I think the only other Holdstock novel I had read was the rather odd one about Newgrange spirals turning up on another planet, probably thirty years ago. This is an intense exploration of inner space via an English countryside wedded to past historical periods, and the narrator's own family history of venturing into, and being transformed by, this particular unknown. I felt reading it that I have read both Aldiss and Priest trying to do something similar but not succeeding as well. Having finished it at the start of a long plane flight, I think I'll find it haunting my ...
In May we made a prediction for the great health reform debate: "If as expected it concludes with some 'minor concessions well spun', no one will be pleased. A thousand authors will claim the credit. The Conservative backbenchers have already starting highlighting their own influence." This was unfair. The spinning has been magisterial, a master-class in repackaging that has silenced or baffled most critics, whilst leaving what were quite modest reforms largely unchanged... only masked in complexity and rhetoric where previously there was a dangerous level of clarity. For example, Monitor, the health service regulator, previously, was to encourage competition. ...
So, after all the leaks the report is published and we have statements from party leaders about what the changes to the bill will mean. Predictably the Labour party, having said that the government needed to think again now says that it's a sign of weakness that they have thought again! If that's the best they can do heaven help us. Yes, the government has changed its mind on some of the
Continuing my reviews of this year's Hugo entries. Remember, if you want to get a ton of SF ebooks for $50 and vote in the Hugos yourself, you can get the Hugo packet here. One point here – the four books I'm reviewing here are a sequel, part one of a two-volume story set in ...
* At last night's City Council meetings, despite the support of petitions signatures from hundreds of Dundonians and the powerful and compelling case made by delegations in support of my motion on the plight of the Palestinian people in the Gaza strip, I was heavily outvoted by a cobbled-together Labour/Nationalist amendment that represented the lowest common denominator of standing up for nothing. As I am reported in today's Courier, it is sometimes better to lose the vote but do what you consider to be morally right. * I raised questions about the City Council's poor performance on re-letting of council ...
St John the Evangelist Church will be holding a graden party this Saturdayt, 18th June. There will be cream teas, books to browse, tombola, raffle and fair trade goods to browse.
Tue 14th
22:46
Zac Goldsmith spent an "absolute fortune" on super-injunction in run-up to 2010 election
...Presumably not something that is required to be included in expenses declarations... From the BBC: Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith has insisted he was right to take out a super-injunction after private e-mails were hacked and passed to newspapers. He told the BBC the legal fees had cost an "absolute fortune" and called for reform to make it possible for the less wealthy to protect their privacy. ...Mr Goldsmith, who has been an MP since last year, said revealing the contents of the e-mails would have been "very uncomfortable" at a time when he was seeking election to Parliament, because of ...
Another child blogger got in touch with me and requested an interview. Her name is Alisa and she has a great blog. I am publishing a description of Alisa below and a link to my interview which is on her blog because I want to encourage other children/youth to pursue their dreams. Thank you Alisa. I live in a rural county Surrey, where you see grass whichever way you look. Nothing exciting really goes on, apart from the odd girl, who got into Yale. Because of this, so many teenagers around me dream big, but don't do anything to achieve ...
From the Daily Telegraph (29 December 2010): Australian man 'discovered missing wife on Antiques Roadshow' after 28 years
There are an estimated 170 million Dalits or 'Untouchables' in India, despite the fact that the country's constitution prohibits the formalised discrimination inherent in India's traditional caste system. Even the British tried in vain to overcome this situation during the Raj.The current Indian government has endeavoured to advance Dalit rights, including giving them quotas for university ...
It was either 2002 or 2003 – in all honesty I cannot remember which year it was – but in one of those years the Five Rare Breeds fantasy baseball league was born. The league ultimately died three years later due to circumstances but one thing lives on – a friendship between two of the managers. They are the (according to his work e-mail signature) 'Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning for Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets' and myself. Now we might not be the most obvious of friends – an at the time student bum and someone very high up at ...
We've just received the outline plans, so that you can see where the new shelter might go. Click on the links for the seven-bay version http://www.paulhulbert.org/focus/gullwing7bay.pdf and the six-bay version http://www.paulhulbert.org/focus/gullwing6bay.pdf. Unfortunately there's nowhere near here with this particular model, but here's a photo of one of these shelters at Treliske Hospital in Truro http://www.flickr.com/photos/74784995@N00/2297231948/ - there are others at Heathrow, Manchester and Leeds. It has been confirmed that the design has been developed to provide a level of vandal-proof protection, and it should be covered by the Yate Centre CCTV system. We are awaiting some details on seats and ...
