I saw some discussion of the Wild Hunt on Twitter today and was reminded of Seven White Gates by Malcolm Saville. Here are Peter (Petronella) and Jenny on the Stiperstones one night during World War II: Then the atmosphere became cold and clammy as the fog swirled round them. suddenly Jenny gave a stifled little scream and pointed up the track which led to the mines. Shadowy in the thickening mist, the two girls seemed to see a figure on horseback waving ghostly arms but no sound of hooves came to their straining ears. Then far away on the hilltop, ...
South Gloucestershire's ruling Conservative group have rejected a motion by the opposition Liberal Democrats, calling for an end to planned severe cuts to the local NHS. Lib Dem Deputy Leader, Cllr Claire Young (Westerleigh), said: "We asked the Council to call on the Government to halt the so-called "Capped Expenditure Process," which will see our local NHS singled out for extra NHS cuts along with 13 other areas of the country from next year. Instead, the Conservatives introduced a watered-down motion, which stops short of calling for an end to these planned cuts. "The Conservatives say that the NHS should ...
Apologies for the lack of proper posts since the Patreon mess resolved — I had a head cold at the beginning of the week and it's left me with a post-viral fatigue (my immune system overreacts to stuff and a ... Continue reading →
(via [IMG: [community profile] ] thefridayfive) 1. What are your feelings about snow? I like looking at it out of the window from my nice warm house 2. What is the one thing you really dislike that is associated with snow Trains not running, or not running to time 3 What is the one thing you really like that is associated with snow It's pretty, and the dogs love it. 4. Do you anticipate or dread bad weather reports? Dread, because it might bugger up my plans. 5. Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Yes, because I don;t need ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: He arrived at Halnaker in early June 1729. Although Lord Derby was apparently at home, he did not immediately send for his new French reader, so Cruden had time to settle in and find his way about. Set amidst gracious acres of parkland complete with obligatory herd of deer, Halnaker* was more a venerable mansion than a truly stately home, but it boasted a medieval great hall with ornate panelling and stained glass windows, a long picture gallery, a sizeable chapel, a wonderful library and quite enough space and splendour to live up to his ...
The debate has moved on, and "Whitehall sources" confirm it. No longer are government ministers talking about the battle between "hard and soft Brexit" – terms that were, frankly, always rather unhelpful – but between "high" and "low" regulatory alignment. That description of the conflict at the heart of the British cabinet, and the Tory [...] The post The real Brexit choice we have to make appeared first on Radix.
Thu, 12:56: Harvey Weinstein Is My Monster Too - @SalmaHayek https://t.co/NwbptfN0TH Searing. Thu, 16:05: RT @leonardocarella: If yesterday's Alabama Senate race had been a House election, the Republicans, who got *fewer* votes, would have won 6... Thu, 16:59: I'm on the box again - a short segment on BBC Northern Ireland's The View this evening, at 2240 UK time. Available... https://t.co/MUwLzW87mt Thu, 18:49: The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses, by Kevin Birmingham https://t.co/UNVpNywvQm Thu, 18:53: RT @INCOREinfo: Our Visiting Professor Nicholas Whyte on The View tonight https://t.co/4idWaOFrgi Thu, 20:16: I'll be on this! https://t.co/RWMfPxCdnW Thu, 20:48: ...
Net neutrality rules weakened by US regulatorOh ARSE. Airbus Draws Christmas Tree in Skies Over Germany If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] [IMG: Buy Me an uncaffeinated beverage (because I'm allergic to coffee) at ko-fi.com] [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I've written here before about Venezuela, a potentially wealthy country brought to its knees by first corruption, then quasi-imperial overreach and finally rampant paranoia. And I return to the subject following the news that President Maduro, a man ill-equipped to run a bath, let alone a country, has decided that, following a widespread boycott of recent municipal elections, those Opposition parties who chose to join the boycott will be barred from contesting next year's Presidential election. It should come as no real surprise, given his nonchalant disregard for the democratic process. He has, after all, subverted Parliament by creating a ...
Being an earnest seeker after truth I downloaded the full Joint Report of 8 December in order to discover just how the Prime Minister proposed to accomplish the trick of leaving the single market and the customs union whilst still having no physical border between the European Union, ie the Republic of Ireland, and the UK, ie Northern Ireland. I searched in vain. There are no practical plans whatsoever in the Report. All there is are statements of intent on "the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland," relying "to a significant extent on a common European Union legal and ...
Liberal Democrat Newswire #107 includes gift suggestions, tips on ways to get involved (further) with the Liberal Democrats, why Nick Clegg wasn't more successful, how to win the European debate, an addictive Brexit bus game and more.
FPC met on Wednesday evening for its last meeting of the year. Taking place in the House of Commons, we were regularly interrupted by the results of votes on amendments to the Brexit bill - including the one the government lost! Tuition fees Vince Cable - who is chair of the FPC as well as party leader - pledged in his leadership election manifesto to look at party policy on the tuition fees system: 'We need a solution that keeps the benefits of the current system - relating contributions to income and protecting university funding - but is fairer across ...
Because of the age we live in, I feel obliged to preface this post with some qualifications. As anybody who has read this blog will know I detest UKIP and all their works. Over the years, leading members of that party have been outed as misogynist and racist, They are a party who campaign against Europe and yet milk the EU for the maximum financial benefit and I have lost count of the number of their MEPs who have been prosecuted for allegedly fiddling their expenses. Their campaign for us to leave the EU was misleading, dishonest and racist, Their ...
Earlier this year, I advised that a positive by-product of the flooding defence works now nearing completion along Riverside Drive was that my request to have the long unmade parking area to the west of the above area would be properly surfaced for the first time, greatly increasing the amount of parking with a quality surface. The council's Head of Design & Property and City Engineer has now updated me : "Half of the area has been surfaced with bituminous material and formally marked out as a car park providing 65 spaces within that area. This is in addition to ...
The chancellor's announcement of a new centre for data ethics is welcome. But we must ensure that it has the power to address the ethical issues it identified Data, data everywhere - but will it make our lives better, or put us at risk? In recent months it has become clear that while the opportunities presented by ever-growing data are abundant, so too are the threats. That's why we need better governance - a set of guiding principles as to how this new technology is used and developed - not least because misuse threatens to turn the public against such ...
Fri 15th
07:55
Merseyrail's RMT dispute and the two Mayors as Labour starts to duff itself up over DOO
Merseyrail's new Stadler Trains, to be delivered in a couple of years time, are at the heart of the dispute about driver only operated trains. The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site Yes OK it's an issue I have covered many, many times in recent months but this is a new angle. It shows how figures within the Labour Party are at odds with each other over the Driver Only Operated (DOO) trains that are coming to the Merseyrail network with the new Stadler rolling stock. In essence the Echo article is one where the RMT ...
Fri 15th
07:51
Shropshire Council agrees to buy a shopping centre, build a road, refurbish its offices but not buil...
Yesterday, Shropshire Council agreed in private session to buy the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside shopping centres. BBC Radio Shropshire is suggesting that the purchase price is £60 million. The day before, the cabinet agreed to spend £300,000 on consultancy fees to examine refurbishing Shirehall at the cost of more than £18 million. If the government approves the North West Relief Road around Shrewsbury, the council will chip in £21 million and pay for any overspend. In the same breath, it is aiming to raise £1.2 million a year by imposing contributions to council tax on some of the poorest ...
The Meols Ward Liberal Democrat Focus Team, John Dodd, Daniel Lewis and Nigel Ashton wishes everyone all the best throughout the festive season. A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
