Aside from politics my main long term interests have been art, architecture and history. So since my electoral double whammy in May and June I've been on a tour of castles, houses and churches in Wales and England. My staycation has been a mix of therapy and displacement activity. Doing something that I've enjoyed since [...]
As Stan Laurel is everywhere this week, I thought I would revisit the first week of my holiday. Waiting for the bus in Bottesford, I busied myself taking photos of this pub from a distance. What I didn't know then was that the Bull Inn was once kept by Stan Laurel's sister. Not only that. When Laurel and Hardy appeared at the Nottingham Empire to do a Christmas show in 1952, they stayed at the Bull. The Nottingham Post has a photographs of them behind the bar and enjoying a drink with their wives.
I can't quite imagine Clifton Terrace without Linda What will we do without Linda? An utter legend Variants of the above have been said so many times in Scotland in recent weeks, ever since it was announced that our much-loved Party Manager Linda Wilson was leaving us. For the last 8 and a half years, Linda has been the heart and soul of our headquarters in Edinburgh, running the party with incredible efficiency, with a tremendous capacity to sort stuff out. She's run our conferences so that they are enjoyable for media, members and exhibitors alike. Everyone who has anything ...
I recently messed up slightly by failing to send an email to all the members of the Lib Dem Federal People Development Committee. My excuse? The lists I could find online of its membership aren't up-to-date. So thanks to its chair Miranda Roberts and in case anyone else is wanting to check who is on the FPDC, here is an up-to-date as of now list of its membership. And if you're wondering what the deuce the FPDC is, see the piece Miranda wrote for Lib Dem Newswire. Federal People Development Committee membership There are six representatives elected by the Federal ...
Embed from Getty Images One of the dreams of older Brexiters is to see Britain regain a closer relationship with former British Dominions like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. True, it was said of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia's prime minister from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1949 to 1966, that he governed the country as though it were moored off the coast of Kent. But those days are long gone. The Independent reports what Steve Ciobo, Australian trade minister, told the European parliament today. He said that Australia's "historical" relationship with Britain was "n many respects a relationship of ...
Embed from Getty Images Last week a study highlighted that almost a million EU workers could leave the UK after Brexit simply because they "feel less welcome and valued" in the country and in their jobs. The impact that is going to have on our health service and the wider economy is severe. Today, it emerged that the Government is going to spend £100 million recruiting GPs from abroad . More than half of the Government's 5000 targeted increase in the number of GPs are going to be recruited in this way. Other health workers will also be sought. As ...
My fundamental problem with Brexit is not really that people were lied to in the Referendum or really that the other side "won", though I would rather both of those things hadn't happened. My biggest problem is that it's a huge waste of time of the Government's time and energy. With reports that Theresa May is "growing in confidence", I'm like - why? Her government is not making progress, all it has decided so far is that things should more or less go on like before, as if this is possible with the EU or desirable. Meanwhile the housing crisis ...
Vince Cable has published his message of solidarity with Britain's Muslim community as they prepare to mark Eid-al-Adha.
Non-fiction: 5 (YTD 34) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, by Erving Goffman QI: The Book of the Dead, by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson William Cecil, Ireland and the Tudor State, by Christopher Maginn You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), by Felicia Day The Life of the Bee, by Maurice Maeterlinck Fiction (non-sf): 2 (YTD 15) The Help, by Kathryn Stockett Children are Civilians Too, by Heinrich Böll sf (non-Who): 5 (YTD 56) The Moon Stallion, by Brian Hayles Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid Pelléas and Mélisande, by Maurice Maeterlinck The Fall of Arthur, by J.R.R. Tolkien ...
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It's not been the best day for the British Government. Theresa May had to accept that Japan's immediate priority was its trade deal with the EU, which should not be surprising given that it gives access to half a billion people compared to our 60 million. In the joint press conference held by Japanese Prime Minister Abe and Theresa May, Mr Abe stopped short of committing to a rapid new trade deal after Brexit, saying only that the two leaders would discuss the issue. Instead, the Japanese Prime Minister stressed the need for a smooth and orderly Brexit that minimises ...
Rimrose Valley Country Park map. Truly horrifying news for the environment – see link above to the Rimrose Valley Friends web site which has the story as it looks today. Idyllic view of Rimrose Valley Country Park Time for Sefton Council to come out from behind its sofa and fight this plan. For too long Sefton has acted as though it was all but disinterested in the matter. Apart from jumping on a band wagon to suggest the new road be put in a tunnel as an alternative to wrecking the Rimrose Valley Country Park, what else has Sefton ...
