The ruins of Northampton Castle were cleared in the 19th century to make room for Northampton Castle railway station, which is still open today and just called Northampton. So I blogged a couple of years ago, and to prove it here is a photo of that clearance taking place. Don't be too harsh on the Victorians: for better or worse, many of the views we hold today will seem very odd to people 150 years from now.
The Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will be addressing the AGM of the Ludlow local party on Friday. Ruth Houghton, the Lib Dem councillor for Bishop's Castle, told the Shropshire Star "This is the first time that the Liberal Democrat Leader has addressed the Ludlow Lib Dem AGM and we are delighted to welcome him, albeit virtually, to south Shropshire. "Liberal Democrats from Shrewsbury and north Shropshire constituencies will also join the meeting as Shropshire is a key target for the Liberal Democrats in the forthcoming local elections in May 2021." The Lib Dems have made some impressive by-election gains ...
I greeted the defeat of Donald Trump in the US Presidential election with relief rather than joy. It was the most important thing to be decided in these elections: but otherwise it was a poor night for the Democrats. That bodes ill for the success of the new administration. But perhaps the new President, Joe ... Continue reading Joe Biden: cometh the hour, cometh the man?
Responding to George Eustice's comments on Sophy Ridge on Sunday, suggesting that next week is "a week when things need to move" for the UK and EU to agree to a trade deal, Liberal Democrat Brexit and Trade spokesperson Christine Jardine said: "Up and down the country people are watching and waiting for the Conservatives to deliver the UK-EU trade deal that they have promised, and that we desperately need. The urgency of this situation could not be clearer. "Yet, with just weeks until the end of the transition period, the Tories' reckless brinkmanship continues to put people's livelihoods and ...
Speaking Truth to Power is a long-established non-violent tactic used by campaigners to open the eyes of government to harsh realities. But in his new book Blinded by Corona (Gibson Square, £12.99), public health consultant John Ashton takes the process one stage further by Speaking Truth to Incompetence — that incompetence specifically relating to the [...]
A few years ago, I was at an Afro-Cities Conference in the Moroccan Capital, Rabat. As with most conferences there was a big exhibition with all sorts of organisations, businesses and Countries selling their wares. One of the stands was ... Continue reading →
Gandhi won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1982, and also seven others, Best Director (Richard Attenborough), Best Actor (Ben Kingsley in the title role), Best Original Screenplay (John Briley), Best Art Direction (beating Blade Runner, that year's Hugo winner), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Editing. So far only Gigi (9), West Side Story (10) and Ben-Hur (11) have won more. Blade Runner was also nominated for Best Visual Effects, but lost to E.T The other films up for Best Picture were E.T. and Tootsie, which I have seen, and Missing and The Verdict, which I haven't. IMDB ...
The late Barry Summers, who taught me history at Welland Park College and was later a fellow Liberal member of Harborough District Council, was a photographer in the 1960s, specialising in the pop scene. One of his favourite stories was that after hearing Concrete and Clay he immediately arranged to photograph Unit 4 + 2 because he was certain it would be a hit and that shots of the obscure band would be in demand. Sure enough, the record reached number one in the UK singles chart in April 1965. This video shows the band miming on a construction site ...
Sun 15th
13:05
'Great': Diane Abbott's description of event featuring apologists for human rights abuses
Yesterday Labour MP Diane Abbott spoke at an event alongside several apologists for the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs, behaviour which amounts to genocide. Also speaking was an apologist for Bashar Al-Assad who denies his responsibility for war crimes. Of course, there can sometimes be a case for appearing alongside unsavoury people in order to reach an audience with a counter to their misinformation. But Diane Abbott called the line-up of speakers for the event "great" and did not criticise their views. Nor did she use her speech to speak out against such views: https://t.co/vFE915C6rb — Mark Pack [IMG: 🔶] ...
The media are full of speculation as to the whys and wherefores of the shenanigans in Downing Street. There are briefings and counter-briefings but I suspect the truth has yet to be revealed. Though I have no claim to be well informed I suspect my own musings are no wilder than anyone else's. First a couple of questions: Question 1 Does 10 Downing Street keep a stock of cardboard boxes so that those dismissed with immediate effect (wie) can carry away their personal effects? (One might ask a similar question of the Trump White House.) Question 2. Do those dismissed ...
For those of us who think we understand devolution, the ongoing tendency in the media to confuse England with Britain or the UK is not just frustrating but also annoying. Their misinformation effectively misleads people as to what is going on in their own country as well as what they need to do to keep themselves safe during a pandemic. But, it isn't just the UK media who are confused, a number of multi-national companies struggle with the various national identities we apply to ourselves, the latest being Amazon. As the Independent reports that Amazon has apologised for falsely claiming ...
Sat, 12:56: RT @SumzIbrahiim: The contents of the British Museum https://t.co/TWlyg7vXj8 Sat, 13:50: For those of you looking for a nice excursion not too far from Brussels, now that most things are closed, let me recommend the outdoor exhibition of sculptures by Jean-Michel Folon at @abbayedevillers in Villers-La Ville. Get there before 4pm, any day up to 21 February. https://t.co/uTUPOFdR8C Sat, 14:20: The Dervish House, by Ian McDonald In an old tekke in Istanbul, six people find their lives intertwined around a plot involving nanotechnology, the Nabucco gas pipeline, and the arcane secrets of the mellified man. #nwbooks https://t.co/xyMFhEDSDu https://t.co/D2bf4lgjsx ...
Times have never been tougher, and this Christmas will be one of the most challenging yet. We've got to come together like never before. That means reaching out and staying connected with the most vulnerable and isolated members of our community. It would be heartbreaking if family members or friends in care homes went without love this Christmas. Earlier this year, An Post—Ireland's postal service—announced it would carry letters, large envelopes, packets and parcels up to 2Kg addressed to residents in nursing homes, residential accommodation in the mental health or disability sectors and convalescent homes for free until 31st January ...
The Anglo-Saxon version of authoritarian populism is 'plutocratic populism', or pluto-populism . A Princeton professor described it, in the Financial Times last week, as 'consisting of policies that mostly benefit the top 1%, in combination with relentless culture wars which distract from economic ideas'. Trump is, of course, the model that he and others are describing. But we have faced a similar phenomenon in the UK, and we need to think carefully about how to combat it here. Money, media and loose electoral regulation fuel pluto-populism. The US Supreme Court's decision to free political fundraising from the constraints that Democratic ...
i) births and deaths 15 November 1910: birth of Geoffey Toone, who played Temmosus in Doctor Who and the Daleks (Cushing Doctor, 1965) and Hepesh in The Curse of Peladon (Third Doctor, 1972). 15 November 1926: birth of Richard Steele, who played Commandant Gorton in The War Games (Second Doctor, 1969), Sergeant Hart in Doctor Who and the Silurians (Third Doctor, 1970) 15 November 1933: birth of Donald Pickering, who played prosecutor Eyesen in The Keys of Marinus (First Doctor, 1964), Blade and his alien double in The Faceless Ones (Second Doctor, 1967), and Lakertyan leader Beyus in Time and ...
From the City Council : "Every year, the City Council Neighbourhood Services reviews the rent and other charges that we need to collect so that we can continue to deliver the services that you have told us you want. Neighbourhood Services aim to ensure that the highest quality of housing is provided for the people of Dundee in a safe and healthy environment. This can only be achieved through partnership working across all sectors. The council strives to provide a continually high standard of service by consulting and engaging with tenants on decisions which involve them. The current restrictions continue ...
