A certain Clever Boy informed me over dinner last Saturday evening of the somewhat undiplomatic language used by Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Court of Norway last week. He has since posted the somewhat unfortunate phrase on his blog: Last night I put on the radio for the news at midnight and heard of ...
I have just returned from holidaying in Malta. This isn't a travelogue and I'm not Judith Chalmers but this blog is about stuff as well as politics so I thought I would write a few lines about my hols before getting back into blogging proper. I thoroughly enjoyed Malta though I don't suppose it will be everyone's cup of tea. It is an island (or two islands counting Gozo) in the Med. It was eerie flying into it over Sicily knowing that if we kept going for a couple of hundred miles or so we would end up in Tripoli! ...
If our youth are "seen as scum then they act like scum". This was one forthright explanation for the recent riots by a Salford mother. This was certainly one of the explanations for the misbehaviour of football fans in the 1970s and there may be something in it. This may not be a popular view and it is much more likely that you hear about criminals on the street. However the lady on the news was overheard by a gentleman who felt that just because the local youth have nothing, "it doesn't give them the right to smash things up". ...
For those of you in Manchester who have been vaguely interested in buying my books Sci-Ence! Justice Leak! or An Incomprehensible Condition, but don't like buying online (or like buying for a couple of quid cheaper than it'd cost you online) local comic shop Travelling Man has a small stock of each. Tagged: mememememe, my ...
Whilst walking in Belfast city centre, Michael noticed a slight error in the style of the Sovereign by the city council. It's really not that hard to get it right...
The riots are disgusting and are unjustifiable, but people's reaction (mostly online) has been appalling and unfair. People seem to have either forgotten or are completely ignorant to the fact that these riots began following a protest for the justice for someone who was killed during the G20 protest last year. They're not even riots ...Read More
At 9 o'clock on Sunday morning there will be a motion to condemn the security theatre surrounding this year's conference. If you don't want to click through to a .pdf of the agenda, (and frankly who can blame you) the text of the motion is as follows:F9 Chair: Baroness Barker Aide: Cllr Chris Maines Accreditation for Party Conference< Yeovil, Brent and 42 conference representatives Mover: Stephen Gilbert MP Summation: David Grace Conference accepts the need for physical security measures to protect those attending but does not accept that such measures can interfere with the democratic decision-making processes of a political ...
There are few things quite as British as reaching for the tea caddy in a crisis. I swear it does actually make you feel better. In my cade it's probably because my lovely Highland Granny was never far away from her teapot, dishing out that comforting nectar and dispensing smiles and stories. She didn't live long enough to see the Internet, and she would have been flabbergasted by it. Two decades post decimalisation, she still referred to transactions in old money, but then she was 70 when they changed it all. The idea of Facebook and Twitter and mobile phones ...
Wed 10th
22:04
Motion against police accreditation of representatives to be debated at Lib Dem Conference
I have not been following my fellow Lib Dem bloggers as closely as usual this week. But I was very pleased to learn from Liberal Ramblings from Petersfield that the motion against police accreditation of representatives being promoted by David Grace has been accepted for debate at Birmingham. According to the Annual Conference agenda, the motion will be debated at 9.00 on the morning of Sunday 18 September.The mover will be Stephen Gilbert MP and the summing up will be by David himself. Family commitments mean that I will not be in Birmingham myself, but I urge everyone who is ...
I haven't properly blogged about it until now but my family run the Dyfed Shire Horse Farm in Eglwyswrw, north Pembrokeshire. I'm delighted to blog that they have become the 1,500 Certificated Site of the UK's Camping and Caravanning Club! The farm, which is just a few miles south of the Ceredigion border and my home town of Cardigan, is run by my brother after my mother retired at the end of 2009 after running it for 15 years. We opened the farm for a month in 1992 and properly for the spring and summer season in 1994 as a ...
It's generally accepted now that there is no political agenda behind the chaos and utter destruction we've seen across our country these past few days. The heartbreaking and infuriating images splashed across our media have been one of mindlessness and complete loss of inhibitions towards our society. Many have said that the rioters (and this is a riot!) have no particular message, however, their actions are message enough and its our responsibility and duty to understand it. The embodiment of a new culture's morality? People are smashing windows, looting, handling stolen goods, driving with intent to kill, committing arson in ...