It looks increasingly likely that Texas Governor, Rick Perry may run for US President. He's currently travelling to New York, meeting with the Wall Street Journal board and filling in for Donald Trump at a New York Republicans meeting. Last night's first GOP hopeful's debate was like Snow White and the Six Dwarves. It's clear that Mitt Romney is the front-runner. Challenging him at the moment is........er.............Michele Bachmann anyone?
It's one of the most moving, harrowing, thoughtful and heartbreaking programmes that I have ever watched. Sir Terry Pratchet's sincere but powerful documentary shown last night on the issue of assisted dying reduced me to tears. Peter Smedley The 60 minute long programme can be viewed for the next few days on BBC's iplayer right here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b0120dxp/. I encourage anyone who has yet to watch it, to do so. As a man of faith myself, I can not better the words of Ollie Dunckley who blogged his own thoughts on this most sensitive of issues earlier today. In his ...
Re:- my last post on this blog, about A Gay Girl in Syria, was obviously an attempt at humour on my part. The point of it being that I find Tom MacMaster's behaviour re:- his fake blog utterly risible. I could possibly buy the idea that someone had done a fake Syrian blog for satirical purposes, especially if they wanted, a la Wag the Dog, to highlight just how credulous the international media can sometimes be. That might have been funny, although maybe not, given that people are actually being killed in Syria as I type this. But Mr MacMaster, ...
My husband and daughter are just a teensy weensy bit obsessed with pretty lights. Our garden is full of solar powered fairy lights, mood lights and the like. Well, it seems that their batteries of some of those we've had for a while are starting to fail. Husband went to local Maplins to ask for a replacement to be told that they didn't do replacement batteries. When husband said that it wasn't great that they sold products that you couldn't get replacement batteries for, he was basically told that you might buy a car from a garage, but you wouldn't ...
Liberal Youth Scotland President Sophie Bridger has been selected as the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate to fight the Inverclyde by-election, caused by the sad death of Labour MP David Cairns last month. The by-election takes place on 30th June. Sophie, who's 20, is studying Psychology at Glasgow University. Sophie has campaigned with Liberal Youth Scotland on issues such as equal marriage, a fair deal for students and increased powers for the Scottish parliament. Sophie was a key member of Katy Gordon's campaign team in Glasgow North last year and stood herself in Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn in the Holyrood elections ...
I'm not going to divluge exactly how this came up in conversation earlier. Suffice it to say that it was typically Pythonesque as a result of something completely different. However, it is one of my favourite songs from the Monty Python song book. One that I also have to do a little research on to complete an article on the Philosphers' actual stance on drinking and drunkeness. But here are a collection of Bruces singing The Philosophers' Song live at the Hollywood Bowl. It is often immitated and this lot add their own style to the piece. Of course there ...
From yesterday's print edition of the Telegraph, page 11: Huhne police fail to find CCTV evidence CHRIS HUHNE, the Energy Secretary, is unlikely to face charges over claims that he asked his former wife to take speeding points on his behalf, after detectives were unable to find CCTV evidence in the case. Essex Police have spent four weeks investigating, but have found nothing to prove the allegations against the Liberal Democrat politician. It was claimed Mr Huhne asked his then wife, Vicky Pryce, to take his points after he was clocked speeding on the M11 motorway on the way back ...
The Government's NHS and Social Care Bill is now back on track and much improved. The "pause" has been worthwhile and we now have a much better Bill. It was clear to me and to my Liberal Democrat colleagues that while the NHS is in need of reform to respond to the growing societal demands ...
Hmm. A rather unflattering photo of part of the team starting a doorknocking session in L25.
Liverpool City Council is going to consult about which residential streets could become 20mph roads. This could see quite a few extra places getting the slower speed limit. The change could make quite a difference to people's safety. If you are hit by a car at 20mph you are likely to live. If the speed is 40 you are likely to die. Councils up and down the country are now able to do this a lot faster and with more ease than they could previously. While some places (Portsmouth is the example that is quoted most often) have already made ...
