I have signed up for [IMG: [community profile] ] pod_together, but only as a reader/podficcer, not as a writer (really don't have time for the writeyness at the mo). So, any of you who write stuff, and would like it read out in my dulcet tones, do feel free to go sign up: Open for sign ups May 16 to May 27 on LJ and DW
Hilary Benn has written an ominous piece on Labourlist. He ostensibly supports the principle of reforming the House of Lords to make it more democratic... but his carefully constructed wording suggests that Labour are preparing the ground to sabotage the whole process to score cheap political points. Benn writes: "The Labour Party is firmly committed ...
...since Jim Henson passed away? Here is how the muppets paid tribute to him hat tip to oneexwidow who reminded me just now.
The long week of cross-party discussions in Stockton has ended in a coalition of Labour and Ingleby Barwick Independents. Every party has been involved in conversations, trying to find agreement on the way forward for the borough. For the Liberal Democrats it was important to find common ground on at least some of the issues facing us other than the big things we all agree on - keeping the
Can be read by clicking this link.
If the coalition partners accepts that they needs a separate narrative separate, and it is unclear if they do, how would you create such a story? The story has to begin with the wishes of the voters. No party was given an overall majority and given the economic conditions the country faced in May last year, the parties came together to govern in the national interest. This is territory already well trodden by Nick Clegg and David Cameron. The trickier part is to find a way to explain the aspirations of the coalition while allowing for the narrative to show ...
After months of road closures to allow for works by Scottish Water, then Scotland Gas Networks, and finally Tayside Contracts to resurface the road, Thomson Street has now permanently reopened. The new road surface is excellent and it was good to be advised earlier today that the disabled parking bays for residents have been repainted. The residents of Thomson Street have shown great patience through months of disruption and will be relieved to see the road upgraded and back open permanently.
Following on from Southport brewery's Royal kiss and the Liverpool Organic brewery's local heroes the latest in our series on micro brewery bottles comes from Woods brewery
We had our thank you party on Saturday. It rained. We had secured a barrel of beer from the Southport brewery to toast on success ad in an effort to keep it at the correct temperature we set it up outside. As the photograph makes clear we had a willing volunteer to do the bar work.
Don't forget that Liberal England is now accepting guest posts. So far 14 have appeared: In praise of slow government - Simon BeardChildren and the surveillance state: Will the Coalition keep its word? - Terri DowtyStandards matter in higher education, not just participation rates - AnonymousA Woking class hero is something to be - Lisa HardingThe campaign for a Robin Hood Tax - Ian SullivanThe limits of the Big Society - Martin VeartCan hyperlocal news sites be the future of journalism? - Niall SullivanHow Edward Stourton misunderstood The Orange Book - Simon TitleyWhy I caged my son: The Love Outdoor ...
It is Christmas Eve 1965. You are in the large Leicestershire village of Barwell. You see a bright light in the sky. Is it a star showing the birthplace of our Lord? No, it is the largest meteorite ever to fall to earth in Britain. As the BBC Inside Out pages tell it: The village of Barwell near Leicester, was showered in thousands of pieces of what became known as the Christmas meteorite. From fragments to large chunks Barwell became the target, yet amazingly no-one was injured. Had the meteorite landed elsewhere, it could easily have been a different story ...
Is it not about time the papers were forced to make clearer apologies for telling lies? Listening to BBC This Weeks discussion on law suits and super injunctions it seems amazing that newspapers get away with so much. For example on the eve of the 1992 election, Neil Kinnock had to spend his evening trying to stop a story on him using private healthcare, when he never did. This story was stopped, but if it was published you could imagine Labour unfairly performing even worse at the polls, even thought the story was untrue. Many people believe what they read ...
You may recall that I rather fell in love with Bridgnorth last summer, spending more than four hours doing the town trail. I even went back late that evening to see the town's two churches. Yes, I had dined well, but they are remarkable. As I wrote at the time: St Leonard's (medieval but practically rebuilt in the 19th century) is placed in something close to a cathedral close. Thomas Telford's St Mary Magdalene closes off a fine Georgian street - and was aligned North-South to achieve this.I found the other day that I have had an old children's book ...
