This is not actually my Brompton but it is pretty nigh identical, I found it was difficult to take a selfie whilst cycling .... My first stop was at Ashton Rd at 12.30pm. My trusty Brompton bike with it's new Harris tweed bag containing my camera and mayoral medallion swiftly transported me to meet John and Jennifer Maudsley. 12.30pm was a bit of a rush so I had to leave Holy Trinity without hearing Mr Wells play the voluntary -Ballet des Matelot by Praetorious. I think I have tracked down a youtube recording played on the organ of All Saints ...
Songs about doing things "my way" or it being "my life" have been around forever. Most famously, Frank Sinatra sung about having no regrets, taking the blows and standing tall in 1969, although it was Paul Anka who wrote the words. It's the most famous example of a popular song that looks back, hence its regular [...]
Another film from the BFI's Britain on Film site. As ever, click on the image above to view it there. This is a 1961 travelogue taking in haunted sites across Britain. What interests us most is the opening, where David Jacobs (in a suit) is seen with a young lady on top of the Stiperstones, before Edric and his wild hunt put in an appearance up there. The superstition I know is not that it will rain if you sit in the Devil's Chair. Rather it is that if those rocks are shrouded in cloud then the old boy is ...
Dundee Independent Advocacy Support (DIAS) has been recognised with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK for outstanding work in their community. DIAS provides independent advocacy for citizens within the Dundee area who experience disadvantage, disability and social exclusion to champion their rights, to strengthen their voices and to influence a citizens' health and well being outcomes. DIAS have seen significant growth in demand for its service over the last few years, of which volunteers play a large part, contributing over 22 hours of support per week. The ...
At the ALDE (European Liberals and Democrats) Party Council in Vilnius this weekend, new full member parties were welcomed from Spain, Poland and Ukraine. The first two were particularly significant, as we did not have a national Spanish member party, only the (very strong and active) Catalan regional party, Convergencia. Last year, I was one [...]
To help celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday the Wallington Arms are once again offering a free lunch for local senior citizens. It will take the form of an afternoon tea starting at 12 noon on Friday 10th June. This will be the third free Seniors Lunch the Wallington Arms have put on and the feedback [...]
The futurist in its heyday The decision by SAVE to go to court to try and protect the Futurist and the need to tackle safety issues at the site have given the council the opportunity to think again about the ... Continue reading →
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, on behalf of the Lib-Dems in Broxtowe. I hope that everyone has had a pleasant half term. 1. EU Referendum If you are not yet registered to vote then you need to do so rapidly to be able to have a say in the referendum. The deadline is midnight on Tuesday. You can register to vote online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. If you are already registered to vote in general and local elections then you don't need to do it again, but if you aren't registered then ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: At the turn of the twentieth century, this optimism had begun to falter, after which it was shattered by the atrocities of the First World War. Sigmund Freud's theory of dreams and the subconscious, published in 1900, and Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity (1905), may be seen as symbolic points of entry into a new, and more ambivalent epoch of modernity. These theories attacked the very substance of the Victorian world: Fred dissolved the free, rational individual, the means and end of progress, into subconscious desires and irrational sexuality. Einstein dissolved physics, the most ...
It has been great to see such a huge turnout of folk on Magdalen Green at WestFest's Big Sunday this afternoon - what a great success! The fabulous weather certainly helped as well to make it such a wonderful day. Thanks go to the WestFest team for again organising such a superb community event. Here's a video and some photos from this afternoon : The bandstand restoration is not quite finished but is looking really good!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36454782 And to follow my recent posting about the EU Referendum and the views of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown here are the views – via the link above – of another former Prime Minister – John Major. I particularly liked his rubbishing of the Brexit campaigners claims that 88m Turks are coming to live here. He is right this is utter rubbish. With thanks to my research assistant Roy Connell.
Investigations by the Derby Telegraph show, the newspaper says, that the former Tory deputy leader in Derby used a false address on his nomination papers in this May's local elections. Following his election earlier this year, Richard Smalley was then swiftly elected by Tory councillors to be their deputy leader. But he then resigned from the council "for personal reasons" just 10 days after the council elections. The newspaper has interviewed a man who lives at the address Smalley gave on his official election paperwork. That man says of Richard Smalley: He'd got his house up for sale and he ...
