Carnival time again at Stockton International Riverside Festival. We got there in better form this year, thanks to John's persistence on co-oridation of buses for the event - hope it was better for others too. No doubt I'll hear if it didn't work everywhere ! There was a real community based carnval, with some great costumes and set ups for young and old, able bodies and those...
Now, I know this post has been awaited with anticipation today, and I hope as you have been building up to reading it that you will positively shudder with excitement once you have read it through. Please ensure you have tissues handy, just in case. I was made aware of National Orgasm Day by my friend Caron Lindsay, while out for dinner on Wednesday to celebrate her birthday, which is in fact today, which Caron shares with National Orgasm Day. So, today is National Orgasm Day, now some of you might be thinking this is just a bit daft, why ...
This is the actual agenda which David Cameron had in front of him at Conservative HQ when he spoke to Nick Clegg for the first time after the election, at around 4pm on Friday May 7th: POINTS FOR NICK CLEGG - Note of appreciation for tone and content of his statement -Wanted to reciprocate – hope you have recognised that in my statement -Three aims for this conversation: Discuss process for negotiations Discuss team on each side [ours is GO, WH, OL, EL]: Yours? Discuss timing [we would like to start this evening]] Venue: Gus has offered 70 Whitehall, Admiralty ...
My chief illustrator Newark Hut has been at it again Filed under: Spidey Says
The BBC report that; Three former Labour MPs and an ex-Tory peer facing expenses fraud allegations have lost appeals over a ruling that they are not protected by parliamentary privilege from prosecution. Elliott Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine and Lord Hanningfield had argued at the Court of Appeal that only Parliament could hear their case. The four all deny charges of false accounting over their expenses. The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment. The men had appealed against a ruling in June by Mr Justice Saunders sitting at Southwark Crown Court in central London. The judge had ...
I had a nightmare journey back from Paris with the family on the Eurostar yesterday. Actually, to be precise, the journey was fine, it was the bizarrely disorganised queuing system - overwhelmed check-ins and long queues snaking around the station's mezzanine at the Gare du Nord. Our train was delayed for 20 minutes while they desperately tried to get their booked passengers on board. The Eurostar staff blamed the UK immigration desks for the chaos, and I'm sure they were at least partly right - this is obviously an ongoing argument. On the other hand, what Eurostar revealed was a ...
Today I met Backwatersman at Grace Road, Leicester, to watch the third day of Leicestershire vs Sussex. I arrived after lunch, having called in at Lyric Lounge first, and was able to watch Leicestershire lose their last five wickets and succumb to an innings defeat. Most of the damage was done by Corey Collymore, who appears to be known as "Screws" to his teammates - perhaps it is better not to ask why. But my photograph shows Monty Panesar bowling to Nathan Buck. "Good areas, Monty."
Non-Fiction 11 (YTD 41) Hope-In-The-Mist, by Michael Swanwick The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol II The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol III The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol IV A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vols I & II, by Edward Gibbon The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol V The Stuff of Thought, by Steven Pinker The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol VI The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol VII The Bloody Sunday Report, Vol VIII Fiction (non-genre) 3 (YTD 31) Dead Souls, by Ian Rankin Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens The Sun ...
Nick Clegg's scandalous great great aunt gets a mention into today's Guardian. In review of his review of Shades of Greene: One Generation of an English Family by Jeremy Lewis, Ian Thomson writes: Of [Graham] Greene's female cousins, Barbara Greene emerges as the most intriguing. Berkhamsted-educated, she was friendly with Baroness Moura Budberg, a Russo-Estonian exile living in London (and mistress, among others, of HG Wells).Another interesting character is Raymond Greene, one of Graham's elder brothers. Thomson claims that he conquered Everest in 1933, which would have been news to Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing. But Stefan Collini, reviewing the ...
I tried out one of the new Boris Bikes yesterday! The Critical Mass ride seemed like a good chance to personally inaugurate this new era of public transport in London. In the event, teething troubles with the hire scheme meant that we were left behind as the bike ride swarmed off into the distance. The ...
