So says the Sunday Times: The Conservative party hid donations of £40,000 from Zac Goldsmith, his brother Ben and two billionaire brothers in an apparent breach of the law. The donations were recorded on official records as coming from Unicorn Administration, an intermediary company which helps run the finances of the super-rich. But The Sunday Times has discovered that they in fact came from Zac Goldsmith, his brother Ben, and Ben's wife Kate Rothschild... This weekend Lord Oakeshott, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said he would write to the Electoral Commission calling for an inquiry into the apparent breach of ...
All, A press statement from the District Council: Update on refuse and recycling collections - Saturday 9 January Due to the road and weather conditions only the main roads in the south and east of Shipston have been able to be collected. Crews have worked in Alcester and completed between 65% - 75% of the collection, despite the icy roads including Alcester Town and some of the outer lying properties. Extra recycling side waste will be taken, but this must be in a box or other suitable container not in a black sack. Please check the new revised schedule - ...
Further to my blog the other day, I have attempted to customise my own David Cameron poster. I hope you like it:
There have been lots of compliments for Stockton's waste and recycling collection teams over the past couple of weeks as they've coped with horrible road conditions as well as icy and snow covered bins, boxes and bags, all without missing a single collection round. They reached the dizzy heights of a mention on a phone in programme on BBC Radio 4 this week! Heroes one and all.The cold spell has
Here.
Tomorrow's Mail on Sunday has an article based on the memoirs of Peter Watt, a former Labour Party general secretary. Various claims are made: Mr Brown's Cabinet ally Douglas Alexander said the PM's inner circle wanted an early Election partly because even they didn't like him - and they feared the British public would soon form the same view.The day Mr Brown called off the 2007 Election, denying he had ever intended to hold one, Labour chiefs had a fleet of limousines circling Parliament Square ready to take Ministers on the campaign trail, and had 1.5million leaflets ready to be ...
Tomorrow's Sunday Times reports that Nick Clegg has fallen out with the child-rearing guru Gina Ford. The paper quotes the Lib Dem leader describing his and his wife's attempts to follow her suggested rules: "It was like following a sort of Ikea assembly instruction manual. It made us feel strangely passive as parents."It goes on to quote him as saying:"With our first one ... like all new parents, we religiously followed Gina Ford. Instructions like, stick him in a broom cupboard at 7.46am. At 7.48am, take him out, do not look at him ... Absolute nonsense." As an admirer of ...
While it must be applauded that the Conservatives are going to pay college fees plus £5,000 towards living costs of our fallen heroes it is only small fry in terms of higher education commitments. This would lift (at an average of 2.4 children) 1411 children for the 558 fallen soldiers killed in service since 1990 out of tuition fees. But the Liberal Democrats remain committed to scrapping tuition fees for all first Higher Education degree qualifications. Further than that the Lib Dems will offer full funding for off-the-job training costs for apprenticeships, improve access to HE for under represented groups, ...
Political Betting has highlighted a new poll carried out Angus Reid which asks people to say which words best describe the three party leaders. The question put to people was: Here are some words that people may use to describe [Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Nick Clegg]. Please choose up to six words that you think describe ...
Having been grounded as todays events for both work and pleasure have been cancelled, it was the idea opportunity to sort out the filing pile and try to reorganise papers. As always interesting things emerge. A paper handed to be by Lucy Care from Derby a while ago was talking about "preparing for Peak Oil" with warnings of problems if issues about our power supplies are not dealt with and...
Nick Clegg has come out rather well in a poll asking voters to pick 6 words to describe the three leaders. A breakdown of the results, courtesy of Political Betting, can be shown below: Contra to Angus Reid's conclusion, who conducted the poll, I think when you look more closely, Clegg actually fared better than Cameron ...
A peculiar kind of lemming-like mania has gripped leading levels of the Labour Party; especially the Blairites. Although not a Blairite (more a scorned colleague), Alistair Darling's intervention today in The Times is desperately poor. His whole raison d'etere is trying to present Labour as the party of 'tough cuts' and 'budget reduction'. As I have ...
Sat 9th
21:25
Oxfordshire's youth services are cut, then taped back together. whatever next in this election year?
