I found out today that Eaglescliffe has lost another of its real characters. Ray Wallace Thompson retired from a career as an architect in Local Government in 1979. I first met him in the late 1990s and spent many hours over the past decade discussing photography, politics and life. Ray reminded me frequently that the "grey" vote is important, but he also believed in giving young people
I was rather excited when I found the website for Future States - which explains itself as follows: What will become of America in five, 25, or even 50 years from today? This series of 11 short films explores possible future scenarios through the prism of today's global realities. Immerse yourself in the visions of these independent prognosticators as they inhabit a future of their own
Ken Clarke took the unusual steps of publishing a previously 'secret' pathology report on Dr David Kelly last week. I have blogged before on Dr Kelly, and then questioned why there shouldn't be an inquest. Whilst I think this report is supposed to be a 'nuff said' kind of thing, for me it raises more questions than answers them. The first one being, why was this report secret and was it considered at the Hutton Inquiry? I still think that there should be a formal inquest, no doubt this report would be valuable for this. People may think of me ...
So, Nick Clegg revealed that he liked the occasional cigarette on desert island discs at the weekend. Gasp. With that and Ed Miliband being unmarried, people won't know who to vote for. Sheesh.
This evening I, along with about 100 others, attended a meeting organised by the Save Camelford Leisure Centre group at the council offices in the town. The meeting was incredibly positive in its outlook with speaker after speaker making offers of support or ideas for the campaign. Among those present were local councillors Keith Goodenough, Glenton Brown and John Lugg as well as myself and Liskeard councillor Jay Schofield who grew up in Camelford. Every single one of us pledged to vote in favour of saving Camelford Leisure Centre from the chop. A message of support was also sent by ...
Well, its all confirmed now. I shall be starting the process for my bone marrow transplant at the beginning of November, subject to the unforseeable. I am very lucky to have had a choice of donor, and they have gone with the other choice. I'm still very nervous, but I'm determined to get through it. I'm currently enjoying half term with the family and enjoying the quality time. My sister and I have started another justgiving page - for Christmas this year. The link is here, and no doubt I'll swap me widget! Justgiving.com
There is fascinating letter from Peter Barnes on today's Guardian Obituaries page: The work of James Tanner ... is replete with thought-provoking observations. His time as a pupil at Marlborough college appears, later, to have afforded him access to the records of the medical officer and the natural science master dating from 1873. Using these as a baseline, Tanner showed how the average height of the boys when aged sixteen and a half had risen by half an inch a decade over an 80-year period.In Foetus Into Man (1978), he suggested that this "secular trend" was in part a consequence ...
I am utterly astounded that I'd never seen this before today – an experiment that may have more profound implications for our worldview than... maybe any experiment since the Michelson-Morley experiment? I'm going to assume here that everyone knows about the Grandfather Paradox. This is just the simple question "What happens if you have a ...
Boatang & Demetriou: The United States of Delusion: "What on earth is going on in American politics these days? I commented, to a reception of angst ridden fury from the right wing blogosphere..."
Back in July we reported how Britain was set to gain an extra Member of the European Parliament following the Lisbon Treaty. The Electoral Commission has now crunched the numbers using the same rules as previously to allocate MEPs to the different Euro-constituencies and it is West Midlands which comes out with an extra MEP. Technically the government still has formally to accept the Electoral Commission's recommendation, but in practice the Commission's recommendation in this field is what will happen.
Posturing, Prevarication and procrastination ended The new Thornton relief road from Switch Island is to be built. Tony Roberton has more of the story. Thirteen years of posturing and spin passed by whilst Labour was in government. There was lots of 'media' activity celebrating some 'decision' or other but the bottom line is that the road was not built. I'm sure somewhere there is a gullible Labour councillor who honestly believes that each and every hoop that we were made to job through was entirely appropriate and necessary. Others will reflect that any process that takes thirteen years and fails ...