When Labour were in power, Liberal Democrats regularly attacked the government for its inaction over so-called vulture funds (that is, in this context, financial funds who buy up debt from poor countries and try to make a profit out of it). For example, then International Development spokesperson Lynne Featherstone said, Gordon Brown has said this is immoral but so far it's been all talk and no action. The Government needs to take a stand and use its influence in the IMF to help devise an internationally binding system to ensure companies can't prey on heavily indebted developing countries in this ...
With the Tory press doing their best to try and pin a driving offence identity swap on Lib Dem Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, one can't help be reminded of a previous case involving an MP. In this case the MP was outspoken Tory right winger (and Lord Bonkers lookalike) Gerald Nabarro. In 1971 a Daimler bearing the registration number 'NAB 1' was seen to be driving dangerously on the wrong side of the road in Totton Hampshire. An eye witness claimed a moustachioed man was behind the wheel and Nabarro was fined and banned, despite claiming his secretary was driving. ...
Cornwall Council's Annual Meeting will be held at County Hall tomorrow (Tuesday) and you can read the agenda here. Much of the meeting is housekeeping (choosing a Chairman and Vice Chairman, noting committee lists and so on) but there is likely to be an interesting debate around the proposed creation of 'Cabinet Support Members', additional ...
Before Blogger had its wee brainstorm last week and ate two of my posts (including one on Taggart which I was particularly proud of but can't recreate) I had posted on the idiocy surrounding Scottish football, primarily the Old Firm. Today, a suspicious package was sent to Cowdenbeath FC addressed to Donald Findlay QC, the club chairman and a former (and well known) vice-chairman of Rangers. Now, I don't think it was particularly clever of an apparently educated man like Mr Findlay to decide to get on stage with Rangers fans and sing various sectarian songs, but I don't think ...
So I get home tonight looking for a little light relief, only to find an email from my Group chair preparing for a meeting on Saturday by asking me to describe in no more than 10 words "what went wrong?" Aaargh! Seriously, though, it's good that there's so much opportunity to direct the debate. James Taylor makes some good points here on how Willie could be our John Swinney (although I would hope his time as leader would be a little less riven by factionalism and division within the party and ends a little more successfully.) There are, though, a ...
Mon 16th
19:12
New CCC Constitution: Written Questions at Full Council (Political Allocation Changes)
As you might have heard Councillor Nick Clarke, Conservative leader designate of the County Council, is proposing to change the way County Council works (fundamentally, with 24-hours notice!). One of his proposed changes is to limit the number of written questions to THIRTEEN for the Full County Council meeting.It's worth saying that we have *never* asked 13, or even gotten into double digits, in the past year. That's not the issue. the issue is the 13 will be allocated proportionally based on the various sizes of the political parties. This should mean that the Conservatives, with 60% of the Councillors, ...
For a few minutes this afternoon, I tuned into the Parliamentary debate regarding the suspension of David Laws. Three Labour MPs in a row, including Kevin Barron of the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee, described his actions as no different to MPs that have since been jailed for fraud. That's a sad reflection on Westminster. The suspension of an elected representative is a significant matter, yet they appear to place little weight on basic ethical and moral concepts such as motive and personal gain. Most people understand the a difference between seeking to protect one's privacy (and claiming less money ...
Channel 4 has this statement from Lib Dem Energy Secretary, on the recent allegations that he asked his estranged wife Vicky Pryce to take some speeding points for him. Huhne categorically denies any wrongdoing, and says the Essex Police investigation will prove his innocence. Pressure on Huhne is though growing, and if he were found guilty or unable ...
The much anticipated speech by Cameron today highlighted he has very little intention of reforming the NHS bill. In addition to this we have significant failures to upkeep the Green Deal with nuclear energy funding and targets under scrutiny and a significant reduction in Lib Dem attention to House of Lords reform. If it weren't for the paternity leave proposals, I would be questioning the Lib
So I was at this event yesterday and a guy from Peace Now gave me a flyer for an event organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues, on imagining a shared vision for Israel/Palestine in 2031, to be chaired by the Lib Dem co-chair of this all-party group, Simon Hughes. The Group hopes that "by focusing on the rising generation's vision of the world in which they want to live, fresh thinking might emerge that could help create a future for Israel/Palestine where violent conflict no longer dominates." Eight Israeli, Palestinian and Anglo-Jewish young people are involved; the ...
