Last night, I attended an extremely productive meeting of the Tay Bridge Rail Disaster Memorial Group that took place at the Riverview Station restaurant, near to where we wish to see the proposed memorial erected : Above : Around the site at Riverside where we would like to see the Memorial erected Above : Stuart Morris of Balgonie, group chair, with his presentation about the disaster This morning, I had a useful update from City Development Department officers on the project at the proposed Riverside Nature Park. There is excellent progress and a report to committee will come forward later ...
View Poll: #1579827 Current FIFA rankings: degroove, gmh and vampydirector on calling all three matches today - neither Greece nor Mexico were widely fancied as winners of their matches (though the vast majority of people did expect Argentina to beat South Korea). I believe that it is still theoretically possible for any of the eight teams in Groups A and B to qualify for the next round; though we are now in the uncomfortable situation that if Uruguay and Mexico draw they both go through no matter what happens between France and South Africa (and yes, I remember 1982).
Today was the day the Councillors got to speak as did members of the public. We heard first from a representative of Bellway Homes, who was given quite a tough questioning by Jack Allen's lawyer. We then had a series of speeches from local people and representatives. I spoke as did my Lib Dem colleague Peter Millea. Richard Oglethorpe, the third Cressington councillor, was stuck at home with sick children but he wrote something which I read out. He had also dug up some useful documents. The public speeches were great. A real mixture of feeling and heavyweight research. I ...
Back from taking cub scouts canoeing. Only one of them fell in of course - my son!
Since the end of May the International Whaling Commission has been meeting for it's 62nd Annual and Associated meetings in, Agadir, Morocco. One of the reasons for this meeting is to vote on a proposal that would legalise commercial whale hunting for the first time since 1986. The general public across the majority of the world is against this proposal, but pro-whaling countries are pushing for the legalisation extremely hard. There are many organisations and people on the ground in Agadir setting up billboards, producing newspaper adverts, and building a giant, constantly-updating petition counter to show that the world's people ...
It's #bbcqt day again and the Live Chat starts on this blog from 10:30pm as normal. David Dimbleby will be joined by the Energy Secretary and Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne, the shadow Welsh secretary Peter Hain and the DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson. The panel will also include William Hague's former press chief Amanda Platell and the Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy. Join us below from 10:30pm: BBC Question Time - 17th June 2010
Mark Reckons that the Sheffield Forgemasters "cut" is no such thing. I can't find a link, but it seems that while I was on holiday Derek Simpson, the joint general secretary of Unite, invited Liberal Democrat members to tear up their membership cards. Andrew Reeves' Running Blog declines this invitation in a forthright manner. The Critical Liberal offers Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrats' new deputy leader, some advice: "I've had a lot of sympathy with things he's said in the past. I will probably have a lot of sympathy with anything he says in the future. However, if he decides ...
While live-blogging the party leaders' debates during the election I noted my suprise that Cameron was so firm on the banks, and particularly the need to split off casino banking from retail banking. I wondered if he really meant it. Well, yesterday's Mansion House by Geore Osborne speech showed that Cameron didn't mean it. Knocking the bankers was just to gain votes. Proposals to split casino banking and retail banking are now to be shuffled off to a commission, kicked far into the long grass, never to be seriously heard of again. It is the worst betrayal of election rhetoric ...
I've been watching and listening to Tony Hayward appearing before the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. I think I would describe the man's performance as "laconic". He blinks at the speed of a doped crocodile. He's very much playing a "dead bat". Whatever question is thrown at him, whatever orange box is mounted by committee members, he gives a down-to-earth non-inflamatory answer. The man must be after enormous pressure at the moment. He's 52 and a student of Windsor Grammar School: Born in Slough in 1957, he was raised outside Reading, the eldest of seven children. He ...
