As you speed out of Northampton on the Bedford Road, you may notice this ornate but friendly chimney on your right. My current favourite book - A Guide to the Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire - reveals that it is all that remains of an engine house built to accommodate a 12-horsepower steam engine in 1863. This toiled to improve the town's sewage disposal system until a new works opened at Billing in 1875.
The remains of King Richard III, reports the Leicester Mercury, will be reburied in the city's cathedral on March 26 2015. The newspaper goes on: Channel 4 will broadcast the service live and as well as showing highlights later that evening. The ceremony itself will be by invitation only, but organisers have suggested a large screen could be placed outside St Martins for the gathering crowds to watch the royal occasion live. The seven day programme of events will commence on Sunday, March 22. The University of Leicester will transport Richard's remains from Leicester to Bosworth - the location of ...
The Needle has the full text of Sean O'Neill's article in this morning's issue of The Times. In it, O'Neill claims that police wanted to arrest Greville Janner, then Labour MP for Leicester West, as part of an investigation into sexual abuse in Leicestershire children's homes in 1991. He writes: A number of sources with knowledge of the case have confirmed that officers had wanted to arrest the Leicester West MP, which would have given them the power to search his home and offices. Legal advice was sought on taking the rare step of arresting an MP and it is ...
Tim Farron's speech to the Social Liberal Forum On Saturday 19th July, Tim Farron gave the third annual William Beveridge Memorial Lecture at the Social Liberal Forum conference in London. The title of his lecture was "building a new consensus"...Read more ›
I think the newly enobled Julie Smith (congratulations!) should become Baroness Smith of Churnalism: the typo in the press release about her appointment (giving the council she serves on as the fictional Newnham, not Cambridge) has nicely exposed who just copies and pastes press releases without checking the information or giving the source as a press release...
In 1981 a teacher objected to the racist and fascist Nigel Farage becoming a prefect http://t.co/owwujAxEqO pic.twitter.com/w3gEOpwNnD — Anya (@anyabike) August 8, 2014 Here's the Channel 4 News report from last September, which I'd missed at the time and includes a series of revealing interviews:
Fri 8th
16:35
Clegg: "I want to see Britain become the world leader in the next breakthrough in mental health rese...
[IMG: lib dem mental illness poster] The Lib Dems have unveiled plans to increase funding spent on mental health research by £50m, by 2020, as the party seeks to ensure it's are treated as seriously as physical illnesses are. Here's Nick Clegg: "Mental health issues have been treated as a sort of Cinderella service compared to physical health issues. I want people who are dealing with depression to be as effectively treated as if they had diabetes. That is why I want to see Britain become the world leader in the next breakthrough in mental health research just as we ...
[IMG: Autism Awareness Ribbon, Colorful Puzzle Pieces, Free Creative Commons Public Domain Download] The Lib Dems are currently at around 8-11% in the polls, and with c.20,000 fewer members of the party than in 2010, with less than a year to one of the most important General Elections that this party has faced since we were formed. But it is within this time period of emotional stress and exhaustion where tempers are frayed and relationships between people are made and indeed broken. Since the formation of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Lib Dems I have had several members come up to ...
Thus far this holiday I've read Dune by Frank Herbert (there's nothing like an imaginary desert world for a little escapism); The Lion and the Unicorn, on Gladstone and Disraeli and a multi decade rivalry; the illustrations and life of Osbert Lancaster; and am about a halfway through Chinese Whispers by Ben Chu, Patrick Lee [...]
A lot of people think being tough on drugs is the only way to combat the use of drugs that society is plagued by today. I have never had this thought. Whilst at the age of 31 I have never tried – nor had any desire – to try out illegal substances, I think those that do should be helped to get over their problems should their drug use consume them. Nick Clegg has spoken about this today and has indicated that the party want to end imprisonment for those who are caught with drugs for their own personal use ...
Wise advice (even if your office is smaller, messier and populated by older people): Hat-tip: Digital Buzz
(That is arguably, well not arguably as a matter of fact, this is clearly my favourite headline that I have ever written). So anyway a bit of background on why I own all the ten original care bears. You see I have had Tenderheart since I was knee high to a grasshopper (I actually had a large Bedtime Care Bear too but he has got lost somewhere along the way) but Tenderheart bear (not the full 13" version, but the half size one) has been with me for a long, long time. He became my unofficial mascot. First things first ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28642846 The BBC has the story – see link above:- And a war poem for the day is:- Here dead we lie by A E Housman (pub. 1936) Here dead we lie because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young. [IMG: Wall art on a former railway tunnel, now pedestrian walk way, under Bootle Strand Station.] Wall art on a former railway tunnel, now pedestrian walk way, under Bootle Strand Station.
