John Rogers writes on YouTube: This walk from East to North London starts on Homerton High Street. We take a look at the Tudor Sutton House built in 1535, before walking through St. John's Gardens to Hackney Central. Along Mare Street we ay homage to the Hackney Empire, designed by Frank Matcham in 1901 as a Music Hall. Our walk takes up Graham Road to Ridley Road Market, Dalston and then along Kingsland Road to the Rio Cinema. Next we go up John Campbell Road and Mildmay Road to Newington Green where we look at Richard Price's Unitarian Chapel built ...
Wed 3rd
18:14
Should we thank Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon for 10 million vaccinations within a month?
I could go on for hours about the government's lamentable response to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the one the government has got right, in my view, is the speed and volume of vaccination. Some of my favourite heroes are Edward Jenner, Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain. – Not the sort of names you hear bandied about with your normal Shakespeare, Churchill, Nelson hero names. But, we owe much of our longer life expectancy to those scientists. The whole idea of the vaccine itself is a miracle. The fact that the scientists were able to come up with several ...
This is the latest post in a series I started in late 2019, anticipating the twentieth anniversary of my bookblogging which will fall in 2023. Every six-ish days I've been revisiting a month from my recent past, noting work and family developments as well as the books I read in that month. I've found it a pleasantly cathartic process, especially in recent circumstances. If you want to look back at previous entries, they are all tagged under bookblog nostalgia. The biggest world event of the month was the earthquake in Haiti, in which two people who I vaguely knew died: ...
[IMG: Money ()] The government's Test and Trace Payment scheme has been extended until 31 March 2021. This means that if you live in the district of Folkestone & Hythe and you have received a notification from NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate you may be entitled to a payment of £500. To qualify for this payment you must: Comply with the notification from NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate; Be employed or self-employed; Be unable to work from home and will lose income as a result; Be in receipt of one of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Working Tax ...
Some people would say that's a simple truth, and true everywhere in Britain, but I doubt they know just how starkly true it is in Labour run County Durham. A report to the next cabinet meeting shows just how unevenly the council's investment money is spent, from a measly £52 per head in Teesdale, to £3,881 in and around Durham. It makes a mockery of the Labour council's "Altogether Wealthier" aspirations, and of Keir Starmer's claim for a Labour Britain, "I want it to be the best it possibly can be, for everyone in every community." Here are the figures, ...
[IMG: Cllr Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council, and the Liberal Democrat Deputy Chair of the LGA Fire Services Management Committee] Cllr Keith Aspden Deputy Chair of the LGA Fire Services Management Committee Since the Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017, Lib Dems across the country have been campaigning for greater protections for leaseholders and tenants who are currently living in blocks with Grenfell style cladding or blocks that were previously certified as compliant and safe but which now fail new standards after Grenfell. Our councillors, Lords, MPs and community campaigners have been leading calls to End Our ...
In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and the Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority, Charles Randell I have demanded that action be taken to regulate the property development market which he describes as being like, ... Continue reading →
Wed 3rd
15:27
The debate shouldn't be over whether to be proud of our history, but over what parts to be proud of
The problem with people in politics who most talk about wanting to be proud of our country's past is what they choose to be proud of. There are many things to be proud of, and even look back fondly on. Such as the way the government after 1945 gave a permanent home in the UK to so many Poles (and in defiance of public opinion at the time). Or the way Britain in the nineteenth century was so often a safe home for political refugees fleeing from authoritarian governments. Or the pioneering use of data and mapping to understand public ...
The Liberal Democrats may favour a federal Britain, but it would be so much more persuasive if all the Unionist parties could come together to agree on a specific proposal to put before the Scottish electorate in any independence referendum. There are moves afoot to achieve this, with Conservative and Labour heavyweights Michael Gove and Gordon Brown cautiously circling around the issue like two Sumo wrestlers. They might come up with a plan for more devolution to stem the tide of support for independence in Scotland. Or, if Gordon Brown gets his way, they might go further and consider some ...
Wed 3rd
13:45Gloucestershire Police reverse their decision and say that leafleting by individual political party ...
Further to our article yesterday, Gloucestershire Police have now reversed their position and have said: On further review of information, we can clarify that the Government has stated this activity does not constitute an exemption in law and that it does not support door to door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists. We will engage with any party or individual that adopts this approach to campaigning and encourage them to seek alternative methods of public contact. Individuals could be liable to fixed penalty notices if they persist. I can confirm we have spoken to the councillor involved in ...
