This video follows the ring road in both directions and features stories about its history and the places it passes through. Eat your heart out, Iain Sinclair.
Wapley Bushes has just won the Green Flag Community Award, the only such award in South Gloucestershire. Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, Wapley Common and the Orchard for the Future form one of the very best green spaces in the UK - and that's official. The green space is among a record-breaking 1,686 places that have received the prestigious Green Flag Award - the mark of a quality park or green space. A Green Flag is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities. The Community Award recognises ...
In an open memo to David Cameron, former Canadian high commissioner to the UK, Jeremy Kinsman, sets out the scale of Remain's failure. James Ball and Marie Le Conte take us inside the complex snarl of companies that control Momentum. Pension raids and contribution holidays, together with some bad planning and short-sighted tax policy, have left pension funds with a massive gap. Companies are now trying to cover this using money that might otherwise go towards pay rises. Those they employ are working to cover the cost of benefits they are unlikely to see themselves while seeing their own pay ...
That is the self-description of one of the mere 15 people who attended the consultation about the County Durham Plan at St Patrick's Church Hall. Admittedly some potential attenders may never have made it into the meeting which had to be entered by the back door, not the more usual main hall entry, but the comment reflects a real concern about how Consettonians will respond to the "new" County Durham Plan (which is little more than a re-heated version of the old one put into the deep freeze by a critical planning inspector last year). The concern is that, through ...
Fri 22nd
20:05
Shropshire Council going to spend £46 million on computers over five years - it's not justifie...
This morning my iPad would not get going. The iPad is the only way I can access council emails outside of Shirehall. It has already been fixed three times this year. Last Wednesday, I wanted to access my council emails via a desktop in Shirehall. After 15 minutes, Outlook had not even loaded. I gave... Continue reading Shropshire Council going to spend £46 million on computers over five years - it's not justified →
You may have read recently about the sad news of a 5 year old local boy, who as a result of a traffic accident on Gunthorpe Ridings, was described as having "life changing injuries." Following the incident I was contacted by several local residents, including the Mr Frank Murphy, who had stood as a Conservative [...]
[IMG: ALDC Master Logo (for screen)] From one week of fantastic by-election results to another, with a Liberal Democrat gain in the Northampton Council, where the local Westone team increased the Lib Dem vote share by 36.4% to get our candidate Brian Markham elected. Councillor Markham received 49.7% of the vote, compared to the Conservatives' 27.2% and Labour's 23.0%. The local team ran a fantastic campaign to "Bring Back Brian" to the area, as Brian first won the seat at another by-election in 1993 and represented the area for 18 years. Team Lib Dem engaged many of their new members ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: These were excellent questions, and Ron Chernow wished that he knew how to answer them. Soon after Lin returned from his vacation to Mexico (having folded down many page-corners in Chernow's book, having called out many ideas to Vanessa as they popped into his brain), he reached out to the author of the biography that had seized his imagination. A friend's father supplied Ron's email address, and Lin invited him to see In the Heights. Since January, I've been thoroughly addicted to Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton (based on the ...
There is a sense that if an election happens at any time in the next year, it will be fought out as much on values as economic policy. The argument is no longer just about fairness and equality. It is also about a philosophy of life. Fears that the liberal age is now under threat both from Right and Left has the potential to galvanise those who have previously taken our liberal traditions for granted. The #libdemfightback has the potential to happen. Identifying the 48% Remain voters as fertile ground for the Liberal Democrats was a fast and valid response, ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael today slammed the government decision to close a dedicated immigration family unit as a backwards step that will see a return to children being locked up for immigration purposes. It was announced yesterday that the Cedars unit, which hosted families before their removal from the UK under immigration law, [...]
If you're a prospective undergraduate student, you'll have been shocked to see a number of universities, including Durham and Royal Holloway, offering courses above the £9000 a year threshold, which has now been increased to £9250. If you're a current student or have confirmed your place for September 2016, you'll be even more shocked to find out that your tuition fees could potentially increase, after you agreed on a price. When applying for university, both student finance and my school assured me not to worry about the student loans: I would only be paying it back if I earned £21,000 ...
One of the great things that Liberal Democrats ensured was that children would no longer be detained for immigration purposes. Instead, a pre-departure facility for families, Cedars, was set up with advice and support from Barnardos. When we left Government, I feared it would be a matter of time before this excellent facility was closed. And so, amid the flurry of announcements put out by the Government on the last day before the Summer recess, the news came yesterday. Cedars was being closed and families with children will once again be held in a detention centre Tinsley House. Unsurprisngly, Liberal ...
I was in the middle of turning 20 litres of milk from my goat Pinkie into cheese this morning when I got an email from the regional candidates' chair saying that I am now officially the Lib Dem candidate for Blaydon constituency. If there is to be an election under the current boundaries, I will be going head to head with Labour's Dave Anderson (assuming he stands again), Shadow Secretary of
[IMG: Work on the new River Berth taking place in August 2015] Work on the new River Berth taking place in August 2015 [IMG: IMG] I return to this matter because Highways England have issued a 3rd newsletter which is now available on their web site – see link below (click the publications tab):- The map above shows what Highways England have in mind, as if we were in any doubt. Option 2 is their proposed new road down and through the Rimrose Valley Country Park. Option 1 is upgrading the A5036/Dunningsbridge Road etc. The issues that pop out ...
