A few weeks ago, I decided to write a Liberal Democrat Voice article about whether or not The Doctor should be played by a woman. I never did send it to Caron, and have since had some second thoughts on the matter. Here is what was going to be the introduction: "Twice in two days I've seen posts/comments on Facebook about whether The Doctor could/should be a woman. In the run-up to Peter Capaldi's reveal, bookies were trying to tempt gamblers with odds on Sue Perkins and Olivia Coleman, among others. This infuriated me, mostly because of its sheer cynicism. ...
While the rest of us had our feet up with a glass of wine watching Strictly, Tim Farron was putting us all to shame after a day of knocking on doors in Kendal. What is it about Lib Dem leaders and running up hills? Mad dog and Englishman out fell running in the evening sun... pic.twitter.com/Yk8NGsyLSy — Tim Farron (@timfarron) October 10, 2015 And in case you hadn't had enough cute spaniels, here's my Hazel, who's suitably exhausted after playing with a couple of cockers in the park while I chatted to their human. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of ...
I don't know where to begin with this, though a warning that it was going to be tripe was contained in the rhetorical flourish at the end of the opening paragraph: >"Whether it's in Ukraine or Syria, the Russian president seems always to have the upper hand." I respectfully suggest that's because Russia borders Ukraine and is acting in support of the Syrian government (whether you like it or not) and not a disunited and weak opposition movement. Geography and political reality give Russia "the upper hand." No amount of [truthiness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthiness) is going to change that. Basically, the argument is ...
Both Tim Farron and Norman Lamb have taken note that today is World Mental Health Day. As someone who has had lifelong experience of Anxiety and Depression in varying degrees of intensity,I appreciate the way in which they and Nick Clegg before them fought to get this issue to the forefront. It also greatly aggrieves me that the Scottish government is now light years behind England in mental health provision. We don't have parity of esteem up here and mental health is as much the Cinderella service as ever it was. Tim tweeted: Today is World Mental Health Day. We ...
Sat 10th
14:55
Clarke and Dawe - Agility, boldness, momentum and some slight elements of destabilisation
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe:
I had intended to spend this weekend with Alastair Reynolds and many others at CapClave in Washington DC, but alas something came up and I must stay in Europe. I have read shamefully few of his books, though I have greatly enjoyed his company when fate has thrown us together - I particularly remember a rather hungover but very collegial train journey to Dublin after the infamous 2007 Octocon (best wishes to organisers and attendees there this weekend). Anyway, Galactic North, slightly to my surprise, turned out not to be a novel but a set of short stories set in ...
In the past fifteen months, I have twice been made redundant. The first one was actually easier to bear because I knew that my direct line manager had it in for me. I was effectively working alone, not in an office so it was relatively easy for him to direct the flow of information. Unlike others, I was not asked to reapply for my post but instead transferred across to a new cost centre within the company. What I did not know is that was one due to be cut once the contract I was working on came to an ...
Saturday: This was Classic Who done in Classic style. This was so old-school it was Quatermass, down to its mysterious etchings on the inside of its unearthed alien spacecraft. This was so trad you could carve it into a dining table. And it wasn't ashamed to have characters announce the tropes they're riffing on: from "base under siege" to "Aliens" to "you can stay here and play cabin in the woods". Nothing wrong with that. Each generation deserves a chance to see why the classics became classics, especially if done well. Except it doesn't leave me much to talk about. ...
In May 2015 Labour were flattened. The Liberal Democrats were washed away. Both parties stunned by surprise collapses and a Conservative majority the polls just didn't predict was supposed to happen. But whilst the Liberal Democrats fight to rebuild and the Conservatives dig in to their newfound control of politics how can we prevent ourselves moving to join Labour in their denialist quagmire that elected Corbyn? Corbyn is not a bad person, he is simply the wrong person. Labour's denial is rooted in the incomprehension that New Labour was a runaway electoral success for the same reason that Ed Miliband ...
'CAMHS referral targets state that no child should wait more than 18 weeks to be seen. Only 78.9% of children are seen within that time frame. When you look at the statistics for 26 weeks only 7% more are seen by then. That means that 14% of children are not seen by the Child and [...]
There are two things that scare the living daylights out of me about the two EU referendum campaign in general and the pro-EU campaign in particular. The first is that I just wonder where on earth the women are. Jenny Jones and Kate Hoey are active on the Leave side but we hear more from the men and the campaign seems to be being run by men. The pro-EU side will be led by Stuart Rose, Conservative peer and former head of Marks and Spencer. Will Straw and Ryan Coetzee are involved on a staff level. Laura Sandys from the ...
The Electoral Commission have published the timetable for the local elections in England in 2016. Much of their general guidance is awaiting potential legislative changes in December but to aid planning they have published this provisional timetable. Downloads 2016 Timetable for the 2016 Local Elections in England
[IMG: House of Cards Season 3 - DVD cover] After the first two cracking seasons, House of Cards Season 3 is a more hit and miss affair, best watched spaced out over time rather than binging on many episodes in one go. That's because in Season 3 there is rather less political machinations than previously and rather more emphasis on the characters, especially the disintegrating Underwood marriage. However the character development is done rather unevenly, with some abrupt changes in course which you really notice if watching too many episodes too close to each other. One of Underwood's rivals, for ...
Tim Farron will try and kill off the Government's flawed Immigration Bill during the Second Reading debate on Tuesday. From the Guardian: The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has challenged Labour and the Scottish National party to back an amendment he will table to the government's immigration bill that would stop it becoming law. Farron will table a reasoned amendment - a device used to offer reasons for rejecting a bill - when the government's proposals are debated in parliament on Tuesday. Tim is quoted as saying: It is simply ridiculous to have a bill that ignores the biggest humanitarian ...
I spoke on Wave 102 News yesterday about the forthcoming Community Council elections in Dundee - and the good work of West End Community Council over many years. You can read more about the elections here and to listen to the interview click 'play' below :
The BBC has the story on its website – see link above [IMG: The magnificent curving roof of York Station seen in December 2013] The magnificent curving roof of York Station seen in December 2013
Some would argue that my headline is misleading: that UKIP have already had electoral success. The 2014 Euros? Yes, but that was sort of a protest vote. In December of that same year, six months out from the general election, I predicted that UKIP would end up with one seat, that being Douglas Carswell's, post May 7th, 2015. The only thing about my prediction that is off is my optimism for Labour and the Lib Dems in certain seats; the key prediction being that Nigel Farage would not win in South Thanet. Anyway, moving on: what happens to UKIP now? ...
Angry men are listened to more, angry women less, by all genders. This makes me incredibly angry. Luckily the next article I read was @garwboy's "Breasts: the ultimate weapons", which is hilarious Slouching towards post-democracy Political Madness Gone Correct - a counterpoint to those railing about the shutting down of debate at universities Today we left reality behind and entered David Cameron's fantasy world EXCELLENT article about how the fourth estate are failing to hold the tories to account The remarkable thing that happens to poor kids when you give their parents a little money Are the Only Good Roles ...
For the UK, getting what it wants in the EU is not enough. It needs to feel it has won. | Jon Worth @JonWorth's concerns. (tags: eu ukpolitics )
The Welsh Labour Government's proposal to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places has been based on the premise that they could act as a gateway to tobacco. In the world of evidence-free legislation this is a special case. With cigarettes there is evidenced harm caused by second hand smoke, that does not apply with e-cigarettes. And now newly published research has cast doubt on claims that e-cigarettes attract non-smokers. The Western Mail reports that the Welsh Health Survey asked regular users of vaping devices if they had previously been tobacco users, and almost every single respondent said yes: ...
