I am sat ready for the phone conference with Paul Burstow MP dead on 9.00 p.m. and am joined by Regional Chairs around the country. Paul really did listen to concerns about the new Health Proposals, and I was able to ask a number of question related to what was raised yesterday at our Health Improvement Partnership. I must say that I was impressed with his sincere and even passionate approach to the proposals that are being torn to shreds elsewhere. There is no doubt that the intention is to be patient centred, and making real progress to change the ...
This evening the Council debated the Housing Revenue Account - Financial Plan 2011/12. I proposed this as Lead Member for Housing, expecting it to be fully supported by Members across the Council. I had not bargained for the political opportunism of the Reading Labour Party. They are clearly settling into their role as an ineffective opposition and sadly they completely failed to represent the interests of local Council tenants effectively. A couple of weeks ago when this matter came to Cabinet I blogged about the thinking behind our proposal to increase rent by 4.9% and introduce a service charge for ...
Stockton Council is consulting on the Environment Development Plan Document over the next 6 weeks till March 14th. This is the document which will incorporate policies on green spaces and conservation areas, among other things. For people in Eaglescliffe, fighting against developments that ruin the character of the historic areas, it's going to be a very important document and needs to have all
The guilty verdict against Lord Taylor today, and against Illsey and Chaytor previously is a very British conclusion to the expenses scandal. Lots of damn nice chaps and female chaps who do a lot of good work and are awfully decent folk who didn't mean any harm have been spared embarrassment by the token defenestration of the most technically guilty. The abuse of public money by Parliamentarians in both Houses however was far more widespread than these handful of prosecutions. The line between criminal abuse and behaviour that would merit quiet dismissal from regular employment is as thin as ...
Tonight's Evening Telegraph highlights the mindless vandalism that has caused substantial damage to sheds at the allotments west of Magdalen Green on Sunday that saw one shed destroyed by fire and another suffer major fire damage. As reported in the Tele, I have been in contact with the City Council to see if additional security measures can be considered for the allotments. It is disheartening for the allotment holders who work hard on their allotments to suffer vandalism and I am asking the Leisure & Communities Department who it can do to help prevent any further incidents.
Loth as I am to give other bloggers, the oxygen of publicity, all I know is Simon appears upset with my new blog, lord knows why, I quote "I see that Tony Flaig, formerly of 'Big News Margate' now has an exciting new weblog, Outside the Turner Contemporary. Nothing I'm sure to do with the capture of passing trade, with the gallery due to open in three months. Despite all his achievements, Simon is not even able to get the name of this blog right. My advice to Simon is if you wish to play with the big boys, grow ...
Bedfordshire Police Authority needs to know what you think so that they can set the right priorities and invest in services that are important to you. By completing their 10-15 minute survey you are helping with this. You may be aware that many areas of the public sector are being asked to make significant savings. Bedfordshire Police Authority will see its budget of £104m reduced by £19 million over the next four years. Most of the savings need to be found in the first two years, £6.3m in 2011/12 and an additional reduction of £5.6m in 2012/13. Please click on ...
The author is a university lecturer on a short-term contract who wishes to remain anonymous. I believe that higher education should be free, but also that it should be higher education. Recent debates within the Liberal Democrats (and beyond) have centered upon the first of these propositions, but barely touched upon the second. For instance, Evan Harris writes "The biggest challenge facing higher education is the failure to attract students from poor backgrounds and the negative impact that tuition fees have on those who are debt-averse from aspiring or applying to university," while for the Social Liberal Forum "the key ...
Both Streatley and now Sundon Parish Councils have asked for support in saving their mobile libraries; neither have said how many people rely on this service, only that some people do and the alternatives of getting into Barton-le-Clay or Luton are not feasible for those people. The outgoing chair of Streatley PC, Geoffrey Farr, spoke at their last meeting of his willingness to be a voluntary driver for a new initiative being set up there a la Big Society to drive people to local places for such things as medical appointments. I suspect the need to visit a library would ...
For my 600th post here, I'm announcing that my new book, Sci-Ence! Justice Leak!, is out. It's available as a hardback book with a pretty dust-jacket for twenty pounds, a paperback for ten pounds, a PDF for only three pounds, and tomorrow it should be available as an ePub for a fiver, so there's a ...
