That 140 character limit really is the limit sometimes... So. Is beer better than sex? Well firstly you need to define beer. If we're talking lager here, then pretty much any sex is going to be better. Even with David Mellor in his Chelski shirt. But I don't touch that crap. So we're talking a nice real ale... THEN you need to define what you mean by sex. I mean a brief snog with some people can be better than an all night session with others (I am reminded of Nicholas Soames' mistress' description of what it was like having ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. Today is Remembrance Sunday and tomorrow is Remembrance Day. I would encourage everyone to join me and the vast majority of the population in a two minute silence tomorrow to mark the exact time that the First World War finished. My Great Grandfather served in that war, surviving the Somme, and he lived to a grand old age. My Grandfather then served in the RAF for many years both before and during the second world ...
[IMG: mirowski] One of the most intriguing questions facing the merry band of wanderers interested in the philosophy and history of economics is how mainstream economic approaches appear to have emerged relatively unscathed from the Global Financial Crisis. Casual observers might well find this a bit of a puzzle. A body of knowledge that professed itself unable to shed any light on one of the most profound social events of recent human history, even though it was squarely in the middle of the relevant intellectual terrain, is on the face of it paradoxical. Of course, the response from the cognoscenti, ...
This blog doesn't normally travel west of the Hartlhill service station, but I stumbled across this story the other day. Renfrew Airport was the first municipally owned airport in Scotland, with the first flights taking place as early as 1912. It was the base for the world's first air ambulance service and served as a second world war fighter base. At one point it was the third busiest airport in the UK. It had a Le Corbusier inspired terminal designed by Scots architect Sir William Hardie Kininmonth. And was the arrival point for one Cassius Clay. It closed in 1966 ...
In a more light-hearted vein and prompted by this week's rolling over by the powers that be in the face of the Portsmouth shipyard closure, I took two old Navy recruiting posters and gave them a new twist:
Some of you, who still have the ability to think and question, will have been offended by Labours Cllr Will Scobie had you watched the Sunday Politics show on BBC. Why you ask, well once again BBC South East bias appeared to be in evidence ( in my opinion) when Scobie was allowed to infer that UKIP are refusing to represent their constituents. Anyhoo this what I understand Labour Will to have said referring to UKIP "Because of their stance on immigration they are alienating people, and people feel they cannot get in touch with them. There are people who ...
River Crescent This afternoon, after a site visit with Newhall Gardens residents on a safety issue, I met with residents from River Crescent to have our annual get-together at the Education Centre at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden. We had a good discussion on a number of issues - including 20 mph speed limits (and thanks to George Gammack of Living Streets for his update to the residents on this matter), smell from the composting operation at Riverside, recycling, the forthcoming West End Christmas Fortnight, park and ride and the Time2Give initiative. It was a very useful and enjoyable ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 352nd 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 (3-9 November, 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. Censored @libdemvoice comment ...
[IMG: Colette Thomas] More fool me, perhaps. But my ignorance was put right in a great way yesterday, by coming across Van Gogh Walk, a brilliant redevelopment of a road in Lambeth. What was a fairly nondescript south London street is now a lovely community garden and shared space. Van Gogh lived just round the corner – in Hackford Road – in the early 1870s and wrote about how much he liked walking round the area, which had rather more in the way of fields back then. One of the key people behind the transformation was local Lib Dem councillor ...
Just when we thought that we had heard everything there is to hear about the Labour Falkirk 'vote-fixing' row, The Times comes up with a new angle. They report that the general secretary of Unite, Len McCluskey has got himself entangled in a row about his own election centred on claims that almost 160,000 of those balloted were not members: His rival for the job, Jerry Hicks, has complained that the election was unlawful because people who had left the union were included in the ballot. Hicks said dead former members were among those who were sent voting papers. The ...
Sun 10th
16:55
New from Amnesty: Why Amnesty activists are championing rights for women in Afghanistan
Watch the new video from Amnesty International UK: You can also watch this on YouTube.
Ringmer LibDems held a debate, open to all, on where our food is going to come from in twenty years time. The material used to introduce the topic is available on Slideshare: We looked at several issues: - population: the population of both the Uk and the world, and the potential demand for food (and water) - what kinds of food are produced and their relative use of land - forms of production: industrial, organic, personal etc - the ways differnt foodstuffs are created: natural means, hybrids, GM etc - food waste: in our small scale survey of local residents ...
I attended the Whickham Remembrance Day parade this morning. My ward colleague Cllr John McClurey laid the wreath on behalf of residents of our Whickham South and Sunniside ward. A full set of our photos of the parade can be seen on this link.
