Donald Trump's COVID-19 press conferences at the White House have raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic, not least when he suggested that ingesting disinfectant might be one possible cure. But he is far from alone in his off-message pontificating without a shred of medical expertise. In Brazil, Mr Trump has a mini-me tribute [...]
Our Party President, Mark Pack, has posted the following upbeat message on Instagram today:
In Ealing I lead a small but proactive team of four Lib Dem councillors who provide real opposition to the Labour-run council. In these times where we are all trying to deal with Coronavirus, there are many ways we can help the community by promoting advice to our constituents, holding virtual meetings in our wards to answers residents' concerns and scrutinising what the Council can do differently or better to help residents and users of Council services. By campaigning in an active and smart way consistently, you can be an effective opposition party by getting the Council to listen to ...
The COVID-19 outbreak and the current lockdown appear to be taking their toll on my ability to measure time. Natalie put it best the other day, when she announced that, essentially, 'every day's a Tuesday'. The hours, days and weeks ... Continue reading →
My friend Jim Sharpe has sadly passed away in Aintree Hospital after a short illness unconnected with our present health crisis. Jim will be known to many people across Sefton & West Lancashire for his 'One Man and His Dog' column in the Champion Newspaper. I am not aware of many pictures of Jim as he was always stood beside the press photographer (usually Marin Snape who sadly passed on himself not so long ago) but here he is in 2014 caught on camera press notebook in hand with Cllr. Edie Pope of Lydiate Parish Council. I blogged about Jim ...
Last week I wished Shakespeare a Happy Birthday with a photo of the pop-up Shakespeare's Rose theatre in York in 2018. Friends in Kingston will know the significance of that picture, and it is not simply because York is my favourite city in the UK (and I went to University there). Soon after I was elected to Kingston Council in 1997 I was asked to represent the Council on Kingston Theatre Trust. Our chair was the broadcaster David Jacobs, who was the Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the Borough and who took a keen interest in the cultural life of the ...
Having relaunched a pub in Brighton during the election, watching it grow into a successful community pub then suddenly falling complete silent has been an absolute roller-coaster of emotions. Not seeing your regulars every day is a weird feeling and not knowing when those doors will open again leaves me anxious for the future of the industry. I'm a lucky one though, my parent pub company have been incredibly supportive and with their help and the coronavirus retention scheme, I've been able to continue paying 100% of my staffs' wages. But for lots of publicans this is not the case. ...
Opening of the third chapter:I remember the occasion very distinctly when Cavor told me of his idea of the sphere. He had had intimations of it before, but at the time it seemed to come to him in a rush. We were returning to the bungalow for tea, and on the way he fell humming. Suddenly he shouted, "That's it! That finishes it! A sort of roller blind!" "Finishes what?" I asked. "Space — anywhere! The moon." "What do you mean?" "Mean? Why — it must be a sphere! That's what I mean!"One of H.G. Wells' famous novels which I ...
While we may disagree on the timing of the UK government introducing the Covid-19 lockdown, I hope we can all agree that doing so was a necessary measure. However, it's a holding measure, not a solution in itself. It is becoming apparent that the scenario of staying in lockdown till Covid-19 is eradicated, or at least until it's constrained in known isolated pockets in hospital ITUs, is highly unlikely. With no coordinated international response, even if we were to achieve this in the UK, there would be high probability of infection being reintroduced. If we have similar (or higher) infection ...
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"The previous comments made by some of the individuals on this call are completely unacceptable. These are not people who support the values of the Labour Party. This is being made clear to the Labour MPs who attended the call in the strongest possible terms and they are being reminded of their responsibilities and obligations." This was the statement put out by the leader's office yesterday when an event took place, via Zoom given the confines of the era, organised by an internal Labour grouping calling itself Don't Leave, Organise. Its ties to the Socialist Campaign Group are difficult to ...
In an earlier post I have argued that the airlines industry should take a haircut (jargon for be reduced in size). It surprises me that this point of view is receiving little attention in the mainstream media. Easyjet has received a £600m Bank of England loan, Virgin Atlantic has, so far, been refuses half a billion, and yesterday British Airways announced swingeing cuts in its operations at Gatwick (for details see here) I understand the air travel from Gatwick is overwhelmingly for leisure purposes. Air travel is a major contribution to the factors that generate the climate crisis, and the ...
Where is Kim Jong-un? Is he alive? Is he dead? Has the obese 36-year-old with a weird haircut had a stroke or heart attack? Has the coronavirus pandemic forced him into a secret lockdown? Does he have coronavirus? Has he been the victim of a palace coup? The questions are being asked because the North Korean leader failed to make an appearance on 13 April at one of the most important annual celebrations in the country's political calendar – the birthday anniversary celebrations for his grandfather, Kim il-Sung. All the above questions are important. But even more important is who ...
