It's time we had something on Richard III. Here is Chis Skidmore, Conservative MP for Kingswood and Tudor historian, speaking at a conference organised by the Richard III Society at the University of Leicester in March 2013.
Philip Ball has written a tribute to Oliver Sacks on A View from the Bridge, which is the scientific journal Nature's books and arts blog. I had always assumed that Sacks was American, but in fact he was brought up in London - as this pleasing peace of trivia shows: The first time I met him, in the harsh New York winter of 2003, I witnessed the irresistible strength of his chemical enthusiasms, undiminished since the days he tossed lumps of sodium into Highgate Pond in north London with his boyhood friend, the polymath Jonathan Miller.
It was interesting to read today the proposals from Warwickshire County Council that the city region combined authority for Coventry should be one for Warwickshire as well. Frankly this is a bit of a no brainer. Warwickshire curls around Coventry and is clearly in the economic city region. It is only people who reside in the Whitehall that believe that Coventry is best placed with Greater
Wed 2nd
19:19
Farron: Enough is enough. It's time to help refugees in need in response to Independent's heartbreak...
As David Cameron goes on the news and tells us all that we can't take any refugees, but we are doing all we can to make life ok in the countries they come from, Tim Farron has been telling the Independent that we need to take in more refugees. Cameron knows perfectly well that Syria is far from ok. How can it be when you have a brutally murderous dictator fighting a brutally murderous death cult for control? Had we still been in Government, Cameron's comments would have chilled me to the bone. The truth is we haven't done enough ...
[IMG: A Merseyrail electric unit at Bootle New Strand Station] A Merseyrail electric unit at Bootle New Strand Station Now call me a cynic but the announcement of new trains for Merseyrail has been made so many times over the past 10 years or so that I genuinely lose count of how many times it has actually happened! And that's as a railway enthusiast who has a close interest in Merseyside's local railway network. [IMG: IMG_4864] Don't get me wrong I really do hope that this time it is for real and not another Merseytravel leap into the dark ...
Cheers all round in the Lib Dem team. We've been working for months to persuade Highways England to put down Keep Clear boxes where the South Park Road Estate exits onto the M60 J3 slip road and finally it's been done. They needed a dry night to do the painting, so I guess we should be thankful it didn't take even longer.
and it isn't Route B. Despite all the promises made on behalf of the council by Conservative councillors. It is a version of Route C. I expect it to be confirmed at the Wokingham Borough Executive meeting on 24h September. A presentation was given to the North Wokingham Forum last week and it has now been made available on the borough council website here. The document to look at is the Refinement Summary. For Winnersh residents (who I represent as a councillor) there are some specific issues: – the impact on Green Lane, Sadlers Lane and the Reading Road residents ...
Wed 2nd
15:27LibLink: Shirley Williams: American democracy is up for sale and it's a warning to us all
Shirley Williams has been writing for the Independent about the pernicious influence of big money in politics in the US. She writes about the huge amounts of money being poured into Republican campaigns, how this clearly gives them advantages in access to the voters through the media. More worryingly, she outlines what appears to be a strategic approach of using the courts to abolish funding limits and of gerrymandering congressional districts to again give themselves an advantage at the expense of others. She gives a very stark warning about why this is a bad thing. We need to think that ...
I was interested to see this report in today's Scotsman which featured Labour and the SNP slugging it out over cuts to GP training posts. People are finding it more and more difficult to get an early appointment with their GPs. You would think that the service that is the most common way for us to access the NHS would be better funded, but primary care now accounts for just 7.8% of healthcare funding, down from 9.8% in 2011. It is causing a fairly massive amount of concern. You'd think that they'd want to discuss it in Parliament. Oh wait ...
The inspector has turned down the appeal against the council's decision not to grant planning permission for part of the shop to be turned into residential use. This means that the process is over and the shop has been saved! The attached report shows the weight the inspector put on local amenity. 5.14.3158 – 68 [...]
