That was the title of the talk given by former CentreForum chief economist – these days chief scientific advisor to the Department for Education – Tim Leunig. I'm usually a bit "meh" about Ted-style talks and their over-simplistic attempts to cram nuanced arguments into "wow!" gobbets. But Tim is the real deal and this is an excellent riposte to the trite Ken Robinson-esque critique that schools somehow kill kids' creativity:
Zac Goldsmith's resignation as Conservative MP for Richmond Park in protest at his Government's decision to approve a third runway at Heathrow is, at least on the face of it, good news for the Lib Dems. A Tory-Lib Dem swing equivalent to that achieved in Witney last Thursday (19%) would see the seat, which Jenny Tonge then Susan Kramer held from 1997 to 2010, re-gained. The Conservatives' tactically savvy but politically cowardly decision to give Zac a free run as an independent Tory makes the Lib Dem task trickier. And all the candidates will, of course, be against the expansion ...
I recently turned 60 and inconceivable as it seems to me the world has changed in ways I never thought possible Looking back it's as if I was born into a world that was black and white, since that was the predominant available hue in both print television and film, and back in the past, with less Media news was also clearer with no spin News outlets from the BBC to our own local newspapers, have made news less important than commentary I guess because we can all comment with out awkward facts getting in the way of our mood ...
A relief to read this on the BBC: The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) has announced new screen time guidelines for children aged up to two. It had recommended that children have no screen time before the age of two. But it now says children aged over 18 months can use video chat with family, and 18-month to five-year-olds can watch "high quality" programmes with parents. However, it also says physical activity and face-to-face interaction should be prioritised. [IMG: wpid-img_20160928_175506.jpg] My 19 month-old is already an iPad addict (iPaddict?). He scrolls happily though YouTube, exploring its nursery rhymes, flicking from ...
In what appears to be a series of orchestrated announcements between Zac Goldsmith and the Conservative heirarchy we now have a by-election in Richmond Park without an official Tory candidate. Goldsmith has been installed as the bookies favourite standing as an independent on a straight anti-Heathrow expansion ticket. But despite his frequent assertation that he is an independently minded MP he votes with the Tories more than nine times out of ten. In fact since we had a full blooded right wing majority Tory government in 2015 he has rebelled just five times out of 146 votes - less than ...
The Safer Ludlow partnership is a joint initiative between West Mercia Police, Ludlow councillors, and Ludlow and Shropshire Councils. Safer Ludlow will be holding a public drop in session at Ludlow Methodist Church on Broad Street on 2 November. Councillors and police officers will be present from 12 noon. This is the second in a... Continue reading Safer Ludlow partnership to hold drop in session on 2 November →
Second paragraph of third chapter:"The Mizar Quartet are Sol-type hydrogen-fusing dwarf stars-"I didn't know Colin Harvey well, but I met him and enjoyed his company at P-Con in 2007. I know that he was a good friend of many friends of mine. This was his second last book, published in 2009, in the middle of his very short publishing career from 2006 to 2011 (excepting his first novel of 2001). He was only 50 when he died; if he had lived, and kept writing at the same pace, he would have doubled his output by now. I liked this book ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above Goodness me this one has dragged on and on. Surely it can't have done Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust any good at all being distracted into what seems to have been a complex set of disciplinary matters involving a number of senior members of its management team. With the NHS generally being close to being admitted into emergency care itself due to lack of funding you have to hope that our local Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust can now turn the corner quickly under an effective leadership. ...
The Conservative MP for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith has, as expected, resigned his seat. You can view his speech in Parliament earlier today here. More information on the by-election will appear here as we get it. Update: Zac Goldsmith will stand as an Independent and the local Conservative party will not put up a candidate. * Mary Reid is the Monday Editor on Lib Dem Voice.
