Liberal Democrats: Govt must stop posturing and secure a good deal Liberal Democrats attempt to block renter evictions Any review of our democracy must be truly independent, Liberal Democrats warn Liberal Democrats: Govt must stop posturing and secure a good deal Responding to Barnier's comments that there has been no progress on key Brexit issues including fisheries and state aid, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: With just weeks to go and our country already facing the biggest economic crisis in generations, it is unthinkable that the UK would crash out of the transition period without a deal in ...
Alex Wilcock has blogged about the 2012 BBC series The Hollow Crown, comparing it with another take on Shakespeare's history plays - An Age of Kings from 1960. It's a good post and put me in mind of a different television history series: The Hollow Crown. This was broadcast in the spring and summer of 1978. The Hollow Crown told the story of Henry II and his sons. I remember the studio sets inspired by illuminated manuscripts, complete with their odd sense of perspective, and the wonderful cast. Henry II was played by Brian Cox, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine ...
"The substantive way to improve lives of working class people is through making their work better-paid and more secure, and to reduce the cost of life's essentials, such as housing. There is at last some sign that both Conservative and Labour politicians are starting to recognise it (I wish I could say the same for my own Liberal Democrats, who have become something of a middle-class ghetto - though not irretrievably)." Matthew Green says we need to talk about class. Tom Brake goes back to Russia: "Returning to Moscow last year, over forty years later, jeans were available in all ...
Current Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens The Secret in Vault 13, by David Solomons Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel Last books finished The Overstory, by Richard Powers Guban, by Abdi Latif Ega Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo George Eliot, by Tim Dolin Yugoslavia's Implosion: The Fatal Attraction of Serbian Nationalism, by Sonja Biserko Next books Jerusalem, by Alan Moore The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel
We hear a lot about racism in politics. But we don't hear so much about another form of prejudice that is arguably just as important, and indeed adds an important dimension to the understanding of racism: social class. What do I mean by social class? It is quite difficult to pin down exactly: it reflects ... Continue reading We need to talk about class
This post was first published on the New Weather blog... Rupprecht Gerngross is not a household name, even among historians of World War II, though he led what may have been the only successful internal coup against Hitler's regime. In the final weeks of the war, he led his small band of military translators to take control of Munich, the revered birthplace of Nazism. By doing so, he seems to have prevented the destruction of the city, and saved thousands of lives, including many thousands of Dachau prisoners who were to be killed by their Nazi captors. He was an ...
As an evidence based party we are more than aware that minority groups may be discriminated against, both unconsciously and unintentionally. This is one of the reasons the party runs unconscious bias training. As human beings we are picking up social cues all the time and they inform our judgement, whether we realise it or not. As was demonstrated in the orchestra research, blind auditions were not enough when auditory cues, such as the distinctive tap of heels on a hard floor, were still present. But in removing both audio and visual cues to judge purely on merit, this has ...
Responding to Michel Barnier's comments that there has been no progress on key Brexit issues including fisheries and state aid, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said:"With just weeks to go and our country already facing the biggest economic crisis in generations, it is unthinkable that the UK would crash out of the transition period without a deal in place or with a bad deal."Boris Johnson must start putting the nation first, rather than sacrificing everything and anything in his ideological pursuit of Brexit. Our NHS, jobs, and the economy are already suffering as a result of coronavirus. The Government ...
In this podcast we covered a huge amount. It included academic selection at the age of 11, Academies, Brexit, electric cars, UBI and lots more. Below I have looked at some of the areas in the discussion that I found particularly of interest. You can listen to the full podcast here. The first thing was selection at the age of 11 which has created grammar schools, secondary moderns and in some cases technical colleges. In this we debated at length about the system and its issues with the low proportion of SEN and disabled students in these schools. We also ...
The Brexit clique grabbed the reins of power in expectation of devoting this year to achieving what they see as the glorious severation of Britain from the EU. They chose Mr Johnson as their putative leader because they discerned in him an election winner: and they were right - on a minority vote of 29% of the electorate he handed them a parliamentary majority of 80+ What the Brexit clique probably didn't anticipate was a series of "events" which they'd have to deal with alongside the Brexit negotiations, and the ineptitude of this Brexit-packed cabinet with a Prime Minister gifted ...
Abbotswood Primary School has requested a School Street in Kelston Close, closing most of the road to all traffic at school opening and closing are looking at putting up retractable bollards Mon - Fri 1st Sept - 31st Jul.It is a trial, but people only have until 6th August to comment before it starts - which is VERY short notice. However you can also make comments throughout September at the beginning of the trial period.
Just when Labour thought it had started to put its anti-Semitism problem behind it, Jeremy Corbyn pops up and throws a spanner in the works. The Guardian says that Labour's decision to pay a six-figure libel settlement to ex-staffers who claimed the party was failing to deal with antisemitism has plunged the party back into civil war, with Jeremy Corbyn publicly condemning his successor's decision to settle the case: Corbyn's statement caused astonishment among the litigants in the libel action, with the Panorama journalist John Ware confirming to the Guardian that he was "consulting his lawyers" and raising the prospect ...
