I've not done a linkblog for a while and I have tabs that need closing... A silly bit of DC Universe fanfic The original translations of Borges' work into English, which Borges worked on himself, but which have been kept ... Continue reading →
Apologies for the early-PC style of music, but this is lovely footage of an industrial locomotive in a Northamptonshire ironstone quarry.
Congratulations to Leicester City on winning the Premiership. For weeks I have been terrified that Leicester would go to Stamford Bridge on the last day of the season needing a point to be champions. If that happened we would have beaten them with a late disputed goal - probably handled in from an offside position by John Terry while racially abusing someone - and everyone would hate us even more. But tonight's draw with Spurs - we were two goals down at half time - has given Leicester the title. It is great for the club, great for the city ...
Even in better times, the most that we ever managed was one county and one town councillor. To achieve that again would be nothing short of miraculous after the total collapse of the Lib Dem vote in 2015. In the Welsh Assembly elections on Thursday we are, effectively, starting from scratch. The only way can be up. To better our General Election performance would be a success, and to keep the deposit would be a triumph. We go into this Thursday's Welsh poll with realistic and unambitious expectations, but our few local activists have never been more optimistic and enthusiastic ...
Mon 2nd
20:15
Shropshire Council announces computer upgrades to cost at least £17 million - it's a good day ...
The headline to this article is both shocking and incredulous. Council leader Malcolm Pate is quoted in today's Shropshire Star as saying that an upgrade to the council's computer systems will cost more than £10 million. I can't confirm the figure because my ancient council iPad has deceased and I can't access council paperwork. But... Continue reading Shropshire Council announces computer upgrades to cost at least £17 million - it's a good day to bury bad news →
It's a skeevy play in some ways, but I do like the end of Much Ado About Nothing: Benedick: Which is Beatrice? Beatrice: [Unmasking] I answer to that name. What is your will? Benedick: Do not you love me? Beatrice: Why, no; no more than reason. Benedick: Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio Have been deceived; they swore you did. Beatrice: Do not you love me? Benedick: Troth, no; no more than reason. Beatrice: Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula Are much deceived; for they did swear you did. Benedick: They swore that you were almost ...
A phone box yesterday The Herald brings news of Danus Skene, who is challenging Tavish Scott for the Shetland seat at Holyrood: Prize for the worst voter outreach effort of the whole election surely goes to the SNP's Danus Skene in Shetland. Canvassing Whalsay recently, the Old Etonian crashed his car into one of only two payphones on the island, wrecking it completely. The locals, who don't have the world's best mobile coverage, are reportedly livid. "I didn't wish to deprive them of it," sighs Danus. "I don't have an excuse or an explanation."And they said Alistair Carmichael was unpopular ...
Recently, myself and the local Lib Dem Focus Team were out down at Manor Drive, Gunthorpe, and spoken with residents about a range of concerns they have regarding the local area. One of the issues that was raised, related to the speeding, especially as you make your way in from the Paston Parkway. I myself was [...]
Second paragraph of third chapter: By five twenty that morning at least thirty of us had converged on Baker Street, so we started out for Ladbroke Grove en masse. A couple of DCs hitched a lift with me while Stephanopoulos followed on in a five-year-old Fiat Punto. I knew one of the detectives in my car. Her name was Sahra Guleed and we'd once bonded over a body in Soho. She'd also been one of the officers involved in the raid on the Strip Club of Doctor Moreau, so she was a good choice for any weird stuff. I am ...
Embed from Getty Images Available on BBC iPlayer is a great BBC 4 TV series called "Britain's Treasure Islands". Explorer Stewart McPherson visits all the UK's overseas territories. In this first episode, his visit to the Chagos Archipelago is extraordinary, including stunning footage of coconut crabs. This TV series focuses on flora and fauna. I should mention that the recent political history of the island chain is rather unsettling. Share
Plymouth Estates has submitted a planning application for a 4,100 tonne dry grain store (16/01438/FUL). A grain intake and grain drier will be incorporated within the building. Six grain silos are planned on the south side. This is a big complex. It stands off the A4113 at the west edge of Bromfield village. I haven't... Continue reading Major grain store proposed for Kings Head Farm in Bromfield village →
I'll hopefully have this one available for Patreons in about two months. The novel is called The Basilisk Affair, and is a very-near-future SF novel crossed with a detective novel. When I described a bit of it to Paul Magrs ... Continue reading →
Local campaigners have launched a petition to save the local charity 'Home-Start Bury'. This is a charity which supports local families by offering support, friendship and practical help to parents with young children. Bury Council funded Home-Start thorugh it's 'Commissioning Fund' for a period of three years starting in 2013/14. That came to an end on 31 March 2016. During this period Homestart received a total of £69,000 from the Commissioning Fund. This is the statement from the Trustees of Home-Start from their Facebook Page" "It is with much sadness that the Board of Trustees has taken the difficult decision ...
