The other day I wrote about how Alan Garner ran up against the limitations of children's holiday fiction. I should also have emphasised that Susan Cooper's attempt to vault over them in Over Sea, Under Stone is not wholly successful. But maybe that school of writing is more interesting than I made it seem. Certainly, its Ur text, Bevis: The Story of a Boy by Richard Jefferies, is shot through with nature mysticism. And the landscapes authors choose are often numinous or have come to be accepted as so by readers. My own childhood favourite Malcolm Saville set stories in ...
Steerpike of the Spectator has got hold of a leaflet Liz Truss put out when she made an unsuccessful attempt to be elected treasurer of Lib Dem Youth and Students, which was then the party's youth wing. He writes: Underneath a headline which proclaims 'Elizabeth Truss for Treasurer' it lists her skills as an 'experienced community campaigner' and a 'founder member of the Leeds North East Young Liberal Democrats.' It notes her maiden speech 'calling for the party to practice [sic] what it preaches' at the Torquay Federal Conference and even boasts an endorsement from-then leader Paddy Ashdown: 'Elizabeth is ...
Trollies are being wheeled out of supermarkets stacked with booze. The BBQs will tomorrow be lit to sear burgers and sausages to the point of incineration. It's party time because it's coming home. And the final is against Germany, our nation's favourite enemy in what used to be called the beautiful game. Today's newspapers are not only full of coverage of the Lionesses, they cover the other contest gripping the nation (or probably not). The battle to become Tory leader and the prime minister of our nation. With the backing on Ben Wallace and Tom Tugendhat, Liz Truss probably thinks ...
I had a wonderful time earlier today at the Liverpool Pride march and activities. As ever it was a heady mixture of fun, noise, extrovertist behaviour, fancy dress, and laughter. But we must never forget that it is not only ... Continue reading →
Fri, 12:56: RT @pmdfoster: Wow. The abysmal state of this from @RishiSunak, who presumably knows he's talking tosh. Which is the problem. https://t.co/... Fri, 16:05: RT @Mij_Europe: "What if EU cannot be strong-armed into repealing NI protocol? The biggest risk of PM Truss - & I think a very real & subst... Fri, 17:11: RT @MarinaHyde: Can't believe the Johnson administration went tits up. I wonder if we'll ever put our finger on why. https://t.co/kGzIIQLp9... Fri, 20:48: RT @DmitryOpines: 1/ If silly people could just stop writing silly things about things they've only done confirmation bias google searches... Fri, 21:44: ...
Rumours that Boris Johnson plans to appoint up to 50 new Conservatives to ram contentious legislation through have really set the cat amongst the pigeons. Apparently, there is a confidential document prepared by CT Group, the influential lobbying firm run by Lynton Crosby which advises Boris Johnson, that proposes to add 39 to 50 new Tory peers and includes an extraordinary requirement that each new peer sign away their right to make their own judgment on legislation that comes before them. They have to give, the paper says, a written undertaking to attend and vote with the government. Whether this ...
It's two weeks since liberal legend Ruth Coleman-Taylor died. Ruth was a Council leader, six time parliamentary candidate, mayor and a kind and wise presence at Conference. I am missing her so much. Her husband Mick Taylor has asked us to let you know her funeral details. The Quaker Service will take place on Thursday 18th August at 2:30 pm at a venue steeped with Lib Dem history. It's at the Birchcliffe Centre in Hebden Bridge which many of you will recognise as the home of ALDC until a few years ago. Mick is asking for donations in Ruth's memory ...
Russia and Ukraine are locked in a battle for control of the strategic city of Kherson. It could be a turning point in the Ukraine War. Kherson sits on the west bank of the Dnieper (also spelled Dnipro) River, 60 miles from the Black Sea. Russian forces have been in control of the city since 2 March, but now the troops are trapped by a Ukrainian counter offensive. Using American High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the Ukrainians have destroyed virtually all the bridges connecting the roughly 1,000 Russian troops in the city to their main force on the eastern ...
Sat 30th
08:25
Government asked about jailing of Grandma Wong, and Koo Sze-yiu, for participating in pro-democracy ...
Grandma WongLord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written ... Government asked about jailing of Grandma Wong, and Koo Sze-yiu, for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations and says "the Chinese Government ... Continue reading →
The town council currently has two vacant seats, one in in Hayton Ward and another in Gallows Bank Ward. They are to be filled by co-option on Monday night. There in only one applicant for Hayton Ward and four candidates for Gallows Bank Ward. Each of candidates will be invited to speak for up to three minutes after which councillors will elect the two councillors by a simple majority. If a tie occurs, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and a further vote taken. Ludlow Town Council meets in the Methodist Church at 7.00pm on Monday, 1 August. ...
The playday takes place next Wednesday - 3rd August - more details are available at www.facebook.com/events/394492722779262 :