Oxfordshire County Council's Tories announced massive cuts across the board in the second half of 2009, once the elections were safely out of the way. The proposed cuts included savings of £3.2m over 5 years in the youth services budget. They were naturally damned for this, although the local reaction was decidedly neutral. We have now entered 2010 and a general election looms. Waddyaknow? The cuts to the youth budget have been massively reduced to £350,000. This is obviously good news on the surface as the county's youth services are quite good. However, a moment's reflection on this u-turn throws ...
The armed attack on the Togo team coach yesterday, in which the driver, a press officer and assistant coach were killed and 2 players injured has led to their withdrawal from the Africa Cup of Nations. Both the Angolan government and tournament officials spent the day persuading the players to stay for their group matches. But clearly the half hour under fire on their way the players are not prepared to play as their first choice keeper said: "None of the team is ready to play, we're all devastated, everyone wants to go and see their family. "We came here ...
This morning a small group of dedicated campaigners made it out in the snow to deliver our latest Focus leaflet to the residents of Ladywood. As we made our way around the streets, several people stopped for a chat and were pleased to see us out and about. I also noted down two items of casework and picked up a potential supporter. Not bad for a morning in which I very nearly threw my alarm across the bedroom and stayed in bed! [IMG: Delivering in the snow in Summerfield, Ladywood] [IMG: Delivering in the snow in Summerfield, Ladywood]
This is a "reprint" of a post I made in November 2006. I'm not saying I still stand by all of it, but I enjoyed re-reading it none the less. What do you think? There is something about the word "uniform" which is simply filled with negative connotations. The answer is quite clearly that uniform means ...
Snow scenes on Fortune Green and from my back window!
After witnessing a car skidding round the bend in Bandon Rise yesterday, I arranged with some neighbours to see if we could do something to clear the snow here. After a futile search for salt in the local grit bins this morning we found we had to tackle the job the hard way. Armed with shovels, a ...
Welcome to this latest LDVideo instalment, featuring three video clips this week united by a common theme – the general uselessness of British newspapers and their inability to report facts. First up, we have this classic clip from iconic 1980s' political comedy, Yes, Prime Minister, in which Jim Hacker explains to the civil service who reads the British newspapers: (Also available on YouTube here). Secondly, here's Stephen Fry's QI - in Call My Bluff mode – exploding a few of the Euro myths peddled by the right-wing media: (Also available on YouTube here). And finally, Mock The Week's Russell Howard ...
[IMG: Nicholas Coombes clears snow on the Bathwick Hill] [IMG: Nicholas and firement clear snow at Quarry Rock Gardens] Quarry Rock Gardens has been in the news a little lately, first in the Chronicle and then on BBC Points West. The static home caravan site houses 90 residents aged 50+ at the top of Widcombe Hill. Being a privately run site it is not eligible for council gritting (not that many other residential roads have been gritted either!), but the owner of the site has not made any provision for snow and ice. Consequently many residents are housebound and have ...
Sorry folks he hasn't been kicked out the UK! He's been deported from Egypt after trying to lead an aid convoy through Egypt into Gaza. It's actually quite an admirable thing to try and do and considering the lack of media attention Galloway must be extremely selfless or extremely disappointed! My bet's on the latter but I'm feeling a bit cynical! The whole affair does seem a bit amateur though. Surely you would check with Egypt to make sure they would let you through the border crossing first rather than just turning up. And if they had checked and Egypt ...
Here in Creeting St Peter, we aren't worried about potential failure to maintain gas supplies. Of course, this could have something to do with the fact that we aren't connected to the gas distribution system at all. No, we rely on electricity and heating oil, augmented by coal and wood as required. Unfortunately, it became clear before Christmas that our supply of oil was running low, so Ros rang our regular supplier and put in an order. On our return from the French Riviera, we were called on by our next door neighbour, to be advised that the tanker had ...
Iain Dale has done a fun (and presumably very time consuming exercise) where he has gone through every individual seat in the country and made a prediction about who he thinks will win based on gut feel in each case. He says that the overall result surprised him: Conservative 331Labour 216LibDem 69Plaid Cymru 5SNP 7Green 1Others 3Northern Ireland 18* Which would give the Conservatives an overall majority of just 12 seats. Various posters on Political Betting question some of Iain's assumptions, the main one being that they think he has overestimated the number of Lib Dem seats, perhaps due to ...
