This tribute has been posted on Steve Winwood's Instagram account:I've known Spencer since I was about 13 - he would have been about 22. I was playing a show at Birmingham University with my brother and his band. Spencer who was a student at Birmingham, was playing with a small group of musicians. We met and the the seeds of The Spencer Davis Group were sown. Spencer was an early pioneer of the British folk scene, which, in his case embraced folk blues, and eventually what was then called "Rhythm and Blues". He influenced my tastes in music, he owned ...
Liberal Democrats secure Government commitment to publish test and trace agreement with police Government face first defeat in the Lords over Internal Market Bill Liberal Democrats secure Government commitment to publish test and trace agreement with police Today, Liberal Democrat Peer Paul Scriven has secured a commitment from Health Minister Lord Bethell to publish the agreement between the Government and police chiefs over the decision to share test and trace data. This follows the Health Secretary's refusal to make the Memorandum of Understanding public when Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson asked him to just yesterday. Following the ...
The latest episode of the Compass podcast It's Bloody Complicated sees Neal Lawson talking to Gerry Hassan about the future of the Labour Party in Scotland and Scottish politics in general. It's a particularly interesting episode, with Hassan suggesting the SNP is defying political gravity in the way that Scottish Labour long did. That is, it's piling up victories that its record in office does not merit. He suggests that, as Labour found, you can only go on doing this for so long. He and Lawson share a bemusement at the dwindling of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland. As far ...
We are currently suffering from a major spate of thefts from motor cars across Acocks Green. Many offences look like thefts to order for spare parts. If you have any information which can help the police, please contact them: – the following message is from the Acocks Green Police Team and doesn't include the two cars seriously damaged in Hazelwood Road this morning. "There has been a number of Theft from Motor Vehicle Offences in the past ten days in the local area. Offences have ranged from number plates being taken, to items taken from vehicles and more recently a ...
Sad news. Spencer Davis, who led one of the great British groups of the 1960s, died in California yesterday at the age of 81. Based in Birmingham, he had already played with Bill Wyman, Christine Perfect (the future Christine McVie) and Ian Campbell when he heard the Winwood brothers playing in their jazz band. "We should get together and form a blues band," he told them. "We could get a booking to play the university every Saturday." And the rest is history. The official reason for naming the band after Spencer Davis, when Steve Winwood was inevitably the most prominent ...
Tue 20th
18:24
Time Lord Victorious: the UNIT Field Logs; and The Knight, the Fool and the Dead, by Steve Cole
In the absence of televised Who, the BBC and the other main spinoff creators (Big Finish, Titan Comics, etc) are getting together and producing a linked set of stories under the banner Time Lord Victorious which "will tell a new and untold story, set within the Dark Times at the start of the universe, when even the Eternals were young". I'm going to do my best to follow and post about them here as I get through them. Here's the initial teaser trailer: The start is not all that promising - a series of four short videos in which UNIT ...
[IMG: Waiting for bedtime - My reaction to my menopause] Being menopausal isn't fun, it isn't the making of me and it sure as hell doesn't present pivotal opportunities from which to launch memorable midlife... The post Waiting for bedtime – My reaction to my menopause appeared first on Ambitiousmamas.
The Vice President, Isabelle Parasram, and her advisory team meet on Zoom recently We all know that there is no better Party in this country than the Liberal Democrats. That is the reason that we all have joined this Party and why we are still here. And believe me, even the people of this country are aware of this fact. But the problem is that we are almost too good. We don't lie. Our leaders don't believe in false promises. We strongly believe in human rights. We believe that each and every citizen of this country, no matter what colour ...
No controversy at all in Tom Scott's latest video...
Today, Liberal Democrat Peer Paul Scriven has secured a commitment from Health Minister Lord Bethell to publish the agreement between the Government and police chiefs over the decision to share test and trace data. This follows the Health Secretary's refusal to make the Memorandum of Understanding public when Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson asked him to just yesterday.Following the exchange, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven said:"An effective test, trace and isolate system to keep people safe will only work if the public have faith in it and this means the Government must be open and honest about ...