It's that time again, where I ask my Patreon backers for suggestions as to comics I can review coming out tomorrow. See anything you'd like my opinion on? Remember, these review posts go to Patreon backers only. If you'd like ... Continue reading →
I was disappointed that the working group on welfare at the recent Brighton conference decided not to back a Universal Basic Income (UBI). An amendment (defeated) put forward by members from Calderdale called for negative income tax. But actually, fundamentally, a UBI is both far more essentially liberal and—in any case–the current societal context and demographic trends demand that we should look far more closely at this, especially as we are a progressive party. The current welfare system, introduced just after the Second World War, has become complex, bureaucratic, top-down and increasingly intrusive—note that all these descriptors are fundamentally illiberal. ...
[IMG: LGC Hustings Crowd (500 x 375)] Local parties around the country are just about to enter the season for local party AGM's. Your Annual General Meeting is one of the most important dates on the calendar - it's a chance for your members to have their say on the work that the Liberal Democrats are doing in their community, and to [...]
Embed from Getty Images London Liberal Democrats organised a protest outside Downing Street today objecting to the expansion of Heathrow. Tim Farron says the decision is a betrayal of the communities in West London: The 'No Ifs, No Buts' pledge from the Conservatives has been thrown by the wayside in the rush to bulldoze homes and build a new runway. Zac Goldsmith has failed Richmond Park on Heathrow and betrayed them on Brexit. The turbulence in the Conservative Party is nothing compared to the anger felt by those they have betrayed by giving up their commitment to the environment and ...
I know I keep banging on about the worrying gun culture here in Sefton and indeed across Merseyside but the incidents keep on coming. This one is covered by the Liverpool Echo – see link above. Just how many illegal guns are in circulation locally? Are Merseyside Police going to be able to get on top of these all too regular shootings? What is our Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner doing to combat gun crime?
[IMG: clock-705672_960_720] We have created a template MyCllr story and an email that can be sent to members or to contacts to remind them about the clocks change – which is also an ideal time to check your fire alarm. Scroll to the foot of the story for instructions on adding the text in the MyCllr download files [...]
The Independent has the story on is web site – see link above Well those of us on the Remain side thought this would happen just as we thought the Nissan car plant may be pulled out of the UK. Both now seem to be strong possibilities. Of course we are in quite a Brexit mess and I wonder how bad things need to get before Brexiters realise that they have put the UK on the road to ruin? Of course none of us has any love of bankers after the financial crash which we are still reeling from. ...
On 4th August 2012 I sat, like so many other millions of Brits, and watched our country's achieve its best ever athletic session of a summer Olympic... Read more "Liberals need to reclaim patriotism"
Earlier in the day The Huffington Post reported that Conservative members in Richmond Park had received an email from the local party stating: You will no doubt have seen the announcement in the media this morning that the government has given the green light for expansion at Heathrow. Zac has contacted the association to let us know that he intends to honour his pledge to resign and force a by-election in Richmond Park. The chairman has called an emergency meeting for the executive council for Wednesday evening to discuss the turn of events and will issue a full statement to ...
So after a couple of decades of delay, the Conservative government has announced that Heathrow Airport will be expanded with a third runway. This will lead to thousands of extra flights in and out of London, already one of the world's busiest airports. This is a terrible decision. It's bad for the environment as extra [...]
I've recently received an update regarding improvements to the brook: Water quality samples are showing an improvement in Dissolved Oxygen and processing of the chemical Phosphate. The berm and pool features are trapping sediment. The berm and pool features are trapping sediment. Habitat is flourishing especially plants near the water's edge (marginal plants), freshwater shrimps [...]
On 4th August 2012 I sat, like so many other millions of Brits, and watched our country's achieve its best ever athletic session of a summer Olympic Games as Great Britain won three gold medals in the space of an hour to make a total of six gold medals that day, soon dubbed 'Super Saturday' by the press. While the run up to the games was marred by our country's somewhat infamous national pessimism of such events such doubts were soon cast away in favour of awe at the game's show-stopping opening ceremony. From Shakespeare to the internet, from rolling ...
