"Great news, kids!" And right before fucking Christmas, too... As you may have seen, Patreon have just announced that they are changing their funding structure as of December 18, so that creators get a larger percentage of their pledges (about ... Continue reading →
I know Jim Callaghan didn't say, "Crisis? What crisis?" and that Disraeli's coalition quote was a case of political self-interest rather than constitutional wisdom. I had, however, thought that Harold Macmillan really did say "Events, dear boy, events" when asked what was most likely to knock governments off course. Now, however, I know better. As with the case of Lewis Carroll, even relatively recent historical truth can prove remarkably elusive, with hard evidence difficult to find and much apparently robust evidence simply turning out to be a case of everyone quoting everyone else.
For those readers who live in cities, towns or even reasonably sized villages, the existence of decently fast broadband is a given, and in an increasingly digital world, you can easily take for granted the ability to makes transactions online. Accordingly, the Government is targeting the rollout of superfast broadband to 95% of all homes by the end of this year and, if you're not in that 95%, you will have at least 2Mbps. Well, it's December, and I don't have either. My village of two hundred or so souls, with two hundred and seventy-five residents in the Parish, is ...
After David Davis was accused of misleading parliament, former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said that the Brexit Secretary has to resign. Tim Farron said: "David Davis needs to go. He has misled parliament and under his leadership the Brexit department has turned incompetence into an art form. "I am not one to call for ministerial resignations every two minutes and I've nothing against David Davis as a person but it is now clear he deceived MP. He is also writing the government's Brexit strategy on the back of a fag packet. "Some 18 months on, the government hasn't worked ...
Responding to news that Donald Trump has recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who is the only UK MP with Palestinian background, said: "The Prime Minister must use what remains of the special relationship to urge President Trump to reconsider his decision. "There is now a high probability that the two state solution will be in tatters, and yet another round of violence in the region can be expected. "Trump risks bolstering support for extremists, recklessly increasing the likelihood of an upsurge in potential new attacks in the west."
Constituents have been asking me recently about what's happening at the former Marley Hill School site. Work recently took place to demolish the brick-built extensions to the original stone-built school building. Planning permission has been granted for 22 houses on the site. When we were first consulted about the sale of the site by Gateshead Council, Councillors Marilynn Ord (pictured above
Last night, the Sunniside History Society, of which I am the chairman, held its Christmas buffet at Sunniside Social Club. About 80 people were there and a good time has had by all. Alas, the quiz was my downfall. 32 celebrities had to be named. They were all film stars from the 1940s and 50s. I managed 4 and came last! And as chairman, there was no way I could hide my performance. The winner
Yes, really. So first, the good news. Zombie attack? It's been thought about and the level of zombie attack preparations is rather reassuring.
Just what does the Department for Exiting the European Union do? Led by Brexit cheerleader David Davis, he has bungled the Brexit negotiations and miserably failed to ensure his own governmental prop - the DUP - were on board when the divorce settlement seemed close to being signed in Brussels earlier this week. Now, we are told, his own department has not produced the impact assessments on the
Second paragraph of third chapter (practically a short story in its own right):I'd harbored the Trace concept for a long time - I think I was inspired by a commercial for an old board game called Stay Alive. It starred a bunch of kids playing on a beach; there were no adults around, and waves crashed angrily against rock cliffs nearby. The children pushed or pulled levers on a play-field, opening holes in the board as they did so; eventually all marbles on the board except one would drop out of play, and then the winner would announce, in a ...
Back when the election was called, ruling out post-election deals with any other party seemed wise. The Tories were set to win a convincing majority, so we could promise tactical voters there would be no unforeseen consequences of a Lib Dem vote, safe in the knowledge that a hung parliament would not arise. What happened next is well documented; the Conservatives lost their majority and now have to rely on a confidence and supply deal with the DUP in order to remain in government. This week we have seen the full extent of the DUP's newfound power, as they hold ...
The Green Party is a great illustration of how much UK politics is shaped by First Past the Post. Corbyn supporters tell us that the country has been crying out for an anti-establishment, left-wing alternative for years. But the Greens have been pushing that message for decades. Yes they disagree on some policy areas, especially on Brexit, but Corbyn's political ideology is pretty much identical to theirs. The Greens got only 4% of the national vote in 2015 though. And the latest Britain Elects poll which has Labour at 45% has the Green Party at just 1%. Why will people ...
Wed 6th
12:30
Dancing on Ice's Monty Panesar replaced by Lemar after suffering ankle injury during training
Monty Panesar bowling for Sussex at Grace Road, Leicester The Evening Standard has our Headline of the Day.
Wed 6th
11:51
Lord Bill Bradshaw writes...A partnership railway can help secure enormous benefits for Britain
It's been a busy time for rail announcements, following on from the publication last week of the Government's rail strategy, Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail, which itself was just a few weeks after the launch of a long-term plan, called In Partnership for Britain's Prosperity, to change and improve Britain's railway. Working together, the partnership railway of the public and private sectors has committed to securing almost £85bn of additional economic benefits to the country. The plan contains four commitments which will see rail companies strengthen their economic contribution to the country, improve customers' satisfaction, boost the communities ...
This blog is adapted from one that first appeared on the Real Press website... I met the folk singer Pete Seeger just before he died. He was jamming outside in the July sunshine, with some young violinists, playing Ashokan Farewell. He had been attending a conference near the Hudson River about local currencies where I had just been speaking. It was a great honour to meet him, a friend of Woody Guthrie no less, partly also because - when I was growing up - the only 45 rpm single my parents possessed was Seeger singing Little Boxes. I told him ...