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above. Who on Merseyside thinks that Tony Blair has any credibility these days? Why would folks take on board his views about anything following the Iraq War? Is Joe in effect writing his resignation letter as Mayor of Liverpool by backing Blair? Surely Labour members will not keep Joe on after he agrees with Blair? What does Burnham think needs to be said today to get Labour members to vote for him? Blair, Burnham and Anderson sounds more like a firm of undertakers to me out for a trip in ...
With the #LibDemFightback still continuing after the announcement of our new Leader and by-elections happening almost every week across the country and the party making net gains, campaigners are now planning for next year's local elections up and down the country. We may be under 5 years away from 2020, with a new vision and a path for the party to be decided, but what about candidates who want to stand for election but can't because they can't afford to? I write in response to last week's article by Mark Argent regarding the financial exclusion of candidates. I thought about ...
OK, I guess many people won't agree with this post, but so be it. I believe that school uniform is wrong - always have done, and still do (and it's now a very long time since I was in school!). I know that's an unpopular opinion, but it's the one I have, and here's why. School uniform is essentially all about conformity and authority. It is about making sure that everybody looks the same and does as they are told. Now, of course, I don't want to see kids run riot in schools, but I believe that 'discipline' in schools ...
Exmoor Woolacombe River Barle After a week in Devon near lovely Exmoor, it seems I've returned to an autumnal garden with leaves falling, seedheads replacing flowers and plenty of spiders emerging, their webs picked out in the rain. There's a new spider I've not seen before, I think it's cave dweller living very contentedly in the compost bin and in the now very overgrown pond, are several larval newts, feathery gills emerging. The later dawn and earlier dusk makes spotting bats and foxes easier and the hollyhock and buddlja are still buzzing with bees, hover flies and wasps. After the ...
Wed 2nd
11:55
Electoral Commission ups to 29 its list of Returning Officers who failed to run elections properly i...
The Electoral Commission has increased to 29 (from an initial 24) its tally of Returning Officers who failed to do their job properly in May's elections: Allerdale Babergh and Mid-Suffolk Bradford Broxtowe Cheshire East Chichester Darlington Dudley East Devon East Hertfordshire East Lindsey Kingston-Upon-Hull Lewes London Borough of Hounslow Maldon Milton Keynes Peterborough Purbeck Rother Sevenoaks South Lakeland South Oxfordshire Stoke on Trent Swale West Berkshire West Dorset West Lindsey Wolverhampton Wyre Forest The mistakes involved in these cases were serious as the details below show, and in fact not every Returning Officer was assessed so the 29 may be ...
It is an age-old dilemma, what do you buy the person who supposedly has everything they want. Alas, it is not a real dilemma because most of us do not know such people. However, according to the Independent, the multi-millionaires who helped to found Facebook have the perfect solution. They have set up a secret website containing their wish lists. The paper says that Nick Bilton, who wrote about the Silicon Valley tech bubble for Vanity Fair has discovered 'T.N.R. 250', which is short for 'The Nouveau Riche 250', and which comprises Facebook's first 250 employees, many of whom have ...
As many of you will know I'm not gifted in languages, not that this doesn't stop me trying to learn some. The one I found easiest out of all the ones I have settled down to try and learn was Spanish. However, I do not that I am at a comparative disadvantage to those who do possess language skills. This is something that really struck home when I worked in a multi-lingual call centre environment, where people were able to take calls fluently in their second, third or even fourth languages. Therefore the news that the University of Ulster has ...
[IMG: Petition] For this week's build up blog I've uploaded a you tube video in which I talk you through how you use Google docs to create an on-line petition on your MyCouncillor site. It's fairly straight forward to do, but if you get stuck at any point feel free to get in touch with us and [...]
Surely there is nothing better for a lifelong liberal to do in an idle moment than to fantasise about some form of constitutional reform? Well maybe that's just me....but please indulge me for a moment. In the last couple of weeks we have seen Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie explore the issue of all women short lists and the dissolution honours has prompted unease at the membership and structure of the House of Lords. Could we solve both these issues in one move? How about we elect (gasp!) the House of Lords but do so differently from the Commons? ...
