This is very funny and makes an important point about the uselessness of a common style of comedy. As Jonathan Coe once wrote: When Humphrey Carpenter interviewed the leading lights of the 1960s satire boom for his book That Was Satire, That Was in the late 1990s, he found that what was once youthful enthusiasm had by now curdled into disillusionment. One by one, they expressed dismay at the culture of facetious cynicism their work had spawned, their complaints coalescing into a dismal litany of regret. John Bird: "Everything is a branch of comedy now. Everybody is a comedian. Everything ...
Mon 28th
20:15
The challenge facing our country has rarely been so great: Ed Davey's conference speech
Ed Davey gave his first conference speech as Liberal Democrat leader today. Here's what he said.
A few years ago I stood (unsuccessfully!) for election to the FCC on the basis that we needed to look at allowing people to take part in Conference remotely. I was given all sorts of reasons why it would not work - but it only took a few minutes on Friday afternoon to be abundantly clear that this was very much an idea whose time had come. As the Conference went on that feeling only strengthened -fantastic speeches from first time speakers (my impression was more than usual), a vibrant chat box, far more people watching the debate and voting ...
[IMG: Scramble those seating plans in politics] Imagine seating a right-wing MP next to a left-wing MP in the House of Commons? Fireworks or a recipe for cooperative non-partisan politics? A simple... The post Scramble those seating plans in politics appeared first on Ambitiousmamas.
Not the most surprising of news about the former Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, but worth noting given previous speculation.
The new Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, gave his keynote speech to the Party's virtual autumn conference this afternoon, emphasizing his experience as a carer — for his mother, his grandmother and more recently for his disabled son. So he had fair grounds for staking a claim to be the person who can stand [...]
Following today's debate on our European position and deciding as I had hoped that we would move away from an undemocratic "revoke line" which did us as a party no good, and also stepped away from an immediate "hostage to fortune" rejoin line which would also bury us deep into oblivion, and yet we agreed to the strategic and wise move to hold back, listen to the voters not to our hearts and steadily rebuild our support on the matters of today - Covid being the most important to all our lives with a long term commitment to be a ...
Next in my series of posts of books that won the James Tipree Jr Award, the BSFA Award for best Novel and the Arthur C. Clarke Award in each year. I've now reached the turn of the century; these awards were made in 2000, the year I wrote reviews of all five Hugo finalists for my website, including the winner, A Deepness in the Sky; the Nebula went to Parable of the Talents (and the next year's Nebula, because of the weird eligibility system, went to Darwin's Radio which had been on the 2000 Hugo ballot). The three books combined ...
Here is a transcript of my speech to the Liberal Democrat 2020 Autumn Conference on the Europe motion debated on 27th September. Good Evening Conference and hello from a chilly Lincolnshire Some of you might have got to know Lincolnshire a little better during the 2016 Sleaford & North Hykeham by-election in which I had ... Continue reading My Speech to Conference on Europe →
This entry would fall on the day of the leader's speech. I'm afraid Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer remains resolutely off message. Thursday Socially distanced lunch in Westminster with Freddie and Fiona. It transpires that the man from the Stockport chip shop was their favoured candidate in the leadership contest. "We write all of Ed's best lines," they tell me. "That one about rejoining the EU being 'for the birds'? That was one of ours. And we thought of telling journalists to come back in ten months if they want to know what our policies are." I ask how they ...
Claudia Webbe, the Labour MP for Leicester East, has been charged with harassment, reports the Leicester Mercury. She was charged after the Metropolitan Police passed a file of evidence was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. Webbe, who replaced Keith Vaz as MP for the seat at last year's general election and remains a councillor in Islington, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 11 November. Later. The Evening Standard says Claudia Webbe has been suspended from the Labour Party.
Sandgate Parish Council [IMG: Tim Prater in front of Sandgate Library and Parish Council Office] are delighted to announce that Sandgate Library is now open for browsing Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9.30-12.00, and that we will also continue to run the Click and Collect Service. We were delighted that Sandgate Library re-opened on 7th September for a Click and Collect and Home Library Service only. As of today, we can also allow users to browse and select their own books, although numbers in the library at any time will be necessarily limited. Chairman of Sandgate Parish Council, Tim ...
Yesterday, I delivered my first speech at a federal Liberal Democrat conference, so I thought I’d share it for posterity.