Want the footpath between Sharpenhoe and Barton-le-Clay finishing? Want the car parking provision improved near your shops? Write in now before 11 February to have your say. Central Bedfordshire Council is asking residents for their views on a draft Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3), mapping provision over the next 15 years, which is available online. The plan outlines a long term framework for investment in roads, railways, buses and car parking as well as looking at accommodating cyclists and pedestrians across the whole of Central Bedfordshire. The council is also working with surrounding authorities such as Luton, Bedford, Hertfordshire and ...
Listening to the row about the Education Maintenance Allowance we might all be forgiven for thinking that that the wicked Coalition Government was scrapping a popular scheme which Labour would have carried on indefinitely. Of course, the scheme itself was only a few years old and the previous Government's figures showed that 96% of those receiving it would have stayed on anyway. Of course free money is always welcome to teenagers, but what would have happened under Labour? Alan Johnson answered that one at the Education Select Committee back in 2007, when he made clear that the EMA was only ...
The two signs in the photo can be found very close to each other on Station Street, Huddersfield. You'll spot the yellow sign in the background of the photo of the other sign but can you spot the problem? The ... Continue reading →
Just a reminder that the National TV Awards are on tomorrow night. So at least Tommy Sheridan will have something frivolous to help alleviate the stress on his first night behind bars. Anyway, I suspect that all the Lib Dem Who fans I know would turn their noses up at the thought of voting in something like this, but I can never resist an election, so I need to Get out the Geek Vote. Matt Smith and Doctor Who are up in a couple of categories. I reckon Steven Moffat's name has to be on the best Drama award given ...
You would have thought that Lord Taylor of Warwick, as a barrister could have come up with a better defence than, "it had been a common practice among peers to claim for fake journeys and enter expenses claims with a false address as a main residence." Lord Taylor in spite of facing a possible prison sentence will get to keep his title. Perhaps to protect the good name of our town we should petition the Lords to change his title to something more appropriate, Lord Taylor of Pentonville perhaps. This all goes to show how much the system desperately needs ...
My colleague and esteemed leader has penned a posting in Children's Centres. I think it is fair to say that those of us seriously engaged with reducing the council budget have found this amongst the most difficult of issues to with which to deal. We have tried to stick to the principle that these services should be targetted on the most vulnerable -children who are not 'school ready' as Graham Allen expresses it in his report. Tony lays out the dilemma in a posting today which begins: I think it is fair to say that many of us on the ...
What I believe on a given topic in five sentences. In Spanish:* Creo en la libertad de los individuos para elegir donde viven. En mi mundo perfecto, no habría barreras para detener que la gente se mueva a cualquier país que quiera. En realidad, hay dificultades prácticas — por ejemplo, muchas personas nuevas apareciendo de repente en un solo lugar puede poner un montón de presión sobre los servicios locales. Entonces, acepto que tiene que haber maneras para que los gobiernos regulen el número de personas que entran o salen de un país. Sin embargo, tales restricciones deben ser siempre ...
Today's news bulletins have carried reports that Paul Marsden - the Labour, Liberal Democrat and (briefly) Labour again MP for Shrewsbury - is to sue the Mirror Group because he believes his phone was illegally hacked. I can report this news myself from the best possible source, because Paul Marsden has a blog. And on it he reprints the text of a statement issued by his solicitor: Today Paul Marsden, former Labour MP confirmed that he has initiated legal action against a reporter and the Mirror Group following receipt of information and evidence. Mr Marsden said, "I can confirm that ...
Clearly the contraction of the economy in the last quarter of 2010 is good news for nobody. The media focus will inevitably be on the political consequences of of the 0.5% shrinkage, and as usual meaningful discussions of the news ... Continue reading →
Anyone seing this title who thinks it is a complaint about life on Durham County Council will be disappointed. Instead I want to share with you a renewed enthusiasm for composting created by having a spare hour at County Hall used to read "Composting for All", in which I found the title for this entry. According to the booklet, not only can we improve our gardens by composting, but we could actually compost around a third of all our rubbish. A huge saving to both the county council and the environment. Alongside the booklet I found a leaflet with a ...
Greens don't want growth using up the world's resources. They are against over-consumption, and in fact want consumption to reduce. But, on the other hand, they are in favour of full employment and redistribution, and call for a rebalancing of the economy to green industries. The UK economy contracted by 0.5% in the last quarter of 2010, but if the bad weather is taken into account, the true figure is probably nil, neither growth nor contraction. Output in production industries however expanded by 0.9%, whereas service industries output contracted by 0.5%. The claimant count also fell slightly in December. Now, ...
