We often despair about the state of our highways. A bumpy ride has become the norm as potholes and road defects grow as fast as Shropshire Council can sort them out. Council leaders have been obsessive in their view that only the private sector can deliver quality highways work. Yet the experience in Shropshire of managing highway maintenance through major contactors has proved as jarring as driving on our roads. The initial 2011 contract with Ringway delivered poor quality and late maintenance. There were high hopes of improvement when Kier took over in 2018 but at a recent committee meeting ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: Quanto a Belbo non era in ufficio. Gudrun mi aveva detto che aveva telefonato dicendo che doveva allontanarsi per motivi di famiglia. Quale famiglia? La cosa strana è che aveva portato via il computer — Abulafia, come ormai lo chiamava — con la stampante. Gudrun mi aveva detto che se l'era messo in casa per terminare un lavoro. Perché tanta fatica? Non poteva scrivere in ufficio? Belbo was away. Gudrun told me he telephoned to say he had to go somewhere for family reasons. What family? The odd thing was, he took away the word ...
Last year I Tweeted a different song every day for a #30DaySongChallenge. Only one drawback: I'd read ahead and there were several questions I just didn't want to think about. So I Tweeted for thirty days anyway - just answering for Day 1, thirty times (never let it be said that once I think up a terrible joke or a diversionary tactic I don't flog both to death). Besides, it turns out there really are a lot of really great songs with colours in them. I've picked today (the anniversary of somewhere-in-the-middle-of-it) to collect these into a post because (in ...
I'm presently reading 'Come and get these memories' a book by the famous Motown song writers Brian & Eddie Holland of the Holland Dozier Holland partnership. One of the interesting things about this excellent book is that they explain the origins of some famous songs. This Martha Reeves & The Vandellas' track struck me in particular:- Nowhere to run – written to mark the sending to Vietnam of a 19-year-old friend of Lamont's who'd been drafted and was terrified. The poor chap was later killed when he stood on a landmine..... And here's a YouTube link to the song...... www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABbc-O_3_Ac ...
Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans, Deputy Leader and spokesperson for education has just been challenging ministers in the Commons on the problem students have been experiencing during the pandemic. She said that students felt forgotten, that their mental health had deteriorated and government funds for students facing hardship should be doubled. Addressing Michelle Donelan, Minister for Universities, Daisy said: "About 36 hours ago, around 1 million students who have still not returned to university since Christmas were told that they should not expect to do so until at least 17 May. Before that announcement, it seemed that the Government ...
Given that he was chucked out of the Conservative Party for his loyalty to parliament and European ideal rather than the party itself, Sir Oliver Letwyn must be one of the more noble of the Tories. However, on BBC Radio 4's "News at One" yesterday (15th April), in discussing David Cameron's lobbying on behalf of Greensill and Tory sleaze in general, he was confident the "knowing David" as he did, he was quite sure that the ex-prime minister couldn't possibly have done anything dishonourable and the Labour Party were merely "politicising" (said repeatedly) the issue. "Politicising" or "playing politics" I ...
On Tuesday a precedent was set which I hope will be followed by other Labour Councillors in Liverpool. Cllr Robertson-Collins resigned as Cabinet member for the Environment and Climate Change on Tuesday in protest at Labour's plans for the Strand ... Continue reading →
Wed, 12:56: A glorious tale of micropolitics. https://t.co/OZYM85epRR Wed, 17:29: RT @BrusselsTimes: The Consultative Committee has announced what restrictions will be lifted in Belgium after the Easter pause, which ends... Wed, 18:33: Worlds Apart, by Richard Cowper https://t.co/HZKrAc9YG0 Wed, 21:03: RT @SpaceflightNow: Forty years ago today, NASA astronauts John Young & Bob Crippen guided the space shuttle Columbia to a landing on the d... Wed, 21:09: RT @IBalkanNA: Bulgaria: Borissovo proposes Daniel Mitov for Prime Minister https://t.co/HgM0XU7AAN Thu, 08:45: RT @lordbonkers: @nwbrux I gave Richard Cowper a mention here https://t.co/qS6heKKSVo Thu, 09:30: Whoniversaries 15 April https://t.co/Q7hOsTbsR4 Thu, 10:45: "It's Not ...
If you ever wondered why the Tories want to repeal human rights legislation then this Guardian article may offer up a clue. The paper reports that a landmark court ruling has held the home secretary, Priti Patel, accountable for failures in ensuring that deaths in immigration detention centres are properly investigated: Two judges in the immigration court ruled on Wednesday that three of the home secretary's detention policies breached human rights rules and that she could not frustrate or undermine inquiries into these deaths. Lawal proved to be a key witness, but the Home Office tried to deport him five ...
The Conservatives have promised an extra £40 million for highways if they are re-elected. At a committee meeting early in the month, council officers confirmed that this money could not be found within the planned budget but will have to come from grants, extra government funding, cuts to other budgets and the council's diminishing reserves. The £40 million is fantasy money, not a commitment. The Conservatives have cut £10 million from the highways budget over the last two years. They have been able to make up a bit of ground through one off government grants for potholes and to repair ...
Only four seats in this year's local elections are going completely uncontested, three of which are in the Isles of Scilly. One of them isn't just uncontested, it's got no candidates at all. Rather that someone being elected without a need for votes, a new election is now going to have to be held: All rather different from the ward in London where there is one seat up for election and thirteen candidates from the same party. Hat-tip: Democracy Club. Sign up to get the latest news and analysis Email* Enter Email Confirm Email Name* First Last What would ...
i) births and deaths 15 April 1921: birth of David Garth, who played Solicitor Grey in The Highlanders (Second Doctor, 1967-68) and a Time Lord messenger in Terror of the Autons (Thirrd Doctor, 1971) 15 April 1922: birth of Peter Moffatt, who directed State of Decay (Fourth Doctor, 1980), The Visitation (Fifth Doctor, 1982), Mawdryn Undead (Fifth Doctor, 1983), The Five Doctors (Fifth Doctor and friends, 1983), The Twin Dilemma (Sixth Doctor, 1984) and The Two Doctors (Sixth Doctor and friends, 1985). Has any other director directed stories with six different Doctors in them? 15 April 1997: birth of Maisie ...
I'm far from convinced that this escapade was compliant with the Covid regulations then pertaining, but I'm not going to be the one to tell the old brute. Thursday The evening sees my joining a socially distanced brigade to maintain the defences on Leicestershire's border with Nottinghamshire. Fences are reinforced, mines laid, booby traps dug. We have seen too many promising Leicestershire cricketers snatched from Grace Road by the Trent Bridge press gang to take these matters lightly - the names Stuart Broad and James Taylor spring to mind. One day my campaign to have first-class status restored to Rutland ...
I have received a number of residents' concern about the width of the foot/cycle path on part of Riverside Avenue, particularly between the roundabout with Riverside drive and the entrance to Riverside Nature Park at Wright Avenue. This comment from a resident captures the concern : "The footpath along Riverside Avenue from the roundabout going to Wright Avenue is far too narrow for pedestrians, prams, children AND bicycles. Noticed a lady having to step onto the road while trying to move around prams and a fast moving lorry was lucky to have missed her." I raised this recently with the ...
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