With half of British goods exports going to other nations in the EU, and with the UK's service industries, especially banking, heavily dependent upon unfettered access to the EU single market, the stakes for Britain in the forthcoming negotiations could not be higher. Even before the negotiations have begun there are multiple signs that Britain is heading for economic disaster." Simon Head gives it both barrels in The New York Review of Books. Richard Kemp says we should let teachers teach. In 1824 the King and Queen of the Sandwich Islands visited England - with tragic consequences. A fascinating post ...
We recently returned to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a jewel of a city! This time, we were fortunate enough to see the kittiwakes nesting, both in and around the Tyne Bridge and at the Baltic Mills buidlding. The Baltic Mill website has a Kittywake cam, and the page says: NewcastleGateshead Quayside is home to an estimated 700 pairs ... Continue reading Kittiwakes in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
This is an exceptional example of fine public art, on the sea front at Seaham, County Durham. It's called "Tommy" and represents British soldiers in the First World War. Well done sculptor Ray Lonsdale on a superb piece of work, and to Seaham for sponsoring it.
Many things slipped my mind over the final few days of preparing the Hugo final ballot for publication, and one of them was my usual report on the number of owners and average rating of the Best Novel finaists by users of Goodreada and LibraryThing. This may well measure nothing more than the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, of course. For what it's worth, here are the figures: Goodreads LibraryThing owners av rating owners av rating All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders 65547 3.58 666 3.60 The Obelisk Gate, by N. K. Jemisin 22695 4.38 288 4.20 ...
What's this about then? You may have already seen, via the Peterborough Telegraph website, that a city-wide ban is being drawn up by the City Council to address the problem of parking on verges or pavements, but it's only be enforced in certain areas where local residents or the emergency services make a strong case [...]
At very short notice yesterday I shared a platform at the London Liberal Democrats spring conference with London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, to discuss where things are with Brexit. I am the Party's London Brexit spokesperson, and therefore part of the national Brexit team, headed by Lord (Dick) Newby, and Caroline is part of London [...]
The Shropshire Star quotes Alan Moseley, leader of the nine-strong Labour group on Shropshire Council: "We have chosen to concentrate our efforts on those seats where we have a real chance of success."We want to make a real effort in those seats where we have got strong support and make a success of it in that way."The result of this strategy is that Labour is fighting only 35 seats out of 74 in next month's all-out elections to the authority, This is a reminder of how weak Labour now is in many parts of rural England. And no Liberal Democrat ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-39470487 The BBC has the story on its web site – see link above What on earth does this recent incident say about our deeply troubled society? It says to me that racism has been let out of Pandora's Box again and it is becoming mainstream. We all know that racism was a motivation for some to vote for Brexit. Of course all Brexit voters are not racists but I am pretty sure that most racists were Brexit voters. But Here's Jen Robertson's take on racism and Brexit:- 'I don't think all racists voted Brexit because I don't think racism ...
Need a copy of the party logo? Not sure what colours or fonts to use? Then the Liberal Democrat Style Guide is for you.
I wrote about the increase in missed bin collections across Bury here in September of last year and I am sorry to report that the problem does not seem to be getting any better. While new figures have not been released yet, I am hearing about some real problems on Rufford Drive and surrounding areas. [...]
Tim Farron has written for the Guardian about why he has decided to support the US action in Syria on Friday morning. There are caveats, though: However, we disagree with the way in which he conducted it - unilaterally, without allies, outside of a wider strategy. Trump saw a wrong and wanted to react, no doubt in large part to differentiate himself from Barack Obama. But taking matters into his own hands without thinking of the consequences, without a wider plan, without considering what next, exposes both his naivety about how the world works and his potential to create instability ...
I would not halt, nor was I lame; or rather, I instinctively disguised my smaller foot and thinner thigh – as I denied the challenges that came – albeit I wondered how it was to reach and touch, to give and take without a hooded eye...
This is the second year that the BSFA has had its two-stage vote system in effect, and for the second year in succession I think it's had a positive impact particularly in this category, where some very odd stuff was showing up in the early part of this decade (like, a novel in this non-fiction category back in 2010, and a poorly written essay in 2013). It's good to see academic treatments of sf getting extra prominence via the shortlist as well, even though it does mean that there is some variation of format among the entries, with blog posts ...
