There's a well entrenched assumption in British political culture that the Labour Party is spendthrift and the economy is not "safe" in their hands, whereas the Tories are financially prudent and can be relied upon to steer a steady economic ship. This idea is based on the easy presumption, in which there is some truth, that the Labour Party places priority on decent public services over low taxes whereas the Tories will give priority to keeping taxation levels as low as possible and urge the public services to "improve" themselves by being more efficient. It is an easy story to ...
Second paragraph of third chapter (a long one, broken in two for the English translation): Most, mikor túlesett már az első meglepetésen, egyszerre elfáradt. Az ember egy életen át készül valamire. Először megsértődik. Aztán bosszút akar. Aztán vár. Már régen várt. Már nem is tudta, mikor alakult át a sértődés és a bosszúvágy várakozássá. Az időben minden megmarad, de olyan színtelen lesz, mint azok a nagyon régi fényképek, melyeket még fémlemezre rögzítettek. A fény, az idő lemossa a lemezről a vonások éles és jellegzetes árnyalatait. Forgatni kell a képet, s a világítás bizonyos fénytörése szükséges hozzá, hogy a vak fémlemezen ...
For a while in 2019 I ran an irreverent look over the week's news called "Cheers and Jeers". it got sidelined, mainly dur to having other priorities, but I feel it's time to resurrect it! Every Sunday I will take a look back at the week's events and ascribe cheers - and jeers - as appropriate. As for this week... Cheers to the National Trust, which has announced it will be creating "green corridors" to link city centres to the countryside. It is planning 20 of these "corridors", with the first confirmed project a three-mile stretch running from Bath. Cheers ...
This site already has buildings on it. So it would be difficult to argue against any form of development there. However, I do have big concerns about it being used as a Trojan Horse, to open up all the fields behind for housing. So this is what I said about it: I disagree slightly with this allocation. This is on the basis that I have concerns about the extent of the area proposed to be allocated. Appendix J: Development Guidelines in the Revised Growth Strategy, page 127, says the proximity of the Sindlesham Conservation Area requires sensitivity, and also that ...
Sun 30th
14:06
The stucco ceilings of Jan-Christian Hansche, part 6: the Charles Borromeo sacristy in Antwerp
Well, I've been able to change the colours of a couple of dots on my map:I have to start by reporting a dead end, unfortunately. The Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed had led me to believe that there might be a Hansche ceiling actually in our commune, over in Blanden. After diligent research I was able to get in touch with the owners, who however denied that there is any work by Hansche on the premises. So I'll have to take no for an answer. Persistence was also required for the northernmost surviving work by Hansche, on the ceiling of the sacristy ...
Sun 30th
13:43
PODCAST - Birthday cake versus demographics: which will determine the future of British politics?
[IMG: Chocolate cake with candles] Image by jgojtan from Pixabay. It was great to welcome back Professor Rob Ford for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts and to discuss with him both the long-term trends shaping British politics and how they may or may not be seen off by short term factors, such as a birthday cake. Which means we also got into how grim, or not, the future looks for the Conservative Party. Take a listen to find out what we concluded... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may ...
Lib Dems and Labour swapping lists of target seats, co-operating on policy and not getting in each other's way helped oust the Tories in 1997. What lessons can we learn from that today? This week, I went along to the recording of Compass's "It's Bloody Complicated" podcast. Our own Duncan Brack, Compass's Neal Lawson who was one of the fixers of the deals between Blair and Ashdown and YouGov's Peter Kellner who looked back to 1997 and the co-operation between Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown. The event was chaired by Compass's Frances Foley Duncan explained how, after the disappointment of ...
Covid-19 cases have fallen from their peak quickly but in Shropshire and England the infection rate is no longer falling significantly. In Telford & Wrekin, rates have fallen, risen and now appear to be falling again. Rates in Shropshire and Telford remain higher than those across England. Almost all cases are now the Omicron variant. It is different in its impacts from the Delta variant. More young people are affected by Omicron probably due to lower vaccination levels in younger cohorts. But there are also many Omicron cases among older people among who vaccination rates are high. This is probably ...
Sun 30th
11:30
Ed Davey: Boris Johnson is concentrating on saving his own skin, not rising living costs
In a strong appearance on The Sunday Morning Show, Ed Davey called on the Government to hold a cost of living summit in No 10, a work event, not a party, if you like. He called for a windfall tax on energy companies and said that if the Conservatives had stuck with the policies he introduced when he was Energy Secretary, our bills would be £2.5 billion. You can watch the whole thing here: He was challenged by Sophie Raworth on his tweet: A stitch up between the Met leadership and Number 10 will damage our politics for generations and ...
Sat, 14:38: Hansche and Rubens, putting the "rock" into Baroque. (@ Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk in Antwerpen, Vlaams Gewest) https://t.co/ncsmdclc4P https://t.co/GFl7pKeneP Sat, 16:37: Serenity https://t.co/OgDWzZ7O5g Sat, 18:32: Saturday reading https://t.co/hRnkdfqaVH Sat, 20:05: RT @tithenai: (Here is that promised newsletter, trying something a little different, contains eyes, Coleridge, birthdays, yoga, birds.) ht... Sun, 10:45: RT @RNicholasBurns: One of the five greatest movies of all time. https://t.co/WWIbgipQl5
Ed Davey sets out rescue package of measures to save typical struggling family almost £1,000 this year.Lib Dems call for summit in Number 10 with top utility companies to thrash out solutions to cost of living crisisBoris Johnson told to stop obsessing with saving his own career and focus on cutting bills for struggling families. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on Boris Johnson to hold a cost of living summit in Downing Street with the bosses of top energy and other utility companies. The Liberal Democrats have warned that the Prime Minister is "missing in action," and too ...
A few days ago Jacob Rees Mogg suggested that a change of Prime Minister would lead to an early General Election. He must know this isn't true: are we being softened up for one? His remarks have been read as an attempt to stop Tory MPs in former "red wall" seats siding against Boris Johnson, but aren't these the Tory MPs with the strongest incentive to ensure that their party has a leader who people support? What he's reported to have said on Newsnight is: "It is my view that we've moved, for better or worse, to an essentially presidential ...
A new Justice It is time to appoint another Justice to America's Supreme Court. The new vacancy has been created by the resignation of liberal 83-year-old Justice Stephen Breyer. President Joe Biden has responded by announcing that he will nominate the first-ever African-American woman to the court. But will she win the approval of the Senate which is split 50/50 but with the casting vote of Vice President Kamala Harris tipping it into the Democratic camp? It is not a foregone conclusion. If the Republicans stand firm on blocking Democratic presidential nominations (as they have done in the recent past) ...
Next Saturday - 5th February - celebrate National Storytelling week at Ninewells Community Garden at an excellent writing workshop with writer Alex Turner. It will delve into different types of writing including short stories, journaling, and poetry and explore the theme of nature waking up after winter, awakening our senses and imagination as you meander through the garden to find inspiration for nature storytelling. Free of charge - all welcome - more details at
