PM's claim "does not ring true" given Government stance on free school meals Responding to the Prime Minister's claim that the Conservative Government will "do everything in our power to make sure no child goes hungry this winter during the holidays", Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: Boris Johnson's claim does not ring true given his hard-hearted refusal to u-turn on free school meals. The idea that other measures will make up for the lack of provision just won't wash – people know the real struggles that families are enduring. That is why so many communities and businesses ...
With the first two tests drawn of this 1971 series, the last day of the third and final one saw Pakistan chasing 230 to win the match and the series. They could not manage it and England bowled them out to win by 25 runs. Some of the umpiring looks trigger happy by modern standards. It's an unusual England attack as it features three front-line spinners: the captain Ray Illingworth, Norman Gifford (sometimes preferred to his fellow left-armer Derek Underwood in this period) and the wrist spinner Robin Hobbs. Our opening attack was Peter Lever and Richard Hutton. The latter ...
[IMG: Empathy is the new way of doing politics] 'Feeling another's pain' is the new third way in politics. It stands in between Trump's hatred which discourages empathy with others whom you do not... The post Empathy is the new way of doing politics appeared first on Ambitiousmamas.
Gillian Keegan, apprenticeships and skills minister and Conservative MP for the town, has spoken to the Chichester Observer about her vote against extending free school meals into the Christmas holidays. The newspaper reports her as saying she is aware of reports in other parts of the country of schools, supermarkets and parents raising concerns that vouchers were not always used to provide food. She may be aware of such reports, but they will be false. The vouchers can only be used to pay for food and groceries. I shall be charitable and assume she is ill informed rather than being ...
This post has been a long time brewing. I watched the whole of the 1970s series Secret Army, and the sequel series Kessler, during what we must now call the first lockdown in the summer, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I did not get around to writing it up at the time. Now I've spurred myself into activity by getting and reading the four novels associated with the TV stories, and I'll be writing them all up over the next few Mondays. In case you didn't know, it's a series about Belgian resistance fighters during the second world war, specifically ...
Liberal Democrat Newswire #142 came out last week, taking a look at a wonderful modern expression of liberalism.
Using up fresh veg I get my fresh veg delivered from Sutton Community Farm, but I often don't use it all before it starts to get past its best. My solution is soup. I love soup, it is nutritious and almost any veg can be combined with other ingredients to make a tasty meal. Today [...]
The debate on federalism at the LD autumn conference last month was dominated by one question: can a policy that works for the devolved nations work for England? Can this week's debate at the Scottish party's conference provide a convincing answer to this question? The difficulties become clear if we ask what sort of "federalism" would suit the various components of the UK. Law (2013) sets out a clear spectrum of the options for sharing power at two levels: Devolution - where the powers of a state are shared, but at the discretion of the state Federal state - where ...
John Harris of the Guardian began the week with a piece on the reshaping of the state which is packed with observations that many Liberal Democrats have taken as read for decades. Harris's view on the set-piece stand-off between Andy Burnham and central Government was of "things that had long been kept on the political margins suddenly bursting into the foreground." Those of us who have long histories of inhabiting political margins will recognise "things" as constitutional reform and a need for a massive shift of power within a dysfunctional hopelessly over-centralised British state. And power shifting is at the ...
The latest spat about free school meals is a reminder to me about everything that is wrong with our welfare state. These are not new problems they have been endemic since at least the 1950s but have been exacerbated by ... Continue reading →
The Independent reports that more than 800 retired judges, barristers and senior legal figures have accused Boris Johnson and Priti Patel of endangering the personal safety of lawyers. They say that this group have signed an online letter calling on the prime minister and home secretary to apologise for their "display of hostility" towards those working in the justice system: It follows Ms Patel's repeated criticism of lawyers who defend migrants and asylum seekers as "lefties" and "do-gooders". Mr Johnson also claimed during the Tory conference that the criminal justice system was being "hamstrung by what the home secretary would ...
