I wrote this blog but by the time I went to publish it, Charles Sale had revised the fee to £80million over five years – I thought I'd leave in the original figure in the blog post just to show how much Charles Sale changed his report after publication. My fury is not quelled by the amount being a lot less but the money certainly isn't completely insane. If indeed Sky walked away from the rights at that figure then fuck me did they overspend for the EPL and have dropped a right bollock on this one. I was going ...
Mortimer Estate in Kilburn is a bit special. It was built in the early 1950's with a distinctive, high quality design. It complements the neighbouring buildings and the nearby St John's Wood conservation area. Mortimer's architect - Sir Robert Matthew - was Chief Architect and Planning Officer to the old London County Council and is renowned [...]
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I am rediscovering my love of music. After surviving on a very limited playlist of my "device" for a while, I have now invested in a UE Bluetooth Boom box, which is excellent, plus subscribing to Spotify Premium. I figure that when my music discovery voyage was at its height, I used to spend a fortune on vinyl, so forking out on Spotify is much less than that. This week I stumbled upon the music of Slim Harpo. He was a Louisiana-based "swamp blues" artist who lived from 1924 to 1970. I don't know how he managed it, but every ...
I have an eclectic musical taste. Whenever anyone is kind enough to ask me what sort of music I like, it rather discombobulates me. In my Spotify library you will find Muse, Biffy Clyro, Rizzlekicks, Ten Walls, Calvin Harris, Foo Fighters, Kasabian, Daft Punk, Dizzee Rascal and FatBoy Slim alongside Jacques Brel, Elgar, Mozart, Britten, Beethoven, Gregorian chants, hymns, Django Reinhardt, Jimmy Durante, Noel Coward, Flanagan and Allen, Gracie Fields and George Formby. So, "eclectic" is the only word I can find to sum up that little lot. Amongst all that, I suppose it's not odd that I absolutely love ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 428th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (16 – 22 August, 2015), together with a hand-picked quintet, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Why a Corbyn win would ...
Part two of what will probably be a three blogs on the Labour leadership contest is in response to it becoming trendy for those on Labour's right to lay the blame for Corbynmania at the door of OMOV. They're been trotting out numerous articles cursing Ed Miliband for leaving the party with this oh so [...]
Nothing to do with Smashie and Nicey, this was a hit for Linda Lewis in 1973. As her website says: Linda Lewis is one of Britain's most respected and talented singer songwriters, whose career spans more than four decades. With her five-octave vocal range, she has fused folk, soul, pop and reggae into a unique signature sound that is now an integral part of the pop music landscape.All that is true, but maybe she has never quite enjoyed the success her talent deserves.
Maryline Stowe's website kindly invited me to do a guest post. I did this about adoption statistics. A response with questions has been written by Lucy R on the transparency project blog I have written this blog post to answer the questions and reconcile the statistics. All figures are figures for the English jurisdiction. Most (if not all) are based upon the SSDA903 return. The SSDA903
This is one of the 100 greatest books ever according to the Norwegian Book Clubs, but I note that none of my friends on LibraryThing and nobody who I actually know on Goodreads has read it, so it's likely that you haven't read it either. (Unless you are peadarog or mojosmom, the atter of whom put in a strong recommendation.) You've missed a treat. I think this is one of the best novels I've read about the second world war and its aftermath - the life of a child in Rome in the 1940s, conceived in violence, his (secretly Jewish) ...
Included in the agenda for next month's Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth is the usual 'farewell' speech from an outgoing party leader, Nick Clegg of course in this case. There's been an early trail of what his speech will be about in today's papers: Nick Clegg will start his political comeback next month with a speech at the Liberal Democrat conference on Britain's future in the European Union ahead of the In/Out referendum, which is expected next year. Party sources confirmed that Mr Clegg will use the speech, traditionally reserved for leaders who have recently resigned or been forced out, ...
