A short clip from the 1979 film Murder by Decree, which sees Sherlock Holmes taking on Jack the Ripper. Christopher Plummer and James Mason make a fine Holmes and Watson, and belong in a better film.. Murder by Decree uses the masonic and royal family conspiracy version of the Ripper murders, which was first glimpsed in this interview with Joseph Sickert.
The Liberal Democrats should nurture their young candidates, says Sophie Thornton. Joe Bourke welcomes the launch of the all-party parliamentary group on land value capture. "The Today Programme is undeniably an institution - 60 years after Radio 4 broadcast the first edition, over one in ten people in the UK still tune in every morning. Unfortunately, I am no longer one of them." Neither am I, and for just the reasons that Ed Jefferson gives. "I write, because in doing so, I learn how to articulate my thoughts; indeed, I learn what my thoughts are. I learn to comprehend the ...
The Brigg Line Group, its website says, exists to promote services on the Sheffield - Worksop - Retford - Gainsborough - Lincoln line and on the branch line from Gainsborough via Brigg and Grimsby to Cleethorpes. Northern Rail operates a daily serviceon the Sheffield - Lincoln route, but the Sheffield to Cleethorpes trains run on Saturdays only. The Brigg Line Group argues that the Lincoln service needs to be improved and the Cleethorpes service should operate six days a week. And I find that on Saturday I photographed a departure board showing one of these Cleethorpes ghost trains. I travelled ...
Two years ago, in Budapest, saw the election of six ALDE Party Vice Presidents and, after a tough nine-way contest, Baroness Ros Scott was safely elected. And, after a successful first term, she is seeking re-election. Her manifesto spells out what she's been up to; chaired pre-Council meetings of liberal ministers at AGRIFISH, helping to form shared positions as part of our work to bring together liberals from across Europe worked to get more women in politics, personally leading a fund raising campaign to support the ALDE Party's European Women's Academy met with a potential new member party, helping to ...
Thanks very much to C for ferrying me around northern Virginia at the weekend to see a couple of things that had long been on my list: the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, and the battlefield at Manassas/Bull Run. At the Udvar-Hazy Center, obviously the standout exhibit is the space shuttle Discovery, which flew 39 missions from 1984 to 2011, more than any other spacecraft. It was amazinfg to stand in front of it. It dominates but does not fill the McDonnell Hall, and is well positioned so that you can photograph it from all angles. ...
It would appear that the Lib Dems are more supportive of Jeremy Corbyn's housing policy than his own colleagues in Liverpool led by Mayor Anderson At Wednesday's Council Meeting my Lib Dem Group colleagues Mirna Juarez and Andrew Makinson are ... Continue reading →
In July of this year ALTER floated the idea of a Progressive Alliance round Land Value Taxation and put out a call for the formation of an All Party Parliamentary Group on Land Value Tax in advance of our fringe at Bournemouth on this theme. In a pre-budget speech in the City of London this week, Sir Vince Cable laid out Liberal Democrat proposals for tax reform including investigating the feasibility of Land Value Taxation (LVT). He said; Authoritative analysis of the British tax system, notably the Mirrlees Report, makes it clear that the taxation of land is the most ...
With the recent forced resignation of Priti Patel from the Department For International Development, it is time to develop the Liberal Democrats' foreign policy in a post-Brexit Britain. It is time for the Liberal Democrats to call for a more liberal approach to the world and we should do this by following Patel's good work on 'trade for aid', promoting workers' rights and promoting freer and fairer trade. Ms Patel started to transform what the foreign aid budget was used for, yet with her forced resignation, the Liberal Democrats must surely take up this gauntlet to champion further reforms in ...
There was another race night to raise funds for Lighting Up Whickham's appeal for the village's Christmas tree on Saturday 11th November. The packed event took place at the Glebe Sports Club. As the holder of a food handling certificate, it was my job to help dish out the pie and pea suppers. Alas, I did not win a single bet! I did manage however to be the "owner" of a winning horse. The prize
For a start, I know I'm somewhat late to this debate. However, I've only just seen "La La Land", and I didn't like it, in fact I found it crushingly dull, and I think I can explain why this is in terms that I haven't read elsewhere. There have been many people who have critiqued the film on the basis of value judgements: it's racist or at least racially insensitive because it deals with jazz through the lens of a white guy; or it's sexist because of the dynamic between the two main characters and how they play out in ...
On our current round of Focuses, Pelaw and Heworth ward was at the forefront of deliveries last week. Alas, Councillors Daniel Duggan and Ian Patterson were doing such a good job that I wasn't asked to deliver any patches! Keep up the good work guys!
