Jon followed the directions and soon found that the town finished as abruptly to the north as it did to the south, although on this side the slope of the hill was more gradual. He went through a gate into an elm-fringed field, climbed a stile and found himself looking over flat country which stretched away into the blue distance of the Sussex Weald.The field before him fell away sharply in one place, and at the topmost ridge of the hill stood the gaunt, black ruin of a mighty windmill. There were no sales on this mill, and from where ...
This serves 4 and is about 750kcals per portion Equipment: Deep lasagne dish or similar that holds at least 2 pints Oven Balloon whisk & mixing bowl Measuring jug because baileys doesn't come in pints Ingredients: 6 thick or 8 medium slices of bread Some butter Some dried fruit - I used sultanas today Some booze to soak the dried fruit in - I used Jack Daniels today 3 eggs 1 pint of Baileys or equivalent - I used tesco salted caramel irish cream today Nutmeg/cinnamon/mace/vanilla extract to taste. NB: you don't need any sugar because baileys is full of ...
On the London Review of Books blog, Daniel Marc Janes points out that fictional namesakes for politicians are not hard to come by. (I once wrote a column about George Osborne and Vanity Fair myself.) But he continues: In Agent of Chaos by Norman Spinrad (1967), Boris Johnson is the unlikely leader of the Democratic League, an interplanetary resistance movement fighting against the totalitarian regime of the Hegemony, which has turned the entire solar system into a surveillance state.Their political efforts are hampered by his bumbling nature. "Boris Johnson was quite willing to babble on - and did so at ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 386th 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 (10th-16th August, 2014), together with a hand-picked quintet, 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. Nick Clegg to lose Sheffield Hallam? You're ...
Thanks to funding from their local county councillor, a charity will be able to offer support and counselling for sufferers of HIV and AIDS. County Councillor Chris White (St Albans Central Division) has allocated £1,500 from his locality budget to The Crescent for supporting and counselling people living with HIV and AIDS. Cllr Chris White said: "I am always happy to continue supporting the excellent work that Crescent does in St Albans and the surrounding areas in supporting those with HIV and AIDS."
[IMG: Sharon Bowles] The London Evening Standard reports the appointment of former Lib Dem MEP, Sharon Bowles, who stood down at the May 2014 European elections, to the board of LSE: The London Stock Exchange has appointed one of the most senior former Liberal Democrats in Europe to its board as non-executive director. Ex-MEP Sharon Bowles was one of the short-listed candidates to become Governor of the Bank of England before Mark Carney was appointed. Bowles, 61, is widely seen as one of the most influential people involved in shaping EU policy on financial services regulation, including the key second ...
Nick Clegg's survival strategy appears to rest on saving as many of the 57 seats as possible. How many MPs the Lib Dems need have at next year's general election to cross that palatable threshold [...]
[IMG: 387 004 blog] After confusion in the Cabinet, fumbling with figures and obfuscation from the officers, Hertfordshire County Council has finally launched its public consultation on bus service cuts. The quick fix that they have dreamed up is to reduce all subsidised routes by cutting out every service that departs after 6. 30 p.m. and all services that run on Sundays. This strategy will leave commuters travelling on the later trains unable to get back from their home stations at the end of their working day. It will also cut out the evening services, e.g. 501, between towns like ...
Sun 17th
15:00
Hughes: Lib Dems will extend Freedom of Information to open up public services run by private compan...
[IMG: simon hughes] It's been a week of Lib Dem policy announcements, foreshadowing the party's pre-manifesto to be voted on by members at this October's conference in Glasgow: Monday: Norman Baker: "The Lib Dems want to restore the public's trust in the police" Tuesday: Fairer funding for Wales: "Lib Dems will actually do something about it," vows Kirsty Williams Wednesday: Steve Webb: Lib Dems will introduce "fair warning" for job-seekers who break benefit rules before sanctions imposed Thursday: Lib Dems pledge more tax cuts: after personal allowance raised to £12.5k will also increase National Insurance threshold And on Friday, ready ...
[IMG: Jo Swinson at Lib Dem Blog of the Year awards] Collected for my own interest and shared in case of interest to others, here is the full set of shortlists and winners for the Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year (especially as a couple of the older details are a little tricky to track down). 2013 Complicity (Zoe O'Connell) The Stony Croutons do not agree with her (Jennie Rigg) Liberal England (Jonathan Calder) Mark Pack The Real Blog (David Boyle) (winner) So Sam Said (Sam Phripp) 2012 Caron's Musings (Caron Lindsay) Mark Thompson's Blog (Mark Thompson) (winner) The Ramblings ...
In Brazil, where I've been for the past fortnight, much of the discussion in the run-up to state and presidential elections has been about corruption, which is so prevalent here, as in much of Latin America and elsewhere in the world, that it undermines the public's confidence in democracy. The poor majority already feel marginalised [...]
