Otter hunting in the urban environment part 1 from James Burman on Vimeo. Fans of Market Harborough's latest wildlife sensation will be pleased to know that there is a Harborough Otter Spotter Facebook page with photos and videos of the beasts. One of the contributors is James Burman, who shot the footage above. Later... 4 otter pups spotted on the River Welland in Market Harborough Town Centre in daylight! Keep an eye out if you are close by for a glimpse — Welland Rivers Trust (@WellandTrust) January 16, 2015
Chancel RepairsQuestion for Short Debate4 pmAsked by Lord AveburyTo ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to abolish the liability of private householders and others for chancel repairs.Lord Avebury (LD): My Lords, a consensus that reform of the law on chancel repairs is long overdue has emerged from discussions with the church, the Law Commission, the Law Society, the Country Landowners' Association and the National Secular Society. Since the Chancel Repairs Bill will not make further progress until after the general election, a preliminary debate on the issues is useful now.By the 12th century, the liability to pay ...
Jonathan Meades reviews Nairn's London for the Literary Review and in the course of doing so says something profound about topographical writing: Do not feel tempted to go and see for yourself. He did his work at a desk, not when he was shuffling about, all eyes and raw antennae, in his slept-in suit. The description - a distillation of a specific perception - is invariably superior to the place which it evokes, which it invents. The compact is, or ought to be, between writer and reader, not between place and tourist. Only if we suffer a profoundly defective misunderstanding ...
Five candidates standing for the Bar Hill seat on Cambridgeshire County Council have been announced. The by-election will take place on Thursday 12 February for the seat formerly held by John Reynolds, a Conservative county councillor for 33 years, who passed away in December. The five candidates are: Martin John Hale - UK Independence Party (UKIP) Lynda Harford - The Conservative Party Candidate Claudia Roland - The Green Party Alex Smith - Labour Party Candidate Fiona Elizabeth Whelan - Liberal Democrat On Thursday 12 February polling stations in Bar Hill, Boxworth, Dry Drayton, Girton and Lolworth will open at 7am ...
Jasper Rees has interviewed Shirley Williams about the film of her mother Vera Brittain's autobiographical book Testament of Youth: What Williams really admires about the film is the friendships ("brilliantly done") and the sense of a young woman's pioneering struggle for gender equality, plus the later glimpse of her internationalism. Brittain took the story of Testament of Youth deep into the Twenties to portray her growing conviction that the Great War must also be the last war.Williams is aware that her mother's pacifism is not fashionable, and indeed some columnists have given Brittain's stance towards the Third Reich a kicking ...
I've mentioned previously of my desire to visit the that sporting Mecca the Alexandra Palace or the 'Ally Pally' as it is lovingly known to its many fans. But when I visited last Tuesday, it wasn't for the darts (but that day will come) but for the snooker. Joy! Having been a snooker fan since I can remember (the 1991 World Championship final between John Parrott and Jimmy White is my earliest recollection), it has been a sporting dream of mine to watch it live. But never did I realise I would witness a little bit of snooker history before ...
Fri 16th
20:08
Poll: Which supermarket would you like to see at Ludlow Rocks Green? (if it is approved)
I haven't taken a view on whether this supermarket scheme will be a good or bad thing for Ludlow. But let's just imagine it gets planning permission. Through the planning system, we can negotiate or insist on changes to the appearance of a store, the site layout and its design. But we can't choose the [...]
New Lib Dem membership stats: 44,680 at end of 2014 making it 6 quarters in a row of growth. Up 1,200 in 2014 pic.twitter.com/9jSk30TAVc — Mark Pack (@markpack) January 16, 2015 Welcome to all the new members.
Yesterday's news that the Greens had overtaken the Liberal Democrats in terms of membership – their 44713, compared to our 44680 – has, from what I've seen on my social media, galvanised our activists rather than demoralised them. And so we should be proud of ourselves. For a party in government in the most trying economic circumstances since the 30s to have grown for 6 quarters in a row is nothing short of miraculous. The Labour party couldn't manage that and they had the most benign economic circumstances in years. The Green's figures include Northern Ireland which ours don't so ...
