The realignment works on Link Road, Yate have been delayed by one week due to the recent severe cold weather. The road was due to reopen fully this coming Monday, 13th December. However, with the sub-zero temperatures it was impossible to lay the tarmac and set some of the kerb stones in concrete. The aim now is for the road to be fully re-opened fully on Monday 20th December.
The launch of the Yes! Campaign HQ in the North East I was really pleased to be at the opening of the Yes to fairer votes headquarters in the North East. The office is in Rotterdam House on Newcastle's Quayside and the dedicated North East Yes team have got a great set up. We went onto the Millennium bridge and then back into the office to ring some members of the North East public. Rather randomly, I got a sheet that included David Faulkner, the Lib Dem leader of Newcastle. Unsurprisingly he is backing the campaign. The really good thing ...
I have linked to the page relating to the NUS alternative proposals. On page 5 it says: More funding for the higher education sector would be available, bringing long-term security and sustainability. After twenty years of operation, we estimate the total revenues from personal contributions would be £6.4bn each year, after thirty years it would be £7.9bn each year, and after forty years it
Having revised the comments policy on this blog - I am notifying everyone that reads this and indeed comments on what has been said here, please consult this before contributing comments to the discussion here. Related Articles Creating Guidelines for Comments on Your Blog (ereleases.com) Filed under: Authors, Blogging Tagged: Google, Historians, History, Policy, Sample ...
I have just watched, against my better judgement, the first half of the X-Factor final and I wish I hadn't it has made me so grumpy. There is a time and place for everything and a reason that we have ... Continue reading →
Is This the Craziest Bridge Ever Designed? An actual, real, bridge straight out of a Scalextric track. Really rather well done and cool (tags: design architecture bridge) Sci-Fi Airshow :: Home I so wish this was actually real (tags: scifi movies) Spot the Difference: The Best Word Book Ever,1963 and 1991 I had this book when I was a little kid, some of the changes are interesting, some weird and some a bit daft. But very cool to see them side by side. (tags: books language) Image of the Day: Saturn's Immense Outer Ring Clearing out som old folders, I ...
Scientists have developed a nuclear method that might just save religious treasures from pesky insects, bacteria and fungus forever. Museums and churches in Eastern Europe are already adopting a radiation method that exterminates bugs without smelly and harmful sprays. This parish priest says he's resorting to nuclear techniques to save these religious icons from any ...
London, April 2010. I suspect my old friend's teenage daughter disapproves of me. She thinks I am a bad influence on her mother, who needs firm guidance. The three of us are in the car, OF driving, me in the front seat, and TD in the back. OF stops at the roundabout. I point out a duck on the pavement, looking as if it is about to cross the road. We wait. A small queue grows behind us. "You're not supposed to stop for ducks you know", exclaims TD, exasperated. A car horn honks. The duck flies off. Our journey ...
Goldeneye was a reason to actually buy an N64 thirteen years ago. I didn't, but a good friend did (my former boss). We spent hours playing that game. A bunch of us would regularly decamp to his house and spend the evening shooting each other in the back. I was crap at it. Really, really, crap at it. Jennie is pretty much housebound for the next few weeks. My parents have wired me money for Xmas presents early, knowing that we'll have some cash flow issues. I bought a 2nd hand Wii with some of it as our old one ...
I visited a Women's Aid refuge yesterday to raise awareness of the support available for victims of domestic violence over Christmas. I spent time at Solace Women's Aid refuge, at a confidential address in North London, and spoke to support workers and victims about their experiences. The Home Office is working with Women's Aid and the charity Refuge to encourage victims of domestic violence to seek help and support over the Christmas and New Year period and encourage people to look out for signs of abuse in family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Christmas and New Year is a time of ...
For the last 8 years when Southwark Council was led by Lib Dems we always minimised council rent rises to the lowest possible - if we'd increased them less the Labour Government would have financial penalised the council forcing higher rises. Mean while across the border in Labour led Lambeth, Council rents rises of 17% were announced in parallel. Now, Labour led Southwark Council are announcing 7.08% rent rises. They blame the current government, much as Labour in Lambeth blamed the then government in the past, but at a time of incredible hardship these proposed rises are at best harsh. ...
