With unrest growing within the Labour Party as the anti-semitism row seemingly spirals out of control the party's leadership seems powerless to rein it in. The Telegraph speculates that the upheaval has led members of Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet to hold talks with MPs about a leadership challenge. They say that senior figures in the party are now so concerned about the row costing the party hundreds of seats at next week's local elections that they are openly discussing the possibility of an attempted coup following the EU referendum: Tom Watson, the deputy Labour leader, on Friday conceded that the ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 02 MAY 2016 Fleuchar Street (Eassons Angle to Blyth Street), Blinshall Street (Lochee Road to Douglas Street) and Scott Street (City Road to Glenagnes Road) - closed for 16 weeks for SSE cable renewal works. Thomson Street (Magdalen Yard Road for 100m north) - closed from Monday 2 May for 2 weeks for service connections. Perth Road (at Glamis Road and Windsor Street) - off peak temporary traffic lights on Friday 6 May for Scottish Water manhole repair. Forthcoming Closures Perth Road (West Park Road ...
The latest of these recordings deals with what is now a slightly disreputable street. Read about its history in the city council's Church Gate Conservation Area character appraisal.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said that the SNP risks dragging Scotland's reputation through the mud following reports that a Chinese firm at the heart of a controversial £10bn deal with the Scottish Government is tied to human rights abuses. It was reported in today's Herald that Amnesty International named China Railway Group Ltd (CRG) and subsidiaries it controls in a report exposing human rights abuses related to the mining industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It had previously emerged that CRG had been blacklisted for investment by Norway's oil fund over fears that the construction giant ...
Non-fiction: 3 (YTD 14) Legacy: A Collection of Personal Testimonies from People Affected by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, by BBC Northern Ireland JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner, by Richard Marson 1491, by Charles C. Mann Fiction (non-sf): 1 (YTD 4) The Folding Star, by Alan Hollinghurst SF (non-Who): 5 (YTD 30) The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis A Princess of Roumania, by Paul Park Whispers Under Ground, by Ben Aaronovitch Gorgon Child, by Steven Barnes Doctor Who, etc: 4 (YTD 15) Short Trips: Life Science, ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above. Kind of says it all really.
Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Lila, by Marilynne Robinson The Quarry, by Iain Banks Banewreaker, by Jacqueline Carey Last books finished Het Spaanse Spook, by Willy Vandersteen Next books How Loud Can You Burp?, by Glenn Murphy Walking on Glass, by Iain Banks Short Trips: Monsters by Ian Farrington Books acquired in last week Representing Europeans: A Pragmatic Approach, by Richard Rose Elizabeth I and Ireland, eds. Brendan Kane and Valerie McGowan-Doyle Hamilton: The Revolution, by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter Cyprus Avenue, by David Ireland
Residents in Gunthorpe (and no doubt elsewhere) should by now have started to receive leaflets from a range of political parties making a range of promises in order to trick you into voting for them! You've guessed it, there is an election coming. Funny how suddenly politicians are interested in you, eh? Suddenly there is a flood [...]
Just a week out from the election, and the papers are full of stories of Labour splits. Here's a link to some artwork LDHQ have produced to capitalise on this – PagePlus and PDF It features today's headlines and can be delivered in Labour areas or to voters who may switch or at least boycott Labour. It's clear [...]
Doesn't time fly when you're having fun! On May 5th I'm standing for election to the newly created Gunthorpe ward, which includes 2/3's of the previous South Werrington and North Gunthorpe ward, along with some bits from the old Paston ward. And, it's dawned on me that I've now been representing the Gunthorpe area, since [...]
This must be most awkward exchange since Tony Blair was asked to name one of the Newcastle United players he claimed to have watched as a schoolboy in the 1960s. Thanks to Tom King on Twitter.
An initiative by the local Lib Dems has seen the Council offer residents free street parties to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday in June. The Council has put all the information you need to organise your street party on one page – you can find it all here. "Street parties are a great opportunity for neighbours to come together, have fun and build our local communities. Hopefully, the weather will have improved by then!" said Keith.
