Regular readers of this blog, should there be any, will know that I also run a small - not to say micro - publishing enterprise called The Real Press. Well, I've learned a little in recent weeks about the sheer energy in small publishing. But first, have a read of this... Thysse message is o'er long. It doth comprise two main parts, a briefe note from one of mie oarsmenne on the findinge of the Spaniartt's papers and the translat'd papers themselffes. These are in onlie part sensible order as the oarsman had yet to right them and the manne ...
We've all heard of the Luddites, but who was Ned Ludd after whom they were named? Wikipedia says: Supposedly, Ludd was a weaver from Anstey, near Leicester, England. In 1779, either after being whipped for idleness, or after being taunted by local youths, he smashed two knitting frames in what was described as a "fit of passion". This story is traceable to an article in The Nottingham Review on 20 December 1811, but there is no independent evidence of its truth.Whatever the truth of it, there is now a road named after him in the centre of Anstey. Today "Luddite" ...
Embed from Getty Images The proponents of HS2 have been assiduous in protecting the environment in the South of England - 29 per cent of the 140 mile-line from London to Birmingham will run through tunnels. How is this being paid for? By stripping out environmental further north. An article by Frances Perraudin, North of England reporter for the Guardian, quotes Jonathan Pile from Yorkshire against HS2: "We're getting this double standard, where they're spending all the money down south, no problem, but when it's the north they just expect us to lump it." ... He said the government was ...
part of this year pumpkin and squash harvest The pumpkin harvest is in-and I know some of them are squashes. At this time of year shops are full of the tasteless monsters that are sold for carving. It is about time the UK caught up with the culinary potential of the squash. After years of experiment I have decided that these are the best ones for eating Crown Prince, an Australian grey with dense orange flesh. It is my favourite, the draw back is that even the small ones weigh in at 3lbs-3lbs.8ozUchi Kuri, a Japanese onion squash so called ...
Mon 30th
19:32
Former Lib Dem parliamentary candidate forces the resignation of Australia's deputy prime minister
Embed from Getty Images Barnaby Joyce is the leader of National Party, the junior party in Australia's ruling coalition. But his election to the Australian parliament has been ruled invalid because he also holds New Zealand citizenship. Under Australian law, those holding dual nationality are not eligible to stand for parliament. Joyce is one of four Australian politicians whose election to parliament has been declared invalid on these grounds. He can stand in the resultant by-election in his sear as he has now renounced his New Zealand citizenship. But in the mean time the coalition government, which has a majority ...
It is half term. Half term means making the Christmas cake, all the better to spend two months feeding it booze before the big day. This year I am making two cakes, one deliciously nutular, and one nut free for the nut allergic. Today I have put the fruit in to soak, in an airtight container. It will probably be soaking three or four days. I got raisins and currants and sultanaananananas and dried cherries1. And Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. Delia Smith recommends 100ml of booze for soaking per cake. Mary Berry, much closer to my own tastes, 150ml. I've ...
Mon 30th
16:40
LibLink: William Wallace writes for the Independent on the Government's Brexit dilemma
Regardless of whether you support or oppose Brexit, there is no doubt that you'd prefer your negotiators to be both united and organised. In a piece for yesterday's Independent, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson in the Lords, William Wallace, highlights some of the emerging tensions amongst Conservative ranks. The Leave campaign united around reasserting British sovereignty; but they gave little thought to what that meant, or what continuing relations we would have with our neighbours if we left what has been the institutional framework for a broad partnership for 44 years. Boris Johnson assured us that other EU countries would ...
Mon 30th
16:29
Space Helmet for a Cow: The True, Mad Story of Doctor Who, vol 2, 1990-2013 by Paul Kirkley
Second paragraph of third chapter (which is actually Chapter 10, as the book keeps continuous numbering from Vol 1):The Daily Mirror's Sunday magazine tracked down his [David Tennant's] old English teacher, Moira Robertson, who explained how the Tom Baker scarf that Tennant's granny had knitted for him had figured highly in the youngster's life. "It didn't matter what essay or assignment I gave him, he managed to work his granny's scarf into it," she said. "That took real ingenuity. I remember having to explain to him that the exam board wouldn't actually get the point and give him extra marks ...
