Apologies to all for last night's failure to file. It didn't mean that there weren't any, more that I was engaged in a bout of constitution wrangling and lost track of time. So, without further ado... Cable: Govt must level the playing field between the high street and online Responding to the report by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee calling on the Government to consider the options of an online sales tax and reforms to business rates, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said: While our high streets are going through an extremely difficult time, with the ...
Cllr Shazu Miah, who fought the constituency at the 2017 general election, has been reselected as Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Wyre Forest.
There are a couple of points passed over lightly by the Rediscovering the Bedford to Northampton line video I posted on Monday that are worth more investigation. At 3:43 we are told that this section of the line used to be occupied by the Stevington & Turvey Light Railway. A 2014 post on National Presevation tells its story: Many of you will have heard of the private Stevington and Turvey Light Railway, hidden away in deepest Bedfordshire. The railway has been operating since the 1980s, but last Sunday was the final operating day for the railway. The stock and track ...
Oundle There were two local by-elections yesterday and they saw contrasting performances by the Liberal Democrat candidate. In a Northamptonshire County Council contest in Oundle we moved from third to second place in what had previously been a safe Tory ward, increasing our vote from 10 to 35 per cent of the poll.Oundle (Northamptonshire) result: CON: 51.3% (-14.1) LDEM: 35.1% (+24.6) LAB: 11.1% (-12.9) UKIP: 2.5% (+2.5) Conservative HOLD.— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 22, 2019We may have been helped by a story that broke in the Northamptonshire Telegraph in the week of the poll:A district councillor who missed two thirds ...
So the saga that began with the Liberal Democrats losing a tied Rutland by-election on the drawing of lots has ended. Richard Alderman, who was the lucky candidate, today resigned from the council. In October of last year he received a six-month community order for threatening Facebook posts aimed at various female politicians. As his sentence involved a 7pm to 7am curfew, and as the council declined to give him leave of absence during those six months, be faced disqualification for not attending meetings. He also faced an investigation by the council for a possible violation of its own code ...
Andrew Adonis a senior Labour party figure who is opposed to Brexit and all the harm it will create, indeed the harm it is already creating across the UK, is speaking tomorrow 23rd Feb' at Ormskirk Civic Hall at 2pm. Here's a link which gives more information:- Yes he tends towards tribal Labour in my opinion which makes it all the more fascinating that he is openly taking his own party leadership to task because they are still backing/enabling the Tories job loss Brexit. Sadly, I can't get along to the meeting as I'm otherwise engaged but please consider ...
As noted earlier, the BSFA final ballot is out! I'll have to be cautious commenting on anything that is Hugo-eligible, but that doesn't apply to the Best Art category, where there are eight finalists (which appears to be a record, presumably due to a multiple tie for fifth place). My own subjective and very unauthoritative ranking is: 8) Cover for Rosewater by Tade Thompson, Charlotte Stroomer (Orbit) Geometric, didn't say much to me. 7) Artwork for Sublime Cognition conference, Sing Yun Lee & Morris Wild (London Science Fiction Research Community) (see pages 3, 8 and 46) Wasn't sure what I ...
The latest edition of Gateshead Lib Dem members' email newsletter was published last night. It features the action days we are having in Lobley Hill and Bensham, Dunston Hill and Whickham East, Felling and Pelaw and Heworth wards tomorow, Saturday 23rd February. Also featured is our tabloid and our "Six to Fix" local manifesto. You can see the newsletter on this link.
We will be in Lobley Hill tomorrow helping our council candidate for Lobley Hill and Bensham, Nick Seaborn, deliver 2000 Focus newsletters. They are all sitting in my sitting room at the moment but they will be heading down to Lobley Hill tomorrow morning when we will also be holding a street stall. A decade ago we came within about 50 votes of winning the ward bit it slipped back into being
70 days to go to the local elections was celebrated in the form of two by-elections taking place across the country on 21st February. Northamptonshire CC, Oundle Con 1864 [51.3%; -14.1%] LD Marc Folgate 1276 [35.1%; +24.6%] Lab 403 [11.1%; -12.9%] UKIP 89 [2.5%; +2.5%} Turnout 36.9% Con Hold (former Councillor sitting as Independent) Percentage change from 2017 The standout result for the night saw Marc Folgate and the Northamptonshire Lib Dem team put out a scare to the Conservatives in an epic battle for Oundle. Putting on a fantastic campaign, Marc Folgate achieved a huge swing of 24.6% increasing ...
My favourite title for political memoirs is the self-deprecatingly titled Fourth Among Equals. It is by Bill Rodgers.
well, more of a sketch really, because I'm not patient or talented enough to do a nart properly. Still, [IMG: [community profile] ] drawesome's current challenge is one that sparked a synapse, so: Title: Jeremy Clarkson Test Rides the BGD 2000 Artist: miss_s_b Rating: G Fandom: Top Gear/The Grand Tour Characters/Pairings: Jeremy Clarkson, a bloody great dragon Content Notes: media: random lump of card I found lying about, Yard-o-led Viceroy Victorian fountain pen, Diamine saddle brown ink, Caran D'ache water brush, water. ( image under cut ) If I had the artistic talent I might have gone with [IMG: [personal ...
