Earlier tonight, the City Council's first main committee meetings on 2016 took place and Policy and Resources Committee was dominated by a report on the local government financial settlement for the forthcoming financial year. The report from council officers correctly points out :The outcome of the Westminster Spending Review was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 25 November 2015. The Scottish Budget totals show a cash increase of £1 billion (3.3%) between 2015/16 and 2019/20, largely due to the Barnett consequentials of changes to other Whitehall departmental budgets. When adjusted for projected inflation, however, this represents a real ...
A live performance from 2002. Moon dust will cover you.
I voted for the first volume of this series for last year's Hugos, along with 1728 others, so I had reasonably high hopes for this which weren't quite realised. In particular, once we've got past the rather different background of Kamala Khan as superhero, we're down to fairly standard sorts of adventure in the sewers and streetscapes of New Jersey, and a crossover adventure with Wolverine (well-known, but not to me). I also found the shift between two different artists mid-story very jarring. I still liked it well enough, and it will probably get one of my Hugo nominations, but ...
I thought I knew a lot about the Stiperstones, but thanks to a tweet from Wild About Walking I made a new discovery today. There is an Orthodox monastery in the Eastern shadow of these hills. The website of the Monastery of St Antony and St Cuthbert says: There is no access to the Monastery by car. The farm track is long and rough. The nearest Car Park is at the Stiperstones Car Park at the Knolls, which is a 45 minute walk along the hill below the Stiperstones.
Eric still in King's. He continues to be treated for an infection but is better than yesterday with little or no temperature, The doctors plan to do an angioplasty, probably on both renal arteries, in a day or so. One is nearly blocked and another going that way. They don't expect any problems. It's discouraging that the renal arteries became blocked again after only two years. Eric had a Hickman line put in his arm, enabling the easier delivery of blood and other fluids in hospital and at home.. Lindsay
John McDonnell gave an interview to politics.co.uk which was posted on their site this morning. He was asked about Labour's complaint to the BBC over Stephen Doughty's appearance on the Daily Politics: "Remember, this is not an attack on the BBC and it's not an attack on Laura Kuenssberg either," he says. "There is a private company that makes the Politics programme which is commissioned by the BBC...The editor of the programme obviously decided to do maximum damage to Jeremy's standing."Scroll down the page and you will find this note: Update: 15:08 Contrary to the comments made above by the ...
I may be wrong but I get the impression that both Rodger Gale and his colleague Craig Mackinlay MP have given up any hope of the Royal School for the Deaf being saved Both seem to put the argument that government cannot continue to throw money at the school since it has been run into bankruptcy. Clearly it seems to be a no-brainer that you'd never want to employ the previous management of the school in a similar institution. Still it is clear to me that children at the school and young adults are victims of a harsh ruthless system ...
Mon 11th
20:01
Twenty-five new houses proposed for former council offices at Stone House, Corve Street
Plans have been submitted for 25 homes at Stone House, the former district and unitary council offices on Corve Street, and the site of Ludlow's now disused nuclear bunker. This looks a good scheme overall but some details need to be resolved, especially about archaeology. Purcell Developments have purchased our former council offices at Stone... Continue reading Twenty-five new houses proposed for former council offices at Stone House, Corve Street →
Our Headline of the Day comes from the Gainsborough Standard.
[IMG: Could the new rolling stock look like this?] Could the new rolling stock look like this? The Railway Gazette reports today: Transport authority Merseytravel announced the five shortlisted bidders for a contract to supply around 50 new electric multiple-units for the Merseyrail suburban network centred on Liverpool on January 11: Bombardier; CAF; Mitsui in a consortium with Alstom and East Japan Railway's rolling stock manufacturing business J-Trec; Siemens; Stadler. Tender documents are scheduled to be released on January 22, with bids to be submitted by the end of April. A preferred bidder is expected to be chosen towards the ...
[IMG: Paul Tilsley] Birmingham's longest serving councillor is stepping down as leader of the city's Liberal Democrats to 'pass on the baton to someone younger'. Veteran councillor Paul Tilsley, aged 70, has led the Birmingham Lib Dems since June 2005 during one of their most successful periods in recent political history. At the time the Lib Dems were junior partner in the Tory-Lib Dem coalition which ran the city until 2012 and he became deputy leader of the council... The 70 year old veteran politician says he will continue as Sheldon councillor at least until his term of office ends ...
During the "official" period of the election campaign in 2010 the Conservatives spent £16.7m, Labour £8.0m and the Liberal Democrats £4.8m. As far as I can see figures are not yet available for 2015. The 2005 and 1997 elections were pretty unusual in that Labour's spending almost matched the Conservatives (with the Liberal Democrats trailing sadly behind ) but the typical ratio for most elections from 1945 until 1997 was that the Conservatives spent twice as much as Labour, with the Liberal/Liberal Democrats peanuts by comparison with either. These figures are for the "short" election campaign itself. Presumably expenditure between ...
