Northampton Borough used to run its own buses and their jewel box like offices survive next to the First bus garagewrites Jones the Planner in the course of a post on the town. I was in Northampton - a place I think I have been guilty of underestimating - and was very taken with those offices too. You can find them in St James Road beside the First Northampton bus depot, which was originally the town's tram depot.
In the local elections in my part of the world we (the Lib Dems) highlighted a regular concern that people have that the local Tory Council see consultation as a process to be gone through in name only and after the decision has already been made. Nobody in their right mights would consider it to be consultation or negotiation when the person leading these talks has already made his or her mind up. SO WHY CAN'T DANNY ALEXANDER SHUT UP ! He is doing exactly what people dislike most, and he is doing it over and over again. Watching an ...
Of all the words spoken at the successful Social Liberal Forum Conference, few stuck in the mind as much as something SLF Chair David Hall-Matthews said in the concluding session. David, talking about the challenges of building a social Liberal Britain, warned how dangerous it would be if the Coalition effectively saw a return to two-party politics. The subtext, of course, was that by failing to indicate a vision and values that are identifiably Liberal as a junior coalition partner, a Liberal Democrat identity ceases to exist. Simon Hughes set out a further layer of wisdom, by pointing out the ...
Today saw the first conference of the Social Liberal Forum. Gareth Epps was there and made a valiant attempt to live blog Vince Cable's speech. Caron's Musings went to a Liberal Vision event instead. No, not that Liberal Vision: it is a new group "aimed at developing a Liberal Vision for the future of Scotland by applying fundamental principles of Liberal philosophy and social democracy to foreseeable changes in our country over the next decade". Hmm. "We were very clear when we made out submission to Reg Bailey that the sexualisation agenda is in danger of becoming dominated by the ...
So (as I appear to start every question I asked of my participants during the group discussion), it's been a pretty productive Saturday writing up my project report. I think I'm around halfway there, but unsurprisingly I have too many words in my background and research question section and too few in the methods section. I'm not sure whether the section counts given the project booklet are hard limits, or if the only hard limit is the 4,000 word limit for the assignment. If anyone can point me at the answer it would be useful, though I think it seems ...
Andrew Gold passed away earlier this month; a superb artist if ever there was one:
This story is the details of the PIBS story. This is an interesting issue from the perspective of capital heirarchies and the voting against class interests (bondholder classes). However, the human story is quite real.So, you want to burn all the bank bondholders? Read Albert the pensioner's story...By Ciaran ByrneSaturday June 18 2011Meet Albert Kempster: he's 73, has a pension of just £56 a
The physical experience of walking the Camino has actually been one of the most transformative things about the trip for me. Before setting off, I was slightly apprehensive about how I'd cope with the challenge. I'd been doing quite a bit of walking in the UK to get in shape for it, but I was conscious that most of that had been on the flat and that the first day of our walk to Walsingham, when we walked slightly over 20 miles, had left my hips rather sore. I thought most of the Camino would be fine, but I knew ...
I have to comment on Philip Davis MP's diabolical comment on the disabled yesterday. He took temerity to it's limits with his suggestion disabled persons work for less than the minimum wage. A translation is: you, as a disabled person are simply not afforded the same rights as an able-bodied person. You are a second class citizen. The disgusting thing is, we (for I am disabled) are disadvantaged significantly in the workplace. If agencies can be persuaded to put you on their books, they won't approach companies on your behalf, because of their own prejudiced view that you are not ...
How is the title 'Blair distances himself from Cameron public service changes' news? It seems the two-leaders-ago-leader is a more important commentator on the government than the current leader, Ed Miliband. By even commenting, Blair is, with one foul swoop, undermining Ed Miliband. Unless, of course, he is attempting to assist Miliband to bring Labour back to the squeezed middle. I'm beginning to believe the squeezed middle is not about finance at all, but about the political squabbling occuring over this hypothetical group.
Sat 18th
20:25
Cable and Alexander on union strike threats: there's got to be pensions reform, but we want to negot...
