Purple and his companion show us Northampton's abandoned lines to Bedford and to Wellingborough, And parts of them have definitely been abandoned rather than dismantled.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rest is History podcast on history's greatest monkeys was a disappointment in that there was no mention of the Barbary ape that bit King Alexander of Greece in 1920 and caused his death - perhaps it didn't go to the right school? - but it was invaluable for another reason. Because it mentioned that Desmond Morris is still alive and living in Ireland at the age of 96. This led me to look at Morris's remarkable career and discover his family connection with Richard Jefferies. Morris's book The Naked Ape was a bestseller, and a scandal ...
GDP stats: Rishi's recession confirmed Thames Water: Broken firm needs to be taken into special administration McArthur's Assisted Dying Bill published by Scottish Parliament Blackie unveils plan to "Green" the Silvertown Tunnel GDP stats: Rishi's recession confirmed Responding to this morning's ONS figures confirming the UK economy did go into recession last year, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: These damning figures confirm the damage done to the UK economy by Rishi's recession. This Conservative government has no plan for growth or to help families paying the price for years of economic chaos through soaring mortgages and rents. ...
Normally that headline would have produced a big yawn and a switch to another post. But, after the heart-breaking stories emerging from the criminal investigation in Hull, we hope to hold your attention for a little longer. The very first speech I gave at Conference, back in 1998, was on precisely that subject. Incidentally I always advise people to plan their first speech at Conference on a niche topic. Some debates scheduled in the "graveyard slot" attract few speakers so the chances of being called are very high. It can be really dispiriting to sit through a long debate on ...
The Guardian published a tribute to Eleanor Stanier last month but it has only just appeared in the print edition where someone spotted it for us. It seems an obituary had previously appeared in The Telegraph, but I imagine fewer Lib Dems read that. Eleanor was a longstanding member of Richmond and Twickenham Liberal Democrats. She represented Mortlake ward from 1997 and served as Mayor of Richmond upon Thames from 2001-2002. Eleanor expressed her commitment to community by serving on a variety of local bodies such as Richmond Housing Partnership, the East Sheen Society, Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Museum, Barnes ...
The Independent reports that millions of Britons are barred from entering the EU by post-Brexit passport rules that are set to cause chaos over the Easter holidays. The paper says that an estimated 2.4 million travellers have documents that can't be used for trips to the EU because of the change in expiry requirements: Since Brexit, British passports must have an issue date less than 10 years old on the day of departure to the EU, and must have at least three months left before their expiry date on the intended day of return. But millions of passports issued prior ...
Michael's ward surgeries take place today and every Thursday during school term time. They are as follows : Thursdays at 5.45pm prompt - West End Campus (come to reception area of St Joseph's RC and Victoria Park Primary Schools) Thursdays at 6.30pm prompt - Harris Academy reception area All welcome - no appointment necessary! Please note that Michael and Fraser have no surgeries during the school Easter holidays and, after tonight's, Michael's surgeries return on Thursday 18th April.
Sian Norris meets the Polish activists supporting Ukrainian women fleeing war horrors. "We are in the midst of a major shift in the way we think about mental distress, away from unproven theories about 'chemical imbalances' or genetic flaws and towards a closer look at the circumstances of people's lives." Lucy Johnstone on changing understandings of mental distress. "The justification for early boarding is based on a massive but common misconception. Because physical hardship in childhood makes you physically tough, the founders of the system believed that emotional hardship must make you emotionally tough. It does the opposite. It causes ...
