The start of the Cartergate development marks the first stage in the planned overhaul of the town centre. New designs show the vast array of planned facilities, including offices, a health club, a hotel, shops, cafes and two landscaped squares, but this will not be the only change to the town, which will also include the Wharf Retail Park, and a £30-million retail and residential development, which is still awaiting planning permission. A development on Garth Lane, has also been approved, but funding has not yet been secured. Further significant changes have also been funded by the Urban Renaissance Programme ...
It's August so it must be time for little Maddie to return to the front pages. Yesterday the Daily Mail had The 48 questions Kate McCann wouldn't answer - and the one she did. Today Metro has Girl told shopkeeper: My name is Maddie... And tomorrow's Daily Telegraph has Madeleine McCann 'was snatched by paedophile ring to order' on the front page. These stories are all nonsense. They all contradict one another. And tonight I heard the McCann's spokesman say that their say daughter was always known as Madeleine within the family, not Maddie. But then as the Bulger case, ...
Having just been to Earl's Court to worship at the temple of hedonistic binge drinking, I am horrified to discover that inflation is really beginning to hit where it hurts. According to CAMRA (one of the few special interest groups with which I have some sympathy), by the time the Olympics arrive a pint of beer will cost £5. By beer they mean the usually-cheaper foamy stuff such as bitter and ale, of course; the story will be worse for larger. Indeed, "By the end of this year the cost of a pint will have risen by an inflation-busting 25 ...
Another football academy has been launched in the Yarborough Ward. As reported in the Grimsby Telegraph, the schemes, supported by Sports Lincs, have been launched all over North East Lincolnshire to tackle anti- social behaviour. The Freshney Green academy, at Kingston Gardens, has just opened and is organised by Humberside Police's Pc Nick Bunker to complement the popular sessions held at Yarborough School on Thursday nights from 6.00pm. PC Bunker said that taking over the green every Friday night will help reduce anti-social behaviour in the area and give youngsters something to do. The academy has been supported by Alec ...
Wed 6th
23:17
The truth is the Portuguese police have the most to lose if Madeleine McCann ever turns up
Since the 20,000 page dossier on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been released by the Portuguese police, it is clear that to describe the investigation as incompetent would be an injustice to incompetent police forces around the world. The usual method of enquiry by police forces is to ensure that all leads are checked up on quickly and that proper forensic evidence is searched for and used as quickly as possible. It is also incumbent on police not to ignore lines of enquiry just because they are obsessed with their own theories or are stuck on one particular hunch. ...
It's not been a good day for former Hillingdon Conservative councillors. I thought the excuse was a little limp though and I'd love to know how many seconds the police define as 'several' {;-)}
Work to clean up Grimsby's cenotaph is now complete.As reported, restoration work on the war memorial at Nuns Corner has been carried out over the last month, after acid pollution combined with age took its toll, and a number of cracks also appeared on the memorial The go-ahead for the much-needed spruce-up was given by North East Lincolnshire Council and members of the Royal British Legion earlier in the year, but bad weather temporarily hampered the restoration. Last month, conditions were deemed perfect and specialist stonemason and restoration expert Mark Stafford used the latest low-pressure washing techniques to clean the ...
To lefties, George W Bush is the most despised politician on earth. He's not that popular amongst traditional Conservatives either, who seem as embarrassed of his record as they are of his well publicised gaffes. But ever since 9/11, Bush has consistently championed the values of freedom and democracy across the globe and where necessary, been prepared to back his words with action - military action. Tomorrow he arrives in Asia for the Olympics, and will tell China's leaders that "America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak..... not ...
Marvel/DC does Batman Vs Iron Man. Watch out for Lee Griffin's cameo just before Jesus appears, about half way through... O:-) Hilarious quote in the CAMRA magazine at work from Sebastian Faulks:When I hear people ordering lager in a pub, I am mystified. It's like going to a tailor for a new shirt and being told that you can have cotton or linen or silk, and insisting on nylon. Read the first two chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Shrubby for her bedtime story today. Wanted to keep reading, too. Bloody Christians and their entrancing allegorical ...