With trade unions threatening "sustained and indefinite" strike action if the Coalition goes ahead with its aims to reform public sector pensions in line with Labour peer Lord Hutton's recommendations, Lib Dem cabinet ministers have been sticking to a simple message to calm the situation: there has to be reform, but we're very hapy to engage in constructive negotiation. Here's Lib Dem business secretary Vince Cable speaking today: (Video clip also available here.) His deliberately low-key response to the unions' invoking of strikes echoes Lib Dem minister Ed Davey's down-playing of suggestions the Coalition might seek to tighten current strike ...
From Saturday 18 June until 24 July 2011, Network Rail will undertake works associated with the refurbishment of the railway over bridge on Roscoe's Roundabout between the eastbound entry of Stockport Road and the Junction 2 slip road onto the M60 westbound. The works will comprise the waterproofing of the bridge deck and general refurbishment of the structure. Traffic management in the shape of a temporary single lane restriction beneath the structure will operate for the duration of the works. To allow the establishment of the temporary arrangements permitting refurbishment of the underside of the bridge deck it will be ...
A friend of mine used to own what he called a 'magic basket'. He was very proud of this magic basket which was in his bedroom. At the end of each day he would put his shirt in this magic basket and, the next time he saw it, it would be cleaned and ironed and hanging up in his wardrobe - all by itself. Of course this was all in jest. His wife washed and ironed his shirts for him. But I was reminded of this tale by the latest attack on the public sector workers - of which I ...
From Monday 20 June until 30 July, Network Rail will undertake works associated with the refurbishment of the railway over bridge on Manchester Road, Cheadle to the north of the junction with Stockport Road. The works will comprise the waterproofing of the bridge deck and general refurbishment of the structure. Traffic management in the shape of temporary two way signals will operate for the duration of the works, with the signals being staffed during peak periods to ensure delays are kept to a minimum. To allow the refurbishment of the underside of the bridge deck it will be necessary to ...
I've decided to stop numbering these write-ups - I was putting myself under pressure to read x number of books per year, which was silly and unnecessary. So here is an unnumbered list of the books I've read since I last made one of these posts: Hermann Glaser et al (eds.), Luther gestern und heute [Luther yesterday and today]* (Frankfurt: Fischer, 1983, ISBN 3596234778). An anthology of texts illustrating how Luther was seen by his contemporaries and by subsequent German authors, both literary and academic, up until the year before publication. It assumes a certain familiarity with Luther's life, which ...
Blame plok. I had a post all planned out for today, about Morrison's Frankenstein, and about the resurgence of Arianism in the 17th century, but then I read this, and now I have to do my own "How would I reboot the DC Universe in 52 comics?" Now I agree with plok that we need ...
Sat 18th
18:10"Delivering this is going to be very difficult" - Tory peer Strathclyde's verdict on Lords reform
Let's start with the good news — Lord Strathclyde, the Tory leader in the Lords is a self-styled "long-term supporter" of reform of the Upper House. Now for the bad news — he's pessimistic that the Coalition will actualy deliver elected senators by 2015, the deadline set by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. Here's what m'Lord Strathclyde (who inherited a seat from his grandfather at the age of 25) has to say in an interview in today's Financial Times: "To me the dream scenario would be . . . getting [a parliamentary bill] in place by the end of the next session and then ...
The Evoluent Vertical Mouse 4 costs close to £100 . Let's get that out of the way. This is a pretty expensive mouse. Considering they give away basic USB mice with cornflakes, why would anyone spend the cost of a Kindle on a pointing device? Let me explain... "The two things you've got to spend your money on in life are your bed and your shoes; if you're not in one, you're in the other." Ancient proverb I have been prone to RSI in my hands and wrists. Seeing as I make my living using my hands to make computers ...
Voting is a democratic right, and it's a legal requirement to be registered to vote in the UK – everyone aged 18 or over, must be on the electoral roll, or electoral register. However, not everyone is registered to vote, and even those who are registered to vote, don't exercise the right to a democratic ... Read more
Later this morning, the Riverside Nature Park was officially opened and there was a large turnout of local people at the event. Having long campaigned to see the nature park area opened to the public given its superb views across the Tay Estuary and its rich natural heritage, it was a real pleasure to attend today. Alan Young, immediate past Chair of West End Community Council, undertook the official opening and it was good to see Albert A'Hara's contribution recognised - no-one has campaigned harder than Albert over the years to see the area opened to the public. Here's some ...
