A bumper selection that threatens to stop halfway through and then carries on. Both the Peak District and industrial Derbyshire are well covered. Other videos are available: Devon, Bedfordshire, North Lincolnshire, East Sussex, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Hampshire, Cumbria, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Cornwall, Rutland. Northumberland, Shropshire, Suffolk, East Riding of Yorkshire, Norfolk, Wiltshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Durham, Glasgow and Staffordshire.
Arab cinema is remarkably little known in the United Kingdom, disgracefully given Britain's long involvement in the Arab world and — even more importantly — given the high quality of much of the current output, both fiction and non-fiction, across North Africa and the Middle East. Arab film has come on a long way since [...]
Happy anniversary, employer who shall not be named! Amazing really, it's been twenty-nine years since I walked through the doors at [redacted] to start my first day as a [redacted]. Nowadays, of course, I'm not allowed to tell anyone what I do through the medium of this blog. However, I still enjoy what I do, even if the government would really rather wish I would expire before I can pick up my thoroughly deserved pension... On this day... in 2010 I was discovering why Parish Councils seemed to be bound to cheques, rather than electronic banking, and actually being vaguely ...
Friends of the Earth say hundred of solar firms will probably go bankrupt and tens of thousands of jobs may be lost http://ind.pn/1NSJ49N UN chief environmental scientist Prof Jacquie McGlade says cuts in renewables subsidies, coupled with tax breaks for oil and gas, sent a worrying signal to the coming UN climate summit in Paris. She says ".....the UK appeared to have abandoned its leadership on climate change, while 150 other nations were making unprecedented pledges to shift towards clean energy".
When Simon Jenkins started writing for the Guardian back in 2005, I blogged that he had quickly worked out what his new readers wanted. I quoted him: The education white paper offers a vision of a "parent-led" state secondary-school system. Its key institution is the "self-governing school free to parents", a copy of the Tories' grant-maintained school that Labour once derided. Parents will be able to control a school's "ethos and individualism". As one parent briskly put it to me, "We can keep out the blacks.And then commented myself: Parents cannot be trusted with a role in their children's education ...
I arrived at the Battle of Ideas at lunchtime on Saturday and found there was a debate on comedy and offence starting shortly in one of the Barbican's cinemas. It sounded my sort of thing, so I went along. When I got there I found Dapper Laughs was one of the speakers. If it had been any other event there would have pickets or I would have been called "Tory Scum" or spat on by Guardian columnists. Because it was the Battle of Ideas I just wandered in and found him there. I got the memo. I have written for ...
Tue 20th
21:30
Lib Dem Lords will try and kill off Tory tax credit cuts as Farron decries Osborne's "Poll Tax"
[IMG: Cameron Osborne Tax Credit Poll Tax] George Osborne could be told to think again on tax credits by the House of Lords next week if a "regret motion" co-sponsored by Lib Dem peer Archy Kirkwood is successful. Party leader Tim Farron has asked all Lib Dem peers to support it, making a government defeat possible.According to the Guardian, though, some Labour peers might get the collywobbles about challenging a government's financial bill. According to the Guardian: By custom and practice, the peers do not challenge financial measures, but Farron has been arguing that the specific tax credits measure was ...
And one I meant to put into it, but as I said, I'm having cognitive problems. And now I think about it, it's a separate point. I went to the doctor with my back pain a long time ago — about three years, if I remember right — and was told it was simply my [...]
That's the question Tim Farron is asking this evening in the following mail to members: I want you to tell me why you're a Liberal Democrat! What do you think are the party's unique values, beliefs and approach? And what do they have to offer the country over the next five years? Discussing and debating these issues is an essential element of the party's fightback; the party's philosophy provides the backbone on which our policies and campaigns are built. This is the focus of the Federal Policy Committee's Agenda 2020 exercise, which we kicked off this summer. We aim to ...
A few of you who've been around here for a few years will have noticed that I've not been able to blog as much over the last year or two as previously (shamefully I've even missed my Patreon target occasionally, though I hope the free books and so on made up for that). I've committed [...]
Further to the update I gave earlier this week about the one day closure of Kirsty Semple Way in the Ninewells Hospital grounds this coming Saturday (24th October), Xplore Dundee has advised that the closure will affect the buses on Saturday as follows : Saturday 24 October 2015 for 1 day affecting Services 5, 9,9A,10,10A Service 5, 9 / 9A - To Ninewells Normal route to Perth Road then via Tom McDonald Avenue, Explorer Road, Mallaig Avenue, Spey Drive, Charleston Drive, to James Arrott Drive Service 9 / 9A - From Ninewells (will not be serving the Technology Park during ...
Last week, I updated residents about the problems the recent Xplore Dundee bus changes had made to people working in the Technology Park and the fact that I had contacted the bus company about this - specifically seeking an improvement in evening services. I was pleased to have been advised by Xplore Dundee management that, following a meeting between Xplore Dundee and HMRC who have over 600 staff working in the Technology Park, the bus company has applied for registration for the following evening services to be re-routed to cover Explorer Road in the Technology Park:It is hoped to be ...
