Taken in 2013. I should have realised what an omen it was.
This is Home James, a Yorkshire Television documentary from 1972. As the blurb on YouTube points out, Mason: says his mother's attitude to the town rubbed off on him: "She was always reaching for a grander way of life that was more than could be expected of Huddersfield." By this time he'd come to value Huddersfield people: "To me it's the way they talk, the way they build, the way they live their lives" and above all, it's what they do with their time off. The town's rich musical tradition, the trips to nearby Holy Trinity Church and rugby league ...
Private Eye produces a regular podcast called Page 94. The latest edition looks at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and allegations aginst politicians. In particular, and with the help of Francs Wheen, it looks at David Steel's odd defence of his lack of action over Cyril Smith. But it would be unfair to blame Steel alone for this. Liberals of my generation all read the report of Smith's activities in Rochdale in Private Eye, believed it and did little.
Second paragraph of third chapter:Based on countless viewings of the movie Animal House, I decided that if I was going to go to a party school, I might as well do it right and join a fraternity. I pledged the Delta Upsilon fraternity and, after the requisite hazing, was accepted as a member. Everyone had a nickname there—Sparky, Whiff, Doorstop, Slim—and mine, on account of my curly, black hair, was Brillo.This is an impressive first-person account of one businessman who was ruthlessly targeted by the Kremlin for trying to operate freely in Russia. Browder managed to make a lot of ...
On 24th March everyone who owns a mobile phone, ie 99.99% of us, got a text message via their network provider which read: GOV.UK CORONAVIRUS ALERT. New rules in force now: you must stay at home. More info & exemptions at gov.uk/coronavirus. Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives. My phone identified it as suspected spam. Some thought it was a scam. It was neither, as was soon obvious when people caught up with the day's news. Since then a number of scams have been reported that have shamefully exploited that initial text. In one case a text that ...
Current Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsin Muir Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson The European Parliament, by Francis Jacobs, Richard Corbett and Michael Shackleton Last books finished The Moomins and the Great Flood, by Tove Jansson A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving Next books The First Men in the Moon, by H. G. Wells Wiske, by Willy Vandersteen
With Parliament effectively shut down until after the lockdown the problem of how to scrutinise and hold ministers to account rears its head once more. This is not about scoring points, but effective scrutiny can actually add value to what the government is doing. One Minister who is proving particularly elusive is the Home Secretary, somebody who one would have thought would be playing a crucial role in the Government's response to COVID-19 and have a much higher profile that she does so far. Correspondence the Guardian has seen reveals that Priti Patel, has been accused by an influential group ...
Anyone who has been at home all day with a toddler and a pre-schooler knows how tough that can be. Some days are good - you enchant the little so-and-sos with colouring and sing-songs. Other days feel like Guantanamo with nappies. I remember once as a stay-at-home Mum realising the only adult company I had "seen" all day was Jeremy Paxman when I switched on Newsnight at 10.30pm. That's bad! It is a million times tougher now - no playgrounds and no chance to let little ones play outside for long. The young children have almost completely disappeared from the ...
Beyond the coronavirus emergency, other major issues need attention. Whether we like it or not, the digital revolution is transforming our economy, our society, and our political life. Our party contains many committed privacy activists, and a heartening number of data scientists, to inform our debate. One of the several LibDem data scientists I've recently met lent me Jamie Susskind's weighty volume on Future Politics: living together in a world transformed by tech, published 18 months ago (thank you Samie Dorgham). It's a very ambitious book, ranging from Aristotle and J.S. Mill to Tim Berners Lee and Silicon Valley. Its ...
Even if you followed the news only lightly in 2011, the chances are you can across the story of how a cat received a jury summons in the US.