There are many occasions at the moment when the UK Government makes me ashamed to be British. Two examples this week show what Tim Farron described on Question Time the other night as "Cruel Britannia." The first is the removal of Personal Independence Payments from people suffering serious psychological distress. Matt described powerfully here what that would mean for him. When outdoors I can become so distressed by events and this can trigger an episode of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms. Symptoms include flash backs to an event that has caused much psychological harm and distress, visual hallucinations of the ...
"All schools should be art schools", say these posters. Perhaps that would help broaden the highly restricted curriculum which many schools now offer. I looked with interest at the proposals by the Labour Party to add VAT on to the ... Continue reading →
Current Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (a chapter a month) A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth The View from the Cheap Seats, by Neil Gaiman The Gods of the Underworld, by Stephen Cole Europe in Winter, by Dave Hutchinson Last books finished (since 1 April) The Cabinet of Light, by Daniel O'Mahoney A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers Traveler of Worlds: Conversations with Robert Silverberg by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro Pounded In The Butt By My Second Hugo Award Nomination, by Chuck Tingle The Arrival of Missives, by Aliya Whiteley Daughter of Eden, by Chris ...
Back in the day, Liberal Democrat peer Olly Grender worked for Shelter. Her passion to help people with housing matters has never left her and she continues to campaign on a range of housing issues. The pressure that she put on the Government resulted in their decision to end lettings fees for tenants. We reported that this was going to happen last November but the Government launched its consultation on Friday. Olly introduced a Private Members's Bill in the Lords last year which would have outlawed these fees. Five days after the debate, the Government announced the measure. Olly explained ...
The Zombies, or so conventional wisdom has it, never performed any of the songs from Odessey and Oracle live until their recent, well-received concert performances of the whole album. As this live recording for a BBC session shows, that isn't wholly true. The song is introduced by Brian Matthew, who died yesterday.
I made this short video for the Whinnies Community Garden in Sunniside (I keep my goats and chickens there) to advertise the open day that is being held on Sunday 16th April, from 11am to 3pm. The Deputy Mayor of Gateshead, Cllr Pauline Dillon, is the special guest.
Delivery of our Whickham Focus continued yesterday. I headed down to Watergate to deliver the whole estate - 370 houses in total. The sun shone for the whole of the time I was there. Who needs sun beds when Focus delivery can give you a tan for free!
... Because now our little by election is over, we have to go and help lovely Jackie with hers. Jackie will make a fabulous MP. She's fiercely intelligent (she's a nuclear physicist by background) but incredibly down-to-earth. Cthulhu alone knows parliament needs more science-literate people (especially since the sad loss of Huppmeister J to our parliament at the last election). She's local to and embedded in the area she's standing in and the electorate knows her because of her work on the council for them. But most importantly for her election, she's a Liberal in her instincts, her blood and ...
As we know, there were several fairly eccentric and spurious reasons given by the Leave side for supporting Brexit last summer. One of the most bizarre reasons, however, is that made by erstwhile UKIP MP Douglas Carswell, that it represented the fulfilment of the legacy of Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone, perhaps our greatest political forerunner as Liberal Democrats. It needs challenging. According to Roy Jenkins' 1995 biography, Gladstone did as much to define Britain's Victorian golden era as the Queen herself. Nonetheless, his name is only vaguely recognised today-- he died in 1898, on the cusp of recorded sound ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - ROAD REPORT FOR THE WEST END REPORT FOR WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 10 APRIL 2017 Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) - westbound nearside lane closure for 32 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works. SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal - Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 4 months. Blackness Road/Glamis Road - temporary traffic lights for 2 weeks for gas main renewal.
Whilst the rest of us suffer price hikes due to the impact of Brexit on the exchange rates, it seems that MPs are immune, but no more. The Independent reports that MPs and their staff are facing price hikes for food and drink served in Parliament's canteens, restaurants and bars, following a sharp fall in the Pound due to the Brexit vote. They say that a notice posted by the parliamentary authorities at canteen tills announced that prices will be going up across Westminster "to reflect price changes in the supply chain": Like many British eateries, Parliament sources some of ...
Brexit: Economists Will Have The Last Word Vince Cable's analysis. (tags: ukpolitics brexit )