Hooray. My current pothole bête noire (not to mention favourite Foursquare venue) is on the verge of going. Islington Council have told me, We've now filled this hole with tarmac to make it safe and will have the contractor return soon and make a permanent repair. I'm sorry it took so long.
Tue 25th
17:55
Burns' Night - why I really can't be bothered with it (or Eck and his iPad, haggis and henpecked hus...
I first posted this on Burn's Night last year. I'm not a fan of the occasion. Just to add a wee bit more for 2011, though, I actually had no idea that "fresh" haggis was banned from the States until I saw that link to the BBC report on SNP MSP Anne McLaughlin's Facebook on Sunday night. I have to say, they have a cheek, given that they inflict what passes for chocolate over there on us. I mean, Hershey's Kisses are utterly vile. If you've never tried them, seriously, don't. Given the number of people of Scottish descent who ...
Beddington & Wallington Local Committee An update & decisions on public realm funding took up a great part of the beginning of the meeting. Plans for new playground equipment for younger children in Mellows Park were circulated. They included a cradle seat suitable for children with disabilities which was welcomed. It was agreed to release £28,000 ...
I could be all tribal and also claim like the chancellor that the economy contracted by 0.5% in the last three months of 2010 because of the snow. But while I can see this being a factor, Manufacturing still went up by 1.5% which means the weather was not an overriding factor as manufacturing workers still turned up to work and good where still delivered and made. I think that this is generally a very bad sign for the coalition as well as the country. It's a shock for a reason, because its so unexpected. The construction industry fell the ...
I was delighted to see that the Illusionist has been shortlisted for the Best Animated Film Oscar. The film based on a Jacques Tati script and made by French animator Sylvain Chomet was his "love letter" to Edinburgh and would be a worthy winner. I am about to speak at the opening of consultation event for the Western Edinburgh Neighbourhood Plan. We have achieved so much working at a neighbourhood level over the last three years in areas such community safety, young people, the environment and transport. It will be interesting to get residents perspectives and to see what their ...
Bad news for the Coalition and my own personal economic judgement today, as the economy contracts by 0.5%. It's a little too easy to blame this on the snowy weather entirely, but it's worth bearing in mind that one of the biggest factors in this contraction was business services and finance. The impact of the ...
This morning I spent mainly sitting in on the Children Families and Education Committee of the Council. Most of the meeting was taken up with a lengthy discussion about improving access for sports and community groups to our schools after hours. What quietly slipped through though was a report into how well our Child protection services are performing compared to when we took over administration in 2007. Much credit goes to our capable Head of Department, Gillian Tee, and our excellent Chief Social Work Officer, Michelle Miller. They produced a radical set of proposals to reform the management of Children's ...
There is no pretending that today's news of an unexpected contraction of the economy is in any way good. I'm no economist, but there's I didn't come down in the last shower either, so I don't buy George Osborne's airy reassurances that it was all the fault of the snow. Nor will I take any nonsense from Labour about it being all the fault of the Government when their spending cuts haven't kicked in yet. In fact, if we didn't get our normal Christmas boom, isn't that going to have a knock on effect for the rest of the year? ...
Another politician – a Tory Lord (albeit one from whom the whip was withdrawn) was found guilty today of expenses fiddling. He joins Illsley, David Chaytor in being found guilty of expenses fiddles. Phil Woolas lost his seat (and his vote) just for being a liar. As far as I know no Lib Dems were ...
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Over at the BBC Betsan Powys speculates that the Welsh Government plan to amend the Local Government Measure to give Ministers the powers to merge or amalgamate councils under certain circumstances by way of an order. Such an order would not be amendable, would not go before any Assembly Committee for scrutiny and, although there would be a 12 week consultation period and a vote in Plenary, would not be subject to the sort of evidence-taking it would attract if the method chosen was a Measure. As Betsan points out however, the Government will need to suspend Standing Orders to ...
Council Trading Standards Departments and the police are working increasingly effectively to stop the plague of scam mailers that are targetting vulnerable people in the country and fraudulently getting billions of pounds from them. The latest good news can be read at this link If you know of a vulnerable person who is getting lots of scam mail please contact your local trading standards department of the Council who can advise on the menace.
