Gateshead Lib Dems had another Lib Dem pint event last night. This one was held in the Old Fox pub in Felling and also had a buffet. A good time had by all. I rather liked the pub - it had a real fire, not one of those fake gas things.
I had a trip to the Lib Dem office in Consett on Tuesday to print the back of our next Birtley Focus. This morning I returned to print the front and fold it, just in time to get home and get changed to go to the full Council meeting at Gateshead Civic Centre. The Focus leads on proposals to improve the A1 between the Coalhouse junction and Birtley. Also included is a bit about the council
LD Alaric Rose 195 Con 109 Labour 41 Majority: 86 LD hold
On Sunday I attended a service at the Hospice called 'Light up a Life' . Danielle Thomas sang and there were carols and readings. That morning we had heard the terrible news of the bombing of the Coptic church in Egypt. Bishop Tom told us that he had met the murdered Bishop. At the end of the service candles were lit in memory of loved ones who had died and had been cared for at the hospice
I have launched a Christmas Toy appeal for the children most in need in our borough. You can make sure the children wake up on Christmas Day with a present under the tree and a memory to treasure forever. All you have to do is donate brand new, unwrapped presents by 20 December at the following locations: Bootle Town Hall; Southport Town Hall; all Sefton Council libraries and leisure centres and Asda in Southport. Donations of gift cards and toiletries are also welcome for older children and teenagers. If you want to know more about the appeal I have recruited ...
Prince's Trust event at Fire Service H.Q. The Team was Bootle & Netherton Prince's Trust Team 32. Professor Phil Scraton In one afternoon I attended two graduations; one for the University of Liverpool and the other with the Prince's Trust. I have to admit I found the Prince's Trust awards the most moving. These were young people who had finished their formal education and still were facing significant challenges. Everyone who attended the presentation that the young people put on to mark the end of the 12 week course was impressed. The University graduation was significant because Professor Phil Scraton ...
Another video from Londonist. Matt Brown is an engaging guide as we follow London's most famous lost river.
Conservative seat. Cause: resignation. LD Candidate: Ross Henely. To help, please email Chris Booth on tldpartyorganiser@gmail.com.
LAB: 58.2% (+12.1) UKIP: 25.0% (-8.3) CON: 16.7% (-3.8) Labour HOLD
Conservative seat. Cause: death. LD candidate: Sally Morgan.
Conservative seat. Cause: death. LD candidate: Richard Keeling.
Independent seat. Cause: death. LD candidate: Folkert Veenstra. To help, please email ffveenstra@me.com or call 07891 588413.
Conservative seat. Cause: resignation. LD candidate: Ross Henley.
Conservative seat. Cause: resignation. LD candidate: Chris Lale.
Ind 323 LD Richard Church 212 Ind 323 Majority 111 Turnout 36% Ind hold
SNP: [37.0%, -4.1] LAB: [28.4%, -6.9] CON: [18.5%, +11.7] LD: [14.3%, +4.3] GRN: [1.8%, +1.8] SNP Hold
Questions by Bury's team of Liberal Democrat councillors have revealed an increase the number of long term empty properties across the Bury area. Although the total number of empty properties in the borough has been decreasing slightly over the last four years and stands at around 2500, the number of long term empty properties ( i.e. empty for six months or more) has increased from 2015 to 2016 from just over 900 properties to 1050. This question was raised by Lib Dem Councillor Tim Pickstone: "We're extremely concerned about the number of empty properties in the borough. 2,500 houses is ...
Figures obtained by Bury Liberal Democrats have revealed to what extent Bury has been betrayed in the proposals to remove 'Green Belt' land in the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. Across Greater Manchester, just 8.2% of Green Belt land is proposed to be destroyed. However, Bury Council's Labour-leadership have signed-up to the proposals which means that 20% of Bury's green belt will be lost, significantly higher than elsewhere in Greater Manchester. Together with the other nine Council Leaders, Bury's Labour Leader voted in favour of the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. Yet it is in the Prestwich, Whitefield and Unsworth ...
The world has looked on as Aleppo has been transformed into a mass grave. Thousands of people are reportedly trapped in the last remaining opposition-held neighbourhoods as government troops advance and intense bombing continues.
Let us be honest, the West is never going to have a solution to Syria. How can we? We are too busy crawling out of a filthy hole filled with our own hypocrisy and partisan bullshit over the issue. We feel the need to pick sides and never sway from them. We refuse to listen to our opponents because they are either cowards who let atrocities happen and are terrorist sympathisers or they are filthy war mongers who are only doing this for capitalist gain. We feel the need to pick sides and never sway from them. We refuse to ...
It's official. The winner of the US presidential elections is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. I hear you. Putin's name was nowhere near the ballot papers. It was Clinton versus Trump and a few also rans. And, of course, it will be Donald J. Trump who takes the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol building and then moves into the prime piece of real estate at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But it was Putin, and the corrupt Russian oligarchy, who are the biggest beneficiaries of Trump's election. The appointment of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State confirmed it– and the ...
I hold many grudges. Truly, I do. There's the grudge that I hold from way back in infant school, where a teacher falsely accused me of the crime of walking on the newly planted flower beds. She moved to South Africa a few weeks after the incident. (The incident that didn't happen, except in her mind, I hasten to add). ... The post Lovely, lovely grudges appeared first on ten pence piece.
Embed from Getty Images Nick Clegg launched his latest Brexit Challenge paper today. This one looks at the need for justice and home affairs cooperation between Britain and the EU. The Independent quotes him speaking at the launch: "Our connections with Europe have strengthened our police and criminal justice systems substantially over recent years. Cross-border crime and terrorism will still need to be tackled after Brexit. We cannot let political dogma get in the way of public safety. "The Government needs to think about what compromises they are prepared to make in return for an unprecedented deal that allows us ...
