Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Broxtowe Borough Council. A special welcome to the new readers that we have this week, and especially to those who've signed up via our new web site which we launched last week. There's a lot of material to report this week, as it's a busy time of year. It is still 63 days until 25th December but two of the events I've been asked to publicise are Christmas ones. 1. Housing Development It's been an interesting week, ...
I invented this in a moment of inspiration this evening, and family reviews were good. The quantities are necessarily approximate. Ingredients Enough red cabbage A little butter (probably a non-dairy fat or oil could be used; trick is not to let it get too hot) One cardamom pod per person Half a dried fig per person (round fractions up) Salt 1) Melt the butter / heat the oil. 2) Add the chopped red cabbage, stir around to ensure it's all covered. 3) Add the crushed cardamoms and sliced figs. And also a couple of pinches of salt. 4) Cover and ...
We're a bit behind with Stephen Fry's brilliant series about language, and just watched the third episode this evening (while some of you will have been watching the fifth and final one as it went out on BBC Two). Lots of fun intellectual stuff, but I was bowled over by the courage and humour of Jessica Thom, who has Tourette's syndrome and explained her situation as follows (here, from 1:57):Lots of people misunderstand Tourette's, and they say, "I wish I had Tourette's, cos it would mean I could get away with swearing, and it means I could say whatever I ...
This afternoon was the launch day for the new Nisa-Today store at Eagle Service Station. I was rather surprised to be invited along, having opposed the award of a liquor licence, but even more surprised when I found that I was invited to cut the ribbon at the opening. It was a good opportunity to find out how the business is going and if there were any issues needing attention. The shop
Fascinating new website mapping crashes that have occurred in the UK since www.crashmap.co.uk It covers data since 2005 but doesn't have 2011 yet as the data lags before it will be available. Police collision data has been shown to have a degree of underreporting but I've found it useful to get a feel for where collisions have been occurring.
My Monkees book is now out! Hardback, paperback, Non-Kindle ebook formats, PDF Kindle version will be up tomorrow here (US) and here (UK) As always, I haven't received my proof copies yet, so caveat emptor – but I've also never yet had a problem with the proofs. Tagged: monkees, my books, the monkees
My post on the 11th October gave a link to the e-petition to end the discrimination against British ex-pat pensioners whose state pensions are frozen. I'd come across the link on an online forum for British ex-pats in Canada. Since I will be returning to the UK before I get my state pension, I'm not ...
One of our receptionists at work was a mod who knew all about Spencer Davis Group B sides. When she left to pursue a Masters in Archaeology I thought I was alone. Then I found Bekah's Mind. That link will take you to three pages of photos (one of which I have borrowed) and recordings of the band the band. Do try the live version of Stevie's Blues you will find at the top right of the first page. It's very different from the one I posted here in March.
So Chris Foy sent off two Chelsea players, booked a large handful and gave a penalty against them this afternoon in the live Super Sunday 4PM game at their old rivals QPR. Looking at the raw stats you might question it but watching the game as a neutral I saw nothing major that denoted Foy having anything but a pretty good game. However my neutral view seems to be out of phase with that of Chelsea fans who believe that he not only had a bad day at the office but was also doing it on purpose due to a ...
Earlier this month I reported that the death of Hilda Murrell, which was so controversial when it took place in 1984, is the subject of a new book - A Thorn in Their Side - by her nephew Commander Robert Green. There is a website devoted to the case. Through it, you can buy the book and read news reports and reviews of it.
From the Dundee Celebrate Age Network: See Off Scams We are looking for volunteers to help us go out to older people's groups and let them know what they can do to avoid scams. To be a volunteer with this project, you will: · Enjoy meeting and working with older people· Be willing to give up three hours a month of your time· Take part in a half day's training session on how to avoid scams Newsletter Project CAN Forum are looking for volunteers to help with setting up a newsletter for older people. To be a volunteer with this ...