A very busy Saturday and I start with a thank you to the City Council's Chief Executive David Dorward who took the trouble to call me on a Saturday to discuss winter maintenance concerns in the West End that I had raised with him. And thanks also to the residents in Hillside Terrace who knocked on other residents' doors to get cars off the street to allow the snow plough in - and to the Roads Maintenance Partnership Manager at Tayside Contracts who, at my request, ensured there was a plough available thereafter. That is just one example of attempts ...
On YouTube here below (in three parts) is a 30 minute interview with Nick Clegg on University funding. The interviewer is Dr Evan Harris of this parish. I thoroughly recommend viewing the interview. It covers an enormous amount of detail on the controversy. A transcript is here.
what's going on? Today, saw the consolidation of three blogs. To all readers of Gyronny Herald, please bear with us as we integrated positive hivblogger and Hiberno Catholic into this site. The archives of the other blogs will continue to exist online but will cease to be updated. In future, posts will be made on Gyronny Herald ...
For several months Raglan Housing's Taskforce has been working to improve the Vespasian Road and Roman Way areas managed by the housing association. I was privileged to be invited to contribute at the start of this project and have been in regular contact with Raglan Housing officers since then. The project is beginning to have a real improvement on the area and there is now an active residents association to represent local views and take the project forward. Details of local activities and services are available on a newly erected notice board on Vespasian Road. My congratulations to Matthew and ...
If you have a blog then you've probably got access to a host of usage statistics for your site, information on links to and from your blog, and the search terms that people used to lead them to your words of wisdom. I've just noticed that someone found their way to this blog today by ...
I received the following as a comment in my tuition fees post. It's indicative of how many LibDem grass roots members feel about the fees issue and I felt it was too good to leave languishing in the comments section where less people would ... Continue reading →
On Friday I was saddened to hear the news that former King's Hedges Councillor Elizabeth Hughes had died. She served as City Councillor from 2003 until 2007, and a County Councillor from 2005 until 2009. She also served as a Governor at the Manor, including as Chair of Governors. She also supported many groups including the Parkinson's Society. She continued to work hard and campaign for King's Hedges despite her illness. Whilst I certainly didn't always agree with her, her interventions in committee were thought through and often witty. She could puncture pomposity with ease, and in a friendly way. ...
Well, what a week that was for the residents of Coronation Street! It was a dramatic week on the Cobbles which began with the great tram crash on Monday. It culminated with the soap celebrating its 50th birthday on Thursday with a live 1 hour episode. We've seen the death of Ashley and of Molly whilst both Charlotte and Peter seem to be at death's door. Rita was pulled out of the debris of the Kabin although she is still in a critical condition. Fizz has given birth to a baby girl whilst Leanne made her wedding vows to Peter ...
On Thursday the County Council released some preliminary information of the spending cuts it is currently planning in response to the financial mess the Labour party left this Country in. The really surprising thing was that only on Tuesday, at Full Council, the Conservative Administration was refusing to release details of the cuts - turns out a lot can change in two days*. A few days earlier the Conservative administration briefed County Councillors (including Liberal Democrats) regarding the scope of the cuts. Those attending this briefing were sworn to secrecy regarding the changes - we are *still* unable to discuss ...
Enjoyed the variety of today's activities. 10am we opened up some new allotments in Rhos on Sea. (See previous post) 11.30am it was off to the Welsh Mountain Zoo to feed a couple of camels some of Conwy's Willow. This is difficult to shred in order to compost as when it goes through our shredding machine it tends to wrap around the blades and can cause serious jams. Any willow cut in our parks and gardens is set aside and bulked up and delivered to the Zoo and fed to the Camels, they love it and this saves us money ...
This morning's promised Saturday Surgery didn't take place due to a mixture of illness and double-booking. I couldn't make it because I was with a group of other Councillors visiting a Council homeless shelter as part of my work on a homelessness working group. Several other members of the Lib Dem Council group have been laid low with illness this week, and so they weren't around either. So, sorry if you wanted to come down this morning. We'll be back next week for one more before the Christmas break. Rick
It might be a long time away but the County Council Traffic Management Team have put together some guidance regarding "Street Parties" should members of the public want to arrange one. I've included that guidance, as well as contact details, in this article to keep you informed.BackgroundThe UK has a history of arranging street parties for historic events, the image to the left shows a street party celebrating the Queens Silver Jubilee in 1977. In 1981 street parties were held across the country to celebrate the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer. The County Council Traffic ...
