Embed from Getty ImagesThere was a time when the Conservatives hated Winston Churchill. When Asquith asked the Tories to join a coalition government in 1915 their leader Andrew Bonar Law had only one condition: the Churchill should be removed from his position as First Lord of the Admiralty. The Tories were no better disposed to him eight years later, judging by how the Tory Sheffield Daily Telegraph reported the party's disappointing showing in the 1923 general election: Three Great "Advantages" It was by Unionist votes that the Liberals defeated the Parsee Communist, Mr. Saklatvala, in North Battersea. This, the defeat ...
The photo above shows the Willow Brook shortly after it has emerged from a culvert beneath a large roundabout on Leicester's Belgrave Road in a corner of the city centre still dominated by the inner ring road. Below the roundabout Willow Brook joins the Grand Union Canal and, through it, the River Soar. It's formed by the Bushby Brook and the Evington Brook when they meet in Spinney Hills in the east of the city. There names tell you where they have come from. The Willow Brook has been in the local news recently because of pollution problems. The city ...
The Guardian reports that Ofgem is on course to raise the cap on household energy bills to about £2,800 in October. The paper says that the increase in the cap would push up the average annual bill by more than £800, after the regulator increased it by £693 in April to £1,971. The regulator's chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, told parliament's business, energy and industrial strategy committee the figure was provisional but was based on the most accurate current estimate: He said he would be writing to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on Tuesday afternoon to confirm the soaring cost of wholesale ...
As if people weren't already struggling with just about everything going up very steeply in price, Ofgem said today that further pain is on the way. A further rise in the energy price cap means that households could be paying another £900 per year come October. This would be an almost doubling of the cap in 6 months and would be disastrous for people who were finding impossible to afford the basics before April's rise. Ed Davey has called on the Government to declare a national emergency and convene a special energy COBRA meeting to chart a way forward. He ...
Mon, 12:56: On becoming Belgian after Brexit https://t.co/wdIPd4R4Ra @hugh_pope reflects. I've been there too. In fact I think we were both at that UK reception. Mon, 16:05: RT @jbenton: I'm not sure how you write a story about how great the schools in Highland Park, Texas, are without noting that they exist ent... Mon, 17:11: RT @pixelatedboat: It's weird how so many of Elon Musk's inventions (cars with no door handles, single-lane tunnels with no emergency vehic... Mon, 19:33: Queens of the Crusades, by Alison Weir https://t.co/6fzQRmmWyN https://t.co/APuBAjEl8A Mon, 20:48: RT @IlvesToomas: If the proudest moment of your life is ...
The Conservative Government is on an illiberal rampage, bringing in multiple laws which threaten our civil liberties. From suppressing voter turnout by requiring voters to show ID at polling stations, to criminalising the right to protest peacefully, to bringing the once independent electoral commission under government control, the UK – to borrow a phrase from SNP MP Mhairi Black – is "sleepwalking into fascism". The measures to tackle "serious disruption" in the Public Order Bill provide a blatant example. Not satisfied with tearing apart our democratic right to protest, the Home Secretary wants to impose banning orders on protesters, including ...
Swindon Borough Council is to spend close to £150,000 to restore the Art Deco diving platform at Coate Water. Wiltshire Live reports the news, gleefully adding the detail that the board is "covered in bird poo". At this point I can do no better than repeat a post from 12 years ago: Richard Jefferies, who his best remembered as a nature essayist but, almost in passing, invented post-apocalyptic science fiction (in After London) and the children's holiday adventure (in Bevis), was the subject (or victim) of my Masters dissertation. His birthplace near Swindon now houses a museum devoted to his ...
Tue 24th
08:12
Caroline Pidgeon writes...Elizabeth Line: Much to celebrate, but much to learn as well
Today's opening of the central section of Crossrail is something to celebrate. The benefits from Crossrail (or the Elizabeth Line as it has become) will be immense. It will transform travel across London, but also large parts of the South East. Indeed, it is myth that it is solely a London project. It will cut journey times, provide much needed additional train capacity and encourage people to switch away from making many journeys by car, including in time many people who travel around London by the M25. Most importantly it will lead to a transformation in genuinely accessible travel. Passengers ...
Responding to images being released of Boris Johnson drinking at a party in Downing Street during Covid restrictions, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: "People will rightly be furious to see pictures of Johnson drinking at what is an obvious party, when he repeatedly told us that the rules were followed at all times."These photos show Boris Johnson has taken the British people for fools. While the public made huge sacrifices, he partied in Number 10."It's becoming clearer than ever that Boris Johnson lied to the British people and to Parliament. Conservative MPs must do their duty and ...
Residents contacted us about the damage to the entrance pillar to Balgay Park and Hill at the Glamis Road side of the park. This was caused by a vehicle some weeks ago. We asked our local environment manager for an update on progress with repairs and have received this helpful response : "I can confirm that we are aware of damage that has occurred at the entrance of Balgay Cemetery Glamis Road, and this damage has been assessed by the Area Officer. The Area Officer is currently making arrangements with department colleagues to remove the damage in the short term ...
