Click on the still above to view this film on the British Film Institute site. The blurb there says: Parents take matters into their own hands to claim a safe play space for their children in traffic-filled Beckton, East London. This campaigning film advocates the benefits of direct action, offset against the pitfalls of apathy - and makes use of a bold and unconventional filmmaking style. It was made by Liberation Films, which developed from a group of activists, including a doctor and several teachers, all campaigning against American involvement in Vietnam. They produced campaigning films in local communities and ...
At the general election last December Claudia Webbe was elected as the Labour MP for Leicester East. Now a story in the Islington Gazette reveals she is still a councillor in London - for the Bunhill ward of Islington borough council to be precise. And, though the story implies she was about to resign from the council, the cancellation of all elections until May 2021 means she is going to remain in office for another year. Terry Stacy, the former Liberal Democrat leader of Islington Council, is not impressed: "She should have resigned immediately after she got elected to Parliament, ...
A farmer and Conservative councillor tells the Shropshire Star: "If we can't get the people to help with the harvest, it will end up rotting in the field and getting ploughed in. "Once things like strawberries and lettuce are ready, you have a very small window to harvest it. "People have to want to do it. If farms can't get the people, it will knock on to the supply in the supermarkets, which would be a lot of trouble."The newspaper links this crisis to the outbreak of coronavirus, but the number of overseas seasonal farmworkers was always going to be ...
Tue 21st
17:34
The European Parliament (8th edition), by Richard Corbett, Francis Jacobs and Michael Shackleton
Second paragraph of third chapter:Under the treaties, the decision on its seat belongs not to the Parliament, but to the national governments. They reached agreement at the Edinburgh summit in December 1992, chaired by John Major, "on the location of the institutions and of certain bodies and departments of the European Communities" (OJ C-341 23/12/1992), later incorporated into a protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty. This states that: "The European Parliament shall have its seat in Strasbourg where the twelve periods of monthly plenary sessions, including the budget session, shall be held. The periods of additional plenary sessions shall be held ...
When we are all finally released back into the big world the waiting lists for hairdressing appointments will be longer than those for delivery slots at Waitrose. Yes, before anyone reminds me, I know this is a first world problem. But nevertheless regular attention to our hair is a great comfort. My own hairdresser has installed therapy chairs so I get a massage as my hair is being washed – it's bliss, and a pure moment of me-time. As you can see from my profile photo I don't dye my hair. I have no problem at all with those who ...
A press release from the Liberal Democrats brings the news: Speaking after the Home Affairs Select Committee today where the Home Office was accused of causing foreign doctors and nurses in the NHS "unnecessary distress" despite fighting Covid-19, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: It is completely unacceptable that anyone working on the frontline and putting themselves in harm's way during the coronavirus crisis is having to worry about whether or not their visa will be extended. The Government must give them certainty that they will have the right to stay. The UK should say, loudly and unequivocally, ...
Responding to news that the coronavirus-related deaths were 41% higher in England and Wales than the Government's hospital-only figures in the week to 10 April, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: "Today's figures will cause real alarm. The gap between reported deaths to date and the true figures demonstrates it's impossible to understand the horrific toll of COVID-19 without a full set of data. "The Government must find ways to allow deaths in the community to be reported much faster, so that we have a grasp of the impact of coronavirus in real time. That is the only way ...
Speaking after the Home Affairs Select Committee today where the Home Office was accused of causing foreign doctors and nurses in the NHS "unnecessary distress" despite fighting Covid-19, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:"It is completely unacceptable that anyone working on the front line and putting themselves in harm's way during coronavirus crisis is having to worry about whether or not their visa will be extended. The Government must give them certainty that they will have the right to stay."The UK should say, loudly and unequivocally, that those who have put their lives at risk for our country ...
In August 2015 I posted about seeing Lamont Dozier live on stage at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre. Here's a link back to that posting:- As the middle part of the world famous soul music writing trio of Holland – Dozier – Holland he penned so many hits for Motown that it would take far too long to write them all down. However, I actually got into Lamont as a solo artist via what I think was his 2nd LP/album cut in 1974 entitled Black Bach. I've always looked upon this album as one of the very few I like where ...
The Liberal Democrats have launched calls for the Government to take action on big businesses failing to pay smaller enterprises on time.The Liberal Democrats' Business Spokesperson, Sarah Olney, has written with widespread cross-party support to the Chancellor calling for the Prompt Payment Code to become compulsory. This would end large companies ability to "hoard cash when their suppliers are struggling", leaving suppliers in a "perilous position".Further to the letter, Sarah Olney said:"Small businesses are the bedrock of our economy and our communities. With so many of them struggling due to slow or indefinitely delayed payments from large customers, they risk ...
How do we build a liberal future, and are the Liberal Democrats part of that?
Looking back to the general election, and offering a theory of what went wrong for the Liberal Democrats.
As a result of our telephone calls to thousands of Liverpool residents we have been asking a series of questions to the Council. These are the responses we have received to our business grant questions As part of our work ... Continue reading →
In the run-up to the 2019 general election, there was a lot of media and political excitement about an apparent surge in electoral registration and why that might be good news for Labour. My scepticism at the time, based on a little maths, was rather an outlier from what others were saying, based in particular on the likelihood that a high proportion of the registration applications would turn out to be duplicates. That is, people already on the register (or not qualified to be on the register) were putting in applications that would therefore not result in actual additions to ...
