The County Council "Cabinet Papers" on accomodation strategy contains more grim reading for Consett. The centralisation of power and jobs in this county is starkly highlighted by the numbers of council employees based in Durham (4,045) and Spennymoor (669) compared with Consett (57). I therefore read with a hollow laugh the following description of what we have to look forward to: a brand new access point incorporating all of the recommendations from the consultation, together with accommodation for support staff. This will open in February 2011 and will provide the blueprint for all of the Council's future access points. You ...
Well over a hundred members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) from around Europe gathered at the Chant d'Oiseau conference centre in Brussels all this weekend for an often passionate debate about the EU and peace-building in Israel and Palestine, organised by the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA). The event got off to a ...
The 2010 10th Anniversary West End Christmas week takes place soon - here's information about some of the events : Saturday 20th November - Christmas Week starts! The tenth West End Christmas Week will be launched with a super West End Community Fayre, taking place at the lower hall of Dundee West Church from 10am to 12 noon (enter from Roseangle). Over 20 local groups in the West End are taking part. Entrance is entirely free of charge and it will be a great way to learn about all the organisations in the West End that are working for our ...
Yesterday evening, taking a break from preparation for a job interview tomorrow, I was taken to a play at Belfast Model School for Girls, as part of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's. I found the play very very moving. The performances of all male cast and the stage setting were extremely well done. ...
Non-fiction 7 (YTD 61) Ireland in the Age of the Tudors 1447-1603, by Stephen G. Ellis Pies and Prejudice, by Stuart Maconie The Great Tradition, by F.R. Leavis Sudan: Darfur and the Failure of an African State, by Richard Cockett Up the Poll: Great Irish Election Stories, by Shane Coleman A Short History of Myth, by Karen Armstrong Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford Fiction (non-sf) 4 (YTD 43) Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers Advise and Consent, by Allen Drury The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner A Doll's House, by Henrik ...
My psephologically-inclined Birkdale Ward colleague Simon Shaw has continued his by-election research, which he has now updated to the end of October. Previous reports to the end of August and September showed a picture that was a lot better than some national opinion pollsters would have you believe. Simon has updated his research to last Thursday, and it shows that there have been 145 principal council by-elections held in the 6 months to the end of October. Lib Dems made net gains of 3 seats in that period. October saw 33 principal council by-elections. "Principal councils" cover everything above parish ...
I'm pleased I completed the AA Street Watch this week, a survey over one hour (about two miles' walk), covering roads main, minor, residential and footpaths. It forced me to consider in detail the precise state of our by-ways over a number of categories including potholes, kerb stones, iron inspection covers (all needing to be over 2" to be noteworthy by the AA's rules), uneven footpath, faded or not visible road signs, worn/faded road markings (not yellow or white lines), parked vehicle blocking footpath, litter and dog fouling. The route I chose went along Manor Road past Ramsey Manor Lower ...
Central Scotland Liberal Democrat MSP Hugh O'Donnell is currently in Jerusalem as part of a delegation led by Gerald Kaufman MP. Here he writes about what he's seen today. So we come to the end of day one here in Jerusalem, and what an eye opener it has been!! Of course most people know about the issues in Gaza, BUT THE REALITIES OF DAY TO DAY LIFE IN AN OCCUPIED CITY LIKE JERUSALEM ALL TOO OFTEN PASS US BY. As well as the usual round of handshakes, speeches and rhetoric we actually had the chance to see the more subtle ...
Sun 31st
21:35
October Books 19) Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford
A very interesting biography of Elizabeth 's chief minister, who basically ran England from her accession in 1558 to his death in 1598 (and had held the same office of Secretary of State, though with less power, during the earlier reign of her younger brother). I found it generally more interesting, though in places more frustrating, than David Loades' The Cecils which I read two years ago. Alford is excellent at the big picture. The book is beautifully organised - in general chonologically, with occasional excursions into family life or household economics (facilitated by Burghley/Cecil's obsessional record keeping) - and ...