Now I am living in Somerset not far from Hadspen, I am reminded of the family tensions and tragedy that fell on to my Hobhouse grandfather and his three brothers. Stephen was a Quaker and conscientious objector, Arthur and my grandfather Jack fought at the front and survived, and Paul was killed. Paul died in the [...]
[IMG: normanbaker] The latest Total Politics magazine has a profile of Lib Dem health minister Norman Baker. Here's a snippet: at the Home Office, Baker's relationship with his boss Theresa May has developed into one of mutual respect. (May apparently told Baker early on that she didn't know where the "spitting tacks" comment had come from.) According to one fellow MP: "He probably likes her because she stands up to Number 10. For her part, Theresa May doesn't suffer fools gladly. It would've leaked out if she was unhappy with him." That's not to say Baker hasn't brought a more ...
She has her own Wikipedia page Her impressions of the difference between the celebrated naturalist and the most exuberant ever stingray victim would have been interesting to know!Filed under: Uncategorized
I find it sad that the current key issue in the Scottish independence debate is what I believe to be not a serious issue at all but a contrived debating point. I strongly suspect that, if the SNP had argued that on independence Scotland would leave the pound and have its own currency, the British establishment would be screaming blue murder about Scotland's pulling the plug on Britain's "greatness" by weakening sterling, compromising our financial influence, undermining our our financial industries and God only knows what else, and begging them to stay in. The threat that in the event of ...
The link above is to a blog posting by Jen Robertson on behalf of Merseyside Maritime Museum and it is worth a read.
[IMG: Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan.] "She's a little bit late," Louis said to the press, and I'm not sure whether he intentionally meant to reference Cher Lloyd's song or whether he just got lucky. "She was just a bit rude on the show when she was on. No-one on the show has been as rude as Cher Lloyd. I don't care. I'm over it. I've moved on. I'm all about finding some new Cher Lloyds." Now it seems to me that the one thing the X Factor does not actively do is look for more Cher Lloyds. More One ...
Fri 8th
11:20
Council's own Cycling Design Guidelines shows "...that cyclists can mix harmoniously with pedestrian...
[IMG: IMG_1882] In an article published on the Peterborough Environment City Trusts website a statement from Sustrans reads: "Peterborough is taking positive steps to encourage cycling through the Travelchoice project, but we are worried that this could be undermined by not making adequate allowance for cyclists in and around the City Centre. Bridge Street is at the centre of the cycle network developed for the city and is an important link for hundreds of people who are cycling to work and school each day, or even just popping to the shops." They point out that when the Development Corporation designed ...
[IMG: Artists impression of the extended skate park with the completed phase 1 area shaded] Artists impression of the extended skate park with the completed phase 1 area shaded The first phase of the newly extended skate park in Hemel Hempstead's Gadebridge Park reopened on Saturday 2 August. The skate park was closed for the first phase of extension work to improve the park for skateboards, BMXs and scooters, introducing new street style features, such as steps and rails, that would normally be found in a town centre. Gadebridge Skatepark is being extended to make it a fantastic facility for ...
I can sort of see the appeal. But, then again, I really can't. Is Boris the saviour of the Conservative party? Back at the beginning of last year I saw him give an after dinner speech. At one point he was stood within two metres of me, but I didn't manage to touch the hem of his cloak. He was speaking to an audience that wasn't, I wouldn't have thought, his natural constituency. Yet not long after he'd got going pretty much everyone in the room seemed to be on his side. He clearly has buckets of charisma. He started ...
Who do we think we are? - a BFI potted history of Doctor Who (tags: ) How did the first world war actually end? (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Mail just received – excellent choices: Contact: Press Office - 020 7340 4949 Embargo: Immediate, 08 August 2014 Nick Clegg welcomes new Liberal Democrat peers Announcing the appointment of six new Liberal Democrat peers to the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said: "Our new peers highlight the campaigning heartbeat of our party, standing up for their local areas and championing the Liberal Democrat cause to deliver a stronger economy and a fairer society. "I am delighted to welcome them all to our Parliamentary team. "I know that every new peer on this list ...
