Talking Pictures TV continues to be a marvel. The other day it showed Hitchcock's Sabotage, made in 1936 before he left for Hollywood. The film is loosely based on Conrad's novel The Secret Agent, which I blogged about in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings of 2005. As the film shows the destruction of a bus, it is even more reminiscent of those outrages. Reading that post 15 years on confirms the past is a foreign country, because I quote an article by Brendan O'Neill with approval. Well, I did write a couple of articles for Spiked in 2001 ...
BBC licence fee should be set by independent body, Liberal Democrats plan The Liberal Democrats are to debate plans at their Autumn conference to ensure the BBC licence fee level is set independently next year after government cuts forced the BBC to end free TV licences for most over-75s. Liberal Democrat Culture spokesperson Daisy Cooper, who will move the motion at the Party's first digital conference, warned the Government must never again be allowed to "force the BBC into a corner where it has to choose between cuts to programming or raising these fees on the most vulnerable." The Party, ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:In this spirit, Tusmo went immediately to a prominent member of weight in the affairs of the clan in the dislocation of the city. Somal's clan system was based on patrilineal blood relationships, complemented differently by matrilineal blood relations. The male blood line, however, and thus the male, dominated clan affairs. Though Tusmo was particularly aggrieved in the case of her husband's sudden arrest, Hoagsaday's clan could never be represented by her.Last year, I had a brief foray Somali politics, and bought this book to get myself in the zone. It's a detailed portrayal of Somali ...
We aren't puritans. We aren't miserable. We aren't automatons. We are liberals. So why oh why is the party resorting to wringing its collective hands about 'unhealthy' Eat Out to Help Out discounts? We've all had a really tough few months. We all know that eating fast food every day isn't great. We all know that the government's message is hopelessly confused. And we know that we need to have something to say about the big issues of the day. But why are we saying something so unutterably miserable, illogical and illiberal? We are seriously being encouraged to tell people ...
I've never quite understood the habit of the many drivers who park their vehicles on pavements, then again I find adults riding cycles on pavements troubling too. Below there's a link to a Liverpool Echo article about the problem which seems to be getting worse almost daily:- When I stop for a coffee at the CoOp in Town Green on one of my regular cycle rides I often observe drivers pulling straight off Town Green Lane and onto a small piece of land at the side of the shop where there are cycle racks. If it's a large car ...
Please will you help us by filling in our on line survey about COVID-19 and its impact on your family and our community. We are delivering 12,000 copies door to door to a sample of houses. EVERYONE can help by filling in the short survey - on line (or on paper if one comes through your door) - at southgloslibdems.org.uk/cv19-surveyExperts are telling us what we SHOULD be thinking, but this survey aims to find out what YOU think are the priorities and impacts round here - so we can press local councils and the MP to act on the things ...
Here in the North West, my experience as a Liberal Democrat will be like many members': cold, wet days knocking on doors, delivering Focus leaflets and reporting that same damn pothole again week after week. For me, this is the pinnacle of local, community focused campaigning. What you're trying to achieve is betterment of a small area and rather more cynically, get/retain Liberal Democrat seats on your local Councils. Yet, this method of hard work, starting early if years before polling day can work wonders on a local level, sweeping up seats on councils - so, why does it not ...
Last night BBC2 screened The Edge, a documentary about the rise of Andrew Strauss's England team to number one in the test rankings. Any cricket fan will enjoy it as the makers managed to interview just about every significant England player from that era. The only absentee I noted was Chris Tremlett, who is now a forgotten figure but was a key member of our attack in the later tests of the 2010-11 Ashes series. The Edge is very good on the pressures of elite sport, though I am not convinced by the link it makes between Jonathan Trott's intense, ...
Sun, 12:56: RT @douchebagstrat: Tweetstorm is dead, it's all about Internet of Everything now Sun, 14:48: RT @NicholasPegg: Just finished a Doctor Who in which the Master got trapped on prehistoric earth, disguised himself as Fu Manchu even thou... Sun, 15:48: Gaze of the Medusa, by Gordon Rennie, Emma Beeby and Brian Williamson https://t.co/waUv5kPn9U Sun, 16:05: RT @aliettedb: I guess what I'm trying to say is that all this stuff? The lionising of Campbell, of Lovecraft? It's just part and parcel of... Sun, 18:08: The Overstory, by Richard Powers https://t.co/X9Z8auHQqu Sun, 19:42: I must say that although I can understand ...
The Lib Dem Newbies group is run by and for new and not-quite-so-new Liberal Democrat members. There's a great buzz about the group, and it's a wonderful source of information, support and inspiration.
What’s more important: the number of people who respond to a poll, or the way in which they’re chosen to take part in it?
Last week Mark Valladares wrote an article - 'How the Party is managed - can you be democratic and efficient' and some in the comments called for a smaller Federal Board. The Thornhill 2019 Election Review talks of a Federal Board of 40+ members (page 34) which is too large to be a 'realistic decision-making body' (page 22) and implies that during a governance review this should be reduced (pages 24 and 49). Mark Pack in his report on the July Federal Board meeting states that the Federal Board has a membership of 43. The Constitution sets out a membership ...
At the last Scottish Parliament elections, the seat of Caithness, Sutherland and Ross was contested by the Liberal Democrats by Jamie Stone.
The Independent reports that ministers have been accused of being "negligent" towards care home residents and staff, after it emerged that the target of delivering regular coronavirus tests this summer has been dropped. The paper says that a leaked memo written by the government's adult social care testing director, Jane Cummings, has revealed that the originally promised timelines for rolling out regular tests had been abandoned: Weekly testing for staff and 28-day tests for residents was due to begin in England on 6 July for care homes looking after over-65s and those with dementia, with a rollout to all adult ...
i) births and deaths 3rd August 1909: birth of Denis Carey, who played Professor Chronotis in Shada (unbroadcast but would have been 1980), the Keeper in The Keeper of Traken (1981), and the Old Man (the front identity for the Borad) in Timelash (1985). 3rd August 2002: death of Carmen Silvera, who played several parts in The Celestial Toymaker (1966) and also Ruth in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974), better known in later years as René Artois's long-suffering wife Edith in 'Allo! 'Allo!. ii) production anniversary 3rd August 1989: I don't usually do anniversaries of the often tediously well-documented process ...
Liberal Democrats: Public health ignored in Government's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme Commenting on the Treasury's "Eat Out to Help Out" discount scheme for restaurants starting on Monday, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson Munira Wilson said: We all recognise the need to support the high street through the pandemic, but the Government should have been more discerning with this scheme. Obesity is already an immense challenge for people and the NHS, but the latest research suggests it also contributes to the deadliness of coronavirus. With a number of fast-food chains signing up to the scheme, it ...
I am very grateful to the West End resident who has kindly sent me these lovely images of biodiversity in the West End :