Responding to the vote on Lord Judge's motion to the Internal Market Bill in the House of Lords, with the Government being defeated by 395 votes to 169 votes, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords Dick Newby said:"For a long time now we have known that Boris Johnson and his Ministers have little regard for the rule of law, but this Bill goes far beyond what any Prime Minister should even contemplate - let alone pursue."How can this Government seriously expect to condemn other countries, like Russia and China, for failing to respect international law if ...
Plans have been submitted by City of York Council for the first stage of what the Guardian recently has called "arguably the UK's most ambitious council-led housing programme in a generation". As a Liberal Democrat led council we are embarking on our biggest housebuilding programme since the 1970s. Work is already under way to deliver more than 600 new homes across the city, including at least 250 affordable homes, each designed to have a net carbon emissions figure of zero. This plan is just one element of our work to deliver more housing and tackle the climate emergency. Our target ...
A Lib Dem press release brings the news... Today, Liberal Democrat peer Paul Scriven has secured a commitment from Health Minister Lord Bethell to publish the agreement between the Government and police chiefs over the decision to share test and trace data. This follows the Health Secretary's refusal to make the Memorandum of Understanding public when Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson asked him to just yesterday. Following the exchange, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven said: An effective test, trace and isolate system to keep people safe will only work if the public have faith in it and ...
Around eight months ago, I, along with a dozen or so colleagues from young liberal organisations from across Europe, were selected to be observers in the snap general election in Azerbaijan. I was honoured to be the UK/Liberal Democrat representative with the European Liberal Youth Network (LYMEC) Mission. I have felt for some time that I ought to tell the party what I found on its behalf. So now, with some trepidation, I will. For those who don't know (as I didn't), a brief explainer on the situation in Azerbaijan: Ilham Əliev, the son of the first president of independent ...
To NIMBY or not to NIMBY, that is the question that has plagued local parties since time immemorial. But to be a progressive party today, we need to embrace a radical house-building agenda. That means supporting development projects locally across the country, and gritting our teeth and taking a constructive stance towards the Governments planning reform. Nationally, the Liberal Democrats talk the good talk. Our manifesto includes ambitious housebuilding plans that seek to tackle the huge supply deficit in the housing market. Locally, it's a different story altogether. It's a faustian pact that most local politicians have to make regardless ...
Tue 20th
11:51
Mersey Port Health Problems Show Johnson's 'Oven Ready Deal' is still in the Deep Freeze
I found out at a meeting of the Mersey Port Health Authority last week that the Port will face major problems from 1st January After questioning from me, the Chief Port Health Officer, Mercola Douglas revealed two main problems: Firstly, ... Continue reading →
I have written a number of times here about the impact of Brexit on our national security and international crime, so it is disappointing to see that Ministers are still such a blasé view of the issue. As a reminder, back in March 2018, the Independent reported on the belief of the Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons that unless a deal is struck to maintain security and policing cooperation with the EU after Brexit, then the UK could be sleepwalking into a crisis. They said that there are "serious legal, constitutional and political obstacles" that mean an ...
The Liberal Democrats have warned that the Conservatives are risking a new Windrush-style scandal, as the Government overturned the Party's amendments to end indefinite immigration detention and protect the rights of British nationals living in the EU and EU citizens in the UK. Yesterday evening, Conservative MPs rejected all 10 cross-party amendments to the Government's Immigration Bill, passed by the House of Lords earlier this month, including three from the Liberal Democrats.Amendment 5 - tabled by Liberal Democrat Lord Oates - would force the Government to provide EU citizens in the UK who are granted Settled or Pre-Settled Status with ...
Former Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has just written a thought-provoking new book about China. So what motivated him to do so, and how does he think the West should respond to the emergence of this Far Eastern superpower? We spoke to him to hear his thoughts... 1. What inspired you to write your book? My interest in China has been growing since I did some China scenarios for Shell 25 years ago (the upshot was a successful industrial complex in Guangdong, now being expanded). I was heavily involved with the government in trade and other issues during the Coalition. ...
