I wrote a review of Philip Purser-Hallard's excellent Devices trilogy for We Are Cult. I wrote it while in a semi-comatose half-delerious state when I was ill, so I assume James (the editor) has edited it slightly to make it ... Continue reading →
Sun 4th
22:23
Sleaford & North Hykeham: Steeped in Lib Dem history and an important part of the Lib Dem reviva...
Every time I hear more about what's going on in the Liberal Democrat campaign in Sleaford and North Hykeham, it just makes me smile. My 11 years in the East Midlands has left me with a huge affection for the area and I'm just thrilled that an initially small band of Lib Dems with a mission are delivering an energetic and positive campaign in a part of the world that has been relatively unblessed with regular Focus delivery. Until now. Candidate Ross Pepper and ace campaigner and regular LDV contributor Ed Fordham have put together a campaign that has reached ...
Richard Morris shows that the argument that people do not vote against their own economic interests is wrong because it relies upon an inadequate understanding of human psychology. He witnessed Kristallnacht and then had to suffer Jonathan Ross. Roger Lewis on the harrowing, inspiring life of Andrew Sachs. The Gentle Author mourns the closure of Whitechapel Bell Foundry: "Every time I walked past the ancient foundry walls (the oldest manufacturing company in the land - founded in 1570), I wondered about the alchemical mystery of bellfounding taking place inside." "This is a grim tale, with its sweaty, dirty, horror brought ...
Last week I saw this film about a man in his 50s in the North East of England who, although he has a heart condition, is diagnosed fit for work by the the government's social security system, and his attempts to appeal his case. It is a film that makes one thoroughly ashamed to be British and have a government so monstrously unfeeling - determined, it seems to massage down the figures of those unable to work through illness regardless of the human consequences. I'd like to think that all Conservative MPs, party members and voters, members of the Blairite ...
[IMG: BBC - Some rights reserved by Tim Loudon] It's been a pretty sensational week for the Liberal Democrats. You know, the party that was devastated in last year's general election and written off for good. Sarah Olney's win in the Richmond Park by-election showed that there is plenty life in us yet. Now, there seems to be some weird, perverse rule at the BBC which means that the more newsworthy and relevant the Liberal Democrats are at any moment in time, the less likely they are to be invited on the main political programmes. On the day we won ...
Over the last month or so, I've become steadily more addicted to Duolingo, a language-learning app for smartphones. It's a nice little routine: on the bus or the train on the way to work in the morning,or lazing in bed at the weekends, I just first it up and do a couple of minutes of language practice. There is a progression of 60-70 modules of 2-8 exercises each - I'm a third of the way through courses of the two languages I have chosen, 50 days in, doing two or sometimes three exercises a day. The exercises come in a ...
Welcome to the latest in my series of tips and advice for Liberal Democrat members, which appear first in the email bulletin run by London Region for party members. The party is planning to produce an updated policy document summarising the Liberal Democrat approach next year. But in the meantime there are many occasions when having a good summary answer to that question is needed – and explaining what we stand for it not only about the current crop of policies. It is also about our history, our philosophy and the way we see the world. So Mark Pack has ...
An excellent move by the government of South Australia: The Tour Down Under has made the decision to replace its podium girls with junior cyclists, according to the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). The call comes after the South Australian government withdrew its support of the use of models on the podium in a drive to improve body image. The government also removed funding the grid girls at the Adelaide Clipsal 500 motor car race. "The Government's paying for grid girls at the same time we're putting money into mental health areas to help young women who have body image problems," ...
Embed from Getty Images Well, well, well. Wonders never cease. President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia has conceded defeat after the country's Presidential Election. Those are words I never thought anyone would write. Jammeh has been President of The Gambia for 22 years. He once said he would rule for 'a billion years'. He has recently become increasingly erratic and autocratic. First, a little about The Gambia. It is in West Africa. It is a little slither of land, smaller than Yorkshire, that runs along The Gambia river. Apart from the Atlantic Ocean, it is surrounded by its bigger neighbour, ...
I was delighted to be back at Sacred Heart College. I was their guest speaker at their Presentation Evening. I was very impressed on my first visit. You can tell a lot about a school by the things they put on their walls. It was really good to see a visual presentation of the breadth of the schools endeavours. The real temptation is to narrow down the curriculum to the few subjects that Ofsted or league tables concentrate on. Here I saw art, excellent music, sports and community service finding its proper place alongside high academic achievement. All this has ...
What's the news? Are you one of the residents who signed up to what many describe as the Tory Brown Bin Tax service? If so, I thought you might like to know, that despite you paying extra, the service will be reduced for the next two months! Why have the Council done this? Well according [...]
Presenting John Shankland with the Legion d'Honneur It was a genuine pleasure to meet John Shankland, who lives in Waterloo, and present him with the Legion d'Honneur on behalf of the French Government in grateful recognition for his part in the Liberation of Europe. John was a regular soldier and before the war was stationed in India. He was at Dunkirk and finished the war with the British detachment at Beslen. I met his Grandson who had accompanied him a recent visit back the the battlefields of WW2. At the end of the war John came to work fro Crosby ...
My latest musing on Lib Dem Voice... "I'm hearing the same argument uttered over and over again - ironically by both sides - in the #Brexit debate. Remain supporters keep saying 'no-one in Britain voted to be worse off in the referendum campaign', on the presumption that folk don't vote against what they believe is in their economic interest. Leavers, for the same reason, believe that they'll get a great deal in their Brexit negotiations because 'its in the remaining EU member countries economic interests to do so' Both sides are of course wrong. People make quite deliberate decisions against ...