[IMG: 7 ver 4 full] Many thanks to the 12,732 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Vince to quit? The party's "senior sources" have been out and about stirring again... (33 comments) by Stephen Tall Why Lib Dems shouldn't keep schtum about tuition fees (153) by Stephen Tall LibLink: Tessa Munt - Why I'm boycotting Israeli goods and services (73) by NewsHound Ryan Coetzee switches from Clegg's Director of Strategy to Lib Dems' General Election Director of Strategy (47) by Stephen Tall "Lynne Featherstone 'horrified' over homophobic abuse at Lib Dem councillor" ...
Sun 17th
12:39
Jewish survivors and descendants of survivors and victims of Auschwitz speak out about Gaza
This letter in the Guardian yesterday caught my eye. It is very powerful. As Jewish survivors and descendants of survivors and victims of the Nazi genocide, we unequivocally condemn the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and the ongoing occupation and colonisation of historic Palestine. We further condemn the United States for providing Israel with the funding to carry out the attack, and western states more generally for using their diplomatic muscle to protect Israel from condemnation. Genocide begins with the silence of the world. We are alarmed by the extreme, racist dehumanisation of Palestinians in Israeli society, which has reached ...
On and on and on leaks the water from Circle 33′s property next to Hornsey Rise, Crouch End. It's been going for at least four months. At least the last communication I've had from Thames Water is that if Circle 33 won't fix it, Thames Water will intervene and charge Circle 33 for the work. Pretty poor show from Circle 33 however. [IMG: Water leak, Hornsey Rise]
In August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. Of the many heroes, one has recently stood out for me. One of my wife's ancestors is Mazzini Tron. I had known of him, but not his story. I was "gap filling" in her family tree, when I discovered his story. Born in the late 1880s, in Gateshead, he emigrated , found his way to Australia, got ordained, joined up and returned for the war ( in Gallipoli and the Western front ) . He won the DSO and MC & bar, and in one incident, because he was unarmed made a ...
[IMG: Tring Mayor at Tring Market cutting Jubilee Cake] Tring Mayor at Tring Market cuts Jubilee Cake You've heard it before – use it or lose it! Tring has had a Charter Market since 1315. It's conveniently located, with easy parking, keen prices and good quality. From oranges to olives, from cheese to chicory, from fish to flowers, from fruit to fennel and more besides – vegetables, clothes, cards, household goods, a cup of tea – it's all waiting for you! Here it was in 2012 participating in the Jubilee Celebrations. Tring Town Councillors are pledged to support the Charter ...
First Bus and Wessex have announced the following changes to buses in the Yate / Sodbury / Dodington area: FIRST BUS: Service 46/ X46 (Bristol - Yate/ Chipping Sodbury) The timetable is being adjusted to provide additional capacityThere will be earlier first Monday to Friday journeys on Service 46, and two additional early morning, Monday to Friday, journeys on Service X46 as well. Service 82 (Southmead Hospital - Chipping Sodbury)With support from South Gloucestershire Council, the route of Service 82 is being extended Buses will start and terminate in Chipping Sodbury (rather than Yate) operating via Station Road, Bowling Hill, ...
Last night we discovered the unlikely story of the 1967 rock festival held at Spalding's Tulip Bulb Auction Hall. So this seems like a good day to offer you some more Linclolnshire music. Corinne Drewery, singer with the eightiestastic Swing Out Sister, went to school in Louth.
Using social media as a politician is always fraught with danger, especially when you are not in control. Sometimes it is risky if the politician is in control. It is obvious that many ministerial accounts are run for them by their advisors. I have seen tweets from Ministers appear whilst they have been on their feet talking. But then that is the nature of that particular beast. Most politicians though will run their own social media accounts. I was a little taken aback therefore to read in today's Telegraph that some MPs are questioning whether the rather clever and witty ...
Sun 17th
11:15Gaza: Senior Lib Dems speak out against Hamas, urge continuing ceasefire; and Lib Dem Friends of Isr...
[IMG: Gaza Burns - photo by Al Jazeera English] This weekend's Guardian published a letter from five senior Lib Dems – including Sir Alan Beith MP, Lord Dholakia and Baroness Sarah Ludford – condemning Hamas and urging both sides in the conflict to continue their ceasefire in Gaza: As Liberal Democrats, we are totally committed to the state of Israel being able to live within secure borders, and wish to see the removal of the existential threat to Israel's security by an internationally recognised terrorist group, and the creation of a viable Palestinian state. As recorded by the UN and ...
Wednesday One of the things I have acquired in my long experience of business and politics is the ability to spot a wrong 'un. George de Chabris, Allen Stanford, Bernie Madoffwithallyourmoney... I wasn't taken in by any of them. There are more poisonous varieties of wrong 'un, of course, which is why Cyril Smith was one of a number of politicians, such as [names redacted on solicitor's advice], whom I never allowed to visit the Home for Well-Behaved Orphans. Really, I should have smelt a rat the first time I met him, as he and his mother were huddled around ...
