The Oscars are this Sunday. While we wait for that, here's the opinion that really matters: mine. #8 The Revenant The setting: The uncolonised lands of the American Midwest circa 1823. The story: A hunter (Leonardo DiCaprio) is doubled crossed by another member of his party (Tom Hardy) who murders his son and leaves him [...]
I first noticed this Scout hut when my mother was in Leicester General Hospital a couple of summers ago and the bus there whizzed me past it. The hut stands on Stoughton Road, close to Stoneygate Shops and The Real Ale Classroom. The Ninth Leicester South Group website boasts that it has been at these premises since 1931. Yet the front looks as though it belongs to an electricity substation and the building behind does not match it. To strengthen this theory, there is a small modern substation next to it. Whatever its origins, I took the chance to photograph ...
Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Mother of Eden, by Chris Beckett The Magic Cup by Andrew M. Greeley Last books finished Alif the Unseen , by G. Willow Wilson Last week's audios [Seventh Doctor] Terror of the Sontarans, by John Dorney and Dan Starkey Welcome To Night Vale ep. 80 Next books Alice's Adventures in Wonderlandand Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey Books acquired in last week None!
Embed from Getty Images As short a time ago as February, the Ministry of Plenty had issued a promise (a "categorical pledge" were the official words) that there would be no reduction of the chocolate ration during 1984. Actually, as Winston was aware, the chocolate ration was to be reduced from thirty grammes to twenty at the end of the present week. All that was needed was to substitute for the original promise a warning that it would probably be necessary to reduce the ration at some time in April. George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four There has been some discussion on ...
Embed from Getty Images Good news. A new series of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle starts on BBC2 at 10pm on Thursday 3 March. Stewart Lee is interviewed on the Guardian website today (and in tomorrow's paper?) by Will Self: On stage, Lee is apparently an embittered, envious, self-lacerating man, caught in a ferocious double-bind: if he's unsuccessful it's because his audience are stupid shits who don't get his jokes; and if he's successful it's because he's a stupid shit churning out jokes that confirm his audience in their prejudices. So convincing is this act - if indeed it is an ...
"An idea that was floated at one point (which thankfully never materialised) was placing gigantic, inflatable MPs arses in town centres for passersby to kick. There was a sense of enforced "fun" about the whole thing at all times that was exhausting to be around." More and more, the Leave campaign resembles Yes to AV, says Nick Tyrone. And he should know. Michael Wilson argues that we must defend free speech on campus. "She began by saying 'You all know me in here...' (I didn't), I was thrown to discover that the first guest speaker at a Labour Party pressure ...
I was sorting through some more of my late father's things and came across this leaflet, dated March 1955. It details the foreign exchange restrictions that were in force at the time. These were of relevance to my father as he made what I believe to be his first trip abroad in 1956. £25 is equivalent to approximately £600 in ... The post Foreign exchange controls in 1955 and 1969 appeared first on ten pence piece.
Friday: So, Spectre. Not SpECTRE, apparently. Which is a shame. Love a good acronym, we do. Released on the daddies' wedding anniversary, we saw it in the cinema, in IMAX in fact as a special indulgence. Yet this review's haunted us until the DVD release. There might be a clue there*... The opening extended tracking shot following a Faction Paradox-attired Bond through Mexico City's Day of the Dead has been rightly praised. Not just an extraordinary visual achievement, it sets up the film's themes of Bond as a living dead man, haunted by his ghosts: Vesper, M, and ultimately... spoilers ...
Thursday 18 February Arriving at St Pancras for the Eurostar early on Thursday morning, I found myself amongst a small gaggle of lobby journalists, all clutching tickets to the same destination - Brussels, presumably with 'open returns' with no one being sure how long the negotiations would take. We were, of course, heading to Brussels ahead of the summit at which David Cameron would try and thrash out the last minute 'grand deal' that would allow him to campaign for Britain to stay in Europe. The substance of the deal has been held up as the greatest political settlement of ...
A quick test. Read this paragraph - which other parties is it implicitly opposing? Government should be about freedom from poverty. Governments shouldn't protect the interests of the already powerful and wealthy, and sneer at, snatch from and push down people working to make a life for themselves, or those who aren't able to support themselves. Government should be about freedom from ignorance. Governments shouldn't assume it can do everything, control everyone, as long as you take what you're given and don't ask awkward questions when paternalist leaders claim they always know best and ignore the evidence. Government should be ...
