News from Lambeth Liberal Democrats about Cllr Tina Valcarcel: A former Labour Mayor of Lambeth has today joined the Liberal Democrats. Councillor Tina Valcarcel has served in Lambeth for almost 20 years, having first been elected in 2006. She was Mayor of Lambeth in 2011/12. As Deputy Cabinet Member for Disabilities in 2019, she was responsible for the successful introduction of "SignLive", a service to enable hearing impaired service users to access online British Sign Language interpreters at the click of a button. She currently sits as a councillor for Stockwell East. Commenting, Lambeth Lib Dem Leader, Councillor Donna Harris ...
Last year I presided over the City's main Remembrance Sunday event when as Lord Mayor I laid the first wreath on behalf of the people of Liverpool. It was a lovely event, and I always remember that Liverpool holds the biggest Remembrance Day event outside London. We do so not just because so many of our people died in the two World Wards and countless other conflicts but because Liverpool has many of our sons and daughters in the armed forces all of whom are ready to make the final sacrifice. I am just back from a much smaller event ...
Japan The Japanese economy is in trouble. Not huge trouble. Its growth rate is a mere 0.5 percent. Inflation looks good at 2.2 percent but the country has an ageing population and low birth rate. It is unsteady enough that a major setback could have big consequences for the world's third largest economy. And Trump's tariffs have created a setback for the country's car industry. So much so that this week industry leaders took the unusual step of warning of tough times ahead. Japan is heavily dependent on car exports. According to the International Trade Centre, 20 percent of Japanese ...
Viola Wills featured in the Top 20 countdown on one of Friday's vintage Top of the Pops on BBC4. I had to look her up to see what song it was and found that it was her disco interpretation of Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now. A little research into the song showed that the most influential, though not the first, version of it was by this blog's old friends, the slightly spooky Patience and Prudence. Patience and Prudence? A reminder from Ear Candy: Patience & Prudence were actually sisters and the daughters of orchestra leader Mack McIntyre. Patience (11 ...
Another budget, and another set of parliamentary debates - and newspaper comments - that will generate much heat but very little light about the choices Britain faces in raising state revenue and funding public services. Since Margaret Thatcher used revenues from North Sea oil and receipts from privatization to fund current spending through asset sales rather than higher taxes, Britain has been stuck with a false self-image that we can be a country of both lower taxes than our continental counterparts and comparably generous public services. Brexit of course, with its consequences in in depressing economic growth, has made the ...
This is a great historic photograph of the entrance to Pleasance Court - 'the Coffin Mill' - before it was converted to housing.
The Independent reports that Labour MPs are said to be plotting to oust Sir Keir Starmer, despite the prime minister welcoming rebellious backbenchers back into the fold. The paper says that the plot has its origins in the despair about the party's poll ratings and concern that the government may break Labour's manifesto promise not to raise income tax to fill a hole in the public finances, suggesting that there is mounting discontent among Labour backbenchers: While a challenge against the prime minister is not thought to be imminent, a number of MPs, cabinet ministers and party strategists told The ...
Thank you to Planting Up Sunniside for the Remembrance display in Streetgate.
We had a team of 10 in Whickham South and Sunniside today to deliver our latest Focus newsletters. My original plan was to do one edition for the whole ward but we had too much to report on. So we had two editions instead, one for Sunniside and the villages and one for Whickham South. Thanks to everyone who helped. Most of the ward is now delivered. We have a small number of patches still
