To celebrate Liberator's 50th birthday, the whole of its latest issue - the magazine's 400th - can be downloaded as a pdf for free. There are topical articles, including a look at the runners riders to be the next Liberal Democrat leader, as well as ones that look at the magazine's history. There are also reprinted pieces from such absent friends as Conrad Russell and Simon Titley. Look too for an important announcement about Liberator's future. To think, if I hadn't met John Tilley at a Kingston Liberals barbecue in the summer of 1983, I might never have got involved ...
One day, we hope, these images will be a quaint and forgotten part of our history.
Kingston's Lib Dem councillors have put out a wonderful video showing what they are doing during lockdown to support local residents and to get through these very stressful times. Enjoy. It's lovely to watch – emphasises the importance of staying at home, but has lots of suggestions for ways to get – and give – help. And our councillors have some really, really cute animals.
People in power have long used self-promotion as a means of increasing their public prestige. Vainglorious Roman emperors had statues of themselves in triumphant pose erected in prominent places while for centuries in Africa praise singers lauded the wisdom of their chiefs and the exploits of their tribe. The modern equivalent is that brand of [...]
Second paragraph of third chapter: It was a good thing no friends or family of the unfortunate victim were around now, because this case had him grinning from ear to ear from the moment he had first encountered it. This was one of the Clarke submissions from 2015 that I put aside at the time - obviously fantasy rather than science fiction - but have now got back to. The basic plot is about an American innocent in Paris in the 1950s who gets mixed up with some ancient Russian witches who have a typical tendency to kill people (and ...
Small local businesses are struggling, but some have come up with ingenious ways of keeping the income flowing whilst supporting the community. And that means we can continue to support local businesses while we are in isolation. As I write I am expecting a delivery from a food wholesaler in South London, who would normally supply restaurants and pubs. At the weekend they started home deliveries, so I put in an order for some essentials to tide me over until the main supermarket delivery arrives next week. They were offering a veg and fruit box, dairy, eggs plus an eclectic ...
Last week I did two things that seemed unthinkable only a month ago. As Leader of the City of York Council, I took the painful decision to tell residents, tourists and shoppers to stay clear of our beautiful city and thriving city centre. Also, jarringly for me personally - although less widely reported - like so many other families, I'd missed my mother's birthday for the first time! These sacrifices are small when compared to those made by our healthcare workers and frontline staff, including our waste collection crews and social workers. It is for them that we must all ...
Clinically Extremely Vulnerable People (as defined by the government: see below) are urged to APPLY FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT. It is not enough just to get the letter from government. You need to register in order to get the extra support. The link is: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable Alternatively phone the helpline 0800 number in the letter Registering online is the fastest way to get the extra supoport. You can do it online or you can get someone else to do it for you. If you haven't had the letter and think that you may be a Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Person, ...
Following on from a couple of posts here about policing the Covid-19 restrictions, the police have been issued with fresh guidance on the matter, as reported by the Guardian: Police chiefs have told officers that people should not be punished for driving a reasonable distance to exercise, and that blanket checks were disproportionate, in a bid to quell a row about heavy-handed enforcement of the coronavirus lockdown. Amid anger at some forces setting up checkpoints and using drones to target people visiting rural beauty spots, the guidance reissued and updated late on Tuesday aims to forge more consistency across 44 ...
You've a chance to have your say as Sefton Council reviews its Public Space Protection Orders:- You can have your say on-line via the link below:- Comments close on 14 April 2020
This post first appeared on the Radix UK blog... The late, great Tony Gibson, the pioneer of UK community development, who I knew a little, used to talk about the origins of his vision in Stepney in 1940 - abandoned by the government during the Blitz, their town hall bombed out, when local people managed to organise basic services for themselves to help cope with almost infinite need. His autobiography Streetwide Worldwide describes how, at the age of 21, in charge of a ten-strong Pacifist Service Unit there - with one steel helmet between them - he managed to find ...