From the new issue of Liberator: This year's Liberal Democrat presidential election was unexpected. The incumbent (Ros Scott) was widely assumed to be running for a second term. It seemed unlikely that Ros, a popular and successful president, would face a contest. Then in early September, after nominations had opened, Ros suddenly announced she would not be re-standing. There was much speculation at party conference about why she had taken this decision - and why so late (see RB, page 4). There was also speculation about who would stand, given the difficulty for anyone of getting a campaign off the ...
Doubtless many of you will have noticed the roaring silence emanating from these quarters of late, and much of the responsibility for such a state of affairs falls upon the collective shoulders of Cameron, Clegg, and the egregious Osborne. While I often use this blog as both a soapbox and a sounding board, there's no way that I'm going to come on here and even attempt to defend the indefensible. FX: LOUD CHEERS While I still remain a supporter of the party, partly due to the grand job they're doing at local ward and constituency level but mostly by default ...
The Coalition's plan is that as people are made redundant from the public sector over the next few years they will be mopped up by a private sector that, freed from some of the overhead cost of 'big government' will be able to expand at record rates. This is an attractive notion, especially to those of ...
There once was a time which younger readers may find odd that Britain didn't turn up at international rowing regattas and expect to pick up medals. However, before Los Angeles in 1984 there was not a sniff of gold since the London Olympiad of 1948 for the rowers. 1984 saw the arrival of an Olympic giant Steve Redgrave but along with Adrian Ellison, the cox, Richard Budget and Martin Cross was the man that would be Redgrave's pairs partner to two World, two Commonwealth golds as well as a gold in the coxless and bronze in the coxed pairs in ...
Go Simon! – say I. Yesterday's Observer warned of people being forced out of London to live in Reading and Luton. It's crazy and there must be a way of adjusting the proposals to get a happy medium.
Liberal Vision have published interviews conducted with each of the candidates for the Liberal Democrat presidency: Susan Kramer and Tim Farron. Read the Farron interview here and the Kramer interview here. As a taster: Liberal Vision: In one sentence why should people who read our blog back your campaign? Susan Kramer: Overwhelmingly it's to be the voice for the grass roots of the party, creating that two-way connection between the grass roots and the leadership, and keeping us unified. We shouldn't let other pull us apart Tim Farron: Because they want the Liberal Democrats to win, and because the party's ...
The Lisbon Treaty included a provision that the UK would get one extra member of the European Parliament and the Electoral Commission has just issued a report which states that this MEP will be assigned to the West Midland region. I've just done a quick calculation and found that, if there were seven MEPs to be elected in the West Midlands rather than 6 then it would be the Conservatives who would win the seat. The Conservatives won two MEPs in the West Midlands in 2009 and the third person on their list is Anthea Elizabeth Joy McIntyre. Presumably (unless ...
Tuesday: Good news! Growth in GDP is 0.8%, or TWICE what the economists expected. This has of course been greeted from the Left with loud cheers of: "well it's lower than it was last quarter" and "it's just momentum from the Labour government" and "the cuts haven't started yet"! Yes, see how this goes. Mr David Outlaws says he's proud of the pupil premium... and the left say "if they weren't spending more it would be a cut!" Mr Vince announces a fair and generous pension for all... and the left say "it's unaffordable" and "too good to be true"! ...
A short message from Helen Duffett: There will be a hustings in east London for Liberal Democrat members to quiz Susan Kramer and Tim Farron - the candidates in the current Lib Dem Federal Presidential election: 7:30pm - 9pm Wednesday 3 November Woodbridge High School (Wynndale Hall) St Barnabas Road Woodford Green, IG8 7DQ Chair: Helen Duffett After a speech from each of the candidates, Tim and Susan will answer questions from the audience. All Liberal Democrat members are welcome, from around London and beyond, so please forward this email to others who might be interested. Use the school entrance ...