Any friends in or near Bristol able to go to a Here Come The Double Deckers event on Sunday morning, 24 January, with Gill Bush-Bailey (Billie) and Debbie Russ (Tiger)? I would be very interested to hear reports!
I thought I would publish a random selection of photos of canal scenes that I have taken along 'The Cut' in Maghull, Lydiate and Melling in recent times. This first posting features Lydiate scenes:- [IMG: Bagpuss] Bagpuss [IMG: Full circle at Pilling Lane] Full circle at Pilling Lane [IMG: Goblin] Goblin [IMG: Goblin again] Goblin again Click on the photos to enlarge them. Postings 2 and 3 on this theme will follow. The 2nd and 4th photos are also on my Flickr pages at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
[IMG: Lib Dem website front page] Want to read the latest news stories from the Liberal Democrat federal website but want the stories to come to you rather than have to remember to go and check the website regularly for new content? As a bonus, you also get the main Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrat news wrapped in too. Just sign up here and pick the option "Official Lib Dem news stories from party's website (including Scotland and Wales)". Email* Name First Last What would you like to receive?* Liberal Democrat Newswire: monthly newsletter Official Lib Dem news stories from ...
Prime Ministers 1921 Sir James Craig (later Lord Craigavon), age 50 1940 J.M. Andrews, age 69 1943 Sir Basil Brooke (later Lord Brookeborough), age 54 1963 Terence O'Neill, age 48 1969 James Chichester-Clark, age 46 1971 Brian Faulkner, age 50 First Ministers 1998 David Trimble, age 53 2007 Ian Paisley, age 81 2008 Peter Robinson, age 59 2016 Arlene Foster, age 45 Only one of the 19 Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland was appointed at a younger age than Arlene Foster is today - the incumbent, Teresa Villiers, who was 44 when she was appointed in 2012. Peter Mandelson ...
Arriving at Lib Dem HQ for the Patchwork Foundation's #GetInvolved2016 campaigning session for Caroline Pidgeon, it was difficult to say who was bravest. Was it the young people who had signed up for a Wednesday of practical campaign training, many of whom would be heading out, leaflet in hand, to face the doorstep for the first time; or was it Caroline and Lauren Pemberton-Nelson, the Lib Dem candidate for the Faraday ward by-election on 21 January? For us Patchworkers one of the biggest boosts at #GetInvolved2016 events is the trust placed in us by the people we are campaigning for, ...
I must admit I'm feeling confused about UK politics right now. We have a slow-motion unravelling of the Labour Party going on, as the old guard defend their right to insult their leadership - rather a peculiar idea, though for a Lib Dem of course it is absolutely de rigueur. Yet at the same time, on the other side of the Westminster divide, a similar process seems to be under way, even if it isn't quite so bitter. The decision by David Cameron to allow his ministers to speak against government policy during the Euro-referendum is really remarkably like what ...
On Friday David Bowie released his latest album, Blackstar. He knew he was dying and sang about it, to incredible emotional effect, in Lazarus – "Look up here, now – I'm in heaven". Shocked by death of #DavidBowie. He supported so many young people & changed their lives. 1973 danced with him at a party he was sensational — Floella Benjamin (@FloellaBenjamin) January 11, 2016 Devastated to hear of David Bowie's death. A musical genius. — Tim Farron (@timfarron) January 11, 2016 Can't think of Bowie without also thinking of Charles Kennedy, who was a massive fan. CK was filmed ...
Embed from Getty Images Where is the South West's voice at Westminster? In fact, where is there any opposition voice speaking up for the region, scrutinising and where necessary opposing policies not in our best interests. In the South West region at the last election the Conservatives gained every seat held by the Liberal Democrats. Fourteen gains that gifted the Conservative Party its overall majority of twelve in the House of Commons. There was no great swing to the Conservatives in May to give them this position of absolute power. Instead, a number of people who had previously voted Liberal ...
I'm a child. I grab a cassette from my mum's collection, drawn by the cover art alone. I listen to it for weeks on a family holiday in South Africa on a Walkman. The batteries are rechargeable and only capable of producing music for about five hours per charge. When they drain, the voice in [...]
Mon 11th
12:40
Talk around the Trade Union Bill is amazingly subdued considering what its consequences might be
It hits the news this morning that the Trade Union Bill, which has cleared the Commons already and is facing its second reading in the Lords today, could cost Labour up to £6 million pounds a year in terms of funding. To put this in perspective, the Labour Party spent £35 million in 2014, a year without a general election. So it would be a loss of about 15-20% of core income from a steady source, which would be bad enough. But the affect on British politics and the Labour Party will be greater than just this. Essentially, the unions ...