From The Old House at Coate website: An idea has been put forward by Barry Andrews, of Swindon-grown band XTC, to create an installation which, through sound, music and large computer-generated moving images, evokes the atmosphere of Jefferies' post-apocalyptic book, After London. Fragments of Jefferies' text will be sampled and played as part of the soundtrack, with the installation joining a long tradition of meditations upon devestated landscapes. Barry, with co-band member, Andy Partridge, believe that this unique attempt to highlight Jefferies' work and the use of digital modern technology will make the stranger aspects of this visionary writer more ...
...His name was Franklin Engelmann. He presented Pick of the Pops in its first year of 1955. He is perhaps more famous as the presenter of Down your Way on the Home Service. Regular commenter Mark asked me to find a clip of the great man presenting Down your way. Sadly, that request has defeated me. However, I did find this video clip of Mr Engelmann announcing the birth of Prince Charles on the marvellous British Pathe archive website. Also, the Radio Academy has a Hall of Fame tribute to Franklin Engelman, including an audio clip of him Opening the ...
Was on the Tay Talk In earlier today about bus services in parts of the West End - click play to listen :
I'm not a big fan of 'modern music'. That for anyone who knows me, is a given. Anything recorded post-1996 generally attracts a disapproving glance from this direction but there are of course notable exceptions. It must also be said that Alyson's more modern tastes have inevitably rubbed off on me. I would have to grudgingly admit now for example, that I rather like Lady Gaga. But I don't shout about it too much as it would ruin my reputation of being an old sage when it comes to my musical tastes. One of my slow burning favourites from 2011 ...
I think you can guess who this quote is about... but here is what Andrew Hilton wrote in the Evening Standard this week: [Steve Webb] is the best pensions minister we have had in a generation. Hat-tip: Vote Clegg, Get Clegg
Cross-posted from Liberal Democrat Voice In March I wrote here, and on Liberal Democrat Voice about a report by the Institute for Government which recommended a series of measures to bolster LibDem influence within the government. The report can be read in full here. I'm delighted to say that there is evidence that this report's recommendations are being acted upon. The Telegraph today reports that seven new Liberal Democrat advisers are to be appointed across Whitehall, particularly concentrating on the Health department, the Home Office and other ministries without a lead LibDem cabinet minister. According to the Sunday Times, three ...
Forest Hill residents have reported some alledged dumping of Japanese knotweed (see the thread here: http://www.se23.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=5312). Japanese knotweed is so virulent that it has be dipsosed of in the proper fashion, and dumping it on derelict site doesn't count. It could well be that the old sorting office site is just being used as a ...
Yesterday Stephen Williams, the Lib Dem MP for Bristol West, marked the death of Edmundo Ros. It is always good to see that an MP has a hinterland, as Denis Healey once termed it. And, as I have often discussed with Disgruntled Radical, it is sad when you do not realise that someone is still been alive until you hear of their death - if you see what I mean. To counter this, The Oldie has a feature called "Still With Us", which carries profiles of people you might think are dead but are not. Until the other day, Edmundo ...
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Steve Isaacson - please email comments and objections to him at steve.isaacson@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibdems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Steve Isaacson - please email comments and objections to him at steve.isaacson@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibdems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Chris Werren - please email comments and objections to him at chris.werren@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibdems.org.uk
And so the day of the Regional Conference came, and with Ros and I on the platform for part of every session, and with two side meetings scheduled, I was never going to be anything other than busy. Anyone would think that I was up for election, or something. Regardless, we left for Cambridge in pretty good spirits, and arrived at Cambridge Regional College in good time for the 10 a.m. kick-off. Sian Reid, Leader of Cambridge City Council, welcomed us to the city and to the conference, before a session of policy debates and Parliamentary reports. Motions on 'A ...
In March I wrote here on Liberal Democrat Voice about a report by the Institute for Government which recommended a series of measures to bolster LibDem influence within the government. The report can be read in full here. I'm delighted to say that there is evidence that this report's recommendations are being acted upon. The Telegraph today reports that seven new Liberal Democrat advisers are to be appointed across Whitehall, particularly concentrating on the Health department, the Home Office and other ministries without a lead LibDem cabinet minister. According to the Sunday Times, three of these new advisers have already ...