Sun 10th
16:30
Shirley Williams on green taxes, war, crime and Theresa May's Prime Ministerial ambition...
[IMG: Shirley Williams] Shirley Williams was reviewing the papers with the Spectator's Fraser Nelson on this morning's Andrew Marr show. Remembrance Sunday was obviously discussed. Shirley described a story of a boy of 12 sent to Somme after lying his way into the Army and his mother got him sent back. Of course, by that time, he had seen so many horrors. She also added that it's not just the lives lost we have to commemorate: Many get a life sentence as those injured suffer for the rest of their lives. She described the use of IEDs as "colossally effective ...
I listened to the Remembrance Day ritual in Whitehall while I was painting my hallway this morning, and it eminded how different these occasions are these days from when I was growing up. I the 1970s, the overwhelming sentiment seemed to be that it should "never happen again". Now hardly anyone seems to say that. I suppose this is because it is in some ways happening. Our forces are in almost constant action abroad. The sentiment now seems to be unselfishness, rather as it was in the 1920s. A strange shift. But there is another shift going on too, and ...
Here's a flavour of how Liberal Democrats are marking Remembrance Sunday, some in an official capacity, others on their blogs. I suggest you put on Elgar's Cello concerto as recommended by Armour Plated Liberalism and have a look at the following: Tim Farron spent yesterday selling poppies in bad weather: Selling poppies in a hailstorm in Kendal. Thanks to all the people out collecting in such interesting weather! pic.twitter.com/oLAWibzXmo — Tim Farron (@timfarron) November 9, 2013 Jo Swinson tweeted from a service in Bearsden Rousing piping from BB band led parade to Bishopbriggs War Memorial for well-attended service & wreath-laying ...
Reblogged from The Dish: Matthew Hutson describes the work of psychologist Kurt Gray, whose research into how people objectify each other has yielded intriguing findings: In one experiment, subjects saw a photograph and a short description of a man or a woman. The photo showed either just the head or also the shirtless torso. When [...]
God doesn't care about what race your spouse is. God doesn't care about what class your spouse is. Why would he care about what sex your spouse is? There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
Many thanks to the 15,600 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Opinion: Labour's living wage means the state taxes the poor more (31 comments) by Alisdair Calder McGregor Opinion: You don't have to wear a red poppy (29 comments) by Richard Church Emma Gilpin-Jacobs appointed as Director of Communications to the Deputy Prime Minister (7 comments) by The Voice Why do so many Liberal Democrat MPs not claim energy costs? (48 comments) by Caron Lindsay Updated: Full list of Lib Dems standing in our held seats and top 50 targets (8 comments) ...
One of the parts of my research methods module assignment that I'm currently working on is being used to assess if we are able to read an academic paper and understand what it has set out to achieve. The paper in question comes from a reputable journal and has been peer-reviewed. Even so, it contains a fairly significant typographical error, which makes understanding precisely where some of the findings it claims have actually come from rather difficult. However, that's not the worst problem with this particular paper. The final sentence of its concluding paragraph makes a claim that I happen ...
Sunday: Age: Slept through all of Dalek history Stories: 18 (plus something called "War of the Daleks") Awesomeness: Inventor of the Daleks. Also the spork. Cuddles: Nyder (denied) AKA: Roy Tromelly, naughty, naughty Terry Molloy
If I were a despised broadsheet journalist, I'd probably write a really insensitive article about all the fab finds you can pick up for free at your local food bank. I'd write about how very jolly it is, top tips for bagging the best stuff, and promptly get a load of angry Twitter messages sent to me - along with a gazillion page views. I'm not that person. So here's my middle-class experience of a food bank (by proxy). Liz and I have recently moved to Oxford and - as part of the process of making new friends - are ...
[IMG: Unite union logo] Compare and contrast... What Unite says Bad for Britain, bad for workers, bad for you The rise of zero hours contracts in the workplace is the latest attack on workers' rights and dignity. What Unite does Leaked documents showed it saved money on its £2.3m-a-year training programme by using tutors on zero-hour contracts.
Fancy working for the Liberal Democrats? There's a variety of jobs on offer over at the W4MP website. Here's a summary. Closing soon If you fancy getting stuck in to the party's digital projects, based at LDHQ in Westminster, you'll have to act quickly as this job for a Digital Operations Manager closes tomorrow. These are the skills you'll need: • Experience of supporting stakeholders with varying technical knowledge. • Experience of relationships with external suppliers. • Ability to provide IT support including installing equipment and diagnosing problems. • Sympathy with the aims and values of the Liberal Democrats is ...
