This film was shot on 3 September 1966, the last day that through trains ran from London Marylebone to Nottingham Victoria. A service between Rugby and Nottingham ran for another three years, but after Victoria closed in 1967 those trains terminated at Nottingham Arkwright Street. The site of Victoria station is now occupied by a shopping centre. I once overheard one old railwayman telling another that the centre had been designed in such a way that a freight railway could be threaded through the site if the authorities ever changed their minds. Wishful thinking? Probably, but the decision to close ...
Ben Chu in the Independent has boldly gone where curiously few* economic commentators want to go right now – the piffling question of whether the government's published public spending numbers for the next few years are insane or not. He kindly mentions me as having "crunched the numbers" and found them to be jaw dropping. There are [...]
The collection of your refuse – along with street cleansing and other Council services – may be affected by national industrial action on Thursday (10th July). If Thursday is your normal refuse collection day, the Council ask that you put your rubbish and recycling out as normal. If it is not collected on Thursday, they ask that you leave it out and they promise it will be collected by the end of the weekend. There is no need to report a missed collection – unless of course it isn't collected by the end of the weekend. If your collection day ...
Nick Clegg's Labour opponent in Sheffield Hallam has desperately been trying to beef up his local credentials today, with the Tour De France taking in Sheffield as part of its very successful Yorkshire trip. His first gaffe of the day was retweeting this: Good to see labour candidate @olivercoppard cycling to #Bradfield to support #TdFYorkshire [IMG: :-)] #nosignofnick #onyerbike — Roz Davies (@roz_davies) July 6, 2014 Then, when trying to show *just* how into the Tour and Yorkshire he is, he tweeted this: [IMG: Screen Shot 2014-07-06 at 20.20.38] Yup, spelt British defending champion Chris Froome's name wrong, despite it ...
You can't beat a vanity search on Google Books. I find I have been quoted recently in two very diverse works. First, Foot-tracks in New Zealand: Origins, Access Issues and Recent Developments by Pete McDonald: McDonald is quoting for an article I once wrote for OpenMind - you can find it on this blog. You will see that I may also have given him the idea of quoting from Richard Jefferies. The second quotation, perhaps more unexpectedly, is to be found in More Than Just War: Narratives of the Just War and Military Life by Charles Jones: That comes from ...
Dear School of Psychology, Thank you very much for this unexpected, but very welcome present! I suppose I really do have no excuses left for not getting on with it now ... [IMG: Dissertation Book] This article was originally written for the University of Leicester Student Blogs, 26th June 2014.
Shropshire Council is determined to become a "commissioning council" and divest itself of as many operational and financial responsibilities as possible. That includes youth services throughout the county. Its initial plan was to create youth boards of young people across the county to assess local needs and commission local youth activities. But pilots and consultations [...]
[IMG: recherche] I spent the back half of last week at the European Network for Housing Research Annual Conference in Edinburgh. The organising committee were kind to me. My paper on the battle over the "bedroom tax" was timetabled for the first morning, so it was soon out the way and I could concentrate on what others had to say. From my perspective, two themes emerged strongly from the conference. Both related to crossing boundaries. The first theme was the way in which housing studies connects, or doesn't connect, with policy studies. In my paper I observed in passing that: ...
[IMG: _275126_conrad_russell300] Writing about Russell's An Intelligent Person's Guide To Liberalism the other day prompted me to think more about the version of liberalism he describes. One of the things I appreciated in his book was the way he placed liberalism, and particularly British liberalism, in a historical context. This isn't surprising as he was a historian rather than a philosopher or political scientist, but it does feel sometimes that people present liberalism as something that only emerged in the nineteenth century, ignoring the important of Locke and the debates of the seventeenth century in its emergence. There are important ...
[IMG: Gold records on the wall.] The Richest Songs in the World is an excellent programme from BBC4, available on iPlayer. Introduced by the excellent Stuart Maconie, it a must-see for anyone vaguely interested in music. As well as explaining the finances of songs, the show reveals the, at times, surprising top ten richest songs in pop music and their fascinating stories. I didn't know that "Yesterday" started life as "Scrambled Eggs" and is thought to have played a part in the eventual break-up of the Beatles, because it was the only song Paul McCartney wrote on his own, although ...
