When I was a child living off the Finchley Road - north London, come on - we used to live next door to a very nice German man who had been educated in the Nazi school system. The main thing I remember him telling us is how much they had to practice jumping up when the teacher came into the room so that the seats all banged back at once, Over and over again. It was one of those kind of vacuous disciplinary tests that tyrannical regimes seem to like. And I thought of it today listening to the Radio ...
Tonight the ever growing reputation of Maghull Wind Orchestra went up another notch as they played to a packed audience in Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. [IMG: IMG_6773] [IMG: IMG_6759] Click on the photos to enlarge them The performance also included a Chamber Choir from Belvedere Academy who unfortunately were rather drowned out by the Cathedral organ but came into their own when singing to a piano. Their rendition of Once in Royal David's City brought back memories of my own solo performance of this popular Christmas carol at St. Helen's Church in Sefton Village many, many moons ago. I was a ...
Oliver Bullough writes in the Guardian today: Jersey looks rich - but it is heading towards bankruptcy. In April, officials announced that the budget would be short £125m a year by 2019. "What went wrong?" asked the Jersey Evening Post. And that was just the start of it. By June, the annual deficit - now known on the island as the "black hole" - had been revised upwards to £145m, more than £1 in every five that the government spends. "The black hole is so big," according to Connect, a Jersey business magazine, that "filling it will take the equivalent ...
Tue 8th
22:33
What happens when you read people a series of passages from the Bible, but tell them they are from t...
What happens when you read people a series of passages from the Bible, but tell them they are from the Quran? Here's what happened in Holland when Dit is Normal did just that:
Scottish National Party MSP's broke a promise they made to the UN committee on the Rights of the Child in Holyrood today when they voted against a Liberal Democrat amendment to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 8 to 12 years of age. Labour and Independent MSP's voted for the amendment tabled by Scottish... More SNP & Tories Shun UN over 'Rights of The Child'
The other day I tweeted about Danny Alexander's endorsement of the Philosophy Bites podcasts. Today I learnt that Nigel Warburton, the host of that series, has created Free Speech Bites. This is a spin-off series of podcasts dedicated to freedom of expression. Among them you will find Irshad Manji on religion and free speech, Ma Jian on political and artistic freedom in China, and D.J. Taylor on George Orwell,
[IMG: Isle of Skye. CC0 Public Domain] Angela MacLean selected The Highland Liberal Democrats have announced Cllr Angela MacLean as their prospective candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. The Lib Dem councillor for Dingwall and Seaforth worked closely with the late Charles Kennedy MP and helped his campaign in every election since he was first selected in 1983. She was elected to the Conon Bridge and Maryburgh ward in 2003 after being asked by Mr Kennedy to stand. Cllr MacLean has lived in Maryburgh with her family all of her adult life, serving additionally as chair of the community safety, ...
The Worthy Mentionables The best EP from a new band was released this year. Oli Brown, the blues wunderkind, took a left field move toward the end of last year stating he wanting to concentrate on a more rock orientated approach to his musical future and thus formed a band called RavenEye. A steamy and sweaty mix of the blues power he always delivers with an acknowledgement to Soundgarden: the resulting EP, Breaking Out shows an intent on him mapping out a very good future. For those who loved his blues playing, he hasn't completely given it up, he did ...
PoliticsHome reports comments by Vince Cable on his relationship with George Osborne in government: The former business secretary said although his relationship with the Chancellor began well, it worsened throughout their five years tied together in Government. "Relations became increasingly frayed - initially they were very good and then they decayed - partly because I was increasingly disgruntled with some of the ways he was pursuing economic policy," Sir Vince told the Institute for Government. "I made it clear I didn't agree with it, particularly cuts on capital investment, and he would then retaliate by being bloody minded. So it ...
Dingwall Councillor Angela Maclean has been selected to fight the seat of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in next May's Scottish Parliament selection. The previous seat was held by John Farquhar Munro from 1999-2011. The seat was won in that election by the SNP. The Ross-Shire Journal reports: Cllr MacLean has lived in Maryburgh with her family all of her adult life, serving additionally as chair of the community safety, public engagement and equality committee on the Highland Council. She said it was "a huge honour" to contest the seat and noted that as the largest constituency in the Scottish Parliament, ...
The past few months have been a worrying time for those of us who believe in the virtues of representative democracy. The long term trend of the decline of membership and support for political parties has, if anything, accelerated, and long standing loyalties to right or left have given way to a far more complicated political reality in which populist or even anti democratic voices are now being increasingly heard. The rise of Marine Le Pen in France or Donald Trump in the United States point to the failure of conventional politics to maintain a rational and intelligent framework for ...
[IMG: Osbornes plan - welfare] With the recent news focused on the conflict in Syria and the UKs role in airstrikes it would be all too easy for the changes George Osborne made in the autumn statement to be forgotten. That's why it's important that as Liberal Democrats we continue to hold Osborne to account in our Focus leaflets. When [...]
