16) Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion (London: Dorling Kindersley, 2010, ISBN 9781405349185). I started out thinking I'd just refresh my memory of some of the key poses, since I'm getting back into practising, and ended up getting sucked in and re-reading the whole thing. I don't have much to add to my original review</i>, except to say that I never did get round to trying any of the recipes, but would still like to remedy that and have added some of the ingredients to my shopping list for this week. This entry was cross-posted from Dreamwidth, ...
I travelled on Northern Rail trains on several occasions this week, and spotted their latest recycling poster about newspapers, with the quote: "It's rubbish when you leave it" – meaning you should take your newspaper home and recycle it, rather than leaving it on the train for someone else to read. This reminded me about ...
Obviously sung to the same rhythm as 'Where's Your Mama Gone' (of the song Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by the group Middle Of The Road). No puns so far then! So where is Libby? Hopefully alive and well, last seen in Egypt but rumours of migration over to Algeria. I'm happy to receive 'News from the Lib Dems' and not against the apparent new party colour of aqua (although given a choice I'd go for D66 light green) but the email publication is noticeable for its absence - sans Libby. Has Libby retired? We weren't told, no collection or going ...
I know its a bit late, but he really deserves the celebration of his life and in particular this track.
Charles Barr, in his great book n Ealing Studios, pulls no punches: Barnacle Bill marks an unmistakable end of the line for Ealing Comedy. Made when the company had already left the physical environment of Ealing Studios, it is like watching the last twitching of the nervous system after death.And in his memoirs This is Where I Came In, the Ealing screenwriter T.E.B. Clarke does not remember it happily: the film was not a success. We should doubtless have reflected that running a pier is not an activity that many people with to enjoy vicariously.Barnacle Bill tells the story of ...
An application seeking planning permission to erect a part three, part four storey residential care development comprising 35 individual suites at the Hatherlow House site has been submitted to Sefton Council. Your Lib Dem Team want to let the residents in this area know about this application and give details about what you can do if you want to comment or object to this planning proposal. To see the full planning application please go to the Sefton Council web site If you would like to object you can write to Sefton Council's Planning Department, Magdalen House, 30 Trinity Road, Bootle ...
In his denying days, it seems fans of Star Wars have targeted Mubarak final speech – replacing it with audio from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Palpatine granting himself emergency power and destorying the Old Republic)
Since the Freedoms Bill was announced yesterday morning, I've been doing a little thinking and investigation into what this is all about and the impact that it is likely to have. My general impression is that the proposals are a rag-bag of fairly non-contentious pieces of legislative tidying up. They're all welcome developments in themselves, but what would have been far more interesting and useful would have been for this process to have been put in place as a regular fixture within the parliamentary calendar – say every year or two. That way, parliament could have ensured that the areas ...
A passionate, fairly concise polemic about the way in which women as writers are marginalised by academics, though also about the experience of minority erasure generally. Although towards the end it veered closer to micro-critiques of college course reading lists from over thirty years ago (I would be interested to know how much things have changed since), it's mostly full of wisdom and rage simultaneously. Numerous very good lines, including: The social invisibility of women's experience is not "a failure of human communication". It is a socially arranged bias persisted in long after the information about women's experience is available ...
Here in Wales, we're rather busy fighting for a 'Yes' referendum vote - that's the referendum for extra powers to the Welsh Assembly on March 3rd (more to follow in a blog post next week). But that doesn't mean that we're not doing our bit to get a decisive 'Yes' vote in the AV Referendum on May 5th. Indeed, my current Cardigan Focus newsletter which is currently in production has the generic 'Yes' template literature in it, quoting me as a keen supporter. So I'm pleased to see this ukpollingreport that announces the result of a ComRes poll for tomorrow's ...
Today's Daily Torygraph editorial has bemoaned the Lib Dem influence in the Coalition government. The comment here attacks the Lib Dems for having too much infuence over the Tories in comparison to our mutual Parliamentary sizes. It states: "We appreciate that our political leaders are in uncharted territory and will sometimes find it difficult to plot a consistent course. None the less, there is undoubtedly too much of the Lib Dem tail wagging the Tory dog". Well all I can say, is thank God for that. The Torygraph complains about Nick Clegg's comments this week about the "outrageous plans to ...
The last year has obviously been a rather interesting one in which to be a Liberal Democrat, particularly a young one. Sadly, as a result of some coalition decisions, notably the increase in tuition fees, some young people have chosen to leave the party. More worrying are the people that may now never join. I have always believed that the Liberal Democrats are the party that best advocates policy for young people. However, the question remains, how do we engage more young people in our party after fees? Personally, I feel that the fees decision, and its future effect, comes ...