A Conservative councillor in Cornwall has defected to the Lib Dems (reported here on Lib Dem Voice). Every week or two there will be some political defection reported somewhere at some level. Often council, sometimes MEP, occasionally MP (although we haven't had one of them for a while - I think Quentin Davies was the last one) or MSP, MA etc. Is it just me or is this sort of thing, you know, well, boring? I know the dynamics that have been behind some defections in the last few years and there are often local factors at play and of ...
I was delighted to attend the Tayside Recyclers' Open Day this morning and was very impressed at the progress with the Backyard Container Vegetable Garden. The vegetable garden is looking great, as the photo below shows!
If you've been following the news of Wandsworth Council's plans to charge for entry to the play area in Battersea Park, you might want to sign the petition that local Liberal Democrat candidate Lisa Smart is running over at campaigns.libdems.org.uk/PutneySaysNoToPayToPlay.
Jeremy Rowe's blog has the news: Jan Powell, the widely respected Chair of Cornwall Council's Health Committee, has joined the Liberal Democrat Group at County Hall. This has been as a result of the continuing disintegration of the Tory-led administration at the Council and also the work the Lib Dems have been doing locally and nationally to protect the NHS from Andrew Lansley's controversial 'reforms'. Jeremy reproduces Jan's letter explaining her decision, which concludes: There has to be openness and transparency in everything we do and consultation must mean exactly that. Over the last 12 months there has been a ...
Seems that the move to Margates central area has been successful in promoting trade and business for the local community in addition to the pure entertainment value it has always provided. A better event location for family's than the bleak Palm Bay site, at least visitors get to experience the which wasn't the case in earlier years.
Those of you who read the Jewish Chronicle's coverage of a Lib Dem councillor's failed attempt to spend a council's time (and by extension money, for time is money at council meetings) one-sidedly condemning Israel (as if foreign policy is a proper concern of any local council - get real), may be interested to know where my party stands on the anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Well, the one time that a Liberal Democrat conference has debated such things was in 2007, when we overwhelmingly passed a motion condemning the proposed academic boycott of Israel. The huge vote ...
I'm not the biggest of Twitterers but I couldn't help be taken aback when I saw this Tweet from TV maestro and all-round Twitterer Philip Schofield a few minutes ago - http://twitter.com/Schofe "Time to come clean. I must admit that I am currently in The Priory". Is Gordon the Gopher's best mate having a laugh or is he serious?
The Guardian's Michael White poses the tricky question for Liberal Democrats — "Nick Clegg is doing better, but will it be enough?" — on his blog, following Nick's well-received speech to the Parliamentary Press Gallery. As Michael points out, only the sharp jokes were reported in the media, rather than the substance which accompanied them (a charge to which I also plead partially guilty). So let's add a bit of balance... [Nick Clegg] had three non-jokey points to make - three you didn't read in the papers today. One was that, whatever happens at the next election, Britain will not ...
I'm hoping to have the Seven Soldiers book finished in a week or two, and then to get PEP! 3 out (I know that's taken a while, but a lot of people have had personal problems which meant that while the initial deadline was December I only got the last submission in late May). I ...
All, Just a quick thank you to everyone that voted for for me in the District Council elections in May. As you've probably heard by now, I lost by 17 votes (who said elections in Shipston were dull?!) to the Conservative candidate, with Labour trailing in a poor third. My thanks go to everyone who's seen me to commiserate, particularly this I've seen in the pub! I will, of course, still be around – with my work on the Town Council, and several local groups. This website will now be a bit less political – but I will continue to ...
The NHS is massive. We have all used it at some point. And we will all call on its services again. It touches every life in so many ways. Few could explain what it does, what the reforms means and what difference the changes to the reform will make. Even the experts that took part in the listening exercise can only really advocate for their part of it. Most will have a 'Holby (BBC Hospital
Professor Naomi Chazan went down a storm at last year's party conference fringe meeting of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel. Professor Chazan is the President of New Israel Fund (NIF), a campaigning civil society group that stands comparison with British groups like Liberty and Stonewall. As a former parliamentarian for Meretz, Professor Chazan is arguably a socialist or a social-democrat rather than a liberal, but she is a still a great leader of liberal and progressive opinion in Israel. I don't always agree with everything that Professor Chazan (or the NIF) says, but I really like this Australian television interview ...