I got my first taste of Russia and the other side of the Iron Curtain on a schoolboy visit to Moscow and Odessa in 1976. Brezhnev was the Soviet Leader and the Soviet Union was in the middle of a hot Cold War with the West. The contrast between East and West could not have been greater. In Russia, apart from in the hard currency shops, consumer goods were in noticeably short supply, as was anything edible except for seasonal produce. The efforts of shadowy black marketeers, who descended on our group at every touristic stopover, whispering 'buy jeans, dollars, ...
Thu 23rd
12:05
Shropshire Council launches survey on the recovery of market towns from #coronavirus lockdown
It's been a tough time for our high streets in Shropshire. They were almost deserted for months. Only in the last few weeks have they begun to spring back into life. Shropshire Council has launched a survey of businesses, councillors, residents and others asking how our town centres and high streets are performing as we emerge from lockdown. The council is asking whether there is more activity in your local town centre than last week. It wants an estimate or rough guess on what proportion of businesses are open. What would encourage more businesses to open? And two crucial questions. ...
What makes someone a Liberal Democrat? What should the party's anthem be? Can you order cheese toasties via the internet? And can I avoid embarrassing myself in a quiz about chocolate? Find out the answers to all these and more in my recent appearance on the excellent Politics of Sound podcast with Iain Carnegie. Show notes The Beautiful South music video with the elephant. Subscribe to the Politics of Sound podcast. Follow Iain Carnegie on Twitter. Never Mind The Bar Charts music by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. ...
Wed, 12:56: RT @michelzaffran: Messaging apps have transformed how #polio programme workers in #Pakistan support families during the #COVID19 pandemic:... Wed, 13:37: RT @John_Cotter: If you saw PMQs, where Johnson responded to extremely serious questions about national security with jibes about "Islingto... Wed, 13:37: RT @IanDunt: "This is about pressure from Islingtonian Remainers who have seized on this report to suggest Russia was responsible for Brexi... Wed, 13:37: RT @paul__johnson: Boris Johnson on #TheRussiaReport -Won't answer question on delay -Claims it's about 'Islington 'Remainers' -Wrongly... Wed, 13:38: RT @mattholehouse: Clear from PMQs that Boris Johnson is very much looking forward ...
Thu 23rd
10:48
Starmer is going to have to remove the whip from Corbyn eventually - so he might as well do it now
The Labour civil war appears to have begun. Keir Starmer deciding to make settlement payments to seven former party employees turned whistle blowers was the catalyst - but the Labour left were itching for a fight, so almost anything could have started it. Jeremy Corbyn retaliated with a statement that appears designed to ratchet tensions up even further. In the wake of the Corbyn statement, rumours began to swirl that Corbyn was going to have the Labour whip removed; this was squashed by the leader's office. Given what I've seen over the last few days, it appears obvious to me ...
Thu 23rd
08:30
Whoniversaries 23 July: Tosin Cole, the First Doctor lands in France, Jane McKillen disappears
When I first did these posts ten years ago, I skipped today for some reason. (Probably because I was enduring my first visit to South Sudan.) i) births and deaths 23 July 1992: birth of Tosin Cole, who plays the Thirteenth Doctor's companion Ryan Sinclair (2018-present). ii) broadcast anniversaries None. iii) dates specified in-universe 23 July 1790: setting of the first two episodes of the story we now call The Reign of Terror (First Doctor, 1964) 23 July 2012: Jane McKillen disappears from Dame Kelly Holmes Close, as seen in Fear Her (Tenth Doctor, 2006).
Bury Council are to introduce temporary cycle lanes on Bury New Road between St Mary's Park and Singleton Road in Salford (Salford Council). Sadly, there has been no consultation with residents on these proposals. These will be 1.8m width in each direction. The lanes are part of a national initiative to provide alternatives to car use and public transport in the light of Covid-19. If they are deemed a success they could be made permanent. In addition to the cycle lanes, there will be additional traffic light crossings at St Mary's Road and Sedgley Park Road, no parking on the ...
Lack of economic planning for a pandemic highlights Government failures Responding to a Public Accounts Committee report published today that finds an "astonishing" failure on the part of the Government to prepare for the economic impact of a pandemic, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: Everyone agrees that COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge, but the Government's failure to ensure there was a contingency plan at the ready has left thousands of families with no help whatsoever, and thousands of businesses making redundancies or closing down. Considering that pandemics are one of the key risks any Government plans ...
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 iron work repairs being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the entry to and exit from Lower Pleasance (at its junction with Lochee Road), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Sunday 26th July 2020 for one day. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Lochee Road southbound, returning Lochee Road northbound/Polepark Road. For further information contact 433168. Executive DirectorCity Development ...
Responding to a Public Accounts Committee report published today that finds an "astonishing" failure on the part of the Government to prepare for the economic impact of a pandemic, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: "Everyone agrees that COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge, but the Government's failure to ensure there was a contingency plan at the ready has left thousands of families with no help whatsoever, and thousands of businesses making redundancies or closing down. "Considering that pandemics are one of the key risks any Government plans for, if there had have been a proper plan in ...