Here's my latest exchanges with Post Office Limited on the closures issue. I am speaking further with City Council legal officers tomorrow. My e-mail to Post Office Limited : FAO Sally Buchanan Dear Ms Buchanan I am taken aback by Post Office Limited's "Area Plan Decision Booklet - North East, Tayside & Fife" in respect of Nethergate Post Office, Dundee. Clear, specific, evidence was given to you about customer growth in the future. This is dismissed in one sentence - "Information was also received on several new developments being planned in the area." There is absolutely no explanation as to ...
From A Lanson Boy: I was ... in Watford for a visit by Ming Campbell a couple of years ago. Mr Oakley and a large number of other Tories tried to disrupt the visit. So far, common enough - if regretable. But their actions that day went well beyond what might be considered fair game. Their yelling and screaming was massively abusive and had no place in our politics. They constantly tried to disrupt every media interview and were obnoxious beyond belief.After that visit, Ming wrote to David Cameron asking him to take action about Watford Tories. Unfortunately, Cameron ducked ...
Happy for us anyway. We are celebrating our 36 years (how did he put up with me that long ? not to be answered by political opponenents who read this!). So we are having a few days off with no politics (well just the more urgent casework), proper meals (that we sit down and eat together), and a lovely 2 day break in the Yorkshire Dales.
Some years ago the people who live in Shere Close got together to present a petition to the Council, asking for improved parking in their rather restricted cul-de-sac. The petition was discussed, with them, at a South of the Borough Neighbourhood meeting and eventually we were able to find the money to create some extra parking spaces. Shere Close has 12 houses, and the petition was...
This evening I went to Zorba's on Stafford Road in Wolverhampton with some friends. As well as going for a meal we went with a view to booking the venue for a gathering later in the year.
After the news of Ian Oakley's conviction broke, Iain Dale in a wise posting commented: I hope the Conservative Party will now launch an inquiry into how this was allowed to happen. Oakley has besmirched the good name of the Party in one of the most shameful ways imagineable. adding No one in politics - least of all his political opponents - should crow about what happened today. Every party attracts the odd 'wrong 'un' I agree that no one should crow, but it is impossible to refrain from commenting about the silence from both Watford Conservatives and the national ...
McDonalds is launching a drive for 4,000 more jobs in Britain. I guess that's okay, with increasing employment, but I think the negatives outweigh the positives here. Quite literally. 4,000 new jobs in the middle of the credit crunch! McDonalds obviously isn't suffering, which suggests eating habits in Britain are getting worse. It also suggest McDonalds has succeeded at brushing away criticisms and getting over the unhealthy fears. The reality is McDonalds have are good at getting people addicted to fast food. Free toys with happy meals and play grounds at McDonalds can get children addicted to the stuff as ...
I never in the life of me expected to say this, but Paris Hilton has taught the world something about politics today. Her video response to McCain's attack on Obama is, from Obama's point of view, a case study in how not to do deal with being attacked. The first, perhaps the only thing that politicians needs to do when attacked is stop your opponents framing the debate. The McCain ad was quite a clever attack. If you watch it you'll see it turns Obama's recent successful world tour into a weakness. He's popular and acclaimed worldwide. that world tour ...
After all the denials and retreats of the Conservative Party over Ian Oakley's conviction, it was good to see a Conservative admit that a) Ian Oakley had committed crimes whilst an elected Conservative and b) almost say sorry. Councillor Ray Puddifoot, the Conservative leader of Hillingdon Council, has today called for Ian Oakley to resign from Hillingdon Council. He said: "While I am both surprised and shocked by Ian's conduct my thoughts and sympathy are for those who have been victims of either the harassment or criminal damage that he has perpetrated." Now maybe Dave could go the whole hog ...
