Eeek - can't quite believe I'm three weeks behind on this series of posts. Still, I have lots of excuses! Anyway, rather than dump them all on you on Wednesday, I'm going to treat you to one a day from now till then. To start, then, we have The Thrills with their biggest hit (it reached number 17!): Andrew
David Laws, the Minister of State for Schools and the Cabinet Office, was billed to speak at a bangers-and-mash supper at the Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath this evening and Liberal Democrats from the three boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich and Bromley — plus me — arrived prepared to quiz him quite firmly on issues such as ...
Four years ago, along with many other bloggers, I criticised the BBC's coverage of the USA Presidential election result in general and the choice of David Dimbleby as anchorman in particular. We need not have bothered. Tomorrow night he will be doing the same job. Back in 2005 I summed David Dimbleby up: He is a public school boy of no great imagination or ability, projected on to the national stage by television fame and family connections.In that post I mentioned that he made his first film for the BBC at the age of 17. His younger brother Jonathan was ...
Sexual abuse is alleged to have taken place in children's homes in north Wales during the 1970s and '80s and we know that an unnamed senior Tory politician is involved. Compare that with the Savile investigations. We not only know that the perpetrator was Savile but we have seen photographs of the arrest of Gary Glitter and Freddie Starr. Gary Glitter was filmed leaving his home and it wouldn't be difficult to identify the house. Freddie Starr lives in Warwickshire. I didn't know that and I am sure many more of his personal details are available in this technological age. ...
Seventy years ago, in the Suez Canal Zone.
Those who voted for Romney will need the lights on to search for the American dream that he is promising. Romney is selling a outdated American dream of nostalgia. I was watching Romney on TV give his speech at Des Moines, Iowa and he spoke about making America great again. Firstly, I DO think that America is a great country but I do think that the American dream of making millions out of cents is a thing of the past. The reason that I think this is because there is a capitalist system that exists in the world which restricts ...
I have to struggle sometimes to remember that we have so many Northern MPs. That is in part a reflection of how the party uses the talent up here. Chris Davies was up in Southport last week speaking at the excellent Kew Ward meal organised by Fred Weavers. I got to thinking that one option would be to appoint regional spokepersons so that we can improve our media coverage. I am impressed by Michael Moore and Willie Rennie would have a brief that ranges across all departments in Scotland. Kirsty Williams in Wales also exploits her all Wales brief to ...
"Another of the advantages of the book is that it really does cover almost all of the available media openings - from blogs and email, through local radio and regional television, to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Its authors also genuinely get the often-misunderstood art of the effective press release." On British Politics and Policy at LSE, Paul Brighton reviews 101 Ways to Win an Election by Mark Pack and Ed Maxfield. Mother Jones has a handy chart of Almost Every Obama Conspiracy Theory Ever. "Many casual home computer buyers give no thought to the fact that they are bringing a ...
There we have it. Miliband's big idea: the living wage. Only it is not Miliband's idea. And more to the point it is not a very big idea. In fact, it seems to me extraordinarily unambitious. We presently have a system in which somebody earning the national minimum wage – which for most is not sufficient to live in any comfort even before tax – and working full time pays income tax at 20% on about a third of their salary, national insurance, VAT on the goods they buy, fuel duty and road tax on the car that gets them ...
The old Ritz Cinema in Market Harborough was never a thing of beauty and has been derelict even since Kwiksave (who latterly occupied the building) closed their store in 2005. As this photograph of the rear of the building shows, the demolition men moved in today. The site is to be redeveloped as a block of retirement flats, with shops on the ground floor.
Work is under way on the section of cycle path from Westerleigh to the M4 bridge (the part from Yate to Westerleigh will follow afterwards). Volunteers are needed to work one day a week to help prepare, lay and construct the dust path, assisting South Gloucestershire council's Streetcare team of contractors. The work parties are every Sunday, with the next one being held this Sunday 11th November from 9am until 4pm. If you can't attend for the whole day, the volunteers would be very grateful for whatever time you can spare - be it just for a couple of hours ...
We have asked the council to repair the timetable on the bus stop outside of United Reform Church in Frome Road.