Thu, 12:56: The Character of the Doctor Is More Important to Me Than Doctor Who Will Ever Be https://t.co/wR1t25I6iw Yup. Thu, 16:05: Some lessons from Ibsen's An Enemy of the People https://t.co/MtNaCvHTyZ? @CarolineGruyter finds Nordic inspiration. Thu, 17:11: Who stopped the April 19 1943 train to Auschwitz? https://t.co/w6uht5pBIQ A fascinating bit of Belgian resistance h... https://t.co/R2LBzxfK8F Thu, 17:54: https://t.co/z98heuw3VN https://t.co/AuMzL8dMHO Thu, 18:52: April and Thursday books https://t.co/wQjemmMbQf Thu, 19:57: I remember that Radio Times cover... #TheMetaltron https://t.co/888JMQXoJi Thu, 19:59: RT @Emily_Rosina: There's been a new arrival at Henry van Statten's museum... DALEK PREQUEL: https://t.co/PBbgo2qZAB Meet alien researche... Thu, 20:00: #TheMetaltron ...
When I was standing to be the Elected Mayor of Watford in 2018, Sir Vince Cable kindly came to help the campaign several times. When asked by local journalists why electing Lib Dems in local government mattered, his answer was always a straightforward one; because up and down the country we provide caring and competent local leadership. During the coronavirus pandemic I have seen Lib Dem-run councils doing just that. As soon as the scale of this emergency became clear, Watford's Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners started to phone hundreds of older residents to ask them if they were alright ...
Two days ago I posted on the concerns of the victims' commissioner that refuges providing sanctuary to victims of domestic violence are running out of space, with many full or effectively closed amid an "epidemic inside this pandemic". Dame Vera Baird QC warned members of the House of Commons justice select committee that a "perfect storm" of problems is in danger of overwhelming support services for those trying to escape violent and abusive partners. This is of course a devolved issue, but the survey published by Women's Aid on Tuesday, which found that over two-thirds of survivors contacted this month ...
The 98 bus route through parts of Prestwich is being reduced to 2 hourly during evenings, Sunday and bank holidays. The last bus time is unchanged. The change is from 3 May 2020. Residents will also have seen some changes to the 95 and 93 buses in April: 93/93A (Prestwich - Carr Clough - Manchester) – Monday to Saturday daytime journeys between the peaks replaced by new service 93A operating between Shudehill and Carr Clough with a loop in Carr Clough outward via Butterstile Lane returning via the existing route (Lowther Road, Cawley Avenue and Woodward Road). Prestwich Tesco is ...
Some Recycling Centres will reopen on Saturday 2nd May following social distancing guidelines. Across Greater Manchester some recycling centres will re-open on Saturday 2 May 2020. This includes the Lumns Lane in Salford and Cemetary Road in Radcliffe. However, significant restrictions remain in place: You will ONLY be able to take bagged general waste (rubbish that you would normally put in the grey bin). No other items or types of rubbish are accepted. Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (which Bury is a part of) say: "Please only visit if you really need to. Please store your waste safely if you ...
£10,000 from the delegated budgets of councillors across Bury has gone towards supporting food banks across the Borough. Councillors are each allocated £1,500 a year to distribute to community groups and projects in their ward, but because of unspent monies it has been possible to make this joint donation because of the special circumstances we find ourselves in. In addition, 'Porchboxes' is receiving additional support from the Council to provide a wider distribution role. More information about Porchboxes and how you can donate food items here. Allocation of councillor donation to local foodbanks: Organisation Role Initial allocation The Christian Fellowship ...
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It's got to be admitted that April was... interesting. The world has been turned upside down somewhat, and what we thought we knew is now uncertain. And, as the lockdown goes on, and the elections that many of us had expected are delayed, what does May have in store? 2 big stories There will be a plan for a return to work and for schools to reopen by next week, according to the Prime Minister. But will the public be willing to do so, given the levels of support for the lockdown and for social distancing? You can open an ...
Further update - for Friday 1st May - from Councillor Fraser Macpherson (West End) and Councillor Craig Duncan (Broughty Ferry) ADDITIONAL GRANT SUPPORT FUND OPENS Additional grant support from the Scottish Government for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) and newly self-employed people will boost hard-pressed Dundee firms. The three separate funds announced yesterday will be administered by Dundee City Council and Scotland's enterprise agencies and will begin to pay out grants in the coming days. Nationally the backing includes a £34 million hardship fund for the newly self-employed, a £20 million fund for small and micro enterprises in the ...
