The last two days I haven't been able to get out of the bath by myself and had to call Lindsay on the first night and JW on the second, to help me. The muscles in my arms are no longer powerful enough to push me up on the sides of the bath, and I think this is a symptom of the deterioration which is to be expected over the next few months. But looking at the bright side. the leg angioplasty was a complete success, and the ulcer on my ankle is gradually shrinking.
I was sorry to hear of the death today of George Cole. The star of Minder and St Trinian's he played his first adult role in Powell and Pressburger's Shropshire-set Gone to Earth, Here is the first part of an interview he gave to Mark Lawson some years ago. Youtube will offer you the subsequent videos.
1, Vengeance on Varos 2, Attack of the Cybermen 3, the Colin Baker Dalek one that begins with R that's all Waughy and has the Stengos cliffhanger in that properly freaked me out when I was 8 4, The Horns of Nimon 5, The Sylvester McCoy Dalek one that begins with R with Unlimited Rice Pudding 6, The Daemons 7, The Green Death 8, The Invasion (with the animated episodes, obvs) 9, The Mind Robber (AKA The one with Zoe's Arse) 10, Battlefield because Brigadier Bambera is made of aweome [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Cutting through the back roads early this morning on the way into Margate, my attention was drawn to work at Manston airport to create a lorry park, it struck me in the dim light, as a somewhat weird and sinister sight, a line of tower lights have been placed in a long line on the runway. As I drove down the single carrriage way, I'm thinking as I drive, how the hell are hundreds of trucks going to negotiate their way to the airport. (At its peak more 6,800 trucks have used the channel tunnel in one day). I assume ...
From the Council: The Safer Stockport Partnership (SSP), which includes Stockport Council, Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue service, is making a stance against off-road bikes. Working in partnership, the SSP is making Stockport residents aware that it is illegal to ride a motorcycle of any description on land that is not a public road without the permission of the land owner. Additionally, off-road motorcycles are generally not taxed or insured for road use, and riders tend not to wear helmets or protective clothing. If an off-road bike is spotted, residents should provide the following: Description of ...
Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) A Visitor's Companion to Tudor England, by Suzannah Lipscomb The Tomorrow Windows, by Jonathan Morris History, by Elsa Morante Last books finished Lord Valentine's Castle, by Robert Silverberg 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, by James Shapiro Divorcing Jack, by Colin Bateman Building Confidence in Peace, by Nathalie Tocci An Age of License: A Travelogue, by Lucy Knisley Mission: Impractical, by David A. McIntee Resolving the Cyprus Conflict: Negotiating History, by Michális Stavrou Michael Next books Selected Essays, by Virginia Woolf The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lampiri Mean Streets, ...
If any of you have been following my blog since the very beginning. You will know that my first ever article was my view on if 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote in the EU referendum. And of course I think they should be given the right to vote in the [...]
Here are the Liberal Democrat entries in the top 100 political blogs as ranked by Teads (previously Ebuzzing / Wikio). New in this month due to him rejoining the Lib Dems is James Graham. Welcome back James. Also new in is former Scottish European candidate Jade O'Neil whilst Jonathan Fryer returns to the listings this month. But it is farewell to Zoe O'Connell (Complicity) who drops out. 1 (4) Liberal Democrat Voice No change 2 (9) Mark Pack No change 3 (20) Stephen Tall Up 3 4 (21) Nick Tyrone Up 3 5 (31) Caron Lindsay (Caron's Musings) Up 1 ...
Liberalism wants to see everyone fulfill their potential, but their potential as they see it, not as what society defines for them. Diversity in liberalism is important because it recognises that no one has the right answer for how everyone should live, and it's a mistake to try and force a way of life on... More Liberalism and Diversity
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for London, recently reported on the numbers of children going missing from care. By using the Freedom of Information Act, she was able to discover that, in Lewisham from 2013-2014 the number of children gong missing from care increased by 164% from 28 to 74. Numbers of children going missing [...]
The Ordnance Survey have uploaded here maps of the historic counties of the UK. These varied over time, but I have extracted the boundaries for Birmingham so show where the old counties used to end. What I found interesting was that Stoney Lane through to Walford Road were the boundary between Worcestershire and Warwickshire making the junction of the Stratford Road and Warwick Road fully in
Socialism is illiberal. It crushes individuality and breeds conformity. A better way is a Liberal mutual society. That will mean we co-operate and respect one another, working together as individuals for the good of all people. Power spread as empowerment among the people is a liberal action, as socialism is rather a means to an end for... More What Libdems' do best: resolutions
[IMG: The Casked Crusader] You know us! Any excuse to use this photograph. This isn't entirely gratuitous, because the Casked Crusader Greg Mulholland's successful Fair Deal for your local campaign has been shortlisted for an award, in the Public Affairs category of the PR Week Awards. The Wharfedale Observer has the story: The campaign, backed by ten industry groups, culminated in a Parliamentary victory last year when a bill amendment was added to ensure licensees would have the right to independent rent assessments. PR Week, one of the main publications in the campaigning and lobbying sector, has now chosen the ...
