"The scenes we all saw of the police using force against those at the Clapham Common vigil were entirely foreseeable, preventable and unnecessary." Brian Paddick is critical of the inspectorate report on the policing of the vigil for Sarah Everard. Alison Faulkner offers a depressing analysis of the Commons debates on the review of the Mental Health Act 1983. 'The Expert' - the psychiatrist - was characterised in the debates by knowledge, training and an assumed trustworthiness, while 'The Patient was associated with non-compliance, potential risk and impaired decision making. Stefan Collini reviews two books on meritocracy: "There have long ...
Three interesting works won both Hugo and Nebula in 1980 for work published in 1979. The second paragraph of the third section of "Sandkings", by George R.R. Martin, the Best Novelette winner, is:On the fifth day, he saw his first mobile, a lone white.I have a feeling that I actually read "Sandkings" when it was first published in Omni in 1979, borrowed from a colleague of my parents' at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies. At twelve, I didn't really know what to make of it. At 53, it's a brutal story of what it means for a flawed man ...
Earlier today, Ed Davey launched the Liberal Democrat 2021 local election campaign.
I was a Branch Secretary for PCS trade union for 22 years and held other lay posts within that union and indeed its predecessor unions (IRSF & PTC) throughout my working life in the civil service. So it's probably no surprise then that my now-retired eye was caught by the article below on the BBC website:- www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56647149 I've been troubled throughout this wretched pandemic about how safe UK workplaces really are and the telling thing for me has been that I'm yet to hear of any employers being prosecuted for unsafe C19 conditions. Trade unions, of course, will always be ...
It would be fair to describe me as a not particularly devout Catholic. I don't attend Mass, I don't support my local Catholic church. I feel vaguely guilty about that, but see guilt as being part of the basic underpinning of Catholicism and so don't feel so bad about it. And, in truth, I have problems with a faith that discriminates against a majority of its own membership, let alone the rest of the population. It would also be fair to say that, as a political activist, wishing people a happy (insert religious festival as appropriate) makes me slightly uncomfortable. ...
The Young Liberals have launched a Future Councillors scheme aimed at encouraging supporting people under 30 years old to get elected and thrive as Liberal Democrat Councillors. The scheme, which has 15 places in its first cohort, will provide entrants with a fully-funded place at ALDC's Kickstart weekend, a Summer Survey for their ward, five days of specialised training and support and an experienced personal mentor. The Young Liberals are particularly wanting to help potential councillors in areas where has historically been very little Liberal Democrat campaigning activity and where financial support and infrastructure is thin on the ground. The ...
Mon, 12:56: Thread. https://t.co/VUZWIA2j1J Mon, 13:36: RT @wblau: This will be a year during which the UK's Tory press more or less openly hopes for Le Pen to win the French election (as a means... Mon, 18:32: November 2010 Books https://t.co/wLeGP5INMI Mon, 20:31: Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time (Big Finish audios from 2019) https://t.co/eiceexLYDB Tue, 09:30: Whoniversaries 6 April https://t.co/t4IiBtfPyl Tue, 10:45: Europe's vaccination program is a success story https://t.co/YmwKasNFjl An upbeat assessment.
Tue 6th
10:20
"Creeping authoritarianism" - Liberal Democrats condemn government's plan for Covid passports
On the BBC's Any Questions, Munira Wilson expertly took down government minister James Cleverly on the subject. Separately, Munira said: By rolling out ID cards in the form of a vaccine passport, this Government is following a dangerous path. These ID cards risk being a wrecking ball, not only to our sacred freedoms but also to businesses on the brink. This risks creating a two-tier society, leaving those unable to take the vaccine and young people barred from theatres and cinemas relying on them for survival. Today's announcement raises more questions than it does answers. Based on their past attempts, ...
The first proper constituency poll for the Hartlepool by-election has the Conservatives in the lead in this Labour seat.
The good news this morning is that the government is facing a legal challenge over claims it funnelled cash to Tory areas with its "levelling-up" fund. The Independent reports that The leafy market town constituencies of Rishi Sunak and Robert Jenrick are among areas to benefit from an unusual funding formula that critics accused of amounting to "pork parallel politics": Now legal campaigners from the the Good Law Project are will take the government to court contending that the design of the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund is unlawful. They cite an investigation by the National Audit Office, which found that ...
i) births and deaths 6 April 1959: birth of Mark Strickson, who played the Fifth Doctor companion Turlough in 1983-4. ii) broadcast anniversaries 6 April 1968: broadcast of fourth episode of Fury from the Deep. Van Lutyens, and then the Doctor and Jamie, descend to the base of the impeller shaft and find the Weed Creature gathering in strength. 6 April 1974: broadcast of third episode of The Monster of Peladon. Sarah raises Queen Thalira's consciousness, and the Ice Warriors arrive. 6 April 2013: broadcast of The Rings of Akhaten. Clara Oswald wants to see something awesome, so the Eleventh ...
Hope you had a good Easter weekend! The good news is that at the end of last week Bury passed the 50% mark in first vaccinations. A total of 90,282 people registered with a Bury GP have had been vaccinated against coronavirus last week, that is more than 50% of the total adult population. A huge thank you to all the staff who have made this tremendous effort possible. Many people are being contacted for their second dose now. The second dose of the vaccine is given 11 weeks after the first dose, and residents will be contacted by letter, ...
The hard work and commitment of volunteers and tenants across Bury were celebrated at Six Town Housing's Community Heroes awards. Hundreds of people tuned in to watch the ceremony which, due to Covid restrictions, was streamed on Facebook. Among the speakers was Hugh Broadbent, chair of Six Town Housing, who talked about the invaluable work that community groups have done during the Covid pandemic. The award categories for this year included 'Best Community Project', 'Super 60+', 'Young Superstar', 'Local hero of 2020' and 'Amazing Neighbour'. The 'Amazing Neighbour' award went to Clara Laight who, at the start of lockdown, came ...
A third round of business grants is now available to Bury firms to reopen in a Covid-safe way and promote their businesses to bring in more visitors and customers. Schemes include: Safe Reopening Fund Grants of £8-18k To help businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure sectors (fewer than 50 employees) reopen Recovery Expertise Fund Grants of up to £5k For specialist support to help SMEs grow, e.g. online marketing and retail support Town and District Centre Independent Retail Support Grant Grants of £4-9k For independent retailers in town and district centres that were not ordered to close but have lost ...
Please see below schedule major roadworks in April in the Prestwich area. Not quite as bad as last month, but some disruption still on Hilton Lane and Bury Old Road in particular. The full list, including more minor works, can be found here. Hilton Lane roadworks continue.... 13th April Multi-way signals at the end of Sandy Lane AND on 15th April on Rainsough Brow multi-way signals (both United Utilities). Bury Old Road, just south of the Upper Wilton Street junction near Heaton Park Metrolink, 12th April, Multi-way signals (Virgin Media). Bury Old Road, near the junction with Heys Road, multi-way ...
Residents have highlighted to me that, following several trees being felled up Balgay Hill in recent months, the safety barriers have been left behind. I have therefore raised this with the environment management team at the City Council who have advised as follows : "The fencing was put in place as a safety measure because of the damage to the footpaths by the windblown Corsican Pine trees. As the trees were blown parts of the path had lifted causing a safety issue and the fences were put in place to prevent direct access. I can only assume the fence had ...
In a December Six of the Best I linked to an article about the failure of the first Severn Tunnel.This video tells the same story and takes you to what remains of the tunnel today. More from Paul and Rebcecca Whitewick on their website.
