I note that we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary in our nearest local restaurant at the start of the month. A couple of days later, I (or rather my poor Belarusian intern M) received one of the rudest replies I have ever seen, from the office of Nigel Farage.Dear [Belarusian M] Thank you for your esteemed request. However, it is not within Mr Farage's remit to represent the EU, or its pseudo-parliament, by engaging with any Mission accredited to the EU. He represents the UK Independence Party (independence, that is, from the EU) and the voters of the UK, who ...
Current The Mammoth Book of SF Stories by Women, ed. Alex Dally MacFarlane Don't Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech, by Rana Foroohar Carrying the Fire, by Michael Collins Last books finished Wonder Woman: The Golden Age, Vol. 2 by William Moulton Marston Blind Harry's Wallace, translated by William Hamilton of Gilbertfield Comic Inferno, by Brian W. Aldiss China's Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy, by Peter Martin Next books Boys in Zinc, by Svetlana Alexievich Roger Zelazny's The Dawn of Amber: Book 1, by John Gregory Betancourt
There is a buzz of excitement down in South Bucks. The Lib Dems are fighting hard in in the Chesham and Amersham by-election. Sarah Green, our Liberal Democrat candidate, is gaining ground. While not going as far as suggesting she will win, this weekend's Economist makes much of the leafy commuter belt in South Bucks becoming more socially liberal as younger people move out of the capital. We could win this by-election. Ways everyone can help are detailed below. Cheryl Gillan was a popular, albeit Conservative, politician in Chesham and Amersham. She was president of CPRE Buckinghamshire and a defender ...
The collective memory, the memories of the front like medical workers and the records in all manner of media outlets are wrong. The PPE shortage in the early months of the pandemic was an illusion, maybe a few shortages locally. That's according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. He is blind to PPE shortages and the consequences. His appointment at Specsavers is overdue. Today, Layla Moran takes Hancock to task and tells of harrowing evidence she has heard from families who lost loved ones to Covid caught on wards, and from NHS and care home staff who were left without adequate ...
Thu, 14:42: RT @APCOBXLInsider: Yesterday the #SABREAwards recognized the original research done by #APCO on behalf of our client, Roche on the FutureP... Thu, 15:02: RT @Parlimag: The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the need for a European framework for the personal & household services sector &... Thu, 15:13: @PeterMartin_PCM https://t.co/Ijd54mTJD6 Thu, 21:49: 450 days of plague https://t.co/Nx19p4leM7 Thu, 22:43: RT @TheRealBuzz: Thank you #NASA Juno for the close-up pictures of #Jupiter's largest moon, Ganvmede. We haven't seen images like these in... Fri, 08:21: This vote between the best of RTD's season finales, and yawnfest Ambassadors of Death, ...
The Independent reports on warnings by the chief executive of the RSPCA has sounded the alarm over the prospect of post-Brexit free-trade deals with countries where farm animals are treated in ways that would be illegal in the UK. Chris Sherwood has warned that animal welfare standards will be "watered down by the back door" and UK farmers will be undercut if the government signs agreements with other nations where farm animals are made to suffer needlessly. In particular, he fears Britain's forthcoming deal with Australia could set a precedent for similar arrangements around the world that would lead to ...
Jago Hazzard explains why the Central Line's Roding Valley is the quietest station on the London Underground. You can support his videos via his Patreon page. Oh and Geoff Marshall has been to Roding Valley too.
We're back to council by-elections, with two held this week, both in Waltham Forest, London. Good to see both having Liberal Democrat candidates as appearing regularly on the ballot paper is an important part of building up a larger core of people who regularly vote Lib Dem. Grove Green, Waltham Forest The Lib Dem candidate was Arran Angus: Grove Green (Waltham Forest) result: LAB: 58.4% (+4.1) LDEM: 24.3% (+0.5) GRN: 9.2% (-2.9) CON: 6.4% (-0.2) TUSC: 1.8% (-1.6) Labour HOLD. Chgs. w/ 2018 — Britain Elects (@BritainElects) June 10, 2021
i) births and deaths 11 June 1927: birth of Kit Pedler, who co-wrote The Tenth Planet (First Doctor, 1966), The Moonbase (Second Doctor, 1967) and The Tomb of the Cybermen (Fourth Doctor, 1967) 11 June 1931: birth of Colin Bell, who played Chief Petty Officer Summers in The Sea Devils (Third Doctor, 1972) and Private Bryson in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (Third Doctor, 1974). 11 June 1946: birth of Luan Peters, who played the second version of Chicki in The Macra Terror (Second Doctor, 1967) and Sheila in Frontier in Space (Third Doctor, 1974). i) broadcast anniversaries 11 June 1966: ...
Liberal Democrat Vice President Isabelle Parasram announces her move to Social Value UK. Almost everyone I know has experienced a defining moment during lockdown. We now recognise the value of so much we've taken for granted - green spaces, our freedoms, key workers, our loved ones... even the air that we breathe. I've always dreamed of being at the helm of an organisation that creates grassroots change. I'd put that dream on hold for years, believing what I'd been told – that it would take years of applications and competition would be too fierce. I was also content to postpone ...
As recently reported in the Courier and Evening Telegraph, a number of residents have asked me when the Blether Bus service that was suspended at the start of the COVID-19 health emergency can return. It has take longer to bring back as it uses small mini-buses and that's a challenge with social distancing still in place. The City Council's Team Leader, Parking and Sustainable Transport has now updated me as follows : "My colleague has been in discussion with the team at Fleet Management and we are targeting a date during the school summer holidays for the return of Blether ...
Embed from Getty ImagesFrom the Guardian: The publisher of the Sun has paid a substantial sum to settle a phone-hacking claim brought by the former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes, who claimed he was illegally targeted by reporters wanting to out his sexuality. Speaking to Byline Investigates, Simon said: 'This was to do with unlawful obtaining of phone bills by The Sun. 'This explains what happened 15 years ago when The Sun came to me and said they had information about my relationships. 'In this case, we know that it wasn't just private investigators - it went right to ...