"One of the fiercest critics of private policing has been former Labour Government Minister Lord Prescott, who is now the Labour Party candidate to be Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside......Ironically, Lord Prescott played a prominent part in paving the way for security guards to start policing the streets" Those are not my words but the words of the Metropolitan Police Federation. I can only assume that our Lord Prescott has 'forgotten' his own record in government. Clearly, those affected by his policies have not. You can read the full piece here
That's according to a new report out, called "Adolescents with Lesbian Mothers Describe Their Own Lives". Study: Teens With Lesbian Mothers Do Better In School, Happier In Life
Persuasion and Influence, the first a sublime novel by Jane Austen, the second a very interesting reflection on the psychology of persuasion. Both to be recommended. They, are also, two of the most important tools for a politician, alongside charm and reputation, in my view. And yet, so many get it wrong. Case for the Prosectution, m'lud, is Terence Blacker's piece on statistics from a study that he doesn't deign to link to, This is a man who probably at heart, starts with a good point " When those educated up to degree level were presented with the question, "Politics ...
The Silvertown Tunnel issue returned to the limelight last week as the next stage of consultation by TfL was announced. This is the proposal for another road tunnel across the Thames at Greenwich, which was consulted on earlier in the year, together with proposals for another ferry at Thamesmead. The big news is that, following the initial feedback, the idea ...
Mon 5th
16:54
LibLink: Menzies Campbell - Europe is the glass jaw of the Tory party. It has taken a hit
In the Independent, Sir Menzies Campbell gives his perspective on the latest Tory shenanighans on Europe: Europe is the glass jaw of the Tory party. Some of their dissidents have been heard to say that Mr Cameron should behave like Margaret Thatcher. But it was her "No, no, no" to Europe which was the straw that broke Geoffrey Howe's back, and led to the speech that ultimately led to her dethronement. And what about that good man John Major? Sandbagged by an irreconcilable group of no more than 30 Euro rebels who took the opportunity of the proceedings in the ...
Lots of news including on a new vision for Stockport, the latest on the Portas Pilot and much more. Autumn 2012 Newsletter
Some people have grabbed the wrong end of the stick with my previous blog post reporting on Lee Jasper and George Galloway addressing last Saturday's Black Men in the Community conference. For the record, no ...
The American Constitution is a practical document, not holy writ as so many Americans might have you believe. It has its fair share of holes- as was most recently shown in 2000 when despite a popular victory of over a million votes, Vice President Al Gore was defeated by George W Bush in highly controversial circumstances. However in its practical way is sets a regular round of elections, with the election date being the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The 2012 election is thus due on Tuesday 6th November. It is an election in many states for ...
Writing in the Telegraph, Vince Cable says that a green economy is fully compatible with a competitive and efficient manufacturing industry: Green sectors have outperformed the wider economy since the economic downturn. The UK share of the global Low Carbon Environmental Goods & Services market was estimated to be more than £122 billion in 2010/11 - the sixth largest in the world, and growing at approximately five per cent a year. The UK is the largest single market for offshore wind in the world, and we are currently leading the world in terms of marine energy devices and installation development. ...
A planning application's come in to turn the office building at the corner of Garston Old Road and Stormont Road into three houses. This is the location where previously a shop and off licence was planned (and about which there was quite a bit of controversy) Anyway, you can see the planning application details at this link. The bulk of the detail is in the "related documents" section towards the bottom of the page. If you want to comment, you can do so on line from the same website.
When people ask me 'What has the EU ever done for me?' my answer usually relates to the Single Market, which has given individuals and businesses four basic freedoms of movement throughout the 27 member states, relating to goods, people, services and capital. The EU is now celebrating 20 years of the Single Market, though ...
There's been a lot of controversy about end-of-life care, and particularly the use of the Liverpool Care Pathway, over the past few days. So much so that it seems that the Government is about to change NHS procedures on this. I'm not sure that's even necessary, as consulting relatives is already part of what the Liverpool Care Pathway entails. I'm concerned that this may be an over-reaction to scare stories in the press and that reassurance rather than actual change is necessary. Caring for a dying relativeI've only supported one person through a terminal illness at close quarters. It was ...
(title highly commended in the category of 'headlines most likely to send someone to sleep') I've done my bit for the party and completed voting in the latest round of internal federal party elections. (Now just the regional ones to go!) However, while I was filling out the final few places on the Federal Policy Committee ballot form – there's a certain kind of evil fun in working out who you really don't want on the committee, and is thus deserving of 63rd preference – I was struck by a few thoughts, which I thought I'd share here. My words ...
Just a reminder that I, along with many of the rest of the Mindless Ones, will be at the Thought Bubble convention in Leeds on the 17th and 18th. You'll be able to meet Bobsy, Illogical Volume, Gary Lactus and The Beast Must Die, along with occasional Mindless guest-contributors Hollistic Tendancies and Scott Mackattack. Plok ...
