It could be said it was the day of the Co-op, and part of it was. At the meeting of the Stockton Fair Trade Borough Partnership today we were pleased to find when we swapped information that there are more and more Co-ops springing up. All of which of course are good Fairtrade stockists. Also we found out about an "Ethical Shopping event" at The Swallow Hotel on Wednesday 17th September...
It's the easiest thing in the world to say 'Yes'. Yes is easy. Everyone likes a good 'Yes'. For example, "Yes, that's a great strategy" or "Yes, I approve, please continue" and "Yes we're definitely, definitely doing the right thing". I can nod and smile and make friends with anyone by agreeing with what they say. That's easy. What makes this blog so extraordinarily difficult to write is that it's difficult to suggest positive and different ways of approaching certain problems without implicitly criticising what has gone before. I struggle to get the balance right and in truth I don't ...
At the core of liberal democracy is a belief that individuals should have the greatest possible control over their own lives. We do not believe central government knows what is best for individuals and communities; we believe individuals and communities know what is best for themselves. We want people and communities to wield real political power on their own behalf, and this means putting people in a position where they can make decisions about services that affect them.Yet successive Conservative and Labour governments have systematically stripped power from local communities. Local authorities have been suffocated by micro-management from Whitehall. Endless ...
Does anyone know whether Ming is in the country at the moment? I only ask because Newsnight are trying to evaluate the effect of our Olympic performance on the national psyche and they're doing so with the help of everyone's favourite athlete-cum-politician... Jeffrey Archer Setting aside the morality of giving media air to a convicted criminal, could they really not have got the politician
Since they made a video response to the petition to make Clarkson prime minister: ... and using my icon, no less! Part of me is annoyed that my taxes went to pay for this. The rest of me is rather pleased that someone in Downing Street appears to actually be a human being. The age banding of books row rumbles on. If you want to join Pterry and Gneil and many many others in signing the petition against it, the link is here. Dear old Boris. Just when you think you've got him pegged, he goes and makes a good ...
We don't normally include Government videos on this blog - but we couldn't resist this one: Click on the arrow to start. And yes, this is an official video from Downing Street, on their YouTube channel. Gordon Brown's own videos get 5000 views in a month or two, if he's lucky. This one got 25,000 views in the first 9 hours. (Thanks to Gavin Whenman for pointing it out on his blog)
{chris-huhne.jpg} {dna.jpg} Ministers have been accused of building a national DNA database "by stealth" by retaining profiles of nearly 40,000 children never convicted of a crime. The Home Office said retaining DNA was a "key intelligence tool" for police fighting serious and violent crime. Last month, a government-funded inquiry recommended that DNA profiles of people who had never been convicted of a crime should be removed from the database, which it said should be controlled by an independent body. But currently samples from anyone arrested for a recordable offence and detained at a police station in England and Wales - ...
Just in from a great meeting with Friends of Magdalen Green - they are a super group of people and their enthusiasm about the Green makes their meetings thoroughly enjoyable. It has been a busy day - I am burning the "day job" midnight oil at the moment with the Institute's Scottish Conference taking place in the first week in September, but today I also :Met the new Chief Constable. A useful and productive meeting. The Chief Constable emphasised his commitment to community policing and more police visible on the beat.Chaired the Dundee City Region Strategic Plan Interim Joint Committee. ...
You've got to love lazy journalism. In this piece about the news today of a 5% rise in prescriptions since they became free, on Wales Online, it is claimed that doctors said the 2007-08 increases were in line with previous year-on-year rises in prescriptions in Wales. I'd like to know who these doctors are, since a specific source isn't named. I'd like to know if they even exist, or whether they were invented by the author to avoid shrieking by Labour and make a feeble attempt to lend some balance to a story which was always going to make the ...
American travel writer Bill Bryson has urged the British public to consider the effect of littering on our green and pleasant land. He arrived here from America in 1972 and when he first arrived he said that he was, "smitten by the place". He claims that we live a beautiful country; however it is being trashed by a small minority of individuals who routinely trashed it is by people that litter and fly-tip. Bryson throughout the BBC, Panorama Programme 'Dirty Island' (which can be seen on BBC iPlayer) talks passionately about how our once green and pleasant land, and he ...
