As hundreds of millions of people around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, spare more than a thought for the Christians of the Middle East, for many of whom 2014 has been a dire year. Two of the most vibrant Christian communities, in Iraq and Syria, have been traumatised by violent conflict, dispossession and displacement. [...]
"Three people, inexperts, consulting only those paid to tell them what government wants to hear, can decide, effectively in secret, with little notice and no debate, can turn an activity currently legal into something for which the maximum term of imprisonment is life with 28 calendar days notice." Jock Coats reports the latest nonsense in the war on drugs. Caron Lindsay tells us that a support fund has been set up for Alex Folkes. The history of emotions is an interesting and emerging field of study. Thomas Dixon gives us a survey of the developments in it during 2014. The ...
Blog Categories: Political Comment Vote: -2 votes + Vote up! - Vote down! There's a mechanism for implementing some legislation, for example, for adding extra substances to the schedules of the Misuse of Drugs Act that define what severity of punishment may be meted out by the government and its agents for their possession or trade, called an "Order in Council". It needs no consultation, in effect, other than, in the case of the MDA, only to have consulted its pet, semi-independent at best, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The Council concerned is the Privy Council: sort of, ...
This letter is a reply to a contribution from Mr Barry Pearson who advocates we should vote Labour because they would take more from the top 1%. Barry Pearson thinks we should vote Labour because, as he puts it, they will take more from the top 1%. Oh, what a short memory he has. Does he remember what the top rate of tax was from June 1997 to April 2010 under a Labour government? It was 40%. And what is it now? Yes, Barry, it is 45% - so the top 1% are paying 5% more income tax now than ...
You might remember Stephen Tall's article about the way Liberal Democrat Cornwall County Councillor Alex Folkes had been treated by his council's Chief Executive, who had branded him as a "potential risk" to children and written to youth groups to say so. This unelected official even called on Alex to resign as a councillor and publicly said so. All this action was taken despite there being no actual evidence of wrongdoing. As Stephen said at the time: Alex is determined to establish his innocence and clear his name (the latter especially hard in cases like this). He has not only ...
One of the benefits of having been blogging for so long is that I can repost old copy if I am feeling uninspired. So here is Liberal Democrat News (ask your parents) column of mine from November 2004. A cunning plan As I write, the Lords and the Commons are fighting over the hunting bill like two greyhounds with a hare. It looks as though their lordships are going to force the prime minister to ban hunting at once so the resulting row takes place in the run up to the general election. Forget all the guff about the upper ...
It has cute children, Nick doing what for him is fairly sophisticated cookery and a message of Christmas that unites everyone. The text in full follows: In 1914, a young soldier wrote home to tell his family and friends about Christmas spent in the trenches of World War One, "It was a memorable day," he said, "from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, not a shot being fired. In this centenary year, we're again reminded of the importance of these brief informal truces, which gave soldiers on both sides a moment's respite from that violent conflict and which, in the decades ...
I've now reported the graffiti on the green box, along Coniston Road, to the City Council (REF: #574377). Generally speaking we manage to keep the levels of graffiti in this area down to a minimum, but if you know of any places that have been effected, please do post details in the comments box at the [...]
Blyth Town Council is closed for the Christmas and New Year Holidays The office will reopen on 5th January If , during the period of closure , and in an emergency, you need to contact the council try contacting Northumberland County Council. As a fall-back you could try contacting your ward councillor for advice and assistance.
[IMG: herts-county-council] Herts County Council are gathering residents' views on the budget priorities for the coming years. Hertfordshire County Council provides vital services to every single resident of Hertfordshire. However, national cuts in public spending means the council's total income is falling, while the pressure to spend increases. Inflation, Hertfordshire's growing population and the cost of meeting the needs of residents, including older people and people with a disability, are all contributory factors. The county council has delivered savings over the last 4 years, amounting to £149 million a year by 2013/14. Eighty-five per cent of these have come from ...
