Years ago I blogged about a visit to Southwell and quoted Nikolaus Pevsner book The Leaves of Southwell, which is about the carvings in the Minster's chapter house: Could these leaves of the English countryside, with all their freshness, move us so deeply if they were not carved in that spirit which filled the saints and poets and thinkers of the thirteenth century, the spirit of religious respect for the loveliness of created nature? The inexhaustible delight in live form that can be touched with worshipping fingers and felt with all senses is ennobled ... by the conviction that so ...
SNP seat. Cause: Resignation. LD Candidate- Nick Smith.
Conservative seat. Cause: Death. LD Candidate: Peter Evans. To help please contact Margaret Rowley on 01905 345307 or 07899 053700 or email amargaretrowley@aol.com
Conservative seat. Cause: Resignation. LD candidate- Ross Stalker. To help, please call 07812493355.
Embed from Getty Images Vince Cable was Peter Henneddy's interviewee in the latest edition of Reflections. As the BBC's blurb says: He talks movingly of his early years, and although his own views have remained consistently on the centre-left of British politics, he emerges as something of a political nomad, having belonged to the Labour Party and the SDP before joining the Liberal Democrats. After finally being elected to Parliament in his fifties, he first captured public attention with his warnings about the financial crash in 2008 and won widespread respect as a sage voice in the ensuing economic storm. ...
Just a stone's throw from the stadia where the Olympic Games are taking place in Rio de Janeiro tends of thousands of impoverished Brazilians live in conditions that would be unthinkable in Europe. Despite several years of strong economic growth, before a sharp fall-back the past two or three years, Brazil remains one of the [...]
There is now a new way to keep track of what is happening with Liberal Democrat policy making thanks to a the party's main website. It now hosts a new page tracking the latest status of the different policy working groups which the Federal Policy Committee (FPC) has created. The new page documents exactly which stage they are all at – and hence the ways in which people can get involved effectively in influencing their outcomes. There are currently six policy working groups under way, with a further two in the final stage of their work with a policy paper ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: Tove's youth and her attitude towards her own life are perhaps best illustrated by the ex libris motto she created in 1947, and used from then on. The Latin phrase - labora et amare - is not quite correct grammatically, but its intended meaning is 'work and love'. It was characteristic of Tove to put work before love. Most young women would have put them the other way around.The small ex libris drawing contains a large number of motifs, including sea, anchors, roses and thistles, and grapevines winding around Greek columns. Right in the centre ...
Would you be interested in joining the team at Dodington Parish Council on a Permanent Part Time basis, undertaking caretaking duties at Play Areas, Open Spaces and Parish Hall? Details are available here and you can find out more about Dodington Parish Council from their website. The closing date is 31st August.
Note from the district council to Chris White S106 funding of £5,000 has now been allocated to this project and I wanted to let you know about it so it's on your radar. The primary aim of the campaign is to improve air quality and protect the health of residents and visitors, by persuading drivers [...]
If you fancy a cycling challenge, why not enter the Saddleback Sodbury Sportive, now in its 5th year. 100 miles of riding and 1700 metres of ascent, with alternatives of 60 miles and 30 miles, all through stunning countryside. The event is now so well established that it was featured in a recent edition of Cycling Weekly. The event takes place on Sunday 21 August - you can enter on the Sportive website here The Sportive is organised by the Members and Friends of the Rotary club of Chipping Sodbury - last year participants raised more than £20,000 for charity. ...
A review this week urged the BBC to better explain statistical claims in its coverage. But do we need to trust numbers for them to exercise power over us? The 1820s is often seen as the moment when an enthusiasm for numbers started to take hold. Ever since, there has been a growing impulse to understand people through statistics, giving rise to an explosion or avalanche of systems for social measurement, facilitated by what Theodor Porter memorably described as a trust in numbers. Over almost 200 years, our lives have been measured with increasing intensity: from household, health, mortality and ...
