Several years ago, now, Mike Taylor asked in the comments to this blog where someone who wanted to get into the Beach Boys should start. I never gave a proper answer. In part, that's because he was asking about albums, and the Beach Boys have very few albums one can recommend utterly unreservedly. Their earliest [...]
Labour Uncut has a rather wonderful and humourous A-Z that probably reveals just a little too much of the internal machinations of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party. It's just too good not to share. My personal favourite is: Burnhamite - A malleable substance that can bend and merge to form any shape required of it before ultimately imploding.
The story of how Jeremy Corbyn climbed the Wrekin to plant a red flag puts me in mind of this passage from John Wood's 1944 book Quietest Under the Sun: Footways on Severnside Hills: Though the Stiperstones stand as long as the world endures the doom of the land we love may be inevitable unless the descendants of the Saxons rise and throw off that remaining relic of the Norman Conquest: class privilege based on a superiority that is not of mental nor even physical powers, but merely built up from one generation to another on the continued assumption of ...
I posted part 1 a couple of days ago.
The former Liberal Democrat has an article on the Guardian website (and probably in tomorrow's paper, though the site no longer tells you that). The problem? Our presumption was that the days of Russian power in the Middle East were over. But today Russia has more influence from the north-east corner of the Mediterranean through to Iran than ever before. None of this is due to Putin's genius. It is due to our follies.The solution? What all this amounts to is a twin-track strategy. Continuing with military action, while recognising that it will have little effect beyond illustrating to Putin ...
The old churchyard at Crathie © Alan Morrison I have blogged with pride the tale of my kinsman Alexander Campbell, who refused to shave his beard off for Queen Victoria, more than once. He is remembered by a John Robertson in Robert Smith's book A Queen's Country: "He was a bit of an eccentric," said John Robertson. He planted honeysuckle away out towards the Dubh Loch, halfway between in and the Glass-alt, beside a cairn of stones. He also planted holly trees along the lochside. ... "If he parted company with somebody," said John, with a grin, "he would build ...
I came to this just after reading Volume 6 of TARDIS Eruditorum, which has a chapter excoriating this book. It's not as bad as all that. I think Gary Russell is one of the better Who writers currently in action; granted, this book is from 18 years ago, his first for the Past Doctors range, but it shows his potential. I'm also a bit baffled by the criticism that it exists only to be a Sixth Doctor-Brigadier story, and/or a Mel origin story. Granted, I think that The Spectre of Lanyon Moor did the former better, and The Wrong Doctors ...
More educative entertainment from Tom Scott:
Fri 16th
16:46
County Council pays out over a million pounds in two and half year on claims to due highways defects
Liberal Democrats at County Hall have unearthed information that shows that Herts County Council has had to pay out over a million pounds in injury and compensation claims in just two and half years due to highways defects. The information obtained by Liberal Democrat opposition Leader Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Central Watford and Oxhey) shows that until [...]
I am now obtaining counsel's advice to consider what action should be taken to support the Officer's defamed by your publication, the words in the final paragraph of Madeline Homer's letter referring to an email letter sent to council leader Chris Wells, in which she claims Sir Rodger Gail MP has defamed various officer's Crikey what could mild mannered Sir Rodger have possibly done to upset Thanet's council top bod, not much in my view. In writing to Chris Wells, about the compulsory purchase order of Manston Sir Rodger Gale did mention concerns over a the previous CPO of Dreamland, ...
The Vote Leave and Leave EU campaigns are "male, pale and stale," writes Catherine Bearder MEP. The board of the Stronger In campaign "represents all sections of society - students, the arts, business and trade unions - and almost half its members are women". She goes on: "Young people in particular are historically the least likely to vote, but the latest polls show 83% of them want to stay in the EU. [We should emphasise] that the EU is all about opportunity. Whether it is a ski season in Austria or a summer working in a bar in Spain, being ...
You can sense Kath Pinnock's frustration about the Government's Childcare Bill as she outlines how she and the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords tried to force the Government to add some detail into the proposals in an article for Politics Home. It was pretty basic stuff that needed fleshing out as well – like the level of funding available for councils to provide 15 hours of childcare a week. Quality and training standards weren't outlined – and nor was there even a definition of who was eligible. Liberal Democrats tabled several amendments to deal with these issues at ...
