For some years now, Gateshead Council has not been providing a Christmas tree for Whickham. Instead, a group of volunteers called Lighting Up Whickham, have raised the funds for the tree and have held a switching-on event. This year's tree was switched on today and I was there to do the photos. You can see them on the above link.
Residents of Thomson Street will be pleased to learn that the street is finally to be re-opened to through traffic after many months of a closure of its southern end due to construction of a care home extension. I have been given an assurance that, by Friday of this week, the street will be fully reopened, although there will need to be some traffic management - a 'give and take' system with just one lane operating. This should not present problems due to relatively low vehicle numbers. I have been asking the City Council for some time to liaise with ...
The Grantham Canal ran for 33 miles from Grantham to the Trent at West Bridgford. It was abandoned in 1936. In recent years a lot of restoration work has been done. For details see the Grantham Canal Society website. I have walked part of the canal myself through the Stilton country of the Vale of Belvoir.
The decision of Glasgow East SNP MP Natalie McGarry to resign the party whip today couldn't have come at a worse time for the beleaguered nationalists, following hot on the heels of Edinburgh West MP Michelle Thomson's alleged 'dodgy practices' around house purchasing transactions and the scandal of the party accepting a Tory donation to the SNP... More The 56...er...The 55...er...The 54!!
There is no doubt about the bust up of the day. It is Alan Johnson's pummelling of Simon Hardy from what is laughing called 'Left Unity' on the Daily Politics this lunchtime. Johnson was absolutely right to question Hardy's blithe assumption that only his groupuscule of the left stands against racism, austerity and war. He was right to defend the record of the Labour governments of which he was a part: we introduced the minimum wage, when we introduced the education maintenance allowance, when we introduced sure start children's centres, when we reduced child poverty, when we attacked pensioner poverty, ...
He is the Subject, he is the Absolute. She is the Other. – Simone de Beauvoir Charlize Theron was the talk of this year's summer blockbusters. Portraying the tough character of Furiosa in ... Continue reading →
Falling on David Cameron's desk this afternoon is a letter signed by all current and living former leaders of the Liberal Democrats in which they outline the five key tests the Government must pass in order to secure the party's ... Continue reading →
It is not just the national party that has had a membership boost over the last year. Liberal Democrat Christian Forum has doubled its membership in 2015. Our membership now stands at just over 560 members. We too (like the party) had the majority the of membership boost in the 3 months after May. However are membership has been growing steadily throughout 2015. LDCF does many events throughout the year, both on this own (such as prayers in parliament and fringes at conference) and with other organisations, such as charities and Christians in Politics. It was great to see so ...
Another visit to Bonkers Hall draws to a close. Thank you for listening. Jeremy Corbyn's New Politics Tense scenes in the House this evening as we debate Osborne's proposed cuts to tax credits. The motions before us arrange from total rejection, put forward by us Liberal Democrats, to the bishops' proposal for loud tutting. I spy an old Socialist of my acquaintance - when I first knew him he was generally to be found on picket lines with Mary Berry and I would have offered long odds against his taking the ermine, but you know what Socialists are. "I expect ...
A Bernice Summerfield novel, reuniting her with her ex-husband Jason and her New Adventures friends Chris and (from a younger part of her timeline) Roz, and the rather excellent shapeshifter Sgloomi Po. Apart from this last, however, not much of interest is done with this promising cast and the potentially interesting scenario of reality splintering into many possible futures. Appropriately enough, given the title, I find it quite difficult to remember anything that happened.
Councillors are being invited to send a standard letter to any teaching assistants who write to them. Am I alone in being dismayed at the thought of councillors, the elected representatives of the people of County Durham, having their opinions formed, and their letters written, by council officers? It isn't exactly my style, to start with, but I'd also be worried that anyone getting the letter might just feel a little insulted by getting a standard response to an issue about which they probably feel pretty passionate. So here's the suggested response that I won't be writing to you if ...