You might not know this, but this week is 'Composting Awareness Week', which aims to promote the benefits of composting food and garden waste in your own garden. As part of the week, Recycling officers from the council will be on Bury Market on Wednesday 4 May, offering advice to help people get started with composting at home. Residents can buy discounted compost converters from just £17.98 and buy a second converter from only £8.99 under a 'buy one get one half price' offer provided by the council in partnership with 'Get Composting'. To find out about the range of ...
That's the unimaginative title I have given to an ebook full of summaries of the material on the Northern Ireland Elections website, including also my piece for last Thursday's News Letter. It is now available at an Amazon near you: .co.uk, .com, .ca, .au, .de, .fr, .es, .it, .nl, .jp, .br, .mx and .in. Buy it now, before Thursday's election, so that you can follow the count on Friday and Saturday!
Polling Day for the local elections is Thursday 5 May 2014. Polling stations are open 7am - 10pm on Thursday. You don't need your polling card to vote. If you need a lift to the polling station or any other information please call our Polling Day number which is 07976 831 686. Polling stations are: Baguley Crescent and Heywood Old Road areas Mobile Unit Baguley Crescent Simister Lady Wilton Hall Parrenthorn, St Margaret's and Polefield areas St Margaret's Community Centre, St Margaret's Road Heaton Park area (Heaton, Hampden, Milton - etc - everything between Heywood Road and Bury Old Road) ...
Congratulations to our local football team, Prestwich Heys, for winning the Premier Division of the Manchester Football League. The victory was guaranteed after a win against Wythenshawe in the week, and the team celebrated following another win against AVRO at the weekend. Coming top of the league means that Prestwich Heys can 'move up' to the Northern Counties League for next season. The reserves them also won their league and can progress up to the Manchester Premier Division. More information on the club here. Photo: Prestwich Heys.
[IMG: Caroline-Pidgeon] The Guardian has an interview with Caroline Pidgeon, the Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor. After disclaiming any responsibility for the cold that has afflicted all the candidates, she says this about her campaign: Overall, it's gone well. Ordinary people are saying they like what I'm saying on childcare and cheaper fares that are affordable. And that's not just in places where we are strong, like Sutton, or in Bermondsey, where I'm known. She says this of her two main rivals, Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan and the dirty campaign they have been running: I think both of ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said the momentum is with the Lib Dem campaign and warned that the next five years must be about education, mental health, civil liberties and the environment, not a second referendum. Mr Rennie was on the campaign trail the day after the final leaders' debate of the election [...]
[IMG: Facebook voting Lib Dem event] It's polling week. So what better time to remind Lib Dem-leaning friends and relatives to vote? Here's a super simple way to do that: just share this Facebook event with them. Facebook will then sort all the details about notifying them and reminding them on the day. Simple! * No jokes about Americans and the English language please.
Instagram Day 1 of onicahanby's #quotedmay2016 #challenge - prompt: song #ink #inkyfingers #fountainpen... Government could ban BBC from showing top shows at peak times | Media | The Guardian RT @A_BoxOfRain: Govt could ban BBC from showing top shows at peak times Make the airwaves safer for their rich mates. *facepalm* Dreamy Costa Rica Sanctuary Is Home To 900 Lucky Dogs Their little hairy faces! Australian children's books about animals This just made me think of Pterry and his thinly-veiled Aus Petition · Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister : Stop the DUP using the 'petition of ...
Embed from Getty Images Not long ago, I wrote a piece on how pacifists and non-interventionists might respond to the recent decision on foreign intervention. Although, on balance, I don't regret writing it, I am deeply dissatisfied with some aspects of my article. The feedback from a large number of people has been very helpful not only in helping me clarify my own views to myself, but also to think very carefully about matters of presentation and framing. If I am reading them correctly, some commenters felt that my stance was not robust enough. My problematic reference to 'maintain(ing) unity' ...
Mon 2nd
10:55Revised plans for Stone House, Ludlow - I am still not happy with a scheme that lacks open space and...
Stone House is the site of the former Shropshire Council offices on Corve Street. It is occupied by a Grade II* listed building under private ownership and a late 1980s office block of no architectural merit. The office block has lain empty for a couple of years following a council decision to cram its staff... Continue reading Revised plans for Stone House, Ludlow - I am still not happy with a scheme that lacks open space and damages heritage →
On Thursday London is going to elect a new Mayor. Supporters of the Lib Dems should, of course, give their first preference to Caroline Pidgeon *. But thanks to the supplementary vote system we get a second vote, and where we put that vote really matters. Here's three reasons why I believe that Lib Dem voters should give Sadiq Khan their second preference on Thursday. 1. Zack's campaign doesn't deserve to winI've been involved in some tough election campaigns and, as a campaign manager, have never pulled my punches when pointing out why my opponent is the wrong choice. So ...
