Some 20 years ago the BBC showed a history of Blue Peter. It was the one revealed that Daniel the Blue Peter baby had grown up into an agreeable, hippyish character who had once done time for drug offences. At work the next day we were all rhapsodising over our memories of John Noakes. A South African who worked with us remarked that she thought she understood British culture pretty well, but every now and again something like this came along. Our adoration of Noakes was a mystery to her. But John Noakes was an important figure. His death somehow ...
Mon 29th
22:00
Liberal Democrats launch "May and Co" estate agency to attack Theresa May's Dementia Tax
A mock national estate agency called "May and Co" is being launched by former social care minister Norman Lamb to highlight the disastrous effects of Theresa May's proposed Dementia Tax.
Feeling in the mood for delivering this morning, I went down to St Albans to help the Liberal Democrat candidate Daisy Cooper. If you can go there too, your help will be well used. You will find the Lib Dem election HQ at 9 Hatfield Road, St Albans AL1 3RR.
Recently I was lying on my bed. From recollection, I was simply pondering my life course as I have done often in recent weeks. When I ponder, I fiddle and fidget. As I type this I am spinning a pen around my fingers. Next to my bed, sits a blue and white chest of drawers covered in two piles of books. However, this day, there lay a gun. A black Walther PPK. I picked it up and passed it from hand to hand as I thought. It was half way through this process that my phone received a Snapchat notification. ...
Mon 29th
19:39Majority of cross-party panel of voters says yes to referendum on terms of Brexit deal
Do we want the public to have a vote on the terms of the Brexit deal once its negotiated and we know exactly what's in it? The majority of Victoria Derbyshire's cross-party panel of voters says yes: Do we want a vote on the terms of #Brexit? The majority of our cross-party panel of voters says yes. pic.twitter.com/vAqTp82buc — Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) May 29, 2017 As she mentions, that means the majority were backing the Liberal Democrat position on Brexit. Here it is explained in more detail: Liberal Democrats campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. However, we ...
A leaflet has been delivered to people who live around Heaton Park (copy here) – but this information may well be of wider information to residents – a summary of key points below and the full FAQs on the Parklife website here. There are two public information sessions for residents, one before and one after the event. The dates for these are: Wednesday 31 May, 5-8pm Wednesday 5 July, 5-8pm Both sessions will take place at the Farm Centre, Heaton Park In light of the events on Monday 22 May, will Parklife still be going ahead and what additional measures ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:Nicholas de Fleury was not brought to Ham in bonds, nor deprived of his senses, but he was under guard, and had been for the week of the journey from Angers. On the way, they stayed only at the King's lodges. The Burgundian was allowed his own horses and his own servants, who were considerably better acquainted with fighting than they looked. Of his escort, only Wodman stayed at his side from the first, but answered no questions.Sixth of the House of Niccolò novels by Dorothy Dunnett, and very much a sequel to the fifth, The ...
Did you spend this fine morning out campaigning, or were you sitting on your sofa watching Victoria Derbyshire? I hope it was the former, but if so you will have missed a choice gem from Dominic Raab. You may remember that he was once a Conservative justice minister. The discussion turned to food banks and the fact that they were being used by nurses in some parts of the country. Dominic Raab made this comment: What they tend to find is the typical user of food banks is not someone that is languishing in poverty, it is someone who has ...
OK... so my third novel will be out soon, on the back of the second. This is the one I was writing until last November, when I put it aside to write Destroyer. There's about another month's worth of work ... Continue reading →
Nick Clegg has accused Theresa May of putting national security at risk by pursuing an extreme Brexit that will see Britain locked out of an EU police database used by UK police and security services 16 times a second. The Schengen Information System (SIS II) is an EU-wide database on organised criminal and terrorist suspects [...]
Embed from Getty Images Jo Swinson has been responding to the Conservative plans on domestic violence. Domestic violence and abuse is a horrific stain on our society and still all too often a hidden crime. Everything that can be done must be done to eradicate it once and for all. But let us be clear actions speak louder than words and Conservative cuts to local authorities have meant that funding for domestic abuse services have suffered, with some services having to refuse referrals from victims due to a lack of capacity. Victims need more than just platitudes and unless the ...
Lumberjanes Gathers Kickass Women For Annual Special *happy dance* gallifrey_times | GT for Sunday the 28th May 2017 I posted GT for Sunday the 28th May 2017 to the Gallifrey Times Whoniverse Newsletter The gender wars of household chores: a feminist comic | World news | The Guardian The Grauniad has picked up on that viral comic about mental load that I linked to last week. Salman Abedi wasn't a lone wolf - he was a known wolf, and the Muslim community tried to warn us about him "Last week, my niece asked me for Ariana Grande tickets. I've promised ...
