The last train from Northampton to Market Harborough ran in August 1981. Most of the trackbed now forms the Brampton Valley Way, which as a result passes through former railway tunnels at Great Oxendon and Kelmarsh. This video explores the Kelmarsh tunnels, both the one that carries the Way and the parallel one, which is not officially open to the public.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Mon 18th
21:23

Six of the Best 990

Jack Haines says that as we see the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic hit our society harder than ever before, it is essential for Liberal Democrats to be pioneering and spearheading the charge towards making basic income a reality. "The reason the Department hasn't done the simplest, cheapest thing and just give parents a bit of extra cash is because they don't trust them to spend it properly. Or rather they are scared of the public perception that, as Tory MP Ben Bradley luridly put it last year, the money would be spent in crack dens and brothels." Sam Freedman ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

There has been some confusion about the opening of a testing centre in Ludlow. This article sets the record straight. The testing site will open on Smithfield Car Park at 8am on Thursday 21 January. It will not be a walk in centre. Walk through. You need to qualify for a test. That means Covid symptoms or symptoms that cause concern. The test will be PCR, the most accurate test. You must book the test in advance. Parking might be an issue as parking at Smithfield will be reduced. If you can walk, walk. Otherwise, park in the Galdeford car ...

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the increase in Universal Credit to be extended to anyone caring for a friend, family member or neighbour who cannot cope without their support. Parliament is due to vote today on a motion to scrap the planned £1000 cut in Universal Credit. Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain MP is pushing for an amendment which would see unpaid carers as well as others who rely on 'legacy' benefits to be awarded the increase too. Over 900,000 people across the country rely on carers allowance of less than £70 a week, the lowest ...

Posted by Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael, has said there should be "no surprise" that seafood exporters have taken to the streets to protest against the disruption they are facing. Dozens of HGVs have been reported around Whitehall in London demonstrating against the blockages they are facing in trade with the EU. Some reports suggest that protestors intend to dump unsailable seafood cargo in the streets. Commenting on the protests, Alistair Carmichael said: "I suspect that it will be a pleasant change for these lorry drivers to be able to drive instead of sitting waiting in a depot ...

Posted by Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

The Federal Conference Committee met via Zoom call on Saturday, 16 January for the agenda selection for our second virtual conference. The meeting was a lengthy one, which was in part due to the large selection of varied and interesting motions we received, but also to give us breaks from staring at computer screens for a number of hours. As you will be aware, this year we will not be heading up to the historic city of York, but instead you will be able to take part in Conference from your own home via our third party provider, Hopin. You ...

Posted by Nick Da Costa on Liberal Democrat Voice

Like a rather surprising number of Remainers, Brexit has been like a bereavement for me. Before the referendum in 2016 few people would admit to an emotional attachment to the European Union (indeed this was one of the reasons Leave won), but I was among them. I can date that attachment to attendance at a ... Continue reading Learning to live with Brexit means looking to the future

Posted by Matthew on thinking liberal

Boris Johnson and his Conservative government have been promoting the fact that over four million Brits have been given at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. That's impressive indeed, compared with the performance that other countries, especially in the EU, have put in on vaccinations so far. But it neatly obscures the more [...]

Posted by jonathanfryer on Jonathan Fryer

Second paragraph of third chapter:As we finally drove away, Alison, looking back at Jeff waving Page's little hand from the front door, had tears in her eyes. 'He looks so sad,' she said.One of Bateman's mystery novels, set in Belfast, the protagonist being the proprietor of the No Alibis bookshop on Botanic Avenue, investigating the murder of a well-known gangster in the course of which he spends some time in Purdysburn, Belfast's mental hospital. I really enjoyed the sense of place; I think I could locate almost every scene on the map. I also enjoyed the effective way Bateman captures ...

I'm afraid Ed Davey's reply to Andrew Marr yesterday, agreeing that the Liberal Democrats are no different from the Labour Party in not being "a rejoin party" is a massively missed opportunity and it's the last straw for me. Leaving the party I have supported, stood for and donated to, since my teenage years in the 1970's will be very difficult and heart wrenching. Sadly, I am on the cusp of making that decision. If there is one thing we can learn from Brexiteers, it's that persistent and passionate campaigning, even when things are not going your way, can pay ...

Posted by Paul Young on Liberal Democrat Voice
YouGov

As I write this, I have never thought I would be so pleased to see the back of a year as I did 2020. At the same time, I have never felt so apprehensive about what 2021 and the next 12 months holds for our families, our communities and our country. Since New Year there has been loads of speculation about the elections in May. We simply don't know as I pen this. If I was in government, I'd want to keep the option open of May elections until the last possible moment. What we do know is the Government ...

Posted by Howard Sykes on Liberal Democrat Voice
Mon 18th
11:00

My tweets

Sun, 14:02: RT @joannalayton: Meet the Prime Minister of Finland and her Ministers of Education, Finance and the Interior. https://t.co/QkrnHwJzmn Sun, 15:00: Machiavelli in Brussels: The Art of Lobbying the EU, by Rinus van Schendelen This book is written in appalling English. I do not say this lightly. The sentences are tortuously and often ungrammatically constructed. #nwbooks https://t.co/24PJdvDqMT https://t.co/irBBwad8fj https://t.co/UdGAWKGptR Sun, 15:40: RT @CoraBuhlert: @nwbrux Sounds like the hydraulic and electrical system checklist I translated yesterday, which contained such howlers as... Sun, 15:45: Again, Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison Striking how unmemorable and self-indulgent most of the stories are ...

272 million trips were made on trams and light rail in England in 2018/19 and more than 1.76 billion on trains in the same year. But the trusty bus accounted for almost 70% of all public transport journeys - a massive 4.31 billion. Yet bus services are treated as the poor relative, as an afterthought. The result is fewer people using buses each year and fewer services being run. Rural bus routes have been especially badly hit, with subsidies drastically cut back through years of austerity. We broadly agree on what we want from our buses. We want them to ...

Posted by Iain Roberts on Liberal Democrat Voice

i) births and deaths 18 January 1941: birth of Christopher H. Bidmead, script editor for Season 18 (the last Fourth Doctor season) and writer of Logopolis (Fourth Doctor, 1981), Castrovalva (Fifth Doctor, 1982) and Terminus (Fifth Doctor, 1984) and the novelisations Happy 80th birthday, sir! ii) broadcast anniversaries 18 January 1964: broadcast of "The Expedition", fifth episode of the story we now call The Daleks. The Thals agree to attack the Dalek city. Ian and Barbara accompany one group through the jungle and the Lake of Mutations. 18 January 1969: broadcast of fourth episode of The Krotons. The Doctor makes ...

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - COMMENCING MONDAY 18 JANUARY 2021 Hawkhill - traffic control for up to 2 weeks for street lighting column removals. Forthcoming Road Works Strawberrybank - closed on Thursday 28 January for Scottish Water mains repair works. A991 West Marketgait (Hawkhill to Guthrie Street) - northbound nearside lane closure on Monday 8 February for roof inspection works.

We are two and a half weeks into post-Brexit Britain and already businesses are starting to feel the impact of the new regime, but it is not a pleasant experience for most of them. Yesterday's Observer reports that despite government ministers Government ministers describing the post-Brexit headaches that British exporters have suffered since 1 January as mere "teething problems" the real story is entirely different. They say the supposed golden era of global Britain is causing British entrepreneurs, large and small, very serious problems: UK fish exporters are unable to sell into European markets because of delays at borders and ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black