[IMG: Real GDP quarterly growth] Today's preliminary GDP figures showing a 0.5% contraction in growth has seen all the usual suspects come out of the woodwork demanding more government action to avert disaster. At one level, given government spending is a part of the GDP calculation there is truth in the notion, that all other things remaining equal, increasing spending will increase short-run GDP. The issue is the long-term. If a UK growth strategy were as easy as printing money, redistributing, or inflating public sector wages, we wouldn't have had a recession in 2008 and 2009. What matters in the ...
The nominations for the 83rd Academy Award were announced earlier and Britain leads the way. The King's Speech has 12 nominations, including those for Best Picture and for Colin Firth as Best Actor. Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are also up in their Best Supporting Roles. I've seen the film and blogged a raving review here. The 12 nominations earned are only 2 short of the all-time record of 14 held by All About Eve in 1950 and Titanic in 1997. The Western re-make True Grit is up for 10 Oscars, whilst The Social Network and Inception are up ...
Tue 25th
15:30
Day 3677: The Coalition Response Isn't Good Enough - Negative Growth Needs Positive Action
Tuesday: There's no avoiding the fact that the growth - or rather SHRINKAGE - figures for the last quarter of 2010 are a DISASTER. Never mind that economies take YEARS not MONTHS to turn around, and that Great Britain was just TOO SICK after Labour's handling of the recession to get up again; never mind that the Coalition's spending review simply CANNOT have had TIME to be the cause of contraction. People, unfairly, will judge by what it LOOKS like. And it looks like WE did this. So we NEED to have something BETTER to talk about than the WEATHER. ...
Conservative led Cornwall Council is proposing to cut library opening by 102 hours per week as the authority seeks to save more than £1.5 million from library and one stop shop budgets over the next two years. Of the 32 branch libraries in Cornwall, 24 will see their opening hours reduced. Among the worst hit will be Fowey and Looe libraries which will lose 15 hours opening each per week and Saltash and Torpoint libraries which will each lose 9.5 hours opening. Just one library will see additional opening hours - Lostwithiel which will gain an hour per week. The ...
It is my attention to return to my posting on Ownership for All which got interupted by the need to go and deliver Focus. Part of the arguement is predicated on the need to rememdy the maldistribution of wealth in Britain. In the meantime let me leave you with a quote from Jo Grimond in his speach to the 1964 Liberal Assembly We believe both that capital wealth should be more widely shared, and that the salaried workers and those in the public services should be more adequately rewarded. As for industry, apart from giving the worker a share of ...
This afternoon, myself and my wife having been invited to Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm (which is in the road we live) by Cllr Brighouse were turned away by the Tam O'Shanter Cottage Trust trustee Cllr. Denise Roberts (Labour, Claughton). Instead then of reporting about the 25 year success story of this charity (Tam O'Shanter Cottage ...
Cornwall Council is considering closing, abandoning or charging for public conveniences in efforts to save money. In a letter sent to town and parish councils, Cornwall Council says: "The provision of public conveniences... is not something that Cornwall Council has a statutory requirement to do. The challenge is to make £1m of public convenience service efficiencies within the next 4 years." The letter goes on to suggest ways in which this saving could be made: "- reducing the opening times to fit more closely with peak demand; - introducing more efficient water and electricity management; - devolving local public convenience ...
The nominations for this years Academy Awards have been announced, and British film 'The King's Speech' has the most nominations. Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Geoffrey Rush have all been nominated for acting awards, and the film is up for the coveted Best Picture award. Overall, 'The Kings Speech' received twelve nominations. It was followed by 'True Grit' (not yet out in the UK,) with ten nominations, and 'The Social Network', which received eight nominations. The team behind 'The Social Network' will probably be the most disappointed not to have received a couple more. Nathalie Portman is the strong favourite ...
This morning's Guardian reports that the coalition cabinet will today agree an "escalating series of measures" to replace the controversial control orders imposed indefinitely on terror suspects who cannot be prosecuted: The delayed package of reformed counter-terrorism measures is to be announced by the home secretary, Theresa May, tomorrow and will include changes to stop and search powers and pre-charge detention as well as a replacement for the much-criticised control orders. The final details have been agreed between Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minster, who fought the election pledging to scrap control orders, and May, who has faced strong pressure ...