We are tremendously proud of all the fantastic Stockport businesses, and would like to congratulate all the award winners at the 2015 Stockport Business Awards. Business of the Year £5m+ Valour Finance Group Business of the Year £1-5m Pioneer Digital Solutions Business of the Year up to £1m Trust Business Person of the Year Julian Stafford, Midshire Business Systems Most Promising Young Business IN Accountancy Young Business Person of the Year Muhammad Jamil, Parcel Plus The Award for Developing Young People SAS Daniels Employer of the Year Award Rowlinson Knitwear The Award for Most Innovative Business APEM Best International Trade ...
Fri 16th
13:05
Catherine Bearder MEP writes: Europe is about more than the economy, it's about opportunity
[IMG: Catherine Bearder with Liberal Youth members October 2015] At the official launch of the Stronger In Campaign on Monday it was great to see such a huge range of people, of all ages and from all walks of life, prepared to work together to secure Britain's place in Europe. The board of the campaign represents all sections of society – students, the arts, business and trade unions – and almost half its members are women. This couldn't contrast more with the male, pale and stale line-ups of the Vote Leave and Leave EU campaigns. The challenge now for Stronger ...
Fri 16th
12:09
Maghull – Sale of Old library and Stafford Moreton Youth Centre site -The facts need outing
I mentioned not so long ago (15th September) – see link below – that Sefton Council was selling this valuable piece of land in the heart of Maghull's shopping area:- The sale was approved by the Labour elite running the Council but Labour back-benchers are unhappy and have called for the decision to be brought to a Council Scrutiny Committee. This will happen on 22nd October. [IMG: The former Stafford Moreton Youth Centre and old Maghull Library stand ripe for redevelopment in the heart of Maghull.] The former Stafford Moreton Youth Centre and old Maghull Library stand ripe for ...
Three principal council by-elections were contested yesterday, all of which resulted in holds. In Cambridgeshire (CC), UKIP managed to defend their wafer-thin five vote majority in Chatteris division from 2013, winning by just 10 votes ahead of the Conservatives. Liberal Democrat candidate John Freeman cam in third with 18.7% of the vote, a vote share [...]
I was invited last month to the New Sands Allotment Show in Swalwell, Gateshead, last month. I took along my cameras and have just got round to editing the video I filmed whilst there. Allotmenteers have helped maintain flower beds in Swalwell and some work has been done this week. I was the judge at the show last year. I was quite pleased that this year they had someone else to do the
The 2015 Sex and Power report published by the Counting Women In coalition came out this week. It looks in detail at the number of women candidates put forward by each party and the number of MPs elected. It's not fun to read if you're a Liberal Democrat for obvious reasons. It's not just that we have an all white middle aged male party in the Commons, it's that we're not making nearly enough progress to redress the imbalance. The proportion of women in our target seats should be much higher than 50/50 if we are serious about improving gender ...
What do you think of how the Lib Dem leadership election was run? I'm running an online survey for Lib Dem members, the results of which I'll feed into the party's governance review. It'd be great to get the views of as many party members as possible. So please do take just a few minutes to do the survey – and share it with others too: [IMG: Take the survey button]
[IMG: September Kickstart was attended by over 100 local Lib Dem campaigners and staff] Unfortunately, due to extremely high demand the Kickstart Weekend 27 – 29 November is now full for any new bookings. If you have already made a provisional booking and need to pay, or have any other questions please contact Emma Hall direct on emma.hall@aldc.org or 0161 212 1012 A draft agenda is available here Kickstart [...]
The SNP ride higher than ever in the polls – some have them as high 60% for next May's Holyrood election. There appears to have been very little "Corbyn bounce" for Labour, at least thus far. It begs the question: how will anyone but the SNP win in Scotland ever again? Part of what must be addressed to even start trying to answer that question, is to once again dispel the myth that Labour were not left-wing enough to win in Scotland. I've written about this point so many times I won't repeat myself here; particularly when the real life ...
You can read all the articles that have caught my attention this week here: https://delicious.com/stephentall Below are a selection... Michael Gove, the polite assassin This, by @mrianleslie, really is a brilliantly nuanced profile of Gove (& v good assessment of eductn policy too) http://bit.ly/1MrOUZL UKIP loses control of Thanet council over Manston issue – BBC News 5 months tho. Longer than I'd have expected > UKIP loses control of Thanet, its only council – BBC News http://bbc.in/1LNPJBR For the Conservatives, Nigel Farage is the gift that keeps on giving | Rafael Behr | Comment is free | The Guardian Rafael ...