Today I attended the launch of an ACEVO commission report on the Big Society, "Powerful People, Responsible Society". I'm afraid I found the report quite insipid and stale. Even worse than the report were the introductions to the report from ... Continue reading →
Image via Wikipedia The Chancellor George Osborne today addressed Google Zeitgeist, giving his thoughts on open data and the effects it is having on government. H esaid the government wanted to "embrace the accountability revolution enabled by the internet age" and was not scared by by, the increased accountability the internet provides. Osbonred jibed that ...
I wrote this for http://libertinezine.blogspot.com/ which is the discussion forum site for Liberal Youth. Please show your support for the youth of our party by visiting this site. Why does politics seem so far away from the youth's problems of today? This is the question that I ask myself when I see young people hanging around in the park, on the streets and in shopping centres looking aimless. Yet, last year we saw thousands of students demonstrating against the rise in tuition fees. There was fury in the air and they had an aim-to get the Government to leave the ...
Speaking amid unconfirmed reports that the Ministry of Defence is seeking further savings from the Armed Forces next year, senior Liberal Democrat MP and member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Sir Menzies Campbell said: "If these reports are true they will make grim reading for our Armed Forces. By a remarkable irony, they have emerged on the same day as the Defence Secretary is announcing better terms and conditions for those who serve in the military. "The best possible provision in a new military covenant would surely be certainty of continuing employment." Share this: [IMG: Digg] [IMG: del.icio.us] [IMG: ...
Firstly I'd like to apologise from the lack of recent updates. I've been rather busy with coursework and haven't had time to write much. Secondly, I'd like to draw your attention to the disgraceful decision by the tory administration on Surrey County Council to reject an online petition 26,289 signatures strong calling for the County Council to abandon their plans for on-street parking. In this vote, surprise surprise, tory councillors who'd previously spoken out against the planned increases in charges suddenly voted against the petition. I've blogged about the issue of parking charges before and it is incredibly frustrating to ...
A shaft of hope penetrated the bleakness of Middle East peace prospects last month when Fatah and Hamas unexpectedly signed a reconciliation deal. But hope is always fragile, and it looked as though it would be quickly extinguished. Israeli Prime ... Continue reading →
I was intrigued by the reports of the 'Rally Against Debt', which took place at the weekend in London.Intrigued because, in a society which is generally resistant to change, most demonstrations are aimed at stopping something from happening, rather than demanding that it does. And curiously, I find myself sympathising with their wish for the deficit to be cut faster, and for the level of debt to be decreased. After all, interest paid on debts that accrue on non-investment activities is wasted expenditure, and debt has to be settled eventually.However, the organisers of, and participants in, the 'Rally Against Debt' ...
I've just created a Facebook page for the North-West Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats. I now need another 24 people to "Like" that page so I can get a proper URL.
Attempts to win Europe's fish fight and prevent the waste of huge quantities of fish every year face strong opposition, a North West England Euro-MP has warned. The European Commission has outlined plans to force fishermen to land all that ... Continue reading →
The trials of Edinburgh Zoo came to a head last week resulting in the Chair being subjected to, and losing, a Vote of Confidence at an EGM. He has subsequently resigned. This hopefully brings to an end a very unsettling period for staff and members alike. I have always defended the zoo as principally a conservation organisation running a visitor attraction to bankroll their conservation work. Over the last few years I have felt that balance switching and I have become less comfortable in that belief especially in light of the Zoos proposals to build on greenbelt and on a ...
Am I the only person here in Britain to feel just a little uncomfortable over the so-called "Military Covenant", given prominence by the Prime Minister over the last couple of days. This basically holds that servicemen should be given extra respect by the rest of us because they put their lives on the line on our behalf. This is meant to have practical consequences for medical treatment, housing and schooling for their children. There is talk of enshrining this in law. I don't have an issue with these practical points. The demands of service personnel (especially tours of duty in ...
Well it looks like newly elected Mid Scotland & Fife MSP Willie Rennie will this week become Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Willie, who previously served as MP for Dunfermline, takes up the leadership challenge at a difficult time for a party that's had its fair share of ups and downs. The good news ...
