty properties. Some 70 per cent of those polled would back fines of £100,000 for tax dodgers who own properties worth more than £1million. A Lib Dem spokesman said: "It's ...
The disabled parking bay in Pennycook Lane I am pleased to say that Dundee City Council has agreed to my request to widen the disabled parking bay in Pennycook Lane, following my highlighting to the council its inadequate size for people with walking difficulties. A local sheltered tenant rightly raised concerns about the disabled parking space that is in the car park in Pennycook Lane, along from Blackness Primary School. The gentleman is the main carer for his wife who has various health issues and he often takes her out and about in the car, getting her to the car ...
