Introducing Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion... Shop window dummies that come to life, the Doctor given a new 'family' on Earth and a touch of bitchy soap opera... No wonder this was such an influence on Russell T Davies that he wrote the introduction for the new edition. Terrance Dicks' first book novelises the thrilling TV story Spearhead From Space, making it more thrilling still from the title on through - one of the best Doctor Who novels ever written, and creating an irresistible monster that never quite made it to TV: "something between spider, crab and octopus..." Robert ...
From the Network Distributing website: The first Granada Television series to be filmed in colour (though initially transmitted in black and white), this popular children's adventure features a star who is 72 feet long and painted in cheerful shades of red and yellow! She is the Flower of Gloster, a converted canal barge which over the course of the series winds her way from Wales, through the inland waterways of England to the Pool of London at Tower Bridge. Blending drama with semi-improvised encounters and taking in a wealth of local history, the series offers a fascinating insight into Britain's ...
This evening the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem. The vote was 14:0, with the United States abstaining. Earlier in the day Israel had been putting heavy pressure on the US to veto the resolution, but in a rare demonstration of determination Barack Obama [...]
Every Christmas I go through Sky Catch-up and download a load of stuff to watch over the break. I downloaded "The Andy Williams Christmas Show" from Sky Arts. OK, it's a bit tacky. But this rendition of "Winter Wonderland" by the Williams Brothers is absolutely spot on – it really is an exquisite example of four-part harmony. Andy Williams' second tenor tends to clinch it: Share
Andrew Roberts surveys past prime ministers' memoirs. James Callaghan and Tony Blair come out of it best. "Gove himself is a classic Folk Horror figure. A man lost in his own limited capacity for abstraction, seemingly unconnected with the world in which his decisions take effect, and unaware of how it views him." James Cooray-Smith draws parallels between the folk horror genre and the personalities of Brexit Britain. A London Inheritance reprints pages from Hitler Passed This Way - a 1945 publication showing the city before and after the Blitz. "I was with my father and they were filming a ...
Politics in the West has entered a new era. Those on the left of the political spectrum sit around scratching their heads on why power they had once taken for ... Continue reading →
I don't know who Little Jackie Paper is but I am grateful to her / him for the following comment on Katharine Pindar's recent article o EU reform: "What I really wanted to hear from REMAIN in the referendum was, 'if we remain in the EU the things that we would do differently in future are.....'". I think we all accept how ineffective the Remain campaign was overall. It is still quite painful to revisit it. I can still feel the daily gut wrenching at seeing opportunity slip by as the Leave campaign outthought and outfought us. We had so ...
Thirty things you didn't know about the EU referendum Most of this was indeed new to me. (tags: eu brexit ukpolitics ) This is the truth about the Berlin Christmas market terror attack Wow. (tags: germany waronterror tunisia ) Three party constituency tri-points This is true anorak stuff. (In Belfast, North South and West meet at the junction of Bridge St and High St, and North South and East on the Queen's Bridge 500m away; the core of the historical city.) (tags: northernireland ukpolitics maps )
Fri 23rd
16:30
An early general election? There's a Christmas present we should be careful about wishing for
The Independent has run an interview today with Jeremy Corbyn, outlining the Labour leader's strategy moving forward - including his pledge that Labour MPs would back a dissolution of Parliament and an early General Election. I was previously a real supporter of an early General Election. Ultimately, I question Theresa May's ability to hold her own party together through the Brexit negotiations, and I also think that it would provide an opportunity for the process to be amended or slowed by the more progressive forces within our country. This said - we need to be careful what we wish for. ...
Tim went to a refugee centre in Paris to film his Christmas message. He asks what we would want other countries to do if we were a war-torn country. How would we want them to treat us and our children? He says: "I am not at all squeamish about patriotism" before urging liberals to reclaim the language of national pride by reminding people that British values have long been about openness, tolerance and unity. He says of the children he met on a visit just before Christmas: "They are fleeing torture and have seen some terrible things." It is precisely ...
Many congratulations to Catherine Crosland, who correctly guessed that the box pictured on the right is used by the BBC to create the sound of money/glasses of drinks being placed on the bar of "The Bull" pub in Ambridge during recordings of The Archers in Birmingham. Catherine's prize is the title of "2016 Sound effect guru of the year". Well done Catherine! * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and councillor. As part of the Liberal Democrat Voice team he helps with photos and moderation on the site, as well as occsionally contributing articles. He blogs at Liberal Burblings. ...
In a world which many people think is going to the dogs, I found the following graph really helpful: [IMG: the-world-is-getting-better-small] If it encourages you too, you might be interested in the source of it: A history of global living conditions in five charts. It contains a lot of very interesting detail as well as convincing arguments as to why we really need to know the facts. So as we move towards the challenges of 2017, I can think of no better starting place than celebrating the advances our wold has made in the last 200 years.
Excellent news from Liberal Democrat HQ just ahead of Christmas: the creation of a new Head of Campaigns post.
