The Green party is rethinking its approach to electoral alliances after losing half of its votes in the general election when it stood aside for a string of Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates... The issue caused a split at the party's autumn conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where delegates voted to acknowledge that the strategy had successfully mobilised anti-Tory supporters but caused a "negative impact on overall vote share". [The Guardian] That's relevant news for the Liberal Democrats too given the enthusiasm in some parts of the party for deals with the Greens. What's often missing from discussions of such ...
Happy Birthday to Nicholas Parsons who was 94 today. One lesser known role on his c.v. is in the Spencer Davis Group's 1966 film The Ghost Goes Gear, where he plays the band's manager. According to Parsons' memoirs, the weather in which they had to film was so bad that he assumed the project had been scrapped. He was surprised there was a film to release. What made the cinema was basically a collection of largely undistinguished musical performances, apart from those by the Spencer Davis Group themselves. But this clip from the start of the film gives a hint ...
I have been meaning to write an article for Liberator about Richard Rorty for years, if only because I was attracted by the possible headline 'RORTY BUT NICE'. In the last issue of the magazine I finally got round to writing it, but I am not sure it is much good. I had imagined I would write about the ideas in Contingency, Irony and Solidarity, but the quote from Achieving Our Country foreseeing the coming of Trump was too good to ignore and that book rather took over the article. Having written about it, I wonder if the book's distinction ...
This afternoon, Alistair Carmichael led an emergency debate, which he had secured, to raise the many ways in which the Government is marginalising Parliament. From ignoring Opposition Day debates to curtailing debate on legislation to the Henry VIII powers. His speech introducing the debate was excellent. Watch it here. My favourite bits are this: The best Governments—and if ever there was a time in our country's history when we needed the best possible Government, this is surely it—are those that are tested by Parliament, by the Opposition parties and by their own Back Benchers. Time and again, our system fails ...
The talk of Twitter today has been an extraordinary blog post by Pete North, who bills himself as "Editor @LeaveHQ - The Leave Alliance". If you doubt me: What I do expect to happen is a lot of engineering jobs to be axed since a lot of them are dependent on defence spending. It will kill off a number of parasitic resourcing firms and public sector suppliers. Basically it will wipe out the cosseted lower middle class and remind them that they are just as dispensable as the rest of us. We can the expect to see a major rationalisation ...
The Southport Visiter has the story on its web site – see link above Wow this one keeps doing the rounds and there's still no workable permanent solution on the cards between Network Rail and Sefton Council. Surely a bridge with suitable access ramps for those with disabilities etc. is one permanent solution is it not? So why does this go on and on and on when lives are at stake?
Today is World Mental Health Day. For me it's a day to reflect on how far we have come since I started to suffer from mental ill health as a child. Forty years ago, nobody understood the desperate, isolating, all-engulfing Depression that I couldn't shake off, that took every ounce of my energy just to get through the day. I remember trying to talk about it to a friend once, and she scared the living daylights out of me, telling me I'd be locked up in a hospital if anyone found out. There was the exhausting anxiety which punctuated every ...
Private financial corporations occupy most of the seats on the advisory groups that provide advice and expertise to the European Central Bank (ECB). A report titled, 'Open doors for forces of finance', by CorporateEurope Observatory has discovered that Corporations such as BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank have frontline positions when it comes to having the ECB's ears, thus raising the red flag on the power of vested interests to shape and influence the bank's policies. There are 22 advisory groups which form part of the ECB's decision making process. There are 517 representative seats across the 22 groups and 508 ...
You probably won't have heard of Pete North. Unless you're a political geek who's followed the developments since the EU referendum exhaustively, you also won't know what the Leave Alliance is. To cut a long story short, the Alliance has usually been one of the more sensible groups advocating Brexit, and North is its spiritual ... Continue reading The EU referendum should be rerun based on this Leaver's vision
I have just received this from Highways England. And yes, I know 9th October was Monday, not Tuesday. I am assuming that they mean it starts today, Tuesday 10th, nor yesterday, Monday 9th or they would have sent it yesterday. All clear? PS Are we going to reach a point at which every single route out of Wokingham town centre is going to have roadworks on it? Oh joy! Please find below planned overnight closures and weekend closures of the slip roads at junction 10 where they cross over the M4, where we are currently undertaking work to reconstruct the ...
So, having ironed out a few teething problems, here is the t-shirt store I promised you guys: Awkward Squad Clothing and Accessories A few little notes in answer to stuff people have already asked me, which I assume might be stuff other people might ask:The size range there is not my choice, it's the manufacturer's; I do have a request in for larger sizes. Similarly, the yellow t-shirts only being available in less-curvy is down to the choices the manufacturer makes available to me; as soon as yellow is there in curvy/small/bags I'll make it available. There are SOME other ...
