As a result of my researches this week I can conclude that some cats are friendlier than others. And don't be fooled by the closed eyes in the third photo. Nothing happens in Walcott Road without that cat's knowledge and approval.
I thought I would be a loyal Liberal Democrat and blog about Ed Davey's appearamce on ITV's Acting Prime Minister podcast, so I started to listen to it. Literally the first thing Ed tells his interviewer is: "I've had to give the party some truths, namely that we've had a bit of a bad time in the last five years - three poor election results - and I've said 'Look, we've got to wake up and smell the coffee'." The idea that Ed is aware we have had a bad time of late and ordinary party members have not noticed ...
Hong Kong has taught the Chinese leadership that they can't win the hearts and minds debate. One country, two systems, has not worked. Neither will Beijing be able to buy support with their economic performance. All of this raises questions about the future of Taiwan, and recent moves by Beijing are causing an increasing number of misgivings about the possibility of a peaceful solution to a problem as old as the People's Republic. Fears that the Chinese Communist Party is moving ever closer to a military solution have been fuelled by recent events. Last month 40 fighter jets from the ...
Good work by Gerald Vernon-Jackson and colleagues on Portsmouth Council, setting in where the government has failed.
Many of us are chomping at the bit because of limitations imposed on us because of coronavirus restrictions. Here in London we had a national lockdown during the months of Spring and from this week we are now in a Tier 2 half-way-house stage, as infections continue to rise. I doubt whether our collective mental [...]
Back in June, I wrote the last in a series of posts about the overall situation, 100 days after the lockdown was imposed in March and as things were gradually lightening up. I was pretty optimistic that we'd seen the worst of the situation by then. Well, things have not developed particularly well. After a couple of months when numbers stayed fairly low, and with a mild hump in early August which seemed to have mostly gone away by the end of the month, September saw a new rise of the number of cases, with a slowdown at the end ...
Ed Davey has been interviewed for ITV News on the Acting Prime Minister podcast. If you haven't seen it before, the interviewee is virtually installed in No 10 for the day and asked what she/he would do. What personal item would he take into No 10? – the trike belonging to his son, John. Who would be the first person he would call? – Joe Biden. What would his first policy change be? – increased support for carers, financially, in their own careers and through respite care. Where would he go on holiday as Prime Minister? – East Anglia Downing ...
The Government is currently consulting on whether or not people should be allowed to visit their friends or relatives in Care homes especially in Tier 3 area. Today I have asked Liverpool Council to respond to the Government consultation about ... Continue reading →
Last week I reported that Kirsty Williams had committed to extend free school meals through the holidays and right up to next Easter. Of course, that only applies in Wales where she is the Education Minister. But this week MPs shamefully voted against a similar programme in England, in spite of the widespread support for Marcus Rashford's campaign. Lib Dems, headed by Daisy Cooper, have been calling for action: Last week @libdemdaisy wrote to Gavin Williamson urging the government to make free school meals available for every child in poverty in England, including during school holidays and lockdown. Join us ...
A Liberal Democrat Bill to grant all Hong Kong Citizens a pathway to UK citizenship and "strengthen the UK's historic bond with the people of Hong Kong" is scheduled to have its Second Reading debate in the House of Commons today. The Bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, Chair of the APPG on Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch, would create a route to UK citizenship for all Hong Kongers. By expanding British National Overseas (BNO) status to all Hong Kongers, the Bill goes well beyond the Conservative Government's current citizenship commitments, which extend only to ...
Thu, 12:11: RT @lowflyingrocks: 2020 UL2, 5m-11m in diameter, just passed the Earth at 7km/s, missing by 409,000km. https://t.co/imdwX9XUn7 Thu, 12:25: Babel-17, by Samuel R. Delany I had been expecting something like a half-way point between Zelazny and Dick; in fact, Delany comes across as more disciplined than either. #nwbooks https://t.co/lIfOOqPIZr https://t.co/CYiSmiTlVT https://t.co/FPF5vVY1fH Thu, 12:56: RT @alexwilcock: Top tip for next 2020 news: Argument over '60s Doctor Who villain Mavic Chen makeup intention - problematic blackface or b... Thu, 13:26: The File on H, by Ismail Kadar� People escape as best they can, the rather ethereal epic poetry souight by ...
