Welsh Government must extend shielding support to avoid cliff edge Liberal Democrats: Ministers are playing fast and loose with safety of NHS staff Liberal Democrats: Jenrick's planning reform won't solve housing crisis Welsh Government must extend shielding support to avoid cliff edge The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for an urgent extension to the support for those currently shielding, warning people could become "cut off" when the support ends next Sunday. Under Welsh Government plans, the support currently available to those shielding, including foodboxes, will end next Sunday when shielding is paused. Local Authorities will then assume responsibility for providing ...
Another video from the heroic age of canal cruising. This one starts in Berkhamsted but soon moves on to scenes that are familiar from my childhood. So at 1:43 you will see the swing bridge at Winkwell, which was the goal of many family walks when we lived in Warners End. Then at 3:18 it's on to Boxmoor and the Fishery Inn, where the shop sold ice cream and fishing nets. With some friends, I had a den somewhere behind the pub, but when I went back years later I found it had been lost to the expansion of its ...
Mike Hamilton, a former deputy leader of Newport City Council, has been selected by the Liberal Democrats for Newport East.
The Open Spaces Society has launched a new charter for England's open spaces. Phil Wadey, the society's chairman, says:"During lockdown people have enjoyed their local spaces and paths as never before, and this use continues beyond the pandemic. We know there is a great disparity in the distribution and quality of open spaces, and that investment in these assets provides excellent value for money by improving people's health and well-being. "We therefore call on government, local authorities and communities to work together to ensure that everyone has access to good-quality green space close to home. This is a vital element ...
Thu 6th
19:42
King Street closed 24×7 for weeks after significant damage to the Buttercross last night - sho...
The suspicion is that it was a lost truck driver trying to get around the overnight closure of the A49. Whatever vehicle it was, it must have been severely damaged. Trucks like the one that hit the Buttercross last night are here today and scrapped tomorrow. The Buttercross has been a central feature of our town for more than two and a half centuries. It has been knocked about in the past but nothing like the damage last night. We are on the verge of a permanent closure of King Street. The latest news from Shropshire Council is that it ...
COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of the traditional autumn Liberal Democrat federal conference. But instead, we'll be having a virtual conference...
GO on! Sign our petition!It is a strange divide in society. Some people furrowed their brows when I told them I was publishing a book called Tickbox, and really seemed to struggle to understand what I was on about - while some people grasped it immediately. Among those who got it, I couldn't help noticing that many of them worked in the NHS.It maybe that the NHS is not the most boneheaded user of tickboxes but - as a huge over-centralised operation, managing people looking after people's very individual needs, somehow the gap between appearance and reality (which is for ...
Current Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel Jerusalem, by Alan Moore Last books finished Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens From Barrows to Bypass: Excavations at West Cotton, Raunds, Northamptonshire, 1985-1989, by Dave Wendell, Andy Chapman and Jo Woodwiss The Secret in Vault 13, by David Solomons Next books The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel East West Street, by Philippe Sands
The minor Ealing comedy The Magnet from 1950 is proving to be a mine of social history. I blogged about its attitude to children playing on bombsites the other day and a couple of years ago I wrote about the way it displayed middle-class distrust of the new National Health Service. The latter post was illustrated with the clip above. Why is the film's hero, played by an 11-year-old called William Fox who grew up to be the actor James Fox, covering his mouth? Fox has been sent home from his prep school because of an outbreak of scarlet fever ...
Both Ed Davey and Layla Moran have written for the Electoral Reform Society on the importance of electoral reform. Ed Davey's piece starts: "The time has come" has been the mantra for electoral reform at each election held in my lifetime and no doubt many before it - yet our fight is not yet won. Getting results will require placing reform into a wider context - a necessary part of a wider agenda that engages more people. When pursued alone, political reform falls into the reeds of inertia, the preserve of too few debating highly technical details which have too ...
What do the Liberal Democrats stand for, and why vote for us? Liberal Democrat Leadership contender Layla Moran MP highlights "Education, the Environment and the Economy" as her three key priorities on my lead question. Last month I sent three questions on Lib Dem values to both Layla and Ed Davey - plus two individually tailored 'mean' questions each. Layla and her Correspondence Team have replied to me in full, and you can read all five answers below (I will continue to nag Ed and his team). Layla Moran MP Layla Moran's Answers to my 'Values' Questions (asked to both ...
Me in my cycling gear looking grumpy over the lack of investment in Sefton's cycling infrastructure. Being a regular cyclist I often talk about the deficiencies in the cycling network in Sefton Borough's East Parishes – Aintree Village, Melling, Lydiate, Maghull & Sefton/Lunt Villages – so when I came across the article linked below my eyes light up, if only just a little. And by just a little I mean that's related to the the small amount of money on the table – £2m will fund very little in terms of safe cycling. Have a look at the article:- ...
