I have been wondering how much longer I would keep doing these ten-day updates. I had hoped to round them off with the abolition of all restrictions a la Denmark and Sweden, but the Belgian numbers are surging a bit at the moment so it seems unlikely. (And we have lost Colin Powell to COVID now.) But we're a lot closer to normal than before. Masks in some circumstances, but shops and bars are all open again, and we have bought a new sofa; I had work lunches every day last week and today (though nothing in the calendar for ...
The British political establishment has been profoundly shocked by the murder of the Sir David Amess last Friday, by a member of the public as the Conservative MP undertook a constituency surgery. What can we draw out from this tragic episode? The statement put out by Sir David's family is particularly touching in its call ... Continue reading The ramifications of a political murder
Three spinoff books this evening, one featuring Erimem and two from the Lethbridge-Stewart sequence. Second paragraph of third chapter of Prime Imperative, by Julianne Todd:'Well?' Alan demanded. 'What did they say?'I think I've reached the end of my patience with the books featuring Erimem, the Fifth Doctor's audio companion; they just aren't really very special. This one is a space adventure in which our heroes end up on an endangered ship; various implausible navigational and management decisions are made and a lot of people get eaten by fungus. It would have been an unoriginal plot in the 1930s (except that ...
The word 'tragedy' is used in the literary world in a very specific sense: to denote a situation in which people can't see what's going on around them and how it's destined to end in tears. I cannot help feeling we Liberal Democrats are in the middle of a tragedy we need to stop very soon before it's too late. Our autumn conference last month had a steady underlying seam of tribalism about it. The most outward sign was the motion to stand a candidate in every seat unless local members agree to stand aside. There's nothing intrinsically wrong about ...
This past week, like so many of you, I have been deeply shocked and saddened by two fatal stabbings. Last Tuesday, 18 year-old student at Richmond College, Hazrat Wali, was stabbed to death on Craneford Way fields. My heart goes out to his family, friends and the whole college community as they come to terms with this tragic incident. I know many local residents are understandably extremely concerned regarding safety in the area and knife crime. On Wednesday, I arranged a meeting with the police, college leadership and councillors close to the site of the stabbing to understand what immediate ...
Last week, Government MPs and the forces of darkness Daily Mail were calling on civil servants to stop lazing around at home and get back to work, in part as an example to the private sector, and perhaps as support to their friends in the commercial property sector. Meanwhile, many sectors are recognising the challenges and opportunities that allowing their staff greater flexibility in terms of where they work bring. I would argue that, ultimately, there are a number of key issues that will determine whether or not our office culture can, will or should adapt. The end of "command ...
JoltedI cried for you my dear, it seemsand said some words I foundamong the rituals, socially-approved,that frame the sullen emptiness of grief. Our loss. Paused:dodging fleeting bolts of sleep and dreams,I am afraid to stir the lees of times –once-experienced, excessively-remembered –whose less-than-perfect certaintyand smooth-worn grooves of memoriesafford me no protection;against the flooded pits, the [...]
Sun, 12:56: RT @AliVaez: I've followed the nuclear negotiations across 3 US & 3 Iranian administrations, been on the ground at multiple negotiation rou... Sun, 15:13: Gerard Valentine Ryan, 5 November 1922 - 17 October 1944 https://t.co/gZCcqr7Ca6 Sun, 18:13: July 2013 books https://t.co/uSKy7Ro7JK Mon, 09:11: RT @MemphisIn2023: It is with great sadness that we let you know that the Memphis in 2023 bid has folded. We thank you for all of the suppo... Mon, 10:45: And this is a genuine Goscinny story left unfinished at his early death in 1977. I hope they publish, as Hergé's estate did with Tintin ...
Recently, Sunniside History Society held its first in-person meeting since March 202. It was great to be back together after so long apart. This is the video I filmed at the meeting and includes my chairman's remarks.
Having been demoted from Foreign Secretary, after a near catastophic performance, Dominic Raab is setting out to make his mark in charge of the Justice department and already he has dived head first into deep water. Raab's determination to undermine human rights legislation is very much in keeping with the authoritarian impulses of this government, but does he understand exactly what he is doing? According to the Independent, the new Justice Secretary wants to legislate to "correct" court judgments in human rights cases that go against the government. That includes judgements made by the European Court of Human Rights at ...
The appalling murder of Sir David Amess MP has again put the safety of elected representatives into the headlines. In my 34 years as a councillor, I have experienced one person coming into my surgery and intimidating me by pointing out he was considerably bigger than me; one incident of paint being thrown over my front room window; a brick being thrown through my car windscreen and more recently,
The best definition Liberalism I know was spelled out by Timothy Garton Ash in a Guardian article on 29 November 2004. Liberalism, properly understood (is) a quest for the greatest possible measure of individual freedom compatible with the freedom of others. That's all there is to it if we understand "freedom to" (live and eat decently, get educated, achieve our potential, participate in society, debate our differences in a respectful manner) as well as "freedom "from" (want, fear, coercion, domination, exploitation). We now know that Fukuyama was wrong to declare the end of history and the triumph of liberal democracy ...
Good morning, everyone! Liberal Democrat Voice is brought to you today from a less-travelled part of southern Quebec. Obviously, moderation is going to be a bit erratic, as I'm five hours adrift and trying to combine my day editor responsibilities with a crash course in being an evil step-grandfather, so do bear with me. The continuing debate on what the tragic murder of Sir David Amess means for our politics seems, to this observer at least, to overlook the fact that any prospect of a new, more respectful politics will be stillborn in the face of a media which craves ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 18 OCTOBER 2021 Blackness Avenue - closed for 2 weeks for carriageway resurfacing. Glamis Drive (Glamis Road to Hazel Drive) - road closure from Monday 11 October for 6 days for City Fibre works. Eton Street (Blackness Road to Cambridge Street) - road closure from Monday 11 October for 6 days for City Fibre works. Hawkhill (Horsewater Wynd to Session Street) - eastbound nearside lane closure from Monday 18 October for one week for Scottish Water work. Forthcoming Roadworks Grosvenor Road (Shaftesbury Road to ...