The Lord Mayor of London, is reported to have complained that the protest outside St Paul's Cathedral is not a positive protest for jobs but " 'anti-this' and 'anti- that' (so) it's difficult to get a handle on how to respond." (Guardian 22/10/2011). This is not Boris Johnson but a Sir Michael Bear, who is Lord Mayor of the City of London. According to its website he is elected for one year, though they don't say by whom, and is, they claim somewhat improbably "apolitical." According to Polly Toynbee's summary in the Guardian on 18/10/11 (yes I know that if ...
Cllr Darren Fower has said he is "..more that satisfied.." having raised well over £700 for a locally based charity that supports families, individuals and children affected by spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus! Darren, undertook his first ever 4km fun run, as part of the Great Eastern Run 2011 and nominated city based charity Spina Bifida * Hydrocephalus * Information * Networking * Equality - Shine, formerly known as the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. Commenting, Darren said: "I'd like to thank all the residents in South Werrington and North Gunthorpe who donated and of course all the other people ...
CHYPPS (Children's and Young People's Participation Service) is running a series of play activities this half term. They take place all over the city the ones closest to here are on Tuesday at Accordia (off Brooklands Avenue) and Thursday at Coleridge Rec. Here is the full programme: Mondays The Dec at River Lane, 3.30-5.30 Twilight Reccy at Green End Rd rec, 5-7pm Twilight Reccy at Jack Warren Green, 5-7pm Tuesdays The Dec at Northfield Ave, 7-9pm Reccy at Ditton Fields, 4-6pm Twilight Reccy at Accordia Green, 5.30-7pm Pop-in at Newton Q, 11+ years, 7-9pm Wednesdays Q Club at Newton Q, ...
I've been having an interesting discussion with some folk of the so called "economic liberal" persuasion in the Lib Dems. In trying to come up with a list of policy ideas on which they could all agree, someone proposed that support for the National Minimum Wage was inviolable. I dared to disagree. In fact it is not that many years ago that it was a manifesto policy to abolish the National bit of the National Minimum Wage and leave it up to regional and industry based wage commissions to agree different minimums in different trades and regions. But that is ...
The London Evening Standard writes Worries over a new pensions wheeze where they have some thing very positive to say about Steve Webb which is worth highlighting: The disgrace is not that Webb is on the case – he is the best pensions minister we have had in a generation – but that yet again Government might ...
I was thrilled to be asked to do the official opening of the new nursery attached to Clarendon College today. Clarendon college is a Montessori school on Garston Old Road and the nursery is just round the corner in Whitehedge Road. I last saw the building back in the summer when there was lots to do, so it was nice to see the progress. It really looked lovely today with all the bright coloured toys and the cots for babies.
Welcome to a new series of posts, each of which will look to give three tips about commonly asked campaign issues. Do get in touch - mark.hat.libdemvoice.org.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real one) if you have any questions you would like to suggest. Today's Campaign Corner question: Should you still target during PR list elections, such as for the London Assembly or the European Parliament? A very good question – and one that I could easily write more than three tips about! But here are three: Repetition is ...
Well done New Zealand who finally put their 24 year hoodoo to rest when they sneaked home to win Rugby's World Cup by a single point beating a very plucky and stubborn France 8-7. The French have for much of the 24 barren years been the thorn in the side of the All Blacks and in spite of being heavily beaten in the group stages. Two truisms were evident today...You can never write off France at Rugby and A world Cup Final is never a foregone conclusion.This was the right result. The best team of the tournament won the trophy. ...
Tunisians go to the polls today. My pal Gill is part of the team monitoring the elections and has sent me this snap of where she is billeted. Keen sci-fi buff, of which I am not one, will recognize in an instant as one of the places where the Star Wars trilogy (if you can you have a six part trilogy) was shot. Anyho' the best of British to the voters of Tunisia. Democracy was a long time coming and was hard won. Remember as Churchill said.... "....democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have ...
