This is the second of a trilogy by Burns which started with X'ed Out, and leaps between three different storylines: Doug's memories of his life in our world, in particular his enigmatic girlfriend Sarah (who has a fascination with Louise Bourgeois); the adventures of Doug's alter ego Nitnit in the alternative insectoid world of The Hive; and the romance comics which are common to both worlds. It seems almost as if Burns is interrogating the medium of comics from two different directions, Bourgeois' startling and disturbing images and the conventionally fluffy romance stories. There is also clearly a deep revelation ...
I'm travelling to the Languedoc in April. I've just booked my train ticket to Carcassonne which comes to £143.50 return. It's a very civilized journey. I get a late afternoon Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris, then the sleeper from Paris arriving at Carcassonne at 5.30 the following morning. There are a couple of minor hassles: ...
Cameron making one of most important decisions of his Premiership without having faintest reason why, let alone where he wants it to end — Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) January 22, 2013
Hands up if you know the programme whose signature tune is also the name of this post, and the links it has to this: Any ideas? Well, on the BBC News website today it is reported the Vanessa-Mae wants to compete for Thailand in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games is Sochi. She's announced that she intends to take a year off from music in order to compete in the required number of events to see her qualify. Pop Looks Bach, meanwhile, is a track that takes some cues from the Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor and is, fittingly, ...
Cllr Susan van de Ven A campaign to improve cycling conditions along the A10 between Cambridge and Royston and surrounding villages is being launched by Cambridgeshire County Councillor, Susan van de Ven. The move comes as the county council develops a new transport strategy for the area and suggested there should be a strong emphasis on cycling. Liberal Democrat Cllr van de Ven, who represents Melbourn, will launch the A10 Corridor Cycle Campaign at a meeting on January 29 at the Sheltered Housing Community Room in Elin Way, Meldreth at 7.30pm. "The County Council has developed useful cycling maps of ...
Following on from yesterday's news that Cornwall Council have put two of Launceston's car parks up for sale despite no consultation with the local community, tonight the town council voted to seek legal protection for the car parks. The council will seek to have the sites (and all other CC car parks in our town) listed as 'assets of community value' under the Localism Act. The Localism Act is one of the best pieces of legislation passed by the coalition government. It does various things including allowing local communities to have much more say about what should be built and ...
The final moments of note in the full Council that started on 13 December last year. Firstly Lib Dems secured a commitment to restore the dropped curb budget. It is one of those areas where the borough and County take responsibility for different bits of paving, so recent cuts to the budget have been below the radar. After requests to install a dropped curb met with a 'budgets used up'
Rectory Woods take the countryside right into the centre of Church Stretton. The Shropshire Council leaflet describes it as follows: Rectory Wood once formed part of the grounds of the Rectory in Church Stretton. In around 1775 the owner, James Mainwaring, made great changes to create a designed woodland landscape garden. It is believed that Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, a friend of Mainwaring and arguably the greatest British landscape gardener of the Georgian era, influenced the design here at Rectory Wood. Capability Brown used the natural form of the landscape to create his gardens. He planted trees to break up the ...
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone] The Observer's Nick Cohen isn't Lynne Featherstone's biggest fan: "I cannot tell you how much I dislike this stupid, two-faced and dangerous politician," he writes affectionately in The Spectator. He later labels her a "menace", a "hypocrite", and curses her "wittering" (I wonder if that's a verb he's ever applied to a male politician, by the way?). All of which means poor Nick is in despair. Why? Because, he laments, Labour is completely failing to get its act together in Hornsey and Wood Green, allegedly one of their top Lib Dem targets at the next election: Labour ...
