This is a lovely film from 1953 about the 'Obby 'Oss festival, which is held every May Day in the Cornish town of Padstow. Those taking part are convinced of the festival's ancient roots, though historians (well, Wikipedia) say there's no evidence to suggest that it began earlier than the 18th century. But that has never taken away from anyone's fun on the day or in the run up to it, and no one gets burnt in a wicker man.
Suspected drug deaths up by 11% Welsh Lib Dems criticise Tata's "heavy handed" approach to steel workers concerns Cole-Hamilton speaks in abortion safe access zones debate UK Governments Rwanda plans are "cold and callous"- Welsh Lib Dems Blackie: scrap business rates, boost our high streets Suspected drug deaths up by 11% Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that the country's drugs crisis continues to "end lives and blight communities", as new quarterly statistics revealed that suspected drug deaths have increased by 11%. Figures published today show that between December 2023 and February 2024, the total number ...
Uber Ambulance: Thousands in need of urgent care making their own way to A&E Homelessness figures: Ban no fault evictions before more families made homeless Ed Davey says voters are fed up with "out of touch Conservatives" on visit to Tunbridge Wells First Rwanda flight is "cynical nonsense" Uber Ambulance: Thousands in need of urgent care making their own way to A&E Patients in need of "very urgent emergency care" making their own way to A&E increased by nearly 40% since 2019 The number of elderly patients in need of emergency care going to A&E not in an ambulance has ...
As we approach another election, it's worth noting just how flawed First Past the Post (FPTP) voting is as a system for electing candidates in single-winner elections. David Cameron saw his career destroyed by not supporting Alternative Vote (AV), and now it appears Rishi Sunak will witness the rise of The Reform Party, potentially increasing the Tories' losses at the election. The biggest issue with FPTP isn't merely that it encourages dishonest voting or that the concept of 'most votes wins' seems intuitive. Rather, its main flaw is that it can result in the election of the least popular candidate. ...
As a Liberal I believe that parents or guardians have a right to educate their offspring in the tenets and practices of their religion if they have one. However, such "education" should be at their or their religious institutions' expense. It should take place outside the formal state system, at Sunday School, Saturday School, or in the evenings. If faith groups and parents absolutely insist on a complete alternative to a secular full-time education offered by the state, they can run their own schools, but at their expense and not with the help of public funds. I'm aware that for ...
Jamie Driscoll's challenge to Labour in the North East mayoral contest may be a taste of things to come if a Starmer government disappoints, argue Joe Guinan and Martin O'Neill. Martin Roche says Ofcom is not fit for purpose and must be replaced: "The entire entity is unfit for purpose. It must be replaced with a new body with a stiff backbone and sharp teeth, one that acts without fear or favour and is impervious to political pressure. This is about democracy and truth. Both those elements must be bigger than regulators and bigger than demagogue politicians." Megan Kang shows ...
On Monday, MPs debated a petition, supported by Esther Rantzen, aimed at changing the law to allow assisted dying. Several Lib Dem MPs contributed to the debate, all making points in favour of changing the law. Here are their contributions in full: Christine Jardine I was thinking today about all those evenings when I was allowed to sit with my parents and watch "That's Life!", and how I could never have envisaged this moment. With all the successful campaigns in which Dame Esther Rantzen has been involved in her astonishing career, there can surely be none that has touched a ...
Putting aside the immoral nature of the very idea of sending refugees fleeing war and famine to an unsafe country with a dodgy humn rights record, and ignoring for now the near half a billion pound cost of sending migrants to Rwanda, money that could be used to fix the asylum system, what could possibly go wrong with the Tory's big idea? Well, for a start, getting the policy off the starting blocks is not exactly easy. Today's Independent for example, reports that finally, the first failed asylum seeker has been sent to Rwanda, but he had to be bribed ...
We recently received concerns about some of the play equipment at the Lochee Park playpark - for example, the yellow see saw was not working properly very squeaky. We raised this with our local environment manager who responded helpfully as follows :"Our playgrounds team have called into the playpark to inspect and they have carried out a repair to the yellow seesaw and this play equipment is now fully functionable. With regard to the roundabout, we have discovered an issue with the roundabout bearings and these require replacement. Replacement parts have been ordered and once they arrive the needed repair ...
This has to be one of the worst Labour leaflets I have seen for some years. It is Labour's election leaflet in my ward of Whickham South and Sunniside. It is littered with meaningless statements and incomplete sentences. The photo however takes the biscuit. The candidate is a tiny figure against a huge monolith. You almost need a microscope to see him. This is the sort of photo that is used