Despite the headline, I actually don't want to talk about Shamima Begum in the specific very much in this article. I don't want to get lost in discussing what it is she did that led the Home Office to strip her of her British citizenship; I want instead to focus on why I think that [...] The post On Shamima Begum and British citizenship appeared first on Radix.
Okay so to give a little background to myself I do have a history degree achieved many years ago now. One of the first things lecturers harp on about when trying to get a history degree is the lessons learned from history, how the lessons learned from the past will mean we never repeat a [...]
I imagine that you are rarely met with a party atmosphere when stepping out of Westminster tube station on a February afternoon. But on the 15th February 2019 at 1 o'clock, the sun was shining, people were singing and smiling, and that distinctive smell of cannabis smoke was in the air. It felt more like Reading Festival than the epicentre of the British political system. This being said, most of the 2000 students weren't there for a party. This wasn't a day off school or an early half term get-together. The majority of people were there to get their voices ...
Thu, 12:03: #CEPSlab19 77 minutes into the session and @Poli_Eleonora is the first woman to speak. Thu, 12:17: RT @FrancescoNicoli: @simonjhix: "to go beyond the second order election trap, the Eurosceptics must have a lead candidate. That creates re... Thu, 12:56: RT @DmitryOpines: "I guess we were a bit overcautious in requiring a backstop," thinks absolutely no one in Europe watching both UK politic... Thu, 13:11: Met an old friend who works for @EFTAsecretariat at #CEPSlab19. Apparently UK's Withdrawal Agreement with EFTA is r... https://t.co/HVFd5acSLd Thu, 13:24: RT @hostwriter: One year ago, Slovak investigative journalist #JanKuciak and his fiancée Martina ...
Despite the headline, I actually don't want to talk about Shamima Begum in the specific very much in this article. I don't want to get lost in discussing what it is she did that led the Home Office to strip her of her British citizenship; I want instead to focus on why I think that move by the government creates extremely problematic issues for what British citizenship actually is – for every British citizen, whatever their race, background or birthplace. Stripping existing citizens of their citizenship is something I feel instinctively hostile towards. If someone who has become a British ...
I was in bed with Beloved yesterday, both of us on laptops, he doing Important Actual Writer Stuff and me selecting fic challenges for next month and looking at Tweetdeck. He glanced over at my Tweetdeck and commented: Him: You follow a lot of dogs. Me: It leavens the stress of politics twitter if every third tweet is a doggy tweet. Him: You could make a doggy list, then when it gets really stressful you could look at a feed that's entirely dogs? Me, sotto voce: Why the hell didn't I think of that? Anyway, as a result of that ...
There is news this morning that a ninth MP has left Labour, however, as the Independent reports, Dudley North MP, Ian Austin is going to sit with the independent Independents. Confused? you should be. In fact, Ian Austin's final destination means that he is not the ninth MP to desert Labour for some ill-defined grouping of malcontents, he is in fact the fourteenth Labour MP to make this walk. That is because the non-aligned MPs who have walked away from their party for various reasons (or who have been ousted) include former Labour MPs such as Ivan Lewis, Jared O'Mara, ...
Fri 22nd
09:33
Connexus makes a third attempt to build five bungalows on Sidney Road green and fell Norway Maple
This was always going to come. Connexus is the mega housing association that has absorbed South Shropshire Housing Association. It has now appealed against Shropshire Council's refusal of plans for five bungalows on the green space at the bottom of Charlton Rise. This is an important amenity area but it has no protection as a green space. The Norway Maple is covered a tree protection order but that will be lifted if planning permission is given and the tree will be felled. The South Planning Committee twice rejected the planning application. The appeal will be conducted by letters - email ...
Responding to reports that the Conservative Government has admitted they will not be able to negotiate deals with Japan and Turkey before March 29, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:"One of the great myths of Brexit was that we could instantly sign new trade deals whilst seamlessly rolling over the existing deals we already have with over 70 countries as a member of the EU. "This is damaging myth which has proven to be false. Should no-deal materialise, this will cause serious problems for our economy. "Theresa May must take no-deal off the table and give the public ...
Many residents have contacted me concerned about the need for a better road surface in parts of Blackness Road. I raised this with the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership and have received the following positive response : "Blackness Road from Glamis Road to Glenagnes Road has been identified for possible inclusion on the 2019/2020 Carriageway Programme for surface dressing subject to available funding."
Fri 22nd
06:47
Two council by-elections, two Liberal Democrat candidates, one big swing from the Conservatives
One Labour seat and one Conservative-turned-Independent seat make up this week's council by-elections. Both, hooray, have a Liberal Democrat candidate.
There is just one meeting scheduled at Blyth Town Council for March Tuesday 12th March - Community Development Scheduled to start at 6:30 at Arms Evertyne House As usual, check with BTC before attending