Ashby Castle When Gwyneth Dunwoody died in April 2008 Labour whips moved the writ for a by-election before she had been buried. They have not shown the same alacrity following the death of David Taylor, the MP for North West Leicestershire, whose funeral took place earlier today in the village of Heather. I imagine Labour, afraid of defeat at the hands of the Conservatives, will do all they can to avoid having a by-election in North West Leicestershire before the general election. Certainly, I sense no enthusiasm for one amongst Labour activists in the county. The North West Leicestershire constituency ...
Exhibit A: a set of railings on Crouch Hill in Crouch End (north London). [IMG: Ugly railings, Crouch End: Abbots Terrace] The railings themselves are of very limited apparent use - presumably to stop cars cutting the corner going in or out of Abbots Terrace, though even if cars did it's hard to see how that would pose a danger to pedestrians or cause damage to the surface. They are also, and have been for some time, damaged. But even if in good repair and and necessary, they would still be a bog standard design which rarely looks attractive anywhere ...
In a previous post, I suggested that if you are thinking about predicting the outcome of the next general election then you should look at what will happen in the in marginal seats and not focus on national swings. Today, Iain Dale has produced a detailed electoral analysis. It is not based on a national uniform swing. Some of the figures may surprise you but this sort of analysis is more likely to produce an accurate picture of what will happen than assessments based on traditional assumptions.
Folk from all over Southport turned up at the Area Committee meeting. There was a good deal of real interest to local punters on the agenda. Yet all day the Tories had been trying to get the meeting to be called off. They more than met their match in Brian Rimmer who was resolute in his belief that it should be 'business as usual' We even had the spectacle of one Tory claiming that we were putting 'lives at risk' by going ahead. It makes you wonder what they were so scared of debating? Personally I would have found it ...
Labour has had a good go at Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats after he warned that there may need to be 'savage cuts' to rebalance Britain's budget, and in many ways Nick's poor choice of language invited such attacks. However, the latest pronouncement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer indicates that Labour are planning far worse cuts than anything envisaged by the Liberal Democrats, who were it seems just being honest with the electorate about the dire situation the country finds itself in. In today's Times the paper reports that Alistair Darling has warned that Britain faces its toughest ...
This morning's Western Mail reveals that the Assembly Government's flagship anti-redundancy programme ProAct has only managed to spend £5.5m of its £48m budget as of November last year. This was despite growing unemployment in Wales. The ProAct scheme is designed to help viable businesses cope with the downturn and prepare for the recovery by giving staff - who otherwise might be made redundant - the opportunity to gain new skills during quiet periods. It offers training costs of up to £2,000 per individual and a wage subsidy of up to £50 a day per worker when they are gaining new ...
News is coming from Northern Ireland that Iris Robinson will be stepping down as MP and MLA within the week. The effect at this time means that it is so close to the possible dissolution that no formal writ would be moved in time [pdf link] to replace her at Westminster. The convention under the STV elections for the Northern Irish Assembly currently mean that the sitting party will appoint a replacement if they lose a MLA. A DUP spokesperson has said they will move quickly to replace Mrs Robinson in her Strangford Assembly seat. Adding: "We wanted to show ...
A fortnight ago, LDV posed the question, What difference, if any, do you think the televised leaders' debates will make to the Lib Dems' standing in the polls? Here's what you told us: 60% (258 votes) – They will be a real help to the Liberal Democrats 24% (105) – They will make only a marginal difference either way 8% (34) – They will backfire for the Liberal Democrats 8% (33) – They will be utterly irrelevant to how people vote Total Votes: 430 Poll ran: 26th December 2009 – 8th January 2010 So, a convincing majority of you – ...
Skidding out of the noughties and into the teenies, (tensies? tenners?) ensconsed in snow boots, thermals and woolly hat, unable to do any kind of gardening (unless shovelling snow and feeding birds count) I have whiled away the downtime thinking about the gardening trends that have emerged in the first ten years of the new century and thought I'd note down my (very irreverent!) top ten. 10) Grow Your Own. Suddenly it's very cool to be growing your own fruit and veg, whether it's tomatoes in your hanging baskets and strawberries in your window boxes or full-scale smallholding self-sufficiency. Which ...
