Second email of March:From: Martin Lukes To: Keri Tartt Hi Keri How are you this morning? Great outfit! If you've got a mo, a large latte and a pain au chocolat would go down nicely. Also a big bag of felt pens - I'd like some thin ones and some of those big chunky highlighters and some A3 paper Tx MartinClassic novel of corporate life in London, as expressed through the emails of Martin Lukes, both self-obsessed and utterly un-self-aware, working through hubris, nemesis, and just possibly catharsis. You can spot pretty early on what is going to happen - ...
Only £1 to come to conference Our autumn federal party conference is being held online in September. There's a brilliant offer for people who have not come to conference before: you can register for just £1. Conference will include an important trio of linked debates: on our party's values, our policy platform and our strategy. Traditionally, we have debated these separately at conference, even years apart. But all three need to fit together in a coherent way – which is one of the lessons from the 2019 election post-mortem. So this time we're doing things differently. The values and platform ...
[IMG: Folkestone Old High Street] The final draft of the Folkestone Town Centre Place Plan is now live at https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/folkestoneplaceplan The Place Plan consists of three main documents: an Urban Appraisal, Engagement Report and the draft Place Plan. The Urban Appraisal was undertaken during the early stage of the Place Plan development to better understand the area. The study was extensive covering subjects including a socio-economic appraisal, a planning and area review and a baseline of transport and movement in and around the town. This also included an appraisal of local assets, landmarks and uses as well as environmental considerations. ...
This morning's revelation that 44.3% of candidates have achieved A* or A grade passes in this year's Advanced Level examinations is almost bound to provoke a serious re-asesment of this school leaving examination, normally taken at the age of 18+ (but many mature students also take it: there is no age limit. I obtained my "B" in French when well into my 60s. ) I predict a re-assessment, not to belittle the performance of this year's candidates: given the problems created by the Covid lockdowns, school shutdowns and lack of face-to- face stimulus it seems something of a miracle that ...
The Evening Standard reports on the first selection in this Parliament of a Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC).
Tue, 12:56: What the UN's new climate warnings mean for Europe https://t.co/brQ4dH3MON Continent will see more heat waves and floods even if world meets 1.5 degree goal, according to new report. Tue, 16:05: the intern who took over an office, the dragon pajamas, and other stories to cringe over/revel in — Ask a Manager https://t.co/reeJsklgVg ow ow ow! Tue, 17:11: RT @benrileysmith: One jump-out line from the IPCC report: "Each of the last four decades has been successively warmer than any decade that... Tue, 18:33: Nine European picture books https://t.co/UWRxKZFILz Tue, 20:48: The 10th president's last surviving grandson: A bridge ...
The smooth transition to a post-Brexit economy that we were promised by government ministers has not materialised, and many of us are faced with half-empty supermarket shelves, as the shops' just-in-time resupply policies struggle to cope with a shortage of lorry drivers and bureaucratic delays at our borders. It is estimated that the UK needs another 100,000 drivers if lorry-based supply chains are to recover, but there is no sign of even a fraction of that number being recruited in the near future, especially with most non-British drivers being put off by over-zealous immigration controls amonsgt many other barriers imposed ...
Through Brexit and the pandemic, our country has undergone social and political upheavals which will certainly leave a longstanding mark. But these systemic shocks are potential turning points in history where we have the opportunity to remake our politics for the better. Constitutional and electoral reform are dry subjects which fail to enthuse many in politics, let alone the general public. Overcoming that is a challenge in itself, but the current circumstances mean it has never been a better time to make the case for reform for a politics that is more open, fair and representative. On Sunday 19 September, ...
Residents recently contacted me regarding some less than satisfactory pothole repairs in the badly deteriorated road in Briarwood Terrace. I contacted the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership about this and was advised : "The pothole repairs are very difficult on such a poor surface and they are as good as we can do with the road in its current state." However, the very good news is that this poor conditioned roadway will be completely resurfaced this financial year, likely to take place in November.
Wed 11th
00:54
This blog's hero J.W. Logan is quoted in The Shortest History of England by James Hawes
The Shortest History of England by James Hawes does what it says on the cover. I bought it this morning and have already finished it. It's a great little book, whose argument is that the North/South divide marked by the River Trent is fundamental to an understanding of English history. Best of all, this blog's hero J.W. Logan, long-time Liberal MP for Harborough, makes an appearance: Discussing the fear of national decline that was prominent among writers and politicians at the turn of the 20th century, Hawes quotes a speech Logan made in the Commons on 27 January 1897: Let ...
