So last Wednesday we had the day off and decided to go to a stately home, and what a stately home we went to!!! Wentworth Woodhouse has been called many things, the largest privately owned house in the UK, 3 houses in one, one of the most neglected stately homes in the UK and many [...]
As with 'pork barrel politics' so with 'levelling up': a phrase widely used by political insiders leaves the public baffled. The levelling up polling comes from Opinium: Before today had you heard of the term "levelling up" in the context of it being something the government wants to do? 30% – I had not heard this before today 21% – I had heard it but don't know what it means 30% – I had heard it and have a vague idea of what it means 18% – I had heard it and have a clear idea of what it means ...
Today I was pleased to support the Excluded Unity Alliance. About 60 of us braved the torrential downpours to make our point about those who have been unable to access any support from the Government during the pandemic. This number ... Continue reading →
Contact won the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1997, beating four other films (the first time since 1992 that no TV episode was on the ballot, and only the second time since 1992 that a cinematic film won). The losers were, in order, Men in Black, Gattaca, The Fifth Element and Starship Troopers. I have seen Men in Black and Starship Troopers, and I really like them both, but I actually think Contact is better. IMDB users are not as impressed, rating it 13th of the year's films on one system and 19th on the other, with all the ...
In the 1980s, Max Atkinson revolutionised understanding of political speech making which his classic work, Our Masters' Voices: The Language and Body Language of Politics.
Photo from Cycling UK showing the likely change to the Highway Code for passing a cyclist. I've posted about this national police operation day (on 21st April 2021) twice and those previous posts can be accessed via this link:- To say that I feel I've been cycling around in circles is putting it mildly as I've chased both Lancashire and Merseyside Police for their stats from the day this year. LANCASHIRE POLICE – Sadly, it turns out that Lancashire Police did not participate at all! This is what Lancashire Road Safety Partnership told me on 25th May (coincidentally the ...
Fri, 16:08: RT @DionisCenusa: #Moldova: It's official. Moldova has a new pro-EU and pro-reform government with 61 votes of President's Sandu party. Con... Fri, 17:03: Ukraine's First Black Lawmaker Is Now Also Its First Gold Medalist In Tokyo https://t.co/BmrP93GqTI Fri, 17:19: OK, now this is a brilliant idea from the Slovenian Presidency of the EU @EU2021SI. Over at https://t.co/2lqARDEMCc, they have made available a book from each of the EU 27 countries, for your summer reading. All available for free online until 31 December. Great idea. https://t.co/YgZSsqrO9h Fri, 18:01: Friday reading https://t.co/qpNHu8lHnR Fri, 18:14: July 2012 books https://t.co/CbaH50WQXn Fri, 20:48: ...
Boris Johnson's blatant avoidance of self isolation as a staffer who tested positive for Covid further undermines confidence in this Government. I feel sorry for anyone who has to be around him over the next few days. He could pass a potentially deadly virus on to them or ultimately their vulnerable relatives. It is an anxious time for them. The Guardian has the story and Ed Davey's reacton: The group were tested upon landing, and the official's result was positive so they went into isolation. Some whose result came back negative were told to make their own way home, while ...
Most of us emitted a deep sigh and moved on when UK Ministers started to wrap themselves in the union jack, though to be fair I did retaliate slightly by adopting Welsh and European flags as a backdrop for all my video conferencing meetings. My little act of rebellion has cost the public nothing, whereas Boris Johnson's flag-obsession is proving very expensive indeed. The Guardian reports that spending on union flags has increased in virtually every government department since Johnson entered Downing Street, with more than £163,000 spent this year and last. It accounts for 85% of union flag purchases ...
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 works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Abbotsford Place (Blackness Avenue to Peddie Street), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 9th August 2021 for five working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available Blackness Avenue / Hawkhill / Peddie Street and in reverse. For further information contact 433168. Executive DirectorCity Development DepartmentDundee ...
My trip into Leicester on Wednesday meant I was able to visit the city's new independent bookshop, Fox Books. You will find it in St Martin's Square, which feels a good location for a bookshop. The stock is small but well chosen, and I came away with Catherine Belton's Putin's People. This is currently the subject of a libel action in the London courts, which tends to support her argument. When I was a teenager, in the old days, in the Seventies, I had a circuit of Leicester bookshops (new, second-hand and remaindered) to follow. Even in the Nineties, national ...
