It's not often you get a straightforward apology, so it's nice when you do even when it makes no difference. Readers may remember that in September a Planning Inspector came to Consett to view the Belle Vue area in relation to a stopping up order for all the informal footpaths in the area where the county intend to build the Academy. (I say intend because there is still a lot of water to flow under the Village Green Application bridge and that, I take it, is subject to the law rather than County Durham rules.) Any way, he came, he ...
Yesterday (16th October) the London Assembly Health and Environment Committee questioned a number of experts on aircrafts and airports about the impact of London's airports on climate change and noise pollution. It was an interesting and mature discussion on the pros and cons of air travel and how we as a capital city are going to deal with ...
The Liberal Democrats have tonight selected Marisha Ray as Parliamentary Candidate for the Croydon North by-election, caused by the death of Malcolm Wicks MP. Marisha, a married mother of one, is a former IT professional. She spent much of her childhood with close family friends in Croydon. Marisha served as a councillor in Islington between 2002 and 2010, and was an executive member with special responsibility for tackling crime (2006-08), implementing a groundbreaking gang prevention strategy. Commenting, Marisha said: I would like to pay tribute to Malcolm Wicks who was a tireless advocate for people in Croydon North. His sad ...
In his Observer column on Sunday Andrew Rawnsley starts with an extract from a party leader's speech and asks us to guess which leader made it: "This government took power in difficult economic times. Our mettle has been tested. Though the challenge before us is daunting, I have confidence in our country. "This summer, as we cheered our athletes to gold after gold, Britain remembered how it feels to win again. The Olympics put up a mirror to Britain and showed us the best of ourselves. United behind one goal. One Nation. We can do big things. "Real achievement in ...
Working on the novel today. Who post on Mindless Ones tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have the Surf's Up post up here this week too, but I may be going away this weekend, apparently. So links. Richard Flowers' message to LGBT+ Lib Dems as to why he should be elected to the FPC Tom Ewing reviews Marvel: ...
This is Walmgate Stray, an area of common land you can find not so far outside York's city wall. I entered if via a gate on Heslington Road and The Retreat (which we came across when discussing the Tuke family lies behind the wall on the left. In the distance you can see the edge of the university campus. When I was there it was much smaller - one of the attractions of York was that it was quite a small university with a pleasing mix of state school successes and private school failures. The wall of the Retreat keeps ...
Ian Hislop, his puzzled face much in evidence, seemed rather pleased with the way he dealt with the Jimmy Savile story on Have I Got News for You last week. (The good news is that the link will take you straight to that segment of the programme: the bad news is that it will work for only a couple more days.) The central point of his argument ran: "The truth is no one actually knew - and if they did they should be prosecuted."But this will not do. It is becoming increasingly clear that many people did know about Savile. ...
Here follows Nick Clegg's response to Theresa May's announcement in the commons yesterday: In opposition, we were unequivocal: Gary McKinnon should not be extradited. I said at the time that he was too vulnerable to be uprooted from his friends and family and sent across the Atlantic, and if there was a case to answer it should be here in the UK.So today I am absolutely delighted by the Home Secretary's decision to withdraw his extradition order.I want to congratulate Gary and his mother Janis on their deserved victory. They have campaigned tirelessly and I pay tribute to their strength ...
Last Wednesday was World Mental Health Day. As we would expect from a leader who is so interested in the subject, Nick Clegg issued a message on his Deputy Prime Minister's website. He also wrote a blog for Netmums on Post Natal Depression. He said: Postnatal depression is an illness. If left untreated, it can have very harmful long-term effects, for both the mother and child. For example, a mother's long-term depression can lead to her child developing behaviour problems and issues with bonding, sleeping and eating. It can also lead to her child developing learning difficulties at school and ...
WAMC (not to be confused with WOLD) has a podcast by Professor Norman Housley from the University of Leicester discussing what the discovery of what appears to be the skeleton of Richard III may mean for our understanding of this king and his era: The rather whimsical name, 'The Wars of the Roses', has had the unfortunate effect of disguising the sheer bloodiness of this conflict. Finding a royal skeleton that bears the marks of such violence will be a perpetual reminder of the grim reality of this war.Thanks to the University of Leicester Twitter feed for the link.
