THE GOOD MEN OF LEICESTER from Al Mackay on Vimeo. In January 2010 the Leicester Mercury wrote: Shoppers might have thought their mince pies were playing tricks on them when Only Fools and Horses star Roger Lloyd Pack dropped into a market. The actor, who played Trigger in the 80s sitcom, was on location in the city centre to star in a short drama about Leicester Market's traders. Screenwriters Neale Craston, 30, and Al Mackay, 29, from Leicester, won cash to make the movie after entering the script in a regional arts competition. Shooting for their film, called The Good ...
At around 8.30 pm this evening (Thursday 15 January) a car collided with a bus stop on Rodford Way, Yate near the Abbotswood underpass. The car appeared very badly damaged and the bus stop was a write-off. The Police and Ambulance Service attended but it is not known what the extent of injuries might be or whether anyone else was involved. There have been numerous accidents at this spot, including one child fatality in 2008. South Gloucestershire Councillor Tony Davis (Lib Dem, Dodington) said "Whatever the cause of this particular accident, the number of serious incidents along this short stretch ...
In the quiet, rather magical, days between Christmas and the New Year, the Guardian very kindly carried my thoughts about technology. It pointed out that news of the falling sales of tablets and ebooks rather confirmed the predictions of the French medievalist Jean Gimpel - who predicted the return of trams, bikes, natural fibres, real food and vinyl records. And so it has proved. For some reason, this article was shared and retweeted more than anything else I've ever written. And, if I'm honest, I know why. It was because of what I said about technological change slowing down. I ...
The sun rose while they were crossing the moor, a dazzle of light over the tops of the hills. The sunshine crept down the slopes into the peaceful green valleys, where little white cottages nestled in gardens and orchards. That's Westmorland," said Pig-wig. She dropped Pigling's hand and commenced to dance.Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Pigling Bland Under a headline beginning "No, we haven't banned books of pigs...", Jane Harley from the Oxford University Press has an article on the Guardian website that shows they pretty much have banned new books on pigs: What we do ... is consider avoiding ...
Good luck John: [IMG: John Munro selected for Weston]
For some years the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust have run a Westminster Dog of the Year contest to find the top dog owned by an MP or peer. Apparently the judges look for "the dogs' good deeds and devotion to their owner". Now comes news that Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is staging Purr Minister 2015. And one of the cats taking part is Annette Brooke's Billy. So hurry over to the contest's website to vote for him! You may also, writes Liberal England's Cat Correspondent, be interested in the news that Battersea's cattery has been given Grade II ...
Today's Call Clegg was another lively affair. A bit of froideur towards a Lib Dem peer, a lot of distance put between Nick and David Ward and, of course, those debates. The first question was about freedom of speech. The caller asked if there wasn't a double standard between people getting away with insulting Mohammed but Muslims burning poppies were convicted. Nick was right to pick up that the second case was not the same thing. It was more causing a disturbance at an event and getting in the way of others expressing their views. He made an interesting little ...
A cold weather warning have been issued with the Met Office expecting that temperatures will fall below freezing. During this time, the elderly and those who are vulnerable are reminded of the simple life saving tips about how to stay warm and well in colder weather. In Cambridgeshire alone there are an average of 182 deaths per year linked to cold weather. Keeping warm in colder temperatures is particularly important for older more frail people, those with ongoing illnesses such as heart and lung conditions and the very young as the cold can affect their health. Icy ground is also ...
Cornwall Council has today given the go ahead to a development of 140 new houses at Upper Chapel. This application is on the same site as the controversial 100 home application that was approved by a planning inspector last year and represents an increased density on the same footprint. I think the tone of the discussion could best be characterised as 'with regret'. After a unanimous rejection of the last application and the very costly appeal, councillors felt that there was little they could do to refuse the application given the very strong comments made by the planning inspector who ...
Well, not really, the title above is rubbish, but Simon Hughes seemed to score a "street cred" point yesterday when an interview with him was carried on Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed did it via Snapchat and showed the Snapchat snapshots. The background to the interview was the statement from David Cameron which seemed to mean that there would be a ban on encrypted applications, such as WhatsApp and Snapchat, that the people in the trenchcoats can't monitor. Here's how the interview went: Buzzfeed Are LDs backing PM on encryption? Hughes: LibDems blocked "Snoopers' Charter" Buzzfeed But social networks are what most people ...
