Southwark Council was created in 1965 from smaller morel local council authorities. It embarked on a hugely ambitious council housing programme. It built massive estates such as the Heygate and Aylesbury estates. Southwark Council borrowed lots of money to build them. Huge amounts. Sadly those estates haven't stood the test of time. Engineers have advised they're already beyond their useful life. The Heygate estate has been demolished. Southwark Labour plan a number of phases to demolish and replace the Aylesbury estate. Those massive loans were taken under circumstances where central government paid the debt interest. Unsurprisingly Southwark Council didn't pay ...
It turned sunny this afternoon, so I went down to Brixworth to have another look at its mighty Saxon church. There I bought a copy of D.S. Sutherland's The Building of Brixworth Church. This shows that much of the stone used in the church can be traced to Leicestershire quarries and suggests that it was originally used in Leicester's Roman buildings. I also got a cup of tea at the church heritage centre run by the Brixworth History Society.
Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Last books finished Walking on Glass, by Iain Banks Where Angels Fear, by Rebecca Levene and Simon Winstone How Loud Can You Burp?, by Glenn Murphy George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt, by Lucy Hawking Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assured Domination, by Nick Walters George and the Big Bang, by Lucy Hawking Godslayer, by Jacqueline Carey A History of Anthropology, by Thomas Hylland Eriksen and Finn Sievert Nielsen Next books The Ragged Astronauts, by Bob Shaw Master Pip, by Lloyd Jones Adolf, An Exile In Japan, by Osamu Tezuka Books acquired in last week ...
Hundreds of enthusiastic Liberal Democrats hit the streets today for the first INtogether National Day of Action for the EU referendum campaign. From Daventry to Yate to Dunfermline to Plymouth, we flew the European flag. The weather was very kind to us. My husband warned me to take a jacket into Edinburgh with me because it was going to turn nasty but it never did. We held a street stall in Morningside in Edinburgh. The BBC's Scotland editor Sarah Smith was spotted walking past it, nipping into the shops behind. Did anyone else see anyone famous as they campaigned? Anyway, ...
My view for the Jury Final Today's the day! I went to yesterday's Jury Final and I can honestly say I don't remember a higher quality line-up. And there's no single outstanding song, which means the results is less predictable than it has been for some time – and certainty less so than in the last couple of years. What's struck me too is the number of songs that have been lifted by their live performances. Latvia, Israel, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Australia, among others, have really come alive on the night. It's also interesting to see the difference in reception ...
This morning I tweeted an extraordinary story from the Evening Standard: The leader of one of Labour's biggest London councils faces a party investigation over allegations he tried to "cover up" a colleague's death to avoid a by-election. A former Labour staffer claims Brent chief Muhammed Butt told her to keep the councillor's death secret to avoid the election, which sources claim was set to weaken his leadership. ... Councillor Tayo Oladapo suffered from a severe liver condition and was absent from meetings for months before dying on January 29. It took six weeks for the party to confirm his ...
Today worthy recipients were awarded Southwark Civic Awards presented at Southwark Caethral this morning. Well done to them all: Honorary Liberties of the Old Metropolitan Boroughs – Zara Abdalla, Nihaya Al-Othmani, Alan Chadborn, Diana Cochrane, FRank Gillman, Miranda Mercado Gregory, Paul Keefe, Marion and John Marcroft, Martin McCabe, Jamie Mehmet, Susan Parker, Dulwich and Herne Hill Safer Routes to School, Dulwich Hamlet Football Club Volunteers, Peckhamplex, Pembroke House, The Mayor's Special Award – Shaun Dellenty and Inclusion For All The Honorary Freedom of Southwark – 343 (camberwell) Squadron Air Training Corps, Mr Sam King MBE, Jenny Agutter OBE, Sir Terence ...
In his first interview as Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, for Wales Online, Mark Williams talked about how the party would rebuild following the shattering defeat in the Assembly elections. He seemed to cast doubt on the wisdom of concentrating campaigning in 4 constituency seats, saying the party needed to reach out to liberals across Wales: He said: "There are huge swathes of Wales where we did not campaign at all, and that's what we need to change. "There are groups of Liberal activists around the country that need to be supported [to] build strength on the ground." Mr Williams said ...