The ruling Liberal Democrat Group on Stockport Council is proposing to spend almost all of a £1m government grant on improving our play areas, cleaning our town and village centres and helping charities and voluntary groups. The £1m is part of a £300m transition grant from government for the financial year 2016/17, with most of that money targeted at Conservative councils. Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Liberal Democrat Leader of Stockport Council, said: "This one-off grant has come very late and in no way offsets the tens of millions of pounds central government has cut from our funding. However, any money is ...
[IMG: William Rodgers, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins & David Owen with funds from SDP supporters, Feb 1981] Some of us were members of the SDP and recall still the various reasons why this new political party was created - not least to combat the anti-European mood which then gripped Labour (the Conservatives were largely fine on the issue. The irony...) Six years later, Owen refused to accept the will of his own Party to merge with the Liberals. He pretended for a while that the majority who joined the merged party had somehow 'left' the SDP and he could therefore ...
[IMG: House of Lords - Some rights reserved by UK Parliament] The House of Lords (Maximum Membership) Bill was published only yesterday and was scheduled for a second reading today. It is one of a number of Bills introduced by backbench Conservative MPs listed for second reading which seem off the wall and it is a wonder that they were scheduled for second reading debate without having first been printed. One would assume from its title that this Bill has the sole purpose of limiting the number of active peers. It does that and, no doubt because the Bill has ...
Please note: this review doesn't contain any spoilers for the who the murderer is, but does contain one spoiler for who the murderer isn't. If you want to remain totally unspoiled, probably best to click away now. Those of you who follow me on Goodreads will have noticed that I have been going through a bit of a rereading Agatha Christie phase of late. One of either [IMG: [personal profile] ] matgb or I noticed Louise Jameson tweeting that she was going to be in a touring production of The Mousetrap and as neither of us had seen it we ...
The game of chicken involves driving head on towards your opponent, as they do the same, and the loser is the one who swerves out of the way first. If neither swerves, then both lose in a much bigger sense. I was reminded of this as Michael Howard was trotting out the usual arguments for Brexit on the Today programme this morning Howard argued that a trade deal with the EU would still happen, bringing us continued access to the Single Market, because it is in their interests. He even suggested that following a vote to leave, the rump EU ...
Fri 26th
14:18
The Mandela Effect: because it's easier to assume alternate universes than faulty memories
One of the things I love the internet for is its conspiracy theories. My absolute favourite is this one, where James Cameron's career is interpreted in the light of his role as a key weapon in the battle between good and evil Masons (but why are there good and evil Masons? That requires the theory to take us all the way back to Atlantis...) [IMG: In our universe, this definitely happened. ] In our universe, this definitely happened. So, when someone earlier today on Twitter linked to the Mandela Effect website, I was naturally intrigued. The Mandela Effect falls into ...
Instagram Sit on the SEAT of the sofa? Why would I want to do that? What is my name in Gallifreyan? Doctor Who fan makes amazing tool to find out RT @RadioTimes: Now every Doctor Who fan can write their name in Gallifreyan Instagram EXTREME CLOSE UP of Spike mid-snuggle Twitter RT @robjmitchell: Convince people you have American teeth, by putting a train ticket in your mouth Twitter RT @MooseAllain: #PostATrumpSelfie Twitter RT @tara_mulholland: Popbitch's anecdote about the young Michael Gove's alleged creativity with his expenses really makes me warm to him BPS Research Digest: Why is it so hard ...
A question to ask Mr Cameron today: "How is your plan to cut 50 MPs but add 40 Lords a/ democratic or b/ money-saving?" Four years ago, Liberal Democrats, Labour and Conservatives all promised to make the House of Lords elected - but Labour and Tories teamed up to stop the changes. That's why voters still can't hold peers to account or throw them out. Today, the news breaks that the Prime Minister wants to stuff the Lords with forty new cronies at the same time as slashing the number of MPs (for whom we get to vote) by fifty. ...
