A Home Office investigation has found one of its most senior officials harassed and behaved inappropriately towards a female colleague, before being able to leave the civil service with an unblemished record after a "shambolic" disciplinary process. And I, for one, am not all surprised by this Guardian report. There's something about a hierarchic organisation that brings out the worse in people. Individuals realise that asking awkward questions is not the way to get on, and the persistence of the organisation and its good reputation trump any other considerations. A couple of quotations to support my view. First, John Steinbeck ...
The first time they met, my father and Tim were so captivated by each other's company that they went out for a drink and did not return until late the following morning. My favourite book on John Arlott is the memoir of him by his son Timothy, which also gives a much sunnier picture of another of this blog's heroes, T.H. White, than you will find elsewhere. (T.H. stood for Terence Hanbury, but White was always 'Tim' to his friends after the retail chemists Timothy Whites, which was for many years Boots' main rival on the high street.) I've never ...
Lib Dems: water regulation in our country is broken Ofwat: Finally Government listened to Lib Dems Scot Lib Dems comment on confirmation of Trump visit dates Cole-Hamilton: SNP want to focus on independence, I want to focus on NHS Cole-Hamilton: SNP want to focus on independence, I want to focus on NHS Lib Dems: water regulation in our country is broken Responding to the news that the number of the most serious water pollution incidents went up by 60% last year, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Tim Farron said: This record of failure shows water regulation ...
To say that Birmingham City Council is facing a number of challenges at the moment would be an understatement. A combination of savage cuts to their central funding, a failed IT system, and the equal pay case which is still yet to be sorted, has left them bankrupt. The bin strikes have left rubbish piling up in the streets. One would imagine that the council has rather more important things to be focusing on than ensuring the complete eradication of street performers from the city centre. Yet this is what us buskers currently face. Three years ago, we campaigned without ...
For East Europeans the overriding emotional issue is fear. Through the centuries Russia has proven itself to be a bad neighbour. The Baltic States alone had more than 130,000 people arrested and sent to labour camps in Siberia. Their language and customs were suppressed and their countries were turned into KGB-controlled Big Brother informer societies. These events are well within living memory. Unsurprisingly, they are taking the lead in calling for the toughest measures to support Ukraine and oppose Russia. The further west one travels the more fear is replaced by the less tangible concerns such as freedom, democracy and ...
The second of two Dundee Instrumental Band Sunday band concerts this month on Magdalen Green takes place tomorrow - Sunday 20th July - at 2pm. Everyone welcome!
Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles is by the far the most iconic of Swansea's castles. It was used as the residence of the Marcher Lords of Gower and was frequently under attack from the local Welsh. In the twelfth century the castle was mainly owned by the first Earl of Warwick and his family. In 1203 the lordship of Gower was given to the de Breos family who ruled until the 1320s when it passed into the hands of the de Mowbray's via Alina de Breos who married John de Mowbray. The de Mowbrays lost Gower to the Beauchamps for some ...
