A website I used to use, a decade or more ago, was hacked today, and it turns out they'd been storing passwords in plain text. The password I used for that site was — *I think* — a throwaway one I used for lots of low-value accounts and still occasionally used (until today) when I [...]
This sad tale from BBC News wins Headline of the Day.
When my family gets together we sometimes play a game called Scissors. It's pretty cruel because it's based solely on the ignorance of whoever hasn't played it before; in other words, it's more of a practical joke than a parlour game. In short, it involves sitting in a circle handing round a pair of scissors, with [...]
"What is the correct Liberal Democrat reaction to Jeremy Corbyn?" I asked Lord Bonkers. He thought for a moment. "I think we should point at him and roar with laughter." Of course, things aren't so funny if you are someone being hit by Conservative policies and hoping for change at the next election. But in the mean time, watch this...
One of my favourite albums of the 70s was Dark Side of the Moon. This is an interesting alternative version in a Reggae style. Mainly I prefer the original, but This version of Time (I have linked to the start) is interesting.
Just out tonight, here is the full list of amendments being debated at the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, along with questions to the party committees and other useful updates (such as information on the free WiFi). Simon Hughes's questions are worth noting in particular. Download this document For the agenda and main consultation papers see here.
Chris Balderstone was a member of Leicestershire's hugely successful cricket team of the 1970s and even played a couple of tests in 1976. He was also a good footballer - one of the last men who played both games professionally. And on 15 September 1975 he achieved what may be a unique double. Balderstone was playing for Leicestershire at Queen's Park, Chesterfield, in a game where victory would give his county the championship for the first time in its history. Leicestershire managed a narrow first innings lead, and the second day ended with Balderstone 51 not out in the second ...
[IMG: Banana skin - CCO Public Domain] Jeremy Corbyn at the TUC featured: The band playing 'Hey, big spender' just before his speech; Jeremy Corbyn getting lost on his way up to give the speech; and In an unfortunate parallel with Ed Miliband's speech giving, Jeremy Corbyn then forgot to include a section that was pre-briefed to the media. I can only guess that media management was such a big part of New Labour that Corbyn's reaction to New Labour isn't just to diminish media management but to actively seek out media chaos. It's almost as if a Corbyn aide ...
I realise my concern with life in rural South Shropshire is a minority taste, though Stiperstones Primary School did make it into a recent book by David Boyle. But it would be remiss of me not to notice this story from the Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser: There are moves afoot to get the services of a newsagent back into Bishop's Castle. A group of people, including former employees, are looking at options to revive the newsagent that closed in the town a few weeks ago. The scheme is to look at a business that not only sells newspapers, tobacco ...
News from Toronto: Now that Rob Ford is no longer the mayor, there's only one thing that's guaranteed to fill city council's galleries with angry people: The Uber War... City staff just tabled a report that's supposed to bring some sort of order to the competition between ride-hail services like Uber and conventional taxis... For now, competition and technology are driving this debate faster than city staff can draft new regulations. This report doesn't offer enough specifics to change that. So if it passes, count on more charges for Uber drivers, slightly cheaper cabs, and no peace in the council ...
Tue 15th
15:12
Corbyn's vegan farming and agriculture minister stirs old memories for the Welsh Assembly
They say that history repeats itself, but whether that will be the case over the decision by Jeremy Corbyn to appoint a vegan to oversee Labour policy on food and rural affairs has yet to be seen. England after all is a different political environment to Wales, where our attempt to sustain a vegetarian Minister in this brief ended in grief and her sacking back in July 2000. The Telegraph says that Kerry McCarthy, a former party whip, is the first shadow secretary for environment, food and rural affairs to reject eating or using any animal products, including dairy and ...
I grew up in Yate and Somerset, and my first job was in Kingston – so having lived in Tory facing seats it was a big change to really cut my political teeth in Islington where there has not been any Conservatives for a long time. And where else to study Labour up close and personal than Islington. I did 12 years as a councillor and twice as a general election candidate against Jeremy. Political campaigns in Central London are tough. Activists in all parties work hard, Labour had great resources and tied us up in one standards board complaint ...
The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader highlights there is only one party in Wales that is both pro-enterprise and pro-social justice. The new look Labour party, which is anti-Europe, anti-business and economically illiterate, would only take Wales backwards. Corbyn's Labour are the exact opposite of what Wales needs right now. Not so long ago the two larger parties were competing to appeal to everyday people who rightly expect financial security for their family, while also expecting decent public services - these people have been deserted by those parties. Wales needs fresh ideas, ambition and dynamism - instead we've ...
Interesting data from last weekend's Elections, Parties and Opinion Polls (EPOP) conference in Cardiff. This slide shows the conclusions from field experiments in Southampton Itchen carried out with the Labour campaign ahead of the 2015 general election by Florian Foos: [IMG: Florian Foos's research into impact of canvassing for Labour in Southampton Itchen] Within the second bullet point there was also a slightly bigger impact for canvassing by the candidate herself than for canvassing by other Labour helpers. One thing we don't know is how quickly, or not, the boost to party support from canvassing wears off or gets cancelled ...
