Stewart Lee's show last year was one of the only things I tried to go see and couldn't because it was sold out, so I was pleased to be able to rectify the situation this year with a visit to The Stand, a comedy club with a much smaller capacity and profile than the Udderbelly, where Lee played last year (Lee's performing there was, apparently, a protest against the self-appointed Edinburgh Comedy
Last year, Brendon Burns won the if.comedy award for his stand-up show after years of being at the Fringe, playing in small venues and with a reputation for being a not-very-notable shock merchant who frequently crossed the line between ironic and just wantonly offensive. Last year, he says, was a product of getting rid of his drug habit and making his show more consistently professional, and
Edges is a song cycle about the slightly directionless lives of four young people trying to find themselves a life and a partner they like. The songs themselves are good, the music well written and characterful. The direction of the show was good, the lighting and sound smoothly unnoticed by most. Unfortunately, the performers in this production weren't all quite up to the standard required,
I'm not much of a choral music person, or a Gospel person, so I'm probably not the ideal audience for this kind of show. It's pretty amazing, but I had a few niggles that stopped me from really loving every minute in the same way that most of my friends who saw it did: 1. I don't like listening to people sing in a language I don't understand; they might be singing "burn the gays in the name of
Last year I enjoyed Reg D Hunter's show, but felt that the show wasn't quite the coherent intellectual statement that Hunter might have liked to think, and that it contained some comments that were mostly there to please an audience of shock junkies (an increasing Edinburgh Fringe demographic in comedy audiences, sadly). Both of these issues have been addressed for this year's show, leaving a man
Byrne is an old Fringe favourite, with a mix of chat to the audience (when he frequently finds himself hilarious) and pre-written material on pretty average themes (marriage, moving house, etc). He is a very capable comedian, but the trouble is he is something of a jack of all trades. His banter with the audience is not up to the standard of, say, Ross Noble or Lucy Porter, while his material,
Stephen Sondheim's musical about the various people to have attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate presidents of the USA, from John Wilkes Booth onwards, is not your average musical, with no chorus to speak of, and a subject matter that could easily make for a monotonously dark show. To make it work, the show must be intelligently performed and directed, and this production pulled
Having seen WitTank last year in Rocket Venues (they've moved up in the world, and deservedly so), I was expecting great things of this show. And yes, it's more of the same, and some sketches are genuinely hilarious. The average level of humour, though, seems to me to be a bit lower than it was last year. And again, the funniest bits are those where the actors are trying to make each other corpse
This show was also in the sauna which Plague was given, but somehow I didn't mind so much here. I've never seen this musical before, so I can't comment on the cutting of the script to make it fit into its late night slot, other than to say that the show didn't feel as if it had been gutted or made no sense. The show isn't the most uplifting thing you've ever seen, but if you like musical theatre
This is a tricky review to write, since these guys were C venues colleagues of ours, and unsureness what to write here is one of the reasons I lapsed into such crapness about keeping up with these reviews. Now that the fringe is over, it seems less problematic, although I won't feel any less awkward about the thought that they might read it, but... It was pretty ropey, really. The cast threw
I was inspired for this post by the Liberal Democrat Voice Members' Survey of the month which asked which MPs we thought should be in the Shadow Cabinet. First, one of my favourite politicians is Alistair Carmichael. He is down-to- earth, funny, hard working, intellectually well up to mastering any brief and a supportive adviser to a number of people. He is also brave enough to speak his mind when he needs to, as seen earier this year when he had to resign for voting for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. He has served his time now, though, and ...
It wasn't raining and we had no engagements, so we were tempted off to Whitby. Even though there had been a bank holiday I reckoned on doing over 45 hours in the 4 days just gone for those who are complaining about the recent Councillors pay rise. The sun shone in Whitby. I was able to nap on the way there and back and even snooze on the sands. Healthy lunch, and all of the delicious...
A few years back I took a rotten window out. Within a couple of hours a couple of Barn Swallows had flown in. It just so happened that one of the ceiling cladding boards was missing also. The pair laid there eggs on the roof joist. I was so thrilled by this I did not bother putting the replacement window in until they decided to go back on their long flight migration to Africa in late september. One of the best wildlife experience I have had. To watch them flying around in the spare bedroom! Today brought that experience back ...
Yesterday I went around to see a pal of mine. See how he is. If there is anything I can help him with. Hes wheelchair bound (I have asked permission). Hes also a bit of a bookworm. I told him that I was doing a blog. He thought I meant Blag! I showed him mine and a few others on his laptop. Being a Labour supporter he wanted to see some Welsh labour blogs. The ones that came to mind were Leighton Andrews and also Hugh lewis. This blogging caper really interested him. He looked through these blogs. One thing ...