New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office: You can also watch this on YouTube.
After Debi's posting of pictures of a 32 year old woman in her sports kit we had some discussion, and thus I present ( pictures of a 36 year old woman in her sports kit ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I wear my poppy as a tribute to our armed forces who are always ready to put their lives on the line to preserve the lives and liberties of others in need. Our thoughts and thanks are with them as well as with their friends, families and partners who miss them and worry about them.
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
To Any dead officer Well, how are things in Heaven? I wish you'd say, Because I'd like to know that you're all right. Tell me, have you found everlasting day, Or been sucked in by everlasting night? For when I shut my eyes your face shows plain; I hear you make some cheery old remark— I can rebuild you in my brain, Though you've gone out patrolling in the dark. You hated tours of trenches; you were proud Of nothing more than having good years to spend; Longed to get home and join the careless crowd Of chaps who work ...
For Remembrance Sunday, Elgar's Cello Concerto. Beautiful, sobering and written soon after the end of the First World War.
This week, Nick's letter is about his speech to the Green Alliance. It summarises what he said, but doesn' t link to it. Just as well we put it in full here, then. The aim is to drive people to shiny new "Why I am Green" Nationbuilder site. 1329 people have already given their reasons. He's losing no opportunity to explain why Ed Miliband's energy price freeze just doesn't cut it. He's modified the language a bit, putting in a bit more detail, but is still describing it as the con that it is. [IMG: libdem letter from nick clegg] ...
posted The Blood is The Life 09-11-2013 http://t.co/X0eMNRzU5R on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Johnny Depp cake: Woman bakes giant Jack Sparrow Jesus Christ that's terrifying. (tags: ) http://open.spotify.com/track/33fx60SHPsPuHh6WKEFfUV Ah Fall Out Boy and their marvellous enunciation (this ain't a scene, it's a GOD. DAMN. ARSE. FACE.) http://t.co/JXBwpN4HBQ (tags: (from twitter) ) posted My turn to pick the music in the office this morning. http://t.co/2v8wc5SeKR on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) FAO @miss_s_b et al: The whole of Aliens as a GIF: http://t.co/SgAZvxJ6GH (tags: (from twitter) ) Newspaper circulations: The Guardian and Telegraph doing ...
Next year will mark 100 years since the start of the First World War. Though those British members of the Armed Forces who died before then are no less worthy of respect and commemoration than those who came after, it is usually those who have died since 1914 that we remember on Remembrance Sunday. The First World War was a watershed moment in world history, in British history and in terms of recognition of the horrors of total war. So many families were affected, my own no exception, that there was no way the sacrifice of our troops could be ...
Supper with Davy Jones. – That's a phrase derived from one used by my uncle, Alan Walter (pictured right), in the one of his wartime letters sent from Montreal, Canada in September 1939. He was on board SS Tregarthen when it had a near-miss with another ship. He exclaimed: "another 3 inches nearer would have sent us to Davy Jones for supper". Here's the text of another letter he sent from Montreal in the same month: Dear All Thanks for your three letters. I wrote one last week but I don't know if you have got it because of this ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee: A special event for Dundee Science Festival on Monday 11th November 2013, 6pm-9pm at the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum, Carnelley Building, University of Dundee: Adventure on the High Seas - Make your own Magic Lantern Film Show Explore Victorian marine science and make your own magic lantern animation in this special workshop led by artist Jennie Pedley using her special mini shadow theatre kit. Inspired by the collections and marine investigations of D'Arcy Thompson, you will create drawings designed to move as part of a specially lit mini shadow ...
I welcome the UK Government's announcement which maintains the funding allocations between the devolved administrations of the UK for the next CAP funding period (2014-2020). I am pleased to see that the UK Government has taken these steps to ensure a fair CAP deal for Welsh farmers. It is well understood that all UK administrations have a strong working relationship when it comes to CAP negotiations in the European Union and that the UK's position is agreed during the negotiations process between all Ministers, whether they be in London, Cardiff, Belfast or Edinburgh. I am also pleased to see that ...
Disclosures in the Sunday Times raise concerns about the election of Unite boss Len McCluskey. He might be on his best run of form since winning the Labour leadership, but questions over the Unite union and his handling of the Falkirk row continue to dog Ed Miliband. Today the Sunday Times reveals that Len McCluskey, [...]
A few quick ones... Debi has written a response to the LDV comment thread that got me banned. Warning — link contains photos of median-sized human female adult, and Lib Dem Voice comment threads suggest that seeing average-sized human female adults may cause you to spontaneously double in size and become a worthless drain on [...]