I am a fairly patient soul as a rule, and a tolerant one much of the time. So tolerant, in fact, that I tend not to seek compensation when Greater Anglia fail to convey me to my destination in a timely manner if the problem has been caused by an infrastructure problem (I know, I really should, but it's such a hassle...). However, last month, after I turned up at Liverpool Street, bought a ticket and then discovered that they had cancelled the next train to Stowmarket due to a train fault, I collected a 'Delay Repay' form, completed it, ...
Crass. Stupid. Offensive. Insensitive. Just four of the words that UK Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has used to describe some comments made on Twitter by one of my party's MPs, David Ward. I completely agree with Nick Clegg's unambiguous condemnation of the tweets concerned and I cannot think of a time when an MP (Lib Dem or otherwise) has been so clearly, strongly rebuked by the leader of his or her own party. Party leaders simply do not usually speak in such terms about their own MPs and Mr Clegg's words contrast with the deafening ...
Haringey's health services are getting an extra £23.5 million this year - following Lynne Featherstone's local fairer funding campaign. Take a look at this short video - featuring residents, midwives, a new mum and Lynne. It's about why Lynne started the campaign, and the impact the extra money will have:
Thu 15th
16:15
WATCH: How Lynne Featherstone secured an extra £23.5 million in NHS funding for local health s...
This video shows how Lynne Featherstone went about remedying an inequality in NHS funding which meant that health services in Haringey received less in terms of funding than other areas of London. We love the bit where Lynne says: If I see something that's unfair, I want it made fair. That's very her. She's continuing her campaign because although the funding boost has enabled better facilities and staffing, it's still not on an equal footing with other boroughs. Enjoy.
David Cameron's anxiety that the case for the Green Party be thoroughly aired in the coming election is very touching. Maybe we're back to the days of "hug a huskie." Or maybe the cynics are right and he's merely looking for any old excuse not to be confronted by the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, whose presentational charisma somewhat exceeds even his own smooth performances. If the debates do not take place because Cameron takes his bat home if the game is not to be played according to his liking, that will remove some of the fun from with election campaign. ...
Thu 15th
15:13
Sefton Local Plan – A resident has his say following Planning Committee Meeting (Guest Posting...
"Come day go day, Wishing my heart for someday, Drinking buttermilk all the week, Whiskey on a Sunday." The above verse to any self-respecting Scouser over 40, conjures up the image of "Scottie" Rd and the famous puppeteer Seth Davey with his "dancing dolls". On Monday night his ghost re-appeared at Bootle Town Hall. [IMG: Sefton's Planning Committee meeting 12th January - Bootle Town Hall] Sefton's Planning Committee meeting 12th January – Bootle Town Hall For three hours at the Planning Committee ripped the Local Plan to shreds. Firstly by members of the public then the councillors, led by councillors ...
Lord Roger Roberts gave the following speech expressing his concerns about the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill in the House of Lords at its Second Reading on Tuesday: I was delighted that Lord Carlile mentioned, in his contribution to the debate, the four Albanians—two Muslims and two Christians—who walked together in the demonstration in Paris Multi-faith groups exist in many places and people are able to say, "My brother, my sister, my family; we are one family". We could really tackle a lot of these stresses before they become threatening. There is an opportunity in some way or another to encourage ...
From now till polling day we'll be keeping you in touch with key deadlines, advice and support as we run up to the elections on May 7th. Our full service is of course reserved for ALDC members and you may find that some of the articles linked to here are behind our firewall. If you [...]
The Guardian reports on a speech by Pope Francis in which he defended freedom of expression as not only a fundamental human right but a duty to speak one's mind for the sake of the common good. However, he believes that there are limits, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith. Of course he does not attempt to define precisely where that limit is or who should police it. That is because he is talking nonsense. As I wrote back in 2008 about another controversy, 'freedom of speech is the freedom to offend. Once people are allowed to apply ...
