This is an extract from a South Bank Show profile of the director Michael Powell, dealing with his and Emeric Pressburger's film A Canterbury Tale. (The whole thing is worth watching.) As Powell says, A Canterbury Tale was a commercial failure. It was all but lost for decades, known only in a heavily cut version made for the American market. Today its critical stock stands very high. It is one of my favourite films (even though I was derailed at Chillingbourne a couple of weeks ago) and I seem to have more time for Eric Portman's character than Michael Powell ...
Sorry for the lack of new posts this week — I've been rather worried about my health, and unwell. I'm planning to write all weekend and get a few days ahead for a change... For now, have some links: We can't have nice things, unless we make sure some people have nicer things Why diets [...]
#NHS agrees to build new hospital for #harborough but still no date! @PhilKnowlesLD @HarboroughDC pic.twitter.com/qtAdrSn7yE— Helen McCarthy (@HelenMc2005) August 7, 2015"We have campaigned for 28 years so.far and we won't stop now," my old friend and Harborough District councillor Phil Knowles told me the other day,
Theo Clifford is winner of the 18-21 category of the Adam Smith Institute's 'Young Writer on Liberty' competition, You can find an example of his writing on the Institute's blog. It ends: Sweeping deregulation is the only way to provide Britain with the slums it is crying out for.Yes, he is being provocative - he might even grow up to offer contrarian opinions to a deadline for money - but it is annoying to see Adam Smith's name associated with childish opinions like this. Smith was a great and subtle thinker, and those who recruit him as a champion of ...
Martin Lewis over at moneysavingexpert.com offers this excellent advice when it comes to car insurance: Never auto-renew. Loyalty is expensive Nothing better illustrates car insurers preying on loyal customers than Sarah Cooper's tweet. "My car insurance renewal is £1,200. New policy with same company is £690. How do they justify this?" They don't. They just do it. I've had my ...
Stockport Council is encouraging residents to have their say on proposals to determine if the public would support the adoption of a Smokefree policy in Play Areas in Stockport parks and other Council owned play areas. Children learn through example and evidence suggests that those who live in an environment where the adults smoke are more likely to try and start smoking themselves. The aim of Smokefree Play Areas is to reduce the places where children are exposed to second-hand smoke and make smoking less common in places where children go. The Code would be voluntary and would not be ...
Just before heading off on holiday, Tim Farron has announced his seven campaign priorities. As they cross departmental boundaries, he's put together a campaign team to lead on each issue. It's a sign of how much importance he attaches to housing that he has taken the lead role on that issue himself. The team will be responsible for taking our campaign messages and making sure that they get out on the ground. The seven priorities and the lead people responsible are as follows: Chaired by Greg Mulholland MP, the Parliamentary Campaigns Team will consist of: Rural Communities and Vice Chair ...
[IMG: LDV FANTASY FOOTBALL] The English Premier League kicks off this Saturday and LibDemVoice has revived its Fantasy Football League to mark the occasion. So if you fancy pitting your soccer selection skills against fellow party members, here's your chance. To enter all you have to do is click on this link. Simply register your details, pick your team, and away you go. If you need the joining code at any point, it's 271576-231936. And for those who don't feel they have the insider knowledge to compete, you can always choose the 'auto-complete' option so your team is picked for ...
Funded by Central Government, Broadband Connection Vouchers, of up to £3,000, are available to any small and medium sized business in Stockport looking to improve their connectivity by installing new equipment or upgrading their current facilities. To date, over 150 Stockport based businesses have benefited from the voucher programme. Solutions that have been implemented have ranged from the upgrading of wireless broadband connectivity to the installation of new fibre broadband technology into the business premises. To register for the Broadband Connection Voucher programme; get full programme information and find out how businesses can benefit visit the Connection Vouchers website.
Before anyone mentions it, yes, I do know that the Liberal Democrats' parliamentary gender balance is horrendous everywhere except Wales and Europe,the latter being because we only have one MEP. Stuff must be done to resolve this, but that's not the point of this post. This week, two examples of lack of diversity in our public services have come to light. The first has been revealed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Only 1% of Scotland's Police Officers identify as coming from a BAME background – and none make it to the highest grades in the force. Figures obtained using freedom ...