Commenting on George Osborne's announcement that the Ministry of Defence will be responsible for the cost of replacing Trident, Liberal Democrat MP, Sir Menzies Campbell said: "This confirmation of what had already been predicted makes it essential that the case for like-for-like replacement of Trident should, as the Liberal Democrats have agreed, be part of the Strategic Defence Review. "How can you possibly take on such a large financial commitment as Trident without considering the military and political implications? "If fierce cuts are to be made in Britain's conventional forces, surely we have to consider whether replacing Trident can be ...
Last Thursday, Employment Relations Minister Ed Davey announced the end of the default retirement age. This will give people the freedom to choose their own retirement date rather than being forced to stop working when they reach the age of 65. Commenting, Ed Davey said: "With more and more people wanting to extend their working lives we should not stop them just because they have reached a particular age. We want to give individuals greater choice and are moving swiftly to end discrimination of this kind. "Older workers bring with them a wealth of talent and experience as employees and ...
Though many younger Algerians are marked by the horrors of the 1990s, when many thousands perished in terrorist attacks and fighting between Islamic fundamentalist groups and government security forces, there is a deeper, older scar in the country: that of the long and bloody war of independence from France. Appalling atrocities were commited on both ...
Earlier today both the Daily Mirror and Sun* brought us the 'exclusive' story that last year's X-Factor winner Joe McElderry was gay. For those of you who have forgotten he was Cheryl Cole's fellow Geordie. There was a mixture of reaction through the LGBT community. From so what pop star comes out as gay is not news. To at last someone comes out as gay without being forced to by the tabloids. But then of course no everything in black and white is also so simple. As Pink News is now reporting it was Twitter pranksters that led to this ...
Over at The Guardian's Comment is Free website earlier this week, Lib Dem blogger James Graham dismissed Jack Straw's overblown accusations that the Coalition is 'gerrymandering', and urged the voting reform bill to receive the more serious scrutiny it deserves. Here's an excerpt: Every time a Labour politician uses the word "gerrymandering" a puppy dies. ... Gerrymandering is the act of deliberately fixing a boundary in order to give a political party an unfair advantage. Yet the proposed changes will not to lead to any more political interference in the boundary review process. ... One of the main effects of ...
We know government can be mean, but the tale of my brother, and his foolishness in getting an ID card, is a cautionary one. Planning a summer holiday abroad in March, and being passportless, he decided it would be a good idea if he got some sort of official documentation. After all, those pesky border ...
I read with sadness today of the loss of another post office in the village of St Johns in Woking. Post offices are the life blood of our local communities and to see another one close when we have lost ... Continue reading →
I saw this on Fox 5 New York. It happened in Atlanta, Georgia a few weeks ago. Fortunately the woman was saved by the efforts of members of the public (including one, Samuel White, who climbed down on the rail to hoist her back up to the platform) and the train driver, Ayana Dunlop-Bell . But the CCTV footage is quite incredible. The woman, Addie Norflett, who is "legally blind", walks down the stairs and onto the platform and then just keeps walking...
Take Back Parliament's crowd-sourcing of poster ideas for the YES campaign continues apace; catch up on the latest HERE. Below are a few more ideas: [IMG: Fairer Votes Referendum Poster Idea How Many] [IMG: Fairer Votes Referendum Poster Idea How Many2] [IMG: Fairer Votes Referendum Poster Idea Interview] [IMG: Fairer Votes Referendum Poster Idea HalftheVotes] Previous ideas that have appeared on this blog are HERE and HERE.
This was the statement issued by Lib Dem Employment Relations Minister Ed Davey this week when announcing the end of the default retirement age of 65, and give people the freedom to choose their own retirement date: With more and more people wanting to extend their working lives we should not stop them just because they have reached a particular age. We want to give individuals greater choice and are moving swiftly to end discrimination of this kind. Older workers bring with them a wealth of talent and experience as employees and entrepreneurs. They have a vital contribution to make ...
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL FUTURE UPDATES TO THE TWITTER CABINET WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE TWITTER CABINET SITE For a bit of Fun on Twitter @TheSpiderplant has formed a Twitter Cabinet with some of the more prolific political tweeters. Please ... Continue reading →
Back in May, I mentioned that I had raised with the City Council's Planning Enforcement Officer the state of the former Lawrie's Nursery site on Perth Road, west of the Botanic Garden, and she had written to the owners seeking a tidy-up. Thus far, her letters to the owners have not resulted in action by them. I have therefore been back in touch with her asking that the matter continue to be pursued. If necessary, the council can serve a Wasteland Notice on the owners to effect a tidy-up. It is disappointing that some ten years after the site planning ...