I love it when British sports teams do well. We all love it when British teams do well. But it does not change society. Winning the 2003 rugby union world cup and regaining the Ashes did not change society. In fact they have barely changed rugby or cricket. So while I have been enjoying our extraordinary success in Beijing, I do not have much time for arguments like this: The Olympics ... provoke children, and adults, into running, swimming, cycling, jumping and rowing. They give the ordinary heroes, and draw us a little way after them. They remind us what ...
Boris in a comment in the Telegraphy today has described how youth have been misjudged by press and media. He describes how young people have been portrayed, obese, binge drinkers, addicted to playstations, lacking respect, etc. Not only does he criticise the media, but the politicians including his own: "If you believe the politicians, we have a broken society, in which the courage and morals of young people have been sapped by welfarism and political correctness." Of course David Cameron is always talking about our broken society. Although it sounds like an elitist tory view of society. David Cameron spoke ...
As the Evening Standard puts it: Tim Parker stood down as chief of staff when Mr Johnson stripped him of his role of running Transport for London from next month. Mr Parker is the second of Mr Johnson's deputies to leave since May and the third senior aide to go. Deputy mayor Ray Lewis was [...]
Just received my copy of the 'Is it fair' campaign newsletter written by Christine Melsom. It feels very much like a Unison circular in Word...although with a definite PR twist to it at the end: "MEETING WITH JULIA GOLDSWORTHY MP On 10 July Christine, Michael Boon and Janet Kelly travelled to Westminster to meet with Julia Goldsworthy MP, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Our prime purpose was to try to clarify the Lib Dems' current position on local taxation. Julia explained that Lib Dem policy would, first and foremost, be to get rid ...
I have always suspected that John Major will be treated more generously by posterity than he has been by his contemporaries. And I am pleased to see him receiving his share of the credit for Britain's improved performance in the Olympics today. While we are feeling warm towards him, let me quote an example of his wit (via Danny Finkelstein): As John Major pricelessly commented, as Kinnock didn't know what he was saying, he never knew when he had finished saying it.Oh yes.
Only the Tory echo chamber couldn't have a sense of humour about this latest video from Number 10, responding to the Jeremy Clarkson for PM petition: ShareThis
{to-let.jpg} It has been announced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) that falling house prices are driving a boom in the rental market. The property slump has encouraged home owners to rent properties rather than sell them, as they wait for prices to recover. The present situation is making it very difficult; even for those on mid to high incomes, and buyers are being forced to rent by the uncertain market as well as higher mortgage rates. The result is an increase in rents; with 31 per cent more of the RICS members surveyed reporting a rise than ...
There's a really interesting medal's table, which shows you want order the countries would be in if you were to also take into account population, human rights, and/or GDP. It's very interesting.
This blog's favourite musician is currently playing in the USA and Canada with his band. He is supporting - and sometimes playing with - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A member of his crew is writing a blog about the tour.
In July 2005 Frank Furedi reminisced in the Times Higher Education Supplement: In 1997, I completed my book The Culture of Fear. Most of the comments my copy editor made about the manuscript were routine questions about grammar, incoherent formulations and inconsistencies. But one of the comments stood out as an explicit challenge to the authenticity of the text. The contentious passage informed the reader of a relatively new development - the arrival of parents on campus. To illustrate the changing character of university life, I pointed to what was then a relatively novel phenomenon: students arriving on campus for ...
I refer to Peter Blacks blog this morning which refers to Professor Dave Adamson's essay on Poverty in Wales. Analysing poverty in a particular area seems to be a difficult thing to do if one is stuck in an office. I'm not aware how the Professor compiled his details for this study. In my book if it wants to be taken seriously it must be done in the field. An Ecologist will not compile his evidence from a University setting. Neither will a Geologist make observations from his laptop, statistics handed to him or from libraries. I disagree with Peter ...
