Conservatives are gambling with our future Davey: Johnson's trade tactics will hurt economy Wrongheaded to reject spare spaces for schools, Lib Dems warn Lib Dems call on PM "not to turn your back" on child refugees Govt deliberately moving away from expert advice Lib Dems celebrate victory in the Lords Conservatives are gambling with our future Responding to the new Boris Johnson has set a deadline of July to secure a deal with the European Union, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: The PM is trying posture his way out of the corner that he's backed himself into. He ...
Taken at New Year in 2002 or thereabouts.
Many of us, myself included, were taken by surprise this morning by an array of cones preventing parking in parking bays and loading bays across the town. Following clarification from County Hall the changes across the county and the reasons for them can be seen here. I remain concerned that changes in some streets will have a seriously adverse effect on traders. I will therefore be looking to ensure that the measures will be reviewed as councillors have been assured: "In planning for the return of people to our town centres we have had to assume almost a worst case ...
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to commit to resettling 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children from elsewhere in Europe over the next ten years.
With non-essential shops re-opening, the Council has been making changes to the pedestrian areas in Acocks Green Village to support better social distancing. The scheme includes yellow continuous lines to indicate areas assigned for queuing and access to or from premises and white dashed lines to help segregate pedestrian flows to support social distancing. Some items of street furniture are being removed or relocated temporarily. The scheme has been designed to take account the renewal of the gas main being carried out on the Warwick Road by Cadent. This will work will continue until 10th July (as currently planned). The ...
Lockdown is not quite over yet, but we are a lot closer to normal now. I have been keeping an anxious eye on the daily numbers of COVID-19 cases in hospital, those in ICUs and fatalities, and all are now down to pre-lockdown levels. The Belgian government has stopped its daily press conferences and will do a weekly update instead. We are lucky - the numbers are now grimly rising in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, India and Pakistan (and Iran seems to be having a second wave) - not to mention the continuing horror in the United States. The ...
Am I descended from a slave owner? That uncomfortable question was prompted by the current debate over Black Lives Matter, and specifically by an article by Catherine Bennett in the Observer yesterday. She has been researching the hereditary peers in the House of Lords and checking the sources of their wealth against the database of slave ownership constructed by University College London. The database identifies anyone who was connected with the slave trade in Great Britain or the British colonies, and records the amounts given in compensation when slavery ended. The deal which resulted in slave owners receiving eye-wateringly large ...
I once had an idea. Take pictures of all the statues in Edinburgh and then research their stories. Who are these people? How did they come to prominence and who is it that thought so highly of them that they raised the funds necessary for a statue, often in a prime location? Then I was going to stick it all on an app and flog it to Edinburgh's many tourists as a series of walking tours. Naturally I did nothing of the kind and, with the current demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter, I am kind of glad the ...
It being the 805th anniversary of its signing, there has been much discussion of Magna Carta on social media today. This always upsets historians and legal scholars. For my money, the best summation of Magna Carta's continuing importance to us comes in this verse from Marriott Edgar
Today's Conservatives have a very crude idea of democracy, and no concept of local democracy at all. Those who watched the government's daily press conference on June 11th will have heard Matt Hancock appeal to British citizens to do their 'civic duty' by observing their government's latest revision of the rules for social distancing. He then went on to welcome the new test and tracing system, and thank Serco and Sitel for the part they had played in setting it up. I had watched successive scientists commenting on the days before about the unavoidably local basis of any test and ...
On 14 May, Baroness (Rosie) Boycott moved a Motion to Consider from the Crossbenches. Given Ros's activities in this particular field, she was keen to raise the issue of food waste... In 2014, the EU Sub- Committee which I was chairing at the time held an inquiry into food waste, the first ever such inquiry in Parliament. It was very much a reflection of our concern that around a third of the food that we produce for human consumption ends up being thrown away. Since then, the issue has certainly come up the agenda, but it has remained a very ...
Sun, 12:13: At supermarket for emergency Sunday restock. Me: Thanks, but I don't need a trolley, I'm just buying a couple of th... https://t.co/W2ow96ecMU Sun, 12:55: RT @ChairmanYaffle: @nwbrux Trolley distancing. Sun, 12:56: How the alt-right shifted the Overton window https://t.co/5cY1EoE3zn Grim review of what sounds like a fascinating book by @andrewmarantz. Sun, 14:15: RT @xtophercook: There are problems with black box big tech and algorithm design. The idea that their automatic scraping is hiding Churchil... Sun, 14:48: RT @DrLeeworthy: Identifying yourself with #PaulRobeson in post-war Britain was a political act - that statement shouldn't surprise anyone.... Sun, 15:38: RT ...