Sun, 12:56: RT @BarristerSecret: It's worse than that. This sinister conspiracy was in fact started in 1994 by Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz. https://t.c... Sun, 14:48: RT @five_books: "As the Philip K Dick once put it: 'The sci fi writer sees not just possibilities but wild possibilities'" —@nwbrux. From s... Sun, 15:45: The Thomas Cromwell trilogy, by Hilary Mantel https://t.co/v3zJr7cgGV Sun, 16:05: Wow. Never met her, but her brother was married to a cousin. Clearly an amazing personality. https://t.co/z1kUdoJq3u Sun, 20:48: RT @ricomonkeon: Just another couple of years... https://t.co/B12PYmG3UG https://t.co/sQsiHkUeCC Sun, 22:55: RT @LaurenceBroers: New Armenian-Azerbaijani violence: some reflections at ...
Cyclists know that the police are stretched and that Bobbies are hardly ever seen on cycles these days but police forces across the UK turning what amounts to a blind eye to the antics of some drivers is unforgiveable. Sadly, it seems dangerous drivers who put cyclists at risk are only really tackled when they have done some harm rather than them being targeted when seen driving dangerously near a cyclist. The link below from Cycling UK is about using video evidence to help prosecute dangerous drivers but whilst being quite specific sadly it shows how UK police forces are ...
Mon 28th
09:14
Shropshire Council launches Step Up Shropshire - it's latest campaign on tackling #coronavirus
Covid-19 cases are rising in Shropshire with 75 confirmed cases in the unitary council area last week. The rapid rise in cases follows the regional trend but cases remain lower than elsewhere. It would be good to keep it that way and that is why the council has launched a new media campaign, Step Up Shropshire. Speaking to BBC Radio Shropshire this morning, Shropshire's Director of Health Rachel Robinson said the increase is across the county and all settings. She admitted that people have become exhausted with the restrictions but said that as we approach winter we must pull together. ...
i) births and deaths 28 September 1919: birth of Terence Dudley who directed Meglos (Fourth Doctor, 1980) and wrote Four to Doomsday (Fifth Doctor, 1982), Black Orchid (also Fifth Doctor, 1982) and The King's Demons (Fifth Doctor, 1983) not to mention K9 & Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981). 28 September 1937: birth of Donald Gee, who played Major Ian Warne in The Space Pirates (Seocnd Doctor, 1969) and Eckersley in The Monster of Peladon (Third Doctor, 1974). 28 September 1986: death of Denis Carey, who played Professor Chronotis in Shada (unbroadcast Fourth Doctor, but would have been 1980), the ...
The Liberal Democrats yesterday called on the Government to join the EU Emission Trading Scheme as part of a package of policies to "build a green recovery and tackle the climate emergency."The proposal, agreed as part of the Green Recovery motion at the Party's Autumn conference, comes as talks between the EU and the UK on a free trade agreement failed to make progress with environmental standards cited as a major stumbling block.Liberal Democrat Climate Action Spokesperson Sarah Olney has warned Conservative Ministers struggling to cut deals with the EU are "risking that recovery and abandoning the duty on all ...
The Liberal Democrats yesterday adopted proposals to "tackle racial injustice now", putting forward a series of measures to combat all forms of racism, "whether conscious or unconscious, individual or institutional".Affirming that Black Lives Matter, the motion - accepted at the Party's Autumn Conference - calls on the Government to tackle discrimination and inequality across the UK. It includes calls to end the Hostile Environment, abolish suspicionless stop and search, and require the police, prison service, judiciary and other public bodies to adopt ambitious targets for improving the diversity of their workforce. Wider calls include facilitating a review of the national ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT - WEST END WARD Forthcoming Roadworks Blackness Road (at junction of Bellfield Street and Blackness Road for a distance of 25m or thereby in an easterly direction) - closed from Monday 19 October for 3 days for BT work. Blackness Road (at Bellfield Street) - temporary traffic lights from Monday 19 October for 3 days for BT work.
Mon 28th
06:00
Are the Tories trying to mirror Trump with political appointments to key institutions?
The latest rumour to do the rounds suggests that Tory Ministers are lining up two outspoken right-wing critics of the BBC for crucial broadcasting jobs. The Independent says that Paul Dacre, the former Daily Mail editor, is tipped to become chairman of broadcasting regulator Ofcom - while Charles Moore, a former Daily Telegraph editor, is favoured for the post of BBC chairman. The rumours have been given credence by the fact that Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, has refused to deny them: And he stressed the choices were Boris Johnson's to make, after vetting for suitability by an independent panel ...
For those who aren't aware, Lib Dem conference has been taking place over the last few days. Due to the pandemic, it's taken place "virtually" - but it's been far from a muted affair. Debates have proved quite colourful and the online nature of proceedings appears to have enabled some people to take part who ordinarily wouldn't be able to. I think most people's attention has been on the "Europe motion", and understandably so. I'll let Caron at Lib Dem Voice fill you in on the details there. Whether you interpret this as a win or defeat for the leadership ...