This is worth watching. It wasn't the strongest Dalai Lama pizza joke around. A Radio 4 Today show listener tweeted in a better one: Pizza delivery person: That will be £2.50. The Dalai Lama hands over £5 and waits. The Pizza delivery person starts to walk away. Dalai Lama: Where's my change? Pizza delivery person: Change comes from within.
Sat 18th
13:04
I don't care if you think Nick Clegg is a skunk or a squid. However, I am faintly bothered why you t...
Having worked in advertising, branding and marketing for more years than I care to count, I am well placed to state that you do hear a lot of old, ahem, nonsense spouted in my business. I am fortunate enough to be in a position to be able to shout 'you've got no clothes on', Emperors-New-Clothes-style, whenever I hear it nowadays. And I say it quite a lot. But I also hope that just once in a while I can spot the glint of gold when it crops up. Fortunately, the world and his wife also delights in exposing our nonsense ...
County Council Highways officers are coming to the next South Cambridge Area meeting to hear what we think of the 20mph speed limit trial in the Wulfstan Way area, which they would like to make permanent. The scheme has been running for just over a year and covers Wulfstan Way, Gunhild Way and Godwin Way, and the three cul-de-sacs in that area. The Wulfstan Way area was chosen because it has alot of of pedestrians and cyclists, and several community facilities - churches, schools, doctors' surgeries and shops. The police will be at the meeting too, so there will be ...
I'm going to attempt to live blog Vince Cable's speech on economics at the packed Social Liberal Forum conference. Currently we're hearing Liberal economist Ed Randall setting out why the deficit reduction strategy is ideologically-driven and wrong. Ed is quoting from a Japanese economist, Richard Koo. His alternative is tackling social and economic inequality; dealin with the crisis facing the environment; and challenging/changing the financial system. He thinks Vince is tryig hard but faces a wide range of forces set against him (institutional as well as political) Ed now quotes Will Hutton (who spoke earlier) and others evidencing the sharp ...
I am somewhat bemused by the title of the Social Liberal Forum (SLF) conference; "Liberalism, Equality and the State" Is it possible to achieve equality, whilst advocating a role for the state in our lives; surely it contradicts liberalism? Statism ... Continue reading →
A good meeting of ACERT (AQdvisory Council on the Education of Romanies and Travellers) with Christine Gilbert, head of OFSTED, and Sue Gregory, National Director, Inspections Delivery. With me were Margaret Wood and Brian Foster, members of the Executive Committee of ACERT, who had prepared three papers for discussion: Inspection arrangements; Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children Missing Education, and Gypsy Roma and Travellers and Special Education Needs. We got a very good hearing lasting well over the hour that had been allotted to us.In the evening I was guest of honour at the launch of Laurie Fransman's British Nationality Law, ...
The FT reports: An American software programmer who goes by the name of Winter has visited more than 10,000 branches of Starbucks and spent more than $100,000 of his own money doing so. Though the FT also reports him saying: I'm not going to spend $200 to visit a single store on Puerto Rico.
Archaeology teams from the University of Ulster and Queen's University have been up on the north coast unearthing Dunluce Town. The town which would have been associated with the dramatic cliff top ruined castle was founded at the time of the Ulster Plantation in the early 1600s but was raised to the ground in 1641 in the Irish Uprising. Therefore it had a very short lived existance. Evidence of wooden houses, stone walls of more substantial dweelings, a cobbled street and other remains have been unearthed as the history of this remote area of the north coast just along from ...
For young men to make sure of persevering, it is absolutely necessary that they should avoid wicked companions, and be familiar with good ones. - St Philip Neri, Apostle of Rome Filed under: catholic, Cong.Orat., Maxim for the Day Tagged: God, Maxim for the Day, St Philip Neri
Long ago,when I was a young activist, I fell in with the radical wing of the old Liberal Party. This was the time of the Alliance, and we were most like to use "social democrat" (or "soggy") as a term of abuse. Time moves on and many of the same types (even some of the same people) now call themselves "social liberals". Fair enough, until you read in the Guardian today that Evan Harris (a former soggy, as it happens): is speaking about the health reforms to 250 Liberal Democrat activists at the Social Liberal Forum (SLF) conference "Liberalism, Equality ...