On Wednesday, 10 November at 7.00 pm Steve Parker from the South Lancashire Bat Group will be giving us a talk and video for about an hour at the Green Room, Gatley Hill House. We'll be taking 1st Gatley Cubs along - they've already seen the bat boxes erected on Gatley Carrs where dusk in the Spring is an ideal time to see the bats in flight.
Stockport has hundreds of miles of pavements. Some have been redone recently, others are in poor condition. The Borough is working to get round them, but with money being limited it takes longer than we'd like. In addition to roads where the pavement has been fully re-done (e.g. Wensley Road this year), Pam and I work to spot problem sections of pavement - trip hazards mainly - and report them to the Council for fixing. Today I was in Wensleydale Avenue and Daylesford Crescent noting down trip hazards and broken pavements which I've reported to the Council and asked them ...
I've reported graffiti on Gatley Rec Ground, outside the ground on the lit bollards in Northenden Road and on the green Comms box at the junction of Daylesford Road and Daylesford Crescent in Cheadle. On Gatley Rec there's a bit of graffiti on the old toilet block, on the skateboard ramp and one of the basketball posts. Remember - if you spot graffiti, report it to the council. Just email streetscene@stockport.gov.uk with the details, or let Pam or myself know and we'll chase it up for you.
One of those classics which one really ought to see on stage, but can try to get to grips with by reading the script. A rather good psychological study of a woman who is stuck in a bad marriage, infantilised by society, but doesn't actually realise what is going on until she is confronted with her husband's readiness to dump her to avoid scandal - at which point she suddenly (and perhaps a little unrealistically) catches herself on. Today (I hope) the situation itself would seem rather unrealistic, but I can see how it might have shocked the audience of ...
Great news! Thanks to FunkyBunky it is now possible to buy a Nick Clegg mask. Hours of fun for all the family pretending to be the Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister. The only snag is that, such has been the demand, this product is currently out of stock. No doubt they are reprinting as I type.
I know that my blog is not awash with fashion / style postings, but I had to share this. I know Will through a very dear friend of mine, and he is fast earning the nickname given to him by Vogue, "The Vintage King", the clothes look gorgeous! So here is a taster and an invitation - his next sale is this Thursday - details can be found on the invitation. I think that they speak for themselves and if I were in That London, I'd have a look see myself! Will's website can be found here
With attacks in the media about Lib Dem U-turns and "going back on our promises", it seems obvious that we should have had some kind of disclaimer in the manifesto, such as the following. This manifesto contains policies that will be implemented if a majority Liberal Democrat government is elected following the 2010 general election. ...
Jonathan Fryer appears on our blog roll and judging by the statistical information supplied by Statcounter a goodly number of readers do visit his blog. I included Jonathan, not just because he is a 'good thing',but because of his coverage of events and issues beyond Britain. Johnathan works as a journalist and broadcaster and driving between appointments this morning I caught his package on Radio 4's From our own Correspondent . You can listen to it here and learn more about the situation in Algiers.
"Our goal is to make responsibility the cornerstone of our welfare state. Housing Benefit will be reformed to ensure that we do not subsidise people to live in the private sector on rents that other ordinary working families could not afford. And we will continue to crack down on those who try to cheat the benefit system." (Labour Manifesto 2010 General Election, page 20.) A colleague explained to me the other day that in many areas of the country the cost of rented accommodation matches the amount the government will pay in housing benefit.. As Brian Turner writes in Finance ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of Broxtowe Borough Council 1. Wind turbines The University of Nottingham have unveiled plans to install three giant (120 metre high) wind turbines near Beeston Rylands. These will clearly have an impact on the visual amenity of the area and possibly on noise as well. There has never been an application like this is the borough before so the council will examine it very closely. Only one of the turbines is actually in Broxtowe, the other two are in the city. When ...
Are you a Liberal Democrat member? Then, if you haven't already, vote - and ask questions. Here are mine to the Presidential candidates: "Increasingly, people say of politicians that 'They're all the same'. This is an even bigger danger now we're in coalition. So I'd like to ask two simple questions to get two very brief answers from you about what really fires you up and about what you hope will inspire other people. "In just a sentence or two, what do the Liberal Democrats stand for? "And in just a sentence or two, why should people vote Liberal Democrat?" ...
