"The data presented to Waverley suggested that floods like January 1953 were becoming more frequent and that the combination of factors that produced them were likely to happen more often." Concern with man-made climate change in Britain dates back at least to the East Coast floods of 1953, argues Matthew Kelly. It's not only fake news we needs to fight, says Sean Munger, there's fake history too. Jay McGregor explains how Margaret Thatcher killed superfast broadband in the UK before it even existed. The History of Parliament Blog explains why clapping is not the done things in the Commons chamber. ...
Paul Halliday, who stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Newport East at the 2015 general election and the 2016 Welsh Assembly poll, has resigned from the party. He was due to stand for Newport council at the local elections in May. Halliday had been suspended by the party over allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct towards a 17-year-old girl. He had previously told Wales Online: "I don't know who has made the allegation. "I have not acted inappropriately towards anyone and am anxious to clear my name."This evening BBC News reports: Paul Halliday claimed the Lib Dems have told him ...
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Siôn Simon: "A cep vinaigrette so beguilingly sophisticated that one was tempted to dab it beh...
These days Guido Fawkes spends too much time spinning on behalf of Pro-Brexit Tories, but he did have an amusing story today, So, in the spirit of the glory days of political blogging, I have stolen his illustration. Siôn Simon, Labour's candidate for West Midlands mayor, is trying to reinvent himself as an English nationalist and man of the people. Guido writes: Judging by the campaign material above, you'd think Labour's candidate for West Midlands mayor is a Brexit backer who wants to stick it to the Westminster elite. Vote Leave slogan? Tick. England flag? Tick. Platitude about how "Politicians ...
Embed from Getty Images The LibDems might explore the possibility of a policy of putting the fire service into the independent sector. There are various models which could be considered. One is that of the LifeBoats (RNLI), a charity which works under a Royal Charter and is run by volunteers on the front line but with paid headquarters staff. Another is that of mutualisation, the John Lewis model. The need for reform is highlighted by the practice of firemen taking second jobs, which is not a trope of the right-wing media but a fact about a self-serving, over-politicised and reactionary ...
Second paragraph of third story ("The Bad Guy", by Stephen Fewell):'Whenever I think of you,' she said, 'I'll always remember you with fondness —' She'd been trembling as she took my hand, her rings clustered cold against my fingers.Another of the Big Finish anthologies, unusually taking the first eight Doctors in chronological sequence with stories about saying goodbye. A strong start and end, with the First Doctor taking Ian and Barbara along Route 66 and the Eighth Doctor re-enacting The Wicker Man with contemporary garden furniture (one for
The latest ALDC offer to grow your team and the number of Lib Dem campaigners across the country ends on Tuesday 31 January.
The latest ALDC offer to grow your team and the number of Lib Dem campaigners across the country, ends on Tuesday 31 January. The Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC) supports Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners across Great Britain. We're a membership organisation and we provide advice, resources and training to help Liberal Democrats win elections. Members get a free door-knocking tablet when they recommend ALDC to a friend or colleague, who then joins. So if there are non-members within your team, get them to join us and you can get a free door-knocking tablet. And non-members, if you've been ...
[IMG: MyCouncillor image Cervical Cancer Prevention 2] A MyCouncillor story highlighting Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which runs from the 22nd-28th of January. Everything we do and show on our MyCouncillor site provide proof points for who we are as people and campaigners. Using some or all of the template stories ALDC produces will add to the local content you produce as a [...]
The Limehouse Podcast has come about through total obsession with both politics and podcasts, the total obsession cannot be completely revealed for risk of losing any hopeful followers. Its name comes from The Limehouse declaration, the birth place of the SDP. It was decided upon whilst the podcast team were sat in a pub (how remarkably unique) awaiting the Richmond park by-election result – an omen if ever there was one. Bobby Dean PPC for Deptford can take the credit there! We've constructed episodes (45-50 minutes long) that are more suited for those with their fingers not totally but somewhat ...
Two polls released in the past 24 hours show the Liberal Democrats closing the gap between themselves and UKIP as the party looks to re-establish itself as the default 'third party' of British politics. YouGov (polling Jan 9/10) sees the gap cut from four point to two, with UKIP on 13% and the Lib Dems ... Continue reading Lib Dems Closing Poll Gap on UKIP
Have you had your say on the South Glos budget yet? An extra question has now been added to the consultation. Last year South Glos took up the option to charge an extra 2% of council tax as an "adult social care precept" to go towards the spiralling costs of providing care to the vulnerable. It had been expected that this would continue at 2% for the following years but in December the Government announced a proposal that councils could introduce the rise sooner - so they could increase council tax by up to 3% in 2017/18 or 2018/19 but ...
Embed from Getty Images I expect that many of you will, like me, feel slightly sickened by Michael Gove's interview of Donald Trump for The Times. Private Eye has a word for it... Tim Farron has given a robust response: Michael Gove has had a rare opportunity to put questions to the most divisive and reactionary President Elect in modern history and all we get is a puff piece from a clearly admiring fan. In the same interview Trump told a German newspaper that NATO is obsolete, it will make for a more dangerous world if this view is strong ...