The formation of the Coalition in May 2010 was meant to herald an era of new politics, more consensual than Thatcherism and more inclusive than Blairism. But someone clearly forgot to tell Eric Pickles. Richard Kemp, leader of the Liberal ... Continue reading →
I like Richard Kemp. He is a Liverpool Councillor, the leader of the Lib Dems in local government, an all round good egg and I knew him before he was really famous :-0 Anyhoo, it looks like he is about to have a little trouble with the tabloids.... Regular readers of this blog and my tweets (cllrkemp@twitter.com) will be aware that right wing newspapers have been trying to dig into my personal finances and those of my wife since the President of my fan club - Grant Shapps - suggested that the DCLG Select Committee should look at the financing ...
It seems I have sunday off tommorrow. I have been saving up for various items so have been doing all the weekend shifts that I can to bump up my wageslip. I cant quite remember the last time I had a sunday off mind. But after xmas I promised myself that I would put in for a couple of sunday's off. It is a very wierd feeling. You get used to doing certain days. My 9-5.
Yesterday's Guardian carried an article by Sarah Wollaston that raised an issue of profound significance for British democracy. The issue is the Government "payroll vote". Some 150 of the coalition's MPs are on the payroll. That means that they are bound by collective responsibility to vote with the Government. They cannot depart from the Government ...
For those of you bored on a Saturday night: Prisoners' voting rights: Britain's mounting fury over sovereignty – "The ECHR is very far from perfect. But a country lucky enough to enjoy the rule of law, like Britain, should think long and hard before flouting international treaties which offer perhaps the only hope of legal recourse to people in much less lucky climes." A Night At The Political Theatre – Excellent post from Flying Rodent on what the whole issue of prisoners voting reveals about the nature of British politics. "What I do know is that a society that makes ...
I've just enjoyed the latest newsletter from Satcure (see http://bit.ly/eWsc8a). There are some gems there (quoted below, but follow the link and read the whole thing). The proprietor, Martin Pickering, is both knowledgeable and helpful on satellite and Freeview reception. He doesn't suffer fools gladly. Read and enjoy. Customer: "I can't be without the box for any length of time." Martin: "Remember that I'm a Yorkshireman so this may come across as rude but, the way you've written that, it sounds like a serious TV addiction." Customer: "I suggest you call me to talk about this massive problem." Martin: "It ...
I see that Dominic Carman has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the forthcoming Barnsley Central by-election. I don't know a great deal about either Carman or Barnsley, other than the the BNP did exceptionally well there in the European elections and that Carman has been an outspoken critic of both the BNP and Nick Griffin. Obviously, the media will interpret the final Barnsley Central result in respect of the performance and standing of the coalition government. However, it seems the Lib Dems have identified early the potential for the BNP to do well here (there is certainly ...
Almost exactly a year ago, the City Council advised that an electrical fault had developed in a significant number of the bus shelters and, as a result, real time bus information (RTI) was being switched off pending repairs. It is of concern that, 12 months later, there are still some bus shelters without their RTI back on. This includes some shelters in Blackness Road where I have been requesting repairs, at the request of residents, for some time. With regard to Blackness Road, I am pleased to have received this update late yesterday from the City Council's City Development Department ...
I'm sure that many like me had been longing for that moment for the last few weeks. It finally came last night, when Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak's defiance collapsed in the face of the determined and unceasing protests of the courageous Egyptian people. There is no doubt that history has been made; the scenes of jubilation following the announcement were more than reminiscent of the scenes across eastern Europe in 1989 when one after another, despotic governments fell to popular expressions of the desire for freedom and democracy. The word "revolution" is overused by journalists and historians. Whether this peaceful ...
Sat 12th
16:37
Dominic Carman selected as Liberal Democrat candidate for Barnsley Central by-election
Barnsley Liberal Democrats today selected Dominic Carman as their candidate for the March 3 Barnsley Central Parliamentary by-election, at a hustings in the constituency. Carman, son of the late George Carman QC, and biographer of BNP leader Nick Griffin, previously stood for the Lib Dems in Barking, East London at the 2010 General Election. The by-election was caused by the resignation of the constituency's MP, Eric Illsley, who has now been jailed for 12 months for fraudulently claiming more than £14,000 in Parliamentary expenses.