On Page 20 of Labour's 2010 Manifesto it looks at welfare reform.More people with disabilities and health conditions will be helped to move into work from Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance, as we extend the use of our tough-but-fair work capability test. This will help to reduce the benefit bill by £1.5 billion over the next four years. We will reassess the Incapacity Benefit
Come and join in this really traditional carol service, accompanied by Dodington Parish Band! It's being held at 7.30pm on Tuesday 7th December at Dodington Parish Hall, Finch Road. Together with the Parish Band, this event is organised by Tyndale Baptist Church and Dodington Parish Council.
This is yet another alternative to the Fairtrade Banana Bread recipe I published earlier this year for those who are not fond of dried fruit. If you can time it so you can eat some slices warm from the oven, it is well worth it! 100g soft butter or margarine 150g soft dark brown sugar 300g self raising ...
This week I visited Manchester and Oldham to launch the Regional Growth Fund - accompanied by our former Party President Sir Ian Wigglesworth and Michael Heseltine, who will oversee the fund. This is a fund worth £1.4bn to promote business and create jobs - and it will help bring about the fairer and more balanced economy Liberal Democrats have long been campaigning for. It is vital that our economy moves away both from a dependence on the public sector and an over-dependence on a narrow range of sectors in the South East, such as banking. The government is committed to ...
I loathe and detest the day the clocks go back and we descend into an ever deeper darkness for the Winter. I am definitely a Summer months sort of person and I will find as many excuses as possible to inject a little light and fun into Winter. It's good that this year the 5pm darkness comes along with Hallowe'en. So Bob and Anna carved the pumpkin (I know it's supposed to be a turnip in Scotland, but, really, why would you make life so difficult for yourself?) And then a very scary evil black cat was ready to go ...
I loathe the Harry Potter books – or at least I loathed the first four, eight years ago, when a friend sent me .txt files of the first four books. I read through them in one day, and found them unimaginative, morally repugnant, barely literate, patronising crap. I haven't looked at them since, so it ...
Somebody posted two parcel bombs. Grave threat to western civilisation. Our basic principles are at stake. They hate our freedoms. Biggest threat since World War 2. Islam incompatible with democracy. Yemen is the new Afghanistan. Eternal vigilance needed. More tanks required at airports. Fighter plane escort for passenger planes is a rational answer to parcel bombs. NATO may need to invade Somalia. Torture in Saudi Arabia vindicated by this tip off. Israel is our stoutest ally. Will that do? Where do I get the money?
There have been a couple of incidents around Oakwood Avenue/Church Road in Gatley with fires being set and fireworks thrown around - the police are aware and Pam and I will be speaking to them surely to make sure everything fitting together from our side too in the run up to 5th November. Pam's been checking up on the Fireworks shop at Gatley Green - it needs to follow all the rules and be visited by the Fire Brigade. And please can you let Pam or myself know if you come across any issues - as well as reporting them ...
It's been a while since we last reminded readers about this, so now seems a good time to publish the information again. You may have noticed that next to some people's comments is a small picture of themselves, such as: [IMG: alt=] If you want a picture to appear next to your comments you need to do two things. Visit Gravatar.com, create an account and upload a picture. Post a comment, ensuring that your email address that you've used on Gravatar is the same one that you've put in the comment field. One thing to watch out for – the ...
Apparently having learned nothing from last year's month-long itchy top lip extravaganza, I am once again growing a moustache. This Movember, the month formerly known as November I've decided to donate my face to raising awareness about prostate cancer. My donation and commitment is the growth of a moustache for the entire month of Movember, ...
The recent ILGA-Europe conference was bound to stir up a certain type of Tory, given the intersection of possible anti-EU and anti-LGBT rants. True to form, The Telegraph ran an article, accusing delegates of "continuing to party" and claiming (Without stating sources, of course) that £124,000 of EU money was spent hosting it. Well, I don't trust anything they print on this topic, given their wonderful definition of Transsexual in the glossary: Transsexual: When an individual identifies with a gender that is different from their biological sex. Many transsexuals believe that to be a true transsexual one needs to have ...
