The River Nene is navigable for 88 miles from the Wash near Sutton Bridge (I once visited the ornamental lighthouses there) to its junction with the Northampton.Arm of the Grand Union Canal. The photograph above shows the canal coming in from the left and the river continuing upstream to the right. Although the main channel is not navigable above this point, a backwater can be followed for half a mile or so towards Northampton railway station. And below you can see the first lock on the Northampton Arm, which is just out of site in the first photo. Below that ...
Here are the five posts on this blog that recorded the most hits between April and June 2014: Uncertain terrain: Issues and challenges facing housing associations (11th May 2013) Ed's brave housing proposal (1st May) Welfare reforms: the evidence mounts (9th April) Why is Owen Jones so annoying? (4th July 2013) The government is solving the housing crisis, apparently (31st May) June has been a quiet month. Nothing has really taken off. Two of the top five posts this quarter were published last year. They both featured in my top ten posts of 2013, and in the quintet for the ...
Tuesday Who should telephone but Freddie and Fiona? "We've been told to organise a press event in a pub this morning so that Mr Clegg and Vince Cable can have a drink together and show they are really best friends despite what everyone says," they explain. "But the trouble is, we don't know how to do it." "Why ever not?" I ask. "Because we are too young to go into pubs." Cometh the hour and all that, so I step in and organise things for them. "There's a pint of Smithson & Greaves Northern Bitter each for Clegg and Cable," ...
It seems I am not the only politico with a love for Bishop's Castle. Steve Bassam, Labour's chief whip in the Lords, has reminisced about his childhood visits to the town for the independent website Castle News: Bishop's Castle in the 50s and 60s seemed very self-sufficient. It had useful shops like grocery stores, a hardware shop, a haberdashery, a bakery or perhaps even two, an outfitters, a chemist, two or three banks. At one point it even boasted a small cinema. When I visit the town now it still has a few of these useful shops left - along ...
As we noted last week, the planning application for the Islamic Centre at 40 Foxland Road to increase its opening hours will not come to Cheadle Area Committee this month – the application has been withdrawn. There's lots for us to consider though. The meeting starts at 6pm and will be held at the Ladybridge Park Residents Club, Edenbridge Road, Cheadle Hulme. As ever, everyone is welcome. Items include: Planning application for the existing restaurant at 20 Wilmslow Road (the last unit on Old Rectory Gardens heading out of Cheadle) to also trade as a takeaway. Consultation on the proposed ...
"You just need to look at Twitter when Question Time is on, and compare the comments that are made about the male panellists and the female panellists - and that is whether or not they are politicians." Jo Swinson, returning to her ministerial responsibilities after maternity leave and interviewed in the Independent on Sunday, says women in the public eye endure the bottom of the internet. The Real Blog - that's David Boyle - says political parties must overcome the curse of positioning. In the US 10,000 two -and three-year-old toddlers are on medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, reports ...
South Glos Council's Highway Engineers are aiming to close the bridge starting on Sunday 20 July until Monday 1 September to enable the existing bridge to be demolished and replaced by a new hi-tech composite bridge deck over the peak holiday period. Lessons were learnt from the closure at Easter and as a consequence the following key changes are being made: No other avoidable road works will take place at the same time on the diversion route;Large interactive display boards will be keep residents and drivers updated;Improved signage of the diversion will be put in place;Arrangements for bus service changes ...
On Saturday the new Dodington Parish Council allotments at Wapley were officially opened by the council's Vice-Chair John Davis. He was joined by Wendy Mayo, Clerk to the Parish Council, who did a huge amount of work to get the project up and running. There was also a representative from Merlin, who provided grants towards parts of the project, and of course there were allotment holders of all ages. Claire Young was there as the local ward councillor. The land used to be part of the South Glos Council-owned Wychwell Farm. When the council decided to sell it off, as ...
So, we're all still a bit reeling from how great Dolly Parton was yesterday - yes? She's a seasoned performer, her back-catalogue is incredible and her ability to connect with people is, I believe, unrivalled. What's more, I'd argue that she's a pretty stonking feminist too - not that she'd ever admit it. When asked about such things, she usually responds with the same thing, that she would have been the first person to burn her bra, but it would have taken the fire department four days to put it out. This is part of Dolly's thing, she doesn't really ...
Mon 30th
19:00
Charles Kennedy on the true meaning of the F word and the need for all pro-Europeans to put their he...
[IMG: Charles Kennedy] Feeling a bit bleak about the whole EU shambles at the moment? Think we're headed for the exit? Well, if you want some good old fashioned common sense, listen to Charles Kennedy, here on yesterday's Sunday Politics. Sadly, you have to listen to arch Eurosceptic Tory Daniel Hannan again, but it's still worth it. The most interesting thing is that Charles calls on those who see the value in the EU not just to leave it to the Liberal Democrats to make the case for staying in. They need to put their heads above the parapet, too. ...
Listening to Ed Balls last night, he sounded so authentically Labour that it made me smile a weary little smile. As Balls explained, Jon Cruddas can't possibly have meant it when he said he was frustrated with Labour's treatment of his policy review. Why, well he can't be, can he? He was so supplicatory on the phone only a few days ago... But actually Cruddas, who has been turbo-charging Labour's policy review, was really unambiguous in his rage against the political machinery which could reduce his review to what he called: "Cynical nuggets of policy to chime with our focus ...
