Today I cycled along the banks of the River Cam as far as Bottisham lock. Just past the lock you come to the first of three lodes, Burwell Lode. These are narrow canals dug by the Romans. Burwell Lode doesn't look navigable but Reach Lode is. I am astonished by these little waterways built two thousand years ago. On the way back I stopped to smoke my pipe at Bait's Bite Lock where the
I didn't get round to doing a Friday favourite this week, but with the sad news of the death of Lou Reed today, here he is with a live version of the seminal 'Walk on the wild side'.
As I type, the outlying rain heralding the coming of Storm St. Jude is steadily drumming on the windows of my attic room... ...so here, is a musical tribute to The Great Storm of 2013, as Jude is bound to be known in future years*, is Ethel Waters with Stormy Weather from 1933. Enjoy: Andrew *obviously this assumes the Met Office hasn't over-egged the forecast.
Maybe it is my age, but I find myself increasingly in the middle of other worlds - little universes complete in themselves. The fine art world/economics world (strange that one), and yesterday the model railway world. My two boys are fascinated by model railways. I don't think I had been to any kind of display since I last left the annual Model Engineer exhibition in Victoria around 1971. Things have moved on somewhat, as I discovered at the amazing show put on by the Beckenham and District Model Railway Society. These were the most extraordinary miniature worlds, often set earlier ...
Episode 82 of the House of Comments podcast "The Brand Revolution" is out. Myself and Emma are joined by Conservative activist Charlotte Vere to discuss Russell Brand's revolutionary ideas, the Roma children scandal and Grant Shapps vs the BBC. 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 82 - The Brand Revolution' on Audioboo Any feedback welcomed in the comments below. PS: ...
Some beautiful, and beautifully-written, contemplations on the Shankill bomb anniversary from Belfast commentator, blogger, community activist and peace educator, the soon-to-be-Dr. David Magee.
The latest edition of Cambridgeshire Herald has just been published and is in the process of being delivered throughout the County. This issue has the following stories; Cambs Economy Gets European Funding BoostDuff Backs Campaign For Better Local Train ServicesUsing Your Mobile Abroad Has Just Got Cheaper Thanks To MEPsBetter TogetherLib Dem MEP Concerned About Anglo-American SnoopingFishing More Sustainable As Discarding Fish Is BannedGetting A Fair Deal From The Banks 1 & 2Deliveries Go Green As Bike And Trikes Replace VansGet Lorries Off The A14 Onto RailDon't Let The Criminals Get Away - European Arrest Warrant Must Stay Says Duff ...
Seriously ... ? Within weeks David Cameron will be making a decision on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority recommendation for a 11% pay rise on MPs' salaries. That's a little over four times the September inflation rate of 2.7% - just in case you needed a sense of perspective. The initial argument was that the 11% was justified because MP's would be giving up their generous expense accounts - not that's changed and they want the 11% rise *as well* as the generous expense accounts. Given the current state of the economy, the cuts to education, the NHS, and the ...
The most hotly contested debate at yesterday's South Central Conference of the party was the issue of HS2. Despite the party's official policy of supporting this boondoggle, the voting on a motion on this issue was fairly close. Any closer and a headcount would have been needed. The motion was a rather nuanced one with the proposer advocating what he called an "amber" light on the issue rather than a green light. And he rightly noted that it would be better to be positioned for a three-point turn on this matter than having a U-turn forced upon us. Verily as ...
Last year I was in the audience for a panel discussion at a professional conference. Every single member of the panel was a balding middle-aged man. It was as several members of the audience pointed out, cringe-making. It has reached the stage where the low number of women in the Liberal Democrat group in the Commons strikes me it the same way. You can say in our defence that we do not have safe seats into which we can parachute female candidates. You can say we had plenty of women candidates in promising seats at the last election - but ...
