Villains try to blow up a train they believe is carrying the prime minister, only to be foiled by Leslie Grantham. He is revealed to be a Special Branch office and not the antiques thief the locals have taken him for. All this happens to the strains of Dear Mr Fantasy by Traffic. And you wonder why I like ITV3.
© David Hawgood The Guardian's Alexandra Topping has ventured to the far end of the District Line: In the the backroom of the part-converted garage that serves as the Liberal Democrat's tiny constituency office for Richmond Park, a production line of party members is bundling up leaflets, soon scooped up by rosette-wearing activists who head out to pound the leafy streets. Holding five-week-old Oliver while his dad straps on a baby sling to take him canvassing, Gareth Roberts, the Lib Dem leader of the opposition in Richmond council, looks around with a grin. "It's a bit like in Jaws - ...
New data released by the Office of National Statistics today show a general improvement in wages across the south of Shropshire. But women's wages are falling. Men's pay has gone up. Women's pay has gone down. Men in the Ludlow area earn about £2 an hour above the national average. Women work for a rate... Continue reading Gender pay gap widens in Ludlow area as women's wages fall →
A wild boar yesterday. Photo by Thimindu Goonatillake Important news from the Shropshire Star. Someone believes his garden in Madeley is being dug up by wild boar: Jan Mckelvey, conservation manager at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said they have already had confirmed sightings of boar in the Clun Valley, with one recently caught on a camera trap. She said the Severn Valley woodland that surrounds Madeley would offer excellent habitat for the boar. But she said that the damage caused by boar can be confused with that of a very active badger. She has urged people who have actual sightings of ...
'The Liberal Democrats have vowed to make the Richmond Park by-election about Brexit, not Heathrow,' says the BBC. This is, as I suggested yesterday, strategically sensible: Strategically for the LibDems, Richmond by-election needs to be seen to be about Brexit (national issue) not Heathrow (local issue). — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) October 25, 2016 I'm also pleased to see in the same report that Labour is going to stand: Labour says it will field a candidate despite three of its MPs urging it to consider standing aside to maximise the chances of a Tory defeat. "Wait, what", I hear you say ...
It's now been reported widely, that Luton Borough Council has denied it ever wanted to move its homeless into St Michael's Gate where tenants from 74 properties face eviction.....! A bit of background! At a recent meeting, Tory councillors voted to accept a deal to replace tenants at St Michael's Gate with people from the [...]
... As I suspected in my previous update Samsung's courier has not turned up to take away my Note 7 (this is the second day they have done this) nor has the other courier delivered my new phone. This is my face of not-surprise. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: The Alternative] One thing I wanted to write about after being at Lib Dem Conference in September were the fringe meetings about working with other parties. One was Caroline Lucas, Lisa Nandy and Chris Bowers, talking about their book The Alternative, while the other featured Lucas, Norman Lamb and Peter Kyle talking about similar issues as part of a Social Liberal Forum fringe. You probably won't be surprised to hear that the fringes didn't result in a spontaneous desire to co-operate between the three parties, but I think they gave everyone there a decent amount of food for thought, ...
Just so people know, over the next couple of months I plan to migrate all my books away from Smashwords and to Draft 2 Digital, which offers the same services but doesn't make you wait three months to get paid, ... Continue reading →
Embed from Getty Images Revelations that Theresa May secretly warned about the economic effects of Brexit produced this sharp reaction from Tim Farron. It is disappointing that Theresa May lacked the political courage to warn the British public as she did a group of bankers in private about the devastating economic effects of Brexit. But far more disappointing is that now she is supposedly in charge, she is blithely ignoring her own dire warnings and is prepared to inflict an act of monumental self-harm on the UK economy by pulling Britain out of the Single Market. She is doing so ...
Embed from Getty Images I thought that in the UK, we had a parliamentary democracy. We elect representatives to tackle, understand, debate and ultimately enact legislation in order to build a cohesive, fair and prosperous society. OK, our politicians have seen fit on a few occasions, to gauge the mood of the country and seek 'advice' from the electorate on a singular matter of importance, via a referendum. Surely, under these circumstances, that received advice should then be subject to the normal process of parliamentary understanding , debate and action as parliament sees fit. In this way the factors of ...
[IMG: Compass] [IMG: Twitter] [IMG: Facebook] www.compassonline.org.uk Richmond By-election Dear Iain, A progressive alliance isn't something we build for the future, but something we can create right now. Zac Goldsmith has given us a chance in Richmond Park - we must take it. Today Compass is issuing the following statement calling on Labour and the Greens to give the Liberal Democrats a clear run in the by-election: The Richmond Park by-election is a huge progressive opportunity. Zac Goldsmith ran a racially divisive campaign for the London mayoralty, and was staunchly in favour of the Leave side in this year's referendum. ...
