Today, Low Fell and Chowdene wards in Gateshead hosted an action day. The main aim of the day was to deliver a Focus across both wards. I was sent off to deliver a patch in the morning that consisted of 200 houses built into a near-cliff face with each house having typically 20 steps to get to the front door. I think it would have been easier to walk to the top of the Empire State Building!
Our motion to Gateshead Council calling for no council resources to be used on the Trump state visit has attracted a great deal of interest, including from both the Independent and Daily Mail. The Independent did the decent thing and phoned me. I did the interview from one of my goat houses. I was in the middle of cleaning it out when they called. The resulting coverage included material taken
On Wednesday (1 February 2017) a proposal that Bury Council pull out of the Greater Manchester Strategic Framework (GMSF) was rejected. Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors voted to pull out, but Labour councillors voted to stay in. Speaking after the debate, Liberal Democrat Group Leader on Bury Councillor Tim Pickstone said: "We recognise the need [...]
Gateshead Councillors were invited to the Baltic Art Gallery on the Gateshead Quays on Wednesday for a viewing of the new exhibition, "Disappearance at Sea - Mare Nostrum", which was inspired by refugees making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. It is based on the experiences of the refugees themselves who have often been the victims of criminal gangs and the mafia. Worth a visit.
"The Liberal Democrats led a battle in the Lords to get the Government to change the law to pardon all those gay men convicted under the dreadful Labouchère amendment and similar Acts." John Sharkey on the success of a Lib Dem campaign. Alex Massie says people who protest against Donald Trump are not the problem: they are right. And in The Spectator of all places. "Reading it in January 2016 seemed strangely appropriate, as we grapple with new authoritarianism and protest. The scenery may change but the stories remain similar." Nicholas Whyte encounters V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore, Stephen ...
The news today is that Westcott House in Cambridge, a leading Church of England theological college, has apologised for its students attempts to 'queer' evensong. As the Guardian tells it: Student priests at Westcott House in Cambridge organised the evensong service on Tuesday in the college chapel. Advertised as a "Polari evening prayer in anticipation of LGBT+ history month", it was described as a "liturgical experiment" ...A prayer referred to the "Fantabulosa fairy" and ended: "Praise ye the Duchess. The Duchess's name be praised." Psalm 19 was reworded to refer to "O Duchess, my butchness".Speaking as an atheist, I find ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: The sultans who created the Ottoman Empire - the most powerful Muslim state and the most extensive caliphate in history - did not base their rule on Shariah alone. As mentioned, they established a body of common law, Kanun, that paralleled the religious law of Shariah. A book about Sufism, tracing it from beginning to the present day, linking together various things of which I was aware and in which I was already interested (the Bektashi, Rūmī, the whirling dervishes, Said Nursî) into a longer historical narrative. Unfortunately it's not all that good. to start ...
What's this about then? The Conservative controlled City Council in Peterborough have launched their Budget consultation 2017/18 phase two – and you have until 6th March 2017, to have YOUR say! Please have a scroll through the document and then use the form below to send in your views, comments or suggestions! PCC Budget consultation [...]
Sat 4th
14:04
Philip Dunne MP and developer file opposing last minute comments on Rocks Green supermarket
This morning's post brought two letters. The first is from Philip Dunne MP and is addressed to Clive Wright, the chief executive of Shropshire Council and copied to South Planning Committee members. It sets our Mr Dunne's objections to the proposal for a supermarket at Rocks Green. In the letter, Philip says the development brings with it the very real possibility of undermining the appeal of Ludlow town centre and could threaten livelihoods. The second envelope came from SP Broadway, lobbyists for the supermarket promoter, Blackfriars. The letter says the developer has carefully listened to the concerns of committee members ...
Following the news from Tower Hamlets comes this: A prominent figure in Barnet's Labour party has defected to the Lib Dems due to his "massive disappointment" with Labour's response to the Brexit vote. Richard Logue, of Hammers Lane, is the former chair of Mill Hill Residents Association, a leading activist in the Save Barnet Libraries and was involved in the EU Remain campaign. Along with his work on the Residents Association, Mr Logue is leading the NW7 Hub organisation to bring a new community centre and library to Mill Hill. He has left the Labour party because of his disappointment ...
The Green Party's Kat Boettge has publicly posted this (confirmed by Liberal Democrats): I am delighted to announce that in Broxtowe we, the Green Party having an electoral alliance with the Libdems for the upcoming county elections. We are not opposing and endorsing Steve Carr in Bramcote and Beeston North, Tim and Jacky in Stapleford and Broxtowe Central. Whilst they endorse me for Kimberley and Nuthall, and Beth Hewitts in Greasley and Brinsley. It's time for different politics, of cooperation and opposing the two party system. The Labour Party has failed to fight in important local campaigns against Oxylane (fortunately ...