More financial troubles for the SNP who are starting to fall into the same pattern after their big election breakthrough that Ukip previously fell into after its, namely a sequence of scandals involving newly elected politicians: Natalie McGarry becomes the second Nationalist MP to effectively quit the party within months of being elected to Westminster. She follows Michelle Thomson, who resigned the whip in September after police launched an investigation into property deals she was involved in before entering politics. Glasgow East MP Ms McGarry co-founded Women For Independence during the Scottish referendum campaign. It emerged yesterday that the group ...
Temporary Closing and Temporary Waiting Restrictions in Bardwell Road and Blenkin Close, St Albans NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using the following lengths of roads and to prohibit all vehicles from waiting [...]
Tue 24th
17:56
Jenny Randerson writes... The final decision on Heathrow is imminent and Lib Dems are standing firm
It feels as if we have been waiting for a decision on airport expansion for a very long time. And in fact we have been - it was 2012 when the Airports Commission was set up and asked to come up with a recommendation for how the UK can best meet its international connectivity needs. But we finally have the long awaited "Davies Report", and it is now up to the Government to make the final decision. They are facing a major political dilemma. The report has a very clear conclusion: Heathrow is the airport it wants to see expanded. ...
Scottish Liberal Democrats MSP and Justice spokesperson Alison McInnes has reacted to new figures showing a spike in racist attacks north of the border by calling for a 'zero tolerance' approach to racism in Scotland. Statistics produced by the Scottish government today show that there were 4,807 racist incidents in the period 2013-14, a 4% increase... More McInnes – 'No Place For Racism In Scotland'
Tue 24th
17:39
When you look at the older generation and are counting the years till you turn into them
Me: "Just think: in thirty years I'm going to be Shutty." Him: "Nahhhhh... in thirty years you'll be Mick Taylor. Ten years after THAT you'll be Shutty*."This little snippet of conversation I had recently with a LibDem activist from a neighbouring local party has been preying on my mind today, along with the maxim "all it takes to go from Liberal to Conservative is thirty years without changing a single opinion". Both of the names mentioned above are people I would class as proper, dyed-in-the-wool Liberals. I also think it's fair to say that both of them have never stopped ...
Falling on David Cameron's desk this afternoon is a letter signed by all current and living former leaders of the Liberal Democrats in which they outline the five key tests the Government must pass in order to secure the party's support for airstrkes in Syria. Here is the letter in full: In advance of your statement outlining your plan for military intervention against ISIL in Syria, we are writing to outline the criteria against which we will judge our response to your proposals. As you will know our party has maintained a consistent position that airstrikes alone will not defeat ...
I've just realised that it's been rather a long time since I wrote about the progress of my dissertation proposal. August, to be precise. So with the deadline for submission rapidly approaching and making that gut-wrenching, whistling, wooshing noise that all deadlines seem to make, it means that it's probably time to update you on my progress. I've taken my ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34911239 The BBC has the story – see link above This is hard to comprehend, appalling behaviour. I hope the miscreants are caught. With thanks to Roy Connell for spotting this sad story
The downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey earlier today is potentially a dangerous escalation of the febrile situation in the Middle East, though it need not be, if handled correctly. I agreed with the former Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, when he tweeted that normally one might fire a warning shot at a [...]
I went along to this exhibition today as did quite a lot of local folks. It was certainly busy whilst I was there. [IMG: Maghull North Exhibition 24 11 15] Network Rail, Merseyrail and Merseytravel were represented and they were taking notes of residents comments. Here are a few I picked up on:- * The draft design of the station is too boxy and bland – Don't want to end up as nondescript as Aintree Station when it was modernised. * Will some of the circular buses be diverted there because the bus access along narrow roads is poor to ...