There was a report in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette on June 10th, 2009 to say that the West Herts NHS Hospital Trust board was meeting to decide "where to build Hemel Hempstead's new £35 million Local General Hospital". It seems there were two choices – either off Breakspear Way up near the M1 or off Hillfield Road. Well, they have now decided against Breakspear Way and in the consultation for the Dacorum Development Framework (new borough plan) residents were asked to choose between two locations, both within the Hillfield Road site. Now I believe things have moved on again and ...
I can't believe for second weekend in a row that top level motorsport is facing a fatality. Italian Marco Simoncelli was certainly a character on the MotoGP circuit and even though he was only racing in that series for a second season, the 24 year old had been around motorsport for a decade. If you had watched any MotoGP over the last two seasons you would have had no problems picking out Marco from the rest while helmets were off. His hair stood out like a mop exploding when he took his helmet off at the end of a race, ...
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has been dispensing medical advice since the sixteenth century. It has even been advising government on alcohol since the gin epidemic of 1725. I'm guessing that it might know a thing or two about the medical aspects of booze. It has just issued sensible-sounding advice to lay off the sauce for two or three or days after a heavy session. The RCP is saying that, while drinking a little every day is unlikely to do anyone any harm, it matters not only how much you drink, but how often you drink. By saying that ...
Caroline and I I remember the last time Caroline and I had a serious disagreement. It was a bright sunny April Saturday afternoon and we were sat in the park outside work enjoying an ice cream. We were discussing the upcoming election and the policies of our two parties. There were obviously some disagreements between Gold and Blue especially when discussing our proposed immigration amnesty. We lapsed into silence for a moment and then she said in a slow testing voice; Chris, please tell me... you don't think... we should be in the Euro do you? I don't remember my ...
MilliEd just poured scorn on the hopes of an export led recovery just now on the politics show. His line of argument was you need growth for that to happen. It would be interesting to see his views on last weeks BBC report that said The UK's trade deficit narrowed in August as the export of goods hit a record high. Over to you Ed.......
It was North East Regional Lib Dem Conference yesterday in Gateshead. The speakers were, as expected, our very own Alan Beith and Ian Swailes along with peers Diana Maddock and John Shipley. The speaker from outside the region was Gordon Birtwhistle, PPS to Danny Alexander. For me, he was an unknown quantity before this conference. I had not met him before and never heard him speak. So I didn't
Shop of the Week this week is the new greengrocers "5 a Day" on Trelowarren Street. Like most Camborne residents, I was really pleased to see a store selling fresh fruit and veg opening up again in our town centre. Even better some of the store assistants from the previous business have been given their jobs back. The shop has been bustling every time I've been in there since the re-opening so fingers crossed we will now have a greengrocers in business for a long time to come. Make sure you find the time to pop in this week as ...
This morning's Sunday Telegraph leads on the rather interesting proposal that European Union chiefs are drawing up plans for a single "Treasury" to oversee tax and spending across the 17 eurozone nations. To be frank, I would be surprised if they did not. The recent crises have proved that you cannot have monetary union without economic union as well. If the Euro is to survive then this is the only way forward. If it does not survive then it may well drag Britain and the rest of Europe back into recession. What I found bizarre though was the throwaway line ...
With the imminent vote in the House of Commons on an in-out referendum regarding the European Union causing yet another Tory Party split, it seems that the one thing that both Labour and the Tories can unite on is that the failure of the Liberal Democrats to support such a plebiscite is yet another broken promise on the part of Nick Clegg. As ever though this is a massive misrepresentation, in fact it is a lie. What the Liberal Democrat manifesto actually said is this: "Liberal Democrats therefore remain committed to an IN/OUT referendum the next time a British Government ...
Popped over to Conwy yesterday and have to say it was probably the busiest I have ever seen the Town, in fact when talking to locals, this was one of their first comments. There were also a few saying that the £7 entrance fee was a put off and they were not willing to pay it, one suggested a discount for locals. That said, the marquees were absolutely Jam Packed and in some instances too busy for my wife and I to go in. Hopefully the weather will hold up for them today as I feel this will probably be ...