Why not join hundreds of other Lib Dem Voice readers in getting our latest headlines by email? Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there's new stories of interest. Some people like subscribing to its news feed (RSS) and checking that way. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day's posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want ...
Thanks to Harry Matthews (@hmatthews92 ) who pointed me in this great interactive website from the Beeb - where you can predict the result of every state in the US election and thus your own prediction for the result of the electoral college. Here's mine, ascertained by a certain amount of reading up, a certain amount of polling by state, and a certain amount of wanting it to be close so it's worth staying up - but still seeing an Obama win ;-) So gentle readers - am I right or am I right? UPDATE Now found The Guardian Balloon ...
Having a vision for an important public service is a good thing, whether you are the sort of person who laps up visions for breakfast or the sort of person who hankers for a golden pre-jargon age when vision meant something to do with your eyes. Either way, knowing what you actually are trying to achieve overall is what saves you from drowning in detail and being blown every which way by passing events. So the concept of a local council drafting a vision statement for education in its area is fine. The problem with Haringey Council's attempt is the ...
I enjoyed this little Twitter exchange with the tweeting legend that is Michael Fabricant MP yesterday: [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
"In-Fighting"I see Darth Costello has turned to the dark side. "in-fighting": I seem to recall Mr Costello did a bit of that himself. Getting rid of a fellow councillor. I haven't forgotten. Only then, he called it democracy. This is not a reason for joining Labour, it's an excuse. And a pretty poor one at that.
On Saturday 3 November, I met some Lewisham and Beckenham North Liberal Democrats for a firework supper. There I chatted to several members while munching a delicious lamb curry before we all went up to Blackheath. This was the first time I had seen the Blackheath fireworks and I was mightily impressed by the colours and display on offer. I was also surprised by the thousands of people who had come out on a cold November night to be present. It seemed rather brief, about 20 minutes, but I was later informed that this was because one of the two ...
Fireworks of a different kind are likely with the publication last week of the draft report to the Secretary of State by the Trust Special Administrator at South London Healthcare NHS Trust. The Administrator was appointed last July after all else had failed and his draft report does not make pleasant reading, nor do his proposed ...
Liberal Youth Scotland Campaigns for Honest Lets Brace yourself — you're about the hear the SNP getting some praise. Are you sitting down? Good. Over the summer, the SNP announced something that student groups like the NUS and groups such as Shelter and the CAB had been calling for a long time. They announced that ...
A bid to send Bootle Labour's Library closure plan back to the drawing board has narrowly failed. In a shocking development, Conservative councillor for Ainsdale, Terry Jones, voted with Labour to say that closing Ainsdale Library was a sound decision. Ainsdale, Birkdale and Churchtown Libraries are all under threat of closure in Southport. Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Iain Brodie Browne and four fellow councillors used a special council procedure to 'call in' the closure decision made earlier in October. Campaigning in the winter of 2009/10 to secure Southport town centre library However their attempt to persuade Sefton Council's Scrutiny Committee ...
With the deadline for the submission of the first midterm exam safely past, I'm now able to reflect on my performance here. 95/100 is respectable enough – although having dropped 4 out of 8 marks on the very first question, it wasn't looking too promising early on Saturday morning. Note to self: read the question, read the question again and read the question again before submitting the answer for checking! Fortunately I only lost one further mark (out of the 20 available for the sorting and complexity question) and managed all of the questions which required Python programs to be ...
I've written before about the motion I'm seconding at the Unlock Democracy AGM, trying to improve the organisation's own internal democracy. The AGM is being held on Saturday, November 10th at NCVO, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, on Regent's Wharf near Kings Cross St. Pancras, London. If you are a member and can't make it to the AGM, you can cast a proxy vote: fill the form online at www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/proxy2012. Thanks!
I spent last week shadowing John in the House of Commons as part of Royal Society Westminster Pairing Scheme. I have to say it has positively revolutionized my understanding of the selfless, honest, tireless and important work that ... Continue reading →
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, David Rimmer and Nigel Ashton are holding their next monthly advice centre on Saturday 10th November, from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We hold our advice centre every month (except August) on the second Saturday of the month at St John's School.
In Sutton we have supported our high streets by investing in them. This strategic commitment has not only helped businesses to survive the recession and thrive, it has stimulated additional private investment which has helped to further unlock potential. Our first project was the refurbishment of our main town centre in Sutton, initiated before the recession took hold, out of the London Mayor's Great Spaces scheme. This was not an unqualified success as there were issues around implementation and design, which lost resident buy-in. However, it has succeeded in improving the area. Most importantly it was welcomed by the town ...