A North West Euro-MP says that people seeking medical help to die should be able to do so at home in North West England and not be forced to travel to Zurich. Liberal Democrat Chris Davies has welcomed the result ... Continue reading →
The Evening News reports this afternoon that the owners of the former Donaldson's College, whose picture makes up part of the banner of this blog, are looking to build on the magnificent lawns outside the 'A' listed building. I was amazed to hear of this as the planning restrictions on are so tight when you own a building of this historical and architectural significant. I for one will be opposed to this move and I am sure many residents and conservation groups will be equally outraged.
Cornwall Council's Tory Leader Alec Robertson has announced his reshuffled Cabinet. (He did so after 9pm on a Friday night, so I bet the press officers who had to stay at work were thrilled). The major change is the introduction of Cabinet Support Members. Alec has promised that introducing them won't result in higher allowances overall, but the price of around £32,000 will have to be found from somewhere. Tory backbencher Olive Eggleston speaks for many when she writes that if Cabinet members can't do the job themselves and need assistance, perhaps they should be paying out of their own ...
There was little real choice about choosing to enter the coalition. There was little real choice about addressing the nation's colossal budget. There was no way to avoid risking unpopularity. As the Liberal Democrat councillors took the bullet for the coalition on local election day and Conservatives emerged relatively unscathed, it must be asked whether the extent of our defeats was avoidable. To put it another way could we have played the coalition game better – both in terms of presentation and in terms of policy? The answer is unequivocally yes and for that reason MPs owe an apology to ...
In March Stephen Williams wrote a pamphlet for CentreForum endorsing a plan drawn up Portman Capital partners, under which each UK citizen would receive about 1450 shares in RBS and 440 in Lloyds. These would be worth more than £900 at current market prices. A story on the CNBC site today suggests that the government is also attracted to the plan: Government ministers and civil servants have been concerned by the possible effect a mass sell-off of the state's shares would have on the overall market and in particular on the banks in question.
Tim Worstall is simultaneously wrong and right: "We don't actually give a shit about which technology provides us with low carbon power. We care only that we get low carbon power. So, of course, incentives and subsidies should be simple and unique. One system for all.Onshore wind should get the same deal as offshore wind, ...
Stockport, like all Councils, has priorities that it works hard to achieve. This is the first of a short series of posts summarising how the council believes it's doing in meeting those. It's a summarised version of a public report, which itself is a summary of hundreds of pages of reports, backed up by data, looking at every aspect of the 600+ services we deliver. This summary – and so any errors or ommissions contained – is my own. It comes from the 4th Quarter 2010/11 Corporate Performance Report which comes to the Council's Executive Committee on Wednesday. The report ...
I originally wrote this blog post over a year ago when i was feeling at one of the lowest points of my life. I've tweaked it and resurrected it from the 'drafts' folder where it has remained unpublished. Why publish it ... Continue reading →
█ ███████ The joys of living in a democracy, with a truly free press.
As I write I have just finished my first week as the new Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Liverpool City Council. And what a week it's been. As the first female leader of a major party on the City Council (that's first ever) I had more than my fair share of attention. I have discovered the joys of the 6 am media call and suddenly being the person everyone wants to talk to. And the enormity of the challenges ahead has been quickly sinking in. Here in Liverpool we have a mountain to climb. Like many of you we ...
I'm finally getting round to writing up the local election results in Luton. This is my result in the Barnfield ward: Martin Pantling, Liberal Democrat: 904 Rachel Hopkins, Labour: 822 Andrew Strange, Liberal Democrats: 808 Graham Costello, Conservative: 691 Bryan Davey, Labour: 679 Saeed Akhtar, Conservative: 657 Simon Hall, Green: 171 As you can see my colleague, Martin Pantling, topped the poll with myself narrowly losing out to Labour candidate Rachel Hopkins. I lost by only 14 votes! Given the bad night that the Liberal Democrats had across the country it wasn't a great surprise that I lost. What was ...
It's traditional for hecklers to call out that a cab has arrived for a struggling stand-up comedian who's in the middle of 'dying' on stage, to signal that it's time for him to 'get off'. One man who sadly isn't funny is Cllr Brian Coleman, the Conservative London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden. I have never had a personal axe to grind against Brian, having always got on perfectly well with him when we have bumped into each other on the local political scene. But this is now getting ridiculous; in fact, it got more than ridiculous some time ...