Just watching the excellent Ian Hislop's "Stiff Upper Lip : An Emotional History of Britain" and had a bit of a PING moment. He refers to Wellington, in his chart of how we ended up such an emotionally repressed nation - in part as a counterpoint to the dreadful French of course - but this is fascinating Wellington "I always say that next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained. Not only do you lose those dear friends with which you've been living, but you are forced to leave the wounded behind you. Of course you ...
Dear Fraser, We have published today the report of the party's Home Rule and Community Rule Commission which I had the privilege to chair. We were asked by the party conference last year to set out clear and detailed plans for achieving home rule for Scotland- substantial domestic powers while remaining part of the UK. We were asked to build on the report of the Steel Commission, and that is what we have done. In fact the recommendations are much stronger on the need for federal United Kingdomthan many commentators were expecting. That is in no small measure because of ...
Every week Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore writes a column for newspapers in his Borders constituency. Independence Referendum Over the past month, I have been working with the Scottish Government to agree the terms of the independence referendum and I am pleased to say that this week, the Prime Minister and the First Minister signed the agreement. This agreement is the culmination of months of debate and several weeks of talks I have held with the Deputy First Minister on this issue. The agreement sets out that the referendum will consist of one question which is ...
Facebook has been getting a lot of criticism for its lack of mobile revenue. A fact it tried to hide from its IPO. Much ink has been spilled, but is it really necessary for Facebook to worry? Here's a quick case study. Facebook has, in its infinite wisdom, decided that I would be interested in adverts for cancer. Or, perhaps, AXA have decided that 30 something males are a prime market. The creator of the advert was Equator's Fiona Dow who, judging from her bitly profile just loves posting about cancer. As I have mentioned several times before, bitly links ...
After extensive door to door consultation by Liberal Democrat councillors in St Peter's, the following roads will have the separate bay markings restored: Worley Avenue, Etna Road, Gombards and Church Crescent.
I've written a reaction and analysis to this morning's Obama-Romney debate for The Voice newspaper and in the course of my research I scored the candidates on each question. Of course such scoring is entirely ...
Millennium Dome Elephant has done a post where he points out how the Four Pledges question (that Jennie Rigg asked as part of her Federal Policy Committee candidates' grilling: "What four pledges would you put on the front of the next Lib Dem manifesto?") is tricky because as candidates we have differentiate ourselves but also make sure the pledges are deliverable. Part way through his article he points out how one of my answers "A pledge to legalise and regulate all currently illegal drugs" illustrates the problem: Of course this is absolutely the right policy: he's done much more research ...
On November 15th, the 2.6 million people of Greater Manchester will elect our first Police and Crime Commissioner. The choice is a stark one. The Lib Dem candidate, Matt Gallagher, is a former policeman with thirty years experience of policing Greater Manchester. Currently living in Chorlton, Matt previously lived in Heald Green and was an Inspector in Marple. He was on the streets of Moss Side during the drug wars, and now he wants to put that experience to good use. Labour's candidate, is Tony Lloyd: a lecturer in Business Studies in the 1970s, Lloyd has been a career politician ...
The popular Cheadle (Kingsway) Sports Club Fireworks Display is back this year, at 7pm on Saturday 3rd November. Unfortunately, there will not be a fireworks display at the Together Trust in Cheadle in 2012. The Heatons Sports Club has their fireworks display on the evening of Thursday 1st November – buying tickets in advance is recommended. Please let me know of displays we've missed, so we can built up a complete list.
Wednesday: The Liberal Democrats have always been at the forefront of the LGBT+ movement for equal rights, pressing the argument forwards in the face of Conservative reactionaries and Labour half-hearted compromise and backsliding. As one of Millennium Elephant's famous gay daddies, I'd want us to be back at that cutting edge, with an out and proud voice on FPC scrutinising every policy to make sure our communities are never left out where we should be included and that there's a proper section in the manifesto on what Lib Dems are going to do next to keep pressing for true equality. ...
Wed 17th
16:40
The Independent View: Fill your 4 x 4 with biofuel, or feed an African child for 200 days?
From time to time the solution to a problem ends up being worse than the original dilemma. Such is the case with making fuel from food crops - biofuels – in place of burning fossil fuels. What started off as such a well-intentioned idea to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has ended up not only doing the opposite, but also contributing to world food price rises and driving poor people off their land in developing countries and into hunger. But as the tide turns against biofuels, there are sustainable alternatives which can take their place. And that's where the Lib Dems ...