[IMG: Bath Lib Dem students] So, students don't hate us. There's a surprise. An article in the Financial Times highlights a poll which shows that support for the Liberal Democrats among students is still healthy, despite tuition fees. 13.4% of students back the party, compared to an average of 8.8%. Those levels need to be higher, but it's an encouraging start. The finding about Lib Dem support among students is likely to surprise critics who have long asserted that Mr Clegg's party is disliked across Britain's campuses. "The core strategy with LDs have always been younger women and students, that ...
LD Michael Meakin 241 Independent 90 Independent 89
[IMG: referendum2] One way or another, there's going to be an EU referendum, and we must not just let it happen. Pressure is mounting on David Cameron to move before 2017 and on Ed Miliband to shift from a perfectly clear position to one which is more "acceptable" to the sceptical groundswell. I've seen Tim Montgomerie suggesting that the spitzenkandidat system is a transfer of power to Brussels and might therefore trigger the referendum lock. Unfortunately for him, the legally enshrined vote is an in/in decision, and there's no formal move – treaty change or other – to accept or ...
Devastated isn't the word. I adored Rolf Harris. Didn't we all? I loved the man. Loved his art. Loved his humanity with animals. Loved, absolutely loved, his eccentric musical career. As the court case progressed, I became increasingly uneasy at what was coming to light. His letter written to the parents of one of his accusers many years ago told us of a dark side to Rolf Harris that none of us knew about. He had kept it so well hidden. Also, his claim to have never been to Cambridge, only for archive TV footage to be found that showed ...
Mon 30th
15:24
World Cup Review 5: holiday in France, Brazil v Chile, plus thoughts on diving and Albert Camus
[IMG: camus] Apologies to start off with for being quiescent this past week; I was on holiday with the family, in France. There are so many things about France I adore, but chief amongst them is the fact that despite only being twenty-two miles distant, the place feels a world away from England. At one point we were shopping in a supermarket and as we approached the checkout, it began to hail outside. Hard. "Like small peas hitting my soul," was the way the checkout woman described the sound of the stones hitting the window overhead (Comme les petits pois ...
[IMG: LD bird BLOG] Pensioners would be guaranteed to earn at least an extra £790 per year by the end of the next parliament under Liberal Democrat manifesto plans, Pensions Minister Steve Webb announced today. These changes mean the state pension will be worth at least £131-a-week by 2020, up from just £97.65 four years ago. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats' triple lock guarantee, the basic state pension has risen in each year of the last parliament by whichever is the higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%. The triple lock was a key demand from the Liberal Democrats in Coalition ...
[IMG: Steve Webb] The last few months have been rather rocky for the Liberal Democrat policy making process, with a succession of announcements from ministers pre-empting the party's democratic decision making and presenting their own personal ideas as if they were official policy or jumping the gun on something not yet debated. The excuse usually given for this is that the need to generate as much positive media coverage for the party as possible, and the media's desire to see things simply rather than report the nuances of internal processes, means waiting for the two party conferences a year isn't ...
I don't know where to start folks. Sometimes I click on a link to a news story and I just get filled with rage and want to go all vigilante on the idiots that I am reading about. This is very much what happened last night when I read about this story in the Inquisitr. Here is the short version for those that can't be arsed to click on the link. A five year-old from Arizona took his pants off in the playground at his kindergarten. The school reacted to this by making him sign paperwork acknowledging that he had ...
[IMG: lib dem conf voting] Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 830 party members responded – thank you – and we're publishing the full results. 68% support opt-out system for organ donation Currently England has an opt-in organ donation system, meaning that people's organs can only be used for transplants after their death if the person has consented (which they do through the NHS organ donation register). Wales is switching to an opt-out system, meaning that everyone's ...
As reported in today's Evening Telegraph, over the weekend, I received residents' concerns at another travellers encampment, just a matter of days after the one in the Technology Park ended. This time, it is a group of French travellers who have set up camp on the Riverside playing fields, just west of the pavilion. It may be the same group of French travellers who set up a camp there in June 2013. Yesterday, I contacted both the City Council and the police regarding this - clearly whilst this encampment is there, the playing fields west of the pavilion are not ...
[IMG: jo swinson by paul walter] Equalities Minister Jo Swinson is back at her desk today, six months after giving birth to her son, Andrew. To mark the occasion, she spoke to the Independent on Sunday about the new flexible working rights which come into force today and the treatment of women in politics and on the internet. This means that every employee will have the right to request flexible working. Amusing points to note: first of all, the sub-editor can't add. They know she was born in 1980, so why put her age at 36? Secondly, the official at ...
Felixstowe, not only has a major port and some very pretty beach huts, but it also has the Felixstowe Book Festival and I was delighted and honoured to be asked to speak at its Gala Dinner this weekend. The festival, now in its second year, was put together by Meg Reid, a dedicated bibliophile and professional business coach. Meg was driving back home with her daughter from the Cambridge Wordfest a couple of years ago and in a casual conversation came to the conclusion that Felixstowe would make a great place for a book festival too. A resourceful networker in ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-28078457 The BBC has the story. It makes you think of all kinds of illiberal punishments that you may want to see carried out on the thieves – scumbags indeed!