Tue 19th
20:02
How can I use the death of 10 French soldiers to take a cheap shot at another political party ?
Of course, the truth is, I would not use the sad death of ten French peacekeeping soldiers to make a rather trivial party political attack on another party. Sadly, Iain Dale takes a different stance on this.
I could understand wanting to nationalise the oil industry. When there is such wealth in that, why would you want to leave it for all the money to leave your country to foreign corporations. But now Venezuela is even nationalising cement units! Hugo Chavez seems to be trying to take over every industry out there. The State's next target is Banks and Telecommunications and it's already targeted steel, gas and electricity. Doing this won't encourage foreign investment, although Chavez is unlikely to be bothered by that. People in Venezuela aren't going to be left with much consumer choice and freedom ...
{fly-tipping.jpg} {bill-bryson.jpg} American travel writer Bill Bryson has urged the British public to consider the effect of littering on our green and pleasant land. He arrived here from America in 1972 and when he first arrived he said that he was, "smitten by the place". He claims that we live a beautiful country; however it is being trashed by a small minority of individuals who routinely trashed it is by people that litter and fly-tip. Bryson throughout the BBC, Panorama Programme 'Dirty Island' (which can be seen on BBC iPlayer) talks passionately about how our once green and pleasant land, ...
In some techies minds, Microsoft is a swear word. Using Vista is giving on to the dark side whilst using Internet Explorer "only perpetuates Microsofts dominance of the market". Microsoft are scorned for having to "patch" their software frequently whilst people ask why it is that Microsoft sells us software that is essentially broken and need repairing straight away. But mention the company name Apple, and nobody bats an eyelid. Why ? Apple, after all, do exactly what Microsoft do, but worse. They use software for their iPods that really does not like working with other media players, they use ...
As some one who has returned to the gym to get fit after many years of not taking regular physical exercise I am keen to promote this new initiative from Bath & North East Somerset Council. Women and girls who would like to improve their fitness are being invited to take part in the next "Running with the Girls" course, organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council. ...
Make sure that you take part and have your say in what your local politicians do on your behalf and register to vote this year, I hear from many residents with complaints all year round and often find that they complain that they do not get a say in what goes on. The answer is if you do not vote then those that do will always get their way and the first part in this process...
The word being used, repeatedly, by everyone over at Boriswatch is chaos. Boris' team at City Hall is in chaos following Tim Parker's resignation. Personally, I prefer inexperience and incompetence. although I agree that special mix of inexperience and incompetence that is Boris could be pretty chaotic. On the other hand, maybe chaos is the most zippy, easy way of framing Boris' administration. Let's hope he doesn't embody it too much, eh? Boris Johnson is without doubt an intelligent and educated man. But he's never managed a billion pound budget before and his people management skills are non existent. So, ...
We were given a tub of blackberries by one of our neighbours in London last week. They were put in the freezer whilst I decided what to do with them. Well, now I have decided. I am going to make blackberry whiskey. The idea came from my colleague Tamsin over lunch. So watch this space to see how I get on.In the meantime, I am pleased to announce that last night we had our first self-sufficient
Here we are, protesting at the decision by the Government Inspector about the planning application in Somerset Avenue. He has decreed that the two houses in the background can be pulled down and replaced with seven new houses.
The siren voices told us that the way to find fame and fortune was to announce a dramatic policy shift. Either to the left or to the right, according to taste. Well, we've tried that now. The broadsheets gave us inside pages. TV News gave us a mention. The commentators politely pointed out that big [...]
Thousands of demonstrators have marched to the British Embassy in Thailand demanding for ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to be sent back to Thailand. He ran away to Britain after failing to return to the Supreme Court where he faces a 3 years prison sentence for his corruption. He is clearly guilty and I don't know of any problems in Thailand's judiciary. So the British Government should have no problems in arresting him and sending him back. The Thai Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant, although they haven't yet requested for him to be extradited, which is a long progress for ...