Congratulations Lynne Featherstone, Attitude Magazine's Politician of the Year for her work to deliver equal marriage
With Paddy's appointment as Chair of the General Election Campaign, an imminent start to the 2015 manifesto process, and clarity on the GE electoral boundaries, the party has very clearly entered a new strategic phase. This requires an organisational shift to ensure that we are focused on both the 2015 General Election task ahead, as well as the series of vital elections before then. There were five key priorities for Liberal Democrat Headquarters (LDHQ) to consider when approaching the restructure: Strengthening our ability to fight elections on the ground, including building our membership and supporter base Increasingly disciplined and focused ...
Yesterday saw the monthly "Pick on Nick Clegg" day at Westminster. Deputy Prime Minister's Questions is not known for its searching scrutiny of Government. Instead, Labour and Tories line up to take cheap shots at Nick. The experience he gains there is probably why he's so good at town hall meetings and question and answer sessions at Conference. DPMQs usually passes by unnoticed by the press. Yesterday, however, was different. Nick had a "Stalin to Mr Bean" moment when responding to a question about Grant Shapps and whether the Liberal Democrats were going to do a deal over party funding. ...
Satire often writes itself, as witnessed by the Nobel Peace Prize handed to a troubled European Union in the midst of protests over austerity in Athens and Madrid. The award certainly runs Henry Kissinger a close ...
Yesterday saw the monthly "Pick on Nick Clegg" day at Westminster. Deputy Prime Minister's Questions is not known for its searching scrutiny of Government. Instead, Labour and Tories line up to take cheap shots at Nick. The experience he gains there is probably why he's so good at town hall meetings and question and answer sessions at Conference. DPMQs usually passes by unnoticed by the press. Yesterday, however, was different. Nick had a "Stalin to Mr Bean" moment when responding to a question about Grant Shapps and whether the Liberal Democrats were going to do a deal over party funding. ...
Here's a video of yours' truly speaking at a Lib Dem fringe meeting in Brighton earlier this month. Unfortunately someone has called me Lester Conway in this video... my surname has always been Holloway! Anyway, ...
We (that's Richard Oglethorpe and I) recently got in touch with people living near the Greenhill Nursery site to find out what they thought the land should be used for. The Council has decided it's "surplus to requirements" and there'll be a decision in the not too distant future about what it should be used for. We were keen that people had a chance to have their say before any report was written. There were quite a few replies to our letter. Local people raised some problems with the site but also made suggestions as to future use. Allotments was ...
As this a day for the animals I cannot let the moment pass without mentioning the fight that broke out yesterday between Number 10 Downing Street and their neighbours in Number 11. Of course we are well used to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer falling out during the time of the previous Labour Government, but that has not been the pattern so far. However, yesterday's spat was not between Cameron and Osborne, but their cats. The full story is here. In this instance, Osborne's cat, Freya emerged triumphant. I have no doubt that this will not ...
I was really sad to hear this morning that stalwart Liberal Democrat activist from Erewash, Ted Gay, had died at the age of 92. I hadn't realised he was quite that old. He certainly didn't seem in his late 70s when he appeared in Chesterfield with a team of people to help most days during the 1997 general election. He was a lovely man who worked really hard for the party over the years. I also remember a by-election in Sandiacre in the Erewash constituency the next year. It was held in the middle of the Euro selections and so ...
Name the odd one out: Timothy Edmonds (convicted paedophile), Hussain Osman (convicted terrorist), Julian Assange (Wikileaks founder wanted for questioning by Swedish police) and Abu Hamza (Egyptian-born militant Islamist now facing terrorism charges in a New York court). Not too difficult - it's Abu Hamza, who was extradited to the USA after an eight-year legal battle. The other three are currently, or have been in the past, the subject of European arrest warrants. All of them, if Theresa May gets her way, would have been able to evade justice for as long as they could frustrate bilateral extradition arrangements (assuming ...
Readers may have noticed recently a flurry of letters in the Andover Advertiser from Andover's town councillors. One from Cllr Lynn bemoans local apathy. Another from Cllr Pond re-opens the debate on the future of the Guildhall. Both were worthy of a response so I replied as follows "Councillor Veronika Pond is quite right in her letter regarding the Guildhall. Andover's Guildhall is the town's parish hall and should be used by, and for the benefit of, Andover residents. The restaurant on the lower floor is successful and a welcome addition to the town. But it did not need to ...