Embed from Getty Images As expected, the Government has favoured the expansion of Heathrow, over its rival Gatwick. The Transport Minister will make an announcement at about 12.30pm today, but the BBC reports that the decision was approved by a Cabinet Committee earlier this morning. The political interest in this will be to see how many Conservatives speak out against the decision. Ministers will be allowed to state their opposition to the plans, but have to get permission from the Prime Minister first – these will include Justine Greening and Boris Johnson. Down in Richmond all eyes are on Zac ...
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 24-10-2016 posted The Blood is the Life for 24-10-2016 on #dreamwidth Twitter RT @thetartandevil: Yes but WHY are women choosing lower paid jobs? WHY are men not able to work flexibly in the same way for kids? WHY... Twitter RT @JohnSpringford: What are the chances? Great spot. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The UKIP leadership contest progressed from joke to farce yesterday with the announcement by South Wales based member, John Rees-Evans that he was throwing his hat in the ring. The announcement came by way of a rather tedious five and a half minute video on YouTube which saw Mr. Rees-Evans wander around a South Wales Valley town in a leather jacket talking to camera about his desire to transfer power to the membership, rectify the party's financial crisis and prevent it being hijacked in the future by vested interests. It was Forest Gump at a walking pace. There was not ...
The decision to approve Heathrow airport has been "taken" by the government. The reason for the quotations in the last sentence is what has me worried – not about airport expansion but rather about Brexit. The cabinet has decided as a whole that Heathrow should be allowed to expand. Only there is apparently still a long consultation coming our way on the topic. Also, May is giving anti-Heathrow ministers (namely Boris and Justine Greening) a chance to speak about their opposition, thus making the "decision" not subject to collective cabinet responsibility. So one has to wonder what "approval" by the ...
Embed from Getty Images Commenting on the blocking of the EU-Canada CETA trade deal by the Wallonia region of Belgium, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tom Brake said: This is a stark warning against a hard Brexit that takes us out of the Single Market. The fact that a small region of Belgium was able to block a massive EU deal with Canada shows just how delusional those expecting the UK to throw its weight around post-Brexit really are. If we leave the Single Market there is no going back and any trade deal with the EU will be incredibly ...
Returning from the summer Recess, Ros was back in action pretty quickly. As the former Chair of the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on Energy and Environment, you might have expected her to have something to contribute to a debate tabled by Kate Parminter... Baroness Scott of Needham Market (LD) My Lords, I join noble Lords in thanking my noble friend for tabling today's debate and giving the House an opportunity to debate an aspect of Brexit which was underdiscussed both during the referendum campaign and subsequently. At the outset, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come ...
Embed from Getty Images Here is the full text of Tim Farron's speech last night on combating post-Brexit racism, which he delivered at Queen Mary University at an event organised with The Runnymede Trust: Patriotism has too often been seen as the preserve of the right. And I resent that. I'm a patriot. I love my country, but not to the exclusion of others. That's the difference between a patriot and a nationalist. I want others to look at Britain as a beacon of hope, independent spirited, community minded, strong, maybe stubborn, but decent and compassionate. And so, the rise ...
Local people are being asked for their views on proposed changes to Bury's Council Tax Support Scheme. Council Tax Support is a means tested benefit to help people on low incomes with their Council Tax. The scheme is part funded by the Government, and part funded by the council. The proposed changes will see some residents who receive Council Tax Support contributing more to their Council Tax. Proposal 1: everyone should have to pay something towards their Council Tax We are proposing that from April 2017 all working age households, who receive Council Tax Support, will be expected to pay ...
From Blether Tay-Gither : Tonight - Tuesday 25th October - from 7pm at the Frigate Unicorn, Victoria Dock - DARE TO DREAM - International Storytelling Festival on Tour. Treat yourself to a special storytelling night where guest Storytellers Ruben Corbett from Mexico and Wayqui Cesar Villegas Astete from Peru will transport you to the colourful world of Latin America. Bi-lingual support will be provided by storyteller Laura Escuela. Tickets for this event are on sale at £5 from sheila@blethertaygither.org.uk or by phoning 01334 474836.