[IMG: Dunkirk refugee camp] Razing half a camp with bulldozers, flanked by riot police is not a solution Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said as the French government was given the green light to plan to clear part of the Calais migrant camp known as the 'Jungle'. This situation is a heart-breaking symptom of a wider human humanitarian disaster in the Middle East. Razing half a camp with bulldozers, flanked by riot police is not a solution. Moving people from a tent to a shipping container will have very little impact. The families I met in Calais were people ...
Mark Valladares has been using the internet to shed light on what Liberal Democrat committees get up to in the name of the party's members from before it was fashionable. So a hat-tip for his latest post about the party's International Relations Committee: This evening's meeting of International Relations Committee was an unusual one, possibly because we spent quite a lot of time on discussions of an organisational and functional nature. As part of the Party's Governance Review, Sal Brinton, in her capacity as Party President, has been meeting with various groups to discuss possible input and likely implications. And ...
Fri 26th
11:46
Maghull – It's innovative Youth Coffee has been killed off by Labour – How desperately s...
News reaches me that Labour has finally decided to kill off the innovative Youth Coffee Bar in Maghull Town Hall after a few years or more of seemingly hoping it would simply die off. I understand that they have given the worker employed to help run the Coffee Bar notice to quit. I have covered this story many times before through all its twists and turns and here is a link to those previous postings:- As I have said before it was pretty obvious from the start of Labour's tenure on Maghull Town Council that they simply did not ...
[IMG: House of Commons. Crown Copyright applies to this photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/4642915654/] Reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600 without also looking to cut ministers and a review of the House of Lords means the boundary review is being conducted on a fatally flawed basis. Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Constitutional and Political Reform Paul Tyler said: This boundary review is being conducted on a fatally flawed basis. The Conservatives have knocked 2 million people office the electoral register, mainly in densely populated areas, as part of a cynical calculation that the boundary review will produce fewer urban, Conservative-hostile ...
When he visited the BAE Systems factory in Preston yesterday UK Prime Minister David Cameron boasted of his success in helping promote "brilliant" arms sales top Saudi Arabia, whereas he should have hung his head in shame. Of course the Desert Kingdom and other Gulf states have the right to defend themselves and it is [...]
I have been undecided for a while in regards to who I would like to be the next mayor of London. Part of me likes Zac's rebellious, think outside the box thing. Also, I have worried that Sadiq winning would be a victory for Corbyn. But now I've weighed up everything and come to a decision: I would like Sadiq to win in May. Yes, Sadiq overdoes it with the whole "I'm the son of a bus driver" shtick, but you know what? One, the only way to get anything across in politics is by saying things over and over ...
As somebody who has not been impressed with BT's performance in providing super fast broadband in my region, I have every sympathy with those who suggest that the yesterday's regulatory judgement is the last chance for BT and Ofcom to prove that the industry in its current form and with its current regulatory regime can put customers first and give them the service they want. The Telegraph says that shares in BT ended the day almost 5 per cent up as investors breathed a sigh of relief that Ofcom had not after all decided to force the company to sell ...
Fri 26th
10:20
Clegg says Tories are squandering our legacy. But it wasn't tuition fees that lost it for us
[IMG: clegg cameron rose garden] Nick Clegg has used his first major interview since stepping down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats to take a swipe at his former Coalition colleagues for 'squandering' their legacy. In today's Independent he states: The rhetoric at the beginning from David Cameron was good. I held my tongue. But I am afraid the very thin gruel the Prime Minister has announced, and the deeply regressive steps taken by his Chancellor, means it is insecure, hollow double-speak. He has drawn up a long 'charge sheet' about the current Government: professing to care about social mobility ...
[IMG: Tim Farron by Paul Walter] Tim Farron has commented over Ofcom's decision over the future of Openreach: Ofcom had a chance to make a massive change in the sector and have bottled it. I am now calling on the Government to be bold and bring forward plans to break up Openreach and BT, and inject real competition into internet provision. If they won't, we will, and I will challenge them to back it. Are they on the the side of entrepreneurship or not? Most of my constituents count themselves lucky if they can get above 2mbps download speed, and ...