I've had maybe 10 hours proper sleep in the last week. As a result, my Doctor has prescribed me some sleeping pills, Promethazine Hydrochloride. I collected them from the chemists on the way home from work and have just opened the packaging. Instructions are: Take ONE at night WARNING. THIS MEDICINE MAY MAKE YOU FEEL SLEEPY...Really? Pills I'm supposed to take at night to make me go to sleep may make me feel sleepy and I need to be warned? Thanks, wouldn't have figured out that sleeping pills might make me sleepy... (Ok, the rest of it is the standard ...
Unemployment fell again in latest three months of data, released today by the Office of National Statistics. For the three months from June to August 2012, UK unemployment fell by 50,000 to 2.53 million. Meanwhile the total in employment rose by 212,000 in the same period to 29.59 million – a record figure. This record is in part due to the rising overall population, but even allowing for this, the figures are still encouraging; the employment rate, for those aged 16-64, rose by 0.5% to 71.3%, the highest rate since early 2009. This relatively positive picture continues to be at ...
Votes at 16 has been brought back onto the political agenda at the moment, with the news that 16 and 17 year olds will get the vote for the Independence Referendum in 2014. This decision is probably one of the most important ones people living in Scotland will take in their lives, and young people's views must be taken into account about Scotland's future. 16 and 17 year olds can leave school, get a job, and start a family. They can join the army, with the intention of fighting for their country, but are deprived of their democratic right to ...
I don't usually post spoof articles here but this one on the Newsbiscuit site proved irresistible. In their conceit that sections of the M5 and the Severn Bridge have been shut due to thousands of badger refugees fleeing in convoy from villages in Gloucestershire and Somerset over the border to Wales, they have hit on several important truths. The main one of course is that the badger cull is not supported by the science and is likely to cause mass perturbation and the consequent spread of bTB to other areas. There are other points about asylum but I will let ...
Wed 17th
13:54
They really are going to have to investigate the Police Officers at the gate of No.10.
Ed Miliband got some well aimed digs in at Andrew Mitchell in PMQs today - "It's a night in the cell for the yobs, it's a night at the Carlton Club for the Chief Whip" is an especially good effort (credit where its's due). But when Milband accused the Tory Chief Whip of swearing at the police - Mitchell made very clear that he hadn't. Here's a screen grab from the New Statesman... But this means that Mitchell must be very clear, very confident, that a Police Officer has lied and made up his report of events that night in ...
There are many people in party HQ who have to try to work miracles with sparse resources, especially the party's newspaper team, producing Liberal Democrat News and its predecessors on a shoestring for decades. All the more impressive if you have ever looked at the range of raw materials sent them; the press releases and photos available to choose from have not always been of the best quality, shall we say. Picking through the party's financial accounts each year, it's no secret that the various incarnations of the Lib Dem News team have also struggled to make the books balance ...
If you are a regular reader, you'll know a bit about my obsession with the musical Wicked and how I love its original green witch Idina Menzel. She has an incredibly rich and versatile voice that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it - and she is a long term campaigner on equality issues. Idina played the Usher Hall in Edinburgh last night on the penultimate gig of her UK tour. Backed by an orchestra of local musicians and her own team from the US, she sang a huge variety of songs from pop, rock and musical theatre. It ...
Sign up to the Dispatch Box, the new weekly political e-magzine from digitalpolitico.net Today gov.uk has come out of beta and launched properly. It replaces busineslink and directgov at the moment, but will eventually replace every departmental website across Whitehall. ... Continue reading →
This week's tune is a real slice of fun. Silly, upbeat pop courtesy of Junior Senior with Move Your Feet: Andrew
Over the next few weeks' telly-watching you may see adverts encouraging people to talk about mental health. For those of you that can't wait, you can watch them online here. These adverts are part of the Time to Change campaign, England's biggest ever attempt to end the stigma and discrimination that faces people with mental health problems. This is a brilliant campaign. I remember speaking at its launch back in 2008. In the time since then, it has made a real difference. It can be extraordinarily tough to talk about mental health problems, and this only adds to the hardship ...