Sudan's Omar al-Bashir is attending an African leaders summit in Turkey, it's his first foreign trip since the ICC issued his arrest warrant. Bashir is accussed all of this: Genocide: Killing members of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups Causing these groups serious bodily or mental harm Inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about these groups' physical destruction Crimes against humanity: Murder Extermination Forcible transfer Rape Torture War crimes: Attacks on civilians in Darfur Pillaging towns and villages Despite all that he doesn't have to worry about the Turkish handing him over to the ICC, because Turkey doesn't ...
Barack Obama's success in winning the Democratic nomination owes a lot to the huge number of supporters and small donors he enthused. His social-networking strategy played a key role in this; David Talbot of Technology Review explains how it worked in this article which is a must read for anyone concerned with such matters.
After being contacted by several local residents, I've been reading the 50 page summary of the Ombudsman's report into the Equitable Life scandal - and the summary of the EU report (for which, incidentally, the investigation was led by a Lib Dem MEP - Diana Wallis) and they both make very disturbing reading. They make an unanswerable case that many Equitable Life policy holders lost money as a direct consequence of regulators failing to keep close enough scrutiny of the company and act on the the risks and problems that they either had, or should have, identified. The list of ...
Frank Furedi, who I have always considered to be the sensible wing of the Revolutionary Communist Party, has attacked the decision by universities to allow students seeking placement to appoint proxies (usually parents): Frank Furedi, social commentator and professor of sociology at the University of Kent, says that controlling parents are "destroying the distinction between school and higher education". "All universities now have to take the parent factor into account. On university open days you can see more parents attending than children," says Professor Furedi. He says there have been cases of parents who arrive expecting to attend their children's ...
With Britain now sitting very pretty in the Olympic medal table - having even guaranteed we will finish ahead of the People's Republic of Michael Phelps - we have a lot to be grateful to our cyclists for, with an impressive haul of gold medals. Reading BBC Sport's online commentary on the day's events, there were two suggestions from the public as to why our cycling team have done so well. The first suggests the high price of petrol has forced more people on to bikes (which would be a positive side of rising fuel costs, if it were true). ...
The Village Idiot which i believe got elected by accident has lost three people from his team now. Three members of his team have left as they have been having problems whilst working with the idiot so they have packed up and left. I am still puzzled with why these people elected this idiot in the first place lets just hope he doesn't mess something up by the Olympics in its preparation as we don't want a Olympic stadium half built when its time and then Boris saying its not his fault. What will this clown do in the next ...
The Tories have release a dossier today entitled "Unfair Britain". This is a superb piece of opposition to the Government. It points out in simple terms New Labour's failings on a central plank of Labour policy. It also pre-empts Gordon's fairness, on your side, relaunch. The dossier is, of course, not a policy document. It does not say what the Government in waiting would do to correct the identified problems and failures. This is what opposition should be doing. This is what the Lib Dems should have done. We then could have issued a subsequent policy document laying out our ...
I share Kezia Dugdale's outrage that the lily-livered SNP Government have bought off the Catholic Church's opposition to girls being vaccinated against the Human Papiloma Virus which causes cervical cancer. The deal is that pupils at their school can be vaccinated so long as no information is given to them about protecting themselves from other STIs and pregnancy. Why on earth did Shona Robison not stand up to the Catholic Church and take the administration of the programme outside schools? Why not make sure that that jabs were offered at GP surgeries and bypass the Church's opposition completely? I am ...
A new feature monitoring the beginning of the New Cold War. I'll try to post daily links with a bit of comment. Today's is just a little taster. Cameron wants to ban Russians from shopping in London. The US is preparing sanctions against Russia.
If they can learn this after a bit of time in captivity, imagine what might have happened if someone had inadvertantly told them about our system of commerce? With the credit crunch being what it is, they'd have control of the economy within weeks! UPDATE: Okay, so not all cetaceans are clever. Geez! And to think these bozos are meant to save our asses in the future. Share This
Well, Norman Baker's proposals to scrap the Oath of Allegiance certainly caused a stir on Liberal Democrat Voice, didn't they? Jennie Rigg and others were certainly most riled by the 'crawling out of the woodwork' of 'little republicans'. She feels that the role of the monarchy in a constitutional monarchy state is 'largely symbolic'. It [...]
