Jonathan Glancey profiled the late Tom Nairn in 2010: Writers and journalists, including JG Ballard, Will Self, Jonathan Meades, Patrick Wright, Iain Sinclair, Gavin Stamp (Private Eye's perennially outraged "Piloti"), as well as a younger generation of commentators such as Owen Hatherley and the mysterious blogger, Ghost of Nairn, have all been influenced one way or another by Nairn, who so wanted everywhere to be different when everywhere was threatening to be the same.Ghost of Nairn did not last long, but you can see the real thing here as he explores the landscape and townscape through which the Settle & ...
With dementia affecting more and more people, Dementia Friends could help many people across Stockport.
One of the discussions taking place at tomorrow's Cornwall Council meeting is over the ending of free food for councillors. It is a proposal being put forward by my Launceston Lib Dem colleague Jade Farrington. At present, councillors get a free sandwich lunch provided for them on full council days. The value of this was cut earlier this year from about £9.50 per head to about £5. In addition, councillors can sign for food valued at up to £5 per day at County Hall on days other than those when the full council meets. Finally, we can claim back money ...
Tonight, after my weekly Monday ward surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and the West Park Centre, I took part in the City Council's Development Management Committee meeting at which, after listening to very well-prepared deputations, I moved refusal of the Park and Ride Proposal for Riverside on the following grounds: "The proposed development is contrary to Policy 66B (Protection of Other Open Space) of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005 as it fails to meet the criteria set out within Policy 66A and is not consistent with a park master plan, strategy or programme approved by the Council to ...
Over the past couple of months, the former PwC offices in Bristol City Centre have been demolished. Or, at least the modern extension to the side and rear of the Georgian-fronted building in the North Eastern corner of Queen Square has gone. Here are some pictures from various stages in the process: I've also found some pictures what is set to replace the demolished building. Whilst I can see what is being attempted (a design that attempts to marry the scale and classic style of the Georgian frontage with the older architecture of King Street which the rear gives onto), ...
"It is entirely false to suggest the PM would advise people they should wear jumpers to stay warm. Any suggestion to the contrary is mischief making." Carl Minns on the quote that sums up the ludicrous nature of modern politics. "So the question has to be not so much 'Is Big Brother watching?' but 'How in hell can it cope?' " Daniel Soar writes on the endless revelations about the National Security Agency for the London Review of Books. In the New York Times, Maggie Koerth-Baker looks at the epidemic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the US: "Earlier this ...
Episode 81 of the House of Comments podcast "The Calculus of Differentiation" is out. Myself and Emma are joined by Lib Dem blogger Jennie Rigg to discuss the Lib Dems on Free Schools and policy differentiation in general, Plebgategategate, rendition and Labour's pay day lender tax policy. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe. You can download the mp3 for the latest episode directly from here. Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here: listen to 'Episode 81 - The Calculus of Differentiation' on ...
Thanks to everyone who's been in touch re the first meeting of the potential new residents association. You should have had a letter or an e mail by now if you were in touch. If you haven't heard anything back however, drop me an e mail at paulakeaveney@yahoo.co.uk. I'm looking forward to meeting (or re meeting!) everyone.
Liverpool's planning committee is next week to decide on whether or not to give the go ahead to a new set of plans for the former Bankfield House site. The site, on the corner of Banks Road and Brunswick Street has been vacant for a while now. A few years ago, plans for housing did go through, but the company involved is no longer trading so nothing happened. These new plans are still for housing, but it'll be mainly social housing for rent rather than for purchase (although a few will be shared ownership) The committee's report, with some of ...