One of the things I am sad I missed at the recent conference was the vote on the Tories' secret courts proposal; I would have liked to have been there to see the leadership given a bloody nose over it. The problem is: the leadership HAVE been given a bloody nose, what happens now? How does the grassroots keep pressure on the leadership to say we're not going to stand for this illiberal measure? That's where Lib Dems Against Secret Courts come in. I've signed their petition, and I hope you will too. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Chris's answers are ( under the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Louise's answers are ( under the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
On Monday afternoon I attended the official opening of the new toilet and changing facilities at Moels Park, Kew, Southport. I attended along with my ward colleagues Councillors Fred Weavers and Maureen Fearn. Also in attendance were Sefton officers, members of local football leagues, the press and the current Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Leisure Cllr Ian Moncur from Bootle. Despite the poor weather and lots of mud underfoot the opening was well attended. Fred and I have fought long and hard to get Sefton Council to agree to funding for the much needed toilet facilities. The changing rooms ...
Julie's answers are ( under the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Of of all the conspiracy theories doing the rounds on the internet my favourite is not the one assuming George Bush to have a hidden set of smarts so vast as to make him capable of the cover up of ... Continue reading →
A couple of hours on Twitter is more than enough to see the acolytes of political philosophy A assuring the world that everyone who believes in political philosophy B is stupid, immoral or more than likely both. The favour is typically returned in kind. And yet anyone who's acquainted with that slightly curious place known as the "real world" knows there are many highly intelligent, moral and clear-thinking people in pretty much every camp. Anyone who thinks Burke, Mill or even Marx had nothing worthwhile to say is a fool. Who's actually right? Are our political philosophies just religions in ...
On Saturday I joined with fellow Wandle Walley Regional Park trustees and other interested parties for a walk along the Wandle Trail. On the way we were updated on the Living Wandle Partnership projects and thoughts about the Wandle Trail investment project. The weather was perfect and it was a great opportunity to view for ...
Wed 17th
11:24Scottish Liberal Democrats launch vision of federal UK, home rule and local empowerment
Last year, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie asked Menzies Campbell MP to head up a Home Rule Commission to set out our view on how Governments within the UK should work and what they should be responsible for. That report is published today and can be read in full here. Menzies Campbell launched it at the Scottish Parliament this morning. Photo: Graeme Littlejohn Far from being dry, constitutional stuff, Liberal Democrat values of empowering local communities and freeing people from poverty are woven through the document. It suggests that there should be a "constitutional duty to tackle poverty through ...
I am a scientist, I have a PhD in biochemistry and a masters in ecology and environmental sciences. I want to bring this scientific background into the EU in two ways, in policy making and in investment. Science is extremely important for knowledge based society and underpins a number of technological and innovative developments. In ...
Adam Bell recently wrote a blog asking the current Lib Dem Europe shortlisted candidates what powers they thought should be repatriated from the EU. Here is my response: "With the current state of the economy our focus should be on rebuilding jobs. In the EU the majority of jobs, over two thirds of all EU ...
Every year the Lib Dem group in Sutton host an Italian evening, even before I went to the event I had heard tales on the magnificent lasagne, and I was not let down! Good food and great company, Sutton definitely show how to have a fantastic event that gets everyone involved. As I was talking ...
Team London events are continuing to grow from week to week. This Saturday saw the latest installment of the Team London show with nearly 30 people traveling to Wimbledon to help the local Lib Dems there. The event started early Saturday morning with Anthony Fairclough, the organiser cooking croissants for the earlybirds in the group. ...
There's a great example in today's release of the latest employment figures of the power of simple pictures to communicate complex points. In this case, it is the use of two pie charts by the Office of National Statistics, pulling together a large number of figures and putting them in a context that is easy to follow:
At work it's called banter: but there's still a culture of sex harassment in TV | Media | The Observer This applies to pubs as much as telly in my experience. My solution was to very publicly learn karate. (tags: ) Full Disclosure: Is it OK to hold credit card numbers in cookies? Santander? (tags: ) BBC News - Millions of blogs knocked offline by legal row (tags: ) BBC News - Google told to fix privacy policy by EU data regulators (tags: ) BBC News - Hillsborough: Application for new inquests (tags: ) BBC News - Gary McKinnon extradition ...
