You will remember that most scholars now accept that the model for Bonkers Hall is Nevill Holt Hall in Leicestershire. This makes the Prufrock column in The Times all the more interesting. It begins with speculation about who will get a gong in Boris Johnson's Defenestration Honours List: Westminster types wonder if the Carphone Warehouse co-founder, David Ross, could finally be recognised for his dutiful friendship with the Johnsons. The Grimsby tycoon famously facilitated the couple's use of a free holiday pad in Mustique, resulting in the PM getting a dressing down by MPs. Prufrock then continues: Speculation is swirling ...
Caroline Henry, the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Nottinghamshire, was today convicted of five speeding offences. She left court, the Nottingham Post reports, "with a total fine of £2,450, an order to pay a victim surcharge of £190, prosecution costs, and a six-month driving ban". The five separate offences were committed across the county in only four months and Caroline Henry is the wife of the Tory MP for Broxtowe, Darren Henry. I have never warmed to elected police and crime commissioners. They are, along with elected mayors and the ever-expanding number of government "tsars", part of a move ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats today used the first day of the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, Powys to outline their proposals for a Regeneration Plan for Mid Wales. The party argues that Mid Wales is all too often the forgotten region of Wales, and neglect by both the Conservatives in Westminster and Labour in the Senedd has contributed to a cycle of decline over the last few decades. The proposals by the party focus on transforming the economy of the region to take advantage of the changing patterns of employment and economic models following COVID-19. The plan has six main ...
I am really saddened but not surprised at today's announcement that our Chief Executive, Tony Reeves has resigned from the Council's employment. He is carrying the can for 12 years of disgraceful Labour leadership at Liverpool City Council. His actions ... Continue reading →
What with one thing and another, there will not be another issue of Liberator until the Liberal Democrat conference in September. When it is published you'll be able to download it free of charge from the magazine's website. In the mean time, there's a 20-year archive of Liberator back numbers to explore. But Lord Bonkers was not prepared to wait until September. "This isn't the spirit that won Sutton and Cheam," he remarked. So here we go with another week of the old brute's diary. Monday I, for one, am disappointed that tomorrow's debate between the contenders for the leadership ...
The BBC reports: A police and crime commissioner who had pledged to crack down on speeding has been given a six-month driving ban after being caught breaking the limit five times in 12 weeks. Nottinghamshire's Conservative PCC Caroline Henry broke a 30mph (48km/h) limit in four locations in the county between March and June 2021... Imposing a £2,450 fine in addition to her ban, district judge Leo Pyle said of the offences: "What they show is that you are driving at consistent speeds above the speed limits"... [Caroline Henry] campaigned for election using the slogan "Make Notts Safe" and promised ...
What am I going to with all of this popcorn? (with a hat-tip to Jonathan Calder) Meanwhile, Ed Davey doesn't share my disappointment... The Conservatives say they want to lead but they won't even turn up to debate the issues that matter to our country. Each of them are treating the nation with utter contempt and they've been taking people for granted for long enough. Conservative candidate's attempt to duck scrutiny just makes a general election at the end of this campaign even more necessary. Sky News said that Sunak and Truss "have confirmed to Sky News that they do ...
Lovely to be out canvassing with Lisa Smart and the Hazel Grove team at the weekend (even if the travel there wasn't quite scenic): View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Pack (@markpackuk)
Sun, 13:04: RT @nowthisnews: 'When I was growing up ... there weren't any female role models' — Jane Goodall shares why she's elated that Mattel is relea... Sun, 16:46: A duel in�1723 https://t.co/dEsm4XvqeX Sun, 16:46: The easternmost dead�president https://t.co/JyNQVjuYSF Sun, 21:45: RT @siennamarla: Labour source: "My jaw is on the table at how damaging this is for the Tories. We couldn't pay for this." Mon, 08:32: RT @BaenBooks: It is with a heavy heart we share the news that Eric Flint has died. We will have an official statement to come, but for no... Mon, 08:32: RT @File_770: Eric Flint ...
Anyone listening to the criticism of the outgoing administration during the weekend's leadership debates might get the impression that the Conservatives have been in opposition for the last decade. In some ways they have. In opposition to themselves. The show of unity as ministers flanked the prime minister during PMQs has proved to be nothing other than a flimsy façade. Of course, it was always thus. Unity is not a feature of modern day Conservative politics, or Labour politics for that matter. But can an administration govern effectively when it is not only so bitterly divided but makes a public ...
As temperatures reach uncomfortably high levels, pets are likely to struggle with the heat. Here's how to keep them safe during the heatwave. Animals kept in a cage or hutch may find it hard to escape the heat as the sun moves around the garden, so you may need to move them or create shade for them. While cats can get out and about, they often find their way into buildings such as greenhouses and sheds. If they get shut in, the risk of heatstroke is high, so always check sheds and garages for cats before you close them up ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 18 JULY 2022 South Tay Street - temporary traffic lights for 4 weeks for footway works. Miller's Wynd - closed at its junction with Hawkhill for major construction works. Start date Monday 27 June for 6 months. City Road at Baxter Street - 3-way temporary traffic lights from Wednesday 21 July for 3 days for CityFibre works. Blackness Road (at Peddie Street) - temporary traffic lights Thursday 7 July for 10 days for Scotland Gas Network work. Hawkhill at Session Street - lane ...
I guess that I was never going to evade COVID indefinitely, and thus Liberal Democrat Voice is brought to you from Day 4 of my home isolation. Luckily, I seem, so far, to have gotten off pretty lightly, and I can isolate in our home office, which has its compensations. The past week has been a descent into fantasy politics, as five Conservative MPs vie to cut taxes, increase spending, level up and crack down, all at the same time. At least Nadhim Zahawi's notion of cutting 20% of the headcount in all Government departments has bitten the dust, allowing ...
The Independent reports that Brexit has led to a decline in crops and fewer home-grown products on the shelves of Britain's supermarkets. They say that Farmers in Kent have told a visiting group of MPs that it has become easier to import some fruits than harvest them because of strict limits on the number of seasonal workers from the EU: Winterwood Farms, an agricultural giant based in the county, said its UK farms had been forced to leave 8 per cent of their fruit crop unharvested and would be planting less in future. Stephen Taylor, managing director of Winterwood in ...