Iain Dale has moved the deadline for his beauty contest in a transparent attempt to get shitloads more links this week and remain at the top of the Wikio politics charts. Vote Early, vote Often (but make sure you use a different email address each time, obvs), vote People's Republic of Mortimer. That is all.
I checked the fridge in Cowley St just before leaving at 9pm. Jam has nearly all gone! I expected it to last a little longer given people are away on holiday, but the jam addicts have had multiple fixes!One thing I did do tonight was to put more of the photos I took last year at the Sedgefield by-election onto Facebook. I warned a few weeks ago that I was likely to get hooked on Facebook. Alas it
As mentioned before, James tagged me with his 'What three questions would you ask Alan Moore if you were sitting opposite him on a train?' meme. While I suspect that in the real world, the first (and probably only) one would be 'will you please stop staring at me like that?' here are mine: 1) Having seen the ideas you proposed for Twilight Of The Superheroes, were you disappointed with the way the character of John Constantine was developed in Hellblazer? 2) If DC had allowed you to continue using the Charlton characters for Watchmen, do you think the final ...
Normally when I think of Kansas politics I think of things like evolution being banned in schools or those silly stickers they tried, but this is a refreshing change; an interesting and innovative use of the internet by a USian running for the Kansas state legislature and raising funds through an XKCD style webcomic. It's attracting reasonable coverage in the US media, including a fairly favourable write up in the LA Times, and he's getting record numbers of donations. full comic / larger version The nature of US politics makes it very different to directly translate fundraising techniques to the ...
{Freddie at the Double 2002} Freddie at the Double 2002 Sad to see the reported end of Freddie Ljungberg's footballing career today, at least as far as the UK is concerned. As someone who was a great admirer of Ljungberg when he came to Highbury, I'm upset that it's all petered out like this. Freddie captained Sweden at Euro 2008 and West Ham have admitted that despite past injuries he's now fully fit, so I am mystified as to why he's been paid off. Ok he was past his best, certainly not reproducing the form of the 2003-04 'Invincibles' season ...
I'm looking to create a policy motion with regards to HE funding. However, I need someone who a) can write a policy motion than I can and b) has decent enough economic knowledge to make sure the proposal is financially sound and workable. Comment if interested.
William Hague is saying that Cameron is ready to run the country but is he? In America the Republicans got Paris Hilton to do them an advert saying that Obama isn't up to running the Country and that is something along the lines this post is going. I am getting my typing to get a post up on this blog to try and make the people see sense and to help people highlight the fact that the Conservatives aren't all they try to make out to be. The Conservatives do say that they can run the country but can they ...
John McCain has released this advert, which compares Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton: I'm not convinced by the advert as Barack Obama's policies include more renewable energy and investment in new technologies to ease America's dependency on foreign oil. (I would say, that having McCain wouldn't be as bad as having Bush, as even McCain wants to ease dependence off foreign oil and combat climate change). Paris Hilton is of course pleased about appearing of John McCain's ad, and has therefore thanked him for his endorsement of her as the next President of the USA and begun ...
My first reaction on hearing of the alleged bombing in Xinjiang was to wonder whether it had really happened. It was so convenient for the Chinese authorities that they should be seen as the victims of terrorism while the eyes of the world are on them. Craig Murray shares these doubts - "It is entirely predictable that the Chinese government is responding by organising 'terrorist incidents' to try to blacken the Uighurs as part of Al Qaida. Do not be taken in by this rubbish" - and also explains the geopolitical background to the situation in Xinjiang : The Uighurs ...
Area planning decisions to be recentralized? Area committees disbanded? Is this Labour in Oxford's response to near universal calls, in political terms (not least from their own Communities Department), for greater devolution and localism in our government structures? They're pretty much already committed to the Stalinist recentralization of all planning decisions, slightly modified now to have two wider area based development control soviets as well as a supreme soviet committee in case even these two go against the Politburo's diktat or predilections. All because Labour councillors seemingly cannot work out how they could possibly "lobby" for their constituents wishes on ...