We are currently at the party to celebrate our victory in the Whickham South and Sunniside byelection in Gateshead. We held the seat on 31st July with a mere 72% of the vote. I have an interest in the ward as I am one of the councillors here. But our new councillor, John McClurey, has put on this bash for the helpers and 60 people have turned up.And if anyone from the local Labour party is
Sat 30th
20:27
If you had any lingering thoughts that Sarah Palin might be fit to be Vice-President of the US......
Listen to this radio recording (below) from Anchorage radio KWHL's "The Bob and Mark Show". The hosts describe the Alaskan Senate President Lyda Green (who is a cancer survivor) variously as a "jealous woman", "a cancer" and a "bitch" while Governor Palin laughs girlishly, repeatedly. Hat-tip: Daily Kos
Yate, Sodbury and District Community Transport has just taken delivery of two extra 15-seater minibuses - and named them Florence and Dylan. They will join Zebedee and the other buses in providing an expanded facility for elderly and disabled people and community groups in the area. Community Transport aims to extend its services to seven days a week and provide transport in the evening. The group already runs Ring and Ride and group travel services, including some day trips. And don't forget that you can use your National Travelcard on Community Transport!
So now that 24 hours has passed between the shellshock of hearing about Sarah Palin as McSame's VP let's see some ways that Team Obama can counteract the phenomenon. 1. Judgement - this is top of the tree - McCain has seen wanting on this and thrown away the experience garb. 2. Seriousness in politics - No [...]
Ben Goldacre continues to be one of my favourite journalists. Not having a science background, I reach to him for a bit of sanity on controversial science-based issues. It is worth reading his article in the Guardian today. It is about the history of the MMR/autism scare and it is a stonker. He basically says that the MMR scare was the fault of the media, and, in particular, their propensity to
On the Weakest Link tonight, The World at One presenter Martha Kearney spoke of her Women's Hour interview with then Conservative leadership contenders David Cameron and David Davis. After asking them a number of questions, she finished with the question 'Boxers or briefs?'. East Yorkshire's defender of civil liberties replied 'Briefs', with the now Tory leader preferring to hang loose in boxers. According to Ms Kearney, one female Conservative member later told her that she had voted for Dave C on the basis of his choice of underwear. Scary! The next Prime Minister could be chosen because of his choice ...
As I previously indicated (click on headline above to view), the pathway beside Seymour Lodge will soon be upgraded, with thanks to Tayside Police, who own this popular walkway. The City Council has updated me on the improvement works as follows: Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating footpath improvement works. The Order is expected to be in force for three weeks from 8 September 2008. Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months. The effect of the Order is to ...
The Electoral Commission this week published the latest donation and borrowing figures for the political parties this week - LDV's own Mark Pack has already blogged about the innumerate ways in which these were interpreted both by the Commission's own press release, and then by the news media. The Commission's website does allow us, though, to [...]
The Zero Waste Week challenge is to see how little residents can throw away in their rubbish bins over the course of one week by aiming to recycle and compost as much as possible as well as trying to reuse things, like shopping bags, and avoid or reduce disposable items when possible. This year the Zero Waste Week is taking place from Monday 29th September to Sunday 5th October To find out...
I am pleased to report that a new acting Beat Manager has been appointed to Twerton & Westmoreland area . Pc 1609 Adrian Secker will work with the existing PCSO's in the Twerton & Westmoreland area. Pc 1609 Secker has a wealth of experience and has been patrolling the streets of Bath since 1992 and is already known to many Westmoreland residents. Adrian describes...
I suspect that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, is already regretting the candour of his interview in today's Weekend magazine of the Guardian. But as Vince Cable — who was able to get in a pertinent reaction in time for last night's 'Newsnight', showing yet once again how on the ball he is – said, [...]
Never, ever, ever get involved with the Tim/Iain/Guido feud. This way lies pain. That is all.
My colleague Vince Cable MP speaking on 4 March 2006 about the then Chancellor Gordon Brown's economic policies said:"The current lack of savings and investment means that Gordon's claims to have pro...
After photos on Cimla Common (which the Evening Post has chosen not to use) and a courtesy call on mayor Mal Gunter (picture left), Baroness Scott was entertained by Annette and Councillor Des Sparkes at their house in Tonmawr. There was a lively discussion between local activists and Ros and her husband Mark. Ros praised the work of the local party, stressing the important place which the many smaller parties held within the Liberal Democrats. She also outlined her platform for the presidential contest, which opens officially on 1st September.
