11:43 pm
Here in Bath and NE Somerset we have now had 5 years of increasing bus passenger numbers. This last year's growth was 5.5%. And since April we have also had the free bus scheme for residents aged over 60. This growth is directly attributable to putting in the bus gate at the Guildhall in 2002 which enabled buses crossing time to keep to schedule. It also enabled the Pulteney Bridge bus gate to...
10:46 pm
With every passing day of hot, clammy weather I have become more and more like Test Cricket umpire Steve Bucknor. I move very, very slowly. Today's downpour was such a relief! I don't think I have ever greeted rain with such enthusiasm. I bought a Panama hat a few weeks ago. I needed it to do an impression of Hercule Poirot at Newbury Carnival. It then came in handy for my visit to Lord's for
10:34 pm
Like everyone else, I am horrified by the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East. I pray that it will end soon. After viewing the Northern Ireland troubles from the sidelines for many years, I learnt not to try to suggest who was to blame or "who started it". One thing is for sure, the only place that the strife will halt is round a negotiating table. It is remarkable to remember that
9:24 pm
Bath and NE Somerset were the 100th Council to sign up to the Nottingham Declaration when we signed at the December 05 Conference. This week the movement launched its action pack to enable Councils to deliver on the sustainability agenda by addressing the problem in bite sized chunks. Follow this link to read the declaration, check out the action pack and get your council to sign up at...
8:36 pm
{Dream Number} There are adverts on TV at the moment about the new lottery game Dream Number. In it they mention that "Winning just got easier". The game has a 1 in 10 chance of winning and the most likely prize is only £2. In the small print it says compared to Lotto Extra, this game has now been removed, however it had odds of 1 in 13,983,816 and had one prize that was almost always over a million pounds. I'm sure that whatever concept they could have come up with would have resulted in more chances in winning.
6:17 pm
Thursday July 13 At the Assembly Rooms we have the Museum of Costume an excellent museum with lots of fabulous clothing from the past. We are very lucky that we have been donated over 400 items by John Bates. John Bates was one of the big fashion names of the 1960 and 1970s. It was designers like John who made fashion available on the high street at affordable prices. John also dressed...
6:04 pm
{YouGov} Free money? I've been doing it for ages and have just reached the £20 mark. However compared to other survey site you do seem to earn more. If only the Brand Index surveys weren't so boring, they just seem to go on and on, and seem to be about the same companies every month. However at the end you do get to give negative points to Tony Blair and get 50p for the hassle.
5:43 pm
So, I’m all set and ready to hop on a train tomorrow morning and here’s where I’m going to be for the next week or so: Sunday 23rd: Train from Birmingham to Inverness, complete with 45 minutes in Edinburgh. Monday 24th: Train from Inverness to Wick, bus from Wick to Canisbay/John O’ Groats and an evening stroll [...]
3:01 pm
I've been expanding the non-Lib-Dem part of my blogroll. Most of the usual names are there, although still not Mr Fawkes, for reasons explained here. There are two particular blogs I'd like to mention. The excellent Ministry of Truth is presumably written by a Labour Party activist in Brighton. He isn't exactly a Blair loyalist! It has a lot of good stuff, including an investigation into a BNP
2:37 pm
Submitted as a response to today's Any Questions: I am somewhat disappointed that none of your panellists mentioned that the major problem with Personal Carbon Allowances is that they are already largely redundant. As an EU member, we are already a member of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which charges businesses for the carbon they emit. As most ordinary citizens' carbon emissions are emitted
2:18 pm
Last Wednesday's Council Meeting ended up being remarkably non-controversial. This was despite two potentially difficult items on the agenda. The first concerned the County Council's proposal to build a new Primary School on the playing fields next to the Meadowside Recreation Centre in Whiteley. The previous Lib Dem administration had refused to release this land because: It would have involved
1:48 pm
UKIP have seen fit to select Susie Colley for the Tormohun ward in Torquay. She appears to stand for little except for visceral hatred of the Lib Dems (locally and nationally) and has an over-inflated regard for her own abilities. Hence my initial letter to the local [and very Tory-inclined] paper - The Herald Express 01 July ; As a former resident of Tormohun ward, I have followed with interest Susie Colley's intention to stand for election to Torbay Council next May. In announcing her candidature she states the need to bring truth, transparency and reality back to the council. ...
