I couldn't care less who Colin Firth supports...we can't let celebrities take over politics like they have almost every other aspect of our lives.
I thought the opening of my climate change speech was rather good. "I have no interest in football," I said, "but I have seen pictures of the manager of a team playing its last game of the season, 2-1 down, and facing relegation, and in considering the outcome of the Cancun conference I thought of our Climate Action Commissioner. The manager is saved by the scoring of a goal. The result is a draw. A vital point is secured and relegation avoided. "It's not a triumph. But it's not a defeat. The manager lives to fight another day." Guaranteed to ...
Economic forecasts, it is said, are about as reliable as weather forecasts. Political forecasts are even less so. This weekend the British commentariat's fingers were busily occupied creating articles writing off the Lib Dems as a force in British politics. ... Continue reading →
Leader of Woking Borough Council, John Kingsbury today made a statement about the proposed local council cuts. I have taken this directly off WBC's website and added my own comments where I felt inspired to do so. In response to ... Continue reading →
I read with great annoyance yesterday of the level of cuts that local authorities up and down the country will have to endure. I simply cannot understand the rationale behind any of it other than a slightly cynical one. I ... Continue reading →
On The Real Blog, David Boyle skewers the snobbery and instinctive support for centralisation of the BBC: "So stuff the BBC, I say - and the idea that decisions can only taken, under close guidance, by Oxbridge types with Masters in Public Administration. And only then, very occasionally. What the Localism Bill sets out is a means by which neighbourhoods can begin to take charge of their own destiny." While Andy Mayer, writing on Liberal Vision, is not impressed by Richard Grayson's decision to work with Ed Miliband. The big news in the blogosphere today is the decision by Iain ...
Earlier today my good friend Dave over at Nearly Legal, in a post about the Localism bill, put his finger on something that had been troubling me. Something strange and unusual is definitely afoot. It is only a couple of weeks since the social housing reform consultation paper Local Decisions was launched on an unsuspecting ...
UK constitution: how it works (Draft cabinet manual published) The UK constitution is a mess of precedent, procedure, conflicting laws and assumptions, many of which are along the lines of "you can keep the power to do this, as long as you never ever use it". Haven't had time to read the 150 pages of this, but it should be both interesting and useful (tags: uk governance constitution) Photo of the day: Trespassers Describing this sign would ruin the effect. Trespassers will be... (tags: photos funny) A Guide To Your Galaxy « Dark Faculae I did done learn something! I ...
GMP Newsletter July-Nov 10 (If you see garbled text on part of the newsletter, it's a problem at my end not yours)
Today I had confirmation of something that I wasn't sure was going to happen but now that it is, I can talk about it. I won't say who has arranged this for me as it would not be fair on them but ... Continue reading →
After the derisory efforts of Waitrose to properly utilise QR codes, it's disheartening to see Debenhams make a brand new mistake. At the bottom of tonight's Evening Standard is this advert from Debenhams. [IMG: Debenhams QR Advert] Debenhams QR Advert The QR code immediately caught my eye and – being the saddo that I am – I immediatley whipped out ZXing and scanned it in. [IMG: Debenhams QR Code] Debenhams QR Code What goodies would it net me? A URL to visit their mobile site? Contact details for a Christmas order line? db::LIST::static-0011445 Let me repeat that... "db::LIST::static-0011445" Mean anything ...
There are undoubtedly some worrying aspects about the Localism Bill - not to mention the perverse incentives to stay poor enshrined in the change in housing tenant status - but overall it is an important and urgent piece of legislation. I've sent out in the New Economics Foundation blog how the ideas in it have emerged here. Slightly triumphalist, but the genesis of some of the policies in the Sustainable Communities Act are pretty clear. But one of the first reactions thrown up has confirmed what Simon Jenkins used to say about the BBC: they do have a policy; it ...
Last year we campaigned successfully to get a new station for Cheadle on the agenda. Now the Greater Manchester Transport people are developing their strategy for the next few years and Pam and I want to ensure new stations stay in it - it's a relatively low-cost scheme so we may be able to get it in. The plan is to have four new stations added to the Stockport-Altrincham line: Cheadle, Gatley North, Baguley and another Manchester one that escapes me. I need you to take a couple of minutes to complete the Greater Manchester Transport survey and let them ...
I've been too ill – and too disheartened by recent political events – to write much in the last couple of weeks. I *will* be doing the next part of Eschatology & Escapology tomorrow with luck, and I will restart my very delayed Doctor Who reviews on Saturday, but for now, some links. The Skeptical ...