I have recently returned from a holiday in the Isles of Scilly (note for pedants: "Scilly" for short, not "the Scillies"). I have been going there every two years or so for over 20 years, and it's still one of my favourite places. Some of the attractions are obvious. White, sandy beaches (though the water is still cold); beautiful rocks (pictured in the title to this blog); a kind climate, notably better than the mainland; the ever-fascinating and ever-present sea. But it is also a wonderful, miniature world apart. Everything is smaller: roads, cars, shops , castles. Each island has ...
Following the risible and despicable news about the absurd man who faked A Gay Girl in Syria, the following news has just reached me: A blog purportedly written by a man in London, which described life in Hendon amid the current political unrest, has been revealed to be a hoax. A Lib Dem in Hendon gained a worldwide readership and was closely followed by news organisations. But the true author has now come forward - Matthew Harris, a British man living in New Barnet. Many Lib Dem activists have reacted angrily, accusing him of trivialising or even harming their cause. ...
Like most people, I enjoy a quick scan of the Birthday Honours to see which celebrities have been given a long overdue award (arise Sir Brucie!) and then get on with my day. Saturday was different. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the notorious homophobe Brian Souter had been awarded a Knighthood. This is a man who funded one of the most hurtful and bigoted campaigns in recent times. The Keep The Clause Campaign was a shameful period in Scotland's history and I was amazed that the man behind it should be recognised by the Palace and ...
I'm experimenting with my village blog, trying out a new style. What do you think?... At a meeting of the Mid Suffolk South Area Committee of SALC, the Suffolk Association of Local Councils, Cllr. Mark Valladares raised local concerns about poor communication of the closure of the village's main link to Stowmarket recently. In a conversation with County Council Highways official, Steve Bone, Cllr. Valladares noted the failure to notify villagers of the closure, pointing out that had he not taken it upon himself to circulate the information, drivers would only have discovered the closure on reaching the junction of ...
As Liberal Democrats we are reformist by instinct and as in every other area of our community life we want to see reform of the NHS, not only to enable it to deal with the major resource and demographic challenges of the next twenty years, but also to ensure that it is more clinician-led, patient-centred and outcome-focussed than it has ever been before. That is why our MPs supported the principles of the Secretary of State's original NHS Bill when it came to 2nd Reading in the House of Commons. Our very public concerns have centred round whether the precise ...
Sorry... Thanks to Helen Duffett for finding the video!
Jo Swinson MP has joined a cross-party group of MPs to launch an internship scheme which will open Parliament's doors to young people of all backgrounds. Jo launched the Speaker's Parliamentary Placements Scheme last week, along with Labour and Conservative MPs Hazel Blears and Eric Ollerenshaw. In a bid to make Parliament more inclusive and open, the scheme hopes to attract 12 young people from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds, who'll be given the opportunity to complete a paid internship in Parliament. They will begin their placements after conference season this autumn. Jo said: I am delighted this scheme has now ...
I had so many things to write about last week I hadn't a chance to share this news with readers. It is about the latest stage of the National Housing Trust and what is likely to go where. I am very proud that Lib Dem led Edinburgh is leading the way on this innovative method of funding Affordable Housing. Developers on board with affordable homes plan Four developers have been short-listed to provide detailed proposals to build up to 600 much-needed affordable homes in Edinburgh. The homes, which would be built across five sites in the north and east of ...
Prue, Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey and Malcolm Armstrong looking into the site This is to let everyone know that it seems likely Bovis will be submitting a new planning application for 400 houses, instead of 433. This would exactly match the figure for the number of houses allocated to the site in the old Wokingham District Local Plan. The more recent Core Strategy just says around 400. Do I think this is a good thing? Seems like it on the surface – but actually I think it may not be. I think it may be a way of reducing infrastructure contributions. I ...
The true face of carers The following opinion piece appeared in The Scotsman yesterday. Today marks the start of Carers' Week 2011. The week aims to raise awareness of the 6 million carers in the UK who provide unpaid support for a family member, partner, relative or friend who needs help. There is no such thing as a typical 'carer' - a carer can be of any age, from any walk of life, and have a range of caring responsibilities. They could be a couple raising a child with a disability, an older person who is supporting a relative with ...