Welcome to the second in a new occasional series. Today: Labour boasting about how it will carry on with cuts to the arts budget: [IMG: Labour arts cuts - https://twitter.com/labourpress/status/552079787448356864]
Welcome to another of our occasional series of posts where two writers offer an alternative view to one of the issues of the day. Today, it's whether the SNP, Plaid and Greens should be invited to take part in leaders' debates. Jonathan Waddell says there is a case for the Greens to be included on a UK basis but not the SNP and Plaid: Earlier this week, Wings Over Scotland claimed that to exclude the SNP from UK-wide election debates would be to subjugate Scots to second-class citizens. Website owner and frequent contributor, Stuart Campbell, argued: the only reason to ...
Wales could be the first UK country to ensure 'enough nurses'. Kirsty Williams, the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, is to present her 'More Nurses' Bill to the Health and Social Care Committee today. She said: "Safe nursing levels are a bedrock for effective care. Nurses provide round the clock care for patients, and work in every kind of healthcare setting. Quite simply, nurse staffing levels are too important to be left to 'guidance'. "Making safe nursing levels a statutory responsibility will provide a legislative basis for patients and staff to challenge poor levels of nurse staffing."
AYouGov poll in the Daily Telegraph shows 36% want a Coalition Government with LibDems in it, as compared with 27% wanting a Tory Government and 19% a Labour Government. (http://bit.ly/1KN4otv) All the polls indicate the probability that no Party will have a majority in the Commons, So a strong LibDem vote will give a result that people would prefer to any otherm
Thu 15th
12:17
@BaronessRos responds to the consultation on the Local Government Finance Settlement 2015/16...
It gives me great pleasure to publish here Ros's thoughts on local government finance and, more generally, on the Conservative Party's view on localism and accountability...I am writing in response to consultation on the Local Government Finance Settlement 2015/16 and the statement from the Local Government Minister Kris Hopkins MP on council tax and parishes.The Minister has invited views on "whether the highest spending parishes should be subject to the same referendum principle as the rest of local government" and "whether town and parish councils whose failings have been highlighted in a Public Interest Report should be included".As a Liberal ...
I missed it first time round, when I happened to breeze over the headline "Three nightclubs close in Peterborough..." – I guess because my night club days are a thing of the past? Anyhow, the other day, the same article then appeared in one of my feeds, but this time I witnessed the content, specifically [...]
In this article I'm going to make the case for a Mayor for Greater Manchester. I realise this isn't going to be a popular position, particularly in Lib Dem circles. Our mayors – Dorothy in Watford and Dave in Bedford – are great of course. But what about Boris in London or that monkey in Hartlepool (twice re-elected) and don't even get me started on Tower Hamlets. In the conversations I've had with Lib Dems, the word "mayor" is generally met with a look of horror. But here's the thing. About all those mayors have in common with what's proposed ...
I was very pleased today to see that work has finally started on Jubilee Gardens in Wallington. It looks like our pressure worked. It is certainly time that local people were able to claim back this green space for public use. I hope that the finished result will be an improvement on what was originally there, as [...]
[IMG: Electoral Commission blog header] In fairness to myself, there were two posts nine and a half months ago and then nothing until this week, when the third post announced, "Welcome to the Electoral Commission's new blog". So quite possibly it's not only me but the Electoral Commission too who missed the existence of their own blog in that earlier long stretch. Anyway, enough of the excuses. Here's the link to read it: https://ukelectoralcommission.wordpress.com/.
Ten years ago the West Wing was the show for political geeks to watch. How we all wished we could have Jed Bartlet (the odd slip up with the death penalty notwithstanding) instead of George W Bush. Yesterday, some of the cast reunited to record a video for the Funny or Die website. One of the West Wing writers, Eli Attie, tweeted this picture: feels like it was just yesterday... — Eli Attie (@EliAttie) January 14, 2015 It's interesting that this has happened on the day when we're all being told to walk for 20 minutes a day as ...
[IMG: con home cartoon] Here's my latest The Other Side column for ConservativeHome, published here on Tuesday. Agree/disagree with my predictions? Let me know... My thanks as ever to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke – constructively, I hope. Domestic politics can seem small. The bloody shock of the Charlie Hebdo murders jolt us into recognising that it isn't just faraway places of which we know little where fundamental liberties like free speech are under assault. My house is closer to Paris than it is to York; yet there it ...