Mon, 12:18: Richard II, by William Shakespeare The plot is pretty simple: King Richard II starts the play by exiling his cousin Henry, who then returns and overthrows him. #nwbooks https://t.co/DO2XIaD5Lg https://t.co/E2XvwWBY1M https://t.co/Jplnep2pWD Mon, 12:56: Where to find Narnia in the real world, as the CS Lewis classic turns 70 https://t.co/dBgPEDpz59 Useful! I did not know about the Rostrevor link; my father grew up there. Mon, 13:19: The Duke and I, by Julia Quinn Two chapters of this is enough; it is romantic tosh. #nwbooks https://t.co/5d0M2skNbw https://t.co/GLebKPp4hJ https://t.co/3ecTJZV8Bs Mon, 13:40: RT @DPhinnemore: Church leaders in @FinancialTimes: "in [the Internal Market] ...
Constitutional reform is a longstanding golden thread running through liberal political philosophy. We don't believe the current system of government is fit for purpose. Liberals have long wanted to replace the House of Lords with an elected upper chamber accountable to voters. And liberals have long called for the disestablishment of the church and equality for people of all faiths and none. That's because our values tell us that in a multi-faith society, handing law-making powers to a small number of people from a single faith tradition is discriminatory and illiberal. So while I understand the motives of Liberal Democrats ...
i) births and deaths 20 October 1929: birth of Colin Jeavons, who played Damon in The Underwater Menace (Seocnd Doctor, 1967) and George Tracy in K9 and Company (1981) 20 October 1941: birth of Anneke Wills, who played Polly Wright, companion of the First and Second Doctors, from 1966 to 1967. I do recommend her autobiographies. 20 October 1942: birth of Caroline Hunt,who played the TARDIS crew's ally Danielle in The Reign of Terror (First Doctor, 1964) and a mind probe technician in Frontier in Space (Third Doctor, 1973). 20 October 2008: death of John Ringham who played Tlotoxl in ...
Having a friend who is blind and has the use of a guide dog makes me acutely aware of how those of us who drive vehicles make the lives of those with disabilities, the elderly and indeed Joe and Jane Pedestrian difficult and at times dangerous. I took the two photos above on 16th October around 1.45pm because I just could not believe what I was seeing as I tried to navigate the section of pavement in front of these shops. One vehicle actually pulled onto and over the pavement right in front of me to access the private land ...
Liberal Democrats: Government inaction failing survivors of sexual violence Reversing Liberal Democrat Immigration Bill amendments risks "new Windrush-style Scandal" Liberal Democrats: Government inaction failing survivors of sexual violence Responding to the Victims Commissioner's report on rape survivors and the criminal justice system, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: Survivors deserve justice. They must be properly supported to come forward and be listened to when they do. However, as this report shows, far too many survivors are put off reporting the crime for fear of being disbelieved, and far too many who do come forward find the whole process traumatic. ...
A number of residents have highlighted that, although real time bus information is working at bus shelters, paper timetables have been out of date since the bus companies altered services during the health emergency. As one resident pointed out in relation to the bus stop in Perth Road near Step Row : "Perth Road is a main local community shopping area where people are being encouraged to think/act sustainably, yet the Step Row Stop (with no real-time display) has the main Stagecoach Tayway high profile route timetable still showing the old 10 minute weekday frequency, with appropriate comments from a ...
Responding to the Victims Commissioner's report on rape survivors and the criminal justice system, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: "Survivors deserve justice. They must be properly supported to come forward and be listened to when they do. "However, as this report shows, far too many survivors are put off reporting the crime for fear of being disbelieved, and far too many who do come forward find the whole process traumatic. Government inaction is failing survivors of sexual violence and allowing too many criminals to walk free. "It is incomprehensible that the Government's review of rape cases is doing ...
