Embed from Getty Images From tomorrow's Observer: The Labour party has been engulfed by fresh infighting as the camps of the two potential "unity candidates" set to fight Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership embarked on their own war of words. On the eve of a pivotal week for the party, one MP supporting Angela Eagle accused rival Owen Smith of using "sneaky tactics" to manoeuvre himself into being the sole challenger. Meanwhile a senior MP supporting Smith claimed there was an overwhelming consensus that only one candidate should emerge, and warned that currently supportive MPs would not give Eagle their ...
A couple of days after the referendum Boris Johnson wrote a column for the Sunday Telegraph saying we could all still have nice things despite the result: I cannot stress too much that Britain is part of Europe, and always will be. There will still be intense and intensifying European cooperation and partnership in a huge number of fields: the arts, the sciences, the universities, and on improving the environment. EU citizens living in this country will have their rights fully protected, and the same goes for British citizens living in the EU. British people will still be able to ...
Alongside the preparations for an early general election this year covered in Liberal Democrat Newswire #82 the Liberal Democrats have been putting in place Parliamentary candidates at super-quick speed in the party's best prospects. In choosing the best prospects, there has been a heavy focus on last time's election results, but also the welcome first signs of the pivot which is necessary for the party's long term strength. This speedy candidate selection process has been along the lines of the party's usual processes for Parliamentary by-elections (which also usually require very prompt selection). Other arrangements are being lined up for ...
Posted from Dulles Airport before boarding: Current Watership Down, by Richard Adams (a chapter a week) Lethbridge-Stewart: Beast of Fang Rock, by Andy Frankham-Allan Galileo's Dream, by Kim Stanley Robinson Gráinne, by Keith Roberts Last books finished Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, by Jeff Kinney The Algebra of Ice, by Lloyd Rose The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester Boy, by Roald Dahl Dead Romance, by Lawrence Miles Empire of Mud, by J.D. Dickey The Secret History of Science Fiction, ed. James Patrick Kelly & John Kessel Tales from the Secret Annexe, by Anne Frank Last week's audios ...
I seem to have reached the stage where I am revisiting local villages that I have already photographed for this blog. Today it was the turn of Tur Langton. When I was there in 2010 the Bull's Head, though empty, still stood. You can see it in the photograph above. It had closed around the turn of the century - a reminded that it is not so long since a village of any size could support two pubs. Now it has gone, replaced by a chaste terrace with, I believe, some larger houses behind. The terrace is in the photo ...
These are extraordinary times in British politics. The second decade of the twenty first century is the most turbulent since a hundred years ago. After 1916 the Liberal Party was split and weakened, opening the way for the rise of the Labour Party as the main alternative to the Conservatives. Both the Liberals and Labour [...]
Another atrocity. Another outcry. Another call to be tough on terrorists and lunatics who are killing people as if it was some kind of crazy sport. The saddest thing about an attack on our open societies is that it makes us all a little less open and tolerant. But we have to resist to respond to [...]
Like many people, I first became aware of the attempted coup in Turkey last night through twitter. I turned on the BBC News channel, but it was still examining the aftermath of the Nice terrorist attack; however, true to form, Al Jazeera was already screening rolling news footage from Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep. For an [...]
Crossrail is focussed on the complex task of fitting out the new tunnels and stations with the necessary infrastructure and railway systems to enable TfL-run services to commence through central London and Docklands in December 2018.
Soon after the Brexit Referendum vote I attended an event on 'Post-Brexit Alliance Building' hosted by Compass. The event was billed as the first in a number of "public meetings to explore: what could a progressive alliance look like? How possible is it? And what... Read More ›
Sat 16th
14:14
Tracey Huffer says Philip Dunne MP must champion rural areas in his new role as Health Minister
Guest post from Tracey Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East. I'd like to congratulate Philip on his appointment as Health Minister. As an MP representing a rural area, he has a detailed knowledge of how difficult it is to maintain and improve health services outside of urban centres. His appointment is an opportunity to give... Continue reading Tracey Huffer says Philip Dunne MP must champion rural areas in his new role as Health Minister →
A guest post from Lauren Keith on the so called Northern Power House The Northern Powerhouse is fast becoming a political cliché. The 8 Lib Dem MP's (led by Southport's own MP John Pugh) have recently published a report claiming that the initiative is in danger of becoming little more than smoke and mirrors. It's about time that there was a thorough analysis of what the Northern Powerhouse actually means and what it has really achieved. The report argues that rather than being a comprehensive and new plan bringing additional funding to the North it is in fact just semantics. ...
Sat 16th
11:12
Miriam Gonzalez Durantez on her new cookery book to raise money for her Inspiring Girls campaign.