As I went through Goodmayes the other day I noticed that despite promising to do otherwise, the Labour councillors are still not getting to grips with the fly tipping and rubbish around Swindon Close and Salisbury Road, I have reported it and hopefully it will get dealt with shortly. I am chasing up various other matters on behalf of residents there. More about that soon. Don't forget I am still contactable if you aren't getting any response from your councillors, I can still be counted on to ask the awkward questions. Jesse Boucher Goodmayes Focus Team jesseboucher@hotmail.com 07790 022481
I was very sorry to hear of the death of Andy Ripley. He was one of my early sporting heroes. As I said when writing about Charles Kent a few years ago, in the 1970s you did not so much support the England rugby union team as suffer with it. Ripley was one of the glorious exceptions to that era of mediocrity. He won 24 caps at number eight and should surely have won many more.
A consultation from NHS Kingston on the GP-led walk-in clinic dropped through my door today. I think it has gone out quite widely across the Chessington area. It's very disappointing as it doesn't actually consult on the issues that are worrying people. It asks just four questions: I would like to have: a GP service that can be accessed without appointment a GP service that can be accessed in an emergency additional GP opening hours more local services, eg blood tests and small wound treatment How could anyone disagree? What they seem to have forgotten is that there is general ...
Listening to the news tonight on Radio 4, I heard the report about the cuts announced by the Danny Alexander on behalf of the government today that total about £2 billion of spending. There are various things included in the mix but I want to focus on the one that seems to have yielded the strongest political reaction. That is the withdrawal of the loan for Sheffield Forgemasters. The coverage on the news included Labour politicians strongly denouncing the move and claiming Nick Clegg (a Sheffield MP) would not be able to show his face in Sheffield again as well ...
I am very glad to see that Elan Homes, the developers of Kensey Valley Meadow, have contractors on site to deal with the highways and drainage works that need to be done before the road can be adopted. This afternoon I went round the development with Steve Ewing, one of the council officers in charge of making sure the highways are up to scratch. We looked at some of the works that are being done and talked to a local resident who has had particular problems with drains outside his house. We were very glad to see that Elan had ...
Last night I attended a meeting of Launceston Town Council's Planning Committee to hear a presentation about the possible development of Haye Common. This the land adjoining the newly approved Wain Homes site behind Hurdon Way. The land is the last significant patch of possible housing development in Launceston and might accommodate up to 450 new properties. It would be wrong of me to take any sort of final view on this proposal at this stage for two reasons - first because councillors (even those who don't sit on planning) should keep an open mind on future developments and secondly ...
Three weeks to go and frankly the only candidates I've seen out campaigning are the usual suspects in Chadwell. But yet again Labour have put up a no mark. We is Tweeting (Wes Streeting) seems to spend time complaining about his opponents while claiming to be going through the ward campaigning on the doorstep. Yet I haven't yet seen the latest laugh a minute leaflet from Liebore. I can inform you that Wes likes local democracy but thinks area committees are a bit like the Vicar of Dibley.....right.... he should also stop moaning when none of his opponents were there...well ...
The Daily Telegraph kindly commissioned a major comment piece from me on Kyrgyzstan, which was published today. It already seems to have fed through into analysis by the BBC's resident correspondents, which is a good thing. A few months ago I wrote this: Personally, if I had the chance to live in any town in the entire world, plus the seventh circle of Hell and an oxygenless planet off Alpha Centauri, London still might be bottom of my list. On sober reflection, I was understating it. I deeply, deeply despise London. You will imagine the depth of my ...
I do not have any confidence in FIFA. I do not believe they have the well being of the nation that hosts their tournament at heart. This is just the latest in a series of their dealings that have left me feeling distinctly uneasy about them.
Like almost everyone in the UK I was incensed when I heard about some of the things that MPs had been claiming for and getting away with under the old expenses system and it is right that something new had to be put in place. But is IPSA (the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority now responsible for administering MPs expenses) really the best organisation to solve this problems? The fact that they seem to care more about communicating with the press than communicating with MPs is in itself a damning criticism of the organisation but more importantly we need to remember ...