It's a bit embarrassing, really, but I have a confession to make. Something that's been nagging at me for a little while now, and that I feel I ought really to bring out into the open. Daylight being the best ... Continue reading →
Blogging is so naughties isn't it? Has anything happened on a blog since 2010? Well maybe. Leave HQ Editor Peter North has produced quite the most extraordinary piece of blogging I have seen for some time. Wow. I want to quote the "wow" bits, but I risk quoting it all. In the first year or so we are going to lose a lot of manufacturing. Virtually all JIT export manufacturing will fold inside a year. Initially we will see food prices plummet but this won't last. Domestic agriculture won't be able to compete and we'll see a gradual decline of ...
Mon, 12:56: What Are the Meanings Behind the Worldwide Rise in Protest? https://t.co/tCU6r32fWo It ain't all one thing. Mon, 18:41: A Short Guide to Irish Science Fiction, by Jack Fennell https://t.co/v14fjn9VNa Mon, 20:19: RT @StephenFarryMLA: PM commitment to avoid infrastructure on Irish border but remove UK from Customs Union not reconcilable objectives. ht... Mon, 21:15: RT @Malala: 5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls' education. Today, I attend my first lectures at O... Tue, 06:36: The Leave Alliance thinks it's too late to do a Brexit deal. https://t.co/U6hxHU9PXr Tue, 10:06: ...
Why We Miss Objects That Are Right in Front of Us - The New York Times I fell for the test, I have to admit. London's Hidden Tunnels Revealed In Amazing Cutaways This is gorgeous scificorridorarchive.com by Serafín Álvarez, 2013 There's a lot of gold for geeks in this 47 tweet thread about how many of the things we Brits complain about the EU foisting on us are actually our fault ... and I would say a large number of them are features rather than bugs too Theresa May spotted at The Winchester with a nice cold pint waiting for ...
This is the tenth of my posts based on a recent tour of the eastern half of the USA. I visited a number of sites relevant to African American history. To mark Black History Month, I am relating some of the things I saw, in the order I saw them. In Washington DC, I was lucky enough to stay in a neighbourhood where the people were extremely friendly and welcoming. But it is true that the centre of "DC", as it is almost universally called in the States, is odd. It consists of virtually all federal buildings of some sort ...
Theresa May tells us that on Brexit, "The ball is in their [EU's] court." Meanwhile, the EU Commission's Margaritis Schinas tells us, "The ball is entirely in the UK's court." Both can't be right. The missing balls highlight the overriding problem the UK faces in the negotiations. Forget the fantasy world in which the extreme Brexiteers believe we are a massively powerful nation on the world
When is a fact not a fact? When it is an economic statistic. Economists use statistics like GDP, productivity or inflation, as if they were facts. And because economists set the terms of public policy debate, the rest of the world follows them. But they are abstract artefacts, designed to help us see the facts, ... Continue reading Economists are failing to understand the 21st century economy
I would normally give the second paragraph of the third scene, but the entire play has just one extended scene, so here is the opening section: The forenoon of the first of April, 1911. General Mitchener is at his writing table in the War Office, opening letters. On his left is the fireplace, with a fire burning. On his right, against the opposite wall is a standing desk with an office stool. The door is in the wall behind him, half way between the table and the desk. The table is not quite in the middle of the room: it ...
Swing on a swing; be frivolous; wear purple; run your stick against the railings; learn to spit, but don't feel old!! I was half way through a speech in London last week about the need to provide adequate social care ... Continue reading →
New luncheon club from Employment and Training (EAT) Pennines in Heaton Park (Information is from EAT) The luncheon club will run throughout the winter every Friday at The Pavilion Cafe by the boating lake. Prices range from £1.50 for a slice of cake to £5.00 for a main meal and a hot drink. The cafe has been made cosy and comfortable with the addition of sofas and armchairs and board games will be available to borrow throughout the afternoon. The luncheon club will be by run by local young people taking part in our current horticulture and catering traineeship to ...
Just to let residents know about recent planning applications in your area on Bury Old Road, Brandram Road, Nursery Road and Poppythorn Lane. Please just let me know if you have any queries. Non material amendment following grant of planning permission 61249 for extending room by 2m and ... 245 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1JE Ref. No: 61979 | Received: Fri 29 Sep 2017 | Validated: Fri 29 Sep 2017 | Status: Registered Prior approval of proposed change of use from shop (Class A1) to dwellinghouse (Class C3) 2 Brandram Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1HJ Ref. No: 61907 ...
It's a red letter day for economics. Richard Thaler has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics. This is not just any old economics prize. Richard Thaler pioneered behavioural economics based on the idea that Homo Economicus, the rational being optimising economic value in all decision making, is a fiction created by classical economics and [...] The post Why we need to take macroeconomists much less seriously appeared first on Radix.
This Owl Prowl will be led by well-known local expert Ian McGuire. Ian's owl prowls are a night-time walk in woodlands for all the family where you can learn about British owls through his iPad video presentations and through the evening he will be calling wild tawny owls in the hope that one will call back and possibly fly in for everyone to view. Owl prowls are suitable for all age groups from 5 to 95 and usually involve a limited amount of walking. They are fun and fascinating and will leave participants much more aware of how amazing owls ...
