My nomination papers for Whickham South and Sunniside were handed in to Electoral Registrations at Gateshead Civic Centre today. I'm pleased to report that they were accepted and therefore I will be standing for the ward for the 10th time. On the previous 9 occasions, I was elected each time. Sadly, in one of those elections, I did not receive at least half the votes cast. That was when I first
Let me categorise myself to start with. I voted remain in 2016, though armed only with the conviction that - if Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage wanted something - it probably made sense to vote the other way. As we appear (at least as I write this on Sunday evening) to be hurtling out of the European Union without a deal, I found some of my more emotional remainer friends saying it was time to embrace it. That might be putting it a little strongly, but I have a feeling they are right. There is certainly good sense in avoiding ...
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The Lark Ascending always helps, but this is a surprisingly pleasant journey. There is picturesque dereliction, a spot of unexpected restoration and some lovely Hertfordshire countryside. The Buntingford branch ran from St Margarets near Ware. It closed to passengers in 1964 and to goods traffic the following year.
So how did Liberal Democrat MPs vote in the indicative votes taking place tonight. What's on offer? There's C – Ken Clarke's customs union, sponsored by Norman Lamb but most Lib Dem MPs will abstain. Wera Hobhouse voted against last week. D – Nick Boles' Common Market 2.0, again sponsored by Norman Lamb. Ours are expected to abstain because it, like C, is implemented by 22 May without a confirmatory referendum. E – The Kyle/Wilson/Beckett confirmatory referendum one. All ours should be voting for this G – Joanna Cherry/s and Dominic Grieve's brilliant amendment which could have been written by ...
I was at Maghull High, previous names Ormonde Drive Secondary Modern & Ormonde High, from 1969 to 1975 and recall the multi-storey block which you can just about see in the background (almost covered by the tree) of the shot being built. That was in the days when disability was hardly a consideration – the block was built with no lift! I also recall the old Woodend Primary School (which was on the same site) and which I attended for my last two terms of junior school (I'd moved from Rochdale) before going to the high school across the playing ...
[IMG: Mental Wellness Challenge for April] The post Mental Wellness Challenge for April appeared first on FeministMama.
This afternoon's Commons debate on possible ways out of the Brexit impasse began in a strange way. Richard Drax, the Conservative MP for South Dorset, made a personal statement to say he would not be voting for Theresa May's deal this time and to apologise for having done so last week. Whether it was part of the Leavers' attempt to waste time, or whether he genuinely thought it was worth the House's time, the statement does not say much for his judgement. But while we are considering Mr Drax, there are a couple of things worth recording. First, his real ...
[IMG: The concept of charity should not extend to private sacrifice] Charity is about giving your time and money to a cause that you feel an affinity with. You may wish to go an extra mile by making some sort of personal sacrifice but it should... The post The concept of charity should not extend to private sacrifice appeared first on FeministMama.
A personal message to the people of Church Ward Today I have submitted my nomination papers and can confirm that I will be seeking re-election for the Council in May. As I have gone around meeting people in my Church ... Continue reading →
I gave my verdict on Tony Blair when he stood down as prime minister in 2007: Today's media consensus is that the public has undergone a long process of disillusionment with Tony Blair. My own experience has been the reverse. When he was first elected it seemed obvious to me that he was an actor more than a statesman - and a terribly bad actor at that. All those speeches with his voice thick with unshed tears - the best known is his reaction to the death of the Princess of Wales, but there were many more - were so ...
Congratulations to Northamptonshire's new recruit. The seamer Blessing Muzarabani, who has one test cap for Zimbabwe, wins our Name of the Day Award.
The nation's care workers are getting a raw deal and have been for some years now. This has been highlighted by many including our own party's Health and Social Care Working Group. In ten years overseeing the care of someone in need of help I saw at first hand the reality of life for those at the sharp end. What I witnessed was nothing short of a scandal. Workers paid just the minimum wage, expected to do extradinarily long shifts which took no account of working time regulations, travel time unpaid, breaks if they actually had them spent doing paperwork ...
Sun, 13:20: RT @stonewalluk: Happy #TransDayOfVisibility! To all our trans friends and family: you are valuable, valid and important, whether you choos... Sun, 14:48: RT @dlsgibson: There aren't "legitimate concerns" with immigration. There's facts, immigration overwhelmingly a good thing, and opinions, t... Sun, 14:56: RT @alexwilcock: OTD 1980: #Blakes7 Terminal The final end (or is it...?) Tragic, fabulous and still deeply upsetting - the definitive 'every... Sun, 15:11: RT @DmitryOpines: 1/ You're going to hear wild and contradictory claims about Customs Unions. Two reasons: 1. The Brexit conversation has... Sun, 16:05: RT @Beakmoo: Morning! She shrieked into the void. https://t.co/1pzc8ofljp ...
