New figures released by the Department for the Environment show that emissions of air pollutants have not dropped significantly over the past three years, despite the Government promising to tackle air pollution as a priority. Responding to the figures, Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, said: "These figures show that this Tory Government is failing to tackle air pollution, which they described themselves as 'the biggest environmental threat to public health.'"Long-term exposure to these emissions can cause heart and lung problems as well as potentially contribute to cancers, with the young and the old being particularly vulnerable. People deserve better ...
Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron has taken a swipe at the Conservative Government ahead of the introduction of what he has dubbed a "Tory death tax".From today, new regulations introduced by the Conservative Government mean that the cost of death certificates, as well as birth and marriage certificates, is going up from £4 to £11.Citizens Advice recommends people get "several copies of the [death] certificate, for which there will be a charge." Upon losing a loved one, people now face a charge hike of £49, on the basis that seven copies are purchased.Mr Farron accused the Conservatives ...
Following the news of Bruce Wilson's selection in Edinburgh, we now have news of another Liberal Democrat selection in the city: Jill Reilly for Edinburgh East.
Having blogged about John Pardoe's appearance on Desert Island Discs, I'd better do the same for my other Liberal hero of the 1970s, David Penhaligon. You can hear the full programme on the BBC website. By the time David Penhaligon appeared on the show, it had been taken over from its originator Roy Plomley by Michael Parkinson. And if the date of broadcast on the BBC site is correct (March 1987), then Penhaligon was already dead when it aired. For he died on 22 December 1986 in an early-morning car crash as he was on the way to visit postal ...
[IMG: The immigrant vote which angers me] An Asian man, Oli Khan who is secretary general of the Bangladesh Caterers Association, has written in The Guardian about his regret over his 'leave' vote and the fact that he influenced 150,000 members and... The post The immigrant vote which angers me appeared first on FeministMama.
Last summer I blogged that the Bishop's Castle Railway Society had begun restoration work on the old weighbridge at the town's former station. This week the Shropshire Star reported on the progress that has been made. It quoted Lin Dalton, a committee member of the Bishop's Castle Railway Society and deputy project manager of The Weighbridge Project: "We have got quotes from builders and have broken it down to come to the figure of £25,000. We need to repair the walls, put on a new roof and also install new windows and doors. "We did go for Heritage Lottery Funding ...
These days I spend my free time wandering the back streets of obscure towns looking for unexpected buildings to photograph. Today I was in the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and came across this former fire station. But seriously folks, this building in Abbey Street was our fire station from 1903 until the new one opened in Fairfield Road in 1989. Today, imaginatively named The Old Fire Station, it is home to a number of small businesses, with a restaurant about to move in from premises across the road.
Oh the joy of having a blog that is widely read (and not just by the usual suspects in the Labour Party in Gateshead!) The above news story was taken from my blog and made a full page in the Journal yesterday. It was about a pub being fined for not having planning permission for an advert on one of its walls and then ignoring court instructions to remove it. The problem for Gateshead Council is
Sat 16th
18:01
Heritage at Risk: It has been six years since Ludlow town walls fell - still they lie fallen
Two years ago, I wrote about the delays in repairing the collapsed town wall behind St Laurence's Church. This Monday, 18 February, is the sixth anniversary of the collapse. No repair work has been done. The Garden of Rest remains an ugly mess that damages the setting of the Cathedral of the Marches. Saplings are growing out of the collapsed wall face weakening the historic monument further. We have one of the most complete town walls in Europe. But neglect and overdue repairs have led Historic England to add Ludlow town walls to its Heritage in Danger list. The town ...
Tomorrow, 17th February, I will be attending a demo against the callous decision to allow Redrow Homes to build on part of the South Liverpool green wedge. Before I go into the details of this I just want to comment ... Continue reading →
I deliberately did not see Bryan Singer's Bohemian Rhapsody when it first came out. I'm not a fan of pop or rock and couldn't have named one song by Queen unless prompted. Of course I knew about Freddie Mercury, the boy from Zanzibar with projecting teeth and an outrageous peacock style on stage, who died from an [...]
"My social media account was hacked" has become one of the most cliched even-less-of-an-apology-than-a-non-apology-apology response by candidates .
Fri, 20:48: Churches of Rome Wiki https://t.co/WxtpOn7kVn Hugely enjoying the information and occasional snark in this wiki. Fri, 21:01: RT @chrisgreybrexit: A highly revealing comment, not least for showing the complete refusal of Brexiters to take any responsibility whatsoe... Fri, 21:07: RT @garyyounge: One can only assume the wartime British public had a more nuanced view of Churchill then than much of the commentariat do n... Fri, 21:15: Jacob Rees-Mogg literally defending concentration camps. https://t.co/jfa5p2zXD1 Sat, 09:41: RT @jonworth: 1000 hours to #Brexit! 🙀 Sat, 09:45: The British-Irish Dialect Quiz - The New York Times - pegged me as Northern ...
Jo Swinson was on stellar form in the Commons this week. In her latest procrastination statement, the Prime Minister tried to claim credit for shared parental leave. As we know, it was Jo who, as a Business Minister, delivered that against the wailing opposition of the Conservatives. So she naturally took exception to the PM's claim. The Prime Minister made much today of her plans to make 'legal commitments' to protect workers' rights after Brexit. Let me tell you what the Conservatives wanted to do when I was Minister for Employment Relations in the coalition government. (1/n) pic.twitter.com/5APqcRYOKz — Jo ...
At last, some good news. The Independent reports that Ministers' plans to introduce voter ID nationwide in elections are "falling apart" as three councils set to be involved in a major pilot have pulled out of the scheme. The councils concerned have cited time pressures and the "volume of work" involved in participating in the trials as their reason for pulling out. Their decision raises questions over the feasibility of voter ID, which is already the subject of a legal challenge in the High Court: The first set of trials took place in the 2018 local elections in five English ...
An order passed by the House of Lords this week will mean that expenses reasonably attributable to a candidates' disability will no longer count towards their election expenses. The Minister, Lord Young of Cookham, told the Lords: Examples of such expenses include, but are not limited to, British Sign Language interpretation for hearing-impaired candidates, the transcription of campaign material into braille for visually impaired candidates and specialist equipment. This order will also exclude expenses funded from grants provided through the Government's interim EnAble Fund for Elected Office from electoral spending limits. This £250,000 interim fund will support disabled candidates and ...
This photo was taken a week or so ago but now the slates are on the roof too. Will it be ready for the new cricket season? That Maghull has two cricket clubs (the other one being Maghull Cricket Club) must mean its a cricket-mad Town surely? Here's a link to the Facebook Page of Moss Side Maghull Cricket Club:-