Our leading Brexiteers are doubtless preening themselves that, with the advent of President Trump the UK is likely to move from the back of the queue (Obama) to the front in the negotiations for a new, bilateral, trade deal. Well, it's good that we've moved up the queue, but there can be little doubt that any such deal will be on terms dictated by the US. The EU has been struggling for years to negotiate a deal which takes account of European susceptibilities in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership(TTIP). Even in these negotiations between giants the EU is finding ...
[IMG: A shot of the recently lost 311 route] A shot of the recently lost 311 route The proposals are on Merseytravel's web site and the link is above. I have had a quick look at the proposals and two things jumped out at me i.e. the continuing lack of a bus service between Lydiate and Ormskirk (following the loss of the 311 route not so long ago) and on a more mixed note some service improvements to the 236 (now to be renumbered 36), which presently links Lydiate and Maghull, to Fazakerley Hospital. BUT there is a down ...
[IMG: Tablet offer news item] The latest ALDC offer to grow your team and the number of Lib Dem campaigners across the country is ending on Tuesday 31 January. Members get a free door-knocking tablet when they recommend ALDC to a friend or colleague, who then joins. So if there's non-members within your team, get them to join us and [...]
The following are the scheduled meetings for February All meetings are due to start at 6:30, at Arms Evertyne House Thursday 2nd - Allotments Committee Tuesday 7th - Environmental Services Committee Tuesday 14th - Community Grants Committee Thursday 16th - Planning & Development Committee Tuesday 21st - Events Committee Tuesday 28th - Staff Committee As always, it may be advisable to check with the council before attending a meeting
It's not who you were expecting is it? Indeed, he's not currently even in any elected office. Never the less, he's not only negotiated Brexit, he's already signed all the papers And the deal isn't soft, transitional or any of the other terms we might like. It's hard as hard can be. So how come we don't know about it? Well, we do. It's a matter of public record. It's called the Treaty of Lisbon and it was signed in December 2007 And as the ever thought provoking David Allen Green has pointed out it makes clear the terms of ...
Embed from Getty Images On 23rd June 2016, as we all know, the British people (or at least those who voted) voted to leave the European Union. This was a significant and historic result, but despite the claims of some, it was hardly decisive. As we remainers are fond of saying, even Nigel Farage said a 52-48 result would not settle the matter - although he seems to have ignored this ever since 24th June. But more importantly, how long is the result valid for? 51.9 % of votes were for leave, 48.1% for remain. A majority of 1,229,501 sound ...
Embed from Getty Images The party sets up policy working groups to investigate a policy area in some depth over the course of 12 to 18 months. The aim of each group is to produce a policy paper, supported by a motion to conference, based on consultations with members and evidence from experts. You can see updates on the progress of the current policy working groups here. And you can be part of such a working group. The outgoing Federal Policy Committee set up two new ones, and they are now calling for members. If you are interested in Immigration ...
Ziauddin Yousafzi offically cuts the ribbon at the new World Merit offices accompanied by Marlou Hermsen its General Manager and Chris Arnold its Chief Executive Yesterday I was privileged to attend the opening of the new World Merit organisation in ... Continue reading →
"We are the people of England, that never have spoken yet..." G. K. Chesterton, 'The Secret People' "It looks as though The Revolution has started in Sussex and @davidboyle1958 is leading it," said a tweet on Thursday after my description of the first #passengerstrike event at Brighton. The tweet was by my friend Jonathan Calder, who is an extraordinary humourist - and the ironies are obvious. It isn't so much that I'm not a very revolutionary person - though I'm not - but the idea of The Revolution, or any revolution actually, happening in deeply English Sussex seems unexpected enough ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 16 JANUARY 2017 Blackness Road/Glamis Road - temporary traffic lights from Monday 16 January for 3 weeks for gas main renewal. Also - from Scottish Water : "As Scottish Water's £5 million mains upgrade continues in Dundee work will resume in the Blackness Road area next week. When the initial work began there in the autumn to reline the pipes it was discovered some of the pipes were not able to be relined due to their condition so a full upgrade was required. This will ...
Thousands of North East and Fife commuters could be left stranded after the Scottish Government's Transport Minister has admitted that no solution has been found to plug the gap left by timetable changes to CrossCountry train services later this year. From December 2017 cuts on the Aberdeen to Edinburgh route proposed by CrossCountry Trains could ... Continue reading Rumbles: SNP 'Clueless' over CrossCountry Trains
Two wise leaders: Angela Merkel and Kenneth Clarke I finished a recent blog post by saying that what we need now is wise leadership. Those words are haunting me. Doubtless there are some who want a leader to push Brexit through as fast as possible, and others who want a leader to stop it. We need something different. I am mentally contrasting the stereotype of the fascist leader, who whips up the darkest desires of the crowd, and the wise leader who enables people to be heard so that wisdom emerges rather than fear and mudslinging. What prompts me to ...
John Lewis, Donald Trump, and the Meaning of Legitimacy Today's must-read. (tags: uspolitics )
As the Daily Telegraph reports Labour's freedom of movement position is in chaos once again as the shadow foreign secretary said the party will not "die in a ditch" over the policy. They say that Emily Thornberry made the comments just minutes after Jeremy Corbyn refused to accept that levels of EU migration to Britain were too high. Nor is this the first time that senior Labour politicians have openly contradicted each other in public: The party's position was in disarray last week after Mr Corbyn indicated on Monday that he was prepared to address the concerns of voters by ...