Yesterday, Robert Peston tweeted out a thread about how he saw the current Boris Johnson-led government as being socialist. Peston really went for it, describing Johnson as "more Castro than Castro". As a result, people rushed to belittle his claims. What was interesting to me was that the ones who tried to substantially rebut Peston's claim – as opposed to just vacantly insult him – oddly demonstrated the strength of his thesis by accident. First off, it's worth examining what the government is doing and how it could – or even should – be considered socialist. As Peston points out, ...
Do any of you Merseysiders out there recall this 'Art On The Network' project being launched by Merseytravel in 2005? Can't say I do but during a rummage through my collection of books and magazines about Merseyside's railways I rediscovered a forgotten pack from Merseytravel dated August 2010 all about the progress and future of this artistic project. In the pack, sent to me by Merseytravel's former Chief Executive and Director General Neil Scales was an Official Trail Guide, a book mark, a brochure and a DVD. In terms of 'Selected forthcoming projects and plans' the brochure says that in ...
A bit of cheer as we enter a two week Welsh lockdown, with a number of media outlets reporting on the escapades of two racoons in California. The Free Press takes up the story: Two raccoons were caught red-handed after breaking into a bank in California on Tuesday when a member of the public spotted them inside. The masked invaders were seen inside the Redwood City bank by a member of the public who had been using an ATM at the time. The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) were called to the scene and, after 10 minutes, were successful ...
Fri 23rd
08:30
Whoniversaries 23 October: Myth Makers #2, Hand of Fear #4, The Mad Woman in the Attic #2
broadcast anniversaries 23 October 1965: broadcast of "Small Prophet, Quick Return", the second episode of the story we now call The Myth Makers. Odysseus demands that the Doctor use his abilities to destroy Troy; Vicki is renamed Cressida by Priam; Steven is captured by the Trojans. 23 October 1976: broadcast of fourth episode of The Hand of Fear. Eldrad discovers that the planet Kastria is dead, and the Doctor manages to dispose of him. Then comes the mysterious 'call from Gallifrey', and - sob! - Sarah Jane Smith leaves after almost three years. Will they ever bring her back, do ...
Fri 23rd
07:30
Shropshire Homes new plans for Castle View Terrace are better with extra public open space - but are...
Yesterday, Shropshire Council published new plans for the proposed housing development on the meadow on Castle View Terrace. The original plans included a bungalow behind two terraces, each of three houses. The bungalow always looked incongruous and it has now been dropped from the scheme. This has allowed Shropshire Homes to allocate accessible public open space behind the terraces. The new plans are a considerable improvement on the initial scheme. But they will still lead to the unwarranted destruction of a beautiful and much valued area of pasture. The revisions do not make this scheme acceptable. The removal of the ...
I have been advised by the City Council's Street Lighting Partnership Manager as follows : "I'm informing you that we have a lighting replacement scheme about to commence in the Hawkhill area of your ward, starting on Monday of next week. We intend to replace all the lighting columns and cable network along the length of the Hawkhill from Brown Street out as far as Peddie Street. Obviously this is a large project for us and Tayside Contracts will be assisted by a sub-contractor, T N Gilmartins, who will be undertaking excavation works on site. Works will commence at the ...
I welcome guest posts on Liberal England. This list of the 10 most recent is pretty concentrated on the Liberal Democrats, but I am happy to publish posts on subjects far beyond the Lib Dems and politics. If you would like to write a guest post for this blog, please send me an email so we can discuss your idea. Why am I a Liberal Democrat - Simon BeardHow the Revoke policy harmed Lib Dem chances - Michael MullaneyUnionism is making the Scottish Lib Dems irrelevant - Mark StephensWith Valour and Distinction: The 2nd Battalion Leicestershire Regiment in the First ...