There was an eyebrow raising moment at Gateshead Council cabinet on Tuesday last week when Cllr Peter Mole, in a rather tangential way, made reference to the difficulty people have taking on a job because they end up worse off than they would be on benefits. According to Cllr Mole, a former leading proponent of the left, a long procession of people have made their way over time to his surgeries
We were marginally lucky with the weather on Saturday. We had drizzle rather than downpour when we had our street surgery in Whickham. We held it right on the border of two of the wards so councillors from both attended. Some areas were notified by leaflet though residents in our ward were told about it by email. The rain did not keep people away. For some strange reason, all the issues raised
Dear Lib Dem MPs, We Liberal Democrats have long been proud of our internationalism and compassionate stance towards refugees and immigration. Not an 'open borders' party, but a party which believes controlling our borders does not conflict with welcoming newcomers or upholding their human rights. By contrast the Conservatives care little for rights, European or otherwise. Theresa May is engaged in creating a "hostile environment" made so unpleasant for "irregular migrants" will simply pack up and leave, and minority ethnic British citizens could end up being racially-profiled if they 'look foreign.' This approach is diametrically opposed to the values I ...
Whooops. Apologies to anyone who saw that unfortunately published article just now – a training exercise never intended to see the light of day. — Wales Online (@WalesOnline) October 21, 2013
The tour of the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show, which I had previously tweeted had been pulled from coming to Belfast, hit the final buffers today. Last night it showed before a full house, somewhat ironically in Kingston, the town that the first UK researcher on H2G2.com to reach 100 solo entries [i.e. me] went to university. Part of the message from the producers echoes God's last message to mankind ***SPOILER ALERT*** "We're sorry for the inconvenience." The full message was: "The Radio Theatre Company deeply regret to announce the immediate cancellation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The ...
Either Wales Online has incredibly managed to scoop the BBC, the Daily Mail, Daily Record, The Guardian et al with news of this stunning development... ...or somebody doesn't realise April Fools' Day isn't in October. Ever the optimist, I hope it's the former.
Monday: In a deal that's literally radioactive, Her Majesty's government in the form of Master Gideon and Bojo the Clown and, of course, Liberal Democrat point man Mr Ed Davey, have announced that there will be a new atomic power station (or two) at Hinkley Point in Somerset, built and run by the French, paid for by the Chinese and presumably using South African or Canadian uranium. So, nice energy security there. The price for their electricity has been set at £92.50 per kilowatt hour, which is about double the current wholesale price. Not quite "too cheap to meter" either. ...
We are pleased by the recent Supreme Court ruling as - while Parliament needs to consider this judgement in detail - we do not back extending the right to vote to people convicted of murder. The court has, however, pointed out that our blanket ban on prisoner voting does need to be addressed. It is important the Government is not seen to be breaking the law and that is why in November we published a draft bill, currently being considered by a Joint Committee of Parliament. It will consider: Banning prisoners sentenced to four years or more from voting.Banning prisoners ...
Mon 21st
16:00
#TeamAlistair vs #TeamSheila Go Sober update - Carmichael behind but almost £3k pledged so far
Last week we brought you news of the challenge between Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael and one of his best friends, party legend Sheila Ritchie to see who could raise most money for Macmillan Cancer Support by going sober for October. In the last 7 days, Mrs Ritchie has extended her already considerable lead. With ten days to go, can she pull off a memorable victory for the grassroots against the Establishment? The current scores are as follows: Alistair Carmichael: Money raised: £1020 Position in UK: 22 (out of over 31,000 participants) Sheila Ritchie: Money raised: £1889 National ...
Mon 21st
15:48
Editorial: think not what local government can do for you, but what you can do without...
This is a cross-posting from the Creeting St Peter Journal... Recent announcements by both Mid Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council to the effect that they are both going to need to make hefty cuts in their expenditure to deal with reduced income from Whitehall can only mean one of three things. Either they will need to cut waste, raise Council Tax levels in real terms, or cut services. Raising Council Tax levels isn't that easy. The insistence that any increase above a certain, arbitrary, centrally-defined amount triggers a referendum of voters means that local councillors are loathe to ...
If you regularly get visitor permit scratch cards, you will know the process of getting them has changed over the years. Once upon a time we had local parking offices where you could get both residents and visitor permits, and when these were closed down you either could ring up and get them sent to you or you could visit the Town Hall and pay in person. Soon you will no longer be able to visit and pay for them at the Town Hall - so you can only get them by phone or online but now the Council is ...