The final Liberal Democrat contribution in the Article 50 debate came from Tom Brake. We have published all the others as it is important for us all to be aware of what our MPs did and said on this most momentous of decisions. I hope that I am wrong, but I believe that the decision that the country took on 23 June will result in the biggest self-inflicted wound since our disastrous intervention in Iraq. That wound is festering and it will leave the UK permanently economically weaker, even after it has healed. I believe that, when Members of Parliament ...
The way councillors are elected could depend on the local authority they are in, if proposed changes by the Welsh Government were given the go-ahead. Local Government Secretary Mark Drakeford wants to let councils decide which voting system they use. "First past the post" is currently used but he wants feedback on offering a form of proportional representation... "The white paper explores the idea of permissive PR in which just as the national assembly will be able to decide on our voting system, so will individual councils," he told BBC Radio Wales. "They will be able to decide between first ...
[IMG: Southport FC] Wow, this just does not stop happening. Southport FC never keep a manager very long at all these days. My September 2016 posting refers – see link above. And here we go again – a link to the BBC web site dated 30th January:- www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38796427 Who's next for another short term job?
The NHS in West Kent (one of the most prosperous parts of the South East) has banned operations until April due to a funding crisis. [IMG: Norman Lamb] Norman Lamb, the former Liberal Democrat Health Minister, has responded after West Kent banned all non-urgent operations until April. "Patients who are in severe pain should not have to wait for a new financial year to have an operation. This is not what our NHS is about. What we need instead is a new financial plan from the government to deliver the funding the health service needs. "This is the longest ban ...
Opposition accuses Trudeau of 'betrayal' as Canadian Liberals abandon promise of electoral reform Nooooooooooooooooooooooo Justin *cries* jducoeur | A Half Second This for when you are feeling helpless Foreign policy insider: 'No readout of Trump-Putin call because White House turned off recording' Crikey. Did Neil Gorsuch Found a High School 'Fascism Forever' Club? tl;dr - apparently not Farage campaigning to rejoin EU just to be a pain in the arse #DressLikeAWoman: Twitter backlash over reports of dress code for Trump staff *sadface* they didn't use my "Ripley or Vasquez?" tweet :( Trump and Bannon's coup in the making (contains autoplaying ...
Stoke-on-Trent Central is one of Labour's safest seats and yet there is a sniff of panic within Labour Party ranks when, faced with a strong UKIP challenge, they are already casting around for allies in the hope of holding onto the seat. It is bad enough that the party's own canvass returns are predicting that they will lose Copeland to the Tories, an own goal of massive proportions. It would mean that Jeremy Corbyn could be the first official opposition leader to lose a by-election to the Government in 35 years. But to lose Stoke-on-Trent as well would be catastrophic. ...
I've had an e-mail from Chuka (on Behalf of campaign group Open Britain) who was one of the few Labour MP's who campaigned really hard to keep the UK in the EU. I had respect for him for that stance, especially as his party was generally poor at Remain campaigning. BUT Chuka then voted to enact Article 50 a few days ago and therefore voted for Brexit! Now he sends me an e-mail worrying about Brexit and amendments that will need to be put forward in Parliament to try to change Mrs Mayday's White Paper. Excuse me, why on earth ...
I do not publish anonymous comments. My comment policy can be found here. It's almost certainly a lot easier to put "Dave" or "Sally" at the bottom of your comment than wiffle on for two lines about your reasons for anonymity ;) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
It's been a busy few weeks! Your Liberal Britain's competition to write the party vision statement closed in early January. Since then we've had 30 volunteers reading and re-reading the 197 entries we received to produce a shortlist, working from a rigorous set of criteria rooted in the ideas contributed by the 7,000 members we consulted last year. Now our group of seven judges - including Lib Dem Voice's very own Caron Lindsay - have selected our winner and runners-up. But first – why do we need a vision statement? As a party we struggle at times to explain what ...
Residents have expressed concern to me that the temporary barriers round Scottish Water's contractor's works in Annfield Street have fallen over, partially blocking the road - see below :I have drawn this to the attention of Scottish Water and requested these be reinstated and properly secured as soon as possible.
Trump Has Already Blown It Stephen Walt on foreign policy in Foreign Policy. (tags: uspolitics ) Donald Trump and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Phone Call With ... Australia? The new diplomacy. (tags: uspolitics australia ) Prepare for the worst: this inequality rift will tear our society apart Britain's future. (tags: ukpolitics ) America quickly losing moral high ground under Trump My friend former ambassador John Koenig writes. (tags: uspolitics )