The City Council's Chief Executive and Chief Officers met with myself and two other opposition councillors about V&A budget this morning. You could have knocked me over with a feather when it was announced the costs have shot up to £80.11 million. The SNP administration has kept opposition councillors completely in the dark about the soaring costs and it is a shocking indictment of the poor project management skills of the SNP administration with regard to the V&A project. The Chief Executive has promised a full investigation as to the detailed reasons behind the huge increase in cost. The V&A ...
Local people will have seen the concrete path sections being placed on the ramp down from the bridge towards Shire Way. It's now time for the concrete sections to be put in on the other ramp, towards Wapley Common. This is rather little more complicated, and will involve a 3.4 metre wide caterpillar track vehicle (effectively a digger without the bucket) being brought in along the Common roadway. Steel plates, track mats and bog mats will be used as applicable to spread the load. It will take most of a day to get this large vehicle over the Common into ...
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone on the doorstep] Want to know how to win election campaigns? You can learn from the very best of international experience with a free 10-week email course from myself and Ed Maxfield. Sign up at www.CampaignMasterclass.com and each week you'll receive one lesson by email, helping you become a top election-winning campaigner or candidate yourself. It's a great way to make sure you don't fall foul of mistakes such as Five of the most common mistakes that Lib Dem campaigners make. We've helped, advised and run election campaigns across Europe and even further afield - and we've ...
Fri 16th
17:36
Warning: This post may damage your health - but, it's ok, Sal Brinton will make it better
[IMG: Sal Brinton] It's not often we put health warnings on posts, but we do need to today. It's not the post that's the problem, it's more the programme we're suggesting you watch. Last night's Question Time had one of its most habitually annoying contributors, David Starkey and if you watch it here on BBC iPlayer, he will make you very cross indeed. I was quite amazed that I managed to get through the whole hour without either wine or even swearing out loud, even though the historian did everything he possibly could to live down to his reputation and ...
You may have read in the local media that a recent parliamentary bill to reveal the gender pay gap at big companies, was opposed by several MPs, one of which was the Conservative MP for Peterborough? The Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill called for employers with more than 250 staff to be made to publish information showing the [...]
What a sad story, these campaigners are simply trying to defend the environment for future generations. The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link below:- Labour Councils do not tolerate dissent, or so it seems.
[IMG: Sunrise] Looking back at general Liberal Democrat policy documents over the last decade and more, ones such as pre-manifesto documents or theme-setting pieces which range across multiple policy areas, they've almost all generated a chorus of complaints about 'that's not inspiring'. Sometimes that's just less self-seeking sounding cover for 'bah, it's not got *my* favourite policy in and everyone who matters agrees with me – so that's bound to mean the whole document is awful'. But only sometimes. What I do wonder, however, is whether the format – a short preface, often from the current leader, followed by pages ...
[IMG: cf-hero-raif-badawi] Raif Badawi Saudi Arabian writer who created the Free Saudi Liberals website Reason: for standing up for free speech against an autocratic regime A lot of people have spoken up for free speech in the days since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. It's easy for us. The worst most of us can expect if folk disagree is a bit of flak on Twitter. Not so in Saudi Arabia. Not so for Raif Badawi, who called for free speech on his website and as a result was sentenced to 1,000 lashes: 50 lashes every Friday for five ...
I rang my doctor's surgery today, as it was the sixth working day after last week's adventure in NHS care. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't worried about the outcome (after all, what's the use of worrying?), but family and friends were asking (I love you all too...). The result - I have a chest, there are no unexpected presences or absences, and I can resume coughing as I see fit. There is no suggestion that I should return and have anything else done, or administered, so I had better get on with it. A fellow work colleague has suggested ...