[IMG: rally kirsty williams 1] In her Christmas and New Year message, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams has challenged the other parties to make a "strong commitment" to bringing more powers closer to the people of Wales. Kirsty also spoke of her hope for the passing of her More Nurses Bill, which will go through the Welsh Assembly scrutiny process in 2015, saying that it has the potential to be the "good news story" that the Welsh NHS needs. I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. 2014 will be remembered ...
The industrial carnage of the First World War is not exactly a promising hunting ground for heartwarming imagery. Nonetheless, the idea that during the Christmas period of 1914, British and German soldiers stopped fighting and even played football is very definitely inspiring. Witness, for example, its use in the Sainsbury's Christmas advert. As is perhaps to be expected [...]
The ALDC office is closed from the end of 23 December 2014 and reopens in the morning on 5 January 2015. We have systems in place to deal with any urgent items – either advice or IT related – but please let us know about these either through the website or the Facebook Group (i.e. [...]
Well people of the internet, it has been a while since I've written any dating advice and I mean in all seriousness, who wouldn't want to read dating advice from a permanent (now 30+) resident of the single living? Well yes, I know, it doesn't sound like I'm the type of person you'd go to in these situations but the theory, the theory I do well, it is just the practical I stink at. A few months back I had a date and she wrote all about it and pretty much lambasted everything about me, from the fact I was ...
[IMG: 387 004 blog] Nick Clegg has said that all 16-21 year olds in England will get a 66% discount on bus travel. Appearing on Bite the Ballot's Leaders Live, which can be viewed on Youtube, Nick Clegg set out the proposal which would see all 16-21 year olds would be given a Young Person's Bus Pass. It would help young people with the cost of travel by offering a minimum two thirds discount on bus travel in England. Bus companies would then be able to add their own discounts on top of that. Liberal Democrats plan to pay for ...
Those of us who are used UKIP candidates from the south of England making idiots of themselves are reassured today that Wales was not left out when Nigel Farage specified the parameters of his party's gene pool. This discovery has come about due to the widely reported remarks of UKIP's candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth about homosexuality. The Independent's account provides some context: A Ukip parliamentary candidate standing in Wales has claimed a "homosexual donkey" tried to rape his horse. John Rees-Evans, who is running for Cardiff South and Penarth in May's general election, told the bizarre story to ...
[IMG: Bartolomedelascasas.jpg] I wrote a book some years ago about the friendship and rivalry between Columbus, Cabot and Vespucci (Toward the Setting Sun). One of the things that became clear to me as I researched it is just how much the excitement of discovery - then and later - was bound up with the prospect of sex with powerless people. Later, when I wrote Voyages of Discovery, it came home to me even stronger. But for some reason, the scholars have tended to ignore this. It is as if it wasn't an important part of the experience of imperialism, yet ...
[IMG: Bird of Prey - DVD cover] Attempts to be at the cutting edge of technology in fiction can age horribly quickly, especially where computing and networking is involved. Yet despite computer hacking over networks being central to Bird of Prey, the early 1980s BBC drama starring Richard Griffiths, it has aged very well because the basic ideas are still with us, especially police corruption, security being circumvented by sweet talking, criminals hacking into computer systems to assist their misdeeds and trojan horse programs being hidden on systems. There's the occasional opportunity to chuckle at the technology, such as when ...
New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office:
[IMG: Happy Christmas] The offices of Sandgate Parish Council will be closed from 1pm today, 23rd December 2014, and will reopen on Friday 2nd January 2015, at 9am. Sandgate Library will also close at 1pm today and will then open: Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th December, 9.30am to 1pm and then normal service will resume Friday 2nd January. Please check other libraries' opening times as some will be open Christmas Eve and will be open as normal on non-public holiday dates. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New ...
View image | gettyimages.com The following story is a bit like a Tom Sharpe novel. It involves an American investment firm, an estate in London's East End, aggrieved local residents marching on Downing Street, the family firm of (reputedly) Britain's richest MP and a famous comedian who speaks in a sort of Victorian "luv-a-duck" lingo. All that is missing, to complete the manic Sharpesque scenario, is a climactic explosion liberally showering the whole cast of characters with the contents of the local sewage farm. The New Era Estate in Hoxton, East London, was purchased in March 2014 by Westbrook Partners, ...