I recently watched History of Now: The Story of the Noughties on BBC 2 which can be on BBC IPlayer. This was split into 3 programs the 2nd and 3rd of which were the most interesting for me as this tackled the social aspects of Britain's society. These programs can be found here The second program (which included Lib Dem blogger and co editor of Liberal Democrat Voice Mark Pack) examined how politicians used popular culture like pop music and how Jade Goody paved the way for David Cameron. The program also mentions how parties now concentrate on winnable seats, ...
Congratulations to Iain Dale for daring to come up with a General Election prediction. It's a brave commentator who puts his neck on the line (and he'll get even more kudos if he is prepared to publish his spreadsheet). Of course, everyone has the right to dispute his predictions, but the key point he makes as far as I am concerned is that you cannot predict anything for the Lib Dems based on a national or regional swing. You have to take it seat by seat.
With thanks to Liberal Democrat News
On YouTube you can now watch the entire BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight documentary special on Iris Robinson. It's embedded below in three parts and is linked here – part one - part two – part three. With thanks to Slugger O'Toole. It's also on iPlayer here. The Spotlight programme really is a stunning piece of regional broadcast journalism which deserves to win a clutch of awards. Well done BBC! And well done reporter Darragh MacIntyre, Researcher Imedla Lynch, Assistant Editor Gwyneth Jones and Producer Mary McKeagney. The fact that the programme has, it seems, not elicited any threats of legal ...
Fresh Squeezings From the Veins of the InternetSnow Joke! If you have been housebound, you may not have heard that the UK is in the grip of a big freeze because climate change has "temporarily" rerouted the Gulf Stream. Science Punk has some suggestions for fun and interesting things to do in the snow. Moar Sciencey Stuff: The Ladybird Book of Chiropractic Treatment and English Libel Law; Scans of 16th century science books and 'The Unbroken Thread' (ft. Attenborough, Goodall, Sagan) (last two via the wonderful [IMG: [livejournal.com profile] ] strangefrontier). Doctor Who News Redux: the new series writers I ...
Will there be any fiction books to put into a temporary Library? Well judging by the number being removed from the shelves I'm beginning to wonder. Are they being stored, scrapped or sold? It would ber interesting to know the purchase cost of the books we are loosing..............
Why might Liberal Democrat PPCs and MPs be interested in supporting a motion to control and regulate the manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs? In 2005 we had the Iraq War to distinguish us from the other political parties. The population respected our taking a stand. We risk going into the next general election with no stand-up-and-take-notice policy that will attract attention to our existing policies which deserve to be taken seriously by the voters. This is an excerpt from the speech I gave to the LDDPR fringe event at Autumn conference: "I truly believe we can win this argument. ...
Some great press (including a live report on BBC News) today regarding the Scout's Winter Camp at Gilwell Park. The Scouts are showing how it is done when snow has gripped the country, carry on regardless!
What a great article from Clegg on the Times website. If there is a hung parliament after the next election we must be open and transparent with our membership as well as the public at large.
Brown sees off the plotters...just - The Daily Telegraph, 7.1.10 "Gordon Brown was forced to rely on lukewarm backing from senior Cabinet colleagues last night to see off an attempt to oust him as Prime Minister. "By last night, the attempted coup, which had begun at lunchtime, appeared to have failed as no senior figures were prepared to back it. But while every senior minister issued a statement condemning the letter, few voiced strong support for Mr Brown." MPs could be in line for £15,000 pay rise - Daily Mail, 6.1.10 "MPs could receive a big pay rise to compensate ...