Thankfully the Government has today been forced into (yet another) climb down on a poorly thought out policy: forcing local governments to collect bins weekly. The government has admitted it cannot force councils in England to provide weekly bin collections. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles had hoped to include the measure in a new waste strategy but it was watered down following a row with officials at Defra, the BBC understands. The strategy says collections should happen "more frequently" but it is up to councils to offer "local solutions". Labour branded the move a "personal humiliation" for Mr Pickles. But Mr ...
In my case despite being hampered by a lack of ability and a poor education as provided by Kent Council, I still have an urge to express myself and question how and why things happen. Now if you take a gander at the preceding post, you'll see there is a bit of a kerfuffle concerning a rather dubious cost cutting measure which involves TDC deciding not to send me and my ilk anymore emails from their Press Office, also should I be cheeky enough to ask for information, they will be rather silly and treat these as Freedom Of Information ...
It was Eric Pickles' big idea. How dare these councils introduce fortnightly bin collections! The Daily Mail hate it! It's ludicrous! It attracts rats! ....went the Pickle logic. When we're in government, councils will go back to weekly bin collections, he said before the 2010 election. Indeed, he went further: It's a basic right for every Englishman and woman to be able to put the remnants of their chicken tikka masala in their bin without having to wait two weeks for it to be collected. (To which the answer must be: Why doesn't he just eat it? Or not buy ...
A great victory for common sense as a one-sided motion to condemn Israel has been thrown out 24-2 in a vote by the good councillors of Dundee. This motion went on about Israel without mentioning Hamas; it is striking that the council's proposed dabbling in foreign affairs extended only to a one-sided consideration of Israel/Palestine, and not to any motions discussing Tibet, Burma or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, leading one to assume that the motion's framers don't think that those places matter so much. Of course, I don't think that local authorities should waste time and taxpayers' money ...
I've really had enough of Gavin Henson. I've blogged time after time after time on this site of my views on his commitment, or lack of it, to the Welsh rugby jersey through his various entertainment contracts but the news this week really takes the biscuit. Having in my mind, acted as a petulant child in his dealings with his former clubs the Ospreys and Saracens, he then showed an unprofessional side to his nature that saw Toulon terminate his French contract - all this within the space of 12 months. He's complained that he hasn't been given a chance ...
Personally, I am a big fan of new technology, especially if they enhance security. One of my main criteria in assessing a new car, after the environmental considerations of course, is how many gadgets it has in it. I was bemused therefore by this story in today's Daily Post in which a tracking device to locate stolen cars sent a lifeboat crew on a three-hour sea search in the wake of an Irish Sea ferry: The Moelfre all-weather lifeboat on Anglesey was launched at 9.20pm on Sunday after the emergency signal was detected four miles off Point Lynas, near Amlwch. ...
I've just received the tweet illustrated above and here's the link to the full story at Total Politics. Now, I don't mind admitting that when I first saw it, I felt a flash of irritation, at the accusation of playing 'bad politics' by the Tories. After all, I've been advocating this sort of approach to 'owning initiatives' for some time now (he says modestly). And its bloody patronising too. And then I started to laugh at them. After all, why should we be taking lessons in how to maintain a good coalition relationship from a party who supported campaigns like ...
Last night on the news we heard that We – the UK taxpayer – will be spending £800million on overseas vacinations during the course of this parliament. We have donated more than any nation in the world (with Norway the surprise second biggest) and it all honesty it makes me feel good. The report stated that this money will directly lead to around four million babies living and not dying around the globe. That is four million people with a chance to grow up and be successful. Four million more people who might be something great. Four million people who ...
For a party with aspirations to make gay-marriage unconstitutional, it is quite liberal in terms of equality and diversion. Just finished watching the first Republican Party debate for the presidential nomination and, yes, it was quite predictable. But the declared ... Continue reading →
Video also available on YouTube. Nick Clegg visited Bob Russell visited Colchester last week, to celebrate Bob Russell MP's 40th anniversary as an elected politician, and the pair found time for a quick game of pool at the local YMCA. Despite Bob's reputation as a critical friend of the Coalition Government, Nick told the BBC: He's an institution, he's totally unique. When he was first elected I was only four years old. He's now one of the best-loved politicians in Westminster. I think life would be much less interesting if Bob Russell always toed the party line. He's not a ...