The Connected Communities Innovation Fund is a partnership between Nesta and the Office for Civil Society at DCMS, providing up to £4 million in grants, alongside significant non-financial support, to the best innovations that mobilise the time and talents of people across the lifecourse, to create outcomes in any of the following themes: * Community connections and thriving places: innovations that mobilise the time and talents of people within local communities to share resources, create reciprocal models of support and enable people to help each other in key priorities within their communities. * Community resilience in emergencies: innovations that mobilise ...
Tuesday 10 October 2017 is World Mental Health Day. This year the focus of the day is about mental health in the workplace. There is more information on issues that might affect people, and how we can all help through ending the sigma and discrimination around poor mental health at the following websites: MIND, the mental health charity; the Mental Health Foundation; and the World Health Organisation. More information on events and support in Bury at the Bury Directory.
In my day university students attended college to learn in an atmosphere of vigorous debate and challenge. There were some who sought to close down discussions by labelling certain views as offensive or politically incorrect, but by-and-large they were ignored so that we could have a proper debate on the issues. If you cannot have that sort of freedom in an academic institution then where can you? It is no coincidence that totalitarian regimes suppress certain art forms, burn 'seditious' books and seek to restrict religious worship. They feel the need to control people and their views for their own ...
In the summer of 2009, I walked to the foot of Preston's bus station, stared up at the edge high above me and considered stepping off that edge. I needed to escape my prison of life, trapped inside a tyrannical closet of my creation and shackled to a religion that was slowly killing me. Three years earlier in 2006, I closed my bedroom door and contemplated the best way I could tie my school tie around my neck and hang myself from the ceiling. I was done and struggling with being in love with my best friends as many young ...
West End Community Council - tonight's meeting - agenda : TUESDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2017 AT 7.00PMLOGIE AND ST JOHN`S (CROSS) PARISH CHURCH HALL(ENTER FROM SHAFTESBURY TERRACE - OFF BLACKNESS AVENUE) 1. WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS AND APOLOGIES 2. MINUTE OF MEETING 12TH SEPTEMBER 2017 AND MATTERS ARISING 3. POLICE SCOTLAND UPDATE 4. PERTH ROAD UPDATE 5. WECC HIT LIST 6. PLANNING UPDATE 7. CORRESPONDENCE 8. OTHER MEETINGS ATTENDED ON BEHALF OF WECC 9. AOCB - MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC INPUT 10. DATE OF NEXT MEETING - TUESDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 2017 Light refreshments will be provided - all welcome!
Tue 10th
08:18
Maghull – It's eastern urban extension land has been cropping in 2017 but for how much longer?
The Maghull East site is probably the most controversial of all of the Green Belt development sites across the whole Borough of Sefton because it is so vast, indeed it is now referred to as an 'urban extension' such will be its size. The land is predominately high grade agricultural land which grows our food so building on it is utter madness to me. However, we environmental campaigners lost the battle to save it and Sefton Council is to have its will to develop the site for housing and business use. I thought it would be useful to have a ...
The Liberal Democrats have called on Boris Johnson to intervene in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who faces an additional 16 years in prison in Iran. The charity worker was arrested at Tehran Airport in April 2016 while visiting family in Iran with her daughter, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison for allegedly plotting to topple the government in Tehran. She is reportedly now facing new charges that carry a sentence of an additional 16 years of imprisonment. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Shadow Foreign Secretary Jo Swinson commented: "Liberal Democrats condemn in the strongest ...
The Liberal Democrats have called for the benefits freeze to be scrapped, in a debate in Parliament today on Universal Credit. It comes as a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found almost half a million more people would be forced into poverty in the UK in 2020 if the government maintains its freeze on benefits. Stephen Lloyd MP, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesman, commented: "Balancing the books on the backs of the poorest in this way is unacceptable. "Not only are those on benefits seeing their incomes eaten away by rising inflation, but many families are suffering as ...
Liberal Democrats have called for the government to give greater transparency and accountability for foreign aid after Priti Patel launched her Supplier Review. International Development spokesperson Shas Sheehan says that 30% of development aid "disappears in a black hole" while another huge tranche of public spending is not sufficiently scrutinised. Shas Sheehan said: "Liberal Democrats always welcome moves towards openness, transparency and accountability concerning public money. "However, there are two glaring omissions from today's supplier review announcement by Priti Patel. "No mention is made of the 30% of development aid spent by other government departments. Most of this money seemingly ...
Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael has won an emergency debate in the House of Commons later today over whether the government is abusing parliamentary process. This follows opposition day motions on public sector pay and tuition fees, where both motions passed without division and were then ignored by the government. Alistair Carmichael said: "It was known that in the event of a division, the DUP would vote against the government and the government would lose. Ministers took the view that these votes could be ignored - as they have subsequently done. "The Leader of the House did not deny that this ...