[IMG: 7 ver 4 full] Many thanks to the 12,700 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Opinion: Tuition fees not the crime of the century (279 comments) by Paul Walter ++ Susan Gaszczak resigns from the Lib Dems over handling of Chris Rennard allegations (48) by The Voice Ladbrokes: "Five seats the Lib Dems might GAIN in 2015″ (46) by Stephen Tall The Gender Agenda #1 Why have women only training? What's so special about women? (141) by Alice Thomas 5 things Nick Clegg could do next (47) by Stephen Tall Opinion: ...
Earlier today, I was delighted to open a community lunch in Tullideph Place, organised by the staff from Gowrie Care's Tullideph project and the people they support. Taking place as part of Big Lunch 2014, the proceeds raised have been donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. It was great to see so many people in the local area take part - a great example of the Tullideph community coming together and also highlighting the great work Gowrie Care does. Irene Duff, Gowrie Care's Tullideph project manager, said, "We decided to host the Big Lunch to meet our neighbours and to get ...
Sun 6th
15:34
The names of the 96 who died at Hillsborough were the text for Michael Nyman's 11th Symphony
My good friend Tony Robertson has already posted on the World Premier of Michael Nyman's 11th Symphony-The Hillsborough Memorial. He has also done the spade work and found the links about events leading up to its composition I was fortunate to be there yesterday-it was a Father's Day present. I can report that the piece was enthusiastically received by the packed audience.Such was the length and passion of the standing ovation you might have felt that the listeners had added a fifth movement. There was real concentrated attention when Liverpool born mezzo soprano Kathryn Rudge, sang the names of the ...
[IMG: lib lab Labour Liberal Democrat logo] The second of Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft's polls of Lib Dem marginal seats was published this week, focusing on four of our battlegrounds with Labour: Norwich South (held by Simon Wright), Bradford East (David Ward), Brent Central (Sarah Teather standing down, Ibrahim Taguri selected), and Manchester Withington (John Leech). Also included was Brighton Pavilion, which Caroline Lucas won for the Greens from Labour in 2010. (The previous instalment focused on the Lib Dem-Tory battlegrounds.) It comes as little surprise to learn that, as the polls stand, all would be lost to Labour – ...
This story appears in the July - August 2014 Forest Hill Focus In a response to a petition raised by the Tewkesbury Lodge Residents' Association in conjunction with Lib Dem campaigners Alex Feakes and Philip Peake and presented by them to Lewisham Council last year, the Council have agreed to introduce measures to make Honor Oak Road safer for pedestrians and traffic alike. Many residents [...]
Sun 6th
14:38
Wells Park Road murder - more needs to be done to tackle serious youth violence locally
This is an extended version of a story which appears in the July - August 2014 Forest Hill Focus We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of James Hunter, who was murdered in Wells Park Road, Sydenham, on May 31st. Residents told us of their worries about crime in precisely this area. [...]
This story appears in the July – August 2014 Forest Hill Focus Some good news from TfL for our campaign against bus overcrowding. They are laying on four extra services a day on the 176 route at peak times. Focus Team member George Crozier asked Lib Dem London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, who is Deputy [...]
I am mightily unimpressed by the consensus on Northern devolution that is emerging in London. We will face new challenges post the Scottish referendum whether it results in 'Independence' or Devo Max. None of the 'lite' proposals emanating from the SE-whether from Heseltine, Osborne, Clegg or the Labour Party -adequately take account of the new challenges we face. Let us compare and contrast the proposals. The Scottish Challenge The Scottish Parliament already has significant powers and now even the Tories are proposing to give them more. Win or loose the referendum the Hollywood Parliament is going to have tax raising ...