In the 21st Century we would like to believe that the territorial integrity of the sovereign state is paramount. The creation of international institutions in the latter half of the 20th Century was intended to rein in state-on-state conflict which had blighted the international community in two world wars as well as numerous regional conflicts throughout the century. NATO, the European Union and above all, the United Nations have sought to bring requirements of diplomacy into conflict resolution and, as a last resort, provide a legal framework for the application of military force. But unlike domestic legal systems, the true ...
Ayatollah Khameni has delivered a masked rebuke to the President of Iran for claiming to have a personal relationship with the Mahdi. This came in an address on Sunday. All those terrified that the, at least slightly, unhinged Ahmadinejad is the most powerful man in Iran, should examine the facts. He is, at the very best, the third most important figure after the Supreme Leader and Ali Larijani. Afternote: If you click on the link to the State Sponsored Islamic Republic News Agency you will see an amusing typo. About half way through the report reads: "Congratulating the audience, the ...
This morning I attempted to drop off a contract to the American School in London in St John's Wood. The place looks like a prison. There are metal fences, cctv cameras and warning signs everywhere. It looked a miserable environment for somebody to just walk past, let alone have to go to every day. As I got to the front entrance, I attempted to ascend the stairs to the front door. I had, after all, a moderately urgent contract to hand deliver. A suited, ear-piece wearing, sunglass sporting security oik approached me and asked what my business was. "Delivering a ...
My blood boils. Is this what people really care about? I want to be sick. Somebody, anybody, tell me why this is crap should adorn our front pages? P.S. I don't expect anybody to do anything about the crap people like to consume (unlike Gove and those nudging Tories). It's their choice. I just find the whole thing soul crushingly depressing.
Amazing. Just minutes after publishing my last post, DEFRA has uploaded the press release in question. A coincidence? Or are DEFRA monitoring this subversive blog?
I make no pretense with this post of clear, thoughtful argument. I just want to share something that is really getting on my breasts: families. Not families themselves but how the word is used in the political discourse. "Hard pressed families", "hard working families", "law abiding families" etc. Just say people, that's what you mean. Stop pandering to the supposed middle England, nuclear family vote and actually attempt to grapple with the problems. Cameron, Brown, Lewis, Osborne, Timpson, Burnham and all the rest know that they can't actually do very much so pump up the rhetoric to appear active. Its ...
As a free market, climate change sceptic liberal, I've never been a fan of DEFRA - the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. No other Government department champions state interventionism and regulation with such gusto. But it seems that DERFA's web managers are now embarrassed by the Department's antics. Yesterday, the Minister for Wildlife, Joan Ruddock, issued a press release (entitled Kermitted to frog protection) about protecting a frog with a "distinctive accent". It's good to see taxpayers money being spent so wisely. But 24 hours on, there is still no sign of it on the Defra website. Maybe ...
An essay by Professor Dave Adamson reported in the Western Mail today concludes that the impact of government policy in reducing poverty in Wales in the past 12 years has been "at best marginal". Professor Adamson, who helped shape the Welsh Assembly Government's Communities First initiative, claims: There has been little change in poverty levels in many communities since 1996; Many adults in deprived areas expect to be limited by illness and this illness is not always due to industrial disease; Educational failure is the foundation of poverty in Wales, and; It was difficult to see any specific impact from ...
From the Public Servant Today site: The government's eco-towns plans continue to be blighted by set-backs and protests, according to some reports.Not only is the promised shortlist of towns now going to be released in 2009 rather than this October - because ministers say they need more time to look at revised applications - but it may be much shorter than originally planned, for a variety of reasons.The list began with 16 towns but is now said to be down to 10 and could reduce further still. The plans could also be affected by an unexpectedly high level of hostility ...
I understand the seriousness of losing 3 deputy mayors for Boris Johnson - although people might say that it might be Boris Johnson getting a grip. In that case surely the CCHQ have f***ed up. The other thing is how much of London's taxpayers money been spent on these failed deputy mayors? It seems that the latest had [...]