News from Nigeria: Senior politicians and businessmen are among more than 100 people listed by Nigerian anti-fraud police as being unsuitable to run for political office... The BBC's Caroline Duffield, in Abuja, says fraud charges are no barrier to standing in elections, and some of those named are already campaigning. But EFCC officials say that they believe those facing prosecution should not be endorsed as candidates. The commission is appealing to political parties to select only "credible candidates" and not those on the list. You can read the full story here.
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] At the last Full Council I asked the following: Given that around 2,200 tonnes of glass go to landfill from households in Reading, would the Lead Councillor for the Environment and Sustainability comment on the cost savings associated with collecting glass from the kerbside? In addition, since the Performance Indicator now used for waste (NI 193) and our LATS targets cover all Municipal waste, not just household, what benefits would there be from offering glass recycling to SME's in Reading? REPLY by Lib Dem Councillor Swaine (Lead Councillor for Environment and Sustainability): "A recent analysis shows that we ...
Yesterday, along with other council group leaders, council officers and representatives from Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, I participated in the first meeting of a working group on job creation in the city. There were useful presentations amd discussions around the employment situation in the city, renewables, the waterfront project, V&A project and other matters. It was a constructive and useful meeting with further discussions planned.
I have been in touch with Scottish & Southern Energy (Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution) following power cuts in the area today. I have been advised (in the past few minutes) : "We have had a power cut in this area today and our Engineers are currently out on site, Harris Academy is now back on. We still have approx 200 customers still off supply, we aim to narrow down the fault location within the next 20 minutes."
A-ha, so he was Tony Page's lickspittle all along! I was asked by Kayes & Park Labour party to introduce differential fares lower for borough & higher out of borough, but Page opposed it. They are desperate.
AmericaSpeaks' 21st Century Town Meetings® are different way of getting citizens to participate in a debate, a method of collecting ideas and themes and a way to produce policies. They state that these meetings are engaging, meaningful opportunities for citizens to participate in public decision making... attempting to address the needs of today's citizens and ...
At last Thursday's meeting of the full City Council meeting I proposed a motion to ask the County Council to rule out library closures in the City. The motion was passed unanimously sending a strong message to the Conservative run County Council of how much our libraries are valued. Our library network is vital not only for the people of all ages who use it for educational and leisure purposes, but because it plays a key part in our communities. Taking away our libraries impacts on the whole fabric of our society, denying people access to life-long learning opportunities and ...
A lot was made about the champagne drought at Conservative party conference, with David Cameron and his team determined that nobody would be caught coiffing when they were about to announce huge austerity measures. Such rules though don't seem to apply to Lord Mandelson, one of the main offenders for signing cheques in the dying days of the Labour government. He is currently hosting a lunch for the Legatum group, where the guests are being served a delicious lunch of champagne, lobster, halibut and crab. Clearly opposition suits some... Thanks to eyespymp for posting the pic
This weeks weekly list has an application for a "two storey pitched roof extension with associated works" at 36 Lovell Rd. The application number is 10/0967/FUL, and details can be found in the usual places. In case of difficulty contact the team.
[IMG: Mark Hunter MP] Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has joined the growing band of MPs on Twitter, where he tweets as markhuntermp. You can also follow me on Twitter at CllrIainRoberts.
Cornish Conservatives clearly do things differently as Lib Dem Cllr Alex Folkes has reported: [Council leader] Cllr Robertson and Council Chief Executive Kevin Lavery held a press conference to announce the proposed budget. Lib Dem Group Leader Doris Ansari went along to hear what they had to say, only to be thrown out of the event because apparently: "Press conferences are private meetings"
It's half term this week, which I have taken off work to spend time with my teacher-wife. Not for me the traffic-free commuter bliss that this week affords others. Instead, yesterday I went into Manchester to be surrounded by harassed-looking parents taking their children to Random-Nickelodeon-Show On Ice and various other exciting places. My own excitement has been more mundane, and has involved supervising the fitting of replacement windows to my house. When it was built a few years ago, the developers thought it would be very funny to install double glazing which was both broken and framed with rotten ...
