More than 1,300 rape cases are waiting to be brought before the Crown Court, as new figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal the backlog in the Justice system has grown. In total there are 1,336 cases involving charges of rape waiting to be heard. Of these, 289 cases are still ongoing more than a year after reaching the courts, and the average case now takes more than 14 months (435 days) from charge to completion. Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: "This Conservative Government is failing survivors by letting too many rapists walk ...
Thu 20th
20:12
At a moment of danger in Europe we would expect the Foreign Secretary to be at the table
Responding to Liz Truss's visit to Australia, thereby missing a meeting of the 'Quad' (comprising the US secretary of state Antony Blinken; French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock) to discuss the Russia/Ukraine crisis, Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, commented: "Agreements with Australia are all well and good - but is flying to the other side of the world really a matter of diplomatic urgency at a moment when Europe is coming perilously close to war? "At this moment of danger, we would expect the Foreign Secretary to be at the ...
If the report earlier today from Nick da Costa, Chair of the Federal Conference Committee, prompted you to book your place, then you are in luck. The Early Bird rate is being extended until Monday 24th January. You can register here. Whilst the Early Bird rate is £40, there is a massive bargain for first-timers who only need to pay £5. And under 18s, students and benefits claimants can register at the special rate of £10. The £10 and £5 rates apply whenever you register, but the main rate will be rising from next Tuesday, so book now. This will ...
It's that time of year again, when a young councillor's thoughts turn to the annual precept. Here in Creeting St Peter, it's been a little more challenging than usual. Not having a Clerk is, in itself, never likely to be helpful, although Jennie, our outgoing Clerk, very thoughtfully included a copy of the form that needs to be completed and sent to Mid Suffolk District Council. And I'm good with forms... Budgeting for the Clerk's salary for 2022/23 and related costs, however, is more complex. I don't even know if we'll have a Clerk when the financial year starts - ...
Although Culture (sic) Secretary Nadine Dorries' announcemet that the BBC's licence fee is to be frozen for the next two years and replaced by something else soon after is clearly a part of the government's desperate attempt to distract us from the " Partygate" stew in which Prime Minister Johnson is drowning, the bullying threat is not a new one. In the years since 2010, during which the Conservatives had been in power, the funding for the BBC has been reduced in real terms by no less than 30% and there has been constant discussion of a replacement for the ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:Then came the news of his father's impending death and Calvin rushed to Noyon. After a series of quarrels, Girard Cauvin had been excommunicated by the cathedral chapter, and he died on 26 May 1531 without the sacraments of the Church. John's brother Charles had to negotiate for a posthumous absolution in order that their father could be buried in consecrated ground. Calvin's reaction to the death was curiously muted. Writing to Duchemin, who was worried about the delay in his book's publication, he evinced little grief or emotion, all the more perplexing given an effusive ...
The Federal Conference Committee (FCC) met on Saturday, 15th January to start its work on the final agenda for Spring 2022 Conference, which will be taking place virtually via the Hopin platform. If you haven't yet registered for Conference, I would recommend doing so here. We've had a few departures from the FCC in the last few months and welcomed two new members. Jennie Rigg ceased being the English Party's Representative to the FCC and Jenni Lang stepped down as the Scottish Party Representative after becoming the Convenor of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. I would like to place on record ...
From the Liberal Democrat website comes news of the latest party awards, which are now done at both federal conferences in a year. Different awards are presented at each: Party Awards recognise publicly those who have given the party outstanding service and commitment in the past year. They are presented at Conference and each winner receives a trophy to keep. You can watch last autumn's presentation ceremony here and last Spring's awards here. We present three awards at Spring Conference, and five at Autumn Conference. You can nominate someone by clicking here. The upcoming awards are: The Leader's Award Eligibility: ...
"Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you?", the late Tony Hancock famously asked, "Did she die in vain?" It's a few centuries (over eight to be precise) since King John put his mark on that famous Charter at Runnymede and I'm just wondering whether it was all worth it. Joking aside, I really am in despair as to the direction of travel that western 'democracy' appears to be taking. In particular I refer to our own Anglo Saxon 'democracy' on both sides of the Atlantic, although the situation in many parts of western and eastern Europe does not fill me ...
The BBC reports on the view of Gail Davies-Walsh, chief executive of Afonydd Cymru, which represents Wales' rivers' trusts, who asserts that thousands of small-scale water pollution spills are not being looked into in Wales, adding up to a "massive issue". Her statemnet follows criticism of a leaked document suggesting staff at England's Environment Agency (EA) should ignore low-impact pollution events: Described as an "appalling scandal" by the UK Rivers' Trust, an internal briefing to EA staff on how to handle pollution was leaked to the media. The Guardian newspaper and Ends Report found that bosses had shown support for ...
Wed, 13:48: I really NEVER thought that the day would come that I tweeted David Davis with approval. https://t.co/at90me5GUC Wed, 13:48: RT @lewis_goodall: PM says he's not familiar with the famous quote DD has deployed, seems surprising given the PM is a biographer of Church... Wed, 18:01: Of the City of the Saved..., by Philip Purser-Hallard https://t.co/nfqz7zlb03 Wed, 22:40: "Even at this moment hundreds of thousands of men in England are being trained with the bayonet, a weapon entirely useless except for opening tins." George Orwell, 1940 Thu, 07:54: A tough one today! Wordle 215 3/6 🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Thu, ...
Thu 20th
10:30
Creeting St Peter - I am, if only for a little while, the possessor of a narrow, but extensive, hat ...
It came as something of a surprise when our Parish Clerk asked me if we could have a chat in early November. And it came as even more of a surprise when, in the course of that chat, she advised that she would be handing in her notice. Jennie has handed over an immaculate set of records, as well as a fulsome handover guide and the administration was wholly up to date. She had even prepared the documentation for our next meeting, which was a weight off of my mind. Getting a replacement is not a straightforward process, however. We ...
You could perhaps be forgiven for not knowing that the English Party even exists. Unlike Regional Parties in England, which have a direct relationship with members and are consequently well-understood; the all-England level of the party lies veiled in a murky labyrinth of internal organisation generally understood only by those initiated into the hidden secrets of its bureaucracy. Or at least that's how it appears to most ordinary members (and even many longstanding activists!) Nevertheless, the internal party matters reserved for England level (as opposed to being devolved to Regional Parties) are all pretty important. From approval and selection rules ...
Update from the Friends of Riverside Nature Park : "Tree planting time this Sunday - 23rd January - from 1pm to 3pm. Meet at Riverside Nature Park, Wright Avenue. Check the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/riversidenatureparkdundee on Sunday morning in case bad weather makes us postpone. After your help planting 420 trees before Christmas, we're asking for your help again to plant 250 Alder trees to increase the nitrogen in the soil before we plan a large orchard. Families and all ages welcome as you can see from the last tree planting. Bring warm clothes, gloves and a SPADE but we ...
