On Saturday I volunteered at the Whinnies Community Garden where a pop up shop was being held, selling takeaway cakes, jam and honey (from my hives). I was on crowd control (again!) The queue, suitably socially distanced, snaked right through the garden. The shop was a success, taking over £1300. Profits go to helping to run the garden.
In 2019, Boris Johnson became prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In 2020, he shrank into being prime minister of England. For the second time in less than seven years, the union is in trouble. But this time the problem needs a new question. Forget: "Should Scotland be independent?" The Scots will take care of that. Ask instead: "Who in the rest of Britain needs this union with Scotland? And why?" Neal Ascherson has another thoughtful piece in the London Review of Books - and to put it mildly, the prime minister has done ...
The spring federal Liberal Democrat conference will be held as usual in March next year, but as with the party's successful autumn 2020 conference, it will be held online.
Tue 17th
21:16
Commons justice committee calls for review of age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales
The Commons Justice Committee has called on the government to review the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales. In its report Children and Young People in Custody (Part 1): Entry into the youth justice system, published last week, the committee says: The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is a contentious issue with substantial arguments in favour both of the status quo age of 10 and an increase in that age. We are not persuaded that it should be immediately increased, but given the arguments in favour of raising it and the fact that the age ...
I had one of the strangest days ever at work on 11 December 2008, when I had not one but two presidents of unrecognised states in my office at different times. (They did not and still do not recognise each other, so I had to juggle schedules carefully.) Sadly, neither is in office any more; Mehmet Ali Talat lost his re-election bid in 2010, and Mohamed Abdelaziz died a couple of years ago. I put a lot of energy into following the fall of the Belgian government the following week. All forgotten now. I joined Twitter, and my first Tweet ...
This morning I heard a snatch of the Radio 4 news item in which someone whose name I didn't catch pointed out that 2020 marks 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole became Britain's first prime Minister (though he didn't like the title.) So a survey has been carried out as to whom people think has been our best prime minister. It's no surprise that Winston Churchill ( a good Liberal in his early days) came out top of the rankings, but I'm quite shocked that Margaret Thatcher should come in at fourth place. In my view her premierships are far ...
As of today, you can order an Ed Davey membership card. The suggested donation for a replacement membership card is £2 but anything else you can donate on top will go towards helping the party fight elections next May. You can order online here. There is a list, and description, of the existing membership cards here. They are: Charles Kennedy Dadabhai Naoroji Conference Voting Jane Dodds Jo Swinson Kirsty Williams Layla Moran Lynne Featherstone Margaret Wintringham Nick Clegg Paddy Ashdown Pride Shirley Williams Violet Bonham-Carter Willie Rennie * Greg Foster is the Liberal Democrats' Head of Membership
50 years ago, last month, I passed my driving test (at the second attempt it must be said). Since then I have received just one speeding ticket. I was doing 37 m.p.h. on Aigburth Road 4 years ago. I thought ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Practising charitable gratitude in midlife] As a midlifer, I thought that I had seen almost everything there is to experience and witness. Then came the pandemic. The one thing which... The post Practising charitable gratitude in midlife appeared first on Ambitiousmamas.
A new membership card design featuring party leader Ed Davey is now available to members.
Perhaps he has too much time on his hands now he is self-isolating and has lost what political judgement he had, but the Prime Minister reportedly calling devolution "a disaster north of the border" and "Tony Blair's worst mistake" is not going to endear him to his party colleagues in Wales and Scotland, nor is it going to achieve anything other than strengthen the hands of those who wish to break up the union. As the Independent reports, Johnson made the comments during an online meeting with dozens of Tory backbench MPs on Monday. Downing Street did not deny the ...
Mon, 12:56: The Distinguished Medieval Penis Investigators https://t.co/l2ZranpU4n In fourteenth-century England, one of the only ways a woman could get a divorce was if her husband was impotent. But first, she had to prove it in court. Mon, 14:28: Why is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality by Jared Diamond Still no really satisfying answer to the question of why men don't lactate, except that we don't. #nwbooks https://t.co/4Mt9gltwdx https://t.co/i5wsCwMyke https://t.co/OWP8LkwpEk Mon, 14:44: Who Goes There (Travels through Strangest Britain, in Search of the Doctor), by Nick Griffiths This is a brilliant book, and could be enjoyed even by ...
