This is the latest post in a series I started in late 2019, anticipating the twentieth anniversary of my bookblogging which will fall in 2023. Every six-ish days, I've been revisiting a month from my recent past, noting work and family developments as well as the books I read in that month. I've found it a pleasantly cathartic process, especially in recent circumstances. If you want to look back at previous entries, they are all tagged under bookblog nostalgia. We started our holiday with a Doctor Who event in Slough, attended by no fewer than twelve Doctor Who companions. (This ...
During the pandemic we all came to together as a community. We clapped for the nurses; we cared about social distancing; we baked cakes for each other and checked on the vulnerable in our community. However, since then things have ... Continue reading →
Sat, 16:09: Gladiator (2000), and Those About to Die https://t.co/qrEaU8OoCg Sat, 16:16: RT @PatLeahyIT: It is increasingly commonplace to dismiss political opponents as not just wrong in their policy approach, but personally mo... Sun, 10:45: RT @tinytempest: Privileged people never change. When it was Black & brown ppl wanting civil rights, the pearl-clutching whyts cried out th...
It was a quiet week for by-elections - with only three principle authority local by-elections taking place on Thursday. However, it was still a great week for the Lib Dems - holding two principal authority seats in Birmingham and Horsham. Birmingham City Council, Yardley East On Birmingham City Council the Lib Dems held the seat of Yardley East with a huge 65% of the vote and a majority of over 700! Congratulations to newly elected Councillor Deborah Harries and the team in Birmingham on such a magnificent result. Lib Dem (Deborah Harries): 1312 [65.3%, +0.4%] Labour: 609 [30.3%, +0.1%] Conservative: ...
The assault on the BBC, our so-called public sector broadcaster, has been underway since the days of Margaret Thatcher, maybe even longer. The fact that at some stages the corporation is attacked from both left and right indicates that perhaps they are getting the balance right after all, though on many many occasions producers' idea of a balanced feature is perverse to say the least. Now, the government, or its allies at least, see an opportunity to turn the tide in their favour. Laura Kuenssberg is moving on from the role of political editor and at least one senior Tory ...
As residents will recall, I have previously raised concerns about the dangers posed by double parking in several West End streets, often alongside Eurobins. Drivers have raised concerns about the safety concerns about cars effectively parked well into the roadway - a particular danger at night. Most complaints have come from Rosefield Street and Forest Park Road, with some from Peddie Street and some other streets. Having had more concerns raised recently, I highlighted this to Police Scotland and also to the roads team at the City Council. Our community police sergeant for the West End and Lochee has advised ...
In this weekend's commentary on world affairs, LDV's foreign correspondent Tom Arms reviews the conflict between Poland and the Commission over the primacy of EU law. Nigeria is in a bigger mess than usual as corruption is exacerbated by Jihadism, the pandemic, a rapid rise in gang violence and a resurgence of Biafran secessionism. Brazilian senators are investigating Bolsonaro's responsibility for 600,000 Brazilian covid-19 deaths. In the States, Trump aide Steve Bannon will go to prison for a year for contempt of Congress. Colin Powell who died this week, was universally recognised as a decent and honest man. Poland and ...