...then let it be this one. He was big and hairy, and would almost certainly pass muster with miss_s_b by dint of being a) bearded, b) Liberal-ish[1], and c) big buddies with Humphrey Lyttelton and co-creator of Mornington Crescent, where there's a blue plaque commemorating his life. Salute the great William Rushton! Posting from werk at the moment, and can't afford too many mistakes as I've been personally entrusted to fix the boss's laptop! Fortunately I'm on top of the game right now, and this looks a straightforward job. Just as well, because these little Sonys are utter pigs to ...
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for not being around much at the moment. I've had insomnia for much of the last month and so things like answering emails, thinking, coherent speech and so on have been difficult. As the nights get longer and darker that should change. Anyhow, some links. How Many People Are In ...
It's hard to believe that in a country overflowing with every conceivable produce there would be a shortage of such a basic thing as watermelon. But indeed there is. The sign below greets customers to Pinkberry, who sell excellent frozen yoghurts. It seems that the hot weather has increased demand and reduced supply.
I have no idea where my head has been this week, but I've only just realised what's been going on with BBC Sports presenter Clare Balding. The F Word has the detail on how uber-pretentious commentator A A Gill described her in some fairly questionable terms regarding her sexuality and appearance. When she complained, she was basically told she was over-reacting by the paper's editor. She's now taking her complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. I thought she put her case very well when she responded to the editor: "When the day comes that people stop resigning from high office, ...
This is the last day to vote in the Total Politics Blog Poll. This poll is co-sponsored by Iain Dale, Liberal Democrat Voice and Labour List. Here are the rules. 1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).2. Your votes must be ranked from 1 to 10. Any votes which do not have rankings will not be counted.3. You MUST include at least FIVE blogs in your list, but please list ten if you can. If you include fewer than five, your vote will not count.4. Email ...
The Liberal Democrats in North Leeds have consistently campaigned over the last few years to save the West Park Centre from closure. During the election campaign this year Labour promised that they would take the centre off the council's 'Asset Transfer List' so that it could not be sold. We argued that securing the future of the centre was far more complicated than just taking it off a list but Labour ignored us and promised the electorate that if they took control of the council the centre would be taken off the list and saved. So where are we know? ...
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader ... (Image courtesy: FromPlay.com). Here's former Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park Susan Kramer with her Tory successor Zac Goldsmith. What do you think they might have been saying or thinking about each other? The winner of our most recent caption competition, the "Jeremy Browne passes the hat" edition - according to The Voice's judging panel of one - was this one by Andrea Gill. Got a photo of a prominent Lib Dem you think would work well for a future caption ...
[IMG: tdc offstreet parking] PS note that the cyclist in the corner has at least had the consideration to risk life and limb by cycling in the road although without the truck parked on the pavement where it is the pavement is adequate for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Why oh why is there a comment on the Get Surrey website that says that; The council is currently finalising a remediation action plan to decide on the main way in which the site is to be cleaned up and ... Continue reading →
I have just found the South West Community Assembly Blog and its a veritable mine of useful information! Whilst I am on mailing lists and the like, this should be a useful tool to keep in touch with the Assembly and also encourage interaction from people who may not be able to make the meetings and the forums (I would include myself in this as my immune system can't cope with the meetings at the moment!) Its got details of events in the local areas, plus information that may interest local community groups. I thought it was worth a mention. ...
Its my last shout out for the Total Politics Top 100 blogs nominations. Spidey is under no illusions that she will make the short list, but stranger things have happened! It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks ... Continue reading →
Watching the women's marathon in the European Championships this morning brought back wonderful memories of my own experience in the Flora London Marathon in 2008. It was the centenary marathon celebrating 100 years of the distance and I was running ... Continue reading →
Last night was good. I had beer and chatter and played on the pub quiz machine with an old school friend. I am slightly fuzzy-headed this morning, but it was a good night. However, I now have a nagging feeling that there was something I was meant to be blogging about, and I can't for the life of me remember what it was... Oh well. In the meantime, it's Caron's birthday. Go and wish her a happy one.
Neil Young's steel, guitarist who was part of Young's distinctive 'Harvest' sound, but who also played with Patsy Cline died yesterday. The link is to a performance of Neil Young of the song 'Too Far Gone', which perhaps seems appropriate for the moment. Obituary here.