The chart below is the current 10 year gilt yield chart from bloomberg. It looks back at what happened with gilt yields. As we went into the recesssion and there was an attempt to drive down interest rates the gilt yields followed. Then they popped up a bit and averaged around 4% going into the general election although there was a peak with a bit of extra uncertainty. Then they went down to
Work will start on the upgrade to the crossing at the railway bridge by Gatley Station on 1st November, expected to last about three weeks. Here are the details: Signed Letter to Resident
The thought that basic pensions look set to be brought up to above the level of means testing is a huge relief to me as a local Councillor. I have lost count over the years of the number of elderly people who I've had to persuade to apply for their extra help, meeting an understandable barrier of pride and a refusal to take "charity". Of course, benefits aren't charity, but the feeling that they might be has prevented many pensioners from asking for those benefits to which they are entitled, leaving them in poverty. Also, the low level of the ...
Candidates and councillors find videos a real complement to their other campaign methods and, done well, they can be a powerful way for voters to get to know issues and personalities. They're especially useful in internal party elections where candidates may not be able to meet all of their large electorate in person. They're also great for campaigners at a local level, where there's usually a lack of good quality information on hyperlocal matters. Recently I've noticed a surge of interest from people who are keen to try it themselves, so here are my top tips for making your own ...
The link is to a story about a Dutch Orchestra protesting about funding cuts. The protest of performing in a commuter railway station is at least more musical than average. However, what we are seeing across the developed world is the consequences of the recession. Initially it was a private sector recession and has turned into a public sector recession - inevitably.John O Shea complained
The BBC is at the centre of a continuous storm of criticism over everything from pay to politics. Some of it is even contradictory - it sometimes seems like everyone on every side of every debate is convinced that the BBC is biased in favour of the other side. This is a symptom of the BBC's situation, unique amongst broadcasters: because it is funded by everyone, it is in the unenviable position of having to please everyone. It should not be immune to criticism. The detractors are correct in that the BBC isn't perfect and doesn't always get it right. ...
The news that the UK economy grew by 0.8% over the 3 months to September whilst it is clearly good news that growth is continuing, it is nothing to crow about at this early stage in the Governments recovery programme. With the economy now moving into the winter/christmas cycle etc we may not learn too much about long term recovery at this stage, the key period must surely be from spring next year when spending cuts will really be starting to bite, and public sector staff may fall victim to cuts. Of course as was announced yesterday by Cameron, much ...
I find it odd that on one hand the Communication Workers Union are setting out publicly to defeat me personally at the next General Election and then in the next minute they want to meet me.There is always a question of priorities. I am happy to meet constituents at my advice bureau (which does not have appointments). However, I find it a bit odd that my political opponents would expect me to
The MEN reports that the least popular secondary school in Greater Manchester in terms of applications vs places available is Oldham Oasis Academy. In Salford the least popular is Salford Oasis Academy, with Salford City Academy coming in at second least popular. Readers will know that I've never been a fan of Oasis, and that I'm ...
Tue 26th
12:22
Intercept Modernisation Programme, or: How gov.uk forgot about restoring our civil liberties.
The Intercept Modernisation Programme, if you haven't already heard of it, is not some new sci-fi thing but a project that came up in the Comprehensive Spending Review. In short, the Government are cutting jobs, benefits and other essential services left, right and centre... and pledging to spend £2 billion on reading our personal emails. There's something a lot wrong with this; forgetting just for a moment about the privacy issues - they're saying cuts to welfare and such are "necessary" at the same time as hoping to spend money on spying on our personal communications. It's the digital version ...