A new President was elected in Mauritania in 2007 in free and fair elections, taking over from a military junta. But the military have taken back power again after the President tried to replace some senior leaders of the Army. The Army fired tear gas at 50 protesters in the capital. There has been a political crisis, with a vote of no confidence in the cabinet 2 weeks ago and 48 MPs walking out of the governing party. However this coup is no solution to the problem, the country does have democratic structures to deal with the crisis. The AU ...
Salim Hamdan having to be tried by a military court is unacceptable. There is no need for that kind of secrecy around the trial. However at least he was found not guilty on two counts of "conspiring with al-Qaeda to attack civilians, destroy property and commit murder". That accusation was absolutely ridiculous. It may be reasonable for him to have been found guilty for "providing support for terrorism", although arguably he was just doing a job. Our Government has been far too silent on these issues. They took ages to say Guantanamo Bay was wrong and the Government has refused ...
The picture shows the Conservative PPC Simon Hart talking at a recent meeting. With Nick Ainger retiring from Politics theres got to be someone to give Labour a chance in the general election..... We know that Vegetarians live longer and are less prone to disease than our flesh eating friends.... Pippa should stand or be allowed to stand. I know you have an important job making sure walkers do not fall off clifftops but it is Labours descent we are all going to watch. One chance for Labour is yours truly. The Liberal Democrat is the cleverest of the three ...
I've just heard from GMPTE that there'll be a "consultation display" for the Congestion Charge outside Sainsburys at Cheadle Royal, next Tuesday, 12th August, from 11am to 7pm. I know no more than that so, if you're interested and around next Tuesday, go along and have a look.
If you have not yet nominated your Top 10 blogs, you now have only until Friday of this week to do so. Iain Dale explains why he has brought the deadline forward.
This is something I started on the Liberal Youth Forum* and think it'd be a good meme. Basically, all you do is list those things that you like or love that you or others think you really, really shouldn't. I'm new to the blogosphere, so I'm not going to tag or link to people. This can be [...]
Back from the Eisteddfod gratified that by and large the rain held off and I even at one stage found myself sitting in a deckchair in blazing sunshine partaking in the Oxfam picnic (Fairtrade Chocolate fountain and fruit juice) whilst listening to Gwyneth Glyn deliver a short concert. Having had time to read the Western Mail now I wonder whether we have strayed into self-flagellation for Tories week. In their relentless search for summer headlines they have leapt feet first into the discussion of members' allowances by publishing the full details of their accomodation claims last year. Now I have ...
A short while ago my local Sainsburys had some lovely looking Scottish raspberries (yum, yum, my favourite!) with a big red sticker advertising them to be 'Better than Half Price'. Could this be too good to be true? Probably! My analytical side kicked in; was 'Better' to be construed as meaning better for me, the customer, or better for Sainsbury's shareholders? Probably the customer I concluded but my wife insisted that it was strawberries we needed anyway. Fortunately the strawberries were unambiguously 'Half Price'. But then I reflected what does 'Half Price' mean anyway in the context of a highly ...
Once again visited Working Links - a group which takes referrals from the Job Centre of those who have had their time on Job Seekers Allowance with no success in getting a job. Working Links works with them through to employment and thereafter for some weeks to help them stay in the job. Mostly the jobs are with local employers and they have a pretty good success rate. Currently success is counted as staying in the job for thirteen weeks - but that is soon changing to six months which will be even more challenging. If you remember that some ...