Now that is what I call a Liberal Club. You can find it in Shrewsbury at 4 Belmont - the town's most fashionable street in Georgian days. Note too the way that the 18th-century brick frontage was applied to a Tudor timbered building. A lot of apparently Georgian buildings are like that. You can read more about this one on the British Listed Buildings site. My Shrewsbury town trail booklet also points out that "an extra storey [was] gained by precariously laying bricks on the main rafter of the end gable".
Making our way down the double locks on the Grand Union canal from Napton to Leamington. A neat bit of tiller work from Mr Grace and some real Lock labouring from Elspeth got us thro to the pub at Bishop's Itchington. (Dawn Mist on the right)
Politics does not 'smell of hope and generosity' as it should for Liberals. The coalition policies for sustainable growth are predicated on a financing model that was -in large part -the cause of the market collapse that we are suffering. No generation of Liberals in the last century would have left out of their plans the radical restructuring of the ownership and control in industry. It is a prerequisite for sustainable growth as well as a crucial policy in spreading wealth, democracy and power in society. As the resolution passed at the Liberal Joint Assembly of 1968 (reproduced below) asserts; ...
Police have released some information on Twitter; Below are the images the police have released via Twitter - you can click on them for larger images. If you have any information please contact the police on 0345 456 456 4 (or you can DM them on Twitter via their @cambscops twitter account).
As reported in tonight's Evening Telegraph, following discussions I have had with the City Council's Chief Executive, it has been agreed that Royal Mail's decision to close the Crichton Street Collection Office will be the subject of a debate at the City Council's Policy and Resources Committee at its first meeting after the council's summer recess (Monday 22nd August). I am pleased that we will have the opportunity to debate this matter at the City Council as I believe Royal Mail's decision will be very detrimental to many Dundee customers who use the City Centre facility and the company has ...
Police have released some information on Twitter;Below are the images the police have released via Twitter - you can click on them for larger images. If you have any information please contact the police on 0345 456 456 4 (or you can DM them on Twitter via their @cambscops twitter account).
Press release from Greater Manchester Police: IMAGES OF THE SUSPECTS ARE AVAILABLE ON GMP'S FLICKR SITE AT www.flickr.com/photos/gmpwanted WE ARE PUBLISHING THESE IMAGES ON OUR WEBSITE AND THROUGH THE GMP Flickr SITE. PEOPLE CAN SEND US IMAGES THEY HAVE BY UPLOADING THEM TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AT Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: "These have been challenging times for policing in Greater Manchester and across the country. My officers have been faced with significant levels of violence and last night they, together with other emergency services, were attacked. "In Salford officers faced extreme violence and we are in no doubt ...
Cambridgeshire Police have been urging people across Cambridgeshire to ignore the various riot rumours circulating on social networks (Twitter, Facebook) in relation to Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire Police have their own Twitter feed which is updated regularly and is probably the best place for news and local updates; https://twitter.com/#!/cambscops The official news release is below. "We are urging social media users not to believe everything they read on Twitter or Facebook - unless it's an official feed. We have been receiving a number of calls and Tweets, following rumours and speculation circulating on social media sites. There is no truth in these ...
Cambridgeshire Police have been urging people across Cambridgeshire to ignore the various riot rumours circulating on social networks (Twitter, Facebook) in relation to Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire Police have their own Twitter feed which is updated regularly and is probably the best place for news and local updates; https://twitter.com/#!/cambscops The official news release is below. "We are urging social media users not to believe everything they read on Twitter or Facebook - unless it's an official feed. We have been receiving a number of calls and Tweets, following rumours and speculation circulating on social media sites. There is no truth in these ...
Yesterday, I had an excellent and enjoyable meeting with the tenants of the Morven Terrace and Ancrum Place Sheltered Housing. It was a very well attended meeting at which we discussed grass maintenance, fencing, buses, street lighting and a host of other local issues. We are meeting again soon when I can update residents on the issues raised.
Cambridgeshire Police have been urging people across Cambridgeshire to ignore the various riot rumours circulating on social networks (Twitter, Facebook) in relation to Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire Police have their own Twitter feed which is updated regularly and is probably the best place for news and local updates;https://twitter.com/#!/cambscopsThe official news release is below."We are urging social media users not to believe everything they read on Twitter or Facebook - unless it's an official feed.We have been receiving a number of calls and Tweets, following rumours and speculation circulating on social media sites.There is no truth in these rumours, and we have been ...
