Copyright © Dennis Calow Butt Close Lane is still there and is home to The Salmon, one of the city's finest pubs. These buildings on the corner of East Bond Street, however, have long gone. They were photographed in 1965.
This is the time of the year when Liberal Democrat local parties organise sessions to discuss the agenda for the Party's forthcoming Spring conference, but Hackney LibDems decided instead at their Poppadoms and Politics last night to focus more directly on the burning issue of refugees, and in particular those who have been fleeing the [...]
Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin Last books finished The Sword of Forever, by Jim Mortimore The Sinn Féin Rebellion As I Saw It, by Mrs Hamilton Norway Next books Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson The Magic Cup, by Andrew M. Greeley Books acquired in last week Gentleman Jolie and the Red Queen, by Lois McMaster Bujold - special signed limited edition, gloat gloat Mother of Eden, by Chris Beckett The Legends of Ashildr, by James Goss, David Llewellyn, Jenny T. Colgan and ...
A review of Kissinger (1923-1968): The Idealist by Niall Ferguson I am willing to venture that you couldn't tell me much about Lawrence Eagleburger, Edmund Muskie or Warren Christopher. I didn't know who they were till I looked them up on Wikipedia. Yet they have all been America's Secretary of State more recently than Henry Kissinger. [...]
There's a plan to build a new education centre on the Teme at Dinham. It's really exciting. When I first heard of these plans, I wasn't certain how this scheme would work. We don't have much space available at Dinham and, instinctively, it is not a place to be putting up more buildings. After meeting... Continue reading Ludlow Teme education centre proposed by Severn Rivers Trust - it looks a great idea →
Last summer I wrote about the project to bridge the gap at Loughborough that separates the Great Central Railway and the Great Central Railway - Nottingham. There is good news on the latter's website: One of the biggest projects in railway preservation is about to get underway. A new bridge will be built in Loughborough to carry the tracks of the award winning heritage line, the Great Central Railway over the Midland Main Line. The new bridge is part of a chain of infrastructure which will ultimately allow two halves of the Great Central Railway to reconnect, creating an eighteen ...
Lady Jane Grey was executed on this day, 12 February, in 1554 after a reign of nine days as Queen of England. She was born and spent most of her life at Bradgate, her family's estate in Leicestershire. Today the ruins of the house can be found in Bradgate Park. The estate was privately purchased from the Grey family and given to the people of Leicestershire by Charles Bennion in 1928. Here, in her honour, is a peacock climbing on those ruins.
A follow-up to Conservatives appear to have overspent on three by-elections: Nottinghamshire Police is considering evidence relating to accusations of overspending by the Conservative Party during the 2014 Newark by-election. The move follows claims by Channel 4 News that some bills were not included in local spending returns during the poll and two other by-elections. Labour's defeated candidate in the Newark poll, which the Conservatives won, has called for an investigation... Nottinghamshire Police confirmed it had received an e-mail on the issue, adding: "This is the first communication we have received. The force will review the content of the communication, ...
Item: I'm currently taking a tw'oliday from twitter - there's so much horrific news at the moment, and it's hurting and affecting people I know and love, and it hurts being bombarded by it several times a day, so I'm taking a break. It won't be forever, probably just a couple of weeks. Just to build up my resilience. Item: I have been incredibly impressed by hp-for-business customer support the last couple of days. Not only did the lady sort out the recalcitrant printer that had proved resistant to both mine and Alisdair's best efforts, but she rang me back ...
Fri 12th
16:42
Off with your blog! I've been censored by Shropshire Council for revealing it intends to [censored b...
I've loved the news today. With the confirmation that gravitational waves exist, we can see the universe the way it is. It is a whole new way of looking at the space and time, and understanding it better. I take my hat off to the scientists who have taken the power of information to an... Continue reading Off with your blog! I've been censored by Shropshire Council for revealing it intends to [censored by Shropshire Council] →
[IMG: The Homeopathic Web Comic] Hat-tip: Science Blogs which, dating from 2009, is I think the original source of this graphic online. Do however put me right if it originated elsewhere.
This area should be the heart of a vibrant city region "Liverpool City Region needs to be ambitious and compare its performance to the very best places in Europe and beyond". These are excellent words and I have certainly thought ... Continue reading →
Ian Sherwood, long-standing member of the Liberal Democrats, former assistant to Simon Hughes MP and an ex-mayor of Briton Ferry received his MBE at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
Hello Word Press and anyone who ever sees my blog posts. Crikey its been such a long time since I posted anything I was afraid I would forget how to write or something! So after many years of having very cheap tablets and a very cheap keyboard attachment my wonderful wife has bought me a ... Continue reading It's been a long time. →
There is an excellent beer festival going on down at Ludlow Brewery right now. A couple of hours ago, I took a moment out from a sampling session to take a call from the Shropshire Star. Reporters on the newspaper had learnt that Shropshire Council is about to make a decision to close its private... Continue reading Shropshire Council's failed company ip&e is to be liquidated according to local media →
Yesterday saw four principal council by-elections take place. In Eastleigh (BC), the Liberal Democrats held a seat in West End North ward with 53%. Janice Asman was elected with a 267 vote majority over the Conservatives, with the Lib Dem vote share increasing by 13.2% from the ward's previous election last May. In Hounslow (LB), there was [...]