Reacting to the military arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Layla Moran MP urges focus on human rights and refugee crisis: "Myanmar's military must step back from the brink, end this coup and release all civilian leaders immediately. Democracy and the rule of law need to be respected. "The Foreign Secretary should use this pivotal moment to urge the international community to secure democratic and human rights of all citizens in Myanmar. Today's developments are yet another disturbing chapter in Myanmar's recent history of political unrest, which has already caused a refugee ...
I do not intend to argue that UBI is a sensible, humane and economically transformational policy - its worth as a policy is readily apparent to any and all who have seen the devastation wrought by the pandemic. The inadequacy of miserly and bureaucratised welfare provision has now, for the first time in history, been made abundantly clear to a large swathe of the population who had previously been insulated from the humiliating, degrading, maddening process of claiming their entitlement to income support due to unavoidable job loss or illness. What this moment represents is an opportunity to project the ...
One of the Government's more interesting ideas is the creation of a number of freeports around the country. According to the consultation document issued last year; Because freeports still offer that same story of trade and prosperity across the modern world. From the UAE to the USA, China to California, global freeports support jobs, trade and investment. They serve as humming hubs of high-quality manufacturing, titans of trans-shipment and warehouses for wealth-creating goods and services. The UK will recreate the best aspects of international freeports in the brand-new, best-in-class, bespoke model set out in the following pages.I admit that, when ...
Tue, 12:03: RT @HarroldRoeland: @nwbrux Oh, dear :( Thanks for the warning! Tue, 12:11: RT @blush_01: @nwbrux @oceanclub @KennysBookshop offer international shipping and they are so helpful. Tue, 12:50: RT @jodireads: @nwbrux And for me buying any physical media music or merchandise from the EU. Tue, 12:56: RT @davegkelly: Spectacular lenticular cloud over Mount Errigal, Co Donegal. https://t.co/rKQ4RHCVrN Tue, 12:59: RT @ghosthermione: @nwbrux @dduane yes I used to buy books from (indie) bookstores in UK for things the irish local ones don't have, and th... Tue, 13:56: A good question. I am sceptical that it's Whovian - the wings look ...
The Liberal Democrat Federal Spring Conference agenda is now out. It's an online conference again, with further innovations following our online success last autumn: Liberal-Democrat-spring-2021-federal-conference-agenda The innovation with conference timings has continued. Without the need for people to have time to travel home on the Sunday, conference will now run for a full day. This makes it the longest spring conference since the epic 1990s Nottingham conference that was extended to a bank holiday Monday to get in all the procedural business. This spring will also see a new party awards slot. Previously these were presented only at autumn conference, ...
The government launched the National Model Design Code on Saturday. Releasing important consultations over the weekend has become rather a tradition for MHCLG. Maybe they're not fans of The Masked Singer. Key to the Design Code is a belief that beautiful design can be objectively determined, and that people are more likely to support development in their area if the new neighbourhood looks attractive. The Model Design Code is a good piece of work. Developed by consultancy URBED, it sets out a concise and understandable recipe for high quality places and attractive buildings. It includes guidance on coding plans, masterplans, ...
It is still only just undr five weeks since we officially left the single market and still examples of red tape and barriers to business and free trade flood in via news streams and social media. The latest in the Independent, is a report that a leading British cheese company has said it can no longer sell barrels of cheese directly to consumers in the EU because of Brexit red tape - forcing it to consider setting up in France: The Cheshire Cheese company sold £180,000 worth of truckles, the traditional name for cheese shaped like a barrel, to countries ...
i) births and deaths 3 February 1959: birth of Jimmy Vee, who has played various short creatures in New Who: most frequently the Graske, also the Moxx of Balhoon, the Space Pig, Bannakaffalatta, Skovox Blitzer, and several short Slitheen. 3 February 1975: birth of Mat King, who directed Journey to the Centre of the Tardis (Twelfth Doctor, 2013). ii) broadcast anniversaries 3 February 1968: broadcast of first episode of The Web of Fear. The Tardis lands in a deserted London Underground; Jamie and Zoe are captured by the soldiers of an outpost and the Doctor encounters the Yeti. 3 February ...
From Sheena Wellington about today's Lunchtime Recital online by Ensemble Hesperi : We are very pleased to welcome back as our online Lunchtime Recital guests this month, Mary-Jannet Leith (Recorders) & Thomas Allery (Harpsichord) of Ensemble Hesperi. The pair are no strangers to the Wighton both as performers and researchers. The Zoom link to join in is below! Mary-Jannet is a Scottish instrumentalist, musicologist, historian, and teacher. She is fascinated by the potential which her instrument has for bridging artificial boundaries between musical 'genres'. It is her strong belief that truly excellent music often eludes definition, and that it is ...