I've written obituaries for political parties here on previous occasions - for the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, the Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association, and the southern Progressive Democrats. This week, to use a medical analogy, life support was turned off for the Northern Ireland branch of the Conservative Party, though it has not yet quite stopped breathing. From the Newsletter, Sam McBride reports and Alex Kane analyses last week's decision by the Conservative headquarters in London that the party will stand no candidates for the Assembly election next year, but will support the UUP; it may stand candidates for the local council ...
It appears that in true Dickensian fashion, the ghosts of Labour past have returned. John Howarth may be little known to those arrived in Reading since 2007. A shaven-headed Geordie, he was best mates with chicken-run ex-MP Martin Salter and was allegedly one of the ringleaders behind the deselection of former MP Jane Griffiths. A man I would not like to meet down a dark alley, Howarth was the mastermind responsible for the insane plans to turn Reading's one-way IDR one-way. After a campaign fronted by, among others, me, the scheme was opposed by almost 90% of Reading residents I ...
Sat 11th
15:20
The NUS/Labour nonsense about comparing the value of £21,000 in 2016 with £15,000 today
[IMG: A net present value table] See Nick Thornsby's excellent post here. One of the most bizarre things about the University Funding debate, has been the NUS/Labour charge that the £21,000 threshold will only be worth £18,500 (in today's terms) when the scheme starts in 2016 compared to the £15,000 threshold today. So, what they have done is applied a "Net Present Value" table – see above – at a 2.2% rate to see what £21,000 in 2016 will be worth in today's terms. It's £18,500. So they then leave us to compare £18,500 in 2016 with £15,000 today, and ...
[IMG: claddingwhathappened] One thing that has troubled me, and I note others is the finish of the Turner building, this comment from Michael Child made on Thanet Life "...I thought it was supposed to be coated with glass and glow" or this from Amanda Baillieu of BDonline (Builiding Design) " And while the CGIs show the light bouncing off the building's pearly cladding to evoke the spirit of JW Turner, in the flesh it looks flat and charmless and cheap. Since its out there, I'd like to know what happened to the outside of the building, this quote from the ...
Nice little bit of online outreach on a popular local discussion board here. What they've done at one level is dead simple (and even, ahem, with a non-hot hotlink) but it's the understanding that this is a good way of reaching people that impresses as it is - still - often not seen amongst those in similar posts.
There's been an awful lot of scaremongering (and some downright lies) spread about what the change to Higher Education funding will mean for students. Labour in Salford have been doing their bit to make people think that the poor will no longer be able to afford to go to university - a highly irresponsible and ...
With today being a Saturday, that is the day that we remember our blessed Lady, let's have a look at another youtube video. Modern devotion to Blessed Mary the Virgin, the Mother of God comes through in all sorts of ways doesn't it? Filed under: catholic, Our Lady Tagged: catholic, McDonalds, Our Lady, Saturday devotions, ...
I love this video But can you guess why? Filed under: catholic Tagged: Coca-Cola, Soft drink, United States
Cambridge history student Charlie Gilmour, photographed climbing the Cenotaph, has apologised (good). However he is reported as saying that he didn't realise it was the Cenotaph. If that is true how did anyone so appallingly ignorant ever get into Cambridge & should he not be sent down?
It is a stomach-churning time to be a Liberal Democrat. I'm sure that none of us, while pushing our Focuses through rusty letterboxes, ever considered the possibility that our party would be legislating to the accompaniment of pounding hooves and breaking bones. Whatever one's opinion of the tuition fees policy, it's clear that its implementation ...
50) - 52) The Open University, Portales 1-3 (Milton Keynes: The Open University, 2003, ISBN 0749265302/10/29). These are the first three (of six) course books for the OU's Beginners' Spanish course, which I started around this time last year as part of my plan to make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in May next year. At the time I was still an OU lecturer and entitled to a staff discount, so doing it through them seemed like a no-brainer - but about halfway through, I got frustrated with it and decided it wasn't really giving me what I needed. ...
