The Leicester Mercury reports on a new ruling from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards : Claudia Webbe breached the MPs' Code of Conduct by failing to declare payments she received for her continuing work as a councillor in London. MPs' income, beyond their £82,000 salaries, must be recorded within 28 days on their register of interests. However an investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone has found she did not do this with eight sets of allowances she received from Islington Borough Council last year... The registrar said Ms Webbe was sent the forms to declare income on January ...
Mon 15th
19:52
"Real doubt about whether these elections can be free and fair" - Unlock Democracy on May elections
The Westminster Conservative government's stance of 'elections yes, volunteer leaflet delivery no, canvassing hell no' means they want to hold elections in which incumbents and the rich have huge advantages. Incumbents because incumbents get more coverage through other routes anyway, and the rich, because the rich can pay for more leaflet deliveries. This would-be skewing of elections away from basic elements of democracy has, so far, not resulted in much campaigning from democracy campaigners. But that looks to be changing, as today's welcome statement from Unlock Democracy shows: There is real doubt about whether these elections can be free and ...
We have empty shops in town and we will probably have more. Other than convenience stores, supermarkets and a limited outdoor market, no one is trading through their high street stores at the moment. Reopening is probably more than a month away. Our town centre has been weakened by the pandemic. It is far from dead. Behind the shuttered and darkened shopfronts are businesses working hard online. Or resting. It's hard to cut hair or trim nails on the internet. We must stride into the future. Not just post-pandemic. Over the coming decades. We must not turn our back on ...
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. One notable event at work in March 2010 was that my American intern C left, and was replaced by K, an ...
As usual, the Party President has graciously contacted us, asking that we place a spotlight on his monthly report. Equally graciously, we would note that you can read it here. Mark has been President now for more than a year, and it's been a pretty eventful term so far. But how has he performed? What, in your opinion, has gone well, and what badly? Has he changed your view on the Party Presidency itself? For me, the jury is out on whether or not Mark has established a profile outside of the Party's membership. It's seldom easy, even for the ...
I admiredher slender build, her haughty eyes,her cheekbones hinting at Olympian descent;electrified by subtle words and open phrasesthat spoke frankly of alternative attractions I tracedthrough thoughts of boundaries and sharinga path to what she wants and what she offers from those shadows, side-lit by illuminationsstretched out along her inky, silky limbs I touched beneath her bushes, dense [...]
Sun, 16:41: Connections through 23andme https://t.co/jARbHgdM2V Sun, 17:32: It's really rather nice To walk out on the ice. https://t.co/3lfjtphdDs Sun, 18:34: The Food of the Gods: And How It Came to Earth, by H. G. Wells https://t.co/S6oUOWbBBp Sun, 19:37: RT @onefussyone: Let the history books show, Officer Eugene Goodman did more to save American democracy than Mitch McConnell and 42 other R... Sun, 20:11: RT @Simon4NDorset: The trains could be pulled by an inexhaustible herd of Unicorns overseen by stern, officious dodos. A PushmePullYou cou... Sun, 22:10: Wow. https://t.co/OnGGCUSPAs Mon, 07:37: RT @Iainbking: @nwbrux One problem is that there are ...
I am sure that most of us, who know, work with or have friends and family members from Europe, heard of so called EU pre-settled or settled status scheme. The scheme is crucial and it ensures that all Europeans living in the UK can continue to receive the same entitlements they had until the transition period ended at the end of December 2020. The Home Office has published this week (week ending 14th February) the latest data in relation to the EU Settled Status Scheme. It is encouraging to see that such a significant number of EU nationals have already ...
[IMG: The Folkestone Haven Coffee bar] The folkestone Haven This is a hard time for many, with isolation causing many mental stress. You are not alone. There are a number of national and local groups ready and willing to help. ● Samaritans: 116 123 ● GiveUsAShout: 85258 (text) ● AnxietyUK: 03444 775 774 ● theCALMzone: 0800 58 58 58 Locally, the Folkestone Haven support local adult residents who may be struggling. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, depressed or just need to talk: they will listen to you. Published and promoted by Tim Prater on behalf of the Liberal ...
[IMG: Community Hubs] Although the vaccination progamme is now starting to have an impact, it's too soon to relax. We're all finding it hard - but no-one should feel as though they are alone during this challenging time. There is support available, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In Folkestone and Hythe there are Community Hubs to help those who haven't got alternative support. Hubs are supporting residents across the district - if you have alternative means of support, like supermarket and pharmacy deliveries or neighbours and family wanting to help, please do use them ...
births and deaths 15 February 1993: death of Dallas Cavell, who played the road works overseer in the story we now call The Reign of Terror (First Doctor, 1964), Bors in the story we now call The Daleks' Master Plan (First Doctor, 1965), Trask in The Highlanders (Second Doctor, 1966-67), Sir James Quinlan in The Ambassadors of Death (Third Doctor, 1970) and the head of security at the radio telescope in Castrovalva (Fifth Doctor, 1982), getting steadily less hairy as the years went on broadcast anniversaries 15 February 1964: broadcast of "The Brink of Disaster", second episode of the story ...
Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education is holding this online lecture later this week. Dr Kiril Sharapov, Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University, is speaking on the subject of 'From Migration to Mobility to Climate Change: What does 'Migration' really mean?' as part of the Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education online Open Lecture Series. All welcome to join on Thursday 18th February at 6pm and you can register here.
Today marks ten years since Larry the cat took up residence at 1o Downing Street, and there is still no cat flap available to him. Instead he has his own personal police officer to open the door whenever he wishes to leave or enter, as well as the attention of the world's media at all times of day and night. As the Guardian says, Larry was the first cat to hold the rat-catching portfolio since stalwart ratter Humphrey was retired in 1997: Lindsey Quinlan, from Battersea, said: "It seems like only yesterday that Larry came to our cattery as a ...