Saturday 17th - Dacorum Symphony Orchestra - Rachmaninov (Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini) and Tchaikovsky (Symphony No. 5). At the Centenary Theatre, Berkhamsted School, Kings Road, Berkhamsted, commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets £12 (concessions £10, 18yrs and under £5. Contact 01494 727240 Sunday 18th - Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra at the Church of St Peter and St Paul at 6.30pm. Paul Barritt – Director and Solo Violin – featuring Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 'Scottish', plus works by Faure, Dvorak and Elgar. Tickets in advance £12 (concessions £10), £15 on the door (no concessions on the day!) – all in aid of ...
With 2015 seeing the end of the current Mental Health Strategy we have a real opportunity to look at the successes and failure of the approach we take to tackling mental ill health in Scotland. Our health professionals do fantastic work to help people suffering from mental ill health. But a lack of resources means that we are often asking medical staff to work with one hand tied behind their back. Liberal Democrats in government have helped ensure that the NHS in other parts of the UK prioritise mental and physical ill health equally. But this is not yet the ...
This Saturday sees the first Sandgate Farmers' Market of 2015 - we really hope to see you there. Great new stalls (home made chocolates, handmade soaps, cards & gifts) as well as the firm favourites including fresh baked bread, deli, traditionally reared meat and seasonal locally grown fruit and veg. The Farmers Market is held on the first and third Saturday of every month from 10am-12.30pm in the Chichester Hall on Sandgate High Street. Please do come along: the market is not only a source of some great local produce but also brings our community together and raises much needed ...
I woke up this morning to see two grown men griping and groaning about, wait for it, Comic Sans, on social media. Really, font geekery before breakfast is going too far. If that makes me not a proper Lib Dem for saying that, then so be it. I will not be enslaved by this conformity. I have to say I don't really get the problem with Comic Sans, particularly as it's supposed to be good for people with Dyslexia to read. Clearly I am not the cool kid on the block as my Teenager also has severe issues with that ...
Local MP Steve Webb has hosted a meeting in his constituency office at Yate to raise with First Bus managers the many concerns of local residents about the quality of bus services in this area. James Freeman, the new Managing Director of First in the West of England, attended the meeting along with Commercial Manager, Simon Ford. The two heard from Steve a range of complaints about services including those from Yate to Southmead Hospital. They also heard from X49 user and Westerleigh resident Mrs Carol Moore, whose account of the service was described by James Freeman as "a chapter ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention this week... Sutton Trust – Election consensus and challenges On education "there's far more consensus and continuity [among] parties than you might think" notes @conorfryan: http://bit.ly/1sC0Cxc Compulsory voting could save our politics | The Times Right diagnosis, @montie, wrong cure > "Compulsory voting could save our politics" http://thetim.es/1INrzA2 UK Polling Report Sensible from @anthonyjwells on TV debates debate & whether it'll affect Cameron's ratings http://bit.ly/1IMUBjh 21 struggles faced by a dad raising a daughter in a sexist world – Us Vs Th3m Do read @Natt on "21 struggles faced by ...
Al Murray, the comedian whose act is built around caricaturising a recognisable English archetype, has decided to stand in South Thanet, Kent during the general election in May. The relevance of this particular constituency is obvious: it is where Nigel Farage has decided to plant his flag in the hopes of taking his place amongst the green benches. Murray will be standing in character, it should be noted. Murray himself is public-school/Oxbridge educated, while the Pub Landlord persona he has invented is sort of wilfully ignorant. He (by that I mean the real Al Murray) clearly wants to show Farage ...
It's just 8 short weeks till we all gather in Liverpool for Spring Conference. What's even scarier is that it's only another 8 weeks until we know the result of the general election. On the party website, there's information about all sorts of deals to help you plan your transport. I actually managed to get very cheap first class tickets ages ago. It means leaving in the middle of the bloomin' night, but I'll live with it. Anyway, Virgin are apparently offering 20% off on fares from London (cos, clearly, that's the only direction we'd go in to get there ...
So how did I miss this when it appeared in yesterday's Independent? The paper reports that the charity Cats Protection is to launch its 10-point General Election manifesto at a House of Commons reception next month. Jacqui Cuff, Cats Protection's advocacy manager told the paper that with nearly one in four UK households, or 6.4 million homes, containing at least one pet cat, there was potentially a huge cat-loving constituency: A YouGov poll last year found that 14 per cent of voters considered animal welfare an important issue in deciding how they would vote at the next election - more ...