Candidates and councillors find videos a real complement to their other campaign methods and, done well, they can be a powerful way for voters to get to know issues and personalities. They're especially useful in internal party elections where candidates may not be able to meet all of their large electorate in person. They're also great for campaigners at a local level, where there's usually a lack of good quality information on hyperlocal matters. Recently I've noticed a surge of interest from people who are keen to try it themselves, so here are my top tips for making your own ...
Following the news that their Lordships* of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom have ruled†, giving access for lawyers to those being questioned by the police in Scotland, I am wondering how long it will take for Scottish Tory, David McLetchie MSP, and his ilk to start lobbying for the repeal of the ECHR ...
Liberator magazine has asked the two Lib Dem presidential contenders those tough questions – read their responses here. A taster to whet your appetite: Q5: How will you ensure that you gain regular and meaningful access to the party leader? Farron: He won't be able to get rid of me. Being an MP gives me direct access to the media to get our message across and it also gives me close access to Nick. I'll be a critical friend to the coalition and a candid friend to Nick. As President, I would carry a mandate from the members to ensure ...
[IMG: C.P.Scott] "Comment is free, but facts are sacred" - so famously wrote the (Manchester) Guardian editor and sometime Liberal MP CP Scott. The words were penned for an article he wrote in 1921 to mark the paper's centenary and are frequently quoted in debates about journalistic standards. However, the full piece includes much more than the oft-repeated quote, including this passage from CP Scott on the role of a newspaper. Like the quote, it too has many contemporary echoes: A newspaper has two sides to it. It is a business, like any other, and has to pay in the ...
What now for the Scottish Tories? Yesterday David McLetchie took a stance which flew in the face of common sense or fairness, when they opposed the right for a suspect to have a lawyer present for the first six hours while the police were able to question. The Tories are probably opposing the ruling solely on the grounds that it comes from a decision taken in the European Court for Human Rights in 2008. The fact that there are some sensible decisions taken in Europe seems to be a point that deludes them. Hopefully the Scottish people will remember how ...
I've just found this article and video on the BBC Earth News site about how baby Caledonian crows learn from their family groups. Have a look at the video to see a really clever chap. Recently I went with a friend to the hide near Coppice Pond at St Ives, near Bingley, to see the birds there. We saw great tits, blue tits, sparrows, chaffinches, doves, and a woodpecker-like bird with a golden breast, oh, and two squirrels. (Must find out what that bird was.) I must say Bradford Council has done a very good job of the Coppice Pond ...
In an orgy of counting yesterday evening the Welsh Liberal Democrat concluded the process of selecting their candidates for the Welsh Assembly regional lists next May. In no particular order these are: North Wales 1.Councillor Aled Roberts of Wrexham 2. Eleanor Burnham AM Mid and West Wales 1. Councillor William Powell of Talgarth 2. Councillor Mark Cole of Cardigan South Wales Central 1. Councillor John Dixon of Cardiff 2. Eluned Parrott of the Vale of Glamorgan South Wales East 1. Councillor Veronica German AM 2. Councillor Phil Hobson of Chepstow South Wales West 1. Councillor Peter Black AM 2. Councillor ...
Yesterday in Parliament Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs voted to reduce the maximum number of ministers allowed in the Commons in line with the forthcoming reduction in the number of MPs: If the number of constituencies in the United Kingdom decreases below 650, the limit on the number of holders of Ministerial offices entitled to sit and vote in the House of Commons referred to in section 2(1) must be decreased by at least a proportionate amount. [IMG: Parliament] Reducing the number of ministers is something I've supported in the past. It's partly a matter of political power – ...
So the BBC are reporting that the economy grew faster than expected in the last quarter. This is contrast to the reports on all the morning news shows that the economy growth was so small we were all heading into a double-dip recession.This is not the first time that we were led to believe one thing, for the opposite to happen. More recently we had months and months of news articles saying 25%
Today's preliminary growth estimates from the ONS are good news for anyone who thinks the coalition Government is on broadly the right track. Just take a look at this chart: It's pretty clear that growth in all sectors is returning to trend, ameliorated in this quarter by anticipation of the Spending Review. I would predict ...