Friday night was awards night at the Gild Hall in Formby. This is a new and most inspired initiative from Formby Parish Council and got off to a brilliant start. There were twelve awards including Good Neighbour, Carer, Fundraisers, for Courage, Teacher, Young Person, Community Hero and Lifetime Achievement. The businesses of Formby had rallied around to sponsor the awards and local residents John Parrot, David Fairclough, and Elite Super Heavyweight Champion Alex Dickenson joined me in handing out the awards. The evening was expertly compered by Sandgrounder Radio's Neil Newton. A special mention must go to mother and daughter ...
[IMG: Kurt Stephens] Sandgate Councillor Kurt Stephens Cllr Kurt Stephens represented Sandgate Parish Council on Tuesday night at Shepway District Coiuncil's Development Control Committee, speaking against application Y16/0584/SH to convert the shop at 44 Sandgate High Street to residential accommodation. Despite around a 40 minute discussion on the application, in the end the Development Control Committee decided overrule Sandgate's objection and to allow the application by a majority of 8-2. At the meeting, Cllr Stephens said: "Firstly, I would like to thank you for allowing me to come along tonight and to speak briefly regarding the change of usage on ...
[IMG: Pidgeon and Randerson no to Heathrow expansion] Yesterday's announcement has confirmed what we have long suspected. That Theresa May would bow down to external pressures from big business and the foreign owners of Heathrow Airport to give expansion the green light – disregarding her own constituents and MPs in the process. This is a green light that will see 800 homes and parts of the M25 demolished to make way for a development that even in its current form exceeds EU laws on emissions and is the cause of 28% of all those affected by aircraft noise in Europe. ...
[IMG: Green Spice Restaurant & LOAF cafe, Sandgate High Street] Kent County Council / Shepway District Council are "consulting" on a series of new Disabled Parking bays across Shepway, including two in Sandgate and one in Cheriton. Although the bays have been installed following the request of a specific resident in each case, the bay is not for the applicant's exclusive use. Anyone with a valid badge will be able to park in a permanent disabled bay. If you have any views on the new bays (and removal of two old bays), the details on who to write to are ...
The Liverpool Echo has this most worrying to stories – see link above. There will be a serious accident or even a death if this yob behavior continues. Keep your eyes peeled if you use this local motorway.
[IMG: Leeds L'pool in Lydiate 01 13] Autumn has arrived and the nights are closing in so here are a couple of shots (taken in Jan' 2013) of the Leeds Liverpool Canal through Lydiate after a light snowfall and in icy conditions. [IMG: View from Billy's Bridge 01 13] You can just feel the cold looking at these shots. Click on the photos to enlarge them
I posted not so long ago regarding the recently notified restructuring of Merseyside Police and my concerns about the South Sefton Community Team being based at Marsh Lane Police Station which is far from being a central location for the area concerned. Indeed, my worry as expressed in that previous posting, is that communities such as Lydiate and Melling may be too far away from Bootle's Marsh Lane to get a effective policing service. My previous post is available via this link:- I asked the Clerk of Lydiate Parish Council to take up such concerns with Inspector Phil Hatton ...
On sale at Lulu (click here) Six Quick Sci-Fi Stories: Simultaneity (a sort of stereo dreaming) The Double Take Shut-Eye Space Zombie Holiday The Final Vote The Reality Gap Six futuristic short stories featuring space travel, multiple universesalternate states, dystopian societies and space zombie horror.
Embed from Getty Images This Saturday, an alliance of groups including Maternity Action, chaired by former Lib Dem Minister Jo Swinson, launches an action plan aimed at tackling maternity discrimination. The event takes place at the excellent Resources for London venue in Central London, where the Social Liberal Forum Conference was held last July. No matter where you live in the country, you can take part on Twitter by following #maternityrights and by watching the live stream here. If you are able to go, you can still register here. Here are some more details about the event: Please come and ...
- have finished course of antibiotics prescribed for secondary problem. - primary problem still there, but at least I'm not suffering the side effects of the antibiotics any more. - side effects of antibiotics completely wiped me out in terms of energy and brainpower for over a week, and I couldn't even booze :( - all the other tests came back negative, so I'm booked in at the doctors on Wednesday next week. Will probably have to have more tests. - we've ruled out cervical cancer, and all the various infections; it could still be all sorts of nasty things ...
[IMG: Witney by-election team] No, not the by-election team's diet, but ten initial things we learnt from the campaign! Having had a few days to recover, I've been reflecting on the Witney by-election campaign and what I learnt from it. We will be producing materials and developing best practice advice based on the campaign, but for now here are [...]
Following Zac Goldmsith's resignation as Conservative MP for Richmond Park in order to force a Parliamentary by-election, the Conservatives have already announced they won't be running a candidate against his independent re-election bid. It's possible the field will thin even further because three senior Labour MPs have called for their own party also to stand aside, as LabourList reports. The trio are Clive Lewis, Lisa Nandy and Jonathan Reynolds. They say: Just months after fighting a nasty, racially divisive campaign to be Mayor of London Zac Goldsmith has triggered a by-election in his Richmond seat... With the Tories not standing ...