[IMG: PagePlus X4] Many years ago Lib Dems used to use all sorts of odd methods to get their message out. As David Penhaligon used to say the aim was "put it on a bit of paper and push it through a door" . These were the days of Gestetners, Bandas and Offset litho printing – many like [...]
Or how America missed a chance to prevent its war with Vietnam, 20 years before it began. September 2nd 1945 Seventy years ago today Ho Chi Minh stood in a large square in central Hanoi and delivered a statement proclaiming that Vietnam was now independent of its French rulers. It began: All men are created [...]
So, the Westminster Parliament resumes on Monday after its Summer recess. The Commons debates the EU Referendum Bill, the Lords the Energy Bill. With a growing humanitarian crisis on our doorstep, though, can it really be business as usual? Liberal Democrat peer and passionate advocate for the fair treatment of those who seek sanctuary Roger Roberts thinks not. He wants the current agenda to be postponed in favour of debates in both Houses on the crisis. He said on Facebook: Next Monday Parliament reconvenes. I plan to have discussions today to treat Monday as if it was for the recall ...
From the ERS website: The following candidates (in alphabetical order) were elected. The new council will officially take office at our 2015 AGM on Saturday 5 September. ALLARD, Crispin COAKER, Kevin COATMAN, Clare CRUIKSHANK, Justina CURRAN, Stephen DODD, Amy FINLAYSON, Chris HOBHOUSE, Wera HYDE, Sara PETTINGER, Paul RITCHIE, Ken SHARP, Keith TELFORD, Rob WALSH, Jon WINTER, Owen You can download Electoral Reform Services official announcement of the result here. This election was conducted via the Single Transferable Vote. To see the total votes transferred at each stage, and the order in which the candidates were elected download our results spreadsheet. ...
[IMG: The LGA Lib Dems support Liberal Democrat council groups across the country] We attach a draft press release below for your local area which you may find helpful following the news that the Government is to cut public health budgets. This assumes a uniform cut of 6.2%. The attached Excel spreadsheet shows the cut in column D. If you have more localised information to hand then you [...]
Those of us who have been around for a while will remember Simon Hughes' pitch during his presidential campaign, that under his leadership the party membership would double. It didn't It wasn't his fault. The party had to put the work in. There was nothing wrong with the ambition, but plucking a number out of the air will not in itself get you there. Now I am happy to support Tim Farron as leader, but during the campaign I have to admit I thought that his target of 100,000 members by 2020 was similarly pretty meaningless. But now we have ...
The Electoral Commission have decided that the wording on the EU referendum ballot needs changing. Instead of being a yes or a no question, there will be two boxes - one to remain in the EU, one to leave - and you tick one of the other. Actually, this seems completely fair to me. The Eurosceptic Tories seem over the moon at the development, and the only reason I can fathom for this is that the Commission found a slight lean towards "leave" as compared with when the other yes or no question was asked in the research they carried ...
Dabbing: the 'cannabis crack' that makes skunk seem weak - oh for pity's sake just legalise it already. School starting age: the evidence | University of Cambridge UN investigating British Government over human rights abuses caused by IDS welfare reforms Benefit cuts don't encourage the unemployed into work, research shows Angela Merkel's Immigration Quotes Show Germany's Response To Refugees Is Wildly Different To Britain's The figures which show that people in the North are being short-changed by the government [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
A new planning applications has been received in Holyrood Ward as below: Application Number: 59114 Registration Date: 19/08/2015 Location: 155 Simister Lane, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2SF Proposal: Two storey and single storey extension at rear Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require further information or help with this. The details will be on the Council's website here. Tim
A new planning applications has been received in Holyrood Ward as below: Application Number: 59105 Registration Date: 17/08/2015 Location: Land at rear of 62 Peveril Close, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 6NR Proposal: Erection of 2 no. semi-detached dwellings Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require further information or help with this. The details will be on the Council's website here. Tim
[IMG: European Parliament, Strasbourg, CC0 Public Domain ] The BBC reports: The government is set to announce "significant" changes to its planned rules on an in-out EU referendum. The changes will focus on the so-called purdah rules, which stop ministers using public money to campaign for one side, from 28 days before such a vote. The government had wanted to suspend these laws so ministers could continue to discuss European matters in public... In July a report from the Public Administration Committee said it was ... unconvinced by ministers' arguments. In a critical report, it said such a move would ...