Tue, 14:15: BSFA Award nominations are open, until 31 December. https://t.co/q0NrztR2Vt Tue, 17:14: RT @MissMillicent: I'm at launch of @Five_Rights, promoting more competitive UN elections and human rights across the globe Tue, 17:35: RT @Five_Rights: .@carneross: 'The existing model for human rights has become outdated, as the nation state declines' Tue, 17:39: RT @Five_Rights: Up next, our Chair @KishwerFalkner, a long-standing campaigner on #HumanRights, to introduce the campaign Tue, 17:47: RT @MissMillicent: It is a depressing time for Human Rights, but the goal is to for @Five_Rights to make a difference by 2023 says @Kishwer... Tue, 17:56: RT @Five_Rights: We're ...
The early history of the 58 Brexit sector analyses - Jack of Kent blog These are the papers that David Davies has said today that he hasn't done and will not do, because reasons. Armchair Detectives: brilliant new daytime TV murder mystery See, it's not just me that likes Armchair Detectives! Most Of America's Terrorists Are White, And Not Muslim I mean, we all knew this, right? But it's worth reminding ourselves. BBC to help students identify 'fake news' - BBC News ... and then regret it when the volume of complaints about them repeatedly featuring (e.g.) Nigel Lawson on ...
One of the things about the whole Brexit dynamic that I fail to grasp, and by Brexit dynamic I don't just mean the referendum held on June 23, 2016 and its aftermath but rather the whole of Eurosceptic thought since at least 2009, is the attitudes towards the Union shown by the Brexit passionate. Almost everyone who is a Brexiteer, be they from the left or the right, is pro-Union – publically at least. Yet the two things don't hang together at all. In fact, Brexit is the biggest threat to the Union conceivable, as we're finally seeing this week. ...
I really, really wasn't going to do it. I know it was a great idea for the party to run a design competition for some pre-Christmas merchandise, but I wasn't actually going to buy any. Then I looked at my mug in the office that had seen better days and caved. The party asked members to come up with a design to put on t-shirts, bags and mugs. Out of 700 entries, whittled down to a shortlist of 3. I have to say that one of the reasons I was put off buying was because the shortlist wasn't very diverse. ...
By my estimation there are now three separate inquiries looking at the circumstances around Carl Sargeant's tragic and untimely death four weeks ago. There is the inquest, an independent QC-led investigation seeking to establish whether the First Minister followed the correct procedures in sacking the former Minister, and now we have an inquiry looking at whether news of the sacking was leaked. At the heart of all this is a war of words between friends of Carl, including former minister, Leighton Andrews, Cardiff Bay lobbyist, Daran Hill, and the First Minister himself. At the same time an increasingly bullish Tory ...
I met the folk singer Pete Seeger just before he died. He was jamming outside in the July sunshine, with some young violinists, playing Ashokan Farewell. He had been attending a conference near the Hudson River about local currencies where I had just been speaking. It was a great honour to meet him, a friend of [...] The post Why we need more mavericks in Westminster appeared first on Radix.
Greater Manchester roadworks are reporting a number of minor roadworks in Prestwich scheduled during December, but the only significant ones are the continuing works on Bury New Road, and gas works on Mount Road between 12 and 18 December 2017. For full details of the minor works search for Prestwich at gmroadworks.org The following update on the Bury New Road roadworks has been provided by Bury Council at our request: "The Prestwich High Street Regeneration Scheme has now seen 9 street trees planted along Bury New Road and a further 9 tree pits constructed. In the coming weeks we hope ...
Iain Brodie Browne has the opinion piece on his blog site – Birkdale Focus -accessible via the link above This cause together with the promotion of cooperatives and mutuals is what made he realise I was a Liberal back in 1979 when I was wondering as a young lad where my true political home was. The us and them approach to work by both the Tories and Labour seemed so negative to me and it still does now. And having spent 42 years years as an active trade unionist in the public sector (22 of those as a Branch ...
From Sheena Wellington : Today at the Wighton Heritage Centre in the Central Library - 1.15pm to 1.45pm As is the Friends of Wighton tradition, the last Lunchtime Recital of the year will feature our own Wighton Singers. The singers have had a busy and interesting year working with a variety of tutors and taking their songs out to entertain at various venues in and around the city. Today, they will present, with warmth and humour, a mix of seasonal and Scottish songs. Admission is free (donations welcome) and seasonal treats will be available.
iving a voice to those with no voice that anyone in a position of power will listen to, is surely one of the key things we believe in as Liberal Democrats. There was the opportunity for just this at Sanctuary in Parliament last week. Asylum seekers and refugees from throughout the country were able to go to Parliament to meet with their MPs, and tell them of the impact on their lives of living in poverty, or being destitute, and not having the right to work. I had gone, with a non-political hat, with a team from Tees Valley, including ...
Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Daniel Lewis, Nigel Ashton and Jo Barton are holding their next advice centre on Saturday 9th December from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at BoxTree Kitchen for Queenscourt café, Manor Road/Cambridge Road, roundabout, fourth Thursday of every month (except December) from 10:30 to: 11.30 am. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems ...
The modern City of Huangzhou in South – Eastern China as seen from my hotel room! It seems to stretch for miles! I had never heard of Hangzhou until 3 months ago. It's a relatively small city in China. It only ... Continue reading →
The Liberal Democrats have backed calls for a 'fraud prevention league table' for banks so consumers have a choice about where they put their money. Currently banks do not give this data to the government, leaving both the government, and more importantly consumers, in the dark over how safe their money is. The call is backed by a Report today from the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts titled 'The growing threat of online fraud' which warns that online fraud is now the most prevalent crime in England and Wales and that banks are not doing enough to tackle ...