Michael Crick reported for BBC2′s Newsnight on a potentially controversial debate at this September's Lib Dem conference: September's Lib Dem conference in Liverpool will be a pretty tame affair, I predict, since most Liberal Democrats are still on cloud nine over the fact they are now in government for the first time in 65 years. The biggest controversy, I reckon, could well be over a motion denouncing Michael Gove's radical policies on free schools and academies. The resolution has been specifically picked by Lib Dem conference organisers for a substantial debate. First, it calls for local councils to keep their ...
I was rather disgusted with a comment left on my blog this morning by someone, apparently on my Twitter feed who deemed it acceptable to bring something wholly unrelated onto my blog this morning. A 'Matthew Forkins' (real name or ... Continue reading →
If you want to erupt with outrage today, read this from Simon Heffer. Basically, he's saying that the whole overseas aid budget should be cancelled and diverted instead to pay for Trident. In doing so, he highlights the outrage of right wing Tories at George Osborne's demand to pay for Trident out of the defence budget. So, the world will be a better place, and the UK will be more respected, if we abandon all attempts to help poor nations and, instead, spend money on an astronomically expensive nuclear weapon which will never be used. All because tinpot countries like ...
Clare, Balding, the BBC sports commentator is not averse to a little bit of controversy. No one can forget her inappropriate comment towards winning Grand National Jockey Liam Treadwell a couple of years ago when she said he could now ... Continue reading →
A couple of days ago I watched the BBC documentary about the coalition negotiations called 'The Five Days that Changed Britain'. The documentary was enlightening and the openness and honesty of those involved in the negotiations must be a first for those involved in the back room deals of British politics. Normally political deals stay in the back rooms but it seems that the new coalition government decided to stick to their commitment to the new politics and explain in great detail the negotiations from start to finish. The same couldn't be said for the Labour figures involved in the ...
Ian Huntley, the man who murdered school girls Holly Wells and Jessica Champman in Soham, Cambridgeshire is one of those criminals who invokes strong emotions and feelings in the public at large. Those feelings were awoken this morning, when it ... Continue reading →
Yorkshire Day tomorrow: Keighley Town Council's celebration will be from 1 pm till 5 pm at Church Green: Tea on the Green Cakes and ale too Children's roundabouts Live bands; and I know certain people who will be dancing. Come and join in the fun.
From the Council: Stockport Music Service showcased a very successful week of five summer concerts at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. All the pupils involved had a great experience on their respective nights. The Stockport Council service celebrated the achievements of its young musicians, aged between five and 21 years and of all abilities, representing 9 Stockport primary schools, one special school, and a wide variety of musical groups and genres of music. There were also adult singers, including teachers, comprising the Sing Up Choir. Anybody wishing to join any of the Music Centre groups in ...
Well, the stack of spam comments from China to be moderated suggests that its about time I got back in the saddle, blogging wise. My normal intermittency notwithstanding, I hope you'll understand that sooner or later, a dissertation and seven exams in two weeks were going to get to me and necessitate a rest from anything other than my council duties. One thing I have been reflecting on in my time away is column inches and how they affect council debates. Cardiff Council is pretty good as a debating chamber, with plenty of speakers on all sides who'll give the ...
By the way, if you haven't heard it... this is "The Tide is Turning".A sublime song about Live Aid.
Visited Passmore Edwards Sheltered Housing in Bounds Green yesterday to celebrate their 20 years of being. What was a lovely surprise was that prior to my cutting the cake - there were three singers with guitars and violin - singing with the residents. Their voices were stunning and it was just a lovely and uplifting part of the day.
Pink Floyd were one of my favourite groups when I was younger. I thought "Dark Side Of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" were wonderful. And the Tide is Turning" is sublime. But I never liked "Another Brick In the Wall", especially the title track. Not even for one second. "We don't need no education!"? Of course you do, you pillocks. If that track discouraged even one person from getting a
[IMG: Dilbert.com]
Here's your starter for ten in our Saturday slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate: Class has always been an intangible concept in the UK. While most countries would define it quite simply as a function of income, in our class-hungover country there are all manner of other factors: state or privately educated, your profession, whether you have a degree, your postcode, your family circumstances ('where you came from'), even your accent. So while carpenters and plumbers may well earn more than university lecturers there's no doubt which of those would be regarded as the middle-class ...