{Judge Graham badge} Yes, it's that time again when I get to dust down my trusty badge, this time in the service of Lib Dem Voice. Ho yus. Share This
I'm just not sure these new Tory banner ads really project the image of a modern, inclusive, liberal Conservative party... {Tory banner ad 1} {Tory banner ad 2} {Tory banner ad 3} {Tory banner ad 4} {Tory banner ad 5} Share This
Nine months ago we stressed the need to keep a youth activity centre in Cwmgwrach and later to publish the report which was the ostensible reason for keeping the Cabin closed. Labour was largely helped to its capture of Blaengwrach by harnessing the grievances of local families. It should not be left to legal action by the Friends of the Cabin to ensure the restoration of facilities. The leader of Neath Port Talbot Council has recently publicly subscribed to an extension of the scrutiny facility of the council. Maybe the first subject should be an examination of provision for young ...
Unusually, because I usually agree with the excellent writing of City Unslicker, I disagree with the thrust of his story today about why ITV are failing. He asserts that ITV cannot compete with the BBC's licence fee subsidising the payment of big stars and that the BBC steals ITV's best ideas. Actually, he could not be more wrong on the second point. Take any BBC innovation in recent years and ITV have stolen it, renamed it, and generally made a crapper less interesting and much more shallow copy. Just turning on ITV today brings up Jeremy Kyle (need I remind ...
I've not posted for a few days. I wouldn't be so self-aggrandising as to say I have writers' block, because by anybody's standards, I'm not a writer so much as someone who regularly gets things off her chest through a keyboard and onto a screen. However, I will say I'm stuck. It's not so much a case of having nothing to write about as having FAR TOO MUCH and not nearly enough time. I have several ideas which have been bouncing around in my head for some time, and they all deserve a good bit of thinking about and phrasing. ...
... another interesting post in Junkfoodscience, this time drawing attention to a pair of studies which, firstly, add to the evidence that "overweight" and "obesity" reduce mortality in heart failure patients and, secondly, suggest that a previous study suggesting a greater incidence of heart failure in "overweight" and "obese" people does not in fact bear out that conclusion.
Just packing these books La pensée française à l'épreuve de l'Europe Le bal des hypocrites : France-Europe La Vendetta Coluche: Pensées et anecdotes these cds 3 Gymnopédies / 3 Gnossiennes / Ragtime parade (Erik Satie) Brest of (Miossec) Une saison volee - Francoiz-Breut and some Truffaut dvds. All of which means that we are not going to the Lake District this year. Other good intentions are to swim twenty lengths of the pool before breakfast each morning. Anyway I am pretty sure that I will listen to the music!
The Liberal Youth was started by Tony Greaves our Nobel Lord Despite that the number of Liberal Democrat youth we have in Pendle is far lower then anywhere in the Country. That is why the Liberal Youth have appointed me a youth representative for Pendle being a focus of mine. If they is any young people who will be eligible to Vote by the Next General Election if it takes place in 2010 and are interested in Politics or just want to get a youth view of the Liberal Democrats then contact me and ill try and do my best ...
We'd probably note that in July we had almost 15,000 'absolute unique visitors'*. That's a little down on June's record of almost 17,000 - but still our third best month overall. For comparison, Iain Dale received 59,000 absolute unique visitors and Guido Fawkes 113,000. Thank you to all our readers, whether you visit only occasionally, or [...]
Pinch yourself, this really is true. First, John McCain features Paris Hilton in a TV advert attacking his rival for the US Presidency, Barack Obama. And then Paris Hilton responds by producing her own spoof ad about the super-old white-haired dude. So for your viewing pleasure, here are the two:
Somebody at work was typing my blog address and missed out the b in blogspot. "What the ..." he exhaled loudly as a Christian fundamentalist loony site came up. The world is ending and the bible is true, apparently. They have sections entitled "666" and "Armageddon". I love it when they're all cheery. Christian fundies appear omnipresent on the web, unfortunately their google skills are not manifold and great like God's mercy. Type them into the search engine and nothing comes up.