Following the reports that the Government has taken the Immigration Bill from the Commons Order Paper, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:"I'm glad the Government has listened to Liberal Democrat concerns and decided not to move the Immigration Bill today. Now Conservative Ministers should use this delay to reconsider their destructive plans to end free movement."The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the enormous contributions that workers from all over the world make to our NHS, social care and other essential services. They are protecting us and putting their lives on the line every single day."By ending free movement, the ...
Kirsty writes: The last month has been a time like no other. As Education Minister, I have had to make a number of particularly difficult decisions that I believe were necessary in the fight against Covid-19.Before I detail those decisions, I want to express my gratitude to all the staff in our educational and childcare settings. They have been working so hard to provide care for our children in these difficult times. Their response has been nothing short of amazing.Through this period, I have been working closely with Welsh Government cabinet colleagues but also with my counterparts across the four ...
Covid-19 has caused the biggest economic shock of modern times. The Government has announced a range of measures to support businesses and the self-employed, in particular through putting in place strong incentives to keep staff on the payroll. Nearly a million people applied for Universal Credit in March - and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for the Government to scrap the five-week wait. We need to get money into people's pockets now. But we need to think beyond the emergency. Economic recovery could be slow and painful, and the most difficult time for families and businesses - especially the ...
In my newsletter yesterday morning, I said that Vinnalls Car Park at the Mortimer Forest was open. It had been all weekend. But this seems to have been the result of guerrilla action not a change in policy by Forestry England. The car park was duly closed off again. My apologies for the misinformation and causing confusion. Vinnalls Car Park will be closed for the duration. There is a lively debate going on Facebook about the closure of car parks. I have received a flood of emails and several phone calls. At the heart of the discussion is the interpretation ...
LAST MINUTE REMINDER _ COMMENTS CLOSE 24th April that's this Friday WARNING - DEVELOPERS WANT TO BUILD MORE HOUSES ON EDGE OF CHIPPING SODBURYBeware, all sorts of planning applications are suddenly coming in. It's an ideal time for developers to put in applications, when people might not be paying attention and normal systems like leaflets to alert neighbours can't work. So we all need to be more alert.Cotswold Homes have put in an application to build 97 more houses - between St John's Way and the common. They are building one side of the road onto the common, now they ...
When I stood for election as party president last year, I spoke a lot about the importance of our grassroots efforts. With coronavirus, what counts as appropriate activity is very different from normal times.
[IMG: Folkestone Triennial 2017 exhit [house]] As the impact of Covid-19 continues to reverberate throughout our community and across the world, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Creative Folkestone Triennial. Our priority lies with ensuring that our team, artists, partners and you remain safe and well. We therefore feel it would be irresponsible for us to continue as planned with Folkestone Triennial in September. Creative Folkestone Triennial will now take place in September 2021. In this time, we will continue to work hard to present an exhibition and programme of works that are ambitious in scale and a ...
Mon, 12:46: RT @JenniferMerode: Scottish government calls for 2-year extension of the Brexit transition period. i.e. the maximum. Also points out the... Mon, 12:56: Where to find the 1945 Retro Hugo Awards finalists https://t.co/uTOuydTBcH A lot of them are online. Thanks, @IanMoore3000. Mon, 13:52: Happy birthday @Lou_Jameson ! https://t.co/v5nN5i1ehg Mon, 14:25: RT @IFAD: IFAD Goodwill Ambassadors Idris and Sabrina Elba launch appeal for IFAD's $200 million #COVID19 relief fund for rural communities... Mon, 16:05: This is a peculiar bit of Corbyn mythology, which as shown here has no basis in historical reality. https://t.co/QZosaTJ2gO Mon, 18:38: A Woman in Space, by ...
There is something ironic about an unelected chamber of the UK Parliament debating the issues of the day in secret, almost as if they know they are unaccountable and just want to rub it in. That though is the intention of the House of Lords as they reconvene after the Easter recess. The Independent reports that Lords authorities have announced that virtual sittings of the second chamber, brought in to help with social distancing, will not initially be broadcast to the public, despite there being no technical limitations to doing so: On Tuesday both houses will return from an extended ...
The Government must publish its "exit strategy" for easing the "lock down" for public scrutiny to avoid repeating past mistakes and ensure that when the time comes it is ready and it does not overlook anything or anyone. For example as a former Director of Social Services and Non-Executive Director of an NHS Trust it is difficult to understand why older people are being left to die of coronavirus in Care Homes and not being admitted to hospital? People in Care Homes are just as in need of, and entitled to, hospital care as anyone else. It is bad enough ...
We have all witnessed or better still participated in the clap for carers initiative which has grown out of the current crisis. I am sure that the carers themselves are lifted by our support. However what they really need is practical help, something that the government has been slow in coming up with. Britain's carers have been getting a raw deal for decades, they have very poor working conditions and the system they work in is broken. When I was a regular visitor to a care home five years ago staff shortages were a daily feature and shortages of basic ...
It was a hectic day yesterday, given what I do as a day job, and today probably won't be any easier. But there are plenty worse off than I am... 2 big stories The more aging amongst us will remember oil shocks, as OPEC squeezed consumers by controlling the flow of oil, and thus the price. Today, the shock is that the price of US crude oil is negative. Yes, they'll pay you to take it away because it's cheaper to do that than to build new storage facilities that probably won't be needed for long whilst consumption is so ...
I wanted to make residents aware of a free online learning opportunity 'Discover Digital' which is being run by Dundee and Angus College to support learners looking to strengthen their ICT and digital skills to enhance their daily life. In the current unprecedented business environment there may be individuals that you are aware of who have the time and could benefit from this opportunity and in those cases where work has been substantially affected as a result of the global pandemic, time may be available to upskill. Dundee and Angus College appreciates the requirements associated with furlough. However if this ...