Picture of me explaing something. Sophie is on the arm of the chair Congratulation to my friend Sophie Bridger who today has been announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate to fight the Inverclyde by election. Sophie is the current President of Liberal Youth Scotland and like her predecessors is a strong voice not just for student issues but Liberal values. I last saw Sophie on Friday at the funeral of Andrew Reeves the Scottish Director of Campaigns. With Andrew's invovlemnt both with campaigns and Liberal Youth he would be enthusiastically looking forward to, scrap that he'd already be throwing himself ...
I watched Panorama yesterday which was about whether banks had learnt their lessons from the various misselling scandals of recent years (e.g. Payment Protection Insurance). They used undercover filming to show how financial advisers in various banks don't seem to be following the correct procedures or guidelines when it comes to advising people about how to invest their money. One of the biggest bones of contention was regarding people's attitude to risk. They had numerous examples of people who they interviewed who strongly felt they had been misled or even in some cases hoodwinked into investing in products that were ...
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Governments have three options: Option 1: Be a radical, reforming government, and plough on with the reforms you feel are right for the country even in the face of criticism and unpopularity at your ideas. Option 2: Avoid any reforms that might be controversial to avoid deep unpopularity. Option 3: Be a radical, reforming government, but be willing to change course to avoid making unpopular and flawed reforms. Option 1 was clearly favoured by Thatcher, as espoused by her famous quote - "the lady's not for turning". The problem is that such a belligerent attitude is deeply divisive, and while ...
The Jewish Chronicle (JC) and Jewish News both report accurately that the UK Government is still deciding whether or not to participate in Durban III, the UN-sponsored conference on racism taking place in New York in September. Several countries are boycotting the conference in light of what happened at the Durban I and Durban II conferences, which were so hostile to Israel as to leave many observers (myself included) feeling very uncomfortable indeed. Israel's relationship with the Palestinians is an important international issue, but it is not the single most important issue in the world, and it is obviously not ...
Good letter on Lords reform last week from Jeremy Hilton and Graham Lippiatt, amongst others, in Liberal Democrat News. If you agree with them, why not also send a letter for publication to Liberal Democrat News on ldn@libdems.org.uk? You can also sign up to support the grassroots Liberal Democrats for Lords Reform campaign on Facebook.
Look what arrived in the post this morning... [IMG: Good Luck Care Bear] Good Luck Bear So now I have Good Luck overseeing me. Excellent. This means that two become three as Good Luck Bear joins Bedtime and Tenderheart Bear on my headboard. [IMG: Good Luck, Tenderheart & Bedtime Care Bears] Good Luck, Tenderheart & Bedtime Bear There are more to come. I shall post again when they arrive. And people wonder why I'm single. Well some people do – Bunky doesn't – but that's because he's just mean. Tweet
Just like straight people, gay people are a diverse bunch. On one hand there are the drug-fuelled, sexually promiscuous party-goers, and on the other hand there are the couples in decades-long stable, faithful relationships. Because of that diversity you can't look at one part of the spectrum and judge the whole continuum based on one ...
Today is one of those strange days. As soon as this story broke on the BBC website I would have expected a DM from Andrew Reeves either asking me for details, or telling me he was going to blog about it, or already had and would I like to comment. His blog post would of course taken the line that no religion had any place to say anything about being LGBT, my riposte would of course have mentioned that the church needs to recognise the LGBT members within their midst that have not turned their back on them despite the ...
The Christian Homosexuals organisation has apparently written to the Pope asking him to condemn homophobia. The ironic reply I'd expect is "sure, when hell freezes over". I find it interesting that we still have quite a divisive society when it comes to religion. Regardless of your (or my) belief systems, religious followings or faith, religious texts were written by humans. More to the point - by males. So it's surprising that whilst many of us accept that a speech by Enoch Powell in 1968 reflects the time it was written, people of certain religious followings cannot seem to understand that ...
Nick Clegg has given a speech today at a joint press conference with David Cameron and Andrew Lansley, on NHS reform and the results of the listening exercise. This comes on the morning that a Telegraph leader declared: The Lib Dem conference changed everything. Grass roots activists made it clear to Nick Clegg that they would not accept the wider involvement of the private sector championed by Mr Lansley or what they considered to be his undue emphasis on competition. Ever since, the reforms have been in trouble and the three-month "pause" ordered by Mr Cameron sealed their fate. The ...