This amused me:- [IMG: Tyred of hanging baskets] Seen in Maghull's Stafford Moreton Way this week two old tyres have been placed on the brackets that once held hanging baskets – kids or drunks the perpetrators I assume? It's easy to forget that Maghull used to have displays of hanging baskets all around its shopping centre. Those in Liverpool Road North and Stafford Moreton Way were 'outlawed' a few years ago by Sefton Council because they said the lamp posts were no longer strong enough to carry the weight of them. The brackets were never removed though and someone clearly ...
[IMG: 11063772_983459155047356_2051145823846342584_n] No idea who is behind this slogan and advertising van that has been out and about in Liverpool recently but sadly neither does the fact that it has surfaced surprise me. Frankly, I have thought for a long time now that Joe Anderson is hardly doing Liverpool any favours with his approach to being the elected mayor of the city. The fact that he seemingly wants to become the elected Mayor of the Merseyside/Liverpool City Region, assuming the Tory Government and some Merseyside Labour barons get one imposed on us, hardly fills me with confidence either.
The post The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron appeared first on James Taylor.
[IMG: IMG_0330] As some may know, since October 2013, I've been studying to gain my Private Pilot Licence, and I finally achieved this goal. It's actually taken quite a bit more than 45 hours – a total of around 60, but that does include a day trip to France (Le Touquet) and getting my night rating as well. This basically means I can fly single engine piston aeroplanes on my own, with passengers, as soon as my paperwork gets processed by the Civil Aviation Authority anyway. I've been flying Cessna 172s from Cambridge Aero Club, where they have four of ...
I've had something to say about the content of certain emails which have come out from party HQ. On Wednesday, I couldn't fault the content of the email that came out from none other than party legend Sir Simon Hughes to new members: It is my pleasure to invite you to your first Liberal Democrat Conference as a member of the Liberal Democrats. This year's Autumn Conference in Bournemouth (19th - 23rd September) is the first big opportunity for our party to gather together in large numbers following the general election and an opportunity to meet with like-minded people to ...
Debates over Trident and energy policy are rarely joined up. But are there deeper links between Britain's nuclear deterrent and its commitment to nuclear power? Two momentous issues facing David Cameron's government concern nuclear infrastructure. The new secretary of state for energy, Amber Rudd, recently confirmed her enthusiasm for what is arguably the most expensive infrastructure project in British history: the Hinkley Point C power station. At the same time, a decision is pressing on a similarly eye-watering commitment to renew Britain's nuclear deterrent. Ostensibly distinct, both of these issues are intensely controversial, extremely expensive, agonisingly protracted, and often accompanied ...
[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 ...
Where to begin? A young man of 28 – with his whole life ahead of him – has had that life cruelly and unexpectedly snatched away. It's hard to find the right words. Dave MacDonald was truly special. As the emails and Facebook comments pour in from across the country, we all remember his kindness, his generosity and his boundless enthusiasm. He was a tireless campaigner and set himself the highest standards.The trouble is he then expected the same from everyone else – and would never take no for an answer. I had barely had time to make myself a ...
Just because Jeremy Corbyn is "authentic", in the sense that he says what he believes, that still does not make him any more moral or ethical than any other politician. In fact since most of what Corbyn believes is either bollocks, bullshit or delusional we could say that Corbyn is authentically dangerous. His record as an "anti poverty" campaigner is highly questionable: especially since most of his discredited economic policies, including state control over much larger parts of the economy, are more likely to create wider poverty than to reduce it. He is an ex-union organizer and a campaigner: he ...
Fri 7th
10:16
Tim Farron on Calais refugees: "These are bright, educated people that just want to create a life fo...
While David Cameron uses demeaning language comparing them to insects, Tim Farron takes himself off to Calais to actually meet some of the refugees there. He spoke to Buzzfeed's Emily Ashton about his experiences. Here are some of the highlights: An invitation to David Cameron He should go [to Calais]," said Farron of the prime minister. "I will take him. He should talk to people there and look at the reality of the situation and he should deal with the reality rather than dealing with the myth. The idea that they are all money grabbing people seeking to claim UK ...