Where do liberal values stand in a time of national crisis? During a time of crisis or upheaval, the natural instinct of many is to look towards their government and the forces of the state it commands. People look for reassurance and firm direction from the paternalistic state to protect them. As CODVID-19 has made it's determined advance across the world, much firmer state direction, than in the UK, has been broadcast to concerned Britons. Chinese propaganda has lauded a massive mobilisation effort where the state has effectively been weaponised to track, quarantine and treat the virus. South Korea's Government ...
Tue, 12:56: RT @ShawnaGofABPoli: I made the mistake of telling my husband an early symptom of COVID is loss of smell. He's taken to passing gas in my... Tue, 13:27: RT @bbcdoctorwho: Today marks 13 years since the Doctor first met Dr Martha Jones in 'Smith and Jones'! 👨⚕️👩🏾⚕️ @FreemaOfficial #DoctorWh... Tue, 13:49: RT @IFAD: What started as a health crisis could turn into a food crisis unless we take measures now. Preventing a food crisis is key to m... Tue, 15:35: RT @Mico_Vlahovic: My friend tells me: but Archipelago GULAG is missing ... And he is right, but also ...
If you are a local business, S Glos may have been in touch with you. But if they have not been in touch, contact the Business Rates team at the address below or on 01454 867700 to find out how youcan get access to the central government help announced last Friday. It isn't just about business rates, it accesses all the government support. Not an April fool
I see that the Party President has run into a mild storm - see, I can do understated - over the decisions to a) postpone the leadership election until next summer, and b) suggest that Autumn Conference might not take place, at least not as a physical event. It is, perhaps, a demonstration that winning the job is sometimes easier than doing it. Being Party President does often mean doing things that annoy/upset/distress/anger people. Mind you, not agreeing with the unreasonable and unrealistic demands of some is sufficient in itself to attract ordure if you're nominally in charge. Occasionally though, ...
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It may be April 1st but this story in the Guardian is not an April Fool joke. I remember the goats in Llandudno from my childhood - we used to holiday there every year. They are descended from the goats of the mountains of Kashmir and live on the Great Orme but were always too shy to venture into the town because of all the people there. Now the 'town is coming like a goats' town... All the clubs have been closed down... ' and people are self-isolating they have ventured far and wide and are snacking on grass and ...
Wed 1st
09:13
There is no place during a health emergency for the fake science pushed through my door last night #...
I was just preparing my early morning cuppa when I spotted a roll of papers pushed into my letter box. I pulled the documents out and then washed my hands. (Coronavirus can survive for up to 24 hours on porous surfaces.) One glance at the covering letter and I knew this was a diatribe promoting fake science. "Once you've absorbed this material on the #coronahoax we shall expect wiser words from you Bodders!" Included were a series of papers declaring that the Covid-19 outbreak is a hoax. Try telling that to people who are sick or have lost loved ones. ...
Winston Churchill made a speech in the cabinet before declaring: "Well, gentlemen, I think we can all agree on this course." Attlee politely but effectively responded, "You know, prime minister, a monologue by you does not necessarily spell agreement." I have never been a supporter of Attlee's political creed, but he set a good example of how to do politics in a democracy facing a crisis. During my last fifteen years in the day job, with a small specialist team, I was responsible for helping local churches strengthen relationships with other faiths, particularly after the 2001 Bradford riots, which I ...
Thanks to a nomination from one of the party's joint acting leaders, the Guardian wins Headline of the Day.
I'm almost surprised by my persistence – three days in a row? What is becoming of me?... 2 big stories Michael Gove deferring to experts? Has the apocalypse actually turned up? As a front man aiming to reassure the public with facts, he might not be your first choice, but he does have a tough hand to play. After all, it turns out that the Johnson administration turned down offers of ventilators, failed to secure the chemicals necessary to produce tests and gave up opportunities to take part in joint purchasing programmes with the European Union and its neighbours. Indeed, ...
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water manhole repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Nablus Avenue (at the rising bollard), Dundee This notice comes into effect on Wednesday 8th April at 7pm until Thursday 9th April 2020 at 6am. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. No alternative routes are available. For further information contact 433082. Executive Director of City DevelopmentDundee City Council