Since the last time Bury Council tried to close the Longfield Suite in Prestwich there has seemed to be a growing focus on Prestwich from Town Hall Chiefs. First we had the proposals to charge for parking on Fairfax Road Car Park - a proposal that despite massive objection from Councillors, public and businesses alike was pushed through. And now that's been followed by proposals to close the Longfield Suite and close the library on sundays and remember these are not our share of any supposed cuts they are cuts specific to Prestwich. No other part of Bury outside the ...
An anonymous commented just put the following on the Livejournal copy of my blog. I thought it was worth sharing and probably doesn't need much comment... Thank you for this post. There is, however, at least one psychiatrist, Dr Alan Sanderson, who argues that exorcism or "spirit release therapy" is "crying for funded research on the NHS" in cases of "gender dyphoria". The following "paper" is hosted on the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (PDF link) and it is some comfort that he found some resistance to performing NHS exorcisms. The relevant case study, "Roger the Physician" shows ...
Before we all descend into our tribal bunkers for the duration of the Election campaign, let's have a bit of dispassionate appraisal of our current crop of MSPs. This idea came out of a chat on Twitter with James from Better Nation during the debate on the emergency legislation on allowing suspects access to a solicitor while under police questioning which took place a couple of months ago. The rules are that you simply choose your favourite 10 MSPs - but if you have a party political affiliation, you are only allowed to include one of your own. You also ...
Christmas has come early for Ed Balls today. He must have been so excited when the GDP figures came through today. So excited was the new Shadow Chancellor that he spewed every thought he has on the economy into a statement. 369 words in total, Balls released something that read more akin to an opening to a university essay than a press release. Doesn't look like the combined Miliband/Balls press office is having the desired effect on messaging. Update: Ed has also just go in a mess on the Daily Politics too, saying he sticks to "every paragraph of the ...
I have been informed by Sarah Teather the Liberal Democrat Schools minister, that our local schools will receive extra money as part of the Pupil Premium. The Pupil Premium was one of the key Lib Dem pledges from the General Election and was accepted by the Conservatives as part of the coalition agreement. The funding is distributed based on the number of children from less affluent
Tue 25th
11:55
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: less science and more personality than much science fiction
[IMG: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - book cover] Science fiction featuring military training, detailed battle tactics and space warfare often skips developing characters, particularly female ones. However Orson Scott Card's classic Ender's Game is so successful in large part because his characters are well-rounded. The central one, Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin, may be a male child set to save the world (cliché alert), yet the women in his life - his sister and his mother in particular - are far more than cardboard cut outs, and the military storyline is the background to the development of the central character's ...
I'll admit that I've had some trouble picking the winner of the 2010 Scunner Broom Award for Stupidest Political Quote of the Year (the fact I'm only awarding it in 2011 has more to do with law school exams than anything else, mind you!) Not that there weren't been copious gallons of air expelled or ink spilled in the cause of saying stupid things for the sake of politics; on the contrary, in the first General Election year with Twitter availability the sheer weight of idiocy hit record levels. What was missing, however, was the magical mix of ingredients that ...
"The recent care commission report showing Manchester's community services for stroke victims the 4th worst in the country drives home the point that just because it is a public service is no guarantee that it will be an excellent service", says Manchester's Liberal Democrat Health Spokesman Councillor John Grant. The present economic situation is creating great pressures particularly in the public sector. Trades unions are preparing to demonstrate and fight to prevent jobs losses. NHS Manchester had started to implement 20% efficiency savings a year ago, before the general election, so job losses were and are inevitable. At a time ...
There is no such thing as "Afghan culture", instead there is a fascinating blend of people, approaches, beliefs and relationships. In the UK our perception of Afghanistan is dominated by the main body of our people in the South West, ... Continue reading →
...for me, is that it is about one quarter earlier than I predicted. I always said that it would be toward the end of the first quarter 2011 that the double dip would really get going. This has nothing to do with cuts - let's face it, they were only announced in the middle of the quarter, not even implemented. No, if this is th start of the double dip, it was set in motion that moment Gordon Brown and his lackeys tried to prevent the unwinding of malinvestments (for the second time in his tenure at one or other ...
As you can tell from the photos below (which I have passed on to Mark Smith and the Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Transport), flytipping in Flaybrick Cemetery is a problem. Whilst we were taking the photos, another car pulled up and another couple of bags were thrown over the railings, unfortunately by the time ...