Eileen McCartin has been a Councillor in Paisley, first for the SDP and then the Liberal Democrats for some 27 years. She and former MP for Argyll and Bute Alan Reid were Willie Rennie's "political parents" as they were key influences on him when he was a student in Paisley. They helped him when he achieved a cracking 26% in a by-election in the Paisley Foxbar ward in 1988. Willie talked to the Scotsman about it here and you get a sense of how that campaign shaped his values: After school he applied to Paisley College to study ecology and ...
It was too good to last. The House of Lords agreed not so long ago to ensure that 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote in a future European Referendum. And why not? After all, they are adults who are trusted with many responsibilities and who could be eligible to pay tax. And the referendum will be on the future of their country. It is entirely appropriate that they should be able to vote in that plebiscite. According to the Independent though, Conservative MPs have overturned this vote and taken that right away from theese young people. ...
Politicians tend to disagree with one another on a lot of issues - luckily, catching criminals is not one of them. That is why the Liberal Democrats will be voting with the Government on the decision to opt-in to Prum: an EU process which allows member states to quickly exchange DNA, fingerprint and vehicle information in order to identify and catch serious criminals and terrorists. The last time this decision was put in front of Parliament during the Coalition the Liberal Democrats couldn't agree to it. At that point there were still millions of innocent people on DNA databases and ...
Tim Farron has barely stopped talking about the need to help the refugees heeding from the war zones of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea towards Europe. His visits to Lesbos and Calais have affected him deeply and he is keen to press the Government to take 3000 unaccompanied children as the charity Save the Children thinks is necessary. Today's stage in his campaign involved lodging a Ten Minute Rule Bill. This is parliamentary device which enables back bench MPs to submit Private Members' Bills. There is a ritual that involves standing at the bar of the house and a lot ...
I got hold of this in hope that it might be a possible nominee for the 1941 Retro Hugos, given Wells' visibility in the genre. Alas, it has no sfnal elements at all, being set in England (with diversions to Sweden, Poland, Latvia and Finland) in 1939 and 1940, the story of a young couple coming of age together and separately, with lots of earnest dialogue about the future state of the world. I particularly liked the heroine, a student at Newnham, and slightly wondered why she put up with her slightly older lover who goes off to help the ...
This struck me as an interesting article – see link above to The Guardian web site. The man's clearly got his own (Anti-Corbyn) agenda, but he points out very well how disgusting it is that people are making political hay over a decision like this. Throughout this debate I kept hearing again and again 'what will Syria do to Jeremy Corbyn's leadership?' a hell of a lot more than I heard anything about what might happen to Syria itself or even the UK's own security. Maybe if everyone spent more time on actual politics and less on internal Labour ...
Last Thursday I woke up with a fever and severe vomiting and was taken to KCH A&E by ambulance. The infection was later identified as coagulase negative staphylococcus. Anti-emetic stopped the vomiting and a broad spectrum antibiotic dealt with the infection. I had two pouches of blood to deal with neutropenia, see below, and was discharged at 23.00 yesterday evening. There had been some discussion of a bone marrow biopsy to get a better picture of the number of blasts and fibres in the blood, but in the end the haematologists decided against that course of action because of the ...
The aviation and shipping industries, and the climate deal A tricky equation. (tags: climatechange ) Why we stay up too late (in Dutch) By @LieseExelmans (thx @JuliaNienaber). (tags: psychology sleep ) A History of Semi-Popular Philosophy of Mind Interesting question with interesting answers. (tags: philosophy psychology historyofscience ) Belfast's Strand cinema Nostalgia! (tags: northernireland architecture history ) Addicted to Distraction How the internet is crumbling our brains. (tags: internet psychology ) 1977: Story of transgender pioneer Angela Morley as BBC radio play Wow. (tags: sexandgenderandsexuality music ) 15 things I learnt about Islam and British values being a gay boy ...
It is, in my opinion, a three tiers cocktail which may defeat the Islamic State (IS). Since a few days we hear a lot about the first tiers, i.e. the military option which by bringing war into the enemy's camp attempts to neutralize its exponential expansion as well as increase our security – if not because attacking, as we all know, is best defence. We also talk a lot of the third one, i.e. the "after IS" or "after Daesh", which is rightly concerned with the vacuum which the elimination of IS may leave in Syria and Iraq; no less ...
"The key to reducing the risk of more floods like those in Carlisle is to realise that conventional 'flood defence' can never provide security against the ever more extreme weather events that global warming will bring. We must embrace natural solutions to holding back flood waters: more trees; and bring back the beavers!" Oliver Tickell is right. Dawud Islam looks at the lessons of Oldham West: "All of us from Tim downwards need to hasten the roll out of our new direction and messages. Only when we finally give people something to vote for will the strains of the 'lost ...