I spent a little while playing with Google Maps over the weekend and I've managed to overlay the ward boundaries for my constituency (North-West Cambridgeshire) onto a map. You should be able to click on a ward. In the pop-up, the name of the ward should send you to the map for that ward. I'm quite pleased with myself! Next steps: properly integrate this into the constituency web site.
We're getting some very interesting comments on our bus station survey - have you given us YOUR views yet? You can view the outline options from the links in the box in the right hand column of this blog. Then you can complete the survey online, or download the form and print it if you prefer.
Today the Assembly is deciding the ministers for the next Northern Ireland Executive. So just a reminder of the agreed order on Friday and I'll fill in who as we go along DUP Department of Finance and Personel An Roinn Fiontar, Trádála agus Infheistíochta Sammy Wilson No surprise here having held the position in the last Assembly. However, Peter Robinson has said that the position is only for two years for the MP and MLA and that he is to be replaced by Strangford's Simon Hamilton in two years time. Sinn Féin Department of Education An Roinn Oideachais John O'Dowd ...
David Cameron is being firm on the NHS and insisting there is only one option: change. He should listen to these wise words from Bananarama: It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it. That's what gets results. It ain't what you do, it's the time that you do it. That's what gets results. The point is that if Mr Cameron is serious about standing strong, he should be making clear to his party that our reforms must be inspired by Europe, not driven by American investors. Which gives us two choices, not one: French style, or ...
Yesterday afternoon saw the Edinburgh Central thank you party. The campaigners and activists gathered to eat some delicious food (that banana cake, that table, that chocolate cheesecake thingy, yum) and do all the thanking and being thanked that's associated with these events. Clearly, and unfortunately, we didn't manage to send Alex to Holyrood this time, but there was still some celebrating to be done. I was only a tiny part of the awesome campaign machine, but it was such a good experience and I've made friends I'll have for life. We've put a lot into this campaign, but we also ...
[IMG: With Mark H Durken] With Mark H Durkan MLA (right) at Hands Across the Divide When the Church was reopened this weekend there was the Sinn Féin deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness in attendance and the SDLP Mayor of Derry City Council, Colum Eastwood MLA. Along with teh Chief Constable of the PSNI Mark Baggott as well as both Bishops. After being shut for 9 years and after £1.5 million in refurbishment their presence really was a symbol as the Minister Rev Dr David Latimer said of the shared future all the people of Derry/Londonderry crave. Picture from the ...
One of Luddendenfoot's local Councillors Richard Marshal has written a letter stating his opposition to an increase in car parking charges. Parking charges are going up in Calderdale, from 50p an hour to a £1 an hour in Halifax and from 30p an hour to 50p an hour in Hebden Bridge. Any of my friends who live in London or down south will laugh bitterly at how cheap even our new higher charges seem to them. Of course it's entirely reasonable to oppose charges as a method of raising revenue for local authorities. Some people think they are a fairer ...
David Rendel, former Lib Dem MP for Newbury and one-time candidate for the party leadership, has broken his silence about being the sole member of the party's ruling Federal Executive to vote against the formation of the Coalition with the Conservatives one year ago. Speaking to the BBC, David recalls: "It was very lonely being on my own. I was with a group of about 250 people – all of whom I liked and respected. But I said in my speech that I felt this was a short-term government and all we would get would be short-term gains. Come the ...
TweetThis blog must first start with an admission, yes I read order-order.com, home of vitriolic blogger Paul Staines and contributing editor Harry Cole (Nee Tory Bear), it's rather embaressing to admit actually. It's like watching a car crash, or a particularly horrific accident, something you can't quite help watch in a rather morbid, know you shouldn't way. I often laugh at his vitriol towards politicians and the cross hairs that he wheels out as some sort of morality police the self appointed assasin of established politicians like some sort of perverse reverse patron saint. So when I see Guido turn ...