My fellow Birkdale Ward councillor Simon Shaw has called for a rethink over the plans by Sefton Council to spend £3.2 million refurbishing Southport's Indoor Market. Labour and Conservative councillors on Sefton's Cabinet voted in December to plough ahead with the project, despite a host of warnings in the officers' report on the matter. So last Monday, 4 January, Simon submitted an official "call-in" request which means that councillors on Sefton Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee will take another look at the matter at their meeting on Tuesday 19 January. In his call-in notification, Simon identifies a number of matters ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] [IMG: Daisy in Eldon square - fixed up thanks to her ;)] You may remember a while back I mentioned that Daisy was going to be standing as a candidate for our Reading West PPC, following the resignation of Patrick Murray (the very observant of you will of noticed this disappeared but is now back - bloody election law *shakes fist* lol). Well, at last nights meeting she actually won by a landslide . So my good friend and college Daisy will be standing in Reading West [IMG: :)] Only a few hours after the result the news ...
Former Doctor Who actor David Tennant and longstanding Labour supporter has outlined what he sees as the "terrifying prospect" of the Tories in Government with David Cameron as their Prime Minister. In an interview reported in the Mirror, he denounces Cameron's rhetoric as "manipulative" and compares him to a regional newsreader in a suit. He comes from Bathgate and will no doubt remember a time when the town had a flourishing car factory which was turned into miles of wasteland which lay bare for years. There are many other relics of Scotland's manufacturing industry which perished during the Thatcher years. ...
As the Equality Bill passes through the House of Lords this week, the British Humanist Association have expressed deep concern regarding an amendment proposed by the Conservative Party and led by Baroness Warsi and Baroness Morris. The amendment which would remove the phrase 'and philosophical' in the definition of belief has serious implications for humanists. ...
Leading London MP Tom Brake has visited Dundee to learn about the city's Waterfront project, the Victoria & Albert Museum project and to tour Dundee's cultural quarter, taking in a visit to the DCA and Dundee Rep theatre. Accompanied by my colleague John Barnett, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Dundee West, Tom received a briefing about the exciting plans for the V&A on the city's Waterfront which is expected to attract many new visitors to Dundee. With the recent announcement of all-party support for the proposed high-speed rail link from London to the north of England and Scotland, they ...
I am going in for minor surgery to remove a mole on my back on Monday. It's been there since I was born, but has recently become more prominent and started itching. The doctor says it's probably nothing to worry about, but he's going to whip it off just to be sure. I'm trying not to worry about it, but I can't help having it prey on my mind, and this necessarily impacts upon the blogging. On the plus side, it does mean that I have finally done a bit of work on some of the design stuff I am ...
I see that David Tennant is supporting Labour – this is the same actor who started his career in the 7:84 theatre group so it's hardly a big deal that he's Labour. The news though is that someone so intelligent has suchlittle imagination. He states `I'd rather have someone in the room who has the ...
Many of us now shred confidential documents at home in order to protect ourselves from identity theft. But why can't we put the shredded paper in the recycling box? That was a question asked at the last Neighbourhood Committee. It seems that shredding breaks down the fibres in the paper in a way that means it cannot be used in the manufacture of new paper. So paper mills that accept normal paper for recycling refuse to take shredded paper. If you have rabbits or other small pets then the paper can be used as bedding. Not helpful if you don't. ...
Large numbers of young people will be trying to take exams over the next few days on modules that will count towards their final mark, but the cold weather (and possible further snow) may mean that some may not be able to get to schools to take their exams. I think this would be very unfair on those who, through no fault of their own cannot get to schools/colleges, especially in more rural areas. The exam boards say the exams can't be postponed, and nor can they be expected to set extra papers for (say) next month when hopefully the ...
I think when this year is out the historians will look back at 2008-2010 as a fascinating iconic time in British history. Ironic twists of fate corkscrew themselves up tightly like little tornadoes and the decision affecting Kirk McCambley could take him away from Kansas. Attitude Gay mag has asked Kirk to be a pin-up boy. ...
Apparently there are so few differences between the Lib Dems and the Tories that the Tories are specially organising fundraising to unseat Lib Dems rather than fighting Labour. Perhaps Conservative voters should take note that when it comes to winning seats of Labour or the Lib Dems, the Tories prefer to attack the Lib Dems.
So just how do you go about getting a balanced view of Israel and the conflict here in the Middle East? I'm not sure there is a clear answer, but I'm here in Israel and there's no ducking some of the issues here. So over the last 10 days I have been meeting up with residents (many of whom are not politically active), I have met with a number of interest groups, I've discussed domestic affairs like health and education and I have met with a range of politicians. Going to the Knesset (The Israeli Parliament) was really interesting. I ...