I'm a confirmed atheist. If you believe in something supernatural I think you are a wrong. I'm not flinging insults here, I even think I'm wrong. Somethings I particularly hate about most religious folks are their attempts to suppress art, free expression and enforce their worldview on the rest of us. However I have come to realise that religious beliefs are just a human construct and, thus, getting rid of religious belief doesn't really stop puritanical campaigns against art and free expression. Being boring puritans is obviously something that dwells deep within the human psyche, and thus (it turns out) ...
Abbotsford Street This morning, along with the council's Housing Officer for the area officers from the City Development and Environment Departments and one of my ward colleagues, I took part in a walkabout around the Blackness area - in particular, Corso Street, Abbotsford Place, Blackness Road, Peddie Street, Blackness Avenue and Abbotsford Street - to look at any local issues. We undertake these walkabouts in several areas every six months to ascertain any local issues or problems and ensure action is taken thereafter to deal with them. A walkabout for the Logie area takes place later this week and one ...
[IMG: Mobile Phone] A Kent resident received a mobile phone and a contract which had been completed with their details. As they had no knowledge of the phone or the contract they immediately contacted the mobile phone operator who agreed that they should return the phone. Later the resident received a phone call from a man who said he would call at their house to collect the phone. Luckily the Kent resident thought this was a strange practice and refused to let anyone call at their home. The foreign caller had used the resident's details fraudulently to order the phone ...
At the SNP's conference in Perth, Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a plan to cut Scottish consumers' energy bills after independence by having the Government pay the levy that funds green investment. This will happen, alongside renationalising Scotland's postal service if Scotland votes for independence next year. The SNP have always been good at coming up with ways to spend our money. In fact, many of their manifestos have spent all the available money several times over. In September, the Institute of Fiscal Studies reported that: If an independent Scotland wanted to deliver the same cuts to public ...
The FT reports on the sharp rise in support for the limitation of the powers of the European Union- even amongst traditionally strong supporters of the bloc. The context is interesting- the suggestion is that the backlash against the EU is coming as a result of the rapid growth of immigration. The rise of immigration has indeed been rapid, and there is obviously generally pretty limited support for expanding the rights of free movement to the citizens of Bulgaria and Romania. Yet the majority of immigrant attacks are not made against EU migrants but against those coming from the Arab ...
If you're a voluntary group working to make our local communities better, did you know that you can apply for a small grant from South Gloucestershire Council to help you do it? At the September Area Forum capital grants - for "project" type works - were awarded to a number of local organisations: South Gloucestershire Citizens Advice Bureau - Boiler replacement - £2844Sodbury Tennis Club - Court 4 Floodlighting - £2000Shopmobility (South Gloucestershire) - Shopmobility - £900Ridgewood Community Association - New Computers - £1000Cafe Ridgewood - Lap top - £500Abbotswood Pre-school - Outside Space Project - £3000Pop Inn Cafe - ...
482 Wilbraham Road currently occupied by The Linen Room. I have received notification that an application has been received by the City Council for a new Premises Licence at: 482 Wilbraham Road, Manchester, M21 9AS The application is for a Betting Premises Licence, to authorise the premises to be used for the provision of facilities for betting, by making or accepting bets, by acting as a betting intermediary or by providing other facilities for the making or accepting of bets. If you have any comments, you can make these directly to The Licensing Unit (e-mail: premises.licensing@manchester.gov.uk) or write to: The ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Lib Dems Need Resurrection Not Recovery Michael Thrasher on Lib Dem fortunes: fair on decline as national force; less so on the impact of this in 2015 http://bit.ly/1bNYHJb CentreForum Liberal Hero of the Week #51: Gloria De Piero | CentreForum Blog My @CentreForum Liberal Hero this week is @GloriaDePieroMP. Find out why here: http://bit.ly/16kfoO4 Nick Clegg turns on Michael Gove over his 'ideological' school reforms | Politics | The Observer "Clegg turns on Gove over his 'ideological' school reforms" http://bit.ly/178Ta28 « curious bit of differentiation; wonder what Laws thinks
The A432 Badminton Road will be closed between Culvert Avenue and Nibley Lane 8 pm to 6 am for 4 nights starting on 28th October 2013. This is so that resurfacing work can be carried out.