The pupil premium makes me proud to be a Liberal Democrat. It looks at prevention. Putting extra money into the schools taking children from the poorest backgrounds so that the schools, deciding on their own, can ensure that everyone gets a fair start from life. After all, a good start and decent education helps lift these children from poverty.So cheers from Lib Dems all round when the
Our very own Stephen Tall writes on The Guardian's Comment is Free: Simon is neither a stooge nor a destructive malcontent. Not only is he a loyal supporter of Nick Clegg personally - he was one of Nick's key backers in the contest with Chris Huhne to be leader, and the two meet regularly - but he is a steadfast advocate of the coalition itself - in general, if not always in every particular. The last thing he is, or wants to be seen as, is the Lib Dems' very own leader of the opposition. So why are his public ...
With thanks to Emilio Places-Rey of the club for the information : Ken Buchanan, Scottish boxing legend, is guest of honour at a Christmas Dinner at the City Harbour Chinese Buffet Restaurant on Thursday 9th December at 8pm - book now on 07581 430 037.
Bunty, having mastered how to work the TV remote control, is now in charge of TV viewing choice in the Macpherson household ...
Peter Phillips Manifesto for the Lib Dem Peers List didn't make the booklet, so here it is:
Back in June the Conservatives on Wokingham Borough Council voted to change rubbish collection from 2012. On Thursday evening they are due to confirm their decision and decide what the process will be for awarding the contract for rubbish collection. Except in council-speak it's called "waste". Now there are good reasons why something has to be done. Financial ones: the council has to pay a tax on every ton of rubbish that goes to landfill, which it can't afford if the amount of rubbish going to landfill stays at current levels. And environmental ones: transporting rubbish around the countryside and ...
Quite a few internet articles have popped up, although absolutely nothing in the mainstream media. Here is one from Dandelion Salad: Which leads me to an interesting observation. The Wikileaks press conference was attended by at least 30 TV crews and hundreds of journalists, from all over the world. But I did not see any other high profile bloggers there. Given that Wikileaks is in itself a prime example of the way that new media can get the truth out as mainstream media can't, that was peculiar. Did Wikileaks not invite any bloggers?
Working through the bureaucratic-speak and acronyms in the police's report to the Metropolitan Police Authority about the draft London Transport Community Safety Strategy I discovered that the police intend to, "Contribute to the step change in the walking experience". I hope there was at least a smile on the face of the person who typed up that one...
Saturday 23 October 6pm was the tenth anniversary of Brigitte Robinson's death by 18 wheel tipper truck lorry at the junction of Great Suffolk Street with Borough High Street. Brigitte was a close friend I met when I was the chairperson of Southwark Cyclists. One of the most vivacious fun people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. We and many others were ardent cycle campaigners. She touched on so many lives that it was particularly tragic that she should die while cycling. The lorry driver was found to have been working 7 days a week, 14 hour days for ...
i) births and deaths None that caught my eye. ii) broadcast anniversaries 26 October 1987: broadcast of fourth episode of Paradise Towers, In a final confrontation, both Pex and Kroagnon are killed, and the inhabitants of the Towers look forward to a new future. 26 October 1988: broadcast of fourth episode of Remembrance of the Daleks. Grand battle between the Dalek factions; the Doctor destroys Skaro and also forces the Black Dalek to explode. 26 October 2010: broadcast of second episode of Death of the Doctor. iii) historical event in canon 26 October 1881: The gunfight at the O.K. Corral, ...
We write a lot about parking issues on this blog. This is not out of choice,but necessity. Redlands is a densley populated ward near the centre of Reading. It is close to a large international University,a world-class Foundation Trust Hospital and one of the South East's foremost shopping centres - The Oracle and Reading Town Centre. Partly as a result of living close to these 'attractions' residents in Redlands have more trouble than most finding somewhere to park. As local councillors for the area we spend considerable time trying to find solutions to parking problems in and around the ward. Last year we spent a ...
