An American charity is proposing to sterilise drug addicts in the United Kingdom. The programme's objectives (American site) are: The main objective of Project Prevention is public awareness to the problem of addicts/alcoholics exposing their unborn child to drugs during pregnancy. Project Prevention seeks to reduce the burden of this social problem on taxpayers, trim ...
Early in the week, we will have the announcement on the Strategic Defense Review - a very important announcement in terms of the future safety of the realm and how we address the changing face of war and enemies in a world long past the cold war. We have three further days of debate on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill. And then on Wednesday, we will have the long awaited Statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review – the 'cuts' . We will then know in global terms the scale of the cuts in each department to see what ...
Confused of Edinburgh writes: Dear Mr Free PressNot so much a rant but a question related to my previous one.Why is the past tense of run RAN?I walked down the streetI jogged down the streetI runned down the street doesn't quite work. This is because to run is a strong verb. As a general rule, strong verbs do not take -ed to form the past tense but instead change a vowel. Other examples are the verbs to sing, to drink, and to write. Naturally, the opposite of a strong verb is a weak verb. They generally take -ed to form ...
The next meeting of the Selly Oak Ward Committee will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 20 October 2010 at St Marys Primary School, Lodge Hill Road, Selly Oak.Items on the agenda include:an update on work on the Selly Oak New Road (a representative of Birse Civil, the contractor building the New Road (now named Aston Webb Boulevard) has been invited);an update on the Selly Oak Ward Community Chest;
I know this video has been circling around the interwebby for a few days but I hope you'll see why I felt this was worth posting. It's not everyday you see politicians act in a way that is truly beautiful and very brave. It is always good to see something that serves as a reminder that we live in an era where there as never been so much liberty. We should be grateful for it, we should use it to remind ourselves what is at stake if we lose and we should strengthen our resolve to fight the numerous remaining ...
I haven't posted in nearly two months and in fact, my posts have been few and far between for at least the last year. I wish I had more time to blog but with full time work, a time hungry allotment and a masters law degree in the evenings it's become an idle dream! So, I've made a decision that I'm not going to blog for a while and probably not until I complete my Law Masters. I will continue to Twitter though; my social network de choix!!!
roads safety difficult when signage not up to scratch It is clear that poor road signage does not assist in making for better driving on our roads. It is very important for all road users to pay attention to what the speed limit is in particular areas. read the rest at Michael Campbell Filed under: ...
READ: ****This event was not created by me. It was created by someone who cares deeply on Tumblr, and I am only spreading the word. (via Davey Wavey)**** It's been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that's exactly what we'd like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love ...
Your Liberal Democrat Focus team are supporting the 'Wear it Pink' campaign, and we will be 'Wearing Pink' on October 29th. If you would like to be involved follow this link or click on one of the banners below. [IMG: Wear it Pink] Why take part in wear it pink? When you wear it pink you're part of something amazing - finding a cure for breast cancer, by funding some of the world's most promising and innovative research projects. The money you have raised in the past has helped to fund projects like Dr Ingunn Holen's award-winning research, which found ...
Thanks to all those who have asked about the allotment. The autumn digging has begun and three rows of garlic have been planted. As you can see some the apple crop has suffered a little 'splitting' which I guess is due to inconsistency of watering. Nevertheless these Russet apples are delicious and most of them have been harvested without any damage.
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem party members think of the party's reponse to The Browne Report into higher education funding and student finance in England. Some 567 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results of our survey this weekend. First, we looked at how party members thought higher education should be funded, and whether there were any measures that might make the Browne Report acceptable. Then we looked at what members felt our MPs should do given the pledges they made not to increase tuition fees. Now we look ...
It was great news last week that the Lib Dem pupil premium amount was confirmed at £2.5bn a year. The basis for how much pupil premium is how many children are entitled and presumably claiming free school meals. A nice simple measure. For Southwark this could be incredibly good news. Southwark has the third highest success rate of 66% for kids entitled to free school meals claiming them. With so many kids in Southwark entitled and claiming free school meals a lot of money from the Pupil Premium should be coming to Southwark state schools. This proportion would be easy ...
Last week I posted about the pink geese that have arrived in Southport-all 17 500 of them. The local RSPB website for the Marshside reserve will give you more details. Every morning they fly over Birkdale and as the video makes clear-none shall sleep
Last night Liberal Democrat blogger Fraser Macpherson posted some praise for Mary Byrne's performance in the X Factor. In passing he mentioned that two years ago she won an Irish TV (TG4) talent show called Nollaig No 1 under the name Mary Lee. And indeed she did. Reading about her on the web, it is clear that winning this Gaelic-language show failed to give her a hit record it promised. Even so, she is hardly the humble Tesco checkout operator will self-esteem issues that the X Factor has presented her as. Is anything on X Factor quite what it seems? ...
