From the Liberal Democrat website comes news of the latest party awards, which are now done at both federal conferences in a year. Different awards are presented at each: Party Awards recognise publicly those who have given the party outstanding service and commitment in the past year. They are presented at Conference and each winner receives a trophy to keep. You can watch last autumn's presentation ceremony here and this Spring's awards here. We present three awards at Spring Conference, and five at Autumn Conference. You can nominate someone by clicking here. The upcoming awards are: The President's Award Eligibility: ...
In an interview with the I, Ed Davey has announced that the Lib Dems are picking candidates in "blue wall" seats like Chesham and Amersham with the aim of taking seats off the Tories at the next General Election. Speaking in Guildford, a former Lib Dem seat held by the Tories since 2005, Sir Ed said: "We're selecting our candidate, do it early and get them on the doorstep." He added: "If we get through these selections, which are now going well apace, we'll have campaigns, we'll have people who are going out there and knocking on doors, week in ...
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. This was the month that I agreed to become Division Head for promotions for the 2014 Worldcon in London. I had ...
When we were looking at this week of by-elections coming up, we thought it'd be a bit of a lull. In fact, it's been one of the most exciting by-election weeks we've had in a while! A Tuesday by-election, flying the flag for the first time in 30 years in Sandwell, and an outstanding Parish Council win by just one vote. It's been a great week for us by-election nerds! We had quite the pleasant surprise here at ALDC towers when someone reported a by-election happening on Tuesday night, even more so when it ended up being another Lib Dem ...
Fri, 12:56: On credibility of CoE protections https://t.co/OQbyflF0jL My former colleague @ilgarmammadov on the European Court of Human Rights and Azerbaijan. Fri, 15:41: RT @13sarahmurphy: Freedom Day. Independence Day. Levelling up. Build back better. Oven ready deal. Take back control. World-beating. Globa... Fri, 16:05: RT @Tom_deWaal: "Putin, an amateur, boldly steps on every mine as he attempts to tell Ukrainians that their statehood is an accident, their... Fri, 18:04: Friday reading https://t.co/2n13CwYu7Z Fri, 20:53: I'm at Reserve Du Terroir in Paris, �le-de-France https://t.co/4mc8PpMprR Eating a meal in Paris for the first time in more than two years. Eating a meal ...
America has developed its own version of Original Sin. It is called the Critical Race Theory and is proving to be yet another toxic debate topic dividing Black and White and the growing chasm separating America's right and left. Original Sin was propagated by St Augustine in the 4th century. It maintained that every human was born sinful and spent a lifetime fighting against it. The Augustinian philosophy was a major tenet of the medieval church and proved especially with the breakaway Protestant sects. Gradually, however, first the Catholics, and then most of the Protestants revised their thinking. Sin was ...
No, this is not me. Absolutely not me. No way it could be me.
The Independent reports on the extraordinary financial contortions involved in funding the Prime Minister's refurbishment of the Number 10 flat, quoting an official report which claims the lavish makeover included spending £28,000 of taxpayers' cash mainly on "painting and sanding of floorboards": It states: "The Cabinet Office has a £30,000 budget each year for the upkeep of the dwellings within No 11 Downing Street. "During 2020-21, Cabinet Office spent £28,647 with Mitie Facilities Management Ltd at the request of the prime minister, which included painting and sanding of floorboards." The accounts add: "Additional invoices for the refurbishment work undertaken on ...
Do highways chiefs dream of tarmac sheep? There is certainly a lot of dreaming going on in Shirehall. In the May elections, the Conservative group promised an extra £10 million a year for highways for the next four years. At the time, the council said it would find the extra money from grants, extra government funding, cuts to other budgets and the council's diminishing reserves. The council has "found" this year's £10 million by raiding the broadband, commercial and drainage budgets. Even so, ten million pounds proves to be little more than a drop of a rainwater in a flooded ...
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of carriageway resurfacing and road safety improvement works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in City Road (between Baxter Street and Milnbank Gardens), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 19 July for 5 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Pentland Avenue / Balgay Road / Blackness Road / Rosefield Street. For further information ...
John Rogers goes in search of the course of the lost River Peck, which gives its name to Peckham in South London: The Peck is said to rise near One Tree Hill in Honor Oak and then flows above ground across Peckham Rye before re-entering its culvert as it flows through the streets of Peckham just to the west of Copeland Road. Our walk then goes past Peckham Bus Garage to Kirkwood Road and picks up the course of the river again at Asylum Road near Queens Road Station. The river most likely flows beneath Brimmington Park but we continue ...
