Tonight I was elected as the new chairman of Sunniside History Society at the AGM in Sunniside Club. About 70 members were present. I am taking over from Colin Douglas who held the position for the past 15 years but stood down due to health reasons. It will be a challenge to keep up the momentum that Colin gave the society but I am ready for it. The society meets at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday
On Sunday I collected more surplus fruit from local residents who would otherwise have put most of this bounty into the waste disposal system. It's appalling to think of all this fresh, wonderful food being dumped. I therefore put quite a bit of effort into encouraging people to swap surpluses for my preserves. The problem I have had recently is that we have had more plums given to us that
I took the photograph above in 2010: The sudden rise of the lead mining industry in this remote part of England in the mid 19th century meant that the Stiperstones area has the feel of the Wild West. Shanty villages were thrown together with materials like corrugated iron and their hastily abandoned remnants can still be found today.Snailbeach has this atmosphere most strongly, but you even find it down at Minsterley - a larger village on the main road to Shrewsbury.You may have to hurry though. A planning notice on a nearby lamppost suggests this shop may soon be replaced ...
When I heard that Steve Winwood is bringing out a new album, Greatest Hits Live, I naturally made a mental note to buy it. My only slight worry came from having seen him live (albeit without the whole of his usual band) at the Roundhouse in 2010: If anything Winwood was too generous in allowing other members of the band their time in the spotlight, because the highlights of the concert came when he left his Hammond organ, picked up a guitar and went to the front. He blew us away with Dear Mr Fanstasy and Dirty City.All that was ...
Earlier today John Hemming, who was Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley between 2005 and 2015, published a statement on his website. As this subject is so sensitive I am republishing the full text here. Statement re false allegations from Esther Baker I am pleased that the Police have now made it clear that there has been a concerted effort to promote false criminal allegations against me and that the allegations had no substance whatsoever. I would like to thank Emily Cox, my children, Ayaz Iqbal (my Solicitor), my local lib dem team and many others who supported me through ...
Following David Davis' comments in the House of Commons that MPs would not be given a vote on the final divorce settlement, leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said: "This is yet another example of the government undermining parliamentary sovereignty. At the end of it all we must have a referendum on the whole package. "We want a vote on what David Davis is doing with our money."
Tue 5th
18:16
The drugs which kill the most have been legalised for centuries, so how will legalising cannabis mak...
It was good to hear Vince recently confirm his whole-hearted support for our policy of legalising cannabis. I also fully support the policy, which is actually quite a "baby step" when you consider the plethora of drugs readily available today – with more becoming available (including via the internet to one's postbox) by the day. ... Continue reading The drugs which kill the most have been legalised for centuries, so how will legalising cannabis make much difference?
Second paragraph of third chapter: My music studies were a big excuse for my being homeschooled, so I would theoretically have more time to practice and become a world-renowned soloist, traveling around the world in a red velvet coach. Unfortunately, I didn't take it seriously enough to earn the coach, and my parents didn't force me to try. Which I'm thankful for. I've met a lot of those kids whose parents crammed something down their throats trying to make baby geniuses. Even by my maladjusted standards, those kids were maladjusted.This was one of the potential nominees for the Best Related ...
More than 65.3 million people are displaced globally, including 21.3 million refugees (UNHCR data); yet the vast majority are in 'Global South' countries. The 'refugee crisis' in Europe is really a crisis of solidarity. It is a story of the inequity of the Dublin regulation, which operates as a counter-burden sharing mechanism between frontier countries, such as Italy and Greece, and far-flung places such as the UK. Britain opted into Dublin (which enables it to return asylum-seekers to their first port of EU entry) whilst opting out of other components of the Common European Asylum System that it considers less ...
Statement by John Hemming I am pleased that the Police have now made it clear that there has been a concerted effort to promote false criminal allegations against me and that the allegations had no substance whatsoever. I would like to thank Emily Cox, my children, Ayaz Iqbal (my Solicitor), my local lib dem team and many others who supported me through this dreadful experience. There are
New evidence suggests many who struggle to accept aspects of evolution still exhibit trust in science overall - and that even some atheists have their doubts In a supposedly "post-truth" era, we need to be ever mindful of threats to scientific or evidence-based ways of thinking about the world. And one of the ongoing and continual threats to a scientific worldview is "science denial", the rejection of core accepted scientific paradigms like evolution ... right? Many see the rejection of evolutionary science as a marker of religiosity or hard-line conservativism. There is a widespread assumption that religious people will find ...
Mon, 12:40: RT @aoifewhite101: U.K. Tory MEP among new recipients of Irish passport https://t.co/EX0cf32yyh via @IrishTimesWorld Mon, 12:56: RT @jk_rowling: If nobody mentions the smoke, the house won't be on fire. https://t.co/1UymRQLPwO Mon, 18:50: The Fall of Arthur, by J.R.R. Tolkien https://t.co/JMIxqLvtrI Mon, 18:51: Amazing. https://t.co/AecU44ZHgx Mon, 19:05: Great, @delijn - no seats at the stop, raining. We know you care. (@ Leuven Railway Station - @be_rail) https://t.co/FTi33w43JF Mon, 19:26: RT @MichelBarnier: I said: #Brexit = occasion to explain single market benefits in all countries, incl my own. We do not want to "educate"... Mon, 21:02: RT @mrjamesob: Brexit latest: ...