I reported this damaged barrier in Bridge Road off Ross Parade to the council earlier this week. I am advised that the bollard has been removed for safe keeping as the base plate is damaged beyond repair and a new one has been ordered. In the meantime plastic barriers are being used to prevent vehicular [...]
GMB have gone for Owen Smith in the Labour self-destruction ballot and today, it has been announced that Unison have opted for Corbyn. Frankly, I don't give a damn who the unions back. It's their decision, to be reached by their own systems. The GMB decision however was interesting, not because of who they opted to back, but because of the tiny turnout. Despite all the protestations by the GMB
There's been some astonishingly good analysis on the Brexit decision in the last couple of days, here are some of my reflections. I'm struck by the fact, as the IFS outlines, that the government wants to take a lot of time, effort and money to shoot ourselves in the foot on the back of one vote about #Brexit, a non binding one at that. But the most startling thing to me is that the choice that seems to be surfacing, albeit probably impossible, is being part of the single market but not having free movement of people. As Daniel Knowles ...
Two shots of the demolition of the unrefurbished block of flats just off Marsh Lane. Not being blown up, I assume, as it is too close to the other nicely refurbished tower blocks. [IMG: Coming down the hard way] [IMG: Coming down the hard way 2 r] The photo's are also amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP today warned that the SNP's approach to automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) software risks repeating failures that led to the wholesale use of the controversial stop and search tactic. Responses to Parliamentary Questions from Mr McArthur today revealed that the Scottish Government has no intention to legislate [...]
The following press release from Merseytravel is interesting although for how many years has Merseytravel been talking about improving this particular line? I would guess at at least 25 years. Enhancing the Borderlands line Proposals to develop improvements to cross border travel between the [Liverpool] City Region and North Wales went before the Merseytravel Committee on Thursday 28th July. Members considered a report proposing the creation of a working group of key partners, together with the Welsh Government to investigate further a number of options geared towards enhancing the Borderlands line between Bidston and Wrexham. Improving the quality and service ...
The Guardian has the story – see link above The interesting part for me is Kilfoyle's view on Joe Anderson the present Mayor of Liverpool who wanted to be Mayor of Merseyside but did not get selected by the Labour Party. The extract from the article below is telling:- "Nothing personal against Joe Anderson as such. I don't think he has been a very good mayor for the city. I think the city has had a lot of bread and circuses [as] I describe it. Like today the announcement of a bid, a bid for the Commonwealth Games. It ...
In my LDV contribution in early June I reported that the Dutch CPB (=equivalent of the IFS) warned that every Dutch citizen stood to lose 1.000 euros (by 2030) as a direct consequence of a Brexit. Now that Brexit has been decided, but article 50 will only be invoked in 2017, a long period of international uncertainty has started. In its "Autumn Estimate", the same CPB has today (August 9) concluded that Brexit and its uncertainty will hit the Dutch economy and society hard, starting in 2016-7. And we have general elections in March of 2017. First, employers will be ...
During our door knocking exercises this year, one of the big questions from residents living along or just off Manor Drive relates to what is happening with the plan to build schools at the location. So at a previous Full Council meeting I stood up and asked the Leader of the City Council what [...]
The United Kingdom Independence Party and the Liberal Democrats are not 'here to stay' according to a new poll conducted by You Gov this week. The poll asks respondents to look ten years into the future and decide if a party is 'here to stay' or whether it will eventually fade from British political life [...]
[IMG: Polling_station_6_may_2010] Despite the existence of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, there's a lot of speculation about just when the next General Election might be. It's entirely understandable given the current political situation and how much has changed in the fifteen months since the last general election, even if making one happen is now more difficult than it used to be. At the moment, the general consensus is that May is looking at the prospect of an election in May 2017. There are good reasons for this: she's inherited a small Commons majority, she needs a proper mandate for Brexit ...