The Guardian has the story – see link above This is a very important issue yet for reason that do not bear close examination more and more new homes seem to be getting built in flood risk areas. [IMG: The Maghull area flooding pressure points] The Maghull area flooding pressure points Only yesterday in conversation I heard of a Maghull family refused flood risk insurance due to the location of their property. This particular property seems to be caught up in the concerns about the River Alt and Dovers Brook over-topping problems at times of very heavy rain. With ...
UKIP's lead list candidate for the Lothians region, Alan Melville, has said that if he is elected to Holyrood later this week he will immediately challenge David Coburn for the leadership of the party in Scotland. The move comes just hours after the party's No. 3 list candidate for West Scotland, Robert Malyn, quit the [...]
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe:
If you are you may like the proposals to stop collecting information about what you do with all that money. The Guardian has the story – see link above. If you are not a part of that wealthy elite you will probably be as concerned as my research assistant (Roy Connell) and I that Government is potentially turning off a light that shines where the wealthy would rather it not shine.
The word "Kafkaesque" gets overused in politics, often by people who have never read a word of the late Czech genius. Looking back over the week the Labour Party has just had, I can see people reaching for the literary comparisons. I think the giant of letters who would have most likely come up with something like the last week for the official opposition is Eugene Ionesco. Ionecso was one of the innovators of the "theatre of the absurd", a post WWII style of playwriting in which social situations are taken to absolute extremes. "Rhinoceros" (1959) is a good example ...
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending Sunday worship at Gate Church International in Perth Road and participate in the church's 40th Anniversary celebrations. The church has a growing and hugely vibrant congregation and part of yesterday's celebrations highlighted the church's success in obtaining a new £150 000 Climate Challenge Fund grant that will enable it to keep helping people across the city - see below :Since October 2013, Gate Church International has been leading a major carbon-saving project in the West End. It has already invested more than £270 000 to help local residents identify how to make their ...
Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate for East Kilbride (and lead List candidate for Central Scotland) Paul McGarry has been featured in a sympathetic article in today's edition of 'The National', not normally a newspaper that is kind to the Lib Dems. The article focuses on McGarry's background as a former homeless person and rightly makes the [...]
What do you think about the idea of asking the Council about putting dispensers for plastic bags on their waste bins? Seems to me that we should of course educate people through signage etc But maybe, we need to also look at supporting them and helping them pick up their dog dirt? I mean while fines are [...]
Commenting after the final leaders' TV debate of the Holyrood campaign, Scottish Liberal Democrat campaign chair Jeremy Purvis said: "Tonight Willie Rennie passionately set out the bold, positive Liberal Democrat plan to make Scotland the best again. "The message from Willie tonight was crystal clear. Scotland can't wait for the SNP any longer. Liberal Democrats' [...]
As today is the May Day holiday, my usual weekly ward surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and the West Park Centre do not take place, but I can still be contacted on any local issues or concerns through my e-surgery - just e-mail esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. My Thursday night surgery this week at Blackness Primary School (6.15pm in the staff room) will take place later this week as usual. I can also be contacted at home at any time on 459378 and also during office hours at my Dundee City Council office on 434985.
Embed from Getty Images As well a day for dancing around maypoles or celebrating workers and labour, the first of May is Blogging Against Disablism Day. As explained on the blog of the person who started it, "This is the day where all around the world, disabled and non-disabled people blog about their experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination (known as disablism or ableism). In this way, we hope to raise awareness of inequality, promote equality and celebrate the progress we've made." There's an example of disablism in a recent Lib Dem Voice article by Henry Foulds. He says ...
Government plans to end unfair tipping practices and ensure additional payments for service are voluntary to the consumer, and received by workers in full as reported by the Independent today are very welcome. The paper says that the plans include updating the current voluntary code of practice, increasing transparency for consumers to make it clearer that tips are discretionary, and preventing or limiting any employer deduction from tips, except for those required under tax law. There is currently no legal requirement for the proportions of discretionary payments that go to employers and workers. The Government is also considering whether to ...
1. Edinburgh, in my opinion, has some of the worst new building in Europe. Why is planning law is so slanted towards the developer when decisions arising may put the UNESCO World Heritage status at risk? (My specific concern as local resident is the RBS proposal to develop the site bordering Eyre Place, Dundas Street, Royal Crescent, Fettes Row, Dundonald Street and overwhelming King George V Park. The RBS proposals suggest overdevelopment of the site that will place unrealistic pressure on local services and the environment.) One of the biggest challenges facing communities in Edinburgh is fostering any sense of ...