[IMG: George Osborne MP, pictured speaking on the la...] Image via Wikipedia The Office of National Statistics has announced that in the last three months of 2010 the UK economy contracted by 0.5%. In the two quarters prior to that, there had been growth of 0.7% and 1.1% respectively. The figures will make uncomfortable reading for Chancellor George Osborne and the Coalition government, despite the fact that many of the cuts that Labour would be looking to blame have not come in yet. Even though it was expected there would be a drop in activity due to the heavy snow ...
[IMG: Seashell Trust climbing wall] Thanks to the Seashell Trust, Gatley Cubs were able to have a go at rock climbing - blindfold! The Seashell Trust in Heald Green, formerly the Royal School for the Deaf and Communication Disorders were able to let us use the climbing wall for very reasonable rates, instructor included, and to have a go on the obstacle course both blindfolded and wearing glasses to make us partially sighted. 1st Gatley Cubs and Beavers have been working with the Seashell Trust for some time now - we help them raise funds and they've given our boys ...
When it comes to 'Cultcha' I generally count myself eclectic. Like most people, I like a mix of high- and low-brow music, books, films etc. I finished The Finkler Question over Christmas (which I guess counts as high) and am coming to the end of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (which I guess counts as low). Both are enjoyable in very different ways. On Friday night, I watched the Danish Dance Theatre at Oxford's Playhouse, before checking into The Cellar for the impressive debut gig of the Beat-Seeking Missiles, a 'garage surf beat punk combo'. And why ...
It's been traditional to measure how well we're doing as a country purely by the amount of money we make. This is way too narrow a measure and it's counterproductive to plan all our policy around maximising GDP. Making lots of money is one thing, but how can we count ourselves as a success if we can't provide people with decent housing that they can afford. Generally living standards now are much better than they were half a century ago, yet we're generally unhealthier and unhappier. Surely a successful Government will tackle the causes of that poor health and unhappiness. ...
Please comment below with what you think private companies are for. I'm writing a series of posts but I need some user input first! Thanks, I'll email anyone who comments when I post an article.
The agenda for the next City Council meeting at 2pm on Tuesday 1 February 2011 includes:the annual report of the Cabinet Member for Housing (pdf, 272KB);the annual report of the Chairman of the Planning Committee (pdf, 890KB);the annual report of the Chairman of the Licensing Committee (pdf, 101KB); andthe annual report of the Chairman of the Public Protection Committee (pdf, 220KB) - the Public
Wokingham Borough Council has decided it will no longer fund Voluntary Action Wokingham Borough. This is what I said about it at last week's council meeting. "On 2nd December the council put out a press release on the subject of voluntary sector grants. The first half of the press release invited voluntary and community groups to (I quote) "join a discussion on the future of the sector's funding." The second half of the press release announced (I quote again) that "the Borough Council and NHS Berkshire West have decided to terminate their joint funding arrangement with Voluntary Action Wokingham Borough." ...
Ever since the coalition government was formed, political commentators and Labour hacks have been falling over themselves to suggest that it is only a matter of time until Nick Clegg defects to the Conservative Party. So the news in today's Telegraph may have been simply the inevitable news that party members dreaded, as Clegg throws off his ...
There is no cat in Downing Street. Ever since Sybil, Mr Darling's cat died in July 2009, there has been no Downing Street cat. And yesterday we heard of the refusal of Number Ten to bring back a cat into Downing Street. It's a bit of a no brainer, isn't it? Loads of rats running around on live TV – so bring back the cat! It's obvious we need a successor to Humphrey, Wilberforce and Sybil. Having said that, we know cats are good for catching mice, but do cats actually reduce the rat population? Ratkill.com makes this judgement: ..some ...
Demos Home Front report trashes Tory Marriage Tax Plan Caron highlights something Our Glorious Leader glossed over... (tags: libdemmery) Time to speak honestly. A few thoughts on homosexuality and comics. This is why Gail Simone rules. (tags: comics) Yale Alumni Magazine: Anonymous was a Woman Lots of quotes from women are misattributed or credited to "anonymous" shock (tags: feminism media history quotations) The adventures of sexy Batman very very silly indeed (tags: comics)
Two bits of good news and one bit of bad news about women in the upper echelons of influence in Nottingham. 1 Firstly, as Alistair Campbell wrote when he visited here a few weeks ago, there are a large amount of women in positions of influence in the city and county: Nottinghamshire's great and good were out in force, including the chief constable, the city council's chief executive, the head of the probation service, the governor of a sex offenders' prison, the sheriff (yes the sheriff of Nottingham, surely the most famous sheriff title in the world), the high sheriff, ...