"The idea that America would follow its first black president with Donald Trump accorded with its history. I was shocked at my own shock. I had wanted Obama to be right." Ta-Nehisi Coates on the history of the first African American White House - and of what came next, Chris Dillow explains why the government is cutting the number of overseas students: it's target fetishism. "Something is deeply wrong with this erstwhile national staple: it has become a travesty of trade, a grim parody of twenty-first century consumerism." David Butterfield explains how W.H. Smith became a national embarrassment. "The spread ...
What's happened then? The Government has announced a ban on letting fees for tenants in the Autumn Statement, following Lib Dem pressure to help renters afford a home and reduce upfront costs via the Renters' Rights Bill. The Bill calls for: A ban on letting fees for tenants Public access to a database of rogue landlords Compulsory [...]
At first glance, 'post-truth', the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2016, appears to be inimical to the interests of scientists. However, according to one of the 20th Century's leading philosophers, science itself can be regarded in post-truth terms Even today, more than fifty years after its first edition, Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions remains the first port of call to learn about the history, philosophy or sociology of science. This is the book famous for talking about science as governed by 'paradigms' until overtaken by 'revolutions'. Kuhn argued that the way that both scientists and the ...
Last night, someone asked me if I'd heard the Labour Christmas record. "You mean "JC for PM for Me?" I asked. "No, the one Jarvis, Rayner and McDonagh have done about workers rights." "Oh my God no! I must hear this immediately." "It's way worse than you think." "Worse than "JC for PM for Me"?" "A million times worse." And that is so true. It's sung to the tune of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – in fact, it's really more like a Labour conference karaoke session, seeing as how they are singing over the actual original backing track (lent ...
[IMG: index] Here's an update about how Merseyside Police intend to change policing in the East Parishes (Maghull, Lydiate, Aintree Village, Melling & Sefton/Lunt Villages) part of Sefton Borough and indeed across the Borough. ***** As part of the Force restructure in January, our local Inspector Phil Hatton is to be deployed away from Local Policing prior to retiring. December will be his last month in post as Neighbourhood Inspector. In January 2017, the BCU (Basic Command Unit) structure of Merseyside Police will change to a 'Functional' structure. As part of these changes, Neighbourhood Policing will be re-titled Community Policing ...
Embed from Getty Images Good news in the Evening Standard: The Liberal Democrats have jumped to their best poll rating in five years after the Richmond Park by-election, an exclusive poll reveals today. Their vote is up from 10 to 14 points in the monthly Ipsos MORI Political Monitor survey - their biggest share since August 2011. At the same time, leader Tim Farron's personal ratings have improved, with satisfaction in his performance rising from 23 per cent to 27. And the research found the Lib-Dems a clear five points ahead of Ukip, who are also up slightly.We have been ...
Earlier this week I was one of the speakers at a Global Diplomatic Forum event in London on the foreign policy consequences of Donald Trump becoming US President. The other members of the panel were the new Latvian Amnassador to the Court of St James's and the Conservative MP, Daniek Kawczynzki. By chance, the Ambassador [...]
Women have suffered 86% of the impact of tax and benefit changes since 2010, a new analysis shows | The Independent RT @IndyPolitics: Women have suffered 86% of the impact of tax and benefit changes UK 4G coverage worse than in Romania and Peru, watchdog finds | Money | The Guardian RT @guardiannews: UK 4G coverage worse than in Romania and Peru, watchdog finds The menace of memes: how pictures can paint a thousand lies | Coffee House RT @IsabelHardman: I see people are circulating that 'MPs voting on their own pay' bollards again today. So here's why that's a ...
Well done, St Mary Magdalene.
Harris Education and Recreation Association has re-formed, following the school moving back to Perth Road and into the new school campus, and is running a great programme of eight evening classes from early 2017. You can read the programme here. Details of evening classes night and enrolment night :There will also be sports activity (including use of the swimming pool) at Harris Academy from early 2017, provided by Leisure and Culture Dundee.
...was a doubly significant day in cinema history. In Caifornia, Walt Disney died, ten days past his 65th birthday, still working on The Jungle Book, The Happiest Millionaire, and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. And in Italy, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, better known to many by its English title The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, was released for the first time. (It wasn't released elsewhere until 1967). It's the only Western that I could watch again and again. Enjoy.
99 Reasons Why 2016 Was a Good Year I saw a number of other people posting this and thought, huh, grasping at straws here. But actually these are all really good developments which did help cheers me up. (tags: economics politics news ) How to Build a Relationship With Influencers, Not Just a One-Night Stand Networking for effect, featuring my colleague @LisaRossDC. (tags: work networking ) So, @Evernote Allows Employees To Read Your Notes This is terrible, @evernote. Fix it NOW. (tags: internet privacy ) How to Jump Ship From @Evernote and Take Your Data With You Very useful! (tags: ...
The Guardian reports that officials in Boris Johnson's administration while he was London mayor spent nearly £1,000 fitting stereos to three water cannon that were never approved for use on the capital's streets: Johnson's successor, Sadiq Khan, revealed that nearly £323,000 had been spent to buy, modify and maintain vehicles, which were purchased secondhand from German federal police in 2014 in anticipation of social unrest. Greater London Authority officials said they hoped to sell on the water cannon for between £35,000 and £43,000 - more than they cost to purchase, but far less than the funds spent on them to ...