Funny question. Newspapers have apparently reported that the Labour led Southwark Council Elephant&Castle regeneration deal is £26M worse than the draft Lib Dem deal that the change in political leadership stopped. By my calculations Labour's deal is £100+ worse but lets for argument sake go with the newspapers reported £26M. What could Southwark have bought with £26M. It could have joined the ranks of having an Olympic 50M long swimming pool with sports centre at the Elephant&Castle. A swimming pool there would be of national significance being in the inner London. Or, perhaps a brand new secondary school. Or, even ...
Nick Clegg has said that one of the purposes of the coalition is to redefine the relationship between the citizen and the State. Many may not like that redefinition, either because it reduces the State or doesn't reduce it enough, but the first test of how well the coalition does on this self-declared aim will be on 20 October. While the comprehensive spending review will primarily be about tackling the deficit and national debt, it will also indicate how far the governing parties are intending to go in redefining the State for the 21st century. The challenge for any politician ...
The second edition of Where the Truth Lies (edited by Julia Hobsbawn) has been published. The book looks at the way public relations and journalism interacts. By doing so it explores how the truths we read in newspapers and hear about on television and radio emerge. The second edition, like the first, has contributors from the world of the media and PR. Like Flat Earth News, it challenges our perceptions about the news we consume.
Hat tip the UK Libertarian
I've been invited to the Wear Purple event on 20 October in memory of the gay teens who have killed themselves due to homophobic abuse. It may not do much, but hopefully some will notice. It's been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed ...
Over the weekend here in Northern Ireland we've had a First Minister Peter Robinson calling for an end to education apartheid then a response from the Catholic Church. Which are two stories I have posted about on Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland. The Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has accused his colleague of "taking on" the Catholic Church about it's provision of education. But Mr Robinson is not taking on the provision of the provision but the state funding of them to church schools. This would apply to all church schools, though the largest group would be the Catholic schools. ...
We're hoping to move into our new house next weekend, so things are pretty manic at present. However, we did squeeze in a visit to Seaton Deleval Hall this weekend. The hall is the National Trust's newest property and was saved from private sale last December, so hasn't been open to the public for that long. Lots of the people visiting remembered attending medieval banquets at the hall in the past. We were more interested in the architecture and the fascinating history of fires, gambling and drama! One of the things I really liked is that there's clearly really strong ...
I joined the Lib Dems ten years ago last month, at a fresher's fair in Leeds. Then, as now, the Lib Dem policy of free education was really important to me, and I've spent more of the last ten years than I'd care to remember campaigning on that issue and others – including a year as chair of Liberal Democrat Youth and Students. So as you can imagine, I've found the last week pretty tough, and I'm more than a little ticked off with what's emerged from the government. No doubt those arguments will continue within the party, and I'll ...
It took me several weeks, but I have finished Rand's magnum opus, about a woman who likes running trains and clever rich people going on strike. I will leave detailed analysis to those who care more about it than me - I refer especially to John Scalzi's critique, which has links in comments to a couple more posts on it. (Here's one: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an ...
The Comprehensive Spending Review might well be hurtling towards us like a doom-laden craft from outer space, but that doesn't mean that the business of Bury Council stops (although, ironically, the CSR may herald quite a bit of just that when it comes to setting a Council budget!). Tomorrow is another meeting of the snigger-inducingly entitled "Internal Scrutiny" committee, which I chair. The function of the committee is to scrutinise the decisions made by members of the Council's Cabinet, which is made up of the Conservatives who run the Town Hall. It's the third meeting of the committee, which is ...
I want to write more about comics on here, but am very conscious that the only essays I'm planning (for expanding the Hyperpost book) are on comics by Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Jack Kirby. There *are* comics by people who aren't those three, and I'm sure I've got stuff to say about them, but ...
The UK is now in a great rush to reduce GDP in order to reduce the financial deficit. But before we frame economic policy, we need to revisit economic theory, in particular the theory of money and macroeconomic demand theory. On the theory of money Money is an artefact, not a real physical commodity. It does not obey the laws of thermodynamics - it can be created and destroyed. The idea that macroeconomic budgets have to be balanced is a category error. It takes a microeconomic simplicity, that individuals or firms have to balance their budgets, and falsely transfers this ...
