Mon 26th
22:19
Man explains why police found him hiding in bush in Leicester with can of bear repellent spray
Leicester bushes: notice the lack of bears Headline of the Day is a home win for the Leicester Mercury.
In Weimar, where the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe died in 1832, there is a monument: two solid seats, facing each other. They look as if they are waiting for two people to come along and exchange ideas across a divide that is nonetheless bridgeable. And that is indeed their function, actual and metaphorical, recalling [...]
Second paragraph of third chapter:I screamed and buried my face in my hands; but I could still see the light of the enhanced sun, leaking even through the flesh of my fingers, and blazing from the nickel and brass of the Time Machine.This is a sequel to The Time Machine, authorised as such by the H.G. Wells estate. (I've had more dealings with the estates of deceased writers in the last week than I can remember from my whole life before the Worldcon.) I have previously mentioned that I always appreciate the breadth and scope of Baxter's vision - the ...
I've talked before about how the Liberal Democrats are gearing up for a likely 2019 general election. I'm also readying my own plans for how best to support the party during such a contest, including improvements and expansion to my suite of email lists to keep people informed. I've also got plans for some brand new campaign guides, designed to help newer party members and supporters in particular get stuck into campaigning for the party. All of which means that traffic to this site and on my email lists (1.9 million emails sent in the last year!) is likely to ...
[IMG: Training session (Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine [CC0] FREE training for community and voluntary groups! This is the second in a series of training sessions funded by Folkestone and Hythe District Council. When: Thursday 12 September 2019, 10am-1pm Where: Heritage Room, Hawkinge Community Centre, Heron Forstal Avenue, Hawkinge CT18 7FP Who: This session is for people with new groups who are thinking about how their group will be run AND those with more established groups wanting to gain more insight into effective governance. Topics will include: Forming your management committee. Committee roles and responsibilities. What ...
Mon 26th
15:07
Surely there is a way that Johnson can give us a treat on Halloween, rather than a trick?
WARNING: This article contains high amounts of hysterical optimism (or at least non-pessimism) Here are, to my mind, three significant things about Boris Johnson in the context of the current Brexit dilemma: 1. It is conceivable that he harbours ideas of having statues of himself built in future. When grappling with the choice of being a politician or a journalist, he allegedly once said: They don't put up statues to journalists 2. It is also conceivable that he sees politics as needing the same skills that he used to deploy as captain of a rugby team, as related by Rory ...
I'm grateful to Andy Hyde who left this comment on our recent HS2 article by Peter Wrigley: ...One concern I have is the ability of these projects to rack up unnecessary costs in developing new ways of doing x, y or z, just because HS2 is new. The best example of this is the Great Western electrification (the great getting lesser as time progresses), as I understand it contractors were given a free hand to design the overhead electrical systems rather than use tried and tested existing technology, this has resulted in the staggering amount of gantry steelwork along the ...
It seems the prime minister wasn't telling porkies after all. We do export pork pies to Iceland and Thailand, though only in small quantities. But if Boris Johnson thinks he will be able to put pressure on the US to relax its trade rules after Brexit he is in for a big disappointment. Then again, I am sure he know that. For more on the realities of the pork pie industry, see this Twitter thread from Spartacus Mills - Walkers owns the Dickinson & Morris brand:Hello. I live in Melton Mowbray. Let me give you the lowdown on all this ...
You may have seen reports that Boris Johnson is considering closing Parliament for six weeks in order to block MPs from extending Article 50 for a further period. Our Shadow Brexit Secretary Tom Brake remarked on this yesterday: If Boris Johnson can find a kooky or irregular way to shut Parliament out of the Brexit process it will be an outrage. No deal will destroy our economy, it will have a dramatic impact on the cost of living and it will mean less access to medicines that keep people alive. Parliament must be able to challenge Ministers on the damage ...
Despite the attempt to put some distance between his premiership and that of Theresa May, Boris Johnson is till relying on the same playbook. Back in 2017 the Tories fought the General Election on a promise of maintaining pensioner benefits, "including free bus passes, eye tests, prescriptions and TV licences, for the duration of this parliament". Unfortunately, this was a pledge they felt unable to keep and as of June this year responsibility for funding free TV licences for the over-75s, which costs an estimated £750m a year, is being handed over to the BBC. It goes without saying that ...