Yesterday, I had a productive meeting with Mark Munsie, Operations Director and Gill Poulter, Heritage & Exhibitions Director, both of the Dundee Heritage Trust, regarding the High Mill Open Gallery Project. I had previously met Mark back in September 2013 soon after the announcement of the Heritage Lottery Fund being allocated £1.48 million to the project and it was good to learn of the good progress that has been made with the project, with the restoration work on time and on budget. The High Mill Open gallery will open to the public in late summer 2015 and will be a ...
An update from the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Today sees the opening of mono 68 in the Lamb Gallery, University of Dundee. The exhibition features striking black and white photographs of Dundee in 1968. The photos were all taken in one month by artist Phil Thomson whilst a student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art. Phil is now a design lecturer at Birmingham City University. He explains, "The images are a snapshot of Dundee and its inhabitants, in transition from the post-war austerity years to the brave new world of flyovers, shopping centres ...
Having been invited to attend a public meeting in Saxmundham last night, organised by the PPC whose selection I managed a few months ago, it seemed churlish to refuse, especially as the guest speaker was Norman Lamb. And besides, it's always helpful even if all you are doing is boost the numbers. James Sandbach, for it was he who organised the event, lives in Saxmundham and had promoted the event locally and, it became apparent, very effectively too, as the chairs that had been set out quickly filled and extra chairs had to be fetched - I vaguely remember a ...
I offered up my predictions for the next election in my ConservativeHome column this week. I thought I'd explain here how I arrived at my guesswork that this is what we'll wake up to on 8th May: Conservatives: 35% (291 MPs) Labour: 32% (283 MPs) Lib Dems: 12% (32 MPs) Ukip: 11% (3 MPs) Others: 9% (41 MPs, including 22 SNP MPs) First, I'll explain the poll-shares... The Conservatives are currently averaging 33% in the polls (UK Polling Report). It is highly likely that will increase by 7th May. In the last national election, May 2014's Euros, most of the ...
Concerns have been raised with me about waste from shops falling into the Leeds Liverpool Canal between the Red Lion Bridge and Shaw's Swing Bridge (Shop Lane) Maghull. I am told that rubbish, seemingly from the shops, has been seen floating down the canal recently. I have in turn asked both Sefton Council and the Canal & Rivers Trust to look into these concerns. Along the eastern side of the canal at this point the shop's rear walls are only a couple of feet or so from the edge of the canal so any items stored at the back of ...
An analysis of NHS research has found that almost 1m patients a year are seeking care at an A&E unit because they are unable to get a GP appointment. The findings were released as a report showed that the proportion of total NHS spending committed to GPs, walk-in centres, optometrists and dentists fell from 29% to 23% between 2003-4 and 2012-13. Margaret Hodge, chair of the Commons public accounts committee, which compiled the report, said the figures raise many questions over decisions made in Whitehall and their impact on the NHS. Yes this story, that many national newspapers have carried ...
Southend's newest sensation of the political blogging scene has finally turned his attention to the Liberal Democrats after his recent attacks on the Greens, the Tories and UKIP. In a piece entitled, 'Where have all the Liberal Democrats gone?' he opines about the parties fortunes in the borough. Now I'm not going to fill in all the blanks for him as I don't want to spoil his fun by bringing knowledge to the situation, that isn't seemingly what his blog is for. Julian Ware-Lane has always led the field in local political blogging but now he forms a two-headed tag-team ...
Blog Categories: Political Theory Statelessness Vote: -1 vote + Vote up! - Vote down! Okay, so I said a few weeks ago that I would start using the blog for notes and jottings about things I'm thinking/working on. There's a chance that in a few weeks I may be called on to give a talk to some Oxford students about Land Value Tax. And I've been working up this idea for some time now but been unable to crystalise it into some words on paper. It may even become the seeds of my PhD! Most will know that I call ...