Lib Dems across Greater Manchester have joined together to challenge Transport for Greater Manchester on to length of time it is taking to install 'smart ticketing' on our trams, buses and trains. Many places already have a smart ticketing system – Greater London has had it's 'Oyster card' on buses and trams for over a decade and now takes 'contactless' payment on buses and on the tube. Recently T4GM announced it was ditching its contractor ATOS after considerable delays in its own 'Get Me There' card. Card readers are already in place on Metrolink platforms. [IMG: getmetherereader2] We are calling ...
Just to let people know that a works order has been issued to address some of the 'holes' on the grass verges on the Parrenthorn Road estate following comments from residents. As you will be aware the verges have been filled with a sort of gravel as to make the area safer and address some of the worst effects of parking on the grass verges. We know this is far from perfect, and continue to try to lobby the council for a better solution. Tim
A fascinating photograph (below) looking west along Perth Road and with Roseangle to the south with what is now Dundee West Church prominent in the photo. The full Dundee City Council Photopolis collection is available here.
Once a magnet for states seeking peace, prosperity and security, the European Union faces a series of challenges associated with the Eurozone crisis, which has ebbed and flowed since 2010, and migration which is a source of concern to those of left (raising humanitarian issues) and right (raising opposition to influxes of migrants), polarising politics across Europe. Such problems have raised the spectre of Greek exit from the EU (Grexit) and form the background to the UK's forthcoming referendum on remaining in the EU, potentially leading to Brexit. Before the vote, David Cameron, anxious to hold his party together, has ...
Just to let people know that the path to the 'north' of Simister Green (that goes down towards the wetlands along the 'front' doors has recently been cleared at our request. Hopefully this improves the access to the area for residents, and thank you to those who raised this issue. Please let us know if there are other issues like his that need tackling. Tim
Residents in a part of Holyrood Ward (see map below) are going to be part of a 'personal travel planning' initiative being undertaken by Transport for Greater Manchester. This is a third phase of personalised travel planning to take place in Bury. About 3000 households in total (across Prestwich, Whitefield and Radcliffe) will be approached and travel options for their typical journeys explored with them. The idea is to encourage people to consider means of travel other than the car, for health and environmental reasons. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if this raises any issues. The areas ...
Just so people know there are significant roadworks at the junction of Whittaker Lane and Bury Old Road (outside Heaton Park Metrolink). These started 1 September 2015 for eight weeks. The work is to signalise the junction of Bury Old Road/Whittaker Lane, Prestwich which will include pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities. Alterations will also be made to the car park at Heaton Park Metrolink station and during this period the car park will be closed.
You Don't Know What It Is, Do You, Mister Jones? Christopher Priest on the @guardian's appalling Pratchett article. (tags: sf ) The Pluto System As Seen By New Horizons Spacecraft Once again, wow! (tags: astronomy ) Archaeologists Tracked Lewis and Clark by Following Their Trail of Laxatives The appliance of science! (tags: archaeology history )
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34017423 For Government to even suggest that trade unions should be restricted in their use of social media is very alarming. The Tories should remember that they often say this is a free county, yet their actions via this pathetic excuse for a present Government indicate that what they want to do is to restrict freedom for those they disapprove of. Removing rights by chucking out the Human Rights Act, snooping on our e-mails (as Labour was also keen on during their appalling identity card phase) and now suggesting that trade unions may need to give notice of social media ...
Wales' new bus discount pass for 16-18 year olds will help break down barriers to accessing work, training and education. The discount bus pass is a result of the Welsh Liberal Democrats' recent budget deal with the Welsh Government, and provides a third off bus travel across Wales for all young people aged 16-18 living in Wales. A total of £14.75m was secured by the Welsh Liberal Democrats for the scheme until 2016-17, which is available to 110,000 16-18 year olds. Welsh Liberal Democrats fought for this discount because we know just how hard it is for young people to ...