Sat 12th
16:27
Newbury racecourse - bizarre and disturbing scenes more fit for a Dick Francis novel than real life
-Disturbing scenes and reports from Newbury Racecourse – just a few hundred yards from my home. The Racing Post has a very full report on the accident here. My sympathy goes out to those involved, especially the stable staff who were leading the horses round the paddock. As someone mentioned, it is the sort of thing you expect to read in a Dick Francis novel, not something that would happen in real life.
Liberal Democrat Voice has news of the decision of eight former Liberal Democrat candidates take part in Labour's policy-making process. That decision is announced in an article by Richard Grayson in an article in the forthcoming issue of Liberator. (The magazine's website appears to be offline at present, so for a year's subscription - eight issues - send a cheque for £25 to Liberator Publications, Flat 1, 24 Alexandra Grove, London N4 2LF.) I am never going to oppose dialogue between parties, but own view is that is the Liberal Democrats' policies we should be worrying about. Elsewhere, cross-party co-operation ...
Last night at the National Portrait Gallery – All Walks Beyond the Catwalk – Erin O'Connor, Debra Bourne and Caryn Franklin held a fantastic event offering new views and reflections on women and representations of beauty. All Walks are working to encourage greater diversity in the fashion industry. Obviously – given the Government Body Confidence campaign to push back against the relentless pressure on young people of impossibly perfect images – I was more than happy to support the evening. Firstly, Rankin, celebrated photographer had worked with All Walks to create a more diverse portrait of the Spring/Summer 2011 catwalk ...
Yesterday's announcement that the DNA of up to one million innocent people will be wiped from the national database is a victory for commonsense and liberalism. Under the new regime only the profiles of people suspected of serious offences of sex or violence will be retained and only for a maximum of five years. Other proposals include a significant scaling back of vetting and criminal record checks, more powers for the public around CCTV, making it a criminal offence to wheel-clamp vehicles on private land and a major reduction of state powers to snoop on people. A major culling of ...
An investigation has started into an incident where two horses were electrocuted at Newbury today. Immediately, I think of three questions: What could have damaged the cables? Were they power supply or turf-heating cables? Does the maintenance regime for the grass involve spiking the area? If so was the spiking contractor aware of the cables? The depth at which they were buried is very significant.
In reply to this post 'I can't support the coalition anymore'. This post was an over reaction after becoming a daddy. It's amazing how protective you become of your young family. I believe if I was still a single man then these tax changes certainly wouldn't of concerned me directly at least. Therefore I did rather throw my toys out of the pram (no pun intended). Perhaps the fact that the withdrawal of child benefit from higher rate tax payers however remains unfair from the point of view of shared family incomes mine being half of what other families with ...
There was an interesting article in the Guardian on Saturday. It describes the upcoming anti-AV campaign. The Labour dominated anti-reform organisation has no intention in discussing the issues. Instead they will target Nick Clegg. The dinosaurs have abandoned reasoned argument. A mock up of the proposed anti-reform website has the statement, "Under AV the only vote that will count is Nick Clegg's." Typical of the hyperbole that characterises British politics at present, and sadly not a surprising. Since losing the general election, Labour have gone negative on the Liberal Democrats in general and Nick Clegg in particular. They calculate any ...
There is still time of course but at least the centralising tendencies of the Labour-Plaid Cymru One Wales Government have not yet led to the excesses of the English Local Government Minster in emasculating local authorities. Eric Pickles has found himself the centre of controversy in recent days for his eagerness to chop council budgets. I suspect that he would not be comfortable if he was not stirring things up, but that does not excuse his behaviour or that of his fellow Ministers in targeting local authority cash in the way that they have. Many key services are delivered by ...
See the photos of Labour's illiberal ID database getting shredded. Here is a particularly nice one:-) [IMG: Shredded bits of the database] picture from the Home Office flikr site H/T Dick Puddecoate
Boxercise Class Every Tuesday, 6-7pm Longfield Suite £3 per session February Half Term Holiday information Packs February Half term Holiday Information Packs are available from Bury Children and Young People's Information Service.Down load a pack from www.bury.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople Email childinfo@bury.gov.uk Phone 0800 731 4611 Prestwich Festival 2011 Deadline to register events – 21st February Are you organising an event for Prestwich Festival? Do you want it included in the Festival Programme which will be distributed to over 13,000 homes in Prestwich? Contact David Curtis, Prestwich Festival Organiser d-curtis2@sky.com or visit www.prestwichfestival.net Adult Care Connect & Direct Drop in Sessions for disabled ...