The rules of any association (such as the LibDems) reflect cultural assumptions. Emotions as well as logic come into play. So as we drag into the next round of Bones, spare a though for the example of the Mudgeeraba Creek Emu Racing and Boomerang Throwing Association which include: "The decisions of the judges are final unless shouted down by a really overwhelming majority of the crowd present." Remind you of the home life of any conferences lately? This of course is in an Australian context so the following on use of language may need less vigorous emphasis in an UK ...
I was going to write a post in response to #1 Blogger Alix's post about the insidious use of the word "family" in Lib Dem policy documents. My post would have probably been something flippant referencing Don Liberali (who appears to have gone friends only - when did THAT happen?) because, you know, The Family. Andrew's post is better than mine would have been.
A Lib Dem said something that i found very funny yesterday. This person who i don't want to mention said "the conservatives talk about good family life policies yet the shadow Cabinet Ministers are shagging all over the place". This is actually true if you look at from a angle for example Boris an ex Shadow minister and now Mayor of London has been busted sneaking out of a different women's home and it wasn't his wife's home early morning... what was he up to!
Whilst going through the blogs of the Labour Party i come across this picture. Cameron the crony is a Lib Dem at heart. Look at the Pic and then leave a comment!
Liberal Democrat Voice explains why you should not only mistrust the media, but also the spin which quangos put on their press releases.
A relatively minor piece of surgery has meant that I need to keep my leg up for some time each day for a few days so lots of opportunities to catch up on reading and to answer the phone. It's been a real treat to be able to read things properly instead of having to skim down them trying to spot the important bits hidden amongst the rest. I was also able to spend time on the phone instead of
{Water bottle} That's what decency, common-sense - and the law - says, but it isn't what the distributors of the London Lite newspaper decided. Hornsey resident Alex Chobur got fired without warning by the distribution company, The Network, for drinking water - but thankfully they've now seen sense - helped by me pointing out to them that they were breaking the law! Full story is over on my website.
Haringey Council has failed to update its Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy in time, which is a very worrying sign about the low priority they are giving the issue - you can read more in the news release on my website.
What makes a good deputy? The question is of acute relevance today owing to Senator John McCain's decision to pick Governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential nominee. Her positives have already been well-rehearsed: a young, instinctive, deeply conservative female, with a son about to serve in Iraq. Her negatives have also been loudly broadcast: she [...]
The post-mortem on Labour's Welsh local election campaign cannot be going that well. Last May they managed to achieve their worst ever results, maintaining majority control of just two Councils and losing their grip on the Welsh Local Government Association. However, rather than regroup and reorganise they seem intent on tearing themselves apart by forcing local parties to deselect sitting Councillors so as to increase the number of women elected to local authorities. The Western Mail quotes a senior Labour Councillor as warning that any attempt to force sitting members to stand down would lead to a series of "mini-Blaenau ...
Chester City Conservative Councillor Max Drury was found guilty of harrassing his former business partner, left the Conservative Party and is now also facing a council investigation: Deputy Labour group leader Bob Rudd has made an official complaint about Cllr Max Drury to head of legal services Charles Kerry, alleging the former Tory has brought the [...]
OK. I am switching allegiance. If the US gets McCain, we get Michael Stipe. GO McCain GO!
When Iain Dale advertised the Total Politics Blog Lists and Boulton and Co said that if they got into the top ten they would show a picture to readers semi naked. Now they have achieved that goal but the Political Crew from Sky News haven't yet produced the Picture they Promised. If you want to see if the Sky News Political team have the guts to take the picture and show it to readers then please leave a comment. If not we will let them get away with it and let them off this time!
48) Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, The Yoga Cookbook: Vegetarian Food for Body and Mind - Recipes from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres (London: Gaia 2005, ISBN 185675245300). I wouldn't normally list a cookbook, but I did actually read this one from cover to cover, so here it is. I bought it partly because I am eating very little meat these days and had seen several highly positive reviews from non-yogic vegetarians, and partly out of sheer curiosity at what the recipes would be like, given that people who are Really Serious about Sivananda (and indeed many other forms of yoga) ...
In the 2005 General Election the Lib Dems in Scotland stood on getting 1000 more police on the streets. I remember it well as I erroneously gave the break down of these stats for Lothian and Borders at the hustings in Bo'ness when of course I should have given Central Scotland figures: only to have Michael Connarty correct me. So of course I fully support any increase in police officers that the
I worry about the government lurching from one extreme to the other. Until very recently there was no problem, there was a state of denial, Britain was the strongest country in the western world, any problems we had were from overseas; now suddenly we've lurched into Apocalypse Now, the return of the Great Depression. (hat tip: The Burbler) I do think it's lovely that the news organisations now turn to Vince for comment as a matter of course, leaving Boy George squeaking in indignation because nobody is listening to his inane and ill-informed pronouncements. I just wish that would translate ...