[IMG: Morrisons and their car park are behind me. The Sefton Council land is to the right of me.] Morrisons and their car park are behind me. The Sefton Council land is to the right of me. Hearing of the hard times of Morrisons recently made some folk wonder if their Maghull store would be one for the chop as it is quite small – too small really with a far too limited stock space. The good news is that it's refurbishment will continue and it is staying. But as this news filtered out so it also became apparent that ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above Well worth watching this fly-through video on the Echo web site via the link above. A truly huge engineering project here on Merseyside.
Transport for London is formally consulting on the re-routing of the 463 bus route. The proposal is to direct the bus via Maldon Road, Montagu Gardens and Demesne Road in Wallington. There has been considerable concern expressed about this re-routing by local residents, and in response it is being formally opposed by the relevant [...]
[IMG: Jeremy Corbyn photo by lewishamdreamer1] Jeremy Corbyn strikes me as someone who is still fighting all the battles of the 1980s and has not thought much about anything since. Re-open the coal mines! Of course – they were closed by the Tories, so they must reopen. But ban fracking – because that is getting carbon-based fuel out of the ground, which is wrong. Now I respect people who want a total ban on fracking out of concern for the local environment, or to keep the carbon in the ground. I happen to accept the evidence that it can be ...
Roman Baths named winner in 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards The Roman Baths has been recognized as a winner in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for museums coming 5th in best-rated museum in the UK and making it the most popular paid-for attraction in the country, and the only museum outside London to appear in the top five. It is also a great testament to Local Government running such attractions. To ensure this continuous investment and improvement of the offer over time is vital. To see TripAdvisor reviews see link at Roman Baths For all of TripAdvisor's 2015 Travellers' ...
The argument about a Park and Ride for the East of Bath has been running since before I arrived in Bath in 1985. So not an easy one to solve. However during 2011 to 15 when the Liberal Democrats were running the Council we were developing a rail based park and ride option with a new station at Bathampton. The new Conservative administration has scrapped this idea because it is complicated and will cost more and reverted to using the Bathampton Meadows. Please sign our petition to force them to consider the rail based option at THIS LINK
Monday: It was pretty inevitable that Jeremy Corbyn would pick his old tribal mate John McDonnell, draftsman of his economic strategy as well as his victorious campaign, to be Shadow Chancellor. To be fair, as former finance officer of the GLC he has more experience than the real Chancellor had. And McDonnell is one of the few Labour MPs, along with Corbyn himself, not to have compromised themselves by abstention on the Government's welfare bill, the point at which with hindsight, the other candidates handed Corbyn the leadership, making the REAL architect of the Corbyn victory... Master Gideon Osborne baronet. ...
I've an article on today's Times Red Box blog looking at how (and whether) the Lib Dems can capitalise on Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader. The obvious answer is we don't know. The parallel with 1981-83, when hard-left Bennism was at its peak, is fuzzy. True, the Liberals were weak, then, too, having been singed by their unhappy experience during the Lib-Lab pact. But, at least at the moment, there seems no prospect of Labour moderates setting up an SDP v.2. Without the excitement of a new Alliance to dominate the centre-ground of British politics, it's going to be ...
As we're now seeing with Jeremy Corbyn's election to the Labour leadership, political debate often revolves around the characters of party leaders. Elections are portrayed as contests between leaders, voters are often asked to say which leader they will be voting for - even though they can't, unless they happen to live in a leader's constituency - and the media, during elections, party conferences and day-to-day politics, generally focus on the leader, sometimes, in small parties, to the exclusion of all other figures. Within their parties, even in relatively democratic institutions like the Liberal Democrats, the leader exercises considerable influence ...
[IMG: Kay Barnard and Tim Farron] Here's the story from Bristol Liberal Democrats about the selection of Kay Barnard to fight the Mayoral election next May: At a packed event at the Pitcher and Piano on Cannons Road on Sunday(13th September), Lib Dem Leader Tim Farron MP, councillors and party members welcomed Dr Kay Barnard as their candidate for the mayoral election taking place in May next year. Kay was born and raised in the city. She has lived and worked here for most of her life. With a Ph.D. in bio-chemistry, her early career focused on scientific research. After ...
The wartime anniversaries come with increasing frequency these days. It's the Battle of Britain again this weekend. But whatever happened to the navy? There has been so much broadcasting devoted to the Western Front, and even the Dardanelles, now that the centenary is upon us, but is there a mention of the sea battles of a century ago? The Battle of the Falkland Isles, the Battle of Dogger Bank and the disastrous attempt to force the Dardanelles by sea, have all gone by without a mention. Does it matter? Well, actually, I think it does. Because we appear to be ...
After recent events, we should start by asking how long said era is going to last. The genesis of the Corbyn project has been poorer than what I and many others had expected. From the numerous comms gaffes of the last 48 hours, most notably involving shadow cabinet appointments, to the by all accounts tense and subdued meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party yesterday evening, it's been a tough start for Jeremy. Whatever one thinks of his politics, it was difficult not to feel at least a little sorry for the man as he was besieged by journalists, finally arriving ...