From the BBC: The government announced the salary threshold at which graduates start to repay fees will be uprated each year in line with earnings from 2016 – not just every five years, as had been planned. Also, Nick Thorsnby analyses the NUS/Labour claim about the £21,000: This analysis is taken from a report by Million+ (a HE think tank) called Fair, Progressive and Good Value?. The report seeks to analyse how much of an improvement the increase in the repayment threshold to £21,000 in 2016 will be. And the report says this: Assuming a discount rate of 2.2%, £21,000 ...
The result of the vote on higher education funding is a bitter disappointment. Especially as had all the Lib Dems abstained, as planned in the coalition agreement, the vote would probably have been lost. The proposals would then have to be reconsidered. Which is exactly what should happen. For all the talk of world class instituitions, the higher tuition fees serve a simple primary purpose: to get a lot of cost off the governments books at a time of crisis. If the student owes the cost of their university education, the government doesn't owe it and government finances look better. ...
Sometimes the Assembly's Presiding Officer goes out on a limb and upsets people through expressing unorthodox views. At other times he manages to encapsulate what most of us are thinking. Today is one of the latter occasions. Dafydd Elis Thomas has told BBC Wales that S4C is "bloated, failed and failing" and has let down viewers by infighting: In an interview for the Politics Show Wales to be broadcast on Sunday, Lord Elis-Thomas said: "The whole thing is appalling. "They've let down Welsh viewers in the way they've been infighting - the irresponsible way they've run the institution is a ...
[IMG: A horse] A few days ago Cory Doctorow had fun digging out an old clip of HG Wells talking about the imminent demise of newspapers - in 1943. As Doctorow went on to point out, HG Wells's error was a common one - to think that new technologies would fully replace old technologies. In fact, very few technical innovations kill off the old completely. In the internet age, books are still with us. Long after the rise of the motorcar, horses still have a niche. Neither the jet engine nor the helicopter has fully seen off the hot air ...
The Daily Telegraph praised Nick Clegg recently and following the vote on tuition fees they have done so again stating what David Cameron can learn from Nick Clegg about leadership. This maybe a strange stance to take if you support the Lib Dems considering the depth of feeling on this issue and how it has ...
Somewhat later than normal but one planning application in the ward was on last weeks list. It is for a two storey side extension to 1 Neptune Close. The reference number is 10/1168/FUL. More details on the application can be found in the public access website or in person (see the development control webpage for more information). In case of difficulty contact the team.
Our monthly drop in at Arbury Community Centre has started. For those who don't know the centre is on Campkin Road, near the Arbury Road junction. It should be in the middle of the map below: View Larger Map (Bellerby's is the language school next to the Manor. I have no idea why that is included when Manor isn't.) If you can't make it but need to speak to a councillor then use our contact details (on the left).
Whilst his brother struggles to come to terms with his new role it seems that David Miliband has got over the disappointment of defeat in the Labour leadership contest and is seeking more lucrative ventures. The Daily Telegraph reports that the former Foreign Secretary was recently paid £25,000 to give a speech on relations between the West and the Muslim world at a conference held in a "luxurious oasis" resort in the Middle East. They say that he also had his travel and five-star accommodation covered during the three-day trip, partly by the government of the United Arab Emirates. They ...
The Western Mail publishes details of an opinion poll that indicates that the Welsh public are ready to sanction full law-making powers for the Welsh Assembly in the referendum on 3rd March. They say that using the exact question that will be on ballot papers on March 3, 60% of voters said they would vote Yes and 28% No - a margin of more than two to one. When only the 39% of voters who said they were certain to vote were counted, the victory margin went up to more than three to one, with 73% saying they would vote ...
The Edinburgh Evening News carried this excellent feature on the work of the Bethany Christian Trust. The Bethany Shelters are not funded by the Council - though we do have a number of services we commission from them. They are therefore paid for by their shops, donation and the sale of Christmas trees. This year as in previous years I will not be sending Christmas cards but will be making a donation to Bethany when I go and get my tree later this week. I am sure any family, friends and colleagues reading this will not feel slighted.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Nick Clegg is the most hated politician in the country and that there are some who see Nick Clegg as the Lib Dems' problem. So the question arises of whether removing him would actually solve this problem? Tony Blair was a problem for Labour, so they got rid of him, ...