"Keith Vaz has two ambitions. He is hoping that he will get a knighthood, and he would like to be the next speaker. "You can tell this by the way he is slavishly applauding the new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, at Parliamentary Labour party meetings. He also seems to be tempering his criticism of the Tories."So says an unnamed Labour MP in a new story on Exaro. A similarly unnamed Conservative MP adds there: "There is no question that Keith Vaz fancies the job of speaker as he is very ambitious. He is very well connected and very friendly with ...
Relax, this is not another article about Momentum threating candidates with deselection, or about all the social media hate that pours forth from Corbynites; that subject has been done to death elsewhere. What I want to examine is the new terrain we are in and where British politics seems to be headed. The line that did the last rounds in the previous parliament was that the Left was united while the Right was split. I always thought that was rubbish, and so it has proved to be in the most spectacular fashion imaginable: the Left now looks more split than ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat Women have been at the forefront of ensuring the Scottish party has a workable policy that secures the rights and safety of sex workers. Jean Urquhart MSP (Highlands and Islands, Independent) has proposed a Bill that is in agreement with this policy, and the Bill consultation is ongoing. Sadly, we are too close to the elections for Holyrood to officially start the Bill process - Members' Bills can only be introduced up until June of the penultimate year of the session. However, it's important that we have a framework to build from in the next Scottish Parliament ...
[IMG: The LGA Lib Dems support Liberal Democrat council groups across the country] Know someone who deserves some recognition? Cllr Jill Shortland has asked us to let you know about the following award: The LeaDeR Awards recognise outstanding work of liberal and democrat politicians from local government. There is a huge amount of excellent work that is being carried out in communities around Europe that involve citizens in [...]
A low-cost computer scheme is being piloted across South Gloucestershire in a move at helping targeted groups access the internet more easily. A range of starter desktop and laptop PCs are being made available to anyone who is on low income, receiving certain benefits or experiencing other disadvantages. The equipment, which is available through an IT provider is professionally refurbished, ready to use and includes a 12-month warranty. The aim of the scheme is to help people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford a PC with a view to using it to look for work or access online training ...
Local residents who have chronic lung conditions, such as asthma or bronchitis, are being urged to take the flu jab, as they are at risk of serious complications if they catch the flu virus. Stockport has around 20,000 people with asthma, which is characterized by recurrent difficulties with breathing and symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. Additionally, people with asthma can become serious ill if they catch the flu virus. This is because people with asthma have swollen and sensitive airways and the flu can cause further inflammation of the airways and lungs. To avoid ...
The new Osborne Tax will add 2% to council tax bills from next April George Osborne has announced that, to help fund social care costs, councils are expected to increase Council Tax by 2% in addition to the normal tax. This "Osborne Tax" money has to be spent on social care – it can't be diverted for other purposes like parks or potholes. The Government's own figures assume that every council will take the 2% Osborne Tax and the Lib Dems have indicated that we intend to do so for Stockport. The Osborne Tax is far from ideal. Instead of ...
The next Cheadle Area Committee will be at the Ladybridge Residents Club, Edenbridge Road, Cheadle Hulme, starting at 6pm on Tuesday 15th December 2015. As ever, all are welcome to attend. Coming up for discussion or decision at this meeting: A representative from Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group will make a presentation at the meeting on the Proactive Care Model which aims to strengthen community capacity and improve the health literacy, service quality and outcomes of care for people such that fewer people will require hospital admission and consequently reduce demand on the current health and social care system. 2nd Cheadle ...
Walking home alone: a manifesto for preventing rape Green Magic Homes - build your own hobbit hole. Sadly they look to be US only at the mo :( Muslim thrown off National Express coach in Bristol after passenger said they felt "uncomfortable" [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Today's Annual Draft Budget will provide evidence that the Welsh Liberal Democrats are the most effective party in the National Assembly, Kirsty Williams has said. Last year the Welsh Liberal Democrats agreed to a two year deal, worth £223m, to allow the Welsh Government's budget to pass in exchange for the implementation of Welsh Liberal Democrat policies. The Welsh Liberal Democrats secured: • an increase in the Pupil Premium (aka Pupil Deprivation Grant): in 2016/17 each school will receive £1,150 for every pupil eligible to receive free schools; • the extension of the Pupil Premium to include under 5s, worth £300 per ...
The Opposition having won decisively, and the Chavistas having accepted the result with rather more good grace than had been predicted, it was safe(ish) to walk the streets. I spent the morning and early afternoon visiting what is, apparently, the fourth biggest shopping mall in South America. It was, compared to El Recreo, surprisingly quiet, with some of the American brand stores somewhat lacking in stock, before walking back in the bright sunshine. But I had plans for the evening. The only catch was that it meant going out... after dark... on foot. For the Tiburones de La Guiara were ...
NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using that length of Bernard Street, St Albans from its junction with Grange Street south westwards to its junction with A4147 Catherine Street, a distance of approximately [...]