Last night saw the campaign hire car roll into the valleys, where we met members from Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Party, as well as a couple of visitors from Cardiff. We had spent the day catching up on campaign stuff, with much to do over the coming weeks, and huge amounts of preparation to be done. However, all work and no play etc, so Mark decided that we should do something 'cultural' for a change. Our route took us to Blaenavon, a World Heritage Site where the best preserved example of an eighteenth century ironworks is being carefully restored by ...
I got a notification this morning. It said "Iain Dale has added you as a friend on Facebook". It seems I cannot escape. I don't read his blog, having looked at it a few times I don't want to read his blog, devoid of substance and full of opinions I despise as it is (and that's without even going into some of the pure poison in the comments threads); and although people keep assuring me he's a lovely bloke in real life, I'm not sure I want to be added to what I am sure he sees as his personal ...
I awoke this morning to the dulcet tones of the 5 Live newsreader telling me that Alistair Darling is pissed off. Or the public are. Or maybe we all are? Apparently this refers to an interview that the Chancellor gave to Decca Aitkenhead for the Guardian last week, in which he states: "In the space of 10 months we've gone from a position where people generally felt we were doing OK to where we're certainly not doing OK. [...] People are pissed off with us." Now I can understand how Mr. Darling feels. I can understand how the public feel. ...
Thank you Lynne Featherstone for writing about the parking problems in Highgate. I was going to blog something last weekend, but was waiting to point a link at the excellent article in the Ham & High last week about Highgate's parking problems, but it hasn't appeared on the H&H website. For over a year, Haringey has left a small stretch of North Road, in Highgate village surrounded by CPZs and without parking controls. This is inflicting misery on local residents. The Ham & High piece reported Labour's parking boss Brian Haley doing something we're told elected politicians shouldn't do - ...
Sat 30th
10:06
Did John McCain really pick somebody to possibly become the most powerful person in the world after ...
The McCain camp has just released a tick-tock of how the Palin pick came to be. And according to it, McCain had met her just one time prior to yesterday.
Its too late Darling. The Chancellor is saying that they are many people who are angry with the Labour Party and this would threaten their votes in the coming future. But the issue the Labour Party has not addressed is why they didn't put money aside for a rainy day, and we are going through a storm at the moment!
The Angus & Dundee Roots Festival takes place from 6th to 13th September and gives a great opportunity for people whose ancestors came from Dundee and Angus to visit the area to find out more about their ancestral homeland giving them a flavour of what life was like for ancestors in days gone by. You can read more about the week by clicking on the headline above. I'm delighted that Ann Prescott, leading member of the Western Cemetery Association and Minutes Secretary of West End Community Council, is - as part of the week - giving a talk about the ...
I see Road to Hell man Chris Rea has given the Conservatives £25,000. I make no further comment...
Paul Begala on CNN writes an excoriating criticism of McCain's choice of Sarah Plain as his running mate. He makes the key point that, for months, McCain's supporters have said that he is running on judgment and experience as his key attributes but now "in his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown that he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of
Oh dear what is happening ? It would seem that the Chancellor Alistair Darling has admitted that the UK is facing its worst economic crisis in 60 years. Apart from wanting to know what happened in 1947 which was even worse (labour government I think!). you are left wondering why he emerged from the Glens to make this pronouncement. Was it: A) Because he was feeling lonely on his holidays and wanted to chat to those nice reporters about world events B) Because he had been watching the USA pick their candidates for the next presidential elections and thought he ...
© Copyright Mat Fascione A review of the food at The Bakers Arms, Thorpe Langton, in Metro begins: Last month, one of the broadsheet newspapers ran an article about the controversial proposals for eco-town Pennbury. It waxed lyrical about the south-east Leicestershire countryside being on a par with the finest scenery in Dorset or Devon. And on a summer's evening drive out to The Bakers Arms in Thorpe Langton, it's easy to see why.This is the kind of lush, gently rolling countryside that flies the flag for sentimental patriotism. It summons to mind a Vaughan Williams soundtrack, a game of ...
I'd never heard of Sarah Palin until yesterday. All I really know is that she's Governor of Alaska, has been for about a year and a half, is under investigation for trying to get her ex brother in law fired from his State trooper job and that she's a "hockey mom" whatever that is. I'm not really sure what was in John McCain's mind when he picked her to be his running mate, or why on earth she accepted. I would have thought that the best strategic thing for her career development would have been for her to give a ...