Another great blog post from former Tory MP Jerry Hayes over at Think Politics. Jerry touches on the way the Conservative blue rinse brigade have been a little left behind It will be some time before the Colonel and Mrs Mads who run the coffee mornings and shepherd's pie evenings in the Shires will fully come to terms with it all Then pops up with a rather nice Norman Tebbit anecdote "You, you little cu*t. I saw you on tv last night asking the government to spend more on pensioners and the Health Service". And finishes it off with some ...
Gas mains have to be replaced in East Parade, Keighley during the school holidays this summer, with single file traffic along East Parade. There will be a one-way traffic system from Bradford Road, along East Parade, Worth Way, Hanover Street and ...
I see that at tonight's Thanet council cabinet meeting, the public and press are to be excluded from discussion of agenda item 15 East Kent Joint Waste which is to be chewed over by councilors only after the doors locked and the room swept for bugging devices. Don't worry, it can't be that important or otherwise council officers would issued a press release, with informative quotes from chief executive, Richard Samuel, as was the case last week. Click Here [IMG: image] Surely in the old days important business would have been sorted out at the lodge? Details of the meeting ...
The Editor of the Stockport Times, Paul Harrison, will be out and about on Thursday 1st July so we, his eager readers, can let him know what we want to see in the paper. He'll be visiting five locations, each with the local reporter responsible for covering that area. Brinnington Community Centre, 9am-10am with Jennifer Williams Offerton Parish Centre, 11am-12pm with Alex Scapens Cheadle Library, 1pm-2pm with Matthew Davis Romiley Community Centre, 3pm-4pm with Katherine Vine Reddish Life Centre, 4.30pm-5.30pm with Cheryl Latham
This is absolutely the life! I am lying out in the beautiful warm sunshine. The rabbits are in their run next to me. Everything is lovely and peaceful except... .....there is an intruder in my conservatory. Bob saw him this morning. There he was, brazen as you like, sitting on the sofa, feasting on the rabbits' chocolate treats. Thankfully he has been confined to the conservatory and humane traps have now been set. The door to the garden has been open all day so he may already have gone. Either that or he's texted his mates and invited them round ...
One of the things that I keep coming back to when I hear Labour politicians talking about cuts is the fact that Labour very deliberately did not have a public spending review earlier this year. This meant that they did not have to spell out exactly what spending cuts they would implement over the next few years. Whilst this may have been good for short term political reasons it is surely bad in the longer term. It means that a party that until 6 weeks ago was in government now already looks like an opportunistic opposition howling about the cuts ...
I've just finished a full council meeting where we have the usual occurrences: Council Leader Mick Henry referred to my blog and an eminently sensible proposal from the Lib Dems was rejected by Labour. We also had some Labour posturing and pseudo-rage about the Coalition. This is likely to be an unofficial item on all future council meetings. Today's "rage" was about cuts brought in by the
With the back drop of global recession and on-going banking crisis, now accompanied by the Euro Zone crisis the Coalition Government is well into public spending cuts mode. A steady stream of announcements have already been made and of course the daddy of them all is expected in the emergency budget next week (22nd). And so it would seem that battle lines are now well and truly drawn across the floor of the Commons and they are drawn across the key issue of public spending. With the recent history bringing us to the recent events and to next weeks budget, ...
Musical memeage, courtesy of callmemadam who, as you probably gathered, has given me an "E". Far out. Here's the drill; 1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter. 2. List (and upload, if you feel like it) 5 songs that start with that letter. 3. Post them to your journal with these instructions. So. "E", by gum. Ecclesiastical Cheesecake Walk - Mike Absalom; The Canadian-raised, Oxford-educated Absalom was something of a fixture on the early '70s folk/college circuits, recording a couple of albums for Philips with some of the top session men of the day. The straight ...
Spoke to Mr S about the procedures to be carried out at King's. The first, to put a stent in the artery feeding the right kidney, is dependent on the timetable of the radiologists, who continuously monitor the procedure from the initial penetration of the catheter in the artery in the groin, so they will notify me of the date when it can be put into their timetable. The second, to deal with the aortic aneurysm, is a 3-6 hour operation followed by a probable 8 days in hospital, and an unspecified period of convalescence. This will be scheduled for ...