Yesterday, the postman brought a largish envelope from Electoral Reform Services, containing my ballot paper for the election of a new Council for Unlock Democracy. I am reminded that time flies, having opened the envelope only to find that most of the names are relatively unfamiliar. Given that I was not only on Council myself, but was even a member of the Management Board until four years ago, that might come as a surprise to some. And so, I have the challenge of deciding how to cast my vote. Ruling out those who haven't managed to submit a manifesto - ...
[IMG: 7 best] Many thanks to everyone who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Willie Rennie announces Lib Dem leadership team – with a majority of women (11 comments) by The Voice The Tories, not the EU, are responsible for VAT on domestic fuel (42 comments) by Caron Lindsay New issue of Liberator is out (19 comments) by The Liberator Collective Liberal Democrats gain Dorset County Council seat from the Conservatives (6 comments) by The Voice Baroness Shas Sheehan writes...How to help refugees in Calais (9 comments) by Shas Sheehan We need to talk ...
Voters in one Romanian town face a potentially confusing trip to the polls on Sunday, as the three candidates for mayor all share the same name, it's reported. The incumbent mayor in Draguseni, Vasile Cepoi, is seeking a fourth term in office, but is facing a challenge from two other Vasile Cepois, the Jurnalul national daily reports. Council official Viorel Munteanu says the three men aren't related, and that Vasile is simply a popular Romanian moniker and Cepoi is a common name in the region. The unusual situation "guarantees Vasile Cepoi" a win, the paper says... Being a seasoned politician, ...
Yesterday, Nick Clegg made a keynote speech at the National Liberal Club outlining the reasons Britain should stay in the EU. He tore the Leave campaign apart for its false figures and assertions. One widely quoted line is that Boris Johnson is "Trump with a thesaurus." But that's not all he said. He was very clear that the EU, including the single market, had had British influence at its heart. It's not something that was imposed on us. We helped create it – and it's been good for us. And in the modern era, being in the European Union has ...
At the Remain rally in Swansea's Brangwyn Hall last night a number of committed supporters of us staying in the EU raised the way that the Remain campaign is being dominated by white middle class males. That concern is also reflected in this article. The fact that the two most prominent of those white middle class males happen to be the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer exacerbates the problem, especially as the debate appears to be now turning to the government's record and specifically its record on immigration. The Leave campaign believe that by focussing on peoples' ...
So, Nigel Farage has brought out his dog whistle again. Quelle surprise. He told the Sunday Telegraph: The nuclear bomb this time would be about Cologne," he told the Telegraph. Women may be at a particular risk from the "cultural" differences between British society and migrants, after gangs of migrant men allegedly launched a mass sexual attack against hundreds of women in Germany last New Year's Eve. It's not as if he and his party have any sort of record of being in favour even of gender equality. Remember Godfrey Bloom and his comments about women not cleaning behind the ...
Instagram Day 4 of @mjrutell's #pfsixwordchallenge - prompt: voyage @yard_o_led viceroy victorian F &... Instagram Day 4 of onicahanby's #quotedjune2016 #challenge - prompt: safe @yard_o_led viceroy victorian F... Instagram Post-regional-exec selfie with @mike_beckett at Leeds food festival #libdemmery #leeds #yorkshire Instagram Keeping myself busy on the train home from regional exec Noodler's Nib Creaper, Diamine... UKIP MEP Jane Collins takes EU damages escape route - BBC News RT @LucyRigby: Brass neck doesn't get much brassier than this: UK court finds UKIP libeled Labour MPs, so UKIP beg EU for immunity Doctor Who: Happy Birthday Colin Baker - News - Big ...
Visualising data makes it more persuasive. P.S. Use of Lego is optional. But cool.