[IMG: IMG_3300] I'm starting to see evidence of the Liberal Democrat fightback all around me. On a Sunny day last Sunday the room we booked out for Harrogate's away day was packed out. Given how few nice days we get in this country, is there any finer example of the sacrifice people are willing to make for [...]
The BBC, whom many people thought unfairly generous to Leave during the referendum campaign reports worrying economic data. Data from Markit's Purchasing Manager's Index, or PMI, shows a fall to 47.7 in July, the lowest level since April in 2009. A reading below 50 indicates contraction. Both manufacturing and service sectors saw a decline in output and orders. The report goes onto say that most businesses are attributing the causes to "Brexit" (which appears to mean the vote to Leave, rather than leaving itself which has not yet happened). Unless the economy improves in coming months we will be officially ...
Dodington Parish Council and Sports 1st Ltd are running Olympic Sports Days at the Playing Field in Kelston Close, next to Abbotswood School, FREE OF CHARGE for pupils in years 3, 4, 5 and 6 - running, long jump, javelin, shot put and many other events. The events are on Tuesday 26th July, Thursday 28th July, Tuesday 23rd August and Thursday 25th August. All children will need to be dropped off at 9:45am for registration and parents/carers will need to register them on the day. All children will need trainers, suitable clothing for all weathers and a packed lunch. Please ...
Tim Farron has written a thoughtful article for the Yorkshire Post saying that we need to reform our voting system to make it fairer and to reflect the views of the people. What's surprising is that there's more than just Lib Dems talking about it: But just as extraordinary in its way has been the letters page of The Yorkshire Post. It has been bursting with debate on the need for electoral reform in the light of Brexit and the divided state of our country. Tim went on to talk about conversations with Leave voters in Preston who felt that ...
Britain's political system is in turmoil, and each political party faces distinct problems. For now the Conservatives seem to be weathering the crisis best; the referendum result was the right one for them, in party management terms at least. Labour's crisis is looking terminal, "the reek of death" as this excellent article by Nick Cohen has ... Continue reading The Liberal Democrats: a rebirth not a fightback →
Fri 22nd
09:21
Liberal Democrats need to have radical solutions to collapse of industrial communities
It is with more than a little sadness and apprehension that I watch the drawn-out self destruction of the Labour Party, as its leader, a man who I once respected and liked, seems hell bent on bringing Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition to its knees. The details of this destruction have been covered extensively in other places, and I won't repeat them here, but one thread does deeply concern me as a liberal: the seeming blindness the Labour Party has to industry and the traditional worker. Britain's industrial past, I believe, played a key part in the result of the ...
To be honest I don't care who is responsible for the abuse and intimidation on social media and elsewhere over the attempted coup by Labour MPs against Jeremy Corbyn. This behaviour has no place in modern British politics. Like others I have been shocked by the ferocity and nature of the backlash. Today's news that Angela Eagle has stopped holding public surgeries for constituents on police advice after she received abuse and threats because she challenged for the Labour party leadership, goes to the heart of the issue. Stop and reflect on this for a moment: an elected MP in ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP yesterday warned that poundshop policing will not deliver the service that communities need after the General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) warned that officers are being sent out to buy kit from charity shops. Calum Steele from the SPF took to social media and claimed [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP yesterday warned that cuts to drug and alcohol services could leave people stranded as new figures revealed that more than 3000 children were treated for drug or alcohol misuse in the last two years. The statistics, obtained by the Liberal Democrats through Freedom of Information requests, showed [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP called yesterday for assurances from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice over the deployment of armed police after reports officers carrying weapons were spotted in a supermarket café in Dingwall. Commenting, Mr McArthur said: "Weeks ago the parliament was given fresh assurances by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice [...]
Today marks the retirement, after over 40 years of service, of Iain Flett, the City Archivist. Many constituents will know Iain, who has provided a superb archives service for the city, along with his former assistant Richard Cullen and his current assistant Martin Allan. Martin will now take on the role of City Archivist on Iain's retirement. Iain has been extremely helpful to me over the years in providing feedback to the many constituent enquiries received about the city's history and he is hugely knowledgeable as well as an accomplished, informative and entertaining public speaker. Earlier this week, Iain and ...
Rosie Winterton, the shadow chief whip, has attempted to calm the nerves of Labour MPs, reassuring them all that a move to deselect them is not on the cards. She wrote a letter telling them that she, not the leader's office, is in charge of reselections if the boundary review gets actioned (which, unless World War III breaks out before 2018, will go ahead) and that the whole thing was governed by rules already set out by the NEC. However, this is unlikely to cool the concerns of the PLP for two good reasons. Reason one is that Corbyn essentially ...
Lying Liars Who Lie Hillary is truthful; why don't people think so? (tags: uspolitics sexandgenderandsexuality ) A Women's History of Silicon Valley The women you don't see. (tags: sexandgenderandsexuality historyofscience )
