South of the power station and the Avon building, the footpath that was once Nunn Mills Road takes you thorough a derelict industrial area. The Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership calls it "one of the largest brown field development opportunities in the UK". I was puzzled. It all seemed very derelict, but if I had my bearings right then a train had passed over Bridge Street level crossing and through this site as recently as recently as 2006. Certainly, there are pictures of an enthusiasts' rail tour in the area in 2004. Just as I was beginning to doubt myself, a pair ...
No ... not that one! Earlier today, Cllr Jimmy Black, arguing the case for "Yes" in the referendum campaign and I - arguing the "No" case - participated in a debate at Sinderins Court for the residents of both Pennycook Court and Sinderins Court. Chaired by Tina Bell of Home Scotland, I think all agreed it was a good natured, polite and positive discussion and a thoroughly wothwhile event. Later on, along with my Dundee LibDem local party Convener Craig Duncan, I was campaigning for our good friend Cllr Tim Brett, in Newport on Tay. Tim has been selected as ...
Report back from Cheadle Area Committee, 5th August 2014 The Area Committee covers three wards: Heald Green, Cheadle and Gatley and Cheadle Hulme North. This year we're meeting in the Ladybridge Park Residents Club, Edenbridge Road, Cheadle Hulme. We had a report from the Area Conditions Officer, David Wilson. Over the next few weeks inspectors will be out looking for potholes and other problems on the Lakes estate and Springfield/Delamere/Torkington area. Sergeant Greg Morgan from the West Area neighbourhood Police and representatives from the Council's crime prevention unit reported. Despite a small rise in crime last year, the overall figures ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-28411619 The BBC has the story – see link above. There really is little future for small District Councils in England and those that are left will be left behind if they don't try to become Unitary councils which look after all the services in their area. The days of District Councils and separate County Councils must be numbered. This is a well trodden route and one which, in my view, Chorley are right to take. West Lancs Council has been pondering this for a long time, probably too long, and they need to get their band wagon moving as ...
From Rochdale Online: Linda Fisher, Rochdale Council Acting Chief Executive, has been forced into an embarrassing apology after favouriting a tweet that attempts to smear Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk. In a tweet on Sunday (3 August), @CarlWarmington said: "@SimonDanczuk Why not go for the abusers and those in Rochdale Council who covered up? RMBC corruptees should be ignored? Why? #suspicious. Mr Danczuk, who has been at the forefront of efforts to expose those guilty of sexually abusing children, said: "I am disappointed that a chief executive would get embroiled in local politics in this way. My record speaks for itself ...
Daphne Holmes calls for the carrot and the stick to be employed with Israel Ever since the formation of Israel as a nation, the collective attitude of the United States has been to unfailingly - and sometimes blindly - support that nation in its quest for sovereignty and security. According to the Foreign Policy Journal, between the years 1948 and 2009, the United Nations issued 79 resolutions against Israel, condemning it actions against its fellow countries in the region. During that same period, the United States has, in its position as a member of the UN Security Council, vetoed a ...
Mark Hunter MP and the Lib Dem team are opposing plans by Cheshire East Conservatives to build 2,500 new houses near Handforth Dean, pouring even more traffic onto the A34 in rush hour. Mark said "Instead of spreading new housing around the county, the Conservatives say they want to build this huge development on the greenbelt right on the Stockport border where traffic and other problems will cause huge problems at the Kingsway/Gatley Road junction. Lib Dem-led Stockport Council has been highly critical of the plans and I will fight the Conservatives to make sure local interests are protected." Councillor ...
[IMG: linda-jack-6] I believe passionately in our party and in spreading a progressive liberal message, so when I recently received a call to be part of a Newsnight panel discussing welfare policy, it was an opportunity to make the most of. What surprised me was the level of support and number of approaches I then received from fellow Lib Dems up and down the country, asking whether I would consider standing for Party President. As our party faces many new challenges, the role of Party President has never been more critical. It is essential that our leadership, HQ, members and ...
You know the score when someone switches party. It starts with the very verb. Joining your side = switching. Departing your side = defecting. Everyone who joins your side is 'senior' and has a principled reason. If they're leaving your side it's about their recent defeat / deselection / absence from key meetings. They join your lot for an important policy reason... but they leave your lot only oddly quoting a policy that's been in place for years and they didn't object to when they were getting expenses as the committee chair. All very familiar, save the recent reasons given ...