As I predicted, Tim Farron has nailed his colours to the mast on the Trident motion up for debate at the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth and called on the party not to pass it: I do not support the existing motion. Judith Jolly has submitted a very sensible amendment which asks for the motion to be referred back to the Federal policy Committee. I want to see a full and open consultation on this issue so that we can consider the threats we face and be completely clear on the options, implications and costs of any decisions. We need ...
I was at Inverurie Farmers' Market when it happened. A stall holder crossed the market to tell me it was official. Jeremy Corbyn had won. I'm not sure what that Aberdeenshire farmer thought my reaction was, but I'm sure if he'd known what was actually going on in my head he would have been more than a little surprised. It was 'Thank Goodness. Thank Goodness for politics in this country, Thank Goodness for Liberal Democrats and Thank Goodness for all of us.' Thank Goodness because it felt like the final piece had fallen into place to ensure that this summer ...
The manor house of Logie (below) was apparently in existence prior to 1660, but from 1722-78 extensive alterations were carried out. The building was demolished in 1908. Cleghorn Street was named after William Cleghorn, manufacturer, who long occupied Logie House as tenant, and afterwards became proprietor of the estate of Logie. Following the removal of Logie House, tenements were erected on the most of the lands.
The Conference issue of Liberator has arrived, so it is time to enjoy another week at Bonkers Hall. I can only apologise for the language in this entry. Tuesday Despite my advanced age - enquire at the Liberator stall at Bournemouth about the cordial sold by the Elves of Rockingham Forest if you would emulate me - I have always made an effort to keep up with the Young People. Today I attend the Oakham premiere of a film I helped finance: 'Straight Outta Nick Compton'. It tells the story of an opening batsman who is unjustly treated and records ...
Which are more successful in lobbying - business or civil society? Empirical research suggests the latter! (tags: eu )
MS sufferers' health damaged by benefits tests, survey finds Corbyn's Cabinet Chaos: The Inside Story - interesting reportage of loitering outside the room in which the phone calls happened. Confirmed! UN is investigating UK's 'grave violations' of disabled people's rights If you like Return Of The Jedi but hate the Ewoks, you understand feminist criticism Woman returns to acting after 22 years, finds an industry going backwards [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
In one of the wonderful Cribbs Caribbean restaurants in Falmouth, I heard this wonderful version of Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the moon". It's by the Easy Star All-Stars and has well over 1.6 million hits on YouTube – so someone must like it (like me). As a bonus, below you will find Easy Star's equally awesome version of "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band". Two tracks you don't often hear cover versions of....
Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Emma Lazarus – words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, New York City (with thanks to Rev. Giles Fraser).
Norman Lamb spoke last night in Newbury at a panel discussion on drugs misuse and our current drug laws. Norman said that he has thought through the "drugs danger" and whether it should receive a criminal response or a health response. He said he has concluded that there should be a health response. He alluded to John Stuart Mill's 'self-regarding acts', where the state shouldn't interfere and 'other-regarding acts' where some state intervention may be justified. He said that it is wrong to criminalise those suffering mental ill health who resort to drugs because of their condition. It is "ridiculous", ...
38 degrees does have its uses. Their "Refugees Welcome" campaign allows you to go their website, enter your postcode and see if their is a current "Refugees welcome in -name of town or city-" petition for your locality. If there is, you can sign it if you want to. If there isn't one for your area, you can just hit the red button to "start a campaign" and you can set up a petition for your home town, village or city, and then publicise it via Twitter, Facebook, email etc. The Guardian has a list of ways you can help ...
Advice for first-time visitors to the Liberal Democrat Conference, which kicks off in Bournemouth later this week. When you first go to conference there is a risk of overloading with "stuff". Bear in mind that conference is a very unusual situation for a human being. You are there being pumped full of the highest octane level of high octane political content for up to 18 hours a day. I once counted up over 50 subjects on which I had listened to speeches or explanations during a conference week. It is very easy to take it all very seriously and end ...
[IMG: George-orwell-BBC] Over on the (unaffiliated) Journeyman blog there is a review of George Orwell's collection of essays called Why I write, which was originally published in 1946. The review quotes a couple of passages where Orwell makes observations about England. (I apologise that these opinions are very specifically given about England only, rather than the country as a whole). The first passage is about the artistic and intellectual characteristics of the English: Here are a couple of generalizations about England that would be accepted by almost all observers. One is that the English are not gifted artistically...the English are ...
[IMG: thomas bowdler house] On a recent trip to Shrewsbury, we took a short cut and I was pleasantly surprised to see this. It is a dental practice in "Bowdler's House", described as "Founded by Thomas Bowdler 1724". This got me all excited. Thomas Bowdler went through all the works of Shakespeare and took out all the "naughty" bits. Thus, he produced a "family" version of Shakespeare. This led to the word "bowdlerised" which is when a literary work has been "sanitised". My wonderful English teacher, the late Charles Phelps, always used to wax lyrical about Thomas Bowdler and what ...