[IMG: CPZ Consultation Notice] Why is there a consultation on changing the current CPZ restrictions in Radnor Cliff and Radnor Cliff Crescent now? There were a number of fully justified complaints and reports from Radnor Cliff residents about the increasing congestion in Radnor Cliff. This was leading at weekends, and often during summer holidays too, to the road jamming, as with the road fully parked there is insufficient space for cars to get in and out and pass each other. This has led to jams, residents unable to access their homes, emergency vehicles being blocked, and even arguments in the ...
Having reviewed when people are visiting the Sort It Centres, the council has decided that from this Monday (15 June) they will be closing at 4.30pm in the evenings, the usual closure times prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The operating hours from Monday 15 June will be 6am to 4.30pm.The Sort It Centres are taking most types of waste, including garden waste. The only exceptions are clothing and textiles.The council is also asking residents to be considerate to their neighbours by not burning waste. It can create extra problems for people already dealing with breathing difficulties and with the majority ...
Deaths from coronavirus dominate the news, but behind the headlines other sources of mortality are taking their toll. This has been the case from shortly after the start of the lockdown, but is becoming more evident. If we look for instance at the figures for week ending 3rd April, there were 3475 deaths from covid-19 in England and Wales, but a total of 6082 excess deaths from all causes, compared to the five year average for that week. Contributory causes to these excess deaths probably include delayed cancer and stroke treatments, failure to seek necessary treatment for fear of attending ...
Mon 15th
09:22
Shropshire Council wrongly announces that King Street and High Street will be closed seven days a we...
I don't believe this. It does not accord with the facts. It will be a closure on Frday and Saturday only. (In an earlier version of the article, the headline read that the roads would be closed to 7pm. Apologies.) On Friday, Shropshire Council said King Street and High Street would be closed in the middle of the day seven days a week. That's despite the portfolio holder for transport, Steve Davenport telling councillors that the closure would be just Fridays and Saturdays. And would only apply to King Street. That's what will all think will be the case. But ...
I recently purchased the undated postcard which is scanned and illustrated below:- Shown is the stretch of canal through Maghull which parallels Liverpool Road North with the buildings on the left separating canal and road. The bridge is the Red Lion Bridge and St. Andrew's Church can be seen in the background. The words on the rear of the nearest barge say 'Tom' & 'R Williams & Sons – Liverpool'. I think the date below 'Liverpool' is 1902. Notice what looks like a couple of young lads leaning over the bridge parapet. I wonder if folks looking at this posting ...
Those of us looking across the Atlantic in horror at the stories of police forces profiling and targeting people of colour, unlawful killings and racist behaviour may well be considered complacent if we believed that none of these problems could ever visit our shores. Indeed, according to this article in the Guardian, despite years of progress, there is still a long way to go before British police forces can claim a clean bill of health on these matters, and that is one of the factors fuelling the 'Black Lives Matter' protests in our towns and cities. The paper says that ...
A virus spreading around the world, aided by international travel. Difficulties getting people to follow social distancing...
Govt must not use new commission to avoid tackling racism straight away Govt must support struggling families Govt must not use new commission to avoid tackling racism straight away Responding to the Government's announcement of a cross-governmental commission to address the inequalities that BAME communities face, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: Too many people's lives are blighted by discrimination, inequality and injustice. The Government must move further and faster to redress institutional racism in the criminal justice system and many other parts of our society. The Liberal Democrats have joined with BAME communities in calling for a government-wide ...
I feel like I've written something a lot this article many times before. I probably have. Either way, it doesn't make what I'm about to write any less true. In the wake of Nigel Farage no longer doing his LBC gig and his subsequent announcement that he is relaunching the Brexit Party, possibly under the guise of the Reform Party, a lot of those who do not like Farage are steaming in to call time on his relevance. This reminds me a lot of when Boris Johnson stepped down as Foreign Secretary and there were all sorts of obituaries on ...
2 big stories The relaxation of the UK's lockdown continues, albeit somewhat falteringly. Yes, you'll probably be able to go into a pub soon, but your kids may not be back at school until September. And that's partly because politicians are increasingly ignoring scientists, as Rishi Sunak quite openly acknowledged. He is, I think, right to do so – advisors advise, politicians decide. If only many of us had more faith in the quality of those politicians who form our current government... Caution is probably the watchword though, as many, if not most, people are still uncomfortable with crowded places, ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT Please note that most works are subject to change and late completion due to the restrictive measures in place following UK and Scottish Government advice that only emergency/urgent works and those considered essential should take place during this period. REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 15 JUNE 2020 West Marketgait (Argyllgait to Nethergate) - overnight (7.00pm to 3.00am) nearside southbound lane closure on Tuesday 16 June for Scottish Water work.