You have until Saturday 26th October to tell Avon and Somerset Constabulary what you think about plans to re-shape the structure of the force and the way it works. You can find out more and have your say on their website.
A genius piece of advertising from the Daily Mail in New York. via @subedited
Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make. 103645/FH/2013/S1 38A ...
[IMG: Nelson Torso] Writing in today's Daily Mail, Dominic Sandbrook rages against the cult of celebrity and declares that "the lines between politics and show business have become dangerously blurred." Is he right? Today is Trafalgar Day, a celebration of the victory of our nation's greatest celebrities, Horatio Nelson. Many may be surprised to hear Nelson described as a celebrity rather than a hero, but a celebrity he was, and he so knew it. When, on 14 September 1805, Nelson arrived at Portsmouth to board the Victory, he could not make his way to the ship due to the pressure ...
I know I don't usually send you videos of the Prime Minister. But this one - where he tells me it would be impossible to raise the personal allowance to £10,000 - is worth watching again. Especially now the Tories are desperately trying to take credit for delivering it! When you hear Conservative activists out and about, claiming that the £700 income tax cut was their party's doing, remind them of this: Not only did they oppose the policy before the last election; in the 2012 Budget, when I wanted to go further and faster to reach our £10,000 target, ...
It is the Friends of Longford Park AGM on Tuesday 22nd October 7pm, at the Longfords Suite (next to the Athletics Stadium). If you're interested in joining the committee, helping out, or just concerned about the park they'd love to see you. The bar will be open for the duration of the meeting! Website: http://folp.org.uk Email: info@folp.org.uk
Sometimes we have a logical (or even an illogical) gravitation towards someone. In terms of sport we we all root for teams but there are also players that we root for even harder whether they be on our team or that of another. For me there are many that fit this bill but none more so than a 5ft 10" Japanese goalkeeper who was Japan's answer to David Beckham. I hadn't thought about that man for years until Neil Allen wrote a column about him last week, which was published online last night, . You see that goalkeeper came and ...
Murdo Fraser Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has laid down four questions that make for rather worrying reading when taken as a whole in relation to the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill that is progressing through Holyrood. The first: Question S4W-17753: Murdo Fraser, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 15/10/2013 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will amend the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill to state that the current definition of marriage is a belief worthy of respect in a democratic society. Now I believe in freedom of speech. So I would want to ...
Today I announced that we have reached an outline commercial agreement with EDF to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset. I know this will cause a wide range of reactions within the party. Most will welcome this very significant step forward in our plans to decarbonise our energy sector. A substantial minority I know will be disappointed. Before outlining the terms of what I believe is a good deal for the British consumer let me repeat what I said at the Glasgow conference as to why I have changed my mind and now believe that nuclear ...
Picture the scene. There we were, May 2010, exhausted, flushed, staggered, the Lib Dems taking part in the special conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, to agree the coalition on the terms offered. I was so staggered myself that I lost my diary (email me if anyone found it, I'd like to know what I was supposed to be doing for the rest of 2010). At some point during the business of wandering round the fake corridors and escalators that bedevil conference centres of all kinds, I was hailed by Chris Huhne, the new Secretary of State with ...
We are now just 30 weeks away from the next round of local elections. Crucially, these have been arranged to coincide with the EU-wide election for the European Parliament. Obviously who gets what seats in Brussels and Strasbourg seems far more removed from our ordinary lives than the running of the local Council, but it is still hugely important. As a candidate in the European Election, I am very keen that we do not end up wasting time talking about Brussels obscurities. Instead, those of us selected to stand for the European Parliament are trying to talk to voters about ...