[IMG: Miriam González Durántez by Cabinet Office] Theresa May apparently has over 100 cookbooks. That's probably the one thing she and I have in common. I actually have a stack of them by my bedside table so I can dip in and out of them when I want. I tend to read them for pleasure as much as cook from them. I particularly like books which have a story around them to go along with the food. That's why Those Who Need to Know are under no illusions as to how disappointed I'd be if I didn't get Miriam Gonzalez ...
Vilifying the asylum seeker next door is just plain racist | Housing Network | The Guardian RT @DawnHFoster: Vilifying the asylum seeker next door is just plain racist Friday Column How can women flee domestic abuse if they have nowhere to go? | Housing Network | The Guardian RT @WePreventNow: .@DawnHFoster explains why affordable housing is a women's issue, and a prevention issue. miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 15-07-2016 posted The Blood is the Life for 15-07-2016 on #dreamwidth Twitter RT @TomSpilsbury: This was posted by my friend on Facebook. A Leave campaigner targeting vulnerable people in ...
In the 3 years I've been writing this blog I've written more than 700 posts. Some of my favourites have dealt with religion and in particular Christianity. Among them: A post (adapted from my testimony at my baptism) on how Richard Dawkins helped me discover Christianity. My call for the Anglican Church to schism. Why Thomas is [...]
I have posted previously about Playhouse 2, a small but perfectly formed theatre in Shaw between Oldham and Rochdale. It's just off the M62 and takes about and hour to get there from our Lydiate home. We have taken to going there quite often to see plays and last night Keith Page and I went to see a performance of the Snake Davis Band during their 'Classic Sax Solos' tour. He has a new album out of that very name and I was pleased to pick up an autographed copy of it. Here's a You Tube video of Snake:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8mb-KJj_Qo ...
Congratulations to the The Independent who have very helpfully produced a map of all the countries that Boris Johnson has offended. If you click on the link you will find an interactive version in which you can get all the details by running the mouse over each country. I am sure Foreign Office civil servants and diplomats will find this to be a useful tool over the next few months.
If it's a wee bit quiet around here today, that'll be because most of us will be in London (that'll be a 6:25 am flight for me) at the Social Liberal Forum Conference. It's the first time a major party gathering across the UK has tackled the subject of Brexit. Party President Sal Brinton, peers Lindsay Northover and Jonny Oates and others will be discussing what to do next. The theme of the day is Inequality and its various effects on welfare, housing, health, about inter=generational inequality. It's been planned in conjunction with the Equality Trust which was set up ...
Residents have contacted me about pedestrian safety crossing Blackness Road near to the roundabout with Glamis Road and Glamis Drive. I contacted the City Council about this and the Traffic and Transport Team Leader has advised : " ... we will have to undertake a survey to check what Pedestrian / Vehicle conflict that is going on. I will arrange one to be undertaken at this location."
Cross-party cooperation at times when traditional party divisions are in flux is nothing new. We have been here before, sometimes with success for liberalism and quite often without success. Especially if the electoral outcomes are also factored in. Avoiding both disasters and damp squibs is not an easy task at times of political realignment and unusual cross-party cooperation. That makes learning the lessons from history where vital. So here are fives lessons from political history – and a new sixth wildcard thrown in by a mostly overlooked electoral law change made recently. 1. Negotiating formal candidate deals is difficult, painful ...
In a recent blog post I argued that the Welsh Liberal Democrats needed to develop an Assembly Election Strategy that placed more emphasis on winning regional seats. Of course, this on its own will not be enough to halt the decline. The more fundamental challenge is that the electorate doesn't really know what the Welsh Liberal Democrats stand for and we need to remedy this pretty quickly. It is an issue keenly felt across the Federal Party as a whole. With the national media paying us little or no attention it is hard to convey any message other than that ...
Nicholas Whyte discusses the European economy Me on China's CCTV. (tags: mymedia eu ukpolitics ) The May delusion: Britain's new prime minister will regret appointing Boris Johnson @economist's brutal assessment. #fb (tags: eu ukpolitics ) Bronze Age inferno preserved an extraordinary view of life in England 3000 years ago Fascinating. (tags: archaeology ) 'Ghostbusters' Is A Perfect Example Of How Internet Movie Ratings Are Broken Yep. (tags: internet films )
More Shropshire goodness from the BFI's Britain on Film collection. Click on the image above to view this film by Freddy Morrison of Cleobury Mortimer. It combines shots of village life and people, including Cleobury's wonky spire, with footage of trips to Highley and the Isle of Man. Look for coal miners and what was then a new road bridge in the former, and the TT races and horse-drawn trams in the latter. Enjoy to the telephone number Cleobury Mortimer 6.
