I have come across a website devoted to the railway photographs of Dennis John Norton. It is run by his son, who was born born nine weeks after Dennis died. This photograph was taken on 22 May 1956 and shows the LNWR lines leaving the southern end of Market Harborough station. The bridge in the foreground carries the tracks across the Station Approach and Rockingham Road. The signals in the distance must control the junction where the lines to Rugby and to Northampton diverge. The line to Rugby closed in 1966, while I was aboard the last train on the ...
Though Jeremy Thorpe was acquitted of conspiracy to murder at his Old Bailey trial, there was never any thought of his being allowed to take up a prominent role in the Liberal Party afterwards. My impression is that it was not his entanglement with Norman Scott that sealed Thorpe's fate. It was that a generation of Liberals had realised that he could not be trusted with the party's money. Anthony Howard touched upon this topic when reviewing Thorpe's memoirs for the London Review of Books. Describing the book as a 'slim and inconsequential volume', Howard refers to a subplot of ...
The 2021 Liberal Democrat spring federal conference is going to be a virtual affair again, on 19-21st March.
I was talking to Shropshire Homes this morning. My call was entirely unrelated to Castle View Terrace. But it was inevitable that our conversation would turn to the most controversial application in Ludlow for years. I learnt that Shropshire Homes is going to appeal Shropshire Council's refusal of the scheme for six homes that would destroy the last remaining pasture in East Hamlet. Saved for now Ludlow won the first stage of the battle after the planning application was rejected last week. We now must fight on. Shropshire Homes believes it has good grounds for the appeal. I will believe ...
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly and someone who saw Boris Johnson up close during his eight years as Mayor, joined me for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. We discussed how Boris Johnson behaves as a politician, his strong desire to be liked, his long track record of wasting public money and more. I hope you enjoy the show: Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes The Garden Bridge. The SS Richard Montgomery. The wasteful water cannons. The Deputy Mayors problem. City ...
With Christmas falling on a Friday this year, Acocks Green ward residents will have normal refuse collections over the Christmas break. Should you wish to visit Tyseley Tip (Household Recycling Centre) over the holiday period, please note that the city's five Household Recycling Centres will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Friday 25 December and Saturday 26 December) - but will be open on all other days. If you want to visit an HRC you will need to book beforehand; more details here You can book one week in advance and the holiday slots are likely to go ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:And yet even a born and bred Londoner, such as Douglas Archer, could walk down Curzon Street and, with eyes half-closed, see little or no change from the previous year. The Soldatenkino sign outside the Curzon cinema was small and discreet, and only if you tried to enter the Mirabelle restaurant did a top-hatted doorman whisper that it was now used exclusively by Staff Officers from Air Fleet 8 Headquarters, across the road in the old Ministry of Education offices. And if your eyes remained half-closed, you missed the signs that said 'Jewish Undertaking' and effectively ...
What, I hear you ask, was Lord Bonkers doing in December 1990? The answer is that he was celebrating a famous Liberal Democrat by-election victory. David Bellotti, incidentally, soon turned out to be part of a circus act called 'The Flying Bellotti Brothers that often turned up in these diaries. I am not sure I would make jokes about Zimmer frames now that my mother uses one to walk, but Lord Bonkers was young and foolish in those days. Thursday To Eastbourne to help young Bellotti deliver a 'Thank You Focus'. (In my day the voters would queue for hours ...
Yet more warnings about a no deal Brexit today with the OECD claiming that such an outcome at the end of this month would deliver a "serious" short-term hit to the UK economy and produce a "strongly negative" effect on trade, productivity and jobs in the long term. The Independent reports that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that disruption from failure to conclude a trade deal with the EU would come as the UK grapples with the impact of a second wave of coronavirus: The international economic think tank downgraded its outlook for the UK economy, estimating ...
Today's debate and vote in the Commons on the imposition of the Three Tier grades of lockdown for the country until the five day Christmas break illustrates the emptiness of our political system. The debate and vote is taking place only because dissatisfied MPs have become resentful of the Downing Street clique's governing by fiat and feel, quite rightly, that Parliament should have a say. Labour at the moment is promising to abstain on the vote because, although they are vaguely in favour of the lockdown, they feel that the government is giving insufficient financial compensation for the businesses forced ...
Tue 1st
12:45
We need to argue for public investment in neglected UK areas AND a generous international aid budget
It's not a surprise that a You Gov opinion poll showed 66% of respondents supporting the government's plans for a 'temporary' cut in the foreign aid budget. Spending on foreign aid has been consistently unpopular with the British public for years; when pollsters ask what sector of public spending should be reduced, foreign aid outstrips all others. Liberal Democrats hold to the argument that supporting overseas development is both a moral obligation and a foreign policy priority. But when we face so strong a negative response, we need to think carefully about how we make the case for development spending. ...