Tim Farron has thrown his support behind a motion calling for the legalisation of Cannabis as the Guardian reports: Farron is to endorse a motion at spring conference which calls on the party to extend its existing support for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use to recreational use. The motion, to be tabled by the former health minister Norman Lamb, will be debated after the release of the findings of an expert panel appointed by the Lib Dems to examine how a legal market for the use of cannabis would work in the UK. The panel has found that ...
BSFA Award winner from 1983. I thought I'd read this before, but in fact the robot book by John Sladek I'd previously read was Roderick, his take on Candide. Tik-Tok is about a robot who decides to subvert the Asimovian laws of robotics (which any sensible person must cheer) and manages to secretly wage a campaign of crime and murder across the country before, in a Being There sort of moment, becoming Vice-President of the United States. There's a lot of dark humour, gratuitous violence, and not terribly well drawn analogies with slavery and racism. I don't really think the ...
The decision by the Tory Government to close Brecon Courts means there is no prospect of justice for many rural Wales residents, This means the many hearings will now take place in Merthyr Tydfil of which Brecon was already a satellite. Merthyr is of course highly accessible. From Rhayader it is ONLY an hour an a quarter away by car. But what if you can't drive Travelline Cyrmu comes up with
Darlington Borough Council is skint. One of the smallest local authorities in the country, Darlington was created as a Unitary Authority in 1997. Since then, it has been governed (like many Northern councils) exclusively by Labour, and it now stands on the verge of bankruptcy (the two facts may not be unrelated). Specifically, the Council have calculated the need for £12.5m in spending cuts over the next four years. To go: Darlington's historic indoor market, the public library (both of which were donated to the town by the Pease family), the town centre's Christmas lights and floral displays, several children's ...
No one can easily forget the flooding experienced across the UK this winter and whilst Wales has fared better than most there have been some problems. However the height of the flooding coincided with the motions deadline for Welsh Spring Conference and armed with personal knowledge and a Facebook policy group I set out to write what I hope is a reasonably comprehensive start point for our party
Fri 12th
13:06
Stonkingly good Lib Dem hold in Eastleigh, and a Town Council gain in Jeremy Hunt's seat
West End North (Eastleigh) result: LDEM: 53.0% (+13.2) CON: 28.7% (-6.5) UKIP: 10.5% (-4.9) LAB: 5.3% (-4.4) GRN: 2.6% (+2.6) — Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 12, 2016
In some ways it would be no surprise to hear that Southport's councillors want Southport to leave Sefton. The former County Borough of Southport has, of course, always been unhappy about being dumped into one of the many odd creations of the Tories 1974 local government reorganisation. But to give the Borough's Sefton Councillors from Southport their due they have always tried to make Sefton work as well as it can for their seaside town despite them being opposed to its creation. However, things seem to have moved on and in a far from positive way as the article below ...
[IMG: ALDC campaigning photo] ALDC (the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors) wants to help your campaign but in order to do the best job that we can, we need to know who your candidates are for the forthcoming elections on the 5th May. We are gathering relevant information about local elections across the country and helping co-ordinate various types of support that are available for candidates and groups in different seats. The team at ALDC would be really grateful if you could fill in this short form here with the details of any currently selected candidates in your area, and ...
[IMG: Folkestone Invicta Football Club logo / emblem] Folkestone Invicta are bidding to achieve a crowd of over 400 for this Saturday's home game against Sittingbourne and are appealing to the people of the town to visit the Fullicks Stadium this Saturday's Kent derby. The town club are challenging the football public of Folkestone to come and see what all the fuss is about at the Fullicks Stadium. And with only four league defeats all season - just one of them at home - they want the crowd to match the performance of the team out on the pitch. Director ...
I have no expertise in American politics, but it does not need expert knowledge to discern that the results of the primaries in New Hampshire indicate the same weariness with existing politics that has been exhibited here and in other parts of Europe. Maybe it won't last. Maybe Donald Trump's frightening lead will evaporate once the Republicans settle on a single alternative. Maybe the Democrats' surprising support for Bernie Sanders (a Socialist!) will eventually be squashed by the might and money of the Clinton machine. But it is clear that, for the moment at least, those more active in American ...
I headed down to the Whickham part of my ward yesterday. 450 Focuses were delivered. My feet were sore when I got back home! Other wards are now lining me up for more deliveries!
Many creatives feel as if they are adrift in the world because they approach goal setting in a way that isn't conducive to a sense of creative flow. Goal setting for creatives can be tough because it is easy to become attached to the outcome that you lose any sense of joy in the work you are doing. Finding a middle way between grasping at one end and a laissez-faire attitude to goal setting at the other is a challenge. In this episode of The Creative Life I talk about approaching goals like you would driving a car. Listen to ...