Recently back from the December Swinton Community Committee. A good update from the Swinton community governor from Salford Royal on their efforts to engage with the community - I made sure to suggest that they engage with us by giving us some cash! Police reported drops in crime across most areas (substantial ones), but ...
Tue 14th
19:36
Guest Blog: Chris Huhne on the Success & Challenges from the Cancun Climate Change Summit
Our objectives, therefore, were modest. We aimed to demonstrate that the UN process was back on track. We also hoped to put in place some of the building blocks for an eventual global agreement. To rebuild momentum. I am delighted to say that our expectations were not just met, but exceeded. The conference agreed a series of linked decisions under both its tracks: the Kyoto Protocol, and the framework for reaching a new and more comprehensive agreement. Emissions reduction pledges made under the Copenhagen Accord, by both developed and developing countries, provided a valuable starting point and have been brought ...
George Monbiot's wonderful subheading: "As I see in threads on my articles, the online sabotaging of intelligent debate seems organised. We must fight to save this precious gift" Emphasis added. Isn't it delicious the way he is so worried about comments on his articles? The piece is about astroturfing, the new practice of paying people to comment on blogs and articles to push an agenda. It has become a corporate PR technique. A good topic, except .. He only talks about people who disagree with him leaving large numbers of mindless comments on the internet, on the very topics he ...
I'm a bit busy this evening, watching the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Yes, the one that's on at Christmas. And yes, it's a bit early, and no, I don't have a preview copy. It's just that I have an invite to a screening. I promise not to spoil it for you though...
From 9.30 till 10.00 December 15th the County Council Cabinet will have a pre-meeting session of questions and answers with local residents. This takes place at Consett Civic Centre. Written questions (which had to be in by Friday) will be the first to be answered, but normal ptactice is for other questions to be taken on the day if there's time for them.
Yesterday saw the announcement of provisional figures for the Pupil Premium payments ( provisional because the actual figures depend on the school census for the next academic year). In Liverpool we'll be getting nearly eight million pounds. I had an e mail from Sarah Teather, Lib Dem minister in the education department, last night about the money that will be coming to schools in my own constituency - Garston and Halewood. I've posted it below. ******************************* Dear Paula Today the government unveiled further details of the Pupil Premium - a key Liberal Democrat policy which will ensure the most disadvantaged ...
We are getting close to Christmas and the changes to bin collections that causes. This year Christmas and New Years day are both on a Saturday, and the bank holidays are on Monday and Tuesday. The plan is to collect Monday and Tuesday routes on the Tuesday and leave other days unaffected. The full details of other Christmas service changes are on the City Council website. Full details of waste collection changes: Regular collection dateRevised collection dateFriday 24 Decemberno changeMonday 27 DecemberTuesday 28 DecemberTuesday 28 Decemberno changeWednesday 29 Decemberno changeThursday 30 Decemberno changeFriday 31 Decemberno changeMonday 3 JanuaryTuesday 4 JanuaryTuesday ...
My 101st blog post. The Number 101, or in its proper context, Room 101, is of course synonomous with George Orwell's Masterpiece 1984. Room 101 is a torture chamber in the Ministry of Love in which the Party attempts to subject a prisoner to his or her own worst nightmare, fear or phobia. The Lib Dems' Room 101 - Tuition Fees After the last week, it could well be said that the issue of tuition fees has become an issue of torture for the party. In a blog post here that I wrote last week, preceding the big Thursday vote, ...
I'm sad that Iain Dale has decided to give up regular blogging as announced on his site today. For all that he wound a lot of Lib Dems up (usually, but not always on purpose), he has been one of the people at the forefront of 'proper' political blogging for some time. Although now he runs a politics magazine and has a daily radio show, surely he is to be considered mainstream media? I can understand Iain's dilemma. With his radio show, magazine and publishing company, he is definitely a busy boy. The latter two are definitely successes of his ...
Last year the Muppets did a lot of excellent Christmas Songs so I am going to share them with you over the next x day.
Today's meeting of Cornwall Council's Parking Panel confirmed the huge increases in parking and season ticket prices for Launceston. The two key areas are: Rises of up to 131% in the hourly charges. Whilst the first hour price will drop slightly, all other charges will see massive increases with the charge for four hours going up by 131%. This is likely to act as a barrier to people coming into our town and using our shops. Even if the Council continues to make the same amount of money from parking (and I doubt this will be the case) that will ...