Chief Angus and I before the march Some superb African dancing before the libation I have just come back from the walk to commemorate Liverpool's part in the infamous slave trade. It was a marvellous way to commemorate such ... Continue reading →
[IMG: 7 ver 4 full] Many thanks to the 10,700 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... David Laws peerage "blocked" – plus new Liberal Democrat House of Lords members speculation (83 comments) by Paul Walter How to beat the SNP (49 comments) by Joanne Ferguson The No campaign's grim blueprint for a Britain out of Europe (55 comments) by Stuart Bonar SNP Scottish Parliament selections – 2 MSPs deselected so far as Salmond endorses one challenger (26 comments) by Caron Lindsay "No holds barred" discussion on sexism in the Lib Dems to ...
Back for its seventh, slimmed down, year is my Liberal Democrat autumn conference MP fringe league table along with the annual award of the Simon Hughes Memorial Prize for the most simultaneous fringe meeting bookings by an MP at party conference. As ever, this is based on the information from the official listings and I have included MPs marked as "tbc" and "invited" but excluded those who are not listed even if I know otherwise (as my extra information is only partial). The Rally and Q+As are excluded. Joint winner this time, with a record low winning tally, are Tom ...
Well done to the Management Team of Yate Shopping Centre for puting on such a range of events for this weekend's 50th Anniversary celebrations! Cllr Tony Davis, Mayor of Yate, cut the birthday cake watched by Andy Lowrey, Manager of Yate Shopping Centre Cllr Tony Davis and Sue Bruten unveiled the mural that commemorates the history of the Shopping Centre. Sue designed the mural based on ideas from local schoolchildren and members of the community - the youngest contributor was 5 years old, and the oldest was 95.
Usain Bolt has just deservedly won the 100m World Championship for a third time, having beaten Justin Gatlin on the line by a thousandth of a second. It was a superb race, full of needle and bite. Bolt showed himself to be every inch the legend he is by overcoming Gatlin's far superior form and his [...]
Sun 23rd
14:40
Green fields under threat as Shropshire Council proposes changes that will weaken local planning
We are in the final weeks of getting our local plan SAMDev in place. I am unhappy with proposed changes to wording that, in my view, will encourage development outside settlement boundaries and invite developers to submit greenfield developments. As I type this, a planning inspector is busy scrutinising comments on the final modifications to [...]
Willie Rennie has announced that he supports the use of all women shortlists and quotas to improve the Scottish Liberal Democrats' appalling record on gender balance. He is to lead a group which will draw up specific proposals for the 2019 European, 2020 Westminster and 2021 Holyrood elections. The Scottish Party looked on in shock when members in the North East did not place highly effective Justice Spokesperson at the top of the list when it was selected at the end of last year. Since then, and particularly following the General Election, there have been strong calls for much stronger ...
The British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is in Tehran today, reopening the Embassy that has been closed for four years following its invasion by demonstrators. Given the recent progress in international negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions this was an inevitable and welcome step. Though Brtain's engagement in Iran has not always been positive there are [...]
This week we are re-running new leader Tim Farron's series of TimTalks from the leadership campaign so that those of you who don't know him well can see what makes him tick. Today, it's Foreign Affairs. Now we have a caption, a soundtrack (which is, to be honest, a bit annoying) and a proper introduction at the beginning:
I missed it at the time, but at the end of last month the Telegraph ran an endearing sketch of Tim Farron in Jon Tolley's record shop in Kingston: He flipped through the racks of LPs, murmuring excitedly. "Joy Division at the front there! Marvellous." Lovingly he fondled an album by The Clash. "Now, is this the UK version or the US version? Ah, it's the UK version - the US version has (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais on it, and this doesn't!" It was strangely endearing to watch: an actual political leader, muttering about track listings like a character ...
I see that this has had mixed reviews, but I very much enjoyed it - a story of an Indian immigrant to America, whose political brother is killed by state violence in Calcutta, leaving his pregnant wife to be adopted, and indeed married, by the protagonist. This obviously leads to some grimly fascinating (and entirely believable) family dynamics over the decades, interlocking with the experience of Asian immigrants in even a relatively liberal part of the USA. Tightly written with what one could almost call vivid understatement in places.
So the Puppyfascists lost, with No Award beating them in every category where they were the only nominees, and with Guardians of the Galaxy their only actual winner (a shame, as it's a horrible film, but it's a horrible film that would have won without them). I am very glad. There were three separate, good, [...]