Today's BBC Daily Politics looked at the Lib Dems' electoral fortunes. In clip 1, they interview Lib Dem peer Lord (Tony) Greaves, former Lib Dem turned Labour councillor James Allie, and Gareth Epps, of the Social Liberal Forum... ... and in clip 2, party president Tim Farron responds:
Lib Dem party president Tim Farron — who resigned from the Lib Dem front-bench in 2008 to vote in favour of a referendum on the Libson Treaty — explained today why he thinks it would be "completely mad" to hold a referendum while the UK is tryng to get out of the biggest recession in living memory. You can watch the 2-minute video here:
Tue 22nd
19:34
Local parties need to take action now to address lack of diversity in council chambers
The number of non-white candidates contesting the local council elections last year was just 3.7 percent, indicating a fall in BAME representation in town halls. A report by a cross-party committee of MPs showed a shockingly ...
Tue 22nd
19:18
Tom McNally says Rutland County Council's legal action against its own members is doomed
From the Leicester Mercury: A debate in the House of Lords has disputed the advice that Rutland County Council has received from Bevan Brittan in connection with the actions of the Rutland Anti-Corruption Group. At the Grand Committee Meeting of the House of Lords on Thursday, 17 January 2013, the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally) said: "My officials have explored the issue with officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for the 2011 Act. The Government are in no doubt that if a case were brought, the courts would still find that ...
This is pretty much impossible as there have been so many good writers in the history of Who. I have never subscribed to the fashionable fandom trashing of Russell T Davies. He brought back my favourite programme and made it cool again. He gave my daughter the chance to enjoy it. For that I am extremely grateful. Oh, and Stolen Earth and Journey's End were brilliant. He deserves lots of credit. Likewise Steven Moffat with his ever-so-complicated season long story arcs - heaven knows what he's up to with Miss Clara Oswin Oswald - and stories like Blink that make ...
It may be widely regarded as a fig leaf as a reason for Fiona Ferguson's resignation, but that doesn't mean that the issue of Cornwall Council commissioning lie detector tests isn't a genuine concern. And I am certain that it is an issue on about which Cllr Ferguson is passionate. The story is this: Anyone who lives on their own (or with other people who are not liable for council tax) receives a 25% discount in the council tax that they pay. Cornwall Council is concerned that some people might be claiming the discount even though they are not entitled ...
On one level, at least you could say that there's rarely a dull moment as far as Cornwall Council's warring Tory group is concerned. On another level, you would be perfectly entitled to wonder who on earth is supposed to be running the show while vital decisions need to be taken regarding the future of ...
Anyone who has been following recent events at Cornwall Council will not have been overly surprised by Fiona Ferguson's resignation from the cabinet today. Many of us were slightly disappointed by the manner of it, however. I was sitting in the same scrutiny meeting as the Leader, Jim Currie, when Cllr Ferguson sent her email. I, and others with laptops or iPads, therefore knew about the move long before the Leader. He had to wait for an officer to come in with a printout of the email. It's disappointing, even discourteous, not to at least make sure the addressee of ...
How does the world work and what role should Britain play in it? These two important questions frame this question-and-reply post to Olly Neville. In the first part, I offer some questions to Mr Neville to try and help him frame a wider post on his whole world view. In the second, I pick out my vision of Britain, what this means for war and some disagreement with Mr Neville on its usefulness. Olly Neville, lately of UKIP, has recently contributed a pair of posts to the blog site BackBencher on the subject of foreign policy. I find his approach ...
Liberal Democrats are the party members most likely to believe in aliens, according to a poll reported by This is Gloucestershire: A survey carried out by research company Ipsos MORI showed that, of all the political parties, 25 per cent of Lib Dems quizzed over whether they believed life would be found on Mars this year said yes. It compared to 18 per cent of Labour voters and 16 per cent of Conservatives.And the report turns up a couple of local Lib Dems to exemplify these findings: Cheltenham Mayor Colin Hay (LD, Oakley) said the results of the survey showed ...
Liberal Democrat MPs are 'sticky' - and that's official. It has long been known that, once they are dug in, Liberal Democrat MPs are more difficult to dislodge. Newly-published academic research of general elections between 1983 and 2010 has now quantified this phenomenon. The research, reported by PoliticalBetting.com, shows that Liberal Democrat MPs enjoy a large incumbency factor worth between 5% and 15% of the vote. Labour and Conservative MPs, by contrast, have incumbency advantages of only about 2% and 1% respectively. This Liberal Democrat 'stickiness' has changed the outcome in up to 25 seats at each general election, and ...