Residents in Central Bedfordshire who are keen to comment on Covanta Energy's plans for a Resource Recovery Facility at Rookery South Pit near Stewartby, can now register their interest with the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC). In August the IPC accepted for examination purposes, Covanta's planning submission, but now the public and interested parties have until 19 November to ensure that their views are heard during the examination hearings - the next phase of the IPC's planning process. People can register their details by visiting the IPC website (http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/) or by requesting a registration form by calling the IPC on 0303 ...
Last month the talk was all of David Laws retiring from politics at the next election. At the least the talk on this blog (from The Sun via the Pink Paper site) was. A report on the BBC News site this afternoon paints a very different picture. It suggests he has hinted at a return to government and quotes him as saying: "Everybody in politics wants to be in the front line ... Everybody wants to have their hands on the levers. I don't think I'm exceptional in that regard politically. Everybody wants to be in the front line."That quotation ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Brecon today passed the following motion, proposed by Liberal Youth: Conference notes: The "Browne Review" of October 12th and its recommendations for Higher Education funding in EnglandThat the implementation of this will have major effects on the future of student finance in WalesThat the Welsh Liberal Democrats are opposed to Tuition fees, and that our MPs pledged to vote against any increase in fees ahead of the General Election Conference believes: that there are alternative ways to fund higher education that do not involve burdening the students of today with high levels of ...
I had been puzzling over the title of this Fifth Doctor novel since I first heard of it; what gadget could conceivably be made of crystal and also named for Alexander the Great's horse? As it transpires there is a double explanation: there is a crystal statue of the horse, which turns out to have extra powers, but also the statue is located in a restaurant named after it. Rather oddly the Doctor turns out to be the owner of both statue and restaurant. Lots of similarly wacky (or wackier) nomenclature in the book, not all of which completely gels, ...
Nearly ten years after a small outbreak of an insignificant disease, the press are still telling lies about it. This story about some obscure disease of horses attempts to draw parallels with the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the UK in 2001: "The outbreak has disturbing echoes of the early stages of the 2001 Foot and Mouth epidemic, which claimed the lives of 10 million sheep and cattle and cost the country an estimated £8bn".However, foot and mouth is rarely fatal. It's not foot and mouth that killed millions of animals in 2001, it was the human response to ...
I've heard a few Liberal Democrats express concern about the mid-term election results. The fear, as it has been expressed to me, is that Cleggmania had a lot of superficial similarities to Obamamania - it was a campaign based on hope, by a progressive liberal who offered something new, and it led to the formation of a government. Seeing Obamamania apparently swept away in a surge of vehemently conservative tea-partyers, several Lib Dems fear that the same fate could befall them at the next election. I think this is simplistic. Firstly, the midterms will be bad for Obama. But I ...
I've been heavily involved in the group that is soon to launch the public appeal to ensure that there is a lasting and fitting memorial to the 59 victims of the 1879 Tay Rail Bridge Disaster. The launch of the appeal will be made on the 131st anniversary of the disaster - on 28th December 2010 - at the McManus Galleries and we are delighted that Lord Provost John Letford will host the event and a number of other dignatories will attend, including Provost Frances Melville of Fife Council. More details to follow nearer the time ...
It is funny how the history of popular music gets rewritten. Ask now who the greatest band of the 1980s was and it is likely that The Smiths will be the most popular choice. Yet in their day they hardly troubled the top 10 at all. But then their rivals for that accolade, at least in my mind, The Housemartins needed the novelty of the a cappella Caravan of Love no get them to number one. This is This Smiths at their darkest and was recorded at the Hacienda to boot. All that and a quotation from A Taste of ...
From Stockport Council: Stockport Council is working closely with the Government's Office of National Statistics to help recruit approximately 150 Stockport people to take on the temporary paid jobs. It is hoped that local people who know their neighbourhoods and communities will assist in the work which measures the UK population and provides a wealth of other key information and statistics which will be used for 10 years from 2011-21. More information can be read here.
The Lib Dems took control of Stockport Council again in 2002, and have held it since. Pam King won in Cheadle, defeating Ian Roberts (not me, but my Conservative namesake who's currently the chair of governors at Kingsway school). Patsy Calton, by now MP for Cheadle, stood in her Bramhall council seat but came second. 02/05/02 2002 Stockport Bredbury (11732) @ 1 vote share Humphries S. Ms.* LD 2221 68.8 Hughes B. Ms. LAB 519 16.1 Gibbons K. CON 490 15.2 ffff 1998: LD Turnout 27.5 52.7 Brinnington (7251) @ 1 vote share Murphy C.* LAB 1257 75.2 Rawlinson S. ...
