The Stamford Canal was an artificial cut that paralleled the River Welland between Stamford and Market Deeping. It was nine and a half miles long and had 12 locks. It was opened in 1670, and so predates the canals of the Industrial Revolution. I believe it was constructed by the Dutch engineers who were responsible for the draining of the Fens. This video from Jay Naylor Films- like and subscribe - shows the Stamford end of the canal.
We are in the middle of elections for internal roles in the Federal party, and I am one of the candidates for President. Voting opens tomorrow. So, this morning, I sat down to write a piece about why members should vote for me. But then, at lunchtime, a statement appeared on the party website - stating that - in the middle of the election - a decision has been taken to change the rules on diversity quotas. And not just any old change, but the very change that only last month Autumn Conference voted overwhelmingly not just to reject, but ...
I was going to write a post about Steve Coogan, the Richard III dig in Leicester and today's new of a libel settlement. But I found that I had said pretty much what I wanted to say on the subject in September 2022. The post is titled Steve Coogan, Richard III and conspiracy theories and my conclusion there is: A story about a lone eccentric who proves the establishment wrong makes for an appealing film, but it has little to do with what went on in Leicester that autumn. And I quoted the archaeologist Mike Potts: I think ultimately what's ...
On Saturday, while some Lib Dem members in Gateshead were running the Whickham surgery, others were in Dunston Hill and Whickham East where we were delivering the latest Focus newsletter. Most patches were completed with the remainder done on Sunday. Next ward in the action day pipeline is Whickham North and Swalwell.
The Whickham councillors held their monthly advice surgery at Whickham Library on Saturday. Of the 9 of us, five were at the surgery and four of us were in Dunston delivering Focus newsletters. Issues raised included the national minimum wage (not quite our responsibility as councillors) and Chase Park.
For a country that prides itself on being a modern democracy, it's remarkable (and very much not in a good way) that we still allow one family, by pure accident of birth, to sit at the apex of our constitutional system. The United Kingdom (yes, we may need to think about what we call our country too) should be a place where every child grows up knowing that they could aspire one day to becoming our Head of State – not whew that role is reserved for one bloodline. This isn't about personal animosity towards the Windsors (though, it has ...
Labour claim they want to fix the housing crisis. But their latest package of reforms for London proves yet again whose side they really are on – and it's not the millions of people priced out of a safe, secure home. The joint paper from the Labour Government and London's Labour Mayor is a developer's charter. Fast-track rules will now apply to schemes with just 20% "affordable" housing - down from 35%. In practice that means fewer than one in eight homes will be for social rent, with the rest falling into the elastic category of "affordable" that still leaves ...
Mon 27th
11:27
Our role is to keep the fire of compassion and decency glowing amid the anger and hate
I listened to a podcast interview with Zack Polanski this week, the News Agents one. I had no preconceived ideas - I'd heard him speak before, but this was my first time listening to an in-depth interview with him as Green Party leader. And I was so impressed as to be worried. One of the biggest difficulties we have as a party is getting the public to understand what we exist for. First-past-the-post (FPTP) has given us the popular perception of a half-way house between Labour and Conservatives - politically useful but not something I was ever comfortable with. Now ...
The Telegraph paywall defeated the judges' effort to read most of the story, but that newspaper still wins our Headline of the Day Award. Thank you to the reader who nominated it.
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 2025 Blackness Road (near Glenagnes Road) - temporary traffic lights from Tuesday 21 October for one week for Scottish and Southern Energy Network work. Forthcoming Roadworks Riverside Avenue and Dykes of Gray Road - closed each evening between 7.00pm and 7.00am only commencing Monday 3 November until Saturday 8 November and from Monday 10 November to Saturday 15 November for carriageway resurfacing works. Areas affected are: Riverside Avenue from its junction with Kingsway/Swallow Roundabout for a distance of 500 metres or ...
The Guardian reports on research revealing that companies that have recently donated to Labour were awarded contracts worth almost £138m during the party's first year in government, raising fresh concerns about the relationship between political donations and public spending. The paper says that a report by the thinktank Autonomy Institute has identified more than 100 companies that have given money to political parties and then won government contracts, under both Conservative and Labour administrations: The study follows a previous investigation by the Guardian that revealed how companies linked to Tory donors had been given billions in public funds since 2016. ...