[IMG: Keith Holloway is fighting against government plans to halve police numbers] Keith Holloway is fighting against government plans to halve police numbers Keith Holloway has spoken out against Government plans to slash Police numbers across Stockport at a time of increasing violence and crime. Keith, Lib Dem councillor for Cheadle and Gatley, said "Across Greater Manchester we could soon be down to just 4,000 police officers, half the number we had protecting us in 2010. The Greater Manchester Police Federation are asking what they should stop doing. One likely outcome I've heard time and again is that the regular ...
Do share your reasons in the comment thread.
The SNP are holding their Conference in Aberdeen this weekend. Next weekend, the Scottish Liberal Democrats hold our Conference in Dunfermline. These are very different events, not least in terms of scale. The SNP's event is massive this year, for obvious reasons. They are not used to the presence of the BBC's UK political editor. I've been looking over the agenda for both events tonight and have a few reflections to make: The SNP's motions are much simpler Have a look at the SNP agenda. It's pretty bland. Compare it with ours. Our motions tend to be longer and contain ...
As I advised back in July, Phase 2 of the changes to recycling and bin collection arrangements starts on 9th November and represents a significant change in bin/recycling arrangements for households. In Phase 2 of are the areas around Tullideph, Pentland, City Road, Brook Street, the eastern part of Blackness Road, Peddie Street, South Tay Street and Windsor Street. Last night, I attended part of one of the roadshows taking place across the Phase 2 area. Last night's was at the Mitchell Street Centre and was well-attended with well over 40 folk attending. It gave residents the opportunity to find ...
The post Ideation – How To Come Up With New Ideas appeared first on James Taylor.
Her Code Got Humans on the Moon—And Invented Software Itself Margaret Hamilton's triumph. (tags: sexandgenderandsexuality computers space ) In defence of TTIP, and my role as EU Trade Commissioner Malmström strikes back. (tags: eu ) VW to recall 8.5 million cars in EU Who else, I wonder? (tags: eu climatechange )
Astronomers may have found giant alien 'megastructures' - petition to call them the Quagaars Oh FUCK OFF Liddle Here's How Many Women Have Been In BBC Comedy Panel TV Shows In The Last Two Years I can only think of two ways this headline could be worse, & both I will not type Warning issued after trolleys are thrown on Yorkshire railway lines - what sort of mindless idiot...? EU Law Analysis: The party's over: EU data protection law after the Schrems Safe Harbour judgment [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
With Halloween around the corner, the Police are launching Operation Treacle on Tuesday 27th October 2015 from 2-7pm at Edgeley Park, and there's a pumpkin competition too! Halloween and Bonfire Night can see a rise in anti-social behaviour along with the dangers of fireworks and Operation Treacle aims to keep everyone safe to have a fun and happy Halloween and Bonfire Night. [IMG: operation treacle]
Fri 16th
07:23
For want of a nought the arts grant was (almost) lost in Shropshire - please sign the petition
Please sign the petition to Stop the Shropshire Arts cuts. "What a mistake to make!" Those are not my words. They were uttered by BBC Radio Shropshire's Eric Smith yesterday morning (listen). He was talking about grants given by Shropshire Council to community arts groups around the county. The arts grant scheme was quietly [...]
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Nigel Ashton and Jo Barton are holding their next advice centre in Churchtown. We will be at Cafe Moo Moo on Cambridge Road (by the junction with Preston New Road, next to Boots) from 10:30 to 11:30 am on Thursday 22nd October. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Crossens, at St John's School, Rufford Road, Crossens every month (except August) on the second Saturday of the month from 11:00 am ...
Even I am getting tired of blogging about the dissatisfaction within the upper reaches of the Labour Party with their newly elected leader, however nobody in the news media seems to be writing about anything much else. The latest outburst comes after the shenanigans of Wednesday night when the Labour leader allowed members of his ministerial team to defy him by avoiding a crucial Commons vote just hours after threatening them with the sack if they rebelled. The Telegraph reports that senior members of Jeremy Corbyn's own team say he has "lost control" over his own party and it is ...
The Welsh Government needs to urgently explain why its plans for rail electrification no longer extend to all of the Valleys. I have noted that there are significant gaps in rail electrification projects with five lines missing from Welsh Government's National Transport Finance Plan 2015. The Ebbw Vale, Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, Penarth and Maesteg lines are not included in the list of lines to be electrified. A map highlighting the lines that are included and omitted from the plan can be found by clicking here. The map is taken from the Welsh Government's document, with colour highlighting added ...