Also available here. My last day in India was spent back in New Delhi and I could write a whole blog just on my first meeting of the day with 10 young people! They're part of the 'With.in' initiative, funded by DFID, which selects 100 passionate young people, mentors them and supports them over the course of 1 year to lead creative projects that challenge discrimination in their communities. Nearly half of these young leaders are women. One of them, herself the daughter of a sex worker, works with children from red-light districts in Kolkata to break the silence on ...
Focus Team members "hanging about" at Witches Hat Play Area Yate councillors have raised £148,000 to refurbish the Witches Hat play area at the corner of Westerleigh Road and Rodford Way, and to put in skateboarding facilities. The council's youth survey in 2013 discovered that many young people wanted facilities for skate boarding, BMX and scooters in South Yate. Yate Town Council hope the development will be completed by April. The total cost of this development is around £148,000 in total and the council has secured £100,000 of funding from South Gloucestershire Council from the New Homes Bonus, with the ...
Thu 15th
09:56
A gaze at the polling in key Lib Dem-Tory marginals and then trying to figure out what it means
I have done a few general election predictions over the past month: UKIP target seats, Green target seats, Lab-Tory marginals. I am often asked to do Lib Dem seat predictions. I have elected not to, not because I'm attempting to dodge a bullet; to avoid doing something that may cause me to advise that the Lib Dems might not do well here or there. It really isn't that - I just don't trust my own impartiality in such circumstances. Thus I've decided to do the next best thing and simply examine what the current polling tells us about key Lib ...
The economic crash of 2008 took most economists by surprise. As a result many thought tha the discipline was discredited and that it would, or should undergo a rethink. Alas though we underestimated the resilience of conventional thinking. For example, commentary about Britain's recent low inflation figures, and about inflation in other countries, is straight out of a pre-2008 text book. That's worrying because the world faces huge economic challenges – while professional economists are looking in the wrong direction. This week Britain's lowest annual inflation figures on record – though I'm not clear exactly which set of records this ...
Today's announcement by BP that they will be cutting jobs in North East Scotland as a result of falling oil prices is a real blow for the local economy. The news is a wake up call to supporters of independence who based their economic plans on Oil. Oil prices are out of the hands of the Scottish and UK governments and is far too unstable to rely on for a major part of a country's economy. Falling oil prices are seen as a net positive for the overall UK economy that can weather the impact. It is however a massive ...
Last night, at short notice, I was asked to take part in a live TV debate on the Charlie Hebdo affair on PressTV, the Iranian channel, to give a European perspective on things. There was incomprehension from some of the interactive viewers as to why the French satirical magazine would once more produce a cartoon [...]
The FT reports comments by Lib Dem energy secretary Ed Davey aimed in part at George Osborne over recent interventions by the chancellor into the energy market: George Osborne has been accused by a cabinet colleague of damaging the energy sector after the chancellor threatened "action" against companies which failed to pass on falling oil prices to consumers. Ed Davey, the Lib Dem energy secretary, said he did not know exactly what Mr Osborne was proposing and that such criticism of energy companies by politicians would "damage markets, investment and our economy". In an interview with the Financial Times Mr ...
Female detainees at Yarl's Wood routinely humiliated, claims horrific, triggering report (tags: ) A war on democracy: How statutory instruments replaced acts of parliament (tags: ) British scientists trying to stop the world running out of chocolate (tags: ) Battery-electric multiple unit enters service - this is really exciting for my local trains Although I must admit my first thought was "Christ they'll do ANYTHING to avoid electrifying Caldervale, won't they?" (tags: ) Battery-electric multiple unit enters service - this is really exciting for my local trains Although I must admit my first thought was "Christ they'll do ANYTHING to ...
[IMG: No Way Out - DVD cover] People's views on the 1987 American political thriller, No Way Out, usually revolve around what they make of the final twist which comes a few minutes from the end of the movie. It certainly upends your views of the main characters and there are only a few clues in the earlier events which hint at it. That makes the final twist rather jarring and for me, therefore, all the more enjoyable especially as once you know it, some of the apparently improbable coincidences earlier in the story become much more believable as the ...