Planning officers have drawn up a draft planning brief outlining what it would consider suitable development for the Stanley Park High School site once the school has relocated to the newly built school at Orchard Hill. This was approved at last night's Executive Committee to be circulated for consultation over a six week period stating in January ...
An arresting op-ed column in today's Washington Post includes the following: During the initial stage of Republican House control, the focus will be on steep budget cuts. But a successful Republican presidential candidate in 2012 will need to speak of opportunity, not just austerity, to a dispirited nation. Obama has that chance right now - as well as a progressive model to follow. The leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, recently addressed the meaning of economic fairness. "Social mobility is what characterizes a fair society," he said, "rather than a particular level of income equality. Inequalities ...
Tue 14th
15:52
President of FIFA, Sebb Blatter says gay football fans should have no sex during world cup
Sepp Blatter, the controversial president of FIFA, has once again dismissed concerns that Qatar is unsuitable to host the 2022 World Cup because of its attitude to homosexuality. He went on to say that gay football fans should refrain from having homosexual sex while in the country. The small country punishes homosexuality with up to five years in prison or lashes. Last week, gay football groups said gay fans would be unable to travel to the Qatar for the games because of its oppressive laws. Sebb Blatter speaking in Johannesburg at a post-2010 World Cup legacy project launch also said; ...
I'm an utter bookworm – on holiday, I like nothing better than to lie by the pool reading a good book. I generally average a book a day. [IMG: eBooks on the beach] Me reading a Kindle on the beach.... Last year, I took a mixture of eBooks and physical books away with me. This year, I'm only taking eBooks. That's where I need your help, gentle reader. Which books should I take? Which books do you recommend for a beach read? CriteriaeBooks only. Liz & I have a Kindle and an Elonex 511EB – happy to have eBooks in ...
As Paul at Liberal Burblings puts it: His Daley Dozen will continue, his blog will still be there and he'll be updating it with posts when he feels like it. Which is....er.....blogging. Oh, and he'll still be tweeting - which is micro-blogging. So this is the dramatic flounce exit-that-isn't-really-an-exit which those of us who have been active on the internet since the early nineties are so wearily familiar with. He's going to be like Dorries, isn't he? One of those bloggers who pops up from time to time to whine on about how he hates blogging and bloggers are all ...
Picture from the Guardian As is apparent from it's title, this site is not here as a mouthpiece for the purity police. It advocates free speech and transparency very strongly. However, there are still lines. When public figures and media organisations produce and broadcast personal, attacking, and offensive material they have abused free speech, and should not use it as a defence. Frankie Boyle, aided and abetted by Channel 4, has gone so far over that line it is a mere speck on the horizon. As many readers will know, the son of Katie Price and Peter Andre, Harvey, is ...
It's unusual for all the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Councillors to agree on something. But on Thursday night we all (even the Conservatives) agreed that the Tories at the County Council should not be scrapping the travel tokens and not replacing them with something useful. The chamber united as one in asking the Council leader to take this issue up. Of course there was some debate as to
After busy surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and Harris Academy (at which winter maintenance issues were to the fore) I attended last night's City Council meetings. DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE : I seconded refusal of a planning application to build a 102 bedroom hotel on land south of Riverside Avenue on the grounds that the proposal was contrary to the Council's Development Plan, the hotel would be extremely tight on a site of limited size and there is no adequate public transport. The application was refused. I also seconded approval of an outdoor seating area at a public house in ...
Liberal Vision can today announce the Liberal Democrats London List for the GLA elections in 2012. The list, in order, are: 1. Caroline Pidgeon 2. Stephen Knight 3. Bridget Fox 4. Shas Sheehan 5. Jeremy Ambache 6. Merlene Emerson 7. Emily Davey 8. Steve Bradley 9. Marisha Ray 10. Nick Russell 11. Ajmal Mansoor Congratulations to all the candidates, especially to Caroline Pidgeon, who deservedly tops the list after a stella rise from new Assembly Member in 2008 to becoming leader of the GLA Lib Dems. [IMG: First item of business: sell this; move to cheaper office space; rebate the ...
Funnily enough, I had been thinking that I really ought to review my blog design to take out clutter and ineffective links, and the news that Iain Dale has decided to give up blogging has provided me with an incentive to act. 'Letters from a Tory' bit the dust some months ago, which was rather a pity, as I enjoyed his style. However, I had stopped reading 'Iain Dale's Diary' on a regular basis some time ago, once he had left the Daily Dozen to his personal assistant. To be blunt, if I had wanted to read Grant Tucker's views ...