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Sue Mountstevens is inviting you to submit your questions on policing ahead of a Facebook Live chat with Chief Constable Andy Marsh Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) next week. Please submit your questions by tweeting the PCC at @AandSPCC or by sending the PCC a Facebook message via her page. The Facebook Live session is at 2.30pm on Tuesday 11 August and will be available at the FB page and the PCC's website.
Liverpool Lib Dems finance spokesperson Cllr Andrew Makinson has questioned the decision of the Council to proceed with the building of the new Cruise Liner Terminal at a time when there is a huge uncertainty about the future of the ... Continue reading →
This has been a difficult year for everybody. We have all been in lockdown, giving us all time to reflect. This process finally enabled me to build up the courage to leave the Labour Party and join the Liberal Democrats. But why? Simply as Labour is no longer a party that champions progressive politics. I do believe the Lib Dems have learnt from the coalition – but let's be real, we are still polling at 6%. So with all this doom and gloom why join now? Well it's simple, now more than ever Liberal Democrats have a golden opportunity to ...
Just how far the current Conservative administration is prepared to go to subvert the system in their own favour has been revealed by this article in the Independent. The paper repoets on an Institute for Government analysis which has found that Tory insiders are being handed powerful Whitehall jobs despite promises that "independent" people would be appointed. They say that the boards overseeing government departments are meant to be staffed through "fair and transparent competition", finding private sector recruits boasting "experience of managing complex organisations". But no fewer than eight of 13 appointments made this year have gone to close ...
Wed, 12:56: Rather glorious. 18th-century women who joined the Dutch East India company pretending to be a man, and got caught.... https://t.co/PmhOrSOn30 Wed, 13:33: RT @AbiWilks: My brother in law injured in Beirut was only there because the fucking home office denied his UK student visa despite him get... Wed, 16:05: The 27 Ambassadors representing their countries to the EU make reading recommendations https://t.co/ebxUjuQL3t I've... https://t.co/W9iwBaeteA Wed, 17:11: Why Aren't We Talking More About Ventilation? https://t.co/ilsAEBIEJM How we should stop COVID-19 spreading, but don't. Wed, 18:39: July 2007 books https://t.co/kZ2ZoFtehZ Wed, 19:11: RT @rmc28: This is amazing 😍🤩👑 Wed, 20:48: ...
Ever since the then Prime Minister David Cameron declared that "multiculturalism has failed" the concept has found itself on the back foot in Western political discourse. This has been a matter of dismay for many - I suspect most - Liberal Democrats, as multiculturalism is part of our DNA. This means not just tolerating but accepting difference, be it about ethnicity, religion, language, ability, sexuality or other forms of collective and personal identity. Alas, with a few noble exceptions, political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have tapped into a seam of populist fear or resentment of The Other. ...
As you will have seen in the press, new restrictions are in place across the whole of Greater Manchester, along with parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The Government has published a list of Frequently Asked Questions on what you can and cannot do: All other existing Covid-19 guidelines remain unchanged. Don't forget that if you, or a neighbour, need extra support then you can call the Prestwich Community Hub on 0161 253 5353. For the latest information on coronavirus and Bury's response visit www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-localrestrictions
This is a subject that has long fascinated me but especially when the fake news fits our own prejudices. In other words, do you care if it's not true if it's something your tribe believes in? Or even, do you share fake news, even when you know it's fake, because you want other people to believe what you believe? The BBC has an interesting take on this via its web site – see link below:- www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zwfm8hv
i) births and deaths 6 August 1945: birth of Ron Jones, who directed Black Orchid (Fifth Doctor, 1982), Time-Flight (Fifth Doctor, 1982), Arc of Infinity (Fifth Doctor, 1983), Frontios (Fifth Doctor, 1984), Vengeance on Varos (Sixth Doctor, 1985) and Mindwarp (Sixth Doctor, 1986). 6 August 1980: birth of Tom Macrae, writer of Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel (Tenth Doctor, 2006) and The Girl Who Waited (11th Doctor, 2011). ii) broadcast anniversaries 6 August 1866: the BBC announced that William Hartnell would leave the role of the Doctor. iii) dates specified in-universe 6 August 6048: setting of all but ...
I recently received a request from a constituent in relation to Lochee Park : "I noticed a bunch of new benches and bins in Victoria Park, looks great and I am sure will be appreciated. I wonder if there are plans for some more seating in Lochee Park?" So ... I am delighted to welcome the new picnic table and seating at Lochee Park although I have asked our local environment manager if it may be possible to have more provided. He has responded as follows : "The picnic table was provided as part of improvements that are being made ...