Whilst British politics is dominated by Brexit, elsewhere in Europe, life goes on. And yes, the question of "what Europe?" is playing a key role in the changing scene, but it is not the only issue. Earlier in the month, the Austrian Parliamentary elections saw the triumph of the shiny new leader of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), Alexander Kurz, aged just thirty-one. Talk of a coalition with the far right Freedom Party (FPÖ), led by Heinz-Christian Strache, was somewhat curtailed when, once all the votes were counted, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) limped into second place by less than 1%. ...
The facilities at Yate Outdoor Sports Centre have been coming to the end of their working life, but a massive fund-raising campaign by Yate Town Council has now borne fruit. The final piece of the funding jigsaw was put in place today to enable campaigners to start work replacing all the athletics facilities at YOSC. The last part of funding came from "Section106 Monies" - that is money developers have to hand over for sports facilities once they've sold their houses. This marks a key point in the 12 month funding campaign. Project chair Chris Willmore explained "The athletics at ...
As we approach the forthcoming Budget, we have the opportunity to present ourselves as the party of business which also cares about the dreadful level of inequality in the UK today. Brexit is obviously the key issue affecting the economy and there is nothing more pro business than our stance of wanting to remain in the Single Market and the customs union. Rising inflation is hitting the low paid particularly hard. Public sector workers need and deserve a proper pay rise. It is a disgrace when one reads that nurses are having to rely on food banks. Outside of Brexit, ...
I filmed this on Sunday 22nd October when I joined the volunteers at Church Green, Whickham, to plant up the flowerbeds. There should be a good display of flowers next year.
Sun, 17:17: Sunday reading https://t.co/eVX0lNE0Mr Sun, 20:29: RT @MSmithsonPB: Very good point you former CON minister peer https://t.co/m6JmydzE5W Sun, 20:48: The World's Tightest Cluster of People https://t.co/opMcf3wBpN Recalculated. Sun, 21:06: RT @stephenkb: As so often with "no deal plans", many of these can be boiled down to "make a deal": https://t.co/IKwHJ8zUlm https://t.co/d... Sun, 22:04: RT @ottocrat: Well duh. 🙄 https://t.co/N6aodwXQ92 Mon, 08:24: Not a promising start. "Uí *Naíll*"? "*Ernhaim* Macha"? An umlaut in "Eöganachta"? Hope the rest of the book is bet... https://t.co/OjLTM7ocFi Mon, 10:45: Scientists Spot First Alien Space Rock In Our Solar System https://t.co/1NB4ORdIrh A bit smaller than ...
Tonight BBC Radio 4 is broadcasting a programme ( (The Confined Trick, 8pm) advising us how to boost our confidence. I expect lots of aspirating go-getters will be listening-in and avidly taking notes. But I hope the programme will also consider the downsides of confidence. A first rate depiction of confidence is given in the TV documentary "Army: Behind the New Frontlines" currently showing on BBC2. From colonels though junior officers and NCOs to the newest recruits everyone seems and sounds supremely confident of the justification for their presence in various parts of the world ( Ukraine in last week's ...
We all need to get away from things from time to time. To recharge our batteries and to regain perspective on our often chaotic lives. And there is no better place to do this, science is now telling us, than ... Continue reading →
Welcome, once again, to Liberal Democrat Voice's preview of the week in Parliament or, to be more precise, the (usually) more dignified end of the Palace of Westminster. It feels a bit like a phony war at the moment, with the Lords to some extent killing time until the EU Withdrawal Bill finishes its passage through the Commons, but there is still plenty to interest the connoisseur. Diving straight in, Monday sees the first day of the Committee Stage of the Data Protection Bill. Leading for us will be Tim Clement-Jones, accompanied by Brian Paddick, with concerns over data adequacy ...