And now for something completely local! Fellow blogger and SNP MSP Joan McAlpine has used her Scotsman column to write in support of the campaign to reclaim Greenock's Sugar Sheds for community use. The Greenock Telegraph has reported on this local campaign in recent weeks but as far as I am aware this is the first time it has caught the attention of the national media. I fully support her stance and the campaign, which has a facebook page and a surprisingly well-researched blog (Keep Greenock's Sugar Sheds a Community Space). People who either live in or know Greenock will ...
Following the totally disgraceful scenes we have seen on the streets of Birmingham, the leaders of the three main political groups on the Council have come together to issue a joint statement which can be accessed via the following link: Joint_Group_Leaders'_Statement 10Aug11 I fully support this statement. The police have my heartfelt thanks for all their hard work in the past few days. All parts of our society must come together to make sure such scenes are never repeated.
Contrary to what some right wing nutters would have you believe (I'm talking to you Melanie Phillips you sour old hag), liberalism is not in favour of preventing the police from dealing with the rioters. Liberalism is about "the right to do as you please as long as you do not cause a nuisance to anyone else" - to paraphrase Milton. So here's a properly liberal solution on how to deal with the riots. Stage 1 - Immediate Police should restore order as swiftly as possible, if necessary with back up from the army. However, water cannons and rubber bullets ...
Cllr John Dodd Pictured above is John Dodd with the Chairperson of Southport In Bloom Dorothy Lee and Britain In Bloom judges in the North Meols civic garden in Cambridge Road. John is a member of the North Meols Civic Society.
I recently came across http://www.restorejustice.org.uk/ and felt compelled to write to them. For reference, I include the whole of my letter below, and will re-blog if I receive a reply (here's hoping). Hi, I'd like to comment about your website please. Firstly, I'd like to ask that you respect that, with any argument, there is a debate. To say the Liberal Democrats support soft justice just because many of us don't back the death penalty is unfair. I'm more than happy to debate issues with you, however as a member it's unfair for you to claim I don't want ...
Over the last few nights, many riots have occurred in British cities. The riots were disgraceful and all the people responsible for them deserve to be brought to justice. Shops have been looted, windows have been smashed and buildings burnt to the ground; these are truly disgraceful acts and display the worst of humanity creating anarchy on the streets of the UK. Now there are many reasons why such people would resort to such criminality and looting and over the next coming days politicians from the left and the right will try to bring some clarity and understanding to the ...
As I mentioned last week, I have re-vamped my blog front page after 11 months and over 100,000 pageviews after I started blogging properly last September. Yesterday I made the initial changes by making changes to the content. I've done so by making a push on promoting local businesses and organisations in Cardigan and also more widely throughout Ceredigion in the hope that I can give them some free publicity. I have done so so by placing prominently their web links on the front page. Today I have re-vamped in its entirety, the design of the blog to move away ...
The Guardian write UK riots: A report card on our politicians' performances where they look at Nick Clegg's performance which is more positive than others and worth highlighting: The deputy prime minister got brownie points for being first back from holiday (on Monday and by coincidence) and on the street. Downing Street discouraged him, apparently ...
Yes, it's that time of year! And for the first time, I'm actually quite excited! Total Politics is hosting its sixth annual awards for political blogs and bloggers from large, collective blogs such as Lib Dem Voice all the way through to smaller blogs, such as those used by councillors. Total Politics is also, for the first time, asking participants to identify their favourite political tweeter - a tacit recognition of the growing influence of twitter. I've already voted for my top ten which are mainly Scottish and, unsurprisingly, include contributions from across the political spectrum. I personally think the ...
This morning I joined hundreds of other Mancunians in Picadilly Gardens to help clean up the City Centre after last night's disturbances. I was really impressed with how quickly the Council managed to clear the debris, by the huge number of people who came out to help and by the local shops, who determined not to let a tiny minority of idiots win, had clearly adopted a "business as usual" policy! Sadly a large number of businesses had seen their premises damaged and there was evidence of looting. I felt very sorry for one family Jewellers shop on Shudehill that ...
As I watch the thuggery going on around our country I feel like crying. I could cry for the friends and families of the people who have died as a result of this outbreak of lawless thuggery. I'm upset for the decent hardworking people who's lives and property that have been wrecked. And yet again I find myself upset at the easy stigmatisation of working class communities and young people from many people who's only knowledge of these communities is from what they read in the Guardian or the Telegraph whilst drinking their skinny lattes. I grew up on two ...