Tue 5th
16:15
In full: Nick Clegg's immigration speech - "Successful immigration systems have to be managed"
[IMG: Nick Clegg York Q&A Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] Here's the full text of Nick Clegg's speech today on the Lib Dem approach to immigration... It should come as no surprise that I'm a believer in the benefits of well-managed immigration. I lead, in my view, Britain's only real internationalist party. For the Liberal Democrats this nation is always at its best when we are open and outward-facing. We draw immense pride from living in a country which, throughout its history, has always said: if you come here, if you contribute, if you play your part, Britain will ...
[IMG: David Ward] David Ward has been a little, shall we say, controversial in his statements about the conflict in Gaza. Today he has written about his petition calling for and advocating a non-violent solution. On his website he writes: I unreservedly condemn the use of military action by both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But how do we arrive at peace in a non-violent way? He continues: I whole-heartedly welcome Nick Clegg's recent call for Israel to begin immediate and genuine negotiations with Hamas. Would this be rewarding terrorists? Of course not. We all know of many examples of ...
Now that the Commonwealth Games are over, Scotland, to its delight, will get back to the final stretch of the independence referendum campaign. And hostilities start again with a Major Campaign Event. This evening, Alistair Darling, the leader of the ... Continue reading →
Well this is rather good news: [IMG: Housebuilding: good news]
[IMG: Shirley Williams] Writing in the Guardian today, Shirley Williams says: The tragedy of the centenary we commemorate this week is that it falls as some of the most brutal and merciless wars of those same hundred years are raging. She refers to the current conflicts in Syria, Gaza, Iraq, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Attacks on Belgian and French civilians, including children, by Germany's invading army in August 1914 shocked the public and politicians in Britain and elsewhere into intervening, and many individual men into enlisting - so much so that conscription ...
[IMG: Nigel Farage. Photo courtesy of - some rights reserved] Matthew Goodwin, one of the co-authors of the excellent Revolt on the Right (see more and buy it here), has put together a list of the five Labour seats which are most under threat from UKIP at the 2015 general election in his view. They are: Great Grimsby Plymouth Moor View Ashfield (though he seriously underrates the Liberal Democrat chances in this seat) Dudley North Rotherham See Matthew's reasoning behind each seat over in The Independent, though of course the more people talk about UKIP's chances of winning, the ...
Tue 5th
12:12Opinion: Why a ban on animal testing is short-sighted and bad for our knowledge-based economy
[IMG: University of the West of England, laboratory, science. Some rights reserved by Jisc] Last week the BBC reported on a piece of potential Lib Dem policy that was picked up by Lib Dem Voice yesterday; Norman Baker's desire to ban all animal testing. Now the spurious use of animals with scant regard for animal welfare is of course wrong but an outright ban on this practise shows a lack of understanding of the use of animals in the first place. Medical research needs animal testing. Norman Baker MP is absolutely correct in that we should be using alternative techniques ...
Clegg: I'm a believer in the benefits of well-managed immigration. In a speech today, Nick Clegg set out the policy he expects the party to adopt at Federal Conference in Glasgow in October. A transcript of the speech is here.
[IMG: IMG_0311] I have been on holiday to St Wolfgang in Austria in the last two weeks, which explains why I have not posted anything recently (NB the picture is of nearby Hallstatt, not St Wolfgang). This holiday was mainly about fresh air and relaxation. Political reflection was not on the agenda – but I just can't help myself. Austria is a very interesting political case study. The country is an overlooked success story. The area that we visited, the Salzkammergut, was pristine. Everything was neat and tidy. The state of public infrastructure, from roads to public footpaths, was excellent ...
A group of summer Interns from Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils are holding free workshops to help people who have trouble using computer technology. The Beginners' Internet and Technology Skills workshops, each lasting two hours, will be held at Suffolk One Sixth Form College on August 11th from 10am and 1pm. Student volunteers from the sixth form college will also be joining the interns to help on the day. The idea for these workshops came from Babergh and Mid Suffolk's four summer interns, who are spending 13 weeks with the councils to gain experience of what it is like ...
[IMG: Grimsvotn] So Katie Price has made two announcements of late, both somewhat interrelated (hint: they have to do with attention and how to get more of it). One, she wants to start her own line of sex toys. It is unclear what exactly this new line of coitus enhancing (or indeed coitus substitute as the case may be) tools will bring to the table. Price told the Sun however, "It's time for sex toys to go mainstream". Note to Jordan: they went mainstream about a decade ago. In fact, so mainstream are they it is hard to see what ...
[IMG: Grey_Pride_logo_header] Last week Anchor launched their grey pride manifesto, calling on political parties to do more for older people. Not only to end the discrimination that we know many older people suffer, but to face up to the many challenges that living in an ageing society presents, challenges for which we are "woefully unprepared", as last year's House of Lords Committee on Demographic Change warned. Having spent the last year chairing a working group for the Party looking at how we manage the societal and cultural shifts which go hand in hand with living in an increasingly ageing society, ...