Repair work is being done on the bridge over the A329 (M) in Robin Hood Lane, Winnersh, mainly in the school holidays, but starting next week. I have put the text of the notice being sent out by the council below. It sounds a bit like a policeman reading out his notes in a courtroom ("The suspect proceeded in a south-westerly direction...."), but that's because it needs to be technically correct. What it means is that there will be major roadworks on the bridge in Robin Hood Lane, that the speed limit will be reduced from 40 mph to 30 ...
You would think after Gordon Brown being involved in a microphone mishap creating "bigotgate" with Gillian Duffy in Rochdale during the general election that politicians, especially Labour ones would have learnt a lesson. Well, apparently no, Glasgow Shettleston MSP Frank McAveety has been plunged into a crisis resulting in him resigning as Labour's frontbench shadow sports spokesman and also his position as the convenor of the Public Petitions Committee. Members of the Public Petitions Committee had just finished taking evidence from Parkinson's disease campaigners Frank McAveety began speaking to his committee clerk about a girl in the public benches. He ...
Today I put down an Early day motion welcoming the report of Sir Peter North into drink and drug driving and I got up in Parliament during Transport questions urging the Secretary of State for Transport . In the last Parliament I seemed to be fighting a losing battle with Labour ministers and Select Committee ...
You have just till tomorrow to apply for three new "officer posts" these are for marketing and visitor roles up at the Turner Contemporary. [IMG: last call for turner] Maybe a last chance to get a seat on the arts gravy train, I'm sure those already in the public sector's more er non-essential outposts are beginning grasp the depth of the recession, credit crunch, actually I'm not sure there is a term these days for the black hole in the economy, its been so long, anyhow it might be long time before such an opportunity is available again. Not sure ...
Helen Duffett on Liberal Democrat Voice reports that the Deputy Prime Minister, on a visit to Spain to speak privately to ministers and publicly to an invited audience, takes government frugality seriously.
Here's the first letter I've sent to my new MP, Nicola Blackwood, regarding the legal aid charity Refugee and Migrant Justice going into administration. Please read my letter about this case and consider sending a similar letter to your MP using the fab Write To Them website. It is unacceptable to allow destitute people who are being subjected to legal action to go without legal assistance. Dear Nicola Blackwood, I am deeply concerned to hear news about the charity Refugee and Migrant Justice entering administration due to bureaucratic rules that resulted in non-payment of Legal Aid by the Legal Services ...
Hat tip to Andrew Reeves Here are my 194,252 reasons:
I can hear the trembling of many of my friends and colleagues now as they read the title of this blog post, but have faith my people, I will be polite and not tell Derek Simpson to shove it up his...... So Derek, you are urging me and my fellow members of the Liberal Democrats to rip up our membership cards? Let me ask you a few questions first, if I may? Why have you not been so vocal about the sheer outrageous level of the borrowing by your own Labour cronies when in Government, plunging us into the biggest ...
There will be another advice session tonight at Emmanuel Church, Blackwin Street, Gorton, 7:30 - 8:30. All welcome.
Over at the Daily Mail, Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg writes of the ways in which the coalition government will support families to try and ensure children get the best possible start in life. Here's an excerpt: Obsessed with micromanaging daily life from the centre, the last government forgot what families really need. They never understood that it isn't just parents who raise a child - it's the whole family, the whole street, the whole neighbourhood. Why they wanted to vet anyone working with children - including parents taking it in turns to collect each others ...
I regret that these two onions have little to do with Southport Lancs and as far as I can see are not on the list of any major seed company in Britain. Nevertheless specialist suppliers will sell the seeds. The Red globe was available from D T Brown until fairly recently and is an excellent fiery onion. The white globe has a paper thin skin. Both are on the list of endangered vegetables.