Here from Newser are the details of the ethics investigation into Sarah Palin, which is currently ongoing: John McCain's running mate comes to the national campaign embroiled in a scandal back home, Talking Points Memo reports. Alaska's legislative council has appointed a special commission to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin, who's accused of pressuring the state's department of public safety to
Vince Cable wittily sums up Alistair Darling's dire predictions about the economy: I worry about the government lurching from one extreme to the other. Until very recently there was no problem, there was a state of denial, Britain was the strongest country in the western world, any problems we had were from overseas. Now suddenly we've lurched into Apocalypse Now, the return of the Great
The crucial nature of the achitecture of pubs within the community is often under-estimated... And Kilburn has a good haul of quality pubs - various inspectors, audits and census's have identified Kilburn as having above average number of pubs per capita - what that doesn't draw out is that it has above average quality and design features. So here we feature the Prince of Wales, 11 Cambridge Gardens, South Kilburn - easily found as it is immediately on the right as you come out of Kilburn Park tube station. The building is grade two listed and you can see why... ...
The Guardian contains a remarkable series of admissions by the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the economy and the Labour Government. His candour about the situation we find ourselves in and the failures of his government are refreshing but just a little bit too artful for my liking. Alistair Darling tells the paper that Britain is facing "arguably the worst" economic downturn in 60 years, which will be "more profound and long-lasting" than people had expected. He admits that he had no idea how serious the credit crunch would become and he says that Labour faces its toughest challenge in ...
...the more I wish I'd remained in the blissful state of never having heard of her. Being pro-life is one thing, and it's something that would colour my judgment of her rather unfavourably on its own, but I accept that's not everyone's view. But to be anti-abortion and a lifetime member of the NRA and a supporter of the death penalty? I think it would be a gross misnomer to call that pro-life. That's pro-death and anti-choice. Is her selection as McCain's running mate *really* meant to be an enticement to disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters to vote Republican? If so ...
I didn't stay up to watch it last night, but thanks to the excellent BBC Parliament (which is probably providing better coverage of the US conventions than it does of our domestic party conferences), I managed to catch Barack Obama's acceptance speech this evening. And I agree with The Burbler that it was really first class. In contrast to some previous Obama speeches, in which the rhetorical flourishes have been a little overblown for my liking, this combined vision with solid political positioning and detail. Obama praised John McCain's service to his country, but pointed out that he has supported ...
You have less than 24 hours to see if anyone other than Lizbee can win the Very Prestigious Blog of the Year Overall Winner thing. Even if we do the "votes for Debi count double because she won two categories" thing, Lizbee is still winning. Frankly, when she writes posts like this, I think she deserves to win. Still, I shall re-embed the poll, and then it's easier for you all to vote if you haven't already: View Poll: SB's Very Prestigious Blog of the Year Awards - Phase Three - The Overall Winner Also? strangefrontier is awesome. Witness.
It's been a fairly miserable summer in terms of sunshine, and I did wonder about the viability of a garden party but, as we left Brecon, an unfamiliar bright light appeared in the sky, and as we drove to Newport via Abergavenny, the sun began to break through, and the afternoon grew warmer. The scenery that can be enjoyed from the A40 is really lovely, and we idled our way as far as Y Fenni (Mark now understands what the name of the cheese means), before heading down to Newport, where we found time to check into our hotel and ...
Harry's Place links to a report in The Nation. It shows that Sarah Palin, John McCain's choice as his Vice Presidential running mate, supported the hard-right Republican candidate Pat Buchanan in his attempt to win the party's nomination for the 1990 Presiential election. While I was writing this Harry's Place posted again, suggesting that Palin may have run Buchanan's campaign in Alaska - at least, I assume that is what "state director" means. Whatever the truth of this, her selection has delighted Richard Viguerie, an American "Conservative" (he views the Republican establishment as halfway to being socialists) who e-mails me ...
McCain will be the oldest person ever inaugurated for a first term at 72 and he has got a history of health problems including melanoma - his running mate could be called upon to be President. CNN's Jack Cafferty explains why picking Sarah Palin is a disaster for McCain.
Politicians should always keep in touch with the views of people in their area - but particularly with young people, whose views are often ignored. I've been running a young people's survey on Facebook for a while, following a talk to Moulsham High school students as part of Citizenship Week. Now the survey is on a new website accessible to everyone, whether on Facebook or not. This survey is
