Just the three council by-elections this week as the usual dip in their volume ahead of the May round of elections takes place. Two Conservative-held seats, one Labour-held seat and all three with Liberal Democrat candidates.
This Christmas just gone, I found myself performing one of my most pleasant yuletide duties – buying a present for my young goddaughter. Inevitably, in the search for something educational but edifying, I found myself browing the children's section of ... Continue reading →
As well as town events, there are plenty of shots of the electrified Woodhead route and an unexpected appearance by the Flying Scotsman.
Sad news from the Harborough Mail: Market Harborough's number 33 town-and-around bus service is at risk of being axed - because it doesn't come close to paying for itself. In fact the service costs Leicestershire County Council a huge £109,000 a year to keep it running, the Mail has been told. And with the cash-strapped county looking to save £400,000 on public transport the town's 33 service is "red-listed" in the council's own consultation document. That means it's a service "likely to be discontinued" as a county-council contracted service.As far as I recall, this service had been put in place ...
Fascism poses a more serious threat now than at any time since the end of World War II, warns Madeleine Albright. "Traditional left-wing parties have lost not only the grasp of their main political narrative, they have lost much of their traditional electorates. These electorates did not so much 'switch' away from the left, they have rather disappeared as a comprehensible social group." Jan Rovny analyses the causes of the decline of left-wing parties across Europe. Tanya Gold observes the fall of Milo Yiannopoulos. "Today, pellagra is mostly relegated to history lessons and medical reference books. But occasionally, such as ...
Julian the Apostate is one of those great historical characters who I came to relatively late in life, from Chapters XXII, XXIII and XXIV of Gibbon. I then quite by accident came across Ken Broeders' seven-part graphic biography, and read the first six parts in late 2016. Now it is time to look at Gore Vidal's 1964 novelisation, and incidentally finish off the Broeders version. Julian, by Gore Vidal Second paragraph of third chapter:"He's dead. The Bishop's dead. In the church. He died. Just like that!"This was helped make its author's reputation back in 1964, with the timely irreverence for ...
Well I've been pretty ill again actually, and therefore quite unproductive! It's draining as I have lots to be getting on with, but with no energy to even be able to follow a line of text on a page, I've not really been able to do all that much over the last couple of weeks. Image Source: wallpaper.wiki.com Having said that, I have been starting to feel a little better in the past few days, so I've been trying to crack on with essays! I have a reflective essay to write for the Cultural Experience Award, which I've found quite ...
This is a version of a blog post that first appeared on Radix: I have just come back from travelling around Europe by train. I wanted to show my children some of it before the re-imposition of passports and border checks (or, as I told my friends, to see Europe while it's still there!) I suppose I have come to three rather simple conclusions as a result:The trains in continental Europe are effectively run, and on time, and they are clean and affordable, and above all humane - because they re not being run by the Treasury under our bowlderised ...
Sir Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has invited we members to give him our views on millitary action aginst the government of Syria before (it is hoped) Parliament debates the issue. Here is my response: Dear Vince Cable, Thank you for giving we members an opportunity to forward our views to you on the possible military intervention by the UK in Syria. This is an extremely difficult problem which seems to place us in a lose-lose situation. If we do not intervene we appear to stand by impotently whilst terrible wickedness takes place, including the internationally illegal use ...
Embed from Getty Images Watching the scenes of devastation and anarchy beamed at us nightly from Syria, the instant, understandable reaction is to demand that something must be done, and support UK military intervention in the country. There is a debate for another time and another place about whether liberal interventionism is ever effective, even as it is often right. The problem is taking action against Syria at this stage does not even qualify as liberal interventionism, for even if a coalition of the UK, France and the US were somehow, and against the odds, able to achieve through their ...
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 11-04-2018 I posted The Blood is the Life for 11-04-2018 to my dreamwidth blog Thousands of hacked websites are infecting visitors with malware ...websites running a variety of content management systems, including WordPress, Joomla, and SquareSpace Tim Harford fanboys Hans Rosling's posthumous book, Factfulness Color: From Hexcodes to Eyeballs Really long and complex and extremely interesting article about how hexcodes turn into perceived colours. A simple change in the law could open up online access to the BBC's archives aka: we COULD help the beeb compete with Netflix if we wanted to. ...
[IMG: Image may contain: text] Good luck to our fellow party members standing in English council elections, in record numbers.