The first in a semi-regular series of posts on who is at today's European summit (which as usual is screwing up traffic and public transport - apart from trains, thank heavens - around my office), listed in order of how long they have been in office. Those in italics are not full members (indeed Buzek just gets to say hello at the start of the meeting and then normally has to leave the room). Jean-Claude Juncker (born 1954), Prime Minister of Luxembourg since 20 January 1995 (EPP) Jan Peter Balkenende (born 1956), Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 22 July 2002 (EPP) - has ...
It's Refugee Week, and this year the British Red Cross is focusing on the issue of destitution among asylum seekers in the UK. A recent poll, commissioned by the British Red Cross, found that many people have conflicting, negative opinions and a lack of understanding of the legal definition of asylum: Although 89% correctly said the definition of an asylum seeker is someone fleeing persecution in their own country, 28% still thought an asylum seeker is someone who has come to this country to illegally look for work. 57% of people thought that asylum seekers were given vouchers to cover ...
Here is an extra event for your delectation: 'Bees in the Mersey Valley': A walk and talk led by Bee Expert Brian Robinson. Meeting Place: Mersey Valley Visitors' Centre, Rifle Road, Sale. Time: 10 am to 12 noon Join us to learn about bees and their important pollination role. Brian will give a short talk on bee identification and about some of the different species we have locally. This will be followed by a short walk around some flower rich parts of the meadows to find some bees.
I'd like to thank Tim Ireland of bloggerheads for alerting me to this story. About a campaign that amnesty international are running to help the people of Burma. You may not think that a radio could do much but they could have a big impact in breaking the censorship that goes on there. In Burma's ...
I almost choked on my Corn Flakes this morning when I saw Boris Johnson being interviewed on BBC Breakfast, not from City Hall, but from the World Cup in Cape Town. Who, exactly, I thought, was paying for this? It appears that Londoners are funding this trip to the sunshine out of their Council Tax, so that Boris can go and promote England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. It seems that some Londoners I discussed this with on Twitter are happy to see this money being spent purely to get him out of the country, but if he's ...
Taking my lead from the Yorkshire Evening Post (who did their own 'expose' of the Leeds Greens here) I decided to write up my thoughts on the Green Party in Leeds. Please feel free to correct me if anything said is not accurate. This is written from the point of view of an outsider to the Green Party so not all the details will be 100% accurate. The Green Party in Leeds is heavily concentrated in two areas of the city. The first area is Farnley and Wortley where the Greens hold their only two council seats (husband and wife ...
A few days ago, Nick Clegg was sent out to tell everyone, again, that public sector pensions are a spectacular disaster. Not for the people who receive them, of course. They're All Right, Jack. But for the rest of the population, the ones who have to pay for it, they kinda make the books look ...
At next Tuesday's Cheadle Area Committee, there's a report on "commuted sums" - money allocated to parks and play areas. We're being asked to commit a further £1,397.77 to a future project at Gatley play area. Other local parks and play areas that have received these commuted sums include: Brookfield Recretation Ground behind Chestnut Avenue, Cheadle has £17,690.56 - most of which is being spent on their new Multi-User Games Area. Over £34,000 has been spent on improvements to the play area at Bruntwood Park Nearly £10,000 being spent on the Carrs Road rec ground in Cheadle (that's actually in ...
The connection between standing local election candidates and the AV referendum may not seem obvious at first, so imagine this scenario... It's quite likely that the referendum will be held on the same day as local elections, such as the May 2011 local elections. The arguments over electoral reform will attract to the ballot box some people who don't usually vote in local elections. If the pro-AV campaign goes well (and it starts with a lead) many of those people will be well disposed towards Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. And what will they find when they get handed ...
The next Cheadle Area Committee will be held at Ladybridge Park Residents Club, Edenbridge Road, Cheadle Hulme starting at 6pm on Tuesday 22nd June 2010. You can download the (unusually short at only 61 pages) agenda here. As always, the meeting is not only open to the public, but we really want more people to come along. You can turn up late if you like, and you can ask questions of the police, council and councillors (though where there's no agenda item the question fits into, it needs to be submitted in advance - you can send it by email ...