Many residents may have noticed the local organisation the Creative Living Centre - a charity helping people with mental or emotional distress, has moved to new premises at 1A Rectory Lane – next door to Prestwich Metrolink. The move is a relocation from their former base at the top of the Prestwich Hospital site. [IMG: Screenshot 2016-10-25 08.31.19] Creative Living Centre are applying for much needed funds, but need us to vote for them. If you want to support CLC, please take a few minutes to vote for them - it would make such a difference. Just click here and ...
Tay Square is the present-day location of The Rep theatre. It stands to the west of South Tay Street, which runs north from Nethergate to the junction with Overgate to the east and West Port to the west. It is impossible to date this photograph below by Alexander Wilson as not only are there no visible names, but there was very little change of ownership over a considerable time span anyway. No 9. (the house behind the central tree!) was home to James H. Laing. No. 10 belonged to David Ogilvy, tailor, and No. 11 is listed in the Dundee ...
Blink, and you might have missed one of the most important political stories in the last few days. The Belgian Prime Minister reported to the EU that the country cannot sign up to CETA, the trade deal between the EU and Canada that has been more than seven years in the making, because the region of Wallonia objected to it. I could bore you with the reasons behind their objections, but the practicalities are less important here than the consequences of it. Many Brexiteers have sought to crow over the failure, citing it as vindication of their long held belief ...
Earlier in the year we were pleased to support the application of our largest local allotment society, the Langley Allotments for a great from the Council's Community Fund to help develop their facilities. The application was successful which has enabled the construction of ramped access to the existing club room which has a kitchen and seating. The ramp has now been built and allotment users were there last weekend for its first official use. More information on the Langley Allotments from their website http://www.langleyallotments.co.uk.
Sorry, everyone. I've been on a bit of a Harry Potter binge recently. However, I want to talk about the friendship between Harry and Hermione. I now many people wish it was these two who got together not Ron and Hermione or Harry and Ginny. But for me, I can't see it. The truth is, I enjoyed the fact that J.K Rowling seemed to break the cliché of the hero gets the girl he's closest too and for once seemed to have a male to female friendship that was entirely platonic. Now I know that J.K Rowling, herself, has said ...
Just a reminder – the formal consultation on this process from the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in Bury ends on 31 October 2016. If you haven't already please do make your views known in their online consultation. The more people who say why we must keep the centres open, the better! The link to the consultation is here. We'll obviously be sending in the petition with all the comments you have made as part of this consultation, so if you have not signed it please do here. [IMG: Screenshot 2016-09-06 09.00.46]
Tue 25th
07:55
New Lib Dem drive to improve BAME representation and participation: Morrissey 2 report gets go ahead
During the 2015 Lib Dem leadership contest, both Tim Farron and Norman Lamb backed the idea of a 'Morrissey 2' report, a follow up to Helena Morrissey's report into Liberal Democrat culture and processes which would focus on race and ethnicity in the party. (The original Morrissey report, triggered as it was by allegations that the Liberal Democrats had failed to handle properly complaints of sexual harassment properly, had focused on other aspects of the party's processes.) Speaking last night, Tim Farron confirmed plans for this now to go ahead, with Lord John Alderdice chairing it. This is its remit: ...
Inside The Strange, Paranoid World Of Julian Assange Fascinating and horrible. (tags: wikileaks ) Christopher Marlowe credited as one of Shakespeare's co-writers on all three parts of Henry VI. Makes sense to me. (tags: shakespeare ) How Not to Do It: Liquid Nitrogen Tanks Bang! (tags: physics ) This Election is Positively Delightful Compared to 1828 A history lesson. (tags: uspolitics history ) Britain: narcissist nation Sorrow, not anger, from a Dutch commentator. (tags: ukpolitics eu brexit ) Celebrating the Women Leading the Fight to Eradicate Polio I am proud to be part of this. (tags: polio Afghanistan ) Sci-Fi ...