Tue 17th
10:54
The future of Social Democracy - a book to mark 40 years since the Limehouse Declaration
January 25th marks the 40th Anniversary of the Limehouse Declaration, when four former Labour Cabinet Ministers Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams met to issue a statement that would shortly afterwards lead to the formation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The SDP in alliance with the Liberal Party took 26% of the vote in the 1983 election and 23% of the vote in the 1987 election, two of our highest general election vote shares since the 1920s. The bulk of the SDP then merged with the Liberal Party in 1988 to go on to form the ...
Please see below planning applications that have been received in the last month. Please let us know if you have any queries or points you would like us to raise. Loft conversion incorporating rear dormer and rooflights to front elevation 24 Ferndene Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2RBRef. No: 66164 | Received: Mon 09 Nov 2020 | Validated: Fri 13 Nov 2020 | Status: RegisteredSingle storey front and rear extensions 25 Simister Green, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2RYRef. No: 66107 | Received: Thu 22 Oct 2020 | Validated: Fri 30 Oct 2020 | Status: RegisteredLawful development certificate for proposed rear roof extension ...
Another ridiculous outburst from the PM (see link to BBC article below) but there is within this issue a lost opportunity which Blair found himself unable to resolve. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54965585 What should have happened alongside the Scottish and indeed Welsh devolution was and indeed still is the need to set up regional governance in England. By just devolving powers to Scotland and Wales an unbalanced process of governance was set in train. The Tories have in their own way tried to redress this imbalance via their Metro Mayors and City Regions but this has, at least in my view, been pretty ...
Bury Art Museum is presenting a charity postcard exhibition and silent auction at Kwoff Window Gallery on Silver Street, Bury. Some 99 artworks are on display in a variety of media – ink, pencil, watercolour, felt tip, collage, crayon, biro and paint - and can be viewed by passers-by until 5 December. People are invited to submit bids for the pieces, with all proceeds going towards the Mayor of Bury's, Councillor Tim Pickstone, charity appeal, of which Bury Samaritans is the main beneficiary. Submitted by local artists and drawing enthusiasts, the postcards were initially intended for a pop-up exhibition and ...
Bury's four libraries are remaining opening during the national lockdown for readers to borrow and return books. Customers can go online to order books at www.bury.gov.uk/orderbooks and collect them from branches. Library members may also reserve their choice of book at https://bury.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk/client/en_GB/default. A limited number of computer session are also available at Radcliffe, Ramsbottom and Prestwich libraries, which must be booked by phone. Alternatively, a huge range of publications are available to download - go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15336 for details. As well as online, books and computer sessions can also be ordered or booked by telephone: * Prestwich Library - 0161 ...
Local businesses forced to close by the national coronavirus lockdown can apply for funding to help them through the latest financial difficulties. Bury has been allocated £3 million to distribute to eligible companies who pay business rates, covering the period from 5 November to 2 December. Local Restrictions Support Grants provide financial help to businesses required to close during local and national lockdowns, including pubs, betting shops and soft play centres. The latest national lockdown affects non-essential retail, hospitality venues, accommodation, leisure and sports facilities, entertainment venues and personal care facilities. To see if you are eligible for a grant, ...
Sir Vince Cable has joined the advisory board of the newly founded Institute for Prosperity. The Institute's press release states: A cross-party group of political heavyweights have joined forces to campaign for a new, manufacturing-led economic agenda that supports left-behind regions across the UK. Described as a team 'that will turn the dial on how best to deliver economic growth and put manufacturing centre-stage', the group is made up of current and former politicians, ministers and economists who will sit on the newly-formed Advisory Board of the Institute for Prosperity. The nine-person Board, whose members span the aisle, will include ...
broadcast anniversaries 17 November 1979: broadcast of fourth episode of The Creature from the Pit. The wolf weeds kill Adrasta; Erato eats the wolf weeds; the Doctor prevents Chloris from being destroyed. 17 November 2008: broadcast of first episode of The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith. The Trickster persuades Sarah to prevent her parents' deaths.
I am pleased to advise that, at last night's City Council Neighbourhood Services Committee, various environmental improvements across the city were approved. In the West End, these will include improvements at Riverside Nature Park, along Riverside Drive and at Seabraes. Further detail is given in the plans below :