Quite bizarre: The leader of one of Labour's biggest London councils faces a party investigation over allegations he tried to "cover up" a colleague's death to avoid a by-election. A former Labour staffer claims Brent chief Muhammed Butt told her to keep the councillor's death secret to avoid the election, which sources claim was set to weaken his leadership. The allegation, in an email leaked to the Standard, has been denied by Mr Butt, who insists it is part of a plot to topple him... Councillor Tayo Oladapo suffered from a severe liver condition and was absent from meetings for ...
Now that the full ward-by-ward election results are out for the 2016 London Mayor and Assembly elections, here are the top 20 wards for Lib Dem vote share on the London Assembly list ballot. I've picked this one as it's the one where Liberal Democrats get elected in Mayor and GLA elections, so it's the most important. It's also the one that best captures the party's underlying strength and weakness as it has the same parties on it across London, unlike the variation in constituency candidate line-ups. So here are the top 20: Southwark Surrey Docks 23.9% Kingston upon Thames ...
Sat 14th
14:45
Traffic chaos caused by accidents - we need to listen to local radio and look to our own driving
Embed from Getty Images On Wednesday there was traffic chaos in Berkshire. A lorry driver sadly lost his life after his vehicle over-turned, closing six lanes over two carriageways on the M4 for nearly twenty hours. Fortunately, I turned onto BBC Radio Berkshire as I left home and, on hearing about the problem, was able to turn around and work from home for the day. Others were not so fortunate. There was a seven mile tailback at one point and drivers were sitting in their cars on the M4 for up to seven and a half hours. The record of ...
Last week's election results show that, overall, the Liberal Democrats are fighting back argues Tom Brake in an article for the Huffington Post. Our party made the most gains in the English local elections, increasing our share of seats more than any other party, now having 45 more, passionate Councillors working hard for their communities. We strengthened our support in the liberal heartlands of Eastleigh and Cheltenham. We dominated the results in Southport, Cumbria and in Watford, where we took control of the council. And we gained seats in cities like Hull, Rochdale and Manchester thanks to my fantastic former ...
Watch the latest video from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign: In the space of two days, the IMF and the Bank of England – two huge, independent financial institutions - have warned that leaving the EU could spark a recession, and the effects would vary from "pretty bad to very, very bad". If you'd like to know more about the wider topic, see my other European referendum posts, and in particular Nick Clegg's demolition of the anti-EU case.
[IMG: BBC Scotland. CC0 Public Domain] You can read Nick Clegg's latest column about the BBC for the Evening Standard in full here, but first here's a taster: The BBC is by no means perfect. I found it by turns Byzantine and infuriating to deal with while in government. It bears the classic flaws of any large administration: opaque decision-making; infighting; bureaucratic lethargy. But it is nonetheless a great British institution. It is widely loved. It is world- renowned as a symbol of British ingenuity and influence. Its remit to educate, inform and entertain enriches our society. It is staffed ...
During the election, the Scottish Liberal Demcorats raised questions about a trade deal signed between the SNP Government and Chinese companies with dubious human rights records. Willie Rennie has now stepped up his quest for more information by tabling a series of parliamentary questions. During the election it emerged that the China Railway Group, who own one of the companies involved, had been blacklisted for investment by the Norwegian government's oil fund over corruption allegations and criticised by Amnesty International over forced evictions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The First Minister admitted that due diligence was not completed ...
Instagram Bye, Roz. miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 13-05-2016 posted The Blood is the Life for 13-05-2016 on #dreamwidth Instagram Pippin was glad to see us when we got back from Roz's funeral #dogs #dogsofinstagram #lurcher... Twitter @Zoorockgirl congrats Instagram Dad has cheese. Pippin LOVES cheese. Instagram Day 11 of onicahanby's #quotedmay2016 #challenge - prompt: dress up #ink #inkyfingers... Instagram Day 11 of @mjrutell's #pfsixwordchallenge - prompt: folklore #ink #inkyfingers #fountainpen... Instagram Day 12 of @mjrutell's #pfsixwordchallenge - prompt: motive #ink #inkyfingers #fountainpen... Instagram Day 12 of onicahanby's #quotedmay2016 #challenge - prompt: inspire #ink #inkyfingers... Instagram Stick ...