I've been contacted by local residents who report witnessing motorcycles making use of footpaths in the local area. Seems two young males have decided to start riding along footpaths around Werrington Meadow, and along paths near to Ambleside Gardens, Campbell Drive, Larkspur Walk, Wisteria Way etc One resident told me they'd been out walking their [...]
Liberal Democrats have dismissed the current Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner's proposals to reduce his council tax precept as 'cynical electioneering'. Speaking for the Liberal Democrat Group Chris White said: 'What a surprise. With elections for the Police and Crime Commissioner position only weeks away, we suddenly find he has put round a letter saying [...]
Embed from Getty Images I learned a valuable lesson on LDV last week and that is that there are some words so emotionally charged that their mere mention provokes a pre-programmed response more incendiary than the sight of a cat to a Staffy. So while I wanted to talk about the Lib Dem take on populist green causes I naively opened my piece with a discussion of the F-word and at that point lost my audience. I won't make the mistake of stepping on that particular land mine again, you know the one I mean, the issue of vulpine persecution, ...
Never Live A Lie Some beings seem to stand clear of mankind,Firm constant/constant reinvented style,Forging a path that only they could find.Uniquely made to challenge or beguile.Their trail blazed so that others trail behind,Knowing, though, they're only fictional, Pale imitations, only in their mind.There's only ever one original. Such people lead the world to greater things,The influence of Starmen never fades.So when they leave, whatever sorrow brings,Their legacy stays with us, and in Spades.Reminding us that we ourselves must tryTo be ourselves, and never live a lie.
Britain's instinct with regard to China is first to ignore it, second to see it as a giant pot of money and thirdly to impotently complain about its human rights record. Given the country's importance for our future we need to be more sophisticated than that. During the run up to the General Election, David [...]
Embed from Getty Images In January 1996, protestors took to trees and tunnels just outside my home town of Newbury, trying to stop the building of the by-pass. It was a bit of surprise to be at the centre of such national furore over our by-pass. Locally, there had been campaigns for and against another Newbury by-pass for decades. Inquiries, an Environmental Impact Assessment, public consultations, petitions, displays, numerous alternative routes, thousands of letters to the Newbury Weekly News, acres of politicians' statements and broken promises. The whole thing had been thrashed out time and time again. Every possible argument ...
[IMG: Vince Cable. Photo courtesy of the Liberal Democrats - some rights reserved] Writing for The Guardian, Vince Cable said: The chancellor's determination to balance the books depends on asset disposals, ranging from the gargantuan sell-off of RBS to the small but important and controversial example of Channel 4. My approach to asset sales when I was in office was pragmatic. The issue of whether assets should be privatised or nationalised should depend on the merits of individual cases rather than dogma. I advocated the nationalisation of banks in the financial crisis of 2008 and their gradual return to private ...
The latest Adult Learning newsletter for the city has just been published - the first for 2016 - and you can download it here. Here's details of the adult learning opportunities available in the West End area :... and there's also a feature on the real life learners' outing from their Mitchell Street base :
With the Labour Party still reeling from the in-fighting and arguments caused by Jeremy Corbyn's reshuffle, the last thing they need is another row. And yet the leadership are spoiling for a fight. The Independent reports that three members of Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet have refused to rule out resigning if the party changes its policy on retaining Britain's nuclear weapon capability. They say that Jeremy Corbyn intends to use a party review of its policy on nuclear weapons to push for a change in position ahead of a vote on renewing Trident that is expected to take place in ...
The Western Mail reports on the findings of a new report that a flagship initiative designed to embed key skills across all aspects of school life has brought about no measurable improvement in the quality of teaching and learning two years after its launch: An independent review of the National Literacy and Numeracy Programmes (NLNP), commissioned by the Welsh Government, said the majority of education professionals found it difficult "to support any claims to date regarding the impact of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) and the national tests on the quality of teaching and learning". It said there was ...
Recent days provided plenty of new developements about the EU Referendum. Putin gains from exit The person with most to gain from Brexit is Putin, writes Liberal European Leader Guy Verhofstadt MEP in the Guardian. More expert concern that Brexit is bad for investment If you prefer video to written news, see this discussion between senior investors Anne Richards and Simon Smiles on the pound risk of Brexit, from Bloomberg News. Another investment CEO, Richard Buxton, has warned of the danger of Breixt is deterring investment. Stronger IN video exposes Exit's double-speak The Stronger IN campaign have published a video ...
Why David Cameron's four-year benefits plan won't reduce EU migration ...if he gets it, that is. (tags: eu ukpolitics migration ) @Forbes forces readers to turn off ad blockers, promptly serves malware Crazy. (tags: internet ) Missouri bill defines sex between lobbyists and lawmakers as a gift There is such a thing as too much transparency. (tags: uspolitics ) The EU did not cause the floods in Britain In case you were wondering. (tags: ukpolitics eu )
Here is everything Labour should be talking about, according to the Lib Dems I wonder if the lessons will include "how to abandon your child in a pub" [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