Bath Heritage Open Days offer chance to discover 'hidden treasures' Bath & North East Somerset Council is giving residents and visitors a chance to explore parts of the city's heritage they would normally never get to see. Every year on four days in September, buildings of national historic importance and contemporary style throw open their doors to enable people to celebrate Britain's
The Independent reports on a growing controversy amongst the Welsh tourist industry, whether the £7 million the Welsh Government has allocated for promoting Wales is adequate or not. They say that Welsh tourism groups have slammed the £7m budget as "hopelessly inadequate". Adding that the Welsh Government's marketing budget is dwarfed by those of other parts of the United Kingdom. This is because Scotland spends £47m on promotion and even the seven-mile long Channel Island of Jersey has nearly as big a budget as Wales, at £6m: In a series of submissions to Westminster's Welsh Affairs committee, tourism leaders complain ...
The bizarre - and costly - cult of Richard Dawkins (tags: ) A letter to ... the strangers on that Friday train - this made me cry. (tags: ) Behind the Scenes at Victoria Station (tags: ) Bees having a mid air crash ♡ (tags: ) Guardians of the Galaxy, We Need to Talk the problem I have with this is that the author says, twice, that despite the problems they are going to go see it again. And there's the rub. If movies like this keep making money they'll keep making them this way, however much weer compatible about ...
Sun 17th
09:55
Conservatives keep councillor charged with forgery, fraud and deception as planning chief
[IMG: Home floor plan] Being charged with a crime isn't the same as being guilty of one, but it's still a serious matter. That's why my rule of thumb for elected politicians is that if you're charged you step aside from your posts, and if you're convicted you resign your elected office. It's not a rule of thumb followed by the Conservatives in Guildford where despite Cllr Monika Juneja being charged with "forgery, fraud by false representation, obtaining monetary advantage by deception and wilfully pretending to be a barrister", she is staying on as the councillor in charge of planning: ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention in the past couple of days... Statement on the current situation in Israel and Gaza | Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel You won't spot the word "disproportionate" here > Statement on Gaza | Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel http://bit.ly/1oWX9FQ Adam Corlett: The Conservative manifesto should take those in absolute poverty out of tax | Conservative Home Good stuff from @AdamCorlett: "take those in absolute poverty out of tax". Odd only Tories have policy space to do it http://bit.ly/1t64Ycl Press Photo David Steel, the Newly Elected Leader of the British Liberal ...
If you have a two year old and your household income is less than £16,190 then you may be entitled to up to 15 hours of free childcare a week, which will be available from September 1. The Lib Dems in Government introduced the scheme to improve the outcomes of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The free childcare can be in a nursery or pre-school setting or with a childminder. For more information see www.southglos.gov.uk/childcare or call 01454 868008. You will need your National Insurance number to hand.
[IMG: nhs sign lrg] Andy Burnham's recent set-piece speech on the NHS, the latest instalment of Labour's "summer offensive", opened with a neat bit of scene-setting. By briefly championing a group of Darlington mothers who are presently marching 300 miles in protest at the use of private providers in the NHS, he conjured a mood of protest while subtly co-opting their campaign. Thereafter he sought only to reduce the 2015 general election to a "binary choice" between "a part-privatised, two-tier health market under David Cameron" and "a public, integrated national health and care service under Labour." In terms of how ...
We have received the following email from the council. If everyone buys locally the money stops in the local economy. Bath & North East Somerset Council is backing a Buy Local Buy Social purchasing initiative designed to boost the West of England economy. A newly-launched Buy Local Buy Social
Until yesterday, there were four candidates for the post of Party President, which will become vacant later this year when incumbent Tim Farron's term of office expires: Sal Brinton, Linda Jack, Liz Lynne and Pauline Pearce. However, Pauline has now withdrawn from the race – as she explains in this five-minute video: Post by Pauline Pearce (Lady P).
Doors Open Days give you free access to hundreds of fascinating buildings across Dundee. On September 13th and 14th, for one weekend only, you can explore places that are normally closed to the public and this includes a number of buildings in the West End. This is your chance to discover the architecture, design, buildings, places and spaces right on your doorstep. The Dundee Doors Open Days 2014 programme is available to view here. You can also follow the Doors Open Days Dundee Facebook page to keep up to date with new venues joining the programme.
I picked up on this news via a local environmental campaigner. It sounds like positive news that could help stop Green Belt/high grade agricultural land land being developed. ***** Councils which bring forward brownfield land for housing using Local Development Orders (LDOs) could benefit from a share of £5m to get work started on the new homes under a new scheme launched by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). To qualify for the funding, councils will need to consult on a LDO on the land they identify – making it easier and quicker for developers to get work ...
The small group of people associated with Studio Z — Frank Zappa, Don Vliet, Ray Collins, and others — had spent much of 1964 and early 65 with big plans. Not only were they regularly recording blues, doo-wop, and experimental music, but they were working on a whole load of other plans — Zappa had [...]
