Thanks to lockdown I'm not getting the chance to meet Liberal Democrat members and supporters at events in the way I'd usually do.
One of the toughest elements of being a very small Parish Council is how you fund capital projects. Now, admittedly, we're not likely to have huge ones, but with a budget of around £6,000 per annum, much of which is committed to day to day running costs, anything much above £500 needs some thought and, preferably, some anticipation. When I returned to duty as a Parish councillor in 2016, it dawned on me that, in order to deal with these sorts of things going forward, we'd need a capital reserve, and to make regular contributions towards it. I did persuade ...
This is not an obituary; I just want you to understand what a special person John Stewart was. John has died, aged 49, of lung cancer. John was a good man, and a lovely one. His (much older) husband, Neil Fletcher, has been my friend since he, Neil, was at Aberdeen Uni in the 80s.. And we had some gey times back then. I knew his life, his friends and his boyfriends......and then John arrived on the scene to study Divinity. Neil was maybe not at his sylph-like best at the time (I know, I know), and the two of ...
The House of Commons Library has a research note out explaining the rules about election purdah, or as it's now known, the pre-election period of sensitivity. (A change of name that sounds like it was done by a committee...) As the note explains: It is a time when governments, ministers and civil servants will exercise caution in making announcements or decisions that might have an effect on the election campaign. The exact period depends on the type of election. The pre-election period for the UK and devolved governments and their civil servants is not set out in law but is ...
Sat, 12:56: RT @RobynElyse: One thing I think about a lot is the great Cat Calling Discourse of 2014. Men, apparently, had been going about their mer... Sat, 14:48: RT @MattHighton: So if you add the Highlander intro with the Sean Connery narration over the Teletubbies intro, it becomes epic. https://t.... Sat, 19:22: RT @DLidington: In the light of comments today just reposting this of Maidan, Kyiv, 5 December 2013: I think Ukrainians understand fully th... Sat, 19:29: Current Nine Lives, by Aimen Dean Human Nature, by Paul Cornell Air, by Geoff Ryman Shards of Earth, by Adrian Tchaikovsky Last ...
Sun 20th
10:50
Research reveals 125,000 more workers to pay National Insurance in Sunak "stealth tax"
Nearly 125,000 more workers to be dragged into paying National Insurance next year, new research reveals.Failure to increase the minimum threshold in line with inflation means workers and employees face an eye-watering £2.4 billion tax bombshell. Small firms to be hit hard as businesses set to begin paying National Insurance on 200,000 more employees. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been accused of clobbering the country with yet another stealth tax, as new figures reveal 125,000 workers will be dragged into paying National Insurance next year. The analysis from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, looks at ...
Responding to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak's failure to answer how many people are being pushed into fuel poverty on the BBC's Sunday Morning show, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: "Rishi Sunak doesn't even care enough to find out how many people he is condemning to fuel poverty. It shows he is completely out of touch with families worried sick about how to cope with soaring energy bills. "People are desperate for help but the Conservatives' response is to clobber them with an unfair tax rise. "The Chancellor should use this week's Spring Statement to put money back into ...
Scenes of chaos, disinformation, unhelpfulness, layers of bureaucracy; these are some of my comments after seeing what some of the Ukrainian refuges had to go through while trying to make an appointment with the British Consulate in Warsaw. Some people, who fled the war, travelled in freezing conditions for days, had to make a 12 hour round trip to meet a Home Office official. Unacceptable? Most definitely. I agree that Britain has a long standing tradition of welcoming refugees. However before we start congratulating the Home Office on their efforts to welcome our Ukrainian friends, it is worth remembering that ...
Those that had the strength of will to listen to Boris Johnson's speech to the Conservative Party spring conference yesterday were left gasping and outraged. One of the least statesmanlike prime ministers in British history had the gall to compare the decisions facing the people of Ukraine with those people in Britain made over Brexit: "I know that it's the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom, every time. I can give you a couple of famous recent examples. When the British people voted for Brexit in such large, large numbers, I ...
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of carriageway patching works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Glenagnes Road, (Blackness Road to Scott Street), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 4th April 2022 for 5 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available Blackness Road / Balgay Road / Scott Street and in reverse. For further information contact 433168. Executive DirectorCity Development ...
