"Western democracies are not simply embracing neoliberalism in the sense of deregulating the economy. Elites are pursuing something aptly described as a new form of feudalism, in which entire realms of public law, public property, due process, and citizen rights revert to unaccountable control by private business." Robert Kuttner and Katherine V. Stone offer a sobering analysis. Andrea Barry replies to the Sewell Report: "While some black British have better education outcomes, this does not translate to better labour market outcomes. Again, this is not just one individual, but a majority. Pay and Curriculum Vitae (CV) studies, which are widely ...
A little fan-fiction I wrote seven years ago today, forgot about entirely, and found again at midnight. "What's through that door, Doctor?" Full of the cheery confidence of showing a new companion around his Ship for the first time, the Doctor looked across the hallway to where she was pointing. A large pair of double doors stood off to one side, the once-welcoming wide circular windows strangely fogged by what looked like old steam. They gave the appearance of something once grand that had long been forgotten: very slightly faded; very slightly askew; an incredibly faint smell of something tantalisingly ...
Wed 14th
18:16
A4117 closed overnight between Rocks Green and Snitton from Monday - Caynham roadworks suspended
Signs have been out on the A4117 advertising a road closure between Monday 19 April to Friday 7 May inclusive. Cue concerns about traffic chaos, complaints about rat running and a heavy postbag for Richard Huffer and myself. We have been discussing the proposals with Shropshire Council officers who have worked hard over the last few days to reduce the impact of the "carbon neutral" resurfacing plans. It was initially proposed that the A4117 would be closed during the day. It has now been agreed that the works will now take place overnight only. Details of signage and barriers to ...
Excellent news of a new role in the House of Lords for Kate Parminter: Chair of the new Lords Select Committee on the Environment & Climate Change. What a fantastic role to be given! — Kate Parminter (@kateparminter) April 14, 2021
Second paragraph of third section (there are no chapters):Chnassian astronomers are, of course, faced with a similar situation vis-à-vis our own galaxy, but their mental conditioning being somewhat different from our own they appear to find no great difficulty in accepting the notion that the cosmos and everything within it is one vast sensorial illusion. Thus a Chnassian astro-physicist having counted the number of Cepheid variables in a particular nebula would automatically assume that his result was 'wrong' simply because his eyes told him it was 'right'. Similarly nothing is easier for the Chnassian to accept than concepts like 'negative ...
Liberal Democrat councillors work hard, listen and get things done for people in their communities. Your vote can make a huge difference to your local area. So make it count – on 6 May vote Liberal Democrat. pic.twitter.com/bL0Iy109CT — Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) April 8, 2021 Enjoy! * Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames where she is still very active with the local party.
Last month three members resigned from the Government's advisory panel on LGBT issues, which had been set up by Theresa May. Jayne Ozanne was the first to go. It is worth watching the news clip, in which she reveals that she has also resigned from the Conservative party over this issue. I've resigned from @GEOgovuk the #LGBT Advisory Panel – and decided to say exactly what I think about this administration and the way they treat LGBT people, particularly trans people. Do watch ITV News tonight for the full interviewhttps://t.co/U6pjNZwyEq — Jayne Ozanne (@JayneOzanne) March 10, 2021 The main concern ...
Tue, 12:56: RT @EllenKushner: For my fellow angsty writers. Please tattoo on every available surface. Martha Graham to Agnes deMille: https://t.co/jkDF... Tue, 13:52: On the field where Ormuzd has challenged Ahriman to battle, he who chases away the dogs is wasting his time. (Dag Hammarskjold, 1956) Tue, 16:05: The Northern Ireland riots have exposed Boris Johnson's reckless complacency https://t.co/JgROj7Kwew To put it mildly. Tue, 17:06: RT @worldcon2021: The finalists for the 2021 Best Video Game 🎮 Hades (Supergiant Games) - Greg Kasavin @kasavin Animal Crossing: New Hori... Tue, 17:06: RT @worldcon2021: @kasavin The Last of Us: Part II (Sony Interactive, ...
Wed 14th
10:59
"Much also will be made of the fact that I have a past conviction..." - an unusual election leaflet
One for the 'very unusual election leaflets' pile, courtesy of a Conservative candidate in Cambridgeshire.
"History repeats itself first as tragedy then as farce," according to Marx. The 1962 coup in Burma was followed by five decades of harsh military rule. There is little farcical about the 1 February coup when in the weeks passing many unarmed protesters have been killed including many children. The situation in Myanmar gives rise to grave concern. Fitch Solutions is projecting a "conservative" 20% contraction for the 2020-21 fiscal year in Myanmar. It said this month the rising death toll combined with increased social instability means "all areas of GDP by expenditure are set to collapse." The garment sector ...
At last some accountability for the Home Office with the Guardian reporting that MPs and peers from the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on immigration detention have agreed to proceed with an inquiry into the government's use of sites such as military barracks to accommodate asylum seekers. Members of the group have described the Home Office's use of large-scale, institutional sites as "quasi-detention", saying that although the likes of Napier barracks in Folkestone are not technically immigration detention the accommodation shares many features with it. The group say these include isolation from the wider community and related difficulties accessing medical and ...
There's a new 'I'm voting Lib Dem' frame you can use on your Facebook avatar ahead of the May elections.
i) births and deaths 14 April 1935: birth of the late great Terrance Dicks, who began in 1968 as script editor for the last four Second Doctor stories, remained as script editor throughout the Pertwee, wrote or co-wrote six TV stories for five Doctors, and most crucially wrote 82 novelisations and spinoff novels, a total which is unlikely ever to be surpassed (Justin Richards is on less than half of that number) 14 April 1956: birth of Peter Capaldi, who played Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii (Tenth Doctor, 2008), Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth (2009) and most of ...
Lord Bonkers once offered the observation that the Wise Woman of Wing was "Terribly Wise". I think he was on to something. And there really was a Wise Woman of Wing, you know. Wednesday "What you people have to do, dearie, is stop attracting new groups of supporters and then letting them down as soon as the election is over." My interlocutor, you will not be surprised to learn, is the Wise Woman of Wing. I have popped over to her cottage to pick up a herbal tonic for my moustache, which is none the better for its long experience ...
I have received concerns from many residents about the poor state of the roadway in parts of Abbotsford Place and raised this with the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership. I have now received the following helpful update : "Abbotsford Place is included in the Structural Inlay Programme for 2021-2022. Structural inlay is reconstruction of the carriageway at those spots identified where deterioration of the road structure extends into the layers below the wearing surface. So, yes it is a new surface but more depth of the road surface will be removed then be reconstructed to the existing road surface. This ...
I despise politicians who are dishonest, lazy or arrogant. Those who only look for a photo op and don't do any actual work are not worthy of the position that they hold. I won't be like that if I'm elected as the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire. This video contains my pledge on that. View it here. The post Honesty. openness and accountability first appeared on David Watts.