... so says Gus Poyet, manager of Sunderland, after their 2-1 win over Newcastle in the Premiership this afternoon. While I've always has a soft spot for Sunderland and genuinely wish them all the best, perhaps Mr Poyet shouldn't be quite so confident just yet. After all, in the season that Derby County finished bottom of the Premier League with 11 points they managed just a single (surprise) victory – 1-0 at home to Newcastle. The then Derby manager Billy Davies was reported as making similar claims ...
Given the news that Wes Streeting has been selected as a parliamentary candidate for Labour in Ilford North, it's time to update my list of political platforms NUS presidents stood on and the posts they have gone on to hold. Candidates prior to 1969 did not appear to stand as part of a formal organised grouping and none I can find had any further political career. Name Years Party/Platform at time of election Subsequent political activity Jack Straw 1969-71 Radial Student Alliance Labour MP, Shadow Cabinet member, former Labour Foreign and Home Secretary. Digby Jacks 1971-73 Broad Left/Communist Party of ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 350th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (20-26 October, 2013), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. By election night ...
Six years ago when I first started to study psychology I would never have believed that a 1,000 word essay was more difficult to write than a 2,000 word essay. After all, a 1,000 word essay is half as long, so they have to be twice as easy to write, yes? This weekend I've managed to finish and submit my first assignment on my MSc. It was a 1,000 word essay and I had more than enough material for a 2,000 word essay. Trying to understand specifically what was required and therefore what I should leave out was rather difficult. ...
[IMG: Lou Reed] It's a bit weird sitting here hearing an Italian radio station play "Walk on the wild side", which will no doubt receive millions of plays in the next few days. However, I much prefer this one, which never fails to send a little (pleasurable) shiver down my spine. It's "Perfect Day". In many ways, it's the antithesis of "Wild side", which is redolent of heavy mood changing substances. "Perfect Day", by contrast, has Reed with an innocent-sounding voice singing about a nice day out in the park. Wonderful. photo by: Peat Bakke [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet ...
[IMG: my blog is alive] Sunny Hundal has decided to close Liberal Conspiracy in its current form. Liberal Conspiracy was undoubtedly one of the big beasts in the forest. If it falls silent then that represents a significant shift in the blogosphere. I've been a LibCon reader, and very occasional commenter, for a few years. I found much of what was posted there interesting, even when I was disagreeing. It introduced me to some high quality writing. But, like any multi-contributor site with a significant throughput of posts, it also published some material that was a bit less impressive. Sunny ...
The BBC News Devon pages provide our Headline of the Day.
The Strypes are a young band - sources disagree on exactly how young - from Cavan in Ireland. Their sounds looks back to the British rhythm and blues bands of the sixties, though Dr Feelgood seems the greatest influence on this track. Maybe they are derivative, but then isn't all pop music derivative these days. Even those great bands of the sixties were often trying to recreate Black American records they had heard. And you have to admire the energy and attack here. It reminds me of The Jam on those 1978 editions of Top of the Pops they have ...
Earlier this year, I talked to Rosie Wallace about her first two novels which I'd devoured in a couple of days over last Christmas. Her third novel is still a work in progress but the Scotsman featured her short story The Sisters as part of its The Write Stuff series. Here's a snippet: The younger one has always been a chatterer. Silence is a vacuum to be filled with whatever thoughts are passing through her mind. As she wraps a china lamp base in old newspaper, she explains how her daughter could have been a doctor if the physics teacher ...
With the potential for disruption to services due to extreme winds and debris on the track, third rail or overhead lines, we are considering implementing a revised timetable on Sunday and Monday. Information about this timetable will be available online at FirstCapitalConnect.co.uk, via Twitter @FirstCC and through station information screens and announcements. We will be increasing the number of engineering staff on duty around our network and carrying out additional checks to ensure that train pantographs are free of debris. We will also have additional staff in place to provide passenger information both online and at stations. Network Rail will ...