The Guardian editorial explains that the proposed change to pensions entitlement actually scraps the state second pension, and raises the basic pension reducing the need for, not abolishing, means testing. It says the Daily Mail suggested wrongly that the pension would be granted to anyone who'd lived in the UK for a certain period of time, conveniently forgetting that the piece in Monday's Guardian did the same thing, or at least that's the meaning I'd give to the words "the new system would be based on residency". So it seems my voluntary contributions were not pointless after all.
CAPP's latest pin-up is John Parr. John is a hunky kind of guy, mature but still in his prime. He's wearing a crisp blue open necked shirt, that speaks no-nonsense professionalism. He has a serious, soulful look, with a slight furrow to his brow; you can tell he's deep and he cares. He's standing in front of a lake. Yes, it's that lake again. John works for Canadian Natural at the Primrose development (what a pretty name for a slice of Mordor). The shout caps read "Through innovation we've achieved a huge reduction in fresh water use. More solutions are ...
Asking the Wrong Questions: A Shire of Shopkeepers: Thoughts on The Hobbit "Martin Freeman as Bilbo (possibly the most inspired piece of casting of the last few years, if only because it's made me realize just how much Bilbo and Arthur Dent have in common)" (tags: sf)
The Tories have a hate-hate relationship with all things European it seems. In the run up to the 2009 European elections the Liberal Democrats were going to highlight some of the areas of good that Europe were doing which the Tories wanted to scrap. You many have missed this message as it was drowned out by the cacophony of noise surrounding the Daily Telegraph's coverage of the MP's expenses. However, it has reared its ugly head again. This time it has arisen from the case of Peter Cadder who has raised an issue from Scots Law in the UK Supreme ...
With the news that the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is to rule on the case of Peter Cadder, a teenager charged with assault and breach of the peace, who was convicted on the basis of evidence gained before he spoke to his lawyer. from BBC News it is clear that the Scottish Conservatives ...
Following Steve Hayes announcement that he wants his new stadium to be built at Booker Conservative Councillor Tony Green assured residents via the Bucks Free Press that the announcement would have "no sway" on the Council or the public consultation. However it is now clear that Wycombe Sports Developments Ltd are involved in a deliberate attempt to rig the consultation so that their preferred location in Booker is successful. Steve Guy Liberal Democrat leader "I have been contacted by a resident who received this email and they were concerned at what is a clear attempt to skew the results of ...
The Government yesterday announced moves aimed at creating up to 70,000 new jobs through a £60 million improvement to ports to boost offshore wind projects. Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said: "We might be world leaders in offshore wind but we know there is still more to do. If we want the jobs, manufacturing and skills base for this exciting new industry to be here in the UK we need to make decisions that attract investment. "We need world-class infrastructure to support our economic growth. So today we have made sure that even in the ...
I was sent an internal memo from the Labour Party recently, from our MP's local office to a local Labour councillor. I suspect it was not intended to to make it into this blog! The email was dated in August about the issue of the post-box in Blackhill. It's a case I had been involved with much earlier in the year when I had been told about it and shown a petition signed by several hundred people. At that point the post-box had disappeared from the front of the Spar. I did some research which clarified that it had been ...
Following the disturbances in Newtownabbey, I posted a response on my other blog. Filed under: Blogging
Wikileaks has been in the news because it is the website that released almost 400,000 classified US documents about the war in Iraq. Hilary Clinton criticised them and said that this information put US soldiers lives at risk. That can't be good so why would anyone publish such information? Would you publish it? There comes a time when anyone would act if they felt it was the right thing to do. In this case Julian Assange, the founder of the website said he wanted to reveal the "truth" (my inverted commas) about the conflict. His truth included evidence of torture ...