So parents are getting fed up with the children being at home, the news stations have got to look for scapegoats, the politicians are trying to cover up their mistakes so what else is there left to do but to turn their attention and anger with regards to the continuing bad weather to blaming head teachers and teachers for shutting schools.The latest to add their opinion is Councillor Stephen
Theoretically SITA are aiming to restart rubbish collections on Monday (11 January) but this is very weather-dependent. The priority will now be the black bin collections. Full details here: South Glos rubbish and recycling arrangements Most schools opened yesterday, but there were some exceptions. Watch this page for further updates: South Glos schools snow arrangements For general South Glos snow announcements and updates on bus services please see: South Glos severe weather and bus page These pages change quite frequently, particularly the chools one. To make sure that your computer displays the latest version, press Refresh (F5) every time you ...
Ten days ago, in the dying days of the last decade, LDV launched our search for the Liberal Voice of 2009, to find the individual or group which has had the biggest impact on liberalism in this country in the past 12 months. Our thanks to all who put forward nominations, all of which were considered carefully by the LDV editorial collective, which has agreed to short-list the following (in no particular order): Guy Herbert, general secretary of NO2ID, for his campaigning work against the database state; Peter Tatchell, for his tireless and fearless international human rights campaigning; Joanna Lumley, ...
so far so good on the `week in westminster` both were double-headed in an interview primarily about balanced parliaments. This is a double-edged sword as it's kind of neutral territory some may say negative. Saying that Chris was very good at explaining that some of our majority parliaments haven't been very stable (ie John Major's ...
From today's Guardian The government sought to avert a grit crisis yesterday by asking councils and highways chiefs to cut usage by at least a quarter, amid indications that Britain faces a serious road salt shortage by the end of next week. According to one estimate in Whitehall, local authorities and the Highways Agency are getting through 60,000 tonnes of salt per day - double the usual rate for a serious cold snap. Daily salt production cannot keep up, running at 15,000 tonnes per day with a stockpile of 320,000 tonnes of salt left until supplies arrive from Spain on ...
I just wanted to say a huge congratulations to Daisy Benson who was selected as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Reading West in a selection hustings last night. Daisy regularly tops the list of the most hard-working councillors in the borough, in fact you only have to look at the top few posts she has done on the Redlands Lib Dem blog to see how much she has been doing in the last few days alone during the cold weather. I am sure she will apply the same dedication and tenacity to trying to with the seat for the ...
There will be an advice session today at Belle Vue House, Garratt Way 11 - 12. All residents welcome to slip in.
This press release has been put out by Leeds City Council. Gritting will now be limited to only major routes. The City Council did have enough grit on order but control of supply has now been taken over by the government and councils are now being rationed regardless of how much they originally ordered. I understand why they are doing this but it seems unfair to penalise well prepared councils like Leeds and alleviate the consequences for those who were not prepared.
Last night we had the heaviest snowfall to date in Darlington. The Regional PPC training event in Gateshead has been called off, so instead, I went out early this morning to take some photos around my house. I'm lucky enough to live in a house built in 1867 in the most beautiful road in the west end of Darlington, an area of Victorian and Edwardian terraces described by Nickolaus Pevsner, the
It appears that ice conditions on the Lake of Menteith near Aberfoyle is not the reason that the Bonspeil or Grand Match of curling is not to go ahead next week. The Bonspeil where 2,000 competitors come together to compete in the open may well now be confined to history and the last such event in 1979 may be the end of the road. The emergency services said they were unable to guarantee the safety of the competitors and spectators. The statement from the Royal Caledonian Curling Club expressed their disappointment that these extreme winter conditions couldn't lead to the ...
Earlier this week I blogged about Edward Everett, who is a salutary reminder that more and longer writing or talking doesn't automatically make for more meaning or greater impact. That's because he spoke for two hours in 1863, just before someone else spoke for two and a bit minutes. That someone else was Abraham Lincoln, delivering the Gettysburg Address. It turns out there is a connection between Edward Everett and that favourite subject of mine - chocolate. Edward Everett was born in Dorchester, USA. What else is the place known for? It is where Irish immigrant John Hannon started up ...