[IMG: Tim Farron and Paul Walter in Oldham] That is a convoluted way of crow-barring in an immodest mention of this fact: I have now helped the Liberal Democrats at three by-elections in Oldham: Littleborough and Saddleworth, which had a slice of East Oldham in it I believe, in 1995. Now that was a gorgeous by-election – seeing the beautiful countryside bathed in sunshine was bliss. Oldham East and Saddleworth in 2011, which was in the middle of winter. There is a photographic evidence above of me stuffing envelopes with the then Party President Tim Farron in the campaign HQ ...
[IMG: labourlogo] I should say at the start that this will be a post with a lot of questions and not many answers. Sometimes it can be easy to get an idea of where a party will go by looking at their history and the history of similar parties (as well as the theories derived from those histories) and extrapolating. The problem with doing that for Labour right now is that the situation they're currently in doesn't really have any precedents so everyone – no matter how much they try to tell you they can make an expert prediction – ...
My high school geography teachers would be baffled, but I am deeply honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The Fellowship includes many of Canada's most intrepid explorers, who have sledded across arctic tundra, crossed deserts, mapped the ocean floor, scaled mountains, cut through jungles, and walked in space. By comparison, I have occasionally bicycled to my office.
Marley Hill and Byermoor villages are in my council ward in Gateshead. They are both relatively small with 170 and 55 houses respectively. I wrote the focus for the 2 villages over the weekend. We had plenty of news and had to leave some stories out of this A3 edition. The main articles are about the sale of Marley Hill School for housing, an appeal for volunteers to help tidy up planters in
Here's a bit of local history with a road safety theme. Long-term Maghull residents will know that there has not always been a Zebra Crossing and mini-roundabout at the junction of Hall Lane and Liverpool Road South by the Meadows shops and pub. [IMG: Before - Late 1980's at the Meadows corner with no Zebra Crossing or mini-roundabout. Geoff Howe and fellow campaigners Sandra Morgan and Andrew Blackburn are in shot.] Before – Late 1980's at the Meadows corner with no Zebra Crossing or mini-roundabout. Geoff Howe and fellow campaigners Sandra Morgan and Andrew Blackburn are in shot. This meant ...
Anti-Europeans struggle when it comes to numbers. UKIP can't decide whether it's thousands, tens of millions or hundreds of millions of foreign nationals who are descending on Britain. Business for Britain's boast that Brexit would make each of us £1.06 per day better off falls apart even under the mildest of scrutiny. And only last week Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames highlighted the £14bn black hole in Vote Leave's back-of-an-envelope calculations. But the clumsiness of Business for Britain and Vote Leave is as nothing compared to Leave.eu. If we pull out of Europe, Leave.eu's chief executive Liz Bilney told Sky ...
The cost of electrifying the Valley Lines could "skyrocket" if work doesn't start alongside the Great Western Main Line. The UK Government Hendy Review into Network Rail's programme of improvements, due to be published later this week, should decide whether the Great Western Mainline to Swansea will be electrified as planned. A point made repeatedly in the Welsh Government's business case for the Valley Lines electrification is that the work must be carried out alongside the Main Line electrification in order to minimise costs. It is a very positive sign that work on Great Western Electrification has not been paused ...
[IMG: Syria map. CC0 Public Domain.] Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has set out five tests to decide whether or not the Liberal Democrats will back military action in Syria: Legality: "Military intervention must follow an international legal framework. We believe this has been provided by UN Resolution 2249 which urges members to take "all reasonable measures" to defeat ISIL." Broad international coalition, including enhanced protection for civilians: "The UK Government should use all efforts to ensure that the Vienna talks succeed in bringing together the broadest possible support for action to end the war in Syria. In addition, we ...
The election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party brings back memories. Of when a Labour activist grabbed me by the throat, and a Trotskyist threatened to break my arm. Few Labour members in the 1980s were violent, and nor are the vast majority of Corbyn supporters. But I have no doubt that the same intolerance and intimidation that I experienced at university is being felt by moderate Labour members today. There will be many lifelong supporters of the Labour party, who believe as we do, that to fight poverty you need a vibrant economy. People who are ...