The message is getting around about the petition I set up earlier in the week, 'Lib Dems Against Tuition Fees'. Support is coming from across the country, from up in Scotland to Plymouth in the South of England, from Belfast to Cambridge in the East. There is a lot of angry Liberal Democrats out there who signing the petition and then forwarding the address to their friends. 50% of signers are
Michael Collins, a lecturer in twentieth century British history at UCL, has predicted at Open Democracy-Tuition fees just the beginning of Lib Dem troubles that the "SDP contingent" in the Liberal Democrats faces an existential battle with "coalition Liberals" over the future of the party. Collins' fantasy Lib Dem politics isn't very convincing but there are a growing number of matching accounts, which mirror his portrayal of Liberal Democrat division, include accusations of unprincipled behaviour and go on to predict the party's demise. It seems reasonable to respond to Collins' account of 'Lib Dem troubles' with a little history and ...
I've been out of action for few days, and I have found that it was an opportunity to sit and reflect on the policy announcements over the past few weeks by taking a step back and thinking about what the Liberal Democrats have achieved over the past 5 months. I thought I'd do a post on this, because this week is likely to be a challenging week and it may be an opportunity for some to do the same before we are drowned in the 'cuts rhetoric'. I have realised that because I watch what is going on, when it ...
Time is running out for Stockwood residents to comment on the Green Space Plans. There are two consultations running side by side one is the Area Green Space (AGSP) & the other the Parks & Green Space Strategy (P&GSS). The date for receiving comments is 5pm Friday 29th October. After that the plans will be considered together with all comments, objections, ideas and a decision on the proposed plans will be made in December. I have blogged about this before, but I would urge you to take a look at the plans if you haven't already done so and make ...
I hesitated before I wrote my review of Enlightenment. It's consumable, not over intellectual but actually pretty provocative and thoughful - combining shocking with watchable. The staging is very sharp and clever - minimal, clean, simple and yet feel innovative and modern. Crucially the play is set in a landscape that feels believable and I found myself reflecting on people I knew who could be in similar situations, as parents, as travellers, as troubled young people drifting in a wider world. Should you go and see it: the answer has to be yes, as Edward Hall's first outing it works, ...
Back in June, I reported on progress regarding the removal by the owner of the fire damaged and dangerous former garage at the top end of Benvie Road. I'm pleased to say that the fire damaged part of the building has now been largely removed but part of the structure remains as does a lot of rubbish - eg a pile of old tyres - see right - and I have contacted the City Development Department to ensure that the owner finishes the job and removes what may remain of any potential fire hazard.
This video, filmed at the Lib Dem 2010 Autumn conference in Liverpool, contains interviews with Chris Huhne and Vince Cable about how conference is different now the party is in government, plus interviews with members, a look at why organisations hold fringe events and a tour around the exhibition area with interviews with one internal and one external organisation about why they have a stand in the exhibition area. Presented by Greg Stone and Jonathan Wallace.
Yesterday John Swinney, the SNP Cabinet Secretary for Finance and (no) Sustainable Growth told the SNP Conference of "very significant restraint" of pay for all public sector workers in Scotland. Today, Alex Salmond is going to confirm fears that the SNP Government is going to cut the number of police forces in Scotland. The SNP is presiding over cuts in nursing staff across Scotland - one Health Board is cutting 553 nursing jobs. So, its an obvious time for the SNP to annouce that they will continue with implementation of their policy of free prescriptions for millionaires. It is about ...
I have just watched last night's episode of Strictly, and I can't tell you how much I am enjoying this series. Its got a great balance of some superb dancers, and those who won't get to the final but are really enjoying themselves. I'm also quite enjoying the spats between the judges, and particularly like Craig this year - he actually says very constructive things to the contestants. Also, Brucie cracked an actual joke today. But sadly I can't remember it to repeat it. Special mentions go to: Pamela and James: I don't know Pamela's age, but she is proving ...
Leveraged buyouts like Liverpool's (and ManU) are wrong according to Everton Manager David Moyes. Well on the eve of a Derby match it's a good line and one which most Liverpudlians would agree with. To hear fans speak about the curse of the debt, about the £24m in interest they had to pay every year you'd have thought they'd all be taught economics by George Osborne. In fact I'm surprised that right wing politicians haven't been comparing the nations's debt to those held by football clubs. Of course a plc is a very different kind of beast to a national ...