Wed, 12:25: RT @kevinhorourke: No, Nick @bbcnickrobinson , it does NOT take 2 to put up trade barriers! It takes two to dismantle them, just one to put... Wed, 12:56: Police cuts 'likely contributed' to rise in violent crime, leaked report reveals https://t.co/nH4IawjZF2 Water is wet; Pope is Catholic. Wed, 13:14: RT @kevinhorourke: I am bemused by Nick Robinson's suggestion on @BBCr4today that there has been a vibrant debate among the EU27 about whet... Wed, 13:54: Me: (Comments about Brexit.) Brexiter: You're wrong. Me: Oh? Tell me more. Brexiter: Won't. And the people you have... https://t.co/ch9nE28fqy Wed, 14:55: Fascinating and ...
Back in 2012 and 2013, I shouted long and hard about how the West needed to militarily intervene in Syria. I figured if we didn't, hundreds of thousands would die and five years later we'd still be seeing mass slaughter of human life inside of Syria. As someone who objected to the Iraq invasion, I thought it was beholden upon the West to help solve a problem we had partly created. I feel justified that my stance at the time was the right one given what has followed. Now, the stakes are much higher – as well as the double ...
I have just come back from travelling around Europe by train. I wanted to show my children some of it before the re-imposition of passports and border checks. I suppose I have come to three rather simple conclusions as a result: The trains in continental Europe are effectively run, and on time, and they are [...] The post Venice, creativity and the Lib Dems appeared first on Radix.
In an email to members Vince Cable writes: I am certain that you are as appalled as I am about the horrific scenes coming out of Syria. The use of chemical weapons is barbaric. It is a crime against humanity and it is a clear violation of international law. The Liberal Democrats are an internationalist, outward-looking party – and part of that is being willing to play our part in upholding international law. In the next few days, it is possible the Government will ask MPs to decide on potential military action in Syria. This is not a decision we ...
The second phase of the new housing development on the Ashworth South Site is well underway but one matter that has puzzled a few folk, so I am told, is the huge poles which have been erected towards the eastern end of the triangular site. Although they could be mistaken for old fashioned radio masts they are far more likely to be for netting to be hung from to stop cricket balls hitting the new luxury properties on the Pavilions development part of the Ashworth South Site. A close examination of the photo above (click on it to enlarge) will ...
How is Nigel Farage's American television career going? Lord Bonkers has been sent the latest news. Thursday M. Farage, the funny little Frenchman who leads the Ukip Party from time to time, has long had his heart set on a career in American television. One of my agents across the pond has sent me a cine film of his latest attempt to break into this competitive world, so this afternoon I have the projector set up and the blinds drawn in the Library so I could watch it - Cook kindly contributes some popcorn to the occasion. What I see ...
There are many promising stories of more Liberal Democrat candidates stand in this May's local elections. These are not just the false reassurance of positive anecdotes. Rather they illustrate a real trend: Looks like total candidate numbers will show Lib Dems up on four years ago. In 2014, Lib Dem numbers were 70-71% of Con & Lab numbers. This time it'll be 75-76% by looks of it. — Mark Pack (@markpack) April 10, 2018 One particular local party deserving a cheer or two for its achievements in Salford. Previously this was the scene of a rapid collapse in Liberal Democrat ...
Here's details below of the Harris Education and Recreation Association new evening classes. HERA enrolment night will take place in Harris Academy on Tuesday 24th April from 6pm.
Over on the Independent website they report that new proposals by the European Commission will give EU consumers more powers to challenge big companies in the courts, and a right to clearer information about who they are buying from. They say that the new package of measures comes on the heels of the Dieselgate scandal, that saw consumers sold cars that emitted up to 40 times more toxic fumes in real-world driving than claimed: Under the proposals, consumer groups would gain powers to sue large corporations for collective redress on the behalf of those affected by such unfair commercial practices. ...
Naming places and objects can be a political minefield. Whether it's a polar exploration ship or a Bristol shopping centre, letting the public suggest a name risks frivolous recommendations while an elite committee might choose a name that causes offence. Now the Secretary of State for Wales has caused an upset by announcing that the [...]
A short video I put together about which parties are standing where in Gateshead, what happened in the last elections and which seats could change hands. Only 1 min 38 seconds long.