The Labour Party's establishment seems to be combining to defeat the only leadership candidate with (modest) vision, Jeremy Corbyn. Two days ago Polly Toynbee wrote* that she had dreams well beyond those espoused by Corbyn, but no one who stood on those policies could possibly get elected. Yesterday the decent Alan Johnson wrote that voting for Corbyn would be madness, and urged support for Yvette Cooper. I can see their point: they are terrified that if the Labour Party is led by someone whom the Tories and their client press can depict as being from the "loony left" then Labour ...
E-mail below, re: closure of the NatWest Bank in Churchtown. Dear John, We have taken the difficult decision to close the NatWest Southport Churchtown branch on the 17 November 2015. As you would expect we will ensure there are a range alternatives for people in the area to continue to bank with us including: Post Office: We have reached an agreement with the local Post Office, which is 0.8 miles away from the branch so that our customers can check their balance, deposit and withdraw funds, and business customers can get coinage. There are 5 Post Offices within 2 miles ...
On the day of the last tube strike, I wrote that, unusually for me, I had some sympathy with what the unions were saying: Let's think about this a little. How would you feel if you were used to working a certain pattern of hours and your employer then told you that you would have to start working round the clock? (Party staff, please don't answer that. I know you all work pretty much round the clock anyway.) You may have other responsibilities or require additional childcare and incur extra costs if you have to change to a different shift ...
When the referendum comes, we will campaign for us to remain in the European Union. But we also believe we need to reform the EU to make it more competitive, efficient and accountable. That is what our Europe MPs are working to achieve right now. Liberal Democrat priorities are: Reforming trade with the EU –... More Libdems' on Europe and Reform
The deadline for this year's Party Awards has been extended to Monday at 9am - don't forget to nominate! I know there are people all over the country who deserve to be rewarded for all the hard work they put in during the election period, not to mention the invaluable ongoing work which so many party officers and others have been carrying out. As a reminder, please see below the various categories, and how to apply. President's Award – any member elected to public office. Harriet Smith Award – any member never elected to public office. Belinda Eyre-Brook Award – ...
The Sandgate Rowing Club's re-scheduled regatta date is Saturday 8th August. Everyone is welcome, and hopefully the weather will be kind. Racing starts at 10.30am and there will be refreshments and BBQ available. Please note that there will be parking and vehicle access restrictions to Granville Parade for the Regatta day. Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Thu 6th
11:55
Liberal heroes in pop culture Part 2: Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation
This is the second of what will hopefully be a series of light-hearted pieces that we will publish over the summer. Please do nominate further entries in the comments! This one was suggested by Josh Kirk on Facebook! For a link to Part 1, click here. It is the 24th Century. Humans have explored nearly a quarter of the Galaxy. Energy and resources are almost limitless, all people are free to explore their full intellectual and emotional potential, and, for some reason, the French are now from Yorkshire. Not only that, but they drink Earl Grey ("hot"), play the flute, ...
The above was the message on several of the placards and banners outside Belfast Court House this morning being brandied about by supporters of Pastor McConnell. I was tempted, seeing I was wearing my Rainbow badge to ask if this meant that Pastor McConnell would be supporting my civil right to marry another man, Or go further and even my religious right, if we wanted to, for that marriage to take place within a faith group that would be supportive. However, I suspect the answer would be no, although I didn't get up the guts to ask it. After all, ...
Wednesday 10 November 2010. 13.57. The day of the infamous tuition fees protest. An email pings into my inbox from my former press office colleague, Donald Campbell: Going by the News Channel, the students are going a bit Lord of the Flies. Hope you've got some coppers out front - or are they burning their [...]
Have you gone through the EU consultation sent out from Liberal Democrat HQ by Austin Rathe? I did, answering all the questions or clicking the right options just like a good Lib Dem should - I declared myself committed to staying in the EU, and chose all the suggested benefits of being in the EU: freedom of movement, greater prosperity, no war in Europe thanks to the EU, and so on. Yet I found the whole exercise unsatisfactory and lacking in nuance. The consultation is full of leading questions. One can only answer as I did (with just a little ...
Thu 6th
10:25
Should the Liberal Democrats be willing to enter coalition in a future hung Parliament?