Liberal Democrats on Redcar & Cleveland Council are delighted that the Council is to receive over £300,000 to fix potholes.The Government has just announced extra funding for councils up and down the country to deal with the problem.Redcar & Cleveland is set to get £301,123. The Government estimates that each pothole costs £53 to fix on average.This means that over 5,000 holes can be repaired in the borough.Lib Dem Highways spokesman, Councillor Mike Carling (pictured right), welcomed the extra money saying: "This is excellent news for our area."Potholes affect all areas of our borough. They damage cars and cause injury ...
[IMG: Parliament Acts] Tony Blair's latest comments about Iraq, seeking to defend his disastrous actions back in 2003, have generated extensive media coverage. However, there are other views expressed by Tony Blair which also deserve attention, most notably his incredible views over freedom of information. But, before examining his comments lets go back 20 years or so. For some people it might be hard to remember how Government departments and public bodies often operated. Holding onto vast amounts of information, however mundane or non-controversial, was considered totally appropriate by most Government departments, quangos and local authorities. One of the most ...
The BBC reports: [IMG: Norway. Photo courtesy of http://www.freeimages.com/photo/758842 - some rights reserved] Norway is ending trials of e-voting systems used in national and local elections. Experiments with voting via the net were carried out during elections held in 2011 and 2013. But the trials have ended because, said the government, voters' fears about their votes becoming public could undermine democratic processes. Political controversy and the fact that the trials did not boost turnout also led to the experiment ending. The failure to raise turnout is now a surprise, as that was Britain's experience too with its online voting experiments ...
[IMG: Lib Dem website screenshot] Thanks to some kind help from the folks at party HQ, the email bulletin service I've created for stories from the Liberal Democrat federal website now also includes the latest stories from the site's AdLib blog too. You can sign up for this daily email of Liberal Democrat news here (tick the second box under "What would you like to receive?"). There will be no more than one email a day - and no email if there hasn't been a new story added in previous day. (By the way, apologies if you're signed up for ...
[IMG: Womens shortlists] On May 7th, I wrote my first article for Liberal Democrat Voice. It wasn't exactly ground-breaking. It was promo for an internal SAO, written in a hurry by a first-time candidate (me), a couple of weeks out from one of the toughest elections we've ever seen. It was less than five hundred words of innocuous fluff. You would never have guessed it from the reaction. Within a few hours, it had over seventy comments, and it hovered on the Most Read list for days. Why? Because it was about Liberal Democrat Women, and the training, mentoring and ...
Click and collect could be the catalyst for small, independent retailers to mount a comeback (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The Mail on Sunday reports that Vince Cable has scrapped controversial plans to privatise the Land Registry. Having worked there for 17 years, I very much welcome this decision. The proposal to carry out this privatisation was madness in the first place and would have done nothing to enhance the very effective service that the Land Registry provides. Indeed, I told Vince as much at the Welsh Liberal Democrats Conference in Newport a few months ago. What I said in my submission to the consultation still holds true. As a Trading Fund the Land Registry already has the flexibility to ...
I could not resist taking this picture as the sun set over Sefton (St. Helen's) Church last night. [IMG: rsz_sefton_sunset] The colours of a Turner painting come to mind. Then again sunsets always bring Turner's paintings to mind for me. The photo is amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
[IMG: Matilda House] The Liberal Democrat policy paper on housing notes that the primary driver of growing housing benefit and Local Housing Allowance bills has been the shortage of housing, leading to higher rents, and increasing number of people unable either to buy or to access social housing. The paper focused on the most pressing issues: Building more homes - providing environmentally sustainable homes where people need them, creating jobs and kick starting the economy. Giving tenants more power and security - making social landlords more accountable and improving standards and security in the rapidly growing private rented sector. More ...
Now that the school summer holidays are underway, my usual weekly ward surgeries do not take place, but I can still be contacted on any local issues or concerns through my e-surgery - just e-mail esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. I can also be contacted at home at any time on 459378 and also during office hours at my Dundee City Council office on 434985. Surgeries commence again in August with the start of the new school year.
In a major step towards ensuring that the energy market works for customers, Ed Davey has asked Ofgem and CMA to undertake an investigation in the energy market. The investigation will not affect Britain's energy supplies. We are working with Ofgem and National Grid to balance supply and demand, and to ensure we have enough sufficient generating capacity. The market investigation will provide investors with the certainty they need to make long-term investment decisions. A £104 billion investment in electricity infrastructure is already in the pipeline to 2020. Ed Davey said: "This is a major step towards ensuring that the ...
I picked up this book without knowing anything about it except that it was a collection of short Sherlock Holmes stories by various writers, many of whom I know from writing Doctor Who spinoff fiction. The main reason I got it, actually, was to compare it to Tales of the Great Detectives, the forthcoming Sherlock-Holmes-in-a-city-at-the-end-of-time [...]