Just a reminder that you have until 12th February to comment on the application to build a one-form entry primary school at Winnersh Farm. You can submit comments to development.control@wokingham.gov.uk remembering to quote application F/2013/0017. Or you can use the council's online form http://tinyurl.com/WBCplanningform Rachelle and I have been out today – yes, in the ice and snow – delivering a leaflet to people in Woodward Close and Winnersh Gate about the planning application. We had a careful look at the walking routes to get to the school site and we think that there are some things that need to ...
[IMG: Remote control being pointed at a TV] Ofcom's current consultation into the rules for party election broadcasts on TV (the free slots political parties and candidates get for short films) raises an intriguing question about local TV licensees. What should they have to broadcast? As the Electoral Commission summarises the options, they are: a) that they should have a minimum obligation to re-transmit national Party Election Broadcasts (PEBs) and also transmit local PEBs featuring candidates for Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, or; b) that they should have a minimum obligation to re-transmit national Party Election Broadcasts ...
I've just received this email which was sent by Fiona Ferguson, the Cornwall Cabinet member for Finance, to Council Leader Jim Currie: Jim, As you know, it came to my attention that the contract let to Capita (before I took up my portfolio duties) to survey claimants of the single person's council tax relief will include the use of "Voice Risk Analysis" (VRA) techniques when making phone calls to claimants. These techniques are sometimes called "lie detector" tests. It is clearly right that Cornwall Council takes a strong line against people who deliberately mis-claim tax benefits but in this case ...
I have two blogs. On Really Useful Knowledge I blog about educational things - pedagogy, philosophy of teaching and learning, stuff like that. On this blog one post is the runaway winner in terms of all time views. It could be about why we learn the humanities, the politics of education, the connections between history and geography, the place of elearning, the difference between deep and surface learning, media power, different tutorial techniques and their effects. It could be about any of these things, but it is not. It's about sodding word count. On A Comfortable Place I blog about ...
[IMG: No smoking] On his blog, John Leech MP, reminds us that there has been a 12% decrease in childhood asthma since the smoking ban was introduced in 2007 (with Scotland leading the way a year earlier). Smoking is an issue I feel passionate about; I have long supported campaigns to ban smoking in public spaces. However, I believe we need to go further and that research finding such as these studies should give us that impetus. In February of last year I signed an Early Day Motion (EDM 2724) that noted "the designs on tobacco packaging attract children to ...
As a cat lover I really could not allow this article in the Guardian to pass without comment. The paper says that a campaign by a New Zealand 'environmentalist' to free the country of cats has met with a backlash. Gareth Morgan has called on fellow Kiwis to make their current pet cat their last in an attempt to save the country's native birds. He has set up a website, Cats To Go, which includes an image of a kitten with devil's horns under the heading: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer". Apparently he ...
It is lovely to watch a US President taking the oath of office and not be scared. The feeling of dread I experienced in 1981 and 2001 when Reagan and the younger Bush took office was not pleasant. While Barack Obama has not been perfect, his heart is generally in the right place. His achievements in his first term are all the more remarkable when you consider that he faced a Congress full of some of the most right wing, conservative Republicans we've seen in our lifetimes whose sole aim was to thwart his every move. Obama's inaugural speech was ...
(which is here if you missed it) I am proper amused by the number of you who, like me, grew up tapping BASIC into a speccie or an AMSTRAD. That is all. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
No objections were received to the formal consultation by the council and we are told that the council will now proceed to install the long-awaited yellow lines. Thanks to all who signed the school's petition and who spoke to the papers.