We're all going through the wringer. And we're all having to find our own ways to deal with it. Continue reading →
Liberal Democrats push for expansion of Hong Kong citizenship offer PM's failure to listen to scientists has made family Christmas less likely Tories must "wake up to reality" and do the right thing on Free School Meals Liberal Democrats push for expansion of Hong Kong citizenship offer A Liberal Democrat Bill to grant all Hong Kong Citizens a pathway to UK citizenship and "strengthen the UK's historic bond with the people of Hong Kong" is scheduled to have its Second Reading debate in the House of Commons today. The Bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, Chair of the ...
Sun, 12:56: Very interesting. (h/t @ChairmanYaffle) https://t.co/Hw6JqoQD5M Sun, 13:45: Vineland, by Thomas Pynchon Sorry, this just doesn't do it for me. Writing style too convoluted, characters wacky in a rather uninteresting way, plot non-existent. #nwbooks https://t.co/RVcOKksW4u https://t.co/JqABSqZXHV https://t.co/cBuyBXShp4 Sun, 14:20: MMR: Science & Fiction: Exploring a Vaccine Crisis, by Richard Horton Horton tries to use the MMR affair as a lens through which to examine justice, truth and the public perception of science. I don't think he succeeds. #nwbooks https://t.co/GU7Bh1QH7w https://t.co/04StVcO8Le https://t.co/Eb2cruhD5K Sun, 14:48: Good summary of where we are and where we may go. https://t.co/yhT8lxiC1d Sun, 14:55: Falling Free, ...
Clifton Hill is the rather grotty entertainment district of the Canadian town of Niagara Falls. It looks pretty tacky even at the best of times, but in winter it is really sad under grey, snow-laden skies. That is the subdued environment at the heart of Albert Shin's quirky noir Disappearance at Clifton Hill. The "disappearance" [...]
The election is more important than COVID-19. Not the words of Donald Trump but the words of the State Counsellor of Burma, Aung San Su Kyi. Yes, I know the name of the country was changed by the State Law and Order Restoration Council-SLORC but Burma is still Burma in the eyes of many. The election will be held on November 8th with various challenges. There are of course security challenges. Conflict zones in the border areas where voting is suspended and COVID-19. This election will have suspensions in Rakhine state with no vote taking place in a number of ...
I posted a couple of weeks back about struggles in the north of England to tackle both Covid 19 and our Government in Westminster. Here's a link back to that posting:- So that was my view back on 16th October but what about an alternative take on it all from a professional independent analyst – step forward former BBC North West journalist Jim Hancock and his blog piece – 'TURMOIL IN NORTHERN POLITICS':- jimhancock.co.uk/hancocks-half-page/ Jim neatly points to an issue which has always troubled me with regard to devolution of powers in England and how Regional Mayors can't really ...
i) births and deaths None that caught my eye. ii) broadcast anniversaries 26 October 1987: broadcast of fourth episode of Paradise Towers, In a final confrontation, both Pex and Kroagnon are killed, and the inhabitants of the Towers look forward to a new future. 26 October 1988: broadcast of fourth episode of Remembrance of the Daleks. Grand battle between the Dalek factions; the Doctor destroys Skaro and also forces the Black Dalek to explode. 26 October 2010: broadcast of second episode of Death of the Doctor (SJA). The Doctor is not dead after all! Hooray! iii) historical event in canon ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 26 OCTOBER 2020 Riverside Drive (at Mayo Avenue) - off peak temporary traffic lights on Tuesday 27 October for maintenance work to DfT traffic sensors. Blackness Road (at Glenagnes Road) - temporary traffic lights on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October for SSEN disconnection works. Hawkhill - lane closures from Monday 26 October for 4 weeks for street lighting columns installation works. Forthcoming Roadworks Pentland Avenue (City Road to Scott Street) - closed westbound from Monday 2 November for 6 days to facilitate road ...