The Little-Known Company That Enables Worldwide Mass Surveillance I'm white and working class. I'm sick of Brexiters saying they speak for me [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
For those who have not yet heard, Zac Goldsmith has resigned as MP for Richmond Park over the government's announcement that Heathrow airport will be allowed to expand capacity. After a rather tepid speech in the House, all things considered, Zac said he would quit and thus a by-election would be held. In which he would run as an independent candidate. So basically, Goldsmith has quit the Conservative Party and resigned the whip but wants to remain an MP and feels he needs a by-election to justify this. What a man of the people. Anyhow, the real news is that ...
[IMG: David Rendel] David Rendel was MP for Newbury from 1993 to 2005, winning the seat in a famous by-election with the largest majority ever attained by a Liberal Democrat. A campaigner of renowned energy, he was greatly admired both locally and nationally. At the time of his death in 2016, he still inspired huge loyalty within and beyond the Newbury and West Berkshire (NWB) Local Party and area. One of David's key strengths was his ability to inspire other people, particularly young people, to become actively involved in politics. NWB Liberal Democrats wish to establish an award in memory ...
This report says that 82% of football-game-going people "would not have a problem" if a gay player was on their team. 8% would abandon their club. That maths suggests as much as 10% would turn up and think homophobic abuse toward their own team was the right thing to do. Manchester United's ground has a 75,000 capacity apparently: if half of them are supporting the home team and one in ten of those are good with yelling (whatever), that's nearly 4,000 voices from your own fan group telling you to **** off for being gay. What a welcoming environment. And ...
[IMG: Tim-Farron-Stronger-in-Europe] You ask, we deliver This week, we're responding to a request from an ALDC member who wanted some new templates highlighting the Liberal Democrats' plan for Britain post Brexit. If you have any request or ideas that ALDC should be offering please let us know by emailing Ed at ed.stephenson@aldc.org Three options We have three, two [...]
The predictable announcement by the Transport Secretary that the Tory Government plan to build a third runway at Heathrow was followed by the equally predictable resignation of Zac Goldsmith as MP so he can fight a by-election as an Independent opposed to the plans. The catch of course is that the Tories will not oppose him, so the chances are that if he is re-elected he will end up back on the Tory benches, part of a government which is going to go-ahead with the expansion anyway. He couldn't even be bothered to properly scrutinise the Minister before falling on ...
I think the major shock about the UK vote to leave the EU was the transformation in British culture that the vote seems to represent. From having been in the vanguard of the global economy and the globalized society, the UK seems to have rejected much of what it seemed to stand for. The aftermath of the vote- racist statements, racist attacks and all seemed to have turned the conventional wisdom about Britain on its head. The country was not as open or tolerant or globalized as it purported to be. This is despite the fact that a significant faction ...
The Friends of Balgay Autumn Meeting & AGM takes place this coming Saturday - 29th October - at 2pm at the Mills Observatory. Liz Houghton from the Scottish Wildlife Trust will give a talk about urban wildlife. All welcome!
Embed from Getty Images Caroline Pidgeon, like all Liberal Democrats, has always campaigned against a third runway at Heathrow. The picture shows her speaking against expansion at a demo in Parliament Square last year. This is her reaction to yesterday's announcement that the Government has, inexplicably, decided to back the project: After an incredibly expensive lobbying campaign the Government has foolishly accepted the myth that what is good for the overseas owners of Heathrow is also good for the UK economy. The reality is that airports such as Luton and Stansted have spare capacity. And in time HS2 will also ...
This photograph of the north side of Dundee's Nethergate at the junction with Tay Street Lane (below) dates from after 1891, after which point numbers in that section were altered after extensive building works. The image may date from shortly afterwards. As there are no names on any of the shops, it is difficult to date the picture with any greater accuracy. The low building at the right hand side (and east) housed the galleries of J. Gonnella & Co., a family of Italian sculptors, several of them consuls. The corner establishment was the wine and spirits business belonging to ...
Good to see Tom Brake and Norman Lamb on the case: Tom Brake MP and Norman Lamb MP, Health Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, have strongly condemned news that indebted people are being charged up to £150 in return for letters confirming they are suffering from mental health conditions. In news that Lamb has called an "outrage", research from Money and Mental Health Policy Institute has revealed that one in three people who ask for the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form to give to creditors are being charged. This has resulted in vulnerable people either pushing themselves further into ...
What is Phishing? Take the OpenDNS Phishing Quiz I got 14 out of 14 right. (tags: Internet ) French toast: Socialists are already looking beyond François Hollande *gulp* (tags: france ) Wallonia's weak spot as an ethical trade champion: guns The counterattack. (tags: Belgium eu ) Insider's guide to Chișinău Nice piece! (tags: moldova )
I discovered this list of questions around a month ago and have been slowly answering them. I aim to do this once a year so I can see if I change in my personality, views and attitude throughout my life. When was the last time you tried something new? Last week. It was Cashew nuts. They're pretty tasty and a good alternative to chocolate and sweets. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to? God... no, I'm kidding. I compare myself to many of my favourite writers, which is a mistake as they have lived in different times and had different ...