Funerals are due to be held in Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon following the deaths of 12 people on Sunday in demonstrations on Israel's borders. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is correct to defend the sovereignty of his ... Continue reading →
I came in last night and looked at the news on the BBC's red button. I was saddened to read, reported as the second biggest story, that twelve Palestinians had that day been killed by Israeli forces. It is obviously very sad that these people have died, and right that it is reported, alongside stories such as this one about seven people being killed on the same day in Syria. However, the long list of red button news stories, with the Palestinian deaths reported as the world's second biggest story, did not include, at all, the news of a suspected ...
I've been doing some digging on a fairly new NHS surgery that Camden residents can't sign up to - but can use their very generous opening hours for a walk in centre.The Cricklewood Health Centre is located just behind Somerfield on the corner of Cricklewood Broadway and Cricklewood Lane. Although its not quite in Camden, its very well located for many Fortune Green residents. The only problem is that Camden residents aren't able to register there - Brent residents are also barred. The centre couldn't be much more conveniently located for the three borough's that see Cricklewood as an important ...
Equality before the law is a pretty fundamental liberal maxim. It doesn't matter who you are, where you've come from, what you do: Lady Justice should always be blind. Last week, the Sentencing Council for England and Wales began a three-month consultation to find out what the public's views are of sentences handed down to convicted burglars. I was struck by this quote from Council chairman Lord Justice Leveson: "We advise, consistent with the law, that judges should consider harm and culpability: greater harm and greater culpability always jail, but lesser harm and lesser culpability, not necessarily." Harm and culpability: ...
Listen to Liberal Democrats make speeches and there are frequent references to historical figures, but drawn from a small cast. Just the quartet of John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, David Penhaligon corner almost all of the market, especially since Bob Maclennan stopped making speeches to party conference. Some of the forgotten figures deserve their obscurity but others do not. Charles James Fox's defence of civil liberties against a dominating government during wartime or Earl Grey's leading of the party back into power and major constitutional reform are good examples of mostly forgotten figures who could just as ...
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Mon 16th
10:10
What the Tories don't want anyone to know: Why the deficit reduction strategy could benefit the Lib ...
The positioning of the Labour Party and the Tories at the General Election on reducing the deficit looked like the usual left vs right argument. Labour accused the Tories of being like Thatcher and the Tories accused Labour of being incompetent. However, as events have now unfolded in the US it looks very much like ...
Wanjiru first to the line in Beijing The world of distance running is in shock today that the 24-year-old Olympic Champion Sammy Wanjiru has died following a fall from the balcony of his house in Kenya. He was an exceptional talen at a young age for distance running setting the world half marathon world record at the age of 18. This came two weekes after he had broken the world junior record for 10,000m by a staggering 23 seconds. In only his second marathon he took the Olympic title in Beijing at only 21 years and 288 days. The time ...
If Eurovision used FPTP (tags: libdemmery) Save the cheerleader, save the world A page soliciting donations for the cheerleader who refused to cheer her rapist's legal costs. (tags: epicfail)
Perhaps they shouldn't surprise anyone, but the instant cries of "it's a conspiracy" that meet rape allegations against powerful and famous people always make me angry. We've had Whoopi Goldberg's infamous "it wasn't rape-rape" defence of Roman Polanski, and the ... Continue reading →
The Telegraph write Chris Huhne's implosion is an immediate boost to Nick Clegg today and include some strengths for Mr Huhne which are worth highlighting: Mr Huhne may not have endeared himself to many with his intellectual swaggering and political style, but he was undoubtedly one of the Cabinet's big beasts, and one of the ...
One of the brightest sights in the known universe is the death throes of a star. Celestial giants of sufficient mass (say eight times that of our own sun) can end their stellar lives in a conflagration of brilliance and ferocious energy. The supernova is a spectacular apex of nuclear fusion and explosion that signals the beginning of the end and offers a quite beautiful demonstration of the axiom: going out with a bang. At around 1.45am on Friday the 6th May 2011, the SNP went nova. The founding fathers of Scotland's constitutional convention, the framers of devolution, settled on ...