A small but enthusiastic group braved the rain on Saturday morning to pick up four bags of bottles and cans, six bags of general rubbish, two lamps and two traffic cones – clearing the area between the motorway slip road and the estate, plus the bank alongside the Kingsway Service Road. Thank you to those who helped! If you have a grot-spot that needs a litter pick, let us know – we'll be happy to help you organise it, and to come along and get stuck in. [IMG: spre litter pick]
From the Channel 4 News website today: The elections watchdog has asked for more time to pursue possible criminal prosecutions regarding Tory election spending, as a summit is called to consider the evidence revealed by Channel 4 News. Following months of investigations by Channel 4 News, the Electoral Commission has requested an extension to the time limit available to pursue possible criminal prosecutions regarding Conservative Party campaign spending returns. Bob Posner, Director of Party and Election Finance & Legal Counsel at the Electoral Commission said, "The police and the CPS both have the power to apply to the Courts to ...
In one sense English spelling is fantastic. In its mishmashes and inconsistencies you can see much of the languages long and winding history. For example there's a whole academic discipline devoted to uncovering the history of places through their unusual names and weird spellings like 'Worcestershire' are a key part of it. But in a [...]
Sat 30th
13:55
WATCH: Richard Younger-Ross's pitch to be Devon & Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner
Here is former Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross being interviewed as candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner. Find out what he had to say about why he thought he was the best person for the job, what his priorities would be and how he tackled the "why should people vote for you when you don't think the role should exist?" question. A local poll currently has Richard neck and neck with the Conservative candidate. We've had some great local by-election results in Cornwall in recent months so you never know what might happen.
Local residents have been raising concerns with the local Lib Dem FOCUS Team in recent weeks, to complain at the seemingly increasing problem of cars parking on footpaths throughout the area. One local resident told us: "Cars parking on the pavements, forcing mobility scooters and pushchairs into the road to get by, is becoming a real [...]
Sat 30th
11:59LDV Top Tip: If you're going to accuse your opponent of negative campaigning, don't call him names
Edinburgh Western's SNP candidate Toni Giugliano has been telling anyone who'll listen that his Liberal Democrat rival Alex Cole-Hamilton has been fighting a negative campaign. He certainly went to town on that particular theme when interviewed by a Herald journalist who was writing a profile on the seat. The first words in the article are Giugliano's: "HE'S spineless," says the SNP's Toni Giugliano of his Liberal Democrat nemesis Alex Cole-Hamilton. "He'll do and say anything to get elected." The problem is that in Scotland these days, any criticism of the SNP is seen by them as negative campaigning. Holding the ...
Parking problems outside of Norwood School, during certain parts of the day, is not a new community concern. But, what is new is the call from some local residents for the introduction of double yellow lines outside the front of the school. Presently the no parking zig-zag lines stop just after the entrance to the [...]
The Lean-In Industry by Heather O'Neill | Model View Culture RT @andrewducker: Attempts to get more women in tech put the onus solely on women themselves... at tremendous time and cost. Instagram Daughter's bed remains populated despite her being at school #dogs #dogsofinstagram #lurcher... Liberty and Security: Tell us what you think Survey RT @LibDems: What data should the police & security services be able to access without warrant? TELL US→ Shane Sutton row puts spotlight on sexism in cycling | Sport | The Guardian RT @helenpidd: In a bleak week for women's cycling (ta S. Sutton & Pete Kennaugh), ...
Wading into discussions of Zionism, anti-Semitism and what is and what isn't politically correct is an area in which even the boldest of angels should fear to tread. I therefore content myself with a few observations but without taking sides. 1. !t strikes me as curious that this row has broken out within ten days or so of key elections -for the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, the London mayor and assembly, as well as local government. The comments of the Labour MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, have been on her website since 2014, long before she was ...
Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate for Kirkcaldy Lauren Jones will be speaking on the panel at an interesting hustings on Monday May 2nd at the Abertay University, Bell Street, Dundee from 7.30 pm – 9pm. The hustings is titled: Beyond The Ballot: Exploring Scotland's Culture 2016-2021 and will be Chaired by Professor Gregor White. The broadcaster [...]
