Yes, despite what you may have thought, I do still have a blog. It's just been a weird few months, and it's taken literally all my writing time to produce the 5000 words a week of finished content (which comes ... Continue reading →
In our Chowdene Focus we revealed that two council officers had attended an awards ceremony at a top hotel in London which included a meal costing Gateshead Council £620. Labour leader Martin Gannon knew nothing of this and emailed me to find out more about this rather expensive meal. It's nice to know that Martin has to turn to me for information about the council he leads. So, come on Martin,
On Sunday 14th July Gateshead Lib Dems held another action day, this time in Chowdene ward. This is the video I shot on the day.
On Saturday 13th July I took some of our goat kids and ducklings to Whickham Chase Park for the "Love Parks" event. Sadly, the weather was against us but the animals proved a hit and helped promote my self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle.
The Liberal Democrats have the upper hand ahead of next month's by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire, according to a new poll by Number Cruncher Politics. NEW: We polled the #BreconandRadnorshire by-election: LD 43 (+14) CON 28 (-21) BXP 20 (+20) LAB 8 (-10) MRLP 1 (+1) UKIP 1 (=) Fieldwork 10th-18th (changes on 2017 result)https://t.co/jkcHHpLWz2— Number Cruncher Politics UK (@NCPoliticsUK) July 20, 2019 Back in 1985, I recall that... Where has everybody gone?
A constituency opinion poll from Matt Singh of Number Cruncher Politics puts Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds on course to win the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrats): 43% (+14 on 2017) Christopher Davies (Conservative): 28% (-21) Des Parkinson (The Brexit Party): 20% (+20) Tom Davies (Labour): 8% (-10) Lady Lily Pink (Monster Raving Loony Party): 1% (+1) Liz Phillips (UKIP): 1% (n/c) Fieldwork: 10-18 July Method: online, using a special methodology for small geographic areas There are no Green or Plaid candidates as both parties have decided to back Jane Dodds. Matt Singh famously got the 2015 general ...
It's amazing what you find wandering the backstreets of Leicester. Shortly after photographing the tin tabernacle that may be home to the city's women Freemasons. I came across a Catholic church where the Latin mass is still celebrated. It was St Anne's in Abingdon Road:We are profoundly attached to Catholic Rome. We hold firmly to all that has been believed and practised by the Church of all time, in her faith, morals, worship, catechetical instruction, priestly formation and her institutions, and codified in the books which appeared before the late Council. Meanwhile, we wait for the true Light of Tradition ...
Rob Merrick, deputy political editor of the Independent, writes: The Liberal Democrat leadership race is on a knife-edge with postal votes cast splitting "almost 50-50" between Jo Swinson and Sir Ed Davey, The Independent has learned.The figures were described as "a major surprise" by a source at the party's headquarters - given Ms Swinson has been the odds-on favourite to win the contest on Monday. So it's a two-horse race. All the Twitter polls I have seen have shown Jo in lead, but Twitter users may not be typical of the party as a whole. And even there, I have ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:'Couldn't you ask him here for dinner or something?' said the Mole.Way way back in 1976, we were on a family trip to London and as a treat went to see A.A. Milne's stage version of Toad of Toad Hall, starring Richard Goolden as Mole - his 17th year in the part, aged 81! His last ever acting role was Zaphod Beeblebrox IV in The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series in 1980, John Warner as Water Rat, David King as Badger, with his faithful dog Dougal appearing in the first scene, and Ian Talbot ...
Sat 20th
14:34
The Triple Lock: or why there may be TWO Lib Dem federal conferences to come this year
With a hung Parliament looking so likely, a quick recap of the Liberal Democrat triple lock process for negotiating with other parties may come in useful.
I had an email this week reminding me that my first year of Medium membrship was coming to an end, which prompted me to look back at some…
What if there’s not a conspiracy behind everything? What if it’s just arseholes getting lucky?
Fri, 12:56: RT @GuitarMoog: I just can't believe that not only are we still having to have this stupid conversation, but that a significant portion of... Fri, 14:07: RT @AdeMontchalin: 🇮🇪 🇫🇷🇪🇺 Sur la frontière Irlande - Royaume-Uni avec ma collègue irlandaise @HMcEntee. Après le #Brexit, la France sera... Fri, 15:34: The fundamental question: is the UK a nation of shopkeepers, or joyriders? https://t.co/mdMCf5wzIG Fri, 16:05: Nick Clegg: the Facebook fixer https://t.co/1SYI44epMI Great, largely sympathetic profile. Fri, 17:11: RT @PGourevitch: Chuck Klosterman drops the mic on the @nytimesbooks "By the Book" dinner party question: https://t.co/eX5PG40bIu https://t... Fri, 17:49: RT @TheProgressives: ...
Westminster is abuzz with talk of a general election taking place sometime later this year. The theory goes, Johnson can't get no deal passed (or doesn't really want it passed, deep down) before October 31st because parliament stands in his way. He has no choice but to go to the polls. Or, there is a vote of no confidence which brings an election on. The 2019 general election would be the hardest to predict in the history of British democracy. There are several realistic scenarios that could play out, all of them wildly different from one another. Boris Johnson's pitch ...
When I first saw the headline (see link below) I wondered how a council could 'buy' a town but then realised the headline had 'center' missing from it. I then wondered if it was Sefton Council buying Maghull Square but the photo did not look right. Of course it's Kirkby town center that the Echo article is all about, a saga that goes back many, many years indeed. And then I thought back about Maghull Square and the long promised refurb's that go back many, many years via different owners and wondered what it will take.............. This is Maghull ...
In the leadership contest, LibDems are choosing someone who might be Prime Minister before the year is out. That brings new factors into play as members make their choice
I was sent this yesterday from Highways England as a Lydiate Parish Councillor:- 'As you will be aware, we faced a legal challenge regarding our preferred route choice for the A5036 Port of Liverpool access scheme. This was lodged in November 2017 and heard by the court in October 2018. The court ruled in favour of the preferred route option but naturally the challenge has impacted on the 2019 construction date. We now expect to start work in late 2022 or early 2023. We are fully committed to working alongside our partners and local community to ensure we have a ...
I woke yes terday morning to heavy rain. Knowing that the jacket I had bought was not up to the job, I headed to the local charity shops to see if I could find something better. I had almost given up hope when I found something perfect – for a fiver! I am not an outdoorsy type so I didn't realise that I had got an absolute bargain until Pete Roberts, who is running the Llandrindod office, pointed it out as he sent me off with some letters to deliver. Once those were done, I was sent off with a ...
The NHS Tayside Department for Spiritual Care is holding an information afternoon on volunteering opportunities on 21st August at Royal Victoria Hospital. For more details on what it involves and how to sign up, you can read more here.
The Mirror reports that the failure of the Tories to keep their promise and retain free TV licence betrayal for the over-75s could add another £1.6 billion to the welfare bill. They say that George Osborne, who was Chancellor 2015 when a deal was stitched up, believed forcing the BBC to fund the lifeline would save the Government £745million a year from 2020. But the Treasury's own watchdog yesterday revealed the move could backfire - ultimately costing more than it saves: The Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed spending on Pension Credit was set to rise because of the move to ...