Entirely set upon the Earth: Are you writing a vampire novel, too? – PZ Myers points out one of the major flaws with the modern vampire genre Why it matters – Blood and Treasure on where the phone-hacking story may lead The myth of the 'Fair Fuel Stabiliser' – Adam Bienkov looks at the flaws behind the argument Student Union election manifesto – The Great Unrest has a sample suitable to almost every campus. I saw several of these during my time in Unions in the 90s, so nothing ever changes. Avert your eyes from his gaze – Phil Edwards ...
Politicalbetting.com this week pointed out that the succession of Ed Balls to the position of Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer marks the final triumph of the SpAd- the political special advisor. Now virtually all of the key positions on the front benches of both the Government and the Opposition are filled with professional politicians- who know no other life outside of politics. In fact the political clique is even narrower than you might think, since in order to obtain the unpaid jobs at the foot of the political ladder, there is a minimum degree of wealth required. It is not ...
Just how many people does the BBC employ in its online business? A lot, it would seem. Director-general Mark Thompson has announced that BBC online will cut 360 jobs, as its' budget is cut by 25%. What is baffling is Mr Thompson's admission that BBC online had been allowed to grow "like Topsy". So who, one wonders, was in charge? Not Mr Thompson by the sound of it. Naturally the immediate reaction from the NUJ is one of rage at the BBC over the announced job cuts and the almost de rigeur talk of strikes. Sigh. I always rather welcome ...
i) births and deaths 25 January 1950: birth of Christopher Ryan, who played Lord Kiv in Mindwarp (1986), General Staal in The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky (2007) and Commander Stark in The Pandorica Opens (2010). Also played Mike Thecoolperson in the Young Ones. ii) broadcast anniversaries 25 January 1964: broadcast of "The Ordeal", sixth episode of the story we now call The Daleks. The Doctor and Susan sabotage the Dalek machines but are captured; Ian is endangered in a very literal cliff-hanger. 25 January 1969: broadcast of first episode of The Seeds of Death. The Ice Warriors take ...
I know that some of my readers in Colchester and Essex are commuters, suffering the joys of dealing with National Express East Anglia (NXEA) on a regular basis. I'm not a regular commuter any more – though whenever I do travel to London now, I notice just how much worse it is than when I used to do it regularly for work – but those of you who are may find the @NXEAfail Twitter account somewhat useful as a cathartic way to vent your rage the next time you're stuck for ages with no explanation as to why, or forced ...
I spent some time on Monday afternoon at the "public information and reassurance meeting" organised by Luton Council in preparation for the rally planned by the English Defence League in Luton for the 5th February 2011. I blogged about these last week. The meeting was well conducted, despite the fact that it was obvious that emotions were running high. Its purpose was to calm and reassure those concerned and explain the legal situation and the role that the Council and the Police are playing. Overall, I am reassured by the way the Council and the Police are handling a very ...
Did Prince William's Balding Hasten His Engagement? Don't bother reading this one. Really, don't. (tags: royals) The downward spiral of ownership and value Tim Spalding sounds the alarm about the effect of ebooks on publishing. (tags: copyright)
A very lengthy series of City Council meetings last night (as I write this, just after midnight!) - some four and a half hours - with a lengthy discussion on the proposal by Forth Energy for a biomass plant. A report on the biomass proposal was discussed at Policy and Resources Committee in relation to the City Council's response as a statutory consultee. There were well-argued presentations from the deputations and, after questions, I seconded an amendment by Bailie Derek Scott to oppose the application on the adverse impact on air quality, the impact of the plant on visual amenity ...
Andy Gray and Richard Keys are in trouble because of their off-air remarks about a female assistant referee. Just in case you didn't see the headlines following the Liverpool Wolves match on Saturday they are heard chatting about how women in general and Sian Massey in particular don't know the offside law. Richard also managed to say "Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her." These views, of course, are "totally unacceptable" Take Rio Ferdinand's view on Twitter: "I'm all for women refereeing in football, discrimination should not happen in our game at all ... prehistoric views if ...