Close to the Crow's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing some very different creatures were seen perched at a great height this morning. Four members of Students for a Free Tibet unfurled a banner reading 'One World One Dream Free Tibet' high up a 120ft lamppost not far away. Iain Thom from Edinburgh called the BBC from his mobile while up the lamppost to say: "I'm here today because I've been a
Here's Susan Gaszczak campaigning with a couple of Euro-candidates in a bright but chilly spring day in Hertfordshire (Susan isn't me and is taller than Linda). Susan is at present holding a narrow lead in this poll. Vote early, vote often!
Over at Guido Fawkes' blog, Paul Staines attack-dogs Lib Dem demi-god Vince Cable, accusing him of "naivety" in relation to the Government's botched nationalisation of Northern Rock: What about the naive politicians Vince, who welcomed the nationalisation, without having done any due diligence on behalf of the taxpayers? Why didn't Vince ask the key question, what are [...]
My latest Guardian blog, focusing on ID cards, is now online.
The news that the government is considering suspending stamp duty for new home purchases makes no sense to me. Aside from the fact that I paid two grand when I bought my house the other month, and would be mightily peeved to find the tax now abolished, there are more important reasons why it seems like a knee-jerk reaction which will actually worsen the economic woes that the government have got us in to. Vince Cable, the Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor, has raised concerns that a reduction in the amount of taxes taken in by the government will lead to ...
Following my holiday excesses (including the frankly shocking abuse of the local Cornish Pasty shop in Tintagel...) I chose to go for a run last night, and whilst at the time I felt it necessary to draft a will, now that the dust has settled and I have regained my composure I feel it's done me good. I still look pregnant side-on, but the guilt pangs are leaving me slowly. I managed about 5km, which I don't think is bad in this Olympic week. I was only 250% over the world record time as well, and since the actual Olympic ...
Having spent most of my working life in drafty decrepit youth centres and on badly lit street corners (as a detached youth worker I hasten to add!)............the grandeur of Canary Wharf never ceases to amaze me. Cheek by jowl with some of the most deprived areas in the country, this fantasy city looms out of the mist (aka smog)..........a private estate, squeaky clean, towering metallic structures housing a virtual small town of 70,000 plus people. The virtually relocated "city" doesn't on the surface appear to have suffered due to the credit crunch. The classy jeweller still sells pieces for £1000's, ...
Want to make those noises in your open plan office this lunchtime? W&W has the means. That is all.
Doug Elghorn (Catterick End of the Pier), speaking from the lifeboat station, asked the Prime Minister why the House had been asked to assemble on the end of Southwold Pier. Gordon replied that he wanted to make Parliament more approachable for hard working families and he thought that decamping to the seaside with buckets and spades might help. Dave stood up in rather fetching Speedos and a snorkel and asked; 'Does the Prime Minister want a Mivvi or a 99?' Gordon responded that since 1997 sales of both types of seaside delicacy had increased in real terms by over 400% ...
Listening to Simon Russell Beale reviewing David Tennant's performance of Hamlet on Today this morning, I am reminded of a point I wanted to make on my abortive "memo to Steven Moffat" blog post. That is, wouldn't SRB make a fantastic Doctor? He would of course be more in the Troughton mould, but that is no bad thing in my view. I just think he would be superb - and fundamentally the kids would love him. What does the panel think? Share This
See more Adam "Ghost Panther" McKay videos at Funny or Die
What is Faceless Britain? Faceless Britain quite simply refers to the challenges experienced by millions of ordinary people every day in accessing public services. With every year that goes by, more and more services that used to offer face to face contact are being replaced by systems that are centralised, remote and inhuman. We are seeing the progression of an unaccountable state, creating increasingly remote systems that are divorced from the people they are supposed to serve.This is evident in many different areas such as: The difficulty of getting through to a benefits helpline The closure of local Post Offices ...