UPDATED DETAILS SNP seat. Cause:Resignation (now MP). LD Candidate- Gary McLelland.
The 1940s fighting the 1980s. There is something desperately stale about the debates over economics in the Labour Party right now. It is a battle between two approaches that have run their course. Meanwhile, on the Conservative side, the 1980s approach is unchallenged. On the principle that these things change every forty years or so, we should be setting our sights on something fresh. What will it look like? Followers of David Boyle will recognise this narrative. The 1940s ushered in the era of social democracy. This featured economic growth through increases in mass production and mass consumption. An aggressive ...
Mavarine Du-Marie 6th Aug '15 – 9:33am @Dominic Mathon | Thu 6th August 2015 - 8:55 am: "I'd suggest that selected candidates could apply for an access grant to an independent panel e.g. former London candidates like Susan Kramer, Lynne Featherstone, Meral Ece and Regional Chair Mike Tuffrey. Suggestions in the comments are most welcome!"... More New access fund for London candidates - how you can help
Thu 6th
08:55How the Tories really won in 1979 - and why it isn't a role model for a Corbyn-led Labour Party
1979 is now a long time ago. But like 1945 its political lessons – or supposed lessons – still echo, feeling relevant to very contemporary questions. At first glance, the lesson of 1979 is that Jeremy Corbyn could be a successful leader of the Labour Party. After all, didn't Margaret Thatcher disdain the centre ground, set out her principles and drag the country towards her end of the political spectrum? And didn't Labour fail because it went for mushy centre-ground blandness as captured in this cartoon of the time: [IMG: Source: The British General Election of 1979] Source: The British ...
We all know standing as a candidate involves huge personal and financial sacrifices. I'm always grateful to everyone who puts themselves forward - whether as a "paper" candidate flying the flag for the party, or even as a target seat candidate dedicating all hours of the day to the party. For next year's elections in London we will shortly be selecting our Mayoral candidate and 25 candidates for the London Assembly. Those candidates' ability to lead and motivate our activists and to promote our messages is going to be critical to our performance at these elections. And the high profile ...
Thu 6th
08:42
Wonder why Jeremy Corbyn is the favourite to be next Labour leader? This Jon Cruddas article explain...
Jon Cruddas wrote a great article for Labour List yesterday entitled, "Labour lost because voters believed it was anti-austerity". The basis for the piece was to share the results of an inquiry into why Labour lost in May that Jon had a major hand in. As you would expect, there was some tough revelations in the findings for Labour. "The first hard truth is that the Tories didn't win despite austerity, they won because of it. Voters did not reject Labour because they saw it as austerity lite. Voters rejected Labour because they perceived the Party as anti-austerity lite." Having ...
An outline proposal for 137 homes on the edge of Ludlow has generated considerable controversy. There have been 105 objections from members of the public and just one supporting comment. Now, Shropshire planning policy officers say that the plans breach local planning rules. They don't make any recommendation as to whether the development should be [...]
The City Road Allotments Open Day takes place this coming Sunday, 9th August, between 11am and 3pm : Admission Free Wide selection of produce, preserves and plantsRefreshments and home-baking in the caféRaffle Free on the street car parkingToilets on site Join in the fun everyone welcomeFree
You don't have to be what used to be called 'right wing' to be conservative. Tony Blair made a speech in 1999 about what he called the "forces of conservatism". It wasn't perhaps clear then, as it is now, that he was part of these same forces himself in his deference to the most powerful player in any situation - political realism, taken to those lengths, is preternaturally conservative. But the same is also true of his nemesis, Jeremy Corbyn. Harking back to the solutions and institutions of the 1970s - the CEGB, the Ministry of Prices and Consumer Protection, ...
Belgian government phishing test goes off-track Oops. (tags: belgium hacking rail ) Britain needs more slums « Adam Smith Institute Er, no. Actually, make that: Hell, no! (tags: ukpolitics housing ) The Resource Curse (pdf) Long Chatham House paper on green growth and extraction-based economies. (tags: climatechange ) I Wrote A Bot That Won Twitter Contests But was it really worth it? (tags: twitter )
Today's pope-is-a-catholic news: if you tell people they're fat they get miserable & comfort eat, thus making them fatter Don't teach a man to fish. Just give him the goddamn fish. OMG LEXUS ACTUALLY MADE A HOVERBOARD The Ada Initiative is shutting down :( Corbyn's left: naive, or just 'not arseholes'? House prices rise from 'bloody ridiculous' to 'f**king absurd' Wait, Is There Really Going To Be No New Season Of Doctor Who In 2016? Britain needs more slums « clearly written by someone who has never had to and will never have to live in one New Report Uncovers ...