Scottish Liberal Democrat energy spokesperson, Liam McArthur MSP yesterday welcomed new statistics which showed the proportion of Scotland's electricity supplied by wind, hydro, solar and other renewables is at an all-time high but warned that much more needs to be done. Statistics revealed on Thursday showed that renewables produced enough power to meet 59.4% of ... Continue reading McArthur: Time To Up Our Game on Renewables
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Ian Corben (above) completed a year of remarkable success for the Liberal Democrats in Principal Authority By-Election with a comfortable hold in Hedge End Wildern ward on Eastleigh Borough Council. The vote share saw another huge increase with a 22.5% increase over the last time the seat was contested in 2015 and this mirrors a ... Continue reading By-Election Year Ends With Comfortable Hold
Usual collection day Revised collection day Monday 26 December 2016 Wednesday 28 December 2016 Tuesday 27 December 2016 Thursday 29 December 2016 Wednesday 28 December 2016 Friday 30 December 2016 Thursday 29 December 2016 Saturday 31 December 2016 Friday 30 December 2016 Tuesday 3 January 2017 Monday 2 January 2017 Wednesday 4 January 2017 Tuesday 3 January 2017 [...]
Saturday 24th December 2016 (Christmas Eve) A normal Saturday service will run until around 18:00, after which buses will gradually be withdrawn Sunday 25th December 2016 (Christmas Day) No service. Monday 26th December 2016 (Boxing Day) A SPECIAL SERVICE will operate on certain routes within Northumberland, Newcastle & North Tyneside. Tuesday 27th December 2016 A BANK HOLIDAY service will operate on all routes south of Tyneside (Except Darlington Service 12, which will operate to a Special Timetable), whereas a SATURDAY service (with exceptions) will operate on services within Northumberland, Newcastle & North Tyneside. Wednesday 28th December 2016 A SATURDAY service ...
Speaking after yesterday's First Minister's Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP attacked the Scottish Government's draft mental health strategy after the Chief Executive of Apex Scotland described access to mental health services for young offenders as 'poor or non-existent'' Apex Scotland is a national organisation that helps offenders, ex-offenders and young people at risk ... Continue reading Rennie: SNP Has Left Mental Health Behind
After a tough round of auditions, five Liberal Democrats were selected to feature in this year's Christmas song and dance act...
Christmas Information – we hope you find it usefulSouthwark Parks All locked parks will be opened every day at 7.30am and closed at 4.30pm. Buses No bus services Christmas day. Other days Sunday services. Trains Services will be stop at around 8pm on Christmas eve – don't get caught out. Southern and Thameslink no services Christmas day or Boxing day via London Bridge. Limited services all other days and some planned strikes action. London Overground no services Christmas and Boxing day. Reduced services other days. Dulwich Leisure Centre Christmas eve and New Years eve 7am-2pm; Christmas, Boxing and New Years ...
Peterborough City Council is making national headlines (once again!) – but it's nothing to do with forcing people out of their homes, this time it's about trading standards and dangerous tumble dryers! What's happened then? It's been reported by the Guardian newspaper and other media outlets, the the consumer group Which? is seeking a judicial review [...]
Well, Little Bowden actually. This is the end of my road during a heavy frost in February 2012.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers from your Focus Team! We hope you have an enjoyable festive season. You can find useful information about local services over Christmas and the New Year in our recent blog post and information about South Glos Council services here.
The USA has enough nuclear warheads to destroy the world several times over and yet the President-elect, Donald Trump wants to reverse decades of disarmament and add to that arsenal. As the Independent reports, in a single comment on Twitter, that will raise more questions about both his temperament and foreign policy experience, the Donald Trump said the US must "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear arsenal until "the world comes to its senses regarding nukes". Shades of Dr. Strangelove already! The paper usefully reports on the current state of nuclear armaments across the World: The Federation of American Scientists ...
With my surgery at Blackness Primary School that took place last night and with the Christmas holidays about to be underway, my usual weekly ward surgeries do not take place, but I can still be contacted on any local issues or concerns through my e-surgery - just e-mail esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. I can also be contacted at home at any time on 459378 and also during office hours outside of public holidays at my Dundee City Council office on 434985. Surgeries commence again on Monday 9th January - full details of surgery days and times here.
So we know that we are generally doing well where we are fighting the Tories in council by-elections. In terms of gains, with 25 in the last 6 months, we are way ahead of the opposition. But how are we doing where we are already at our strongest? Eastleigh is one of those council areas where we are the ones to beat. The buck stops with us. We run the local services. Well, in Hedge End Wildern last night, this happened: Ian Corben wins Hedge End Wildern for the Lib Dems with 64.5% of the vote @britainelects @aldc @LibDemPress pic.twitter.com/CFKndRkb9d ...
Fri 23rd
07:58
Maghull Police Station – Some flesh on the bones but answers needed about whether there's a co...
Following the recent news that Maghull Police Station is likely to move into Maghull Town Hall (and thereby Merseyside Police become a tenant of Maghull Town Council) I thought I would try to get to the bottom of what the new look Community Police Stations are expected to look like when they open. I say they as this model of Community Police Stations is to be rolled out across Merseyside I understand. Who best to go to for the info' than the Police themselves and this is what they have provided to me:- [IMG: index] ***** COMMUNITY POLICE STATIONS The ...