Paris Hilton campaigns for US President: See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die This is a response to a McCain attack ad against Obama he ran last week, in which he mocked the Democratic nominee's celebrity status: ShareThis
Andrew McConnell, Tory Bedford Borough Councillor has decided silly season should get even sillier. On his blog he has set up a poll to vote for Bedfordshire's sexiest politician. Having looked at his page he has a glaring omission - photos of his random selection of politicians. Lynne Faulkner Tom Wootton Susan Gaszczak Dave Lewis Judith...
Not often you get West Lothian Council news on the BBC website, even harder to find when they place it on the Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West page rather than Edinburgh, Fife and East. But in laying out the policy of health, education and safety for the next three years what an unfortunate typo in Jim Forrest's quote above: 'The agreement sets out the keys areas of shred health and social care
The link is to the judgment on Bailii. It raises some interesting questions as to the merits of appointing the official solicitor to remove individuals' rights as to act in family cases.
Danny Finkelstein talks about his role in the selection of the Watford Conservative. It is now the fashion to invite journalists to interview applicants in the final round of the seat selection. And I was asked to be the interviewer in Watford. I asked Oakley and the other candidates questions, one applicant after the other, in front of a meeting of party members. Members were then asked to vote on the candidate they liked best. Oakley wasn't intellectually the strongest candidate but I understood why he was selected. He seemed the most experienced of the finalists and the one most ...
During the London Mayor elections, Boris Johnson and his campaign had to get the bulbs changed in five lamps in their office. No surprise there really. But you might be a little surprised at how much they paid. Changing five lamps required someone to be paid for two hours of work, at £28.98 per hour. (That's 24 minutes per lamp.) Plus [...]
I am supporting Baroness Ros Scott in her campaign bid to become President of the Liberal Democrats as i believe we need more women and Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats. Her Website is under Interesting Links on the sidebar and i think you should view it and support her as i believe and many others will to that Women like Ros and Ethnic Minorities need more of a voice in Politics
Despite the costs of having clean ups in Hospitals costing in the millions we still have rats and pests in Hospitals according to reports. The Government must be ashamed as they are wasting so much of the tax payers money into cleaning these hospitals that have pests in them. The Government really needs to tackle this issue about the cleanliness of Hospitals. I ask reader's the question: Do you think Blackburn A&E has pests? If so why has this stupid local Government moved our hospital their we would have been better of in Burnley but despite all the dossiers and ...
The Tories have produced another hilarious Lord Kitchener advert for their facebookmyspacebeboetc attempts. ROFL! I don't expect any questions from Tories about what that means as they are all part of the myspace generation now. The new ad is some sort of blue-rinse Kitchener bastardisation with a big Britain-needs-you-to-die point coming from the sky like some kind of frightening national lottery advert. Click HERE to see their previous and even funnier.
In Wales: While Brecon and Radnorshire AM Kirsty Williams and Cardiff Central AM Jenny Randerson remain favourites, North Wales AM Eleanor Burnham launched her bid by promoting herself as a candidate best-placed to reconnect with Welsh speakers in the north. In Scotland: Three weeks today the new Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats will be unveiled.
Yesterday Ian Oakley was warned by the Chair of Magistrates of the seriousness of the offences that he had committed. Mr said that the offences were so serious that 'custody is an option'. These remarks drew gasps from several people in the public gallery. I can only assume that these people were not active readers of the Watford Observer. Less than two months ago, Mr Oakley made a bid to be at the centre of the crimefighting agenda. In an article entitled 'Soft sentences give wrong message' he gave a series of quotes after two local youths had been given ...
Literary reputations ebb and flow, like the tides of the sea. This can happen while an author is still alive, and even more so when he or she dies. Among the dead, some who enjoyed no success while they were alive suddenly become fashionable. Or those who were hugely popular during their lifetime disappear even from [...]
What would George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh have made of our modern society? A fascinating article in yesterday's Times gives us some insight. In the form of a review of a new book by David Lebedoff entitled The Same Man, Cristina Odone seeksk to answer that question. I am always very cautious when people lay claim to Orwell. Generally seen as a figure of the "Left", he was clearly strongly influenced by writers such as Popper and Hayek and it was not for nothing that the political ideology that reigned in Oceania was still called "English Socialism". Yet he was ...