FFS >:( @Nick_Clegg to call for tighter controls on immigration from new EU states *insert swearing here* *headdesk headdesk headdesk* (tags: ) EE rolls out London bus pay-by-bonk app - only fandoids need apply I think El Reg really need to reconsider their piss-taking nickname for this payment system, because I can JUST see how SOME people will present it if women use it. (tags: ) Oh all RIGHT then here's the terrifying picture from the Brighouse Echo OMG The Deidre Barlow glasses. *dies of shame* Also, it really does look like me and Phillipa were a couple, which we ...
Well the title is a bit weird but it will make sense. This blog is about three things, thirdly the headline crazy magical sex and how awesome I think it would be, secondly the lyrics to a song and how they speak to me but first it is about how a music video can at times influence what you think about a song. Yesterday morning I was up at some stupid hour and before clubland.tv went off the air for two hours of teleshopping at 6AM, the last song played was one I hadn't heard yet. It was by an ...
[IMG: FoodWasteLondon] Fancy saving up to £60 a month while helping the environment? To find out how by making the most of the food you buy, watch a video from WasteAware, a partnership between Hertfordshire County Council and the county's 10 district and borough councils. The video called 'Making food waste history' can be viewed at www.hertsdirect.org/foodwaste and has already had more than 60,000 views on YouTube. It aims to help residents reduce their food waste and save money through four simple steps: plan ahead, store correctly, cook what you need and recycle what you can't eat. Through an engaging ...
[IMG: ww1] Much of the news recently has focused on the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. Rightly so, too. It changed the course of history and approximately sixteen million people died during it. But there is something that sits very uneasily with me about the way it has been covered. When discussing it, many will refer to how many people 'gave their lives' during the conflict. 'Giving' is a selfless deed, and it is one that is done voluntarily. One shouldn't have to 'give' out of obligation, nor as a result of being misled. It is ...
Via ALDC: Each year, ALDC recognises the outstanding work of local Focus teams through our Campaigner Awards. Nominations for this year's Awards are now open. The Campaigner Awards are presented at the ALDC AGM at Federal Conference (Saturday 5 October; 20.15-21.30) by a special guest. Winners in each category and our Overall Winner will receive cash prizes and a signed and framed certificate for their office! This year, our categories are: Best Postal Vote Campaign We are looking for local parties that have succeeded at getting Liberal Democrat supporters signed up to postal votes, communicated well with postal voters and ...
Further to my update in April about the proposals for the roadway, pavements and environmental improvements in Riverside Drive, the City Council has now advised as follows : Riverside Drive (Tesco Roundabout to Barnetts) - Carriageway Resurface and Lane Re-arrangement I wish to notify you that work is programmed to commence at the above location on Monday 11 August 2014, and will last for approximately 8 weeks. The main contractor for the works is Tayside Contracts. The Works will be carried out during the first 5 weeks with lane closures but maintaining two-way traffic. From the 14 September there will ...
Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen (1917) What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries for them from prayers or bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their ...
This comment block, from the SCURS subroutine of DOGS 3.1 should bring back memories for former colleagues. The copy I have in my possession runs to just over 14 pages and has my provisional edits (dated 24th October 1985) for DOGS on the Sun-2 workstation using a Bitpad 1 compatible tablet. Seeing the lines of code starting IF (ITYPE.EQ.111) GOTO 395 again certainly brings back memories. [IMG: The SCURS comment block from DOGS 3.1, October 1985.] The aim of SCURS was simple, but because of the ever-growing number of different graphics terminals, workstations and input devices DOGS supported, it had ...
Back by Wilfred Gibson (1915) They ask me where I've been, And what I've done and seen. But what can I reply Who know it wasn't I, But someone just like me, Who went across the sea And with my head and hands Killed men in foreign lands... Though I must bear the blame, Because he bore my name. [IMG: This War Memorial is in Carnforth, Lancashire - Credit Jen Robertson] This War Memorial is in Carnforth, Lancashire – Credit Jen Robertson With thanks to the LGiU
[IMG: Poppies of remembrance] Table at Cornwall County Hall at WW1 Centenary commemoration event 4 August 2014 World War 1 remembered yesterday at events around Cornwall. I spent time at County Hall, in the morning, then joined local people at the British Legion, St Just, in the evening for the "lights out" event. The aim of the Royal British Legion (RBL) campaign, is based on the words of Sir Edward Grey about "lamps going out all over Europe" on the eve of Britain officially entering the First World War. Hopefully the goal of 100 million people lighting candles across the ...