A lot of people I know consider politicians to be the lowest form of comedian anyway so it seems entirely appropriate that today's Independent should use Nick Clegg's rather funny jokes earlier this week to focus on some of the best political one-liners of the modern age. Some of the really good ones are missing from their examples including exchanges between Winston Churchill and Lady Astor but I am relieved that at least up-and-coming stand-up comedian Lembit Öpik has not made the list: "Whatever people say about Chris Huhne, I don't know any politician better at getting his points across." ...
While all the attention today is on the Social Liberal Forum conference in Islington, I shall be spending today in the arms of Liberal Vision at their event. I'm fairly certain the food is going to be better - kicking off with coffee and bacon rolls at 9:30 and with scones and cakes featuring on the menu throughout the day. I shall certainly be well nourished. You may feel quite perturbed at a peace loving hippy throwing her lot in with that lot. Especially after Lady Mark described them as "as warm and human as a thrown knife the other ...
I'm writing this on the train heading in to London for today's Social Liberal Forum conference. I haven't signed up to the SLF. I don't really want to choose sides in what is a mostly artificial, and often sterile, debate between the social liberal and economic liberal wings of the Liberal Democrats. But we desperately need groups who want to debate and argue for ideas and I have so far been impressed by a lot of what the SLF have achieved. So I am looking forward to the conference. I expect a bit of self congratulation given the influential role ...
Yesterday afternoon I opened the Western Edinburgh Environmental Fair at Gylemuir Primary School. There were stalls from a variety of groups including eco-schools and Friends of Corstorphine Hill. There was also a fabulous musical tree make from tin cans and recycled bits of guitar. In trying to save the planet we are encouraged to think global but act local. Today's event was all about us trying to change attitude locally so we can make our small contribution to reversing global warming
There's just under a month to wait until the last of the Harry Potter films and I'm really looking forward to it. Whilst I've not been as much as fan of the films as the books - indeed, I've not actually seen all the films - I am really looking forward to the conclusion of the series. Deathly Hallows part 1 seemed to fly by and ended with a cliff-hanger, setting up part 2 nicely. There'll be death, destruction and a fair amount of tears. There'll be treachery, secrets and revelations. And there will be a victor in the epic ...
i) births and deaths 18 June 1938: birth of Michael Sheard, who played Rhos in The Ark (1966), Dr. Roland Summers in The Mind of Evil (1971), Laurence Scarman in Pyramids of Mars (1975), Lowe in The Invisible Enemy (1977), the Mergrave in Castrovalva (1982) and the Headmaster in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988). 18 June 1946: birth of Luan Peters (also known as Karol Keyes), who played Chicki in The Macra Terror (1967) and Sheila in Frontier in Space (1973). 18 June 1973: death of Roger Delgado in a car accident in Turkey; he had played the original Master ...
Just before I left the UK my friend and Scottish uber-agent Douglas Gillespie told me about a very different kind of dental practice he's discovered. First off if you're anything like me you treat going to the dentist with a mix of dread and annoyance. Douglas was telling me about this amazing Dental surgery (they ...
I've often been uncomfortable that while townies and their allies in places like Britain rail about countryside pursuits like fox hunting, many seem to revel just as much in the "sport" of watching "wildlife documentarists" capturing a sort of vicarious hunt, usually of big cats versus some herbivore, in beautiful films in the pristine wildernesses of the dusky Serengeti or similar. [IMG: Serengeti image from VSmithUK's Flickr Stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vsmithuk/] So I was interested to see a BBC Four series entitled "Unnatural Histories" with, so far as I can find on iPlayer (available till 30th June), the story of the ...
Returned home from an interesting evening turned on BBC4 to see some great Glastonbury coverage of Pulp from 1995 - the lost part of the Britpop triumverate that helped propel Tony Blair to power in 1997. Jarvis Cocker was always the most worldly wise song writer and the best showman. And his intro to this song is probably one of the best messages about drugs you could imagine:
