General Sir Richard Barrons has warned that the government will be "responsible for tipping the armed forces into institutional failure" unless it reverses cuts to defence spending. In evidence given to the House of Commons Defence Committee today, the ex-Defence Chief also warned that Britain's armed forces are "20 years out of date," and described proposals to cut the number of Royal Marines as "folly." Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson, commented: "This scathing criticism from a top former general emphasises the increasingly fragile nature of Britain's defence capabilities. "The government must listen to this stark warning. "If ministers ...
Tom Brake had this to say as the House of Commons debated the first batch of line by line amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill: Today the Prime Minister's desperate attempt to buy off her hard Brexit supporters with red meat has been found out for what it is; a pointless and dangerous political ploy which has no legislative coherence and boxes the UK into an arbitrary timetable. This will only make our negotiations harder, limit our room for manoeuvre and increase the risk of No Deal. It has been rightly and resoundingly rubbished by both sides of the House. ...
Spare a thought for Dudley Town FC: there last two home games have been called off because badgers have damaged the pitch. The Express & Star quotes the leader of the local council's explanation of what has been going on: "We are having problems with badgers, who are digging into the surface of the pitch at the Dell to get at earthworms and other insect larvae and causing damage."While the club's chairman says: "We have never experienced anything like this before. We have had problems with Canadian Geese and Foxes but we have lost our last games as a result ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: "Nix." Nikolaides drew the final consonant out luxuriously. "Chalk gave her to me, him to you. She's a bore, anyway. Why switch?" Classic sf which was beaten by Lord of Light and The Einstein Intersection for the Hugo and Nebula respectively; I thought I had read it before but in fact it seems I hadn't. It's a short but pretty powerful book. The central characters are a media mogul who is also a psychic vampire who draws sustenance from other people's pain, and the two people who he brings together purely for entertainment, an astronaut ...
On 27th October this year I ran the posting below on this blog site:- Today I received this letter in the post Some things transcend party political boundaries and probably far more should. No one should have to put up with hate crime, end of. Click on the letter to enlarge it
Confusion reigns in the corridors of power with contradiction at every turn on the UK's energy needs. Recent reports on the UK's future in clean energy and climate change have flagged the critical need to prioritise low-carbon energy generation and the climate change obligations that the UK must meet by 2030. Indeed, the report where fracking is discussed briefly mentions it in a minimised capacity, the BEIS released their Gas Security and Supply report, with a strategic analysis on outline energy projections for the coming years in which the Government indicated that shale gas is not needed for energy security ...
The artist Joshua Sofaer developed a structure for analysis of art, which comprises seven aspects of 'conversation' which takes place during enquiry. In the context of performance studies, this allows us an insight into the ways in which contemporary artists and artworks incorporate elements of performance into their structure. Section One: ArtistJoseph Beuys believed that 'Everyone is an artist', or, that we should all harness our individual potential to view the world around us with the same tools we use to respond to art. In Oleg Kulik's Armadillo For Your Show, the artist becomes an object, but, by the inclusion ...
In one respect, there could be considered to be no such thing as an 'audience'. To refer, in the context of theatre, to an 'audience' indicates a temporary community comprised of many individuals. Rayner writes that the problem with the term is that 'it signifies a collective version of a single consciousness rather than just the desire for such unity.'[1]When a critic writes than "the audience loved the show" they are assigning a single subjectivity to a multiplicity. To refer to an 'audience' is to desire the transition from a singular 'I' to a collective 'We' or 'They'. Image Source: ...
Following the response of Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, to an Urgent Question on the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Jo Swinson MP said:"Johnson should agree to Richard Ratcliffe's offer to travel to Iran together and visit Nazanin in prison, as this seems one of the best hopes to get her out by Christmas."No family should have to go through what the Ratcliffe's have, and the Foreign Secretary must make up for his mistakes and do what it takes to end their plight."Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson Menzies Campbell, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, said: "The Foreign Secretary is ...
Mon, 16:05: Capturing the moment: what happened to the boys in this picture? https://t.co/v32RgE119Y This is a lovely story, but also a little sad. Mon, 18:55: The Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum https://t.co/YVc3HfjwB0 Mon, 19:21: "she liked and was good at talking to children (there are many witnesses to this" - lovely line from Hermione Lee's... https://t.co/6KRd29BhgZ
Much wringing of hands over the government's so-called 'concession' yesterday. David Davis promised a vote on the final Brexit deal – a 'take it or leave it' vote, as reported by the BBC here. The way this is portrayed by the media (including the BBC in that article) is that this is some sort of ... Continue reading Brexit reveals the broken relationship between government and parliament
Basic Income is often seen as a policy that would happen in an ideal world, with its proponents apparently lacking any idea on how to get there. In my view, advocates like myself need to outline a plan that can bring us to a workable and simple welfare state that relies heavily on basic income as its primary source of support. That is what I am proposing. A first step towards basic income would be to mostly replace the personal allowance with a payment to every person over the age of 18. While raising the personal allowance took millions out ...
I don't know if Theresa May is a big reader, or even a student of political literature. Personally, my predilection has always been towards political biography. I am currently reading 'George Orwell: A Life' by Bernard Crick, so the Prime Minister's speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet last night seems remarkably apposite. The Guardian tells us that Mrs. May 'accused Russia of meddling in elections and planting fake stories in the media in an extraordinary attack on its attempts to "weaponise information" in order to sow discord in the west.' One of Orwell's themes in his later career was the ...
With the nights drawing in Transport for Greater Manchester have produced this short information site to help cyclists stay safe through winter. More information here.
A number of residents have been in touch over the last week with concerns about parking on Sunday 5 November 2017 for people attending the Bonfire Night in Heaton Park. As I understand there were some problems in a number of areas with on-street parking which affected some of the residential streets around the park. I am keen to discuss this with Heaton Park, and try to get something working better for next year, but would appreciate more information and feedback from residents. Thanks Tim (tim@burylibdems.net)
Forever Manchester are delighted to announce they are supporting the Great Christmas Get Together by offering £200 to communities who wish to hold a Christmas event in their neighbourhood http://forevermanchester.com/great-christmas-get-together/ Applications close on Wednesday 29th November at midday.
Cancer Research UK is launching a new muddy, thigh-burning Tough 10 challenge in Heaton Park later this month. The 10k trail run takes place in Heaton Park on November 26, pitting runners against challenging muddy slopes, thigh-burning hills and tough terrain to raise money for life-saving research. The event is open to men and women aged over 16 with a £25 entry fee. Kirsti Thompson, Cancer Research UK event manager, said: "Tough 10 promises fierce inclines and stunning views to take your breath away. Every muddy slope conquered brings us a step closer to beating all cancers. Every day, around ...
In the UK, what happens locally on the ground is not much to do with local political control at the time, either locally or nationally. It is the day to day bureaucratic management processes which determine what happens. The 'rules' which determine the modus operandi of local bureaucracies are set by laws made by the [...] The post It isn't left versus right that counts, it is up versus down appeared first on Radix.
Wapley Bushes Conservation Group is carrying out a major programme of tree planting this autumn and winter, to deal with the threat of Ash Dieback Disease. This disease is carried by a fungus. Mature trees are the most affected - they lose their leaves and the crown dies back. It's within a dozen miles of Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve. If something isn't done now, within twenty years we will have lost all the high canopy in Wapley Woods.The Conservation Group has come up with a scheme to plant other large native species throughout the woodland. This season they will ...
Many residents have been asking about the cost of this year's bin strike. The answer, according to figures issued by the Council recently, is £6.6m. This is made up of: 1) £2m for agency staff. 2) £1.6m for outside contractors and temporary redeployment of internal staff. 3) £1.3m of extra landfill tax based on an extra 15,000 tonnes of waste sent to landfill – due to the failure to recycle during the strike. 4) £1.2m loss of income from paper recycling which is down by 9,000 tonnes. 5) £0.5m loss of savings from the new operating structure that the strike ...
I felt very privileged to be asked to represent the Chinese Lib Dems at this historic centenary of the arrival of the Chinese Labour Corps on the Western Front of WWI. The story was made more poignant by the fact that they did not know they were being sent into a theatre of the most devastating war of the 20th century. I was particularly saddened to hear the stories from some of the descendants that these men were not appreciated even at the time of their hard labours and continued to this very day. Luckily, through the records, diaries, and ...
Pickstock Homes has submitted a planning application for 200 homes behind the Nelson Inn. The application is a so-called hybrid application. It is in outline for the full site and a full planning application for 68 of the homes. The site is allocated for housing in the local plan, SAMDev. The scheme is essentially the same as that presented to the town council and Ludford parish council last summer. It is expected to take six years to build. The overall scheme will deliver 15% affordable housing, 30 homes, but the first phase will deliver only eight affordable homes (12%).[1] This ...
I have today launched my November 2017 Update to West End Community Council. It covers the forthcoming West End Christmas Fortnight events - see details below and you can also download the full Update here. The Community Council meets tonight at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all residents welcome. A fabulous West End Christmas Fortnight launches soon! Saturday 25th November sees the start of the West End Christmas Fortnight and there will be a fortnight of superb community events across the West End of Dundee. On Wednesday 29th November the Christmas Lights Switch On for the ...
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Brexit – Labour's been backing it but wants to stop the consequences of it – Yes I know ...
That our Bluekip Government, propped up by the right wing DUP, have been driving us ever nearer to the Brexit cliff edge is bad enough but with Labour embarrassingly hanging on to May's Brexit shambles of a coattail is just too much. Yes I know Labour's right wing working class supporters mainly voted for Brexit but the sad fact is that they, being amongst the poorest in our society, will in all probability come of worst when May (together with Corbyn?) really do jump off that Brexit cliff. Have Labour forgotten that the Official Opposition is there to oppose – ...
It's hard not to wonder, 'if that's your reason, why quit only now?': Four Burnley Liberal Democrat councillors have quit the party and will stand as independents on Burnley Borough Council. Gannow ward councillors Charlie Briggs, Neil Mottershead and Mark Payne, as well as Rosehill with Burnley Wood councillor Christine White will now sit on the council as the Burnley and Padiham Independent Party. They have claimed that they did not agree with the pro-Europe's party stance on Brexit. [Burnley Express] One of them went on to complain that the Liberal Democrats are not supporting making Brexit as easy as ...
Includes Mount Caburn, South Downs, England and Kaikoura, New Zealand (view from the local septic tank).