Liverpool Council where openness and transparency is a thing of the past So last night we had confirmation from the Council that they are treating one member of staff one way and all the other members of staff another. The ... Continue reading →
Wed, 12:52: Most popular baby names in Belgium - well done Liam! https://t.co/8OisSYDv8e Wed, 19:27: UK plan to bypass Commission in Brexit talks doomed to fail https://t.co/Q2GODcOTXg Good to see this being shot down quickly. Wed, 20:48: Remembering Michael Jackson's Impact on Belgian Beer 10 Years After His Death https://t.co/48l6jI4sz2 Fascinating and moving. #fb Wed, 21:52: Fascinating thread. #fb https://t.co/d0a0ZMYFcy Thu, 09:26: Work: markets.losses.treat; also https://t.co/SYKSoGKc9V.puzzle; also analogy.fonts.such Thu, 10:45: Thread (read from start). https://t.co/MX7icrV6QB
Have you ever had that moment when you realise what path you are meant to take in life? I had it during a film. Before I had considered being a lawyer or maybe a marketer. However, I watched a film called Stuck in Love and half way through something clicked. I saw myself in these characters. The film itself is based around a family of writers who are discovering or rediscovering love again. Personally, I feel the original title of Writers is better than Stuck in Love, but that's sort of irrelevant. The film explores how writers are natural creatures. ...
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Is Theresa May staying on as prime minister for the next two years a good or a bad thing for the Con...
"I'm not a quitter" Theresa May has told the British press who have decamped to Japan to follow her tour in east Asia, when asked if she would be stepping down before the next election. "Yes" she answered when it was enquired of her whether or not she would remain Tory leader going into the next general election. This has created predictable waves in the UK. Yet there is no way that May is going to go beyond 2019 unless some miraculous change in both her style and the way the public responds to her during that period of time ...
The whole point of a democracy is that Government and its policy direction is determined by the voters. It is a risky business going to the country before you need to, riskier still if you try to fight an election on a single issue. History is littered with failures of judgement in this regard, whether it is Asquith losing his majority over the course of 1910 on the issue of whether the House of Lords could veto the 'People's budget', or Ted Heath in 1974 on 'who governs Britain?' It turned out that it wasn't him. Asquith's gamble turned out ...
The area of former spare ground on the south side of Pennycook Lane opposite Blackness Primary School is looking great - see below :As one of the residents in the nearby sheltered housing advised : "Can I just draw your attention to the wonderful job the staff at Blackness Primary (with the help of the children, I think) have done with the spare bit of ground. It looks really good and they should be commended for it."
Both sides of the Brexit negotiations are sticking doggedly to their guns. The UK is determined to show that crucial items like the Irish border issues cannot be resolved until talks start about the eventual shape of the final UK-EU trade deal. Using the same logic, ministers are also refusing to be drawn into any [...] The post Britain and the misunderstanding of power appeared first on Radix.
A recent Police Federation survey has found that police feel "undervalued and underpaid". Commenting Brian Paddick, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Home Affairs and former Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "Under Theresa May's leadership at the Home Office, the police were treated disgracefully, with their pay and pensions decimated and their numbers reduced to the level where they are struggling to cope. There has been no change since she became Prime Minister. "The stance of people in authority, and who can forget Theresa May's vicious attacks at successive Police Federation conferences, influences public attitudes, which is ...
The Liberal Democrats have accused William Hague of blaming voters for the government's own failings on Brexit, after he claimed Britain will get a worse deal as a result of the election. It comes as European Parliament Brexit Negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said the "slow progress" of Brexit talks means the EU is unlikely to be ready to open discussions about a future trade deal. Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake commented: "William Hague is attempting to blame voters for the government's shambolic handling of the Brexit negotiations. "From the beginning Theresa May has decided to pursue the most extreme and ...
The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that former defence minister Sir Nick Harvey is to take on the role of interim chief executive of the party. This follows the departure of Tim Gordon after over five years in the post. Nick Harvey, former MP for North Devon, said: "I am greatly looking forward to supporting Vince Cable as our new Leader, and hope that working closely together we can further revive Lib Dem fortunes. The party has shown great resilience. Now we have a real opportunity to begin the process of moving forwards again. "British politics has never been ...
All photos taken from the Diana exhibition currently on at Kensington Palace, London There were many times in the 1990s when I wondered how on earth Princess Diana managed to wake up and go through the motions of the day. If you are a believer in the power of the Establishment then, make no mistake, this woman fought against the might of it on a regular basis. The powers that be were misogynistic and cruel in their treatment of Diana. Remember when pompous Nicholas Soames cast aspersions on her mental health and relied on Parliamentary Privilege to get away with ...