Twitter I posted I have received final assignments for what I will be doing at conference for FCC...... Stonewall at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference | Stonewall Stonewall are doing an event at conf, and I'll be speaking. Wooo! A Natural Flair for Justice - a Miss Marple/Jessica Fletcher alt universe podfic by Jadesfire & Miss_S_B ICYMI: my Pod-Together assignment for this year has been revealed and features the cracky idea that Jane Marple is the Doctor and Jessica Fletcher is The Master. It also explains my current blog title, and features a Real Genuine American as Jessica Flecther :) ...
I have wanted to be a writer from a young age. The irony is that at the age of eight, I could barely read or write effectively. I had no interest in either. I would rather use my imagination to battle enemies at the gate, shoot spies trying to end the world or build cities of lego. To think that just a few years later at the age of 12, I would dream of using that same imagination to write and tell my own stories. The change was thanks to my Auntie and parents, who for my eighth birthday gifted ...
Vince Cable was on Radio 4 this morning – jump to 2 hours 48 minutes – on the subject of the bill to incorporate EU law into domestic law. Vince highlights two elements: the way the government is using this bill to usurp the powers of parliament. And the issue of staying in the single market and customs union. I'm going to expand on the first of these. The government's position is that it must pull out of the single market and ECJ for reasons of "the sovereignty of parliament". It then says we can't practically do that allowing parliament ...
ALDC want to help your campaign but in order to do the best job that we can, we need to know who your candidates are for the forthcoming elections on the 4th May 2018. ALDC gather and share relevant information about local elections across the country and coordinate various types of support that are available for candidates and groups in different seats. The team at ALDC would be really grateful if you could email Jenny Lamb (jenny.lamb@aldc.org) with the details of any currently selected candidates in your area. Please include the following details – Candidate Name Council Ward Address Email ...
Tue 5th
10:25
It is understandable if you're worried about Brexit. But this is most likely how it will pan out
The UK political press is filled these days either with reports about how badly the Brexit negotiations are going from a British perspective, or not terribly convincing assurances from the right of centre press that, in spite of appearances, the negotiations are actually going amazingly well. In regards to the latter: one of my favourite articles from the summer was one in either the Spectator or the Telegraph, can't remember which, that was all about how Britain is apparently doing all of the creative thinking on Brexit. Well, you'd hope so wouldn't you, given that the whole thing was our ...
I was pleased to read, via the Maghull Community Facebook Page, recently that some folks are getting together to try to launch a new youth club at Lydiate Village Centre on Lambshear Lane. Here' a scan of the publicity leaflet which I picked up at the Village Centre last Thursday:- But apart from doing my bit to give this excellent youth initiative a plug, there's a bit of local history in all this too. You see the site where Lydiate Village Centre sits was once the site of Lydiate Voluntary Youth Club. The old youth club was based in a ...
I don't normally do adverts, but if Virgin are going to improve communications access in Consett they'll have my backing. Here's the information they sent me: I am writing to formally invite you to our Community Information Event. You may see our posters up and around your ward so we can inform and invite as many people as possible. The following things will be explained to every person who attends; 1) How we are passionate about the benefits that better connectivity can bring for local residents, businesses and communities. 2) How the work may lead to some short-term disruption; however ...
"How disappointing Mr Bond. Your pitiful little island hasn't even been threatened." I recalled these words of Blofeld, the arch-villain of Diamonds are Forever, when I read that the Prime Minister was considering military action against North Korea. This ridiculous hubris of British politicians about our importance in the word has been a common theme [...] The post Who do you think you are, Theresa? appeared first on Radix.
The next West End Police Surgery takes place at the Mitchell Street Centre today - details below :
The vast majority (99.99%) of politicians seek election for honourable and good reasons; out of a sense of public duty; or a strong desire to change things for the better. In my case I had developed a set of beliefs and a philosophy during the miners' strike in the 1970s and took it into college. The logical next step was to seek election to try and put into effect my beliefs. Many people appreciate the reasons why politicians choose this path. Often rants against the profession itself are moderated by appreciation for the actions of individuals known to the critic. ...
A new network for equality, diversity and inclusion in research will challenge the UK scientific community to take these priorities more seriously Last month, the now notorious Google memo shone a depressing light on the persistence of sexism and discrimination in Silicon Valley. But these problems aren't restricted to the tech world: a powerful new book by Angela Saini, which also surfaced over the summer, reminds us that such attitudes remain surprisingly ingrained across the wider scientific community. What can we as researchers and research funders do to change things? This week sees the launch of a new network called ...
Ludlow's Mayor Tim Gill and Shropshire Councillor Andy Boddington are warning that incomplete roadworks in Ludlow could create havoc during next week's Food Festival. Tim Gill explains: "Shropshire Council surface gritted Corve Street several weeks ago. This is one of the two main roads that lead into the town centre. But the council hasn't repainted any white or yellow lines. The chaos has led to bus and loading bays being full of parked cars. That has prevented buses safely discharging passengers. Delivery lorries have blocked the highway causing tailbacks because the loading bays are full of cars. "Given what it ...
The Liberal Democrats are fighting against attempts by the government to push through sweeping new powers in the EU Withdrawal Bill. Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake MP will table a reasoned amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill highlighting a number of problems with the current proposals, including a lack of proper legislation to the establishment of new regulation agencies. Instead of allowing for proper scrutiny by parliament to replace the numerous EU agencies in UK law, at the moment the replacements for bodies such as EURATOM and the European Medicines Agency will simply be created by secondary legislation, with ...