(*the number is growing since I wrote the headline - it's 3 now!) Given how important the incumbent effect is on Lib Dems holding onto seats - there's an excellent piece on this from Mark Pack here - I wondered how many of our current MPS have formally confirmed that they are restanding in 2015 I suspect the answer is currently - not many...certainly there's not much evidence of it that's easy to find Here's a list of who I know is standing, who I know isn't (that's a very short list) and Don't Knows (that's a very long list... ...
[IMG: High Street] While the Lib Dems have got real action on pensions, local residents have been horrified to learn that Conservative-run Hampshire County Council has been investing cash Belfast's Tesco, while rejecting to help local jobs in Andover! CBRE Global Investors, acting on behalf of the County Council, has bought a £6.26m Tesco foodstore on Main Street in Limavady, with local businesses here continuing to struggle. It is scandalous that when investment is so badly needed in Hampshire, our own County doesn't just stand by, but actively invests elsewhere! Hampshire's Pension Fund can and should be used to get ...
We've made it a bit of a thing to go to the pantomime at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh for the second last performance, the Sunday matinee, of its run. Normally, I don't bother booking until a couple of weeks before and end up with some awful seats in the gods that give poor Bob vertigo. Last year, I decided I was going to book some decent seats in the stalls, so as soon as they went on general sale in February, I took the first row I could get three seats together in, which was Row C. So I assumed ...
[IMG: South Bronx - Some rights reserved by Nathan Congleton] It is lovely to watch a US President taking the oath of office and not be scared. The feeling of dread I experienced in 1981 and 2001 when Reagan and the younger Bush took office was not pleasant. While Barack Obama has not been perfect, his heart is generally in the right place. His achievements in his first term are all the more remarkable when you consider that he faced a Congress full of some of the most right wing, conservative Republicans we've seen in our lifetimes whose sole aim ...
With planning well advanced for 2013, time to take stock and review 2012. A few themes and thank yous. First the themes. What works Coaching. Kate Potter of AQR Coaching kindly provided me with a programme (in lieu of a donation) for my 2011 adventure Raid Alpine. We switched to a more commercial relationship for 2012. Kate, her husband Ian and Anne Dickin's holistic style of coaching covering training programmes, nutrition, rest, mental training, technique, bike fit, core strength etc meant I was physically and mentally prepared for my challenges and did not lose a single day due to injury, ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Obama's inaugural speech: The full text – NBC Politics It's interesting: no Brit politician would make a speech like Obama's http://buff.ly/YiWa6D And if they did the media/public wd prob hate it. Hail the independent directors of The Times for living up to their remit | Media | guardian.co.uk Murdoch forced to appoint John Witherow as Acting Editor only as independent Times directors stand their ground [IMG: :)] http://buff.ly/YiTwhf Making academies work | FT data .@XtopherCook on how Ofsted's focus on academies' standards could boomerang on the DfE http://buff.ly/VVsDxB Barack Obama's second inauguration: ...
Last week, I signed an E-petition supporting a campaign to shut down mileage correction firms. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40393 Across the UK, these companies are turning back the miles on used cars, helping certain sellers push up the price of vehicles. The leading ... Continue reading →
The Liberal Democrats' Federal Conference Committee (FCC) has decided to reject a motion on racial equality for debate at the party's spring conference. This is not just any old motion, but a motion from the party's Racial Equality Task Force, which was set up about a year ago by Nick Clegg in response to concerns that not enough was being done on race equality. The Task Force is chaired by Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece, who was asked to examine the issue and come up with recommendations. The Task Force took evidence from educationalists and other experts, and produced a 20,000-word report ...
Most of Consett may have it's mind more on the chore of coping with the heavy snowfalls we have suffered than with the ins and outs of the Red Velvet saga, but will still be interested to know that the club which recently had its licence to sell alcohol withdrawn has "voluntarily" surrendered its licence. I say voluntarily, but it was almost certainly a case of jumping before it was pushed – and a tactical move to save it from being caught by the rules that would have prevented it from reapplying for twelve months had the licence been revoked. ...