I note that Nick Clegg has been suggesting that the 'Big Society', as proposed by David Cameron, is not dissimilar to liberalism, as proposed by us. Well, yes... after a fashion, if you take it at face value. And that's the catch. You see, liberalism is a philosophy which, if followed, guides a decision maker in certain directions, creating policy which has a consistent thread running through it, even if the policies aren't always consistent. The 'Big Society' is a concept, interpretable as one wishes. So, if Nick is trying to capture the concept, and make it safe for liberalism, ...
I'd like to highlight to my friends that sometimes I do know about Popular culture references*. It is not often that music stars that I like appear in the news. But today we hear that Jonas Erik Altberg aka Basshunter has been charged over allegations made at a Kirkcaldy nightclub. Not knowing any of the ...
Bury Schools are set to receive up to £430 per pupil a year for each poorer pupil they teach under details announced by the Coalition Government. It means that Bury stands to gain over £1.8m extra cash in the coming year to help towards improving teaching and learning in schools and boosting achievement. The extra cash will be given according to the number of pupils on free school meals and whose families earn less than £16,000 per year. It means that Bury gains an estimated £1.825m. The Pupil Premium was one of the Liberal Democrats main pledges before the election ...
I am currently watching recorded coverage of the debate yesterday in the House of Lords regarding the Parliamentary voting system and constituencies bill. Apart from the contributions having changed my mind entirely on the matter of the date of the referendum being concurrent with regional and local elections — I now firmly believe they should not be — there is one matter which continually annoys me; a matter of false advertising. That it the description of the present electoral system as "First Past the Post". There is no "post" involved in the current counting of the ballot. The winner is ...
I have just been looking at the Primary School league tables for Hertfordshire. My heart sank as I looked at my daughter's school. They came joint 8th from bottom of the table - ignoring all 74 schools that boycotted the test - based on the number of children achieving level 4 at the end of year 6. BUT that is not the true story of the school. The stats only tell the picture of one week in the school year. The school is very multicultural, over 30 languages are spoken in a school of around 200 children. Children often arrive ...
South Glos Streetcare have just confirmed that teabags and eggshells can be put in the food waste bins. And don't forget that they still take textiles, clothes, batteries, shoes etc for recycling in the green box.
Though I'm not as keen on blogrolls as some (I tend to the view that the rise of sharing links through social networking makes blogrolls much less important than they were many years back), I do have them on this site just in case some new visitors are looking for a sample of other blogs to try out beyond what I mention in my posts. I've started doing some over-due updating of the blogrolls, involving removing sadly departed excellent blogs but also adding in new ones. On which score, a warm welcome to my blogroll to Nick Thornsby, who got ...
Iain explains here. He is stopping blogging, except he isn't. His Daley Dozen will continue, his blog will still be there and he'll be updating it with posts when he feels like it. Which is....er.....blogging. Oh, and he'll still be tweeting – which is micro-blogging. Anyway, thanks for showing us how it should be done – if you ignore the content – Iain. You have been an inspiration – or perhaps an "anti-inspiration" (in terms of your views) – to many of us. Being slightly picky I make one observation: Iain says: I hate the backbiting that goes along with ...
It seems I may have been semi-gazumped on my own Freedom Of Information requests – yesterday, both The Sun and the Daily Mail published stories about Trans prisoners. As with much published by those papers, it's not news as the policy has been around in draft form for a couple of years. (PDF link) I should point out that the guidelines are described by the Ministry of Justice as a "historical" document rather than one that reflects current policy. However, I understand that the document is still available to prison management and does relate fairly closely to what actually happens ...
On the website of The HIV Support Centre the following is published: I wholeheartedly support the call for routine HIV testing locally from Miriam Stoppard OBE - but not just in England - we need it throughout the United Kingdom. Miriam Stoppard has suggested that routine testing for HIV would help to save lives. Obviously, ...
All this talk of splits and rancour and betrayal and hurt. So, some synchronicity of thoughts across the pond: From Jennie Rigg, on the media needing to catch up with the Lib Dem approach to disagreement, a quite magnificent sentiment: All this bollocks about party discipline might apply to other (in my view lesser) parties who are full of authoritarian arseholes who can't tolerate discord; we breathe tolerance, we eat argument, and occasionally we shit discord. Get used to it. And from the Schott's Vocab on friendship generally: From Walt Kelly's Pogo comic strip, January 3, 1963: Pogo: With the ...