I know it's Christmas week, but I'm hugely grateful to a number of friends who have put together a website in support of me. You can find it at alexfolkes.org.uk A huge number of people have already sent me personal messages of support and many have also written in to local newspapers. My friends want to show publicly just how many people think that the way I have been treated is unfair and to keep alive the campaign to get my name cleared. I have also had a number of people make very kind offers to help fund any legal ...
Over at LibDemVoice, I've put forward three suggestions for last-minute pressie ideas for the politico geek (whether that's you or someone you know)... Liberalism: The Life of an Idea – Edmund Fawcett There are lots of books around about liberalism as an idea: this one focuses on liberalism as reality, and how it's decisively shaped the past 200 years of American and European history. In the wrong hands, this could be scholarly but dry, important yet dull. As it is, Fawcett's touch is both light and incisive (eg, 'At times the liberal state tamed the market. At others, the liberal ...
While others just talk about road repairs, the Lib Dems are delivering: our £100 million roads repair programme is already underway with hundreds of roads across Stockport being properly resurfaced over the next year. But after decades of governments underfunding our roads, the announcement of a guaranteed five year funding agreement from the Coalition to help Stockport do even more repairs is welcome. The Government is allocating over £16 million to Stockport for road repairs over the next five years – and although it's only a fraction of the £100 million the Lib Dems are already spending, it will make ...
If you've been buying presents for children these days, you'll doubtless have noticed that there seems to be a bit o a gender divide in the way toys are marketed. For the girls, you have dollies, little puppies, things you brush the hair of and put in houses. In some stores, these things are housed in garish pink aisles. For the boys, you have anything remotely interesting. Science sets, dinosaurs, space stuff. For role playing, girls get to dress up as nurses or princesses while boys get to do exciting world-saving superhero stuff. This should be offensive to all liberals, ...
Stockport residents are being encouraged to get vaccinated against the flu, following recent reports of outbreak cases across Wales. Stockport Council, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group, want to remind everyone that influenza viruses circulate and spread quickly within the community at this time of year. Children who were aged 2, 3 or 4 years on 1st September 2014 can be protected with the nasal influenza vaccine that is available free through GPs. The nasal flu vaccine is painless and simple to administer - there is no injection. Additionally, around 1 in 4 Stockport residents fall ...
[IMG: A donkey, sexuality unknown] A donkey, sexuality unknown I can only imagine that a group of Ukip candidates are on a dare to see who can generate the strangest headline most befitting of inclusion on Jonathan Calder's blog and his Headline of the Day feature: A Ukip parliamentary candidate standing in Wales has claimed a "homosexual donkey" tried to rape his horse. John Rees-Evans, who is running for Cardiff South and Penarth in May's general election, told the bizarre story to protesters outside a new campaign office in Merthyr Tydfil. An anti-Ukip demonstrator had asked him to respond to ...
Just a note to wish local residents a very happy Christmas. If you're having a break, hope it is a good one! Many thanks for your readership of these weekly emails over the year, and all your comments and feedback. Emails will be taking a week off next week for Christmas. Best wishes and best wishes for 2015. Tim, Mary and the local Lib Dem team.
Over the Christmas and New Year period, a number of local services will operate at a reduced level. Bury Council Broadly the Council Offices are closed from the end of Christmas Eve (24 December 2014) and re-open in the morning of 5 January 2015. In the event of an emergency, the Council's emergency number is: 0161 253 6606. Some services operate a more limited service, particularly on the non-bank holiday days. These include: the Registry Office, emergency housing advice and other important services. Full details of Bury Council services is available here. Bins and Rubbish Bin collection days may change ...
Last week, I did a prediction of what will happen in fourteen UKIP target seats, ones identified by the party itself. I thought it might be fun to do the same for the Greens, particularly given that party had told the Guardian their own version of a "super-12" list. I will go though each of those twelve seats and see what I see. I will start with the caveat that the Greens are many times more realistic about their chances in the 2015 general election than UKIP (I've yet to hear the Natalie Bennett speech about what happens when the ...