Our New and Newbie MP, Sarah Olney Apparently Sarah Olney (MP!) had a bad TV interview somewhere on Friday and at one of the hustings meetings had not answered a couple of questions brilliantly. I only raise this because this ... Continue reading →
Another choice inspired by the repeats of Top of the Pops from 1982. This still sounds good, and has a very early-1980s sound and even a meaningful video - though it's hard to say quite what it means. Later Talk Talk dropped their synthesiser player and changed their musical style, even having Steve Winwood play Hammond organ on a couple of album tracks. A Guardian piece on them by Graeme Thomson from 2012 said: Confusing, mysterious, beautiful and - at least until recently - largely overlooked, Talk Talk's journey from early 80s synth-pop to late 80s post-rock has resulted in ...
Sun 4th
10:39Please stop saying people don't vote against their economic interests. They do it quite deliberately...
I'm hearing the same argument uttered over and over again – ironically by both sides – in the Brexit debate. Remain supporters keep saying 'no-one in Britain voted to be worse off in the referendum campaign', on the presumption that folk don't vote against what they believe is in their economic interest. Leavers, for the same reason, believe that they'll get a great deal in their Brexit negotiations because 'it's in the remaining EU member countries' economic interests to do so' Both sides are of course wrong. People make quite deliberate decisions against their economic interest every day. The reason ...
Ministers ditch anti-lobbying proposals for charities and universities | Education | The Guardian RT @Tim_O_Brien: Ministers ditch anti-lobbying proposals for charities and universities Instagram There's a cat on the wall opposite our living room window. This has caused some consternation. Lib Dems to oppose UK plan to block porn sites without age checks | Technology | The Guardian RT @LiberalYouth: We are proud to stand against the illiberal Tory attack on our internet freedoms. Theresa May, leave the porn alone. Woman Displays 10,000 Rainbow Lights To Defy Homophobic Neighbor | The Huffington Post RT @huffpostqueer: Woman puts up 10,000 rainbow ...
Sun 4th
09:55
No need to panic: the truth about the stories claiming students can't tell the difference between ad...
There has been a burst of headlines about how students can't tell the difference between an advert and editorial content when looking at information online. But...
The memory of Captain Johnny Walker is cherished in these parts. He was a real war leader whose innovative approach to hunting down U-boats in the Battle of The Atlantic made a real difference to saving allied lives and providing a much safer passage for the all important arctic convoys. The day began with a service in Bootle Town Hall. Capt Walker was based in Bootle's Gladstone dock and when he laid up the flags from his boats including HMS Wildgoose, Starling and Stork along with other items he chose to do so in Bootle Town Hall. Generations of local ...
[IMG: hornby-room-29-11-16-2] I have not mentioned the Frank Hornby Trust for a while but last Tuesday the Trustees got together for their AGM and a big clean up of our display cases in the Frank Hornby Room in Maghull's Meadows Leisure Centre. [IMG: Cleaning the large display case] Cleaning the large display case It was great to see Jim Gamble (probably the worlds greatest expert on Meccano) again – he had travelled up for the day from his Nottingham home. [IMG: There are a lot of Meccano, Hornby Trains and other items on display and every one had to be ...
Little Bowden, actually.
Amazing support for @RossDPepper #sleafordandnorthhykeham pic.twitter.com/1a50NKJrJe — Ed Fordham (@edfordham) December 3, 2016 The brilliant result in Richmond Park on Thursday has given a real boost to the other Parliamentary by-election happening right now – in the Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency in Lincolnshire. This by-election was called after the Tory MP resigned over the Government's approach to the single market, and whilst it may be at the other end of the 'remain vote scale' from Richmond Park, there are still many thousands of people looking for a strong and positive voice for their views. The local party has been ...
There has been a lot of speculation as to why Theresa May, upon becoming the prime minister, appointed the "Three Brexiteers" to their respective cabinet positions: Boris in the FCO, David Davis as head of the newly found Department for Leaving the European Union, and Liam Fox as Secretary of State for International Trade. Was she setting them up for a fall, many speculated? The idea here being that the three of them, being as they were, all visibly pro-Leave, would be tasked with making Brexit work. If they failed, she would have scapegoats. I am now starting to think ...
Crossens Saturday, 10th December, St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens, from 11am to 12noon.
The residents of St.Ives have voted via a new Neighbourhood Plan require that all new build homes must be occupied as principal residents – not holiday or second homes. In Southwark many new homes are sold to foreign residents and sit idle. It means even the low new home build numbers are diluted further by so many homes being lost in this way. Lib Dems have asked the labour Southwark administration whether they would support such a stance by neighbourhoods. They reacted by claiming no evidence of this problem in Southwark exists. That such homes generate receipts to be used ...
The Brexit debate - flailing around in a pool of shit @JonWorth's pungent week on Twitter. (tags: eu brexit ukpolitics twitter ) What It's Like Teaching '1984' After Trump's Election Chilling. (tags: Uspolitics ) The Best Star Trek Episodes From Every Series A useful if contested list. (tags: sf ) The Real Risk Behind Trump's Taiwan Call He doesn't know what he doesn't know. (tags: China uspolitics )