As an athletic supporter I warmly welcome the decision by the Olympic Park Legacy Company to back West Ham's bid to take over the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.I for one think 2012, along with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, will be a great year for Britain and I am looking forward to spending everyday supporting the Olympics and Para Olympics during my summer holiday.When we won the bid
Richard Kemp has really got under the skin of Tory high command who display their true colours by their reaction . Writing on his blog today Richard reports: Tory Dirty Tricks Department versus the Kemp Operation!Posted on February 12, 2011 by richardkempRegular readers of this blog and my tweets (cllrkemp@twitter.com) will be aware that right wing newspapers have been trying to dig into my personal finances and those of my wife since the President of my fan club - Grant Shapps - suggested that the DCLG Select Committee should look at the financing of the Kemp operation!I was hugely flattered ...
We know the facts by now. We are borrowing north of £100 billion every year, with our national debt having now topped £1 trillion. To finance all that we are paying £120 million every day just to pay the interest on that debt - enough to build a new school every day or a new hospital every week. Only the most shameless of deficit deniers would argue that we do not need to find cuts. So, let me offer up one idea for a cut that has lots of potential across the country: council-run CCTV camera cars. These mobile CCTV ...
The question of whether or not a woman ought to have her head covered whilst in church is one which tends to raise the temperature of debate within many Christian circles. Fr Z. (pronounced Zee for some unknown reason) is holding a poll on the issue on his blog. In the Latin Church it was ...
I find the votes for prisoners debate simultaneously frustrating and trivial. Prisoner votes are not a clear matter of principle; it depends on whether you believe the deprivation of the right to vote under universal suffrage should be a part of all or some custodial sentences, alongside the more fundamental withdrawal of liberty. If it should, should it be implicit, or stated explicitly at the time of sentencing. Bar the courageous 22, for politicians, motivations in this debate are more base. Most for example would like to avoid a Daily Mail headline, or similar on an opponent's leaflet that says ...
The minutes documents for this meeting have been published on the City Councils website (click here). It is very unfortunately that neither Sir Peter Brown (the Conservative Cabinet Member responsible for Libraries) or any Officers from the County Council were able to present themselves to the Area Committee to address local concerns. There is a lot of local feeling on the issues of Libraries that they should have put in an appearance to address. The minutes from the Libaries segment of the meeting are; "The committee received an oral report from Councillor Wilkins regarding his understanding of the current position ...
Here are my PAD photos for this week: Saturday A lovely night with friends Stevie and Richie in their matching tops. One was from Next, one from Primark. Can you tell which? Sunday Bella the cutest labradoodle ever looking very sweet. Monday The path to school - not, to be honest, that I use it that often.... Tuesday The Waverley Steps in Edinburgh close for a year for renovation and bright, sparkly escalators to be put in. A last look at them as they were. Wednesday That City Arts Centre in Edinburgh knows how to make a bit of quiche ...
On Friday former Liberal Democrat policy director and Parliamentary candidate Richard Grayson announced more details of his response to Ed Miliband's invitation to encourage Lib Dems to take part in Labour's policy review. The details came in the form of an article due to be published in Liberator: I saw that invitation as part of an effort to move Labour away from the tribalism which has been such a feature of its past. I have long been committed to pluralism and have a history of working with people from other parties. I have done that for some time through Compass, ...
The resignation of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the most populous Arab state, following weeks of protests is a fantastic day for the millions that made it happen, and we hope the progress of liberty and democracy. This is not assured. The Egyptian military is in charge in the interim, Mubarak's apparatus of power remains intact, and building a consensus for a new constitution amongst opposition factions will be painful. Islamists and secularists have different ideas about fundamental liberties and pluralism. Many of the middle-class protesters leading the chants this month, helped keep Mubarak in power previously, precisely to avoid government ...
Regular readers of this blog and my tweets (cllrkemp@twitter.com) will be aware that right wing newspapers have been trying to dig into my personal finances and those of my wife since the President of my fan club - Grant Shapps ... Continue reading →
A well-told chapter of Belisarius' military victories, first against the Vandal kingdom of North Africa and then against the Goths in Italy, ending with a somewhat cryptic account of his fall from grace. Contains some good human stories - the despair of the Vandal king Gelimer, the travails of the Romans switching masters from Goths to Byzantines, the use of aqueducts to infiltrate cities, and the dubious ending of the chapter with Antonina's love life.
Right above – Air Chief Marshal Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak, aged 82, in charge of Egypt until yesterday. Left – Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman, aged 75, now in charge. ...A real generational change.
