This was the video I made today of the volunteers from Planting Up Whickham who planted up the flowerbeds on Church Green.
The film critic Roger Ebert, says Wikipedia, called this "the best internet cat video ever made".
Neal Ascherson, one of my favourite political commentators, writes in the Guardian: Theresa May went around preaching about "our precious, precious union". This puzzled me, given massive English indifference. Ask somebody in Durham or Exeter why the union matters, and you get a blank stare, a shrug and perhaps a mumble. Then I understood: it wasn't Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland that was "precious" to her, but "the union" in the abstract - a sort of legitimising halo hovering over Westminster's anointed. It's a cult confined to Britain's ruling caste and, of course, to Scottish and Irish unionists who genuinely ...
Here's Jo Swinson's message for Diwali: Shubh #Diwali and Saal Mubarak to all Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain communities celebrating today, in the UK and around the world. pic.twitter.com/Ogu8e9NvRc — Jo Swinson (@joswinson) October 27, 2019 * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Gateshead Lib Dems had a successful action day in Birtley yesterday. Hundreds of tabloids were delivered and we called at over 300 houses. The video follows the team throughout the day.
I was in Whickham this morning to help Planting Up Whickham do exactly what their name says: plant up Whickham, in this instance, the flower beds on Church Green. I missed the maintenance session the group had last week when the old plants were stripped out as I was in London for the People's Vote rally. Today I got my hands dirty planting dozens of plants which in the spring will give us a
Second paragraph of third chapter:While the party fights within Fianna Fail since the departure of Sean Lemass in 1966 had focused on personal rivalries and hatreds, they also revolved around three enduring themes from past history: politics, nationalism and land. The way these continue to intertwine gives some pause for thought, especially in the era of the hegemony of Fianna Fail and the recent revelations by which that party in its post-de Valera persona will be judged. The party may have become increasingly 'constitutional' in the years when it monopolized power, but descriptions of the Fianna Fail ethos tend to ...
On Friday 25 October the Guardian reported on some research from Cardiff University and Edinburgh University which suggested that most leave voters who took part thought that violence towards MPs "was a price worth paying" for Brexit to be delivered – 71% in England, 70% in Wales, 60% in Scotland. The majority of remain voters also felt that potential violence was worth it if it meant staying in the EU – 58% in England, 56% in Wales, 53% in Scotland. The co-director of the research project at the Cardiff end declared that he was "flabbergasted" by these results. These "violence ...
Checkmate! Dennis Bell of Torquay, Too late With your knight at e3. Good game sir Do you want another bout? Well Dennis ain't replying 'Cos he just signed out,Half Man Half Biscuit's songs mirror my life. Not only have I often found myself engaged in a descent of the Stiperstones, I have also run into bad losers on Yahoo! Chess. This comes from the band's 2008 album CSI:Ambleside.
A while back I speculated on the future of the former Spar shop on Town Green Lane – here's my posting from Sept 2018:- Well things move on and there's what seems to be a controversial application before West Lancs Council for it to be a bar selling food – here's a link to the item on West Lancs Council's planning website:- There's an alcohol license application too, I've noted. I take an interest in this spot because it's a regular stopping point for me on cycle rides to get a coffee and a bite to eat. But ...
The next election gives us a real opportunity. Brexit is shattering traditional party loyalties and both tired, old-parties are rapidly shifting towards polarising extremes, alienating swathes of their traditional support base. Given this, the Liberal Democrats are increasingly able to offer a political lifeboat to those who believe in sensible and evidence-based, rather than ideological-based policies. One group that is ripe for the taking in the current climate, is the business community. Traditionally, business has strongly supported the Conservatives. However Brexit, combined with the lurch to the right of the Conservatives under Boris Johnson, means increasingly business feels alienated from ...
I admit that until I read this article in the Observer, I had not realised how few women featured on the iconic cover of the Beatles Sergeant Pepper album. Of the 65 different people pictured, just 12 are women and that includes three different images of Shirley Temple. The cover was put together by Jann Haworth and her-then husband, Peter Blake, though most credits just refer to Blake. Apparently, they asked the Beatles to list the names of their heroes but none of those offered were female. Now, Haworth and her daughter, Liberty Blake, are trying to put that right ...
Sat, 12:56: How Brexit Will End https://t.co/O2TfpFeHVQ A good summary of how we have got to where we are now. Sat, 13:15: RT @FeeshKeeng: They are proudly trumpeting their first #Brexit misinformation station in Belgium. Fun fact: The display is in the municipa... Sat, 14:54: Good thread which starts by quoting me as authoritative! https://t.co/7kh4qbPFDn Sat, 15:54: Why I decided to #backpack https://t.co/5Nd1Yx7gNg Sat, 20:00: My week on Twitter 🎉: 52 Mentions, 18.6K Mention Reach, 368 Likes, 95 Retweets, 268K Retweet Reach. See yours with... https://t.co/9xexhg1JSy Sat, 20:05: RT @nataliesophia: Belgium gets its first female Prime Minister, @Sophie_Wilmes 🇧🇪 She'll ...
Last week, Liberal Democrat Voice ran my latest piece about the Party Presidency. Here it is in case you missed it then. I'm the son of immigrants, one parent from Germany, the other from Poland. My family history is in miniature the troubled history of Europe, scarred by the horrors of extremism and war - and then my parents making a new home together in our country. It's why our liberal democracy, despite all its flaws, is so precious to me. And why we have to protect it against the extremists and populists. To do that, we need to build ...
UPDATE: Summary 3 things about Lib Dem plan for election on December 9th: Rules out no deal as it only comes into force if EU grants an extension Prevents the PM changing the date of the election Makes sure that PM can't ram his awful bill through Parliament. Conservatives dismiss it and Labour is in two minds – Diane Abbott says maybe and Jon Ashworth says it's a silly stunt to get us on the telly. Both Chuka and Jo emphasised how our preferred solution is a people's vote but it doesn't have the numbers because Labour won't support it. ...
Next Wednesday - 30th October - from 10am to 1pm, the community garden's Mosaic Group is again meeting. A monthly group learning about and making mosaics, it is making a mosaic trail for the grounds of Ninewells Hospital, and attendees also work on their own projects. No experience necessary and all materials, tuition and refreshments provided, though donations are welcome.