As we look at how we use technology to campaign as Liberal Democrats, we should consider the use of open standards. Most people know something very basic about the World Wide Web - it was invented by Tim Berners-Lee. But the key to its success was not just the skill of its inventor; the standards behind the web were open, meaning that anybody could write a web server, web browser or web page. Dozens of programmes sprung up, all of them able to talk to each other. A decade before, the Internet itself was developed collaboratively around open standards. People ...
Wed 17th
09:25
Conor Burns doesn't understand the difference between "The Government" and "The Tory Party"
Classic bit of whining here from former Tory minister Conor Burns over how the Lib Dems are now going to vote against boundary changes: "It appears to prove what many have long feared: it's one rule for the Conservatives, who have to resign or be sacked to vote against the government, and another rule for the Deputy Prime Minister who just has to have a hissy fit." Burns resigned in order to vote against Lords reform, hence his bitterness as what he seems to perceive as double standards. But the former minister is fundamentally misunderstanding how coalition government works. He ...
Last night, I attended Ada Lovelave Day Live. An inspirational and entertaining evening celebrating women in technology. One of the ways that people can get involved in Ada Lovelace day is be blogging about women in tech – I blogged in 2009 and 2010 but – to my shame – I didn't in 2011. So, here is a double post in penance :-) Mary Anning (21 May 1799 - 9 March 1847) [IMG: Mary Anning by B. J. Donne] First up, Mary Anning. I was in the British Museum yeasterday, they have a wonderful collection of fossils. The most impressive ...
bindersfullofwomen: Ermahgerd Brindrs full of Wormern!
The latest consultation for Consett should prove fascinating. 30 years after it's formation, Project Genesis is consulting people about the future direction of the former steelworks site. The event is to be held at: Consett Library, Victoria Road, Consett, County Durham, DH8 5AT on Thursday 18th October 2012, 2pm-7pm. The flier says that the project team will be on hand all afternoon to answer your questions. There will be enquiry sheet on which to give your details if you have any questions. How about an Academy and Leisure Centre being built there? Don't forget, there is also a consultation today, ...
I recently spoke in Canterbury against the Conservative City Council's decision to consider giving its waste handling contract to a company whose Israeli affiliate are alleged to be linked to human rights abuses in Palestine. The Council is refusing to consider the ethical issues on the basis of an interpretation of European law that prohibits taking such matters into account. The correct interpretation of the law is disputed but members of the public formed the distinct impression that the Conservative Council would place no weight on the matters even if the law permitted them do. The argument for not giving ...
Issan Ghazni welcomes the Home Secretary's long-overdue announcement that Gary McKinnon will not face extradition to the US. I have long campaigned for, and argued that, as Gary's alleged crime was committed on British soil - a British judge should ... Continue reading →
Let us recall the BBC's original statement on the matter: The BBC has conducted extensive searches of its files to establish whether there is any record of misconduct or allegations of misconduct by Sir Jimmy Savile during his time at the BBC. No such evidence has been found. Whilst the BBC condemns any behaviour of the type alleged in the strongest terms, in the absence of evidence of any kind found at the BBC that corroborates the allegations that have been made, it is simply not possible for the corporation to take any further action.
Thanks to my blatant neglect of posting last week's tune, this week there's two for your aural delectation. First up, a group which has had more changes in line up than I've had hot dinners: The Sugababes with Round Round... Andrew
A new planning application has been received in Holyrood Ward as detailed below:- Application number: 55705 Type of application: Full Date Registered: 15/10/2012 Location: 71 Parrenthorn Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2RL Proposal: Erection of garden shed to rear. Plans will be available to view on the Council's website (search by the above application number).
Update from Petra Vergunst, community musician : www.musicforcommunities.blogspot.com: Singers wanted for a community music event at Verdant Works on Saturday 27th October We are now looking for singers (experience is not required) to join the chorus at Verdant Works on Saturday 27th October from 1pm to 4 pm. The event will be the culmination of the community music project Warp and Weft. This project, commissioned by Dundee Heritage Trust with money from Dundee's Weaver Craft, celebrates the 500th anniversary of the weaving trade in Dundee. The public singing event consists of a workshop to rehearse We Can Dance, We Can ...
Earlier this evening I joined other contributors to and staff of The Oldie magazine, including Editor Richard Ingrams, at Dartmouth House (headquarters of the English Speaking Union) to celebrate the inaugural Oldie British Artists Award. Many other people from the world of the Arts were present, as well as a good contingent from Soho, about which I wrote a ...