[IMG: Centre for Cities] Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis. For many people, soaring house prices mean that the notion of owning their own home is not a realistic prospect. Decades of failed housing policies mean we are currently building around 100,000 fewer homes than required to keep pace with demand each year. Our latest report, Cities Outlook 2013, sponsored by the Local Government Association, shows that only by putting place back into housing policy can we provide a much needed boost to the UK economy, and take a big step towards resolving this crisis over the ...
My friend Jaime, who occasionally comments on this blog, has introduced me to the f:following: This is a blog by an economist called Frances Coppola, who is a "whiz" with statistics. The whole of the above link is well worth a read, but two of her charts stand out for me. If M/s Coppola is is to be trusted, and I think she is, this chart, which measures public debt as a %ge of GDP, confirms the point of view expressed in this blog since its inception: that Britain's present public debt is relatively modest, nowhere near what it ...
Cornwall Council has put out a press release claiming that if council tax benefit is to be fully funded in the future then a wide range of high profile services will have to be cut. They list libraries, leisure services, localism and street lighting in their hit list. I've got a couple of thoughts on this issue: First, they seem determined to ignore the vote of the council last week which decided against the imposition of an automatic 25% council tax benefit cut on recipients of working age. The cut to council tax benefits imposed by the government is wrong ...
One of the first rules of setting up a political lobby group is that you should have a name which defies opposition. Who in their right mind would be against "Citizens For Prosperity" or "The People's Democratic Society" or "Ministry of Peace" - why only a violent Communist! That's who! It is this spirit that the "TaxPayers' Alliance" was named. We're all tax payers, aren't we? It's so wide a name as to be meaningless. Yet its name has connotations of inclusiveness which make it very hard to speak up against. Much like the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" is ...
My band is set to do a gig with a just-for-one-night replacement drummer, which is an interesting thing to contemplate the first time around. My advice to the guys who were wondering how well it would work was: Fear ye NOT, for we are ROCK! Seven Top Tips for gigging with a dep drummer: 1. Remember, the audience is less familiar with the correct arrangement than you 2. Like playing with a drum machine, it may not be quite right but only needs to be in time 3. Remember, the audience has been drinking more than you 4. The vibe ...
A recent story in the Daily Telegraph highlights the warning given by US assistant secretary Robert Gordon during his visit to the UK. The article comments on British withdrawal from the EU: Mr Gordon spelt out the uncomfortable truth that such an option does not exist, that British exit from the European Union would be unacceptable to the US - and that, so far as President Obama is concerned, Britain only matters as part of the EU. As Peter Oborne so rightly says in the Telegraph: "Britain is a middle-ranking economy and declining military force which risks irrelevance outside the ...
The Liberal Democrat society at the University of Birmingham is very pleased to announce a joint campaign with the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual, Transsexual, and Queer Association on the topic of equal marriage. At the moment, we are organising to hold a joint event to signal our unwavering support for the equal marriage proposals put ...
[IMG: Academics in caps and gowns - Some rights reserved by herkie] Welcome to the latest in our occasional series highlighting interesting findings from academic research. Today – the incumbency benefit sitting MPs can build up, based on an analysis of the 1983-2010 general elections: This note adapts two models commonly used to estimate the incumbency advantage that US members of Congress enjoy - the 'slurge' and the Gelman-King Index - to provide comparable estimates for UK MPs. The results show that Liberal Democrats enjoy extremely large such advantages on a par with those of US Congressmen of between 5% ...
Ex Newbury MP, David Rendel, is one of three names on the shortlist for the Lib Dem candidate to take on maverick Tory and Euro-loon Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park in 2015. He is up against local activists Jane Dodds and Robin Meltzer in what is likely to be a close fought and high profile selection campaign. The result should be known after the final hustings meeting on 25th February.
[IMG: steve webb] I have posted here the arguments delivered by Andrew George and Charles Kennedy against the Benefits Uprating Bill, the third and final reading of which was passed last night. Steve Webb, the Lib Dem pensions minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, summed up for the Government and responded to their arguments. Here are excerpts from the Hansard transcript of what he had to say... First, I want to respond to the point about the language in which the debate is constructed. My right hon. Friend the Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Mr Kennedy) and ...