[IMG: House of Lords - Some rights reserved by UK Parliament] The names of six new Lib Dem peers have been published today. They are: Chris Fox – Director of Group Communications for GKN; former Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats Cllr David Goddard - elected Member of Stockport Metropolitan Council; former Leader of Stockport Council; former Member of the Greater Manchester Police Authority; former Non-Executive Director of Manchester International Airport Cllr Barbara Janke - elected Member and former Leader of Bristol City Council; former teacher Cllr Kath Pinnock - elected Member and former Leader of Kirklees Council Paul Scriven ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention in the past couple of days... www.change.org Petition | Move the 2018 World Cup to The Netherlands http://chn.ge/1ovWh5D < a much better idea (@libdems take note) UK Polling Report Antony Wells on marginals polling: great for the geeks but unlikely to be much different from rest of country http://bit.ly/1snSXO4 Lifting the cap on student numbers: five lessons learned from Australia | Higher Education Network | theguardian.com Interesting take on HEPI report > Lifting the cap on student numbers: five lessons learned from Australia http://bit.ly/1vfY6xj How John Oliver tried to shake ...
Whilst muttering 'Make it so' to yourself, here's an email from ALDC Chief Executive Tim Pickstone to read: ALDC co-ordinates the Liberal Democrat stream of Local Government Association's 'Next Generation' programme. 'Next Gen' comprises of a series of meetings and training events designed to build leadership skills and experience among a small group of Liberal Democrat councillors... The commitment is to attend four events over the next year, a total of eight days. This is an excellent opportunity for those who take part, and something I would really recommend to anyone considering moving into a local leadership position in the ...
The Lib Dem website says this: "Nick Clegg has announced that the Liberal Democrat manifesto will include a commitment to end imprisonment for possessing drugs for personal use, so that no one is sent to prison, where their only offence is one of possession. Under the proposals, users would instead receive non-custodial sentences and appropriate medical treatment." That's not so surprising. The Lib Dems have long argued for a more rational approach to our drugs laws, with Nick making the point before that "If you are anti-drugs, you should be pro-reform." More surprising is that The Sun newspaper says this: ...
I listened with horror to today's reports that more than 60,000 parents have been fined for taking their children out of school without permission. I am a great believer in schools and a great believer that children should attend ... Continue reading →
A number of sheltered tenants in the Abbotsford Street area have complained to me about the poor state of the pavement on the south side of Blackness Road near the bus stop at the Abbotsford Street junction - see right. I brought this to the attention of the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership who advised : "... there is a small section of footway to the East of the Bus Stop where the footway surface is worn but serviceable and as such there is no proposals for resurfacing works at the location in the near future." I have responded saying ...
Here's one final piece of PAFEC memorabilia for the time being – the DOGS 4.4 Option Selector from 1993. Getting DOGS to do something involved selecting two items from an on screen (or on-tablet) menu. For example, to draw a single straight line, you selected the menu option LINE, followed by the menu option 2. This example was known as an 'executing option', as until another menu item was selected, indicating two more points in the drawing area would result in another straight line. You could also select menu options by using 'typed input' mode and typing its abbreviation – ...
Fri 8th
07:55
Allegations that Guilford Conservative councillor falsely claimed to be a barrister passed to the CP...
[IMG: Guildford Borough Council logo - square] Guildford Conservative councillor Monika Juneja has been accused of falsely passing herself off as a barrister. The story was broken by the Surrey Advertiser before Christmas and she was subsequently cleared of breaching the council's code of conduct. However, the Bar Council then pointed out that in coming to this decision the council had wrongly taken the view that falsely claiming to be a barrister when not fully qualified is not a criminal offence. In fact it is. The issue was then taken up by the police who, after arresting Monika Juneja and ...
How did the First World War actually end? – Paul Mason explains some of the causes of history, and how our accounts of the war are often missing out the social and labour movements that were very important in it. The Fake Sheikh and me: Tulisa talks – I wouldn't normally link to a showbiz story, even in the Guardian, but the fascinating details in this are the lengths Mazher Mahmood and the Sun were willing to go to for an entirely manufactured story. "Open Door Policy" – Andrew Hickey on the realities, rather than the tabloid headlines, of living ...
As a railway enthusiast, a member of OPSTA and someone who can't get his head around why when planning this New Town the railway was torn up, the plans of Lancashire County Council and West Lancs Borough Council to correct the errors to the past are fascinating. Firstly a photo of the old Skelmersdale Station which I purchased recently:- [IMG: rsz_skelmersdale_station_-_undated] And Wikipedia says:- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skelmersdale_railway_station So what's the plan? To put it simply to take a spur off the Kirkby – Wigan line right into the heart of Skem'. Is it a runner? Well money and a lot of it ...
You can't rest on your laurels after a hit as big as Eve of Destruction, and Barry McGuire was quickly back in the studio, recording the album This Precious Time. And this time, as he was such a big star, there was a slightly bigger budget — enough to hire backing singers. The vocalists who [...]