Norman Lamb and his son Archie opened up on ITV News about Archie's depression and thoughts of suicide. In a very moving interview with Mark Austin they say what it is like to live with mental illness. Archie explains: It just takes over your head. You can't think of anything else. When you get into depression you cannot think of anything else apart from the gloom of how you are thinking. In my toughest moments you don't feel like there's any escape. ... I've had those thoughts [about suicide] ever since I can remember. They're not very nice thoughts to ...
We've seen and heard little from Ed Miliband since his regrettable resignation speech the day after the general election. Even when the contest for his successor heated up, and many senior Labour figures were begging Ed to say something, anything that might avoid Corbyn becoming leader, he remained silent. Given the rigours of the election campaign, not least of which involved having to appear in front of the most mocked slab of stone in history, you could understand a little bit. Until you thought about the fact that he created the electoral system under which the whole thing was happening ...
I have finally got round to watching The Imitation Game, and the acting is ferocious. Benedict Cumberbatch is completely convincing as Alan Turing and the whole business was extremely moving. I felt I had to watch it last night - having so far avoided doing so - because today I am taking part in the London History Festival and sharing a stage with Sinclair McKay to talk about Turing and Bletchley. I was afraid somebody would ask me about the film. I've been writing about Turing and Enigma for nearly two years now and I didn't want the film to ...
Federal Conference Committee met at Liberal Democrat HQ on Saturday 14th November for a meeting that had, despite press reports suggesting it was called purely to discuss special conference, been in the diary for some time. Many topics were discussed, as the November meeting is one of the few where members get to kick about ideas and discuss new developments rather than focusing on motion and amendment selection. Even after a relatively short time on the committee, these feel to me as if they are standing agenda items – many FCC members are keen to keep up work on better ...
[IMG: King's Game - DVD cover] The leader of an opposition party is hospitalised after a horrific car crash days before polling day. Rivals to be his successor maneuver for support. A journalist looking to make his name on the political beat has a sniff of a story. Many political thrillers have raw ingredients similar to that. What raises King's Game above them is the skill and the freshness with which they are combined. The freshness of course is aided to British eyes by this being another great Danish thriller (featuring, amongst others, Lars Mikkelsen, he of The Killing, Borgen ...
Islam has become one of the hottest topics in politics worldwide. And yet the religion is little understood by non-Muslims. Instead ill-informed narratives gain currency, even amongst the better educated. It is a hard subject to get a grip on, but BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend, on Sunday broadcast an excellent item on combating Islamic State (IS). Each of the three introductory interviews was illuminating, but that with Washington Islamic history expert Haroon Mughal made things a lot clearer to me. As with most areas of current politics, we need to get a historical perspective. Most educated people ...
Members of the House of Lords have backed calls to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to take part in the UK's EU referendum when it takes place in 2016 or 2017. The House of Lords voted to amend the European Referendum Bill and was something proposed very strongly by Liberal Democrat members of the House of Lords. Our view is that the result of the EU referendum will affect everyone in the UK for many years to come. It will affect jobs, and our ability to trade with our international partners. It will change the way that we see ...
Britain needs to start doing favours to win EU friends Excellent analysis by Paul Taylor @ReutersAyataylo. (tags: ukpolitics eu ) Doctor Who: Steven Moffat finally reveals the truth about the 50th anniversary Some of it, anyway. (tags: doctorwho ) Brussels Lockdown: X-Ray of the Belgian Security Apparatus What's keeping us safe (or not). (tags: waronterror belgium )
A new planning applications has been received in Holyrood Ward as below. This is for the installation of floodlights at Prestwich Heys, which was very controversial last time it came up. AApplication Number: 59412 Date Received: 29/10/2015 Location: Prestwich Heys F.C., Sandgate Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 6WG Ward: Prestwich – Holyrood Proposal: Variation of conditions 3 & 5 on planning permission 55197 to allow the retention of changing rooms, store, toilets, floodlights and clubhouse until 31st December 2018 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 ...