The Government last night won the vote for its Benefits Uprating Bill, with the third and final reading passed by 305 votes to 246. A fortnight ago, six Lib Dem MPs voted against or abstained from the Coalition line that benefits rises should be capped at the same rate as public sector pay (a below inflation 1% pa) for each of the next three years. Andrew George, Charles Kennedy and other Lib Dems sought to move an amendment to the Bill, linking future welfare increases to the rise in average earnings. However, time expired before it was put to the ...
A second cold weather payment has now been triggered, for eligible Birmingham residents. If you are eligible, you will receive a total of £50. Payments of £25 are made for each 7 day period when the average temperature is, or is forecast to be below freezing. The current cold spell has now hit the 2 week mark by this criteria. You can check your eligibility for the payments via this link to the GOV.UK website. Payments are made within 2 weeks of them being declared, so this second payment should be paid by Tuesday 5th February. If you have any ...
There were three votes on the controversial Welfare Uprating Bill last night, two of which triggered Lib Dem rebellions. On the first, deleting Clauses 1-3 of the Bill, Andrew George, Martin Horwood, Julian Huppert, Charles Kennedy and Alan Reid voted against the Government. In the brief Third Reading debate, LibDem Deputy Leader Simon Hughes stated that the party was 'not comfortable about this sort of Bill'. The vote on Third Reading saw the above rebels joined by John Leech, Adrian Sanders, Sarah Teather and Mark Williams. Abstentions and absentees included Dan Rogerson (co-sponsor of Andrew George's amendment which was due ...
After my two Monday ward surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and at Harris Academy yesterday, I attended City Council committee meetings at which: * At Development Management Committee, the planning application for the new Dundee Railway Station was discussed and approved. West End Community Council had been denied a deputation request as they had not submitted an objection but I was permitted to raise with the Director of City Development their questions about traffic management and the public consultation process. * At Policy and Resources Committee, I commented on the draft local fire and rescue plan and questioned performance ...
Despite the best efforts of some French protesters, 2007 happened. This was the year in which I first got elected to Colchester Council, but plenty of other things happened during that year, even if I didn't blog about them. This was the time when I wasn't blogging very often, and when it was, it tended to be just short posts. In January, Robert Anton Wilson – whose book Reality Is What You Can Get Away With helped give this blog its title – died. At least, it was widely reported that he'd died, and he hasn't since appeared to say ...
Feminism shouldn't be about telling trans women they're not female enough | Deborah Orr | Comment is free | The Guardian (tags: ) Nick Barlow on politicians who complain about there being no political drama on TV "Politicians forget that they're just a part of the political process and that their little bubble of process isn't the entirety of it. Britain has a long and fine tradition of drama that's pro-politics, and doesn't flinch from showing the effects policy has on people's lives. To ignore that, and imagine that politics is only important when it's about politicians is another reflection ...
Amidst all the sound and fury (from the Conservative benches), about the delay in implementing boundary changes, agreed by a substantial majority in the Lords last Monday evening, one important argument seems to have got lost. When Labour left office in May 2010, we were given to understand that the electoral register was some 92% complete. Parliament decided in the discussions on the Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill that this was a sufficiently robust basis for the redrawing of constituencies along strict arithmetic lines. Subsequently, research by the Electoral Commission established that it was nothing like as complete. Nationally, ...
[IMG: Pathe News screenshot from Crouch End] Pathe News has a great clip from 1948 about someone going shopping in Crouch End. Note how even in the 1940s there were prams aplenty on the pavements – though back then only single-buggies, not today's double-buggy plethora. From about 50 seconds in you can see the main centre of Crouch End, still very recognisable as the same place today with pride of place for the Crouch End Clock Tower (the story behind which is though very much a story of the past). You can also see pedestrians crossing the road outside what ...