Famed for its sophisticated political analysis, the Metro newspaper had a topical joke in it this morning which, when relayed to me by a colleague first thing, did make me laugh out loud: Q - Why did Nick Clegg cross the road? A- Because he promised not to. Admittedly it won't win the Perrier Award, but it did have me chuckling at the awfulness of things. Sadly my riposte, which went something like "Why did Labour not cross the road? Because they didn't want to play their part in undertaking the necessary fiscal retrenchment caused at least partially by a ...
Wow - I didn't see that one coming. I am not one of Iain Dale's greatest fans, we had a small argument online years ago and ever since he does not flatter me or my blog with comments or links despite him then linking to someone else who covers my story after I do - but hey, life goes on. I will despite this however miss Iain on the blogosphere and am relieved he will still be in the political arena, he has a lot to offer. His reasons for giving up seem very sincere and certainly I can relate ...
Here's something that the Lib Dems can do to change the story. Last Thursday, three issues came to a head. These three issues share common causal roots but can, and should, be considered interconnectedly but still separately. The first, obviously, was the issue of student fees and the viability of the Coalition Government's proposals. As far as government proposals go, this has seen plenty of genuinely substantive discussion, and it's not my intention to rehash that. Win or lose, I think that most people can be satisfied that their side has had a chance to air their views. The second ...
Today was due to see the announcement of government plans to end child detention for immigration purposes. A move very popular with many Liberal Democrats, but also heartily resisted by some civil servants, the delay in the announcement has caused some to speculate on what this means for the coalition. There are two explanations and the pessimistic one is that the delay signifies failure to agree within government on ending such detention. However, there is also a rather more positive one - which is that with lots of other political news to take the headlines (such as the inflation figures ...
Iain Dale has been a must-read blog for many years. There aren't that many bloggers that you can say that about. He is insightful, thought-provoking and humorous. Today he has announced he is stopping daily blogging and turning into one of those occasional bloggers. His daily posts will be greatly missed.
We are constantly being reminded that we are living in an 'age of austerity'. Community and voluntary groups all over Northern Ireland have been waiting for many months to find out what money, if any, they may receive in grants from Northern Ireland departments. This is making life quite difficult for them - and in turn it ...
The famously dyspeptic and self-proclaimed reactionary author and columnist Theodore Dalrymple (aka Dr Anthony Daniels) entertained a full house in the Gladstone Club in the Lady Violet Room of the National Liberal Club last night, when he drew comparisons between Britain and France. He divides his time between the two, and clearly feels the latter has ...
Yesterday the government announced what level of funding they would be giving to councils for next year. From the wall-to-wall coverage this has been getting you would think that all councils are about to see the most savage cuts in service for generations. The reality is a bit different. The biggest reductions appear to be to the councils which have had the most money in the past, and the smallest cuts to those councils which have had the least. As it happens, a lot of the councils losing a lot of money are Labour controlled. Unsurprisingly, Labour are shouting very ...
You could be mistaken for thinking that FIFA President Sepp Platter had been replace by under pressure Italian President Silvio Berlusconi. He announced at a press conference that gay football fans wishing to attend the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in should "refrain from any sexual activities". Homosexuality is illegal in the Islamic state that was controversially awarded the tournament. Football has tried to do a lot to make it more friendly to everyone, but comments like this just show how out of touch the game's global leadership still is. Still, at least FIFA's corporate sponsors get to get into ...
Yesterday, the government unveiled further details of the Pupil Premium - a key Liberal Democrat policy which will ensure the most disadvantaged children in our country get the help they need. From April next year every school in England will get £430 for each child in their school on Free School Meals. Based on latest estimates this will mean at least an extra £1,387,180 for schools to spend on the students who need it most in Manchester Withington.
South Glos Trading Standards warn that suspected Rogue Traders are posing as Council officers and purporting to carry out property surveys and asking for personal financial details. Trading Standards advice on keeping safe is: Council officers will have identification, which can be verified by contacting the relevant local authorityNever give personal or financial details to strangers unless you are satisfied you know who you are giving them toDo not allow anyone to enter your home unless you know who they areRemember, it is your front door! It is not rude to close it on someone if you feel uncertain or ...
It's now more than a week since the last major snowfall in Livingston, yet paths round schools have not yet been made safe. The snow has thawed a bit and refrozen, meaning that the pavements are now covered in treacherous sheet ice. Just to add a bit of extra danger into the mix, two weeks of irresponsible dog owners failing to clean up after their animals comes to light as the snow melts away. Utterly disgusting. Parents dropping their children off at St John Ogilvie Primary School in Livingston were yesterday confronted with no safe way of getting into the ...