The Tories are raging that Brown is bottling another election by moving the 2009 local elections from May to coincide with the European Parliament elections in June. I'm afraid this isn't bottling it. The same thing happenned in 2004. Just thought I should point this out.
I went to a meeting of the (newly formed) Brighouse Branch of the Lib Dems yesterday. While discussing the campaigning part of the agenda, one of the things we touched upon was the national party's policy of Seat Targeting - which is to say that because the party is poor (not having the financial support of big business like the Tories, or the Unions like Labour) and ignored by the media (who, for their own ends, like the FPTP system and having a duopoly of power because it makes things easy for lazy journalists), we necessarily have to concentrate resources ...
Copies of the Matthew Street festival programme, with timings, venues and details, are now available. I picked mine up from the station the other day. Here though is a link to an on line version of the part about the outdoor stages.
Last night I did what could be my last Selection Committee Training, this time was for Cannock Chase Liberal Democrats.
St Mary's Road in Garston has been gradually, and I mean gradually, improving for a while now. Since the time I've lived in Garston there's been at least one new cafe, the Garston cultural village gallery (both of them) and a new nail bar. There's also been rennovation work on one building and the new flats by the junction. There's been investment in road surfaces and some pavement too (although this means little if the sustainable businesses are not there also). Now there are more real signs of confidence - signs that the work put in (almost entirely behind the ...
At this moment in time there is a woman having an exhibition of Paintings at the Carmarthen library basement. Very interesting set of pictures. She told me that she had contacted the Arts Council in Carmarthen to come and view her exhibition. Requesting also that they give her some guidance on laying out her exhibition. The male officer told her that they did not have time. Yet she is hoping to make an application for a small grant for further exhibitions. Yet the ACW office in Carmarthen is about 200 strides away from the Library. One could hit a tennis ...
My baby is 12 today! Yes, TWELVE years old! At 12:21 on 19th August 1996, baby Bedford rushed into the world at less than an hour's notice and 10 weeks before she was due. She's always been rather impatient! In fact she arrived so quickly that her father didn't make it it time to sooth my fevered brow and see our first-born burst onto the stage of life. At just 30 weeks gestation, there was every expectation that Hattie wouldn't be breathing and doctors were standing by. But she appeared kicking and screaming and, despite spending several weeks in Special ...
It is always fascinating when the true Tory party jumps out of the box. Alan Duncan, Tory frontbencher, has condemned Brian Haw's protest outside parliament as a "vulgar and pointless display" serving "no justifiable democratic purpose". I wonder if he checked this with David Davis. A lot of protest is vulgar. That is what happens in a democracy. As for "pointless", surely that is up to Brian
I've just received review copies of the first three titles produced by a new imprint on the London publishing scene: Arabia Books. Launched by two of the capital's most adventurous independent publishers, Gary Pulsifer of Arcadia and Barbara Schwepcke of Haus, Arabia Books intends to bring out at least ten new fiction titles a year, [...]
With me being new to Blogging i would hopefully like to get at least shortlisted if not win an award from Liberal Democrats Blog Awards 2008 as i have many readers who enjoy reading this blog. If you enjoy reading this blog then can you please leave a comment and tell me why!
Whilst on the party's E Postcards i come across this and i found it quiet funny so i thought i would share it with readers of this blog who maybe don't visit the Party site or the E Postcard section.
This photo requires some explanation - there are lots of coincidences here. Some months ago, Ranil Mendis (on the right) who works for the City of Toronto, came across my blog when googling for Kingston upon Thames and got in touch. He is involved in the Toronto Mayor's XI, a youth cricket team in the city, and was planning a trip to London for them. We finally met...
Alex Wilcock suggested that Lib Dem bloggers list their ten favourites among their own posts. So, since I'm at home with a cold and don't have much brainpower for serious writing, here are some posts in which I highlight issues that I think still haven't got enough media attention: Same-sex partners have no right to respect for family life, says the Government If you are a UK voter, I think you need to know about this - epic fail at the Home Office keeps a man unlawfully detained for 22 months Worse than I thought - about call centre justice ...