Open Culture explains the existence of this unlikely film clip: The year was 1967. Russell was by then a very frail 95-year-old man. Besides finishing work on his three-volume autobiography, Russell was devoting much of his remaining time to the struggle for peace and nuclear disarmament. To that end, he sometimes made himself available to people he thought could help the cause ... So when he was asked to appear in a movie called Aman, about a young Indian man who has just received his medical degree in London and wants to go to Japan to help victims of the ...
Issue 14 of Eurofile magazine has been published (downloadable here - via Google Drive), with European news and comment from a Liberal Democrat perspective. In this edition: 'BRITZERLAND' IS CLOUD CUCKOO: Fiona Hall MEP on how there is no Swiss-style option for Britain outside the EU.ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP: Andrew Duff MEP spells out the reasoning behind his controversial call for EU membership to include a permanent 'Associate Member' category.PATENT DEAL AFTER 40 YEARS: At last a common EU patent deal to slash costs of innovation and patenting for business.THE EURO CRISIS: Nick Hopkinson, former Director of Foreign Office policy forum Wilton ...
Episode 44 of the House of Comments podcast "The Death of the High Street" was recorded on Sunday and is out today. This week myself and Emma Burnell discuss the future of the economy in the context of the recently announced high street troubles for HMV, Jessops, Blockbuster and before them Comet and others. How will our country and its workforce adjust to the new realities and can the state plan for this future or should we just go with the flow? You won't be surprised to hear that me and Emma have somewhat different views on this! You can ...
Until you read the journal as opposed to the press release then the trend looks unchanged. ( see graph below) I know some damn good inquisitive journalists it just seems a shame that they are let down by the ones who seem to think it is their job to unquestionably reprint any press release that comes their way! It is because of the complete lack of critical questioning of many ''studies' by the media that I've given up believing stories and I always go to the data source instead. For a more detailed take on this go read Chris Snowdon's ...
I don't think I have much of interest to add this week. I did the runs. They were fine. I had to rearrange a bit, to facilitate a fabulous Saturday adventure with my wonderful, wonderful friend from Australia! I also think I might stick with the trainer for the duration of marathon training: I was impressed when we met this week. Day 1 - 5 miles easy (11:02 pace) Lap of Green Lake. Day 2 - REST Took Count Rucifee von Kittenpants. He thought it was no big deal, but I was a mess! I've never taken a pet to ...
Residents have complained to me that the safety barrier at the junction of Bellfield Street and Hawkhill that was damaged some time ago is still not repaired and the temporary barrier has fallen over - see right. I took up the matter with the City Council and have been advised as follows: "The Road Maintenance Partnership inspector for the area has arranged for this temporary barrier to be set upright. An order has already been raised for the permanent repair of this section of barrier and the provisional timescale for this work being carried out is late January."
Not every member of my family supports the President. Some are aghast at the idea of ever watching MSNBC. My mother believes that previous attempts I've made to obtain employment in the United States were de-railed by the economic policies of the man she calls "The Bamster". My father opposes what he refers to as ...
For far too long, our Marine Environment has been seen by Welsh Government as the poor relation to the Mainland in terms of investment and prioritisation. This ...'and Marine' mentality must end, if we are to harness the opportunities offered by the waters around our country. The Coastal environment accounts for some £2.5 billion of Wales' GDP and almost 100,000 Welsh jobs rely upon it. The recent fiasco of the MCZs clearly shows the disconnect that has opened up between Welsh Government – and stakeholders who have to earn their living in the real world. As Welsh Liberal Democrat Chair ...
I've received the following press release from Colchester Borough Council and Essex County Council, which I'm quoting in full here. UPDATE ON TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDERS FOR COLCHESTER HIGH STREET A way forward has been reached on the implementation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to improve Colchester Town Centre. Following a thorough review of the responses received during the public consultation held in spring 2012, experimental orders will now be introduced from Sunday 17 March 2013. Using an experimental order allows flexibility to react to any issues that arise following the introduction of the order. The experimental orders incorporate changes to ...