Like most Assembly Members I support the Welsh Language and the rights of people to use it throughout Wales, without any sanction being imposed upon them. That is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats supported an amendment to the recent Welsh Language Measure to give English and Welsh equal status. Alas, Plaid Cymru failed to support this move. Even the most ardent supporter of the Welsh language however, must acknowledge that there are legitimate questions to be asked about this latest news that the Welsh Government's Translation Unit is being bolstered by regradings and new recruits at a time when the ...
Seven years ago, Rochdale Council was run by Labour. Six years ago, it was an all-party run Council with a Liberal Democrat leader, 5 years ago, it was run by a Labour / Conservative coalition, 4 years ago by the Liberal Democrats on their own, and for the last few months it has been a ...
Today I have Cabinet meetings all day, then off to The Walton Centre in Liverpool for an early evening meeting. I am keeping a close eye on the review of Trauma care in England and how it may effect North Wales, especially head trauma.
Chess, it seems, has always attracted craftsmen, artists and conversation as well as players. Whether or not you know the rules of the game, its language and concepts are pervasive and over the next week on Radio 3 we've a short season, Checkmate, exploring the game's extraordinarily rich history and culture through a range of discussions, talks, and drama.Full details on the Radio 3 blog.
Since getting involved in my own small way with politics, I've been a bit surprised to find that so many Lib Dems are snobs. Lib Dems, I thought, will make the effort to show up on your doorstep, talk sense, and try to do their best by you. On Sunday, my friendly neighbourhood councillors took me round on a local survey. My face to face encounters have a completely different vibe to some of the things I read. I had a go at John Hemming MP and his explanation for voting for tuition fees yesterday. So let's take a social ...
Ed Miliband, realising what an authoritarian tribe he now leads, has called for Liberal Democrats to assist with his policy review. Perhaps we might even join the party, given how our Ministers have "betrayed" us. Well Mr Miliband, I'm afraid that if we are going to start pointing fingers over betrayal, let's take a look at the past betrayals of Labour Ministers. They colluded with and allowed torture, which I'd say is a betrayal of human rights. They joined a war in Iraq based on false premises which lead to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians, which I'd say ...
i) births and deaths 14 December 1919: birth of Michael Bilton, who played Charles de Teligny The Massacre (1966), Collins the butler in Pyramids of Mars (1975) and a Time Lord (one of the guys who isn't Gold Usher) in The Deadly Assassin (1976). 14 December 1926: birth of Alan Rowe, who played Evans and the voice of Space Control in The Moonbase (1967), Edward of Wessex in The Time Warrior (1973-74), Skinsale in Horror of Fang Rock (1977), which I am watching at the moment, and Garif in Full Circle (1980). ii) broadcast anniversaries 14 December 1963: broadcast of ...
Following questioning from Peter Black in Plenary the First Minister made a number of claims about the recent PISA results: First Minister: "It is worth emphasising—and I make this point very clearly—that the PISA results are not connected with funding." The PISA report contains a school questionnaire which asks 'Is your School's capacity to provide instruction hindered by any of the following issues?'. 43% cited a shortage or inadequacy of computers for instruction and 37% a shortage or inadequacy of library materials. If this is not linked to funding I don't know what is! First Minister: "PISA has said that ...
A programme for the reform of the whole system is what is wanted. State built and State equipped school buildings in every district; management by a State department of Education... When a thorough system of secular education is advocated it is by many thought that religion is thereby endangered. This is not so. Religious instruction ...
Tue 14th
00:15
Norwich South MP encourages local people to have their say over future of former Cricket Ground site
Simon Wright, MP for Norwich South, has written to residents living near the site of the former Lakenham Sports and Leisure Centre on Cricket Ground Road regarding the future of the site. Mr Wright has been in contact with Lanpro Ltd, agents for the owners Serruys, regarding proposals to redevelop the area.
I cycled to work yesterday. There is nothing special about this except that it was the first time that I cycled back through the centre of Lancaster and I felt quite safe. I am used to cycling along the cycle path that skirts the city and a very pleasant route it is too. However it must save at least five minutes on the journey if you are prepared to risk the main road. Alright it wasn't rush hour but it was busy. I spoke with someone last week who felt that a proposed new cycle path near their house was ...
The Liberal Democrats have announced a major investment for local schools through the Pupil Premium. Norfolk looks set to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the scheme.