How often do local politicians or political parties actually ask you for YOUR thoughts on the daily issues that affect YOU with each passing day, eh? Well that's what I'm doing right now! And the best bit is only takes twenty seconds to complete! Take the Peterborough resident Survey 2015 NOW! What's the point? It's a [...]
Why not join hundreds of other Lib Dem Voice readers in getting our latest headlines by email? Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there's new stories of interest. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day's posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want to take a read. Just go to our email sign up page to ...
Of course many of us in the Liberal world will not be surprised at any leader going back on his word - what is most frustrating is that, despite McDonnell's hopeful suggestion, he and the Tories will suffer nothing like the same infamy allotted to Nick Clegg on his tuition fees fiasco. So why is this?
Tue 20th
14:32
The first broken promise - Tories face defeat on tax credits after Lib Dem peers instructed to oppos...
Whilst people's focus has understandably been on the number of Tory MPs whose seats may be at risk if those facing cuts in their tax credits were to change their vote en bloc, there is still a long way to go before we get to that point. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has highlighted how the proposed cuts will hit hard-working families who rely on these credits to top up their earned income. They point out that the chancellor is "hitting rather harder some of those that are in work, thereby reducing work incentives and, of course, hitting what he ...
www.libdemvoice.org/tom-brake-writes-47838.html [IMG: Lib Dem MP Tom Brake] Lib Dem MP Tom Brake Read about Tom's visit to the Calais Jungle – see link above – where thousands of refugees are suffering appalling conditions whist our excuse for a Government tries to do as little as it can to help.
[IMG: IMG_6341r] You never know what Edie Pope and her family at Church View Farm Shop will come up with next especially at Halloween.
The Liberal Party has swept to power, winning 184 seats out of 338, an overall majority of 30. The election platform included such policies as Cutting income taxes for the middle-classes while increasing them for the wealthy Running deficits for three years to pay for infrastructure spending Doing more to address environmental concerns over the controversial Keystone oil pipeline Taking more Syrian refugees; pulling out of bombing raids against Islamic State while bolstering training for Iraqi forces Legalising marijuana This comes after a bad result in 2011 coming third with 34 seats behind the left wing NDP and with the ...
Local councillor Chris White has criticised the District Council for dragging its feet over commuter parking in Clarence Park. Chris said: 'We have know for some time that a local business is abusing this facility and telling its visitors to use the Park. We also know that railway commuters are using it. 'This is stopping [...]
Operation Treacle is the joint campaign (Police, Fire and others) across Greater Manchester to give the public important information and advice about the autumn period through Halloween and Bonfire Night. The safe4autumn website has a large amount information and ideas about both events, to help everyone feel and stay safe. [IMG: pumpkin-carving-patterns] Here is there advice for a safe and enjoyable Halloween! Halloween Safety Advice Halloween can be a lot of fun for children and young people, but it can also be distressing and intimidating for some residents. If you are going 'trick or treating' please respect and consider others ...
One of the things that makes the Prestwich area nice is probably the amount of trees we have. Not sure if it is true, but we've always been told that the previous Prestwich Borough Council (which existed until 1974) had a very proactive policy of planting trees which a generation later we are seeing the benefits of. Presumably Whitefield Urban District Council was doing the same thing in the areas around Tamworth Avenue etc. [IMG: Screenshot 2015-10-20 10.23.50] But we also have problems, many of these trees have become too large for a housing area, and one of the main ...
[This blog was written in May 2015] I slept badly. It wasn't for the lack of practice but rather the jet lag. Last time I was so far East, it was easier because the journey had been broken up: a couple of unexpected nights in Singapore and two more in Australia before hitting the well sites in deepest outback of Moomba. This time though I was in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ahead of another adventure - at least that's how I like to think about work when this far from home. It's an nine-hour time difference and I travelled here in twenty five ...
There is plenty of debate across the political spectrum about how unrepresentative of the overall population our elected politicians are. Much of this discussion focuses on the lack of women and BAME people in the corridors of power. This is, of course, a necessary debate because there are too many white men in positions of power. All our remaining MPs fall into that category. Labour appear to be ahead of us in addressing gender and ethnicity issues in their party, but they have missed something. They have increased the number of female and black MPs, but they have come largely ...
The local Police are holding their next 'PACT' Meeting (Police and Communities Together) 'online' asking local people in Prestwich to talk to their local police on Twitter and on Facebook. The online meeting will be taking place this Thursday, 22 October from 5pm - 6pm. Officers will be online to answer your police related questions from the following accounts: Twitter: @GMPPrestwich (https://twitter.com/GMPPrestwich) Facebook: GMP Bury South (www.facebook.com/GMPBurySouth)
[IMG: unfair] From the newly elected Canadian Liberal election platform: We will make every vote count. We are committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system. We will convene an all-party Parliamentary committee to review a wide variety of reforms, such as ranked ballots, proportional representation, mandatory voting, and online voting. This committee will deliver its recommendations to Parliament. Within 18 months of forming government, we will introduce legislation to enact electoral reform. Let the wrangling over the ideal replacement system begin! Obviously, it'll be sad to lose a good example ...