The broken nameplate on Mallee Crescent is going to be replaced, following agreement by Meols Ward councillors.
We don't have many one ways streets in East Dulwich but those we do are a real pain for cyclists. Two new cycle contraflows are being designed and planned – Zenoria Street and Etherow Street. They avoid detours that few take and so pavement cycling is encouraged which we all want to avoid. And no loss of car parking is proposed. 01 Etherow Street Contraflow – Consultation , 08 Zenoria Street Contraflow – Consultation Take a look and let me know what you think. I'm expecting us to make a decision on them at the 27 November Dulwich Community Council. ...
Yesterday, Willie Rennie went on Sunday Politics Scotland to take part in a discussion about drug treatment with the SNP's Mark McDonald and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson. The impression I've had from what Willie was saying is that he's fed up of politicians pontificating about stuff they know nothing about, and making sweeping pronouncements about care. He thinks that everyone's different, that what works for one might not work for another and it really needs to be left to health professionals on the ground to choose the best way of treating each individual from a range of options. We've ...
Here is the latest FOCUS newsletter from Meols Ward Liberal Democrats, which was delivered to the streets of Churchtown, Crossens and Marshside recently.
The idea of a random UK tech-politics blog 'endorsing' a US Presidential candidate is beyond ridiculous, so I shan't call this post an endorsement. It isn't. It's a plea for a bit a of sanity from American voters tomorrow. Barack Obama was elected four years ago on a platform of hope and change, and nothing ...
Get Real: How to Tell it Like it is in a World of Illusions, Eliane Glaser Reading Naomi Klein's anti-capitalist No Logo a dozen years ago confirmed in me that any last vestiges of my teenage leftyism had long since vanished. Eliane Glaser's Get Real re-confirmed it for me. The book itself is a rattling read: a real energy and passion pulsates on every page. However, its central argument — that corporations and politicians are systematically deluding the public, concealing their exploitative practices behind a veil of spin and illusion — rests far too heavily on generalised assertion. What Eliane ...
When I trained as a teacher in the 1950s we were proudly taught that, whereas on the continent, and in particular France, control freak governments laid down exactly and precisely what was to be taught in their schools, here in the freedom-lovng UK, schools and teachers were trusted to use their expertise, judgement and local knowledge to decide on what the children in their care should be taught. In actual fact I suspect that it was good text books as much as anything that were the main influence on what was taught, especially in the junior and lower forms of ...
A bid to send Bootle Labour's Library Closure plan back to the drawing board narrowly failed on Thursday night, 1 November. Ainsdale, Birkdale and Churchtown Libraries are all under threat of closure in Southport. Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Iain Brodie Browne and four fellow councillors used a special council procedure to "call in" the closure decision made earlier in October However their attempt to persuade Sefton Council's Scrutiny Committee to force the Bootle Labour-dominated Cabinet to reconsider was defeated - with Ainsdale's Tory councillor Terry Jones voting with Labour. Cllr Brodie Browne commented: "Local residents were quite rightly appalled at ...
In the event of a power cut electricity providers can give some priority to certain people. You can be included on the Priority Service Register if you are: - Dependent on medical equipment - Chronically sick - Disabled - A special case that should be considered - Nursing Home or residential home. If you fall into any of the above categories, or know someone who does, then you can register here.
Yesterday the Independent on Sunday published it's annual list of LGBT high fliers. The Pink List was started by former Editor Janet Street Porter, and has become an annual celebration of diversity and achievement. This year it was topped by fabulous bisexual boxing Gold Medallist Nicola Adams. The IoS Pink List 2012
Some useful diary dates over the coming months: Prestwich Township Forum Wednesday 14 November 2012, 6.30pm at the Longfield Suite – all welcome Holyrood Ward PACT Meeting (Police and Communities Together) Thursday 22 November 2012, 6.00-7.00 at Toodle Hill Children's Centre (Heaton Park Primary, Cuckoo Lane) – all welcome Prestwich Farmers Market (with a Christmas Theme!) Longfield Sunday, 2 December 2012
Seriosuly, he is a bit good isn't he... Hard to imagine any UK politicians working a crowd in quite the same way. Sign up to the Dispatch Box, the new weekly political e-magzine from digitalpolitico.net
A bid to send Bootle Labour's Library Closure plan back to the drawing board narrowly failed on Thursday night, 1 November. Ainsdale, Birkdale and Churchtown Libraries are all under threat of closure in Southport. Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Iain Brodie Browne and four fellow councillors used a special council procedure to "call in" the closure decision made earlier in October However their attempt to persuade Sefton Council's Scrutiny Committee to force the Bootle Labour-dominated Cabinet to reconsider was defeated - with Ainsdale's Tory councillor Terry Jones voting with Labour. Cllr Brodie Browne commented: "Local residents were quite rightly appalled at ...