On Saturday, in the late afternoon, having received 4 bundles of our tabloid, I decided to make a start in delivering the patches I normally do. At about the 25th house, one of my fingers became dog food. I felt a small, sharp tooth pierce my skin as I pushed a tabloid through the letter box. The lady who owned the animal cleaned my hand and bandaged my finger. I was then able to continue on
I am dangerously low on spoons, I have a bunch of things I'm committed to doing before the end of the month, electoral stuff is particularly pressing (I may be beginning to regret being on regional exec, and chair of Plus, and involved in national stuff too) and daughter is on half term holiday so I have less time to do everything. I may be a bit absent for the next few days, is my point. And if I do turn up I may be irascible. Just so you all know. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
On Saturday our election tabloid arrived. Thousands of them....tens of thousands of them. All we have to do now is deliver them! There's a bit in it about my self-sufficient lifestyle and our goat baby Whinnie - we are raising him by hand as he was too weak to be raised by his mother Spot. Notice how he took an interest though more as food than edification.
After the Whickham street stall I headed to The Cedars area in my ward to deliver some spare leaflets leftover from what we delivered last weekend. It was better to have them through people's doors rather than in the recycling box. I spotted that the Conservatives had delivered a leaflet ahead of me. I still haven't had a copy through my door in Sunniside. I suspect the Conservatives have not
After visiting the Sunniside Methodist Fair, I headed down to Whickham for our monthly surgery and our street stall in St Mary's Green. Some very positive responses and an embarrassingly large number of my council constituents who told me they are voting for me. It didn't all go my way. One lady had a go at us about Tim Farron and our policy of letting people vote on the Brexit deal and then
Do we really need to turn our Children into latter day Oliver Twist's to get them the resources they deserve? Last week I received a number of e-mails drawing my attention to a report by the Children's Society about childhood ... Continue reading →
Nick Clegg has accused Theresa May of putting national security at risk by pursuing an extreme Brexit that will see Britain locked out of an EU police database used by UK police and security services 16 times a second. The Schengen Information System (SIS II) is an EU-wide database on organised criminal and terrorist suspects across 28 countries, including 35,000 people wanted under a European Arrest Warrant. It includes alerts on suspected 'foreign fighters' - people who have travelled to Syria and elsewhere to fight for ISIS.UK police and security services queried the database over half a billion times in ...
On Saturday I started the day (after doing my usual livestock duties) with fruitcakes. No, I wasn't encountering Ukippers. I was actually at the Sunniside Methodist Church fair. It's always a good place to buy plants and fruitcakes. Alice, the lady who makes the cakes, reminded me that they can keep for up to 18 months. So far we are half way through it. I doubt it will still be here in 18 days
For a blow by blow, second by second account of the debilitating impact of Brexit, follow this site set up by UK Vanity Fair editor, Henry Porter.
As clickbait goes, it is rather eye-catching, and I was intrigued. And the first sentence drew me in: Theresa May is about to lock down the internet. Will you let her? There is only one response offered – but then there can only be one way to reply to the question – NO. So I clicked, I signed the petition, I shared on Facebook. If I wasn't convinced after the first question, the email then went on to invite me to click two further buttons which repeated the message in slightly different ways. But there is a killer PS: PS: ...
Blyth Town Council has confirmed its calendar of meetings for June 2017 They are:- Thursday 1st June Town Meeting ( although technically not a BTC meeting it is included for completeness) Tuesday 6th June Environmental Services Thursday 8th June Allotments Committee Tuesday 13th June Events Committee Thursday 15th June Planning & Development Committee Tuesday 20th June Policy Working Group ( The public may not be admitted to this meeting, as it is a Working Group and not a committee meeting ) Tuesday 27th June Staff Committee Thursday 29th June Finance Committee All meetings start at 6:30, at Arms Evertyne House ...
As today is the Victoria Day holiday, my surgeries will not run this afternoon. However, I can be contacted at any time on 459378 or at esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. My Thursday evening surgery at Blackness Primary School this week takes place as usual - details here.
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 29 MAY 2017 Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) - westbound nearside lane closure for 25 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 8 weeks. Forthcoming Roadworks Ancrum Road (Charleston Drive to Logie Street) - closed from Monday 3 July for 2 weeks for carriageway resurfacing works.
After the elections at the beginning of the month, Ludlow Town Council is seeking to fill three councillor vacancies by co-option. Applications must be submitted by 5pm, 16 June 2017. The three wards with vacancies are: Bringewood Ward Clee View Ward Rockspring Ward. Applicants do not have to live in the wards they wish to represent. But must live within three miles of the Ludlow Town Council area. There are certain restrictions. Full details are in the guide published by the Electoral Commission. Details of how to apply are on the Ludlow Town Council website. Councillors will be selected at ...