If the papers keep giving publicity to these extremist outspoken Muslim groups like Muslims Against Crusades or MAC then they are going to keep promoting themselves at various events and parades. Although this appears to be a splinter group of the now banned Islam4UK who have changed their name a number of times due to banning orders. Banning doesn't really work and gives the impression that their are more of these morphing groups. The Daily Mail or other Newspapers don't appear to be reporting this how these groups are linked or in many cases the same people. I believe these ...
British diplomatic sources seem to be oozing with pride at the fresh, more Euro-savvy side to Britain that the change of government has brought to our dealings with EU partners. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg astonished his Spanish hosts on an official visit last week by flying into Madrid on EasyJet, blogged Giles Paxman, our ambassador to Spain. Meanwhile, another British official gushed to BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt about environment secretary Caroline Spelman's "impressive" ability to speak fluent French and German. Yet this is no more than thousands of Britons do every day of the week as they shuttle ...
From the Council: Borough residents have embraced Stockport Council's new improved recycling collection service. Since the blue and brown bins were introduced over six months ago recycling rates have been boosted and are now over 40%. The Council would like to remind residents to place cardboard drinks cartons such as long life milk and fruit juice cartons in the blue wheelie bin with other cardboard and paper. If these items are placed in the brown wheelie bin it causes a problem when the material is taken for recycling. The cartons would be classed as contamination and could potentially result in ...
Well its always going to be a long shot but it seems that once again I'm not on the queens Birthday Honours list (yes I know its a day or to late, maybe that's the reason, the card I sent was late again). Still I suppose it will be a year or two before the queen starts dishing out gongs for services to er blogging, never mind its good to see that a true account of this country demographics has been taken and not just the public sector workers been represented by a good sprinkling of us ordinary folk like ...
If anyone says that 'people power' doesn't work, today's news of an easing of the unjustifiable Israeli blockade of Gaza following the disastrous and murderous assault in international waters on the aid ships by Israeli troops is a perfect riposte. This is of course nothing like a satisfactory resolution of this unfair punishment of a whole population for the actions of a small group of extremists but it shows that even doors which appear to be firmly slammed shut can be opened. Two problems remain: one is that the blockade still persists, even if Israel has eased it. The people ...
Some Tory and right-wing bloggers are getting very excited about the possibility that Sarah Palin, the former GOP VP candidate may visit the UK later this year. Apparently she is keen to meet Margaret Thatcher who is one of her political heroines. There is even talk that she might address the Tory conference. At the very least it is likely were she to come that David Cameron would have to meet her. I think a visit from Palin would not be good for the Tories though. Of course she would bring with her the glamour and excitement that she has ...
[IMG: Hadrian Road] Last Saturday I chaired another meeting of residents from Trajan Walk, Hadrian Road and the surrounding area. My thanks to residents for organising and attending the meeting, to the church for allowing us to use their hall and to Sgt Noble and his neighbourhood policing team for attending. Positive police action has lead to a reduction of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area but there are still some issues to be resolved. The police recommended and we discussed the setting up Neighbourhood Watch schemes. If you would like to get involved let me know and I ...
From the BBC Press Office: Steve Winwood: English Soul No one sounds quite like Steve Winwood, not even his mentor, Ray Charles. A major star since the mid-Sixties, Winwood progressed from fronting the Spencer Davis Group, to being the voice of Traffic and Blind Faith, to finally archiving global solo stardom in the Eighties and Nineties. A musician's musician, Winwood is a bandleader and instrumentalist first and a star second - he led Britain's first true jam band, Traffic, away from the pop charts and into the rock stadiums of America. Directed by Paul Bernays, Steve Winwood - English Soul ...
[IMG: Me at Stroud Green School] Just to let you know that the next Crouch End, Hornsey & Stroud Green Area Assembly is this week on 17th June, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm in Stroud Green School, Woodstock Rd, London, N4 3EX. Map; http://tinyurl.com/36vwknh – note entrance to school is actually on Perth Road not on Woodstock Road. The theme this time is green issues, and there will a number of presentations from local community groups working on green projects. These include a talk from 'Urbivore' on urban growing, healthy eating and sustainable living, and 'Foodcycle' on food recycling and a ...