Many thanks to the visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Dunfermline by-election win for Labour, disaster for the SNP and Lib Dems hold 3rd place (26 comments) by The Voice Time to do away with Lib Dem Friends of Israel and Lib Dem Friends of Palestine (17 comments) by Leon Duveen Ed Davey MP writes... Hinkley Point C – a bg step forward for energy decarbonisation (54 comments) by Ed Davey MP Clegg on free schools and national curriculum: no more, no less than party policy and that's for better and worse ...
It would have been very surprising if Nick's weekly letter hadn't been on the subjects which have dominated the headlines this week – free schools and energy bills. Although, to be honest, I think it's the energy bills that most voters are most concerned about and possibly merited a larger proportion of the Letter than they get. Nick makes the case for retaining the green charges which pay for the warm homes discount and home insulation programmes. Ed Davey wrote more about what he's doing to keep down energy bills on this site last week. The thing is, it's not ...
Meet very wet Arny (black and white) and Cara (brown and white). Got caught in the pre-storm wind and rain late Saturday afternoon (26 Oct). Arny was not keen on the storm and I was wet through! Photo to follow Fingers crossed no serious harm over the next 48 hours.
As you know, Liberal Democrats are unique in British politics as the only party whose policy is developed democratically through a member elected policy committee, member votes at conference and a member voice that is listened to at every level of the party. The same will be true of our next Manifesto. At the 2015 General Election we have a huge opportunity to break the outdated two-party mould of British politics for good. But to achieve this, we need to develop strong policies that reinforce our values, appeal to our potential supporters and can be delivered in Government. That's where ...
From today's Independent: Nick Clegg is planning to introduce all-women shortlists for the Liberal Democrats if not enough female candidates are selected in winnable seats in 2015. The radical policy change, which will upset many activists who believe it would go against the party's constitution, would be introduced in the next Parliament as many candidates have already been selected for the election in 18 months' time. Only 12 per cent of Lib Dem MPs are women, and there are none at all from ethnic minorities. Lib Dem sources said a number of "excellent" female and ethnic minority candidates have already ...
Sunny Hundal announced on Friday that Liberal Conspiracy will come to an end in its present form with immediate effect. I, for one, was sorry to hear this news. Whatever you think of Liberal Conspiracy's politics, Sunny was a passionate blogger, an innovator in the field of blogging (as he points out himself, when it launched You Tube didn't even exist) and got some remarkable stories as exclusives. Plus he afforded a great platform for aspiring bloggers who wanted to get their message out. Like me I wish Sunny all the best in his future endeavours. Stephen Tall has attributed ...
Crazy is the key word here. Do not go to see this opera expecting anything normal.. or in fact expecting anything you can imagine - this is an invitation into a madman's head for 2 hours - no intermissions, no order, no explanations. I happen to rather like this sort of thing. The story by [...]
Coalition in crisis. Ministers engulfed by rows. If you've read the newspapers this week, you could be forgiven for thinking the government was on the brink of a meltdown. It's almost a miracle, you'd think, that no blood has been spilt. So what's really happened this week on the two big issues in debate: free schools and energy bills? I'd characterise it as honest disagreement coupled with practical determination to work through that disagreement. Doesn't make much of a headline, of course. It's no secret that Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have a different take on how best to run our ...
[IMG: Tour de France logo] Hosting the Tour De France is a huge opportunity for York and Yorkshire, but a time of cuts to local government budgets the delivery plans must be watertight. When it was announced last year that York was to host Stage 2 of next year's Tour De France, I was excited. So were most residents of the city. The Tour is the most prestigious cycle race in the world and reckoned to be the biggest annual sporting event on the planet. With 188 countries broadcasting the event, the media exposure is probably only beaten by the ...
Every year 180,000 music fans gather for the Exit Festival. What makes this unusual, is it's held in a fort built in the 17th century to by the Hapsburg Empire as part of its defences against the Ottomans. This is indicative of Serbia's surprisingly vibrant youth culture: Today, Belgrade may be many years behind other [...]