The Independent reports on claims by Home Officer Minister, Lord Ahmad that Councils across the country are abusing powers aimed at preventing anti-social behaviours, using them against people ranging from dog walkers to buskers. The paper says that Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) can be used to ban anything deemed to be a persistent nuisance, with penalties including court fines of up to £1,000, but there is mounting concern over the way the orders, which apply to England and Wales, are being used: But there is mounting concern over the way the orders, which apply to England and Wales, are ...
[IMG: Clean for the Queen logo (Clean for the Queen publicity imagery)] Show YOUR love for Sandgate on Valentine's Day! Please come along and litter pick on Sandgate Beach on Valentine's Day - Sunday 14th February. The group will be meeting at 10.00am in Castle Road car park and the litter pick will continue until 12.00. Please take part, have fun, meet other residents and make Sandgate beautiful! Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Over in Haringey, Liberal Democrat activist Jenni Hollis has been getting stuck into grassroots campaigning on the European referendum in a distinctive way. So here is a guest post from her explaining what she's been up to with colleagues. [IMG: Pretzels. CC0 Public Domain] I've had a taste for pretzels, sauerkraut and Riesling since 2007, when I spent a semester studying in Mannheim, Germany. And that wasn't all I got from the experience. I made new friends, learnt a new language - and in 2009, I had the confidence to move back and work in Heidelberg for a year. I ...
[IMG: Brad HS Dunkirk 1] Throughout last week Baroness Shas Sheehan and I have been collecting vital items needed in the camp in Dunkirk. From a list of items approved by volunteers on the ground we asked Lib Dems and local residents to come together and purchase what they could. The list included brand new sleeping bags, tents, blankets, food, gas, warm and waterproof clothes as well as sturdy, waterproof shoes. We were overwhelmed with the response and managed to fill a van to the brim with these essential donations. On Sunday, we drove the van across to northern France ...
Fri 12th
08:55
LibLink: Catherine Bearder: The campaign to keep Britain in Europe must be based on hope not fear
Catherine Bearder has written for the New Statesman's Staggers blog to castigate both sides of the EU Referendum debate for negativity, citing the example of Scotland: On the one hand, Ukip and the feuding Leave campaigns have shamelessly seized on the events in Cologne at New Year to claim that British women will be at risk if the UK stays in Europe. On the other, David Cameron claims that the refugees he derides as a "bunch of migrants" in Calais will all descend on the other side of the Channel the minute Britain leaves the EU. The British public deserve ...
Tim Farron is to become the first leader of one of Britain's main political parties to call for the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use after declaring that the war on drugs is over. In one of the most significant moves by the Liberal Democrats since they were reduced to a shell of just eight MPs at the election, Farron will call on the government to develop a framework for the legal regulation of cannabis. Farron is to endorse a motion at spring conference which calls on the party to extend its existing support for the legalisation of cannabis for ...
[IMG: Sandgate Parish Council / Sandgate Library] Something for the half term? The next Craft Club will be on Thursday 18th February 10.00am -12.00pm in Sandgate Library. The craft club is free: children of all ages welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Last night, I attended the latest meeting of the Friends of Riverside Nature Park committee that took place at the Mitchell Street Centre. There were useful discussions on a whole host of issues, including environmental issues (including park drainage, fencing, etc), park management during the bird nesting season and forthcoming park events. There's a useful Friends of Riverside Nature Park Facebook page you can access here.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a "Be a Good Neighbour Campaign" event at Dundee University Students' Association. DUSA invited relevant organisations to come along to the event to give information and advice in order to encourage a better community spirit between residents and students. Those invited included Dundee City Council (including Environment, Landlord Registration and Anti-Social Behaviour teams) as well as Shelter Scotland and others. It was a great, well-attended event and here's a photo from it below :
In Catholic Ireland, Battle Lines Drawn Over Abortion as Election Looms Newsweek reports. (tags: ireland sexandgenderandsexuality savita ) Putin is a bigger threat to Europe's existence than Isis - George Soros Yup. (tags: waronterror eu russia ) Give a little thought to what a GOP campaign against Bernie Sanders might look like You ain't seen nothing yet. (tags: uspolitics )
ARMAGAYDDON - this is fabulous The names of the characters at the end LOL Twitter just killed its own product. Here's how. Fans rejoice: Bryan Fuller named showrunner on new Star Trek series gominokouhai points out a plot hole in Spearch for Sock Doctor Who, geek fandom and Comic Book Guy Love and Monsters is still shit, though Landlord slams Dry January for 'wrecking publicans' livelihoods' There's one real way to stop gang crime: legalise drugs Transgender couple wins damages after council publishes libellous material Technology really ought to go properly dark Full agenda & directory plus other papers for ...
The 99th edition of our Whickham eFocus has just been published. It leads on the proposals by Labour in Gateshead to change bin collections to once every three weeks. Other issues include house building in Dunston Hill and the Fugar history project. You can read the newsletter on this link.
