Embed from Getty ImagesOne overlooked factor in the rise of Boris Johnson may be the instinctive deference that those who went to minor public schools show to those who went to major ones. Here is Charles Collingwood - Brian Aldridge in The Archers - writing of his schooldays in his memories Brian and Me: We played cricket against Ludgrove, which was frightfully smart and a serious feeder school for Eton and Harrow. The captain of cricket at Ludgrove was a boy called Mike Griffith, who went on to captain Sussex. On the day we played them, we got off the ...
One critique of the radical wing of the Liberal Democrats has been, frequently and especially from those close to the party leadership, that it has some narrowness in its policy obsessions, and an over-focus on process, then policy, then values and then narrative in that order. Party president Mark Pack has made these charges quite [...]
Many congratulations Naimah Khatun for her win in the Parliament's People Awards.
At a time when there are so few things to celebrate – no shock by-election wins to enjoy, and the prospect of delay of the elections currently scheduled for May – it's nice to be able to congratulate a fellow Liberal Democrat for winning an award. Naimah Khatun is a Parliamentary Assistant in the Liberal Democrat Whip's Office in the Lords, and today she's been announced as The House magazine's Westminster Staffer of the Year (Crossbench, Independent, Liberal Democrats and Other Parties). Here's the announcement of the award, and her response. The winner of the Westminster Staffer of the Year ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:He walks home from school toward an apartment situated above a shop strewn with crystal balls and tarot cards, incense and statues of animal-headed deities and dried sage. (The scent of sage permeates everything, from his bedsheets to his shoelaces.)Another rather good liminal fantasy, about a quest for stories and truth originating from a mysterious library book. Kept me absorbed, and I'd look for more from this author. You can get it here.
[IMG: Money ()] The £16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund is open to grassroots youth clubs, uniformed youth groups, and national youth and umbrella organisations, to help to mitigate the impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic, and ensure services providing vital support can remain open. Applications for the Youth Covid-19 Support Fund are open and will close at 5pm on the 12th February 2021. Application form, with the full eligibility criteria and guidance on how to apply, is at https://datatech.pwc.com/DCMS_YCSF/Information.aspx Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted ...
Tue 26th
15:30
We need to ban fake local newspapers, use Foci sparingly and move to being social media influencers
Many Lib Dems here on Lib Dem Voice and across local networks have voiced outrage on the de facto government ban on leaflet delivering. Suddenly, we are seemingly blocked from campaigning because we rely on paper. There used to be telegrams. Faxes. Remember those? We don't use those anymore. We have the internet. We should ban fake newspapers and wean ourselves off our addiction to Focus pushed through doors. Until we reduce reliance on paper and become influencers on social media, we will never be a major party. The government's ban will be widely supported by my constituents who are ...
We continue to destroy our only planet, driven on by the moneymen and women. Politicians, in awe of the economists, see growth as the answer to every question. Anyone who stops to think for a moment can see that more and more growth is not any sort of a solution to today's problems on a planet with limited resources. This view of economics is hard wired into our society through the legal system. Most company directors have as a prime responsibility, that they must maximise the money made by their shareholders. Failure to do this means that they can be ...
Tomorrow, 27th January, is Holocaust Memorial Day. On pages 141 et seq of his "Is this a Man?" Primo Levi describes how prisoners in Auschwitz were selected for execution. Today is working Sunday, Arbeitsonntag: we work until 1pm.then we return to the camp for the shower, shave and general control for skin disease and lice. And in the yards everyone knew mysteriously that the selection would be today. The news arrived, as always surrounded by a halo of contradictory or suspect details . . . Room has to be made for an enormous convoy arriving from the Ponzan ghetto. . ...
In my 2014 blog, The Scottish Referendum: Why I am voting No, I outlined the reasons for staying with the United Kingdom. At the time, all the reasons I stated were sound. However, I also wrote this: "I may well reconsider my position in the future should Britain leave the EU: that would be the height of nationalistic folly - albeit English on this occasion." With the end of 2020, we finally see the outcome of the Brexit negotiations and it is not pretty. All third nation regulations and bureaucracy apply to the island of Great Britain, with the only ...