Further to my post earlier featuring gaffes by James Naughtie and Andrew Marr, here's another classic live radio slip-up. During a sound clip of what is thought to be the oldest recording of the human voice, someone suggests to Charlotte Green it sounds like a bee trapped in a jar... Andrew
One of the people who has impressed me most over the past year, even when I don't agree with her, is the new Liberal Youth Scotland President Sophie Bridger. Persuasive, intelligent and articulate, 20 year old Sophie has shown really strong leadership skills within LYS and has made an excellent and constructive contribution to the Scottish party executive in just a few meetings. She's very likeable and has very cool head. I'd say that these are pretty much the exact qualities you need to fight a by-election for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the current climate. It's handy, then, that ...
So. Farewell then Amina Arraf. In some ways it's a relief that you weren't really a gay girl in Damascus, since it means you weren't abducted by Assad's thugs and subjected to the sort of unspeakable treatment that they specialise ... Continue reading →
Tue 14th
11:20
Of course you can drive from John O'Groats to Lands End by electric car - but it will take you two w...
There's a story in today's Western Morning News about two people who have driven from John O'Groats to Lands End in an electric car. Unfortunately, the story seems to be lifted directly from a press release as there is no attempt to challenge some pretty outrageous claims. The piece says: "It took them just over two weeks to reach their southerly destination. This was the first end-to-end trip of the UK in a production electric car. It was completed in a similar time to that of a petrol vehicle, except their journey was completed with zero emissions." Hang on a ...
Creeting. Creeting, or 'creepy tweeting', means retweeting a high-profile Twitterer so you can bask in their reflected glory. So what if you didn't really understand (or even read) that abstruse piece on A/B testing, canonical URLs or Facebook user profiling? Retweet it anyway, you'll look incredibly clever and might get a mention from someone with 100,000 followers. Now, here in Creeting St Peter, we are surprised to find that there is another use for the word 'creeting', but it has to be admitted, it's really rather clever. Of course, if we had decent broadband here, we'd do it too, but ...
This month's Acoustic Cafe at Jerichos Brasserie is a bit different with all the acts (and the food) having a Blues theme. The event takes place on Thursday 30th and will feature Becca Langsford & Vince Lee, Jeff "THEE HORSE" Horsey and Gareth Brooker. Mel's food will also be bluesy with a choice of spicy meat or veggie bean gumbo and key lime pie or pecan pie to follow. As ever, entrance is £2 and there will be a £1.50 corkage charge for anyone bringing their own. Tweet
I've been banging my head against the Labour administrations brick wall since Autumn 2010 about the changes they'd proposed for Grove Vale – needlessly expensive speed tables and lack of clarity about parking. A local 800 signature petition was taken to the Labour cabinet and the petition organisers reported to me they felt snubbed by the Cabinet member accountable for transport Cllr Barrie Hargrove. Clearly this feeling has finally penetrated Southwark Labour party as the recent meeting with traders on the 2nd the council leader attended and agreed to all the traders concerns. So why did we have to go ...
As Liberal Democrats we should be very welcoming of the Localism Bill. The measures included in it to bring power back to local communities have been at the heart of our politics for many years, and will give people a real say in local decision making. Empowering people was key to me becoming active in the tenant's movement in the 80's, why I joined the Liberal Party back then and cut my teeth in politics in Tower Hamlets, and why I stood for Council in Islington years later. Empowering people is key to being a Liberal Democrat, Indeed, Andrew Stunell ...
On the 5th May 2011 I failed in my attempt to be re-elected to Luton Borough Council after eight years serving as an elected councillor. This article is part of a series of posts where I attempt to process what those eight years have meant for myself by asking the question "what did I achieve?" in that time. I remember the occasion well. The architects that Luton Borough Council had employed to come up with the design for the new St George's Square were giving a presentation to executive members, me amongst them, and other councillors about what they wanted ...
Shirley Williams used an article in the Independent yesterday to express her satisfaction with the changes the Liberal Democrats have brought to bear on Coalition's NHS reforms. She is satisfied that the changes will reflect the spirit of the motion passed at Spring Conference. Liberal Democrats, from our party's grassroots to its leadership, can be proud of the influence we have exerted to change the Government's NHS plans. It is clear now that the proposals that will be taken forward are dramatically different to those originally proposed. This is proof that this party and its members is in a position ...