Chris has talked to Herts Highways about the state of some of the tree pits outside the town hall: they plan to refurbish these shortly. They are also thinking about lowering some of the kerbs in Market Place to make it more comfortable for pedestrians (ie less likely to trip).
Remember when Boris was reported to be rejecting pleas for him to return from his sunny holiday to come back to London to oversee the riots? His deputy for policing, Kit Malthouse defended him, saying "If he were to come back now, that would kind of be the rioters winning." The next day, Boris came back. When he met members of the public, he was heckled with calls of "Resign!" and "We want Labour!". To be fair, Nick Clegg was also heckled and David Cameron opted to not even meet any members of the public. These riots will be a ...
Last night's scenes in Manchester were horrible. The people taking part in what seems to have been a mass looting session were open about the fact that it was all about getting "stuff". In other words, they'd seen the looters in London helping themselves to goods from looted shops and homes and decided that they were missing out on "free stuff." What was more depressing is that some people seemed to think that looting was fun for the whole family. However, they were more than outnumbered by the hundreds of people who turned out this morning to clear up. By ...
There was standing room only at the National Liberal Club this lunchtime when Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg spoke at a question and answer session with local party members — one of a series he is doing around the country. He thrives on the rigorous debate that such 'internal' events engender, so was able to respond head-on ...
It has been a particularly wet day here in the Capital. Wet and very busy This morning I chaired the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership where we discussed a range of issues ranging from Hate Crime to Violence Reduction. It is always very gratifying to see the marked improvement in crime stats since the Lib Dems took over the leadership of the council from Labour. Crime and Antisocial Behaviour has tumbled and the evidence is there for all to see! I then went on to speak to the Thrive Lunch Club about some of the changes we have made to Housing ...
I remember when I became politically self-aware. That mixture of rage and shame at a state that wantonly lied, waged war, murdered innocent foreign citizens, murdered its own innocent citizens and oppressed those who spoke out, all the while grasping greedily ... Continue reading →
I was left open mouthed, but not entirely surprised this morning when headlines started coming in that a teacher had been in court for looting. As a teacher myself I tweeted that I hope this person would no longer be able to work with children, and that I hoped they would be properly punished by the courts. It is now known that the person in court is not a teacher, but works with children at a school. This did not, however, stop David Hughes, a man who is apparently the chief leader writer for the Telegraph publishing on his blog ...
My heart sinks at the suggestion (in this interesting article on Politico) that the Obama camp appears set on a deeply negative campaign against the front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney. Given President Obama's own unpopularity, his aides apparently believe that they can only win if they render Romney even more unpopular than their own guy is. I can hardly blame them for thinking that, but it is still a shame that it's come to this.
Collected links from around the webxkcd: Password Strength-been meaning to redo my password scheme anyway I had the 8-10chars, some numbers, some punctuation jammed into me at work and elsewhere, it's become a habit. Anyone got a random word generator app? Suspect "correct horse battery staple" may become new 1234 (tags: security xkcd) Steve's random and often belligerent Journal - Riots aren't political Steve wishes the riots were political, wishes they had a point, but they're just looters looting. I think he's, broadly, right. I think he's wrong to say there's no alternatives, but the disillusion of many with the ...
I moved apartments over the weekend. Only a block away in order to gain a roommate, but it's not the distance one drives that is the main cause of stress when you move, but the packing, movement of heavy objects and the slow unpacking/adjustment of new environments. On Saturday, I sat down for one last check of the internet and I saw my British friends' Twitters were all talking about one thing. Riots. In London. The last few days I have been juggling the stress of moving with my PhD thesis corrections with the added bonus stress of knowing that ...
Commentaries on the riots which have taken place in several major UK cities in recent days abound. Hundreds of commentators have put forward arguments about the causes of the riots, probably most of which are wholly or partly nonsense. I do not intend to add to that number today. At the time of writing, the following petition occupies the top spot on the government's e-petition's website: Convicted London rioters should loose all benefits.Responsible department: Department for Work and PensionsAny persons convicted of criminal acts during the current London riots should have all financial benefits removed. No tax payer should have ...
TweetI was most angered by Newsnight last night and by the reactions on Twitter. Both Harriet Harman and Michael Gove tried to give political reasons for why the riots and looting started. Politicos on Twitter were going on about how ... Continue reading →
If you've been out and about in Wokingham Borough recently you have probably seen those pairs of black wires lying across the road, tethered to a lamp post. They were there for a while, starting almost as soon as the school term finished. Several people have asked me why the council was counting cars in the school holidays. Actually they weren't counting cars, they were recording speeds around speed cameras. Together with accident statistics the information that's recorded is used to create a history of conditions around the speed cameras, and helps the council analyse whether the right road safety ...
Wed 10th
15:03
I've just asked Nick Clegg how many seats he wants to win at the next election. Here's his answer.
Today was a 'meet the leader' session for London members of the Lib Dems at the National Liberal Club. A packed room heard Nick take questions for over an hour and I'll be blogging plenty of them. But first - here's what I asked. "Nick, when you were elected leader, you said you had a target of doubling the number of Lib Dem MP's by the election after next. Is that target still the same?' Nick's answer was (with a chuckle...) 'Yes, let's stick with it'. So that's as straight an answer as you're ever likely to get. To save ...
Former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metroplolitan police, and current contender to become the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London, Brian Paddick has written for The Independent on the need for our law-enforcers to re-earn the trust of the capital's balck community. Recounting his own experiences of policing London on the front-line over the decades, Brian writes: I was a sergeant on the streets during the 1981 Brixton riots. Together with 10 officers hiding behind our plastic shields, we became the focus for community hatred, pelted with bricks and broken paving slabs. The police and the community tried to ...
For those of you who read this who have known me for many years you'll know what my lifelong ambition was. Those who haven't known me for that long probably won't know. Some might think it's to become an MP and maybe in time Prime Minister. That isn't it. Some might think it's to find a partner and live happily ever after. No it's not that. Some might think it was to become a professional sportsman. Nah I'm afraid from a young age my minor disability pretty much put pay to that. Some might think that that it is to ...
Sticking to a historical theme, I notice we have just passed the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish civil war. Following the nationalist rebellion in July 1936, the main European powers pursued a policy of non-intervention that was flagrantly flouted by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. One of the tragedies of this conflict was how lukewarm, the major democracies were about preserving democratic government in Spain (however flawed it was) and standing up to dictatorship. Most people who have any knowledge of this period will be aware of the International Brigade who fought to defend republican Spain. But ...
The Prime Minister has authorised the use of water cannon, baton rounds and other methods to regain control of British town and cities. Cameron is quite right to impose order, including the use of non-lethal weaponry; it's the duty of government to protect its citizens from arbitrary force. There is no justification for the rioting ...
I see that the summer edition of the Journal of Liberal History includes my review of Ross McKibbin's Parties and people: England 1914-51. More than that it there are articles by Martin Horwood MP on Cheltenham's Liberal history, Ross Finnie on Russell Johnston and Kevin Theakston on the afterlives of former Liberal prime ministers. It's an impressive achievement of Duncan Brack (who must also be busy with other things) and his editorial team to keep producing this quarterly journal, which is not only highly-readable, but contains original, peer-reviewed research. Subscriptions are a bargain at £20, giving also membership of the ...
Peterborough City Council presently wants to find out from residents living in and around the South Werrington and North Gunthorpe area, if there are any places that could benefit from a salt bin? Local LIB DEM ward councillor for this area, Darren Fower, who attended a meeting at the Town Hall, where they discussed this issue, said: "Another councillor for this area has recommended Martins Court, citing the demographics of residents in this patch, I myself thought the Council should look at Amberley Slope, given a) there is a school there, b) it's a well-used road for local people and ...
I, like many Londoners, am today welcoming the fact that overwhelming force works. Whether one night of calm is enough to put a halt to the riots for an appreciable period of time remains to be seen, but now seems a good time to pause and look at how the story of the riots has ...
We had a lovely crowd at Tuesday's gig, although the five people who arrived after my set missed the defining part of the show, which will now be known as "The One Where Will Broke the Microphone". I got a bit too into my big finale and apparently bashed the microphone on my knee. Fortunately, we had a spare so I pottered around on stage, showing the audience the secret magic behind the scenes of live comedy. (I switched the other microphone on and adjusted the volume.) Still, having wrecked the mic I was most definitely ready to rumble. So ...
Wed 10th
12:38
David Cameron's tough talk shows he doesn't get it - sick people need healing, not imprisonment and ...
Just after 11, David Cameron came out of Downing Street with the full intention of sounding tough. And he did. He basically said that the Police would have whatever they needed, potentially including water cannon, to get a grip on the appalling violence and destruction we've seen in England's cities over the last few days. Those horrible events took an even worse turn with the deaths of 3 men hit by a car in Birmingham. It's a grim picture - but what is the answer? For David Cameron, it's getting tough with the offenders, locking them up, making it clear ...
Like many other people I was very moved by the dignity of the Reeves family in the face of what must be an horrendous time for them in the last couple of days. For anyone who is not aware, they own the family run "House of Reeves" furniture store in Croydon which was burnt to the ground on Monday as a result of the riots that took place. The shop has been in their family for almost 150 years and it was burnt down in only a few hours. I suspect that building ablaze for a long time before fire-crews ...
My mood seems to be as variable as the weather at the moment but since my last 'Random Thoughts' I have been finding stuff to cheer myself up with. Watching the media coverage of the London riots hasn't been helping with this of course, nor has the sight of those seeking to make political capital out of them hasn't helped much either. But if you will excuse me I am going to ignore all that in this post and just concentrate on positive things. Firstly, I have just got through finishing watching Waldemar Januszczak's excellent documentary series looking at the ...
There was a key quote on the BBC website from someone in Liverpool pointing out that around 200 people have caused disturbances in a city of 480,000. He was keen to ensure that the reputation of Liverpool does not suffer as a result of the latest crimes. As an occasional visitor to Liverpool, I agree. Its a great place which happens to have its share of problems, as does everywhere else. This comment by a proud Liverpudlian is well made and it illustrates that the current lunacy is not the breakdown of society, just crime pure and simple. The fact ...
There are few occupations in the public sector that are more lowly than youth workers. Yet, following days of unrest and arson, there has never been a time when they are more needed. A few days before the London riots, the Guardian published a video of interviews with young people in Haringey, where the council had closed down eight of its 13 youth clubs. One of the young people, Chavez Campbell, said: "When youth clubs get shut down it cuts kids roots off and links. They don't have anywhere to go." He warned: "There'll be riots." As long ago as ...
CAMRA have a long history of saying they promote responsible, healthy drinking. Their latest press release is no exception: At the Great British Beer Festival today, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has welcomed the Government's decision to introduce a 50% excise duty reduction on beers at or below 2.8% ABV from October 2011 in a move that will allow consumers to enjoy a lower priced and lower strength pint in their local. CAMRA predicts the introduction of low strength beers - dubbed the 'People's Pints' - in pubs could be a huge boost to the licensed trade in light ...
I love Ribbit Mobile's voicemail service. It's the perfect replacement for the now-defunct SpinVox. My voicemail gets transcribed (by a human or machine) – then the text is emailed and texted to me. I even get an MP3 recording for later blackmail purposes. But today comes the news that Ribbit is shutting down. Or is it? The email specifically says: "this notice only refers to Ribbit Developers and does NOT impact Ribbit Mobile or Ribbit for Salesforce users" Indeed, there are still a few signs of life. Their helpdesk status was updated at the start of the month At the ...
London burns and communities reel from successive nights of violence and looting, rumour is rife, facts are scare. All we know that peaceful vigil held for Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by police on Thursday night, somehow was hijacked by an angry mob and his death became the catalyst of nights of violence, which have now spread to other parts of the capital and country. What do we hear from Labour politicians? Calls for calm? Space for the IPCC to carry out their investigation into the shooting? No, instead we have them lining up to link the violence to ...
I have re-thought my view on mobile phone networks from yesterday. The police are doing very clever things with BlackBerry involving pinging, data packets and geo-location, according to The Times. A commenter on the NewburyToday forum called Dodgy Smarter b... wrote: The BBM service was thought to be 'closed' and therefore became the handset of choice for the majority of young people. Sadly, it turns out that the messages sent can still be read by the old bill. (that'll cause some the little scrotes a few sleepless nights). Vodafone have also instigated the Ac**** protocol in some towns which has ...
'Violence claims first life' proclaims the Metro on page 5. This has far more significance than all the emotive flames images. The one thing that is glaringly clear about these days of unrest and public disorder is the lack of human targets. These youths and yobs and hooligans are attacking shops, demanding the merchandise they have never been taught to save up for, reducing it's value to something tangiable in their eyes, the risk of getting caught. But stark among the wreckage of London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester et al is the significant lack of human casualties. Yes several people ...