You can read all the articles that have caught my attention this week here: https://delicious.com/stephentall Below are a selection... Sponsored: The 3 Week Diet 8 Rules of Fat Loss. Warning: Fast Results! Click Here to Watch Video... Which seats go up in smoke in the bonfire of the boundaries | Red Box Essential analysis from @lewis_baston on the "bonfire of the boundaries" http://thetim.es/1S34xOx (via @timesredbox) SARAH VINE was tortured as Michael Gove chose between David Cameron and his beliefs | Daily Mail Online Sarah Vine's inside account of Gove's Leave decision reads like a diary entry that shdn't have been ...
[IMG: Willie and ACH on nursery visit] Willie Rennie will give key details of how the Scottish Liberal Democrats' plan for a Pupil Premium will help children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Scottish schools when he delivers his keynote speech to conference this afternoon. He'll also outline how the whole £475 million raised from a 1p rise in the basic rate of Income Tax to pay for investment in education would work. Willie will commit £170m a year of that investment towards a pupil premium in Scotland. £1,400 will be available for every primary pupil needing extra support and £900 for ...
I recently surveyed my readers and viewers asking them what was holding them back from living a creative life (a.k.a creative excuses). Here is a list of some of the responses: Afraid I'll be rejected or criticised Somebody has already done it, and better There is no market for my creative ideas I can't make a living from my creative work It will be a waste of time and money I'm too old (or too young) I'm a one-hit wonder (or a no-hit wonder) Once you begin to really question the basis of the fears that are holding you back ...
Yesterday, I submitted my amendments to the Dundee City Council budget meeting, aimed at tackling some of the worst effects of the SNP's austerity cuts. Had I won the vote, my amendment would have scrapped the proposed large increases in car parking charges across the city, garden maintenance charges for elderly and disabled people would not have imposed this year and frozen until a fair charging system based on ability to pay is put in place, and there would have been a less severe cut in roads maintenance and street lighting than the SNP is imposing. My additional expenditure to ...
[IMG: Computer security sign. CC0 Public Domain] Think you just need to get back in and change your password? Think again. You need to check, and if necessary sort, four things: Password Email address Mobile phone number List of applications granted access to the account The first item - password - is the most obvious and usually the most important. However, simply changing and securing the password will not be enough if there are problems with any of the other three items as they all would leave the way open to someone abusing the account (again). Check and change your ...
Today, Scottish Liberal Democrats gather in Edinburgh with less than 10 weeks to go before the Scottish Parliament elections. The Spring Conference is being held in the Assembly Rooms on George Street. In the hall On the agenda in the hall today are public services (delivery and empowering workers), tax reform, establishing a Scottish Office of Budget Responsibility to give independent analysis to economic forecasts, the rights of children and young people and giving power to island communities. [IMG: Scottish Conference agenda Friday] Willie Rennie makes his keynote speech, too. On the Fringe Tom Brake MP heads up to Edinburgh ...
Welcome to the patchy Liberal Democrat recovery in a nutshell: one excellent gain of a council seat last night alongside three contests in which there were no Liberal Democrat candidates. Congratulations to Hazel Wright and her team: Liberal Democrat GAIN Studley with Sambourne (Stratford-on-Avon) from Conservative. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 25, 2016 If you are a Lib Dem member and in an area where the party doesn't always contest local council elections in full, here's a suggestion about what to do.
The Northern Ireland Boundary Review (PDF) Let the fun begin... (tags: northernireland ) The Night My Daughter Discovered Our Family's Legacy of Depression Moving story of families and mental health. (tags: health ) How America Made Donald Trump Unstoppable Fascinating. Appalling. "This boorish, monosyllabic TV tyrant with the attention span of an Xbox-playing 11-year-old really is set to lay waste to the most impenetrable oligarchy the Western world ever devised. It turns out we let our electoral process devolve into something so fake and dysfunctional that any half-bright con man with the stones to try it could walk right through ...
The best way to support Wales' business and tourism sector is to remain in the European Union. Tourism is worth £6.9 billion a year to the Welsh economy and that the sector must be allowed to continue to thrive with the UK remaining inside the European Union. As a sector, the tourism industry supports an estimated 206,000 jobs in Wales and is one of the nation's three biggest employers. The Liberal Democrats will always support business and enterprise, which is exactly why we are campaigning to remain in the European Union. The EU offers our small businesses and tourism sector ...