In the early hours of this morning, Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan tweeted this: Khan, the MP for Tooting in South London, was directly challenging Mayor of London Boris Johnson, on a key area of London policy. It is widely though that Khan wants to challenge for Johnson's job come 2016. Looks like Sadiq [...]
The Croatian city of Dubrovnik must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. During the Renaissance it was a city state and maritime hub that rivaled Venice. While much of the city was destroyed in an earthquake in 1667, plenty survives to give you a sense of its splendor. Dubrovnik's star attractions [...]
I am not sure what to think of this, but according to the Telegraph Cambridge City Council has come up with an innovation that could see the bog-standard street lamp becoming redundant. The Council have covered an historic city pathway with ultraviolet particles which turn blue when the sun sets, in what could be the future of street lighting: The technology, called 'Starpath', absorbs light during the day before emitting the artificial glow in the evening. It is thought technology could one day replace streetlamps as a cheaper and more energy efficient form of lighting. The technology is currently being ...
posted The Blood is The Life 20-10-2013 http://t.co/lK5GmjAI7b on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Periods. What's all the fuss about? (tags: ) Johnny Depp surprises Christopher lee by turning up to present his award after all ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I was rather struck by the geographical distribution of people without passports: [IMG: Passport ownership distribution] Data and screenshot from the excellent UK Data Explorer.
Images of Mayor Boris Johnson and Chancellor George Osborne in China have featured large in the media over the last week. They have been dubbed Yin and Yang: Boris must be Yin, the softer, cuddlier one, the one that makes school girls giggle over references to Harry Potter and his first girl friend, and Osborne, Yang as he tackles tougher subjects, such as going nuclear with China. In fact critics such as Will Hutton have been less kind and have instead suggested that the duo have sold out and opened the UK to all manner of risks through one sided ...
Sky News wins Headline of the Day - and also our Having Your Cake And Eating It Award for the scare quotes.
That Nick Clegg is now trying to differentiate our party from the Tories, though a bit late in the day, is to be welcomed. However, I would be happier if he were to do it in a less cack-handed and more Liberal way (Lord only knows what the thought processes are of those allegedly bright young things advising him.) Less cack-handed because, although some of his criticism of the Tory recipe for so called "Free" schools is welcome, it would have been wise, before opening his mouth, to check with his protégé David Laws, the responsible minister, who recently gave ...
From the Curator of Museum Services, University of Dundee: Our popular exhibition in the Lamb Gallery, DC Thomson: Press Print Production, ends this week. Though a range of unique and rarely seen material, it tells the story of changing print technologies at the Dundee-based publisher and showcases their many influential publications. On Tuesday 22nd October at 1pm, journalist and best-selling author Norman Watson will give an informal guided tour of the exhibition and share his wealth of experience. No need to book - just come along to Lamb Gallery.
I know I don't usually send you videos of the Prime Minister. But this one - where he tells me it would be impossible to raise the personal allowance to £10,000 - is worth watching again. Especially now the Tories are desperately trying to take credit for delivering it! When you hear Conservative activists out and about, claiming that the £700 income tax cut was their party's doing, remind them of this: Not only did they oppose the policy before the last election; in the 2012 Budget, when I wanted to go further and faster to reach our £10,000 target, ...
[IMG: Random Thoughts logo] Not much blogging going on here at the moment. There are reasons for that, although we won't go into that now, and I am wondering if I ought to change my approach. There doesn't seem to be much focus or direction to this blog when I do post. However, (and as if to handily illustrate that randomness) I will make use of a night of serious insomnia to catch up with posting some links. So here is the latest in my series of Random Thoughts posts with links, things found on the web and other stuff ...
We recognise the important role charities play in supporting local communities, beyond the safety net provided by Government. People are still struggling after the economic crash and food banks are providing a valuable service to many families across the country. We are also helping in other ways: We have crisis loans available for those people who need emergency help. These loans can be agreed on the day.We are helping around half a million low income families buy milk, fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced diet through the Healthy Start scheme.We are also providing free fruit or veg for ...