Sun, 12:56: Northern Ireland's Journey To Their First World Cup https://t.co/IEmVPSSQe1 Fascinating sports and politics from 1958. Sun, 16:56: Sunday reading https://t.co/1JHCfE1TuP Mon, 11:59: RT @kevinhorourke: Why would IRL place itself in a position of weakness by making this a bilateral issue? (And in any event it is not a bil...
In advance of the Full Council meeting on Thursday John Pugh has issued a press statement: Amid accusations of tax avoidance, hypocrisy and secrecy Sefton Council is being urged to publish in full the details of the controversial £32.5 million purchase of the Bottle New Stand. At the council meeting in Southport this Thursday a motion has been tabled by John Pugh which would commit Sefton Council to publish the details of the deal that was conducted via Luxembourg following tax advice.According to Cllr Pugh. who has played a significant part in bringing the details of the transaction to public ...
Parliament returns after the short November recess, and whilst some members of both chambers have been on Parliamentary delegations, the majority of Peers will still be wondering what might happen next. It's a busy enough week though. Monday sees the Committee Stage of the European Union (Approvals) Bill (don't get excited). Despite our taking the road towards Brexit, there are still bits of business to transact, and in this case it is permitting the participation of Albania and Serbia in the work of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, plus the signing and conclusion of an agreement between the ...
Fourth to First: How to win a local election in under six months by Freya Aquarone and Steffan Aquarone is a short but highly informative and entertaining guide to what really happens in local council elections.
In espionage the standard of proof is a variable measure. There are very few times that information can be said to be "beyond reasonable doubt". Nuances and circumstances acquire great significance and it requires an analyst with a deep sense of intuition to piece together an accurate narrative from small pieces of partial information. There may be much data, but to find the information it contains is like putting together a shattered mirror, where you do not know whether you have all the pieces. Thus intelligence can be a double-edged sword, and it is dangerous to rely purely on secret ...
There is one vital thing that political parties in the UK do not seem to grasp: brand value. Like many who don't fully understand the power of brand value, parties think of 'branding' in the most superficial way – logo, colour choice, and so on. Yet brands stand for much more than that. They are [...] The post Why political parties don't understand their own brands appeared first on Radix.
Supportive Parents provides the Special Educational Needs & Disability Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS) Service in South Gloucestershire, as well as Bristol and North Somerset. They are an independent organisation offering free, confidential and impartial advice to parents, children or any young person aged 16 - 25, about SEND. You can find out more on their website.
The latest claims about the operation of government in Cardiff Bay are both sensational and deeply disturbing. Allegations of a culture of a toxic culture and bullying associated with the First Minister's office by former Minister, Leighton Andrews, have been followed by verifying claims by former Special Advisor, Steve Jones. Mr. Jones put out a statement in which he said: "Ministers were undermined by senior advisers playing power games and seeking to exert unreasonable control over government and the first minister himself," he said. Some ministers, including Mr Sargeant, "would have their diaries unreasonably monitored and questioned, their policy proposals ...
I have been keeping an eye on the progress of these two adjacent developments off Maghull's School Lane and here are are some photos of things as they were on 11th November. Station platforms beginning to emerge Almost completed houses on 'Poppy Fields', the former site of Moss Side Hospital and subsequently Ashworth South Hospital Looking over the recently created rainwater collection pond (Sustainable Urban Drainage or SuD in drainage engineer's speak). School Lane is behind the fence in the background. Of course the Maghull North Station construction process has become hugely controversial with neighbouring residents in Mersey Avenue in ...
Dundee City Council's Policy and Resources Committee has agreed to review the effectiveness of changes made to the street cleaning operation across the city, following implementation of a report in December 2015 that has resulted in alteration to the service and removal of street cleaning posts. I made the request to the Policy and Resources Committee as it is important that the council reviews the situation to ensure that there is no reduction in the effectiveness of the street cleaning service. My motion - accepted unanimously by councillors - states : "Street Cleaning and Open Space Management Motion by Bailie ...
In yesterday's Sunday Telegraph, Michael Gove sets out his plans for an environmental watchdog post-Brexit. As education secretary under David Cameron, he was seen as a career hungry politician willing to risk quality education in a drive to create academies, open creationist schools and dictate what was taught in lessons. He was marginally better as Justice Secretary, but not much. Now, he is well on the road to becoming Britain's leading environmental champion. This is not the first conversion on the environmental road to Damascus but it could be one of the most important. It is even more surprising because ...
Week 3 of my return to the frontline, and it seems to be getting a bit easier, somewhat like riding a bike. Admittedly, I haven't ridden once of those for at least three decades, but nonetheless... Today is the 1151st anniversary of Pope Nicholas I answering the envoys of Boris in relation to the creation of a ecclesiastical establishment favourable to Bulgaria. He sounds a lot smarter than our Boris. Also, on this day in 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote; ...but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes... He was, of course, absolutely right, ...