You may be aware that Councils now have to publicly declare all spending over £500. The aim is that for the first time you will have a better idea how your tax is spent. Basingstoke and Deane Council now have their spending online HERE Although it is great news, I was a little disappointed with the detail. Simply knowing we paid a company £2500 is pointless, you can google the company name and
Haven't had a moment to blog this week – so almost don't know where to begin! Parliamentwise – lobbies from the science community concerned about the looming Comprehensive Spending Review (everyone is worried in every sector to be quite frank) the argument forcefully put about investing in our future and cutting off our growth if we lose our cutting edge in science and lobbied in advance of the back bench committee debate on contamination of blood products. I declare an interest in the blood products debate as someone very close to me has haemophilia and has been infected by the ...
This time next month Islington's Breathe Easy group will be marking 17 November, World COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Day, with lots of special activities at UCLH in Euston Road. Drop in anytime between 11am and 4pm for free lung testing for all. I've been supporting my local Breathe Easy group for a while now. ...
Yesterday we praised Peter Robinson the DUP First Minister's call for integrated education in Northern Ireland. Today we have a response from the Catholic Church to ponder. The chair of the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education Bishop Donal McKeown said that the right of parents to choose a faith-school need to be ...
Back in 2004, when New Labour reformed higher education funding, most Liberal Democrats opposed the changes. I favoured them. 'Top-up fees' were, and still are, a liberal solution to higher education funding. Lord Browne's recommendations don't change that. Liberal Democrats should think twice before opposing whatever package of reforms is presented to us in the coming weeks. The central principle - retrospective fee-payment - is, to my mind, a small work of genius. Liberals are always poised between the principles of freedom (self-ownership and personal rights), and fairness (universal equality of opportunity as a very minimum). Higher education is thus ...
I was watching Alan Johnsons(shadow Chancellor) interview on Andrew Marr this morning. Alan brought up the subject of capital spending. I agree that this is a good idea (as does Cable and Obama). Capital spending means that we have a lasting asset like for example the Olympic venues, the high speed train link and say the proposed new aircraft carriers. But this of course includes building schools for the future (which is to be replaced which a smaller building program). Capital expensditure provides work and gives the country with a lasting usable asset. It's not employing administration staff for the ...
For a few weeks, residents of Brook Street in Cheadle have been suffering with anti-social behaviour from a small number of youths coming or going to the brook or the Barnes Hospital site. Security guards at Barnes Hospital have also faced abuse. Police have been working with residents to resolve this, including more patrols and a high visibility presence. A case of suspected racial abuse is also being dealt with. The outcome so far is positive, though none of us want to count any chickens before they're hatched, and these things do have a habit of bubbling up again. I'd ...
Sun 17th
10:16
What is the point in becoming credible if you lose your credibility by breaking promises ?
Those who support the coalition argue that perhaps the greatest thing about it from a Lib Dem point of view it makes the party relevant, shows that we can be a party of government, and that voting Lib Dem puts Lib Dem policies on the statute book. These points are all well and good if you then use your power responsibly. However, there is a real danger that by voting and supporting tuition fee increases, the party may destroy this credibility in one fell swoop. The party cannot argue "A vote for us is a vote for our policies" , ...
"Everybody understands Mickey Mouse. Few understand Hermann Hesse. Hardly anybody understands Einstein. And nobody understands Emperor Norton." (Principia Discordia) A conversation last weekend reminded me that not many people know the story of Emperor Norton, even though many of you will have seen him regularly as I use a picture of him (larger version to ...
The Wales on Sunday reports that Kirsty Williams launched a blistering attack on Labour yesterday, accusing it of "wreaking havoc" in Wales: Turning her guns on Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, Carwyn Jones, she said: "Labour have stopped thinking. They have even stopped caring. "Under Carwyn Jones' leadership they first started coasting and now they are drifting." Ms Williams, the first woman to lead a party in Wales, described Mr Jones as "a man who should be leading Wales forward but who now seems all too happy to sit back and blame London for every problem". She said her ...
The Independent on Sunday speculates that Secretary of State for Energy, Chris Huhne will tomorrow jettison Labour's unfunded Severn Barrage project, rather than make the taxpayer foot an estimated bill of £10bn to £30bn for what many are predicting could be an ecological disaster. They say that Chris will use a Commons statement to outline details of how the government intends to keep electricity flowing in the next four decades while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050: "We need to turn our grid from being one of the dirtiest in Europe to being one of ...