I've been contacted by a local author in the Prestwich area who has recently published his first book. I thought I'd share with other people as it is always good to celebrate local talent and creativity! David Adamson (see author page on Amazon) tells us he's always drawn but never pursued getting anything published until now. He's been drawing The Planet of the Grapes since about 2010 and is now on his third book. Planet of the Grapes is an 86 page graphic novel in full colour, all hand drawn without any use of a computer. David tells us it's ...
Forgotify - Discover a previously unheard Spotify track (tags: ) Another interesting study on incumbency factors in politics (tags: ) Nigel Farage attacks pupils' Ukip parody app featuring Nicholas Fromage (tags: ) and for those of you who haven't yet downloaded UKIK - here it is (tags: ) 6 things I learned from riding in a Google Self-Driving Car (tags: ) Exclusive New Doctor Who Adventure: Behind You (tags: ) BBC Radio 4 - Good Omens - available on iPlayer I hope like hell you get the hilarious continuity announcement that came between episode 1 & 2 on this. And ...
A few weeks ago I reported on a campaign to get more access to publicly accessible defribulators in the local area (see this story). Since then I've received the very welcome news that the team at Brookvale in Simister have a total of five Defibulators on site, together with trained staff. Brockville have offered the use of a machine to Simister Village residents which is situated in an easily accessible area. Trained staff from Brookvale recently gave a take and demonstration at a recent meeting in the Lady Wilton Hall. An excellent initiative from the team at Brookvale. Tim
Today I was going to post the third in my series of reflections about being the governor of a successful school. But I suspect that too many people will be too busy to read it. Not coincidentally I'm probably too busy to write it anyway. I really should nip down to Waitrose to buy the final Christmas supplies before the shelves are stripped bare. And then wrap a few presents. And so on. So instead I will just wish all my readers a Happy Christmas. Whether I resume posting next week remains to be seen... [IMG: Share]
[IMG: Yahaya Kiyingi speaking at Lib Dem conference] Great to see the fantastically talented Yahaya Kiyingi has been selected as a Lib Dem candidate: Ugandan Yahaya Kiingi selected to be Liberal Democrat candidate for Camberwell & Peckham in 2015 general elections pic.twitter.com/JZ8miwCx4G — African Meninist (@Blick_Oyinbo) December 16, 2014 A few years ago he spoke at the London Region conference – the first time most of the people in the room had heard him – and he mesmerised the audience. MPs such as Tim Farron and Simon Hughes have given very good speeches to the event in years past, but ...
Hanukkah 2014 ends tomorrow Here's Nick Clegg's message, in video and text, to mark the 8 day festival: I want to wish Britain's Jewish community and Jewish people around the world a very happy Hanukkah. As the winter nights grow colder and darker, so begins this 8-day festival celebrating the miracle of lights. Each of you will have your own cherished family traditions for how you mark this holiday. But Hanukkah is always a time for family and friends to get together: lighting the Hanukkiah, playing games, sharing gifts, and just as these rituals are passed from generation to generation, ...
Well, it only took a few hours from my last comment about the blood in the Russian interbank market, before the first of the Russian banks needed rescuing. An estimated $531 million to rescue National Bank Trust is just the first order of business for the CBR. Clearly there is a huge level of work to do before the Russian financial sector can even begin to recover, even if-for the time being- the oil price seems to have stabilised at around $60/bbl. After the crash, investors are beginning to put prices on Russian risk- and these are hugely discounted. For ...
Residents have expressed concern to me that the Pennycook Lane Recycling Centre has been overflowing recently. The photo below is from last Friday :I have brought this matter to the attention of the City Council's Environment Department and have asked that the site servicing arrangements are improved.
[IMG: rsz_photo0839] Only a few days ago I got an e-mail from the Secretary of the umbrella organisation which covers the 10 Parish Councils in Sefton Borough It said:- I have managed to secure a Special Meeting with [a representative] of Peel Holdings on Thursday 8th January, 2015 at 2pm. The Meeting will take place in the Council Chamber at Maghull Town Hall. I would be grateful if as many of you as possible could attend, and if you could let me know in advance by email numbers of those attending. That's interesting I thought I will go along to ...