For the second year running Belsize has been turned into an ice rink making it virtually impossible for anyone to walk or drive safely through our neighbourhood. After last year's snow the Council increased its stocks of grit for winter, but they - like every other council in the country - have been completely overwhelmed by the current conditions. Gritting has been going on more or less around the clock throughout Camden for weeks, but unfortunately most of Belsize is low priority because most of our roads have comparatively little traffic and our pavements have lower footfall. It's perfectly possible ...
Here's your starter for ten as we experiment with a new Saturday slot posing a view for debate: Online discussion and interactivity works best when it is amongst people of common outlooks and shared assumptions, as that is what protects against it drowning in flames, drive-by verbal graffiti and point scoring rather than point development. But that means it works best when people are huddling together in communities of the like-minded. Such groups of like-minded don't make for good political discussion or debate as they all agree on too much and don't pay much attention to the occasional dissenting interloper. ...
Latest picture from Huntly...
Another selection to replace a long-serving but retiring Conservative MP, and once again, no local candidate has made the final shortlist. After the shortlisting committee in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich announced their final six, members of the Conservative Group on Mid Suffolk District Council wrote to the East Anglian Daily Times to have a bit of a whinge about the fact that none of them had been successful. Indeed, they're not the only ones wondering aloud about the seeming exclusion policy for local Tories, with Ellie Seymour asking, "Where are the local Suffolk candidates?". However, according to the EADT, ...
A reminder that I shall be hosting the Britblog Roundup tomorrow. If you have seen a posting on a British blog over the past week that you think particularly fine, please send the URL to britblog [AT] gmail [DOT] com and I shall include it. Nominating a posting for the Britblog Roundup is a good way of promoting a blog that you think deserves more readers. And you are welcome to nominate a posting on your own blog too. All nominations by tomorrow lunchtime please.
The Council can only take into account 'material planning considerations' when looking at your comments on the Academy plans. The most likely of these in respect of the Academy are shown below: • Overlooking/loss of privacy • Visual amenity (but not loss of private view) • Adequacy of parking/loading/turning • Highway safety • Traffic generation • Noise and disturbance resulting from use • Loss of trees • Layout and density of building • Design, appearance and materials • Landscaping • Road access • Local, strategic, regional and national planning policies • Government circulars, orders and statutory instruments • Proposals in ...
Also posted here on the POWER2010 blog. So it's very early in the morning and I've just got in the train in Leeds heading to King's Cross to attend the POWER 2010 conference. Was a bit worried about the snow but fingers crossed the trains seem to running ok at the moment. Just hope it's the same on the way back! London weather is not looking good on Sunday! I've spent a bit of time over the last few days looking through the information book that participants in the event were sent. The range of ideas that the public have ...
What do these countries have in common, Belgium; Canada; the Netherlands; Norway; South Africa; Spain; Sweden? No? Well they're the only countries that where the legal status of same-sex marriages are exactly those of opposite-sex marriages. And to that magnificient bunch is soon to be added Portugal That's right Portugal, which along with Spain is a predominantly Roman Catholic Country... which, along with Spain, was until recently (well 1974) under the yoke of a corrupt and inefficient fascist dictatorship. 1974, great year to get rid of fascists first Portugal in the spring, and then Greece in the autumn. In the ...
As part of the implementation of the European Services Directive on 28 December 2009, St Albans City and District Council has updated its processes so that businesses are able to apply for licences and permits to operate electronically. Market traders, cafes and animal boarding houses are among the businesses that are now able to apply online for a licence, permit or approval to operate in St Albans City and District. Residents organising charitable collections in the District can also apply electronically for a licence to collect money, either house to house or on the street. The Directive is aimed at ...
Here is a mandatory question for interviews. How would you get to work if it snowed? Maybe the gritting policy will change now. Maybe we will not say we are fully prepared for bad weather and then everything stops. However I think that we can still expect confidence and still expect excuses. A newsreader yesterday put forward a hypothetical question about professionals getting hold of shovels and getting rid of the snow. It was a stupid question so it wasn't answered but why are we so happy to accept that people shouldn't do what they are capable of doing? It ...