The local police are constantly looking at ways to make our Town the safest it can possibly be. They are currently looking for volunteers who may wish to set up a Homewatch scheme on their street. Please see below poster for more information. Also, this Thursday is the Annual Homewatch Conference, Thursday 22 October, Fusiliers Museum, Moss Street, Bury, BL9 0DF. Doors will open to the public at 6.30pm with the conference commencing at 7.15pm Welcoming entertainment by the GMP Sax Quartet Static information displays by local organisations who can offer advice or speak at your next meetings. They include: ...
For much of 2010 a barrel of Brent crude oil sold for under $80. [IMG: Graphic from Nasdaq] Graphic from Nasdaq Then it started to take off, so that in early 2011, it reached $125. Around this time, perhaps not coincidentally, the Scottish National Party (SNP) achieved a stunning victory in the Scottish parliamentary election, allowing them to govern on their own, in spite of the proportional voting system. In the following three years the oil price held at around $110, and it seemed quite reasonable for the SNP to assume that prices would stay there for its financial projections ...
Imagine that a revolution is happening in the nation. We have withdrawn in high dudgeon from pan-European supranational authority - complaining that we are not allowed to be an exception to European rule. We are also watching an extraordinary overturning of our tried and tested welfare, healthcare and education system, with the institutions that we have relied upon, and complained about for generations, chopped up and sold off to the highest bidders or to favourites of the regime at Whitehall. As you realised immediately, I'm sure, I'm not describing the political situation here in a year or so, when the ...
[IMG: canadaresult] Well, I got the number of Conservative seats almost right – right on close to 100, just wrong on which side of it they'd fall. For the other two, though, I seem to have got it quite wrong: underestimating the size of the Liberal surge and underestimating how far the NDP would fall. But anyway here's some early thoughts: There does appear to have been a decent amount of strategic voting (see here for a view from inside Canada) against the Conservatives. They actually outperformed the final polling projections in terms of the percentage of the vote they ...
[IMG: Red, orange, blue, green: no real clues as to which party these parrots support.] Red, orange, blue, green: no real clues as to which party these parrots support. Clearly there's been a big omission from Liberal Democrat training for canvassers judging by two of the responses to my post about worst canvassing experiences. Exhibit A, courtesy of Kelly-Marie Blundell: Canvassing flats, often elderly people will call out through the door before opening as a measure of precaution. When I was canvassing some flats in Guildford, I knocked on one such door, or so I thought. "Excuse me, can I ...
There was an article in the Evening Standard last night regarding the unions choice for next Labour leader. In case you didn't see the feature, I shall not keep you in suspense any longer: apparently they want Watson to be next in line should Corbyn "fail". Most of this conjecture is based around Len McCluskey and Tom Watson being spotted together having a drink in a pub in Kennington after a huge row had taken place in the Commons involving Labour backbenchers. I will say the following two things: one, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and the General ...
Yesterday, I had a very useful meeting with the Dundee University Students' Association (DUSA) President, Deputy President and Vice President (Representation). We discussed a number of DUSA initiatives including its involvement in various community initiatives in the local area and also discussed the parking problems in the West End and possible ways of improving matters. Its good to see such a committed and enthusiastic DUSA Executive and its activity in the community is welcome, particularly its landlord accreditation scheme.
From the moment that the Conservatives announced their plans to reform the tax credits system, there was a sense that they either didn't understand the implications of what they were doing, or simply didn't care, lost in a reverie of ideology. However, as it becomes clearer that this might not be popular, and we are all aware that politicians prefer to be popular rather than unpopular, there have been increasing signs of nervousness among the serried ranks of Conservative MPs. Compassionate Conservatism surely means that, in the search of the mythical centre ground, they can't be uncaring, can they? So, ...
As usual there are four Acts of Remembrance in the Blyth area this year. They are:- Submariners Service, Sunday 1st November , 11 am at "Tiptoe Anchor" Newsham Service, Saturday 7th November, 11 am , "Newsham Pavilion" Cowpen Service, Sunday 8th November , 11 am Cowpen Memorial Blyth Service, Sunday 8th November , 11 am at the Memorials at Ridley Park, Blyth If other services are confirmed, I will post details as I get them.
Cllr John Dodd with local campaigner Bill Welsh Campaigners have called into question the validity of Sefton's Local Plan after the council made an embarrassing error and forgot where their own boundaries are. Sefton Council's Local Plan, submitted to the Secretary of State on August 3rd for independent examination, sets out how new development in Sefton will be managed in the period from 2015 to 2030. However, the report states that the Moss Lane Allotments of Churchtown are not part of Sefton - when in fact they are. The allotments pay their rent to the Council but have been omitted ...