Do the events in London suggest that Summer is a time for being on the streets? As someone who looks at history to try and understand the present I was wondering whether the riots in our cities is a new phenomenon or whether it is something that often happens in the Summer. Historically, it has ...
Update: 1430BST, 10th August. Procter and Gamble are saying this is a spoof advert. It's unclear if this is true or if the advert is perhaps just old – it's listed on the film companies web site, saying it caused a "stream of controversy" when released and that it was later "pulled". (Under commercials, left hand column, third film down) Via @PMS_warrior and @thefworduk, I ran across this advert for Always this morning. After a while doing Trans campaigning, even at a low level, I've grown pretty immune to many things and I'm usually just mildly offended by transphobia in ...
The Rambles of Neil Monnery is delighted to welcome a new writer to the team which kind of makes a mockery of the title but still. James Berry has been known to the management for over twenty years and was one of the reasons that kept the management sane when dragged to Hart Plain Church every Sunday morning for year after year. James will be blogging on football whenever he feels like it so if you are into football then read his pieces. I've always found them detailed and worthwhile hence why I've offered him the chance to blog here. ...
Wed 10th
10:36
Opinion: Lessons learned the hard way will have to be re-learned following the riots in Tottenham
As a young research assistant I was in Northern Ireland on the day of the June 1987 General Election, campaigning for the re-election of my boss the Rev Martin Smyth, Ulster Unionist MP for South Belfast and head of the Orange Order. Elections in Northern Ireland were always conducted in a way mindful of possible violence or terrorist attack, and an RUC patrol intercepted a car in the vicinity of a school being used as a polling station. The IRA occupants of the car were found to be armed and an explosive device was also found. Mr Smyth was in ...
Wed 10th
10:30Harriet Harman was a disgrace on Newsnight last night. While we're at it, why weren't the Lib Dems i...
I see Ed Miliband has made some sensible, dare I see leaderly, comments on the recent unrest - for example: 'The causes are not simple, they are complex... the Labour Party is not going to engage in simplistic explanations about this'. What a shame he didn't say this before Harriet Harman waded in on Newsnight last night with her facile, holier than thou, party point scoring, tribal nonsense. I was so angry - so angry - that I ended up nodding along with Michael Gove (YES I KNOW!!!). It's also worth watching if you like a dust up on Newsnight. ...
From the BBC Leicester news pages: Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, said he had seen children aged under 12 taking part in the riots. "I was totally bemused really because this wasn't any sort of protest or anything that had any meaning to it all. These were kids. "What on earth do their parents think they are doing letting them run around the city centre doing this sort of damage?"Ah, but if Sir Peter had read my post They're not youths, they're very naughty boys from April of this year, he would not have been so surprised.
Dib Lemming: Panic on the streets of fucking everywhere. (tags: london) Women of Many Origins (tags: comics) Federal Conference: 'Don't Frighten The Horses' | Gareth Epps What Gareth said. (tags: libdemmery) The Daily Mash - Bad money thing make new scary time This is actually beyond my level of comprehension as far as economics goes. (tags: funny) Call in the army? Remember Northern Ireland... (tags: london) Doctor Who: a celebration of Colin Baker - Den of Geek (tags: doctorwho)
I was in Stockport at 7am this morning. I'd heard rumours of some sort of rioting or looting in the town last night, but absolutely no firm confirmations. The Tesco Extra by the Portwood Roundabout was closed. 24 hour opening? Not today. Apparently they closed it yesterday evening on Police advice, as did Asda and Sainsbury's, and hadn't opened by the time I was there. I went around Stockport as far as I could – the Peel Centre into the Town Centre. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary – so if there was something, it was somewhere I ...
Wed 10th
09:34
Birmingham Riots: No excuses for thugs, can you identify these people? If so report them
As the West Midlands wakes up to more destruction today with riots in West Bromwich and Wolverhampton and 3 dead in Birmingham people are getting very angry. I hear so much crap about why they are doing this and it makes me mad. People need to get a grip and see this for what it ...