Today is Green Britain Day your day to start to do more for our environment. Personally I left this house this morning turning all the appliances off except the fridge/freezer, then got on the train to come to work. (I'm currently taking the train because I'm leaving Edinburgh outwith the express buses home and it wasn't making economic sense to get a bus ticket and a rail ticket one way each day). Then it will be upstairs to turn on my work PC and monitor, throwing away any waste I have into the correct recycling bin on the office floor. ...
Child protection charities are warning the government not to go too far in scaling back the vetting of adults working with children. Here is a simple change which would make the system less cumbersome and less expensive. At the moment I have three CRB "clearances," one because I recently did some teaching at a local school, one because I am a licensed Reader in the C of E and occasionally take services and preach sermons at church, and one because I am a member of a Scout Fellowship, where my duties so far have extended to being in charge of ...
Thu 17th
06:42
June Books 12) Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd Century America, by Robert Charles Wilson
Rather fortuitously I read this novel while also working through Gibbon's chapters in The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire on Julian the Apostate, the mid-fourth century Roman emperor who tried to reverse his uncle's adoption of Christianity and failed. (See here, here, here and here.) Julian Comstock, nephew of the 22nd century president of a post-apocalypse America, is modelled a bit on his namesake of 1800 years earlier, though there are some significant differences of detail - Julian Comstock is not promoted to junior co-ruler by his uncle, he is not proclaimed emperor by his own troops, he ...
The Guardian reports that the Liberal Democrats are to adopt a new structure that will enable them to keep a distinctive voice while in coalition. They say that the party high command have modified the demands of Simon Hughes, the new deputy leader, to appoint independent spokespeople to shadow every government department: Instead, in proposals put to the party's MPs, a series of small backbench select committees will be set up, spanning several government departments, with one chair and vice-chair chosen to orchestrate policy development and Lib Dem questions in the house. The chairs will be appointed by Clegg and ...
The debate and statement on the Queen's speech in the National Assembly yesterday saw Labour and Plaid Cymru members in a massive sulk. They jeered, they tried to shout down views they did not agree with and in some cases they maintained a constant stream of vitriolic comment from the sidelines as others tried to discuss the issues. What was most noticeable though was the way that the Welsh governing parties voted together. Under the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2000-03 the agreement was that we voted together on matters relating to the governance of Wales but on UK debates such ...
In between getting on with a person and being willing to sacrifice everything for thier happiness there's a line, and somewhere along that line is the point where you say you're in love with that person. I think the world would be a less hurtful place if that point was in the same place on the line for everyone, so that when someone tells you that they love you you know what it means, and it means the same as what you mean when you tell someone you love them.
To everyone who sponsored me on last weekend's bike ride Thank You! We have beaten my target of £100 for WaterAid by a small margin and if anyone would like to retrospectively do their bit to help sponsor me and help the World's poor without access to safe water and sanitation then please click on the link below. http://original.justgiving.com/brianmathew Here are some photo's from the day...... The Start at the Bell with Sonia, Pete and myself Half way round at the Red Lion in Avebury And 44 miles later we're back!
Question: Elected Mayors Asked by Baroness Quin To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to carry out a consultation about the role and number of elected mayors. Baroness Scott of Needham Market: I warmly congratulate the noble Baroness on her appointment. Her many years of experience in local government will be a great help to this House and to the Government. Does she agree that the creation of single-person executives requires close attention to be paid to checks and balances to prevent abuse of power? What discussions are being had on term limits such as those in other countries? ...
Last week we found out that the government's spending review meant that all major road-building schemes needed to be reviewed. Whitehall was no longer giving any assurances that the £140 funding for the Morecambe link road was available and the public enquiry that should have been held in autumn has been postponed. According to Radio Lancashire yesterday, the number one transport problem is the Heysham link road. It looks like it is being cancelled after many years of preparation. I am not sure how effective the protestors have been but I guess it was cancelled purely because of the economic ...