Nick Clegg is celebrating the UK decision not to extradite Gary McKinnon to the USA. The extradition of Abu Hamza then sparked controversy and discussion on LDV. But last week the Guardian reported on the case of Christopher Tappin, the Kent businessman extradited to the US on charges of selling batteries to Iran. Tappin has entered a plea bargain, pleading guilty in return for a 33 month sentence to be served in the UK. The Guardian reports Tappin's UK solicitor, Karen Todner, saying that 98% of people who enter the US justice system agree a plea deal. "The odds are ...
Mon 5th
10:49
@DNSAssociate - is it wise for an accountant to use spam comments as a means of attracting business?
Since giving up CAPTCHA, I have dealt with a stream of spam comments on my blog that CAPTCHA used to block. Strangely enough, it means that I get reminded of things that I have done in a curiously, rather appealingly, random way - an iPod shuffle of my 'greatest hits' if you like. And you can guess as to the nature of the comments - US drug sellers, internet sales for all sorts of weird and wonderful things. However, today saw something different. For one thing, the comment had a name attached, Chris Smith, rather than 'Anonymous'. Naturally, I assumed ...
If Labour are so keen on the Living Wage why are they still advertising unpaid jobs?
I did wonder about the decision to send out the first of Nick Clegg's new emails on a Sunday, as usually in my experience that's not a great day to send out political emails to an audience such as the members and supporters of a political party. I'm sure the team will be looking at the stats and perhaps the chatty style fits a weekend better than a weekday. Regardless, one thing the timing has worked very well for is in getting media coverage, such as in the Daily Mail and the Telegraph. It's an impressive amount of media coverage ...
Mon 5th
10:30
What do SNP ministers do to get themselves out of a sticky situation? Rewrite the rules, of course
Just when you thought the farce over the non-existent legal advice on Scotland's EU membership was over, yesterday's Herald has news of yet another twist. Remember how keen Alex Salmond was to refer himself on the Ministerial Code? Apart from that being a big red herring anyway, it turns out the Government re-wrote it to suit Alex Salmond's case while the investigation on Catherine Stihler's FOI request was going on. If, as the Scottish Government spokesperson says, there was no difference in the meaning of the wording, why did they go to the bother of changing it? Salmond wants to ...
We'll be covering the US Election results night live here on Liberal Democrat Voice from 11pm on Tuesday. You can join in by using the Twitter hashtag #LDVUSA, which will include your tweet on the scrolling page here on LDV. You'll also be able to comment here on the screen using the Coveritlive.com tool. There'll be commentary from the LDV editorial team and Lib Dem bloggers throughout the night, plus updates from leading US news and commentary Twitter streams. It'll be a good place to follow the results as they emerge, with comments and chat amongst like-minded people. Of course, ...
Mon 5th
09:50
Years of effort, mountains of hype, billions of dollars - and Obama finally catches up with UK
I've commented often enough in the past about our obsession in the UK with US politics. We love referring repeatedly to the US even when it clearly isn't the best place to look (want to talk TV debates? how about looking at a country with a multi-party Parliamentary system to see how its TV debates work instead of obsessing about 1960s America?). We also often slip into an inferiority complex, as if what's in the US is automatically bigger, better, smarter and all round got more of the wooo wooo than what we do in Britain. But take a cool ...
Jobs, jobs, jobs. More jobs, fewer jobs. Employment up, unemployment down. Employment down, unemployment up. Statistics on how many jobs there are and how many people are employed in them are thrown around like political confetti in our national discourse. It is axiomatic that "more jobs" is better and "fewer jobs" is worse. I am not immune to this feeling. Of course I feel better if I see employment rising and unemployment falling. I run a small business and any signs that the economy is improving is good news as far as that is concerned. But in the longer term, ...