It was in fact the mid-seventies but looking back it seems more like Victorian times. Rows and rows of little kids in red and grey uniform and we chirruped in unison from a hymn we were far too little to understand about how to "master self and temper, how to make our conduct fair, when to speak and when be silent, when to do and when forbear". When as Liberals should we be silent and when should we speak out? Three examples for your consideration: On the school run I walk alongside a mum, like me, whose family go back ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said that the SNP risk dragging Scotland's reputation through the mud following reports that a Chinese firm at the heart of a controversial £10bn deal with the Scottish Government is tied to human rights abuses. It was reported today that Amnesty International named China Railway Group Ltd (CRG) [...]
Sat 30th
10:10
How the Tories could lose their Parliamentary majority, courtesy of the police and the voters
In the news this week was the advice from the Electoral Commission to the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that they should apply for an extension to the legal deadline for investigation the 2015 general election expense returns from candidates. The question is whether campaign activity which was included in the national Tory expense return should really have been included in constituency returns, and so would have taken them over the legal limits. This all follows the digging by Michael Crick and Channel 4 into the way in which activities which were charged against the national election return by ...
News that Maghull is likely to lose its branch of the Nat West Bank comes not long after Barclays Bank pulled out of the Town. [IMG: WP_20160429_20_25_23_Pro] The Nat West branch is situated on Westway in Maghull's shopping centre and will close, I understand, in July of this year. Oddly I recall that when I had need to use it on a few occasions last year it usually had queues of customers.
"Time is running out to save Syria's ceasefire" warned Dr Haytham Alhamwi of the Manchester-based Syrian Rethink Rebuild Society three weeks ago "otherwise Assad will get the message that he can persist with ever more egregious violations". Now the always limited 'cessation of hostilities' is, in the words of UN envoy Staffan de Mistura "barely alive". On Thursday one of free Aleppo's last remaining paediatricians was killed along with colleagues and patients in the "broader pattern of systematic targeting of hospitals by the government of Bashar al-Assad". The Syrian government is doing what it always does when dragged to the ...
Following successful campaigning by myself and other members of the local FOCUS Team, to secure a crossing on Gunthorpe Road near Norwood School, I am now wondering whether we need another one further down near, perhaps, the Malvern Road junction? Since the start of the year, we've been knocking on the doors of residents living [...]
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Tuesday 3 May at 6pm - Just a Mammal! Join us in the museum for a special animal-themed version of the popular quiz Just a Minute. Kim Dale, Liz Lakin, Barry Caudwell and Mike Sedakat will be the panellists trying to speak on zoological topics without hesitation, repetition or deviation, with Matthew "Nicholas Parsons" Jarron as your genial host! Refreshments served after the event.
The initial free wifi trial in the centre of Blyth has been an apparent success, and now the County Council are hoping to extend the coverage. I'm not sure of the technicalities, but the system needs to "daisy chain" from one hot spot to another, and so with this year's Tall Ships event the next stage will involve going along Bridge Street to Dun Cow Quay, and hopefully along Wensleydale Terrace to the South Beach car park ( aka The Mermaid Café Car Park ) and even beyond! It is hoped that a further area in Kitty Brewster and Cowpen, ...
Embed from Getty Images Congratulations to Mark Finney, whose Aston Villarreal (2,091 points) continue to lead the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 35, just ahead of Mark Widdop's Midtable Obscurity (2,078) and Scott Goodbrand's Grass Bandits (2,065). Just three weeks remain... But let's also hear it for three players outside the top 10: Joe Sales' Prestige Worldwide has had the best month's performance so far. Honourable mentions go to Paul Noblet's Fisher FC and Judith Dickinson's Willy Fogg's X1. [IMG: ldv 35] There are 217 players in total. * Stephen was Editor (and Co-Editor) of Liberal Democrat Voice from 2007 ...
Yesterday, Corbyn had another one of his now infamous run-ins with the press. A Sky reporter asked him about anti-semitism (what else?) as he was about to enter a building and Jeremy did what he usually does in these kinds of situations: pull a face that is a combination of a deer in the headlights and a Victor Meldrew impression. This time, however, there was an impressive new wrinkle to the act, when Jeremy then tried to make a quick escape into the building that had been his destination – and then couldn't get inside. He was trapped there, being ...