This evening, MPs will vote on the second round of indicative votes. The essence is to find some alternative to the Brexit plan as put to the House by Theresa May and rejected by the Commons 2.5 times. The first round of indicative votes came up blank for a very simple reason – the real majority in the House is for finding someway to cancel Brexit, either outright or through the cover of a second referendum, but they are all too scared of the electorate to actually say so. Instead, we go round in circles. What do we expect tonight? ...
Please, please, please can the Liberal Democrat MPs encourage the House of Commons to use a consensual voting system for the indicative vote today. The voting last Thursday showed how pointless voting in a competitive way is, when every option could be voted down. What is needed is, yes, a vote for however many options are required, but also the ability to indicate what everyone's least bad option is as well. The proposition that wins will then have a combination of positive votes plus additional affirmation from others for whom it is the least bad option. This would then be ...
In the midst of an unnatural silence from those Tory Ministers and possible Tory leadership contenders who were involved in running the law-breaking Vote Leave campaign, the BBC turned to its former chair for comment on the £61,000 fine for electoral offences committed during the Brexit referendum. As the Independent reports, Gisela Stuart, a former Labour MP, refused to apologise when challenged to do so on the BBC's Andrew Marr. Instead she fell back on a number of lame excuses, claiming that her campaign had been outspent by Remain, that they no longer had the data to sustain an appeal, ...
Responding to the research from the Living Wage Foundation showing that a worker on the Government's new 'national living wage' would earn an annual salary worth £1,540.50 a year less than the real living wage, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson* said:"If you are in work, you should be earning enough to live on."It is unacceptable that more and more workers are struggling to make ends meet as the 'national living wage' set by this Conservative Government falls even further behind the real living wage."The Government is also failing to properly enforce the minimum wage. It is so ...
Let me categorise myself to start with. I voted remain in 2016, though armed only with the conviction that – if Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage wanted something – it probably made sense to vote the other way. As we appear (at least as I write this on Sunday evening) to be hurtling out of [...] The post It may be time to look at the brighter side of Brexit appeared first on Radix.
So, we're having a leadership contest. This is my really rather long attempt at producing a preview of it, and also generally setting out some of the dividing lines within the party for the benefit of other members and non-members alike. Firstly, some notes on how I see the contest. I've prepared a discussion of [...]
Much of the debate around austerity has focused on three principal areas; the underfunding of key public services at both national and local government level, welfare reforms and the adverse effects of constrained public spending on economic growth. As a general fiscal rule when the economy is operating at what is considered by the Treasury as normal capacity with relatively low levels of employment, tax receipts should be sufficient to cover outgoings including the amortised cost of prior capital expenditure i.e. there is no structural deficit. In normal times, capital expenditure and the associated borrowings will be budgeted to allow ...
As the school Easter holidays are now taking place, my ward surgeries at Harris Academy, Blackness Primary School and the Mitchell Street Centre do not take place, but I can still be contacted on any local issues or concerns through my e-surgery - just e-mail esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. Surgeries recommence on Monday 15th April - surgery details are available here. I can also be contacted during office hours at my Dundee City Council office on 434985.
Little noticed in Vince Cable's statement last autumn about when he would stand down as Liberal Democrat leader was the third element. His plans to stand down once Brexit was (in some way) resolved and once his proposed party reforms had gone to party conference caught the attention. But there was a third point too – a rather cryptic reference to standing down, "once key technology projects to secure the future campaigning ability of the Liberal Democrats" have gone live. To the uninitiated, that might sound like some plans to improve the integration of data with party's Connect database or ...
Lib Dems introduce no confidence legislation to solve Brexit impasse Today Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson, Tom Brake MP, will present a bill which would require the Prime Minister to resign should the House of Commons pass a motion of no confidence in her. Speaking ahead of the Bill's presentation, Tom Brake said: As the Prime Minister continues to ignore Parliament's rejection of her deal, it becomes increasingly clear how blinkered she has become. With rumours of a fourth vote on the Prime Minister's deal and no commitment from May that she will respect the indicative votes this week, it becomes ...
A new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is up! This one is on "Ain't That A Shame", and covers the middle part of Fats Domino's story, with him going from being a big R&B ... Continue reading →