I guess all of the news regarding the various riots in the country are rightly dominating the headlines, however I couldn't see this story anywhere in the mainstream media: OFT fines certain supermarkets and processors almost £50 million in dairy decision The supermarkets involved are Asda (who received leniency), Safeway, Sainsbury's and Tesco - the big three of these receiving fines of around £10m each. Now I know this is mainly small change to them (Tesco made £3.54bn profit last year, and Asda is owned by Walmart who are the worlds largest retailer) but it is good to see the ...
I didn't manage to get DD307 TMA05 done before I set off on holiday, so my laptop and books all came with me. It somehow felt appropriate though to be writing about intergroup conflict while I was watching the news from home. I hope everyone who reads this blog has managed to stay safe. In the end, I managed to write what I hope is a half decent essay. Billig's criticism of SIT is quite a slippery one to get to grips with. I'm just concerned that my essay really wasn't critical enough and rather repetitive in some places. Actually, ...
Word has just reached us that Ros is being recalled for an emergency debate to follow statements from both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. More news as it comes in... Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
"We have a generation of young people who do not respect society or their parents" - that is one view on the streets this morning. But it's not true. Attempts to demonise a whole generation of young people - or their parents, or schools - must be resisted. The country is actually full of young people who are a delight to know and who abide by the conventions. But the dreadful activities of recent nights have highlighted the fact that communities work for most of us because of the unspoken social conventions that bind us together. On the whole, people ...
It isn't often that the members of one party should be worried about a proposed policy from a rival party's leader collapsing under examination. However, David Elstein's demolition of Ed Miliband's proposal to limit ownership of newspapers by circulation should not provide more than a passing smile to Liberal Democrats, for it highlights the difficult of coming up with any meaningful change in the rules over newspaper ownership. As David Elstein puts it: Ed Miliband has proposed a 20% limit on ownership of national newspapers, measured by circulation. As the Sun's circulation is more than 20% of all national newspaper ...
Local people are expressing dismay over the destruction by fire of the Batchwood Golf and Tennis Centre. Local Lib Dem councillor Amanda Archer (Batchwood), who has already visited the scene, commented: 'This is terrible news for local people as this was a much loved local facility. The police and fire brigade are working together to establish what caused the fire. The Batchwood Golf and Tennis Centre has provided an excellent range of leisure services for the local community and will be missed whilst it is closed.' Cllr Chris White, whose county council division covers St Peter's and Clarence wards, commented: ...
"When I get home nothing is going to happen to me. I might get shouted at", young looter on radio this morning. I put this question to two law-abiding,sensible Guardian-reading friends. One hesitated and ducked the question. The other answered without pause that she would not. She stuck to this answer. I don't understand the dilemma. You expect even demand that other people's kids are
Wed 10th
08:00Nick Clegg on the UK riots: "We've all got to work together to make sure this doesn't happen again"
The Deputy Prime Minister, speaking on a visit to Birmingham, pledged tough action to bring an end to the riots which have spread from London to other cities. Nick Clegg warned those who had taken part that, when caught, they would face serious consequences for their actions: (Also available on the BBC website here.) The previous day the Lib Dem leader branded the violence "completely unacceptable", and labelled the rioting as nothing more than "opportunistic theft": (Available on the BBC website here.)
Last month, I mentioned the positive response to my request for dog bins at the Riverside Nature Park. I have since also received requests for litter bins across the Nature Park. I also raised this with the City Council and have received the following helpful response : "I have now had a response to your enquiry from the Environment Department. Work is underway to identify suitable bins and appropriate locations. Thereafter, it is hoped that they can be installed as soon as delivery allows. They will be regularly emptied by the Environmental Management Division."
A friend of mine came up to me earlier and said "Don't you think the police are being a bit heavy-handed?" As a liberal (socially speaking), I seem to find that it's almost seen as my duty to criticise whatever the police do. People just expect me to. And normally, I'm more than willing to oblige. They definitely abuse their stop and search powers, they enforce a lot of laws which are not just, and they seem to spend more time pulling people over for not wearing seatbelts than they do catching rapists and killers. Having said that, when it ...
Regular readers will know that we rarely mention other parts of the Borough/City on this blog - however, I thought people would be interested to see what was happening tonight in response to the threat of rioting. Coming home up through Camden Town - it brought home the full impact on our area- even though there had been only minor disturbance in Camden compared to the scale of what has been seen in other boroughs. Everywhere was boarded-up or being boarded-up unless they had metal grills already. The few exceptions were kebab and burger shops that looked as though they ...