The BBC is the subject of Nick Clegg's regular Standard column this week. He argues strongly against the sort of intervention outlined in the Government's White Paper and lists the ways in which the Tories have picked fight with the institutions we hold dear. In the absence of a clear plan, and unchallenged by any meaningful opposition, they have indulged their own prejudices: picking fights with the BBC, junior doctors, headteachers, refugees, low-paid workers, housing association tenants and each other on Europe. No wonder they bounce from one ill-judged initiative to the next. As each announcement disintegrates on contact with ...
Sat 14th
10:23
B&M (Bang & Mangled?) – No bargain for discount store as its delivery lorry smashes ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above
Sat 14th
09:57Maghull/Crosby – 887 & 883 red light jumpers (at camera junctions) respectively in 2015
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above Hall Lane/A59 Junction, Maghull – 887 drivers, whom I presume all got penalty tickets, jumped this set of lights on the A59 ranking it as 12th in the red light jumping league. The odd thing is you could not possibly approach this junction along the A59 without being aware that it is guarded by a red light Camera which will take your photo and send it to the boys and girls in blue. On that basis are red light skipping drivers happy to get penalty tickets? Crosby – And ...
So many people have told me that they want to leave the EU because of the immigration issue that I thought it is worth reproducing this article in the Independent from a few days ago. The paper says that a report, by the London School of Economics, has found that wage variations for British workers have little correlation to immigration rates and are instead primarily linked to overriding economic factors such as the global economic crisis. The report's authors also state that rather than being a burden on resources, immigrants pay more in taxes than they use in public services ...
The Conservatives' Twitter feed has annoyed me even more than usual today. It's no different. They are always taking credit for things that Lib Dem ministers drove forward in Government, but we shouldn't let them away with it. Remember when David Cameron told Nick Clegg in the 2010 leaders' debate that the rise in the tax threshold was unaffordable? Now they are proudly claiming credit for it as if it was there idea when everyone knows it wasn't. They also highlight the rise in the State Pension. Ah yes, but who was responsible for the triple lock, ensuring that the ...
Sat 14th
09:34
Why are socially conservative autocrats the ones most obsessed with winning the Eurovision Song Cont...
This evening, the Eurovision Song Song Contest finals take place – as some of you are waiting on tenterhooks for, while others amongst you are no doubt dreading as your social media feed gets filled up with endless commentary on an event you could care less than nothing about (to this latter group: apologies in advance for my own contribution to this annual outpouring that I will be making tonight). But here's a question both sets of people can ponder: why is it that as Eurovision gets more and more political, it is the social conservative autocrats of the far ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe:
[IMG: 2016-05-11 (2)] Brighton & Hove Liberal Democrats have researched and produced a detailed guide to how their city benefits from being in Europe. Please click on the image opposite to access it. As local party Chair, Michael Wilbur writes in the introduction: When talking to residents about the EU referendum, people often say that there are too many competing statistics, claims and counterclaims being thrown around and that this makes it hard to know who or what to believe. To address this gap, the Liberal Democrats have conducted research into the impact the EU has on Brighton and Hove. ...
Sycamore Place A number of the tenants in Sycamore Place has asked when their front doors will be repainted as part of the council's external cyclical maintenance programme. The City Council has updated me as follows : "I can confirm that doors are painted as part of the ECM Programme and that the next ECM is planned for Logie for 2016/17 financial year."
The fight to save planet Earth from catastrophic climate change harming humans may have taken a step forward. Dutch environmental groups have legally challenged their governments target for 14-17% reduction in emissions by 2020 compared to 1997 levels. The Urgenda case. The court has ruled that the Dutch government must cut the country's carbon dioxide emissions by at least 25% within five years. UK environmentalists are now looking for a suitable issue to legally challenge the UK government. Let's hope...
There's been lots of press surrounding the investigation of the Conservative Party by the Electoral Commission, and not without good reason. In the Commission's entire history, it has never launched formal proceedings against a political party before. As it stands, there are twenty four constituency results currently under investigation. So what does this mean for [...]
