Liberal Democrat GAIN Dunster & Timberscombe (West Somerset) from Conservative. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 23, 2017
This event was held on Gateshead Quays on 14th March but I only got round to editing it today (conference got in the way). A display of EU flags to demonstrate people's support for Europe.
THE spell of the #NorthSouth Series?@masoncrane32 took 4-1 in 10 balls! pic.twitter.com/fEobrkiXcf— ECB🏏 (@ECB_cricket) March 23, 2017"It is hard not to be excited at the prospect of a young leg spinner in the England test team," I wrote towards the end of the 2015 season. That young leg spinner was Mason Crane of Hampshire and remarkable things have happened to him since then. Crane played 12 County Championship matches and took 49 wickets, albeit that they were a little on the expensive side at 45 runs each. This winter he was sent to play grade cricket for Gordon District Cricket ...
Iain Sinclair has an essay in the new London Review of Books - The last London - that is pure Iain Sinclair: I loved the novelty, in the Thatcher years, of striking off through the conflicted Docklands to Woolwich, Tilbury, Gravesend, as an entropy tourist with a fetish for future ruins. I was writing a novel called Downriver and walking, in dialogue, with the cultural historian Patrick Wright, who lived close to me in Hackney. We explored the territory together: the Bow Quarter development conjured from the Bryant & May match factory, the weaver's garret occupied by David Rodinsky above ...
Embed from Getty Images From The Irish Times today: Former Conservative MP Bob Spink, who defected to Ukip and became its first MP, has been charged with electoral fraud. The 68-year-old has been charged alongside a second man, 38-year-old James Parkin, over allegations that they submitted false signatures on Ukip nomination papers. The accusations relate to the local election for Castle Point Borough Council in south Essex, England in 2016.The reports goes on to say that Spinks and his co-accused will appear at Ipswich Magistrates Court on 25 April.
A picture I took of Whitehall at about 5 pm on 22nd March. Normally you can't move for traffic near Trafalgar Square at this time What a nasty piece of work Katie Hopkins is. I've only heard of her recently ... Continue reading →
Over the past few months I have been working on bringing the software I used to run my parliamentary office up to date. As part of this I have been putting in real time communication systems. I am pleased that I now have a test system that links Web Browsers (only really Chrome at the moment) to the phone system. If this is the sort of thing that interests you you are welcome to try the test
Thu 23rd
16:06
Video - Farron: Those who attack us hate our freedom, our peaceful democracy, our love of country
Courtesy of the Lib Dem Facebook page, here is Tim Farron's response to the prime minister's Commons statement earlier today:
Baroness (Jenny) Randerson writes: The mood in Westminster is sombre and thoughtful today. The streets are eerily still, with no traffic and none of the usual bustle of pedestrians. The noise of traffic is replaced by the endless whirr of helicopters overhead. The Lords' Chamber was packed this morning as we held a minute's silence for the victims of yesterday's attack and heard tributes from Party Leaders and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The PM's Statement was repeated. We paid particular respect to PC Keith Palmer who died protecting Parliamentarians and the institution of Parliament itself. But the carnage went well ...
Thu 23rd
11:38
Merseyrail – The continuing RMT dispute & an interesting short video of the new trains th...
Merseyrail's new Stadler Train The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link above Can't help thinking that Merseytravel (as opposed to Merseyrail) in effect fired the starting gun for this dispute by not finding an agreement with the guards union RMT before they ordered trains that would operate without guards.
Labour have finally picked their candidate for the Manchester Gorton by election, probably set to take place on May 4th alongside the local elections, but who the hell knows. Given they now have a candidate in place, I don't see why Labour wouldn't one, want it over with as soon as possible; two, on that same note, give Galloway as little time as possible to campaign in the constituency, and three, in a worst-case scenario, at least having the by election on the same day as the locals means that Labour losing an ultra-safe seat gets buried in the larger ...
I have just recieved a letter from my son's school. It lays out the situation very well so I incude it in full below. However, the main thing I have been shouting at the TV recently about this is that tha main issue is NOT the "fairer" funding formula (devil in the detail of course) but the fact that costs have gone up (pay rise, pensions, NI, unreclaimable apprenticeship levy) and these rises are unfunded so cuts will have to be made. By focussing on the funding formula, the media is letting the government get away with not addresssing the ...
It's an old and accepted wisdom that Africa's progression – in fact the world's – is dependent on investment in its young people. With over 70% of the population across the continent aged 35 and under, it couldn't be clearer that Africa's challenges and its priorities, must be those of its young people. Despite this, leadership in Africa is on average 10-20 years older than leadership in Europe and America, despite the western world's older populations. The Africa Liberal Network (ALN) itself, despite progress in this area with, for example, the appointment of the liberal politician Sidi Toure to the ...
Thu 23rd
09:04
Number of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders has increased in Peterborough
What's this about? In a recent City Council scrutiny report, it stated that there "has been an increase in the number of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders requiring special education" in Peterborough. The report also added: In 2009 there were 374 pupils attending Peterborough special schools 1.29% of the total school population. In October [...]
Anybody who thinks that things have quieted down within the Labour Party following Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson's apparent rapprochement will have been rapidly disabused of that thought yesterday when Ken Livingstone went on the offensive. Ken Livingstone is a close ally of the Labour Leader, though there was no indication that his call for a purge of anti-Corbyn elements had the official endorsement of the Islington North MP. Nevertheless, there is always the thought at the back of one's mind that Livingstone's role is to say the unspeakable on behalf of the leader in a way that is easily ...
The Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden is providing funds to construct a willow tunnel and arbour in the Garden suitable for children to play in. This work is scheduled to take place on 27th and 28th March, and all are invited to come along from 10.30am to watch or even do a bit of work! If you wish to participate, wear wellies and warm clothes, and bring gloves. Sandy from Arborantics who will be doing the work has said you are welcome to bring a spade/secateurs/lopper if you wish.
Trump's Credibility Crisis Arrives Lying has consequences. Who knew? (tags: uspolitics ) GOP Takes Up Russia-Aligned Attack On Soros Outrageous. (tags: Uspolitics macedonia )