Wed, 12:56: Did Sanders Blow It For The Democratic Left? Or Was The Nomination Always Out Of Reach? https://t.co/Mpdpw5VEqM Goo... https://t.co/hJHvqAAX7u Wed, 13:39: RT @BigStealPodcast: Listen now to episode 7 of the #BigStealPodcast. It features interviews with Marina Litvinenko, @BenEmmerson1 and @Tim... Wed, 16:05: Now that I am thinking about it: Ancient Celtic "dūnom", meaning stronghold, was borrowed by Germanics to become "... https://t.co/W8lPUft6yf Wed, 17:11: Special Report: Johnson listened to his scientists about coronavirus - but they were slow to sound the alarm... https://t.co/jM6P72YjQF Wed, 18:22: Hugo final ballot Goodreads/Librarything statistics https://t.co/Zk4MBq7suA Wed, 22:05: RT @Hugo_Book_Club: The average age ...
First a revelation that will startle you: in strict formal, statutory terms, my government coalition social liberal party D66 has been leaderless since 10 October 2018. That's when our long-standing leader Alexander Pechtold, who since becoming leader in our nadir days in 2006 (3 out of 150 Commons seats in a proportional system!) had brought us back up to 19 seats at the 2017 elections, and who brought us back in the sitting government coalition, suddenly stepped back and started doing other things in quango and semi-governmental circles. The parliamentary party immediately appointed a new, 31-years old MP, Rob Jetten ...
here is some good news about how our town is helping each other"Yate and Sodbury Neighbourhood Scheme (YSNS) has been established, in collaboration with local community groups, local churches, Yate Town Council, Sodbury Town Council and Dodington Parish Council in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We aim to have a point of contact for approximately 415 residential roads across the Yate and Sodbury area and so far have over 120 registered volunteers, each one of whom is doing a phenomenal job in serving their community. These volunteers have been provided with an electronic volunteers ID and will eventually also have ...
My latest book, "Politics is Murder" is out today and I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little bit about it. It is the fictional account of a female serial killer, Charlotte Heard, who works in Westminster. She is employed by a failing think tank that nonetheless pays her well and allows her to accrue contacts on the way to fulfilling her true ambition, becoming a Member of Parliament. She then uses her "talents" to secure a CEO role. Her master plan is moving along nicely. Then one morning, the police show up at her door. ...
My daughter was really upset last night when she looked at her calendar. "How can we celebrate Ramadan without our family?" She like many children from different faith groups are having this conversation, Easter eggs hunts have been cancelled, Sri Lankan and Tamil New year celebrations halted and this week Passover begins for the Jewish communities across the country but this year will be like no other. In these difficult and concerning times for our nation, it seems out of place to talk or write about anything other than the pandemic gripping our country, but I think it's important that ...
Thu 9th
08:46
GP practices and pharmacies in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to open on Good Friday and Easter...
Our friends in the NHS and the care sector have been working flat out as coronavirus spreads through our county. The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin stands at 270, a number that will be an underestimate as it only includes cases confirmed by testing. Thirty-four have patients have died at the Royal Shrewsbury and Princes Royal Hospitals. There have been other deaths at care homes and in the community. To support us, GPs and pharmacies will be open on Good Friday and Easter Monday, bank holiday days when they would normally be closed. ...
As an extension to the lockdown appears imminent... 2 big stories I've previously picked up on the gloomy prognosis for small business in the light of the coronavirus crisis, but there is growing evidence that the promised funds will come too late for many. Reuters reports that, according to the British Chambers of Commerce; 1% of companies had received funds from the government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, while 8% said their application had been unsuccessful. Another 7% received government grants for small businesses, but double that proportion applied unsuccessfully. Although some of the survey was conducted before the government ...
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are radically pivoting the work we do, providing community relief through 'Food & Care Packages', as well as moving our peer support service to a 'Video/Text Chat' model. We've also put together a one stop-shop site for COVID guidance, information, activities and local updates. We think we could make a really big difference in the community, so please share the below to support some of the most vulnerable people in Dundee.---Feeling Strong are delivering 'Food & Care Packages' to those who are self-isolating as a result of COVID-19. These packages will provide vital ...