Secret identity blown after plea on Facebook - Metro (tags: ) My Creative Writing professor told me to stop writing about love (and science) (tags: ) Cheaper to rent in Barcelona and commute to London... (tags: ) In Spy Uproar, 'Everyone Does It' Just Won't Do - NYTimes.com (tags: ) Quite possibly the cutest thing I have seen all day: RT @A_C_McGregor: RT @bmagnanti: Duckling waterslide! http://t.co/QHeRI72LCu (tags: (from twitter) ) Ripped-off Britons: Liebrary: Do we have to maintain exorbitant pay for bankers because everybody else does? See the data that shows we've been suckered. (tags: ) "I don't ...
There's a fund raising football match today (27th October) to raise money for the family of the young boy who sadly died in the road accident on Speke Road earlier this week. It's a junior team who are playing juniors versus parents. It kicks off at 12 30 on Garston Park.
Last week I wrote two articles for Liberal Democrat Voice. Taken together the articles were very much intended as a resource for activists and local election candidates to aid them in fighting the European Election which is to be held on the same day as local elections across the United Kingdom. This is especially important in London where we have all-out Council elections in every Borough and where, consequently, there is a risk that the European dimension is not properly engaged with when communicating with voters. The first article focused on the issues which are important to both elections and ...
Sunny Hundal announced on Friday that left-of-centre blog Liberal Conspiracy is coming to an end: I no longer have the time to maintain Liberal Conspiracy as a daily-updated news and opinion blog, so as of today I'm going to stop. This site will become an occasionally updated personal blog, with the odd guest-post. It's fair to say LibCon received an underwhelmed response from Lib Dems when it was launched six years ago, mostly on account of it including the word Liberal in its title but not so much in its outlook. Sunny himself was sport enough to respond to some ...
Police covering our area are leading a scheme to reduce road casualties. One part is recruiting local resident volunteers to: - Conduct speed checks using hand-held speed cameras - Speed surveys - Collate and report registration of speeding motorists for Police action. These are non-confrontational, non-enforcement roles and full training will be given. Completely flexible commitment. If you'd like to help fight local speeding contact Sergeant Stewart Turnbull on 020 8721 2447 eastdulwich.snt@et.police.uk
This story in the Sunday Times looks at the evidence that the numbers of deaths from child abuse and neglect are not going down and possibly going up. That is at a time when more children are taken into care. It is important to remember that taking a child into care is supposed to be a measure to prevent significant harm. Hence if the numbers taken into care are going up, but it is having no
From Dundee City Council: DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL : ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL (BLINSHALL STREET AREA, DUNDEE) (VARIATION OF WAITING RESTRICTIONS) ORDER 2013 Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 the effect of which will be to alter the waiting restrictions in the Blinshall Street area due to the changing parking requirements of the area. Full details of the proposals are contained in the draft Order, which together with a Statement of the Council's reasons for proposing to make the Order may be examined during normal office hours and ...
With the clocks change earlier today, it is an opportune moment to highlight Scottish Water's "Be prepared for winter" campaign:Follow Scottish Water's winter code and be prepared for winter! Scottish Water has launched its winter campaign to encourage customers in communities across Scotland to follow their winter code - protect your pipes, be prepared and heat, insulate and protect your home. We are also urging holiday homeowners, businesses, agents and landlords to take steps to heat, insulate and protect properties and any vacant commercial let properties.Sean Batty from STV weather (pictured above) supports the launch of our winter 2013 campaign ...
We have announced measures to help motorists to cut the cost of running a car by freezing MOT prices, cracking down on whiplash fraud and announcing a new scheme that will reduce the cost of fuel at motorway service stations. The cost of running a car can still be high. Thanks to changes we've made to no-win, no-fee deals and action on rogue claims firms, motor insurance has already dropped by 12 per cent - the equivalent of an £80 reduction on an average policy. We're also taking action to clamp down on people who cheat the insurance system and ...