Today is my birthday. I should be tucked up in my bed having a long lie being fed Earl Grey and chocolate and having my every whim attended to by my loving family. I should not be in a state of high dudggeon writing an irate blog post about tax credit overpayments because the BBC can't get it right. They get it so wrong that they appear to have turned into the scaremongering Daily Fail. The biggest mistake, which they don't correct, is that they report one struggling single parent's fears about being unable to pay her tax credit overpayment ...
There has been a full week of events in Belfast for Pride which will culminate with the parade later today. Yeah today is a parade where Orange and Green and the other colours on the Pride flag will not be giving the Parade's Commission too many headaches. Indeed there were no issues for the Commission with the parade or the counter demonstrations. However, even in Belfast where religion is often such a dividing line for other reasons there is a ray of hope for members of the LGBT community who have faith. The Rev Chris Hudson the minister of All ...
On first viewing the UK Coalition Government's plan to allow voters the chance to veto large rises in council tax appears to be an attractive one. The idea is that residents would be asked to choose between the proposed rise and a "shadow budget", which the council must also prepare within the defined limit. A no vote would leave councils having to refund taxpayers or give a credit at the end of the tax year. Such a proposal would have a cost of course, not just in conducting the ballot but also in making adjustments to Council Tax bills following ...
[IMG: I was told it was all the rage in paris]
We're in the final stages now, and as with the previous volume, this is a bit of a grab-bag of disparate topics. More than half of this volume is taken up with an overall assessment of the activities of paramilitary organisations. Indeed, almost half of it is taken up with an in-depth analysis of the staffing, capabilities and activities of the Provos, the Stickies, and the Fianna in Derry at the time of Bloody Sunday. The longest chapter in the book (Chapter 147, 109 pages out of 586) deals with a paramilitary organisation which was not in fact active as ...
THe questions that have arisen since the abrupt departure of Iona Jones as Chief Executive of S4C are still coming thick and fast. More importantly people are starting to move on from asking why she went to look at the institution itself, its future and just how accountable it is. I have written before about the seeming indifference of the Department of Culture Media and Sport to proper scrutiny of S4C's budget and the consequent failure of Parliamentary Select Committees to fill the gap. The fact that none of the questions about this affair seems to be coming from these ...
Hat tip to my friend James Harrison for tweeting this morning "OMG Joe McElderry is gay! But he just loved his mam and his music" although it took me a few minutes to recall who Joe McElderry was then it dawned on me, the lad from X Factor. As James says OMG (Oh my god for the oldies) Joe McElderry is gay! I hope that Joe McElderry hasn't been hounded into making this announcement that he is gay, carried in full in today's Daily Mirror as an exclusive and The Sun, also as an exclusive. The reason I say that ...
i) births and deaths 31 July 2004: death of Robert James, who played Lesterson in The Power of the Daleks (1966) and the High Priest in The Masque of Mandragora (1976) ii) broadcast anniversaries None. iii) date almost specified in canon 31 July 1977: the latter part of episode 3 and all of episode 4 ofImage of the Fendahl (1977) are set on a day specified as 'Lammas Eve' (the day before 1 August, ie 31 July) by Mrs Tyler. There is no reason to suppose that the year is other than 1977.
SPIEGEL Interview with Craig Venter: 'We Have Learned Nothing from the Genome' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International SPIEGEL: So the Human Genome Project has had very little medical benefits so far? Venter: Close to zero to put it precisely. SPIEGEL: You stored a code in the genome of this cell. Has anyone decoded it? Venter: Yes, it is the first genome in the world to include an e-mail address. So far, 50 scientists have cracked the code and answered us. SPIEGEL: It took eight years from the time the first bacterial genome was decoded until the human genome ...
Iain Duncan Smith, the Coalition's Work and Pensions Secretary, says that the benefit system has 'trapped generation after generation in a spiral of dependency and poverty'. I don't always agree with everything Iain Duncan Smith says, but I do think that on this occasion he has a point. So I was not at all surprised to see a rebuttal in the Telegraph. "The Coalition wrongly assumes that poverty is the result of worklessness caused by barriers outside individual control, writes David Green". "Imagine that the only help available for a person losing his job was from a family member. ...