Has anyone else noticed the Epolitix "Best of the Blogs" round up has become the domain of just a handful of blogs with nobody else getting a look in ? It appears Danny Finkelstein only has to break wind to get in the "Best of the Blogs" whilst the other regulars appear to be The Coffee House blog, Conservative Home, Labour Home and Boulton and Co. What is a great shame is that Epolitix used to link to non main street press blogs, but nearly all the other links they give now are to main street printed press journalists who ...
Not Peter, per se. But I'm an ageing Young Liberal. Nowadays, like so many 'retired' YL's I'm a responsible citizen. I tow the line (well, up to a point). I win elections nowadays, which is novel to those of us who were members in the 1970's. Damn it, I even voted for Nick Clegg! But deep down I still miss being just a trifle irresponsible. Souvenirs of my youth include being hit by Cyril Smith's mother with her handbag and standing loyally side by side with Peter and Simon Hebditch as we tried to get the 1975 Scarborough Conference to ...
All this week, Lib Dem Voice is publishing the results of our first ever survey of party members. Some 133 of you accessed the survey via our private members' forum. We don't pretend it's a representative sample, but that doesn't mean it's without value either. We hope you, LDV's readers, find it interesting. Perhaps the [...]
OK the First Minister and his cabinet headed to the Highland's capital Inverness and making promises to invest in the Inverness to Edinburgh rail line and dual the A9. Is it just me or is there one vital thing missing from these promises? Where is the time scale? Apart that is from the one of making the announcement while in the city that will benefit from the promise. While it is all well and
Wed 6th
07:11It would be wrong to blame Watford on all Tories, but some have got to take the blame and some ought...
The actions of the Tory candidate in Watford whose hate filled campaign against the Lib Dems may now see him go to prison ought to serve as a salutary lesson to anyone who thinks that hatred is a good enough reason to be involved in politics. It would also be wrong to blame all Tories for this or to use it as an excuse to lambast the Tory Party as an organisation. But there are some in the Tory Party who ought to hang their heads in shame over this whole affair. In particular, as Sara Bedford points out, the ...
Blogging will be light as I am off to the Eisteddfod for the day. My Welsh lessons are still on-going but I am nowhere near the stage when I can conduct anything but the most cursory of conversations in the language of heaven so I am afraid I will be restricting myself to English on the Maes.
What's Wrong With Angry is a play that was written in 1992, with a lot of very political intent, not least directed towards section 28. Essentially the play is a love story, but since the protagonist, Steven Carter, is a gay 16 year old schoolboy, this is not as straightforward as it might be. Still less helpful is the fact that the boy he loves, John Westhead, is, as the play might put it, "
Tuesday: If politics in Watford is to return to normal, the Conservatories must clean up their act. They PICKED their Conservatory Candidate, and while he WAS Conservatory Candidate he conducted a CRIMINAL CAMPAIGN of hate and intimidation. NOW they say they can't comment because he's no longer a Conservatory. Daddy suggests a Liberal Democrat MEME: Every time the Conservatories comment on someone who is NOT a member of the Conservatory Party... Mr Frown, Senator Obama, the Editor of Nuts magazine, anyone... link their comment to this story saying: "But you can't comment; they're not a member of the Conservatory Party". ...
Monday: I hope you all watched my good chum Mr Professor Richard Dawkins on the tellybox, telling us about Mr Charles Darwin who started out wanting to become a quiet Anglican pastor before a sea voyage changed his mind and he set out to have the most HERETICAL idea in the history of human beings instead: EVOLUTION by NATURAL SELECTION. Mr Professor Richard is awfully good at explaining evolution, and showing that it is FACT not THEORY. Though perhaps Channel Furore tempted him a little too much to put in the "this is why we don't need Mr God" stuff. ...