12:44 pm
At last a date has been set for the rerun of Thailands elections. I hope that the pending court cases can be resolved as quickly as possible to give a clear run in to the new elections. Then lets hope that all the parties participate in the elections and that everyone accepts the results
9:27 am
Nearly two years ago, I watched the third series of 24 in 24 hours. I’ve not seen any since and, thanks to a colleague, find myself in possession of the series 4 box set. I couldn’t resist the temptation to watch the whole thing today. I don’t fancy staying up all night, so I’m aiming to [...]
8:21 am
The appearance of a blog written by the Chief Constable for North Wales continues to attract interest. I have just done an interview with Good Morning Wales on the phenomenon of blogging. What they seemed to want to know above everything else is how we think of things to write about. Clearly, they have not read many blogs, least of all the political ones. Blogging has moved beyond the realms of a personal on-line diary, though thousands of people still use it in that way. In many ways blogs are setting the agenda, as well as reacting to news elsewhere. ...
8:15 am
Robin Lawrence, who came so close to winning Park Ward from the Labour Party this May, has been re-selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Park Ward for the 2007 Local Elections. At a Branch meeting on Wednesday 19 July Robin was unanimously reselected. Robin said,"I am delighted and honoured to have be re-selected and look forward to carry on the campaign and win the seat next May."
2:52 am
on the BBC website here. Not bad publicity from a mobile phone on a sail training boat in the middle of the Irish Sea. We Beagle Project founders recently had a meeting with Lord Richard Livsey: he gave me a 'don't I know you from somewhere?' look that all good politicians have. Yes, he did. I typed the press release and made a few phone calls announcing that he, Geraint Howells MP and Alex
1:18 am
It’s 12 years (and now one day) since Tony Blair was elected leader of the Labour Party. I wonder if he ever thought it would turn out like this? His Government regarded as sleazier than John Major’s Tories;Trailing the Tories in the polls;Forced to defend his deputy who has been found guilty of flouting Parliamentary standards;Aligned with a right-wing neo-con President against the United Nations
12:32 am
I’ve just done another video over on Taking Power. An almost embarrassingly cheap set-up (which perhaps you can see in the production!): Equipment was: Canon Digital Ixus 400 Tripod Sony Microphone Olympus Digital Voice Recorder Trial copy of Adobe Premiere Elements downloaded off www.adobe.co.uk. I tried Windows Movie Maker (which comes free with Windows XP), but I found it too hard [...]
12:29 am
Three successive postings about Newsnight smacks of obsession, but - what the heck - I'm a blogger. Many commentators have passed judgement on Ming Campbell's Newsnight performance t'other night: Alex Wilcock (impeccably fair); Jonathan Calder (contemptuous of Newsnight); James Graham (Ming's getting there); Rob Fenwick (unconvinced); Paul Walter (a happy bunny); and Me (let's get some
12:16 am
There’s an interesting, if slightly odd, column today by BBC Newsnight’s deputy editor, Daniel Pearl. (Hat-tip: Rob Fenwick.) If you write anything about Newsnight, or about me, on a blog, I'll probably find it via Technorati. So for example, I know that there's a whole debate going on about Ming Campbell's performance on Newsnight - the question being asked is whether Ming is the Lib Dems' Iain
12:09 am
Won't it be nice if yesterday turns out to have been an historic day in English cricket? The BBC reports: Yorkshire's teenage leg-spinner Adil Rashid produced a phenomenal performance on debut as Warwickshire were heavily beaten at Scarborough. Bradford-born Rashid, 18, also billed as a fine batsman, took 6-67 as Warwickshire were all out for 239, losing by an innings and 96 runs.
Friday 21st July 2006,
Thursday 20th July 2006,
Wednesday 19th July 2006,
Tuesday 18th July 2006,
Monday 17th July 2006,
Sunday 16th July 2006