... and it feels really good. On Tuesday, I suddenly started feeling much more together than I have done for months - rested, able to function first thing in the morning, all that stuff - and spontaneously felt like doing some yoga, so I did a couple of rounds of sun salutations. Same again on Wednesday and Thursday, and then yesterday and today I added some pranayama (breathing exercises) and asanas (poses). I'd forgotten how calming anuloma viloma is (a breathing exercise where you breathe in through one nostril for a count of 4, hold for 16, breathe out through ...
Over on Sean Dilley's blog, there's a transcript of an interview he conducted on talkSPORT with deputy prime minister Nick Clegg discussing yesterday's announcement of the government's long-awaited Freedom Bill. Here's an excerpt of what Nick said: I first proposed the idea of a Freedom Bill some years ago, because I think under Labour, too many of our Freedoms were taken away. Our Privacy was invaded. Too many innocent people were treated with suspicion. Look, under Labour, your children could have their finger prints taken at school without your permission. You could be spied on by your local Council, your ...
I'm currently hosting a local Councillor Drop-In Session at Arbury Community Centre until 12. If you have any local issues you'd like to discuss then please feel free to come along! I'm your local County Councillor and we have a Full Council Meeting related to the Counties "Integrated Plan" (aka their Budget) on Tuesday so if you'd like to discuss anything please feel free to come by (or if you'd like to ask us a question you can contact us individually by clicking on the links to the left or by clicking here).
Some progress was made at last week's emergency meeting about the woeful new Yate bus station. We hope that Tesco are going to put in a temporary solution, and South Glos are trying to cut through the red tape associated with a planning application for a permanent solution. Meanwhile, looking at the current design, and remembering that a camel is a horse designed by a committee... If it's got one hump it's a dromedaryIf it's got two humps it's a camelAs it's got three humps, we'll call the bus station Humphrey!
We've been notified of some tree works near Jedburgh Court: two willows and a cherry are proposed for a "coppice", and one willow for a "pollard". These trees are behind the Learner pool. On the map (right) the trees are marked in green, and the one for pollarding is numbered 10. If you want more information please get in touch as soon as possible and we will put you in contact with the relevant people at the City Council. The map is from the City Council.
'Team Davies' has been on our annual Awayday; two of them in fact. Staff from my Stockport and Brussels offices got together at a Tudor mansion in the Peak District National Park to talk about just about every aspect of our work. We combined the work (and occasional heated dispute) with some hearty breakfasts, substantial evening meals, and an afternoon walk in Dovedale. I have always thought these occasions useful, but perhaps this was the best. Maybe the fact that there was no signal for mobile phones helped concentrate the minds; it certainly made it difficult to follow developments in ...
A couple of weeks ago we saw boats making their war from Oxford to Market Harborough for the first IWA Festival. Now here is a film of Market Harborough basin during the event, together with more footage of Foxton and a couple of unidentified river locations. Mike Beech, who posted this on Youtube, suggests that you also visit the Old Union Canals Society and Foxton Inclined Plane Trust sites.
Converse All Star Hi Batman Athletic Shoe, Black, at Journeys Shoes Oh I hate being a geeky consumer. I want these shoes so much, and they're only available from a US-based website, and I can't justify spending money on shoes anyway. Tell me it's good for me to resist, yes? Oh, but I want them... (tags: thingsiwant) Converse All Star Hi Legion of Doom Athletic Shoe, Gray, at Journeys Shoes ... and these ones... (tags: thingsiwant) Converse All Star Hi Athletic Shoe, Black, at Journeys Shoes And, of course, these ones (tags: thingsiwant) skeptifem: Whining in Evolutionary Psychology Skeptifem takes ...
A few weeks ago I commented here of my anger at Tottenham Hotspur's bid for the Olympic Stadium after the Games finish next year. Thankfully, the Olympic Park Legacy Company have yesterday unanimously selected West Ham United as their preferred choice to move into the Olympic Stadium. That preference still has to be confirmed by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and by the Government but those confirmations should be assured within the coming days. An artists' impression of a West Ham occupied Olympic Stadium This is the right decision. West Ham promised to preserve the Olympic legacy ...
Here's your starter for ten in our weekend slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate... "We must think long term" is a common cry in politics and government. Far easier said than done, but whether it is investing in early years education, making decisions over building new physical infrastructure such as railways, setting rules for pensions or a myriad of other decisions, government repeatedly makes decisions which only work well if they are stuck to for a long period of time and whose positive impact may not be directly felt for many years. For example, the ...
