I have walked around the village quite a lot over the past two and a half years. My laps get longer in the summer, and cleave closer to the village core in winter, especially during the week. But, as a result, the village is very familiar, and anything unusual tends to catch my attention. I ought to be our Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, I guess. This evening, my evening constitutional was delayed somewhat by the England game - and wasn't that a nerve-shredding affair? - so the light was beginning to fade as I wandered down Pound Road towards the bridge ...
I was going to say that you don't get squirrels like this in my garden. But then I remembered I don't have a lake, a speedboat or a pair of waterskis. So perhaps I do and I've just cruelly been depriving them of the chance to be like this?
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is both praised and criticised for one of his defining political features: sticking decade after decade to the same political views. Some people see that as an attribute – sticking with your principles – and others as a flaw – being stuck in the past. Either way, it's clearly a large part of his political personality. It's also the way to understanding his views on Brexit, as those too follow a long-run consistent approach: Jeremy Corbyn voted for Britain to leave the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1975 European referendum. Jeremy Corbyn opposed the ...
A poll conducted on Monday 18th June 2018 found that 73% of those asked said the claim of a 'Brexit dividend' was a lie. 11% of respondents said that there would be a Brexit dividend, with the remaining 16% undecided. The sample size was 1,003, with a margin of error +/-3% (*). If you've read this far, your initial ... The post Poll: 73% say 'Brexit dividend' is a lie appeared first on ten pence piece.
Good news from the Guardian: A vintage train operator that normally runs journeys for enthusiasts has stepped in to provide rail services to the Lake District after the operator Northern cancelled all of its trains following a timetabling fiasco. West Coast Railways, which runs charter trains along some of the UK's most scenic routes, formally launched its first service on the Lakes line on Monday, two weeks after Northern suspended all journeys and introduced a replacement bus service.A 40-year-old diesel engine and carriages will carry passengers free of charge along the 10-mile route from Oxenholme to Windermere six times a ...
Nick Clegg, former Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister, is at it again. Yesterday he published an opinion piece in the Financial Times on the secret burning desire of EU leaders to address the 'untouchable principle' of freedom of movement. He tweeted it out to the world in this way: The belief that freedom ... Continue reading Nick Clegg's illiberalism should no longer be mistaken for pragmatism
Current City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Bennett Old Friends, by Jonathan Clements, Marc Platt and Pete Kempshall Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch Last books finished Ghana Must Go, by Taiye Selasie The Art of Starving, by Sam J. Miller Everybody Comes to Rick's, by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison Next books Virgins, Weeders and Queens, by Twigs Way Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, by James Finn Garner
Last Saturday I attended in York the AGM of Global Justice Now (GJN), fancy new title of the World Development Movement (WDM) of which I've been a member and supporter since its inception in the 1960s. One of the speakers in the "workshop" sessions which followed the meeting was Jason Hickel, author of "The Divide". Thankfully he kept his "Powerpoint" presentation down to one slide, which made the information it gave all the more telling. Here's a summary: Annually the "Rich North" transfers around $130bn to the "Poor South" in Aid.(of which the UK's contribution is around $30bn). Annually the ...
I'm certain a lot of you reading this will not have ever played the game known as dodgeball; in fact, I would bet that if you have even heard of the game, it is only through the Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughan comedy motion picture of 2004, or through South Park. The game is thankfully easy to explain. You split a group of kids in half and place one in one half of a gymnasium, facing the other half. There are copious balls added to the fun (usually basketballs or volleyballs), between ten and a dozen, depending on how many kids are ...
Amidst the drama of Brexit, the Guardian covered a report from the US which may well have gone unnoticed by many. "Financing Dies in Darkness? The Impact of Local Newspaper Closures on Public Finance.", published by academics from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois at Chicago on 8 May, might not, on the face of it, seem of great import, but I would suggest that it gives those of us who care about local government some cause for concern. The authors summarise their report as follows; The loss of monitoring that results from newspaper closures is ...
View Poll: World Cup, Day Six You should be able to vote using your Facebook or Twitter account, even if you aren't on Livejournal. Congrats to dave_gallaher for predicting both Mexico and Serbia to win yesterday. Nobody foresaw Brazil failing to beat Switzerland.
Sun, 12:19: RT @KeohaneDan: Small gestures can have very big meanings...this is most welcome from Arlene Foster. https://t.co/hK4S1ST6JB Sun, 12:51: Important news: The Nugo Friterie on the Chaussée de Ninove serves Georgian food at the weekends, and the proprieto... https://t.co/69BIrWwr5B Sun, 12:56: Tony Connelly: Brexit backstop deal more remote https://t.co/0lEQCDfkvp A grim situation. Sun, 13:07: World Cup, Day Five https://t.co/3Uy0gROAPF Sun, 15:40: P.I.G.S., by Cecilia Valagussa https://t.co/NLYbw45p9g Sun, 16:05: The national dish of every country at the World Cup, ranked from worst to best https://t.co/1sgUNI6d03 I disagree w... https://t.co/r1JeoIxnCE Sun, 20:48: Tipping point. Why Scotland's ultimate independence now looks inevitable ...
At the end of last week, domestic furniture and junk appeared outside a house in Lower Galdeford. Around the sound time, household goods were dumped on the Eco Park. There is good reason to believe that these two incidents are linked. I have asked Shropshire Council to investigate with a view to prosecution. I would be grateful if any with knowledge of these incidents could share it with me or the council in confidence. Fly-tipping on the Eco Park is commonplace but no less appalling for that. It is rare for so many household items to be dumped on a ...