There's an excellent discussion of the impact of political adverts in the US which also acts as a clear overview of what political advertising is about and how it's done.
Formally established by Liverpool Council in January 2018, Foundations Ltd aimed to deliver 10,000 new homes over the coming decade with a focus on creating properties for the homeless, foster carers, large families, the elderly and people with a disability. ... Continue reading →
Mon, 13:14: We had our own family Burns Night on Saturday, with very yummy haggis bought well in advance from @STONEMANOR28 ! https://t.co/G9Dx8arqjQ Mon, 15:28: RT @apcoworldwide: We are delighted to welcome #PublicAffairs veteran and #DEandI leader @docantolicy to APCO as managing director of our W... Mon, 16:16: Irish Tales of Terror, edited by Jim McGarry The only bit actually worth reading is a Sean O'Casey story, "The Raid", which didn't seem to me to have any supernatural element at all. #nwbooks https://t.co/TsOtjgpd1v https://t.co/IF0MzmlQlB https://t.co/rfpJrHR48h Mon, 16:30: Absalom, Absalom!, by William Faulkner Too opaque for my commuting brain; murder, long-lost ...
Shirdley Hill Station – Summer 1938 The small rural West Lancashire community of Shirdley Hill lost its trains to Southport and in a southerly direction towards Liverpool on 26th September 1938. The line closed 21st January 1952. However, the tracks remained in place until 1964 as they were used for the storage of Southport's excursion stock. The line was built as the Southport and Preston Junction Railway and the village station was on Renacres Lane. The line was often referred to as the Barton Branch and it was and maybe still is famous for a train called the 'Alcar Bob' ...
Recent revelations as to how the Crown Prosecution Service has handled rape allegations are both shocking and shameful. As the Guardian reports, CPS prosecutors were urged in training sessions in 2017 to put a "touch on the tiller" and take a more risk-averse approach to prosecuting rape by weeding "the weak cases out of the system". The CPS has consistently denied any change in approach. Despite this denial, reports of rape have increased by almost a third in the four years to March 2020. However, the number of rape prosecutions has more than halved, falling 60% to the lowest figure ...
Many councillors and campaigners will be familiar with ALDC's Local Election Appeal, which supports Liberal Democrat candidates in seats we're aiming to gain from the other parties. It's vital that our party makes gains in the major series of local and national elections scheduled for Thursday 6 May. Here at ALDC, we're aiming to raise £40,000 for the 2021 Local Election Appeal - 100% of this fund will be spent on additional direct mail to key groups of voters in our battleground wards, especially postal voters. We need to raise this money so that we can help 200 Lib Dem ...
i) births and deaths 26 January 1919: birth of Roy Purcell who played Chief Prison Officer Powers in The Mind of Evil (Third Doctor, 1971) and the President of the Council of the Time Lords in The Three Doctors (Third Doctor, 1972-3). 26 January 1957: birth of Mal Young, who was one of the Executive Producers for Series 1 of New Who in 2005. ii) broadcast anniversaries 26 January 1973: broadcast of third episode of Invasion of the Dinosaurs. The Doctor is playing with his Tyrannosaurus; Sarah is captured by Charles Grover and wakes up on a space ship three ...
Just a reminder that Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau is taking part in with this year's Big Energy Saving Month campaign, which seeks to help people save time, money and energy through everyday actions. Energy bills are a real struggle for many people. Figures released by the Scottish Government last year revealed 1 in 4 households in Scotland, over 600 000 people, find themselves in fuel poverty and official estimates suggest this could rise to 29 per cent of households as a result of the pandemic. This issue is a real problem for those already struggling with energy bills, with inefficient ...
Do you see how it works yet? Last few years.Its only right wing conspiracy sites.Its only right wing groups that promote hate.Its only right wing journalists who promote fake news.Its only republican congressmen who're lying.Its only the president of the United States..........Last week.....Its only left wing groups that promote violence.Its only the Socialist Workers Party Its only the Socialist Equality PartyIts only the national secretary of the International Youth and Students for Social EqualityIts only the London Bus drivers rank and file committee Do you see how it works yet?'He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even ...