Welcome to a catchup of the Golden Dozen's 192nd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (17th — 23rd October 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. ...
I thought this was a rather good Eighth Doctor novel, with the Doctor and Sam finally reuniting after three years in which Sam becomes an environmental activist and basically grows up, while the Doctor is held in a very creepy and nasty prison. I was one of many Old Who fans who took a while to get used to the romance element between the companions and the Doctor in New Who, but here is an example of it being worked rather well into the narrative. The last few books in the series I have read have been pretty decent, and ...
People outside of London who cannot afford to buy a home or meet their rent without help from the benefit system are missing out in the current debate on the capping of Housing Benefit. The housing benefit bill doubled under Labour but it wasn't because of an increase in claimants, it was because Labour failed to ensure enough regulated rent social housing was built for the increasing numbers of people who could not and cannot afford to buy. The problem didn't start under Labour; it began in the early 80's. The ratio between wages and house prices rose at the ...
I've had a rather busy few months with the past two weeks in particular being exceptionally hectic. It wasn't helped by the arrival yesterday of a tv producer from London who spent a day filming me on the allotment, in local fields and in my kitchen for a programme for the Horticulture Channel on Sky which is starting next year. The Channel starts next March (the website is at an early stage -
Just been catching up on the Sheffield City council website and was interested to see that they have launched a 'Health Inequalities Action Plan' with Sheffield NHS. The aim is to bring together all aspects of what causes health inequalities, such as housing, environment, diet among others. Its a really good example of how local organisations can work together for the benefit of the local area and concentrate on actual improvements rather than standard targets. It looks like an interesting project, the link to the press release is here.
Local councillors have received a somewhat short on detail letter about plans to site a consolidated O2 and Vodafone mast on Kirkwood Road, off King's Hedges Road in Cambridge. I have written asking for more detail, and if you are interested in what may emerge please get in touch with us so we can keep you informed as we find out more. We will of course update the blog when we find out more.
Some of these reviews can also be found on Amazon.In October 2010 I read the following books: 1. Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter, by A. E. Moorat - Good: 3/5 There has been something of a fad recently for mixing up "period drama" and zombies, the most well-known of which is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Moorat has done a pretty good job with his highly derivative - it's history meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer - story, and while the book has no discernible literary value whatsoever, it's still jolly good fun.
Not that I entirely approve, but here is something for Halloween. The original line up of The Move - Ace Kefford, Carl Wayne, Roy Wood, Trevor Burton and Bev Bevan - playing on the German TV show Beat, Beat, Beat. The Move Information Station describes the band's prehistory: The five original members of the group had all played with local bands during the years of the beat boom of the early Sixties. Despite the successes of other provincial groups in the early Sixties, Birmingham's bands seemed to lag behind in the race to become national stars. According to Roy Wood, ...
Shirley Williams told the Radio 3 interviewer this lunch time that a 'kindly Liberal Democrat' had given her a button which quoted her view that we were not in bed with the Tories and that there were two beds not one. The kindly Liberal Democrat was our old friend the Disgruntled Radical, David Grace. David is establishing quite a reputation for such gestures, first he gives David Laws a 'knife sharpener' so as to make precise cuts and that is well reported in the media and now he has Shirley telling the world (well the radio 3 audience) about the ...
Yesterday was the first of two games of ice hockey to take place this weekend at the Murrayfield Ice Rink in Edinburgh, the home rink to the Edinburgh Capitals. It was a fantastic end to end game and given the difference in league placings the Edinburgh Capitals held on extremely well until the final whistle. There was then the obligatory 5 minutes of extra time, where once again the Edinburgh Capitals held their own. The Sheffield Steelers finally won in the shoot out and the game finished Sheffield Steelers 4 - Edinburgh Capitals 3. The two teams face each other ...
I've seen today on the news that this bomb from Yemen that was contained within a printer, had previously travelled on passenger planes with Qatar Airlines. That's quite a scary thought. Clearly there's great issues of security continuing to emanate from the Middle East with terror levels being increased back here in the UK as a result. It's also a sobering thought for me because I've flown on Qatar Airlines in the past. Back in early 2008, I had the great fortune to fly by Qatar Airlines to and from Manchester to Thailand via Doha, in Qatar. They were very ...