Anyone who attends local community meetings is likely to have heard of "The Land of Oak and Iron". Others probably haven't, though I did write about the original grant to develop the environmental, industrial and natural heritage of our area in October last year. The team working this up are now hoping to get an insight from us all through completion of an online survey which you can undertake by clicking here. Please do take the opportunity – the more people who answer from County Durham, the higher our profile in the planning process.
Abuse of blue disabled parking badges is bad news for everyone – genuine users and ordinary motorists alike – so I have no problem with a new campaign to target people who abuse the system by "borrowing" or "lending" these badges for their own benefit, or by using fraudulently produced copies. At a recent Audit Committee, in a section from which the Press and Public were excluded and on which I therefore am preventing from publishing details, it was clear that County Durham is very effective at pursuing some forms of fraud, less so at others, and I am very ...
Salon has recently published extracts from a new book on Christianity and homosexuality. In this extract from that extract the author Matthew Vines explains the connection between the debate surrounding homosexuality with the gender dynamics of the Bible itself: While Ephesians 5 doesn't mention married couples having children, it does mention—or at least assumes—gender hierarchy. [...]
Tim Reiterman's "Raven" is one of the most compelling and complete histories of a New Religious Movement that I've ever read (up there with Atack's Scientology history "A Piece of Blue Sky"). His book follows Jim Jones' life from his birth to his death and captures the parallel track of the life and death of his Peoples Temple. This odd man, who seemed to move from sincere Christian belief to atheism and back in his early years, evolved into an atheistic con man who lead over 1000 people on a journey from Pentecostal worship at his faith healing meetings in ...
[IMG: 2b89c97a-41ca-4df0-a0fd-89fd217508a3wallpaper1] In my initial World Cup prediction, I said the semi-finals would be Brazil v Germany and Argentina v Spain. All right, I was completely wrong about Spain, but I got the rest spot on, not to mention the fact that my Brazil v Argentina final is still on - and looking more and more likely. My forecast that Neymar would swing in the stunning pass that would set up the first goal will not come true, sadly, as the great man now lies on a bed with a broken back. Some have said his loss spells an end ...
Creating sustainable economic growth and jobs in St Just means we have to look for opportunities! I am doing just that but will need the support of others with creative and business minds. Community led local development (CLLD) and LEADER in Cornwall 2014 - 2020 will be the programmes through which communities and business can work together to obtain funding. They will be the way of distributing the next European Programmes, to create jobs and achieve sustainable economic growth at a local level. The aim is to offer a bottom up approach, allowing businesses, social enterprises and the voluntary and ...
[IMG: LD bird BLOG] Around 1m carers will receive an annual bonus under a Liberal Democrat government, it has been announced. Liberal Democrats have made a manifesto pledge to give carers £250 per year, by the end of the next parliament. Research conducted by Carers UK revealed that almost half of all carers are struggling financially due to their caring roles. Liberal Democrats recognise the invaluable work of carers and understand how important access to respite is for carers. Carers UK estimate that informal care provided by carers saves the state £119bn per year. Liberal Democrats believe that carers deserve ...
Some web sources claim this sketch was banned, but as this video is clearly a film of someone's television it must have been broadcast.
Congratulations from all at Lib Dem Voice to Ed Fordham and Russell Eagling, who were married yesterday, Saturday 5th July. Their happy day made the local paper: Campaigner Ed Fordham, a beaten candidate in Hampstead and Kilburn at the 2010 General Election, married his partner of 17 years, the former Fortune Green councillor Russell Eagling. The ceremony took place at the Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel in Hampstead. The pair got engaged in Parliament Square after Ed Fordham went down on one knee in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 gathered to celebrate the granting of marriage rights to ...
Metallica? Kasabian? Bah! The only Glastonbury set I watched in full was Bryan Ferry's. Here he is in 1973, singing a Dylan song from his album of covers These Foolish Things.
[IMG: Potential number of potholes fixed based on temporary repairs at £53 per pothole. Authorities may choose to spend money on other road maintenance] Potential number of potholes fixed based on temporary repairs at £53 per pothole. Authorities may choose to spend money on other road maintenance The Coalition Government has outlined plans to help fill in more than 3 million potholes. This forms part of a massive investment in the country's local and major roads. £24 billion is being spent on England's strategic road network between 2010 and 2021 . Councils across England have been allocated £168 million of ...