Please join us on Sunday 19 June for the annual Chipping Sodbury Festival Duck Race on the River Frome, in aid of the Wildlife Trust. Why not come along, have a flutter, and join us for an afternoon of races, a cup of tea and a doughnut? Great fun for all the family! You are very welcome to come along and bring a picnic to enjoy in the park. The races start from 2.00pm in Jubilee Park, Quarry Road, Chipping Sodbury.
Yesterday was the most viewed my blog has ever been so many thanks to everyone who clicked in for a look. Special thanks to Helen Duffett for "allowing" me (translation: has not yet sued) to ahem, borrow, one of her favourite phrases for a post title. Do feel free to try and spot it. It's proved very popular! Also thanks to Charlotte Henry for the RT. & Thanks again one and all.
June's Cheadle Area Committee will be held next Tuesday, 21st June 2011, from 6pm. It's at our new venue – the Upper Rooms above Tesco in Cheadle. All are welcome – please use the Massie Street Car Park extrance to get in. At the meeting, members of the public have the opportunity to raise local issues with the police and council, for example about crime, roads, environmental issues. At this meeting, councillors will be considering proposals to put double yellow lines down the High Street from Warren Avenue to the Manchester Road junction. This is an issue raised by the ...
If you're a female F1 fan, can you spare 5 minutes of your time to explain why you like the sport? Rachel Clarke is doing some research for a blog post on Badger GP. If you want to help, fill in the survey here. She's closing it down at the end of today (14th June).
From a news release sent out by, er..., me and as featured on page two of this week's Liberal Democrat News: The number of Liberal Democrat peers opposing the government's plans for elections to the House of Lords has triggered the creation of a new campaign group by grassroots activists who back the introduction of elections. "Liberal Democrats for Lords Reform" is campaigning for Liberal Democrat peers to stick to the party's long-standing policy of an elected Upper House. "We've already been waiting over 100 years for Lords reform to be completed. It's absurd that in the 21st century you ...
I don't think I will ever tire of the clips in this post, even if I live to be 100. Just before eight on December 6th 2010, James Naughtie managed to, ehm, "mispronounce" the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt's name on live radio. Here it is for your enjoyment: ...and here's Andrew Marr repeating the error barely an hour later: Andrew
i) births and deaths 14 June 1985: death of Graham Leaman who played four roles in five Old Who stories: the captive Controller in The Macra Terror (1967), Price the communications officer in Fury from the Deep (1968), the Grand Marshall of the Ice Warriors in The Seeds of Death (1969), and an un-named Time Lord in Colony in Space (1971) and The Three Doctors (1973). ii) broadcast anniversaries 14 June 1969: broadcast of ninth episode of The War Games. The Doctor summons the Time Lords to deal with the situation, but is himself captured. 14 June 2008: broadcast of ...
This weekend is the big 'carnival weekend' at the end of Prestwich Festival: Prestwich Carnival Football Tournament Saturday 18th June, 9am to 3pm St Marys Park Organised by Marauders FC, local junior teams compete in this annual event. Food stalls plus all the fun of the fair Prestwich Carnival Sunday 19th June, 12 noon onwards St Marys Park Show case Arena with Tower FM , Take That and Lady Gaga tributes, Middleton Pop Stars, Martin & the Maneuvers, Becky Ginn, Dance Studio One, Footlight Theatre Company. PLUS the Court of Queens, Stalls Village, RSPCA Dog Show, football competition, assault course, ...
What we can do to bring down dictators | Carne Ross | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk Good question. (tags: politics) Tom Bogdan: 'The sky at night stops me from sleeping' - Profiles, People - The Independent Be afraid of the next big solar storm! (tags: astronomy) The Backfire Effect « You Are Not So Smart (tags: internet) Pajamas Media » Tips for Not Appearing Crazy on the Internet (tags: internet) Billions for Missile Defense, Not a Dime for Common Sense - By Yousaf Butt | Foreign Policy More on the colossal expense of a technology that doesn't work defending ...
Note from the county council: Following the Cabinet decision in November 2010 to change the county's streetlighting policy, work to convert the first set of streetlights in the county to part-night lighting will start next week. Work is due to start in the north of the Welwyn Hatfield district in the week commencing 6 June, with the first 500 lights being converted in the Woolmer Green and Digswell areas. The main body of the work will start in early July, converting the remainder of the lights in the Welwyn division and then moving through the borough from north to south ...