In a recent New York Times blogpost Paul Krugman responds to a correspondent who complained about the looseness of his writing. Starting sentences with 'And' or 'But' seemed a particular irritant. Krugman is only too conscious of the challenge he faces. The subject matter he is dealing with is generally very dry. If he is ...
Tomorrow the first UCAS application figures for this year are officially published, with some leaked figures having appeared in the Sunday Times today. Superficially the headline figures are not great with an apparent 10% drop. But I'm holding off forming a view until I've seen the full figures, because there are five key questions to ask about the figures: 1. Some courses, such as medicine, tend to have much earlier application deadlines than those for other courses. Are applications for those early closing courses dropping (which would indicate a problem) or is it that early applications for courses with later ...
I have been listening to The Jam all week after hearing this track used at the end of the last part of the television adaptation of Jake Arnott's The Long Firm. Enjoy.
This is a belated newsflash from a corner of the British Isles that we don't tend to hear much about but where liberalism is quickly gaining root. In the Manx General Election Liberal Vannin, our sister party, advanced from one ... Continue reading →
We don't always remember to say "thank you" often enough in the Liberal Democrats to those who do behinds the scenes organisation, so here's a genuine and well deserved thank you to everyone who organised yesterday's London Region Liberal Democrat conference. It continued the pattern set with the previous one of using a much better venue than some of those used in years back and also one that is well suited to the number of people attending (unlike the previously popular Hamliton House which has many virtues but is just much too large). I know the conference team has put ...
As we kick back and relax from a hard day's work (or job seeking as is so often the case), we would expect our licence fee funded BBC to reflect our views, those of 23% of the electorate according to last year's poll (the national election). However, a glance at our daily political programming would suggest that the BBC is still pandering to the cosy duopoly of Labour and the Tories. Perhaps this cosy duopoly is most evident on Thursday nights with "This Week" (BBC 1 11.30pm ish), promising "politics with attitude and without the spin". Andrew Neil (ex-Conservative party ...
These were taken on Friday 21 October at around 7:50 am. He normally gets off the train at Waverley but had walked from Haymarket because was handing in some forms nominating Jo Swinson to be Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats at party HQ. I love the sky.
South Wales West Liberal Democrat Assembly Member, Peter Black has written to the Welsh Government's Business and Enterprise Minister, Edwina Hart seeking an explanation after a potential investment that would have brought 100 high value jobs to the Swansea area was lost following her decision to end a research-based funding scheme without proper consultation. Mr. Black has raised with the Minister reports in this morning's press that the her decision to end European funding to University of Wales' POWIS scholarships without putting any alternative scheme in place has led directly to a proposal to establish an IT development centre, which ...
MP Julian Huppert will today (Tuesday, October 18) back a move in the Commons for a change in the law to allow some elderly and disabled people to use concessionary bus passes on Dial-a-Ride. He has a Private Members' Bill under the '10-Minute Rule' which argues that some people with complex mobility problems, who are entitled to Concessionary Travel Cards, cannot board buses easily and hence make use of them. They rely on community transport, such as Dial-a-Ride, but under the present law they cannot use their travel cards on those services and have to pay. Julian wants a change ...
First, apologies for the lack of posts over the last few days. I'm still not very well, and the little time that I currently have for this kind of thing has been spent proofing and indexing the Monkees book (which should be out soon). I'll have the next Bigger On The Outside post up soon ...
Two days ago, the New Stateman's Staggers blog published a little sample of 'what if?' politics by David Mills, a little glimpse of a world where Nick Clegg refused David Cameron's offer of May 2010, the Conservatives and LibDems embarked on a Confidence and Supply Agreement, and in May 2011, David Miliband enters Number 10 as Prime Minister at the head of a Lab/Lib coalition. Most historians enjoy thinking about history that might have happened but didn't. It's fun to engage in such thought experiments, but they are also a very useful exercise. This is because in order to construct ...