Over on the Cheltenham Liberal Democrats website, Young Liberal Jessica Jeffries writes to her local MP, calling on him to take action to end period poverty: The negative impact of period poverty can affect women in many different ways. Physically, there is a high risk of infection due to the repeated use of old sanitary products, and the use of dirty rags/pieces of cloth which many have to use as an alternative. Psychologically, as a result of the stigma, many women feel embarrassment/shame when discussing menstruation and those who struggle financially will face much stress as they choose between feeding ...
Mon, 12:56: RT @DaveKeating: Wow, this is going to make Daily Mail readers' heads explode. Only actors with an EU passport can play Prince William in... Mon, 15:19: Ersatz Nation by Tim Kenyon This book has serious problems with both its setting and its plot. The Unation covers seven continents, seems entirely English-speaking and all its inhabitants work in the same time zone. #nwbooks https://t.co/Qv3AaA3XXH https://t.co/vPYVY77O9N https://t.co/oE29nFrVFk Mon, 16:05: Out of office: Has coronavirus changed Brussels' EU Quarter for good? https://t.co/2N8DAdAI4e Or perhaps, for the better? Personally I'm sceptical. I think the new normal will be a lot like the ...
Tue 1st
09:31
Castle View Terrace housing thrown out by planning officers but no deal on community purchase yet
In a significant victory for those who battle to keep the character of Ludlow intact, council officers have rejected a proposal for six homes (initially seven) on the much loved and well used meadow on Castle View Terrace. One of the main reasons for rejecting the scheme is that we have approved more than enough houses in Ludlow. This decision is also important because the loss of open space is central to the planners' reason for rejection. Ludlow's community has made a reasonable offer for the land of £130,000. That should cover the developer's land purchase and design costs. But ...
Thirty years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall it's easy to forget just how cut off from the world East Germans felt. Their standard of living was higher than that of people living in other Communist states of central and Eastern Europe, but life was pretty grim and grey. The secret police, the [...]
Do you run one or more Liberal Democrat social media accounts, such as a Twitter account for a local party or a Facebook page for a regional party?
Tue 1st
08:30
Whoniversaries 1 December: Dennis Spooner, James Bree, Nightmare of Eden #2, Enemy of the Bane #1
i) births and deaths 1 December 1932: birth of Dennis Spooner, script editor / story editor of Doctor Who for first months of 1965 (from The Rescue to The Chase), also writer of The Reign of Terror (First Doctor, 1964), The Romans (First Doctor, 1965), The Time Meddler (First Doctor, 1965), much of The Daleks' Master Plan (First Doctor, 1965-66) and the first episode of The Power of the Daleks (Second Doctor, 1966). 1 December 1955: birth of Kelly A. Manners, sole full producer on Torchwood: Miracle Day. 1 December 2008: death of James Bree, who played the Security Chief ...
As Greater Manchester enters 'Tier 3 restrictions from 2 December 2020, T4GM have issued these updated travel guidelines. Public transport services continue to operate as normal, and that you can and should continue to travel in Greater Manchester - for work, to shop, to socialise outside in public spaces – and for many other reasons. TfGM would ask though that while travel in Greater Manchester is fine, you look to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible. Travel Safely If you're using public transport you must wear a face covering, including at transport hubs and interchanges, and in ...
There are no road closures or high impact road works planned in Prestwich in December (!). Nearby roadworks that may affect people are listed below. For the full list see the GM Roadworks site here. – Radcliffe New Road in Whitefield, multi-way signals until 12 December 2020 (Electricity North West). – Bury New Road in Salford, just south of Great Cheetham Street E/W, lane closures 2-4 December 2020 (EUNetworks Fiber) – Water Street Radcliffe – Give and Take second half of December (Electricity North West).
A Christmas feast of online entertainment will bring festive cheer to residents despite the ongoing restrictions on live performances. Bury, as the first Greater Manchester Town of Culture, became the centre for live entertainment during lockdown when the The Met played host to United We Stream - and now it's back! The first event is a 2020 virtual reimagining of Ramsbottom's Heads for the Hills Festival, taking place on Saturday 5 December with a day of exclusive sets and favourite acts from recent years to keep you dancing at home: go to www.headforthehills.org.uk The Met is also finalising more streaming ...
This year we are supporting the appeal from Wood Street Mission to provide Christmas presents for struggling families. They need your help this year more than ever before, to help with Christmas after such a tough year. Wood Street Mission need donations of: – New toys, games, books or other gifts suitable for children up to 14 – Children's selection boxes If you are able to make a donation please text Steve on: 07773 705407 or email steve@burylibdems.org.uk. We will then arrange to collect from you. We need the gifts before 11 December 2020 to give time for them to ...
Full details here.