Sat 11th
09:34
Whoniversaries 11 December: Zienia Merton, Daleks Master Plan #5, Scream of the Shalka #5
i) births and deaths 11 December 1945: birth of Zienia Merton, who played Ping-Cho in Marco Polo (1964) and the registrar in The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (2009), a 45-year gap between appearances in Who and its spinoffs which is unlikely to be repeated. ii) broadcast and webcast anniversaries 11 December 1966: broadcast of "Counter Plot", fifth episode of the story we now call The Daleks' Master Plan. Sara, the Doctor and Steven are transported to Mira and menaced by the invisible natives before being captured by the Daleks. 11 December 2003: webcast of fifth episode of Scream of ...
Nothing turns my stomach more than seeing Lib Dem MPs turn against a personal pledge (rather than a manifesto promise) and vote with the Government on tuition fees. Whilst I may now be persuaded by the economic and political arguments about the need for tuition fees, I still cannot understand such a flagrant disregard for a personal promise. Perhaps I'm just old fashioned and believe an oath to be binding. A pledge of loyalty to a cause should not be broken so easily. And that's why, in a really messed up way, I still agree with Nick. During the heady ...
There have been some questions as to what The NUS Pledge and the commitment in the Lib Dem Manifesto mean.Let us start with the NUS Pledge:"I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative."This is normally misrepresented by people as a simple statement against voting against fees. In fact often only the first
From Stockport Council: Stockport Council is soon to complete the sale of the former Peaches Nightclub site on Wellington Street, Stockport town centre, to "Johnnie" Johnson Housing Trust (JJHT). The £6 million scheme is supported by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), Heritage Lottery Fund and the Council. It includes the redevelopment of the site and surrounding land to deliver 50 affordable and attractive homes. The restoration and conversion of the locally-listed former nightclub building will be a key part of the project and is the final scheme within the Hillgate Townscape Heritage Initiative. In order to protect the building ...
Birmingham Yardley's Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming has been claiming he did not break the NUS Pledge despite voting with the Government on Thursday. I would certainly disagree.
Lib Dem MP on reforming Housing Benefit This article by Lib Dem MP John Hemming explains what the government is aiming at with the new plans for housing benefit. As I said a few days ago, surely there is a need to prevent so much public money going into the pockets of private landlords. John Hemmings' piece chimes with that exactly. Thank goodness for some common sense. (Labour seems to like landlord subsidies. Some of them are housing people where you literally would not house a dog.)
Three cheers for the 21 Liberal Democrat MPs who kept their word and voted against any rise in student fees, and two cheers for the five who abstained. Unfortunately as a result of those who so publicly broke their highly pulicised pledge we now fully deserve the sobriquet, "the Fib Dems" (and that's one of the kindest.) It will take years of hard campaigning, and the avoidance of any similar situations in the future to restore our credibility. The main loser in this debacle is not, however, the Liberal Democrats, but the democratic political process itself. Labour has cynically and ...
This is the column I wrote for the Ham & High last week: Ever since I took my first step into elected politics - when I became Leader of the Opposition of the first ever LibDem Group (group of then three - now twenty-three) on Haringey Council in 1998 - parking has been the local issue that has so often stirred local people to activism. Much of the angst around parking has been less about whether or not there is a need for some parking controls but far more about the fear that Haringey's Labour council will not listen properly ...
Coolest Shakespeare Riffs in Science Fiction and Fantasy I have a feeling that I did some of this research myself a while back, but it's a good list. (tags: shakespeare sf)
The recent vote on tuition fees has been to some extent overshadowed by the associated student protests. It has been on a scale such that it is very difficult to argue that it is "just a few troublemakers". As David Cameron put it, "I don't think we can go on saying a small minority were there. There were quite a lot of people who were hell bent on violence and destroying property". It would be easy to look at the violence and to say that it de-legitimises the students' cause. Tempting though this analysis may be (and it's certainly the ...