Charlie Falconer has said on the BBC that Labour must unify in late-September, whatever the result of the Labour leadership contest is. "We've got to have the leadership election, we'll get a result in the leadership election, then we as a party have got to unify. There's more speculation about an early election. We as a party have got to come together. In relation to what the party has got to do, it's got to be able to present to the public coherent unified prospectus for government, if we can't do that then we are divided and we are incredibly ...
There are still problems across the district despite assurances from the County Council that all is in hand. This photo is from Hamilton Road: There are also still streets which have not had weed treatment, like Liverpool Road and Marlborough Gate. All of these issues are being taken up with the County Council but let [...]
How the City is governed should be a decision of the people of Liverpool and not the political parties of Liverpool On the day after Labour have announced its candidate for the mayoralty of the Liverpool City Region Liverpool's Lib ... Continue reading →
In the wake of the referendum, with Trump appearing to be gaining ground in the US, and populism on the rise across Europe, we Liberals could start to feel a little grim about our future relevance in the world. Not so in South Africa where the Democratic Alliance (DA), long-time Liberal Democrat sister party and the only viable opposition to an increasingly corrupt African National Congress (ANC) government, has surged to its best result yet in last week's nationwide local elections. In the 2006 local elections, the ANC got 66.3% votes nationwide, with the liberal DA at just 14.8%. Last ...
Those of us who cut our political teeth in the 1980s will remember the battles for the heart and soul of the Labour Party as 'moderates' sought to repel a determined effort by the Militant Tendency to take over their party. This was particularly intense in Swansea West, where I lived in the early years of that decade where there was a concerted attempt to deselect the then-sitting MP, Alan Williams. The fact that Labour's Deputy Leader, Tom Watson has referenced those struggles in the dossier he has sent to Jeremy Corbyn says a lot about the present struggle for ...
Commenting on the publication of Creative Scotland's Art Strategy, Scottish Liberal Democrats' Arts spokesperson, Councillor Eileen McCartin said: "It is good to see that Creative Scotland is continuing to support the many areas of the Arts which give Scotland such a vibrant and creative industry. It is essential that Creative Scotland supports new and young [...]
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : This Saturday - 13th August - 10am to 12 noon at the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum in the Carnelley Building at the University of Dundee. The D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum is opening on Saturday 13th August for an exciting Blue Skies event. Create your own wings and take flight! For this fun, drop-in family workshop, we have all the materials you need to make wings, feathered headbands and other accessories. Ever fancied winged shoes like Hermes? Look no further! You can bring your own accessories, toys or clothes, ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP yesterday called on the Scottish Government to come clean and admit a controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with a Chinese firm tied to allegations of corruption is dead in the water. Mr Rennie was speaking after answers to parliamentary questions revealed that SNP Ministers appear to have [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today warned that Scotland needs a step change in mental health services as new figures revealed an estimated 672 Scots died as a result of suicide last year. Commenting, Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "When someone takes their own life the impact on families and communities is absolutely devastating. [...]
The next Liberal Democrat federal conference is now only just over a month away, starting in Brighton on Saturday 17th September and running through to 20th September (yes, 20th – a Tuesday – rather than the more usual Wednesday finish). As a result of the changed timings, the usual order of events has also changed with policy consultation sessions no longer being the first thing. If you are a regular conference attender it's worth taking a closer look than usual at the agenda before finalising your plans. One thing, alas, which hasn't changed is the way in which conference paperwork ...
The Food Lab: A New Way to Cook Pasta? Long but convincing. (tags: cooking ) Intellectuals are freaks Don't agree with all of this but interesting thoughts. (tags: psychology academe politics ) 'Biased' fit for work tests penalise poorer people Colour me unsurprised. (tags: disability ukpolitics ) Brexit means Brexit — but in reality it's a long time away David Allan Green on form again. (tags: ukpolitics eu ) Trump, and His Jokes, and You @scalzi weighs in. (tags: uspolitics )
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe as Hugh Jexcitement, Sports Commentator, speaks.