Dave Swarbrick died this week, a full 17 years after the Telegraph published his obituary. But what the paper said then remains true: Dave Swarbrick, the violinist and singer ... was one of the most influential folk musicians of the 1970s and 1980s, especially with the group Fairport Convention. A small, dynamic, charismatic figure, "Swarb"—cigarette perched precariously on his bottom lip, unruly hair flapping over his face, pint of beer ever at hand—could electrify an audience with a single frenzied sweep of his bow. He never failed to produce a dramatic effect, whether on fiddle or mandolin, whether playing in ...
Sun 5th
10:45
Rennie: Deal with Chinese company with bad human rights record would tarnish Scotland's human rights...
Any contract signed with the China Rail Group CR3 will tarnish Scotland's human rights record. So says Willie Rennie following the refusal of the First Minister to rule out such a contract with the controversial company. Watch their exchange at First Minister's Questions here: Nicola's bad-tempered response shows her defensiveness on this issue. This week saw revelations in response to Parliamentary Questions by Willie and Freedom of Information requests that government officials tried on multiple occasions to remove reference to the China Railway Group from documents around the Memorandum of Understanding but the First Minister still signed the final agreement ...
Day 4 of the debate on the Gracious Speech, as the Queen's Speech is referred to in the Lords, saw attention turn to proposals on home, legal, constitutional and devolved affairs. Ros wanted to address the contradiction between the will to devolve significant areas of civic life to the voluntary sector, and the means supplied... Like my noble friend Lady Barker, I will speak on the relationship between the Government and the charity sector. It is worth starting with the reflection that charities contribute around £12.2 billion to the UK economy and that on top of the millions of people ...
Malcolm, Head Boy, speaks.
It is time to come clean about immigration. It is a good thing. It is a good thing culturally and economically. My life is vastly enriched by friendships with people who have come to the UK as immigrants and others who are the children of immigrants. They include people who came seeking asylum and people who came seeking a better life. My life is enriched by other friends who have emigrated, through whom I have valued networks of friends in many other parts of the world. Economically too, migration matters. People sometimes talk as if there are a finite number ...
If you want to have your say at the EU Referendum, you must be registered to vote.The final deadline is 7 June 2016. You can register to vote online anytime at http://ift.tt/1yqOK3c. Anyone who was already registered to vote (or recently registered) before the 18 April deadline for the elections taking place across the UK on 5 May will also be registered to vote at the EU Referendum and will be able to cast their vote. You do not need to re-register. If your circumstances change, for example you move home between now and the EU Referendum registration deadline on ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT WEST END REPORT FOR WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 6 JUNE 2016 Guthrie Street - off-peak traffic control for 2 days for footway works. Scottish Water Clatto East mains renewal - Brown Street width restrictions and road closure for up to one week. Temple Lane and Tay Square closed for one week. Session Street closed for up to one week. Old Hawkhill temporary traffic lights for up to one week. Forthcoming Closures Thomson Street (Magdalen Yard Road for approximately 100m north) - closed from Monday 13 June for 5 days for Scottish Water service connection ...
This is a personal note, a reflection of my experience of the UK, Ireland, Europe and beyond. It is from both the head and the heart. There are many disadvantages to growing old. Hair goes grey, bits start to droop - if not actually drop off. One has also lived through history and, in the context of the European Union debate, that is a rather valuable asset. Polls lead us to believe that the older the person, the more likely one is to vote Leave. What I would like to know is what on earth they are smoking because I ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36188805 The BBC has the story on its web site – see link above [IMG: I took this shot of a HST in BR's Intercity livery in Devon around the late 1980's.] I took this shot of a HST in BR's Intercity livery in Devon around the late 1980's. There can be little doubt that Kenneth Grange created an iconic train when he designed the diesel locomotives for the HST. They have given great service across the Country and a version of them ended up far away Down Under in Australia. [IMG: This shot I took in 1998 on the ...
Trump is not a conventional hard-line Republican. But that doesn't make him a moderate. It makes him a different (and more dangerous) kind of extremist. The BBC News website currently features a curious video. In it the historian and Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley assures us that while Donald Trump's "style might be a little crass and he's [...]