May's reference to a Brexit 'dividend' which would fund a £20 billion rise in funding for the NHS is unfounded and it is indicative of an increasing Tory lurch towards populist sentiment. In a time where rash claims and 'authentic' political language are grabbing the attention of the masses, the Tories are attempting to benefit from the increasing informality of politics. However, they are not an opposition party trying to garner votes but our governing party who are dealing with the enactment of the most important referendum in British history. After one of the most chaotic weeks in Brexit dealings ...
What an excellent concert yesterday at the Phil' and to a large audience too. Congratulations to the organisers and indeed to the whole orchestra, they do the Town proud 40 years on since they were first formed. They were originally known as Maghull RBL [Royal British Legion] Town Band and were formed in 1978. Now with well over 100 active members they play concerts all over Merseyside and beyond. And they still stick to their fundamental values of being a community orchestra with no fees, no audition and any ability. Oh and they sound great too.
Mon 18th
10:07
More of Sefton taxpayers' money is being poured down the black hole of the Bootle Strand
I am grateful to the many people who have contacted me about the council ballooning spending on Bootle Strand, in particular Tony Robertson (and via him Roy Connell) and Graham Winkles all of whom have brought to my attention new pieces of information Look around are there not more important things for Sefton to spend your Council Tax money on? Social Care, pot holes and road maintenance, our parks and libraries (if they haven't already been shut) all need investment but we are constantly told there is no money and yet it seems there is always money for this pet ...
[IMG: Folkestone Harbour Cycle Company Townie Bicycle (Folkestone Harbour Cycle Company Townie Bicycle)] Having written about the launch of the new click2cycle service covering Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe last week, I've been prompted to mention that Folkestone Harbour Bicycle Hire has been operating from their base near the Folkestone Harbour Arm since 2017. They rent adult bikes from 2 hours up to full days, and also offer a range of child trailers and "tag a long" child trailer bikes. You can learn more about the Folkestone Harbour Bicycle Hire and their prices on their website. Published and promoted by Tim ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tfD44iwqs4&t=34s The video is on You Tube – see link above So as the Northern Trains franchise fails in a shambolic way just look what is happening on the Lakes Line (Oxenholme to Windermere) where locals have taken things into their own hands and embarrassed the railway industry and Department for Transport wholesale. Reminds me a bit of the Ealing Comedy Titfield Thunderbolt film
The decision by the Home Secretary to back down over the refusal to release medicinal cannabis oil that it had confiscated from the family of a severely epileptic boy is extraordinary because for the first time it reverses decades of obstinacy by the UK Government over the issue of legalising the use of cannabis for medical conditions. Sajid Javid said he had used an exceptional power as home secretary to issue a licence for Billy Caldwell to be treated with the oil as a matter of urgency after Billy's cannabis oil was confiscated at Heathrow on Monday. It contains a ...
The resurfacing work on Front Street will now occur from tonight for four nights. The works are now planned to be undertaken over 4 nights between 7pm and 7am
Having campaigned for Maghull's 2nd railway station to be built over many years and being a railway enthusiast I had to be there to see and indeed ride the first train out of the station today. It was the 05.58 from Maghull North (ex Ormskirk) to Liverpool. Together with a few hardy folk (it was a cold and windy morning) we joined the train and here are some shots of events:- 05.58am 1st train into the new station for Liverpool The Merseyrail welcome tent giving out cup cakes. The chap on the right in orange is one of the engineers ...
I'm a mathematician by training, and work professionally with numbers. And, because I find testing arithmetic projections entertaining, I thought that I might play with the proposed "£20 billion for the NHS". See what you think. Firstly, I should note that that £20 billion isn't for you, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although the Barnett Formula might mean that there is more money available for you too. I'll assume that the BBC's figure of £114 billion for NHS England's budget is accurate, and note that the Office for Budget Responsibility is predicting that inflation will be fairly constant at 2% ...
I was told on Saturday that there was going to be an announcement of £20 billion for the NHS, and my first response was incredulity. "Where does that come from?", was my question. But sure enough, the announcement has come, and whilst the proposal for finding this sum is, how can I put it, less than entirely concrete still, it has complicated the arithmetic of opposition to Brexit. I'll take an initial look at the numbers later. It's expected that the Lords could be sitting as late as midnight, as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill returns for consideration of Commons ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 18 JUNE 2018 South Union Street/South Marketgait at Dundee Railway Station - northbound nearside lane closure from 9.30am for 2 weeks for footway works. Riverside Avenue (at Perth Road) - temporary traffic lights from Monday 18 to Thursday 21 June for Scottish Water mains conditioning. Perth Road (at Mid Wynd) - off-peak temporary traffic lights on Thursday 21 June for BT cabling work. Forthcoming Roadworks Logie Street - closed from Monday 2 July for 3 weeks for carriageway resurfacing.
Sunniside Methodist Hall and St Mary's Church Hall, Whickham, were hosting summer fairs on Saturday so I visited both. At the Methodist Hall I was asked if I would open their next fair in November and also had quite a long chat about the chapels plans for the hall and how the hall can be used in social care projects. One of the issues I am keen on is tackling loneliness in old age and this is