It is reading distinctly as if the media is reluctant to report fighting in Gaza and Israel, preferring to focus on the media term 'Arab Spring'. Since the Christmas a few years ago where tensions between Israelis and Palestinians were whetted by rocket attacks, they are rarely commented on, yet the battle has been quietly waging. Obama was noted for his desire to improve relations in the two
Death is topic of the day it seems, with a variety of information published on the subject. When Will I Die? First we have proposed sale of a blood test that could tell you how long you'll live. A snip at £435, we could all gain an apparent insight into our mortality. This will identify how fast the body is aging. I think I'd rather not know. The 'guess my age' game could be outruled by medical
A goodly smattering of Cappuccino riders (Nick, Alex, Paul, Karl, Duncan, Dave, Darrell, Mark & self) gathered in the mist at Wharfedale RUFC for the start of Etape du Dales, alongside Mike and Andy of Nova and Duncan's mate Justin. The Etape is 178km of Yorkshire Dales national park visiting Wharfedale, Wensleydale, Swaledale (twice), Garsdale, Dentdale, Ribblesdale, Littondale and back in Wharfedale. For each dale, a col! With the spring we had, most of our training has been done in blue skies so it was a bit of a shock for the mist to move to drizzle to move to ...
Fears that Nick Clegg would not be backed by the Prime Minister in using the Parliament Act to reform the House of Lords appear to have been dismissed by the Independent on Sunday, which says that the Deputy Prime Minister has found an unlikely ally in the Chancellor of the Exchequer: This week Mr Clegg will present a draft Bill to Parliament on replacing the House of Lords. However, in the wake of his defeat in the referendum on the voting system, the Lib Dem leader is anxious to avoid seeming obsessed with constitutional matters at a time of deep ...
On Friday, 7th May approximately 21:30 hrs, we received a report of a rowdy nuisance incident. A group of youths were walking in Appletrees drinking and smashing bottles on the ground creating a mess. I was on duty and on patrol with my colleague PCSO Smith, and we were not far from the location of the incident when we were called to deal with the job, after we carried out an area search for these youths we were able to locate them in Crafts Way, Bar Hill. Four of them came from Cambridge city, only one of them was from ...
Late last month, I highlighted residents' concerns that the safety barriers at the Peddie Street/Hawkhill junction are damaged. I brought this to the attention of the City Council and have since been updated as follows : "These barriers on Hawkhill at the foot of Peddie Street were checked ... and an order has now been raised to replace two damaged panels and three posts. This work will be carried out within the next three weeks."
Conservative London Assembly member Brian Coleman has often been in the news over the years for his expense claims (not to mention his attempt to ban questions of himself), so I hesitate slightly to says it is "news" that new figures from the London Fire Brigade show him topping the list of expense claims: Assembly Member Brian Coleman April 2010 to March 2011 £3,480.20 Darren Johnson April 2010 to March 2011 £0.00 Gareth Bacon April 2010 to March 2011 £0.00 Mike Tuffrey April 2010 to March 2011 £0.00 Murad Qureshi April 2010 to March 2011 £0.00 Navin Shah April 2010 ...
broadcast anniversaries 16 May 1964: broadcast of "The Keys of Marinus", sixth episode of the story we now call The Keys of Marinus. Susan, barabar and the Doctor expose Eyesen and Kala and liberate Ian; the Voords have taken over the Conscience, but Ian gives them a false key and it expldes. 16 May 1970: broadcast of second episode of Inferno. More slime bubbles up, infecting Stahlman; and the Doctor vanishes, with Bessie and the Tardis console. 16 May 2003: webcast of second episode of Shada. The Doctor, Romana, K9 and Chris find Skagra's invisible spaceship.
Sometimes I tune into Twitter, read through the blogs I follow and so on, and there's as much argument going on between those who are ostensibly anti-state about whether one of our number is an incorrigible lefty or an unreconstructed righty as there are slanging matches between members and supporters of various statist political parties and their internal factions. And, whilst it is natural in these new and social media circles to seek out those with which you have some affinity, and so inevitably get the impression that there are more of us against the state than there really are, ...
I said I would write one more blog but I have had second thoughts. I was saving the last blog for Tuesday but I'll write one now and whenever I want to. The reason for this blog is that a friend has been in touch to say that she has seen Gregg Beaman's blog and posted a comment. She didn't say what she had written but she did tell me that he had presumed it was from me or my brother and had reacted like a "loony". My one and only dealings with Gregg were on his blog entry from ...