I again, as normal in Leader/Presidential Elections, have offered the candidates 500 words on my website. Below is what I received from Tim Farron MP - I have not received anything from Susan Kramer by Friday's deadline.
Liberal Democrats in Southwark claim the council is £26 million pounds worse off because of decisions the Labour-run body has taken over a regeneration scheme for Elephant & Castle. This figure has been the subject of political debate, it's been mentioned in the council, it's been mentioned in the press and it's been mentioned online. So what happened when Liberal Democrat councillors tried to put the figure in a motion to be debated at the council? The council said no – the figure is secret and can't be mentioned. As London SE1 reports: A Southwark Council spokesperson said: "On the ...
Some sobering thoughts on the Tuition fees U-turn from Andrew Rawnsley: ...what the business secretary announced was not just a standard U-turn, not a-fuss-today-forgotten-tomorrow reversal. This one is a wheel-squealing, tyre-smoking, bone-juddering, eye-popping, bowel-loosening, brain-melting U-turn. It is a volte face with much bigger consequences than the Lib Dems currently seem to realise. ...This much is certain. However the Lib Dems present themselves to voters in the future, it can't be as the guys who will always keep their promises. They will no longer be able to ignore the contradiction which has long existed at the heart of their being ...
Some heavy stuff going down in the House of Lords: Three peers investigated over their expenses claims face suspension from the House of Lords and repayment of tens of thousands of pounds, The Sunday Telegraph has learned The trio - two Labour peers and a cross-bencher - are expected to be officially recommended for censure in a statement tomorrow by the House of Lords authorities. Baroness Uddin, a Labour peer and the first Muslim woman to be appointed to the upper house, is set to be suspended from the Lords for between a year and 18 months, and has agreed ...
From page xi of Will Hutton's introduction to his latest book"Them and Us": The greatest danger to the new government is its repudiation of Keynesian economics in circumstances that demand more Keynesianism than at any time since the 1930s. There has to be a willingness to spend, borrow, reshape finance and protect investment at all costs. Yet on the coming Wednesday, with Liberal Democrat support, the coalition government is to announce details of its proposals to do exactly the opposite. It is hard to avoid despair.
i) births and deaths 17 October 1966: birth of Mark Gatiss, author of TV stories The Unquiet Dead (2005), The Idiot's Lantern (2006) and Victory of the Daleks (2010), of four novels and two Big Finish audios, and also plays the eponymous scientist in The Lazarus Experiment (2007). ii) publication anniversaries 17 October 1979: cover date of first issue of Doctor Who Weekly, now of course Doctor Who Magazine. 17 October 1996: publication of New Adventures novel Damaged Goods, by one Russell T. Davies. I wonder if he kept up his interest in Doctor Who?
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Housing, Peter Black AM, has told delegates at their autumn conference that we need a Green Deal for homes in Wales. Speaking at a fringe hosted by WWF Cymru, Mr. Black has praised the UK Government's commitment to radically overhaul the energy efficiency of homes across the UK. The investment will stimulate the Green Economy with small businesses, supporting a quarter of a million jobs over the next 20 years. The Green Deal will make energy efficiency affordable for all, whether people own or rent their property by attaching the upfront finance to ...
United Ireland a long way down the line - Belfast Today ...my own prediction is that even if the margin between unionist and nationalist parties should slip still further in the decades to come (though I doubt that it will have changed much by 2021), the outcome of any referendum vote will remain securely on the pro-Union side, no matter how badly led unionism is in the future. (tags: northernireland)
I was watching Sky news yesterday and there was a debate about NHS funding. At the same time there was a message at the bottom of the screen with breaking news about a group of female demonstrators who had handcuffed themselves to lorries and blocked roads in protest over climate change. If you asked the man in the street what they think about NHS funding or climate change they may give an answer but I think you are unlikely to find anyone who is so moved that they wish to do something about it. How do we motivate members of ...
It is acutely embarrassing to hear Liberal Democrat ministers giving their support to the introduction of tuition fees. That does not make it wrong. We fought the election on a pledge to phase out tuition fees over the lifetime of two parliaments. Those of us who emerged from university without debts, and having been able to afford books, beer and the purchase of a new bike from our student grants, don't like the idea that our successors should have to pay. But times have changed and student numbers have grown. I have long supported the introduction of a graduate tax ...