Oh an open microphone. Broadcasting is a strange beast. I have dabbled as many will know and whilst many may have sympathy for Andrew Strauss following events yesterday. I do not. For the record I am no big fan of Strauss but nor am I a big fan of KP. I don't really have a horse in this race. For those who don't know what happened then here is the article from the Independent – Andrew Strauss 'mortified' and 'profusely sorry' after he calls Kevin Pietersen a 'c**t' live on air. The former England captain thought he was off air ...
A new survey from Shelter shows that less than 8% of homes are "affordable" in our area. The pressure is on for Central Bedfordshire to ensure that new developments have the right proportion of affordable homes to meet local needs.
[IMG: Brazil v Scotland 22] For some reason, 40% is a figure which has long exerted political significance. That devolution for Scotland wasn't introduced in 1979 wasn't because a majority of those who voted didn't want it: by 52% to 48% the Scottish voted in favour of establishing a Scottish parliament. However, a Labour MP, George Cunningham, introduced an amendment to the Scotland Act (1978) specifying a minimum turnout threshold of 40% of the electorate. The actual turnout of 33% meant Scottish devolution had to wait a further two decades. I was reminded of this when talking recently to a ...
Ruth Hunt: People didn't want a lesbian to represent gay people (tags: ) Rebecca Taylor demolishes some Eurosceptic myths. (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
One of the muddy stretches of path earlier this year Dodington Parish Council and Wapley Bushes Conservation Group are undertaking a major path upgrading project at Wapley Bushes this summer. The aim is to get rid of the very muddy stretches due to the last couple of very wet winters. The section of path shown in the photo is still very muddy even in the current warm weather. Ring Paul Hulbert on 01454 315851 or email paul.hulbert@gmail.com for more information or if you would be interested in helping at conservation mornings in the Nature Reserve.
The Independent reports on a useful initiative from the UK Government that will enable credit unions to take on pay day lenders directly. Of course no credit union can offer the sort of product that many of the big companies such as Wonga provide and nor should they, but the ability to instantly approve loans should help offer an alternative: Excluding Northern Ireland, the UK has 400 credit unions with about a million members in total. By March last year, members had saved £843m with the credit unions, around £620m of which was on loan. The Government is keen to ...
Labour would transfer £30bn of funding from central to local government to "begin reversing a century of centralisation", Ed Miliband has said. Discussing the plans, Mr Miliband said that they were not about "big spending" but rather "big reform". Meanwhile, Ed Balls added that the party had "big ideas" about devolution of powers, long-term infrastructure spending and manufacturing. He said Labour wanted to introduce "more devolution of power to our cities and our county regions, more devolution of housing spending, job spend, skills and business support". As carried by Yorkshire Post, newspaper and BBC News This is one of those ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28168658 A fascinating tribute. The BBC has the story of yesterday's first performance, see link above.
I have long campaigned for a permanent school crossing patroller (SCP) at the Kelso Steps on Blackness Road. I was assured last year that the SCP would be retained here despite Harris Academy being decanted until 2016, given that Blackness Primary School pupils use the crossing point. However, I have now been advised by the council's Education Department : "The crossing point at the Kelso Steps has been re-assessed again, and as in previous assessments, it does not meet the criteria for the establishment for a School Crossing Patroller - this is in accordance with nationally recognised guidelines as directed ...
[IMG: Canary Wharf photo by Jim Nix] On Thursday, 26th June, 2014, I was delighted to hear the news that the mining and commodities trader Glencore Xstrata had appointed Patrice Merrin, a Canadian former mining executive, as an independent non-executive director. This decision means there are no longer any all-male boards amongst the UK's top companies. In 2011, 21 of the FTSE100 companies had no women on their boards, and now there are none. This is an important step forward and one which Liberal Democrats can be proud of helping to make happen. Since 2011 Liberal Democrat Ministers across Government ...