There was a shotgun incident on the Poets Estate last night. If you have any information about it please call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
This recent debate about housing benefit has been explosive, with anger and froth expelled by both sides of the debate. And with Christmas coming, I can't help feeling that there are many out there whose approach to housing the poor is somewhat Scrooge-like. 'Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?' they are almost asking. Housing benefit reform is a tricky beast, no doubt, as the most outrageous (but numerically few) examples of, say, unemployed immigrants getting £1,000 a week to live in Notting Hill have riled many, myself included. But it's worth asking the question why are so many ...
2004 is the last in my series of election results from 1973 onwards. Following significant boundary changes, all 63 Stockport council seats were up for grabs. 10/06/04 2004 Stockport Bramhall North (10616) @ 3 vote share Holt K.* Con 2892 52.2 Johnson A.* Con 2777 - Walsh M. Ms.* Con 2588 - Grice L. LD 2333 42.1 Smith A. Ms.* LD 2294 - Davnall J. LD 2173 - Heywood D. Lab 310 5.6 Owen J. Ms. Lab 284 - Rowles-Arden M. Ms. Lab 266 - ffff Turnout 52.5 10.1 Bramhall South (9870) @ 3 vote share Bagnall B. Con 2673 ...
There have been several new services and service changes in recent weeks. These are the websites for the three companies operating in our area. Click on link to access timetables. I have just pointed out to Wessex that they do not yet have the Bath routes up on the timetable section. So hopefully that will be corrected soon. WESSEX CONNECT
In more not-news, the Stonewall demonstration has been cancelled, following their partial U-turn over marriage equality and complete U-turn over the Journalist of the year award nominations. There are still outstanding issues. Stonewall are explicitly against opposite-sex civil partnerships and want to preserve that as something "special" for LG(b) folk. There is an argument that opposite-sex civil partnerships are not an LGB issue, but that fails on two counts: Firstly, Stonewall should not be against them, as they are, on that score but should leave them alone. Secondly, and more importantly, Bisexual folk might want to get a Civil Partnership ...
Several residents in both streets have asked if the back alleys connecting garage bays can be closed off or allygated. The Wedmore Park issue was also raised at the last PACT meeting. We have contacted Somer Community Housing Trust on this issue and will report back when they have had time to consider the matter. The issue at Blagdon Park has also been...
Quite possibly the funniest radio news broadcast ever....prepare to crack a rib laughing Warning this report contains words of a sexual nature
Today is Halloween (and that is presumably why I saw Frankenstein's monster on a bicycle yesterday evening...). Subscribers to eCops have received the following mesage from the police: HALLOWE'EN I know that we have already made you aware of the precautions regarding Hallowe'en but just a quick reminder. * Ideally children should be accompanied by an adult. * Children should stay in groups, make sure at least one person has a mobile phone on them and not go out too late. * Children should tell someone where they are going, what route they will be taking and what time to ...
Appointed by Nick Clegg and based in 10 Downing Street: Polly Mackenzie Lena Pietsch Sean Kemp Tim Colbourne Appointed by Nick Clegg and based in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office: Jonny Oates (Chief of Staff) Richard Reeves Alison Suttie (Deputy Chief of Staff) Chris Saunders James McGrory Danny Alexander: Will de Peyer Julia Goldsworthy Vince Cable: Katie Waring Giles Wilkes Alistair Carmichael: Ben Williams Chris Huhne: Duncan Brack Joel Kenrick Michael Moore: Euan Roddin
Harsh, maybe - but you have to wonder what on earth possessed the nation's favourite raconteur and wit to comment with breathtaking ignorance on the dynamics of straight and gay sexual relationships. "If women liked sex as much as men, there would be straight cruising areas in the way there are gay cruising areas. Women would go and hang around in churchyards thinking: 'God, I've got to get my fucking rocks off', or they'd go to Hampstead Heath and meet strangers to shag behind a bush. It doesn't happen. Why? Because the only women you can have sex with like ...