It's been a while since Scottish Liberal Democrats have had much in the way of positive press coverage. This week has seen a bit of a bumper crop, though. First, there was the Why we need the Lib Dems article from last week's Sunday Herald which said that Willie Rennie was "Salmond's best inquisitor" at Holyrood. Then there was Euan McColm lauding Rennie as "coolly impressive" after his performance in the EU debate. And now we have, at flippin' last, someone recognising the talents of Mike Moore, our Secretary of State for Scotland, that I've been banging on about for ...
It never ceases to amaze me how the Western Mail continues to indulge the wildest fantasies of Plaid Cymru politicians. One gets the impression that some of these Plaid MPs spend most of their time dreaming up fantastic scenarios that will give them independence by the back door rather than having to make their case to the people. Today the Western Mail reports that on the belief of Jonathan Edwards MP that demand for independence could soar if England votes to quit the EU in a future referendum but Wales and Scotland vote to stay in. he goes on to ...
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Support for Coalition edges up to 77% LDV asked: Do you support or oppose the Lib Dems being in the Coalition Government with the Conservatives? (Comparison with September's figures.) 77% (+3%) - Support 18% (-3%) - Oppose 5% (n/c) - Don't know / No opinion Support for the Coalition continues to hold firm in spite of the buffeting the Lib ...
One of the strangest aspects of the Savile affair was the influence he was given over Broadmoor special hospital. And a written statement that Edwina Currie, who appears to have been the minister who appointed him to a role there, only added to the strangeness: She told Channel 4 News in a statement: "What [Savile] did have, as I know for certain, is information which gave him a hold over staff. That could explain why they said nothing, even with their knowledge or suspicion of his misbehaviour. As a result ministers were never given the information, when we could have ...
As part of the Parliament and Internet Conference, there was a panel discussion about 4G networks. These are my notes on the session. I've applied the Chatham House Rule - mostly because I can't remember who said what, rather than any backroom skulduggery. Any errors are mine and mine alone. Neither Vodafone nor EE have signed up to the Network Neutrality pledge. O2 have.(Disclaimer, I work for Telefonica, these thoughts are my own.) The Open Internet Code of Practice is the Government's non-regulatory approach to net neutrality. It basically says that ISPs will not discriminate between services, and if they ...
A couple of follow-ups to my HIGNFY gender bias post on Saturday that I wanted to highlight. Jim Jepps has taken my data and put into a graph that shows the gap quite clearly, and the fact that – apart from the big dip in female guests in the mid-90s – there doesn't seem to be much of a trend in them. (There appears to be an upward tick at the moment, but that might be because of the high female percentage in series 42. Jim also has an interesting letter he received from John Lloyd, the producer of QI ...
Sam Lewis Yesterday, I was privileged to meet the large group of family and friends of Sam Lewis, the 19 year old BT call centre worker from the West End, who tragically collapsed and died at work in July. The group participated in a sponsored walk from Invergowrie Memorial Park to the City Square. The walk was part of an effort to raise funds for a memorial bench in memory of Sam that will be placed on Magdalen Green, where Sam often played alongside his friends. With already over £1750 raised yesterday - with more pledged - provision of the ...
I have mentioned in recent months the efforts being made to establish a Perth Road Traders' Association. Local businesses have have rightly mentioned the need to improve the physical environment in the shopping area - the seating area at Sinderins (I have asked Community Payback to have the seats repainted and they have kindly agreed) and the seating at the advertising site at the bottom of Ryehill Lane are good examples. And, with regard to the advertising site at the bottom of Ryehill Lane, I asked the owners JC Decaux to permit access for a community clean up, and the ...
Greater Manchester's sustainable food conference comes to Prestwich to bring together groups, individuals and organisations to discuss their work, meet new people, discuss shared interests and take part in learning sessions. It is the first time that 'Feeding Manchester' are having an event 'outside the city', with a packed FULL DAY programme arranged in collaboration with Incredible Edible Prestwich and District offering: - Presentations from established community food projects and growers including a 'Community Supported Bakery Special' - Networking opportunities over a sustainable lunch - Workshops and skills sharing including social media skills and a guide to attracting and retaining ...
Climate change is no longer a theory, it's a reality. I grew up in a New York suburb which is prim, proper and thoroughly bourgeois: it's a place that features tidy suburban houses, neatly trimmed lawns and American flags fluttering proudly. While the weather could be wild, I don't recall it being extreme. I remember ...
I linked to this a while ago, but Leonard Pierce offers a service where he will email you a story every month, along with various other services (see here for the full list). I'm blogging about this again, because I noticed (only a month or so late — I've not been keeping up with social ...