At South Glos Council's last Communities Committee, anyone who uses a works van as their only vehicle was nearly banned from using South Gloucestershire's Sort It centres for their personal waste. Fortunately we were able to change the Conservative's proposal. It originally said that vehicles will need to be registered to use the Sort It centres and "any vehicle registered to a business will be declined". If this had passed, anyone who owns or works for a small business who has their work van as their only vehicle would have been stopped from using the Sort It centres. They would ...
You can read all the articles that have caught my attention this week here: https://delicious.com/stephentall Below are a selection... Truth is our best weapon in the new Cold War | The Times Edward Lucas with some hard Qs for the complacent West in today's Times http://thetim.es/1eWXplu Cartoons | The Times Terrific, as ever, by Morten Morland http://thetim.es/1MRsXIi Kids Company: confirmation bias, intention & charity effectiveness | Stephen Tall What I wrote about Kids Company a month ago: confirmation bias, intention & charity effectiveness http://bit.ly/1hijsVO #newsnight Osborne springs ahead of Boris and Javid in our latest leadership poll | Conservative Home ...
Civil liberties are personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge, either by law or by judicial interpretation without due process. Though the scope of the term differs amongst various countries, some examples of civil liberties include: the right to bodily integrity. the freedom from torture. freedom from forced disappearance. freedom of conscience.... More Civil liberties
Yesterday, I recall seeing a headline about Andy Burnham pledging to eliminate tuition fees entirely. Bold, I thought, but loony. Burnham must know that's a fiscal nightmare. Which, as it turns out, he does: he has actually promised to replace the current tuition fees scheme with a "graduate tax". I laughed out loud – this is the lamest political move of the decade. Okay, let's look at the current system for a start. If you pursue post-secondary education, you are obliged to pay upwards of £9k per year for the privilege – but at a payback rate of 9% per ...
"We will not dehumanise, we will not demonise, we will support them." Liberal Youth members have made a video in solidarity with the refugees in Calais. Joanne Ferguson, who joined the Party in May and has written for this site several times, tells David Cameron: "You have the power to save human lives, use it." Watch and share.
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 : SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of carriageway patching works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Session Street (at its junction with Hawkhill), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 10 August 2015 for 2 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Brown Street. For further information contact 433168. Director of City DevelopmentDundee City Council
Why It's Hard To Talk About My Bisexuality - demonstrates why I am glad to know so many other bi people Penguin-style Doctor Who Book Covers - The Daemons is just stunning Sexist Reactions To An Ad Spark #ILookLikeAnEngineer Campaign Why diets don't actually work, according to a researcher who has studied them for decades Why The Great British Bake Off Needs Its People Of Colour - a fabulous rebuttal of Quentin Twat Here's Everything We Know About the Bones and Sleepy Hollow Crossover ... apart from OMG how are they going to do this ahhhh it's amazing! Australian Cricket ...
Cameron's renegotiation plans: The view from Warsaw @AgataGostynska points out that it's not easy. (tags: ukpolitics eu poland ) Hiroshima - the full text of John Hersey's 1946 article Read it. (tags: war japan nuclear ) Forgotten Conflicts How many had you heard of? (tags: war ) Say goodbye to the weirdest border dispute in the world A sad day for cartography fans! (tags: maps india bangladesh ) Majority in Northern Ireland want to stay in EU Well, it's a data point. (tags: ukpolitics eu northernireland )
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above Seen concerns being expressed about this new taxi company starting to operate on Merseyside, Richard Kemp's blog item comes to mind, but would like to hear what others think.
New analysis of interdisciplinary collaboration across the UK research landscape highlights important questions about how we organise, fund and assess research Diversity matters in research. A representative research workforce will maximise the talent pool, and bring the full range of perspectives to bear on key questions. An open research system, where the public is meaningfully engaged, will deliver the best research and ensure it commands confidence and serves society's needs. And importantly, a diversity of disciplines is needed to carry forward knowledge and understanding across the breadth of human endeavour and concern. The role and importance of disciplinary diversity has ...
