The latest edition of eFocus for the Whickham area was published this evening. Issues covered include:Proposals to close Dunston Leisure Centre and Pool;Flower beds at Church Green ready for planting;Fun dog - great day had by all;History talk about the Roman fort at Washingwell;Whickham Bank house update;Road repairs;Sunniside Community Garden closing for winter;Collecting the weight of a baby
One of the great figures of British chess, Mike Basman, has died. Basman never qualified as a grandmaster, but when he drew with the former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik at the Hastings tournament of 1967, Botvinnik singled him out for praise among the younger English players. And he was one of the strongest British players in the late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming increasingly famous for his choice of unconventional opening moves. Those who followed his example inevitably became known as 'Basmaniacs'. Tony Miles, Britain's first grandmaster, once used one of Basman's openings to defeat the reigning world champion Anatoly ...
One of the characteristics of this Government has been an extraordinary inability to plan in advance for obvious problems ahead and to take basic steps to avert them. Last week the National Grid issued a statement about the possibility of power cuts this winter if a cold snap is combined with gas shortages, with households experiencing 3 hour black outs. This scenario has been entirely predictable since Russia invaded Ukraine but as usual the Government has acted with a mixture of sloth and ignorance. The UK doesn't directly import much Russian gas but we will still be affected by reductions ...
I wonder whether us now having possibly the wealthiest Prime Minister ever will have a positive or negative effect on the poorest in our society. And before you Tories start to tell me that I'm jealous of Sunak's wealth. I'm not and never have been motivated/jealous of/about money. What does anger me though is poverty and here in the UK we've been growing the numbers in it for far too long. Poverty is a choice, not a choice made by those enduring it but by our political system and those we put in control of our economy. We could choose ...
There were only two principal council by-elections this week. The very good news is there were Lib Dem candidates in both of them, and both achieved positive results that moved the Lib Dems forward in the ward. So well done and thank you to everyone involved. We start in the East Midlands on Derbyshire County Council where our candidate Rachel Allen achieved an impressive result in Long Eaton ward - increasing the Lib Dem vote share by 5% and jumping into 3rd place. Well done to Rachel and the team in Derbyshire! Labour gained the seat from the Conservatives. Derbyshire ...
David Hencke on the government's determination to rush ahead with introducing photographic voter ID in time for next May's local elections - despite a warning that the timetable involved is "likely to introduce significant risk to safe election delivery". The Crime Survey for England and Wales, which estimates levels of offending based on a sample of 13,500 households, suggests overall crime is falling, with a steep decline in theft. But crimes recorded by police are on the increase, with offences of violence rising sharply. Danny Shaw untangles the data. Do radical protests turn the public away from a cause? Colin ...
ALDC are often reminding us that we should run candidates everywhere in local elections, and far be it for me to disagree. But it isn't always easy – not everyone wants to be a councillor, and in years like 2023 with the prospect of a Conservative collapse in the Districts, there is a risk that even supposedly paper candidates may get elected. But let me introduce you to a world where elections are usually uncontested, and where not every seat is filled. The National Association of Local Councils has published its review of the 2022 elections at Town and Parish ...
Thu, 12:56: RT @alexvtunzelmann: There are not two distinct meanings of dissing someone as being "from North London," one of which is antisemitic & the... Thu, 19:17: Empire Of Sand, by Tasha�Suri https://t.co/INYbXklv2C Thu, 20:07: RT @apcoworldwide: Breaking: Renowned Public Affairs Executive Ami Copeland Joins APCO Worldwide as Head of Public Affairs in D.C. https:/... Fri, 07:24: Whew! Daily #257 1️⃣4️⃣⬛1️⃣5️⃣ 0️⃣3️⃣⬛0️⃣8️⃣ 1️⃣6️⃣⬛1️⃣7️⃣ 1️⃣8️⃣⬛1️⃣9️⃣ 0️⃣9️⃣⬛2️⃣0️⃣ 0️⃣7️⃣⬛0️⃣5️⃣ 1️⃣0️⃣⬛1️⃣2️⃣ 2️⃣1️⃣⬛1️⃣3️⃣ https://t.co/1E46GFXTgD #sedecordle Fri, 07:33: Hooray! Daily Duotrigordle #240 Guesses: 35/37 2️⃣7️⃣ 2️⃣8️⃣ 2️⃣9️⃣ 3️⃣0️⃣ 0️⃣4️⃣ 0️⃣5️⃣ 3️⃣1️⃣ 0️⃣6️⃣ 0️⃣7️⃣ 0️⃣8️⃣ 3️⃣2️⃣ 3️⃣3️⃣ 0️⃣9️⃣ 1️⃣0️⃣ 1️⃣1️⃣ 1️⃣2️⃣ 1️⃣3️⃣ 1️⃣4️⃣ 1️⃣5️⃣ 3️⃣5️⃣ 3️⃣4️⃣ 1️⃣6️⃣ ...
Far more than the other major parties, the fortunes of the Liberal Democrats rest entirely on whether the party can grab the headlines. The Conservatives and Labour dominate British political life while the SNP play a key role in two Parliaments and the Greens receive climate-based coverage. The Lib Dems lack these outlets and have to string together by-election wins to get even the briefest spike in coverage. This struggle is what I believe is holding back the party. It is why the Liberal Democrats remain stuck around 10% in the polls even while the Tory vote collapses. Many would ...
In one of those 'told you so' moments us remainers like to indulge in from time to time, the Independent reports on a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce that has found that one in five small UK exporters are unable to trade with the EU because of barriers created by Brexit. The paper says that the survey also revealed that businesses are in the dark about promised new trade deals with the rest of the world - despite ministers claiming that these are a priority: The business group is now urging the new government to adopt its proposals ...
Just the two principal authority council by-elections this week, but a full slate of Liberal Democrat candidates. That is up one on the last time these wards were up. That newly contested ward was particularly impressive given the long gap back to the last Lib Dem candidate in the ward. More on that below. Last night's Long Eaton (Derbyshire) council by-election result: LAB: 51.1% (+15.0) CON: 33.5% (-16.5) LDEM: 11.1% (+5.0) GRN: 4.4% (-3.5) Votes cast: 2,160 Labour GAIN from Conservative.https://t.co/ZjitGDNbEB — Britain Elects (@BritainElects) October 28, 2022
Here's the latest tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held since the last May round of local elections.
Latest Friends of Wighton update from Sheena Wellington about a recital taking place this Saturday in the Wighton Heritage Centre at the Central Library : On Saturday 29th October at 11am we have a very special and rare treat - a harpsichord recital by Mark Spalding. The Wighton Harpsichord is a French double-manual instrument after the C18 maker Nicholas Blanchet, built by Mark Stevenson, Cambridge 1983. Mark Spalding is a first class player who has been tending the instrument with loving care. All welcome!