Thu 15th
08:43Thornton to Switch Island Link Road – Progress seems slow now but Labour's claims are fast and...
I went to Chapel Lane Netherton last Friday to check up on the progress of the new Link Road. Here are a couple shots I took:- [IMG: Looking south towards Switch Island from Chapel Lane] Looking south towards Switch Island from Chapel Lane [IMG: Looking north from Chapel Lane towards Thornton.] Looking north from Chapel Lane towards Thornton. Click on the photos to enlarge them. Not sure how long it will be before Broomscross Road (for that is what it is to be called) will be open but it seems some time off from the present state of the works. ...
[IMG: vcphoto] Vince Cable has criticised Conservative proposals to make it harder to call industrial action affecting health services, transport, fire or schools. Under the plans, the backing of 40% of eligible union members would be required for strike action to go ahead. The Liberal Democrat MP said: "Setting a mandatory 40% level of support for strike action seems odd when MPs do not need to reach such a high hurdle to get elected... Industrial relations in the UK are good and the Conservatives would do well to turn their attention to creating a fairer society."
Further to my recent article about concerns from residents regarding the problems the bus type is causing on the X7 hospital bus service between PRI and Ninewells Hospital, my colleague Cllr Willie Wilson of Perth and Kinross Council has issued this news release on behalf of his council colleague Cllr Alexander Stewart and myself :A meeting date has been agreed between Scottish Liberal Democrat Councillor, Willie Wilson, and Councillor Fraser Macpherson to discuss the accessibility and suitability of the type of coaches used for the new X7 service from PRI to Ninewells Hospital and Aberdeen. Councillor Willie Wilson is the ...
1) It's like Sherlock, only set in Victorian times A spectre is haunting Europe's criminals – the spectre of Karl Marx, Consulting Detective! Abandoning political philosophy, Marx and Engels decide to use their considerable intellects to solve crime instead. Each week, they're brought in to solve a crime that has left the police baffled, and are able to solve it, by explaining that the crime was an inevitable result of living in a capitalist society and the bourgeoisie as a whole are responsible. "Revolutionary, my dear Engels!" 2) #clickbaitcommunism "Karl, we like your manifesto, but all these long sentences and ...
A campaign has been launched in mid-Suffolk against proposals for closures of level crossings on the East Anglian Main Line, which passes through Needham Market and Stowmarket on its way to Norfolk. And, as a regular user of the level crossing at the north end of Stowmarket Station, I have naturally taken an interest. Unhappy residents at Stowmarket station The group, called Suffolk Crossings, claims that level crossings at Stowmarket Station, Stowmarket Regent Street, Mellis, Haughley, Needham Market Town, Bacton, Finningham, Gislingham, Old Newton with Dagworth and Gipping are to be closed, and that another eleven are threatened, although Network ...
A piece in today's FT by Ivan Krastev, suggests that far from backing down, the Putinist government in Moscow may be considering stirring up trouble for the West on a new front: the Balkans. Given the nihilist Russian position on Syria, which has essentially destroyed that country, it is quite possible that Putin could meddle in the region, with some attempt to reward Serbia's more friendly position to Russia by dismembering Bosnia. Yet the economic crisis of Russia is causing a rapid erosion of Russian soft power, and the collusion of corruption, which Krastev identifies as the primary source of ...
Stop smoking experts are urging smokers to stop the rot and quit cigarettes for good by calling Camquit, Cambridgeshire's Stop Smoking Service. The call for smokers to take immediate action comes as part of a powerful campaign from Public Health England showing how cigarettes "rot" the body from the inside. The campaign highlights how smoking damages the body and causes a slow and steady decline that can be compared to rotting. It coincides with a new review that highlights how smoking not only causes cancers, lung and heart diseases but also damages many other parts of the body. The campaign ...
My RSI is playing up today, so I can't type up a full blog post. There'll probably be nothing tomorrow, either, but I've got an ergonomic keyboard, mouse, and wrist rest on order, so normal blogging should resume by Friday. Meanwhile, other people occasionally write stuff on the internet too — maybe they've got something [...]