I was so sickened by David Cameron's speech the other day on his distorted view of multiculturalism that I couldn't even have a conversation about it, let alone write about it. I thought of all the wonderful people I met when teaching English to people coming to Stockton from all over the world; people whose first language was French, German, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Punjabi, Kurdish, Czech,
i) births and deaths 12 February 1953: birth of Nabil Shaban, who played Sil in Vengeance on Varos (1985), Mindwarp (1986) and the Big Finish audio Mission to Magnus (2009). ii) broadcast anniversaries 12 February 1966: broadcast of "The Sea Beggar", second episode of the story we now call The Massacre. Stephen continues his search for the Doctor, while the Huguenots look for Anne Chaplette to resolve the rumours of the planned mass killing. 12 February 1972: broadcast of third episode of The Curse of Peladon. The Doctor is condemned to trial by combat; he escapes but is recaptured. As ...
There are 57 Liberal Democrat MPs in parliament, but there were only 22 votes against maintaining the blanket ban preventing prisoners from voting, and at least one of them (Denis MacShane) was from another party. So where were at least 36 Liberal Democrat MPs when a Liberal voice was needed? We are the party of internationalism, of international law, and above all of human and civil rights, and yet when there is a clear need to stand up for our values and be counted over half our parliamentary party is not there. The movement to defy the European Court of ...
Having waited over three months since the last communication from Roads Service concerning the signage in Botanic Avenue, I have written back to Mr Conall McKee seeking clarification of where they have got in their review process. It seems incredible that nothing appears to have been done. I will continue to press Roads Service on ...
I was a little puzzled by this amendment* to the cabinets budget by two members of the cabinet, though support the idea of protecting those who have had their tokens stolen by the County Conservatives. This problem started when the portfolio holder failed to convince the county to passport money back to the borough. He sent a very good letter but failed to circulate to all the committee members
The recent news about control orders makes me a little wary. On the plus side, we're rolling back one of the most egregious power grabs by the Labour government, and the executive has to relinquish powers to the judiciary on things such as control orders, but on the other hand, the replaced regime has some massive holes; most notably, the fact that the rubberstamping is gone and the powers are permanent. Still, I think it's a good idea. Worst still, it pushes Labour into a corner here: they can't support the new regime as it would be reversing on party ...
Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices English language quiz - I got 6 on the first round, 5 on the second and 4 on the third. What about you? (tags: linguistics) How the British debate about votes for prisoners misses the international context ...human rights for all kinds of groups across Europe have been improved thanks to the work of the European Court of Human Rights. The question would better be "Do you want human rights cases to be judged only in the UK, knowing this would endanger the human rights of other Europeans - including gay rights, the rights ...
For a recent essay I had to answer the question 'was the new Liberalism simply a response to the emergence of socialism?' Here is a precis of some of the more interesting aspects: Liberalism's evolution during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century can be defined as what John Stuart Mill describes the 'struggle between liberty and authority'. He argued that individuals should be free from the state, provided they do not harm another's liberty; they should even be free from control if they cause harm to themselves. Mill went on to warn against the consensus of majorities and assumed ...
Next Thursday, March 17th, was to have been an important day for our Area Action Partnership. A whole meeting was to have been dedicated to discussing the Academy and Sports Centre proposals for Consett with two senior council officers, and of course that would have given anyone who chose to come a chance to have their say and, hopefully, have their opinion heard. The two announcements this week – the withdrawal of Durham University as lead sponsor for the Academy, and the commitment of the cabinet to find new cash to enable an Academy to go ahead – made the ...
Last Saturday wasn't a particularly pleasant day for me for more than one reason. At the same time as I was witnessing how the people of Luton had been excluded from their own town centre by the EDL, David Cameron was making a speech in Munich that was reported as declaring that "multiculturalism had failed". At the time I felt, as did a number of other people I spoke to, that by making this speech on the same day as the EDL rally, and with no words of condemnation of the EDL's extremism, Cameron had insulted Luton, Britain's Muslim community, ...
I went for a drink a couple of days ago - nothing unusual there. In one pub I was in a conversation about cars and two drinkers reckoned there was nothing wrong with speeding. One person even said that if they were chased by the police for twenty minutes then it was worth a fine! I have always accepted that fast cars with top speeds well in excess of our speed limits were acceptable because they can accelerate quickly, can be used to their full potential on Autobahns and they may be nice cars. This wasn't good enough for these ...