Sun, 12:56: Is Britain Becoming a Failed State? by Chris Patten https://t.co/8oQHBub7G5 Sun, 14:48: Do American Writers Think Irish is Public Domain Elvish? https://t.co/sOnmcEtbkH Good question, to which the answer... https://t.co/ZsOiI1r33Q Sun, 15:54: He means "no-deal" rather than "do-deal" but is otherwise correct. https://t.co/thI48O6CNc Sun, 16:05: Good thread; this is the key point. https://t.co/5AFzp0oKSY Sun, 16:22: Doctor Who: Scratchman, by Tom Baker [with @gossjam] https://t.co/XdWxGfofZE Sun, 17:34: RT @tom_watson: Given the scale of the briefing operation that amplified this misleading story this is a very measured response. https://t.... Sun, 18:00: RT @thatweecafe: When you're Prepared For Peace, Ready For War, ...
Mon 26th
10:27Jo proposes agenda for cross party "Stop No deal" talks led by Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday
Today the Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson has written to Jeremy Corbyn ahead of a meeting between opposition leaders in order to ensure that no option is off the table to stop No Deal. Jo Swinson has proposed an agenda for the meeting requesting that it focuses on four critical points: Strategy to take over the order paper to prevent No Deal Plan to beat the government in a vote of no confidence The steps that would need to be taken in forming an emergency government Clarity on where all opposition parties stand on the matter of stopping ...
The new episode of the podcast is up at This one looks at "Goodnight My Love" by Jesse Belvin, and at the many groups he performed with, and his untimely death. And Patreon backers can find this week's Patreon-backer-only ... Continue reading →
The previous post about housing supply kicked off quite a debate (by the standards of my Twitter stream). It reminded me of how for 90% of the time I have been arguing against Ian on the whole housing supply issue and probing what will always feel like a counterintuitive thesis – that building many more [...]
Mon 26th
09:04
Supermarkets, cafes, shops – Turn down or even better turn off your air conditioning & sh...
I came across this on-line petition (see below) the other day and signed it but it also fitted with something I had been noticing of recent times – how cold some supermarkets and cafes really are. Since air-con became a fact of life in supermarkets, cars and cafes there's every danger that it's left on all the time and not regulated or checked, never mind being turned off when it's not really required at all. I guess that the big companies who run supermarkets and coffee shop chains don't really take much notice of air-con running costs and their ...
Mon 26th
08:59
"There's a strong democratic case for it" - Dominic Cummings on holding a referendum on a Brexit dea...
Dominic Cummings on the merits of a referendum on the exact terms of Brexit once they've been settled: "there's a strong democratic case for it".
Every year, October 31 in celebrated as Reformation Day and, in its time, it was as politically important to the future of Europe as Brexit Day. For out of it came the decision by Henry VIII in England to dispose of the connection with Rome. A Rome that was also significant as the place where the European Union was born on January 1 1958. In both cases, therefore, it involves a rejection of Rome and also the influence of "foreign interests". But can the sixteenth century tell us anything about our current situation? The reformation is often portrayed as a ...
Later this week, City Council planners will commence consulting on their proposed Design Framework for the future development of the Blackness General Economic Development Area (GEDA). The proposed framework will be subject to a six week consultation, which will start with a drop-in event at Verdant Works. The Blackness GEDA drop-in event will take place at Verdant Works this Thursday (29th August) from 12 noon to 7pm. Planning officers will be on hand to outline the proposed Design Framework, discuss any issues and to gather any thoughts and ideas from those who attend. Further information on the event is available ...
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson has written to Jeremy Corbyn ahead of a meeting between opposition leaders in order to ensure that no option is off the table to stop No Deal. Jo Swinson has proposed an agenda for the meeting requesting that it focuses on four critical points: Strategy to take over the order paper to prevent No Deal Plan to beat the government in a vote of no confidence The steps that would need to be taken in forming an emergency government Clarity on where all opposition parties stand on the matter of stopping Brexit altogether ...