Great news - my N22 High Street petition has now been supported by over 300 local Wood Green Residents! My team and I (some pictured below) are determined to reach 1000 signatures, to really make a statement - and convince Labour-run Haringey Council to take action. That's why we're out on the doorsteps day in, day out, talking to residents and collecting signatures. Wood Greeners want to see fewer betting shops, more support for independent retailers and better rubbish collection on and around our local high streets. This petition gives us all a big, powerful voice - please sign up ...
In the run-up to Autumn Conference in Bournemouth, we'll be looking ahead to examine the highlights in the debating hall, the fringe and training rooms. You can find the papers here. You can find all the posts in the series here. The reality of our new circumstances hit when the Conference Directory landed on my doorstep the other day. The Directory lists all the fringe and exhibition activity going on over the five days in Bournemouth. While there is still a huge amount to do and people will still be struggling to choose which meeting they would like to go ...
[IMG: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1)] The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie My rating: 4 of 5 stars (reread) A deserved classic. It's interesting how many of Poirot and Hastings' notable characteristics are there from the off. Poirot's backhanded compliments, and Hastings' obliviousness to them, are a particular delight. The plot is reasonably classic Christie, full of little misdirections and barely spottable clues. It has been long enough since I read this that I had forgotten whodunnit, so the puzzle aspect was there in full joy for me. I fell for trap #2, and thought ...
The UK Government must nip in the bud any suggestion that the Newport based Office for National Statistics (ONS) will be moved back to London say Welsh Liberal Democrats. A wide-ranging review of of the ONS has been commissioned by the UK government, led by a former deputy governor of the Bank of England. A Financial Times report today (Tuesday), indicates that Sir Charlie Bean is tipped to recommend a move back to London for the statistics office. "This review must not be seen as an excuse for taking highly skilled jobs away from Newport," said Veronica German, Welsh Liberal ...
Pizza Express is one of my favourite chain restaurants. It regulaly forms part of my Saturday night-out and occasionally I also go to the one in Cardiff Bay for lunch or, if I am staying in Cardiff, for an evening meal. Last night was no exception, as I went with my wife for a meal in their Castle Street branch after watching Mission Impossible in the Odeon Cinema. The food was as good as ever and the service was exceptional. Our waitress was friendly, chatty and very attentive. Naturally, I wanted to tip her for her good service and her ...
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Tim Farron raises prospect of a repeat of Labour's disastrous 1981 split. He pitches for the LibDems to replace Labour as the only credible opposition to the Tories: With just 20 days before Labour chooses its new leader, many who believe Britain needs a strong Opposition are holding their heads in their hands. Labour is being driven by Jeremy Corbyn's agenda. It is a rejection of the pragmatism that made Labour successful under Blair. It is a rerun of the battles of the 1980s. Whatever the result, the party is heading for years of ...
Once upon a time, there were two guys who worked in a video shop in Manhattan Beach, California - a semi-suburban area a little south of LAX - named Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. It was here that they became very good friends and developed a working relationship. They both wanted to be in the movie business and started writing scripts together. Reservoir Dogs was written by Tarantino, but came out of a project that started off amongst the two of them; True Romance was a co-written script; the Natural Born Killers script had Avary portions in it. They then ...
Interesting choice by new Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron to choose to write for the Mail on Sunday about Labour's leadership travails and what it means for the Liberal Democrats. Although the Mail, both Daily and Sunday, is very unpopular with Liberal Democrat activists, it is actually rather popular with people who vote Liberal Democrat (see this data from 2010 showing the Mail was the second most popular newspaper amongst Lib Dem voters then). As well as the choice of the Mail, it is worth noting the continuities as well as the discontinuities with what Nick Clegg used to say. ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above
Sun 23rd
09:32Future Fit is at last recognising rural needs - but Ludlow Hospital may lose all its beds
After weeks of concern over cutbacks at Ludlow Hospital, Andy Boddington and Tracey Huffer ask whether the hospital has a future under Future Fit. There have been two announcements about Future Fit recently. The Future Fit team scrapped the option of building a £500 million plus A&E hospital on a greenfield site between Shrewsbury and [...]
[IMG: JS69525892] The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above. I keep meaning to have a look at this old station and will have to get around to it soon. Keith remind me when we next go walking!