broadcast anniversaries 31 October 1964: broadcast of "Planet of Giants", first episode of the story we also now call Planet of Giants, starting Season 2 of Classic Who. The Doctor, Ian, Susan and Barbara arrive in contemporary England, but miniaturised; they witness a murder and face peril from a cat. 31 October 2009: broadcast of Regeneration, the first episode of the K9 spinoff series. In a totalitarian London in 2050, K9 Mark 1 appears, regenerates, and teams up with teenagers Starkey and Jorjie. (This is the only episode I have seen but I enjoyed it.)
The Southport Visiter carries sthe story of the Thornton Relief Rd today. John Pugh said: "Make no mistake, this is big, big news. "It should make a huge difference plugging Southport into the motorway network and bringing business and tourism to the town. "The scheme scores impressively in terms of its effect on economic growth which is why its get the go ahead in these tough times. "The government hasn't made the mistake of cutting back on this important capital scheme." Previous schemes for the Thornton bypass had been flatly rejected under previous administrations but was resurrected in 2006 by ...
In exactly two weeks time I will be laying a wreath of poppies at the war memorial in my home village of Abbots Langley. It's a task I've performed willingly and with pride half a dozen times over the past 15 years, as a representative of the council. Almost eight years ago, I marched with ...
We reported this flytip by the Community Centre to the Council on Wednesday and asked for it to be cleared up. We also reported a dead rat and rat nest to the Council for clearing out.
The government is launching a new scheme in the new year to help and assist people get their own business ideas up and running. For more information check out this LINK.
I have just returned from France. What should have been a ten-day break became seven because of a French tradition called striking and this meant that a petrol shortage would mean that I couldn't drive through the country. As it happens it was fairly easy to get from A to B so this is today's blog - why is it easier to drive through France when it is on strike than Britain when it isn't? Have you seen the way they drive around the Arc de Triomphe? Well I wasn't bold enough to drive here but I was walking and ...
I was worried to read recently, Australian F1 legend Jack Brabham say how Mark Webber has blown his chance at winning this year's F1 World Championship. It's not that I necessarily disagree with him. It's just that if a fellow Australian has his grave concerns about Webber's chances and is willing to express them publicly at such a critical stage in the Championship, then all can not be resting easily in the Webber camp. Australian F1 GeniusJack Brabham in all fairness, has quite a platform to speak from. The first antipodean World Champion, he didn't just do so once, but ...
Members of the Liberal Youth Executive are taking part in this year's 'Movember' to help raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity. The challenge states that participants must be clean shaven on November the 1st, and grow only a moustache for the duration of November. Movember is a brilliant cause, with a big message behind it. In 2008 there were 10,168 deaths in the UK from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer accounts for around 12% of male deaths from cancer in the UK and is the second most common cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer. In 2009′s Movember, ...
The three council own buildings on the London Road have been an embarrassment for Bath and North East Somerset Council for far too long. The Council are now working with the charity Re:Generate, who have been working with local residents in the London Road and Snow Hill area and others to look at who these buildings might come back into use as part of a larger regeneration project for this part of the London Road. Local campaigner Lisa Brett has been speaking to Cllr Colin Darracott about buildings and said, "I am so please that both Cllr Colin Darracott and ...
At the beginning of 2009 Somer Community Housing felled a number of trees in the Snow Hill Estate. The have agreed to replant a number of trees along the central reservation of the London Road outside of Snow Hill. Cllr David Dixon said, "I am really please that Somer have kept to their promise to replant trees in the local area. It is hoped that these trees will be planted over the winter." Somer Community Housing have also agreed to pay for the maintenance of these trees.
Oh dear. I love Stephen Fry dearly. Yesterday I had a W.H.Smith's voucher from last Christmas to spend. Sadly, I went through all the shelves and couldn't find a single book to buy. OK, I wasn't in the mood. But what really made my stomach turn was to see all the self-satisfied faces of celebrities on books brought out for Christmas. And chief amongst the celebrities who turned my stomach was Stephen Fry. He's got a book out so he talks total todge about sexuality. Stephen (who I am under no delusion will read this, but I'll write it to ...