Six Town Housing just started work on upgrades to many properties in the Polefield area. The work is to replace kitchens and bathrooms and heating works to include (some) gas central heating works, re-wiring kitchens and bathrooms. Work will vary in each property as appropriate. The work started yesterday, 23 November 2015 and will be completed by 28 February 2016 and is being undertaken by Emmanuel Whittaker Ltd. Work on two 'pilot properties' (one on Polefield Hall Road and one on Bury Old Road) started a few weeks ago. Any queries regarding the above please don't hesitate to contact me. ...
It looks like there could be a vote to bomb Syria within a couple of weeks. Whilst I too was horrified by what happened in Paris 10 days ago, I am not convinced that the UK should be joining this mission. Most defence commentators agree that the purpose of an air campaign is to prepare for a ground campaign - air strikes alone are not enough to degrade Daesh. So who are the ground troops? The Kurdish soldiers will certainly take back some land currently occupied by IS but will stop at the borders of their desired future state of ...
Healthwatch Bury public meeting to discuss community pharmacy services across Bury. This is on: 26 November, 2pm - 4pm at Bury Masonic Hall, Parsons Lane, Bury. To register your attendance or for further information, please email info@healthwatchbury.co.uk or call 0161 253 6300. [IMG: image001 copy]
Having requested - on behalf of residents - tidying of the overgrown foliage in the pathway from Tait's Lane to Peddie Street, I am pleased to see work to do this has now been undertaken - see below :
Scottish Liberal Democrats MSP Jim Hume challenged the SNP to 'put their money where their mouth is' and increase spending for mental health services in Scotland. Mr. Hume was speaking after the SNP in Westminster backed a campaign to increase spending in other parts of the UK. Here in Scotland the proportion of spending on... More Hume – Mental Health Needs Action Not Words From SNP
This is what it looks like if you defy your party whip 500 times and then become its leader. Corbyn sat on his own on the front bench https://t.co/aw867h1Y8J— Bobby Friedman (@BobbyFriedman) November 23, 2015
The Liberal Democrats have welcomed the UN's unanimous Security Council resolution that agreed that ISIL/ISIS constituted an "unprecedented" threat to international peace and security, and called upon Member States with the requisite capacity to take "all necessary measures" to prevent and suppress its terrorist acts on territory under its control in Syria and Iraq. Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, said: "I warmly welcome United Nations Security Council Resolution 2249. The fact that fact that Russia did not use its veto is an important first step towards creating the broad coalition that the Liberal Democrats have been calling for ...
As @DavidAllenGreen says, it's the time of year to debunk the Winterval Myth. Again Woman Attacked By Angry Man After Her Scarf Was Mistaken For Muslim Hijab House of Lords Oral Question - @lizbarkerlords asks about the death of Vicky Thompson No, 1 in 5 British Muslims DOESN'T have sympathy with ISIS - here's why This is the @DCM_cinema_news policy that has bewildered the CofE. Seems pretty clear. No, one in five British Muslims do not support Isis - Indy picking up on & adding to Mirror story Trap Streets Are Real, And Here Are Some Of London's Links to ...
The picture above is a genuine moment in the debate on the UK Government's defence review and shows the Leader of the Opposition alone and isolated on the front bench. As a symbol of what is happening to the Labour Party it is unassailable. Over at the Telegraph, Labour Party member and columnist, Dan Hodges thinks it is now only a matter of time before Corbyn is ousted as leader. However, he raises wider concerns about the future of the Labour Party itself, which he says is in danger of turning into a rabble. The tipping point, he says, will ...
The dinosaur Labour establishment which believes the North East is a Labour one party state has just been given a bloody nose by the raving revolutionaries of the Momentum Corbyn fan club. Our local newspaper, The Journal, reported today on a meeting of the North West Durham constituency in which Momentum members turned up in large numbers and had the audacity not to vote back in the MP's husband