There were very few close results this year. Hugo voters delivered decisive verdicts on what they wanted and didn't want to win. Outside the Dramatic Presentation categories, not a single Puppy nominee beat No Award. No Award won five categories, all on the first count, and also got the most first preferences for Best Novelette. Also worth noting that the two fiction categories that were awarded went to translated works, the first time that translations have ever won Hugos for fiction as far as I know. I have found only two contests (and pretty minor at that) where the margin ...
Yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of visiting the West End Tennis Club in Shaftesbury Road to speak with committee members and some of the parents whose children attend Saturday morning training sessions. It was good to discuss the club's future plans with the committee and great to see the enthusiasm of all in promoting tennis in the area. You can read more about the West End Tennis Club here. In the afternoon, I attended the Friends of Balgay Summer meeting which took place at the Mills Observatory. There was an excellent and informative presentation by Dr Kenneth Baxter of ...
Some weeks ago, on behalf of residents in the Clovis Duveau Drive area, I contacted Network Rail about the overgrown trees and foliage from their ground between the rail line at the nearby houses. I have now had the following positive response from Network Rail : "Please accept my apologies for the delay in contacting you regarding this matter. I have attached photographs which were taken ... after completion of the work - that shows the trees and vegetation situated on our land near to the properties concerned - which include trees, cultivated hedges and plants present on the housing ...
Why more and more women are identifying as bisexual not lesbian - BECAUSE THEY'RE BI. ALSO IT'S NOT A FUCKING PHASE Big Question: Why Does Tap Water Go Stale Overnight? 2015 Hugo Awards & John W. Campbell Award winners - that Noah Ward dude looks to have been pretty successful There's a couple I'm not ecstatic about but overall this is awesome - a big two fingers to the puppies. Now for next year we must NOMINATE, my SJW minions! ;) And here's the full Hugo Awards data for voting systems geeks [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The hedge along Northway (A59) just north of Maghull Town Hall and KGV Park has been a problem for a long time with residents often complaining that it does not get cut often enough. When I was a councillor representing Maghull (I now represent Lydiate) I often complained and pushed Council officers to have it cut, but without councillors complaining it would seemingly never be cut for reasons no one seemed to understand!. It used to be quite a contrast because Maghull Town Council would regularly cut the section it owned (the part that borders KGV Park) whilst Sefton Borough ...
Saturday: As the new season of Doctor Woo approaches, I thought we might warm up by reviewing one that we missed last year. Of course, this was on in the running up to the Wedding of the Century™ when daddies got very busy sorting out their big day. Which is NO EXCUSE. Still, it certainly didn't help that this one's a stinker! There's a school that enjoys "The Caretaker" as a fun romp that advances the character's story arcs. I don't. I loathe this episode. It's full of people being horrid to each other. And has a really rubbish monster. ...
In a world where we still struggle to redress the wrongs done to women, both historic wrongs and present ones, it can sometimes seem that to praise the assumed masculine virtues is still -somehow- to denigrate women. The masculine stereotypes are deconstructed and criticised to the point that it is sometimes hard to remember that just as there are specific virtues to the feminine so there are specific virtues to the masculine. In a world where words have become weapons even stating such a commonplace carries the risks of hostility, even- sometimes- of vilification. The battle of the sexes may ...
It all could have been more difficult. The campaign to No Award the Puppy slates this year was made much easier by two factors, both of which were eerily predicted by Cat (I think catsittingstill) in a comment on Brad Torgersen's blog after last year: Next time, bring your best game. Read a lot, talk among each other, pick your *best* stories. No bland reguritated elf seeks god never finds him though but boy won't it upset the Hugo voters stories. Encourage your readers to nominate for quality, and *only* to nominate things they have actually read and liked. If ...
© Dave Hitchborne The most substantial British railway line I have travelled on that has since closed is the Woodhead route from Sheffield to Manchester. After that comes March to Spalding. When I was a student in York there was a regular service from Doncaster to Cambridge and I once used it to have an afternoon in Ely. March to Spalding was closed in 1982 and all freight workings were diverted via Peterborough. It was an expensive line to operate because of all the level crossings in the flat Fenland landscape. The photograph above, taken from Geograph, shows the signal ...
