Buses. Not terribly glamorous, their use was seen by Margaret Thatcher as a sign of failure in life. And yet, there were more than four billion local bus passenger journeys in the year to 31 March 2020, or around sixty journeys for every person in this country. A lot of people use buses, a lot of people who have votes. And so it was quite astute of the Prime Minister to announce a £3 billion fund to "Bus Back Better". More reliable, more frequent bus services, using more energy efficient, less polluting vehicles, what isn't there to like? Unfortunately, it ...
Every time we hear of yet another time when Downing Street staff behaved like the rules didn't apply to them, it just brings back the pain. This isn't just politics. It's about reliving the emotions of a really difficult couple of years. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it's the hugs we didn't have, the days we didn't see our loved ones that really hurt. Most of us bear the scars of this pandemic to a certain extent. If we hadn't obeyed the rules, the death toll from Covid would have been so much higher. Staying at home ...
Responding to the resignation of Treasury Minister Lord Agnew over Covid loan fraud, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "Will the last Boris Johnson supporter left turn off the lights? "With two Ministerial resignations in two months and dozens of Tory MPs on the brink of handing in their letters to the 1922 Committee chairman, this is truly a Conservative government paralysed by chaos. "It is outrageous this Government has allowed fraudsters to steal billions of taxpayer's money, especially when households are facing unfair tax hikes. "The combination of 'arrogance, indolence, and ignorance' which Lord Agnew referred to ...
Mon 24th
16:18
One in three Tory voters less likely to support local Tory candidate if they back Boris Johnson
"Sue Gray report will be judgement day for Tory MPs", warns Deputy Leader of Liberal DemocratsOne third (32%) of those who voted Conservative at the last election are now less likely to support a Conservative candidate if they back Boris Johnson to be Prime Minister. The new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats finds four in ten (43%) of the public are less likely to vote Conservative at the next election if their Conservative candidate supports Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. This figure rises to six in ten Labour voters (62%) and almost seven in ten (69%) of Liberal Democrat ...
Layla Moran MP has today been granted an Urgent Question on the humanitarian situation in Tonga, following the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano on 15 January. Liberal Democrat analysis from the Government's own DevTracker shows that UK aid spending in Tonga has been reduced to £0 in 2021-22, a reduction of more than £500k on 2020-21, in the first year of the Government's aid cut. The Government is yet to announce the release of any new financial aid to the country following the eruption. Layla Moran criticised the Government's decision to cut the international development budget, saying that it "has ...
I just knew that sooner or later we'd be getting onto the list of things that should be punished with fire and brimstone. Continue reading →
A walk linking Bunhill Fields, Bunhill Row, Old Street, St Luke's and City Road. It takes in the burial places of William Blake and Daniel Defoe. John Rogers has a Patreon account to support his videos and blogs at The Lost Byway.
Shropshire Council has applied for planning permission for a modest expansion of St. Laurence's Church of England Primary School (22/00158/FUL). The school was built in 1991 to the standards of the day. The alterations will create learning spaces that are more in line with current DfE recommendations. Two cramped classrooms will be increased in size, providing safer and more suitable spaces for learning, along with a larger support space. The project will also provide an improved and safer circulation in this part of the school building. This is a welcome project. The aim is not to provide additional school places ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:At four the storm abated. The clouds cleared and she stared up at the inky black. Focused on the stars and labelled several of the constellations. She saw a shooting star and wished Judith and Maude would return safely from their journey south to Manchester.In contrast to the Faction Paradox series, which I have given up on, I am thoroughly enjoying the Lethbridge-Stewart books published by Candy Box. Here we have the Brigadier and colleagues fighting snowstorms in deepest Scotland, along with a cell of feminist activists which has in fact been taken over by alien ...
Sun, 13:39: RT @BobRushy: 1981 was the peak of British sci-fi television https://t.co/JVfaBdJLHG Sun, 15:30: BSFA long lists, Best Novel and Best YA: Goodreads / LibraryThing stats https://t.co/rbuW6G9yyo Sun, 16:43: BSFA Best Art longlist https://t.co/cNqD0JxYjv Sun, 17:17: Carbone & Silicium, by Mathieu Bablet https://t.co/TjHyRlwh08 Sun, 18:47: November 2014 books https://t.co/kuNizMnnI9 Sun, 19:05: BSFA Non-fiction long list https://t.co/NvSYToUaB5 Sun, 21:09: BSFA non-fiction long-list https://t.co/pHfunMR3xw Sun, 21:14: BSFA Short Fiction long-list https://t.co/pHfunMR3xw Sun, 22:28: The @bsfa long list is out! https://t.co/9wQY1sdgrM
In earlier days of Covid, I argued that we should spend whatever was needed to tackle the pandemic and not worry too much about the national debt. It seemed a no-brainer then but, as we move into post-pandemic or endemic times, things don't look so straightforward. To outsiders, including me, money and banking can look horribly arcane and complex. Still, it has a big influence on our lives. Active democrats need at least some understanding of it. I've tried to expand my own understanding and here, in summary, is how I see things: In the UK we are in charge ...
Engaging, informative and instrumental in building "democratic foundation" for future generations. It is wonderful that the "civic tradition" of children from the Polish Saturday School in Welwyn Garden City continues! Always in January, when some might have preferred to stay at home, a group of 12 children and a few members of staff visited the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Children had another opportunity to visit the Council Chamber, meet the Leader, Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Throughout the meeting, children listened attentively and with a great desire to learn. They had a chance to learn to ...
This post first appeared on the Aspects of History blog... Why are we arguing again about appeasement, the Munich crisis and Neville Chamberlain, UK prime minister from 1937-40? The immediate hook is the film of the Robert Harris novel, Munich: The edge of war - and its obvious agenda to rescue Chamberlain for history. You will remember, especially if you have seen the film - which has been available on Netflix from last weekend - that Chamberlain's 1938 Munich agreement handed over the northern region and defences of Czechoslovakia to Hitler without firing a shot. The film itself is beautifully ...
The Independent says that police officers who guard No 10 have reportedly been interviewed as part of Sue Gray's inquiry into parties held at Downing Street during Covid restrictions, and, according to one source, their statements to the civil servant in charge of the probe were "extremely damning". Ms Gray is looking into allegations of a number of parties held at Downing Street while the country was under Covid restrictions. She is expected to publish her findings in the next week. Officers who were on duty outside No 10 at the time of alleged rule-breaking parties have now reportedly been ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 24 JANUARY 2022 Greenmarket (at MSCP) - temporary traffic lights for 9 days for electric charging point power installation. Tait's Lane - closed from Tuesday 25 January for 2 weeks for footway resurfacing. Perth Road (Blackness Avenue to Windsor Street) - closed westbound (9.30 am to 3.30 pm) from Monday 24 January for 10 days for Road Safety works. Riverside Approach (Riverside Drive to Magdalen Yard Road) - closed overnight (10.00 pm - 9.00 am) on Saturday 29 January for Scottish Gas Network works. ...