After his efforts yesterday to attach himself to the successes of Team GB, Boris Johnson's short tenure as Mayor of London suffered a third setback this morning, after a third senior member of his team announced his resignation. Tim Parker, the First Deputy Mayor and soon to take over as Chairman of Transport for London (TfL), has stepped down from both jobs, saying it was inappropriate for him to hold them as an unelected official. Mr Parker steps down soon after Boris accepted the resignations of Deputy Mayor Ray Lewis, over allegations made against him and senior advisor James McGrath, ...
More puzzling than the mystery of why people flick their can of coke before they pull the ring, is why I received a letter from Jo Swinson asking me to be a parliamentary candidate recently. I'm all for encouraging more women candidates, but this, this just strikes me as desperate. The central aim of the letter is to make sure I've been asked, which is perhaps insulting as it is, as no-one on the CGB knows whether anybody's hinted at me to stand for parliament before. How would they? * It's a little patronising to say the least, and I ...
The Government want to hold European and Local elections on the same day instead of what the initial idea was to have them separate. But the conservatives say its so the Government don't have to face defeat twice. These Conservatives are thinking to much of themselves at the moment they like to kick the Government when its down despite them being the people who put the Government in that state. They are people who have used and abused the Labour Government but now are sliding away so they don't get blamed for it. I can see through these Conservatives but ...
The Government want to pump money into youth diversity projects as they want to unite youngsters from all races and genders. Well it looks like a great idea we need more of this kind of projects happening across the country as it is something a lot of people will agree that we need more of. It would be great to have united youngsters as then the coming generations will not be racist and it will help to kick the BNP out of the life's of people as most youngsters would have learnt at a young age that racism is wrong ...
Ten days ago, I tuned into the first episode of Channel4's new programme 'Make me a Christian'. I didn't blog about it at the time because I was so angry and disappointed that I didn't want to give it any more attention. So why now? Well, Rev Joanna Jepson, one of the participants, is apparently [...]
{multi-storey-flats.jpg} If you want to find out more about what is going on in our area, and have access to email why not subscribe to a weekly East Marsh email bulletin. The bulletin is distributed by Alan Burley our recently appointed Development Worker for the East Marsh.. Alan's weekly bulletin consists of updates about the topical issues in the area as well as informing you of up and coming events in the area. A typical email bulletin will include events that are happening in the area that are run by the Local Council, local Voluntary Groups, East Marsh Tennant and ...
A marathon Development Quality Committee at the City Council last night, lasting some four hours and finishing around 10pm. However, I successfully moved refusal of an application for a mobile phone mast at Balgay Bowling Club in Melville Terrace, a proposal local residents had objected to (including a resident who addressed the committee to express his concerns about this proposal, close to residential housing). The committee convener attempted to move approval of the mast but failed to find a seconder, so my motion to refuse planning approval was therefore agreed. The full motion read : Reasons for Refusal 1. The ...
There's been a bit of a giggle going round the blogs over Johann Hari's three point plan for revitalizing our democracy. The Centre Forum's Free Think blog described them, I hope with tongue firmly in cheek, as "radical"; they do not even trim the overgrown leaves of our democracy, let alone get at the root of the problem. Tom Papworth offers a characteristically more critical appraisal and says much that I would have said about Hari's ideas themselves ('boneheaded' and 'rent seeking'). But as his suggestion about compelling students to take a newspaper rather shows, Hari is one of the ...
Tuesday (again): You just KNOW that something has gone horribly HORRIBLY wrong when the Metro's sixty second interview is asking questions like: "Are you worried about how the programme will be received? Recent BBC 'drama' Bottomkickers is a national laughing stock." Which is exactly what they DID ask... on the very day of the series finale. So, only a brand-new, giant-sized, high-definition, Freesat-ready, flat-screen tellybox could have induced my Daddies to watch the last ludicrous episode of Life-on-Mars-creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah's unintentionally appalling, reputation-wrecking "Bottomkickers" this week. Tragically, that is exactly what arrived in the post that morning... ...