The old Dunston Hill Primary School closed its doors for the last time a few years ago but the building has been left to become derelict. It is right in the heart of Dunston and residents have watched the weeds grow over the past few years. Nature has now started to reclaim the walls as well which are now developing their very own mini-woodlands. There was talk of a cancer treatment site run by
Mon 30th
10:18
Soaring numbers of NHS executives are being hired while shortages of nurses are growing
If we are to save the NHS and ensure it meets the needs of today's generations we must help it change its culture and its systems. According to research carried out by independent health research organisation, the Health Foundation ... Continue reading →
Revealed: Ukip whistleblowers raised fears about Breitbart influence on BrexitRT @carolecadwalla: Huge story. Why did police not act?? 'Impermissible donation' from Breitbart - owned by Robert Mercer - to UKIP rep... How Kevin Spacey's 'Coming Out' Grossly Conflates Pedophilia and HomosexualityRT @miss_s_b: The Daily Beast is on point about Kevin Spacey [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
There is a lot to be said for a carrot and stick approach to social policy and as a means of changing behaviour. That is why when the Welsh Liberal Democrats were promoting an increased council tax for long-term empty homes a few years ago, to compensate communities for the blight imposed on them by these buildings, we also advocated grants and loans to help owners bring the properties back into use. Unfortunately, in considering and consulting on four possible new taxes for Wales the Welsh Government appears to have forgotten this approach. In particular their proposed vacant land tax, ...
The UK announced its intention to voluntarily withdraw from the EU, when it triggered Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) – on 29 March 2017. The UK government has said that it will not revoke this notification. Meanwhile, there is an increasing view that the notification should be revoked. Some question [...] The post Is there really an exit from Brexit? appeared first on Radix.
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 30 OCTOBER 2017 A85 Riverside Drive - prohibition of right turn from westbound lane of Riverside Drive into Riverside approach and prohibition of right turn from Riverside Approach in to Riverside Drive for 6 weeks for works to the sea wall. Prohibitions will only be in place when required.
Vince Cable has backed Theresa May's calls for new grievance procedures in Parliament following allegations of sexual harassment of staff by MPs. The Prime Minister set out proposed reforms in a letter to Commons Speaker John Bercow, copying in the other party leaders. Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable said: The Prime Minister is right to be calling for these changes. Parliament clearly needs improved procedures to respond to allegations of harassment. The Liberal Democrats have introduced similar changes since a review in 2013, which has proved a positive step.
Today sees the 200th anniversary of the declaration of independent Venezuela by Simón Bolívar. Frankly, there isn't much to celebrate there at the moment, the pile of notes pictured being what $100 looked like in bolivars two years ago (and it's much worse now), and perhaps the Danes might not be celebrating the 153rd anniversary of the end of the Second Schleswig War either, given that they lost. However, it might not all be doom and gloom, as Liberal Democrat Voice has a new Day Editor. To be strictly accurate, and because we're proper liberals, we're actually recycling an old ...
Mon 30th
07:04
Switch Island & A59 – Have you seen the mess that litter chucked out of vehicle windows c...
Litter chucked from vehicles can now be seen beside many main roads at at junctions*. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41748005 The BBC has the story on its web site – see link above I also blogged about this subject back in 2014 and here's a link back to that posting:- It seems to be becoming almost a fashionable thing to do, an 'acceptable' way to dispose of unwanted wrappings and general junk within a vehicle. I bet most of us have seen it happen. A window winds down in front of us in a queue of traffic and some rubbish gets thrown out ...
One of the many nowtrages to hit Twitter this week has been over Armando Iannucci's new film The Death of Stalin, as Peter Hitchens attacked the very existence of the film, in a piece which was shared with the headline ... Continue reading →