The Mail on Sunday reports a furious row between Bob Russell and Nick Clegg over the housing benefit cuts. Apparently Bob Russell left the room (where the discussion was taking place) in such a fury that he "took the door off its hinges". The next morning, Mike Hancock MP returned to the scene, presumably wearing overalls and carrying a DIY box, and attempted to repair the damage before it was noticed by the Commons authorities.
Residents of Roman Way are to have their own Forum to discuss issues relating to the area The decision to organise a Forum follows a series of successful residents' meetings held over the summer, all reported on this website. Meetings have been attended by borough and town councillors, housing officers, and local police. The first meeting was also attended by our MP Sir George Young Discussions have ranged from combating anti-social behaviour and vandalism in the area, problems with, and improvements to, local highways and footpaths, neighbourhood watch, and housing association and community action to improve the estate The next ...
This is a Guest Post by Rachit Buch, and is an edited version of an article published originally by The Vibe.The burning issueOn Thursday the British Medical Association held a debate on Health Inequalities. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley MP were members of the distinguished panel. They discussed the most pressing
I used to be a football referee, in fact I was the youngest woman ever to qualify at the time (14 years and 3 days, when the limit was 14 years). One of my peers was FIFA World Cup official Phil Sharp, although I stayed largely on the local parks. I might not have kept ...
Although Amanda and Lee's Wedding was the reason for coming back to Sydney I have had a few days wandering around. I was there until Wednesday.
People living on benefits getting more in housing benefit than many working people earn in a year can't be right. But the people who are pocketing the cash are not the benefit claimants; they are the landlords. Bring back price controls!
As I reported on Twitter yesterday, Stephen Fry - broadcaster, writer, polymath and Great British Institution - has patiently explained to all us straight men that our unfortunate situation is due to the fact that women don't like sex as much as men. Edit: According to Stephen 'So some fucking paper misquotes a humorous interview I gave, which itself misquoted me and now I'm the Antichrist. I give up.'. Hmmm. end of edit Edit 2: video of him saying much the same. So, possibly not all that misquoted, eh? end of edit 2 What's his evidence for this? Some groundbreaking ...
Still got a huge amount of catching up to do, including writing a FOCUS and shooting over to Porthcawl this afternoon to take part in a demonstration against the possible scaling back or loss of the Chivenor search and rescue helicopter. This review started under Labour and is continuing under the present administration. The Ministry of Defence claims that replacement cover can come from Culdrose in Cornwall, Anglesey and Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire by using faster helicopters but this will mean longer response times to emergencies across South Wales, putting lives at risk. There may be a large reduction of cover ...
The debate about altering the clocks surfaces twice a year on the operational dates and then faces away. I am in two minds. On the one had I am persuaded by the novelist, humorist and parliamentarian A P Herbert. He pointed out that, because of Britain's naval and navigational expertise, it was internationally agreed that the zero meridian should pass through our country, from which all others would derive their time and longitude. He argued that we should be proud of this and so stick to GMT throughout the year. On the other hand, in Germany shifting the clocks back ...
A recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation report has found that the Communities First programme has led to only "marginal improvements" for Wales' most deprived areas. This scheme has cost Welsh taxpayers over £240 million since it first started in 2001 and it seems that it hasn't made much of a difference in our most deprived communities. There have been numerous problems with its effectiveness and its operation. Over the last few months, we've seen reports of serious and widespread weakness in financial control and governance as well as public funds being diverted from the overall intended purpose of the programme - ...
A couple of weeks back the Newsletter published my analysis of the 2010 election in Northern Ireland, which gave rise to a typically long discussion on Slugger O'Toole, in the course of which several discussants gently critiqued me for one particular sentence: "The decline from 51.8 per cent of votes for unionist parties in 2005 to 50.5 per cent in 2010 is more than accounted for by the gains made by Alliance and smaller centre parties." Commentators responded: ...I suggest that the fall in nationalist turnout to levels approximating to Unionist turnout is a more important factor... ...It seems to ...
